9th May 2016

NIGERIA’S MOST INFORMATIVE NEWSPAPER NO 16,496

MONDAY, 9 MAY, 2016

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London summit

Buhari, 50 others to design global anti-graft template

•President to debate need for sharing of corporate ownership profile among countries —P2 •Seeks to host international summit on assets recovery in 2017

From left, Deputy Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Anthony Okpanachi; Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole; and the Managing Director Ecobank Nigeria, Charles Kie, during the fourth Okpekpe 10km International Road Race, in Edo State, at the weekend.

Enugu killings: South-East govs, Dep Senate President, others meet

—P2

2 news

Monday, 9 May, 2016

Buhari, 50 others to design global anti-graft template

By Kunle Oderemi

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RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari will, from tomorrow in London, United Kingdom, be seeking global cooperation in tightening the noose around treasury looters.

He is attending an international anti-corruption summit, with the theme: “Anti-Corruption Summit London 2016,” called by British Prime Minister, David Cameron.

Senior Assistant to the President on the Media, Mallam Garba Shehu, said the summit would bring together, world leaders, business and civil society to agree on a package of practical steps to expose corruption, where it existed, punish the perpetrators and support those affected by corruption.

The summit also aim to drive out the culture of corruption wherever it exists and to put in place infrastructure and tools that can be used by international organiations, countries and national institutions to fight corruption.

President Buhari will team up with the other world leaders in designing a global architecture and tools that can be used by international organisations,countries and national institutions to fight corruption.

According to Shehu, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, had prepared an outline on specific areas of interest to the country, which the president would put before the world leaders.

The outline, he said, included the development of beneficial ownership information related to corporate ownership, procurement, and public contract.

“By this, Nigeria will seek the lifting of the veil on corporate ownerships, in order to disclose the true owners of a corporate vehicle in contract bids and procurement processes.

“Beyond this, the corporate ownership profile may be shared with other countries or interested stakeholders,” Shehu stated.

According to him, “al-

ready, there is a broad view among the participants that public contracting remains a source of public corruption and must be tackled frontally.

“Our officials recommend that contracts within a certain threshold should be published and those behind the companies bidding for the contract should be listed for public scrutiny, both at national and state levels.

“To achieve this, Nigeria plans the enactment of a regulation that will authorise the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to obtain information on beneficial ownership of foreign companies that can be held in a different database to be managed by the CAC in Nigeria,” Shehu hinted.

He said the president would be demanding the strengthening of the supervisory responsibilities of financial and non-financial services regulators and provision of specific training on compliance requirements for these sectors.

The president would also seek the establishment of an inter-agency collaboration as a key element in improving the implementation of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards (such as the money laundering laws, anti-corruption laws, and Financial Intelligence Center Bill).

In recognition of his ongoing war against corruption in the country, President Buhari is expected to speak twice at the summit, first as a keynote speaker at a pre-conference meeting called by the new Commonwealth SecretaryGeneral, Baroness Patricia Scotland.

“The second would be for eight minutes allocated to each president or head of government at the main summit, giving the clearest indication that the president’s focus has become a template for the rest of the world,” Shehu stated.

“Recognition apart, the president is not making pretensions about his success

and achievements. Knowing the humility with which he goes about his things, he is not marching to London with a Macho image of a fighter who in a true sense of the word pushed back the Boko Haram terrorism and its threat to the nation and confronting equally, embedded corruption like no other regime.

“Of course, these are milestones visible to the naked eye of the international community and have earned him the goodwill of the people at home and abroad,” he said.

According to Shehu, President Buhari would share his experiences with other leaders, as he is of the “strong conviction that increasing globalisation has made it difficult, if not impossible, for stand-alone nations to combat corruption; that without global synergies against corruption, nations will fail in their efforts towards economic growth, maintaining security, reducing poverty and protecting the environment for their children.

“He will, in the light of this, seek support for anticorruption capacity for our national institutions and the citizenship.

“As his own contribution, the president has substantially aligned himself with major initiatives enunciated by the convener, Prime Minister David Cameron, that seek to increase transparency and governance in several key areas.

“He (Buhari) has formulated a Nigerian position on how to end impunity for corruption and ensuring that those involved in grand corruption are brought to justice through the active enforcement of laws and restrictions.

“Equally in agreement with Cameron, he is making suggestions on ways of empowering those affected by corruption by ensuring that its proceeds are returned to those to those from whom they have been stolen.”

The president is also expected to give assurances that a lot of work would be

President Muhammadu Buhari being welcomed by the Emir of Daura, Alhaji Faruk Umar Faruk, to a lunch hosted in his honour at the Emir’s Palace in Daura, Katsina State, on Sunday. With them is the Katsina State governor, Alhaji Bello Masari.

Enugu killings: South-East govs, Dep Senate President, others meet Jude Ossai - Enugu FOLLOWING the killings by herdsmen in Enugu recently, South-East governors of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) and the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, met in Enugu, on Sunday.

Governors present at the meeting were Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State,

Dave Umahi of Ebonyi and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia.

At the meeting also were former governors of Anambra and Imo states, Peter Obi and Ikedi Ohakim.

Ekweremadu, who addressed newsmen after the meeting, said they met to appraise developments after the last attack by herdsmen in Enugu.

He disclosed that they in-

tended to introduce a more enduring and sustainable strategy to protect lives and property in the South-East.

“We intend to put in place endurable measures so that such attack will not happen again,” Ekweremadu said.

They also thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for signing the 2016 budget and the National Assembly for its efforts.

Ekweremadu, however, urged that the budget, as it affects the South-East, should be implemented thoroughly especially in the area of roads.

“We suggest and urge the Federal Government to ensure that the projects captured in the budget as it affects the South-East be given to reputable contractors,” he said.

Ndoma-Egba calls for peace between warring communities in Cross River FORMER Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, has appealed to warring communities of Nko and Mkpani, in Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River State to sheathe their swords.

Clashes between the two

communities have claimed several lives recently.

In a personally signed statement at the weekend, Senator Ndoma-Egba urged the two communities to reflect on their history and cease hostilities.

“The current communal clashes in which invaluable lives and property have been lost between Nko and Mkpani communities of Yakurr Local Government of Cross River State is inauspicious, needless and unfortunate.

“At no time in history have people in these parts been favoured by a federal government as the Yakurr nation is today. This rare opportunity should not only be celebrated but maximised for development.

“I appeal to both communities to sheath their swords and embrace dialogue. Development that is their entitlement cannot be realised in conflict. May peace reign in our state,” Ndoma-Egba said.

done on a set of laws that would improve enforcement of anti-corruption laws.

“The government of President Buhari has also forwarded the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill, 2016 to the National Assembly for enactment into law. When it is passed, it will enhance mutual assistance and international cooperation between Nigeria and other countries.

“As part of this country’s contributions to the evolution of the global anticorruption infrastructure, Nigeria will seek support for the hosting of an ‘International Summit on Assets Recovery’ in 2017 in Abuja and for the establishment and hosting of a ‘Forum on Assets Recovery in Africa’ to be based in Abuja. The country will also seek the support of the UK government for the establishment of an anti-corruption coordination framework at the national level.

“Nigeria will be fully embracing UK proposals for the summit on the restriction of the ability of those who have looted public funds from travelling and investing the proceeds of their corruption in developed countries.

“To this end, the Nigerian government will develop its list of those who have been convicted, as well as those already prosecuted in Nigerian courts for grand corruption, for the purpose of sharing them with countries that are interested in offering bilateral or multilateral cooperation to Nigeria in the recovery of looted funds,” Shehu said.

The Nigerian government is also signaling an early support for the UK proposals on assets recovery, which prescribes measures substantially in tandem with a new Proceeds of Crime Bill being drafted and would soon been forwarded

by President Buhari to the National Assembly for passage into law.

Shehu stated that in addition to the political spotlighting of corruption, the coming together of world leaders was a sign of hope that countries like Nigeria could gain from the experience of others in improving their regulatory mechanisms as quickly as possible.

This trip, he added, was important for both Nigeria and the international community which reposes a lot of hope on Buhari who is faced with the “daunting task of reversing the socioeconomic and political mess in which the previous administration left the country.”

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Monday, 9 May, 2016

4 news

Monday, 9 May, 2016

2016 budget: Execution of railway projects a priority —APC Kolawole Daniel - Abuja

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ATIONAL Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, at the weekend, disclosed that the execution of national railway projects contained in the recently assented N6.06 trillion 2016 national budget is one of the priorities for the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

While recalling that 30 per cent of 2016 budgetary pro-

vision had been committed to capital projects, the APC national chairman identified the railway projects as one of the critical infrastructural focuses of the administration.

Odigie-Oyegun made the disclosure in Abuja, at a dinner held in his honour

by Saint Patrick’s College (SPC), Asaba, Old Boys Association (Abuja Branch), Saturday night.

The APC national chairman graduated from the school in 1957.

“As of today, the econo-

my is in the process of being reflated; meaning that money is being put into the system. Contractors are being mobilised to go back to work. New contracts will be awarded. The railway will be one of the very first priorities. We will for the first time go from Kano to Lagos through Benin City, all the way to Calabar by rail.”

Odigie-Oyegun stated after receiving an achievement award from the Abuja branch president of Saint Patrick’s College (SPC),

Asaba, Old Boys Association, Ogbuefi Tony Anyameluhor.

He said the administration was in the process of building a new solid foundation and credible image for the country.

He appealed for patience and the cooperation from Nigerians as the administration works to pull the country out of the present hardships.

“We are not shutting our eyes to the pains of the Nigerian people because it is real.

It is genuine. We can only plead for patience. Thank

God the APC government has its very first national budget and the implementation of that budget will be passionately pursued,” Odigie-Oyegun said.

He said in the coming months, safety net created by the administration to cater for the poorest and vulnerable Nigerians and other economic initiatives aimed at diversifying and boosting the economy would be implemented.

“The result at the end of the day is going to be a more vibrant nation which every

PDP crisis: Party may witness parallel conventions From Taiwo Adisa and B ola Badmus CRISIS rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the planned national convention fixed for May 21 in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, can lead to the staging of parallel conventions, sources close to the party have said.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that the party was still sharply divided over the plan to retain Senator Ali ModuSheriff as national chairman contrary to the gentleman’s agreement that produced him as national chairman.

Despite the plan to play the disagreements under the table, it emerged last week that some northern leaders of the party, led by Professor

Jerry Gana are still opposed to the choice of Modu-Sheriff as national chairman.

Some leaders in the South, especially some influential members from the SouthWest have also expressed opposition to the choice of Modu-Sheriff, who is being strongly backed by Governors Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State, Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State.

Besides the trio, it was gathered that the ranks of the governors still remained divided as at weekend, with some of them remaining silent so as not to wash the dirty linens in the open.

“The worst that would happen is that the party would witness parallel conventions,” said a source in the know who

restated that some leaders of the party were unmindful of the image crisis the party would face if it reneged on the agreement that brought Modu-Sheriff into office.

It was gathered that while the party’s governors pushing for Modu-Sheriff could head for Rivers State on May 21, others opposed to the choice to hold a parallel event in Abuja.

Sources in the party insisted that the idea of Modu-Sheriff insisting on contesting the position of party chairmanship had not gone well with even some PDP leaders in the North, including the former Niger State governor, Dr Babangida Aliyu; a former minister, Professor Gana, among others.

One of the sources said it

was wrong for Modu-Sheriff to plan to renege on the gentleman agreement he reached with the party earlier to step aside by May 21.

Those opposed to ModuSheriff said it was also wrong for the North to hold the position of national chairman and presidential candidate at the same time, while marginalising other zones in the South.

Those opposed to him said Modu-Sheriff being chairman could not be relied upon to deliver the goods against his in-law, President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.

A source said: “Have you ever seen him criticising Buhari ever since he became chairman of our party, PDP? “Then, when he was in APP, he worked for us in PDP. Also,

Pipelines bombing: Sack Boroh now to end militancy in N/Delta —NDLF Ebenezer Adurokiya - Warri TO actually bring to an end pipeline bombing in the creeks of the Niger Delta, members of the defunct Niger Delta Liberation Force (NDLF) have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately sack the chairman of Amnesty Programme, Paul Boroh.

The militant group made the call on Sunday, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Captain Mark An-

thony, and made available to Nigerian Tribune in Warri, Delta State.

The group said men of the Nigerian Army could not protect oil pipelines and installations, adding that the amnesty boss was not in touch with the boys in the creeks.

“The current amnesty chairman, Boroh, does not know the boys in Niger Delta.

“He is not in touch with Niger Delta major ex-agitators.

Buhari should sack him im-

mediately and appoint another chairman like Kingsley Kuku who knows the boys in the creek.

“This will help the current oil war,” the statement read in part.

Captain Anthony also called on militants bombing oil installations in the creeks to come out in the open if they were truly fighting for the cause of the Niger Deltans.

“Those bombing pipelines in Delta State should not behave like cowards.

“If they have a genuine rea-

Appeal Court affirms 25yrs jail term for Boko Haram convicts THE Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos, on Friday, affirmed the judgment of the Federal High Court, which sentenced three members of the Boko Haram sect to 25 years imprisonment each.

Y.B Nimpar, a justice, rejected the appeal filed by the convicts and upheld the judgment of the court below.

On September 30, 2014, Ibrahim Buba, a justice of the Federal High Court in Lagos, handed down the verdict after the Lagos State government, through the Ministry of Justice, success-

fully prosecuted the suspects before the court.

The government had filed charges against four accused persons for conspiracy to commit a felony to wit: Acts of terrorism, concealing information about acts of terrorism and having possession of prohibited firearms and ammunition contrary to various sections of the terrorism prevention (amendment) act, 2013 and the firearms act, cap F.28 laws of the federation of Nigeria, 2004.

Out of the four persons charged, three were sen-

tenced to 25 years imprisonment each, while the fourth accused was discharged and acquitted.

Those convicted and sentenced are Ali Mohammed Modu, Adamu Ali Karumi and Ibrahim Usman Ali. Dissatisfied with the verdict, the convicts, through their lawyer, had approached the appellate court, asking that the verdict be upturned on the grounds that they were charged under inapplicable laws and that the 25 years terms of imprisonment were excessive.

son and they are fighting the interest of Niger Delta. They should be man enough to come out.

“When we were bombing, our leader, “General” John Togo did not hide his face.

Togo is a man and hero.

“We dealt with the Nigerian Army. We were not hiding. They should not hide their identity. Buhari is not God and they should not be scared of him and his Fulani/Hausa army of occupation,” the group reported.

Anthony warned members of the Joint Task Force (JTF) to be wary of launching attacks on Ijaw communities, but should rather go after the actual saboteurs.

“JTF should not attack and arrest innocent Ijaw communities. The army should go for the real saboteurs.

“Although we had told former President Goodluck Jonathan that the Nigerian Army cannot protect pipelines in the creek.

“We do not condemn the current bombing because during our surrender speech, we told the world that bombing of pipelines was not over yet,” the group remarked.

he worked against his party, ANPP for Yar’Adua’s victory and Yar’Adua belonged to PDP. How are we sure that he will work against the PDP? That is what is making party leaders even the North not to trust him.”

Another source, who also corroborated the above, lamented the cracks among the leaders of the party in the South-West, but added that things appeared to be coming to shape following the outcome of the two separate zonal meetings held in Akure, the Ondo State capital and Ijebu-Igbo in Ogun State, last week.

The source said the fact that the two governors from the South-West, Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo and Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State, as well as Chief Bode George attended the meeting in Akure meant that things were being cemented in the zone.

He added that it was becoming crystal clear that Senator Buruji Kashamu, who led the factional parley in Ijebu-Igbo, was fast losing supporters and loyalists as those that were initially sympathetic towards him had started retracing their steps.

Nigerian will be proud of,” he said.

The APC national chairman thanked Saint Patrick’s College, Asaba Old Boys Association for what he described as “wonderful display of love and affection” extended to him. He pledged to support initiatives aimed at developing the school.

Earlier, president of Saint Patrick’s College (SPC), Asaba, Old Boys Association (Abuja branch), Ogbuefi Anyameluhor, hailed the APC national chairman for his focused leadership that led the APC’s victories in the 2015 general election.

He also urged Nigerians to the patient as the administration works to rebuild the country.

Anyameluhor added that: “Many Nigerians will appreciate what God has done by bringing in a party with zero tolerance for corruption, a party that upholds the principle of one person one vote grounded in free and fair elections at all levels.

“Less than one year of this administration, looted funds are being repatriated and they are going to be judiciously used for the benefit of all Nigerians. No doubt, the APC-led administration is faced with many challenges it inherited. What is required from Nigerians is patience as it is easier to destroy than to rebuild.”

Also, the national president of Saint Patrick’s College (SPC), Old Boys Association, Colonel Paul Ogbebor, while delivering the dinner lecture, identified technology as a key driver to achieving economic transformation in the country.

Ogbebor urged the Buhari-led administration to establish a national construction bank in line with the infrastructure drive of the administration.

5 news AIG moves to restructure Maritime Command

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HE Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Maritime Command, Mohammad Katsina, has embarked on the restructuring of the command for more effectiveness.

Katsina, who took over the command on April 13, 2016, has also established interagency agreement for the training of officers under him.

At a maiden meeting with the officers and men of the command on Thursday, the AIG announced the creation of two offices to ensure better effectiveness in its operations.

These are the surveillance, intelligence and investigation department, to be headed by a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Salahudeen Lawan and the Legal/Public Relations Office, headed by an Assistant Superintendent of Police, Omolola Odutola.

More offices will be cre-

IPAC faults Bello on appointment of LG administrators Yinka Oladoyinbo Lokoja

THE Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Kogi State, on Sunday, faulted the state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, on the appointment of administrators for the 21 local government areas of the state.

The council also condemned the developments at the state House of Assembly, joining the National Assembly to declare the activities of the legislators, after the taking over order, as null and void.

The State Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the council, Musa Ukwenya, told the Nigerian Tribune, that the appointment of the administrators for the local government areas, was in violation of the constitution of the country.

He noted that since there was no complete House of Assembly in the state to screen and confirm them the governor lacked power to make such appointments.

According to him, now that the tenure of the elected council chairmen had lapsed, the most appropriate step for the governor was to allow the Directors of Personnel Management (DPM) in the various local government areas to take over the activites of the councils.

The IPAC spokesperson added that it was important for the governor to restructure local government administration in the state.

ated as promised by the AIG to strengthen the operations of the Maritime Command in the coming weeks.

A statement on Friday by ASP Odutola, said AIG Katsina, a holder of a BSc. in Management Science from the University of Sokoto and recipient of many awards, who is well grounded in investigation techniques and crime

combating, said his mission is to restructure the Maritime Command in response to the recent needs to quell crises on the nation’s waterways.

Odutola said in the statement: This can be seen from the sophistication of the modus operandi of robbery cases that has happened in recent past.

Monday, 9 May, 2016

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Nigerian Tribune

Monday, 9 May, 2016

Lagosmetro NURTW reads riot act to branch leaders, issues conduct code

Ongoing construction of Berger pedestrian bridge, on Sunday. PHOTOS: SYLVESTER OKORUWA.

Traffic jam caused by the closure of one lane due to ongoing construction of Berger pedestrian bridge, on Sunday.

Heavy traffic as govt shuts Lagos/Ibadan Expressway ...Ambode apologises Bola Badmus

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HERE was massive traffic lock-down on Sunday at the Berger bridge axis of Lagos/Ibadan Expressway following a shut-down order of one of the lanes.

Despite the presence of traffic controlling agencies, motorists spent hours in the traffic.

However, the Lagos State government has apologised to road users for the inconvenience as a result of temporary closure of the one lane at Berger bridge end between 1000hrs and 1300hrs on Sunday, adding that the closure was meant for Sunday only due to ongoing construction of a pedestrian bridge at Berger bus stop.

The State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Steve Ayorinde, in a release made available to newsmen disclosed that traffic officials had been de-

ployed to the area to direct traffic and urged all motorists and other road users to cooperate with the officials

in order to ensure orderliness during the period.

The commissioner expressed regret for any incon-

venience the closure would cause road users, explaining that the temporary hardship was to provide lasting

solution to road crossing in the area by pedestrians thus ensuring safety of lives and property.

Houseboy jailed 5 yrs for stealing employer’s ATM, jewellery Ayomide Owonibi Odekanyin A 22-year-old housekeeper, Kennedy George, has been sentenced to five years imprisonment for stealing his employer’s jewellery and cash worth N6.3 million.

George, who resides with his employer, was first arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrate’s Court on June 19, 2015, on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy and stealing.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted N250, 000 bail with the two sureties in like sum.

However, during trial, the Prosecutor, Cyriacus Osuji told the court that George and others at large committed the offences between

February 6, 2015 and June 2015, at 10:00 a.m., at 3A, Iron Bar Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos. He said that the convict stole a cash sum of N300, 000 and assorted gold jewellery worth N6 million, properties of one Uzo Nwogu.

However, the convict during the trial admitted steal-

ing his boss’s ATM card to withdraw some of the money but said he was not the only one that spent the money.

The Magistrate, Mrs A. T. Omoyele, consequently convicted George and sentenced him to five years imprisonment without an option of fine. She said that

the convict was innocent in count one but found him guilty in counts two and three.

Omeyele sentenced him to a jail term of two and a half years each on counts two and three, making it five years.

She said that both sentence would run concurrently.

PURSUING its mandate to moderate the activities of its members in the state, the Lagos State council of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), has rolled out code of conduct to guide the activities of its members.

Addressing members of the union during the monthly meeting of the union over the weekend, the state chairman, Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede, said the measure became necessary in order to curb alleged involvement of union members in illegal activities which has been affecting the image of the council negatively.

The NURTW boss warned members to stay away from vices like cultism, robbery, thuggery and hooliganism and anti union activities.

“Henceforth, branch and unit executives are to ensure that members comply with the code of conduct. If you noticed that a member of your branch or unit is of questionable characters or involved in shady deals, please report him to state council before he damages the image of our union.”

He added that the state council will not hesitate to deal with leadership of any branch which fails to comply, as the executives of such branch will be dissolved and a care taker committee will be appointed to oversee the branch.

‘Pastor’ forges bank manager’s cheque for N5m fraud Ayomide Owonibi Odekanyin

A 63-year-old self-professed clergyman, Samuel Bonny, has been accused of cloning an Access Bank manager’s cheque worth N5 million.

Bonny, whose address was not given, is stand-

ing trial on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, fraud and forgery before an Igbosere Magistrate Court.

The Prosecutor, Nicholas Akpene, told the court that the accused and others at large committed the alleged offences on April

26, at Access Bank PLC. He added that the accused attempted to defraud Access Bank Plc to the tune of N5 million by presenting a cloned manager’s cheque for confirmation at the bank.

Akpene said that the accused forged the cheque

and presented it so that it would be acted upon as genuine.

He said that the offences contravened Sections 363 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.

Bonny however pleaded not guilty.

The Magistrate, Mrs S. K.

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Monday, 9 May, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Edited By

Lanre Adewole

olanreade@yahoo.com

0811 695 4647

10 pellets extracted from guards shot by hoodlums at Lekki estate Adelowo Oladipo SOME unknown gunmen last week Tuesday unleashed mayhem at Lakowe community in Ibeju Lekki local government area, attacking two private security guards on duty at the Gulf Estate.

No fewer than 10 pellets from a Dane gun have been extracted from one of the victims.

The hoodlums, who are yet to be identified, left the guards; Ojo Yekini and Adeniyi Olaewe, in the pool of their blood, thinking they were dead, fled the scene and escaped into the bush. The victims are now at a private hospital where they were rushed to.

The guards were said to have been attacked for unknown reasons by the fleeing hoodlums at the early hours of the day, while on duty.

Lagos Metro gathered that the trouble started when the owners of the Gulf Estate decided to employ the services of a developer and estate Consultant, Chief Mutairu Owoeye, Chairman, Owoeye and Company Limited.

It was further learnt that the promoters of the estate were said to have handed over some documents like the Survey Plans and Certificate of Occupancy, in addition to a Court judgment in their favour on the land to proof that they are the true owners of the said land to the developer.

Thereafter, the developer was said to have conducted a verification insight into the Court judgment by a Lagos State High Court and established the genuineness after checking the Certificate of Occupancy with the Lagos State

Matepo admitted him to bail in the sum of N1 million with two sureties in like sum.

She said the sureties must swear to affidavit of means and must be tax compliant.

She adjourned the case till May 25 for mention.

Ex-convict arrested for robbery 48 hours after release from Kirikiri Olalekan Olabulo

Yekini Ministry of Lands for confirmation. Chief Owoeye described the fleeing hoodlums who attacked his private security guards as trespassers, following their decision to invade the land and unleash terror on

Adeniyi the two innocent guards who were going about their lawful duties.

He explained that “so far, no fewer than 10 pellets from a Dane gun had been extracted from one of the victims. Police in-

vestigation into the matter is still continuing, while no arrest has been made in connection with the attacks on the two security men who are now responding to treatment,” Owoeye said.

A 27-year-old man, Uba Kenneth, has been arrested by the police in Lagos State, less than 48 hours, after his family struggled to get him released from Kirikiri Prisons.

The suspect was last week arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) for allegedly being a member of the gang that operated in Berger, CMD, Magodo, Ketu and Ikeja.

The RRS had in April this year arrested the suspect, who was handed over to another police formation for further investigations and interrogations.

Uba, who was sentenced to six month imprisonment with an option of fine back then, told the

Workers protest privatisation of Water Corporation ...It’s for better services —GMD Chukwuma Okparaocha HUNDREDS of members of staff of the Lagos Water Corporation (LWC) last week stormed the Ijora office of the corporation to protest what they described as an attempt by the Lagos State government to hand over the management of the corporation to private investors.

The protesters who mobilised themselves under the umbrella of Almagamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Service Employers (AUPCTRE), Lagos Water Corporation Chapter, among others, presented as their grievances which includes: “deliberate shut down of water production by the state government and LWC management to pave way for Public Private Partnership, as well as delay in payment of salaries.”

Other challenges confronting the staff according to the union are: non- pay-

ment of deductions (pension deductions of N513 million, Co-operative deductions of N54million,tax deductions of N2billion,) casualisation of 399 staff on temporary appointment for over 10 years, and non-payment of group life assurance premium to the tune of N20 million, among other challenges.

Speaking with Lagos Metro the State Secretary of the Union, Comrade Biodun Bakare, explained that, “We had a rally recently in conjunction with an NGO, the Environmental Right Action, also last year, during the Lagos State Water summit we made our position known that we would resist any attempt to hand over the corporation to private individual in the name of privatisation.

Meanwhile, the Lagos Water Corporation Group Managing Director (GMD), Muminu Badmus while responding to the protesting staff assured

them of job security and also cleared the air on privatisation. According to him, “Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative entails the fresh injection of private capital into the efficient management of government-owned assets, and not the sale of government-owned assets to private investors as misconstrued in some quarters”.

The GMD added that the model was not peculiar to Lagos and Nigeria alone,

as it was first practised in Cote d’ivoire in 1959 with the introduction of Urban Water Affermage, which he described as a successful operation.

He further allayed the fears of the staff about losing their jobs during the implementation of the PPP strategy, pledging that during his own tenure as the GMD nobody would ever lose his or her job, except if it involved gross misconduct.

police that he spent only 11 days in the prison.

“My family rallied round to meet up with my bail conditions. I served at the Kirikiri prison for 11 days.

My other colleagues were still in the prison serving their jail terms respectively,” he revealed.

Six other suspects arrested alongside Uba include, Philip Otameh,19, Toheeb Saka, 24, Humphrey Godwin, 21, David John, 20, Moses Ogoriba, 22, and Chinedu Godwin, 32, who all confessed to the crime as the only source of their livelihood due to hardship in the country.

Toheeb, one of the arrested suspects, said that his parents pushed him into robbery. “My parents are so callous and wicked.

They don’t know how I and my siblings survive. I am the third child of family of seven, but our parents had abandoned all of us. I regret my actions and plead for mercy,” he said.

The image maker in charge of the state police command, Dolapo Badmos confirmed the arrest of the suspects and added that the state police command would leave no stone unturned to ensure that crime is reduced to the barest minimum in the state.

She also added that Uba and other suspects had been charged to court.

Govt releases N1.6bn into Lekki Free Trade Zone Project THE Lagos State government has released N1.6 billion counterpart fund to boost infrastructural development in the ongoing Lekki Free Zone Development Company (LFDC) Project.

Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Prince Rotimi Ogunleye, disclosed this at a press briefing, saying the move was to encourage investors’ participation in the project.

The commissioner said the state government was engaging the host communities to ensure a sustainable cordial relationship with investors, adding that, “I want to assure all prospective investors in the zone that the government has overhauled the security network in the area in order to guarantee a safe haven for investment.”

According to Ogunleye, the World Bank report listed the Lekki Free Zone as the fastest growing FZ, adding

that the products from the zone were compliant with international standards as they went through the standardisation laboratories.

He maintained that the LFZ project, which had remained the flagship of the state government industrial development initiative, was conceptualised to provide enabling environment for industries to operate as well as attract both local and foreign direct investments into the state.

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NNPC rakes in N85.6bn revenue •Remitted N69bn to federation account Sanya Adejokun-Abuja

T

HE Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) made a total combined revenue of N85.66 billion from white products sold by PPMC in the month of March 2016 compared with N85.23 billion collected in the previous month.

As it begins to reduce its loses and expenditure, the corporation added that it contributed N69.544 billion of the N299.7 billion distributed to beneficiaries of the federation account in April for March 2016.

In its monthly financial report for March just released in Abuja, the corporation added that the amount was part of the N107.826 billion revenues it raked in during the month under review up from N104.804 in February.

So far, NNPC said in the report that the March remittance, thus brought the total amount it paid to the federation account for domestic crude oil and Gas and other receipts from April 2015 to March 2016 to N1.118 trillion.

Combined value of output by the three refineries at import parity price in March 2016 was N22.93 billion, associated crude plus freight cost was N20.02 billion and this gave a negative margin of N3.95 billion after considering overhead of N6.87 billion.

“Total revenues generated from the sales of white products for the period April 2015 to March 2016 stands at N775.90 billion where PMS contributed about 88.85 per cent of the revenues collected with a

value of N689.41 billion”.

The corporation reported that its revenue rose marginally by 2.88 per cent as expenses reduced by 12.92 per cent to N112.368 billion from N129, 034 bil-

lion recorded in previous month, while total loses also decreased to N18.89 billion during the month.

The loss marked an improvement from a deficit of N24.23 billion recorded in

THE Managing Director of the Ports & Cargo Handling Services (P&CHS), a subsidiary of Sifax Group and operator of Terminal C at the Tin-Can Island Port in Lagos, Mohammed Danaro Bulango has revealed that the last infrastructural investment of the Federal Government at the Lagos ports took place in 1975/1976.

Speaking to the Nigerian Tribune in an exclusive interview, Mallam Bulango stated that Sapele port that was commissioned in 1982 was done out of political reasons.

According to him, “Let’s ask ourselves, when was the last time the government invested in port infrastructure?

“In the Lagos area, the last infrastructural investment at the ports was done in 1975/1976. That was

Services Limited (IDSL) and National Engineering and Technical Company Limited posted losses of N9.874 billion, N469 million and N69 million, respectively.

From right: President of Afrieximbank, Dr Benedict Oramah; pointing at something of interest while Dangote Group Executive Director, Strategy, Capital Projects & Portfolio Development, Chief D.V.G. Edwin; and Dangote Group Executive Director, Stakeholder Management and Corporate Communication, Mr Ahmed Mansur, look on during a facility tour by Oramah and his team to Dangote Refinery, Lekki Lagos and Dangote Cement Plant Ibese, Ogun State, at the weekend.

MDAs electricity debt hits N78.6bn Adetola Bademosi-Abuja

THE total electricity debt owed to Distribution companies Discos by Ministries Departments Agencies and parastatals MDAs as at April ending, 2016 is (78,676,366,684.22) N78.6 billion, the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors ANED has revealed.

In its break down, the total electricity owed by the Nigerian Military, comprising the Army,

Navy and Airforce is put at (22,481,015,977.51) approximately N2.7 billion.

Speaking in an interview with selected Journalists in Abuja at the weekend, the Executive Director, Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors ANED, Barr. Sunday Oduntan said the total figures are only for April.

“As at the end of April today is the sixth day of May, they have owed me another six days which have been

‘Govt last invested in port infrastructure 40 years ago’ Tola Adenubi-Lagos

February.

A breakdown of the financial performance of its subsidiaries showed that the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), Integrated Data

when Tin-Can port was constructed. That is the last investment by government in port infrastructure in Lagos.

“For the port of Onne, it was abandoned and only picked up when Intels took over its operation and started developing that place in phases. The PTML that was developed in 2003 was done on a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis.

“If you look at the Sapele port that was commissioned in 1982, that was a white elephant project.

Sapele port has never brought any revenue to the Federal Government. It was a political port.

“So if you look at the amount invested by the private sector in the last 10 years, you will know that the port concession has been a success story.

“Prior to the concession, what was the cargo

throughput and what is it today. Aside some factors which are outside the control of the terminal operators like the state of the roads, connection of the rail to the ports, i can categorically say that the port concession has been a success story.”

millions so the one I am just going to give you is at the end of April”. He said.

According to him, out of the eleven Distribution companies, Abuja Disco owes the highest of N18.6 billion while Kano has the lowest of N1.2 billion.

Other breakdowns are:” Benin Discos N5.8 billion, Eko N8.6 billion, Enugu N7.2 billion, Ibadan 6.8 billion, Ikeja N5.9 billion, Jos 6.5 billion, Kaduna N8.2 billion, Port Harcourt N6.8 billion, Yola N2.4 billion.

While explaining reasons why Nigerians pay more on electricity, he said there have always been energy theft and massive bypasses on the part of customers on prepaid meter.

He explained that in this case, customers on estimated billing end up paying heavily for these by-

passes.

His words;”where we have problems and contentions I must say is the fact that we have many customers who are on estimated billing and the bad thing about estimated billing is about accuracy, fairness and how equitable it is. We have what we call estimated billing methodology which is the guideline handed over to us by NERC and that is what we follow.

“Where things go a bit wrong in this country is where you have estimated billing in your own house, your neighbour has a prepaid meter but your neighbour keeps on bypassing his meter, the Disco is not aware and if we don’t know there is nothing we can do and the neighbour with estimated billing is the one paying for his bypasses.

NCAA issues warning to violators of rules for operating drones Shola Adekola-Lagos WORRIED by the proliferation of the Nigeria’s airspace by the operators of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) otherwise known as drone, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), yesterday issued a safety guidelines that must henceforth be obeyed by the operators in the country.

Following the latest directives, the NCAA said; “Therefore no government

agency, organisation or an individual will launch an RPA/UAV in the Nigerian airspace for any purpose whatsoever without obtaining requisite approvals/permit from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Office of National Security Adviser (NSA).

The regulatory body through its image maker, Sam Adurogboye said the latest directive was as a result of its observation of the growing requests for

the use of drones which it said had led to its proliferation in Nigeria.

According to the NCAA; “In recent times, RPA/ UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) are being deployed for commercial and recreational purposes in the country without adequate security clearance.

Therefore, with the preponderance of these operations particularly in a non – segregated airspace, there has to be proactive safety guidelines.

Nigerian Tribune

‘Micro finance banks in Nigeria give out N250bn loan yearly’ Shola Adekola-Lagos MICRO finance banks in the country provide an average loan value of N250 billion annually.

This is just as the Lift Above Poverty Organisation ( LAPO) Microfinance Bank alone disbursed N113 billion in 2015 and targets N134 billion in the current financial year.

Declaring this while delivering the Fourth Professor Adebayo Akerele Lecture Series organised by the Faculty of Management Sciences, the University of Benin, the Managing Director of LAPO, Dr Godwin Ehigiamusoe stated that the disbursement figure accounted for 45 per cent of the total sum disbursed by all micro finance banks in Nigeria during the period.

Ehigiamusoe who declared at the occasion that micro finance indeed empowers and liberates the poor if properly delivered on a sustainable basis, noted that little bits of financial services are transforming lives, and empowering lowincome people to become active participants in the national economic space.

Ajimobi lauds Ogunnaike as new president Ibadan Chamber of Commerce

By Doyin Adeoye OYO State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has described the ascendancy of the Ibadan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mines and Agriculture’s mantle of leadership led by Princess Margaret Bosede Amusan-Ogunnaike, as a significant paradigm shift in the affairs of the chamber.

Speaking at the investiture ceremony for Princess Amusan-Ogunnaike as the 18th president of the chamber, the governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Ishmael Olalekan Alli, noted that the chamber has, indeed come of age, within the chamber movement in Nigeria and beyond.

“The Chamber is an effective advocacy platform for the business community in and around Ibadan metropolis, and Princess Amusan-Ogunnaike’s investiture today is significant and remarkable, as she will be joining the league of the accomplished members of the female gender that are being increasingly thrown up, both locally and internationally, to occupy strategic positions of leadership.”

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Nigerian Tribune

Insecurity: FG may regionalise national assets •NDPHC gets renewable energy mandate Sanya Adejokun-Abuja

T

HE quick recourse to destruction of strategic national assets in form of oil and power infrastructure by certain ethnic champions is forcing the Federal Government to consider the idea of regionalising the location of such projects.

Already, the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), the special purpose vehicle formed to handle the construction of about 10 thermal power stations in the south-south and south west during the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, the presidency has now been mandated to concentrate on renewable energy in the second phase of its operations due to commence any moment from now.

A top security source told Nigerian Tribune in Abuja at the weekend that government became alarmed recently when a think-tank set up to analyse security situation in parts of the country concluded that “rather than moving towards integration, certain sections of the country have been showing consistent tendency to hold other sections to ransom at the slightest provocation.”

Just within this year alone, there have been several sabotage incidents of strategic oil and gas pipelines while transmission lines have also been destroyed leading to acute fuel shortages and power outages.

“Much more attempts at sabotaging such critical assets have been foiled by

security and military personnel,” the source which craved anonymity told our correspondent.

At the same time, security agencies and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) are working on ways of ad-

equately protecting oil and gas pipelines by technological means against vandalism since it appears that physical patrolling by the military, civil defence and even private guards have failed.

“There are available cen-

“Some modern pipelines even release harmful substances that can either knock a vandal off for some hours or even kill him outright while attempting to attack the pipeline but government is being very careful so

that innocent farmers who are unaware that they are close to pipelines will not begin to lose their lives while cultivating their farms”, our correspondent was further informed.

Although the source at the NDPHC could not confirm the reason, it however, was emphatic that the second phase of the company’s activities will completely exclude thermal plants.

“Certain voices are insisting that the country has not fully benefitted from the billions committed to the construction of the 10 power plants at Alaoji, Ihovbor, Calabar, Egbema, Gbarain, Geregu II, Sapele II, Olorunsogo II, Omoku II and Omotosho.

Glo mops up 80% of new internet subscribers

From left; The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Unity Bank Plc, Mrs Tomi Somefun; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; and Head, Corporate Communications of the bank, Mr Matthew Obiazikwor, during the Green With Creativity Conference in Lagos on Saturday.

BoI seals N2bn deal with Sokoto govt for MSMEs devt Gbola Subair-Abuja

A whooping N2 billion matching fund deal has been entered into between the Bank of Industry and the Sokoto State government for on lending to the micro small, medium enterprises in the state.

The Acting Managing Director, BoI, Mr Waheed Olagunju, speaking during the MoU signing said the

state would be required to provide N1 billion which would be matched in like sum by the bank for on lending to entrepreneurs in the state.

The Sokoto State deal MoU is the 19th to be signed by BoI for the development of ZMSMEs in the country.

Olagunju noted that the bank came up with the finance model because the

Access Bank hosts 2016 innovation challenge IN line with its corporate strategy of developing innovative solutions that drive economic development, Access Bank Plc has hosted an innovation challenge where several ideas were pitched by participants with a view to finding solutions to problems in agriculture, transportation, security and power.

The Access Bank Innovation Challenge is a competition that invites teams of contestants to develop innovative solutions to Nigerian societal, infrastructural and environmental challenges, and provides them with educational guidance along the path to prototyping and possibly implementing their projects.

The 2016 Access Bank Innovation Challenge focused on the Internet of Things (IoT), which connects billions of smart devices to the Internet. Cit-

sor equipment that could be attached to pipelines at some reasonable intervals, which will trigger alarm so that surveillance helicopters are immediately deployed with operatives to thwart sabotage activities.

ies all over the world have developed data-driven IoT systems that have enhanced infrastructure and security, decreased traffic congestions and improved public transportation.

Participants had undergone training in the IoT for three days from Tuesday, April 26 to Thursday, April 28. Following these successful workshops on Arduino kits and 3-D printing state-of-the-art tools to help them build the sensors, devices and software for their solutions, Lagos Labs 2016 hardware hackathon commenced on Friday, April 29.

A total of 15 teams formed by the 76 attendees worked on solutions to problems in Agriculture, Transportation, Security, and Power.The most promising teams will receive equipment, funding and mentorship to further

develop and implement their ideas.

Access Bank’s N1million prize money was shared amongst the top 3 winners.

The 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize winners received the sum of N500,000, N300,000 and N200,000 respectively.

bank could not single handedly finance industries in the country without collaboration with the states who are the custodians of lands.

He challenged entrepreneurs in the state to come up with viable business plans, adding that once they are bankable, the bank would finance them.

Olagunju, explaining why the bank is partnering with states said, “We look at our mandate of transforming Nigeria’s industrial landscape and we realise that we cannot do it alone. Finance is just one of the factors of production. There are other things that needed to come into the fore before we can support entrepreneurs across the country.

“Entrepreneurs are located in the states. They must have a piece of land before they can do business. And

under the Land Use Act, land is vested in the governors. That makes partnership with the state governments an indisputable part of our business.”

Speaking earlier during the commissioning of the bank’s state office, Olagunju noted that bank had so far disbursed N1.6 billion to 25 industrialists in the state.

He further disclosed that as part of the strategies to deepen it credit delivery process in the state, the bank had commenced product programmes that were targeted towards funding projects in the 40 identified products.

In order to give effect to the strategy, Olagunju added that the state office of the bank had identified seven clusters in the state that would be accorded priority financial support.

Katsina’s economic summit kicks off today, targets $10bn investments Bola Badmus-Lagos

KATSINA State government will on Monday kick start the 3-day maiden edition of State Economic and Investment Summit, which is holding at the state capital.

The theme of the Summit, “Unlocking the Investment Potentials for Sustainable Development,” according to the state government, is aimed at attracting inves-

tors for sustainable development through improved trade, export and regulation as part of efforts to diversify the nation’s economy.

Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Mustapha Inuwa and Chairman of the Summit, Ibrahim Jikamashi, made this known while speaking with newsmen, saying the event, tagged, Katsina State Economic and Investment Summit, which would be attended by in-

vestors and participants across the globe, is aimed to attract over $10billion worth of investments by 2019.

According to him, President Muhammadu Buhari will declare open the Summit, which is to attract over 5,000 participants, while the Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari will be joined his governor colleagues from across the Federation on the 0ccasion.

NATIONAL telecommunication’s giant, Globacom, has strengthened its position as Nigeria’s preferred network for data services with an outstanding performance in the sector in the first quarter of 2016.

In an industry report covering the first three months of the year just published by industry regulator, Nigerian Communications Commission, Globacom gained 80 per cent of the total number of new customers who subscribed to internet services of the four major telecom operators in Nigeria.

A breakdown of the statistics showed that an additional 1,448,354 internet subscribers joined the Glo network during the period. The figure is made up of 354,178 for January, 248,593 for February and 845,583 for the month of March. Globacom’s total internet customers as at the end of the quarter stood at 26,530,420.

The company’s figure of 1,448,354 for the three months under review makes up 80 per cent of the total number of 1,820,651 new customers across the major telcos. Only 20% of the number opted for the other networks.

Globacom’s massive infrastructural improvement as well as its unique and affordable data offerings have combined to see the network break away from the pack in ramping up new internet customers.

Its dominance in the sector became unparalleled in the last quarter of 2015 during which the next generation network was the only operator that recorded an increase in its internet subscriber base.

It had an addition of 3.2 million new internet subscribers in the quarter.

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editorial

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Monday, 9 May, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

The Enugu invasion

N spite of Nigeria’s fair share of violence from terrorists in the last few years, which had tended to dampen the people’s sense of shock at the outrageous, Nigerians were riled to their marrows recently when a band of herdsmen invaded the agrarian village of Nimbo in Uzo-Uwani, Enugu State. At the end of the bloody exercise, scores of villagers were hacked to death and several of them rendered homeless in one of the most mindless attacks on defenceless people in recent times.

The attack on the villagers has attracted condemnations from diverse groups of Nigerians and even outside the shores of the country. Outrage has been the most constant reaction to this raid by a group of nomadic herdsmen whose menace and government’s helplessness at ridding the polity of them have become a legend in discourses on government’s major responsibility of securing its people. The government could not claim to be unaware of the impending herdsmen’s attack of Uzo-Uwani. In a previous editorial condemning the unconscionable announcement by the Directorate of State Services (DSS) that it had discovered some shallow graves of five Fulani herdsmen allegedly killed by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), we had deplored the statement as uncalled for, peremptory and capable of acting as a compass to a spiral of reprisal violence by the Fulani herdsmen. The announcement, we stated unequivocally, was unscientific, spurious, unorthodox and quite unlike what is done in mature democracies. It suggested a covert agenda that was difficult to decipher.

A proactive security service would have taken our alert as a wake-up call to make spirited efforts to ensure that the needless statement did not inflame the passion of an established blood-thirsty set of nomads. Now that the Enugu massacre came on the heels of the DSS’ mindless announcement, it is hoped that government would call a spade a spade and acknowledge that its security agency’s unfeeling announcement had a very huge likelihood of being the tinder that set the agrarian community of Uzo-Uwani on fire. If anyone understands the minds of extremists very well, it would be obvious that revenge and reprisal are two mundane tools they employ to get back at a society that detests their mindless terrorism.

A number of events surrounding the attack are still shrouded in mystery. For example, the governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who reportedly got wind of security information of the impending attack,

had made same available to the security apparatus in the state, especially the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division of the Nigerian Army and the state Commissioner of Police. What all of this indicates is that, covertly or overtly, the security establishment in Enugu State could not be wholly absolved of complicity in the carnage that was eventually visited on Uzo-Uwani. Good though it is that the state Commissioner of Police has reportedly been transferred out of the state, this is mere tokenism. Full recompense was expected to be visited on people whose laxity allegedly led to this huge carnage.

Granted that Governor Ugwuanyi alerted the security apparatchik early enough to the impending onslaught of the herdsmen, he ought to have gone ahead to make further attempts at ferreting the people from harm since he had enough time and manpower to do this. The governor however declared a three-day mourning period in honour of the departed villagers. His photograph with President Buhari, smiling from cheek to cheek at a time when his people literally wore sackcloth mourning the hapless villagers, justly received flak on the social media.

The Federal Government’s condemnation of the massacre, coming hours after the attack, at a time the people’s tears had started flaking, is seen as a measure too little too late by the people. The government had said inter alia in a release: “We now recognize this is a national problem”. So people had to die first before government could realize that this is a national problem?

When a government exhibits such helplessness in the face of a coordinated plunder of its people, it may be an open advertisement of inability to suppress the people’s oppressors. The danger therein is that, confronted by government’s inability to secure them, there is the high probability that the people would resort to self-help to curtail the incursion of the aggressors. This self-help would be crude and perhaps cruder than the onslaught of their assailants. The resultant effect would be very dangerous for the Nigerian society.

The Federal Government must set up a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the onslaught of herdsmen in Uzo-Uwani. Even though the deed has been done, the mindless plunderers and murderers of the people must not be allowed to walk free on the streets. They must be brought to book.

As a collective, the nation must seek every lawful opportunity to put the agents of carnage called Fulani herdsmen where they belong.

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14 LETTERS TO THE

Monday, 9 May, 2016

editor

Letters to the editor should be sent to letters@tribune.com.ng or by sms to 08053412982.

It MUST be accompanied by the full name and address of the writer.

Towards achieving press freedom in Nigeria

C

AN we ever achieve press freedom in Nigeria? I would say, on the surface, yes, we can, and soon, we will. The most authoritative organisation for rating the press of different countries in the world is the Freedom House. The recent Freedom House re-

port shows that the Nigerian press in 2015-16 made progress towards greater freedom, and was, therefore, more free than the Nigerian press in 2014-2015.

This came as a surprise to many because during the 2015 election campaigns, some had claimed that Muhammadu Buhari, if he

won, would indirectly reintroduce his infamous anti-press decrees. Well, he won and Freedom House says the Nigerian press has only become freer.

The same organisation says Ghana has achieved press freedom, and Nigeria is close to achieving it. So, in the standards of

Freedom House and similar organisations, we can achieve press freedom in Nigeria.

However, I said, “on the surface.” In real practical terms, there is no absolute press freedom anywhere in the world, and actually, press freedom is an elusive thing.

2016 budget: Season of transparency I really want to commend President Muhammadu Buhari for the manner in which he handled the issue of the 2016 budget with the National Assembly. Before now, I didn’t know that our previous budgets were being padded, thereby making some people reap from where they did not sow.

Through President Buhari, Nigerians were able to see how corrupt civil servants added ridiculous amounts into the budget, which were then siphoned.

There are a lot of things wrong with this country; corruption has eaten deep into our national fabric and since the assumption of President Buhari as the leader of this country, a lot of corrupt acts have been

exposed.

The popular saying that ‘Rome was not built in a day’ aptly describes what we are passing through in the country at the moment as regard the war against corruption. It will take some time for us to win the war on corruption.

Corruption is like cancerous cells which need years of radiotherapy to eradicate.

Therefore, if we truly want to win the war on corruption, we need national reorientation. We must start it from our educational system, so that future Nigerians can know that corruption will only continue to set our country backward.

It is also high time for

Electricity: Like Venezuela, like Nigeria VENEZUELA is a developing country like Nigeria, and recently, much of the country has been in darkness because of the drop in power generation.

The South American country heavily relies on dams to generate its power, but the shortage of rain has brought pains to the people.

It has even resulted in the government declaring a two-day work week so as to ration power.

Now, the problem with Venezuela is that it relies only on dams, and this is the same problem we are facing in Nigeria.

In Germany for example, the country generates its power through wind farms, solar, dams, nuclear, among others.

Europe’s most advanced country does not rely only

on one source of energy for its power needs.

The problem with Venezuela will be an eye-opener, and I hope Nigeria can also learn from the situation.

Having one source of power is like putting one’s eggs in a basket, which is very risky.

The Nigerian government can even look at the possibility of generating power through the wastes of livestock.

If we really want to become Africa’s most advanced country, then we need to get our power sector right. I, however, believe Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, is up to the task.

•Yakub Aishat, ABU, Zaria.

our judiciary to be highly effective, so that corruption cases can be dispensed on time.

Those who involve themselves in corruption cases against the state should be speedily tried and sentences passed on them.

Spending several years on corruption cases only weakens the facts in such cases.

Once again, I want to

commend the President for taking his time on the budget, and this resulted in the discovery of the padded section.

Nigerians now know that President Buhari is serious about the war against corruption, and the earlier criminally-minded people realised this, the better.

•Festus Adjei, Benin, Edo State.

My research on the Nigerian press elbowroom ten years after transition to democracy shows that although press workers were no longer victims of sporadic attacks, arrest and incarceration — at least, not half as much as they were during the military era — they still consider themselves as not free.

Their elbowroom is shackled by newer forms of “unfreedom.” These include complicated ownership interests, the convergence of political, economic and cultural (press to be specific) controls in the hands of a few “politician-businesspeople.”

Therefore, physical harassment has reduced but other forms of chains still exist. As a result, there are many newsworthy events that a journalist cannot report because doing that might

offend the business or political interests of the proprietor, or those of his/her political affiliates or business partners. And, if a journalist cannot say it as it is, then he or she is not free. I quickly must add that this is a global problem — it exists strongly in the US and other parts of the world. You’d rather resign from Fox news than compliment the Democrats, and how often does anyone hear anti-Obama comments on MSNBC? Therefore, we can achieve press freedom in Nigeria, the kind of press freedom that exists in the US and other parts of the world.

•Dr Ayo Ojebode, Dept of Communication and Language Art (CLA), University of Ibadan.

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opinion

Monday, 9 May, 2016

Lasisi Olagunju

N

Lasgunju@yahoo.com (08111813053)

IGERIAN politicians never leave the scene.

They may be old, very old, even dying, but the burning zeal to serve us never leaves them.

Even when the whole world knows they are as stale as yesterday’s pounded yam, they would rather class themselves as vintage wine – the older, the better.

They are like the creature called salamander. It holds on to whatever tree it clings to, even in death. It seeks, too, to defy nature, regenerating its dead organs.

The Ibrahim Babangida government in the 80s banned old politicians from its political experiment and attempted to supplant them with a new breed of leaders. Babangida said then that he wanted a saner political environment free from the violence and failures of the past. A brand new generation of political faces soon sprouted in the nursery bed of the Babangida political experiment.

As IBB moved forward in that experience, he routinely banned and unbanned even many of the new breed as they proved to be worthy copycats of the old order. The new breed soon became the new greed, greedier than the greedy. Today, the new breed of the 80s have become grandparents on today’s political turf, doing it the old, ugly way. Staying put forever.

Some weeks ago, I wrote about the PDP as a supine cadaver fit only for research on how to kill a big political party. The APC as it operates today – in form and character – promises to be no different. Today, from the north to the south, there is a scramble for positions in the PDP by a coterie of old men whose goals and motives are never clear. The South-West chapter of the party has the worst reputation in parading men who will never know when to quit. That chapter held two parallel meetings last week. A colleague at one of the meetings said he looked at the high table and felt sorry for the party and the Yoruba. What he saw were aged men who were helped to their seats but still would sit tight and insist that they were not tired.

These are men who are old and aged. You know that while age is in the number of years, ageing may not necessar-

Great-grandpas as politicians of the future

ily be so. Some are aged because they’ve been around for decades. Some get aged at noon, spent and ineffectual in everything. Now, you have a combination of these banding together and branding themselves as leading lights to a future which nature won’t allow them to be part of.

And there appears to be no difference across the viable parties. If what we operate were a monarchy, we all would surrender to the finality and consequences of our choice. After all, Japan has an Akihito, 82 years, who took over from his father, Hihorito, in 1989 as emperor.

And there is Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, 86 years old, fifth emir of Kuwait who had previously been foreign minister for 40 years. And, of course, there is Elizabeth II, 90-year-old Queen of England since 1952.

But Nigeria is a democracy, and democracy works best for the people only when the best are allowed to rule the rest. And, it is not as if today’s sit-tight old men had spent their long years in public space promoting the greatest good for the majority. They have always seen Nigeria as their company, even at their old age. You cannot insist you are the best of us with a tired engine and a creaking chassis. Even if you have been very good to the people, you still cannot be the best forever, no matter the sweetness of your goodness. Nothing, in truth, is evergreen and

that is why nature applies brakes here and there, replacing trunks with shoots.

Some will blame the young’s “unseriousness” for the tenacious resolve of Nigeria’s aged to continue to rule parties and governments. They will point at the tepid fire in the youth of today and the deficit of ideas in some who have strayed into power in recent years. I would rather insist that the forest consists of crooked and upright trees.

The chaff and the grain won’t cohere for long; water will always find its level. The disappointment in some conspicuous young ones should not be seized as an excuse by the old to ventilate their lust in perpetuity in a space that is supposed to serve everyone.

A festival that alienates the young will soon be spoken of in the past tense, even lost, forgotten forever. Any system that fast-forwards to the past cannot serve the future.

Anywhere there is no regeneration, decay and death set in. A four-minute video clip went viral at the height of the fuel scarcity experience of April 2016. A young man sitting on a bus in a chaotic filling station, thoroughly frustrated, angry and hopeless, passionately wanted the world to come to an end. It was his only solution to the tragedy of a confounding nation.

“I want the world to end now. I want all of us (old and young, government and the governed) to die, not one by one, but same time, suddenly....That is what will end this suffering...,” he told his interviewer without smiling.

The young man’s apocalyptic solution to the suffocating influence of a blundering generation of old men who won’t let go of a dying Nigeria should not be funny at all.

He has simply lost faith in the system, lost faith in the operators of the system and lost faith in life. Persons of his generation who silently think same as solution are many. It is what you get when a nation suffers an army of ruinous old men, assisted by misdirected young men and women, misgoverning and sitting tight at all levels.

They kill hope and set off such suicidal possibilities in the hopeless.

Oba Erediauwa: A connection to cherish for a lifetime

By Osagie Ize-Iyamu THE life and times of our departed highly revered monarch, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Erediauwa, has a special meaning for me. This is particularly so because the relationship I was privileged to share with him had the mark of sonship. It was also a reflection of the bond between the royal family and the Ize-Iyamu family spanning several decades. I feel blessed recalling the intermingling footprints and the benevolence of the Oba. I recall with a deep sense of honour and privilege the academic union shared between the venerated Oba Erediauwa, my humble self and my dear father. I am always elated when I reflect on the fact that I share the honour of having attended the same college that had the history of having been a ground of tutelage to Oba Erediauwa.

Records have it that the Oba, as young Crown Prince Akenzua, was a student of Edo College, Benin City, between 1938 and 1939. I had the privilege of attending the same school between 1973 and 1979.

When the Oba proceeded to Government College, Ibadan, where he schooled between 1940 and 1945, there he met my father and a life-long friendship was formed.

This gave me the privilege to see at close quarters the beloved Crown Prince who was a regular visitor to Egedege N’Okaro, my history-making family house in Benin City.

It is with a rare sense of pride I recall that my father was not just a school-mate and friend of Oba Erediauwa, he was a close and dependable ally in the Movement for the Creation of Edo State. While the Oba chaired the Movement for the Creation of Edo State, my father it was who donated his house at 32, Erie Street, Benin City, as the secretariat of the movement.

The closeness my father, of fond memory, had with the

Benin royal family, however, transcends the relationship with Oba Erediauwa. As Secretary to the Benin Divisional Council, my father worked closely with Oba Akenzua II, who in appreciation of his selfless service to Benin Kingdom conferred on him the title Obayagbona of Benin Kingdom and later elevated him to the enviable position of Esogban, a position he held till the time of their respective translation. Fate conferred on my father the honour of announcing to the Edos and the entire world the transition of Oba Akenzua N’Isonorho in 1978 with the ominous breaking of the White Chalk in the absence of an Iyase in Benin Kingdom.

It is with pleasant contemplation I reflect on the relationship between the royal family and my maternal grandfather, the illustrious Pa Obasohan of Akpakpavafame whose family originated from Erhua, Igieduma Ward in Uhunmwode Local Government Area. Pa Obasohan’s mother and Oba Erediauwa’s mother, as fondly remembered, were first cousins.

Destiny put me in the spotlight to relate with Oba Erediauwa in person when between 1999 and 2007, I had the good fortune to serve Edo State as Chief of Staff to

the Governor and Secretary to the State Government, respectively. Like my father, I had the honour and privilege to work closely with the Oba. I was a regular visitor to the palace.

I am gratified that every encounter I had with the Oba was an enriching experience. He was a father and a mentor rolled into one. He was witty, pleasant and full of wisdom. The Oba appreciated life and people beyond the boundaries of traditional engagement and culture. He demonstrated this on several occasions. Many times I met him, he asked after my General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, whom he told me he admired, especially the way he preached and thus devoted time to listen to him.

The Oba was full of pleasant surprises of which I was a beneficiary. He surprised me by sending me gifts. One memorable occasion was when he sent Chief Obamwonyi (Esere of Benin) to give me a large cash gift – a gesture which completely left me baffled at his level of generousity and kindness. I remember asking why the money was sent to me. The simple but deep answer was that the Oba was pleased with me. I will forever cherish the memory of that day.

On the 27th day of January, 2007, the Great Oba conferred on me and some other Benin achievers certificates of honour personally signed by him. The certificate, which hangs conspicuously in my office, remains one of my most prized possessions.

I pray that the Almighty God, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords grant our beloved Oba an eternal rest.

To the Crown Prince, the Pleasant Sun ascending; our hope and the future of our people, we pledge our unalloyed love and loyalty.

•Ize-Iyamu, a pastor and politician, sent this article from Benin City, Edo State.

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politicscommentary

Monday, 9 May, 2015

London 2016: A recognition of Buhari’s focus

By Garba Shehu

P

RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari arrives in London on Tuesday (May 10) to join 50 other world leaders at a landmark international anti-corruption summit called by Prime Minister David Cameron.

The “Anti-Corruption Summit London 2016” will bring together world leaders, business and civil society to agree a package of practical steps to: expose corruption so there is nowhere to hide; punish the perpetrators and support those affected by corruption; drive out the culture of corruption wherever it exists; and put in place infrastructure and tools that can be used by international organisations, countries and national institutions to fight corruption.

In a remarkable recognition of his ongoing war against corruption in his own country, President Buhari will speak twice at this event, first as a keynote speaker at a pre-conference meeting called by the new Commonwealth Secretary-General, Baroness Patricia Scotland and the second for eight minutes allocated to each President or head of government at the main summit, giving the clearest indication that the President’s focus has become a template for the rest of the world.

Recognition apart, the President is not making pretensions about his success and achievements. Knowing the humility with which he goes about his things, he is not marching to London with a Macho image of a fighter who in a true sense of the word pushed back the Boko Haram terrorism and its threat to the nation and confronting equally, embedded corruption like no other regime. Of course these are milestones visible to the naked eye of the international community which have earned the goodwill of the people at home and abroad.

When he goes to London, President Buhari intends to share experiences with other leaders. He is of the strong conviction that increasing globalization has has made it difficult, if not impossible for stand-alone nations to combat corruption; that without global synergies against corruption, nations will fail in their efforts towards economic growth, maintaining security, reducing poverty and protecting the environment for their children. He will, in the light of this seek support for anti-corruption capacity for our national institutions and the citizenship.

As his own contribution, the President has substantially aligned himself with major initiatives enunciated by the convener, Prime Minister David Cameron that seek to increase transparency and governance in several key areas. He has formulated a Nigerian position on how to end impunity for corruption and ensuring that those involved in grand corruption are brought to justice through the active enforcement of laws and restrictions.

President Buhari will also join the world leaders in designing a global architecture and tools that can be used to by international organisations, countries and national institutions to fight corruption. In an outline by the this county’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami SAN, specific areas of interest to Nigeria which the President will put on the tables include the development of beneficial ownership information related to corporate ownership, procurement, and public contract. By this, Nigeria will seek the lifting of the veil on corporate ownerships in order to disclose the true

Buhari

owners of a corporate vehicle in contact bids and procurement processes. Beyond this, the corporate ownership profile may be shared with other countries or interested stakeholders.

Already, there is a broad view among the participants that public contracting is a source of public corruption and must be tackled as such. Our officials recommend that contracts within a certain threshold should be published and those behind the companies bidding for the contract should be listed for public scrutiny both at national and state levels.

To achieve this, Nigeria plans the enactment of a regulation that will authorize the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to obtain information on beneficial ownership of foreign companies that can be held in a different database to be managed by the CAC in Nigeria.

Nigeria will be demanding the strengthening of the supervisory responsibilities of financial and

The President is expected to give assurances that a lot of work will be done on a set of laws that will improve enforcement of anti-corruption laws.

non-financial services regulators and provision of specific training on compliance requirements for these sectors and will seek the establishment of an inter-agency collaboration as a key element in improving the implementation of Financial Action Task Force, FATF standards (such as the money laundering laws, anti-corruption laws, and Financial Intelligence Center Bill).

As part of measures to enhance fiscal transparency which is required in enhancing economic growth, improved GDP and poverty reduction, officers working in budget offices as well as those responsible for approving public spending may henceforth be properly scrutinized, monitored and required to declare assets on a regular basis.

The Nigerian government has in fact set for itself the objective of signing the ‘Open government partnership and open contracting partnership.’

A major issue of interest to this government and a few others is on greater transparency in the extractive industry (oil, gas and solid mineral sectors). The U.K. Government and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD have identified 20 per cent of international corruption and bribery as coming for this sector.

Nigeria will argue for greater fiscal transparency and and the enforcement of anti-corruption laws to deal with the problem.

The President is expected to give assurances that a lot of work will be done on a set of laws that will improve enforcement of anti-corruption laws.

Nigeria has already begun reviewing its anti-corruption laws enacted since 2000 to bring it in compliance with

international developments. In addition, the country which has ratified the United Nations Convention Against Corruption UNCAC is currently reviewing the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention for possible ratification. The OECD convention is considered among the stringiest of measures against corruption in corporate governance.

The government has also forwarded the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill, 2016 to the National Assembly in Nigeria for enactment into law. When it is passed, it will enhance mutual assistance and international cooperation between Nigeria and other countries. The President will also announce that a new Nigeria Financial Intelligence Centre Bill has been drafted for this purpose and would soon be forwarded to the National Assembly. The Nigerian government will also indicate support for the UK proposal on the development of the International Anti-Corruption Coordination Center.

This is to be based in London and will serve as a global forum. As part of this country’s contributions to the evolution of the global anti-corruption infrastructure, Nigeria will seek support for the hosting of an “International Summit on Assets Recovery “ in 2017 in Abuja and for the establishment and hosting of a “Forum on Assets Recovery in Africa” to be based in Abuja. The country will also seek the support of the UK government for the establishment of an anti-corruption coordination framework at the national level.

Nigeria will be fully embracing UK proposals for the summit on the restriction of the ability of those who have looted public funds from traveling and investing the proceeds of their corruption in developed countries. To this end, the Nigerian government will develop its list of those who have been convicted as well as those already prosecuted in Nigerian courts for grand corruption for the purpose of sharing them with countries that are interested in offering bilateral or multilateral cooperation to Nigeria in the recovery of looted funds.

The Nigerian government is also signalling an early support for the UK proposals on assets recovery which prescribes measures substantially in tandem with a new Proceeds of Crime Bill being drafted and would soon been forwarded by President Buhari to the National Assembly for passage into law. In addition to the political spotlighting of corruption, the coming together of world leaders is a sign of hope that countries like Nigeria with systems that are lax and compromised can gain from the experience of others in improving their regulatory mechanisms as quickly as possible.

This trip is important for both Nigeria and the international community which reposes a lot of hope on Buhari who is faced with the daunting task of reversing the socioeconomic and political mess in which the previous administration left the country. In addition to the anti-corruption summit, the visit will also focus on trade and investment between Nigeria and the U.K. President Buhari will welcome British investment in Nigeria. It is hoped that the bilateral discussions between the Prime Minister and our President will focus on issues of common interest and do everything to possible to take the relationship between the two countries to newer heights.

Shehu is Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media and Publicity).

17

Monday, 9 May, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

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

analysis

entrepreneuership

markets

leadership & management

As EFCC goes after bank chiefs...

At the last count, three bank chief executive officers have been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). SULAIMON OLANREWAJU looks at the effects of the development on the industry and the economy.

F

IRST, it was Fidelity Bank whose Managing Director, Nnamdi Okonkwo, was arrested and detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) penultimate week on the allegation that about $15million was routed through the bank in 2015 to officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to tilt the scale in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party during the last general elections. Then, last Wednesday, EFCC officials were at the Lagos head office of Sterling Bank and for over two hours they perused its books and asked questions about its operations. At the end of the visit, they left with the bank’s helmsman, Yemi Adeola.

As the week was wounding down on Friday, EFCC officials swooped on Access Bank, rummaged through its financial records and scrutinized its records after which they arrested its Managing Director, Herbert Wigwe.

While Okonkwo was released late Thursday after about nine days in EFCC custody, both Adeola and Wigwe were still being held as of the time of filing this report. Although EFCC has yet to officially come out with reasons behind its arrest of the two bank CEOs, it was gathered that the arrest has to do with the deposit of slush funds in the banks by agents of some key figures in the immediate past administration which the EFCC alleges were not reported by the banks in contravention of extant laws.

According to the Money Laundering Prohibition Act (2011), a bank is under obligation to report to EFCC within seven and 30 days any single transaction, lodgment or transfer of funds in excess of N5million or its equivalent for individuals and N10million or its equivalent for corporate bodies. A bank is also mandated to report any suspicious financial transaction. Section 6 (1) of the Act explains suspicious transactions to include those with “unjustifiable or unreasonable frequency, those surrounded by conditions of unusual or unjustified complexity, transactions that appear to have no economic justification or lawful objective or in the opinion of the bank involve terrorists financing or is inconsistent with the known pattern of the account.”

Section 6 (2) states that where such suspicion exists, the bank shall within seven days after the transaction draw up a written report containing all relevant information, with the identity of the principal and the beneficiaries where applicable, take appropriate steps to prevent the laundering of proceeds of a crime or an illegal act and send a copy of the report to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the EFCC whether the transaction was completed or not.

Section 6 (4) adds that on its part, the EFCC must

Herbert Wigwe, GMD, Access Bank

Nnamdi Okonkwo, MD, Fidelity Bank acknowledge the receipt of such disclosure and may demand additional information if necessary. Such acknowledgement must be sent to the bank and this may be accompanied by a notice deferring the transaction for a period not exceeding 72 hours. The Act also empowers both the chairman of EFCC and the CBN Governor to place a Stop Order not exceeding 72 hours

“on any account or transaction if it is discovered in the course of their duties that such account or transaction is suspected to be involved in any crime.”

The Act also makes it clear that it is an offence for a bank to fail to report to EFCC any reasonable suspicion within seven days as stated in section 6 (1) and (2) and is liable upon conviction to a fine of N1million for each day during which the offence continues.

According to the Act, where funds are blocked under a Federal High Court order and there is evidence of conspiracy between the bank and the owners of the funds, the bank involved shall not be relieved of liability under the Act and criminal proceedings for all offences arising therefrom may be brought against the directors and employees involved in the conspiracy.

From the foregoing it is clear that EFCC is empowered to call a bank and its officials to question if the bank fails to declare suspicious transactions within seven days. But according to the management of Fidelity, it made a clean breast of the deposit in question. Up till this moment, the EFCC has not denied that the bank disclosed the transaction. Therefore, the question is, if indeed Fidelity Bank disclosed the circumstances surrounding the deposit to the regulators why is the EFCC making it look as if the bank ran afoul of the law governing its operations? Why should the EFCC make so much show about the arrest of the bank’s chief executive? Again, if the regulators that ought to have swung into action as soon as Fidelity Bank made known to them details of the transaction failed to do so why should the bank be made to pay for their negligence?

Instead of trying to score cheap points with the arrest of the bank chiefs, in line with the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, what EFCC should have done, especially with respect to Fidelity Bank, is to confirm whether the bank reported the deposit.

If it did, the grandstanding by the EFCC would be highly uncalled for.

But if it didn’t, Yemi Adeola, MD, Sterling Bank what the EFCC should have done was to charge the leadership to court after concluding its investigation. The banking institution is too critical to the sustenance of the economy for any government agency to seek popularity by dragging its name in the mud. The fact is that a bank does not go down alone; when a bank dies many other businesses are interred with it. It is therefore not in the interest of the country that a bank is allowed to die because of the overzealousness of a government agency.

Speaking on this issue, Professor John Adeoti of the Nigeria Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER), Ibadan, observed that the sanitizing exercise of the EFCC was in order.

Adeoti, a Professor of Economic Development, opined that getting the financial institutions to do the right thing was critical to the economy doing well.

Continues on pg18

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Monday, 9 May, 2016

CPD: Over N20.9bn refunded to bank customers in 4yrs — CBN THERE are strong indications that more than N20.9 billion had been refunded banks to their customers through the intervention of the Consumer Protection Department (CPD) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in about 4years.

Available records as contained in the Financial Consumer Protection document

of over N6.2 billion which the CBN ealier last year disclosed that Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) in Nigeria have been compelled to refund affected customers on illegal charges in 2015 alone.

The CBN said this was on the heels of complaints by Bank customers on alleged dispense error, excessive and

seen by Nigerian Tribune, showed that from April 2012 when the CPD was established till June 2014, the department received 3,973 complaints from customers of banks and Other Financial Institutions (OFIs) and helped customers get a total of N14.7 billion as at June 2014.

This is added to the sum

in some cases illegal charges from their respective Banks.

It clarifies in the document that refunds to customers are credited back into their accounts by the banks or OFIs as the case may be . No part of these funds is kept in any special account the bank stated; adding that it does not charge any fees to access its redress mechanism.

with Chima Nwokoji m:08032637535 e:chimatitus@yahoo.com

Nigeria’s bond yields increase, as DMO plans N105bn action

I

N line with dealers’ expectation, the Federal Government bond prices depreciated while yields increased, for most maturities as investors sold their holdings amid strain in financial system liquidity.

This is even as the Debt Management Office (DMO) said it will be auctioning a total of N105billion worth of bonds in the primary market this week.

It announced that N15.

0billion, N40.0billion and N50.0billion of the FEB 2020, JAN 2026 and MAR 2036 bonds in the primary market would be sold on Wednesday 11th of May 2016.

“We expect the bonds for auction to clear at marginal rates of 12.8per cent, 13.2per cent and 13.6per cent for the FEB 2020, JAN 2026 and MAR 2036 bonds respectively. The upcoming auction in our view, coupled with a possible hike in Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) at the

next Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting (going by forward guidance of the CBN Governor), will likely define the dynamics of yields in the bonds market in the coming week,” dealers at Cowry Assets

Management Limited stated.

In the week ahead another dealer said, barring any unexpected mop-ups, “we expect money market rates to move in tandem with market liquidity dynamics as dictated by the

FX provisioning by Deposit money Banks (DMBs) and refunds by the CBN, as well as OMO maturities and auction (about N32.0bn expected to hit the system next week Thursday).”

From left: Executive Director, Shared Services & Products, Fidelity Bank Plc., Chijioke Ugochukwu; Ag. Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Fidelity Bank Plc, Alhaji Mohammed Balarabe; Chairman, Board of Directors, Fidelity Bank Plc, Chief (Dr) Christopher Ezeh and Company Secretary, Ezinwa Unuigboje at the Bank’s 28th Annual General Meeting in Lagos.

Nigerian Tribune

Money Market Review

THE financial system liquidity opened the week at about N300.1billion on Tuesday (being the first trading day of the week due to Monday’s public holiday). Open Buy Back (OBB) remained at penultimate week’s closing levels of 3.1per cent while Over Night (ON) rates declined 0.2per cent to 3.5per cent by the end of Tuesday’s trading session.

However, OBB and ON rates rose 0.2per cent and 0.3per cent to 3.3per cent and 3.8per cent on Wednesday consequent on Deposit Money Bank’s foreign exchange (FX) provisioning, rising to 3.6per cent and 4.2per cent at the end of Thursday’s trading session. As expected, there was a Treasury Bills (T-bills) maturity of about N150.6billion on Thursday but the impact of this on liquidity was offset by a rollover of the same net amount.

Dealers from Afrinvest West Africa Limited said OBB and ON settled at 3.6per cent and 4.1per cent on Friday, up 0.5per cent and 0.4per cent week on week ( W-o-W).

In the T-bills market, average rate started the week 0.1per cent higher than previous week’s average closing rate of 8.2per cent. “There was a T-bills auction on Wednesday where N45.2billion, N23.4billion and N82.

0billion worth of the 91-days, 182-days and 364-days T-bills were issued at stop rates of 8.0per cent, 9.0per cent and 11.1per cent.

Consequently, average T-bills rate rose to 8.4per cent by the end of Wednesday’s trading session. However, average T-bills rate declined 0.1per cent to 8.3per cent

by Thursday, eventually settling at 8.1per cent, down 0.1per cent W-o-W. Foreign Exchange Review Similar to penultimate week, the exchange rates at all the segments of the foreign exchange market remained stable with no sharp rate movement observed.

The official Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) rate remained at N197.00/US$1.00. The naira appreciated to N320.00/US$1.00 on Thursday at the Bureau-deChange after trading at N321.00/US$1.00 on Tuesday and Wednesday. The exchange rate at the parallel market was also fairly stable throughout the week as the Naira exchanged at N323.00/US$1.00 on all trading days save for Wednesday when it appreciated to N322.00/US$1.00.

According to Afrinvest,whilst the foreign exchange market has remained stable for a number of weeks now, the demands for dollars stays largely unmet by the Apex bank.

However, gross external reserves continue to trend southwards, down 4.6per cent Month on Month (M-o-M) to US$26.52billion on Wednesday, 4th May 2016 from $27.79billion on 4th April 2016.

The dealers maintained their position that the CBN has to come out with a clearly stated framework that outlines the medium to long term direction for FX management to resolve the prolonged currency market challenges in order to boost investors’ confidence, close the huge spread between official/interbank and BDC/ parallel market rates and check creeping inflation in the country.

Bond Market Review Activity in the bonds market was largely bearish last week as average yield across benchmark bonds rose on all trading days of the week amidst sell-offs by investors.

Average yields across benchmark bonds rose 0.2per cent on Tuesday to close the first trading day of the week at 12.9per cent (12.7% last Friday).

EFCC and bank helmsmen Continued from pg17

His words, “EFCC was asleep for a long time but about one year ago, it woke up from its slumber. Now that it is awake, it is doing the right thing. Anybody who has questions to answer should be questioned.

If we do not check some of these people, they will keep on sabotaging the economy.

The signal the government is sending with this development is that we cannot continue with business as usual.”

Adeoti said regulators of the banking industry were not doing enough to put the industry on its toes to enable it make considerable contribution to the growth of the economy. He added that with the EFCC forcing compliance, the banks would be in a better stead to champion economic growth.

Dr Austin Nweze of the Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos, said if sharp practices were carried out in the banking industry it was

because the regulatory agencies were not doing enough to monitor the banks.

His words, “Regulation is not just about rolling out do’s and don’ts; it is about ensuring compliance with rules guarding an exercise. It is what is monitored that gets done, not what is said.”

He, however, frowned at the situation in which bank chief executives are arrested like common criminals.

“Nothing good can come out of harassing bank MDs,” he said. “When you harass banks, you rob them of their risk-taking initiative. That is not healthy for the economy.”

He added, “If banks are attacked, they will not give out loans. When they don’t give out loans, the economy will shrink. When the economy shrinks, employment rate will fall further and that is a recipe for becoming a failed state.”

Nweze said he was not against punishing

any erring bank chief but making a show of that would have a negative impact on the nation as a whole.

According to the don, foreign investors could be discouraged from investing in the country if bank chiefs were tarred with the brush of rogues.

“Investment is about trust. Foreign investors would shun the country if they could not trust the nation’s banks. Making a show of bank chiefs as though they were common thieves is not good for the economy and it is not good for the polity,” Nweze said.

He added that the government needed to be careful about how the issue concerning banks was handled because if bank executives were made to look like thieves, the public would lose its confidence in such banks, adding that this might result in a run on the bank.

While Adeoti agreed that EFCC should desist from media trial of bank chiefs because

it could make foreign investors to have a second thought about investing in the country, he said EFCC’s attempt to sanitise the industry could not lead to a run on banks.

“I am not one of those who believe that our banks are weak. The truth is that the banks have a strong footing and that is due to the consolidation effort of the past,” Adeoti said.

“However, EFCC should stop making noise about the arrest. We can make noise about arresting politicians but not about corporate executives because it can discourage foreign investors. The effort of the President to attract investors from China and other places could be thwarted by how EFCC goes about this issue. To operate in a country, a foreign investor will need to work with the banking industry in that country. If for any reason the seed of doubt about the country’s banks is sowed in the mind of such investors, convincing them to put their money in such country could be a Herculean task.”

Monday, 9 May, 2016

By Sulaimon Olanrewaju

O

NE of the most profound statements of Peter Drucker, father of business consulting, is that a business exists to create customers. The import of this is that creating customers is the primary business of any business. Every other thing a business does is secondary to creating customers.

It also means that a business that fails to create customers has failed PAGE in 20 every respect. Creating customers for businesses

Onyeka Akumah, Founder TravelBeta

is not something that is done occasionally or an exercise that is remembered when cash flow is low; a business must engage in creating customers on an ongoing and never-ending basis. Creating customers is too important to be left only to marketers; it should be a business-wide commitment that involves everybody from the chief executive to the janitor. No business can fully realize its potential until it takes creating customers seriously.

Continues on pg20

INSIDE

How companies create customers PAGE 20

Leaders’

forum PAGE 21

The 60-second

business coach PAGE 20

20

21

Tuesday, 9 May, 2016

Continues from pg19

Creating customers is vital to businesses because a business is sustained by customers’ patronage. The profitability of an enterprise is hinged on the number of customers it can boast of. Its sustainability is also a function of how many customers it has. Therefore, a business which does not consistently create customers will soon become history. It is for this reason that forward-looking companies never play down the importance of creating customers.

However, it is instructive that Drucker used the word ‘create’ and not grow.

That was not accidental, it was deliberate. Creating involves ingenuity. Only a thing that does not exist can be created.

This means businesses are not expected to hijack or ‘steal’ others’ customers; rather they should create or generate their own. Any business that wants to last the distance must deploy creativity in swelling its customer base. A business does not grow its customer base just because it is involved in a commercial or manufacturing activity; it grows its customer base when it brings creativity into its dealing with the market. Creativity expands the market. Creativity increases option of the customers. Creativity swells revenue. Creativity stands out organizations. It is when businesses are not creative that the space becomes stifling.

Avoiding stifling competition One way businesses create customers is by coming up with new products. Because customers like experimenting, a thrilling and satisfying new product will not only wow them, it will also win them over. It is only when businesses fail to introduce new products that competition becomes so fierce and players in an industry lose their market share especially when new entrants join the fray.

This is one of the major challenges faced by the Nigerian business community. There are many sectors where players offer indistinguishable products and services. The failure of operators to create new value puts a lid on the expansion of the market and precipitates a glut. Their failure to bring new products always foists stagnation on their industry because demand remains unchanged despite an increase in the number of service providers or product manufacturers. As new players who are not creating

new values get into the industry, the space for each of the operators begins to shrink. Consequently, profit is threatened, new opportunities are few and far between and real value is denied the people and the economy. The likelihood of this engendering underhand dealings is high as operators fight tooth and nail to regain lost customers or stave off the competition so as to stay afloat.

Table water and intravenous fluid About 60 per cent of the intravenous fluids used in the country is imported.

The import of this is that there is a huge gap that Nigerian companies can fill in that segment of the market. But instead of choosing this area, multinationals are struggling with startups in the already saturated table water market. The technology for producing intravenous fluid is similar to that of table water production and the market is ready. In addition to that, the country would be able to save a lot of resources and generate thousands of employment opportunities if the multinationals would opt for this instead of treading the beaten path of table water production.

Even if the multinationals want to continue with table water production, they need to bring some creativity into it to generate new customers. In other climes, there are all sorts of table water; distilled, de-ionized, sparkling and mineral. In hotels and functions, people are requested to choose the kind of water they prefer. Given that the multinationals cater for the elite class, would they not have done better if they had veered into the production of other categories of table water such as distilled and sparkling instead of repeating what others had done? If they had opted for this, they would have been offering premium service and, as always, premium service attracts premium recompense.

What new entrants should do A new entrant, rather than struggling for space in an already crowded industry by trying to snatch customers of existing players in the sector, should endeavour to create new market for itself by bringing to the table hitherto unknown products and services. That is what Konga did when it introduced online stores in the country. Its plan was to sell but it chose to sell through unconventional

BOOK

Hindrances to creating new customers

are doing. If UACN and Nestle are into table water production, why shouldn’t Nigerian Bottling Company and Seven Up? If Bank A offers a service why shouldn’t Bank Z? Right? Not exactly because sometimes businesses succeed not because they do what others do but despite refusing to toe the line others have taken.

Very often, the success of an organization is tied to its difference from others, not its similarity with them. For companies that will grow, dumping competition for distinction is sine qua non.

To achieve this, they often have to shun what others are doing and find their own path. To avoid being lost in the crowd, a company has to act differently from the herd. A company that makes it a practice to occasionally turn away from the crowd will be open to a new horizon blurred to others.

Stephen Ozoigbo, CEO, African Technology Foundation

Akin Naphtal, CEO/Publisher, Instinct Business

Dr Adesola Adeduntan, MD, FirstBank

means; it opted to sell without operating physical shops or malls. That is what Globacom did with its per second billing and Glo Xchange. Glo would have been a laggard, and not a leader it is today in telecoms, if it had just toed the line of those it met in the industry. Instead of the founders of Twitter coming up with their own version of Facebook, they introduced an entirely new product. With that, they avoided being involved in cut-throat competition and created their own ‘world.’ So, a new entrant into an industry, or even a veteran, will do well to create its own ‘world’ to avoid being asphyxiated by stifling competition.

Failure to challenge status quo One of the major hindrances to breaking new ground is the failure to challenge status quo. Most Nigerian companies are averse to adventure; they have phobia for trying new things. Hence, they choose to do what others have tried and succeeded at. Creating new markets requires trying new things. In Nigeria of the 1980s and 1990s, the belief was that the telephone was a luxury item meant only for the rich. But that paradigm was shattered when the poor were tried with telephone. Who could have thought that so many Nigerians would be hooked on telephone two decades ago? When the status quo is challenged, new frontiers are discovered. Companies should regularly subject their beliefs to scrutiny.

Hindrances to creating new customers Both existing and new organisations find it difficult to create new customers for a number of reasons. Hereunder are some of them.

LIKE Dr. Brené Brown’s previous works, Rising Strong is a prescriptive and deeply personal work. Dr. Brown practices what she preaches, meaning that she approaches her books with a sense of vulnerability, introspection, and courage that few other researchers would dare.

Based on extensive qualitative research, Dr. Brown develops three steps to learn from failure, which she calls the Reckoning, the Rumble, and the Revolution.

Here’s her explanation.

The Reckoning The Reckoning means reckoning with

our emotions when we fail. We must recognize and acknowledge our emotions, rather than denying them. It doesn’t help to offload them by acting out, shutting down, or getting hamstrung by shame.

To recognize our emotions associated with failure, we must get curious. This is difficult because it takes vulnerability and uncertainty to get curious about ourselves.

It’s much easier to get defensive, act superior, numb out, or overreact and fire off that email we’ll regret later. It’s a brave act to acknowledge our feelings rather than deny them.

emergence of new markets. Many business decisions are not hinged on sound research findings. Granted that now many companies have their own research and

To avoid being lost in the crowd, a company has to act differently from the herd.

Failure to conduct research Also, inadequate research impedes the

Rising Strong by Brené Brown The Rumble The Rumble means rumbling with our story. An informal definition of rumble is to take part in a street fight, so the word implies an element of struggle and danger.

We all make up stories about our struggles based on incomplete information. It’s important that we reality-check our stories.

When we rumble with our story, we move from our first knee-jerk responses and seek a deeper understanding of our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors about who we are and how we engage with others.

First, Dr. Brown recommends that we identify the story we make up by writing

Tomi Davies, CEO, TVCLabs

out what she calls a “sh***y first draft” (SFD). She cites research by Dr. James Pennebaker about the value of writing down our thoughts and feelings in order to organize the experience. It’s important that we don’t filter the experience or worry about how our story makes us look. We search for the hidden story we’re telling ourselves about our emotions.

After we identify the story we’re making up with our SFD, it’s time to probe our assumptions, which are usually self-defeating. Dr. Brown recommends asking ourselves other questions: “What do I know objectively?”

development (R&D) department but the fact is that people see things as they (the people) are, not as things are. In-house people are sometimes swayed by what they consider to be the body language of management. So, their research findings are often a poor reflection of the true situation. As counseled by Richard Branson, Chairman of Virgin Group, for an ongoing concern, relying solely on the advice of in-house people to veer into a new line of business may be misguided; it is always better to consider the informed position of experts, especially independent researchers from outside the organisation.

Keeping up with the Joneses Flowing with the crowd can obstruct the creation of new opportunities. Oftentimes, companies feel left out if they don’t do what others in the industry

“What more do I need to learn and understand about the other people in the story?”

“What more do I need to learn and understand about myself?”

Then we can look for the difference—the delta—between the story we make up and a more objective truth.

The Revolution The Revolution is about using the Rising Strong process to create revolutionary, rather than incremental transformation by making it a daily practice and way of engaging with the world.

Final thought Is it possible to have an uncontested market given that success in a line will readily pull others?

Not exactly. However, pioneers have an advantage that others rarely get. They usually cover so much ground in the first few years of operation that those who come later find difficult to match.

That is the edge that Indomie has in the industry. Despite the influx of other companies into the noodles business, it still controls 70 per cent of the market. That is also the advantage of Alomo Bitters, the huge resources that competing multinationals have to deploy have not dented its market share. That is the reward for blazing the trail.

The bottom line, therefore, is that instead of getting glued to an industry experiencing a glut, the right option for a forward-looking company is to identify an uncontested territory where it can function even in the same industry.

Dr. Brown stresses that it starts with a “vision that we can rise from our experiences of hurt and struggle in a way that allows us to live more wholehearted lives.

However, transforming the way we live, love, parent, and work requires us to act on our vision.”

Dr. Brown continues, “We know that rumbling is going to be tough, but we head straight into it because we know running is harder. We wade into the brackish delta with open hearts and minds because we’ve come to learn that the wisdom in the stories of our falls makes us braver.”

THE 60-SECOND business coach

The 5 non-negotiable disciplines of high achievers

By Patrick Allmond

DAILY interruptions are inevitable. Acting on a fear of missing out, we allow the beeps, dings and vibrations to interject, to assure us that we’re connected, and subconsciously we tell ourselves that that constant connection has no impact on the amount of work we can accomplish.

But, in reality, we’re so bombarded with outside noise, it becomes almost impossible to avoid—and our productivity suffers because of it.

It takes a real effort—a conscious choice—to separate ourselves from that mindset. But when you adopt and practice the disciplines of high achievers, you will be better equipped to set goals and go get them, without losing focus or direction.

1. The Discipline of Believing Most of us think about doing great things. The difference between the average person and the high achiever is a commitment to belief— because possessing the unqualified belief that you are capable of doing something is the first step to achieving it.

I like the way Will Smith put it: “There’s a redemptive power that making a choice has. Decide what you’re going to be, who you are going to be and then how you are going to do it. From that point on, the universe is going to get out of your way.”

When you commit, really commit to a choice, then everything else will fall into place to make it happen for you. Your decisions will be guided by your mindset.

2. The Discipline of Eliminating Interruptions The world around you is structured to interrupt you.

If you already struggle with focus, you are fighting a losing battle from the moment you wake. If you are normally a focused person but don’t control your environment, your day will become a series of interruptions. To combat this, you need to turn off everything that could attract your attention. Everything.

Learn to be comfortable with silence and focus. The quality of your work will drastically increase and you

will be more productive, and the depth of your thinking will increase because you will have long periods to dedicate to your thoughts.

3. The Discipline of Time Management Some might say time management is a myth because we have no control over time—it marches on with or without you. I don’t buy into that. But you should consider the limited amount of time you have to get things done. I know when you are sitting at a desk staring at a project all day, the eight hours ahead of you can feel like 100.

Most people build their lives around getting everything else done before getting to the fun stuff. I’m going to propose something crazy to you: Start with the fun stuff. Schedule them on a recurring basis and work the mundane around it.

Start doing the same on your calendar. It could be writing a book, spending time with a loved one, practicing piano or learning a new programming language. Nobody is going to knock on your door and push you to do it. It has to come from you. Be stingy with your time. Protect it.

4. The Discipline of Being Healthy If your body is not capable of handling your goals, you will become physically and mentally exhausted.

To keep yourself healthy and ready to achieve your goals, you need to allocate regular, recurring time in your calendar to take care of your body—like I do with my gym time. Ideally this should be multiple times a week and it should be non¬negotiable. Exercise, done correctly, trains your muscles, heart and lungs to withstand larger levels of stress. So if your body is used to the stress from regular exercise, it will have an easier time managing the stress in other areas of your life.

5. The Discipline of Ignorance Ignorance is the epitome of focusing. You can’t possibly know everything, and you don’t need to. Once you are willing to live with not knowing everything, the things you choose to pay attention to will get more of your attention and you will produce better results.

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leadership&management

Tuesday, 9 May, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

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

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

THE recent murderous rampage of Fulani herdsmen in various parts of the nation is getting worrisome. Ravaging people’s farms because you want to feed your cows is bad enough. But going ahead to kill and devastate their communities because they dare to protest is the height of impunity. We must begin to rethink and innovate in every area of our collective experience. The nomadic culture of rearing cattle is anachronistic and should be done away with. Those who want to rear cattle should be willing to acquire land from their host community and restrict themselves to that territory without visiting pain on others in such an unfeeling way as we have seen in our recent history. Yours truly recently lost TWO hectares of farmland to the activities of these guys. A huge investment gone down the drain.

Until the government does something concrete about this, all the appeal and hype about people embracing agriculture would simply be what Weird MC calls “lyrics l’ori gangan” or expression without substance! This is aside of the genocidal potentials in the situation if left unchecked quickly!

Instead of joining the song of lamentations in the air about power, can our scientists begin to think about how to make cheaper solar panels and batteries?

I am not particularly excited about the President’s recent visit to China. Wonder why? We only temporarily bought ourselves some time. We have just shifted dependency and diverted our addiction to quick fixes towards another direction. It is akin to the strategy of modern medicine in getting people off hard drugs. The approach begins with taking the patient off addiction to one substance and simply transferring him to another level of dependence by giving him a drug called Methadone, which in itself can in time become addictive. You do not cure dependency on one thing by simply transferring it to another thing without dealing with the mindset that produced the dysfunctionality in the first place. It is a quick-fix solution that has no capacity for sustainability. In a short while after exiting the rehabilitation program of modern hospitals, in about 90 per cent of cases, the patients go back to drugs, usually worse than they were before entering a rehabilitation program. It has been established empirically that the best rehabilitation program is that which allows the patient to go “cold turkey”.

Innovate or...3

What that entails is that the patient is first detoxified by making the effect of the drugs exit his body through deprivation and plenty of fluids to flush it out of his system. That period for the patient can involve excruciating pain and several nightmarish experiences involving what is called the withdrawal syndrome.

Unless the agreements signed in China help us to develop local enterprise like the Chinese did at a point in their history, we just shifted colonial allegiance to feed our monstrous dysfunctionalities. Now, I am afraid we will see a rise in counterfeit products and none of our regulatory agencies as presently constituted will be able to have control over the deluge.

Every economy that ever developed passed through a time of pressure that forced it to look inwards. We need fuel and we need power. But can we look inwards and have a homegrown fix? Ten years ago, America bought our oil as if its very breath depended on it. The price went up because it was a sellers’ market. Then they started thinking of how to cut away from our umbilical cord. They began to think alternative energy. Then they decided to explore further into their own soil. They discovered shale oil and for a long time, made it the world’s best kept secret. Until now. Now they have showed that they do not need us.

Their economy no longer needs our oil. So we go around looking for new buyers who still tell us how much they are willing to pay.

In our desperation, we cannot say ‘No’ to whatever they offer!

Status quo thinks from the known to the unknown. Innovative thinking begins from the unknown to the known. Only those with an innate visionary capacity to see the invisible and touch the intangible can attempt and do the impossible.

Status quo thinkers always desire a perpetuation of rote. They get agitated when anything rocks their comfort zone. Innovative thinkers on the other hand constantly see comfort as the cemetery of potential. They rejoice at challenges for the simple reason that they are resolute in the belief that what men call adversity is nothing but coded opportunity. The status quo thinker sees chaos and he bemoans it. The innovative thinker sees the same situation, but interprets it differently. In chaos, he simply sees possibilities. Chaos is the bedrock of creative enterprise.

The establishmentarian is assuaged by certainties and guarantees of outcomes which come through precedence. But the only guarantee that innovative thinkers have about their outcomes is in the strength of their inner convictions. They are therefore not only willing to “fail” but always willing to try again. Thomas Edison was said to have performed about 1,000 experiments before he got the incandescent light bulb right! To the forger of new frontiers, whatever has a precedent is already old!

When Abram started his journey with God, he had no precedent. Mary had never heard about a virgin becoming pregnant without sleeping with a man.

Peter never heard about any man who caught a boatload of fish in the deep at the time he met Jesus. Neither had he heard that someone ever walked on water.

The common factor to all innovators is faith in what has been inspired in them. This faith in a better future and the willingness to embrace and work towards it is the strength of achievers and history makers over the ages. Scriptures provide copious examples.

At the beginning of creation, chaos was God’s raw material.

The Bible describes it as “without form and void”. The only visible presence was darkness! Abraham is today referred to as the father of faith for daring to believe the promise of God in spite of the ‘scientific’ deadness of his and his wife’s biological capabilities. Obeying the instruction to get circumcised at the age of ninety nine required a special insight into the possibilities of unusual outcomes. The Bible records, “And Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” He and his wife Sarah had their first child together when he was 100 years old and the wife 90!

Mary the mother of Jesus was a virgin when the angel Gabriel met her and gave her the promise of a child. A virgin becoming pregnant without sleeping with a man was not only absurd, it was unprecedented. But hear Mary’s response, “Behold the handmaiden of the Lord. Let it be unto me according to your word”. She entered the pages of history as the mother of the Saviour of the world...continued Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!

Leadership is not about you!

A leader’s responsibility is to help their organization and the people they serve to grow and prosper – this is how a leader earns serendipity. Successful leadership is the ability to create and sustain enough momentum to assure that the marketplace and competitors do not pass you by. This requires leaders to prepare for the future, while equally staying on point with the present. The constant distraction in our daily work lives makes it difficult for leaders to do both; yet with solid preparation what seems impossible becomes highly probable.

Preparation is the key to evolution and the enabler to avoid substitution in its stead. When leaders fail, it is highly attributable to their lack of preparation. When an opportunity is missed, it is often because leaders did not prepare themselves or their employees well enough to see and seize it. Preparation demands accountability and is an individual responsibility with so many interdependent factors. Every leader sees through a different lens – therefore they should know what the short and long term preparation demands are for their employees and the business to be successful.

But if a leader falls short in their ability to prepare rightly – with proper timing and depth – the negative implications on the business will become quickly apparent.

According to Webster’s dictionary, preparation is defined as “the activity or process of making something ready or of becoming ready for something.” Simply put, preparation is about being proactive to deliver on a responsibility you are accountable for. As a leader, you can never stop being accountable to others and yourself. In other words, when you miss a deadline, lose attention to detail, fail to ask the right questions, etc. – these are moments when you stop being accountable and inefficiencies begin to rise to the surface.

Leadership is not about you – it is about others. Being prepared for the unexpected is what you are ultimately being held accountable for as a leader. Do not let the unexpected stop you, but continually think and move forward.

Leaders must move and think quickly, but they must

also take time to pause and pay closer attention to their employees. As a leader, you cannot prepare yourself to lead more effectively if you do not know what is really happening with your employees, their state of mind, their required resources and the support they need to experience success and fulfillment in their work.

As a leader, you must broaden your observation of the things that are happening around you. You cannot keep moving forward if the things you are leaving behind are dysfunctional and broken. Many times employees will not tell you if they need additional support, more tools, better resources and/or assistance with an internal employee or external client relationship. Do not wait, activate yourself by rolling up your sleeves and getting your hands dirty to see what is really going on – so you can help others better prepare before circumstances force their hand.

Instead of putting a Band-Aid on the matter at hand, or enforcing your authority to demand a quick-fix, be a better leader that is more aware of your employees’ needs and prepares for them more effectively.

The demands of the marketplace require that you evolve as a leader. Evolution is impossible without better preparation. As a leader, you must constantly invest in your own skill-sets and capabilities so that you can improve your approach to problem-solving and avoid the unnecessary ones all together.

Leaders need to be better decision-makers, instead of using their authority to organize exhausting, long drawn-out and meaningless meetings with their teams to do the job for them. Great leaders learn how to use their strengths to better prepare themselves for how to solve problems proactively and most efficiently. Time is money and both are lost when problems rise to the surface; preparation allows you to save both time and money as a leader.

When leaders listen, they can prepare much better. It amazes me how many leaders like to listen to themselves rather than those they serve. You cannot lead if you do not

listen. As a leader, listening allows you to prepare more intently and solve for things that you otherwise could not if you were only listening to yourself.

Recently I was on a conference call with a client to review the status of a project. Without introducing herself, the senior leader (on the client side) boldly began to share her perspectives and opinions regarding the project without asking any questions or soliciting other input. She continued to make negative assumptions about the project without having listened to the people that were directly involved in guiding the project’s objectives and desired outcomes. Needless to say, the senior leader embarrassed her colleagues and herself in the process. Instead of listening, learning and processing what was being said about the project (by those that were directly involved with it), she used her authority to set the wrong tone for the call – rather than properly preparing herself, her thoughts and recommendations, which would have set a more positive and objective tone.

This is why case studies are such a good resource to learn from — and why you should be more mindful on a daily basis about creating new case studies for why things worked and why they did not. Take more time to allow failure to guide you rightly and value what you learn from both the big and little ones by preparing with the same attention to detail to avoid them from happening again.

Lastly, you cannot demand high performance from others when you are not prepared to effectively lead them to it. When you demand more from people, the pressure to perform rises – and so does the pressure to lead them rightly. This mindset requires more preparation and as a consequence performance will elevate on all fronts. In other words, increase performance standards for yourself and others and you will notice that preparation becomes a leading measure of success. You cannot expect people to perform better if they are not prepared to successfully deliver what is expected from them – and you are not prepared to deliver the leadership they expect from you.

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Monday, 9 May, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Picture your success

PAGE 24

‘Hold yourself to your word’ PAGE 24

‘Quality fragrance making, goldmine for Nigeria’ PAGE 25

Survival

3 important tips for first-time entrepreneurs Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO, VaynerMedia

I

’ve said it time and time again: Entrepreneurship is hard and it’s not for everyone. If, after taking a realistic personal inventory of who you are and what you want to be doing, it turns out that you are ready to take the next steps in starting a business, I want to discuss the advice I always give to first-time entrepreneurs.

Be practical about your money The first and most important thing that I tell new entrepreneurs is the importance of practicality when it comes to to money.

I’m blown away by all the “entrepreneurs” who start businesses and at launch, don’t realize the importance of generating money and how to manage profits. Instead of focusing on the present financial needs and building an actual company, they are

too busy thinking about how much money they’ll be making four years from now. It’s a complete lack of practicality.

Cash is oxygen. How much money do you have to stay afloat and for how long? Do you have one year’s worth of rent and overhead?

First-time entrepreneurs always make this mistake and it’s my biggest concern for them. You have to make sure your actions can respond to the bleeding of cash that occurs before you even turn a profit.

Realise that building a business a huge time commitment The next thing I remind first-time entrepreneurs is that by starting a business, you have made a decision that does not allow you any time, in your first year, to do anything but build your business. No more binge watching Game of Thrones.

Continues on pg24

24

Online businesses don’t need offline marketing strategy?!

By Chinelo Ngene TOO often, I have witnessed online business owners argue this point: why do I need to waste thousands & millions of naira advertising to an offline audience when my products/ services can only be obtained online?

While this might seem like a valid concern/question, take a moment to also consider that even though much of the market for your business is online, an offline campaign gives you the much needed credibility to validate your online presence.

As they say: “advertisements sell a great deal more than products. They sell values, images, and concepts of success and worth.”

Increased visibility & validation While a lot of people would cite growing mobile/internet usage numbers in Nigeria as a valid reason to focus all their marketing efforts online, what this school of thought fails to factor in is the fact that the average Nigerian consumer is still very wary of transacting business with a new company online. Offline advertising helps you build credibility in the mind of the user and increase awareness for your product. So if your business is still relatively unknown, you stand a lower chance of convincing people to part with their money unlike the likes of Jumia, Konga, etc. This is why some people will admit to having high impressions on their Facebook ads for instance and still not see requisite increase in sales figures.

What are your marketing goals?

Ultimately, the most important factor to keep in mind is that whatever advertising medium you choose should always be in-line with your strategic goals for the company. If your aim is to increase sales, ensure your ad content specifically tells people why and where to purchase. If the aim is to increase awareness, then the information must speak to what your business does and how you are providing a viable solution.

Ngene, Marketing and Communications Manager, Zoto, originally posted this article on LinkedIn.

Monday, 9 May, 2016

Achieve

Picture your success The power to succeed lies in every entrepreneur and here are a few tips to help yourself along the way.

1.

Start thinking of your personal goals in life and spend about 10 to 15 minutes picturing yourself achieving each one.

2.

Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths in and relax your body.

3.

Start to create a movie in your mind and see yourself achieving what you want. Make the picture big, bright and bold.

4.

Once you can see it clearly, put yourself in the movie – like you’re replaying a memory. What can you see?

How do you feel? What can you hear?

5.

Really feel the emo-

tions.

6.

When you’ve finished visualising say to yourself, “It’s a done deal” – you’ve got to believe with conviction that you can make it happen.

If you feel some doubts lingering in your mind just release them – let them go.

You can do this by saying, “I release all my doubts and trust that I will make it happen.”

Nigerian Tribune

‘Hold yourself to your word’ Continues from pg23

cause I know we live in a politically correct world where leisure, “me” time, and family time are so important to so many. However, if you have this ambition of building a business, you have to make this mental commitment. Then any time you have for family or leisure time is an added bonus. In fact, you have to ask yourself how big of a business you are actually trying to build.

You are not allowed to watch The #AskGaryVee Show going forward (maybe...). No more late night parties with your friends. You are in such a Code Red zone that every minute (let’s call it 18 hours a day if you Hold yourself to your want this to word be sucOne of best pieces of cessbusiness advice I’ve ever received (and one that I try to impart on anyone entering the business world) is that your word is bond. My dad told me this at an early age and it has shaped how I’ve conducted business ever since. He told ful), me once that if I commit to needs to be allocated for buying 100 cases of wine your business. This even for the store, and I change includes time with your my mind the week before it family. It’s a substantial arrives, that I would have sacrifice and you have to to drink all of it because I realize the level of commitment that is required. made the commitment.

If you make a commitAlso, I was trying to be very kind ment, no matter what hapin the first pens, you have to deliver. year be- Not only is your business’s brand at stake, but your personal brand and reputation too. Poor business decisions could put your status as an entrepreneur at risk.

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Monday, 9 May, 2016

hard work and commitment, we hope to be able to make everyone involved more comfortable. We are currently in talk with some foreign suppliers. When the time is right we hope to go into full partnership as for banks, especially the commercial ones, I must confess I’m wary I have had not so pleasant experience with them in the past. For fashion outfits, we have an upscale jewelry maker as one of our clients. I would love more fashion outfits.

Quality fragrance making, goldmine for Nigeria — Lambo

Dr Abayomi Lambo, a trained Medical Physiologist, is the founder and CEO, Scent Design Nigeria Limited.

He discusses the prospects and challenges of the trade with SAM NWAOKO.

Y

OU left the Physiology you studied in the university to pursue your passion. How did your parents receive the decision?

I didn’t really leave Physiology. There is a lot of physiology actually in my present line of work.

Perfumery is an applied field. It requires input from a host of other fields like Chemistry, Micro-Biology (in Biosynthesis), physiology (olfaction i.e how we smell, olfaction detection threshold i.e the point at which we can detect different smells measured in my course 1 liter of air etc) and of course Bio-Chemistry. It also requires a high level of creativity, so I did not leave my course of study.

Like I’ve said, it started as a hobby while I was in school and I took it seriously after university.

I got the best pieces of advice from my parents.

They said “if you are going to do this, take it very seriously.” Mum said I should make sure that every single product that comes out of this place is an advertisement for our company.

as well as bigger breakthroughs.

Which would you say has been your sharpest spur: Entrepreneurial spirit or scientific conviction or both?

I would add creative drive to both entrepreneur spirit and scientific conviction. Actually all of these contributed to what I’m doing today. While all these drive my passion, I would say I see this as a call to make people happy and fulfilled by creating memorable scents. That ultimately is what drives my passion.

You employ herbs, fruits, flowers, stems, roots etc. Do you have a botanical farm or garden? How do you source your raw materials? What are the current challenges in sourcing them?

We source botanical raw materials from farms and large scale horticulture farms. We are always open to partner with more of such outfits should they be interested in supplying us.The challenge used to be that we sometimes couldn’t get the vol-

So, where would you say you are today in your business?

I would say that in my business, today, we are in mid-quest. We have done a lot and have certainly left the rudimentary stage but certainly we have not reached our destination yet. Actually, growing a company you never actually arrive. There is something more to do, some things you can do better. Research and development never ceases, there will always be more markets to explore, more people to touch and newer, more innovative products to develop. We are working towards better equipment, better systems and more development

How accepted are your products because not so many people know you and your line of business?

As more people get to know about what we do, the patronage increases. Not all our products are directly traceable to us because they are sold under other brand names which belong to fashion outfits, jewelry line and stores etc. However, we always test if a supplier is always steadfast with regards to our standard and quality. If found wanting in this regard, we stop our patronage. So far, however, most of our suppliers are good and trustworthy.

A French woman once told me that she couldn’t ever wear Nigeria-made perfumes. But she was thrilled by one of the scents I made for one of my clients and asked where she got it from. She told her it’s ‘Yomi Lambo and the French woman soon became one of my best advertisers. I’ve had such experiences.

For those who intend to join this line of business, first, my advice is that you must know your onions very well.

Nigerian Tribune

ume we needed. However, now that a lot of farms are opening up to the idea of partnering with us in terms of supplying and growing what we need, the challenge is being taken care of. We also synthesise some of the synthetic raw materials needed and we are determined to grow that aspect of our business.

In the perfume business worldwide, that can’t be helped because the pallet of raw materials runs in millions of essences and molecules and you cant do all that by yourself. More so, some suppliers don’t have patient for some of those raw materials.

However, even in this case the exchange rate (for foreign currencies) hasn’t impacted excessively because a lot of synthetics are petro-chemical derived and the crash in that sector means some materials’ prices got lower. So in spite of the unfavourable rate, the price didn’t shoot up too much. This also presents an opportunity for us based here in the region with a lot of crude oil... though establishing a petro-chemical perfume synthesis plant requires a lot more capital investment and equipment.

Your laboratory is still at your home in Ibadan. How big is it now compared to when you set out? How about rewards, in terms of finances and others?

There are two separate buildings in the compound. One is residential the other is lab/factory.

The good thing is that for now I do not commute.

It does also make me work at odd hours, though I do not mind as I enjoy my work. In terms of size, if we make full use of present space we can manage about 10 tonnes of fragrance. Anything more than that, we would have to get a bigger space and that is what we are hoping for in the future. The lab is definitely fuller, though we are still planning for more sophisticated equipment in the future.

In terms of rewards, it is fulfilling to see an idea from its conception to the market even though it is sometimes a difficult period. It has also brought to me a fair share of fame, though I’m more of a reserved person by nature. Fame is good especially when can use it to draw attention to good cause e.g charity etc. Financially, we are not there yet.

We put a lot back in and I certainly would love to pay better wages. With God on our side and with

How has the so-called ‘Nigeria factor’ affected you business and its prospects and what would you tell those who might want to do this?

Nigeria factor is in the environment. I as founder/ C.E.O do not allow it in my premises. The world is a global village now. Scent Design Nigeria Limited with God’s help is a Nigerian company with a world class spirit. I’m proud to be Nigeria and Africa but the negative Nigeria factor slack work ethics, compromise on quality. Dodgy practices are not welcome within our walls. There is a lot we would still want and have to do. We wouldn’t mind serious investors: Those who know that Rome wasn’t built in a day, not gamblers who want us to double their investment in a month. We would also not mind grants from the government as a pioneer company. We will alo welcome any additional help in terms of factory land acquisition that will help in our goals.

For those who intend to join this line of business, first, my advice is that you must know your onions very well. Work hard and do not compromise on quality, do not expect immediate results and do not be easily discouraged. Have a relationship with your creator.

Yours is a seemingly audacious switch from Medical Physiology to fragrance making. Any regrets?

No regrets... It’s actually an eye opener. When looking for investors what you see are people who want to get quality products without the willingness to pay for it as they would pay for importing the same quality of products. Students from the University of Ibadan come for training and we help them to see a whole new world open before them in what we do.

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Wema Bank promises shareholders returns on investment WEMA Bank has assured shareholders that strategic initiatives put in place by the bank would strengthen the resilience of the bank against the macroeconomic and industry headwinds and lead to improved performance in the years ahead.

Addressing the shareholders at the Annual General Meeting (AGM), in Lagos, the chairman of the bank, Adeyinka Asekun, said the bank has embarked on a strategic business plan to expand its footprint and increase visi-

bility in the industry, which in the long run improve the financial stand of the institution, thus generate maximum returns to shareholders in the next financial year.

Segun Oloketuyi, Managing Director of the bank, while reiterating the board’s and managements’ commitment to positioning the bank for sustained growth, noted that in spite of the challenging outlook for 2016, the bank has started the year with a renewed focus on its strategic aspiration of becoming a lead-

ing retail bank in Nigeria.

He pointed out that the performance of the bank during the 2015 business year has demonstrated its resilience and commitment to continuously deliver value to the stakeholders even in the face of obvious challenges.

He however commended shareholders for their supports, which have continued to encourage the management, noting that the bank attained many feats in 2015 including the granting of a national banking license to

the bank by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

He noted that despite these challenges the bank was able to sustain its transformation drive with total deposits for the period growing about 10 per cent over the prior year to N284.9 billion, gross earnings improving to N46.0 billion from N42.19 billion recorded in 2014, and profit before tax remaining stable at N3.05 billion compared to N3.09bn in 2014.

Interim report and accounts of Wema Bank Plc for the

Nigerian Tribune

three-month period ended March 31, 2016 indicated that gross earnings improved to N11.3 billion in first quarter 2016 as against N10.6 billion recorded in comparable period of 2015. Profit before tax stood at N505.33 million in 2016 as against N615.29 million in 2015. After taxes, net profit stood at N429.53 million as against N522.99 million. Earnings per share closed first quarter 2016 at 4.0 kobo compared with 5.0 kobo in first quarter 2015.

Goldlink Insurance to raise N8bn capital

From left: Executive Director, Folake Sanu; Company Secretary, Oluwole Ajimisinmi; Chairman, Adeyinka Asekun and Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Segun Oloketuyi, at the Wema Bank Plc 2015 Annual General Meeting, held in Lagos.

Banks raise stocks by 35.73% in 4 days Stories by Kehinde AkinseindeJayeoba - Lagos

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ANKING stocks move trading by 35.73 per cent in the value of equities traded during the four-day trading session at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), as banking investors staked N2.29 billion within the week, to close its capitalisation at N1.27 trillion.

Also, banking stocks dominated activities chart for the week by 44.4 per cent, just as

the three most active stocks were FBN Holdings Plc, United Bank For Africa Plc and Fidelity Bank Plc., accounting for 359.455 million shares worth N1.086 billion in 2,797deals.

This represented a contribution of 39.47 per cent and 16.94 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

The NSE All-Share Index and Market Capitalisation, despite profit taking, appreciated by 2.55 per cent to close the week at 25,701.60 and N8.841 trillion respectively.

Similarly, all other Indices finished higher during the week, with the exception of the NSE Insurance Index, that declined by 0.78 per cent.

A turnover of 910.659 million shares worth N6.409 billion in 15,023 deals were traded during the week by investors in contrast to a total of 1.210 billion shares valued at N7.115 billion that exchanged hands last week in 15,973 deals, representing a decline of 24.74 per in volume of shares traded.

The Financial Services Indus-

try led the overall activity chart with 757.354 million shares valued at N3.180 billion traded in 8,853 deals; thus contributing 83.17 per cent and 49.62 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively; while the Consumer Goods Industry followed with 46.972 million shares worth N2.263 billion in 2,636 deals.

The third place was occupied by the Conglomerates Industry with a turnover of 40.009 million shares worth N69.233 million in 498 deals.

THE Board and Management of Goldlink Insurance Plc has stated its plans to inject funds for the recapitalisation of the company by raising N8 billion through a restructuring process, overseen by the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

The company’s Acting Managing Director, Olufunke Moore, during her presentation at the Inaugural Facts behind the restructuring event held at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), explained that the fund would be raised through the means of Rights Issue and Public Offer on the floor of the Nigerian Bourse in the next two months after approval has been given by relevant market regulators.

Moore, Executive Director and a member of the Interim Management Board (IMB) appointed by National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), explained that lack of working capital has made the company less competitive in the insurance industry, while explaining that in the past 2.5 billion units of its issued shares were inappropriately allotted which had contributed to losses in the last five years from 2011 to 2015 except in 2013 when the company recorded a profit.

Goldlink’s financial performance showed that the company’s net premium stood at N1.8 billion, 46 per cent lower than N3.3 billion recorded in the comparative period of 2014.

Furthermore, the company declared a loss after tax of N1.0 billion increasing by 93 per cent from a loss of N529 billion recorded in the same period of 2014. Total Assets however grew by 9.5 per cent to N2.4 billion from N2.1 billion in 2014.

Mr Adeyinka Olutungase, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and member of the Interim Management Board (IMB) disclosed that 1.35 billion units of the inappropriately issued shares have been recovered, leaving a balance of about 1.2 billion units sold on the Exchange.

Olutungase, however, gave the assurance that proceeds from the sales of the 1.2 billion units of shares will be recovered with assistance from NAICOM and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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Monday, 9 May, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

IPC boss tasks media on FOI THE Executive Director of International Press Centre (IPC), Mr Lanre Arogundade has charged the nation’s media on the need to avail themselves of the opportunities provided by the Freedom of Information Bill so as to enhance accountability in government.

Speaking at a Workshop organised by the Centre, in collaboration with the US Public

Affairs Section of the United States Consulate General, in Lagos, the former Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Lagos Chapter, stated that the thematic focus of the Workshop, which discussed the use of the Freedom of Information Act by the media and the civil society was informed by recent happenings in the country.

BRANDS &

According to him, recent events in the company had shown that the journey towards transparency in Nigeria might take longer than anticipated, despite the change of government, unless the media began to avail of the FOI Bill.

He described it as worrisome that the true earnings of the nation’s elected leaders were with Akin Adewakun

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

Tiwa Savage and the brand ambassador question

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HAT popular singer, Tiwa Savage, is facing the greatest battle of her matrimonial life, has become an understatement. For the past few weeks, a lot has happened to the equity of this delectable brand, that indicates that she might have other battles to fight, besides the matrimonial one she is currently facing.

What started with a tweet from an estranged husband, about a relationship that seemed not working, may besides wrecking havoc on her marital life, also do some damage to her business interests too.

Besides earning her applause from individual fans, Tiwa Savage music, had in the past few years also earned her recognition from the corporate community in Nigeria, a development that had seen the artist put pen on paper as a face of some notable brands in the country.

For instance, as a result of this fall-out between her and the husband, Pepsi, a notable soft drink brand in the country that had signed an endorsement deal with the artist was rumoured to have dropped the artist. Though Pepsi was to later take to the brand’s Twitter handle to deny this, saying its relationship with the artist remains as strong as ever, not a few believe that the last may not have been heard about the deal with Pepsi.

Besides, if feelers from Procter and Gamble (P&G), whose product, Pampers, the music star had adopted in a multi-million naira deal in the past few months are anything to go by, this might really be a tough time for the artist.

The artist, in January this year, together with the son, Jamil, had been publicly unveiled to the media as the face of Pampers in an event that signalled her comeback to the entertainment scene, after months of absence, occasioned by the pregnancy of this first child.

At an endorsement event, attended by the media and the estranged husband, Tee Billz, the management of P&G, had explained that the decision to court the music star was informed by the artist’s public appeal and the fact that she shares some common values and brand affinity with Pampers.

The artist, in her remarks then, had also explained that her decision to pitch her tent with the Pampers Baby diapers then was informed by the quality and excellence that went into the production of the product.

‘When I got back from London, where I put to bed, my initial concern was how to get a baby diaper that would be as good as the ones I was using in London. Fortunately, Pampers has been able to fill in that gap, that’s why I’m going into a relationship with the brand,’ Savage had said in January, this year.

But will the recent development sound the death knell of this relationship? While opinions are as diverse on the issue, one common ground established by those who spoke with Brands & Marketing is that it may no longer be business as usual with the music star and the brands she is presently playing an ambassadorial role for.

“You know marketing and the Continues on pg28

still shrouded in secrecy, while transactions in the nation’s oil sector, was still far from being open.

“There is also the embarrassing controversy over the 2016 budget in terms of what constitutes the original version, the true version, the mutilated version and the un-mutilated version,” he stated.

Sunlight thrills audience, consumers, in Yoruba Drama Radio series FOR consumers of the detergent brand, Sunlight and the audience of Alarambara, a suspense-filled Yoruba language drama radio series, life lessons keep pouring in from the scenarios of the drama series being sponsored by the brand as a way of resonating with its consumers.

For instance, the antics and mistakes of money-hungry Iya Alaje and the queen troublemaker, Bisi, to the calm common sense of Sisi Oge, all on the programme, have continued to make each of the five-minute episodes enthralling to the audience.

Episode 4, titled ‘Housekeeping,’ succinctly typifies such moments.

Here, Iyawo’s mismanagement of her household finances and Iya Alaje’s neglect of her conjugal and other allied duties, get them in trouble with their usually tolerant husbands.

While Iyawo gets an earful of the things she always gets wrong, Iya Alaje is put under lock and key for the day, until she does all she has to do in the house.

The tough love pays off, however, as Iyawo finally understands her responsibilities as a married woman.

In episode 5, ‘Assistant Provider’, Iyawo runs to Sisi Oge for advice on how to shoulder some of her household’s financial weight. She finally decides to become a distributor of Sunlight 2-in-1 detergent.

Bisi is in her drama-making element again, in episode 6, as she falls into the “middle-aged trap” and gets carried away by attention from a younger man. Nothing has happened between them, yet, but she stands dangerously close to the edge of the cliff before she’s pulled back forcibly by her friends during an impromptu intervention.

With episode 7 enters Mojisola, Sisi Oge’s niece, who shares her blood, but not a lot of her plain common sense. Fresh from NYSC, Moji is green with envy over her friend’s apparent good fortune.

When the curtain is lifted on her friend’s marital life, to reveal a mix of expensive gifts and physical abuse, she realises that the grass only appears greener on the other side.

One of the highlights of Alarambara is its provision of entertainment and some invaluable tips and advice on home and relationship management.

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Monday, 9 May, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Why we came up with ‘Not in My Country Campaign’ —Convener

From left: Media Relations Manager, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, Ayeni Aramide; Group PR and Event Manager, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, Tope Ashiwaju; Brand Manager, Indomie Instant Noodles, Amber Yadav and Social Media Manager, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, Kenneth Iruonagbe, at the Indomie Independence Day Award 2016 Press Conference in Lagos. PHOTO: SYLVESTER OKORUWA.

Employ strategic communications expert, FG urged

A

renowned Public Relations practitioner and Chief Executive Officer of Chain Reactions, Mr Israel Jaye, has tasked the federal government to look for a strategic communications expert to help it disseminate its policies to the public rather than leaving the task in the hands of non-professionals.

Speaking in Lagos with select brand journalists in his office, the Chain Reactions boss stated that rather than seeing the present administration as being bereft of policies, the challenge the present government is contending with is information management.

He argued that the government must

employ a communication expert that would help it properly and effectively disseminate its information, rather than churn out disjointed communication materials to the public.

“The problem the present government is having is that there is no communication expert that would fully explain and communicate its policies to the people, because it is obvious the policies are there. But when you begin to leave the task of communication in the hands of a journalist, who is not trained for such task, there will always be problem,” he stated.

While charging the media, especially brand writers, to always ask questions on issues that are of public interest, the Chain

Reactions boss believes it is by doing this that brands can be made to deliver on their promises, while government can be held accountable for their actions.

“I believe things will change when the media begin to ask questions. When you begin to question whether a brand is actually living up to its promises, quality will be enhanced. The same thing will happen when the media begin to question some of the actions of the government that they consider are not in the best interest of Nigeria,” he stated.

He argued that the country has more than enough professionals to manage its communications effectively if the right professionals are saddled with such tasks.

Three Crowns Milk begins search for 2016 Mum of the Year IN commemoration of the 2016 Mother’s Day, Three Crowns Milk, a milk brand from the stables of FrieslandCampina WAMCO, has announced the commencement of the search for a distinguished mother to be crowned the 2016 ‘Mum of the Year.’

Tagged Three Crowns Milk Mum of the Year campaign, the initiative is aimed at recognizing and celebrating the unique roles of mothers in a family by identifying and designating a mother as the ‘Mum of the Year.’

The Senior Brand Manager, Three Crowns

Milk, Mrs. Maureen Ifada, described the campaign as the brand’s special way of rewarding mothers for their unalloyed support and patronage to the brand.

She attributed the leadership position the brand had enjoyed in the nation’s milk segment, over the years, to the unflinching loyalty of mothers, who are the primary targets of the brand.

“The mothers are as invaluable to Three Crowns Milk as they are to their families.

The mothers are our primary target as the key decision makers and influencers

through which the brand connects to other stakeholders. Hence, the brand places a very high premium in identifying and celebrating them,” she said.

Ifada explained that the Mother’s Day celebration provided mothers the opportunity to compete and win amazing prizes for themselves and their families.

She announced that the winner of the 2016 ‘Mum of the Year’ campaign would get an all-expense paid vacation for herself and four members of her family to a yet- to- be disclosed destination.

THE convener of the citizen-led 33 episode radio series anti-corruption campaign, Not in My Country, Mr Akin Fadeyi has described the campaign as his own way of lending a voice to the current efforts of the incumbent government at fighting corruption in the country.

Speaking at the screening and launching of the Radio Series campaign, Mr Fadeyi argued that for the country to really achieve its potential, it must find a way of curbing corruption which he argued had become entrenched in the country.

The Radio series which is a oneminute drama, with a thematic thrust woven around common issues relating to corruption and the need to curb them, he noted would go a long way in sensitising the public to the danger corruption poses to the country and the need for every hand to be on deck.

Describing the synopsis as ‘succinct’, the former president of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Mr. Gbenga Adefaye noted that the 33 episodes of one minute drama sketch, expose the ingenious acts of corruption amongst the people.

The former NGE president stated that the people and not the leadership alone should be tarred with the corruption brush.

“This is therefore a citizen led strategic approach to fight corruption from bottom up. This essentially complements and completes the government initiative, to take out the corrupt and serve them as necessary examples to others.

“When we identity, clean up our acts and do away with corruption from the carpenter to the mechanic to nurses, it will be easier for us to reorder the society and vote in only the right leaders, even as it will engender mutual respect and a leaning to doing things right,” he added.

Interestingly one of the highlights of the campaign is its discourse of common issues and subjects ranging from education to politics and other social vices, using both established and relatively new artists to convey the messages.

For instance, while the likes of Hafeez Ayetoro ‘Saka’ and Tina Mba constitute the clan of established artists that feature in the series, the likes of Gani Olowu, a public relations practitioner were also able to prove their mettle, with a successful delivery of the messages the intend to convey to the public.

Tiwa Savage and the brand ambassador question Continued from pg27

issue of brand ambassador bother on perception. There is no way anybody would see Tiwa Savage in any commercial now that those ugly memories would not be elicited,” argued Mike Richards, a brand analyst.

Richards believes there is no way these brands she is representing will not have a ‘rethink’ at the end of the day.

‘What we are presently seeing now is

that they are only trying to manage the situation, knowing full well that if any drastic action should be taken now, it would leave a sour taste in the mouth for their brands and the artist,’ he argued.

Gani Olowu a public relations expert would rather see brand ambassadorship as a relationship that should be enjoyed while it lasts.

“Choosing a brand character, a brand advocate or ambassador, is an unpre-

dictable journey. It is a gamble. Not all brand ambassadors turn out successful, despite the efforts and researches that must have been conducted before coming up with such choice.

“For instance, if the issue of Tiwa Savage and Tee Billz is not well-handled, it may degenerate into a major crisis, because the damage had been done already. Tiwa needs to talk less now to avoid fuelling the crisis,” he stated.

He however recommends that an advo-

cate of a brand that no longer shares the same affinity with such brand should be dropped, ‘without rustling feathers’.

Will that be the lot of Tiwa in the next few months? Will Pepsi and Pampers still see the music star as having a common affinity with their brands, in all these?

Perhaps events in the next few weeks will show whether Tee Billz has also succeeded in eroding the equity of that Savage Brand in the corporate world in addition to ruining her marital life.

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Monday, 9 May, 2016

More Finnish companies ready to invest in Nigeria —Ambassador

Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mrs Pirjo Suomela-Chowdhury is determined to further enhance the bilateral relationship between Finland and Nigeria. In this interview with DOYIN ADEOYE, she speaks on the new investment interest by Finnish companies in Nigeria, as well as how Nigeria can revamp its economy, among other issues.

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HAT is the current level of trade and investment between Finland and Nigeria?

To be honest, it is actually difficult to rate this in numbers

or statistics because it does not really reflect on the whole reality as trade these days is so globalised in the sense that you might have Finnish companies that are producing in China or many other different parts of the world, and even here.

There are also companies here, and in fact, there are two very big Finnish companies that are present in Nigeria. Those are Nokia in the communications sector and Wartsila in the power sector, and both are very big global players. However, I would

Nigerian Tribune

like to see much more trade between Finland and Nigeria. So there is potential for much more than there is at the moment. And this is what I am trying to do.

just about the visits, we really want to see what things can come out of it.

So these are some of the things that we have done.

The Ibadan Chamber of Commerce and Industry has honoured you with the award of ‘Immense Contributions to the Bilateral Development of Economic Activities between Nigeria and Finland...

I am happy about the award because this is precisely what I am to do in Nigeria, to promote trade between Finland and Nigeria. And I am very happy that I get attention to that.

Nigeria’s economy depends so much on the oil sector. Do you think it is possible for Nigeria to survive without that sector?

Yes it is. Nigeria clearly is now economically in a challenging situation with the crash of the oil price, but at the same time, one could try to take the positive side of it and do precisely what the government is trying to do to diversifying the economy.

I would like to believe that the present situation will act as a very good strong incentive for Nigeria to really start diversifying the economy and make the most of all the potential that is there, including in the area of agriculture. I know that is something that is emphasised a lot by the government. It is not the only sector, but it is a very important sector and there is a lot of potential there also for cooperation between Finland and Nigeria.

What do you regard as your achievement since your assumption of office?

I can tell you that I have been very busy since I resumed office.

And I say it all the time that my biggest challenge is that there are not enough hours in a day and not enough days in a week.

So we have been very busy.

Some things that we have done especially in the area of trade and economic relations is for instance, in Lagos last November, we organised a health and wellbeing event. It was a business event with a theme of ‘Health and Wellbeing,’ where we had representatives from all the different states in Nigeria.

It was very well attended with about 250 people there and we had a wonderful discussion on various issues.

Also in February this year, there was a delegation from Finland, which was led by our Deputy Minister for External Economic Relations; he came with 12 companies to Nigeria, representing various sectors; the Information and Communication Technology (ICT), health, telecommunications, education, and many other sectors were represented. It was a very good visit; we met a lot of ministers, the companies were very happy and we are already actively doing follow-ups and the companies have reported that they already have concrete reserves from that visit.

Also just about a week ago, we had an ICT delegation in Lagos, organised by our trade promotion office. They organised a visit by seven Finnish ICT companies and they also met a lot of businesses and also relevant commissioners and they have also given very good comments and we have actively always followed up on these visits and it is not

Are there new opportunities in the Finland-Nigeria relations?

I think there are lot of opportunities in many different business sectors and we can do a lot more things. The sky is the limit and for some time now, there has been an increasing interest in Finland amongst companies towards doing business in Nigeria.

Obviously, we all know that Nigeria is the biggest economy in Africa, it is the biggest population and Lagos is now being rated by far the fastest growing city in Africa and everyone knows that if you want to do business in Africa, Nigeria is a really important place. So there is a lot of potential, but we also need to raise more awareness among Finnish companies and we continue to do that.

I have spoken to a lot of companies in Finland and we have actively started working on that. I have gone round with other Finnish ambassadors from Africa and with our trade promotion officers. We have three promotion offices in Sub-Saharan Africa and one of them is in Lagos, Nigeria. We have met in Finland with small and medium size enterprises to present the possibilities in Africa and I myself, of course in Nigeria as well as in Ghana, as I am also the ambassador to Ghana.

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Monday, 9 May, 2016

‘FG must probe how guns are supplied to herdsmen’

By Tunde Oguensan

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HE national president of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, Reverend Samson Ayokunle, has called on the Federal Government to investigate how herdsmen are supplied with guns and bring culprits to book.

Reverend Ayokunle stated this at a press conference in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, while addressing journalists on the state of the nation, while also advising the present administration to learn from the mistake of the last administration.

According to him, “We want to call the attention of the Federal Government to the impending dangers in the violent attacks by the herdsmen in different parts of the nation. Checkmating the violent acts of these herdsmen in time will be helpful to us all in this na-

tion before they become a terrorist group that is too formidable to overcome.

“To the best of our knowledge, what the government ought to do is to properly investigate how guns are supplied to these herdsmen, bring to book those behind the supply and recover the guns from them. Furthermore, herdsmen going around with guns must be prosecuted for illegal possession of firearms.

“We need to urge the present administration to learn from the mistake of

the last administration in the country which did not take quick and necessary action on the Boko Haram terrorist group until they became almost too formidable and better equipped than our military. We cannot afford to lose the souls of many innocent citizens again, just as we lost them to Boko Haram attacks.”

Ayokunle, who is also the vice-president, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), lauded President Muhammadu Buhari’s government for waging relentless war against cor-

ruption. He said corruption had retarded the growth of the nation, as national resources expected to be expended on the development of Nigeria had been embezzled, mismanaged and/or misappropriated at the local, state and federal government levels.

His words: “This act was perpetrated by the political leaders and the civil servants. However, as others have observed before, this fight against corruption has to be more embracing.’’

While urging President

Buhari to use the funds recovered from corrupt people to develop the almost non-existent infrastructure in the nation, Ayokunle, who is contesting as the president of CAN, having been nominated by the same body in this month’s election, urged Kaduna State government and his colleagues to treat the issue of legislation over the mode of preaching in Kaduna with utmost caution so as not to fan ember of religious disunity in the state.

Don’t militarise our youth, Niger gov tells volunteer groups NIGER State governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, has cautioned youth volunteer groups, especially those affiliated with religious bodies, not to militarise their members, but to operate within the confines of the law.

Accordingly, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mallam Jibrin Baba Ndace, in Minna, at the weekend, the governor frowned on the display of military simulation exercise by a youth volunteer group in the state.

The governor observed that volunteer groups were deviating from their primary functions of ensuring orderliness at the gatherings, especially during Sunday service in churches and the Friday Juma’at prayers in mosques, to acquiring military training and practice.

“Volunteer groups are to operate within the letters and intent of the law.

These groups, to the best of my knowledge, are to help ensure orderliness during congregational prayers, direct and ensure free flow of human and vehicular traffic before, during and after Juma’at prayers on Fridays and church services on Sundays.

“The growing and disturbing trend that I have noticed across the divide is the militarisation of these groups. They are now being drilled in the act of using arms and carrying gun.”

Internally displaced persons (IDPs), at makeshift houses in Dikwa headquarters of Dikwa Local Government Area of Borno State, on Sunday. PHOTO: NAN

Army clears 7 more villages occupied by insurgents in Borno THE Nigerian Army has said it has cleared seven more villages taken by suspected Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State, in its bid to end terrorism in the North-East.

Colonel Sani Usman, the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, stated this in a statement issued in Maiduguri, on Sunday.

“As the ongoing clearance and rescue operations

gained momentum, troops of 28 Task Force Brigade have successfully cleared enclaves of Boko Haram terrorists along Galtha Baba, Galtha Musa, Bulakurma, Shatimari, Chuk-

Police arrest 4 cattle rustlers’ commanders in Zamfara Muhammad Sabiu-Kaduna

THE Zamfara State police command has said it has succeeded in the arrest of four cattle rustlers commanders who have been terrorising the state and its neighbours in recent times.

Parading the suspects at the command’s headquarters, Gusau, the state capital, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Sanusi Amiru, told newsmen that the team of Police Mobile Personnel (PMP) attached to a Quick Response Vehicle (QRV) patrolling Keta forest under Tsafe Local Government Area of the state, had engaged the bandits in a shootout before they escaped into deep forest.

“However, in the course

of fire exchange, our men were able to arrest four leaders of the dreaded group who operate closely with the ring leader, Muhammadu Buhari Lawwali, a.k.a (General), and each has a duty of shielding the stolen cows from any recovery attempt by either the owner or security personnel,” DSP Sanusi stated.

In separate confessional statements during an interview with newsmen, one of the suspects identified as Adamu Shehu, said he was in charge of feeding of the all stolen cows in possession of the ring leader, ‘General Buhari’, as he was identified by his colleagues.

Also speaking, Ibrahim Musa who claimed that he was from Birnin Magaji Local Government Area, said, he was abducted by the gun-

men 15 years ago,when they stormed their village and killed many people, including his parents, adding that, he had been in their custody since then.

In a similar development, a team of armed Police Mobile Personnel (PMP) attached to another Quick Response Vehicle (QRV), on surveillance and monitoring in Kware Ganuwa, under Tsafe Local Government Area, while on the move to reinforce their colleagues in Keta forest, has foiled an ambush by the escaped bandits.

The PPRO further said, “A 10-year old boy was dropped by the bandits after they learnt they could not fight, and the boy who was arrested with AK47 rifle, is helping the police with the needed information.”

ruk, Bulangaje, and Disa villages.

“During the operation, one Boko Haram terrorist was captured alive,’’ Usman said.

According to him, three motorcycles, bags of grains, terrorists’ flags and uniforms had also been recovered.

He listed other items recovered to include: suicide bomber’s hijab, a cell phone and one Dane gun, as well as foodstuff and cooking utensils.’’

“The troops also rescued 15 persons that were held hostage by the Boko Haram terrorists in the area,’’ Usman said.

He said unfortunately, two armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) over ran an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), but, however, said the formation did not sustain any human casualty as the damage to the AFVs was minimal.

The spokesman said the captured terrorist was being interrogated and would soon be handed over to the relevant agencies for prosecution.

Insecurity: DHQ warns mischief makers Chris Agbambu-Abuja

THE Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has warned that it will not condone any unwholesome acts by persons or group seeking to engage in acts that are capable of causing breakdown of law and order in any part of the country.

Citizens are advised to refrain from taking laws into their hands and avoid actions that may cause breach to harmonious coexistence.

Individuals or groups seeking relevance should follow the due process in accordance with the law of our land and not through acts of brigandary.

In a statement by Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar, Acting Director, Defence Information, the DHQ also advisde the general public to ignore inciting pictures, videos and statements posted on some social media platforms, which were now confirmed to be the creation of photoshops with the intention of causing disharmony and divisions among different nationalities.

According to the statement, “the military and security agencies will continue to sustain the current tempo against terrorists, oil thieves, cattle rustlers and other forms of criminalities,” and urged all law abiding citizens to go about their normal businesses and report any suspicious persons or object to the nearest security post for prompt action.

Shehu of Dikwa wants palace rebuilt THE Shehu of Dikwa, in Borno State, Alhaji Muhammad Masta II, on Sunday, appealed to the Victims Support Fund (VSF) to assist in rebuilding his palace in Dikwa.

Masta made the call at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Borno State government and the VSF on the rebuilding of some public structures in Dikwa.

He said the rebuilding of the palace would enable him to return home after staying in Maiduguri for three years.

“I want to remind the VSF that my palace also needs urgent attention.

“My subjects came to my abode in Maiduguri, last week, urging me to request for the rebuilding of the palace as soon as we arrive here for the ceremony,’’ he said.

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news

Monday, 9 May, 2016

Edo poll: South-South PDP govs plot against APC Alphonsus Agborh-Asaba

P

EOPLE’S Democratic Party (PDP) governors in the South-South zone, on Sunday, met to strategise on how to wrestle power from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the September 10 governorship election in Edo State.

The governors, who were in Asaba, Delta State, for the meeting included the host, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, Udom Emmanuel of Akwa-Ibom, Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Ben Ayade of Cross River and Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa.

Addressing journalists at the end of the meeting, Governor Okowa said “We have a very useful meeting and it is the first that we have had since we were sworn-in. We also dis-

cussed issues bordering on the PDP in Edo State, one of our sister states. By the grace of God, we are putting our house in order to win Edo election.

“You recall that they have election in September and we try to map out strategies in order to strengthen the party in that state. We will not let the cat out of the bag now because we are putting things in shape at the moment,” Okowa said.

According to him, the governors also brainstormed on how to make the forthcoming national convention in Port Harcourt a huge success, just as he urged party members and supporters to remain united in order to have a hitch-free exercise.

He said they wanted “to go as a united body to Port Harcourt, because we stand by the decision to hold the convention in

Port Harcourt. Plans have been put in place for a wonderful convention.”

On the security situation of the country, particularly the activities of rampaging Fulani herdsmen, Okowa disclosed that the SouthSouth PDP governors had resolved to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari on the issue.

He said: “First is the issue of security and we decided that there would be the need

for us in the South-South to have a meeting with Mr President. Those are issues we are not going to let out until we see the president.”

The South-South PDP governors also condemned last weekend’s attack on Chevron facilities by unknown persons suspected to be militants, describing it as unfortunate, and noted that plans were on to stem the tide of pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta region.

Edo, Ondo poll: NYSC vows to protect corps members Adetola Bademosi-Abuja

AHEAD the 2016 gubernatorial elections in Edo and Ondo states, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has vowed to work with key stakeholders on the protection of corps members during the exercise.

The Director-General of the Scheme, Brigadier General Suleman Kazaure, said this while answering questions from newsmen shortly after addressing corps members at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, Iyana Ipaja, Lagos.

Kazaure, who reaffirmed his commitment to the safety and general welfare of corps members, said the scheme would evolve better strategies, in conjunction with relevant agencies, with a view to ensuring safety of corps member.

On the continuing surge in corps population, he assured that the management and other stakeholders in the scheme were poised to surmounting challenges occasioned by such population explosion.

Kazaure also reminded them of the need to use the platform of the NYSC to promote national unity and integration, in line with the dreams of its founding fathers.

“This camp community is reflective of the diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds of the larger population of Nigeria. I urge you to begin to promote national integration right from this camp by regarding one another as members of the same family; and treating one another with love and respect,” he said.

Death of Oba of Benin, Walan Sokoto monumental losses to Nigeria —Hajia Buhari WIFE of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has described the death of the Oba of Benin, Omo n’Oba Akpolokpolo Erediauwa and Walin Sokoto, Ambassador Hazmat Ahmad, as monumental losses to the nation.

She said the death of the two great men could not easily be forgotten in the history of this country due to their immense contribution in ensuring peace and unity.

The president’s wife urged Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of commitment and good legacies which they left behind.

Mrs Buhari also expressed her condolence to the government and people of Edo and Sokoto states and prayed God to grant the bereaved families the fortitude to bear the losses.

KIC wins 2016 best secondary school

By Kehinde Adio Delta State governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, flanked by governors of Bayelsa, Seriake Dickson (left); Rivers, Nyesom Wike (second left); Akwa-Ibom, Emmanuel Udom (right) and Cross Rivers, Ben Ayade, during South-South governors’ meeting in Asaba, Delta State, on Sunday.

Start practical change, Catholic bishop charges Buhari •Wants him to cut waste, reduce presidential planes, luxury vehicles Sam Nwaoko-Ado Ekiti

THE Catholic Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, Most Reverend Felix Femi Ajakaiye, on Sunday, said President Muhammadu Buhari must start practical change for Nigerians to see and also work towards achieving it.

Bishop Ajakaiye, who spoke at the celebration of the 2016 World Communications Day of the Catholic Church, also said the president should reflect on the

mood of the country, lead by example and reduce waste by cutting down on the number of planes in the presidential fleet and the fleet of luxury vehicles in the Aso Rock Villa.

Bishop Ajakaiye, in his homily, on the occasion of the 50th World Communications Day, held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, in Ado Ekiti, also noted that time was no longer at the disposal of the president, saying the time had come

for him and his party to start practical change and depart from sloganeering.

In the homily entitled: “Communication and Mercy: A Fruitful Encounter,” Bishop Ajakaiye noted that the president must learn to follow due process and uphold the rule of law in the affairs of the country, “no matter whose ox is gored.”

The cleric, who emphasised the need for reconciliation in the country, advice the president and his team to thoroughly study

4 killed in rail accident in Kwara Biola Azeez-Ilorin

TWO officials of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) and two passengers have reportedly lost their lives at the weekend, when a cargo train travelling from Ibadan to Kano lost control and crashed.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that the incident occurred at Jebba, Kwara State, a few metres after the main entrance of Jebba Paper Mill.

It was also reported that there was a second crash few metres to the River Niger Bridge at Jebba, but

with no casualty recorded.

Some officials of the corporation, who spoke with journalists, said the two staff members were a male guard and a female staff simply identified as Janet.

It was gathered that remains of Janet was packed into a body bag by a combined team of medical personnel, police and Road Safety Corps at about 3.40p.m, on Sunday, while the head and one leg of another victim had reportedly been retrieved earlier from the crash scene.

However, the crash created a long queue of trailers on the

ever-busy Ilorin-Jebba road, with the traffic snarl stretching for about 12 kilometers, leaving road users stranded.

The Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), speaking through the Assistant Director in charge of Publicity, Mr Rauf Akinloye, said on Sunday that four people died in the train accident.

One of the passengers, who said he alighted at Ilorin around 3.00 a.m., Comrade Gbenga Olanrewaju, said the train derailed because it was “overloaded with too many coaches,” noting that it had begun to malfunction earlier.

the report of the 2014 national conference and act accordingly.

His words: “Tough times don’t last, but tough people do, indeed, these are tough times in Nigeria, however, we cannot continue to moan over our lost opportunities. As individual and people, we need to find concrete solutions to our series of problems and march on strongly.

On the need to move away from change as mere slogan to practical change, Ajakaiye said: “what we really need now is practical change, though it is an ongoing process, it involves all. Practical change is a definitive departure from slogan to action.”

KING’S International College, Moniya, Ibadan, has emerged the best secondary school of the year in the South-West.

At the award presentation ceremony held in Ibadan, on Sunday, the national coordinator, Excellent Media, a non-governmental organisation, Mr Honey Olawale, said a committee was set up to evaluate the facilities of various secondary schools in the South-West to get the best among them.

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south-westnews

Monday, 9 May, 2016

Ogun shuts 12 unlicensed hospitals, uncovers illegal morgue Olayinka Olukoya - Abeokuta

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O fewer than 12 privately owned hospitals operating without licences have been closed down by the Ogun State government in Ijebu areas of the state.

Also, an illegal mortuary was uncovered in AgoIwoye, in Ijebu North Local Government Area of the state.

The closure and discovery of the illegal facilities

was carried out by the state Monitoring Team, Department of Hospital Services in the state Ministry of Health.

The exercise followed the just concluded revalidation/ registration of all private health facilities in the state.

The team was led by the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Babatunde Ipaye and the Permanent Secretary, Dr Nafiu Aigoro, to Ijebu Ode and Ijebu-Igbo axis.

Ipaye said the exercise became necessary to stamp out quackery in the state

health sector, adding that, any facilities found operating without the state government validation would be taken as operating illegally across the state.

He said government would no longer condone the quackery activities, putting life of the good people of the state in danger, saying that quality of services provided, qualification of the owner of the facilities and other relevant documents would be checked thoroughly before rendering health care ser-

vices to the people. ‘’The state government can no longer continue to lose innocent citizens through quackery. The state will henceforth, enforce owners of private health facilities to follow the best health care operating standard that meet up with the international standard of health care services. Owners will also provide proof of ownership, certificate, and other relevant documents before operating in the state,” Dr Ipaye said.

From left, Oyo State Head of Service, Mr Soji Eyinade; wife of Oyo State governor, Chief (Mrs) Florence Ajimobi and the Archbishop of Ibadan Catholic Archdiocese, Most Reverend (Dr) Gabriel ‘Leke Abegunrin, during the dedication ceremony and 65th anniversary of St Joseph Catholic Church, Oke-Ado, Ibadan, recently. PHOTO: TOMMY ADEGBITE.

‘Return Orile-Oko to Obafemi Owode LG before signing LCDA bill into law’ Olayinka Olukoya - Abeokuta THE Oko people in Egbaland has appealed to Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, not to sign the amended Bill to create 37 Local Council Development Areas into law without returning Orile-Oko to Obafemi Owode Local Government, to avoid unnecessary communal clashes.

They vowed to reject such move to return the community with all the pints of blood in their bodies to Remo North, insisting they belong to Egba and not Remo North.

Addressing newsmen on Sunday, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital was the Oluwo Oke Ona, Chief Abayomi Jiboku, who claimed that all Oko indigenes had their root in Oke Ona Egba, adding that the community had over the years been under the control of Remo.

Jiboku, who doubles as the Oluwo Oko and flanked by others chiefs in Oke Ona Egba said the position of the House of Assembly, that Orile Oko issue had to do with boundary adjustment was a “lame excuse.”

“We, the people of Oko in Egbaland both in Abeokuta,

Orile Oko and in the Diaspora, absolutely reject with all the pints of blood in our bodies, the return of our homestead, Orile Oko, to Remo North Local Government.

We are Egba. We belong to Obafemi Owode Local Government in Egbaland.

“By the result of the referendum conducted in Orile Oko in 2002, no government has the power to obliterate the sovereignty of the people of Orile Oko to be merged with the kith and

kin in Obafemi Owode Local Government. That referendum is their sovereignty.

It is unalterable. It is immutable. It is undeniable,” Jiboku said.

He said the position was not only illogical but based unwisely that it is only the National Boundaries Commission that could carry out boundary adjustment between Obafemi Owode and Remo North LG areas.

Jiboku said the function of the National Boundaries

Commission does not include boundary issues within the state, especially when such issue is not between two states of the federation.

The High Chief of Oke Ona Egba said the Assembly erred in law by conducting a public hearing on 32 LCDAS, which had already been created by Local Government (Creation and Transitional Provisions) Law of Ogun State, 2002, under the administration of former Governor Olusegun Osoba.

Stop meddling in Osun PDP affairs, group tells Fayose

By Moses Alao A group within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State, which identified itself as the Osun PDP Youth Mandate, has warned the Ekiti State governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, to stop interfering and meddling in the affairs of the party in Osun State, calling on the governor to “stop sowing seeds of disunity” through his “meddlesomeness.”

Fayose was accused of using the advantage of his

relationship with the PDP National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, to unnecessarily meddle in the affairs of the PDP in Osun State.

The group, in a statement signed by its chairman and secretary, Mr Oguntunmbi Adebowale and Comrade Alao Adeolu, respectively, described the PDP in Osun State as one big family, which has been able to weather different storms in the past, calling on the Ekiti governor not to fan embers of discord; just as it warned Sheriff to main-

tain the standard of being a father to all “so that we do not return to the era of satisfying some interests at the expense of the others.”

The group alleged that Fayose’s actions were in support of a notable chieftain of the party (names withheld), who reportedly declared that he would scuttle the peace being enjoyed by Osun PDP, if his anointed aspirant for the PDP chairmanship position was not picked as a sole aspirant, warning the governor to steer clear of Osun PDP.

The commissioner said the activities was carried out under the Private Hospitals and other Health Establishments Registration Edict of 1988, noting that seven hospitals were shut in Ijebu Igbo and five in Ijebu Ode, stressing that the exercise would be carried out across the 20 local government areas of the state.

Speaking on the various signboards provided by the state government to guide against patronising quacks across the state, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr Nafiu Aigoro, said facilities owned by medical doctors fall under category A with orange colour, B for facilities owned by nurses with grey colour, C for medical laboratory, diagnostic centres and physiotherapy clinics with purple colour.

He said other categories are D for mortuaries with black signboard while E and F are for alternative medicine and community health officer/ business enterprise with blue and brown colours respectively.

We’re not troublemakers, Ogun NURTW tells Assembly Olayinka Olukoya - Abeokuta THE leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), in Ogun State, has denied any allegation of threat to lives and breach of peace in the state, as raised by some members of the state House of Assembly.

This was disclosed by the union’s state chairman, Alhaji Akeem Adeosun, at a news conference over the weekend, that neither he nor any member of the union was planning to disrupt the peace of the state.

He was apparently reacting to an issue raised by the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Honourable Dare Kadiri, and some members of the House, calling on Police authorities and the Department of Security Service (DSS), to caution the leadership of the union against any breakdown of law and order.

The union boss said the leadership of the union at several times had been commended by security agencies for maintaining peace in all its parks across the state.

He explained that the crisis rocking the Ago-Iwoye branch of the union was caused by external influence, and had since been resolved, saying all other branches in the state were without crisis.

Nigerian Tribune

European Union boosts immunisation in Ogun IMMUNISATION campaign in Ogun State has received a major boost as the state was the first to receive the first batch of consignment from the European Union Support Immunisation Governance in Nigeria, otherwise known as EUSIGN, as the union donated 45 solar refrigerators, solar generators and panels to the state government for proper preservation of immunisation vaccines in the state.

While receiving the items on behalf of the state government, Commissioner for Health, Dr Babatunde Ipaye, through his Press Officer, Mr Ismail Sokunbi, revealed that the solar refrigerators and generators, would keep immunisation vaccines potent, safe and viable without having to depend on electricity.

Dr Ipaye stated that the catalyst for efficient health care service delivery was to have a well funded Primary Health Care system in place, adding that 40 Primary Health Care Centres across the state would bring health care service delivery closer to the people.

‘FG, stem tide of Fulani herdsmen’

By Tolu Olamiriki THE President of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) worldwide, Pastor Abraham Akinosun, has charged the Federal Government to take proactive measure to stem the tide of Fulani herdsmen and native clashes in the country.

The cleric specifically urged the government to inaugurate a community relations committee comprising of traditional rulers, opinion and community leaders as well as other relevant stakeholders so as to be able to proffer lasting solution to Fulani herdsmen clashes in the country.

The CAC president said this recently during a visit to the Ooni of Ife, Osun State, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, adding that the herdsmen needed to embrace modernism through effective education of younger generations.

He expressed concern over moral events such as kidnapping, child-trafficking, ritual killings as well as armed robbery which were not prevalent during the pre-colonial era and urged traditional rulers and other relevant stakeholders to assist in checkmating the problem in their areas.

37 news

Monday, 9 May, 2016

Alleged failure to recover N300bn loot: My story —AGF Sunday Ejike - Abuja

T

HE Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has opened up on the allegation levelled against him by one George Uboh, over the recovery of some alleged funds stashed away by individuals in different Nigerian banks, as well as some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

Malami’s role was contained in a letter he wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari, through the office of the Chief of Staff, Alhaji Abba Kyari, dated April 4, with Reference Number HAGF/SH/2016/Vol.1/20, refuting the spurious allegations.

A statement by the minister’s spokesman, Comrade Salihu Othman Isah, at the weekend, said Malami described Uboh’s claim that he deliberately frustrated him in his effort to recover the over N300 billion his company, Panic Alert Security Systems (PASS) traced to some Nigerian banks, as false.

The minister also said it was untrue, the insinuations that he made an unholy alliance with the banking sector mafia not to cooperate with PASS, The AGF said: “I must state that the above allegations are untrue, incorrect, false, a figment of the imagination of the author and a smear campaign by Uboh to tarnish my name. I did not make, never made and will never make any alliance with anyone in and outside of the banking industry to frustrate PASS or any firm from recovering any Federal Government’s funds stashed/trapped in the listed banks or any bank or company in Nigeria or elsewhere.

“In demonstration of my firm commitment to the recovery efforts of the Federal Government of Nigeria, I gave PASS a letter entitled: TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, dated February 17, 2016, introducing PASS to the aforesaid banks/financial institutions.

“The aforesaid letter of engagement, dated February 9, 2016 and the subsequent letter of introduction, dated February 17, 2016 (HAGF Letters) were given to PASS on the firm understanding that PASS had already identified and/or traced specific Federal Government of Nigeria funds stashed/ trapped in the aforementioned banks and that PASS would promptly embark on processes that would lead to actual recovery and remit-

tance of the traced funds into the designated account of the Federal Government of Nigeria in line with the proposals submitted, presentations made and the terms contained in its letter of February 9, 2016.”

On why he had to revoke the letter of engagement given to PASS, Malami said he took the action when he discovered that it was on window-shopping mission

upon receipt of the letter by going beyond his brief, embarking on subtle threats to all Nigerian banks, some private individuals and entities solely to shop for data and information to execute the brief, contrary to the representations made to the minister.

Malami averred that: “In a manner that clearly demonstrated that PASS was merely on a voyage of infor-

mation and window-shopping, PASS, upon receipt of the letters here in above mentioned, went to town and unilaterally expanded the scope of its brief far beyond the 13 banks covered by his brief and embarked on subtle threats to all Nigerian banks, some private individuals and entities solely to shop for data and information to execute the brief contrary to the representa-

tions made to me.

“In support of the claims contained in paragraph nine above, I was inundated with the excesses of Dr George Uboh of PASS and later found out that PASS actually wrote several banks (more than 13 banks), private individuals, corporate entities (national and multinationals), government agencies and virtually all FGN’s Ministries soliciting for

Staff of African Newspapers of Nigeria (ANN) Plc born in May, cutting their birthday cake at the Tribune Boardroom, Imalefalafia, Ibadan.

PHOTO. ‘D’ TOYIN

data, information, official records, remittances (funds and stocks) and records of whereabouts of all forfeited assets not yet disposed by some of the Federal Government of Nigeria agencies, among other things.

“For the record, the entities, agencies and private individuals written by PASS, in addition to the 13 banks, specifically/actually covered by its mandate include all ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, all Managing Directors of 25 Money Deposit Banks (MDBs) in Nigeria; Managing Director, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON); chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS); former chairman, Presidential Amnesty Committee, among several others.

Other excesses of Dr Uboh, the minister’s spokesman, were said to include soliciting and/or requesting banks’ officials to allow him access to certain encrypted systems in order to enable him extract relevant information to execute the brief without appreciation of the security implications of such a delicate venture on Nigeria’s financial sector and without any prior discussions with and approval from the AGF.

Kogi assemby crisis: G-15 vows to fight on Yinka Oladoyinbo - Lokoja MEMBERS of the G-15 of the Kogi State House of Assembly, on Sunday, denied calling on the National Assembly to stop action on its planned takeover of the assembly.

The group, which is loyal to the embattled Speaker, Momoh Jimoh Lawal, said it would never abandon the struggle to ensure that justice prevail in the assembly.

Deputy majority leader of the assembly, Sunday Shigaba, who spoke on behalf of the group, said its members would continue to uphold the rule of law, notwithstanding sponsored publications targeted at soiling their integrity.

The group expressed shock at the publication said to have caught them unawares, saying Ademuyiwa Adeniyi, the purported counsel for the G-15, who was credited for the report, was unknown to them.

Shugaba said: “We woke up to realise that a publication was made (online) purported to be attributed to G-15 and it took us by great shock that somebody who we never authorised, said

that on our behalf. That we, the G-15, have written to the National Assembly to halt the takeover of the Kogi legislative chambers.

“We were taken aback, as we did not authorise anybody to do such on our behalf. I am surprised to see somebody trying to upturn our position upside down.

We are the ones who took our complain to the National Assembly, prompting their reaction and the whole world is aware of this and we remain resolute.

“There is no way an insignificant minority can take over, because politics is a game of numbers.The pub-

lication is unfounded and targeted at misinforming on our position and to soil our integrity.”

It will be recalled that the Kogi State House of Assembly had been enmeshed in crisis, following the purported impeachment of Lawal and other principal officers of the House by five

out of the then 20-member assembly.

The development made the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, to constitute a 10man investigation panel, to look into the crisis, at the end of which its affairs were taken over.

Unlawful detention of foreigner: Court awards N10m damages against EFCC AN Abuja High Court has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to pay a sum of N10 million damages to an Abuja-based foreigner and security expert, Mr Wolgang Reinl, over his unlawful detention and seizure of his international passport by the anti-graft agency.

The N10 million fine was imposed on EFCC as compensatory damages for the violation of fundamental rights of Reinl to dignity of human person and personal liberty.

The court also barred the EFCC from arresting, rearresting, detaining or embarking on further seizure of the international passport of the plaintiff, who is an Austrian security consultant.

In his judgment in the legal action instituted by Reinl to challenge his arrest and detention from December 12, 2015 till February 2, 2016, Justice Peter Affen ordered that EFCC must forthwith release the international passport, cheque books and cell phones seized from the plaintiff in the wake of his arrest and detention.

Justice Affen, in 27-page judgment, also ordered EFCC to delist the foreign security expert from their watch-list or no-fly list, as doing so infringes on the fundamental rights of Reinl to freedom of liberty.

The court held that the detention of the plaintiff at the EFCC custody in Abuja for over a month, was unlawful, unconstitutional and constituted a gross vio-

lation of the plaintiff fundamental rights to dignity, as enshrined in Section 34 and 35 of the 1999 Constitution.

Reinl had, through his lawyer, Mr Afam Osigwe, dragged the EFCC before the Abuja High Court to challenge his arrest and detention by the anti-graft agency for no just cause.

He claimed that five operatives of the EFCC had, in December last year, stormed his Abuja residence without lawful court order and search warrant invaded his house and made away with his property on the ground that they were investigating a money laundering matter.

The plaintiff also claimed that the five EFCC operatives refused bluntly to

identify themselves and forcefully took him to their Wuse office, where he was detained for five weeks and his property confiscated.

In the suit, the plaintiff prayed the court for an order of injunction restraining EFCC by itself, servants, privies, agents or whosoever purporting to act on its behalf from violating or further violating his fundamental rights as guaranteed by the Section 34, 35 and 43 of the 1999 Constitution.

The plaintiff prayed the court for an order to remove his name from EFCC watchlist and to direct the anti-graft agency to tender a public apology to him and also for the immediate release of his international passport and other confiscated properties.

38 news S’West PDP crisis deepens over zoning

Monday, 9 May, 2016

•Party orders fresh congresses in Osun •Akinjide, Mulikat-Akande, Adedoja eye PDP national secretary post

By Kunle Oderemi

P

OWERFUL forces in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appear to be in a battle to the finish for the control of the soul of the party in the South-West, findings by the Nigerian Tribune, has shown.

As of press time on Sunday, the various camps were still digging in over the distribution of national secretary and national publicity secretary, two of the key national offices zoned to the South-West.

Contrary to expectations, the sharing formula announced last Friday, by a board of Trustee member of PDP, Chief Shuaib Oyedokun, has further widened the gulf among the leaders of the party in the zone, as state chapters of the party

have broken into factions, with each loyal to some influential party members, including governors elected on the PDP tickets in the South-West.

For instance in Osun State, one of the two existing camps comprises loyalists of the 2015 PDP governorship candidate in the state, Senator Iyiola Omisore, while the other consists of party buffs promoting Chief Soji Adagunodo as the next PDP state chairman.

However, the Omisore camp is said to favour Dr Bayo Faforiji as state chairman, with Reverend Bunmi Jenyo, as vice chairman.

The Adagunodo group believes it needs to’ capture’ the PDP structure in the state in the ongoing battle to ensure a complete turnaround from the past in terms of who emerges as

candidate for the next governorship election in the state.

The battle for supremacy is also raging between the camps over the post of national secretary. Whereas incumbent national secretary of PDP, Professor Wale Oladipo was said to be working to retain the seat, the other camp was said to mobilising support for a legal practitioner, Mr Ojo Williams, as likely replacement for Oladipo.

Following the seeming intractable of the crisis in the Osun PDP, the party’s national secretariat has ordered the conduct of ward, local government and state congresses on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week, so that the loyalists of Omisore are not shut out.

Whereas the Adagunodo

had successfully paid about N13 million to PDP headquarters in Abuja, on behalf of delegates from the camp, the Omisore camp was reportedly given the grace to meet the condition to facilitate the fresh congresses.

In Oyo, the names of no fewer than four PDP leaders in the state are being touted as contenders for the position of national secretary.

They include two former ministers in the last political dispensation: Oloye Jumoke Akinjide and Professor Taoheed Adejumo, as well as a former member of the National Assembly, Honourable Ajibola Muraina, and a former Majority Leader in the House, Honourable Mulikat Akande Adeola.

In Ogun State, some party leaders are promoting Segun Sowunmi for the position of national publicity

Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, examining sample of bitumen scooped from a site in Agbabu, in Odigbo Local Government Area, during a working visit to bitumen bearing communities in Ondo State, at the weekend.

Oyo ex-Speaker denies endorsing ‘Santos’ as Oyo fed constituency leader

By Tunde Ogunesan FORMER Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Honourable Asimiyu Alarape, has denied being a part of the decision that affirmed Alhaji Yekini Ademola, popularly known as Santos, as leader, Oyo Federal Constituency in the state.

Honourable Alarape and 12 others were reported as affirming the leadership of Alhaji Ademola as their leader during one of their Thursday’s constituency meeting, few weeks ago.

He said at no time did he append his signature on any document claiming to have affirmed Alhaji Yekini Ademola as the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the zone.

The former Speaker, in a short media message sent to the Nigerian Tribune maintained that he did not attend the meeting and could not have signed

any document as reported, “If anything like that ever happened.”

He said “My attention has been drawn to a re-

port where my name was linked to the affirmation of Alhaji Ademola Santos as the leader of PDP Oyo Federal Constituency. I wish to

state that I was not at such meeting and couldn’t have signed such document.

The claim is dubious and obnoxious.”

3 injured as Rivers NBA building collapses Dapo Falade -Port Harcourt THREE persons were left critically injured as the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Law Centre, Port Harcourt, collapsed, on Saturday.

The building, still under construction, was a project embarked upon by the Governor Nyesom Wike administration, after it took over the original Law Centre, located within the state High Court complex.

The governor, while laying the foundation of the building, had expressed optimism that it would be completed by August, for possible use as the venue for the forthcoming NBA na-

tional conference.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that the building collapsed when most of its construction workers were still inside, following a heavy downpour in parts of the state capital, at the weekend.

It was also gathered that the three injured persons were moved to the Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital, Port Harcourt (BMH) for medical attention.

Meanwhile, the management of ‘Details 2 Dot Nigeria Limited’, the construction engineers of the building, has said the NBA Law Centre did not collapse as being reported.

The firm, in a statement is-

sued by its site engineer, Mr Pascal Nnadi, said the structure under construction “experienced form-work failure in the void area where the iron work caved in.”

He said the issue was being handled with all the required professional expertise and assured that all columns in the structure were standing solid, adding that there was nothing for anyone to fear.

He also disclosed that NBA officials had visited the project site, saying they had resolved to bring their own engineers to conduct independent integrity test on the building, with the engineers of the construction company in attendance.

secretary. Mr Lere Olayinka from Ekiti State is also interested in the position.

Elsewhere, a former Commissioner for Information in Ondo State, Dr Eddy Olufeso was in the race for national publicity secretary until he was encouraged to go for the post of national vice chairman (South-West).

Nation’s wealth no longer dependent on extractive, natural resources —Obanya

By Gabriel Oshokha THE designer of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) in Nigeria, at the Institute of Education of the University of Ibadan (UI), Ibadan, Emeritus Professor Pai Obanya, has said a nation’s wealth is no longer dependent on its extractive and natural resources but more on its human capacity (knowledge).

The don stated this on Friday, May 6, 2016, during the Chartering of the Nigeria chapter of the KAPPA DELTA PI, an International Honor Society in Education based in the United States, at the Department of Educational Management, UI, headquarters of the body.

He said the answer to virtually all challenges of sustainable development could be addressed by Education.

Speaking, the Dean, Faculty of Education of the University of Ibadan, Professor M. K. Akinsola disclosed at the event that “the mother body of the organisation in the United States, pulled resources together to assist one of our schools in Oyo State, St. Thomas RCM School 3, Agbowo, Ibadan.”

President of the KDP Nigeria chapter, Professor Uche Grace Emetarom, who formally initiated 20 dons from different universities across Nigeria, who accepted to uphold the purpose and ideals of KDP, emphasized that the purpose of the body is to help the young to grow. She noted that the core value of KDP is recognition of individual’s achievements and networking with other educators across the globe.

In his address, the acting Head of Department of Educational Management, UI, Dr D.A. Olaniyan, said the department would pay membership fees of the newly initiated KDP members of the department, saying all academic members of the department automatically become KDP members.

Evans Publishers appoints New MD/CEO THE Board of Director Evans Brothers (Nigeria Publishers) Limited, at its recent meeting, confirmed the appointment of Mr Lukman Dauda as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the company.

The New Managing Director is a seasoned Accountant and Administrator, who had acquired diverse experience spanning over two decades in the book and publishing industry. He had served as the Head of Internal Audit, the Chief Accountant and Company Secretary at one time or the other before his appointment into the Board as an Executive Director in 2013. He has attended various seminars and workshops on publishing matters both within and outside Nigeria.

Dauda is a 1989 graduate of Accountancy from the Polytechnic, Ibadan. He is a fellow of both the Institute of the Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN).

He holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the then Ondo State University, Ado-Ekiti, now University of Ado-Ekiti.

Lukman Dauda

Ahmed approves payment of 24,042 verified workers, pensioners Biola Azeez -Ilorin KWARA State governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, has approved the payment of March and April salaries and pensions for 24,042 workers and pensioners cleared in the ongoing staff verification exercise in the state.

According to a statement by the Alternate chairman of the state Committee on Personnel Database Development, Alhaji Isiaka Gold, the approval followed final clearance of the affected workers and pensioners by the Nigerian Interbank Settlement System (NIBBS).

Alhaji Gold, who is also the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) explained that the March and April salaries and entitlements for the workers and pensioners would be paid this week.

39

Monday, 9 May, 2016 Editor: Ganiyu Salman tribunesporteditor@yahoo.com 08053789060

Lagos FA Chairman implores Nigerian coaches on Coerver coaching programme

By Niyi Alebiosu Ahead of the Coerver coaching programme coming up at the Agege Stadium, Lagos from May 9-11, the Lagos State Football Association (LASFA) chairman, Mr. Seyi Akinwunmi has charged Nigeria coaches to grab the opportunities provided by this programme to enhance their technical and mental performance in soccer.

Akinwunmi said this while receiving the officials of Coerver coaching programme in his office, disclosing at the meeting that there is nowhere in the world where football growth is achieved without developing a culture that builds human capacity which is what the Coerver project is offering to Nigerians.

He further disclosed that, Lagos is championing the pilot edition in collaboration with Search and Groom-youth for development centre as a compliment to the youth football driven vision of his administration.

“We are pacesetters in Nigeria; we will not depart from this tradition. That we are associated with COERVER COACHING is something we are proud of and hope to influence beyond the territory of Lagos” Akinwunmi told Tribune-

sport by phone.

In his comments, Chief Executive Officer/Technical Director, Coerver Coaching Netherlands, Rainel Woerdings, noted that, Nigeria has the potentials to produce coaches that can match the best in the world, if only the country can embrace a more robust technical and mental shift from what they are currently familiar with.

His words: “Coerver coaching is not just about kicking the ball around or other regular norms we are all familiar with. It is about understanding the secrets behind every soccer technique, skill and mental alertness. It involves skills coaches can use must have to pass on knowledge to players at any level. We have presence in over 50 countries and have also made remarkable contributions to the patterns of play of teams like Stoke City, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid and so on.”

Mr. Yomi Kuku, Executive Director, Search and Groom-youth for development centre revealed that his organization is excited over coerver’s first appearance in Nigeria and the level of support and acceptance especially from the Lagos State Sports Commission and Lagos State Football Association.

Yekini’s house.

Burglarbreaksinto Rashidi Yekini’s house

By Nurudeen Alimi

A

teenage boy was on Sunday nabbed inside the house of late former African Footballer of the Year and Super Eagles striker, Rashidi Yekini, located very close to Oni and Sons hospital, Ibadan, while attempting to cart away some valuables.

One of the late Yekini’s associates who craved anonymity while speaking Tribunesport said the boy had already

2016 NNPC/Shell Cup enters zonal preliminaries stage THE 18th edition of the All Nigeria Secondary Schools Football Championship for the NNPC/Shell Cup has entered the zonal preliminary stage.

37 schools are expected to converge on 9 centres across the country to compete for the quarter final slots. At the end of the series of matches, 10 teams are expected to emerge for the quarter finals scheduled for Ijebu-Ode from May 21st, 2016.

Beginning from tomorow matches will be played in Katsina, Minna, Jalingo, Ilorin, Uyo, Owerri, Ughelli, Akure and Osogbo. The following are the groupings: KATSINA – Jigawa, Kano, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara MINNA – Nasarawa, Katsina, Kaduna, FCT. JALINGO – Yobe, Gombe, Adamawa, Borno ILORIN – Niger, Bauchi, Taraba, Plateau UYO – Abia, Ebonyi, Rivers, Benue OWERRI – Enugu, Akwa-Ibom, Delta, C/Rivers UGHELLI – Anambra. Imo, Kogi, Bayelsa.

OSOGBO – Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, Lagos.

AKURE – Oyo, Osun, Kwara, Edo. The Nigeria Schools Sports Federation have reiterated that states that parade mercenaries in their teams would be severely dealt with as adequate measures have been put in place to detect non-bonafide students and punish any school that falls fowl of this rule.

Meanwhile, winners of the last edition, Rochas Foundation College, Ogboko, Imo State have been knocked out of the state preliminaries as Holy Ghost College, Owerri will represent Imo state at the zonal preliminaries.

packed his loots at one place inside the house and was removing some electric cables when he was nabbed.

“I got a call from one of the residents of the area that someone has been caught inside Yekini’s house. That was when I went straight to the place. When I got there they were about beating the intruder, but I just told them not to beat him that we must

not take laws into our hands.

“In order not to waste precious time at the police station I advise that they should allow the boy to go since he has not succeeded in taking away the stolen items.

The only thing for us to do now is to ensure adequate security of the house”.

Some of the items he intended taking away are: Ceiling fans, elec-

tric cables and other home appliances.

The news of the burglary came barely twenty-four hours after reports in some section of the media that the mother of the late football icon depends on selling bread for survival. The story which his lawyer, Jubril Mohammed described as fallacy, saying Yekini made adequate provision for his mother before he died.

Francis Aiyegbeni, boxing promoter, dies at 69

By Tunde Ogunesan SPORT philanthropist and boxing promoter, Chief Francis Aiyegbeni is dead.

Aiyegbeni, who owns the popular D’Rovans hotel, now Wallan Hotel, in Ibadan, was reported dead on Saturday morning at the age of 69.

He was said to have been rushed to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan on Saturday after he failed to respond to treatment at the Police Hospital, Eleyele, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Tribunesport gathered that he was admitted into the Intensive Care Unit, (ICU) of the hospital

less than 24 hours before his death.

Tribunesport also learnt that the business mogul had been down with an ailment before he was referred to UCH during the week.

Though, a source informed that the family will not make public announcement until the autopsy report is ready and the larger family members were duly informed.

By Sunday afternoon, a condolence register had been opened in his honour at Wallan Hotel, MKO Abiola Way Ring Road, Ibadan as well as his house.

Aiyegbeni, a former boxer and prominent boxing promoter in

his lifetime sponsored several bouts of Bash Ali, and notably his world title fight in 1996 against Ralf Rocchigiani in Germany.

He was also instrumental to hosting many national title fights at D’Rovans Hotel, Ibadan while he also promoted a national heavyweight title fight between silver Olympic medallist, Richard Igbinegbu and Abbey Adewale, a.k.a Tiger.

In addition, for decades and till date, Chief Aiyegbeni hosted annual dinner of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Oyo State chapter, in one of the halls inside his hotel free of charge.

SIDELINES

NO 16,496

MONDAY, 9 MAY, 2016

I

last visited a buka or a beer house aeons ago and please don’t try to rout my aeons of last visit to either place of sumptuousness through the route of geology or that of Gnosticism.

You will be taking me too, too seriously if you do. But the point is that I used to enjoy and plague my belly with assorted meat and flesh of all looks, brands, kinds and types. And when I added roux to the well assorted varieties, in no time my bloated belly and body became badly bloated and the ill-assorted assorted caused me the kind of anxiety that gave me subjects for alarm.

Alas! I must exclaim, assorted this, assorted that nearly murdered my sensibilities from my venerable belly to other parts of my frame I worship with reverence. I am telling you here, the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth and the whole truth; so bless me God. Is the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal there? Please read my lips and mind well and well without ill-assorted judicial thoughts and sensibilities and give justice to justice without making yourself and office the subjects for alarm.

Fear not, act well, appropriately, without causing yourself great uneasiness even if there are those in and out of your tribunal causing and giving you anxiety.

Avoid assorted this, assorted that in order not to bloat furiously your fine frame and that of the tribunal you chair and must continue to chair with dignity.

I am derailing.... Avoid assorted sweets, assorted beer, assorted cognac, whiskey, gin and what-not. But embrace assorted reflexions with judicial mirth and moral dignity. Mercy of Allah!

Assorted reflexions enrich what they enrich in us, and will always enrich in us… I belong to the cognoscenti of enriched thoughts and sensibilities. And I remember Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956), German poet, dramatist and more. His lines resonate in my reflexions: “In the dark times Will there also be singing?

Yes, there will be singing About the dark times.”

These are hard, killing, murderous, dark times. Nigeria, I hail thee! No, Nigeria we hail thee! You are our beloved

N150

A man has alleged that his wife is so addicted to Zeeworld, and Telemundo that she burns food and had once forgetten their 10-year-old child in school. He has threatened divorce.

Strange. Should one look further to know what the children will be addicted to?

in&out with Tony Afejuku

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Assorted reflexions country crushing us at the wrong time and times with assorted anxieties and alarms. But is there the right time for our compatriots to be crushed? Are there right times to know pains we should not know? Ah! Thoughts of assorted cars driving from our national assembly into the scattered anxieties of impoverished masses of our people conjure sensations and reflexions that cannot help them.

We must sing the songs of our times that should not be our times…. Who is safe in the land? The other day, the monumental farm of a monumental personage was re-vanquished. Earlier, much earlier, his monumental frame was forced to ride on a cow to captivity – who by but herdsmen who are not herdsmen? The same ravishing ravagers have been roving everywhere making hay of our land as haymakers of blood.

And the dying and the dying are dying the death they should not be dying. And the dead and the dead have died the death they should not have died. And those who will die next will enter the graves they should not enter – if they are lucky to be housed in graves.

Let’s sing our song of cheerlessness in times of cheerlessness. Do we have economists in the land? Do our market-women know what economics is? Demand and supply; supply and demand, what do they mean to a marketwoman’s waist-bank or heart of buying and selling, and selling and buying for

Let’s sing our song of cheerlessness in times of cheerlessness appropriate profit and gain that are no longer appropriate profit and gain?

What can our once furiously loud pianos now dumb fellows and pianos of wealth and progress and good change of our tumultuous generation and times now play for us to hear and hum and dance to? What can they make of our current economic vicissitudes of life under our new merchants of brimming purses tucking us now into where they should not tuck us into?

Where is anybody, any member of the masses, free now to enjoy the purse of his sweat? In which state in the federation is anybody, any member of the flotsam and jetsam getting drinking water? How many workers are being paid their salaries as and when due?

How many Nigerians are eating well?

How many of us can save for the rainy

and raining day? How many pensioners are getting their due pensions after giving great years of their existence to their states and country? And what do they really and meaningfully do with the lousy pensions they get - if they ever get them without assorted bottlenecks?

Who are the gainers of our economic vicissitudes? Are they not the members of the moneyed bourgeoisie, who always exploit and enslave our yearnings with assorted acts of economic and political misconduct that border on treason? Yet the change mantra sings to workers, including civil servants, teachers and other professionals who rough things out for the progress of our country thus: “Thou shall steal not; and stainless be and remain.”

My reflexions, my reflexions, my reflexions, how they roam and rove in an ocean of assorted pieces and pieces here and there. They are as delicious as deliciousness even though my huge, handsome frame is resistant now to deliciousness of assorted variety. How trim and charming and stupefying this good one now really looks. How about you chopper who chops and chops all the assorted delicacies with government money, actually our money, without contemplation and without compunction? You shall soon go in for treason, you and your big belly, your bloated thief’s belly. Yes.

I’m ready for Eagles friendlies —Ahmed Musa

CSKA Moscow star forward Ahmed Musa will after all show up for the Super Eagles friendlies against Mali and Luxembourg despite fears to the contrary, AfricanFootball.com has been informed specially.

Some officials had expressed fears over Ahmed Musa’s availability for the friendlies, but after several frantic calls the player himself assured he will feature for the country.

One of Ahmed Musa’s representatives told AfricanFootball.com the misunderstanding

may have been caused by the fact the player has to now apply for a new Schengen visa as his previous one has expired.

“Ahmed is confirmed for the Eagles matches, he only has to renew his Schengen visa for him to fly out to France for the match against Mali,” said the player’s representative.

The Eagles have up till the afternoon of May 25 to report in Rouen ahead of their first game against Mali.

They will then fly out to Luxembourg for the second game on May 30.

RESULTS EPL

Tottenham Hotspur 1 Liverpool 2 Manchester City 2

Ahmed Musa

Warri Wolves Rangers Plateau Utd Abia Warriors Heartland Wikki Akwa Utd Lobi Enyimba Pillars

NPFL 0 1 0 1 2 2 2 1 2 2

Southampton Watford Arsenal

2 0 2

Rivers Utd 3SC Sunshine Giwa FC El-Kanemi Nasarawa Utd FC IfeanyiUbah MFM FC Tornadoes Ikorodu Utd

1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1

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