6th October 2015 by Nigerian Tribune

NIGERIA’S MOST INFORMATIVE NEWSPAPER NO 16,342

TUESDAY, 6 OCTOBER, 2015

HID Awolowo: Nobody could have died better –Jerry Gana •Richard Akinjide, monarchs, churches, others celebrate her

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Nyanya/Kuje bombings were coordinated from Kaduna —Intelligence

•How bomb hit my arm, leg —Survivor —P7,39 •DSS weak in intelligence gathering —PDP •We lost 600 teachers to Boko Haram —NUT

From left, Ambassador (Dr) Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu, Reverend (Mrs) Tola Oyediran, Chief Abimbola Akinjide and Chief Richard Akinjide (SAN), at the Ikenne residence of the Awolowos, on Monday. PHOTO: ALOLADE GANIYU.

If we further devalue naira, we will kill —P3 Nigerians —CBN gov

UK court seizes £27,000 from Diezani, mother —P14

•Identities of those arrested with ex-minister unveiled

—P3

Ministerial list: Senators to investigate corruption allegations

•Set stringent criteria for nominations •Why Buhari can't be minister of petroleum —Senator —P3

Managing Director, Easy & Quiet and Glo Trade Partner, Alhaji Mohammed Mutiu Anthony (third left), after receiving a premium Range Rover Autobiography presented to him by Globacom, at the 2015 Glo Business Associates Awards and Dinner, in Lagos, on Saturday. With him are Globacom’s Retail and Consumer Sales Chief, Mr David Maji (left); Globacom’s brand ambassador, Mrs Patience Ozokwo (Mama G); National Commercial Coordinator, Mr Yomi Ogunbamowo, Regional Marketing Director, Mr Ashok Israni (second right) and another ambassador, Mr Chiwetalu Agu (right).

Senators agree to 50% salary pay cut —P3

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

CHIEF (MRS) HID AWOLOWO (1915-2015)

PHOTOS: ALOLADE GANIYU

9 1. From left, Professor Jerry Gana, Ambassador (Dr) Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu, Reverend Tola Oyediran and the Vice Chancellor, UNILAG, Professor Rahman Bello. 2. Cross section of Apostolic Faith, District Superintendent, West Africa. 3. Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu (left) with Professor Jerry Gana (right) and the UNILAG VC, Professor Bello. 4. Cross section of UNILAG governing council with Reverend (Mrs) Oyediran and Amabssador Awolowo Dosumu. 5. Members of National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, Ogun State with Reverend (Mrs) Oyediran and Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu.

6. Cross section of Peak International School, Ikenne teachers and students. 7. From left, Mr Adeyemi Johnson, Peak International School, Reverend (Mrs) Oyediran and Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu. 8. Cross section of Celestial Church of Christ (CCC), Remo members. 9. Cross section of Senior Evangelists of CCC with Reverend (Mrs) Oyediran and Ambassadow (Dr) Awolowo Dosumu. 10. Leader, Remo Traditional Council, representing the Akarigbo, Oba Adewa Osiberu signing the condolence register.

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Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

UK court seizes £27,000 from Diezani, mother

Westminster magistrates' court in the United Kingdom (UK), on Monday, seized £27,000 from Nigeria's former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke. Also, an amount yet to be verified was seized from Alison-Madueke’s mother, Beatrice Agama, who was also in court. A correspondent of the British Broadcasting

Corporation (BBC), Sam Piranty, who has been tweeting on the development, said the seizure was effected via an application for detention of cash seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act. The application was made by the National Crime Agency, Piranty tweeted. The cash is to be detained until April 5, 2016 under Section 295 of Proceeds of Crime Act. Meanwhile, three of the names of four of those ar-

rested in London alongside Alison-Madueke, have emerged. She was arrested in London on Friday by the UK National Crime Agency and the agency had since refused to reveal the identity of those arrested with her. On Monday, a correspondent of the BBC, Piranty, who has been covering the case, unveiled the identity of the others who were picked up.

Piranty said they were Alison-Madueke’s mother, Agama; Ugonna Madueke; and a Swiss, Melanie Spencer. On the identity of the fourth person arrested by the UK agency, Piranty said it was not certain if it was a former Managing Director of the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), Haruna Momoh. “Unsure about Haruna Momoh or if it was his doppelganger,” he tweeted.

Ministerial list: Senators to investigate corruption allegations •Set stringent conditions for screening •Buhari can’t be Minister of Petroleum —Ohuabunwa Taiwo Adisa and Ayodele Adesanmi -Abuja AS Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, is set to unveil the ministerial list forwarded to the Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari, senators, on Monday, said strict screening processes await the nominees. Senate spokesman, Senator Dino Melaye, who was the first to give the hint, said the screening would no longer be business as usual. He said the nominees would no longer be treated with the "bow and go" culture, adding that senators were interested in hearing the nominees out. Senator Melaye said the Senate would ensure the screening was done professionally, following the laid down legislative procedures. The senator representing Abia North senatorial district, Mao Ohuabunwa, also spoke on Monday to indicate that a stringent screening process awaited the nominees. He stated that a nominee must be qualified to be elected a member of the House of Representatives before he or she would be confirmed a minister. According to him, the screening would be guided by the constitution and the rules of the Senate, insisting that "this time around, we have resolved we are going to be quite stringent, we are going to be sure that whoever is coming as the minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria must be somebody worth the salt, somebody we can rely upon and somebody who would have met the constitutional requirements of the appointments. We will stick to the rules." He also said it was wrong to refer to President Buhari as Minister of Petroleum, adding that the president could supervise ministers but could not be referred to as minister. He insisted that all ministers must appear before the

Senate for screening. Senator Ohuabunwa also declared that Buhari was being misled to claim that he would be Minister of Petroleum because his name could not be submitted as a minister. "I don’t think the president’s name will be on the list and I also don’t think that the president will say he is a minister, because to be a minister, one of the conditions is that you must be subjected to screening and approval of the Senate. "He, as the chief minister, can be there to supervise any ministry, but he cannot be a minister. Whoever is advising him to be minister is not advising him rightly," he said. The senator also said the Senate would ensure that no one enjoyed the "bow and go" culture as, according to him, the fact that a nominee fulfilled the basic conditions did not guarantee him the right to "bow and go." According to him, “we will want you to talk to Nigerians to show that, at least, you are qualified to be a minister." He also assured that the Senate would treat every petition and allegations of corruption against any of

the nominees by writing the anti-graft agencies for clearance. “It will be against this Senate and indeed against the president and Nigeria for us to see a very strong allegation of petition that hinges on corruption and throw it away. “Definitely, we will not. If we see a strong petition, we will definitely look into it and follow it to a logical conclusion. “If it would require writing to the anti-graft agencies like ICPC or EFCC to give us a report on such a person, we will do that, because that is what screening is all about. “Screening is not a tea party. In Cross River, for example, the appointees are going to write aptitude test. “Though I am not advocating that for the ministerial nominees, it shows that everybody now is serious and that if you are going to be a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, you should be a man of integrity and a man that we can rely upon at any time. “Integrity is very important. If you have in one way or the other soiled your hands, it will be unfortunate, because the Senate will not just say carry go,"

he said. The lawmaker, however, said a situation where two or three senators from a state rejected a nominee may not lead to automatic disqualification, as, according to him, the Senate would look at issues dispassionately. "We may not have made input into the nomination of the nominees, because it is the responsibility of the president, but subject to the confirmation of the Senate. “So, as far as the Senate is concerned, we must make sure that the screening is done in accordance with the law of the country and if you have skeleton in your cupboard and to a large extent we can proof it, we will send you back to who brought you and that is the president. “We are not considering waving any rule. Why should we wave the rule? If we want to do that, it should be before the screening. I believe that at the end of the day, Nigerians will be happy. “Some Nigerians were saying that they were expecting to see some names of the socalled saints. So it is now left for us to screen them and make sure that those that will make the list eventually will be men and women of integrity," he added.

INEC approves 50 observer groups for Kogi, Bayelsa guber polls JacobSegunOlatunji-Abuja THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approved 50 groups to observe the forthcoming Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections, scheduled for November 21 and December 5 respectively. In a letter signed by the Director of Elections and Party Monitoring Department (EPM), Bala Shittu, 43 out of the approved organisations were domestic, while seven were foreign. The approved groups are to obtain, complete and return Form EPMC 002 for the two elections from the Elections and Party Monitoring Department, INEC Headquarters, Maitama, Abuja, between 8.00 a.m.

Senators agree to 50% downward review in salaries, allowances Ayodele Adesanmi -Abuja IN agreement with the decision of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), members of the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly have agreed to downward review of their salaries and allowances by 50 per cent The Senate had earlier rejected the pay cut in their salaries and allowances and even suspended the consideration of the report of its finance committee on the issue, following sharp disagreements among the lawmakers over the recommendation. But Senator Umaru Ibrahim Kurfi, on Monday, told Senate correspondents that the senators had agreed to the 50 per cent pay cut, in line with

If we further devalue naira, we will kill Nigerians —CBN gov GOVERNOR of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele, has defended his decision not to further devalue the naira, despite the pressure on the currency of Africa’s top oil producer amid the global price crash. Emefiele is also under pressure from foreign investors and Nigerian manufacturers, who said his policies were worsening the oil-dependent country’s economic woes. But the governor, on Monday, maintained that the naira was “appropriately priced,” telling the Financial Times Africa Summit he would not allow a policy of “interminable adjustment” as this would only cause more pain for Nigeria’s 170 million

people. The naira lost more than 20 per cent of its value between the start of the oil price fall in July 2014 and February, the last time the Central Bank allowed the currency to depreciate. Since then, Emefiele had introduced a range of currency controls — doing everything but adjusting the currency to defend its value. The result has been an effective freezing of the country’s foreign exchange market. The lack of liquidity — the ability to move hard currency in and out of the country — was one reason JP Morgan removed Nigeria from its influential emerging markets bond index last month.

President Muhammadu Buhari, who was inaugurated in May, has not yet appointed a cabinet or defined an economic policy to guide the country through the crisis sparked by the oil price crash. This has frustrated investors who strongly disagree with the monetary policies enacted by Emefiele and argue that in the absence of a fiscal policy, the CBN governor is straying beyond his mandate and intervening in manufacturing policy. The governor’s comments on Monday about Nigeria’s dependence on imports suggested he believed his policies would stimulate local production. For example, the CBN, in

to 4.00 p.m (Monday to Friday) from October 2 to 23. The commission also requested that the photographs of members of staff to be deployed by approved groups in the two states along with their names be submitted in hard and soft copies to the Election and Party Monitoring Department, INEC, latest Friday, October, 2015. The commission emphasised that “late submission will not be entertained.” According to the commission, dates for distribution of observer kits in the two states would be communicated in due course, adding that further inquiries should be directed to the Director, Elections and Party Monitoring Department.

June, banned importers from sourcing foreign exchange for 41 key goods that he said could and should be produced locally. But Nigerian and foreign companies working in the country said they had to lay off workers since the controls were introduced, because they could not buy imports needed to run factories. “There’s no economy that does not protect its own, “ Mr Emefiele said, referring to the June move. “We didn’t protect our own (in the past) and we are now a net importer of palm oil. Nigeria was the world’s largest producer of the commodity in the 1950s and 1960s,” he added.

the policy of President Muhammadu Buhari administration, which is to ensure prudence in public spending. Umaru, representing Katsina Central senatorial district, said "the eighth Senate is doing its best to ensure the success of the present administration. We are in a change regime and we are ready to key into the zero tolerance for corruption policy of the present administration. "Similarly, we have agreed to support all other policies and programmes being embarked upon for the benefit of Nigerians." He assured that the Senate would continue to help the executive arm to build on democracy, implement the change promised Nigerians by the party and ensure that President Buhari surpassed the records of his predecessors The senator allayed the fears of some Nigerians that the APC-led Federal Government would spread the dividends of democracy across Nigeria, saying the president, as a man of integrity, would ensure even development of the country. On the crisis in APC, he said the leadership had not been leaving any stone unturned in keeping the party as one, despite "misunderstanding among some leaders over certain issues." He expressed hope that democracy would thrive with more development in the country under President Buhari.

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Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

How bomb hit my arm, leg —Abuja blast survivor •26 victims still receiving treatment in hospitals —NEMA •National Hospital assures full healthcare Christian Okeke - Abuja with Agency Reports JEFFERY Imiah, a victim of Friday’s bomb blast at Kuje, Abuja, on Monday, recalled how he was caught up in a bomb blast by the Boko Haram sect. Imiah, an officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), who spoke to newsmen about his experience on the night of the blast, said winning the war against insurgency was possible. Recounting his experience, he said: “I was coming back from work at night. I work for the FRSC. On reaching my alight point at Kuje, I decided to go further to see a friend briefly before going back to my house. “After seeing my friend, I came to the main road to a get a bike or taxi home. Within a few seconds, I touched the ground as I heard a blast which hit me in the leg and arm.” Responding to a question on his expectations of Buhari’s government in fight-

ing insurgency, Imiah, who had undergone a surgery in his right leg, said: “That will be more of a political question, but I believe much has been done in curbing the

insurgency in the past few months. We have to do our part.” Also speaking, Tayo Haastrup, spokesperson of the national hospital,

where most of the victims of the bomb blast are, said about 12 corpses in the mortuary had not been claimed. Meanwhile, the Nation-

al Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said 26 of the 39 victims of the Nyanya and Kuje bomb blasts are still receiving treatment in hospitals

From left, Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Senator Olalekan Mustapha; Managing Partner, Paul Usoro and Co., Mrs Mfon Usoro; former head of state and chairman on the occasion, General Abdulsalam Abubakar; Senator Florence Ita-Giwa and the chairman, International Sea Trade and Investment Convention Steering Committee, Chief Adebayo Sarumi, at the opening ceremony of a two-day conference of the maiden edition of International Sea Trade and Investment Convention 2015, held at Landmark Event Centre, Victoria Island, in Lagos, on Monday. PHOTO: SYLVESTER OKORUWA

Nyanya/Kuje bombings were coordinated from Kaduna —Intelligence

As PDP tasks Buhari to overhaul DSS, other intelligence agencies Chris Agbambu and Jacob Segun Olatunji - Abuja

NDICATIONS emerged on Monday that the bomb attacks on Kuje and Nyanya, in Abuja, were coordinated from Kaduna. This was even as fresh revelations also emerged on how the suicide bombers made a U-turn from their original intended target, and had to detonate their explosives at the market and near a police station instead. A security intelligence source told the Nigerian Tribune that the Boko Haram insurgents initially planned to attack Kuje Prison, with an aim to free their members. The source said when they discovered tight security at the prison, they had to divert to bomb the other spots. According to the source, the Kuje and Nyanya bombings was planned in and coordinated from Kaduna. The source hinted that three persons were arrested in the state the week before Kuje and Nyanya attacks, calling their members in Abuja as they planned the attack. Nigerian Tribune was told security operatives who were able to nab the

suspects using tracking device were already working on picking up the other terrorists, who were being contacted in Abuja. However, before they could be nabbed by the operatives, the suicide bombers carried out their mission at the weekend. Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) again, on Monday, condemned the multiple bomb blasts which rocked Nyanya and Kuje, satellite towns of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on Friday and demanded the immediate overhauling of the Department of State Services (DSS) and other intel-

ligence agencies for poor intelligence gathering. In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja, by its acting national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, the party expressed “deep sadness and concern over the resurgence of terrorism and renewed attacks on the Federal Capital Territory. It lamented that “the Abuja coordinated attacks came just as the nation was already celebrating the success of our security forces in their efforts to rout terrorists, indicates either a fact of dereliction of duty or sabotage against the antiterrorism fight.

“We have remained steadfast in our commitment to support each and every policy adopted by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari aimed at ending terrorism, especially knowing the importance of secured environment in achieving peaceful co-existence, an imperative for development. “We are aware that a bomb is an ill-wind that blows no good to anybody in the community, scaring way potential investors, we are, therefore, duty-bound to draw attention to certain grave factors possibly leading to the unfortunate resurgence, which, if un-

checked, could worsen the ugly situation. “Our checks reveal that poor intelligence gathering by the DSS and other relevant intelligence groups is largely, if not directly responsible for the resurgence of terrorists, who had earlier been pushed to the precipices in the Sambisa forest in Borno State, to an extent that they have slipped back into other cities, including the nation’s capital. “From all indications, the DSS, under the watch of the present Director-General, Alhaji Lawal Daura, does not seem to be in full grip of the intelligence situation.”

...Improved surveillance, intelligence-sharing, top agenda at security agencies’ emergency meeting Christian Okeke - Abuja THE need for intelligence sharing by security agencies, as well as improved surveillance in the Federal Capital territory (FCT) topped agenda of an emergency security meeting attended by all the heads of military formations in the FCT on Monday. Those at the meeting included the FCT Police Commissioner; Director, Department of State Security; FCT Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil

Defence Corps as well as representatives of Customs, Immigration and Prisons. Others included the FCT Directorate of Road Traffic Services, FCT Command of the NDLEA and FRSC, National Emergency Management Agency, FCT Emergency Management Department, Solicitor-General, FCT; chairmen of Kuje Area Council and Abuja Municipal Area Council as well as other top officials of the FCT administration. FCT Permanent Secretary, John Chukwu, summoned

the security meeting, following last weekend’s bomb attacks in Kuje and Nyanya. A source at the meeting told the Nigerian Tribune that the permanent secretary reminded members of the security committee of the constant need to share intelligence, so as to nip in the bud, any element of crime or criminality in the territory. Chukwu, according to the source, insisted that it was only normal for security agencies to take proactive measures to arrest possible

breach of security in the territory. The permanent secretary was said to have used the opportunity to promise that the FCT Administration would always support the security agencies to ease their operation. While calling for intensified surveillance in and around Abuja, in order to nip in the bud such incidents, the permanent secretary directed the area council chairmen to resuscitate and strengthen their security committees.

across the Federal Capital Territory. Coordinator of NEMA, Abuja operations, Mr Ishaya Chonoko, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, on Monday, that the remaining 13 people had been treated and discharged. Chonoko said there was no fresh case of injuries or death from the Friday blast. He added that the agency had no report on any hospital that had refused to treat the victims, contrary to some media reports. He said names of such hospitals should be forwarded to the agency for appropriate action. “We have not had of such cases and anyone with facts should come forward and the agency will take appropriate action,” he said. Also, the National Hospital, Abuja (NHA), on Monday, assured the 17 bomb blast victims receiving treatment of full healthcare services. Spokesperson of NHA, Dr Haastrup, made this known to the NAN while fielding questions on the plight of the victims in Abuja. Haastrup described the incident as an unfortunate national disaster and expressed the management’s resolve to accord the victims full medical services. He added that the hospital would do whatever it could to ensure quick recovery of the victims. He noted that President Muhammadu Buhari had directed the NHA to treat and submit the victims’ medical bills for payment by the Federal Government, adding that the hospital was working in compliance with order. Giving the number of dead bodies in the hospital’s mortuary as 12, Haastrup, however, said the corpses were yet to be identified and claimed by their relatives. According to him, the hospital management had involved the police, as well as relatives for the identification of the corpses, adding that on completion of the investigation, those corpses would be released to relatives. Checks also revealed that the 17 injured people, who were rushed to the trauma centre of the hospital from the bomb scene, remained in the wards and were doing well. Also, the seven-monthold baby that survived the attack was equally doing well.

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

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Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

HID Awolowo lived a fulfilled life —Oyo CP Pledges police support at burial By Paul Omorogbe

he Commissioner of Police Oyo State, Mr Leye Oyebade has revealed that the co-Founder and Chairman of African Newspapers of Nigeria (ANN) Plc, publishers of Tribune titles, Chief HID Awolowo lived a fulfilled life. He said this when he and the command’s top officers paid a courtesy cum condolence visit to the headquarters of ANN Plc, Tribune House, Oke

Ado, Ibadan on Monday, and was received by the Managing Director/Editor in Chief of Nigerian Tribune, Mr Edward Dickson and top management staff. In his words, “though we are grieved by her demise, we however take solace in the belief that our mother lived a pious, and fulfilled life and as such would rest in the bosom of our Lord.” Oyebade has however, announced a roadmap that will enhance the security of lives and property in the state, just as he promised the Oyo State police command’s full support in the

burial arrangements of Mama Awolowo who he described as a rare gem. He stated that the planned roadmap, which include professionalising the officers via training, engaging individual members of the public in crime prevention and control by community policing, the Safer Highways patrol for travellers, and a fight against bribery and corruption in the police would be unsuccessful without the help of the media. He said, “I want to appreciate Tribune for its investigative journalism.

We need you, the rest of the media, and all of society to partner with us to make policing successful.” He added that, “We know that Nigerian Tribune and the Nigerian society, as a whole, have lost a rare gem in the person of Mama. We are grieved by her demise and we are here to pay our condolences. My men will participate fully to ensure the burial proceedings in Ibadan are hitch-free.” Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of Nigerian Tribune, Mr Dickson expressed delight over the commissioner’s visit, and

Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Mr Leye Oyebade (left), presenting condolence letter to the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief, African Newspapers of Nigeria (ANN) Plc, publishers of Tribune titles, Mr Edward Dickson, during the commissioner’s visit to the Tribune House, Imalefalafia, Ibadan, on Monday. PHOTO: YEMI FUNSO-OKE

Security agencies’ stance on Rivers election tantamount to coup —RMGs DapoFalade-PortHarcourt

President Muhammadu Buhari has been advised to guide against the actions of the nation’s security agencies, especially on the disputed Rivers State governorship election. President of the Right Monitoring Group (RMG) and Executive Director of the Centre for Convention on Democratic Integrity (CCDI), Mr Olufemi Aduwo, gave the warning in a telephone interview with the Nigerian Tribune, on Monday. Speaking on the Rivers State governorship election petition, ongoing in Abuja, he said the security agencies namely; the Army and the Department of State Security (DSS) were acting outside the constitution by condemning the April 11, 2015 election in the state. “Why will the Army be condemning the Rivers State governorship election? Are they the one that

conducted the election? In fact, the action of the Army is equivalent to a coup because; if you have as much as 40 per cent of people participating in any election, like in Rivers State where 23 local government areas and some councils did not participate, that does not invalidate the re-

sult of the election. “The INEC officials, who conducted the election, told the tribunal what happened and the DSS is now laying ambush for those who come to give evidence. Both the local and foreign observers agreed that the governorship election, conducted

in Rivers State, last April, was free, fair and acceptable. “The Nigerian election process starts from the polling unit and ends at the court. That is the Electoral Law in Nigeria. Whatever the tribunal pronounced as the final result, so be it.”

My transfer to Jos not a punishment —Mbu Isaac Shobayo-Jos

Assistant Inspector General of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu, has resumed as the Commandant of Police College Jos, Plateau State saying his transfer was not a punishment, but to transform the college, which was in dire need of overhauling and transformation. The new Commandant who stated this while answering questions from newsmen shortly after he assumed as the Comman-

dant of the College pledged to do his best towards transformation of the college in all aspects and debunked the speculation that he was posted to Plateau State on punishment. In his words, “I was posted to Jos to come and transform the college. I did not resume early because I was on leave. I am still a serving police officer and I love my job. “This college is the highest police training institution in the country and it is a privilege to be posted

here. Our Inspector General has promised to ensure that training is his priority and that’s why I was posted to help transform the college, which is why he sends the finest officers to the college so that they can impact positively on police personnel. “We are posted here not as a punishment, but to make sure the police is completely transformed. I want to assure you that in the next two months, it will be completely transformed.”

joined him in celebrating the legacies and virtues of Mama who led Nigerian Tribune as a successful business entity for 64 years as the chairman. He expressed confidence in the CP and his men to curtail crime and other acts.

Lasun is a dependable ally —Dogara The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has described the Deputy Speaker, Yusuf Sulaimon Lasun as a dependable ally who is needed to take the country to the next level. The Speaker, who stated this at the 55th birthday celebration of the Deputy speaker in his Apo House Abuja, noted that the kind of spirit, which the Deputy Speaker has is what the leadership needs for the growth of this country. According to the Speaker, “Deputy Speaker Lasun has one thing that gives him influence and that is the lion spirit which is critical to leadership. I knew the kind of sacrifices he made, if not because he had that spirit in him, I tell you he would have been an impostor.” Dogara added that, “Because of the indomitable spirit of the deputy speaker, he doesn’t look back and there is no situation out there that he cannot conquer. “This is why I know that I have a wonderful ally and by the grace of God, together we will be able to deliver the kind of leadership that is unparallel in the history of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Taraba State govt appoints acting Emir Sylvanus Viashima-Jalingo

Governor Darius Ishaku has appointed Sir Linus D. Ibrahim (Wazirin Zing) as acting Kpanti Zing (Emir of Zing) to calm the tension that was building up in the area following the death of Alhaji Abbas Ibrahim Sambo. In a statement issued in Jalingo and signed by the Permanent Secretary, Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Bello Yero, Ishaku stated that this was in line with the traditions guiding the traditional stool of Zing Chiefdom. He further called on all the interested parties to remain calm as the necessary machinery for the election of the new Kpanti Zing is put in place.

5,000 women benefit from Kogi medical outreach Yinka Oladoyinbo-Lokoja

At least 5000 women have benefited from a free medical outreach organised by Kogi West Women in collaboration with Otorhinolaryngolical Society of Nigeria and The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), London. The women were treated for ear, nose, throat, eye related diseases, while some of them that were pregnant were also presented with maternity packs. The wife of the Kogi State deputy governor and facilitator of the programme, Mrs Tokunbo Awoniyi, at the end of the outreach, asked women to always seek early medical attention as a panacea towards ensuring healthy life.

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Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

Ministerial nomination: Jubilation in Saki, as ex-lawmakers slam Oyo APC over Shittu

•His traducers are enemies of Oke-Ogun —Saki people •Groups hail Buhari over nominee By Dare Adekanmbi

MMEDIATE past member of the House of Representatives from Oke-Ogun, Honourable Kola Olabiyi, has chided the leadership of the state All Progressives Congress (APC) for their opposition to Mr Adebayo Shittu’s nomination and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to discountenance the objection. Honourable Olabiyi, in a telephone conversation with the Nigerian Tribune, said those who were complaining about Shittu’s nomination “want to continue to hold Oke-Ogun in servitude and as secondclass citizen in the state. “Shittu’s nomination will bring development to the neglected Oke-Ogun zone, which is made up of 10 local government areas and the state in general. Do those who are complaining want Ibadan to produce the minister as it has done in the last 16 years? “Shittu, an erudite lawyer, is eminently qualified, to be minister and has been in Oyo State politics since the Second Republic. When we are talking about change and people who are not corrupt, Shittu is the right man for the job,” Olabiyi said. Also, a former Speaker in the state House of Assembly, Honourable Adeolu Adeleke, condemned the resentment of the APC leadership to Shittu’s nomination. Adeleke, in a statement made available to newsmen in Ibadan, the state capital, on Monday, said the APC leadership goofed in its stance, because “every right-thinking person in Oyo State, irrespective of political leaning, sees the appointment as being well earned by hardworking Shittu.” The former speaker urged the leadership of the APC to see the appointment from the perspective of the majority of the people of the state. Meanwhile, the people of Saki town from across political parties, on Monday, took to the streets to celebrate the nomination of one of their sons, Mr Shittu, as a minister by President Muhammadu Buhari. Nigerian Tribune learnt that the rally was organised by leaders of Saki to discredit opposition and insinuations against Shittu, saying he was not popular,

as well as attempts to label him an unpopular choice. Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune during the rally on telephone, a former chairman of Saki West Local Government Area, Alhaji Salami Nosiru, described Shittu’s traducers as enemies of the people of Oke-Ogun zone. “I am not a member of the

All Progressives Congress (APC), but Shittu preached Buhari to us and said he was the best candidate and we massively mobilised votes for him on the strength of Shittu’s testimony about him. “APC got the highest number of votes during the presidential election of March 28 from Saki West Local

Govenrment Area, which is Shittu’s council. His unit also recorded the highest number of votes of the over 4,000 units in the state.” Also speaking, Deacon Olujimi Olusegun, said calculated attempts at giving Shittu a bad name, so as to hang him would not only fail, but also “bounce back on his enemies.”

Meanwhile, the Saki Development Union (SDU) in a release signed by Mr Moshood Aromose and Elder Mathew Fehintola, president and secretary respectively, said Shittu’s appointment showed that President Muhammadu Buhari meant well for the country. According to the Union, “Mr Shittu is noted for his

dogged commitment to truth, justice, fairness, honesty, openness and accountability. He is an incorruptible politician, who believes in Godliness and service to humanity. We have no doubt that the nominee will not betray the confidence repose in him by president buhari if given the opportunity to serve at the federal level.”

...Oyo residents’ reactions overwhelm me —Shittu Says a fight against me is a fight against God By Tunde Ogunesan and Doyin Adeoye OYO State ministerial nominee, Mr Adebayo Shittu has described the reactions of the residents of the state to the announcement of his name as a ministerial nominee as overwhelming, saying the purported plot against him by some party chieftains as inconsequential. Shittu’s name was rumoured to be among 21 names contained in the list submitted to the Senate President by President Muhammadu Buhari, last week by the media. But two advertorials in national newspapers advertorial on Monday, signed by the state chairman and secretary of his party, All Progressives Congress (APC), Akin Oke and Mojeed Oloye respectively, rejecting the nomination. In a reaction, Shittu, described the position of the party chieftains as misleading and against the interest of the larger majority of the residents of the state. The ministerial nominee, who was a governorship aspirant of the APC in the last general election in the state maintained that all what the party officials made reference to in the open letter were intra-party squabbles, some of which Mr President himself, Buhari intervened to get them resolved. Describing his nomination as one of the best things that could happen to Oyo State, he said this was the first time a thorough-bred and grassroots politician would be nominated to represent the state, as against the previous arrangement when those appointed had no grassroots appeal. He even challenged the party officials to produce the results of the last elections in their wards and local governments and put them side

by side what he was able to turn-in from his Saki-West Local Government Area of the state, which produced one of the best results for the party. The protest notwithstanding, he said he had no illfeeling against anybody, because, “as a man of God, though I’m not a profession-

al cleric, but I’m religious enough to appreciate that when God elevates, nobody can demote and that’s why I’m not moved.” Also, Shittu stated that those speaking against his ministerial nomination in the state should be ignored, as a fight against him is a fight against God.

Shittu said “I ordinarily would not have made a comment on the advertorial where my character was disparaged and I was supposedly rejected as a nominee, because I was still in a meeting with the executive governor, the chairman of the APC in Oyo State, Chief Oke and two of the senators

four days ago, where we all explained our positions and agreed that we would start afresh. I was invited by some elders in the state on Sunday, who again organised a meeting between myself and the governor, and there, we agreed that we would put the past behind us.”

Security agencies probe Lagos Commissioner-nominees over degrees, NYSC certificates Lanre Adewole - Lagos SECRET security and legislative probe of Commissioner-nominees of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode got underway on Monday, as alleged certificate saga and nepotism rocked the process, Nigerian Tribune authoritatively learnt. The security angle to what the leadership of the Lagos State House of Assembly tagged a pre-screening was reportedly necessitated by suspicion that certain nominees presented questionable Ph.D degrees from abroad, while a couple allegedly did not participate in the compulsory one-year National Youth Service programme, which was sine qua non to serving the country in elective and appointive positions. The committee set up by the assembly to conduct the pre-screening, headed by the Deputy Speaker, Honourable Wasiu Eshinlokun, began its sitting on Monday, behind closed-doors. Media Adviser to the Speaker, Mr Musbau Rasak, confirmed the commencement of the closed-door prescreening. He further told Nigerian Tribune that the prescreening was not a secret probe, but a process by the legislature to ensure that nominees were thoroughly screened before confirmation.

He re-echoed the determination of the assembly leadership to ensure that whoever was found wanting among the nominees regarding their academic and other constitutional qualifications would not be spared. Disclosing that he was not empowered to speak on the issue of the closed-door prescreening, Rasak referred Nigerian Tribune to the panel chairman, Honourable Eshinlokun, though not until he revealed that nomi-

nees had been directed to come with the original copies of their credentials. It was also learnt that certain claims of a couple of nominees had been referred to security agencies, which are now digging into their past, particularly the background of those who were based abroad before their nomination. Nigerian Tribune was told that the report of the Eshinlokun’s panel would be used in screening the

nominees at plenary and that only those cleared by the panel would be invited for the larger house screening. The governor will be required to bring replacement for those who fail the special screening. Suspicion has been rife that the pre-screening was a smoke-screen to shield nominees with baggage and for legislative deals to be tied, but Rasak said such insinuation was far from the truth.

...Petitions not factor for disqualification —Lagos Assembly Chukwuma Okparaocha - Lagos DEPUTY Speaker of the House and chairman of the ad hoc committee set up for screening the nominees, Wasiu Sanni-Eshinlokun, has said that petitions will not be a yardstick to determine who would be disqualified or not among nominees for commissionership in Lagos State. Eshinlokun, who noted that the nominees would be allowed to respond to the petitions against them, said: “Any petition against any of the nominees will not amount to automatic disqualification. We will confront them with such petitions and allow them to respond. “What I’m principally saying is that, we will give the

nominees fair hearing and then the House will come up with an appropriate decision.” The Speaker’s statement had come, following a petition in September by a certain Abiodun Benson, a Lagos State resident, opposing the nomination of Dr Femi Onanuga. The petition read in part: “Dr Olufemi Onanuga was a member of Ikoyi club 1938 and we both served as members of the general committee of the club between 2007 and 2008. He was then the vice chairman of the club and I was the chairman of the billiards and snooker section of the club. As a result of diverse investigation into financial/ administrative activities in Ikoyi club 1938, Dr Onanuga

had to face disciplinary panel in the club, which led to his expulsion from the club. “I, Chief Oladele Abiodun Benson, Nigerian citizen, indigene of Lagos State and a member of Ikoyi Club 1938, hereby, formally lodge my objection to the nomination and or approval by the assembly, of Dr Olufemi Onanuga, to serve as a commissioner/special adviser in the executive of my dear state, Lagos. Meanwhile, the opposition party in Lagos State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has lambasted the state governor, over the inclusion of relatives of the national leader of the APC and a former governor of the state, Senator Tinubu, in the list of commissioners and advisers which he sent to the Lagos assembly.

Nigerian Tribune

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

Lagosmetro Man dis Olalekan Olabulo The police in Lagos State have arrested a suspected armed robber, who disguised as a scavenger to rob unsuspecting residents and

Son who murdered father remanded in prison Bidemi Olowofela

This litter of dirt is just outside the fence of Apapa General Hospital, Randle Road, Apapa. Photo: Sylvester Okoruwa

Panic in Festac as kidnapping, robbery become frequent Lanre Adewole

esidents of the popular Festac Town say they no longer sleep with both eyes closed as kidnappers and robbers now operate almost without inhibition in their habitation. Those who cannot sleep are those with nerves to stay back as more nervous residents are saying goodbye to the neighbourhood. The latest of the high-profile kidnapping is the seizing of chairman of cable-manufacturing company, Comestar, Chief James Uduji. Police authorities in the state said the incident was under investigation. According to residents who wanted out of public identification, many wealthy residents decided to relocate from the area

following reports that Uduji’s abductors insisted that his family must pay them one million dollars (almost N220million) or they would kill him. Residents are worried that Uduji’s fate may also extend to them, considering the

security vulnerability of the area. Uduji was abducted at gun point near his residence at 7th Avenue, Festac, about three weeks ago. His family members were reportedly forced to negotiate for him to stay alive.

His brother, Sir Uche Uduji reportedly confirmed the family negotiated with the abductors. After the alleged payment of N100 million ransom, the kidnappers reportedly told the family to bring another member in exchange

for Uduji to go and raise the balance of N120 million. Lagos State Police Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Joe Offor, confirmed Uduji’s abduction, noting that investigation was on.

A 35-year-old man, Nelson Oamen has been arraigned before a Lagos Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Ebute-Metta Lagos for allegedly killing his father. It will be recalled that Nelson who is the fourth child allegedly killed his 75-year-old father who was suffering from stroke by stabbing him with a broken bottle on his neck and chest while he slept. After the heinous act, the accused allegedly absconded but later on reportedly turned himself over to the police where he allegedly confessed that he killed his father because he (deceased) was not taking care of him and also refused to buy him a bus. The presiding magistrate, Mrs. Botoku ordered that the defendant should be remanded in prison custody pending DPP legal advice. She adjourned the matter till November 5, 2015.

Contractors remanded for attacking Abijo chief Lanre Adewole Three building contractors have been arraigned before a Lagos Magistrates’ court for allegedly invading the palace of a chief, locally known as Baale of Abijo in Ibeju Lekki, and attempting to kill Bashiru Balogun by cutting off his right arm with a machete. The accused persons, Alaba Osoba, 39, Moshood Azeez, 35, and Tajudeen Raji, 32, were also accused

of unlawful possession of two locally made guns, ten cartridges and 10 cutlasses without lawful authority. They were arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court by operatives of the Federal Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Alagbon Close, Lagos on a four-count charge of felony to wit: unlawful possession of fire arms, attempted murder and malicious damage. The police prosecutor,

Supol Akin Owanabe, informed the court the accused persons allegedly committed the offence on 7 August and 22 September, 2015 at Aparapaja Casia and Baale’s Palace Abijo, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos. He further informed the court that the accused persons armed themselves with weapons and invaded the palace of Abijo, Ibeju Lekki in an attempt to murder Bashiru Balogun and in the process inflicted machete

cut in his right arm. The suspects, according to prosecution were also caught with two locally made guns, 10 cartridges and 10 cutlasses. They also allegedly damaged a structure valued at N30milion belonging to the University of Lagos. The offences are contrary to and punishable under sections 6, 3 of the robbery and firearms Act CAP R11, Laws of the Federation, 2004 and sections 228 and

337 of the criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011. The accused persons pleaded not guilty. Magistrate, Mrs. J. O. Adepoju admitted the accused person to bail in the sum of N500,000 each with two sureties each in like sum. Adepoju adjourned the case till 15 October, 2015 for mention while the defendants were taken to Ikoyi prisons Lagos pending when they will fulfil their bail conditions.

Nigerian Tribune

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

Lagosmetro

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

Nigerian Tribune

Edited By Lanre Adewole 0811 695 4647

Man dis guises as scavenger to rob Ojota residents, motorists Olalekan Olabulo The police in Lagos State have arrested a suspected armed robber, who disguised as a scavenger to rob unsuspecting residents and

Son who murdered father remanded in prison Bidemi Olowofela

This litter of dirt is just outside the fence of Apapa General Hospital, Randle Road, Apapa. Photo: Sylvester Okoruwa

Panic in Festac as kidnapping, robbery become frequent Lanre Adewole

for Uduji to go and raise the balance of N120 million. Lagos State Police Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Joe Offor, confirmed Uduji’s abduction, noting that investigation was on.

motorists around Ojota area of state. The suspect who was arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) has reportedly confessed to the crime and expressed his readiness to work with the police to arrest other members of the gang. A source at RRS described the arrest of the suspect as “part of the effort to sanitise the state and rid it of criminals.” The suspect, 24-year-old Abdullai Umar was a few days ago arrested by RRS operatives, who were on routine patrol around Abiola Garden at Ojota. Preliminary investigations revealed that the arrested suspect was a member of a gang who disguised as scavengers and hid arms in their truck. The suspect and other members of his gang used weapons to threaten their victims, before robbing them of their valuables, like

phones, jewellery and cash. The suspect who hails from Kawo Local Govern-

ment Area, Kaduna State reportedly mentioned names of other members of his

syndicate in a confessional statement to the police. According him, “I dis-

guised as scavenger to rob innocent members of public in the axis. I work with Sun-

court was yet to make any pronouncement but the respondents were already infringing on the rights of the applicants. The community leader said despite the pending

suit, the property developer had already marked their houses for demolition and also threatened the peace of the area. He said that residents now live in panic due to the day-

to-day threats being issued by the developer. He claimed further that they had been in possession of the land for many decades without government interference.

day, Stephen, Papa, John, Muscle and Akeem. “We are the robbery syndicate terrorizing residents of that area and passers-by during day and night. My receiver is an Igbo man who owns a shop at Mile 2 in Lagos. I sold Nokia and Tecno phones to him and any other stolen valuables including wrist-watches and jewellery. I am ready to cooperate with the Police to arrest other members of the gang,” he stated. According to the RRS Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP Olatunji Disu, “The Police while on patrol duty, saw the duo of Dayo Zachariah and Akanna Grace, who were crying for assistance after they had just been robbed when they were on their way to board buses to their different places of work. “Immediately, the policemen around the area made a hot chase and the suspect was nabbed while making an attempt to hide inside the garden in the area.” The RRS boss assured that the police would go after the fleeing members of the robbery syndicate and added that the arrested suspect would be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.

the present administration as well as fulfil his pledge of participatory governance.” The statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr. Folarin Adeyemi, said the meeting which is slated for Abesan Mini Stadium/Playground,

Abesan Housing Estate, Ipaja by 11am “is designed to enable people rub minds with the governor on salient issues that are germane to the progress of the state while proffering solutions to them.” Adeyemi said the importance attached to the forum

was borne out of the fact that it would allow for divergent opinions and views from various sources, adding that the desire to maximise the diverse potentials in the state informed the need to embrace this generally acceptable window of interaction from all stake-

holders in the state. The permanent secretary also said that people, being the bedrock of any society, must be actively involved in governance, while emphasizing that Governor Ambode’s administration was a people oriented government.

This waste dump is located at Wharf Road close to Area B Police Command, Apapa. Photo: Sylvester Okoruwa

Otto-Awori community protests against demolition, acquisition of homeland AyomideOwonibiOdekanyin Residents of Otto Awori Jobiti in Otto Awori Local Development Area, Lagos have staged a peaceful protest to express their grievance over alleged attempt by the state government to use a private company to demolish and acquire their properties. The community leader, Chief Saturday Ilosu, the Ase of Ijanikin kingdom, who addressed newsmen during the protest, stated that the tussle over the affected properties had been on for many years before it was resolved in favour of Eleso family of Ijanikin by the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos. He alleged that it was after the court verdict that the idea of government acquisition was mooted by a property consultant, in order to acquire the land at all cost. Chief Ilosu said based on the alleged attempt to demolish the properties and acquire the land, the community filed a suit against the state government, the attorney-general and the

New Town Development Authority, among others before a state high court. He noted that the suit was still pending before the court, numbered as M/1070/2010 and the

Ambode’s maiden town hall meeting holds today at Ipaja Lanre Adewole

The maiden grassroots platform for an interface between government and the governed in the state will hold today at Ipaja, the state government disclosed on Monday. A statement by the Ministry of Information said, “Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode will on Tuesday, October 6, meet with Lagosians at the maiden edition of his quarterly Town Hall Meeting, in the Lagos West Senatorial District. “The Town Hall Meeting is in fulfilment of his campaign promise to duly engage the citizenry and chart a path where regular interactions will take place to inundate people with plans, policies and programmes of

Businessman docked for N4 million forex fraud AyomideOwonibiOdekanyin A businessman, Cletus Iyohana has been charged to court for allegedly defrauding a woman of N4 million. Iyohana, 33, a resident of Blessed Valley, Berger, Ikeja, Lagos, is being tried for fraud and stealing at an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court. It was gathered that the accused fraudulently ob-

tained N4 million from Mrs Juliana Obabi under the pretext of investing it in forex trading. The accused was said to have cajoled the complainant to pay N4 million into his account under the pretext of investing the money in forex trading. After the accused reportedly received alert for the money, he allegedly refused to invest it in what it

was meant for and resorted to threatening the complainant’s life. When the complainant went to his office to demand for her money, the accused allegedly ordered his boys to throw her out. He also allegedly threatened to kill her if she showed up in his office again. The prosecutor, Sergeant Kehinde Olatunde, told

the court that the accused committed the offences between the month of May and June 2014 at Maryland, Lagos. The accused pleaded not guilty to the offences and was granted bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum. The Magistrate, Mr O.A. Aka-Bashorun, adjourned the case till October 13 for mention.

businessnews

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

NNPC sue NNPG, CAC, others over trademark infringement Sunday Ejike-Abuja

igerian National Petroleum Corporation Retail Limited has sued Natural Network Petroleum and Gas Company Limited (NNPG) and two others over infringement on its trademark. NNPC had, in a suit No: FHC/AK/99/15 filed through its counsel, Muyiwa Atoyebi joined Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and Registrar of Trade Marks, Patent and Designs as 2nd and 3rd defendants respectively. The plaintiff had also in a separate suit sued Flory Mummy Nigeria Limited over the same subject matter. When the matter came up on Friday before Justice I.M Sanni of the Federal High Court sitting in Akure, the court granted an order that CAC and the Registrar of Trade Marks be served with the writ in their corporate office in Abuja. In its writ, the plaintiff is praying the court for a declaration that the first defendant ‘NNPG’ mark is phonetically and alphabetically confusingly identical/similar to NNPC’s trademark. The plaintiff however prays the court to make an order of perpetual injunction restraining NNPG from selling, offering any service, advertising for sale or promoting howsoever the name and consequently the acronym of NNPG in any of its service outlets, or any similar acronym, mark design and / or trade logo identical or similar to its own. It also wants the court

to direct CAC, pursuant to Section 31(1) and (4) of the Companies and Allied Matters act, 1990 to remove the NNPG’s name from its record being similar with its registered trademark, NNPC.

NNPC further wants the court to direct the Registrar of Trademarks, Patent and Designs never to accept for registration the word NNPG or any word or color combination so closely identical or similar

The naira on Monday further depreciated against the dollar at the parallel market. The local currency lost N1.50 to the dollar as it traded at N225.5 to the dollar at the parallel market on Monday afternoon. This was against the N224 to the dollar recorded last Friday. Meanwhile, the official interbank rate also dropped by 0.05 to N196.95 to the dollar. Traders at the parallel market attributed the depreciation of the naira at the market to insufficient quantity of dollar at the market. The Central Bank of Nigeria last week adjusted its exchange rate peg to N196.95/

court to restrain NNPG from infringing or assisting others to infringe on the plaintiff’s registered trademark, colors/combination of colors, totems, insignia and emblem.

From left, Executive Director, Sterling Bank Plc, Mr Abubakar Suleiman;Managing Director, Floodgate Insurance Brokers, Mr Rotimi Olukorede; ManagingDirector, See The World Travels and Tours Limited, Mrs Awoderu IyaboOluwatosin and Facilitator, Sterling MSME Academy/CEO, Mark George Consultants, Mr Olugbolahan Mark-George, during the formal opening of the bank’s MSME Academy in Lagos. Photo: Sylvester Okoruwa

Dangote ranked among 50 most influential persons in the world …restates conviction in Nigeria’s economy’s imminent bounce back President of the pan-African conglomerate, the Dangote group, Aliko Dangote has been named among the 50 world most influential personalities by the Bloomberg, the renowned US based news media with bias for business and financial news reporting. The group of personalities chosen by the Bloomberg Market, consisted of CEOs, world leaders as well as religious leaders. As ex-

pected, Barack Obama, Angela Merkel and Pope Francis made the list with Dangote on number 41. According to Bloomberg, those on the list “build companies and assemble fortunes. They run banks, or hope to disrupt them. They shape economies and spread ideas. They manage money and wield the clout that goes with the billions of dollars they invest” The Bloomberg said of him; “Aliko Dangote,

Naira falls further against dollar at parallel market Chima Nwokoji - Lagos

to its own. The plaintiff further wants to the court to stop NNPG from using similar/identical colors/combination†of colors to that of the plaintiff as its retail outlets. In addition, it wants the

dollar from the N197 set since July, traders said, quoting a broadcast from the regulator. This is the sixth adjustment since the central bank introduced tight controls on the foreign exchange market in February. The Naira however appreciated on the parallel market on Wednesday prior to the independence day anniversary. It traded at N222 to the dollar, better than N224.50 a dollar on Tuesday. The central bank injected $80 million into the bureau de change market, just as naira also closed firmer at the new rate of N196.50 to the dollar at the official interbank market compared

with N197 per dollar rate the previous day. Data for the month of September obtained from the apex bank’s website show that there has been a fall in Nigeria’s foreign reserves. Foreign exchange reserves fell by 3.14 per cent to $30.48 billion by September 23 from $31.47 billion a month ago. The reserves of Africa’s top oil producer is now down 23.03 per cent from a year ago. In August, the CBN indicated that foreign exchange reserves rose by $350 million to 31.43 billion. The reserves increase crossed $30 billion in July, rising by 5.6 per cent from 29.03 billion in June to N30.69 billion.

Founder, Dangote Group. Africa’s most successful businessman built his fortune in sugar, textiles, and cement in his native Nigeria, where today he’s a political as well as a financial power broker. He’s expanding in other countries and may list his cement company in London.” A piece written by Paul Wallace, a reporter with the media outfit, said “Dangote is feted like royalty. He has businesses ranging from cement to sugar to energy in a dozen sub-Saharan countries. “He’s a fixture at elite gatherings such as the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. No African has ridden the continent’s halting march out of poverty toward potential prosperity as spectacularly as its richest person, the Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote. “Dangote’s clout extends beyond the boardroom and the high-flier dinner circuit. In March, as votes were tallied in Nigeria’s presidential election, Dangote, 58, served as an intermediary between the camps of the incumbent, Goodluck Jonathan, and the ultimate winner of the election, Muhammadu Buhari.” “There’s no question that

he is quite an exceptional person—not only in Africa but globally,” says Mark Mobius, chairman of the emerging-markets group at Franklin Templeton Investments. Earlier yesterday, speaking at the Financial Times Africa Summit in London, Dangote expressed confidence that Nigeria would weather the oil shock that has decimated government revenues if it steps up a fight against corruption. He was reported to have been emphatic that the Africa’s most populous country would grow. “Nigeria’s GDP won’t stagnate,” said Mr. Dangote, adding; “We will have a short term shock but people should remember the Nigerian economy is resilient and huge.” Dangote said if the government of President Buhari continued its crackdown on corruption the near 50 per cent oil price collapse in the past year would be mitigated. He was speaking on stage to Financial Times editor, Lionel Barber, at the opening session of the FT Africa Summit 2015. “The government Organisations has also suffered a lot of leakages so when oil was $100 a barrel we weren’t seeing all that revenue collected,” Mr Dangote said.

Nigerian Tribune

Why we are celebrating our customers —Sterling Bank

“Customers are the reasons for our continued existence and they have been part of our success story thus far. As a responsible and customer sensitive financial institution, we are poised to continue to appreciate them from time to time through quality product offering and services. The Customer Service Week provides the right platform to achieve this”. With these words, the Group Head, Strategy & Communications of Sterling Bank Plc, Mr Shina Atilola announced plans to celebrate the customers of the Bank who have remained loyal to the brand over the years. The Customer Service Week, held annually during the first full week of October, is a global event which celebrates and recognises the loyalty of every organisation’s customers as well as staff who render excellent service. The week is planned to boost staff morale and encourage team work, while rewarding customers. This theme for the celebration this year is “Every day Heroes.” This according to Mr Atilola was chosen to further reinforce this assertion by celebrating both customers and staff in a unique way.

Access Bank, GMT unveil new business solution Suzy Oruya-Onitsha In other to create an accessible and reliable means towards importation business in Nigeria, the Access Bank Plc in partnership with GMT limited unveiled a FLOWS scheme that stand to take care of logistics in importation of goods and services to Nigeria. Addressing the traders at De Lumen Suites, Banquet Hall, GRA, Onitsha, the Head Subsidiary Access bank Plc, Mr Arinze Osuachala said the scheme was designed to cover all aspect of the logistics in importation business in all parts of the globe. Osuachala explained that FLOWS covers import financing and logistics services that provide first effective cost efficient scheme targeted at SME importers for financing, logistics and warehousing services.

businessnews

NIRSAL guarantees 454 farmers’ projects worth N61.2bn By Chima Nwokoji-Lagos

he Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) said it had guaranteed 454 projects for farmers worth N61.2 billion in the last two and half years. At a two-day valueLinks seminar organised in partnership with a german-based technical company GIZ,Edwin Nzelu, Acting Managing Director NIRSAL, said the projects were projects that were financed by Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) with guarantees from the CBN. Some of the guarantees varies between 50 to 70 per cent according to level of categrisation of such projects. “As a result of this risk-sharing arrangement, we have paid out N4.2billion to DMBs as a result of failure arising from 2014 wet season. Failure in the sense that borrowers did not fulfill their obligations as expected, so Central Bank stepped in to bridge that gap. “The objectives include to ramp up domestic rice production to replace imported riceIncrease operating capacity of Integrated rice millers. Increase Banks financing to the sector,” he stated. According to Nzelu, the essence of the workshop is to bring bankers, credit risk officers and technical partners together to understand and share in the mechanisms around agricultural lending.

Dr Annemarie Matthess Head of Sustainable Smallholder Agribusiness Programme GIZ, represented by Dr Julius Ayeni, Senior Consultant said,”agriculture can be a business segment for banks provided

that the specifics of this business are well understood by banks and built in meaningful and riskreduced services. “This cannot be done from outside but needs to be done by banks and their

staff themselves. A training may however help to make it easier and more enticing. This is what this training is all about.” He further stated that “For us at GIZ, this training represents thus a

GTB wins Bank of the year award ing stock exchanges, listed companies, investment banks, research teams, regulators, socially responsible companies and sovereign wealth and pension fund investors. The investment and business leadership awards aim to reward exceptional business practices, economic achievements and investments across Africa, whilst recognizing the institutions and individuals improving the continent’s investment climate. According to Hubert Danso, CEO of Africa inves-

tor: “Africa’s capital markets remain some of the most attractive propositions for institutional investors globally. We are therefore delighted to showcase the institutions and CEOs at the forefront of delivering world class returns. GTBank stands out as the Bank of the Year for its ability to continuously deliver notable success and significant progress across its businesses, despite increasing regulatory headwinds and an extremely challenging environment.”

We will support Glo with all our strength—Dealers Top business partners of Nigeria’s total telecoms solutions provider, Globacom, have given kudos to the network for showing appreciation for their efforts at marketing the company’s products and services with state of the art cars and monetary gifts. The dealers who were treated to a night of commendation at the 2015 Glo Business Associates Awards and Dinner held on Saturday night at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos enthused that the appreciation by Globacom was unprecedented in the industry. They were given prizes ranging from cars, multi-million naira credit notes, plaques and other

major milestone in our strategic objective to help smallholders to access to finance for investments in legally approved seed and agrochemicals at the ‘right time’ and in the appropriate amounts.”

Mr Noh Kyu-duk, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea with the President of the LCCI, Remi Bello, during a recent courtesy visit to LCCI by the ambassador.

Guaranty Trust Bank plc has been named Bank of the Year by leading international investment and communications group, Africa Investor (Ai), at the prestigious Ai Institutional Investment and Capital Market Awards 2015, which took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Launched in 2007, the Ai Institutional Investment and Capital Market Awards is the only pan-African Awards designed to recognize Africa’s best perform-

gifts at the exquisite ceremony Managing Director of Office Devices, Mr. Boni Obieze who was one of the honourees said, “Globacom is a great company. Doing business with Glo is good business. Glo knows how to reward their partners and when the reward would come it is always big”. The Bajulaye of Ijebuland, Otunba Ademola Adenuga who received a Range Rover Sport as appreciation gift thanked the company for appreciating its partners in an elaborate manner, adding that they (Trade Partners) were sufficiently mobilized to better their per-

Nigerian Tribune

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

formance. He concluded that “Glo is a strong brand which rewards its partners in a very big way”. Another star partner, Alhaji Mohammed Mutiu Anthony, Managing Director of Easy & Quiet, noted that “every time Globacom comes on board, it is always big. I promise to continue to support Globacom with all the strength I have. I am going to use 95 per cent of my abilities to work for the company.” In the same vein, Prince Ubong D-Imoh of Idems Ultimate Limited, exclaimed that no telecommunication company does it better than Globacom. “The company has

beaten our imagination in their reward system. Kudos to Globacom for this appreciative gesture which will definitely spur us to do more”, he added.

Commenting on the award, Segun Agbaje, Managing Director/CEO of GTBank said: “We are extremely delighted to be recognized as the Bank of the Year. For us, this award is an acknowledgement of the dedication and hard work of our staff, management and Board to deliver superior customer service centered on our core value of excellence. It also represents our commitment to providing our customers with superior banking experience by prioritising innovation, integrity and excellence in service delivery. As a Bank, we will continue to differentiate ourselves by aggressively pursuing innovative solutions and global best standards in creating sustainable value for stakeholders.”

Nigeria’s Foreign Direct investment hit $6billion in 2014 —CEO, NIPC Gbola Subair-Abuja The country Foreign Direct Investment ( FDI) was over $6billion in fiscal year 2014, the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission ( NIPC) has disclosed. Executive Secretary/ Chief Executive Officer of NIPC, Mrs Uju Aisha Hassan Baba, speaking Monday in Abuja while recieving France based trade group, MEDEF International Delegation stated5 that Nigeria recorded over $ 6billion FDI in 2014. Specifically she said prominient FDI inflows between 2013- 2015 included billions of dollars invested in the Nigerian economy in second quarter of 2015 by 14 European countries under the auspicies of Italian based Consulting firms,AFRIT Intergrated Consulting firm and tbe $500million Second Cement Line project. invested by Unicem. Others are $200million baby care oroducts in Nigeria owned by Procter and Gamble,$1billion investment deal for the establishmenf of a new manufacturing and assembly facility in calabar, $ 2billion fertilizer plant by Indorama Eleme Fertilizer and Chemical Nigeria limited, a subsidiary of Indorama Corporation of Singapore and host of itners. Because of the huge economic potentials thaf abund in Nigeria, the NIPC boss told the visiting MEDEF Trade Delegation that tnere are lots of investment opportunities in areas such as Agriculture, Solid minerals, Power sector, Waste to Wealth management, Real Estate.

IPMAN lauds FG over fuel supply Yinka Oladoyinbo-Lokoja The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) Kogi state Chapter has commended the Federal Government and President Mohammadu Buhari for ensuring availability of petroleum products across the country. The state chairman of IPMAN, Mr Joel Olufemi, who said this

while speaking with newsmen in Lokoja, stated that contrary to the long queue that used to charaterise filling stations in country before and during public holiday, motorists enjoyed uninterrupted supply of fuel. Olufemi explained that the federal government had ensure that petroleum is available in abundant, noting that it had made it easier for motor-

ists to buy without stress. He pointed out that during the Eid-el-kabir holidays there was enough fuel for motorists traveling across the state. Olufemi however debunked an allegation that officers of the weight and measurement department and those of the ministry of trade and commerce were collecting bribe from members of the association.

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Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

Nigeria not yet polio-free —Rotary Biola Azeez - Ilorin

HE District Governor of Rotary International District, covering 26 states of the Federation, Dr Mike Omotosho, has said that it would take the next three years for Nigeria to be Polio free. Speaking with journalists in Ilorin against the back drop of the declaration by the Director General, World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Margaret Clan, on September 25, 2015, that Nigeria was no more on the list of Polio endemic countries after its 17 years of polio eradication efforts, Dr Omotosho said Nigeria would be polio free in 2017. He also said that the declaration was against the reality of what was happening

in Nigeria. According to him, “valuable lesson from Nigeria is that containing polio requires a multifaceted campaign that goes beyond dispensing vaccines. One aspect is to continue to address head-on the rumours and myths about the vaccine that undermined the campaigns in earlier years. “Finally, local volunteers, many who are Rotarians have succeeded in rebuild-

ing trust on the polio vaccine. It is still needful to continue working in this direction. That way by the year 2017 when we have kicked polio out of Nigeria, we will beat our chest and say yes I also contributed to eradicating Polio from Nigeria,” he said. He further stated that, “Last year there were only about a thousand cases in the world – compared to the 350,000 cases a year when

Rotary undertook this humanitarian mission. There are over 2 billion children who have received Rotary’s polio vaccine and they are now living a life without the fear of paralysis and death from polio.” Omotosho also recalled that, “Since the global initiative began more than 26 years ago, Rotary has contributed over $1.4 billion and countless volunteer hours to the protection of

more than two billion children in 122 countries. This has helped in reducing polio cases by 99.9 % worldwide. “In 1985, polio eradication became Rotary’s flagship project, with members donating time and money to help achieve the goal of reaching every child. And as the volunteer arm of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, polio eradication is Rotary’s top philanthropic goal.

We want our salary arrears, Osun teachers charge gov By Gbenga Olumide AS the world marks 2015 Teachers’ Day, teachers in Osun State have charged the state government to honour the agreement reached with workers by paying all their outstanding salary arrears from the bailout granted it by the Federal Government. The state Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Mr Wakeel Amuda, gave the charge at this year’s Teachers’ Day celebration in Osogbo. The union boss noted that teachers were keys to national development and essential to promotion of moral, culture, economic and social progress of the nation. He called on teachers to re-examine teaching strategies and curriculum to meet global standard. Also speaking, the National President of NUT, Mr Micheal Olukoya, hinted that teachers remained agent of socialisation, hence the need for government to give priority to teachers’ welfare. Olukoya, who was represented by Mr Oluwole Adeola, decried non-payment of teachers’ salaries as at when due and said such act was unacceptable to NUT. He said teachers would continue to play important roles in nation-building through preparation of youths for future challenges.

Governor Abiola Ajimobi (middle), flanked by judges of Oyo State at the 2015/2016 Legal Year Service held at the Central Mosque, Oja’ba, Ibadan, on Monday.

Legislature, executive, judiciary deserve immunity —Ajimobi By Tunde Ogunesan and Oluyomi Fashakin OYO State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has maintained that all the three arms of governmentlegislature, executive and the judiciary, deserved to be granted immunity for them to be able to concentrate on their jobs. Governor Ajimobi, who was reacting to one of the goodwill messages delivered on Monday at the Muslim service to mark the beginning of the 2015/2016 legal year, at the Central Mosque, Oja’ba, Ibadan, said considering the level at which petitions were written to corruption agencies on their activities, whoever that was occupying “executive, legislative or judiciary could be derailed in discharging their duty. “Imagine in my own case, a lawyer called me and said I have not paid a particular charge on a property he assumed I owned in Ibadan, I said I never own any property. If you get to any of the anti-corruption agencies, you will see heaps of petitions against us. “With that, do you think

one will have the time to concentrate on governance? For the lawmaker, people argued that because they don’t deal with money, no they do. To me, I think all arms of government deserve immunity to enable them to focus on their duty.” The governor, however, commended the Chief Justice of Oyo State, Justice Munta Ladipo Abimbola for his effort at rehabilita-

tion of structures at the State High Court. He added that the development, “despite the fact that the state government is yet to mobilise them to the effect, is unprecedented in the history of the judiciary in the state.” Also, at an event to mark the legal year, the Bishop of Ibadan Diocese (Anglican Communion), Most Reverend J.O. Akinfenwa,

has said that for the change project of President Muhammadu Buhari to be effective, the judiciary has a major role to play, especially in fighting abuse of office. “If the change project is going to be effective, we need the judiciary to fight the abuse of office,” he said, adding that legal practitioners should not also abuse their offices in the discharge of their duties.

Disengaged Rivers PHCN staff seek reinstatement Uduakabasi Patrick - Port Harcourt DISENGAGED staff of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) at Afam Power Station, Okoloma in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State, at the weekend, staged a peaceful protest, and demanded reinstatement to their former offices. Decrying the high rate of unemployment in the country, the protesting former workers urged the Federal Government to come to their aid and prevail on the management of the power

station to recall them. The protesters stormed the gate of the Afam Power Station with placards carrying various inscriptions, which included “We need our jobs to feed our families”; “Reinstate us back to our jobs”; “Afam Management reinstate us back to our jobs until new buyers come”; “Review privatization and sales of PHCN and other government properties; it causes unemployment and enriches few Nigerians”. Spokesman of the protesters, Mr Umeze Aniele, told Nigerian Tribune that they were sacked by the MD/

CEO of the station, Mr Ofurum, on March 29, 2014. “We were called out for a meeting at Afam first floor and were informed that the job has finished and that new buyers would purchase and take over the company in few months in the (former) President Goodluck Jonathan privatisation exercise”, he said. He claimed that he and his colleagues were told a lie and deceived into believing that the company already had a buyer and that everybody was paid off by handling dismissal letters to about 400persons of the staff.

CSR: NDIC inaugurates projects in Ogun school Olayinka Olukoya - Abeokuta THE Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has inaugurated projects at Unity High School, AgoIka, in Abeokuta North Area of Ogun State, as part of its corporate social responsibility scheme. The exercise, tagged “School Rehabilitation Works”, consists of restructured library and classrooms in the school. Speaking during the ceremony, NDIC Executive Director, Corporate Services, Mrs Lola AbiolaEdewor, explained that her corporation started intervening in the provision of buildings in Nigerian schools since 1994. She noted that the initiative was to support education, and added that” education should not be left in the hands of governments alone, public spirited individuals and corporate bodies should join in improving infrastructure in educational institutions.”

NYSC begins 4-day free medical treatment in Nasarawa Ademola Adegbite - Lafia NATIONAL Youth Service Corps (NYSC), on Monday, commenced a four-day free medical treatment in rural communities in Nasarawa State with a view to improving the health conditions of the people. The state coordinator, Mrs Christy Uba, announced this during the flagging off of Health Initiative Rural Dwellers (HIRD) programme organised by the NYSC, held in Wamba, Wamba Local Government Area. Represented by the state Assistant Director, Community Development Service (CDS), Mr Greg Anyia, Mrs Uba said the programme would take health care delivery to the door steps of the rural dwellers and engage corps medical personnel in the sensitization of the core rural dwellers on disease prevention. “NYSC has given approval for the establishment of HIRD and its week to be held in all the states and FCT from October 5 to October 9, 2015. This is to facilitate the uniform take off of the programme nationwide.”

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Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

I was chained, padlocked for 3 days by kidnappers —Victim Uduakabasi Patrick-Port Harcourt

kidnap victim, Mrs Bunmi Shonoye, has disclosed that her abductors put her in chains and padlocked her legs for three days before she was eventually rescued by SARS operatives from the Rivers State police command. She made the disclosure while answering questions from newsmen at the sideline during a press briefing

at the state police command headquarters, Port Harcourt, on Monday. She also said she was blindfolded by her abductors and ordered to sit on a cold tiled floor throughout the period and was threatened that they would cut her fingers and hair if she refused to eat the food offered by them. The victim, who did not disclose the ransom demanded by her abductors said, “It was on Saturday, September 26. I was driving into my close in the

morning. “I was about entering my compound and I saw about three to four men with guns, telling me to open my door (car door). I refused to open; they broke the glass and asked me to come out. I didn’t know there was a getaway car outside. So they took me. “Immediately I got into the car, they gave me dark glasses to wear so that I would not recognise them. They drove for like 30 minutes and took me out into a house.

“Immediately we got into the house, they first tied my legs with cloth, but I told them the cloth was too tight because I noticed that it was obstructing blood flow and they used chains on my legs and locked it with two padlocks. “I was sitting on the floor until Monday afternoon when I heard a loud noise on the gate and the kidnappers they asked to watch me were just running around in fear and locked themselves inside the room immediately. I

learnt that it was SARS that were around. I quickly walked slowly and told the SARS operatives that I was kidnapped. They actually came to recover a stolen vehicle,” she said. Also, speaking another rescued kidnap victim, Chief Ngeri Amachree, said he had earlier escaped kidnapping in February only to fall victim again the following month. “I escaped kidnapping February 23, I thought it was over. On March 26, when I was drinking along Abuloma, gunmen came and shot into the air. I ran but was held and abducted by the men into one Toyota Camry and took me to an unknown destination,” he said. He said he was eventually released after the last presidential election, but not until he had paid a ransom of 1.5million naira.

Ill-defined borders, reason for crisis in Africa —Diplomat Biola Azeez-Ilorin

Members of staff of the African Newspapers of Nigeria (ANN) Plc born in the month of October, cutting their birthday cake at the boardroom of the company, at the Tribune House, Imalefalafia, Ibadan, on Monday. PHOTO: YEMI FUNSO-OKE

WHO raises alarm on upsurge of blindness Joe Nwachukwu-Owerri

THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised an alarm that approximately 285 million people worldwide live with low vision and blindness. According to the world body, of these, 39 million people are blind while 246 million have moderate or severe visual impairment. The chairman of the Nigerian Optometric Association, Imo State chapter, Dr Martin Ohiri, explained this while briefing newsmen on programmes slated for the 2015 World Sight Day which had as theme, “Universal Eye Health,” held in Owerri. Besides this, Ohiri disclosed that the WHO had equally disclosed that an estimated 19 million children are visually impaired, just as 90 per cent of blind people live in low income countries of the world. To remedy the situation, he said that the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness has called for serious focus on every-

body who needs eye care services. Quoting the Nigerian National Blindness and Visual Impairment survey conducted from 2007 to 2009, Ohiri said that it is estimated that 1,130, 000 individuals, aged 40 and above, are currently blind

in Nigeria . Said he, “This is why a more proactive and intensive intervention approach should be used by governments, governmental and international agencies in tackling this scurvy situation,” stressing that multinationals

and individuals should key into the call of action in eliminating avoidable causes of blindness, which he said was the only way to achieve the World Health Organisation Global initiative for the elimination of avoidable blindness.

PDP counsel’s application stalls proceedings at C/River tribunal Ubong Anthony-Calabar

PROCEEDINGS at the Cross River State election petition tribunal was, on Monday, stalled following a fresh application by lead counsel to People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidates, Paul Erokoro (SAN), challenging the jurisdiction of the tribunal to continue hearing on cases still pending at the tribunal. It could be recalled that a similar application by the PDP counsel had, last week, thrown the tribunal into disarray as petitioners and their supporters had opposed the application which almost snowballed into a free-for-all.

However, five National Assembly cases due for adoption of written address were listed for the day, but the PDP lead counsel filed an application challenging the competence of the tribunal to continue the hearing. Erokoro argued that the issue of jurisdiction is a constitutional matter which must be determined before further proceedings. He said, “The issue of jurisdiction is a constitutional matter and must be determined before further steps are taken. There is need for the application to be determined. “We object to the com-

petence of the tribunal to hear all the matters at all. We object to the hearing to be taken along with judgment and we would not yield to that at all.” Other counsels to PDP candidates also aligned themselves with the submission of Erokoro and supported the application. They argued that failure to accept the application would amount to a breach of constitutional provisions. The tribunal chairman, Justice Christopher Awubra, after listening to the various arguments by counsels adjourned the five cases till today for hearing of the application.

A former Nigerian Ambassador to Angola, Mr Layiwola Laseinde, has attributed the recurring conflicts in Africa to the continent’s ill-defined national borders. Ambassador Laseinde, who made the observation while delivering the keynote address at the 4th Biennial International Conference, organised by the University of Ilorin Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies (CPSS), noted that “border issues are an undercurrent affecting ongoing regional crises in the Great Lakes and the Horn of Africa.” While speaking on the conference theme, “Rethinking Strategies for National and Regional Security, Peace and Development in Africa,” the guest speaker listed poor level of governance, corruption, illiteracy, uncontrolled population expansion, weak institutions, and the introduction of democracy without the relevant structures on the ground as the root causes of insecurity in Africa. Ambassador Laseinde, however, said that in Nigeria and the West African sub-region, the security challenges of boundary disputes have abated over the past two decades and they do not pose serious security challenges.

Sokoto SIEC fixes Jan 9 for LG election THE Sokoto State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) has fixed January 9, 2016 for the conduct of local government election in the state. The chairman of the commission, Alhaji Usman Abubakar, said at a news conference on Monday, in Sokoto, that the notice for the election had been forwarded to the 29 political parties with physical presence in the state. “The commission will release the guidelines for the election and its time table on October 15, while it would meet the parties on the polls on October 22. ‘’Notification of date of primaries by the political parties to the commission will be done between October 27 and October 31. ‘’Conduct of primaries and submission of party candidates is scheduled for between November 1 and 16,’’ he said. Abubakar disclosed that the commission would close acceptance of nominations on November 23, while the screening of candidates would hold from November 24 to December 10.

Ekiti lawmaker hails Fayose over performance THE lawmaker representing Ado constituency one in Ekiti State house of Assembly, Honourable Musa Arogundade, has given Governor Ayodele Fayose, a distinction mark on his monumental achievements so far since his assumption in office exactly one year ago. Arogundade stated this at an occasion marking the nation’s 55th Independence anniversary in Ado Ekiti, while responding to questions from journalists, “Governor Fayose had succeeded in righting the wrongs of the immediate past administration in which if not for the intervention of Fayose, the then All Progressives Congress (APC) administration would have completely ruined the economy of the state.” He stated further that within Fayose’s one year in office so far, he has succeeded in the following areas; prompt payment of workers’ salaries and allowances, tarring of roads, construction of drainages, introduction of stomach infrastructure programme, organising of education summit in other to improve on the educational standard of the students in the state, wooing of foreign and local investors into the state.

news

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

HID Awolowo: Nobody could have died better —Jerry Gana Richard Akinjide, monarchs, churches, others celebrate her By Saheed Salawu

ORE Nigerians, including a former Minister of Information, Professor Jerry Gana and legal luminary, Chief Richard Akinjide, have paid glowing tributes to Chief (Dr) HID Awolowo for her life of service. During their visits to the Ikenne, Ogun State home of the Awolowos, on Monday, both statesmen praised HID Awolowo for her virtues and ideals and for joining her husband to set example for the rest of humanity. Professor Gana, who led the Vice Chancellor, Professor Rahmon Bello and other principal officers of the University of Lagos, in his capacity as the Pro-Chancellor and chairman of the governing board of the institution, to Ikenne, said nobody could have died better, because Mama Awolowo passed on wonderfully, having lived her life to the admiration of millions of Nigerians. In taking a personal pride in being an Anglican like Mama Awolowo, he described her as a mother of dignity, a role model par excellence and a woman of tremendous spiritual devotion. “We have come on behalf of the governing council of the University of Lagos to join millions of Nigerians to celebrate a role model, a mother of the nation, who gave so much to not only this part of Nigeria but, indeed, to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. “We celebrate her nobility of character. We celebrate her loyalty to family values. We celebrate her wisdom in giving solid advice to those who are in governance. We celebrate her for living a life of high quality and dedication to God and humanity. “Honestly, Nigerians are deeply impressed with the kind of lifestyle that Mama lived for so many years. She is a role model and we celebrate her. The family should celebrate, because Mama lived a fulfilled, glorious life and passed on wonderfully. Nobody could have died better,” the former minister said. He presented a letter of condolence on behalf of the school to Reverend (Mrs) Tola Oyediran and Ambassador (Dr) Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu. Chief Akinjide, who came on the visit with his wife, Chief (Mrs) Abimbola Akinjide (SAN), painted a picture of his meeting with the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his wife, Mama HID Awolowo, as an impressionable young man and how they shaped his life professionally and politically. “She was our mother, and she is still our mother. The history of Nigeria cannot be complete without her name. “As a young lawyer, I met

her in Ibadan at the age of 24. Also, I met her husband as a great lawyer and I learnt a lot from them, both in law and in politics. I owe a lot to them. I will forever be grateful to them,” the erudite legal practitioner said. According to him, the November 25 date when Mama Awolowo will be buried would not be for the family alone, but for the entire Nigerians who had lost a mother in the Yeye Oodua. The delegation of the Apostolic Faith Church was led to the Ikenne home of the Awolowos by the District Superintendent for West Africa, Reverend Bayo Adeniran. In his comment, he described Mama as a gift to not only Nigeria but Africa, alongside her husband, saying many generations that have become gifts also to Nigeria had benefitted from the selfless, laudable programmes of Chief Awolowo, who he described as a friend of the church. “At this time, we have found time to come and not just to comfort the family but to celebrate the fact that some [people] could be born simple and with a low background, but yet rise up to be a gift to all by living a disciplined and selfless life. “And you know that there is no gift that thrives anywhere on earth without the help of God. It is also to thank God that we are lucky in Nigeria to have such a gift planted in our midst. I pray that God, in modern times, will replicate such selfless men who will be gifts to this nation, who will give more to the nation than they sap in form of corruption. This is a celebration of the gift of God in our midst in both Mama and Papa who were, to us, like twins,” Reverend Adeniran said. Members of the Remo Traditional Council, led by the Elepe of Epe Sagamu, Oba Adewale Osiberu, visited the Awolowos on behalf of the Akarigbo of Remoland, Oba Adeniyi Sonariwo, who is presently out of the country, to condole with them. “We have come here to represent the Akarigbo of Remoland, Oba Adeniyi Sonariwo, who has been in the United Kingdom for about two months now. We have just been waiting for him before we come down to commiserate with the family. However, he has given the go-ahead for us to do that on his behalf and Remo Traditional Council, as well as the Remo people. “He should be back within the week and he will come personally to commiserate with the family,” Oba Osiberu said. Meanwhile, the traditional ruler averred that, “Mama happens to be the head of the family of the reigning Akarigbo, that is, the Liyan-

gu Akarigbo Ruling House of Sagamu and, as such, he [Oba Sonariwo] is very close to Mama. “Apart from that, Mama was mother to every oba in Remoland. She was the Iyalode of Remo, that is, the head of all women in Remo. Despite her other titles in Yorubaland, this is her base and definitely, we are all bereaved, not just the Awolowo family.” Representatives of the International Women’s Society (IWS), led by the body’s President, Hajiya Zainab Saleh, also visited the Awolowos’ Ikenne home on Monday and spoke highly of Mama HID Awolowo. Other members of the body who came on the condolence visit included Mrs Marie Fatayi-Williams, past president; Mrs Evelyn Akeredolu, also past president; and Mrs Queen Oni, member. Representatives of the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) Worldwide, Remo, Ogun State, also came in their numbers to the pay tributes to Mama Awolowo. They were led by a former chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Remo, Special Venerable E. E. Ewubajo; Head, Province ‘A,’ Sagamu, Superior Evangelist S. B. Falade; Chairman, Parochial Committee, CCC, Ajegunle, Most Senior Evangelist Solomon Adeyemi; Head, Province ‘B,’ Iperu, Superior Evangelist Johnson Oyekola, among others. Prince Abayomi Adebayo Olusegun, who is the president of the Association of Proprietors of Private Schools in Ogun State, also led members of the association on a visit to the family. Staff and students of Peak International School, Ikenne-Remo, led by the Vice Principal, Mr Adeyemi John and the Admistrator, Mrs Tope Opeaye, equally visited the Awolowos. The Vicar of Our Saviour’s Anglican Church, Ikenne, where Mama Awolowo was the Iya Ijo until her death, Venerable Samuel Oladele Enike, described HID Awolowo as the ideal Christian woman who used her position for the service of God and humanity. In one of her responses, Reverend (Mrs) Tola Oyediran, said Mama’s life had attracted love from so many people from all sectors of the country and described the visits by multitudes of Nigerians to the family house as a challenge for the children to uphold the legacy of Papa and Mama Awolowo. Earlier, Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 2, comprising Ogun, Lagos and Oyo states, Mr Bala Hassan was in Ikenne to inspect proposed venues for the burial of Mama Awolowo.

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

Nigerian Tribune

Femi Ibirogba adefemi2007@yahoo.com 0811 695 4646

Tunde Fagbenle is a columnist, critic and now a farmer. In this interview with FEMI IBIROGBA, he explains how he finds himself in agriculture, challenges of farmers in Nigeria and the way forward, among other industry issues. Excerpts:

OU are better known as a writer, a columnist with a national newspaper. How did you get into farming, and what nature of farming are you involved in? I can regard myself as an “accidental farmer,” if I may borrow the term. Accidental in the sense that I got into farming at a time I least thought of it. To be honest, however, farming as a pastime is something you can say has been ingrained in me from youth. My father was engaged in farming even though he was a railway worker and officer until his retirement in the ‘60s. Farming was what he got us to assist him with. That was in the North, Minna. And after he retired and returned south to his hometown, Igbajo in Osun, farming and hunting became his main activities. So to that extent, toiling on the farm, living with nature, is nothing strange to me. I had always desired to go into farming at some point. I have nursed for years the idea of going into mushroom cultivation on a large scale and getting Nigerians to acquire the taste for it even as a key ingredient in their meals for its nutritional and medicinal values. I have toyed with quite a number of other farming possibilities, but the resources, and possibly the will, had always been lacking. The “accidental” business arose by default. I have some acreage of land in Osogbo, something I’ve had since the military years when Col. Udofia was the military governor of the young state. With the increasing character and development of Osogbo since it became the state capital, and most especially lately with the dramatic pace of development brought about by the governor, the land has been opened to all kinds of possibilities: estate, hotel, school, etc. But since I am not strictly capitalist inclined, we (my family) are trying to, fund permitting, turn it into a culture and art relaxation centre for the discerning clientele. With the Osun River running along a small portion of the northern flank, we thought of simulating a beach environment by having a coconut-tree promenade. So, I called the then Commissioner for Agriculture in Lagos State, Gbolahan, whom I’d known since Senator Bola Tinubu’s days as governor. I told him I needed coconut seedlings. Gbolahan most kindly and eagerly assisted. But we had overestimated the quantity of seedlings we needed and thus ended up with a surplus running into several hundreds of coconut seedlings! We panicked. What do we do with hundreds of live seedlings that have just freshly been uprooted from their Badagry horticulture base? Even if we wanted to look for interested buyers, it would still take weeks if not months to find one, by which time the seedlings would have perished! So, first thing was to quickly make room for them on the land in a provisional nursery, replanting them in rows and rows by rows, while we figured out what to do. Then the thought came, why don’t we start a coconut plantation? Again the government of Mr Rauf Aregbesola

How Fulani herdsmen ruined my farm twice —Fagbenle must be given full credit for creating the enabling incentive for everyone to get into farming with its “Free Agric. Land” policy for those seriously wanting to do so. The state has established, or reopened several “Agriculture Farm Settlements Scheme”, through its Osun Rural Enterprises and Agriculture Programme (OREAP) headed by Dr Charles Akinola, one of the whiz kids in the government, and all you do is go to them, indicate your interest in farming, tell them what kind, pay a token registration fee of, I think, N5,000, supply your particulars with photograph, and pronto, you are provided the tract of land suitable and appropriate for your interest. And that’s what I did. So, where is the location of your farmland and is it only for coconut? I was asked to go to Iwo and meet one of their Agric Officers, a lady who then called a surveyor to take me to a place called Akinyele Village under their Patara Farm Settlement Scheme. The land there is largely marshy in rainy season and considered suitable for rice plantation and, in their wisdom, my coconut plantation interest. But coconut is not the only thing our farm is for. Having uprooted and transplanted the coconut seedlings from the nursery in

Osogbo to the new farm site that literally swallowed them, we had room for much more. Now, my wife, Buki, was based in England and had just qualified as “herbal medicine practitioner” from Middlesex University in London, and she desired to return to Nigeria to start her herbal practice. Having a farm for some of the herbal plants she would be using (and processing for her own line of herbal products in future) struck us. So to encourage her, I went installing colourful signboards giving direction to the farm right from Iwo town all the way to Patara and then to Akinyele village. I christened the farm BTF (for Buki-TundeFagbenle) Herbal & Coconut Farm! She didn’t know about it, but it was a surprise that awaited her. Romantic? Yes. Has it been a smooth-sailing experience for you, sir? Far from it! Disaster awaited us in the first year as soon as the dry season came. We woke up one day to find the entire farmland razed by bushfire. We learnt the fire was set by Fulani herdsmen whose practice it is to start the fire in the nights when no one was watching and give it a free rein over vast expanse of lands, indiscriminately. We are told that they do this to open the lands up for yielding fresh

succulent shoots with the first rains, for their cattle to graze upon! That was our first welcome. It was a saddening and sickening experience. All that money, all that effort gone in flames! We wanted to abandon the farm idea entirely but got persuaded by some local folks who told us the panacea for such fire eventuality: have a full-time farmhand and also clear the perimeter of the farm before the dry time arrives such that bushfire sidetracks the land. Once again, we invested in re-starting the farm. Again, went to Badagry to buy hundreds of coconut seedlings, and large quantities of plantain suckers from NIHORT in Ibadan and local sources in Iwo. That is this year. And what has happened? On more than one occasion, we’ve seen these nomadic Fulani herdsmen drive their large herds of cattle through lands in that area, including on our farm. Then on one occasion I was lucky to be on the farm when they came again with hundreds of their cattle grazing on our farm. I then summoned the courage (and risk) to accost them, relying on my ability to speak Hausa. I was born and raised in the north, by the way. So I asked them why they have chosen to ruin me. I narrated how the fire they set last year had razed my farm, destroying all the young crops, sparing almost none. And now they are on the farm, set on ruining me again, I pleaded, without threatening anything, since I was truly incapable of carrying out any threat had I issued one. They responded that their cattle eat neither coconut nor plantain. It was silly and I told them so. If the cattle don’t feed on my crops, do they also discriminate on what they trampled upon, I asked? Whereupon they apologised and directed their cattle away from my farm, assuring they would not come by there again. It was a hollow assurance I do not believe in and cannot count upon. So with what has just happened to Chief Olu Falae, what do you see as the solution to the menace of the Fulani cattle herdsmen? It is a grievous matter demanding concerted, determined, and multi-level approaches by the Federal Government on one hand, and the various affected state governments on the other. It is an “aggression” that calls for aggressive responses. And what has happened to Chief Falae, a highly respected elder statesman being so freely and recklessly kidnapped, from all indications by these Fulani herdsmen, either on their own volition or on behalf of some other criminal interests, bring to the fore the call for state police and also the fundamental fault lines in our pseudo federalism. Policing, efficient and successful policing in any country means having a system and a structure that involve grassroots or local people to police localities they have knowledge of and to which they also belong. The police must have inherent and passionate stake in the community they police. The present central command system is ridiculous, inefficient, impractical, and an anachronism.

agriculture

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

Nigerian Tribune

Bio-security is cheapest means of disease control —NVMA By Femi Ibirogba

CIENTISTS and vets have categorically said that bio-security is the cheapest and most effective means of disease control available. This was disclosed during a week-long Oyo State annual conference of the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association at Jogor Centre last week. One of the guest speakers, Dr ‘Dotun Omotayo Sorunke, said: “Bio-security is the cheapest, most effective means of disease control available. Preventing diseases is always cheaper than treating or suffering the effects of diseases. “Small investments in improved housing, equipment, new methods of production and training staff on proper biosecurity procedures will lead to healthier and more productive animals.” H said bio-security embodied all cumulative measures that could or should be taken to keep disease agents (viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, parasites), from a facility/ farm and to prevent the transmission of disease within an infected facility/ farm to neighbouring farms. Bio-security is achieved through keeping your animals protected from sources of infection; limiting incoming traffic and traffic within your farm or market, and controlling the movement of equipment, vehicles, people, feed, birds; sanitation – regularly cleaning and disinfecting housing, equipment, vehicles, and people to destroy disease agents. “All over the world,” he said, “disease control protocols are pivoted on bio-security practices. These protocols are used to prevent trans-boundary animal diseases like Rinderpest, cbpp, hpai, Newcastle disease, and other zoonotic diseases from entering your farm and infecting your livestock.” Animal health concerns/ premises where biosecurity are needed laboratories, veterinary premises, research stations, abattoir, slaughter slabs, milk handling facility and retail outlets. Others are zoos, livestock farms and markets, including live bird markets. Professor Isaac Adebayo of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, in a lecture on impact climate change on animal diseases, said the impacts on animal (livestock) disease might be very complex, and studying

them should go well beyond any simple assessment of rainfall and temperature effects on distribution, although that was a start. He said: “Climate change impacts on the distribution of the brownear tick, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, the primary vector of East Coast Fever, a disease that affects both grazing and mixed livestock systems in eastern and southern Africa; cattle trypanosomiasis: climatedriven changes in habitat suitability for the tsetse fly vector; malaria distribution in Africa. “The impacts of changes in ecosystems on infectious diseases depend on the ecosystems affected, the type of land-use change, disease specific transmission dynamics, and the susceptibility of the populations at risk. The changes wrought by climate change on infectious disease burdens may be extremely complex.” He added that climate change would affect not only

those diseases that have a high sensitivity to ecological change, but there are also significant health risks

associated with flooding and drought. On the way forward, Professor Adebayo

recommended planting of shade/shelter trees; increased water conservation methods;

Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Sonny Echono, displaying the Minimum Operating Standard document for the poultry industry during the meeting in Abuja, recently.

planting of different crops on the same farmland; agro-forestry practices; different planting dates; erosion control methods (grassing/embackments); the issue is global and multi/interdisciplinary approach; public awareness programmes and training. He also advised against setting up farm establishments in lowland/ flood prone plains, adding that insurance could also bring about mitigation in case of adverse effects of the climate change on livestock. Earlier in his welcome speech, Oyo State chairman of NVMA, Dr M. A. Ibrahim, said the week-long programme would include free anti-rabies vaccination for dogs at Egbeda Local Government Area, career talk for vet students of University of Ibadan. He also urged the Oyo State government to employ more vets to take care of the huge need, adding that the state is known to be the hub of poultry industry in the country.

Govt to suspend payment of compensation to poultry farmers THE Federal Government may suspend the payment of compensation to poultry farmers whose farms were infected by Avian Influenza (AI) pending when substantial progress on bio-security and other containment measures are put in place by the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) and state veterinary services. This was disclosed by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Sonny Echono, a meeting with stakeholders in the poultry industry at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja. Echono stated that about

N380 million had already been paid to about 138 farmers, while N643 million had been totally committed as compensation to 246 poultry farmers. He said the sum of N476 million was still required for the payment of compensation to the remaining 250 poultry farmers. He said the Federal Government had noted discouraging disposition of the poultry associations in the states in assisting the state officials in all the efforts aimed at curtailing the spread of the disease. He said such co-operation was needed in the creation of adequate sensitisation and awareness among the

poultry farmers. Echono emphasised the need for sensitisation on the control of Avian Influenza in birds, proper adherence to on farm biosecurity, registration of farms with state Directorate of Veterinary Services, nontransportation of birds indiscriminately without the authorisation of the

state veterinary services. He maintained that poultry farmers must adhere to government policy of non-vaccination against the disease and enforcing the re-stocking policy on affected farms. He added that the ministry, in collaboration with USAID and Food and Agricultural Organisation

(FAO), had conducted series of training and capacity building workshops on Avian Influenza for federal, state and local government officials, state extension workers, private veterinarians, surveillance agents as well as poultry farmers and Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) officials.

AS part of its commitment to the promotion of decent income generation and livelihood for Nigerian youths, the Federal Government, through the

Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP), has commenced the process of empowering 30,000 youths. Permanent Secretary,

interest and those of their children who were to be employed as skilled personnel. In his speech, the national president of NCGA, Mr Segun Adewumi, lamented that in the past, some individuals had duped Nigerian farmers under the guise of registering them for fictitious loans and grants. Adewunmi, who was represented by Ondo State chairman of NCGA, Mr Fela Olorunmodimu, said, however, that those behind the new bank were people of integrity

who had the interest of ordinary farmers at heart. “We shall link the Joint Farmers Microfinance Bank to donors. We shall link the bank to the SME programme of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) which is currently delivering N220 billion loan for which 2% interest rate is charged,” he assured. Another board member of the bank, Dr James Ojebode, said though the NCGA was a strong catalyst to the birth of the bank, it was a bank for farmers of different crops to benefit nationwide.

Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Sonny Echono disclosed this during a meeting he held with stakeholders in the poultry industry at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja, recently. Echono stated that his ministry received about 34,000 applications from intending Nagropreneurs and market oriented producers from 12 participating states, including FCT. He said a total of 250 Nagropreneurs would be selected per state, including FCT, under the first phase of the programme. The permanent secretary explained that the validation and final selection of the young Nagropreneurs and market oriented producers would be done at state levels, in collaboration with his ministry’s state directors.

... to empower 30,000 Nigerian youths through YEAP

Farmers launch own micro-finance bank FACED with the challenges of inability to secure agricultural loans from conventional banks and high interest rates, Nigerian farmers have launched their own microfinance bank, called Joint Farmers Microfinance Bank (JFMB) in Oyo town, Oyo State. Tracing the genesis at the launching ceremony, one of the founders and board members of the bank, Mr Muideen Adekunle, said 187 cooperative societies decided some years ago to establish the financial institution to serve the whole country.

Adekunle, who is the chairman of Nigeria Cassava Growers Association (NCGA) in Oyo State, said JFMB was first of its kind in the country, owned by Nigerian farmers and dedicated to serve them and their agricultural projects. He said that for now, branches of the bank, which is taking off in Oyo State, would be located in Lagos, Osun, Ogun, Delta, Edo, Ondo, Ekiti, Kwara, Kogi and Abuja. Adekunle urged farmers to buy shares in the new bank, as it was their bank that would serve their

18 LETTERS TO THE

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

editor

Letters to the editor should be sent to letterstribune@yahoo.com or by sms to 08055001747 or 08054005323. It MUST be accompanied by the full name and address of the writer.

Buhari, make asset declaration compulsory

have read the many articles published in many newspapers concerning asset declaration by public officials and in particular the public declaration of assets by the President and Vice President. I am neither a lawyer nor a pohtician, but I’m educated enough to know that in this case, the President has the ace and the last word. Those who say that there is no need for public declaration are like the ostrich with their heads buried in the sand thinking no one sees them. We have just seen an asset declaration made over a decade ago coming to haunt the declarant. The law may not categorically demand that the declaration be made public, but all honest officials should volunteer to make it public like the president and

vice president. What is the use of a confidential declaration of asset? The public deserves to know what their servants bring in before service and at the end of service. An extremely rich servant cannot feel the pains of the common man and as such cannot serve them well. This is why people do not want to publicly declare their assets before and more so after service because they went into service to help themselves. If a comfortable person is appointed to a post and declares his assets, then the public will know how he got his assets, then the public can trust him to use the same knowledge and expertise to effIciently run the ministry/department he is in charge of. But when a crooked rich man is so appointed, he wili continue in his

crooked ways to further enrich himself. This is the essence of declaration of assets at beginning and end of tenure, To take this further, I like to suggest that declaration of assets be done every two years. This cannot be much of a burden to any honest person who has nothing to hide, I commend the President for taking his time in the appointment of honourable ministers. If the rumour circulating about the rejection of 30 out of 33 nominees is true— then the-President needs more-time for prayers and for vetting. In previous times/governments, virtually anyone nominated gets through the screening and is appointed especially if he has been a former public official, just taking a bow during screening in Sen-

ate. I pray and hope that those nominated, vetted, screened and eventually appointed are fairly honest, upright, and dedicated to the cause of “change” in this government. Nominated ministers should not “lobby” any committee member or they should automatically lose the nomination, No doubt, many ministers may be richer than the President, but that does not preclude them from serving. They will be judged by what they dedare at the end of their tenure provided they have acquired the present wealth honestly. It is therefore right and proper for the president to demand and even insist that each minister should publicly declare his/her assets or the appointment is not made. This is where the President has the ace.

Let me end here by saying that if any public official fails to declare an asset, then the asset is automatically forfeited to government along with other assets that he cannot prove to have legally acquired and he is punished according to the existing laws For a quick and thorough dispensation ot justice, the government should expand the size/ manpower in ICPC and EFCC. Mr President, make public declaration of assets one of the major landmarks of your administration. Start with the incoming ministers, then

the chairmen and members of boards, executive secretaries and the like. Anyone who cannot comply should not be appointed and if already appointed should be removed from post. There are millions of honest, and hardworking Nigerians like the president who would serve the country under these conditions, This is new Nigeria. We have been held hostage for too long. It can no longer be business as usual. •P. Okusanya, Lagos.

Indecent dressing among young people As food and shelter are essential to humans, so is dressing. Dressing is mainly aimed at covering the nakedness of the body, for warmth in cold weather and also to distinguish the male from the female gender. Dressing can be traced back to the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve used fronds to cover their nakedness and by so doing, dressing became a part of human life right from cradle till old age. Dressing varies in different cultures and is also used to identify certain group of people as being from a particular ethnic group. However, it is worrying how the young people are dressing today, particularly the women. Dressing now displays nudity as young people now expose sensitive parts of the body. Young ladies who now wear clothes exposing sensitive parts of their bodies now say the first woman, Eve, only covered few parts of her body. The campaign against indecent dressing in our society needs to be stepped up. We shouldn’t forget that both the Quran and Bible speak against indecent dressing. The Quran warned against this act in

Surat-ul Al Noor Surah 24:30 saying, “Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty that will make for greater purity for them. And Allah is well acquainted with all that they do.” And the bible also added in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 that “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” And this got me wondering “don’t our youth ever come across these verses?” •Ahmed Pele Abubakar, Federal Poly, Bida, Niger State.

Nigeria at 55 I know Nigeria will soon attain its desired height among the comity of nations. America and the United Kingdom are hundreds of years old, while we are just 55. Very soon, we will get our bearing right, and we will start fulfilling our God-given potential. However, this is not a day’s job, and we must all join hands to make it happen. •Felix Ujah, Ikorodu, Lagos.

editorial

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

Nigerian Tribune

Demand for a national confab on the North-East

group from the North-Eastern part of Nigeria was reported to have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to disregard the report on the 2014 National Conference for the reason that issues paramount to that part of the country were not addressed in the recommendations contained in the report. Consequently, the hitherto unknown group, but which had identified itself as the Northern Reawakening Forum (NRF) canvassed for a fresh national conference which is being advocated to serve as a forum for discussing and addressing solely the problems of the North-East. According to media reports, the group’s demand was spelt out in a communiqué issued at the end of the forum’s summit and retreat with the theme: “Rebuilding a safe, secure and economically inclusive Northern Nigeria.” Notably, the Chairman of the forum who was an active delegate to the 2014 national confab, Alhaji Mohammed Umara Kumalia, read the communiqué in Abuja, stressing that the new confab the group was advocating would focus on how to rebuild the NorthEastern region. For us, that a call like this was made is an acknowledgement of freedom of expression that should exist and never be gagged in a democracy; but that is not to say that the call by the NRF is not shrouded in fallacy of wishful thinking and irrelevant conclusion. Such a call is superfluous and sentimental, and thus puts nationalism at the risk of sectional patronage. The prime movers of this questionable confab might cavil that, given the insurgency-ravaged condition of the North-East, the region deserves attention that would transform it from a guerrilla-war affected section of the country to a model of post war transformation, and thus, the need for a confab on the region. However, the agitators should be modest to admit that while concrete action plans for handling the Boko-Haram insurgency were a very conspicuous part of the recommendations of the report being condemned by the group, possible solutions to many other fundamental problems of the North-East were also evident in that report. Or, was it that the issues affecting the region were not

prioritised and articulated enough during the last confab to merit any development-enabling recommendations on the North-East? Were the principal agitators for the touted fresh confab on the region not among the delegates from the North-East who were said to have presented the yearnings of the region convincingly at the 2014 confab? What about the World Bank intervention loan of $2.1 billion naira (about N140 billion) for rebuilding the North-East, a gesture which the financial institution had been widely applauded for, and an assistance which the Federal Government had been encouraged to receive, in spite of the fact that the loan appears as a burden on the country, given the unfortunate economic situation in which the country has found itself? The agitators of a new confab on the North-East should realise how impractical their demand is by taking into cognisance the fact that each of the remaining five geo-political zones in the country has its own unique problems and challenges. As a result, canvassing for and holding a fresh confab on problematic issues that are peculiar to each region would mean making the problems ethnic-centred and using individualistic approach to solving them; a practice that would be inimical to national cohesion and which sacrifices the essence of a national confab on the altar of meritless sectional nationalism. Without mincing words, that a group is moving against the 2014 national confab report when the Federal Government is yet to make any pronouncement on what it would do with the report is prejudicial to the contents of the report and preemptive of the Federal Government’s disposition to the recommendations therein. On this backdrop, we advise that as the nation awaits action on the report, the Federal Government should not be influenced or pressurised by any group, who might be condemning the report as a whole, or certain provisions therein, on the basis of selfishness and jingoism, at the expense of holistic approach to solving national problems.

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opinion

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

For the Nigerian woman

N April 2011, American recording artist, Beyoncé, released a song ‘Run The World (Girls)’ as the lead single from her album that was released that year. The song was written and produced by a team and its development was motivated by the fact that Knowles wanted something different: a mixture of different cultures and eras, a new sound and a message which would give women strength. “Run the World” premiered on US radio on April 21, 2011, and was digitally released the same day. While some women all over the world just shook their tail feathers to the mesmerising beat of Beyonce’s hit, some others set to work, fiercely taking the bull by the horns. They wanted to prove to the world that not only was there an iota of plausibility in Beyonce’s lyrics, there stood in the midst of her hit song, like the foot of the Himalayas, the reality of a woman running the world. To this latter category of women belongs Helen Mukoro. Helen Mukoro Idisi was born to late Anthony Mukoro who was the Director General of the defunct Bendel State Government Treasury’s Cash Office and Mary Mukoro, a retired civil servant at the Governor’s Office, Delta State, who later became Mary Apomudjere. She is the niece to Dr. A.G Onokhoraye, an ex Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin and a stepdaughter to late Hon. Justice Emmanuel Akpomudjere, who was the Chief Jugde of Delta State. As a little girl, Helen attended Saint Ita’s Girls College, Sapele, and was elected the assistant prep prefect by the College Administration. It was young Helen’s very first shot at leadership. Who knew that the little assistant prep prefect would develop greater political ambitions in future? Today, there is a Nigerian contesting in the upcoming presidential election in Spain and her name is Helen Mukoro, but this would not be her first attempt in Spanish politics. After she left Nigeria over two decades ago, she forayed into Spanish politics and she gained a lot of prominence in Spanish politics when she founded a political party and later became the first Nigerian-Spanish to contest for the Mayor of Denia in May 2015. Although she lost the election, her popularity soared higher as several people endorsed her for the highest office in the land – the presidency. In December 2015, she will be running on the platform of

Union De Todos, a party she founded. Helen holds several academic qualifications. Aside graduating in Law at the Spanish National University, Alicante, she also holds a Master Degree in Criminology, Masters degree in Social Education, a post graduate certificate in Tax and Labour Management, a post graduate certificate in Forensic Psychology, and a post graduate certificate in Immigration and Domestic Violence. Before Helen left our shores, she worked at the Ministry of Agriculture, Benin City and was later deployed to the Women Affairs Department of the Governor’s Office as Agricultural Officer to help the rural women in Agriculture in Benin City and Asaba when Delta State was created. Today, Helen has made history by becoming the first woman and immigrant to emerge presidential standard bearer of a political party in the European country, but would there emerge more chapters in this history book or would it end in the prologue? The politics of Spain takes place under the framework established by the Constitution of 1978. Spain is established as a social and democratic state, wherein the national sovereignty is vested in the people, from which the powers of the state emanate. Spain’s political system is a multi-party system, but since the 1990s, two parties have been predominant in politics, the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) and the People’s Party (PP). The People’s Party (PP) is the largest and current gov-

veracity with Vera Onana

veraonana@gmail.com 08054680688 erning political party in Spain, with 185 seats in the Spanish Congress of Deputies. Its current party leader Mariano Rajoy, has been Prime Minister since 21 December 2011 and has announced he will seek re-election for a second term in office. The Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) is the second-largest political party in Spain and the largest opposition party in the Congress with 110 seats. The 2015 Spanish general election will be held on Sunday, 20 December, to elect the 11th Cortes Generales of the Kingdom of Spain. At stake will be all 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies and 208 of 266 seats in the Senate. Being held four years and one month after the 2011 general election, this will be the longest time-span between two general elections since the Spanish transition to democracy. The ruling People’s Party (PP), led by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, seeks re-election for a second term in office, while the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) struggles to return to power after four years in opposition. So what are the chances of the Nigerian woman? In the remote past, the Nigerian woman was relegated to the kitchen no matter how much potential she had interred in her. She was not allowed a say in politics of any kind, be it national or religious. However, as years passed on, providence shined on her and her screams for equality diffused through the nation. Women were tried with sensitive and highly significant national positions. Some recorded epic failures at the House of Representatives but a few others emerged with sterling reputations by single-handedly rejuvenating certain sectors that culminated into the soul of the nation. Harrowingly, however, the current administration hasn’t given the Nigerian woman so much to look forward to. She, as a matter of fact, has begun to fret in the face of the emerging realities- what if she may be losing the political relevance she spilled blood for? But fathoming that out is not the crux of today’s matter? If Helen were in Nigeria, would she even get that far in this dispensation? Whatever the European decides in December, we back home must not allow the salient lessons from Helen’s dogged determination go unspoken. It doesn’t matter if we are not given a chance in our country home; Nigerian women are capable of running the world wherever the wind tosses them. So, we keep on and we never get boxed into a corner.

For a robust NAFDAC, media partnership By Martins f.o Ikhilae

The Media is indeed globally acknowledged as a veritable tool for social, economic and political prosperity. This notion is not an illusion, it is rather an assertion of the obvious. The place of the Media in the development and progress of deserving countries, organisations and agencies cannot be underestimated. Understandably, the Media as a means of communicating to a mass audience is classified into two distinct parts namely: the electronic and the print. While the former refers to radio, television and now the internet, the latter comprises of newspapers and magazines. Advantageously, the Media is purposely meant to achieve a variety of functions among which is to entertain, educate, inform, reform, set agenda, provide employment and achieve societal surveillance, among others. Specifically therefore, the Media plays a pivotal role in the shaping of the society and by extension, a nation or better put, the entire world. Little wonder that in Nigeria, the widely acclaimed Giant of Africa, the Media industry has expanded phenomenally leading to a large increase in the number of media firms domiciled in the country. Consequently, the decision of the Dr Paul.B.Orhii administered NAFDAC regime to embrace and extend hands of fellowship to the Nigerian media industry is drawn from the comprehension that the media is a necessity for grassroots assessment. Come to think of it, a scientific human health-boosting and life-elongating organ as this need be properly connected to the society and citizens it serves. This entails being able to inform, educate, protect, reform its stakeholders a responsibility which requires enormous operational partnership with the media. Established by decree 15 of 1993 as amended by decree

19 of 1999 and now the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control Act Cap N1 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004 which mandates the Agency to regulate and control the manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution, advertisement, sale and use of food, drugs, cosmetics, chemicals, detergents, medical devices and packaged water collectively tagged- “NAFDAC regulated products” the agency certainly requires absolute partnership with the Media to successfully ventilate information about its scientific health boosting engagements. Without much projection it has a visionary projection aimed at Safeguarding Public Health, including a patriotic mission of ensuring that only right quality food, drugs and other regulated products of the agency are manufactured, imported, exported, distributed, advertised, sold and used in Nigeria. NAFDAC equally has its core values competently articulated, itemized and streamlined. These entails ensuring availability of efficacious, safe and good quality NAFDAC regulated products, maintaining reference laboratories of international standard as well as Promoting effective and efficient cum highly motivated and disciplined workforce.

To effectively utilise and harness the enormous benefits derivable from associating with the Media, there is the inescapable need to adequately equip media practitioners with the agency’s mode of operations so as to enable them to maximally comprehend its scientific technicalities. Since the emergence of Dr Orhii as the agency’s chief executive, numerous trainings have been organised for practitioners in both electronic and print media aimed at equipping them with rudimentary knowledge on the agency’s activities, focus, vision which are targeted towards effective and efficient healthcare regulation in the country. Journalists have never been left out of the agency’s activities particularly as it relates to bettering the lot of the Nigerian populace via provision of health boosting services. Several and continuous hosting of press conferences, media talk/workshops and ideally sustained media interactive fora have also been consistently embraced by the agency. Most interesting is the coordination and promotion of media practitioners tour /visits to the agency’s facilities nationwide as a way of further boosting and intensifying public enlightenment for NAFDAC operations. Just recently, a team of seasoned media practitioners domiciled in the South-South and South-Eastern part of the nation were led on a facility tour of the agency’s operational and administrative capacities. The media enlightenment tours were meant to adequately educate-the-educators, thereby, competently arming them to ideally enlighten the general public on the efforts and essence of NAFDAC operations. •Ikhilae, a Lagos State based public affairs analyst, wrote:martinsikhilae@ymail.com

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015 Femi Olukunle Coordinating Editor 08158610216

Wuye traders protesting in front of the market in Abuja.

For Wuye Market, the jinx lingers on Jacob Segun Olatunji - Abuja

HE Wuye Market area in Abuja, captured as Plot No. 116 Cadastral Zone B03, was initially allocated to traders when Bakasi Market, the old Wuse Market, was demolished. The traders were given direct allocations at the Wuye site by the then minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Aba Gana, as compensation to the traders who were displaced as a result of the demolition. However, during the tenure of Nasir el-Rufai, the allocations were nullified. What is today known as Wuye Ultra-Modern Market was developed by the FCT administration in collaboration with All Purpose Shelter Limited and through a public private partnership. The multi-billion Naira market has 2,000 shopping facilities and was built on 7.3 hectares of land. Since the construction of the market was done through PPP arrangement, what FCT administration did was that it provided the land and primary infrastructure while the developer financed the project and provided additional technical capacity. The immediate past minister of FCT, Bala Mohammed, in fact, described the market as a success story by the administration and expressed the hope that the developer would manage the facility up to the duration of 13 years after which it would be transferred to Abuja Investments Company Lim-

ited (AICL) to manage on behalf of the administration. In 2012, and according to the ‘Certificate of Judgment’ with Ref. No: FCT/HC/CV/440/12 of November 28, Justice Othman Musa ruled that the traders were entitled to occupy, use and enjoy their shops and/or open spaces allocated to them in the said market in view of Exhibits AA and in line with the evidence led by the traders. He ruled: “The Defendants shall allow the Plaintiffs to have and enjoy quiet possession, occupation and use their various shops and/or open spaces lying and situated in

Wuye Ultra Market which is also now called Wuye Ultra-Modern Market lying and situated in Wuye District, Abuja “That the Defendants are hereby restrained perpetually either by themselves, servants, agents, privies, however described, from reallocating or in any other way giving possession of the plaintiffs shops and/or open spaces in Wuye Ultra Market which is also now called Wuye Ultra-Modern Market lying and situated in Wuye District, Abuja, to any other person.” However, further developments since then have not allowed the market to see the light of the day as

further legal tussles held it down. This is despite its commissioning on February 6, 2014 by former President Goodluck Jonathan. Only recently, hundreds of traders, under the aegis of Association of Wuye Ultra Modern Market Allottees (AWUMMA), staged peaceful protests, calling for the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari and the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on what they described as the enforcement of the High Court judgement on the relocation of the market 14 years after. According to the aggrieved traders, the suit was filed against FCT

Minister, Abuja Investment Company Limited and All Purpose Shelter Limited (otherwise called Defendants). The traders, in their hundreds, staged protests at the national headquarters of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and that of the APC where they presented copies of the protest letters for the attention of the party leadership. The traders in the three-page letter entitled, “Save our Souls!” and dated October 2, 2015, alleged that the Nigeria Police Force and FCT Command chased them out of the market stating that the All Purpose Shelters Limited had filed a report of trespass with them against the traders.

CREW

1. Christian Okeke chidiabujatribune@yahoo.com 08030947856 2. Clement Idoko idokoajiga@yahoo.co.uk 08034412281 3. Kolawole Daniel kolawoledaniels@yahoo.co.uk 08030763782

Police vehicle blocking entrance into Wuye market

Church donates food items to police detainees, less privileged —pg22

I paid VAT, consumption tax for meat pie —Resident —pg22

4. Collins Nnabuife chideraacollins@yahoo.com 08039521408 5. Adetola Bademosi gloriaadetola@gmail.com 08182214290 Abuja Xtra email & GSM: abujaxtra@gmail.com 0805450140

abujaextra

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

The items donated by Dunamis Church

Members of Dunamis Church during the donation.

Church donates food items to police detainees, less privileged Christian Okeke - Abuja

UNAMIS International Gospel Centre Phase 4, Kubwa, Abuja, has donated food items to detainees at Kubwa Police Area Command headquarters and other less privileged persons in the area. The gesture by the church was part of its activities for the 55th independence celebrations. Other beneficiaries included patients at various hospitals including Kubwa General Hospital, King’s Care Hospital and Unity Clinic and Maternity. Children at the Wound of Jesus Orphanage, Ark of Refuge Orphanage and Kubwa Divine Orphanage equally benefited from

the gesture. The food items donated included bags of rice, cartons of indomie, toiletries, fruit juice, pampers, biscuits, baby milk, foodstuffs, shoes, cloths, Bibles and the church’s daily devotional - Seeds of Destiny. Pastor of the church, Olusegun Ayodele, noted that the donation was part of the church’s social responsibility to its host community. He prayed for the recipients and enjoined them to renew their faith in God who, he said, is able to set them free from all afflictions and restore their destinies. Speaking on the title, The Forces of Freedom, Pastor Ayodele, who read from Leviticus 26:13, called on Christians to rededicate their lives to God, stating that the indepen-

dence celebration was another opportunity for Nigerians to build a prosperous society. He commended the founding fathers of the country and charged leaders at various levels of government to rule with the fear of God.

Four persons die on Abuja-Lokoja Road Christian Okeke - Abuja ROAD crashes on Abuja - Lokoja road are yet to abate as a total of four persons died on same road after a head-on collision that involved two vehicles. Multiple road crashed had taken place on the road whose reconstruction enjoyed funding from the Subsidy Re-investment

I paid VAT, consumption tax for meat pie —Resident Christian Okeke - Abuja DESPITE the current economic situation in the country which has taken harder toll on low-income earners, a resident of Abuja has narrated how he was made to pay Value Added Tax (VAT) as well as Consumption Tax for just a piece of meat pie he bought in Abuja. The resident, who preferred anonymity, said he had gone to a fast food restaurant located on Gado Nasko way in a satellite town, Kubwa, to buy a piece of meat pie to eat that fateful evening. According to him, he had planned to buy only the pie and take it home so he could consume it with a soft drink he had at home. He said he had told a staff of the restaurant who was to attend to him that the pie would be taken home, stating that it was after he got home that he decided to go through the invoice given to him after payment for the pie. “It was then I discovered that I paid VAT and consumption tax, just for buying a takeaway pie,” he said. The aggrieved resident told Abuja Xtra the price for the single pie, according to the invoice, was N272. 73, whereas he was made to pay extra N13. 64 as VAT and N13. 63 as consumption tax. From the invoice, he said it was clear he paid a total of N27. 27 as tax for just a pie. Expressing his anger, the resident wondered what he would have been made to pay had it been he stayed behind to eat the pie at the restaurant where he would have enjoyed the air conditioner and also watched the television.

Insisting that the extra charges, especially the consumption tax on a take-away pie, was callous, he said it should be reversed by government. He noted that the food outlet could have introduced the consumption tax by itself or might not be remitting same to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) administration, if

The cleric prayed for sustainable democracy in the country and urged the citizens to be patriotic in the onerous task of building a strong, virile, progressive and decent nation.

such tax came under the new entertainment tax recently introduced by the administration. During the introduction, the administration had said it was optimistic that the revenue that would be generated through the entertainment tax would be used to augment the dwindling allocation to it.

and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) during the last administration. The recent crash took place at Aseni village. Abaji Unit Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Moses Audu, who spoke on the accident, said the crash could have been caused by tyre burst and over-speeding. He further confirmed that a total of 13 people, including two children, were involved in the crash. According to an eyewitness, the crash took place after a Volkswagen Golf car with registration number KKF 928 AA veered off its lane and collided with a Passat car with registration number BF 219 DKA. The eyewitness said that the Golf car was on high speed while the Passat car was coming from the opposite direction.

As suicide bombers shattered peace at satellite towns Christian Okeke - Abuja THE last weekend’s multiple bomb attacks in Abuja, which appeared to have targeted residents at satellite towns, sent fear down the spines of many residents of the affected towns. A feature of such towns is their somewhat chaotic environment, compounded by high influx of people into the territory. Besides, that the attackers chose densely

populated areas and markets, bus-stops and other busy spots to detonate their improvised devices, on its own, had also instilled fear in satellite town residents. The worry raised the question as to why impoverished people were being targeted for decimation again, following the blasts, and by the time the rescued workers completed their tasks at the scene, it was obvious that victims of the bomb blasts at Kuje and Nyanya were low-income earners who

Kuje market after the bomb attack

had opted to live and do business at the satellite towns given that rents in city centre stayed beyond their capacity. Some of the victims were food sellers and petty traders. A resident of Kuje, who spoke on the incident, said: “I own a restaurant around that area. While we were getting set to close shop for the day’s business, we heard the sound of the blast and everywhere went blank immediately.” Lawal Ibrahim, who witnessed the Nyanya attack, said: “I sell shoes by the roadside there. I was attending to a customer, then the next thing I just heard was that the bomb exploded twice at about 10pm.” Ibrahim was initially taken to Nyanya General Hospital before being taken to Asokoro hospital. It was same Nyanya where, in 2014, twin blasts killed many residents as well. Certainly, what is needed at the moment is an assurance that all corners of the territory are safe. Adequate and effective security measures are needed to assure residents of the satellite towns of their safety again.

Nigerian Tribune

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

& management leadership

with Sulaimon Olanrewaju

m:08055001708 e:lanresulaimon@yahoo.com t:@lanresulaimon

Leadership Quote

“A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit.”

The nemesis of leadership The 60-second business coach

— Arnold Glasow, humorist and author

4 leadership tips to bring out the best in teams

leaders’ forum

What makes endurance easy

Book review

Leaders and opportunities By Sulaimon Olanrewaju

o the reductionist, leadership is just about creating and identifying opportunities. As simplistic as this may appear, it has some merits; a great leader creates opportunities to enhance the development of his team members and identifies opportunities that can advance the growth of the organization. Leaders are change agents. As change agents, they are saddled with the responsibility of transforming the lives of those who work with them and the profile of their organizations. Continues on pg24

Ini Onuk, CEO, ThistlePraxis Consulting

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

The 60-second business coach

4 leadership tips to bring out the best in teams By Ricky Nowak Creativity is the life blood of any organization. It’s what ensures the continuous innovation necessary to help a company stay ahead in a competitive world. But creativity is not a process that always happens by itself. In a working environment that is not designed to promote and stimulate creative thinking, employees might be hesitant or even afraid to offer their ideas. Your organization might be missing out on a wealth of ideas that will promote growth simply because the right culture for creative thinking doesn’t exist. To avoid this, you need to create a work environment that allows for novel ideas to be born and developed. As a person in any position of leadership within an organization, there are four key areas that should be addressed. 1. Establish clear goals, but let your employees find their way to reach them The people working for you have to be intrigued by and interested in what they are doing in order to be motivated and have an open mind towards improving the projects they are working on. This can’t be achieved if you are always looking over their shoulder and trying to micro-manage every small detail, not allowing any freedom in decision-making. People tend to become hesitant, uncomfortable and even unconfident about their work in this kind of environment, which leads to little creativity and a lost opportunity to find innovations as a project progresses. 2. Monitor their work, but remain at a distance When your team members are working to achieve the goals set out for them, you should keep tabs on how they are progressing, but never go overboard. There’s a thin line between being interested in their progress and intruding on their personal working approaches or trying to do their job for them. Allow them the freedom to work at their own pace, and try not to force any methods. Listen to what they need and help them overcome any hurdles they might face while progressing. Careful and thought-out advice might be very helpful and will help evolve ideas, but over intruding can lead to stunted creativity. 3. Make your team’s job easier, not harder If you want to maintain good mo-

rale and a positive outlook among your staff, be wary of criticising and controlling their efforts too much. It’s better to support their creative processes—provide them with the tools necessary and help “sell” their work to other departments, if that is needed. This all serves to remove as many hurdles from their progress as possible, helping them to achieve their goals as fast as possible. It also enhances their confidence, knowing that their manager or superior is behind them and their ideas. Try to be their advocate in the organization—you have the tools to make their work easier so that they can focus on the project at hand and not worry too much about structural obstacles and issues. 4. Create and separate idea-generation and idea-evaluation processes Both creating and evaluating ideas are paramount to the innovation process, so there are key steps that need to be taken in order to achieve success. Don’t make the common mistake of mixing idea generation and idea evaluation. This can have a detrimental effect on the innovation process. These two must be separated because they are completely different processes. Idea generation is a process that has to focus on quantity—at this stage, there are no bad ideas. Simply put, it’s better to have 15 ideas to choose from than five. Additionally, if an idea is shut down at its early stages, it is not given a chance to develop into a potential breakthrough solution. Idea evaluation process is quite different—it focuses on working with the pool of generated ideas and evaluating their positives and negatives, trying to figure out if an idea is feasible and is compliant to the company’s resources, policies and long-term goals. In order to achieve a creative environment in a company, leaders must acknowledge the importance of the input of their employees and always look for ways to help them generate and develop new ideas. Even if some level of oversight must be maintained, employees should be given as much freedom as possible to work towards achieving set goals using their own methods and should be encouraged to do so. After all, a well-developed creative environment is what helps distinguish average companies from the best. In the long run, having a well defined system to ensure that employees come up with innovations is critical for a company in any competitive marketplace.

Continued from pg23

The only way they make change happen is by creating and identifying opportunities. Thus, a leader who neither creates nor identifies opportunities is not just a pain to the organisation and its people, he is also an ill-wind that blows no one any good; a disaster going somewhere to happen. How leaders create opportunities for others The most valuable asset of an organization is its human resource. Therefore, the leader owes the organization as well as the team members the duty of increasing the capacity of the human resource by creating opportunities that will help them to hone their skills and improve their performances. It is only by so doing that they grow to their full potential and the organization gets the best value from them. The difference between a seasoned professional and a wannabe lies largely in the opportunities available to both. The more opportunities a subordinate is given to give vent to his skills, the better he becomes. In most cases, leaders have more opportunities than the followers. However, what many leaders fail to recognize is that those opportunities are not just for them; they are for them as well as those working with them. The most critical ingredient to development in any sphere of human endeavour is continuous improvement. A leader helps the follower to accomplish this by exposing him to opportunities that will enhance his growth. Mentoring Mentoring is not a tea party because it tasks the leader. Mentoring involves a leader pouring himself into his colleagues, availing them of the benefit of his exposure and experience, steering them away from the pitfalls that punctuated his own development. Mentoring is a transfer of values and skills from the leader to the follower. It is the leader replicating in the followers

leadership&management How leaders create, identify opportunities the unique attributes that got him to where he is. It is tasking; it is costly; it demands sacrifice. But what is leadership without sacrifice? What is leadership if it does not cost the leader anything? The hallmark of leadership is sacrifice. A leader must be willing to spend and be spent for the improvement of his followers. If leadership is not sacrificial, it falls short of expectations.

Delegate responsibilities A proven way of increasing others’ capacity is by delegating tasks to them. Many leaders are wary of delegating difficult tasks to their subordinates for fear that the failure of the subordinates may impact negatively on the performance of the department or the organization as a whole. But it is a needless fear. What such leaders should remember is that they got to know as much as they do because somebody or some people at one point or another in their careers believed enough in them to give them opportunities. To expect that a protégé will get it right from the outset is to expect too much. But the more opportunities he is given, the better he gets, though he fumbles and falters along the line. Competence is a consequence of constant practice However, it should be noted that when a task is delegated, the subordinate should be given a free hand to perform the task without interference from the leader. Leaders who micromanage eventually kill initiatives in their subordinates. Allowing people to have a sense of being in control boosts their confidence and triggers their creativity. Even if the subordinate fails in the task, the leader should help him to regain confidence by giving him another task. That is why leaders are called minders and moulders; they don’t abandon subordinates in their fallen state, they help them back to their feet when they stumble.

Training opportunities Training exposes people to new opportunities and possibilities. To increase the capacity of others, leaders regularly provide on-site and off-site training opportunities. Off-site training opportunities are especially useful because not only is it an occasion for enhancing the individual’s competence, it also provides an opportunity to build a network of contacts which may come handy later.

Binta as well as Super Story. However, Adenuga saw the economic depression of the 1980s before it became manifest. He realized that with the imminent economic depression it would be difficult to persuade Nigerians to part with their money for cartoons, so he veered into film production. In 1983, before the advent of Nollywood, Adenuga produced a celluloid film, Papa Ajasco, based on the stories he had published in the magazine. The film, the first English comedy, was a hit. Its success encouraged Adenuga to produce more films. He came up with Binta, My Daughter in 1995 and a year later he started the

How leaders identify opportunities for their organizations A critical skill that every leader must develop

Tayo Oviosu, Founder, Paga

Sim-Shagaya

Peter Amangbo, CEO, Zenith Bank is how to read, interpret and respond to trends in the market. The reason is simple; since human beings are dynamic their needs cannot be stagnant. Therefore, any organization that serves human beings must be able to properly and effectively understand what the needs of the market where it operates would be so that it can properly prepare for it and avoid being left behind by the market. The market has lost its loyalty; it is only loyal to those who meet its needs. Great leaders don’t wait for change to happen before acting; they are discerning enough to see change ahead of its happening and position themselves to benefit from the impending change. Wale Adenuga’s super story Those who grew up in Nigeria in the late 1970s and 1980s were treated to hilarious cartoon stories by characters in Wale Adenuga’s magazine,

Uzoma Dozie, CEO, Diamond Bank Ikebe Super. The characters included Papa Ajasco, Mama Ajasco, Pa Jimoh, Boy Alinco and Miss Pepeiye. The magazine enjoyed an appreciable following, especially among young adults and students. He also published

television series, Papa Ajasco, before hitting it real big with the Super Story series. What does Wale Adenuga do now? The same thing as what he did in the 1970s and 1980s. He still tells stories but no longer through cartoon characters and the print medium but through actors and actresses using the electronic medium. When he saw that the opportunity in the print medium was petering out for his business, he identified the opportunity in another segment of the same industry. That is why he is still relevant today while many of his contemporaries have become history. To identify opportunities, leaders must do the following Recognize the emergence of unique technologies

A leader must be willing to spend and be spent for the improvement of his followers. If leadership is not sacrificial, it falls short of expectations. Nothing changes a people’s lives faster than new technologies. The advent of mobile telephone has transformed the way we live and do businesses now. Although mobile telephone has changed banking a great deal, what has happened is nothing compared with what lies ahead. Very soon, having a large branch network will not be an advantage because very few people will need to go to a banking hall for anything. This development will provide opportunities for organizations that are able to see and plan ahead. Similarly, many newspaper organizations in Nigeria still treat their online editions primarily as new channels but that is going to change very soon. Online newspapers will very soon no longer serve as mere news channels but a platform for social connectivity. Forward looking organizations will not wait for that to happen before doing what is necessary to position themselves for the consequential harvests. Recognize change in demographics Age is a major determinant of what people do and buy. Fizzle drinks producers target the youth and producers of exclusive items target the rich. So, when demographics change, buying pattern will change. So, a leader should be interested in how demographic change and its likely effects on

his business. For instance, demographics played a significant role in Nigeria’s 2015 presidential election. Because of Nigeria’s growing youth population, many politicians targeted the youth, so the campaign was not played mainly on the field but on the social media because that was where the youth could be found. So, the election was mainly won and lost on the social media. Just as demographic is very significant for politics; it is also significant for business. The business that will continue to be relevant must recognize changes in demographics and fashion out ways of converting these to advantage. Changes in customers’ buying habits Currently in Nigeria, it is still fashionable to walk or drive to a mall for shopping but it won’t be so for long. The style of living in the country is changing and that means buying habits will change. Everything points to a shift from offline purchase to online shopping for nearly everything. Those that will benefit from the eventual eclipse of brick and mortar shopping by e-commerce will not wait till this becomes a reality before they start shifting to the electronic super highway. Changes in fads Coca Cola Company started producing drinks in polyethylene terephthalate (pet) bottles when it realized that the style of its customers was changing. It realized that its customers were looking for an opportunity to take their drinks wherever they went. The company understood that the original style of packaging drinks in glass bottles would not serve that purpose so it started packaging its drinks in pet bottles alongside glass bottles. With that, the company has widened its opportunities by bringing within its fold those that would have been lost to other soft drinks manufacturers because of their preference for pet drinks.

Book review

Those who have been given charge over others often struggle with the nuts and bolts of it. Questions swirl around this subject in the areas of leadership principles, characteristics of successful leaders, and indicators of dysfunctional leadership. The mere mention of leadership brings to mind certain authors who have written extensively on leadership. Men such as Al Mohler, John Maxwell, and Stephen Covey are powerful and influential voices today in this arena. However, another voice has emerged in the circles of leadership. Andy Stanley has

written a book entitled, “Next Generation Leader; Five Essentials for Those Who Will Shape the Future”. Stanley has emerged as a leadership voice to a younger generation. From his leadership podcasts to Catalyst Conferences, he provides leadership principles in a fresh and exciting light. He writes, “My passion is to help equip you to become a leader whose life is marked by qualities that ensure a no-regrets experience for those who choose to follow; a leader who leaves this world in better shape than he found it.”

Next generation leader

Stanley divides his book into five sections. In each of these sections, he zeroes in on the important traits and qualifications that he believes makes an effective leader. The five sections are: competence, courage, clarity, coaching, and character. In the first section, competence, Stanley states that leaders must focus their energy toward the areas of leadership they have the greatest capacity to succeed in. He stresses the importance of maximizing your strengths and delegating your weaknesses. In the second section, courage, he shares that a leader is not al-

ways the smartest one in the office. Leaders possess courage to initiate action and move ahead. In the third section, clarity, Stanley shares that the leader cannot be vague, instead, he/she must clear, even if uncertain. He writes, “Uncertainty will not be your undoing as a leader. However, your inability to give a clear directive in the midst of uncertainty might very well be the thing that takes you out or causes you to plateau in your career”. In the fourth section, coaching, he emphasizes that regardless of how good or talented you are, everyone needs coaching to take

us to the next level. In the fifth section, character, Stanley talks about the importance of “moral accountability” and how the personal life of a leader determines their followership. Stanley has written a good book. It is not a difficult read, only 158 pages. The strengths of the book are his personal experiences and transparency. He allows the reader to learn from his past mistakes. He also utilizes scripture in a way that is especially insightful. As with all of his books, Stanley’s writing style is engaging and easy-to-follow.

tribunebusiness

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

Nigerian Tribune

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

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

The nemesis of leadership

igeria our beloved country is 55! I wish to rejoice with every citizen for how far God has graciously brought us. In spite of the expectations of evil prognosticators, we are still together as a nation. We may not have rolled out the drums this year but no doubt as a people, we have a lot to celebrate. President Buhari’s speech of October 1st was simply one of the best that I have heard from any Nigerian leader in our recent history. Concise, straight-to-thepoint common sense that addressed key issues without undue verbiage. Greater times are indeed ahead of us as a people. And I say , “Nigeria, blessed, beautiful and bountiful! Happy Independence Day celebrations. I extend condolences to the hapless victims of the mindless twin bombings in Abuja on Friday. Considering the fact that this happened on a Friday, a Moslem holy day, I get more convinced by the day that Boko Haram merely uses Islam as a decoy perpetrate its evil, I wager that more Moslems have lost their lives in his pogrom, especially in the North East than adherents of any other faith. Let true Moslems begin to shout loud and clear with one voice that Boko Haram is on its own frolic, NOT on an Islamic Jihad. May God comfort the families of the departed and may their blood keep crying for vengeance before God Almighty until the vestiges of the bloodletting sect are exterminated from our shores. Once upon a time, there was an emperor who was feared by all his subjects. Pleased only by the sound of his own voice and those of his fawning sycophants who daily serenaded him with the myth of his infallibility, any semblance of dissent was seen as disloyalty and even treason and could earn the culprit a sentence of death. Many of his subjects had been sent to untimely death even on the strength of an unsubstantiated allegation. One day, a stranger came into town. He had heard about the reputation of the Emperor and his larger-than-life ego trips and had made up his mind that he would cut the emperor to size.

He sought audience with the emperor and introduced himself as a tailor who had clothed several emperors in time past. He told the emperor about a special royal robe that he intended to make for him. As he went into the intricate details of what the robe would look like, the emperor was enthralled, especially when he was told that there would never be any other like it anywhere else. In fact, it would have such divine attributes that only those totally loyal to the emperor and people without sin would be able to see it. Convinced that the robe would enhance his image, the emperor decided that he would wear the robe on the next festival day which was only about a month away. Then he asked that the stranger be supplied with everything he would require while he worked on the robe. The stranger requested for a separate apartment where he would be able to concentrate on the work. A few days later, the king came in company of some of his lieutenants to inspect progress on this great project. The stranger held a needle and thread made moves like he was running them through fabric. Only that no one could see the fabric! But no one dared say so for fear of being labeled a sinner. The stranger took time to describe what he was doing to the emperor who in turn nodded his head in affirmation and turning to his aides while exclaiming, “This is beautiful, fit for an emperor of my caliber. See the gold linings and the silver threads. I cannot wait to wear it” For fear of being labeled sinner or renegade, nobody dared to tell the king what he was actually seeing. Meanwhile, the stranger also told the emperor that the robe would come with an appropriate underwear, also visible to ‘holy’ people. On the festival day, the emperor had asked that his best horse be decked with decorations and all the trappings of majesty. The stranger had come into the palace to dress up the king in the new royal apparel. He made all the necessary moves of dressing the king up. When the emperor stepped out of the

leaders’ forum

with Ademola Adeoye 07067869718

dressing room, all his lieutenants applauded the king and the sartorial elegance of the royal ‘robe’. The drums were rolled out and the entire kingdom was in celebration mode. The emperor mounted his horse and rode through town. As the procession got to the centre of the town, a small boy of about four years old wondered why the number one citizen of the empire would ridicule himself so much. As the king rode by them where he and his mother stood in the crowd, you could have heard a pin drop as the little boy shouted to the hearing of the emperor and the people what everyone including the deluded emperor knew but for fear could not utter, “Why is our emperor dancing naked?” By the time the emperor returned to his castle in an admixture of shame and rage, the stranger was nowhere to be found. Mission accomplished! More often than not, leaders with a strong personality are usually at the risk of a larger than life ego. This understandably arises from their sense of accomplishments. When a leader has a string of achievements in his kitty, there is a tendency to develop a sense of infallibility. In the old Roman empire, whenever the Roman army conquered a territory, the commander of that operation and his troops were received back into Rome in a victory procession. Standing with the commander in his chariot as the procession made its way into town was a soldier of very junior rank. His assignment? To periodically whisper into the commander’s ears, “You are mere mortal. You too will one day die.” Great leaders are characterized by very strong convictions. For this reason, they come across as very assertive in the expression of their personality and opinions. The downside of this is that if the trend continues unbridled, leaders with such strong personalities tend to become dictatorial and uncomfortable with dissent. Unfortunately, when this happens, it produces a delusion of perfectionism.

leaders_forum@yahoo.com

What makes endurance easy A few months ago, I started speaking at some conferences on the subject matter I am sharing with you today, and it has empowered many leaders and would be leaders across the length and breadth of this nation. As an effect of the impact that the leadership issue I am raising today is making, it behooves me to share a little with you in this forum. And I am in no doubt that it is going to empower you, too to turn out to become better than you are right now. Before speaking through my pen today, I want to first of all appreciate you for always reading through this column. The calls, emails and text messages I do receive weekly are the wings beneath my hands that cause me to fly effortlessly. I cannot sufficiently thank you for all your priceless words of encouragement. They mean so much to me. Now, let me move to the crucial issue before us for today. I have come to discover that anyone—who cannot endure hardship in a 3rd world country like Nigeria cannot become great, because no one has ever become great overnight, but overtime. These days, everyone wants to be like Nelson Mandela of this world, but not everyone wants to endure hardship. Everyone wants to be like Mahatma Gandhi of this world, but not everyone wants to endure adversity and suffering. I see a crop of political leaders, who love to identify with late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, but none of them can afford to endure hardship, suffering and adversity. We have raised a whole generations of those, who do not want to endure any adversity. We have wrongly taught them that they could become great without suffering. The truth is this: endurance is the price of an enduring greatness. What does endurance denote, connote and indicate? It means the act, quality, or power of withstanding hardship or stress. If you cannot withstand hardship on this continent, you can never become great. You want to leave a mark that can never

be erased? Then you must develop the power to withstand hardship. I do understand that what I am sharing today is very tough. But the truth is; you need to know what I am teaching you, on the condition that you want to be relevant to the future of Nigeria and Africa as a whole. Today’s issue is not for everyone, it is only for those who have made up in their minds to become great in the days to come. I remember reading through the biography of Kwamme Nkrumah of this world. There was a time when late Kwamme Nkrumah was down to nothing and to live to tell the tale, he needed to look for what to eat on the inside of some waste bins on the streets of London. He endured that season of lack, need and hardship in his life. And because he refused to give up, he ended up becoming the pioneer president of Ghana! And till today, we are celebrating him. Do you want to be celebrated in the days to come? Then you will need to develop the power to withstand adversity till you become on earth what God has created you to be. Taking this issue a little further, what makes endurance easy? What will help you not to give up during your own time of adversity and hardship? What made great people of the past not to give up during their times of hardship? It is very simple: the joy that was set ahead of them. This is the only thing that can sustain you during your own time of hardship. It is tough to endure hardship, but what is tough becomes easy when you can see the joy that awaits you in the days to come. On the condition that you cannot see the joy that is set ahead of you, to endure hardship becomes impossible. For the umpteenth time, this is the only thing that can motivate you when the chips are down. It is when you can see the joy of the day that you are going to be celebrated; to endure hardship becomes easy. When you can see the joy of the day that you are going to graduate as a medical student, to endure the hardship of study-

ing for hours becomes easy. When you can see the joy of the day that you are going to get married to your own husband, to endure the urge of sleeping around like your friends are doing becomes easy. Why do people destroy their great future because of momentary pleasure? It is because they are blind to the joy that is set ahead of them. Why do people pack off their businesses because of temporary difficulties? Why do people abandon their marriages because of temporary crisis? It is because they cannot see the joy that is set ahead of them. Why do people drop out of school because of a temporary need? It is because they are blind to the joy that is set ahead of them. Why do some women abuse their bodies? It is because they cannot see the joy that is set ahead of them. Once you can see the joy that is ahead of you, to endure hardship becomes easy. I cannot touch on this crucial issue without sharing briefly on the issue of purpose. The greatest leveler on earth is purpose. It is only purpose that can get the sons and daughters of the poor and the sons and daughters of the rich to sit at the same table. It is only purpose that can elevate a beggar and make him sit amongst people of influence and affluence. There are many places you’d never get to in life without living on purpose and there are many people you’d never meet within life without living on purpose. Purpose is very powerful. I pity anyone who is not living a life of purpose. Do not abandon your purpose because of money and what money can buy. Lastly, when it comes to the fulfillment of purpose, developing the clout to endure adversity is non-negotiable. If you cannot endure hardship, it will be impossible to consistently live a life of purpose. What helps men and women of purpose to endure adversity without giving up? They can see the joy that is set ahead of them. See you where great people are found!

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

property

Nigerian Tribune

anchor Gbemi Solaja

m:07065220616 e:gbemisolaja@gmail.com

Engineers express worry over government’s lack of patronage

From left, Hakeem Ogunniran, Managing Director, UPDC; Jumoke Akinwunmi, General Manager, Ogun State Housing Corporation; Mr Taiwo Adeolu, Secretary to Ogun State Government; Ruth Obih, CEO, 3Invest Limited and Kunle Omotola, Principal Partner, Kunle Omotola & Co. at 2015 Real Estate Unite organised by 3Invest Limited at the Eko Convention Centre, Lagos.

Developers task Buhari on mass housing provision Stories By Gbemi Solaja – Lagos

HE Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) has tasked President Buhari on mass provision of housing in the country, just as it stated that a new housing policy to meet common housing needs be developed. Speaking recently, the president of REDAN, Rev Ugochuckwu Chime, charged the new administration to face squarely the issue of housing provision especially for the common man on the street who could hardly afford it. In the same vein, Managing Director, Realty Point Limited, Mr Debo Adejana, who is also a developer, urged immediate government intervention in providing housing for the lower stratum of the society, whom, according to him, may never be able to afford housing without any intervention. Adejana, in a chat with Nigerian Tribune specifically tasked the Buhari administration to make housing provision for the common people a priority to bridge the over 17 million deficit and avoid a crisis situation. REDAN charged the Federal Government to channel part of workers’ contribution into the National Pension Fund, NPF which presently stands at N4.9 trillion, to bridge the country’s 17 million housing deficit, recommending that the National Housing Fund, NHF, which has been workers’ contribution to own their houses through the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, FMBN and the Pension Fund be coalesced into a pool to create jobs in the sector and at the same time bridge the housing deficit in the country. “The NHF and the Pension Funds are funds created to ensure that while in service or retirement; the average Nigerian worker is catered for. We know that three elements form the basic needs of man, that is, food, shelter and clothing and government has been intervening on the issue of food. Unfortunately policy makers have not

deemed it necessary to implement some of the provisions of the NHF. The provisions of the NHF and the Pension Fund which is now the contributory scheme, were all dovetailed into the welfare of the worker and there must be a linkage because if you contribute money, the value of the money at the point of contribution is not comparable to the value of the money at the point of retirement” Chime said. Adejana added that “Pension fund is a huge fund in this country and there must be a way by which it can get into the housing sector to be able to aid finance in the hous-

ing sector. If that is done such that people who are on pension can use part of their pension contribution as deposit for mortgage or the pension agent , the pension fund institutions can invest in real estate transactions. If such a system can be put in place such that it will aid supply and also aid demand. Finance must be able to take care of the two sides because we are having challenges with the two sides. It may even be easier to get money for the supply side, but without mortgage in the demand side, the houses will be supplied and they will not be bought.”

‘2.8 million housing units needed yearly to bridge deficit’ DIRECTOR-GENERAL, Centre for Management Development (CMD), Dr Kabir Usman, has said that Nigeria needs 2.8 million houses annually over the next six years to bridge the housing deficit gap it currently suffered from. Usman, who said this at the unveiling of the Mortgage and Real Estate Academy (MOREACA DEMY) held in Lagos recently pointed out that adequate training and human capacity building of professionals and housing providers would enable Nigerians reach mortgage facilities effectively. He expressed hope that with continuous training which the Academy was set out to achieve, access to mortgage facilities would increase tremendously. He, however, noted that the training had become essential to fill the gap in a country with a growing population and the huge housing needs. Cordinator, MOREACA DEMY, Prince Ade Akinfolurin who said that Unprofessionalism had strived in the industry for too long, noted that anyone who did not have the sort of certification offered by the Academy would not be licensed to practice real estate and mortgage in the country. “For years, the nation has suffered material, human and economic losses arising from the

fact that the real estate sector has been left in the hands of quacks. The professionalism in the sector is less than 50 per cent which has led to the fraudulent practices in the industry. Every economy is measured by the number and sophistication of real properties that adorn the landscape of a nation as well as quality of properties churned to its citizenry, be it commercial or residential. Without a properly planned and professionally managed housing system, citizens would be struggling. That is why in Nigeria; you see people working in Abuja but have to commute daily all the way from Kaduna. And lots of people have to live in Mowe or Ibafo or even close to Abeokuta, from where they go to work in Lagos. If they all have opportunities of living in Lagos, they will not live elsewhere,” he added. He added that the Academy would offer courses in the real estate and mortgage education for mortgage loan originators, mortgage loan processors, underwriters, mortgage brokers, mortgage lenders, real estate brokers/agents, property managers, appraisers and valuers, and real estate inspectors and developers.

THE Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has expressed deep concern over what it termed inadequate government patronage and abandonment to foreign contractors. In a chat with the Nigerian Tribune, the Past Chairman, Ikeja branch of NSE, Engr Abiodun Awe noted that awarding of engineering projects to foreign contractors and neglect of indigenous ones was unhealthy for economic growth. He urged the government to urgently implement the Nigerian Content Law to boost local patronage and also to transform the sector. Speaking further, Awe said the situation had become worrisome and needed urgent solution . “We have a challenge in our hands which is a very big one. We must know that if we don’t have confidence in what we have, we should not expect foreigners and every other outsider to believe in us and have any confidence. Nigeria is a developing country and even in 100 years, we will still be talking about engineering and infrastructural projects, we will still have most of these projects going on and what will happen by the time our engineers do not develop and become experts because the government is not giving them the opportunity and the environment to thrive.” “Many of these foreign engineers who are not as good as the engineers here are only after money and that is all, this is not their country, when they take all they need, they will go back to where they belong and this will not do the country any good. The economic effect is not good for this country. Government will spend hard earned money on expatriates and they will take that with them not contributing anything to economic development, but indigenous engineers are here and this is our country. We know that anything we do, future generations will benefit and these projects will be done at a cheaper cost and money spent has implications for economic growth so government is only shortchanging the destiny of this country when they think they can cut corners with all these things. “Government should be sincere, we have politics, and we have policies, they should be sincere in rolling out these policies and stop playing politics.” There is a law that says if a project is above certain amount of dollars, it should not be awarded to foreigners, but what do we have here. A situation where one finds white supervisors and you have Nigerian engineers all over the place. They award these contracts to foreign contractors and have few local engineers work with them. Apart from the fact that it is not healthy for the economy, it is also a major set back for the engineering profession in this country, and also for young engineers who are not given the chance to become experts. Government should allow engineers the breathing space and the opportunity to show what they can do.

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

brands& marketing

Nigerian Tribune

anchor Akin Adewakun

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

The average Nigerian consumer does not have the redress structure —Salako

In this interview, Chief Executive Officer, Consumers Advocacy Forum of Nigeria (CAFON), Ms Sola Salako, talks on consumer advocacy in Nigeria and the glaring failure on the part of the nation’s regulatory agencies to really protect the Nigerian consumers. Excerpts:

ACK of transparency among industry regulators One of the greatest challenges we have in Nigeria is lack of transparency especially among regulators. The consumer is at the receiving end of a whole lot of unethical and unhealthy practices from the service providers. Unfortunately, the average Nigerian consumer does not have the redress structure. They are still heavily dependent on the regulators to help in the areas of check and balances, they expect them to fight on their behalf. But when you now find that the regulator has not been up to par with such responsibilities, you start to ask question why the regulator is not performing its role to ensure that consumers are protected. NCC is a very critical regulator in Nigerian economy because communication is the backbone of practically all our sustenance, from social to business life. Since GSM came in, we have gone through a whole strata of different phases in getting to where we are. But you would expect that 16 years down the line, the consumers would start to feel the benefit. Before it was because we were confronted with the issue of infrastructure, but we had 16 years to put that in place, and this was done at the expense of the consumers. But despite the fact consumers money are being spent to build infrastructure, yet we still have consumers raising one complaint or the other about poor quality services, high tariff compared to the fact that the subscriber base has increased. Usually, in normal economics, the bigger your market, the lower the cost since this overhead would have been spread. But surprisingly, this is not happening in Nigeria. CAFON’s efforts at checking telephone service providers’ excesses There are also service providers who come up with all sort of packages that are intended to exploit the consumers and yet you have a regulator in place. So, our organization is teaming up with other concerned stakeholders, to form a Change Vigilante which was conceptualised in line with the change fever we are presently experiencing. On this basis, NCC has become the first port of call for this network. For us, we would like to have an idea of what NCC is doing. Is there some form of compromise within its structure that is eventually being felt by the consumers? Take for example, If NCC is not doing what is expected of it, the consumers bear the brunt. As a matter of fact, Nigeria still pays one of the highest tariffs in the world. For the level of money that Nigerians invest on their telephones, why have we not gotten to a stage where packages are being offered to Nigerians? For example, here, we are still the ones buying our phones. In other climes, phones are part of the packages, since the phone is just a mean by which I get the service. These are some of those things that we want the regulators to be negotiating for the consumers with the service providers but unfortunately this is not the case. We found that even despite public outcry over bad service,

La Casera workers, when the going was good.

Sola Salako things still remain the same. The need for NCC to be transparent Even though NCC had penalised some service providers recently and were made to pay some fines, but Nigerians are not aware what those penalties are for and how much those operators paid and what happened to the money. We are asking those questions because we believe that NCC, which is the apex body must be transparent and accountable. We need to be sure NCC is doing what is supposed to be doing. We are also wondering what the national assemblies are doing in the area of oversight functions that should help advance the interest of the Nigerian consumers. We want to know what is going on between the national assembly and the service providers. If they give us all these information and there is nothing going on there, then it means that they just need to do a lot more work. Otherwise, let Nigerians know that there is a racket going on. Our mandate to NCC We are trusting that NCC will give some information regarding the above-mentioned issues. We even gave them sever days to do this, but this has since expired. But if they

don’t give us the information, we won’t hesitate to seek legal action to mandate them in providing the information. We feel that taking such a step will send a signal to other regulators that the Nigerians consumer will not fold its arms and watch while he is being cheated unduly. We want to ensure that we are being protected by the regulators, and if they are not, we will like to know what is affecting their structure that is making it impossible for them to perform.

they put the regulators on their toes to ensure that they are following their responsibility to the Nigerian people. If there is some compromise going on between them, we would like to know. We have got to believe that the new government is interested in putting everything in place that will ensure everything is transparent and accountable. And this is the best time to seek this kind of information from NCC, which is just one of the many regulatory agencies in the country that need to be put on this kind of alert.

Advice for the new helmsman at NCC It is an opportunity for him to find out what has been going on in the sector, by knowing what to avoid and what to put a stop to. We are helping him. By the time they provide this information we are clamouring for, he also will be able to see what is going there, and this will help him in carrying out the needed reorganisation. Though this has nothing to do with the new helmsman but it is timely for him.

Luminous Inverters organises training programmes for Nigerian technicians In a bid to fulfil its brand promise of delivering value, while also empowering its esteemed consumers, Wandel International (Nigeria) Limited, a subsidiary of the Simba Group of Companies and the authorized marketers and distributors of Luminous brands in Nigeria, recently held a training session for technicians and installers across Nigeria. The event is part of its Luminous Technician Training Programme, an initiative that is designed to create, train and empower electricians and technicians in the field of energy conservation. According to the company, the training programme which commenced in April this year, would also be replicated in major towns and cities across the country. The Marketing Manager, Wandel International Nigeria Limited, Mr. Rajneesh Gupta described the programme as a Pan Nigeria project, expected to hold across all 36 States in the country with the aim of empowering electricians, engineers and technicians on installation and management of Luminous Inverters, Batteries and UPS.

What the national assembly should do The role of the assembly is to ensure that

If NCC is not doing what is expected of it, the consumers bear the brunt. As a matter of fact, Nigeria still pays one of the highest tariffs in the world.

brands&marketing

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

Nigerian Tribune

Brand focus: Goldberg in Ojude Oba, lending support to community’s cultural aspirations

OR the average individual from Ijebu Ode, in Ogun State and its environs, the Ojude Oba Festival remains a key cultural festival in the calendar of the town. The quantity and quality of the audience that always witness the annual cultural festival bears eloquent testimony to the pride of place it occupies among the people in the South Western part of the country. Besides being a parade of the rich cultural values and heritage of the people, one of the things that many believe has kept the festival going in the last few decades is the increasing involvement of brands in the festival. Various brands have been throwing their weights behind the festival, a fact openly acknowledged by the monarch of the town, Oba Sikiru Adetona, the Awujale of

Ijebuland, while calling the various brands out for royal blessings on the day of the festival. ‘Without the support of these corporate organisations, this festival would not be where it is today. They have contributed to the increasing popularity of the festival. Maltina has been supporting the festival for several years. Goldberg lager beer is making its second appearance as a sponsor of the Ojude Oba festival. We trust that our partnership will be enduring and mutually beneficial,’ the monarch stated. Though a parade of brands from different market segments, but one brand that stood out at the for its unflinching support of the cultural aspirations of the people is the Goldberg lager beer. The lager brand, from the stable of the

Nigerian Breweries Plc, has always continued to insist on the fact that its reasons for participation is to live its corporate dream of ‘identifying with the cultural values of its business environments. For instance, one of the key focus of the lager brand since being on the stable of the Nigerian Breweries Plc some years back has been the readiness to go the whole hog with the people’s cultures, wherever such are being celebrated. Its huge involvement in this year’s Osun Oshogbo cultural festival, perhaps attests to this claim. The lager brand called the shot at the festival, a feat that made it being singled out for commendation by the town’s monarch, the Ataoja of Oshogbo. Not a few therefore would see its active participation at the just-concluded Ojude

From left, president, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Dr Rotimi Oladele; Mr Willy Ogbidi and Mrs Ethel Agbeyegbe, during the presidential press media briefing on NIPR forthcoming activities, held at the Yellow Chilli Restaurant, Joel Ogunnaike, Ikeja GRA, Lagos on Sunday. PHOTO: ALABA IGBAROOLA.

Gulder Ultimate Chase winner relishes star prize AS Chinedu Odimgbe raced towards the Michael Okpara Square from the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium where the Enugu leg of the Ultimate Chase commenced, all he hoped for was to win a Galaxy Tab amongst the 200 mouth-watering prizes which Gulder had in store for its consumers in the Ultimate Chase contest. At the beginning of the race, Chinedu lagged behind a lot of the contestants. He soon picked up pace and outran many of the contestants and eventually won the grand prize of a brand new Hyundai Elantra car. The Ultimate Chase is the experiential aspect of the National Consumer Promotion

which gives consumers and participants the opportunity of imbibing the brand’s core values. This stage of the competition is designed for the strong, the intuitive and the mentally alert. The 23 year old graduate of Civil Engineering however confessed that he started training when he heard that Gulder was organising a National Consumer Promotion which had Ultimate Chase and Raffle Draw categories. “Since I heard about the promo,, I started training hard because I was determined to make a success out of this consumer promotion. I was jogging every morning and doing

How I won N1m in Peak ‘Reach for Millions’ Promo —Mining engineer PRIOR to the promo, he had never participated in any promo because he never believed in them. This time, a trader he patronizes regularly, made him participate in Peak ‘Reach for Millions’ Promo and he won a whooping N1 million. Raji Muideen Taiwo is a Lagos based mining engineer, he loves taking milk hence he chose a favorite retailer in his neighborhood not knowing this retailer will one day make him a millionaire. “I am a mining Engineer (mineral resources engineer). I heard about the promo from a customer whom I buy things from. My preferred retailer during the Peak 60th

anniversary gave me some gifts which included bucket and nylon bags. She said the gifts are for my regular patronage and also told me to be expecting a bigger promo which will also be part of the 60th anniversary. ‘I decided to try my luck. The message was very clear on how to participate so I just followed the instructions. I sent over 18 codes from 18 packs but I was able to bring 14 packs of the evaporated 170g tin for my claim. That was all,’ he narrated. Taiwo however believes the N1 million won from Peak promo will definitely transform his life for good but he is not in a rush.

other forms of exercises like “sitting in the air”, planking and others, just to stay fit.” Chinedu confessed that when he saw the crowd that had gathered at the stadium that morning, he became nervous, wondering if he could make any meaningful headway.

Oba Festival as keeping up with the tradition. ‘The lager brand is fast becoming warming itself into the hearts of the people here. You can see that it is everywhere and is fast becoming our preferred choice because it is identifying with a culture that is immensely celebrated by every son and daughter of the land,’ explained Mrs. Shodeke, one of the guests at the event. Speaking on the level of involvement of the brand at this year’s Ojude Oba Festival, the Corporate Affairs Adviser, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr. Kufre Ekanem disclosed that one of the focus of the brand was to thrill consumers at the cultural festival.

Happenings Magazine hits newsstand A new glossy, print publication, Happenings Magazine, over the weekend, was introduced to a cross section of Nigerians, comprising fashion enthusiasts, clients, guests and a select media, in Lagos, over the weekend. The magazine, which has its thematic focus woven around fashion, lifestyle and entertainment, according to its publisher, is already in its second edition. Speaking with Brands & Marketing at the event, the Publisher, Chief Edirin Abamwa, explained that one of the reasons for organizing the event tagged Style, Urban, Life, to indicate the coming of the magazine into the newsstand, was to indicate the thematic direction of the publication. According to him, the array of fashion enthusiasts, clients and guests at the event were indications of the level of acceptance of the publication since its first edition was introduced few weeks ago. While reiterating the commitment of the management to go the whole hog with the publication, Chief Abamwa argued that despite the advent of the new media, the traditional media would still continue to survive. The major highlights of the event were raffle draws which saw excited guests walking away with different prizes courtesy the publication’s sponsors.

Johnnie Walker unveils new campaign AS a way of encouraging millions of Nigerians across the country to celebrate success at every phase of life, Johnnie Walker, a premium Scotch whisky from the stables of Diageo Brands, has unveiled its largest ever global marketing campaign tagged Joy Will Take You Further. Activated in more than 50 countries simultaneously, the campaign, according to the brand, will reach over 350million consumers around the world within the first few weeks of launch. Graced by Industry Heads, Chief Executives, Top Management Personnel, Newspaper Editors amongst other extraordinary achievers who share the brand’s view of how happiness in life is a fuel for success. Speaking at the event, the Corporate Affairs Director, Diageo Nigeria, Mr. Sesan Sobowale described the new campaign as a product of “deep research that challenged the conventional wisdom that success guarantees you happiness, but instead celebrates the fact that happiness actually helps people achieve success.

“Johnnie Walker has always stood for progress – it’s been the story of our whisky since our founder John Walker started it all nearly 200 years ago. What two centuries of experience have taught us is that progress doesn’t have to be an endless uphill journey – we can enjoy the steps we take and the more happiness we find in them the more likely we are to achieve our goal,” he stated. Joy Will Take You Further campaign is a step further on the evolution of the brand’s famous ‘Keep Walking’ campaign and represents a new perspective on personal progress, which has defined the brand’s philosophy for more than 15 years, an initiative that has defined its growth path. Based on new insights into how success is viewed by consumers today, the campaign brings to life the concept that joy can be a catalyst to the progress they seek, and aims to generate a positive culture shift by promoting and encouraging the idea that finding joy in the journey is part of the recipe for success.

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

infotech

Nigerian Tribune

anchor Bode Adewumi

m:08055001765 e:bodekafi@yahoo.com

How social media are becoming strategic business management tools

VER the past five years, social media has evolved from an extension of a company’s public relations efforts into a strategic business tool. Today, the savviest companies understand that social is as much about relationship management, product development, risk management, and human resources as it is about marketing. It is at once a powerful source of business intelligence, a tool for building authentic personal connections at massive scale; and a way to improve measurement of marketing and advertising performance. Little wonder that some companies today run social media war rooms where executives across the organisation can track social metrics. Here are eight ways that leading companies are using social channels to boost the performance of their businesses that go far beyond the obvious uses of customer service, marketing and reputation management.

right message from your adverts? An early warning system for looming corporate crises Active social listening can give you advance warning of potential crisis situations such as a defective product that slipped through your quality control processes, a negative rumour that might affect your share price, or high volumes of calls impacting your contact centre’s service levels. You can use this information to rally your teams (whether it’s customer service, corporate communications and legal) and draw up a response plan before the storm arrives. Building rapport with potential new customers Social media isn’t really the right platform for cold calling new pros-

pects, but it can be a great platform for building rapport with them. You can gently insert yourself into conversations when you can offer helpful advice and become part of general industry discussions to start building new relationships with people who might be interested in your brand or product. A way to track public perception around sensitive business issues Today’s customers value authenticity, transparency and a social conscience. Through social media, you can learn about how they perceive your brand, especially when it comes to issues such as environmental sustainability and corporate social investment. You can’t spin around any of these issues, so you do need to listen with an open

mind and communicate in good faith when you tackle them in the social sphere. Enhancing customer retention Social media is arguably even more important for customer retention than it is for customer acquisition. When someone follows your brand on Twitter or Facebook, they’re invested and interested in you, and quite possibly already a customer. Used well, this is an opportunity to add value to their lives through meaningful content and conversation. These sorts of links can help promote customer loyalty. Recruitment Don’t underestimate how valuable social media can be to your

Social listening to understand customers’ needs and desires Social media chatter can be a great source of information about what customers really think about your products and services as well as what they really want and need from your category. It’s unfiltered data that gives you a more accurate view of what people’s needs, frustrations and wants are than you’d get from most market research. The biggest plus is that you can get a view of what consumers are looking for, what they like, and what they don’t like in their own language. Gathering competitor intelligence Listening to social media isn’t just a good way to track customer discussions about your own brands and products - it can also give you an interesting perspective of what customers think of rival products and brands. This can help you understand your own strengths and weaknesses compared to the competition so you can craft better marketing messages. Measuring marketing performance Social listening tools can yield interesting insights into the performance of your marketing and advertising campaigns, in turn increasing the accountability of your agencies and internal teams. You can get some worthwhile quantitative data - are people talking about the campaign and how much of the conversation has a positive or negative tone, as well as qualitative insights do the conversations show that people are taking the

Bravo Kim, Managing Director, Samsung Electronics, West Africa.

NITDA Nihilent e-Governance Awards 2015 to recognise IT nation builders THE National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in collaboration with Nihilent e-Governance Awards 2015 project has kicked-off with a meeting by a committee made up of a representative from each of the departments and units of the agency led by the Director General, Mr. Peter Jack. This is an awards programme that will be featured at the eNigeria Conference Gala Night, which is an annual event of NITDA to bring together all the indigenous Information Technology companies in Nigeria to showcase their products and services and to develop a roadmap for a way forward for the sector.

This award cuts across Information Technology based sectors ranging from State Government, Local Government, Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs), E-Governance Projects, Health, Education and Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs). The NITDA-Nihilent Awards Committee team will work closely in the next three months to make this year’s programme bigger and more eventful. The awards programme will comprise of multiple phases, each phase building up to the final event. The team proposes to finalise the award categories and award criteria on the basis of which respondents will be assessed. The expression

of interest (EOI) forms will soon be made available on the official NITDA portal for access to potential respondents. The respondents will be required to submit their responses online. The team also proposes to visit projects sites of identified entities to check the ground realities and interview the concerned ICT directors and other officials, all as part of the rigorous assessment process. The results of the assessment will be declared on the second week of November, 2015. The winner will be announced on November 19 during the NITDA-Nihilent e-Governance Awards ceremony as part of the e-Nigeria conference.

human resources department. It can be a great help in sourcing new candidates for jobs at your business - post a job on LinkedIn or share it on Facebook and the CVs will pour in. It can also be helpful in understanding how candidates view your business as an employer as well as a source of intelligence about people you’re thinking of hiring. •Courtesy BizCommunity

Analysing the new Samsung Activ dualwash By Bode Adewumi RESEARCH has shown that when it comes to washing, the most tedious task is pre-treatment and pre-wash. With today’s families getting busier than ever, there is an increasing need for easier and more convenient ways to tackle everyday laundry needs like prewashing fabrics, treating stains and picking up household dirt. Clothes are, more often than not, soaked and scrubbed in the washing area and then transferred to the washing machine in another location. Understanding these consumer constraints, Samsung has come up with a revolutionary washing machine which cares for not only the clothes, but also the homemaker. This washing machine is designed to elevate the everyday home experience for consumers, making laundry at home easier and even providing health benefits. Samsung has earned a reputation in the Nigerian market for its wide range of top quality home appliances and handheld devices, including, smartphones and Ultra High Definition televisions. In addition, it is now seeking to improve the home experience by unveiling the Samsung Activ dualwash washing machine – a first of its kind with a builtin sink. The Activ dualwash is a result of years of research to improve the time and energy spent doing laundry. Every year, Samsung excites consumers and potential consumers with something new particularly at the upper end of its ‘washing machine line-up’. This year, the company has again raised the bar for washing machines by introducing its more traditional and professionally-inspired Activ dualwash, with smart built-in sink, water jet, magic filter and dispenser, with a warranty of 10 years.

infotech

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

Nigerian emerges winner of ITU Telecom World 2015 Young Innovators Competition Stories By Bode Adewumi

HE International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and Intel have announced the two winners of the final ITU Telecom World 2015 Young Innovators Competition challenge: their Single Board Challenge. The winners will take part in the ITU Telecom World 2015, the global ICT innovation platform for government, corporates and SMEs to be held betweeen 12 and 15 October in Budapest, Hungary. The winning entries, selected from 124 applications from 34 countries on the basis of their demonstrated innovation, business potential and clear social value proposition, are: Ugur Can Bastik from Turkey. His entry, TactiX is a single board powered smartphone, which focuses on connectivity through cellular WiFi and mobile Internet connection. With a tactile display it can display shapes, smileys and 100+ braille characters. With a new kind of braille typing area, one can write rapidly in braille using the phone. There are multifunctional hotkeys on the side areas which can be set up beforehand. It will include braille interfaces for social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter. Ogbonnaya Bassey from Nigeria. His entry, SolarKobo provides solar power systems with zero-upfront financing in Nigeria as a cheaper, more reliable and cleaner electricity source than the private oil generators that are widely used to supplement the insufficient public electricity supply. It will allow small businesses and families to benefit from solar systems for relatively low monthly fees and will use single board devices for remote monitoring and customer payment systems. “Single board technologies are driving transformation in the field of ICTs,” said ITU Secretary-General, Mr Houlin Zhao. “ITU is happy to work with this growing global community of makers and creators to harness these technologies to positively impact lives.” He added that he was delighted to see entrepreneurs making use of ICTs for such a wide range of development goals, from improving accessibility for the disabled, to health care, expanding access and solar power. “We’re extremely honoured to be a part of such a great initiative. We are even more impressed by the fantastic work from the young innovators. As a company, we are always looking to work with the brightest minds to make a positive impact, develop new technologies and make a difference. Part of this is creating new jobs in ICT and helping these fresh ideas to thrive. The brilliant ideas put forward – whether it’s helping the blind to communicate in a digital world or encouraging more people to use solar power – show great ambition and we’re proud to provide Intel architecture to bring these ideas

to life,” said Mr Gordon Graylish, Vice President and General Manager, Governments and World Ahead, Intel Corporation. Intel will be providing a supply of their single board devices, including microcontrollers, microcomputers and sensor packages to the shortlisted applicants to help them prototype their designs. They will be providing the winners of the challenge with additional seed funding, single board devices and support from the company in

helping to develop their designs into the bases of successful companies. “Most of the ingredients for our success exist: the need is critical, the demand for our solution is proven, the technology is tested and we have a sustainable model,” Bassey stated. “We applied to the Young Innovators Competition to create awareness for our cause, get seed funding, investment, mentorship, and access to help from Intel in developing smarter systems.”

The motivation behind TactiX was to change the social perception of companies and organisations about developing devices for the handicapped. “No one can say that sightless persons can currently participate in social life as can others,” said Ugur Can Bastik. “Developing technology to give them complete access to communications can not only impact social lives, but also academic achievement and employment,” said Bastik.

From left, Human Resources Manager, Marcillina Tietjen; President & Chief Eexecutive Officer, Ira Palti; Managing Director & Country Manager, Abbas Danjuma; President, Africa and Latin America, Amit Ancikovsky, all from Ceragon Networks Limited, at the official launch of Lagos office and State of-the-art facilities in Lagos, recently.

Winners emerge in the Intel #ClimbAfrica Competition TWO winners have emerged from Nigeria in the Intel #ClimbAfrica competition, which was announced last week, for sport lovers to predict the time it will take Tanzanian Mountain Guide, Julio Ludago to ascend and descend

Mt. Kilimanjaro in his attempt to beat the current world record of 6 hours, 56 minutes and 24 seconds. Sponsored by Intel Corporation, ASUS and his employer, Ahsante Tours; Julio, who set out on Sunday, September 27, 2015 to beat

GSA confirms growing traction for LTE using 2.1 GHz Spectrum THE Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), published its first status report about the development of Long Term Evolution (LTE) in 2.1 GHz, known as 3GPP band 1 last week. The 2.1 GHz band is typically used for 3G systems deployments in many regions of the world, with WCDMA-HSPA being the dominant technology. An increasing number of operators are now using channels within this band for delivering 4G/LTE-based mobile broadband services, either as a single band deployment, though increasingly as part of multi-band LTE-Advanced networks enabled by carrier aggregation technology. In this way, operators are able to boost LTE network performance and data speeds, to deliver an improved user experience. The main infrastructure vendors all offer LTE2100 (i.e. LTE operating in 2.1 GHz spectrum) solutions. Many regulatory authorities have facilitated the use of 2.1 GHz spectrum for 4G systems by adopting a technology neutrality policy and technology neutral 2.1 GHz li-

cences have already been granted in several countries. GSA expects this trend will continue and considers it very likely that 2.1 GHz will be used in LTE network deployments by even more network operators. The LTE2100 market status report by GSA confirms that 15 operators in 11 countries have commercially launched LTE systems and service using 2.1 GHz (band 1) spectrum, almost double the number of networks launched compared to one year earlier. Several additional operators are deploying or considering use of 2.1 GHz for their commercial LTE network deployments where feasible. According to GSA data, over 36 per cent of all LTE user devices can operate in 2.1 GHz band 1 spectrum, compared to 28 per cent one year earlier. 1,185 LTE2100 user devices have been announced to the market by 142 manufacturers. Mr Alan Hadden, Vice President of Research at GSA, said: “The number of LTE2100 compatible devices more than doubled over the past year (118 per cent higher).

the world record of ascending and descending Mt. Kilimanjaro currently held by Swiss-Ecuadorian Karl Egloff at 6 hours, 56 minutes and 24 seconds put up a spirited fight to complete the climb and finished in 11hours, 8 minutes, thus becoming the second Tanzanian and African to make this attempt to climb and descend the highest Mountain in Africa in the shortest time on record. The winners, Allan Thairo, and Dennis Murii Irungu had the most accurate predictions on how long it would take Julio to climb Kilimanjaro, with 11hours, and 10 hours, 45minutes and 30 seconds respectively; and will receive the Asus Transformer Book T100 and Asus Fonepad. Finishing his climb, Julio said: “I knew it was never going to be an easy task for me, but I had a lot of determination. I also drew a lot of inspiration from the support I received from the people who cheered me throughout this challenge. “My intention was to create awareness on mountaineering in Tanzania and inspire people around the world to come and climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. The high altitude, low temperature and occasional strong wind made it a difficult challenge but I waded through with a lot of faith. Despite not beating the current record, I believe I did my best and I hope that I have inspired other people to come and attempt the climb.”

Nigerian Tribune

Dell introduces new campus, data centre networking solutions DELL has announced expansions to its networking portfolio to address growing complexities in campus networking and skyrocketing bandwidth demands in the data centre. For the campus, Dell is offering a new unified-campus architecture powered by the new Dell Networking C9010 Network Director switchand companion C1048P Rapid Access Node while in the data centre, Dell has debuted the Dell Networking S6100-ON, which combines multi-rate connectivity, modularity, and open networking to deliver unparalleled in-rack networking flexibility. Vice president and General Manager, Dell Networking and Enterprise Infrastructure, Mr Tom Burns says these innovations are geared towards simplifying complex networking tasks.“At Dell, we’re taking a holistic,end-to-end approach to networking from connecting server storage and workloads together in the data centre to connecting desktops and mobile devices in the campus and we’re excited about these new products and capabilities and the new levels of simplicity and flexibility to help our customers become future ready,” he added. The new Dell unified-campus architecture is designed for midto large-scale campus environments seeking improved scalability combined with simplified management and provides a single management view for the entire campus from access to core while offering a single point of control for quality of service, policy provisioning and software upgrades, as well asfor programming software-defined attributes. The new Dell Networking C9010Network Director is a next-generation multi-rate capable modular switchand is the first platform based on the new Dell campus network architecture and its real power comes when paired with the C1048P Rapid Access Node to deliver new levels of simplicity and scalability in the campus. Meanwhile,the Dell Networking S6100-ON combines multi-rate connectivity with chassis-level modularity and open networking perfect for data center operators seekingmaximum flexibility and control in the rack and with its increased density, performance, flexibility and simplified management, the Dell S6100-ON is ideal for virtualization, cloud and big data analytics environments—all foundational elements for the Future-Ready Enterprise.

politics&policy

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015 Group Politics Editor Taiwo Adisa - 08072000046 tai_adis@yahoo.com

We made mistakes, but… —Senator Shagaya A former Minister of Internal Affairs, Senator John Shagaya, in this interview with ISAAC SHOBAYO, speaks on Nigeria at 55, the Buhari administration, war against corruption, 2014 national conference report and other issues. Excerpts:

HE feeling among most Nigerians is that their country ought to have developed rapidly at 55. Why do you think some believe the country is still groping in the dark? I acknowledge the grace of God upon my life, for being alive to see Nigeria at 55. At Nigeria independence in 1960, I was a young man at the Nigerian Military School Zaria. I remembered that I participated in a parade, a guard that was formed by the boys of the Nigerian Military School. Nigeria is not groping in the dark; it is a developing nation. It is like a child that is trying to find his feet from where it took off from the British colonial master in 1960. It is true that we are still searching for stability and development like any other developing country, but we cannot imagine that we are America at 55. The United States attained independence in 1776, so it will be wrong to compare Nigeria with America in term of development. It will also be wrong to draw a conclusion that we groping in the dark. All that we are saying is that certain changes, from the perspective of both national, international, politics and economic development around the world may have made us to make certain mistakes. That is to say as human beings, we are fallible. The country is experiencing the longest stretch of civil administration since independence. So, how would assess democracy in the land since 1999? Sixteen year is not enough to attain perfection. The rot of the past years cannot be cleared within 16 years. But, the general expectation was that Nigeria ought to have moved faster like Malaysia and Singapore? The answer will be found in the corrective measures that President Muhammdu Buhari is trying to address or redress. He is making concerted efforts to reduce corruption and make those who stole or engaged in corruptive practices account for the loots. On Malaysia, the argument has always been that the country a came and took palm oil seeds from Nigeria and today, they are exporter of palm oil around the world. It took a lot of effort for Malaysia to achieve this. The major drag in our development can be found in corruption, and that is why the APC government is making it a priority to fight the monster called corruption. Nonetheless, we had made some

Shagaya

Those accused of stealing public fund should defend themselves, instead of alleging that somebody was a thief before them. remarkable achievements that are feasible. Apart from our dominance within the continent of Africa, we are a force to be

reckoned with in term of peace keeping. We are equally not lagging behind in sports. There are quite a lot of things that have

continued to give us a good name all over the world. Some Nigerians have faulted the anti-corruption war of the present administration with a number of people claiming it is selective in nature. What do you consider as the major missing link? I don’t think there is any missing link. Let us remember that Nigeria has a population of more than 150 million. A certain number of people have been involved in governance at local government, state and federal level; they are the ones in charge of public fund. You cannot get everybody involved in such fraud, because it is not everybody that is responsible for spending and accounting for public fund. So, the issue of being selective is a only being brought up by those who may want to escape justice. I will say such fellow is also saying ‘I am a thief today, but go and bring those who stole public funds 20 years ago before you can prosecute me.’ I think it is the most silly thing that I would hear from literate people who present such argument, the reason being that if in the last 16 years, we have had Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan and we are now having President Bubari and if theb latter is looking at certain audited report or certain outstanding cases in Court or agencies that handled such issues of corruption and he is pursuing them and somebody is saying go back to Obasanjo era, I would have expected that the Yar’Adua administration would have drawn a red line to continue from the Obasanjo administration. If Jonathan was not satisfied with what he inherited from, he would have also drawn a red line. It doesn’t make common sense to say because one is called a thief today, other thieves before him should go down with him. Those accused of stealing public fund should defend themselves, instead of alleging that somebody was a thief before them. The question is, why they are thieves today, not going by history to say there were thieves before me. If we follow that pattern, we will continue to retrogress until we get back to the creation, that is, the day of Abraham and Eve. The assumption in certain quarters is that National Assembly appears not effective in carrying out its oversight function, otherwise the malaise of corruption would have been minimal? I don’t subscribe to that view. The National Assembly and President Buhari are barely over 100 days in office. You don’t expect effectiveness in a National Assembly that just sat for 100 days; it sits for three days in a week, with all sorts of punctuations. By the time you add the 100 days, take three days continues on pg34

33 politicscommentary By Emeka Nwankpa

HE voluminous chapters on the life of Dr Bello Haliru Mohammed (OFR), the current chairman, Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) reveal the story of a man who has done so much but still gears up to do much more. Every page of his life is a must read. As Minister of Defence between 2011 and 2012- less than10 years after being Minister of Communications-it had become obvious that he would remain relevant in the nation regardless of the political divide. Politicians, public office holders, strategists and students of history and politics have not stopped seekinghim for advice and solutions to knotty matters. Versatile political tactician, reputable veterinarian, accomplished administrator, distinguished public servant, veteran activist, outstanding statesman and consummate gentleman, this eminent octogenarianwas born a Prince of the Sokoto Caliphate on October 9, 1945 in the present-dayKebbiState where he holds the historical traditional title of DangaladimanGwandu. His father, the late Ubandoma Gwandu was the son of Ubandoma Sa’ad and grandson of the Emir of GwanduHaliru Abdu (1906-1916) of blood connection to Sheikh Abdullahi Fodio, the brother and lieutenant of the legendary Sheikh Uthman Dan Fodio, the founder of the Sokoto Caliphate. No wonder he often carries the royal traits of pride, honour and integrity. He entered the public service in 1977 at age 32 as a twotime commissioner in the old Sokoto State, rising later into national prominence as Director of the then Department of Customs and Excise (1990-92) and the ComptrollerGeneral, Nigeria Customs Service (1992-95) The fortunes of the customs service were greatly enhanced during his 7-year tenure. For example, the Customs and Excise Management Act was enacted to ease its operations therebylifting the organization to the status of the Police, Army, Navy and Air Force. He became the first ComptrollerGeneral of Customs in 1992, Deputy Chairman of the Brussels-based Customs Cooperation Council (CCC) and Head of West and Central Africa Regional Group of CCC south of the Sahara. He retired from the Customs in 1995, joined the defunct NAL Merchant Bank as a member, Board of Directors between 1999 and 2001 after which he became a Federal Commissioner in the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission where he chaired the Committee on Fiscal Efficiency in the non-oil sector. In June 2001, he was appointed as Minister of Communications where he supervised the presidential reform agenda that led to the birth of the Global System for Mobile (GSM) telecommunications services and the transformation of the Nigerian Postal Service to a functional national courier agency. The phenomenal development in the nation’s communications sector remains the most outstanding and visible achievement of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration. He was the chairman of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemicals Limited in 2005 from where he left to become a Federal Government delegate at the 2005 National Political Reform Conference in Abuja. He left the conference to contest and won electionas National Vice Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party in the North West zonewhere when his tenure ended in March 2008, PDP’s hold in the zone had increased from two states (Kaduna and Katsina) to five (Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara and Jigawa states). He became the deputy national chairman

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

For Bello Mohammed, life starts At 70

Bello at the party. It was at the 2011 PDP National Convention of the PDP at the Eagles Square, Abuja that he was pronounced as Acting national chairman following the resignation of the then national chairman, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo. William Shakespeare wrote: “Some are born great, others achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.” Which bracket fully captures the life of the subject of this tribute? The jury is out. As acting national chairman, Dr Bello led the party though many highly remarkable violence-free presidential campaigns nationwide. It was the most defining moment of his over 35-year active political life that-

dates back to his student days when he was elected President of Ahmadu Bello University Students Union and also as Vice President, National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS) in the early 1970s. PDP under his watch went into the 2011 elections as a formidable party. It won majority seats in the National Assembly, state Houses of Assembly, the governorship and the centre. Post-election court cases dropped drastically by over 85 per cent, a feat unrecorded in the history of electoral contests in the country. It was also to the credit ofhis leadership that the campaigns by the party across the country were peaceful.

PDP under his watch went into the 2011 elections as a formidable party. It won majority seats in the National Assembly, state Houses of Assembly, the governorship and the centre. Post-election court cases dropped drastically by over 85 per cent, a feat unrecorded in the history of electoral contests in the country.

He cut his teeth in politics in 1978 when he joined the Great Nigeria Peoples Party (GNPP) contesting election for the deputy governorship of Great Nigeria Peoples Party (GNPP) in the Second Republic. He was the state party secretary from 1979 to 1983. It was not until 10 years later that he forayed into politics again as a founding member of the Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) duringGen. Sani Abacha’s botched transition programme between 1993 and 1997. When PDP was being formed, he participated in the inaugural meeting of the G38. He was one of the four conveners who formed the PDP in Kebbi State in 1998. It is note- worthy that he has not looked back ever since. He is on record as the first in the party to become zonal chairman, deputy national chairman, national chairman and now chairman, Board of Trustees in straight succession. Perhaps, more than anything else in the life of this great political icon is his consistence and doggedness. To him, it is nonnegotiable. His belief in the public good comes first. At some point and time, he may have been misunderstood but events later validated him thereby winning him more respect and acceptability. His capacity to discern people and events remain another major strength that equips him adequately to absorb effects of unintended outcomes so much that it is safe to conclude that nothing actually takes him unawares. He knows when to up his game and when to lower his guard. This, to my observation in over 25 years of my relationship is a staying power. Extremely averse to controversies and immoderate publicity, he always prefers to stay off the radar most times. So how he skillfully combines his pseudo-activism with his inborn feudalism/conservatism remains an unsettled learning module. Abubakar Mustapha, MFR, mni, PDP’s national organising secretary, an ex-student of Barewa College, Zaria in a tribute last year during Dr Bello’s 69th birthday said: “Among all leaders and patriots I have known especially within the circle of Barewa College Old Boys, you stand out as a beacon in integrity, vision, focus, discipline, humility and excellence-qualities which are rare in contemporary Nigerian leadership history.” Dr Bello attended Nasarawa Primary School in Birnin-Kebbi between 1952 and 1956, proceeding to Birnin- Kebbi Middle School from 1957 to 1959 before entering Provincial Secondary School (now Government College, Sokoto) from 1960 to 1964. He went to the famous Barewa College (now Government College, Zaria) between 1965 and 1966 and gained admission into the ABU where he graduated in 1973 with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M) degree. In 1976, he obtained a Masters of Public Health (M.P.H) degree at the University of Minnesota, USA. This widely-travelled and detribalized patriotis a Foundation Fellow of the College of Veterinary Surgeons of Nigeria and a distinguished member of the American Public Health Association, among many other organisations. •Nwankpa, is a journalist and an Abuja-based public affairs commentator.

politics&policy

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

The menace of miscreants in Kwara politics BIOLA AZEEZ examines some issues trailing the ugly incident witnessed during Sallah celebration in Kwara State.

EMBERS of the public are anxiously waiting for the police report on the ugly incident that almost marred the eid-elkabir celebration in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. How long they will have to wait is a matter of conjecture, though the state police command has promised to let the public know the outcome of its investigation into the incident. But, a number of theories are already doing the round. One of them is that suspected miscreants might have been responsible for the incident. Suffice to say that before the crisis created by some miscreants at the eid (Sallah) praying ground, there were security reports of a planned attack on dignitaries on that day and at the venue. No one could give a definite reason why those behind it might do so. Thus, the speculation in a few places was that it could be connected with unpaid workers’ salary as Sallah celebrations approached. Meanwhile, the state government said it was still in the dark over the purpose or who the attack was directed, as majority of state and local government workers, including primary school teachers had received their salaries and promised that those that were yet to receive their salaries would get it after Sallah because September 24 and 25 were public holidays. At a press conference called by the Kwara State police command before the festival, the commissioner of police, Mr Esosa Amadasun, had confirmed the plan to pelt dignitaries at the Eid praying ground with stones and sachets of water. He said necessary measures would be taken to foil the plan. “We don’t take it as rumour. We see it as useful information because every piece of information is important to us in fighting crime and criminality,” he had said. This is just as the police command

Ahmed deployed about 2,000 of its officers and men to strategic locations in the state capital and other places, as part of measures to forestall breakdown of law and order on the Sallah day. Aside the preparation made to ensure security by the law enforcement agencies in the state, opinion and religious leaders were on air urging residents of the town to shun all acts capable of leading to the breakdown of law and order. They were warned against coming to the prayer ground with any harmful object. However, at a point in time when Muslim faithful had assembled as early as 8:00 am to offer two rakat to mark the day, some

people among the worshippers decided to utter unprintable words, as well as hurl sachets of water and stones at dignitaries who arrived at the venue of sallah prayer. The roll call of the dignitaries that arrived early included the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, Speaker of Kwara State House of Assembly, Dr Ali Ahmad; a frontline APC leader in the state, Alhaji Kawu Baraje; a former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Alfa Belgore; emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Zulu Gambari, among others. All of them were under a canopy. The state governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed was not at the praying ground, as he was said to have observed the Sallah festivities in his hometown, Share, in Ifelodun local government area of the state. An eyewitness claimed the hoodlums became more unruly as some individuals tried to calm them down. In spite of the ugly development, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the state Police Command, Ajayi Okasanmi, said the prayers still held. “We deployed enough policemen in synergy with other security agencies to make sure the celebration was peaceful. It was free but in the course of prayers, there was this insurgence of criminals which we had put into consideration before planning our strategy the previous day. We know normally that some hoodlums always come there to beg for money from dignitaries and members of the public. So, they came as usual and when we noticed that they were becoming unruly, we had to come out to really prevent them from gaining access to where the VIPs were

We know normally that some hoodlums always come there to beg for money from dignitaries and members of the public.

standing,” he said. A Government House source also explained that the government had been doing its best to ameliorate the salary situation including a directive by Governor Ahmed to council chairmen to pay at least one month of their arrears pending when the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) would release their own bailout package. This is just as the Media Office of the Senate President denied the reports that the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, was allegedly attacked at the Eid Prayer Ground during the prayers to mark the Eid-el-Kabir in Ilorin. According to the team, the Senate President arrived at the venue without any incident and prayed with other Muslim faithful, including the Emir of Ilorin, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Rt. Honourable Ali Ahmad and a former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Alfa Belgore, among others, added that, “Before the Senate President left the prayer ground, he spoke to reporters who had asked him about his message for Nigerians to mark the Eid-el-Kabir. Also, the state government, in a statement, stated that majority of the workers in the state had received their salaries. While condemning the attack, it described the development as absurd, barbaric and unIslamic. In a statement, the chief press secretary to the governor, Abdulwahab Oba, said the government heard of plans by some aggrieved politicians in collaboration with some local government employees and teachers to protest arrears of salaries owed them by their various local government authorities. ‘As a result of this, government quickly went out of its way to negotiate and secure bank loans to offset the arrears pending the time when the Federal Government bailout will be released as a result of which the concerned workers promptly received their salaries as directed by the state governor,” it stated. The statement urged politicians not to turn Kwara into another state of violence, just as it asked the police to bring to justice without delay those already apprehended.

‘The issues in confab report’ continued from pg32

out, they have just sat for 15 or 16 times . You don’t expect a miracle to happen within 100 days. In Nigeria, we push people to run against walking before they run. The short period they sat was characterized by political intrigues and maneuvering that at a stage became frightening? I am not in the National Assembly and will be incompetent to comment on this. Since I did not have enough information that would warrant me to comment on either the green or red chamber, the best is for me to keep quiet. The best people to comment on that would be members of the National Assembly. The administration of former President Jonathan convoked the 2014 National Conference and its report was among the documents he handed over to incumbent president. The contention in some quarters is that the present administration should implement the recommendations, which they believe, are capable of resolving some

knotty issues impeding national stability and progress? Yes, the 2014 National Conference was conducted by the Jonathan administration but, Nigerians today are debating whether the report should be implemented or not. My take on this issue is that: first, the conference lacked legitimacy because Nigerians were not allowed to choose the delegates. Three quarters of Nigerians, who participated, were government nominees. Second, the National Assembly, especially the Senate already has a Standing Committee to examine the issue of amendment of the Constitution. What the conference was set out to do then was what the National Assembly had started and you begin to wonder which one was the most superior: was it the conference or the National Assembly? Also, Nigerians were not too sure who will implement the report of the conference, in view of the contradictions that I have mentioned. The National Assembly was doing a constitutional amendment; the Confab was recommending certain amendments in the constitution. And we do know that in this country, no National Assembly ever continues with the work of the previous Assembly because the

members were not there when the issues were debated. Apart from this, many Nigerians commented that the time for the conference was not auspicious, considering the period for the 2015 election. The 8th National Assembly might not be in position to actually chew and articulate the content of the Confab report. Many educated Nigerians also argued that political class was not ready to discuss the conference because as at the time the conference was coming to an end, campaigns for the 2015 elections had started; most politicians were already looking at the election. So, there are many contradictions concerning the conference. I believe the answer to your question should also be found in these contradictions that were raised by Nigerians while the conference was on and when it was concluded. Finally, it will be wrong for anybody to say that APC government must implement the work of the conference. The belief in some political circles is that the raging controversy over issues concerning assets declaration is a distraction to those in authorities at different levels of government? If one is given a responsibility and it

was discovered that the office had been abused the best is for such fellow to give account of his stewardship. To say that such exercise should start from 1999 when Nigeria returned to civilian rule is morally wrong. Those advocating that simply want to protect corrupt people both in and out of government. We are talking of the current situation; we are talking of the APC government in power. It is not investigating PDP government. I think that point should be made clear. I believe those who have spoken on behalf of the leadership of APC have come out to clarify that the government is only looking at certain individuals who had the privilege of holding public offices in thrust, and abused it individually. It is not about party; it is about Nigerians, who have abused their positions. As a former top military brass, what do you have to say about the government efforts to tackle insecurity in the North eastern part of the country? The government is already addressing the issue and making a concerted effort to tame the monster. It is a security matter; I don’t think it is proper for me to comment on that.

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

tribunelaw

For enquiries, Lanre Adewole - 0811 695 4647 olanreade@yahoo.com

Again, the question of judicial corruption Media Aide to CJN, Ahuraka Yusuf Isah attempts a new narrative in answering the judicial corruption question.

n June 24, 2015, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed had seized the opportunity by a seminar organised by the anti-corruption commission of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to address the public perception of the much-touted corruption in the Judiciary. He said contrary to the much-talked-about corruption in the Nigerian judiciary, only 64 out of the whole lots of 1,020 judges serving in the superior courts have so far been punished by the National Judicial Council (NJC) for various offences between 2009 and 2014. In order to completely eradicate such menace from our midst, the Jurist insisted we must first identify its origin so as to prescribe appropriate medicine to cure the disease and not the symptom. The CJN said the Bench cannot be clean if the Bar that gives birth to it is filthy. “Unless we work in synergy to ensure that only fit and proper persons remain in our midst, it will be impossible to expect a different Bench when its origin remains the same. I hereby call on the leadership of the Bar to expunge from its ranks such persons whose conduct may be unfit, improper, dishonest or unethical’’, the CJN thundered. The CJN went further to say that it is rather curious that none of the beneficiaries of those involved in compromising standard of justice or buying and selling of judgements have ever been tried and punished by those in charge of criminal justice administration in the country. “It is however sad to note that the public officials and persons who benefited from corrupting judicial officers are never investigated, apprehended or even prosecuted, even though the judiciary disciplines its own. The basic question, my lords, ladies and gentlemen is, how can we stop corruption when the scale is seemingly tilted in favour of the beneficiaries’’, Justice Mohammed asked. At this juncture, one may proceed to ask; what is the Judiciary? An innocent answer could simply be that the judiciary is the branch of government, which administers justice according to law. Curiously, the current spate of crimes has progressed far beyond the laws against same crimes in Nigeria. We all agree that our current criminal laws least envisage that a citizen could steal billions of dollars or steal so much to enrich himself beyond his state, ministry, department or agency of the government. Whereas an alleged cannibal confessed during the hearing of the case against him at the lower court 15 years earlier, the Supreme Court sets him free of the charge of murder. “Yes, I ate the flesh of the deceased though I did not participate in the killing”, the alleged cannibal, Mr Edet Mbang, was quoted as telling a Cross River State High Court, Ugep Divison that sentenced him to death and subsequently upheld by Calabar Division of the Court of Appeal. Canvassing reasons why the death penalty should not stand, counsel to the accused person, Mr Adekunle Oyesanya, argued that though his client participated in the ‘flesh eating ritual’, the victim had already died before Mbang had contact with his body. Delivering judgment on the appeal on March 3, 2012, the apex court agreed with the appellant’s counsel that Mbang was not guilty of the offence as charged even though he participated in the eating of the deceased. In other words, he did not violate any law. ‘’Nullum crimen sine lege (no crime without a law) and Nulla poena sine lege (no penalty without a law)’’ are very instructive in criminal punishment philosophy. Where in our statute can a Judge punish proportionately to the seriousness of the crime committed for the large

Alegeh, NBA president

Umar, Code of Conduct Tribunal chairman

sums of money allegedly involved in the trials of high profile cases such as Erastus Akingbola, Sani Taidi, Joshua Dariye, Lawan Farouk, General Sani Abacha, Prince Abubakar Audu, Governor Ayo Fayose, Senator Bukola Saraki, EX-Governors Saminu Turaki, Peter Odili, Orji Kalu, Danjuma Goje, Rev Jolly Nyame and Boni Haruna, to mention but a few? Just Deserts Principle of criminal punishment proposes reduced judicial discretion in sentencing and there must be specific sentences for criminal acts without regard to the individual defendant. Hero’s Shade, the Legend of Zelda and a character from ‘’Castle Graveyard of Twilight Princess’’ remarks that ‘’A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage’’. The laws are instruments the state uses to govern, maintains law and order or the rule of laws in the society. Where it is inadequate, weakly applied or incapable of tackling new behaviours, then anarchy, indiscipline or spate of misbehaviours become the order of the day. This why in many climes, even in the adjudged most developed nations, they keep adjusting the laws in the form of ‘’Law Reforms’’ and/or ‘’Judiciary Reforms’’ with the concerted action of the government of the day.

With growing public expressions of lack of confidence in and reverence for the judiciary, the winning candidate for President of the United States in 1968 promised to reform the judiciary and even made the Supreme Court an issue, promising to appoint a “strict constructionist” rather than a “judicial activist” if elected. The remarks were now sharply critical of the “judiciary’s failure to keep its house in order” and the emphasis was on the “crisis of confidence, a crisis that threatens to gravely impair its strength and its effectiveness.”; even gone were the traditional pledges of allegiance to the concept of an independent judiciary. Senator Joseph Tydings had earlier announced on the senate floor that his Subcommittee on Improvements in Judicial Machinery of the Committee on the Judiciary had initiated a comprehensive study of the federal courts and would soon begin hearings on a number of proposed reforms, including an alternate procedure for removal of federal judges found “unfit by reason of physical or mental incapacity, inefficiency, or corruption.” Following a year of study, research, discussion, and analysis, the Judicial Reform Act was drafted and introduced by Senator Tydings on February 28, 1968. It is to improve the administration of justice, enhance the prestige of the federal judiciary and secure public confidence in and support for the rule of law. In 1991 the Law Society in United Kingdom had criticised the old system (the Queen appointing judges on the advice of the Lord Chancellor), emphasising its defects and recommending the establishment of an independent body responsible for appointing judges. The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 came into force on 3 April 2006 after receiving Royal Assent on 24 March 2005. Part 3 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 provides that a new Supreme Court will replace the existing Appellate Committee of the House of Lords. This is to separate the House of Lords which is a legislative chamber and the Supreme Court which is the highest appeal court in the land. Section 61 prescribed the creation of the Judicial Appointments Commission, responsible for the appointment of judges for English

Then Rep Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal commended the CJN for presenting them personally to the House and promised swift consideration of the proposed amendments... Behold, that was the end of that story

Continued on pg36

lawnews

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

SERAP seeks probe of Boko Haram victims N80bn support fund Ayomide Owonibi Odekanyin

he SocioE c o n o m i c Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to order investigation into the spending of over N80bn support funds meant for the victims of the Boko Haram insurgency. The Group pointed out that the Bomb Victims Association of Nigeria recently reported how victims of insurgency were dying needlessly, saying such deaths were avoidable if urgent and continuous medical attention were provided for them. According to SERAP, the neglect being suffered by victims of insurgency in the country was exemplified by the case of Hope Musa from Taraba State, who died recently as a result of untreated injuries suffered from bomb blast. According to the Executive Director of SERAP, Adetokunbo Mumuni, Buhari is being asked to set up a framework that would identify all the victims of insurgency in the country. This, SERAP argued, would ensure that they benefit from the Victims Support Funds. The group further called on the government of

President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate the spending of the over N80bn under the Victims Support Funds to ensure transparency and accountability and adequate support, assistance, and care for

families and victims of Boko Haram’s attacks across the country. “Nigerians would like to know how exactly the over N80bn was disbursed, with details of the number of victims and their families that have so far benefitted

from the funds. “It is clear that the plight of victims of blasts won’t end unless and until the funds are appropriately and transparently spent. “If Nigeria is to celebrate its 56th independence anniversary in a better

shape than it is today, the victims of bombings and other victims of Boko Haram insurgency, including the internally displaced persons, need to know that they will never be forgotten in their difficult moment.”

The group urged President Buhari to in conformity with his fight against corruption, set up a framework that would identify the real victims of Boko Haram and facilitate their access to the Victims Support Funds.

Again, the question of judicial corruption Continued from pg35

and Welsh courts. The Lord Chancellor, who is the member of the cabinet, was the head of the judiciary and was entitled to sit in the House of Lords to hear the appeal cases. Besides that, he was the speaker of the House of Lords, which is the legislative chamber. This conflict to the doctrine of separation of powers was seen to be incompatible with the independence of the judiciary The fact that the Lord Chancellor was involved in all the three organs of government was said to be unacceptable since it contradicts with Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights. At the twilight of Justice Dahiru Musdapher’s tenure as CJN, precisely on July 10, 2012, he submitted a bill containing 52 constitutional amendment proposals to the House of Representatives on reforms in the Nigerian

judiciary. Justice Musdapher who made the presentation at a working visit to the House leadership said: “This Bill is an important step in our comprehensive plan to reposition and reform the judiciary to meet the expectations of Nigerians.” On the proposals, Musdapher said: “The appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court has been altered by providing that appeals from the Court of Appeal on interlocutory decisions and other matters shall only be by leave of the Supreme Court; “The composition of the National Judicial Council and the Federal Judicial Service Commission has also been altered to ensure greater balance; the process of removal of judicial officers has also been streamlined to ensure a greater degree of fairness; the old Section 295, regarding reference on questions of law has been deleted as it has been

Parties’ liabilities in contract of sale Two of the followers and readers of this page narrated two incidents that happened to some people known to them recently and sought my legal opinions on the incident. The incidents inspired the topic for discussion on this page today. Chief Oladele (not real name) is a business man who invests in property. He got information from a property consultant that a property in Abuja was for sale. He entered into negotiations with the owner’s agents and eventually paid for the property. Unfortunately, some days after the payment was made and after due execution of the documents evidencing transfer of title, there was a fire incident, which burnt the greater part of the property. The second incident had to do with the sale of a vehicle by the owner to the buyer. The buyer brought a mechanic to the place where the vehicle was parked. As the mechanic was checking the car to kick-start same, he touched a wire on the battery of the vehicle and fire engulfed the engine of the car and burnt the whole car almost completely before people could rally round to put out the fire. The common issue in controversy in the

two incidents briefly narrated above is who should be held liable for the damages arising from what happened to the subject matters in the two cases- the buyers or the sellers? In the ordinary law of contract, offer, acceptance and consideration are major determinants of valid contracts, including contract of sale. The presence or absence of these three ingredients would determine who the law would hold liable. Let us do a legal analysis of each of the incidents. Contract would appear to have been concluded in the first scenario, as Chief Oladele has paid the consideration for the contract. Arguments would only ensue on the legal implication for the parties in view of fact that the subject matter of the contract of sale got burnt. Generally speaking, legal title in the property passes to the buyer the moment he pays for the property. For the period between when the buyer pays for the property and when he is able to exercise his legal right, constructive trust or implied trust is created between the parties. The Seller is the trustee who holds the property in trust for the benefit of the buyer. The law is that whatever happened to the

identified as a means to stall the swiftness of the trial process; “The jurisdiction of the Supreme Court was also expanded to include an Advisory Jurisdiction on application by the President or a governor on questions of law or fact that are of such importance that it is expedient to obtain an opinion of the Supreme Court on it.” Receiving the proposals, then Reps Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, commended the CJN for presenting them personally to the House and promised swift consideration of the proposed amendments, adding that the Bill would serve very useful purposes in sanitising the Nigerian justice system. Behold, that was the end of that story. Realising that it is rather intractable to amend the Nigeria Constitution to achieve the much needed judicial reform, the NJC under the immediate past CJN, Justice Mariam

Mukhtar carried out swathe of reforms through changes of judicial policy guidelines. ‘Among them are new Revised NJC Guidelines and Procedural Rules for the Appointment of Judicial Officers of all Superior Courts of Record in Nigeria 2014. To conclude criminal cases on time, a model practice direction for all courts to fast-track trials of offences involving terrorism, rape, kidnapping, corruption, money laundering, human trafficking and related matters was introduced While Judges are compelled to deliver four judgements in a quarter; and to form part of the judges performance evaluation been undertaken by NJC. In keeping with the international best practice that government is a continuum; the CJN, Justice Mahmud Mohammed had during the meeting of the Chief Justices of the Commonwealth Counties New at Wellington,

Zealand on September 13, 2015, said that the need for a change in the criteria for the appointment of Judicial Officers in Nigeria prompted his lordship to direct the NJC to implement the new Revised NJC Guidelines and Procedural Rules for the Appointment of Judicial Officers of all Superior Courts of Record in Nigeria 2014. ‘’It was clear that the old Guidelines and Rules had become unworkable as it saw anachronisms such as the limitation that saw only justices of the Court of Appeal, as of right, making it to the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Under the new, more rigorous and transparent rules, any qualified legal practitioner with the requisite intellect has the opportunity of making it to any Court in the land and even to the posts of Heads of Federal and states Superior Courts, including the Chief Justice of Nigeria Ahuraka Isah is Media Aide to CJN

legal clinic

By Olatunde Femi Abegunde Esq.ACOArb

m: +234-0803 967 7683; +234-0809 401 7911 e: pinnacle.chambers@yahoo.com, femabed2007@gmail.com f: Olatunde Abegunde & Associates-Pinnacle Chambers

property after legal title has passed to the buyer would be the sole responsibility of the buyer except it is proven that the seller was responsible for whatever happened to the property, in which case the seller would be held liable. If the fire that burnt the property was not caused by the seller or his agent, the law appears to be that the buyer, having acquired legal title to the property and in the absence of any agreement to the contrary, is to bear the loss. In IBEKWE V NWOSU (2011) All FWLR(Part 582)1653@1661, the Supreme Court quoted with approval the English decision in Lysaght v. Edwards in which the doctrine of constructive trust was described thus: “What is that doctrine? It is that the moment you have a valid contract for sale, the vendor becomes in equity a trustee for the purchase of the estate sold and the beneficial ownership passes to the purchaser, the vendor having a right to the

money and a right to retain possession of the estate until the purchase money is paid in the absence of express contract as to the time of delivering possession… If anything happens to the estate between the time of the sale and the time of completion of the purchase, it is at the risk of the purchaser; if it is a house to be sold and the house is burnt down, the purchaser losses the house… If it is a garden and river overflows its bank without any fault of the vendor, the garden will be ruined but the loss will be the purchaser’s.”

Sign off

Allocutus: This a plea of leniency made by an accused person who has been found guilty of an offence .It is usually made by the accused person before he is convicted and punished for the offence. It is made to mitigate the punishment a court may impose on him.

\\b\users\public\izzy\ features opening tola Adeniyi

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015 Editor: Bayo ALADE featuresdesk@yahoo.com 08055001747

features

Makoko, a popular waterfront community in Lagos, is a cynosure for the public. In the aftermath of the barrage of reports on the community, FESTUS IYORAH visited it, to assess the current state of affairs there.

ust off the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, Nigeria’s foremost commercial city, fetid water of the Lagos lagoon meanders its way through Makoko waterfront, a community where wooden houses on stilts sit comfortably above the waters. This community has never gone unnoticed by the outside world. The lifestyle of the inhabitants and the squalid environment they live in has made interesting feature stories in national dailies, albeit for the wrong reasons. In one of such reports done earlier this year, the community was described as ‘a threat’ to Yaba, a more civilised and serene part of Lagos that is very close to Makoko. Such reports and other perceived exploitation from outsiders has led the community to place checks on those who can access Makoko. In the past, there have been failed attempts by the state government to give Makoko the

Makoko: Neglected by govt, struggling to survive

Maroko treatment by evacuating the residents and clearing out the slum. When our correspondent took a canoe tour on the Makoko lagoon, children were sighted passing faeces into the same water the residents move through every minute, trading, swimming. These children also paddle on floating faeces as they go and return from schools. Nigeria Tribune gathered that there was no form of sanitation carried out in cleaning these waters littered with faeces and refuse. Story of neglect Makoko, said to be one of the oldest waterfront communities in Nigeria, has been placed at the back burner by the authorities. The people there are deprived of good and qualitative hospitals, schools and environmental sanitation. A chief in the community who

preferred anonymity said there were two schools and three clinics. He said, “One of the schools, Whanyinna Nursery and Primary School, was established by an NGO. It has about 200 pupils. Whanyinna offers free education to children in the community, but

In fact white people come here to relax. They love the cool breeze from the atmosphere.

the challenge besetting the school is finance. Teachers are not paid. The little they cobble from some of the voluntary donations from parent is surely not enough.” However, Nigerian Tribune gathered that this particular school offers free education to Egun children while children from other tribes are not allowed to attend the school. The chief added that the clinics were owned by private nurses who live in the community. ‘Peaceful home for all’ Makoko is not just a tale of poverty, squalor and ignorance. It is a peaceful place that plays host to several of tribes ranging from Egun to Ilaje and migrants from Benin Republic and other Nigerian tribes. “We live peacefully here. No crime, no robbery, just peace. Quarrels are settled by the

community leader popularly known as ‘baale.’ He is highly respected in the community,” Dare, the young man who took our correspondent on a canoe ride said in his native Yoruba language. “In fact white people come here to relax. They love the cool breeze that emanates from the atmosphere. There was a time when a White man came to live with our baale for three months,” Dare boasted. Living off the water It is not surprising that fishing and boat-making are the major sources of income. Egun and Ilaje women ply their trade at Makoko market as fish sellers. They trade from dawn to dusk offshore. One of them who simply gave her name as Mama Comfort ekes out a living from selling roasted fish at the market. Continues on pg38

features

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

‘We’ve been misrepresented by media’

Typical House in Makoko water front

Continued from pg37

“It’s not moving as expected. Things are hard for people, so we don’t sell in exorbitant prices,” she said. She explained that the business was more lucrative during rainy season compared to dry season. The other major business in Makoko is canoe making. Closed doors Recently, the community’s chiefs decided that journalists, NGO’s and tourists would no longer gain easy access to their community. They hold the belief that the community which had been presented in the media as one of ignorance and illiteracy was presenting them in bad light. They also alleged that tourists and NGOs use them as a ploy to make money, collecting grants on the community’s behalf under a false pretext of coming to aid them. Owing to these observations, the chiefs now insist visitors must go through the community secretary before they can gain access to the community. According to the secretary, any tourist who wants to visit the community must obtain a form for the sum of N15,000. Noah Shemede, secretary of the community said: “Before, we gave free access to visitors. But we’ve noticed that this community has garnered media attention which has painted it in bad light while some NGOs and tourists are making money using this community. “So, recently the nine chiefs in this community decided to place a check on how

we receive visitors; we want to know those who perpetrate evil and those who are ready to help us, “ Shemede said. Corroborating Shemede, Dare, the Canoe operator said, “Unlike before, when people gained easy access to the lagoon, things have changed. Anybody who wants to visit must obtain a form indicating the intention of visit.

“The community has always been painted in bad light so anyone who wants to visit must obtain a form,” Dare said, as he paddled the canoe through the lagoon. Unmoveable Makoko In 2012, the waterfront community of Makoko won its battle against eviction with

Recently, we visited the community for a CSR programme offering free health services to the residents in the waterfront. They jumped at the opportunity. They were happy we came and this is because they rarely get such opportunity.”

Whanyinna Nursery and Primary School , Egun, Makoko.

A young lady paddling during school hours

the help of civil society and international organisations. With sadness etched on his face, Chief Kola (pseudonym) with a tinge of nostalgia recounted his experience of the last time the state government came for eviction. “They told us that we should pack and go back to our land, stressing that some migrants were among us. “I don’t know why they are a pain in the neck to us. Where do they want us to go to?” Chief Kola questioned. He added that, “Nevertheless, the new state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, during his campaign promised that he would not evict us. We hope it would turn out to be what he promised.” The community’s dire need As hackneyed as the reports of Makoko’s ignorance and poverty may seem, a lot needs to be done to save the future of youths and children in the community. Nduka, a student of the University of Lagos who is familiar with the community, told Nigerian Tribune that “the problem with people of Makoko is that many of them, especially youths are still ignorant. “Education begins from the mind, they need to be enlightened. Their mentality about life must change. Some of them go to school to fulfil all righteousness and after school they are encouraged to get married. Youth and children in Makoko need reorientation of the mind,” Nduka said. He added that instead of attaining good education and enlightenment. The vast majority of childrenand youthsinthe communityweretoeing the line of mediocrity. “Makoko waterfront is neglected. They have no form of social amenities. “Recently, we visited the community for a CSR programme offering free health services to the residents in the waterfront. They jumped at the opportunity. They were happy we came and this is because they rarely get such opportunity,” Nduka added. Our correspondent during his visit to the waterfront observed that youths and children trooped out in droves, paddling canoes during school hours. Our correspondent gathered that some of them could not afford to pay their school fees so they resorted to canoe transportation and selling fish to survive.

features

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

‘We’ve been misrepresented by media’

Typical House in Makoko water front

Continued from pg37

Whanyinna Nursery and Primary School , Egun, Makoko.

A young lady paddling during school hours

news

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

We lost 600 teachers to Boko Haram attacks —NUT Clement Idoko - Abuja

HE President, Nigeria Union of Teachers, Comrade Michael Alogba Olukoya, has called on the Federal Government to secure Nigerian schools in the face of the current security challenges threatening the nation. He disclosed that over 600 teachers have lost their lives to the Boko Haram attacks in the Northern part of the country. Olukoya spoke in Abuja, on Monday, on the occasion of the 2015 World Teachers’ Day, held at the Eagle Square. According to him, 308 teachers were killed in Borno, 75 in Adamawa, 18 in Yobe, 25 in Kaduna, 120 in Plateau, 63 in Kano and two in Gombe states. He said this was in addition to over 19,000 teachers that have been displaced and are suffering great losses as a result of the activities of the insurgents. Olukoya said: “Insecurity in and around our schools is antithetical to the delivery of quality education in our school system. “As teachers of primary and secondary schools who are at the heart and foundation of education delivery and care to our children, we are devastated by the damage the atrocious activities of the Boko Haram sect have done to the education system as well as the lives and future of thousands of children particularly in the North-East of the country. “The memory of the Chibok girls and thousands of others whose potentials and lives have been truncated remains traumatic and demoralising,” he said. NUT president used the occasion to call on the Federal Government to ensure that teachers in the Federal Government Unity Schools were paid the 27.5 per cent Teachers Professional Allowances and 13th month salary award denied them. Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged to improve the welfare of teachers and enhance the quality of teaching and learning environment in the country. He spoke in Abuja on the occasion of the 2015 World Teachers’ Day, where he presented the car keys of a new KIA Cerrato car to Mr Alade Taiwo, of St. Dominic Ayeferere Primary School, Bolorunduro - Ondo State, who emerged the overall best teacher in the country. While Taiwo emerged the overall best in the 2015 President’s Teachers and Schools Excellence Award, Reverend Sister Ntiajuokwu Mary James of the Queen of

the Rosary College, Oguata, Onitsha, emerged the overall second winner. The president said the theme of the celebration, “Empowering Teachers, Building Sustainable Societies” was apt and explains the fact that society could only be sustained by empowering teachers and strengthening the teaching profession. Buhari, who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Babachir Lawal, said it was a common knowledge that the quality of learning depends first and foremost on the quality

of teachers; hence in 1966, the international community adopted the standard to promote quality of teachers and teaching. President Buhari warned that only those who have been adequately prepared and regulated should be entrusted with teaching and learning processes. He pledged the commitment of the Federal Government to improve the teaching and learning environment by empowering teachers through the activities of the various government agencies. He called for fundamental

change in attitude, orientation and behaviour of teachers towards greater values, ideals and practices. He said: “A comprehensive ethical framework is therefore, required to define what the new values, ideals and practices should be. “This government recognises that educated Nigerians are its best asset. It is therefore, committed to total eradication of illiteracy through implementation of new reforms and educational policies and programmes designed to promote skill acquisition, teacher training, vocational and com-

mercial education among others to meet the emerging needs of our society.” Buhari said the proposed national school feeding programme was one of the initiative of the Federal Government to improve teaching and learning environment, which has the overall objective of ensuring sustainable improvement in nutrition and learning capabilities while also increasing the income of small holder farmers through structured market demand, stimulating local job creation and boosting the overall access by the target groups.

Acting Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Hajia Heidatu Abdullahi (left), presenting a trophy to Mr Aigboroga Aig Osbert, leader of the Federal Ministry of Education team, which won the first position in the march-past, during the World Teachers’ Day celebration, in Abuja, on Monday. PHOTO: NAN.

There is improvement in education in Osun —Aregbesola Oluwole Ige - Osogbo

OSUN State governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, on Monday, gave out statistics showing that performances in public examinations under his administration have confirmed remarkable improvements in the quality of education in the state. He described as unfounded the allegation of the opposition that the performance of pupils had gone down under his watch. Aregbesola, who spoke at the World Teachers Day in Osogbo, argued that a remarkable 61 per cent improvement had been recorded by his administration. He said, “In 2007, government put forward 36,171 candidates for WAEC examination out of which 2,483, representing 6.86 per cent, had credit pass in five subjects, including English and Mathematics. In 2008, it was 37,715 candidates with 3,813 pass, representing 10.11 per cent. In 2009, it was 39,676 candidates, with 5,545 pass, representing 13.98 per cent. In 2010, it was 43,216 candidates, with 6,777 pass, representing 15.68 per cent.

These four years gave us an average of 15.68 per cent. “However, our administration started sponsoring candidates in 2011. We fielded 53,293 candidates and had 11,672 pass, representing 21.98 per cent. In 2012, we fielded 51,463 out of which 11,431 passed, representing 22.21 per cent. In 2013, we also fielded 47,013 candidates and recorded 9,301 pass, representing 19.78

per cent. The average performance for our first three years was 21.32 per cent. “Compared with the average performance (13.26 per cent) of the three years that preceded us, the percentage improvement in performance during our tenure is a whopping 61 per cent. You can’t fight with figures,” Aregbesola emphasised. He, however, assured that

his administration would complete all projects it started in the state including that of the construction of 170 new state-of-the-art schools. Aregbesola noted that it was the dream and aspiration of the present administration in the state to turn around education, saying education had been accorded prime importance by his government right from in-

Don’t place primary school under LGs —Kwara NUT Biola Azeez - Ilorin

THE Kwara State chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Musa Abubakar, has warned government against placing primary school education system under the local government authorities, saying that it would resist such move. Speaking on the occasion of the 2015 World Teachers Day in Ilorin on Monday, Comrade Abubakar urged the Federal Government to re-position primary education system, particularly in its management and finances. Comrade Abubakar, who said that Federal Government should establish Sec-

ondary School Commission for effective and efficient administration, added that any attempt to place primary school system in the hands of the local government authorities would be vehemently resisted. Abubakar, who seized the opportunity to list the achievements of his executives, also urged the Kwara State government to consider teachers for appointments as permanent secretary, chairmanship of TESCOM, SUBEB and even commissioner for Education to ensure that round pegs are put in the round holes. He also called for increase in the state government monthly subvention to

N150 million to ensure up to date payment of primary and secondary school teachers gratuity and pension and also called for the immediate payment of the backlogs of gratuity of retired primary school teachers. The NUT chairman further called for the release of the outstanding promotion of primary school teachers since 2013, including the release of TESCOM teachers’ promotions. He, however, called on the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) to live up to expectation and ensure the issuance of license to the registered teachers which he said was long overdue.

Nigerian Tribune

Teachers to be promoted to perm sec —el-Rufai Muhammad Sabiu - Kaduna

GOVERNOR Nasiru el-Rufai of Kaduna State said that his government is working to ensure that teachers attained the position of Permanent Secretaries in the state civil service. He made the disclosure on Monday during the celebration of the 2015 World Teachers Day in Kaduna. Represented by the Special Adviser to the governor on Political Matters, Alhaji Uba Sani, Governor el-Rufai maintained that his administration would continue to show interest towards the welfare of the teachers because of the strategic role they play in development of the society. To this end, he declared “We are working towards ensuring that those who attained the highest grade level in the state civil service are made Permanent Secretaries.” Earlier, the state Commissioner for Education, Dr Shehu Adamu, commended teachers in the state for their understanding and patient during the verification exercise which claimed some teachers.

... have great role in shaping Nigeria’s future —FCSC boss Clement Idoko - Abuja

THE Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Deaconess Joan Ayo, has called on the Nigerian teachers to forge national unity by inculcating core values of patriotism, integrity, discipline and accountability in children. She said the Nigerian teachers have a great role to shape the future of Nigeria. Speaking in her goodwill message to teachers on the occasion of the 2015 World Teachers’ Day, on Monday, in Abuja, Ayo enjoined teachers to use the educational system as a melting pot of the nation’s heterogeneity to forge her national identity. She noted that Nigeria was destined to be a great country but that this could hardly be achieved without the critical role of the teachers. “Teachers must use their positions to inculcate patriotism in our children so that in the words of President John Kennedy of USA, they would say ‘what can I do for Nigeria rather than what can Nigeria do for me,” she said.

news Ondo NUT, ASUSS seek better welfare package 40

Hakeem Gbadamosi - Akure

EACHERS under the auspices of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) in Ondo State on Monday called on the state government to give priority to the welfare of teachers in the state to

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

enhance educational development. The two unions stated this at different fora marking the 2015 World Teachers’ Day celebration at the state capital, Akure. The teachers lamented that the profession had been relegated to the background lamenting that the teachers in the state are suffering under the present

administration. Speaking during the celebration, the Chairman of the NUT in the state, Comrade Ojo Fanimokun, alleged the state government of illegally removing some names of its members from the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) and SUBEB without any justification Fanimokun specifically

recalled that 166 primary school teachers’ names were allegedly removed from payment vouchers during the just concluded verification exercise embarked upon by the state government without any justification According to him, the union was not against the verification exercise being carried out by the state

From left, Ekiti State governor, Mr Peter Ayodele Fayose; wife, Feyisetan; former governor, old Ondo State, Evangelist Bamidele Olumilua; former military administrator, Ekiti State, Navy Captain Atanda Yusuf and the Commissioner for Education, Mr Jide Egunjobi, during the World Teachers’ Day celebration, held at the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium, Ado Ekiti, on Monday.

Ekiti gov splashes car gifts on teachers, appoints ‘headmaster-general’ Sam Nwaoko - Ado Ekiti

EKITI State government, on Monday, celebrated teachers on the World Teachers’ Day in Ado Ekiti in an elaborate ceremony and promised more goodies for teachers in its employ. As part of the ceremony, Governor Ayò Fayose, after presenting car and other gift items to the teachers, also appointed ‘Tutors’ General’ for the three senatorial districts and one ‘Headmaster-General’ for the state. Also on the occasion, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) called on the Federal Government to beef up security around public secondary schools in the country and also canvassed for increase in teachers’ retirement age to 65. In an address by the NUT National President, Comrade Michael Olukoya, presented on the occasion by Mr Samson Akindele, said the call was to prevent premature retirement and retention of mature and experienced individuals in the system who can arrest the falling standard of education in the country. Governor Fayose said no educational system could

rise above its teachers and that without adequate motivation for teachers, the system would only record abysmal failure. The governor told the gathering of teachers and other dignitaries that he knew “the value of your votes and what you represent,” saying “I won’t joke

with your interest.” Fayose on the occasion presented new Kia Soul salon car to the new Headmaster-General, Mrs Rachael Talabi; Mrs Mary Akindele Olayinka emerged ‘Best Primary School Teacher’ while Mr Ife Adeola emerged as the ‘Best Teacher in Secondary School’ and they both

got similar car gifts. On the issues of funding, Fayose said they were being addressed. He said: “In 2003, we were 35th in public examinations conducted by WAEC and NECO and we moved to the eighth and seventh positions respectively in the examinations.”

Kogi teachers threaten strike, as govt addresses demands Yinka Oladoyinbo - Lokoja

SECONDARY school teachers in Kogi State, on Monday, threatened to embark on strike by Wednesday (tomorrow) if the demands already put before the state government are not met. The state chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), Matthew Ojo, who said this at a programme organised to mark the 2015 World Teachers’ Day, listed the demands to include payment of leave allowance, promotion and employment of more teachers. He lamented that many of the state owned schools are without the required number of teachers. According to him, the state

government should employ no fewer than 500 teachers to be able to fill the existing gap, adding that the situation was so bad that some of the schools do not have principals. Ojo stated that secondary school teachers in the state had also rejected the pattern of the scheduling of leave grant which made them come last in the process, saying this had made them to be treated like second class citizens. The ASUSS chairman regretted that secondary schools in the state that were capable of competing with the likes of Kings College in Lagos could no longer do so because of lack of teachers, facilities and welfare for the

few available ones. But the state governor, through the Head of Service, Dr Moses Atakpa and the chairman, Teaching Service Commission (TSC), Chief Sylvester Onoja, said the grievances of the teachers had already been addressed. Atakpa, who represented the governor at the event, said the issue of the scheduling of the leave bonus being handled by his office had been resolved and that the teachers would come first in the scheduling of the 2014 grant. The HOS stated that the state governor was committed to the welfare of the workforce and was already working on many of the issues put before him.

government but said the exercise must not be seen as being used to victimise some of its members. He said “we wish to state in clear terms that we are not against verification exercise for workers, teachers inclusive. What we are against is the deliberate attempt to punish innocent teachers under the guise of verification. “These teachers are no ghost because they appeared physically for the verification exercise. Any teacher found culpable of any offence should be sanctioned following due process in the public service. “Removal of names of workers from payment vouchers without following due process is wicked, callous and breach of public service rules and regulations.” Also, the ASUSS Chairman, Comrade Dayo Adebiyi, lamented the shortage of teaching staff in the secondary schools across the 18 local government areas of the state. He stressed the need to employ more hands in the schools across the state to raise the standard of education and to reposition the state education sector. He said the state government effort in raising the standard of education in the state could only be meaningful and yielded results only if competent hands are employed and those currently in the service are motivated. He said the system needed young hands. “As more teachers are bowing out of service everyday because of death, retirement, secondment, resignation or service transfer, the system needs young hands to take over from the aging ones so that we can have a functional system that can sustain the achievement of the present administration,” Adebiyi stated Responding to the demands of the teachers, the state governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, explained that his government would not embark on anti-teachers policy in terms of welfare, and assured that all their demands would be taken into consideration. Mimiko, while speaking on the 166 primary school teachers whose names were removed from payment vouchers, assured that those affected and have genuine cases would be reabsorbed The governor, however, said that any of the teachers absorbed through the backdoor would not be considered and will face the music.

Nigerian Tribune

Osunbor calls for increased budgetary allocation for education Banji Aluko - Benin City

THE 2015 World Teachers’ Day was celebrated in Edo State with a call by many stakeholders in education for increased budgetary allocation for the education sector so as to address the dearth of teachers’ remuneration and other challenges plaguing Nigeria’s education system Leading the call was a former governor of Edo State, Professor Oserheinmen Osunbor, who noted that education receive highest budgetary allocation in developed countries and that it was high time Nigeria do same. Osunbor, who spoke at the 2015 World Teachers’ Day in Benin City, Edo State, noted that teachers play an important role in the Nigerian society and the future of Nigeria depends on the quality of instruction and training provided by teachers. The former Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, said “it is very important for government at all levels to improve their budgeting for education. If you look at developed countries, you will find out that their budget for education is always the highest.”

Jigawa teachers decry lack of working materials Adamu Amadu - Dutse

PRIMARY and Secondary school teachers in Jigawa State have urged the present administration under Governor Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar to provide tables, chairs and other necessary teaching and learning materials in the public schools. The teachers made the call yesterday in Dutse in a speech delivered at the 2015 World Teachers Day celebration by the state Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Usman Ya’u Dutse. The NUT chairman who doubled as the NLC chairman in the state also appealed to the state government to recruit more teachers especially in sciences and languages, specifically English. He further requested that teachers be upgraded to grade Level 16. The state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Hajiya Rabi Ishak, promised to improve the quality of education.

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Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

My next cabinet will go beyond APC affiliation —Al-Makura Ademola Adegbite - Lafia

A S A R A W A State governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, on Monday, stunned the All Progressives Congress (APC) loyalists, who have been lobbying political leaders and elders within and outside the state, for appointments in his next cabinet, said the cabinet would only comprise technocrats and people of impeccable character, irrespective of their political inclinations. He made this declaration while swearing in the new Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and the state Head of Service, Ambassador Umaru Azores Sulaiman and Mr Joseph Ancho, respectively, at the Government House in Lafia, the state capital. The governor declared that gone were days when party membership alone was the compelling criteria for appointment to public office, pointing out that his upcoming cabinet would give every interest a sense of belonging and participation. According to him, “in view of the challenge facing the state and the country at large, competence, capacity, loyalty and total commitment to our values of accountability, prudence, transparency, rule of law and the fear of God are necessary prerequisites to qualify for public office in this administration. “This set of criterion

will be our template and guidelines for coming on board even in subsequent appointments. I charge you to quickly settle down and face the challenges of your new assignments. In

doing so, you are expected to introduce new ideas and efficacious methods in the conduct of government business for the good of all. “It is in line with this commitment that govern-

ment was meticulous and thorough in the selection of suitable occupants of the offices of the Secretary to the State Government and Head of Civil Service. These being the first major

Lagos State governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, congratulating Mrs Lola Are-Adegbite, after being sworn in as Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary for Education District IV, at the Lagos House, Ikeja, on Monday.

Benue dept spent N72m to furnish event centre —MD Johnson Babajide - Makurdi BENUE Investment Property Company (BIPC) a department in Benue State, is said to have spent N72 million to furnish an event centre in Makurdi. The department was also

allegedly used by some principal officers of the past administration as conduit pipe to siphon N355.9 million, through a fake company known as ‘Sankalos’. The revelations came to the fore on Monday, at the ongoing commission of in-

quiry in Makurdi, the state capital when the Managing Director of the company, Mrs Bridget Sheidu, was invited for interrogation regarding the activities of her office. She explained that the N355.9 million was expected to have been used to

CAC forgery case: Counsel for Oluseye withdraws as court adjourns till Nov By Tunde Ogunesan COUNSEL to Pastor Elijah Oluseye, the former President General Executive council of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Mr Akin Olujimi has withdrawn his appearance in a forgery case levelled against the pastor and three others. When the case came up for hearing on Monday, at the Federal High Court, Ibadan, before Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmnauel, Mr Olujimi who was represented by Mr Michael Lana and a team of lawyers also informed the court of the death of the second accused person, Pastor Ayo Olubisi. Olubisi, who until his death, was the chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Oyo State, was said to have died last Monday. Details of his

appointments into public offices in this tenure, we intend to set the tone of the standard and quality of our work team in the days ahead,” he said emphatically.

death were, however, not revealed by the counsel. Olujimi further intimated the court that his appearance would now only be for the former general secretary of the CAC, Pastor Gideon Okegwemen and a former director in

corporate affairs commission, Mr Abdul Akeem Muhammed who are third and fourth accused persons. The counsel also appealed to the court to allow him amend the stay of proceeding, already filed on the case as a result of the

latest development. Reacting, the prosecuting counsel, Mr K. Salawu said he was not aware of the development and told the court that he would confirm the development to ensure accelerated hearing on the case.

I didn’t vote in 2015 election —Magnus Abe Sunday Ejike - Abuja FORMER chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress(APC) Senator Magnus Abe, on Monday, reinforced allegations regarding the last governorship elections in Rivers State, saying he never voted in any of the 2015 general elections in the state.

He spoke with journalists in Abuja, during his reaction to the closing of the APC’s case at the Rivers State election petition tribunal. Abe, however, expressed confidence in the ability of the judiciary as the last hope of the ordinary man to dispense justice on the matter. “We have closed our case and we thank God for giving us the opportunity

to ensure that the case is heard because there were many interlocutory processes to ensure that the case is not heard within the stipulated period. “The judiciary is the last hope of the common man. There was no other possibility of us getting redress anywhere apart from the courts. This is where we ought to be and this is where we are. We believe in the judiciary.”

purchase agriculture equipment, adding that that the money, however, was moved from Zenith Bank to a private account meant for foreign exchange. On cross examination, Sheidu explained that the money which was paid on November 5, 2014, was withdrawn six days after deposit. When quizzed about the manner such whopping amount of money over N72 million was paid twice into a private account of a staff of the office, Terse Akpen; N54.8 million and N18.4 million, she explained that “it is expedient to pay the huge sum into his account’, based on the schedule of Akpen the principal manager in charge of property, tasked with the responsibility of furnishing the event centre through direct labour.” In her earlier paper presentation to the commission, she said that the event centre and guest house had been completed and pending use, but when asked to present evidence of how the money was utilised, the managing director said that she was yet to receive such from the staff since the furnishing was yet to be completed.

FG launches national policy on climate change THE Federal Government, on Monday in Abuja, launched its national policy on climate change. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the policy would serve as guide for the implementation of actions on climate change in the country. Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, Mrs Nana Mede, launched the document at the opening of a two-day workshop for Nigeria’s core negotiators for the forthcoming Climate Change agreement. Mede said the policy would be implemented across all sectors. NAN reported that the new global agreement on climate change is expected to be adopted during a conference in Paris, in November/December under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The agreement is aimed at limiting global warming to below two degree centigrade. Declaring the workshop open, Mede said Nigeria desired a global objective for adaptation and mitigation in the agreement which would limit global warning to below two degree compared to pre-industrial levels.

NAFDAC impounded N25bn counterfeit products in 5 years —NAFDAC DG Jude Ossai - Enugu NATIONAL Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said that it seized over N25 billion worth of counterfeit products in the last five years. Director-General of NAFDAC, Paul Orhii, made this known on Monday, while declaring a 3-day sensitisation workshop on anti-corruption, gender and SERVICOM for NAFDAC staff in Enugu. Represented by NAFDAC Deputy-Director Special Duties, Dr Jimoh Ibrahim, Orhii noted that the feat was achieved through various strategies which included deployment of cutting edge technology, which he said, had reduced fake drug from 60 per cent in 2011 to 3.6 per cent in 2015. According to him, “people can confidently go to any pharmaceutical shop and buy genuine drugs using mobile authentication service which is now included in all anti-malaria and antibiotic drugs.”

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Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

Rivers residents, traders bemoan incessant flooding dapo falade-port harcourt

esidents of Rumuodomaya in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State have cried out over incessant flooding ravaging the community. This is just as traders in the popular Mile 1 Market, Ikwerre Road, also lamented the pervading heavy rainfall, that had been disturbing their businesses. The people of Rumuodomaya blamed the recurring incident on the refusal of the local government council to clear a nearby canal linking Rumuokoro, Rumuagholu, Rukpokwu and Rumuodomaya communities, despite several pleas from residents. Narrating his ordeal to newsmen in Port Harcourt, one of the residents, Dr Ralph Ezewuzie, said the recent flood, which occurred last Thusday, destroyed a lot of property in his clinic, including the X-ray and ultra-sound units and the laboratory. He appealed to the Rivers State Ministry of Environment and the State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) to assist residents of affected communities to clear the canal of water hyacinth, which he said caused the

blockage of the canal. Also speaking, a landlord in Rumuodomaya, Francis Isomhie, said residents of the community have been passing through difficult times as a result of the overflowing of the canal, blaming it on the activities of traders at the Rumuokoro Market. “After the heavy rain, my compound became flooded because the canal behind the fence was blocked by weed. “The traders by the ca-

nal are also not helping matters; they are always throwing refuse there, blocking the waterways. “We have called the attention of the local government council to it. We have also called the attention of RIWAMA and they have not done anything about it. The flooding has been like that overtime. “We have approached the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and it was

NEMA that mounted pressure on the local government that made them to come here three weeks ago, but they only cleared the entrance to the canal. “Whenever this canal is blocked, the whole of Rukpokwu, Rumuagholu, Rumuokoro and Rumuodomaya are flooded. Go to the communities now, you will notice that a lot of people are cleaning their houses as a result of the flood,” he said.

A resident of Nwosu Street in the area, Solomon Okereke, stated that the flood destroyed his poultry farm as well as part of his wife’s church building and appealed to the state government to come to their aid by clearing the canal. Also speaking with Community News, a butcher and meat seller at the Mile 1 Market, Saheed Lawal, said the flooding that occurred last week Monday, greatly affected

Flooded Mile 1, Ikwerre Road, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, after the Monday downpour. Photo: DAPO FALADE.

Traditional rulers cry out over killings by unknown persons Worried by incessant killings and burning of market shops by unidentified persons within Uvuru autonomous community in Abah Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State, traditional rulers in the area have called on security agents to intensify efforts in protecting life and property in every nook and cranny of the area. It will be recalled that in the last three weeks, three persons have been reportedly killed in different related cases while goods worth thousands of naira were destroyed by yet-tobe-identified persons. Speaking on the incidents, the traditional ruler of Akpotu/Egbelu (Isiala), Eze Eugene Onyenwe Ebubedike Isi II, who condemned the act, told Community News that the incidents had prompted several meet-

ings of Ndieze aimed at proferring a lasting solution to the situation. He disclosed that local security guards attached to the markets were presently in police net for interrogation, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend the culprits. He added that all relevant

union within communities are meeting on daily basis to find lasting solution. Also condemning the incident, the paramount ruler of Umurobara Okwunakuwa Uvuru, advised youths in the area to desist from taking drug and alcohol.

He said Ndieze had been meeting with relevant security agencies over the issue and that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of the area has promised to do everything possible to arrest the criminals. Community News,

however, learnt that normalcy is gradually returning to the community, while security agents are keeping 24-hour vigil to ensure free movement of people and transaction of business, especially at the location of the market.

Monarch laments youth unemployment Biola Azeez-Ilorin

A traditional ruler, the Magaji Aare of Ilorin, Alhaji Aremu Zubair, has lamented the high rate of youth unemployment in his domain. He said engaging jobless youths in his domain had been his greatest challenge since he ascended the stool of his forebears a decade ago. He, however, said that despite the challenge,

youth restivenens had been curtailed in his domain. The Magaji Aare spoke with journalists in Ilorin during a special prayer to mark the 10th anniversary of his ascension to the throne. He commended the state government for creating jobs for the people of the state but stressed that government cannot do it alone. “The challenges are many; one of them

is how do you cater for people, especially unemployed youths? Sometimes the civil service in the statecomes to the rescue, I thank God. But my main problem is how do I get job for these boys?” the Magaji Aare said. In his lecture, a renowned Islamic cleric, Sheik Sulyman Faruk Onikijipa, said the reign of the Magaji Aare had been peaceful. The cleric said the

traditional ruler had achieved a feat that no one thought was achievable in the community. Also in his lecture, Sheik Buhari Musa, said Idi-Ape community had carved a niche for itself such that the history of Ilorin can never be complete without a mention of the area. He advised those in positions of authority to be sensitive to the plight of the masses.1

his business as the meat he displayed for sale were washed away. “This is not the first time we will be experiencing flooding but what happened last week Monday was as a result of a long period of neglect. “Though Ikwerre Road is one of the best in the state, the drainages are either narrow or badly done during the construction of the road. This has been causing flooding whenever it rains. “As it happened on Monday, the entire road was blocked after the afternoon rain. My business was disturbed, even as some of the meat I displayed for sale were washed away by the flood”, he said. Another trader at the market, Hellen Nnachukwu, a fish-seller, also narrated her ordeal as she claimed that the Monday flooding washed away many of her fishes. She said she incurred a huge loss in her business on that day, adding that: “We are calling on Governor Nyesom Wike to come to our rescue and save us from hunger.”

Education secretary wants construction of classrooms in rural communities Alhaji Mukhtar Mukaddari, the Education Secretary, Malammadori Local Government Area of Jigawa State, on Monday, canvassed for the construction of more classrooms in primary schools in the area. Mukaddari made the appeal during the public hearing on the 2016 budget preparation, organised by the council. He said the project should be captured in the budget to facilitate construction of additional structures to decongest classrooms in schools. “We need classrooms rather than furniture at Dantamo Primary School. “The local council should also provide additional classrooms in schools in the area,” he said. Also speaking, Alhaji Muhammad Sale, the District Head of Malammadori, urged the council to provide a patrol vehicle and an ambulance for the vigilance group to enhance specific services in the area.

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

Guatemala landslide death toll rises to 131

foreig naffairs

08116954632 with seyi gesinde foreignn ewseditor@gmail.com

Clinton to unveil gun control proposals

em o cra t ic U.S. presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton is due to unveil new proposals on Monday to strengthen gun control in the United States. The issue is one where there is some difference among Clinton and her rivals trying to become the party’s nominee in the 2016 election, but also a fundamental ideological divide between them and their counterparts from the Republican Party. Clinton aides say she will use two town hall events in the northeastern state of New Hampshire to discuss plans to use executive action if Congress fails to address the issue. The former senator and secretary of state wants to tighten the laws that require gun buyers to undergo background checks before completing their purchase, including requiring them at gun shows and barring sales in cases where the checks are incomplete. Clinton is also expected to propose repealing a 2005 law that shields licensed gun makers and sellers from civil lawsuits, “resulting from the criminal or unlawful misuse” of a firearm or ammunition. “We can’t wait any longer to act on gun violence prevention,” Clinton posted on Sunday on Twitter. Her announcement will

come less than a week after a 26-year-old gunman killed nine people and wounded nine others in the latest mass shooting at a U.S. school. The attack drew a strong response from President Barack Obama, who told the American people to push lawmakers to enact tougher gun control legislation. “We’ve become numb to this,” he said. Senator Bernie Sanders, another candidate running

to replace Obama after his second term ends, said after the shootings that the country needs “sensible gun control legislation” along with better mental health help. He also supports ending the so-called gun show loophole as well as banning the sale of automatic weapons. But for Republican candidates, the response to mass shootings is not to enact more laws they say would not stop the next shooter from obtaining a gun.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton gestures as she speaks at Human Rights Campaign gathering in Washington. Photo: AP

‘Russia’s air campaign no different from Assad’s’ For more than a year, Syrian insurgents and civilians in rebellious areas in the war-torn country have been enduring a reign of terror from the skies with President Bashar al-Assad’s aircraft dropping cheaply produced improvised “barrel bombs” on them. Now they’re coming under attack from Russian bombers firing so-called “dumb missiles” designed to maximize casualties.

In video footage released by the Russian Defense Ministry to the media over the past five days of Russian warplanes taking off from the Bassel alAssad airbase on the Syrian coast for their sorties, a variety of munitions have been spotted by military analysts - but most have been dumb bombs. The unleashing of unguided ordnance by Russian warplanes was roundly condemned at the weekend by

Residents run after activists said two barrel bombs were thrown by forces loyal to Syria’s president Bashar Al-Assad in Aleppo. Photo: Reuters

British Defence Minister Michael Fallon. “They are dropping unguided munitions in civilian areas,” he said in an interview with a British newspaper. “There are clear markings for the OFAB 250-270

unguided bombs on Russian jets in Syria,” said Elliot Higgins, the founder of the Bellingcat blog site, which focuses on weapons use in the Syrian civil war and the conflict in east Ukraine’s Donbas region.

The death toll from last week’s massive landslide on the outskirts of Guatemala’s capital has risen to 131. Officials say young children and newborn babies were included in the toll. Authorities say finding any survivors from the landslide that buried hundreds of people under tons of earth is highly unlikely. More than 100 people remain missing. The landslide struck the village of El Cambray II, in the municipality of Santa Catarina Pinula, about 15 kilometres east of the capital, Guatemala City. Authorities say some 125 homes were destroyed or damaged on Thursday night by the sudden landslide after heavy rain. “I went on an errand for my mother and when I returned, there was nothing,” 17-year-old Carlos Ac told the French news agency. His mother and seven siblings are still missing. Doctors at a shelter near the landslide site are reporting widespread cases of emotional trauma.

Turkey intercepts Russian jet in its air space Turkey said it has intercepted a Russian jet that violated its air space over the weekend. The country called in the Russian ambassador and lodged a strong condemnation of the violation, Turkey’s foreign ministry said in a statement Monday. “The Russian Federation will be responsible for any undesired incident that may occur,” the ministry warned. The incident occurred on Saturday in the Yayladagi region of Turkey’s southern Hatay province. “The Russian aircraft ex-

ited Turkish airspace into Syria after it was intercepted by two F-16s from the Turkish Air Force, which were conducting patrols in the region.” Turkey and Russia are at odds regarding the bloody civil war raging in Syria. Ankara’s position is that Syrian President Bashar alAssad has to go for the conflict to end. Moscow backs the Syrian leader and has begun airstrikes that it says are against ISIS militants. Moscow announced over the weekend that it was intensifying the airstrikes,

which started September 30. Over the last 24 hours, Russian Su-34, Su-24M and Su-25 planes hit nine ISIS targets in Syria, Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement Monday. It said the air force had used “pinpoint strikes” against ISIS facilities in Hama, Homs, Idlib and Latakia provinces. Targets destroyed included an ISIS command center, communications center, training camp and ammunition depots as well as artillery weapons and vehicles, the ministry said.

otherNEWS South Sudan rebels condemn creation of 28 new states

South Sudan rebels loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar said President Salva Kiir’s decision to establish 28 new states is a violation of the recently signed peace agreement and indicates he is not committed to the peace process. A statement issued over the weekend and signed by Machar called on the

regional group Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) that mediated the peace process to take a position. In a decree establishing the 28 new states, President Kiir said his decision was guided by South Sudan’s Transitional Constitution. He also said one purpose of the new states is to decentralise power,

placing resources closer to the rural population while at the same time reducing the size of the national government. Ambassador Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, secretary for foreign affairs of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in opposition, said President Kiir took a unilateral decision based purely on tribal considerations.

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir addresses a news conference at the Presidential palace in Juba. Photo: Reuters

3 scientists share Nobel medicine prize

US vows to investigate Afghan hospital attack

The first of the Nobel Prizes for the year has been announced. The Nobel committee in Stockholm has

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has called Saturday’s attack on an Afghan hospital, in which at least 22 people died a tragic loss of life and promised a full, transparent investigation to determine if U.S. military personnel were involved. Carter acknowledged American air assets were engaged in support of Afghan military operations around the contested northeast city of Kunduz at the time of the attack. Carter, at the start of a five-day European trip,

From left, Jan Andersson, Juleen Zierath and Hans Forssberg, members of the Karolinska Institute Nobel committee, talk to media at a press conference in Stockholm. Photo: AP

awarded the prize for medicine to scientists from Ireland, Japan and China. William Campbell from Ireland and Satoshi Omura from Japan shared the prize for their discovery of a “novel therapy” against infections caused by roundworm parasites. China’s Tu Youyou discovered a drug that has significantly reduced the mortality rates for patients suffering from malaria, so she will also share in the prize.

expressed sorrow at the loss of life at the hospital operated by the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF). “This is a tragic loss of life. Your hearts can only go out to innocent people who were caught up in this kind of violence. ... As far as our forces are concerned, that we be full (and) transparent about our investigation and also that we hold accountable, if there is someone to be accountable, anybody responsible for doing something they shouldn’t have done,” he said.

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015 Editor: Ganiyu Salman tribunesporteditor@yahoo.com 08053789060

Sharks will escape relegation —Allen

Brown Ideye (right) dazzles during the Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.

Ideye opens goal account in Greece

IGERIAN striker, Brown Ideye scored his first goal of the season for Olympiacos last Sunday in the 2-0 win over PAOK Thessaloniki FC. The former West Bromwich Albion striker netted in the 27th minute of the Greek Super League con-

test at the Stadio Toumbas. Ideye had previously played three league matches for the Greek champions against Platanias, Xanthi and PAS Giannina without finding the back of the net. The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) winner has also played twice for Olympiacos in the UEFA

Champions League against Arsenal and Bayern Munich without scoring. Ideye joined Olympiacos for an undisclosed fee on August 30 from the English Premier League club, West Bromwich Albion, who had made him its record signing last season with £10million.

ABS hails NNL champions ABUBAKAR Bukola Saraki FC has congratulated the group champions of the just-concluded 2014/2015 Nigeria National League (NNL) on qualifying for the Globacom Premier League. A statement signed by the General Manager of the club, Alloy Chukwuemeka said that the contest has been thoroughly fought, and the winners have emerged, against all odds, and they deserve to be congratulated in the true spirit of sportsmanship’. “We all had our opportunities, but the principle

of competition must come into play. There must be winners, there must be losers. I also commend all the teams for competing fairly throughout the league,” he said. “We had challenges, the league organisers NNL also had their challenges, and irrespective of the challenges that dogged the contest, we must all accept the fact that we can only move forward by making sacrifices, and also charge the NNL Board to ensure increased monitoring of the system. “The National league is the second tier system that

is next to the apex league in the country, and the NNL owes the clubs in this cadre and all the stakeholders the duty of doing the needful, in terms of providing a level playing field at all times.” Chukwuemeka charged the newly-promoted teams, Plateau United, Niger Tornadoes, MFM FC and Ikorodu United FC both of Lagos to prepare well for the challenges ahead in the now improved Globacom Premier League next season. It will be recalled that ABS FC finished second in group A2 behind Niger Tornadoes.

Enyimba on course for Glo league title —Ikhana ENYIMBA head coach, Kadiri Ikhana has said the loss at Heartland did nothing to diminish the side’s title chase. The Aba outfit lost 1-2 to Heartland in a match day 32 encounter in Owerri last Sunday. Ikhana said though the defeat has raised the pressure level within the side, one or two wins on the road, while the home front is intact will secure the dreamed seventh title. “I will say confidently that the league title belongs to Enyimba despite the shocking 1-2 defeat at Heartland. “What we need to counter the loss at Heartland is to win our remaining home matches, while we strive to pick up at least one or two wins on the road. “Of course, we never bargained for the type of

Ikhana

result we got at Heartland, it’s certain to push up the pressure, but I know we will overcome at the end of the day,” the former Nasarawa United coach told supersport.com. Enyimba leads the 20team top flight summit on 58 points, three points ahead of Warri Wolves.

SHARKS head coach, Festus Allen has expressed optimism that the Garden City landlords will avoid relegation despite the 0-2 defeat suffered at the hands of ElKanemi Warriors last Sunday in Katsina. The Blue Angels are 16th on the 20-team top flight log on 36 points with six matches to go. Allen said the uncomfortable state the Port Harcourt side found itself is regretable, but insisted that Sharks will maintain their Premiership status quo. “The situation we found ourselves right now is one of those uncomfortable situations in football. “We never bargained for it but here we are face to face with the plight, so we must work hard to pull ourselves out of the pit. “I know for certain that at the end of the day Sharks will pull through from the four dropping sides. “We came to Katsina quite confident of claiming the three points or worse case we pick a point, but we ended up losing the entire points. “The loss at El-Kanemi Warriors is a huge setback in our concerted fight to stay alive in the ongoing league season. “We remain confident of surviving the drop with six more matches on the league calendar,” the former ABS coach told supersport. com. Sharks’ remaining three home matches are aginst Wikki Tourists, Shooting Stars Sports Club and Kwara United while the road trip ties are Heartland, Nasarawa United and Abia Warriors.

Tuesday, 6 October, 2015

CHIEF (MRS) HID AWOLOWO (1915-2015)

PHOTOS: ALOLADE GANIYU

10 1. Former Managing Director, National Orthopedic Hospital, Igbobi, Dr Gbolahan Adebule (left), with Reverend (Mrs) Tola Oyediran and Ambassador (Dr) Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu. 2. From right, Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu, Chief Richard Akinjide, Chief (Mrs) Abimbola Akinjide and Chief (Mrs) Mercy Owolana. 3. Professor Jerry Gana, presenting a letter of condolence to Reverend Tola Oyediran and Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu. 4. Reverend Tola Oyediran (middle), Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu and Gabriel Sanyaolu. 5. From left, Mrs Queen Oni, Mrs Marie Fatayi-Williams, Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu, Reverend Oyediran, the president, International Women Society (IWS), Mrs Zainab

Saleh and past president, Mrs Evelyn Akeredolu. 6. A cross section of Remo traditional council representing the Akarigbo, Oba (Dr) Adeniyi Sonariwo, with Reverend (Mrs) Oyediran and Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu. 7. From left, Professor Jerry Gana, Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu, Reverend Oyediran and the VC, UNILAG, Professor Rahman Bello. 8. Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu, Reverend (Mrs) Oyediran, Lady Evangelist M.A. Thomas and Mrs Lara Oyeniyi. 9. Broadway Brass, Broadway events, Ikorodu Road, Maryland, Lagos, entertaining at the venue. 10. Professor Jerry Gana (left) and Venerable Samuel Oladele.

SIDELINES

NO 16, 342

TUESDAY, 6 OCTOBER, 2015

N150

Indian schoolboy, Ritvit 11, was recently hit by a flying arrrow on the head when he stepped into the 'no entry zone' at an archery practice venue. The arrow came out on the other side of his head, but thank God he survived. Such miracles don't happen every day. A 'no entry' zone at an archery practice venue is not a playground, even for angels.

Mikel, Ighalo land in Belgium

By Oluwabunmi Ajayi

Ighalo

enal Iwobi begs for loan move from Ars ARSENAL winger, Alex Iwobi has personally asked to be loaned out to in order to gain regular playing time as well as first team experience, reports Goal. Chuka Iwobi, the father of the 19-year-old, told Goal that his son’s loan deal would be finalised as soon as he returns from the international week he has with the Super Eagles in Belgium. Alex was a late call up by coach Sunday Oliseh as part of the squad that will take on Congo DR and Cameroon on October 8 and 11 respectively. “A few clubs in the United Kingdom and abroad have approached Arsenal to take Alex on loan, but (manager)

Arsene Wenger wants him to be with the first team because he did very well in preseason,” Chuka Iwobi said. “Alex's preferred option at this stage is to go on loan to gain first team experience and come back to Arsenal later on to fight for a place. “Hopefully a loan move would have been sorted out by the time Alex comes back from international duties. “As regards the likely club Alex will play for on loan at the moment discussions are ongoing,” Iwobi snr said. The Arsenal forward and his father arrived in the Nigeria camp in Brussels on Monday morning in anticipation of a great show with the Super Eagles.

HELSEA’S John Obi Mikel and Watford’s Odion Ighalo were the earliest arrivals at the Super Eagles’ Verviers camp in Belgium ahead of the friendlies against the Leopards of DR Congo and the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon. Nigeria will take on Congo DR on Thursday and Cameroon on Sunday as part of their build-up to a 2018 World Cup qualifier against either Swaziland or Djibouti next month. Mikel who is making a return to the senior national team after a long absence was missing in action when Chelsea lost 1-3 to Sunderland last weekend at Stamford Bridge. The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) winner according to the head coach, Sunday Oliseh opted out of the last Eagles' games against Tanzania and Niger Republic, as he did

not bother to pick his telephone calls or reply to his text message after his invitation. However, Nigerians are looking forward to the return of Ighalo into the senior national team following his devastating form. Ighalo, who was left out of the squad to Tanzania last month, scored his fifth goal of the season in the English Premier League against Bournemouth last weekend. The Edo State-born striker struck a leveller for the Hornets before half time to earn the newly-promoted side a 1-1 draw at away. Ighalo alongside Mikel trickled into the teams’ Verviews Hotel based on Sunday. Meanwhile, the home-based players listed for the friendlies are expedcted to depart the country for Belgium today after playing for their various teams last weekend in the Globacom Premier League.

... As NFF confirms new venues for friendlies

Iwobi

THE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed that Stade de la Cite de l'Oie, Vise and Ros Beiaard Stadion will now host Nigeria’s international friendlies against DR Congo and Cameroon. Stade Charles Tondreau – home of Belgian division 3 outfit, Royal Cercle Sportif Visé will be the battle ground when the Super Eagles slug it out with the Leopards of DR Congo on October 8 with the kick off at 7 pm.

Three days later, Sunday Oliseh’s men will head for Ros Beiaard Stadion where they face arch rivals Cameroon which starts by 6pm. This was confirmed by the NFF via its Twitter handle. The Super Eagles last played the Indomitable Lions in February 2004, when Austin Okocha’s free kick sent them out of the quarter final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Tunisia.

Printed and Published by the African Newspapers of Nigeria PLC, Imalefalafia Street, Oke-Ado, Ibadan. E mail: editornigeriantribune@yahoo.com Website: www.tribuneonlineng.com MANAGING DIRECTOR / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: EDWARD DICKSON. Ag. EDITOR: TINU AYANNIYI. All Correspondence to P.O. Box 78, Ibadan. ISSN 2712. ABC Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation. 06/10/2015.