12th April 2016 by Nigerian Tribune

NIGERIA’S MOST INFORMATIVE NEWSPAPER NO 16,477

TUESDAY, 12 APRIL, 2016 www.tribuneonlineng.com

Shiite/Army clash: 347 corpses given mass burial —Kaduna govt —P12

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How Metuh was paid to launder PDP's image, witness tells court —P38

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Hundreds queue for hours to use Ojota pedestrian bridge

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N150

Aregbesola slashes Osun budget by N13bn, seeks assembly's approval

2016 budget: NASS angry, blasts Presidency, Amaechi —P6

—P34

•Enough of this blackmail, Amaechi should apologise or resign —Senate • Lagos-Calabar rail project: Presidency should substantiate claims with evidence —Dogara •Ameachi sent supplementary copy of ministry's budget on Lagos-Calabar rail to us —Senator Ashafa •Budget not rejected —Presidency —P2

President Muhammadu Buhari receiving bouquette from a Chinese girl, on his arrival at People's Republic of China for a state visit, on Monday.

Tax not anti-Islam —Emir of Kano —P12

2 news

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

2016 budget: NASS angry, blasts Presidency, Amaechi From Taiwo Adisa, Ayodele Adesanmi, J acob Segun Olatunji, Kolawole Daniel and Anthony Ubong

HE controversy over the missing links in the 2016 budget deepened on Monday, with claims and counter-claims emanating from the legislative and the executive arms of government. While the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Yakubu Dogara, insisted that the proposal for Lagos-Calabar rail project was never included in the budget presented to the National Assembly by the president, Senate spokesman, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, accused the executive of deliberate blackmail. Senator Abdullahi said the Minister of Transport, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, whose ministry was the source of the controversy over the Lagos-Calabar rail project, should either show proof of the proposal or resign. He also stated that the National Assembly bent over backwards to pass a flawed budget, adding that the lawmakers had taken more than enough undue bashing. The Senate spokesman, who spoke on two different occasions on Monday, one through a statement and another interview, said the Presidency must come clean on the budget issue. He said the Presidency should stop engaging in “surreptitious campaigns of calumny against the Senate, in order to cover up its serial errors.” Senator Abdullahi said in the statement that the alleged removal of vital proposals by the president was a ruse. This came as the chairman, Senate Committee on Land Transport, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, however, said that the proposal for the Lagos-Calabar rail was submitted to his committee during budget defence sessions. Ashafa, in a statement, said the Senate committee on and transport discovered a “floating” N54 billion in the budget of Ministry of Transport and recommended that it be converted for execution of the project. The senator said though the project was not in the original budget document presented by President Muhammadu Buhari on December 22, 2015, the Minister of Transport, Amaechi, later requested before the committee that the LagosCalabar rail project be included in the budget. But Senator Sabi, in the statement he issued on the

budget saga, said the National Assembly actually “bent backwards to wring a coherent document out of the excessively flawed and chaotic versions of the budget proposal submitted to the National Assembly.” He stated: “While the executive is mandated to prepare and lay before the National Assembly, a proposed budget detailing projects to be executed, it should be made clear that the responsibility and power of appropriation lies with the National Assembly. “If the Presidency expects us to return the budget proposal to them without any adjustment, then some people must be living in a different era and probably have not come to terms with democracy. “We make bold to say, however, that the said Lagos-Calabar rail project was not included in the budget proposal presented to the National Assembly by President Buhari and we challenge anyone who has any evidence to the contrary to present such to Nigerians.” He further said: “Since the beginning of the 2016 budget process, it is clear that the National Assembly has suffered all manners of falsehood, deliberate distortion of facts, and outright blackmail, deliberately aimed at poisoning the minds of the people against the institution of the National Assembly. “We have endured this with equanimity in the overall interest of Nigerians. Even when the original submission was surreptitiously swapped and we ended up having two versions of the budget, which was almost incomprehensible and heavily padded in a manner that betrays lack of coordination and gross incompetence, we refused to play to the gallery and instead helped the Executive to manage the hugely embarrassing situation it has brought upon itself; but enough is enough. “This latest antics of this particular Minister of Transportation, Amaechi, is reckless, uncalled for and dangerously divisive. “Apart from setting the people of the Southern part of the country against their Northern compatriots, it potentially sets the people against their lawmakers from the concerned constituencies and sets the lawmakers against themselves. This manner of reprehensible mischief has no place in a democracy. “We, hereby, demand from Mr Amaechi, a publicly tendered apology, if he is not able to show evidence that the Lagos-Calabar road proj-

ect was included in the budget. Otherwise, he should resign forthwith. “Finally, by the provision of Section 81 (4) (a) and (b) of the constitution, the president is allowed to sign the budget and kick-start the implementation of the other areas that constitute over 90 per cent of the budget, where there is agreement between both arms, even as we engage ourselves to resolve the contentious areas, if there were any. “We, therefore, maintain that even this contrived discrepancies are not sufficient excuse not to sign the budget into law. “We also urge President Buhari to sign the 2016 budget without any further delay. “For every additional day that the president withholds his assent from the bill, the hardship in the land, which is already becoming intolerable for the masse, gets even more complicated.” Senator Sabi, in another interview, said Nigerians should commend the National Assembly for being patriotic. He said: “We are Nigerians and we are representing Nigeria. It is our duty to appropriate and that is what we did by virtue of the constitution. One thing I will want to say is that all of us are aware the kind of budget that came. When it came, we have two versions; those two versions did they emanate from Nigerians or the National Assembly, it emanated from the executive. “At the end of the day, we came up with a budget that will affect overall interest of Nigeria. If anything I want to believe that the National Assembly has been magnanimous and patriotic in the way we approached and handled this 2016 budget.

Amaechi sent supplementary copy of ministry’s budget on Lagos-Calabar rail to us —Sen Ashafa

In his statement, Senator Ashafa, contradicted the position of Speaker, Honourable Dogara and the Senate spokesman on the alleged removal of the Lagos-Calabar rail line project from the 2016 budget. “I have carefully followed the news items making the rounds in relation to the budget presented to the National Assembly and what was defended by the Ministry of Transport before the Senate Committee on Land Transport, which I have the privilege of chairing. The focal points of controversy seem to be the Lagos to Calabar railway modernisation

projects and the completion of the Idu-Kaduna rail line. “I confirm that the LagosCalabar rail line was not in the original document that was presented to the National Assembly by the executive. However, subsequently at the budget defence session before the Senate Committee on Land Transport, the Minister for Transport, Amaechi, did inform the committee of the omission of the Lagos to Calabar rail modernisation project and indeed, sent a supplementary copy of the ministry’s budget to the committee, which contained the said project. “The minister noted that the amount needed for the counterpart funding for both the Lagos to Kano and Lagos to Calabar rail modernisation projects was in the sum of N120 billion, being N60 billion per project. “While the committee did not completely agree with all the changes made in the subsequent document, being fully aware of the critical importance of the rail sector to the development of our dear country, distinguished members of the Senate Committee on Land Transport keyed into the laudable (Lagos-Calabar rail modernisation) project and found ways of appropriating funds for the project without exceeding the envelope provided for the ministry. “In so doing, the committee observed that the LagosKano rail rehabilitation project had been allocated the sum of N52 billion as against the sum of N60 billion which the mnister requested as counterpart funding, while no allocation whatsoever was made for the Lagos-Calabar rail line. “Hence, the sum of N54 billion that was discovered by the Senate Committee on Land Transport to be floating in the budget of the Ministry of Transportation as presented by the executive was injected into augmenting the funds needed for counterpart funding of both projects (Lagos to Kano and Lagos to Calabar rail modernisation), as at the time the committee defended its report before the Senate Committee on Appropriation. “The Lagos-Calabar rail modernisation project was, therefore, included in the Senate Committee on Land Transport’s recommendation to the Senate Committee on Appropriations,” Ashafa said.

Presidency should substantiate claims with evidence —Dogara

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Yakubu Dogara, de-

scribed the claim by the Presidency that the lawmakers removed the Lagos-Calabar rail line project from the budget as “ barefaced lies.” Dogara, who tweeted several times on his handle, @ speakerDogara, on Monday, to debunk the allegation, challenged the Presidency to substantiate the claim with evidence, if any at all, in order to put its records straight. According to Dogara, “who in the executive said so? Details of the Federal Ministry of Transport budget estimates are out there. Kindly review it and give me budget code. “Barefaced lies. Where is the existence of the provision of N60 billion for Coastal Rail line in the budget estimate? “The relevant question to ask is ‘was it provided for in the budget estimate sent to the National Assembly, the Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi doesn’t have any constitutional power to prepare a budget estimate and lay it before the National Assembly. “Who in the Presidency said so? The presidential spokesman or the Information Minister? Name the source,” he said further. Responding to a question whether he was saying that the Presidency was a mere beer parlour, where rumour strives, Dogara said “playing this North-South game is unhelpful. That is simply the goal of the planters of this fiction. “Nothing like Presidency Involved here, less it is a shameless falsehood meant to stir hatred, it is most despicable, absolute rubbish. “They are smart enough to demand for the evidence, let them publish it if they have any evidence if it is actually coming from the Presidency.” Also, the House of Representatives, on Monday, shed more light on the controversial Calabar-Lagos railway project, saying the project was brought through the back door by the Minister of Transportation, Chief Rotimi Ameachi. The House further stated that the document it worked on was the one presented to the joint session of the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari. The House, however, said if the president was not satisfied with the budget, he had every right to return it to National Assembly with explanation, but that presently, the president had not officially communicated with the National Assembly. Briefing newsmen in Abuja, chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Honourable

Abdulrazak Namdas, said “the presentation made by Mr President did not include the Calabar-Lagos railway. “We could not have removed what was not included in the budget; what was given to us does not include Calabar-Lagos railway. They want to smear our good image. “It is on record that some people lost their jobs in the process of this budget. In the interest of this country, if we passed the budget and the president finds anything he does not like, he should return the budget to the National Assembly. “We received proposal for Calabar-Lagos railway project from the minister, not what the president presented to joint session of National Assembly. “Nobody in this country except the president has right to present budget to National Assembly,” he stated.

Budget not rejected by Buhari —Senator Ita Enang

But the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, said in an interview with newsmen in the National Assembly that the president had not withheld assent to the budget despite the controversies. Enang stated that media reports indicating that the budget had been rejected as misleading and untrue. He said President Buhari only sent the budget to ministries, in order for him to get necessary feedback. Enang said: “The president gave each of the ministers, departments and agencies the opportunity to look at the details as submitted by the National Assembly. This is to enable him get opinion on the state of the budget to enable him take a decision. The exercise was conducted on Friday and it is ongoing by the different ministers and ministries.” He further said: “The constitutional timeframe for Mr President’s receiving and considering the budget began last week Friday. The question has not arisen as to returning or otherwise. “But I want to say the best way we as liaison officers are handling this matter is to speak less and work more, creating interactions. “So, we will raise more interactions, consultations and engagements. “There is nothing for the country to worry about, because we do not want to have crisis between the executive and the legislature, and it would not arise; this is one government.”

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

4 news

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

ASUU will resist petroleum products price hike Soji-Eze Fagbemi And Clement Idoko -Abuja

he Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU), on Monday, lamented on the state of the nation and said it would resist any increase in the prices of petroleum products, while it also called for a change from capitalism to a socialist form of government. Addressing a press conference on the state of the nation, at the Labour House, Abuja, ASUU declared that Nigerians were disappointed in the government of the day; adding that what Nigerians had experienced was a change without transformation. ASUU gave this position as he called on the government to implement its proclaimed policies in the oil and gas sector, but warned against any move to increase fuel pump price, saying, “we will join Nigerian workers to

resist until the increase is reversed.” “The disappointment of Nigerians stems from the fact that we have a government whose leadership promised change, but which is not practising transformation, a deep fundamental change,” President of ASUU, Nasir Isa Fagge said. If capitalism has failed, Fagge said Nigeria should try the alternative, which was socialism, citing the examples of Algeria and Cuba, where government took over the responsibility of any child going to school. According to him, “There is no doubt that Nigerians are suffering. There exists a socio-economic crisis in Nigeria. We are all aware of the manifestations of the crisis which our country faces. There are many symptoms of the crisis: rising level of poverty, increasing rate of unemployment, height-

ened expectations leading to heightened frustration among Nigerians due to the failure to realise an improved living standard.” He lamented that food prices were higher and ac-

cess to health facilities had not improved, while life and property remained insecure. The ASUU president regretted further that a longterm national development plan agreed upon in 2008

(Nigeria Vision 20: 2020) had been abandoned in favour of the IMF and World Bank which imposed and enforced a Medium Term Framework Expenditure and Fiscal Strategy Paper.

FCT Polls: INEC to conduct rerun tomorrow Jacob Segun Olatunji and Collins Nnabuife -Abuja The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Monday, fixed tomorrow for the conduct of rerun elections in the six botched area councils of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, last Saturday. In a statement signed by the FCT Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Professor Jacob Jatau and made available to newsmen in Abuja, the rerun elections will take place in 39 polling units in 20 registration areas. Professor Jatau stated

that “Results in the affected polling units were cancelled for reasons ranging from violence, over voting to non-use of smart card readers for accreditation of voters.” He explained that accreditation and voting would begin simultaneously from 8.00 a.m to 2.00p.m. The commission called on the political parties and their candidates to toe the path of peace and ensure the conclusion of the elections. Meanwhile, a group, Electoral Reforms Expert Group (EREG), with over 40 civil

societies, has commended INEC and security agents for the conduct of the elections in the Federal Capital Territory council and Ife Central constituency. The group also commended the electorate in FCT and Osun State for their peaceful conduct during voting. This was contained in a statement jointly signed by Ezenwa Nwagwu of the Partners For Electoral Reform, Jaye Gaskia for Say No Campaign; Dr Amadi Chima, Centre for Transparency Advocacy and Opeyemi Azeez, Justice Watch.

We’ll expose those behind fuel scarcity, marketers tell Kachikwu ... Seek protection as condition Muhammad Sabiu -Kaduna Association of Mega Filling Station Owners of Nigeria (AMFSON) has told the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, that if he would guarantee their safety, its members will expose those behind the fuel scarcity bedevilling the country. Addressing a press conference in Kaduna, on Monday, the National Secretary of AMFSON, Kenneth Nwa-

chukwu, disclosed that the inability of their members to access their fuel papers several months after depositing millions of naira for supply had contributed immensely to the current fuel crisis. He said his members had, in recent past, resisted the urge to mention the saboteurs, even when the minister insisted we mentioned names. However, Nwachukwu alleged that several trucks of

fuel had been diverted into black markets by the perceived saboteurs at the detriment of mega stations owners and Nigerians in general. He pointed out that it was to avoid something like fuel scarcity that the immediate past government established mega affiliate stations in order to cushion its negative effect on Nigerians. He lamented that even with AMFSON, the situation persisted unabated, saying

“the minister, who is also the Group Managing Director should address the plight of our members to help in ending the fuel crisis.” He said: “The minister said we should mention names, but you know Nigerians, when you come out in public to mention names of the saboteurs, they can go after you, so it is something that if it is possible to do one on one with the minister and assure of our safety, we can tell him,

UNIPORT, BSU students protest ‘no fee, no examination’ policy, hike in tuition fees •UNIPORT closed for one month From Dapo Falade and Johnson Babajide Economic activities and vehicular movement were totally paralysed in some parts of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, as students of the University of Port Harcourt protested the recent increase in school fees by the institution’s management. The students, as early as 4:30 a.m. on Monday, blocked both the entrance and exit of the institution and also caused traffic jam on the ever-busy East-West Road axis, disrupting trading activities. The institution was said to have jerked up the school fees to between N45,000 and N58,000 (for old students) and N75,000-N150,000 (for freshers), depending on the faculty. The students were also given up to April 7, 2016 to pay up the new fees or be deregistered as students, with a vow that none of the defaulting students would be allowed to sit for the examination at the expiration of the deadline. However, the students

were enraged by the decision which prevented many of their colleagues from sitting for the first semester’s examination which was supposed to commence on Monday. They said they would not accept the school’s new policy of ‘no fee, no examination’ which they said, was a means of ill-treating students. The students took to the streets, destroying properties, even as travellers leaving the state capital for the Warri/Yenagoa route were left stranded at motor parks near the UNIPORT main campus. They claimed the deadline given to them to pay was too short and should be extended, especially given the pervading harsh economic realities across the country. They were more infuriated by a statement credited to the Deputy Registrar and spokesman of the institution, Dr Williams Wodi, that the institution had the capacity to quell any protest over the new fees. He had dared the students to embark upon the protest, insisting that the institution would not shift ground on its position to deregister any

student who failed to pay the new fees. Reacting to the protest, Dr Wodi said the protest was carried out by a few student population in the institution, even as he asserted that the authorities would not go back on the deregistration of defaulting students. “We sensitised our students as far back as November 2015 that we are going to change the perception of university where students carry over school fees from year one to the final year and that they should pay what we gave as outstanding charges because we do charge school fees. Meanwhile, six of the protesting students sustained injuries in a clash with policemen, who came to disperse the protesters. Speaking on the presence of the police, the state police image maker, Ahmad Muhammad, said the law enforcement agency was discharging “its mandate of restoring normalcy and orderliness in the university.” He said there was no loss of life, but assured that “in any case, if there is such, it will be investigated.”

Meanwhile, the management of UNIPORT has announced the closure of the university for one month, following a reported killing of a student leader, Peter Ofurum during the protest. Dr Wodi, made this known in a text message made available to newsmen, later in the evening. In another development, students of Benue State University (BSU), Makurdi, on Monday, filed out in numbers to protest increase in fees by the management of the institution. The protesting students blocked the road around the university, carrying placards and disrupting traffic flow for about three hours. It was gathered that the management of the institution recently hiked acceptance fees for fresh and graduating students from N5,000 to N25,000; fees for post UTME forms were increased from N2,500 to N3000, development levy from N10,000 to N25,000 for other courses, while medical sciences, law and management studies N50,000.

there is nothing to be feared because we have evidence of how fuel is being diverted into the black markets. “We have evidence of everything we are saying about this fuel crisis. The minister said we should mention names that if we mention names, the person will not last 24 hours. But it is not proper to mention names in public, we are giving information, it is left for the minister to go underground and work on the information and get to the root of what we are saying. “This is corruption in the highest order. We are now crying out, we met twice with the minister and we told him that NNPC retail staff have refused to bring us into the mainstream of fuel distribution. But they can’t be the accused and the judges at the same time. “Sometimes it is our names they use in bringing out that product, but it never got to us. “When we met the minister for the first time, around October last year, we discovered that the NNPC Retail staff deceived him to embark on building new 800 filling stations, but it does not make sense to build 800 stations when the old ones on ground have not been serviced. “So when we met him, we told him about our own plight, that these staff believe that NNPC Retail belongs to them, and not to the Nigerian people, they believe it is their birth right, these are staff that are earning salaries. “We told the minister of our problem that these staff refused to work with us as an association, they prefer to work with us on individual basis, so that if you are dying as an individual, you can’t talk, and if you talk, they drive you out of the business.”

On the fuel crisis, Fagge said the current crisis had increased the cost of food, transportation, electric, as well as general cost of living. Besides, he pointed out that it had a political cost, while it had widened the distance between the government and the people and created distrust between the people and the government. “It has generated social tension in the land. Government is slow in implementing the policies it pronounced in 2015,” he said. Some of these policies pronouncement, according to him, were to get the refineries working; end crude oil and refined products swap arrangement; re-introduce direct sale, direct purchase in the oil sector and make specific unambiguous pronouncement on petroleum subsidy. He advised that the government should implement its proclaimed policies in the oil and gas sector, but warned that “on no account should this result in any increase in the price of petroleum products; because Nigerians have suffered enough.”

Court slams N5m fine on EFCC for violation of fundamental right Justice Jude Okeke of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, on Monday, ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to pay N5 million to Mr Abba Mohammed for violation of his right. Okeke held that the EFCC failed to prove why the applicant (Mohammed) was detained for about 41 days without charging him to court. “The applicant’s contention that his fundamental right was denied him by the respondent was not proved otherwise; there must be reasonable suspicion upon which the detention was made. “The right of the applicant has been violated by the respondent by detaining him for about 41 days without making reference to any court. “His fundamental right to liberty was denied him and he was detained for about 41 days; he applied to this court and an order to release him on bail was given. “He was refused bail despite meeting the bail conditions given to him by this court; the respondent, acting under the cover of Section 7 of the EFCC Act, failed to present enough evidence. “I have given due consideration to the following contentions as earlier stated under sections 131 and 133 of the Evidence Act 2011,’’ he said.

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

Lagos

Hundreds queue for hours to use Ojota pedestrian bridge

• Task Force arrests 10 for crossing expressway, impounds 5 okadas Bola Badmus and Ayomide Owonibi Odekanyin

HERE was palpable confusion and chaos on Monday morning, at Ojota, as many pedestrians were forced to queue to use the only pedestrian bridge because the median through which people crossed the busy express road had been cordoned off. Pedestrians trying to cross from Ikorodu Road towards Maryland collided on the bridge with people coming from the Ogudu axis, leading to overcrowding. Hundreds of pedestrians had to queue at the foot of the bridge to wait for their turn to cross to the other side as those who made attempts to make their way through the metal barricades were sent back by some officials. Sensing that the situation was getting out of control, the bouncers and some Kick Against Indicipline (KAI) officials watched helplessly as the barricade was broken down and people crossed to the other side. Speaking with Lagos Metro a banker who simply gave his name as Kola decried the situation. “I have been queuing here for the past one hour, waiting to use the bridge. We queue for fuel and also queue to use the pedestrian bridge. We are not saying what the government is trying to do by safeguarding the lives of citizens is not good, they should just build more bridges, preferably like the one at Onipanu that is partitioned for pedestrians going and coming,” he said. Another pedestrian who declined to give her name said, “I have been on the queue here for about 30 minutes. This bridge may collapse anytime because of the increase in the number of people that are using it.” A KAI official who did not give his name described the situation as frustrating. “Lagosians are so impatient. The situation wouldn’t have

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been this chaotic only if people listen to simple instruction,” he said walking away from the scene, adding that

he didn’t want to be lynched by the angry crowd. Meanwhile, Lagos State Environmental Sanitation

and Special Offences Unit (Task Force) has arrested 10 people for violating the Lagos State Environmental

Laws from crossing the expressway and impounded five motorcycles for plying restricted routes at Ojota. Operatives of the Agency made the arrest while carrying out enforcement exercise in the area, including Ogudu, on Monday. According to the public affairs officer of the Agency, Mr Taofik Adebayo, the Task Force was at Ogudu and Ojota directing people to use pedestrian bridge instead of crossing highways causing traffic obstructions on highways, in an operation tagged, “Use Pedestrian Bridges on Highways.” He said the operation was meant to re-orientate members of the public on the danger of crossing highways across the state.

PIC 1 AND 2: People waiting on queue to use Ojota pedestrian bridge, on Monday. PHOTOS: SYLVESTER OKORUWA.

I lost my mother-in-law to lack of pedestrian bridge on ApapaOshodi Expressway — Desmond Elliot Chukwuma Okparaocha A lawmaker in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Desmond Elliot, on Monday disclosed that he lost his motherin-law to the unavailability of pedestrian bridge at one of the busiest sections of the OshodiApapa Expressway in Lagos. The lawmaker said this during plenary on Mon-

day while backing call by other lawmakers urging the Federal Government to construct a bridge at the Toyota Bus Stop end of the expressway so as to put an end to the incessant loss of lives on the road. Elliot disclosed that he lost his mother-inlaw on the road as the woman was trying to cross the expressway, when she went to buy

foodstuff at Daleko Market in the area. The call for the construction of a bridge on the section of the road was originally made by Jude Idimogu from Oshodi Constituency 2, who lamented that many road users had lost their lives while attempting to cross from one side of the road to another. The Speaker of the

House, Mudashiru Obasa, also agreed that the construction of a bridge at that section of the road was important, but he maintained that, “It would be impossible for the Lagos State Government to provide the bridge, especially this year as it was not catered for in the budget. It is a Federal Government road, but the state government can provide

Fuel scarcity: Low turnout mars schools resumption

THE resumption by public primary and secondary schools in Lagos, for the third term of the 2015/2016 academic session, as directed by the state government was marred by low turnout of pupils, on Monday. Correspondents of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who monitored the resumption in some schools observed that both public and private schools visited were deserted, while others were completely under lock and key. Some parents told NAN that private school managements had, through text messages, informed them of the postponement of the resumptionm stating that the managements cited the fuel scarcity as the major reason for the postponement. Many of the schools have, however, rescheduled their resumption date to April 18 and conveyed the new date to parents through text messages. NAN recalls that the Lagos State Ministry of Education had on April 9 confirmed April 11 as the resumption date for the third term academic session in public schools in the state. The State Deputy Govornor, Dr Idiat Adebule, who also doubles as Commissioner for Education, in a statement had declared that it was necessary to clarify the resumption date “based on recent rumour and insinuations that the resumption date has been postponed’’. Meanwhile, the Lagos State Wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) said that teachers in all public schools in the state had resumed for the term, amidst the fuel crises.

palliatives. We must ensure that motorists are made to obey the road signs that would be provided on the road for the benefit of our people,” he said. He therefore called on Lagos State Government to provide palliatives in form of road signs and zebra crossing on strategic areas of the road and ensure compliance by motorists.

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

metro

Nigerian Tribune

Edited by

Lanre Adewole

olanreade@yahoo.com

0811 695 4647

UNILAG students who attempted to resurrect dead colleague still under probe — Police Naza Okoli THE Lagos State Police Command on Monday said

it was still investigating the case of four University of Lagos (UNILAG) students, who were arrested at Ifo in

Ogun State on March 23, 2016 for allegedly attempting to resurrect their late schoolmate and fellowship

member, Mr Eniola Jacobs. The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), La-

Trial of Cynthia Osokogu’s killers stalled again, judge fumes Ayomide Owonibi Odekanyin The trial of four men who were docked over alleged the murder of Cynthia Osukogu, a postgraduate student of Nassarawa State University, on Monday suffered set back due to the inability of the counsel to file their final written addresses. The accused men: Okwumo Nwabufor, Olisaeloka Ezike , Orji Osita and Nonso Ejike are standing trial on a two-count charge of conspiracy and murder. They were accused by the Lagos State government of murdering Cynthia, a friend they claimed they met on the social media platform, Facebook, on July, 22, 2012 at Cosmilla Hotel, Lake View Estate, Festac Town. The trial was adjourned till Monday by Justice Olabisi Akinlade of the Lagos State High Court, Igbosere for adoption of final written addresses by counsel to the four defendants. Out of the four defendants, only first and second defendants were represented by counsel on Monday. The trial judge did not hide her displeasure over delay tactics approach being adopted by the defendants, she decried the unreasonable excuses employed to delay the trial.

It would be recalled that at last year, in August, the judge had threatened to send the fourth defendant, Nonso Ez-

ike back to prison for deliberately stalling the case. However, based on the development, Justice Akinlade

police custody. Awe-Obe, the President of the Fellowship, had earlier told Lagos Metro that their only intention had been to pray for Jacobs to rise again from the dead, and that they never asked for the body to be exhumed as was alleged by the late Jacobs’ family.

28 tax evaders’ trial begins Ayomide Owonibi Odekanyin

Scene of a trailer accident at Iyana Itire, on Monday. PHOTO: SYLVESTER OKORUWA.

Mega shopping malls full of fake non-alcoholic beverages — Lawmakers Chukwuma Okparaocha LAWMAKERS in the Lagos State House of Assembly have raised the alarm during plenary on Monday for La-

gos residents to be aware of the prevalence of alcoholic beverages which have been labelled non-alcoholic. According to information gathered by Lagos Metro,

the beverages which are clearly labelled ‘non-alcoholic’ since they are deemed to have 0.0 per cent alcohol content are actually tainted with a measure of alcohol

of a button,’’ Kazeem said in statement. A copy of the statement, signed by Mrs Bola Akingbade, Deputy Director, Public Affairs, in the ministry, was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). He said the publication of the laws is in line with the directive of the governor towards ensuring that

the recently launched 2015 Revised Laws of Lagos State are accessible by the public. The attorney-general added that debit cards -- Mastercard, Visa, Verve and the Interswitch had been integrated into the online platform and encouraged lawyers and the public to visit the site and make their purchases.

Lagos laws now available online, says attorney-general MR Adeniji Kazeem, the Lagos State attorney-general and Commissioner for Justice, says the state has floated an online platform, www.laws.lagosstate.gov. ng, for all its laws. The initiative, according to him, is to create easy access to the laws, thereby promoting accountability on the part of the state government and also enhance citizens’

adjourned the matter till June 8, for the adoption of their written addresses by all parties in the matter.

gos State, Dolapo Badmus, disclosed this while speaking with Lagos Metro. Badmus, who did not however say whether the students had been charged for any crime, maintained that they were released only ‘on bail.’ The four students: Raphael Awe-Obe, Iwerima Jacob, Aramowo Stephen, and Adeboye Timothy have since returned to school after three days in

responsibility. “The project is one of the commitments of the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration to drive governance and administration of justice in the state through Information Communication Technology (ICT). It enables everyone to search, view and download the laws anywhere in the world by just the click

ranging from 0.0 per cent to as much as 2.8 per cent. The call was made by Mr Gbolahan Yishawu, who also led his colleagues to call on the Federal Government to direct the Standards Organisation if Nigeria (SON), the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), as well as the Nigerian Customs Authority to be alive to their responsibilities in bringing an end to the problem. In his remarks, the Speaker, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, attributed the ugly development to the ills in the society, which he said had made a lot of Nigerians to do anything to make money.

THE Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Mr Adeniji Kazeem, has disclosed that the Lagos Prosecution Unit has begun prosecution of recalcitrant 28 tax defaulters in the state. The AG further revealed that the necessary information has been filed at the State High Court for the arraignment of the defaulters referred by the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) and prosecution has begun in earnest. He said their offences range from failure to furnish and file tax return to failure to pay personal tax to the State. “Under the Personal Income Tax Act, a taxable person is statutorily required to file a return of income for the preceding year within 90 days from the commencement of every year of assessment (March 31st being the deadline), while every employer of labour is required to file all emoluments paid to its employees for the preceding year, not later than 31st of January each year.” He said tax evaders and offenders, upon prosecution, may be fined or imprisoned or made to face both as provided in the Personal Income Tax Act.

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

news

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

Politicians playing politics with Chibok girls, Bakare laments Bola Badmus-Lagos

ONVENER, Save Nigeria Group (SNG), Pastor Tunde Bakare, on Sunday, lamented that it was severely injurious that politicians have taken undue advantage of playing politics with the fate of about 300 Chibok girls that were yet to be rescued from the enclave of the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents two years after they were kidnapped in a Maiduguri school. Bakare, who is the serving overseer of Latter Rain Assembly, said this in a speech he delivered at Unity Fountain, Abuja, on the occasion of the second anniversary of the disappearance of the school girls. He spoke on the theme, “It is better to hope than to despair.” “It is most severely injurious to see that the fate of our daughters has been frequently politicised. Rather than rise to the occasion as stakeholders and custodians of the security and welfare of the citizens of this nation, political parties and politicians have paid lip service, using our pain and the plight of our daughters to score cheap political points. “We are not convinced that the matter of our daughters has been given the needed thoughtfulness. We do not believe that those who are in a position to act have taken sufficient action towards addressing this issue or even towards calming our anxiety as waiting parents,” Pastor Bakare said. Bakare, who said he was at the forum, not just to speak to the parents of the affected girls, “but to speak to the nation and to the world as one of you,” stated that he was also there as a “father burdened by the captivity of our daughters.”

“I am here to express our frustrations and to speak of our undying hope as we wait expectantly for the return of our dear Chibok girls. “As one family bound by faith, we gather here today in honour of our daughters. We have come to this sacred gathering to share in the fears and doubts that have surrounded their much awaited return. We have also come to express our compounded dissatisfaction in the past two years.

“While we note and appreciate the effort committed so far, permit us to speak also of our pain, for only in so doing can we find healing even as we wait,” he said. Bakare, who sadly recalled that those in the affair of Nigerian state then failed to provide security for the girls as they gathered to write their final examinations despite prior intelligence reports that suggested they were in danger, noted, however,

THE Imo State correspondent of the Channels TV, Mr Tope Kutiyi, was in the early hours of Monday, April 11, 2016 kidnapped by yet-tobe-identified gunmen. The correspondent, Kutiyi, was reportedly kidnapped about 3.00a.m. by armed and faceless gunmen who stormed his residence, whisked him off and vanished to an unknown destination. The kidnappers are demanding N60 million as ransom. The kidnap of the young journalist has ignited fears

kare, however, said it was expected that such success would be translated into tracing the whereabouts of the Chibok girls. “We appreciate the government for the renewed military offensive and the gains recorded in the fight against Boko Haram. Yet, we had expected that this success would be translated into tracing the whereabouts of our girls or even finding some measure of closure for us, their parents,” he said.

From left, , President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole and the Executive Director, Dangote Cement, Devakumar Edwin, as Dangote launched $1billion cement investments in Edo, on Monday.

Unlawful detention: Dasuki wins at ECOWAS Court Sunday Ejike-Abuja

THE Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS) Court, on Monday, said it has the jurisdiction to hear and determine the suit brought before it by the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Mohammed Dasuki (retd), for the enforcement of his fun-

damental rights to liberty and to own properties as enshrined in the Nigerian 1999 constitution and the African Charter on fundamental rights of persons. Dasuki had approached the court with a suit challenging his alleged unlawful arrest and detention without trial since December last year by the Federal Government.

Imo Channels TV correspondent kidnapped Joe Nwachukwu-Owerri

that available records indicated that “our daughters are alive, and that they can still be rescued alive.” “Till date there is no evidence, not even satellite photography, suggesting that they are in a mass grave. So we believe that our daughters are alive, and that they can still be rescued alive,” he said. While appreciating the government’s renewed military offensive and the gains recorded in the fight against Boko Haram, Ba-

and apprehension among journalists in the state with security men working round the clock to apprehend the kidnappers as early as possible. In a swift reaction, the state commissioner of Police, Mr Taiwo F. Lakanu, in a telephone interview, assured that the Command was on top of the situation to arrest the fleeing abductors with a view to releasing him. Meanwhile, the state governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Sam Onwuemeodo, has denounced the incident as

unfortunate in the state. Mr Onwuemeodo, in a text message made available to newsmen said, “The attention of the state governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, has been drawn to the unfortunate incident of kidnapping of the state correspondent of the Channels TV, Mr Tope Kutiyi, at odd hour on Sunday.” He declared “The young man is only a reporter who cannot be said to have been kidnapped because of his wealth. To us, those behind the kidnapping knew why they decided to inconvenient the reporter and the family.”

In a ruling delivered on Monday, by Justice Friday Nwoke, the ECOWAS Court dismissed the Federal Government’s objection to the hearing of the suit filed by the former NSA, on the ground that the objection was misconceived, frivolous and lacking in merit. Justice Nwoke, in the unanimous ruling of the three-member panel of the ECOWAS Court, held that the FG’s claim that Dasuki’s suit emanated from his trial on certain offences was inappropriate and being basis for its objection to the hearing of the matter, could not hold water since the reliefs sought by Dasuki have nothing to do with the ongoing trial at the domestic courts of Nigeria. The Justices said that in their own opinion, government’s claim that Dasuki ought to have filed contempt charge against the Nigerian government for disobeying court orders that admitted him to bail but flouted by the government, could not be sustained because the case of the applicant was not

ambiguous, in that it had no root from any criminal trial in any court. The Court held that what Dasuki brought before it was for the enforcement of his fundamental rights against unlawful arrest, unlawful detention and unlawful seizures of properties. The court held that, “It must be stated clearly here that what the applicant (Dasuki) is seeking before this court is the enforcement of his fundamental rights to freedom of movement and not enforcement of the bail granted him by the court. “And from his application, it is clear that the root of the case of the applicant is not from his trial for any offence in the domestic court of the Nigerian government. “Therefore the objection of government and the request to strike out this suit on the ground that it emanated from any criminal trial has no basis, the request and claim lacks merit,” the court held and assumed jurisdiction, having admitted Dasuki’s application.

Bayelsa guber: Tribunal gives Sylva leave to inspect election materials Sunday Ejike-Abuja

THE Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, on Monday, granted leave to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate in the Bayelsa State governorship election, Timipre Sylva, to inspect and make copies of 30 items used for the election. The chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Kazeem Alogba, in his ruling when the matter came up on Monday, removed seven other items from the list, because the petitioners have not shown how not having those items would affect their case. The items removed included the final and interim report on the election, summary of the total voters registered, security report relating to the election and election observers’ report. Others are video and audio recordings relating to the Bayelsa State Governorship election and duplicate of receipts issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the certification of documents.

Oshiomhole builds school for IDPs in Edo GOVERNOR Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has built four blocks of classrooms complete with staff room, Headmaster’s office, marble floors, ceiling fans, white boards and other conveniences for Internally Displaced Persons at their camp in Uhogua. He said children living in the camp must acquire education to properly navigate through the rigours of life, emphasising that failure to do so would have implications for the future. Speaking during an inspection of the newly constructed classroom blocks at the IDP camp in Uhogua, Benin City, Governor Oshiomhole said, “If you look at these buildings, you look at the floor, you look at the glass, everything, for the next decade, all we need is to clean and maintain, and the kids in this kind of classrooms will behave according to the feeling of their environment. They will feel privileged and act decently. Except the child decides otherwise, he has every incentive to want to go to school, to remain at school.

businessnews

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

CBN ready to partner investors, industrialists —Emefiele Adelowo Oladipo-Minna

entral Bank Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, has said that the apex bank is ready to partner with investorsand industrialists committed to the backward integration programme of the Federal Government. He stated this on Sunday at the inspection of a private owned Sunti Golden Sugar Mill estimated at N36 billion in Sunti Village, in Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State, in conjunction with the State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello. He stated further that the apex bank was prepared to give support both in terms of naira funding and also in terms of foreign currency funding for importation of equipment and other machinery to investors and industrialists who were committed toward the economic growth and development of this country. He said that the backward integration scheme of Sunti Sugar Company informed the CBN N26 billion intervention fund of single digit interest rate of seven per cent. Accordingly, Emefiele said, “this project marks the success story of President Muhammadu Buhari’s focus and his aggressiveness towards ensuring that we diversify our country away from oil economy into a

non-oil driven economy. “A project like this is an indication that Nigeria is working. It may look a little painful, but at this time when there is scarcity of foreign exchange, this is the kind of project we will continue to give support to.” Also in his remarks at the occasion, the Chair-

man of Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC (FMN), Mr John Coumantaros, said that the Sunti Golden Sugar Estate is a subsidiary FMN of a backward integration programme with 17,000 hectares of land to locally refine sugar. Coumantaros disclosed that the plant, which has

ing various industrial initiatives in the state to protect such projects in their domains, while assuring investors of enabling environment and protection of their investments saying, “that the state has been adjudged as one of the states with the least crime index in Nigeria.”

From left: MD / CEO Keystone Bank Limited, Mr Philip Ikeazor; MD/CEO, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, Mr Emeka Emuwa and Deputy Governor, Corporate Services, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Adebayo Adekola Adelabu, during the opening of Nigerian Agri- Finance Conference in Abuja yesterday.

FIRS targets N4.9trn revenue in 2016 The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) says it is targeting a revenue of N4.9 trillion in 2016. Chairman of FIRS, Mr Tunde Fowler, disclosed this

on Monday at the opening of the 134th Joint Tax Board meeting in Kano. He assured that 80 per cent of the targeted amount would be collected before the

Peak Milk adopts 18 public schools, supports with learning materials Nigeria’s foremost dairy company and makers of Peak, Three Crowns and Friso brands of milk, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria PLC, has deployed its mission of Nourishing Nigerians with quality dairy nutrition to 18 public schools under its School Adoption Programme. This is in response to a need to promote quality education and support the nutritional wellbeing of the students. Through its flagship brand, Peak Milk, the company’s school adoption programme cares for 18 public schools across all geo-political regions, with an estimated reach of 26,000 school children. Speaking at the 43rd Annual Inter-house Sports programme of Federal Government College, Odogbolu in Ogun State, the Corporate Affairs Director for FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria, Ore Famurewa , represented by CSR Manager, Gbenga George said, “Improving the quality of education across the country requires

production capacity of 1 million metric tonnes of sugar annually, will for a start be producing 100,000 metric tonnes of sugar per annum and provide over 25,000 job opportunities. Earlier in his remarks, the State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, charged communities host-

an all-around approach that focuses not only on classrooms, books and equipment, but also ensures that the students are healthy and mentally alert, and remain that way well into adulthood.” Explaining how the School Adoption Programme works, the CSR Manager, said “At every engagement with our adopted schools, we make a donation of white marker boards (totaling 340 pieces) sample cartoons of handy, pocket friendly Peak evaporated milk in sachets to students, and give a nutrition talk. The climax of each activation is a choreography fitness session led by a FrieslandCampina WAMCO employee and joined by the students who then win various branded gifts during the exercise. It is important for our employees to be part of these engagements, since they are truly the drivers of our mission of nourishing Nigerians.” FrieslandCampina

WAMCO’s School Adoption Programme started in 2004 with five schools, namely Stella Maris College in Port Harcourt, Western Boys High School in Benin, Government Secondary School, Kano State, Government College in Plateau State, Ogba Junior Grammar School in Lagos and Government College in Maiduguri. Presently, we have adopted 13 more schools, making a total of 18.

end of the year. “It is a known fact that once the oil price drops, the revenue from the sector will drop. “So, our mandate now is to ensure increase in the nonoil revenue to ensure stability in the entire system,” Fowler said. He said that the meeting would address challenges militating against effective tax administration in the country. He recalled that the Inspector-General of Police had dismantled all road blocks across the country as part of efforts to check indiscriminate and multiple tax payment. “The meeting will also review all the existing tax laws with a view to ensuring their effective implementation for

great result,’’ he said. Fowler called on the participants to come up with useful suggestions to improve revenue from tax in the country. Earlier, Kano State Commissioner for Finance, Professor Kabir Dandago, said the state government would continue to support measures aimed at improving internal revenue generation, not only for the state but for the country. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the meeting is Imperatives of Transitioning from Oil Revenue Dependency to Non-oil Revenue Sufficient.’’ It was attended by heads of board of internal revenue service from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Nigerian Tribune

IBEDC commences upgrade of facilities with Agodi Gate substation The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has concluded work on the renovation of its Agodi Gate 2 x 15MVA, 33/11KV injection substation control room. The company’s Deputy Managing Director, Mr. John Ayodele, who made this known at the weekend, said the upgrade was part of the plan of the organization to improve all its facilities. According to the DMD, who apologized to customers of the company for the inconveniences they might have been subjected to as a result of the facility upgrade, said the renovation, which cost the company several millions of naira, would power supply to the State House, Secretariat, Bashorun, Iwo Road and Oje Feeders which cover customers in the State House, Agodi GRA, Ikolaba, Secretariat, Old and some parts of New Bodija, Immigration Office area, Bashorun Market area, Iwo road, American quarters, Geraldo areas, Old Tribune, Adeoyo Hospital area, Yemetu and their environs. Ayodele said the renovation was to enable the company replace all the obsolete and decrepit 11KV panels with new and modern ones that would ensure the provision of optimum and efficient services to its valued customers. Speaking about the renovation, the Chief Technical Officer, Mr. Ade Ayileka, said the renovation work was one of the several planned interventions across the company’s franchise area to improve supply and meet the yearnings and aspirations of its numerous valued customers.

Customs records N230bn revenue shortfall in last quarter of 2015 —Comptroller-General Saliu Gbadamosi-Abuja THE Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) recorded a shortfall to the tune of N230 billion in the last quarter of 2015 as a result of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s policy banning some items from accessing foreign exchange. This was revealed last weekend by the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Colonel Hameed

Ibrahim Ali (retd) at a forum where he hosted members of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) during his weeklong working visit to Lagos and other operational areas in the SouthWest zone. According to a statement made available to the Nigerian Tribune on Monday by the Customs’ Public Relations Officer, Wale Adeniyi, issues

of mutual concerns were discussed at the forum, where participants expressed concern over the militating impact of the CBN forex policy. Colonel Ali informed the forum that a request of the review of the policy had been tabled before VicePresident Yemi Osinbajo. While acknowledging the growing cordial relationship between the Customs and MAN with commit-

ment to sustain the tempo, a joint Customs-MAN team was agreed to be set up to harmonise area of conflict in the current draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The forum recommended continuous engagement, honest declaration, training of imported and regular advocacy with a view to addressing the issue of value upliftments and queries.

12 news

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

Shiite/Army clash: 347 corpses given mass burial in Kaduna —SSG We’ve been vindicated —Shiite Muhammadu Sabiu - Kaduna

HE Kaduna State government, on Monday, announced that 347 people were killed during the December 12 Shiite/Nigerian Army clash in Zaria. Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Balarabe Lawal, disclosed this in a submission at the ongoing public hearing of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the clash. Lawal, who led a six-man government witnesses before the panel, said 191 corpses were taken from the Nigerian Army Depot, Zaria and were buried in Mando area in Kaduna. He said 156 corpses were also conveyed from the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, to the same Mando area. The SSG said the corpses of youth members of the Islam Movement (IMN), who allegedly attempted to attack the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff, LieutenantGeneral Tukur Buratai, on December 12, 2015, in Zaria. The state government said the corpses were committed into a single grave (mass burial) at the Mando area, jointly supervised by the state government officials and about 40 men of the Nigerian Army, led by an officer in the rank of a Major. The SSG said 189 suspects were being prosecuted for alleged involvement in the Zaria crises, while one suspect had died in custody. He said the state government had received several security reports from the Directorate of State Security (DSS) on the activities of the movement. According to him, several measures had been taken to address the situation before it finally escalated into the clash with the Nigerian Army. Another witness and Director-General, Kaduna State Interfaith Agency, Mr Namadi Musa, said the mass burial was conducted on December 14 and 15, respectively, and it took the officials about six hours to complete the burial. Musa said while six tonnes of Mercedes tippers conveyed the 191 corpses from the ABUTH, the Army used three heavy duty trucks to convey corpses from the Zaria Army Depot. “The mass burial was authorised through a warrant of burial obtained from a Kaduna Chief Magistrates’

Court in Kaduna,” he said. The state government blamed some of the lapses and the excesses of the movement on the inability of the previous government which did not take serious action to curtail the activities of the sect. On alleged demolition of buildings and structures of the IMN leader, the witnesses said that the demolition was based on recommendation of a committee set up by the state government. The witnesses, including officials of KASUPDA, KAPWA and the state Ministry of Works, Transport and Housing, told the panel that several other structures belonging to individuals had been demolished for poor building specifications and standards. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that Mrs Saratu Haruna, General Manager, KASUPDA; Mr Namadi Musa, D-G Interfaith Agency and Professor Adamu Ahmed, Deputy CMD ABUTH, appeared before the panel.

The Justice Muhammed Lawal-Garba-led panel also took submissions from the Izala Islamic group and Gyellesu Community in Zaria. The revelations of mass burial of 347 members killed by Nigerian Army at the Kaduna Judicial Commission of Inquiry has clearly vindicated the Islamic Movement

in Nigeria (IMN), the Shiite has said. This was contained in a statement issued to newsmen on Monday and signed by the spokesman for the movement, Ibrahim Musa. The statement disclosed that, “in his submission, the Kaduna SSG, Alhaji Lawal Balarabe Abbas, who repre-

sented the state government at the JCI, confirmed that 347 members of the Islamic movement were given mass burial in the aftermath of the Zaria massacre of 12th to 14th of December, 2015. “This is a clear confirmation of what the movement had earlier made public about its members having

The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi (right), with the chairman, Joint Tax Board, Mr Tunde Fowler, during a visit of chairmen of state boards of internal revenue to the emir’s palace, in Kano.

been buried in mass graves. “The SSG also established that the secret burial took place based on a court order received by the state government and that he was, earlier in attendance at a meeting with the governor and some senators, where they deliberated on what to do with the huge numbers of dead bodies of IMN members. “This was also collaborated by the Director-General, Religious Affairs, Namadi Musa. He told the commission that he went to ABUTH, where he counted 156 corpses, and to army depot, where he counted 191 other corpses, in the presence of one Major Ogundare and buried them at midnight at Mando, Kaduna. “We remain resolute and will continue to follow peaceful means in our call for the unconditional release of our revered leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky and other brothers and sisters of the Islamic Movement under illegal detention, the statement concluded.

Tax not anti-Islam —Emir of Kano Gbola Subair - Abuja TAX practitioners got royal endorsement on Monday, when the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, asked Muslims and all Nigerians to do their duties and pay their taxes. “Tax is not anti-Islam,” he said. According to the emir, without taxes, provision of amenities like schools, roads, hospitals would not be possible. He disclosed this when the chairman of the Joint Tax Board (JTB), Mr Tunde Fowler, led 36 state chairmen of the State Boards of Internal Revenue (SBIR) to his palace in Kano, as part of the 134th meeting of the JTB. “You are welcome to Kano. We are all familiar with the good work you did in Lagos. I hope you will bring that experience to the national level so that it will help address some of the problems we are facing at the national level. “People have always said that Nigerian economy depends on oil. Oil contributes only 15 per cent to Nigeria‘s GDP (Gross Domestic Product), but government is not looking at other sources, so that those sectors will also contribute to growth in the county.

“I ask the people of Kano, every Nigerian to pay their taxes. The social services that government provide: roads, hospitals, schools are provided by taxes. “There are a lot people who believe that taxes are not Islamic. That is not correct. During the time of Sayidina Umar –(one of the caliphs of Prophet Mohammed), people paid taxes. So taxes are not new in Islam.

People should pay their taxes. People should be patient and pay their taxes. A lot of social amenities we enjoy will not be possible if we don’t pay taxes,” he said. Emir Sanusi asked the Joint Tax Board to contain the problem of multiple taxation, simplify tax laws and continue to educate taxpayers on what taxes to pay, where to pay and how to pay. Chairman of JTB, who is

also the Executive Chairman of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Fowler, said the JTB team was at the palace to receive royal blessing as they deliberated on the imperatives of transitioning from oil revenue dependency to non-oil revenue sufficiency. “With your instruction, with your understanding and encouragement, taxpayers in the North and

South will continue to do the right thing. “We will appreciate your words of encouragement as we start our meeting and deliberate on how JTB could collect taxes to assist governments to meet their mandates. “We are here to seek the blessing of the emirate council and its advice on the way forward on payment of taxes and the revenue base,” he said.

Why FOI Act not yet domesticated in states —Banire By Wale Akinselure NATIONAL Legal Adviser, All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Muiz Banire, on Monday, attributed the lack of nationwide application of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and Whistleblower bill to the non-domestication of the act in many states of the country. He said the FOI Act and Whistleblower bill only applied to states where the laws were domesticated, because the laws were not items either under the exclusive legislative list or concurrent list, but placed in the residual list of the constitution. Banire, speaking in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Monday, while presenting the two bills to the Oyo House of Assembly

for them to be enacted as laws of the state, prayed that such domestication would ensure that the bills lived up to its aim to fight corruption, ensure accountability and transparency in government at all levels. Speaking as convener, The United Action for Change,

Banire said the message of domestication by the group was expedient at a time when the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration had anchored its change mantra on accountability and transparency within government machinery.

“The issue of information which the act deals with, though a federal legislation does not have a nationwide application because it is not an item either under the exclusive legislative list or concurrent list, but placed in the residual list of the constitution.

Lagos HOS mourns Owolabi, ex-perm sec LAGOS State Head of Service, Mrs Olabowale Ademola, has condoled with the family of a late former permanent secretary in the state civil service, Chief Gbolahan Owolabi. “On behalf of the Lagos State governor, Mr Akinwumi Ambode and the entire public service, I wish to express my condolence on

the demise of your husband, father and grandfather, who retired from the Lagos State public service as a permanent secretary,” the Head of Service said in a letter of condolence addressed to the family. Ademola, who led the state government’s delegation, comprising of some members of the body of permanent secretaries to the house

of the deceased, prayed to God to grant the family the fortitude to bear the loss, as well as the repose of the soul of the departed. “As the entire public service share in the grief of your irreparable loss, we pray that the good Lord will grant you and other members of the Owolabi family the fortitude to bear the loss,” she said.

editorial

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

What is happening in Ekiti?

KITI State, since the advent of this dispensation, has engaged the polity for diverse reasons. Ranging from the governor’s virulent criticisms of the presidency, to engagement of its parliament by security agencies, the state has become one whose happenings society can only take for granted at its peril. The swing that however has the greatest potential of affecting the dialectics of governance and hampering development in a democratic setting is the recent ding-dong between the state and the Directorate of State Services (DSS). A few weeks ago, four members of the state House of Assembly were arrested by operatives of the DSS and detained in their Abuja office. Snippets of news of their detention emanated from the Ekiti Government House and scant information, if ever there was, from the security agency. Indeed, the rest of the state’s parliamentarians engaged in some pro-democracy activities, one of which was leading a procession to the National Assembly to notify the federal lawmakers of what they termed the anti-democratic manifestation of the DSS. They later followed this up with a petition to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Not long after, at a news conference addressed by the state Commissioner for Information, Mr Lanre Ogunsuyi, the government alleged that one of the arrested members of parliament, Hon Afolabi Akanni, had passed on in the DSS detention. The following day, however, the spokesman of the DSS, Abdullahi Garba, made an open show of the said member of parliament, ostensibly ill, but alive. A few days after, the Ekiti State government again alleged that men of the police force had swooped on the state with the aim of carting away its lawmakers. This necessitated the members of the House fleeing the state and abandoning their parliamentary duties. The ding-dong between the security apparatus of the Federal Government and the Ekiti State government is becoming a source of worry to good governance, which the people of Ekiti deserve. It is made worse by the sealed-lip approach of the DSS to the issue of ensuring

national security in a state which prides itself as the Fountain of Knowledge. All through the detention of the parliamentarians, mum was the word from the DSS to the people, even when a barrage of enquiries was literally hauled on the door of the directorate. This attitude reminds us of the approach to security during the military era. The Goodluck Jonathan administration did a lot to democratize the organization, periodically briefing the populace about the DSS’ activities. It appointed an image maker in the name of Mrs Marilyn Ogar who interfaced with the people and clarified dark confines of the organisation’s operations. Since the advent of this administration, however, the DSS seems to have shuttled into its time-worn pedigree of silence, even at critical moments of national queries. The people are thrown into the dark about salient matters affecting them and are left to wobble into speculative thinking, thus breeding rumours and untruth. In the Ekiti matter, the DSS merely acted true to type, thereby allowing agents of the Ekiti State government to colonize the airspace with speculations on all the ambits of the media. For instance, the mis-information from the state’s Ministry of Information that the detained parliamentarian had died, would not have heated up the polity as it did, had the DSS given Nigerians prior, blow-by-blow account of his detention, the reason for it, and subsequently arraigned him in the court if any infraction was established against him. While we reckon that there may be some elements of secrecy that the job of state security demands which should not be traded on the pages of newspapers, simple information as to the reason for detention and weight of evidence gathered against anyone accused of misdemeanor should not be treated as if they were meant for the coven. Nigerians deserve to know these basic facts and should not be denied them. We counsel that the DSS must return to those days of conscious democratisation which the immediate past administration did with kudos from Nigerians and lovers of democratic tenets.

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Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

LETTERS TO THE

editor

Letters to the editor should be sent to letters@tribune.com.ng or by sms to 08078891826. It MUST be accompanied by the full name and address of the writer.

Economy: In support of President Buhari

HERE is a popular Yoruba adage that says: ‘Ti’ta ri’ro la’nko ‘la; ti o ba j’ina tan, oge laa fi’ nse. This can be translated thus: Getting tribal marks comes with pain and hurt-

ing, but when it heals, it becomes something to be proud of. This summarises the situation we find ourselves in at the moment in Nigeria. It seems as if everything is not fine with the country,

particularly with the ongoing fuel scarcity, which is hurting Nigerians, but I can say that we should just bear it for a while, and that everything will soon be fine. President Muhammadu

Eagles need an experienced coach PERMIT me to use this opportunity to call on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) that the Super Eagles need a world-class coach and not just a for-

Appeal to Buhari on bailout for pensioners I want to call on President Muhammadu Buhari to assist state governments in paying the gratuities of pensioners. Most of the states in the South West, and I believe across the country, have not paid pensioners who retired over 10 years ago their gratuities. When President Buhari approved the bailout for states last year, we felt that the fund would be used to pay the gratuities, but after paying a couple of months’ pension arrears, the governors came out to inform us that the bailout had been exhausted. Most of the governors diverted the bailout for other purposes, and I hope the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) can investigate how the governors mismanaged the bailout. In the mean time, should the president approve another bailout, I want the Federal Government to set up a committee that will monitor the disbursement of the money to retirees. State governors are so careless with fund that they just disburse it for other purposes for which it was approved. This was how they mismanaged the last bailout. •Supo Oladele, aexxy_life@gmail. com

eign coach. We need to appoint a coach with experience. That is why I am not happy that Togo has appointed Claude Leroy, who was one of the coaches who had applied for the Super Eagles job. Now that Leroy is no longer available, we should look out for another experienced coach who will return us to our glorious days in football. I am happy that the Minister of Sports, Mr Solomon Dalung, has charged the NFF to look for ways to pay the coach’s salary. To me, this is one of the easiest tasks, as there are partners which the NFF can

approach for support. Nigerian football is at its lowest ebb in years, and Nigerians are not happy about this at all; football is the only thing that unites us in this country, but its mismanagement by NFF officials and the uncommitted players have taken happiness away from fans. That is why Nigerian youths support the English football league, and if nothing is done to rebuild the Super Eagles, then the team will lose all its supporters. •Vincent Kadiri, vincentkad2002@ yahoo.co.uk

Buhari is working round the clock towards ensuring that everything returns to normal in the country. Some people have been criticising his frequent travels abroad, while urging him to stay at home and tackle the enormous problems facing us, but the truth is that the president’s travels will soon begin to yield fruits. What we lack in the country today are investors who can revolutionalise our critical sectors. If we can get ten investors to build refineries in the country, then we will never have the problem of fuel shortages again; the same thing goes for electricity. That is why we shouldn’t be in a hurry to criticise the president’s foreign trips. One good thing about this administration is that it has international acceptance, and our president is respected by global leaders. It is, therefore, a matter of time before we begin to reap the rewards of de-

mocracy. In my own opinion, why we have not been having Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) of late is because of the global economic slowdown. The fall in the price of crude oil is a testament that the world’s economy is not as buoyant as it should be, but the rebound is a

sign of hope that things are coming up economically again. I, therefore, want to urge Nigerians not to lose hope in this government, as it is serious about changing the fortune of the nation. We just need to be a little patient. •Yomade Afolabi, Osogbo, Osun State.

Politicians should stop talking about 2019 now NIGERIA is in such a mess now, and it is highly insensitive to be talking about the 2019 election now. I was going through the dailies recently and I was reading that some politicians have been forming alliances for the 2019 political battle. Talking about 2019 now, when we are even yet to celebrate the first year of the Muhammadu Buhari administration is unfair. Nigerians are yet to experience those things promised us during the election-

eering periods. Politicians take us for granted in this country, and that is why they treat us shabbily. Already, we don’t know what is going on in the country, as everything is in a state of comatose. It is only a matter of time before Nigerians rise against politicians who have come to believe that the people must always suffer. It is so surprising that countries that are not as blessed as Nigeria are living happily, while we struggle to get the basic things of life. At a time when the price of crude oil is falling in the international market, it rarely reflected in Nigeria, instead, we are experiencing shortages. There are economic cabals who have entered into partnership with politicians to inflict suffering on Nigerians, but it is just a while before we have that popular revolt. What happened during the Arab Uprising will be a child’s play when Nigerians begin theirs. When the previous administration was not doing well, Nigerians came together to vote it out; Nigerians are now politically-aware that politicians who don’t perform will be dumped. We also know those politicians who have been running their mouths all in a bid to keep their jobs, or those who want to be relevant. When the time comes, voters will give everybody his scorecard. Now, politicians should stop hurting the sensibilities of Nigerians by talking about the 2019 political process now. •Idris Egbe, Lokoja, Kogi State.

opinion

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

Paddle on, Governor-General of Ijaw nation

E may not have been the quintessential mortal by his actions, but isn’t man’s infallibility only a myth? DSP Alamieyeseigha was incontrovertibly, I have to say, a rallying point for the evolution of the Ijaw nation till his death. Though he irrefragably trailed the dark path of avariciousness and succumbed to the seductions of wealth’s cleavage, he was first a man after the Ijaw nation’s heart and he remained unflinchingly loyal to the emancipation and unity of the Ijaw people. Therefore, without necessarily sermonising, indulge me today, to join thousands of my kinsmen scattered across the coastal regions of Ondo, Edo, Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa-Ibom and even those in the Diaspora as we pay the dead his most deserved respect by eulogising the GovernorGeneral and with requiems, send him forth, whose canoe on Saturday, April 9, began paddling for ‘duweiama-bou’, the abode of immortals. Alamieyeseigha woefully fell short and consequently plummeted the heights of moral standards with a resonating thud, but he was a father of the Ijaw nation. I do not write to praise him neither do I write to mitigate the enormity of his shortcomings, but I write as a daughter of the Ijaw nation, who came face to face with the magnanimousness that earned him the epithet ‘Governor-General’. So I write, with the hope that his solemn journey from nature to eternity is saturated with savoury ballads of his good deeds before they decompose sans any trace, interred with his bones. The nobles, moral and upright have castigated the GovernorGeneral. Even in death, they sneered at his remains: He was tagged a desecrator of public coffers by many, and an embezzling statesman by many more but today is not the day to attempt to swim in those murky waters for we may drown. So, I wouldn’t argue, pick a fight or make a case for the dead. However, I must reiterate that Alamieyeseigha, as his name implied, was ‘the one whose deeds could not go wrong’ for the Ijaw nation, for this fact is the crux of today’s write-up. With inexplicable doggedness, Alams, as was fondly called, travailed for the unity of the Ijaw nation despite the several odds that confronted him. I remember it just like yesterday, though it happened over a

decade ago… I was a freshman at a South West university and had travelled under the aegis of the Ijaw Students Association to the Bayelsa State Liaison Office, Lagos to receive bursary as stipulated by the state. In that 18-seater bus were students from diverse states of the federation scattered along the coastal regions of the nation, but students who spoke the ‘Izon’ language. There had been heated arguments during the journey because despite the fact that we all spoke the same language, the students of Bayelsa origin didn’t feel other Izon-speaking students were entitled to the Bayelsa State bursary, most especially, the ones from the little riverine area called Arogbo in the Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State. I remember vividly the scary looking soldiers at the gate of the liaison office who had been given the order to throw out any body who caused any form of trouble. The screening was intense, but the Bayelsans got paid without a hitch. However, other Izon-speaking students were denied. That day, an executive of the association put a call through to Alams and he expressly instructed that all students, so far they speak the Izon language, irrespective of the state of their origin, be paid and so, it was! Even time has been incapable of erasing the ebullience and joy that I witnessed that day as students showered praises and blessings on the Governor-General. He believed that we

veracity with Vera Onana

veraonana@gmail.com 08054680688 are one despite the difference in geo-spatial locations, and he showed it. That was how much Alams loved the oneness of the Ijaw nation. His deeds were the substratum on which the bricks of the Ijaw nation were laid. I am unequivocally concurring with the President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Comrade Udenz Eradiri, who recently revealed how he gained the title of Governor-General. Eradiri said “When he was governor, he mobilised other governors for good causes in the polity. Till date, nobody has done the kind of mobilisation that he did. “These qualities endeared him to all who addressed him as the Governor-General of Ijaw nation.” According to the IYC, though his tenure as governor witnessed series of magnanity to Ijaw sons and daughters, with the award of scholarships and appointments into public offices without discrimination, his emergence as Governor-General was as a result of his receptive nature at assisting fellow governors in the area of governance and personal relationships. Former Commissioner for Information, who headed the Publicity Sub-Committee of the burial committee, Esueme Dan-Kikile, said of him thus: “He had his own human failings, but he was undoubtedly committed to the development of this part of the country, particularly the Niger Delta region. Like I wrote earlier, I do not intend to praise Alamieyeseigha neither do I wish to exhume the malodorous corpses of his failures, because his dirty linens have been aired in the national atmosphere long before now and still hang there. But, I write for the Ijaw nation because he deserves to be hailed into yonder. The D in DSP, which is Diepreye, ultimately came through for the Ijaw nation for he was truly a gift and I hope his dream of oneness for the Ijaw nation will outlive the mortifying tales of his failure as I say, ‘Dimbaiwarei’, goodnight, Governor-General. Re: A collective dilemma Vera, you are as constant as the northern star in calling a spade a spade; if there is a word that can better describe our situation than being under siege, I will use it. What do we say of the numerous human rights abuse under PMB’s regime; we are all casualties. — 0805740****

New VC: Who is afraid of OAU’s criteria? By Akinola Fadahunsi THIS piece refers to an advertorial entitled “An Open Letter to President Muhammadu Buhari” published in a national daily on Thursday, March 24, 2016, jointly written by some officials of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. The said advert protested against the selection procedure for the appointment of a new Vice-Chancellor embarked upon by the Governing Council of the university which they considered to have violated the statutes and laws of the University governing the appointment of a new Vice-Chancellor. The two unions stated that the Governing Council of the University, going by the statutes, was supposed to come up with a shortlist of suitable candidates for the post of Vice-Chancellor based on advertised eligibility criteria and thereafter set up a Joint Council and Senate Selection Board that would critically assess the shortlisted candidates for the post of Vice-Chancellor. According to the two unions, the Governing Council of the University bungled the procedure by coming up with a shortlist of suitable candidates for the post based on criteria beyond the advertised. They further claimed that by this singular act of the Governing Council of the University, the role of the Joint Council and Senate Selection Board had been usurped. This piece disagrees in totality with the principal claim of the said advert and describes the submissions of the advert as some huge misunderstanding of the autonomy bill granted by the Federal Government to Governing Councils of Universities following the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government Agreement which empowers Governing Councils of universities to appoint Vice-Chancellors based on established university statutes, laws and modal-

ities. In pursuance of its mandate, the Governing Council of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife placed adverts in widely-read newspapers stating eligibility criteria as stipulated by the University statutes. Thereafter, the shortlisting was done based on the advertised eligibility criteria. And for God’s sake, the criteria drawn from the advertised eligibility criteria by Council are not new to the University system. And what are these criteria? They are: Teaching, International Exposure, Publication, Fund Attraction, Supervision, Years as Professor, and References! Out of these criteria, four (Teaching, International Exposure, Publication and Supervision) are regular promotion criteria in all Nigerian universities, especially if you are moving from the rank of Lecturer Grade 1 to Senior Lecturer and to Associate Professor and full Professor. The remaining three (Fund attraction, Years of Professor and Referees) are usually used for post-professorial applications for different posts in university. Beyond individual universities, all of the above criteria are unspoken criteria daily used to judge applications for fellowships, postdoctoral fellowships, grants and international prizes in different academic, research and intellectual disciplines and funding agencies all over the world. For

the purpose of emphasis, it must be stated that the above criteria, comply with standard and best practices around the world. Who among Obafemi Awolowo University academics is afraid of the above Governing Council criteria for the shortlisting and even for the final appointment of applicants for the office of Vice-Chancellor? Take fund attraction for example, one of the duties of Vice-Chancellors is to master the art of attracting investors and funders for the enhancement of universities for 21st century compliance in all domains for excellence and also for webometric ranking. It is therefore, cardinally expected of an intending applicant for the office of Vice-Chancellor to have had an enviable track record of fund attraction. What do you say about an applicant to the office of Vice-Chancellor who lacks international exposure? How would he or she administer a university without intellectual mobility to familiarize self with best research and administrative practices around the world? The purpose of this piece is to show that the Governing Council criteria used for shortlisting applicants for the final appointment of a new Vice-Chancellor in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife are in compliance with the University statutes and laws. The criteria are in pursuit of excellence for the production of a world-class ViceChancellor who can network with universities, investors and funders across the world to enhance best research and administrative practices for a 21st century university. The Council shortlisted six applicants who will have to be interviewed by the Selection Board. Anyone of these applicants will emerge as the new Vice Chancellor. The people that are opposed to these criteria are those who either do not understand what a University is or are playing sheer mischief. •Fadahunsi, a retired professor, lives in Osogbo.

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

agriculture Agro-industrial self-sufficiency:

FG must creatively partner private sector — AMEFAN

• As association inaugurates new excos By Ruth Olurounbi

NIGERIA’S Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) has been charged to partner creatively with the private sector, by providing the required technological and resource empowerment needed by indigenous agricultural machinery manufacturers. Giving this charge was the Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Fabricators Association of Nigeria (AMEFAN), in a communiqué issued at the end of its 2016 National General Meeting at the Main Auditorium of the Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan, on Thursday, April 7. The association, an umbrella body for Nigerian fabricators involved in the development and commercial manufacture of machineries to service the entire agricultural value chain, said the need for the Federal Government’s creative partnership with the private sector was more urgent now that there is a challenge with “unsustainable foreign exchange inflows into the coffers of government.” The communiqué signed that the president of the association, Adeniji Kolawole and the national secretary, Victor Olomo, emphasised that “the FG’s policy on agricultural machinery must now go beyond reduction or removal of tariffs on imported agricultural machinery,” and therefore, “strongly advises the government to mainstream

Nigerian local machinery manufacturers into the national programme on food and agro-industrial selfsufficiency.” While identifying the synergies between local agricultural machinery and equipment fabricators in meeting the challenges of the Federal Government’s policy of full local production of rice, partial import substitution of wheat, palm oil derivatives and a number of semi and fully manufactured food, agro-industrial products and intermediates, the association said it was ready to partner with the Federal Government and the Organised Private Sector (OPS) to contribute effectively to Nigeria’s current drive at import substitution and export promotion. While commending the Federal Government on the ban of rice importation into the country, AMEFAN said it was convinced that between 70 and 80 per cent of Nigeria’s paddy rice requirements could be produced by small scale local farmers and the balance accounted for by large scale operators. Meanwhile, the association has inaugurated a new exco. The executives, which include Kolawole Adeniji as President, Akobundu Nwabueze as 1st Vice President, Tangsan Thomas as 2nd Vice President, Victor Olomo as General Secretary, Segun Bolaji as Financial Secretary, A. A Alabi as Treasurer and Kingsley Chilakpu as PRO; were inaugurated on Thursday.

Food security:

Women farmers need access to research outcomes, trainings — Williams

Olabukunola Williams serves as the Coordinator for Nigerian Women in Agricultural Research for Development (NiWARD), a platform for Nigerians in African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD). In this interview with RUTH OLUROUNBI, she contends that women are critical to Nigeria’s sustainable agriculture.

OULD share as briefly as possible what NiWARD is about and what is your role in

New roadmap will revive the sector — Ogbeh Collins Nnabuife - Abuja

THE Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, has assured Nigerians that the implementation of the new agricultural roadmap as conceptualised by the ministry would revive and transform the agricultural sector in Nigeria. The minister gave this assurance while declaring the National Agricultural Show open at the Abuja –Keffi Show-

ground, Nassarawa State. Ogbeh said the roadmap would help revolutionise agriculture in Nigeria by engaging all the key stakeholders, particularly state governments, the organised private sector, investors, women, youth farmers’ associations in the agricultural production and agro-export value chain. The minister stated that the goal of the current administra-

tion was to build an agribusiness economy capable of meeting Nigeria’s domestic food security requirements and generating exports to broaden the national revenue base. He said the administration would support sustainable income and job growth potentials through wealth creation, promotion of entrepreneurial activities, youth employment and enhance national productivity.

Williams

the organisation? It is a platform in which fellows, mentors, mentees and supporters to share their knowledge and research innovations for agricultural transformation in Nigeria. The fellows, mentors and mentees use their research to respond to the daily challenges rural farmers face, by focusing on crops, livestock and fisheries that are essential to household nutrition and community trade; innovating processes to reduce drudgery associated with processing of agricultural produce and improving value addition in farming enterprise for agri-business development. I am a cheerleader, strategist, advocate, researcher and fundraiser. At the end of the day I want a Nigeria that

we all can be proud to call home especially for women. And through NiWARD, I get to focus on making that a reality for women in agriculture. It is said that transformation in traditional gender roles is urgently needed in the pursuit of food security in Africa. What specific steps would you recommend that Nigerian government takes in bridging the gender inequality gap in agriculture? I would say the recognition of the contributions of women to food security and economies of African countries is what is needed. Women are actively involved in every aspect of the agricultural value chain and

despite theirparticipation, a gender gap remains in terms of access toand control of the tools of agricultural production. In spite of the lack of robust and gender disaggregated data and depending on which region in Nigeria, findings show that women carry out as high as 70 per cent of agricultural labour, 50 per cent of animal husbandry related activities and 60 per cent of agricultural processing activities. Women play an important role and must be provided with the same access to inputs, training, technologies, financing and resources as their male counterparts and given control over the resources such as land. Continues on pg17

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Food security: Women farmers

need access to research outcomes, trainings — Williams Continues from pg16

Wheat seed producer, Haruna Alhassan, shakes hands with the Executive Director of Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI), Dr Gbenga Olabanji, while another farmer, Farouk Rabiu Mudi (middle) and others watch during the inspection of wheat fields at Alkamawa, in Kano State.

Kano wheat farmers signify readiness to boost local production By Kehinde Oyetimi

WHEAT farmers in Kano State have signalled readiness to boost local wheat production in the country. The national president, Wheat Farmers’ Association, Salim Saleh, made this known recently, adding that the association is already looking beyond production. Saleh, speaking with journalists after a meeting with the state government, the association had developed a business plan towards making this possible. Rabiu Mudi, Kano State chairman of the association, explained that for ease of tracking and support, the association had created 38 clusters in Kano State, while “SARD-SC has three and the association has 35. Any wheat farmer not aware of our association is assisted to register and is geo-tagged.” To avoid fake claims, Mudi said, a rigorous registration exercise was embarked upon for the farmers, explain that “over 21,000 originally participated in the open registration we did. When we went for geo-tagging, just about 5,000 stayed.” Dr Gbenga Olabanji, executive director of the Lake Chad Research Institute, a Maiduguri-based institution having a national mandate for wheat development, while commenting on Kano experience, said Nigeria could successfully produce and market wheat to neighbouring countries. Having moved, within three years, from field experimentation for adaptation to wholesale adoption, com-

mercial cultivation by farmers and formation of business groups around wheat, Ola-

banji observed that “we have seen it now that Nigeria can produce wheat. One common

goal is to see that Nigeria is self-sufficient in wheat production.”

‘N112bn needed for seed this year’ Collins Nnabuife - Abuja

THE Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh have said that an estimated N112 billion will be required provide basic improved seeds to farmers across Nigeria this year. This is just as the Minister said that Nigeria needs seeds industry revolution to tackle the circulation of substandard seeds. Ogbeh made this known during a National Workshop on developing a Rapid Action Plan for Quality Seed Production organised by the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC). According to him, “in order to ensure availability of high quality seeds over the long term, as a key strategy for reviving the agricultural sector, the need to balance the forces of supply and demand of high quality seeds is inevitable. “It is worth noting that the estimated annual seed demand in Nigeria for 2016 is about 350,000 MT for rice, maize and sorghum with an approximate seed industry value of N112 Billion ($564 Million). The 2015 annual production was about 122,000 MT valued at N43 Billion ($216 Million). “This, effectively translates into a supply-demand

gap of about 231,000 MT valued at N81 Billion ($409 Million). Presently, the gap is filled through massive use of low quality seeds, such as farmers saved seed and supplies from unscrupulous seed merchants. In this regard, Nigeria needs a seed industry revolution”. The Minister further said supporting the growth of the Nigerian seed industry to produce high quality seeds, which in turn will lead to the production of quality grains that meet industry needs, is of integral importance for food security, job creation and prosperity of the economy. In his address, the Director General of NASC, Dr Olusegun Ojo said that the role seeds play in agricultural productivity cannot be over emphasised. According to him, “in the crucial role of seed as a major catalyst for rapid development and transformation of agriculture in many nations of the world have been widely documented and need not be over-flogged.” However, the critical position of quality seed as a key input in enhancing agricultural productivity and ensuring food security as the carrier of the genetic potential of the crop plant

that determines the upper limit of yield and the ultimate productivity of fertilizer, agro- chemicals and other inputs cannot be over-emphasized”. In his remarks, Dr. Ernest Assah Asiedu, who represented the Dakar-based institution, the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (WECARD), known in French version as CORAF (Conseil Ouest et Centre Africain pour la recherche et le development agricoles), commended Nigeria for its leading role in the seed sector in the West and Central African sub-region. According to Asiedu, “in 2016, West Africa supplied a total of 314,500 tons of seeds (rice, maize, sorghum, millet, cowpea and groundnuts), which was planted on 21 per cent of land allocated to these crops. Out of the 114,000 tons of rice supplied Nigeria supplied 90,000 tons (79%) and out of the 108 tons of maize supplied in the region, Nigeria supplied 75,000 (69%). “Nigeria also supported the Gambia with certified rice seeds. I must say that this support has contributed significantly in transforming the agricultural sectors in these countries and they deeply appreciate.”

The Nigerian government already has a road map in the National Gender Policy that was introduced in 2006. Another important step would be ensuring that the implementation of the policies are measured and evaluated. And as mentioned in a Nigeria Strategy Support Program brief on the Gender Dimensions of Agriculture, Poverty, Nutrition, and Food Security in Nigeria Brief by Olubunmi Ajani a “balanced analysis of women’s roles, responsibilities, constraints and opportunities in different activities in relation to those of men” must be includedin the design and implementation of the programmes designed to close the gap. Improving the productivity of male and female farmers and producers is vital to food security in Nigeria. Lastly, the gender gap in agricultural research and development must also be included in the discussion; this is why the gender policy developed by the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria is a welcome development. Agriculture research and innovation is rarely mentioned when discussing investment and the growth of the agriculture sector in Nigeria. Research, innovation and technologies are rarely gender inclusive. Women farmers do not get access to research outcomes and trainings. They rarely get extension services and most time the technologies do not meet their needs. Gender inclusive research outcomes and technologies should be the norm. How specifically do you suppose the current gender gap is impeding the market potential for agric produce in Africa and Nigeria in particular? Women produce less per hectare in comparison to their male counterparts. And in the cases where they have similar access to inputs and resources, the returns on the resources are also disparate. To gain an in depth understanding of the impact of the gender gap, the report jointly published by the ONE Campaign and the World Bank is a good place to start. There is also

a profile on Nigeria in particular. Implementing policies and creating an environment for female farmers and researchers to thrive would improve the current situation. How badly do you think the effect of gender demarcation is affecting Agriculture in Nigeria? According to a finding by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics in 2006, the percentage of women in agriculture was increasing while the percentage of men was decreasing. If the percentage of women participating in agriculture is increasing and we are not improving their access and control of tools of production, then we are doing ourselves a disservice. We know the benefits of closing the gap; it’s now time to act and change . What benefits do you foresee in reshaping existing farmer support modalities to ensure that women improve their productivity and maximise their income-generating potential? “Statistics from the World Development Report 2010 on Gender Equality, estimates that if women farmers were to have the same access as men to fertilizer and other productive inputs, yields would increase by almost one-sixth.” “Closing the gender gap could help increase food security and improve livelihoods for Africa’s growing population, which is expected to quadruple within the next 90 years. If women worldwide had the same access to productive resources as men, they could increase yields on their farms by 20–30% and raise total agricultural output by 2.5–4 per cent.” The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimate that the gains in agricultural production alone could lift 100 to 150 million people out of hunger.” Those two statements above basically make the case. The benefits are clear. If we want to increase food security, improve livelihoods and reduce poverty, we need to close the gender gap. At this point, it’s a no brainer and we need to generate the political needed to close the gender gap in Nigeria. It is need to become a priority.

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016 With Tommy Adegbite 0811 695 4631 tommyabijo@yahoo.com

PRIMATE, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Reverend Nicholas Okoh (left), laying the foundation of Vice Chancellor Lodge of Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, recently. With him is the donor and pro-chancellor, Chief Wole Olanipekun (third left), vice chancellor, Professor Dapo Asaju (fourth left) and other bishops.

Chairman, Supra West of House of Bishops, Most Reverend M. O. Akinyemi, dedicating the renovated St Andrew’s Chapel, situated within the campus of Ajayi Crowther University and first dedicated in 1896. The chapel was renovated by Mr Toyin Okeowo and his wife, Abiola.

Former governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola (left), with the newly wedded couple, Mr and Mrs Daniel Uduak-Abasi, after the wedding in Orogun, Ibadan. PHOTO: TOMMY ADEGBITE.

From left, Chief Abiola Ogundokun; the Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Adewale Aranse and the newly installed Babalola, Chief Ashiru Alagbe Ogundokun, after the installation ceremony at the Oluwo’s palace, Iwo, recently. PHOTO: TOMMY ADEGBITE

Bishop of Ikorodu, The Right Reverend Samson O. Osundina (second left); his wife, Susan (left); Lay President, Sir Chief Ayodele O. Elesho and The Reverend (Dr) Janet Daramola (right), discussing during the Methodist Church Nigeria Diocese of Ikorodu 22nd annual synod, held at Methodist Church Nigerian, Agbowa Circuit, on Friday. PHOTO: D’TOYIN

Chief ‘Yemi Fatoke assisting her wife and celebrant, Mrs Afolake Bolajoko Fatoke, to cut her birthday cake, during Mrs Fatoke’s 50th birthday celebration in Ibadan, Oyo State, recently.

From left, Mr Adekunle Soremekun, Mr Abiola Ogunkanmi, Mrs Mudirat Odebode, Mr Ayodeji Soremekun and Mrs Opeoluwa Soremekun, during the funeral ceremony of Pa Samuel Soremekun, in Ibadan, recently.

The newly wedded couple, Mr and Mrs Fatai Adeniyi Yahya, during their Nikkah ceremony at Samonda, Ibadan, recently.

For bookings, contact ’Laolu Afolabi on 08054681741 or Tommy Adegbite on 08116954631

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

leadership &

management with Sulaimon Olanrewaju

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

The 60-second

business coach

Quote

PAGE 24

LEADERSHIP

“Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.” — Dale Carnegie

PAGE 24

Leaders’

forum PAGE 24

The powerful and the forceful By Sulaimon Olanrewaju

leader’s job is clearly cut out for him; he has to get things done. He has to produce results that will gladden the hearts of most stakeholders and ensure the sustainability of the organization. What he has to decide for himself is the strategy that will be deployed to achieve that end. This is where the rubber meets the road. This

is where the distinction between great leaders and those who are not becomes glaring. This is where a leader’s style comes to the fore. Some leaders work with their people to achieve stated objectives; others use their people to achieve corporate goals. The two sets of leaders achieve their aims but travel different routes to get this done. Continues on pg24

Simeon Ononobi, Founde and CEO, MyAds

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

leadership&management Between the powerful and the forceful Continues from pg19

While some realize their corporate goals with every member of the team enjoying the ride no matter how arduous the task is, others achieve their stated end with members of the team feeling bruised and battered. Leaders who work with people are regarded as powerful while those who use people are forceful. Powerful people understand the need to understate their power. They know that power is more potent when veiled, so they do not vaunt their positional power. They restrain themselves from harassing people with their power; they eschew the brutality of power. They instead deploy their power for the benefit of everyone who has contact with them as well as the organization to which they belong. Knowing that the potency of power is heightened when deployed for the benefit of the people, they never stop using their power as a lever for others to attain their personal objectives while working to achieve corporate goals. Between powerful and forceful leaders Powerful and forceful leaders are as different from one another as light is from darkness. Their orientations are different, their styles are poles apart and their dispositions are not the same. While powerful leaders rely largely on their inner resources and people skills to get the people to work and get things done, forceful leaders rely on the dictates of the law to get people to go along with them. But forceful leaders do not get too far because where the force of the law stops is where the power of people skills take off. Here are some of the attributes that distinguish the powerful from the forceful. Inspiration Vs drive Although powerful leaders are self-driven, they don’t drive others. Instead, they inspire them by doing what is right rather than by demanding that their reports do what is right. Powerful leaders set high standards for themselves. They go beyond the call of duty to achieve their goals. They never see obstacles; rather they see opportunities. They never consider any hurdle too difficult to scale. They have positive attitudes to life and demonstrate a high level of positive energy. They never demand from their team members what they themselves are unwilling to do. They never ask their team members to make any sacrifice they are unwilling to

Dr Anthony Anuforom, Director General CEO of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) make. They lead by example. For this reason, they are a source of inspiration to their team members. Their conduct and self-discipline fire up their subordinates who want to be like their leaders. Their subordinates regard them as models and are willing to follow in their footsteps. Their team members are willingly committed to the realization of corporate goals because they are inspired by the disposition and conduct of their leaders. Because of their commitment to diligence and discipline, they do not have to go into any excessively laborious exercise to get their team members to buy into the organizational vision. But not so the forceful leader. Though self-driven, he never stops trying to drive others. He does not inspire others, neither does he see any reason to motivate them, he

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

Dr Richard Munang, UNEP Africa Regional Coordinator just drags them along with him. He does not show them any reason to move in a particular direction but expects them to tag along. Although he gets people to go along with him because they have no alternative, he does not get their maximum cooperation because of his inability to lead by example. People are not only willing to follow leaders who walk the talk but have preference for leaders who walk more on the right path than they talk about it. Leadership is about modeling, that is why leaders who exemplify what is right get the commitment of the people than those who do not. Persuasion vs coercion Powerful leaders prefer to persuade their people instead of coercing them. They rely on communication to achieve this. A great leader does not just communicate to inform, he communicates to transform. So, when he communicates with his people, it is with the intention of persuading them to see why the organization is taking some steps or going in a particular direction so that they can better perform their tasks. All great leaders have one thing in common, they are great communicators. This is not about having the gift of the gab, it is about being painstaking in getting the message across clearly and unmistakably. It is about initiating a change in the lives of the people through that communication exercise. Power-

Greg Ogbeifun, Chairman Chief Executive Officer, Starzs Investments Group

ful leaders dwell more on the ‘why’ than the ‘what’. They know that when the people understand the ‘why’ doing the ‘what’ would not be difficult. They never stop communicating the ‘why’ until they are sure that they are on the same page with their people. Powerful leaders always communicate their expectations and do not leave their people in doubt about what is expected of them. They also allow feedback from their people and are willing to effect necessary changes as a result

Nimi Akinkugbe, CEO, Bestman Games of the feedback they get. Forceful leaders do not believe much in communication, they coerce their people into action by issuing directives and instructions. A forceful leader believes that his word is the law and everything he says must be carried out. He does not believe in getting feedback from his people because he arrogates to himself the monopoly of wisdom. For a forceful leader, it is either his way or the highway.

BOOK Control Vs guidance Powerful leaders do not seek to control their people; they guide them. They refrain from having an overbearing influence on their people. They allow each team member to develop the ability for independent thinking and not walk in the shadow of the leader. Powerful leaders do not micromanage; instead they allow their people to use their initiative to get results once the general terms are agreed upon. Their actions are based on their belief that every member of the team has something of value to contribute to the achievement of the overall objective. So, they allow the ingenuity and creativity of their people to come to play in the discharge of their duties. Forceful leaders micromanage. They require constant and detailed performance report and focus excessively on procedural details rather than on overall performance, quality and results. They stretch the statement, ‘Don’t expect what you don’t inspect’ to the snapping point. They demonstrate their lack of trust in the competence of their people by breathing down their neck to ensure that everything runs in accordance with the way they had set it out from the outset. Bonding Vs aloofness Powerful leaders go the extra mile to connect with their people. They build relationship with their colleagues. They understand that people do not care how much the leader knows until they know how much he cares. Therefore, they stay connected with their people. They also understand that people will go out on a limb for leaders they believe care about their welfare, so they show that they care about the people not just because of what they stand to gain but because they believe that the people deserve their care and attention.

Powerful leaders, knowing that most people spend the greatest part of their waking moments at work, try as much as possible to make the workplace as lively as possible and give their people a sense of belonging. They deliberately make themselves accessible to their colleagues and make time out to listen to issues bothering them. They do not create a ‘we’ and ‘them’ situation but create an inclusive system. On the other hand, forceful leaders are too distant from their people. The only thing that connects them with the people is the work. They cannot be bothered whether the people are hurting or not. For as long as the work is done, all is well and good. Self-deprecation Vs self-glorification Powerful leaders understand that unless they make deliberate attempt to stop it, their position can create a wall between them and their people. So, they intentionally poke fun at themselves and this empties the leader of the image of the superhuman. The people begin to see the leader as a person just like them. Through this they create a convivial atmosphere that is devoid of tension. They know that people are able to give their best when they are relaxed and free from unnecessary pressure. Apart from creating a convivial environment, powerful leaders are also wont to give credit for group achievements to their members. They take the blame for whatever goes wrong but pass the credit for successes recorded to their members. Forceful leaders are engaged in self-glorification. They take their work and themselves seriously. They stomp around and leave no one in doubt about who the boss is and where the power lies. They are reluctant to share credit for group achievements but quick to point fingers when things go awry.

THE 60-SECOND business coach

Tips for Setting Powerful Goals By Jim Rohn THE most important benefit of setting goals isn’t achieving your goal; it’s what you do and the person you become in order to achieve your goal that’s the real benefit. Goal-setting is powerful because it provides focus. It shapes our dreams. It gives us the ability to hone in on the exact actions we need to perform to achieve everything we desire in life. Goals are great because they cause us to stretch and grow in ways that we never have before. In order to reach our goals, we must become better. Life is designed in such a way that we look long-term and live short-term. We dream for the future and live in the present. Unfortunately, the present can produce many difficult obstacles. But setting goals provides long-term vision in our lives. We all need powerful, long-range goals to help us get past those short-term obstacles. Fortunately, the more powerful our goals are, the more we’ll be able to act on and guarantee that they will actually come to pass.

What are the key aspects to learn and remember when studying and writing our goals? Here’s a closer look at goal-setting and how you can make it forceful and practical: 1. Evaluate and reflect. The only way we can reasonably decide what we want in the future and how we’ll get there is to know where we are right now and what our current level of satisfaction is. So first, take some time to think through and write down your current situation; then ask this question on each key point: Is that OK? The purpose of evaluation is twofold. First, it gives you an objective way to look at your accomplishments and your pursuit of the vision you have for life. Secondly, it shows you where you are so you can determine where you need to go. Evaluation gives you a baseline to work from. 2. Define your dreams and goals. What are your dreams and goals? This isn’t what you already have or what you have done, but what you want. Have you ever really sat down and thought through

your life values and decided what you really want? Have you ever taken the time to truly reflect, to listen quietly to your heart, to see what dreams live within you? Your dreams are there. Everyone has them. They may live right on the surface, or they may be buried deep from years of others telling you they were foolish, but they are there. Take time to be quiet. This is something that we don’t do enough of in this busy world of ours. We rush, rush, rush, and we’re constantly listening to noise all around us. The human heart was meant for times of quiet— to peer deep within. It is when we do this that our hearts are set free to soar and take flight on the wings of our own dreams. Schedule some quiet “dream time” this week. No other people. No cellphone. No computer. Just you, a pad, a pen and your thoughts. Write down all of your dreams as you have them. Don’t think of any as too outlandish or foolish—remember—you’re dreaming! Let the thoughts fly and take careful record. Now, prioritize those dreams. Which are

most important? Which are most feasible? Which would you love to do the most? Put them in the order in which you will actually try to attain them. Remember, we are always moving toward action—not just dreaming. 3. Make your goals S.M.A.R.T. The acronym S.M.A.R.T. means Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-sensitive. Specific: Goals are no place to waffle. They are no place to be vague. Ambiguous goals produce ambiguous results. Incomplete goals produce incomplete futures. Measurable: Always set goals that are measurable. I would say “specifically measurable” to take into account our principle of being specific. Attainable: One of the detrimental things that many people do—with good intentions—is setting goals that are so high that they are unattainable.

Stand Out By Dorie Clark HERE’S a practical game plan for breakthrough personal growth and professional development Frankly, Stand Out will probably be of little (if any) value to anyone who has no interest in accelerating the progress of their career, in spreading their own vision (if they have one), and in living the life they imagined…if indeed they can imagine a life other than the one they have now. That said, if you are among those whose career is stalled or deteriorating, I think Dorie Clark has enough faith in what you can accomplish — even if you don’t — to provide the information, insights, and counsel you need to achieve success, however you define it. Clark wrote this book for people who are eager — or at least willing to give a best effort — to make a difference, to make a substantial contribution, and don’t know how. She immediately challenges her reader: “You have something to say to the world. You have a contribution to make. Each of us has ideas that can reshape the world, in large ways and small… Whatever your issue, if you really want to make an impact, it’s important for your voice to be heard…Few ever try — and that is your competitive advantage. If you’re willing to take the risk of sharing yourself and your ideas with the world, you’re far ahead of the majority, who stay silent. You were meant to make an impact. Now is the time to start.” In my opinion, Clark does for individuals what Peter Drucker has done for organizations: Help them to identify and then fulfill potentialities in areas of greatest interest and value to them. Of course, Drucker worked with business executives, sharing his thoughts about how they could make better decisions as leaders and managers. And yes, the people that Clark works with, directly or indirectly, have a greater, more beneficial impact on their organizations than they otherwise would…or could. One man’s opinion, I think Drucker thought in terms of institutions, primarily, such as an orchard, nursery, meadow, or garden; Clark seems more inclined to think, primarily, in terms of individual trees, bushes, plants,

and flowers. Clark’s discussion of a person’s niche reminds me of a portion of Cathy Guisewite’s commencement speech at Michigan twenty years ago: “Take the classes, the friends, and the family that have inspired the most in you. Save them in your permanent memory and make a backup disk. When you remember what you love, you will remember who you are. If you remember who you are, you can do anything.” I think it is also important to remember who you aren’t. This book is the result of all that Clark has learned from her wide and deep background. Keep in mind that she is the author of Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future (Harvard Business Review Press, 2013) as well as Stand Out. A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, she is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Entrepreneur, and the World Economic Forum blog. Recognized as a “branding expert” by the Associated Press, Fortune, and Inc. magazine, Clark is a marketing strategy consultant and speaker for clients including Google, Microsoft, Yale University, Fidelity, and the World Bank. I realized long ago that attitude is altitude: How high and far a person “flies” depends almost entirely on how determined they are to succeed, how willing they are to invest the time and effort as well as patience that are required. If that describes you, read and then re-read this book. Getting Dorie Clark involved in your life may be one of the best decisions you ever make.

leadership&management

Tuesday, 12 April, 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

Excellence is status blind

THE story of the 16th President of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln’s chequered life is almost a memory verse to several motivational speakers who have virtually turned him to the poster boy of inspiration and consistent comebacks from several setbacks. Raised in a log cabin and home-schooled by his mother, Lincoln’s eventual journey to the highest office in the United States of America reveals a plethora of experiences at some times sad and at other times exhilarating. But that odyssey is not the thrust of this discourse. Regarded as one of the most respected Presidents America has ever had, Lincoln is credited with several achievements ranging from the unification of America, the fight for which he commanded, the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation which allowed black soldiers to fight for the Union and began the process of freedom for America’s slaves to the Thirteenth Amendment which formally ended slavery in America. Lincoln remains an icon of strong character, leadership, and honesty; traits which succeeding presidents and leaders worldwide have tried to emulate. We turn the hands of the clock to shortly after his election as President of United States of America. I recently read a story about him that, even if not a true story, purveys life lessons that every leader needs to learn. I have taken the liberty of reconstructing the story. There was an eerie silence in the hallowed chambers filled with Congressmen and women, the Press and several important dignitaries who had come to grace the occasion. The newly elected President would be presenting his Inaugural Address. The audience in the room was a potpourri of feelings and sentiments towards the new President. Some loved him passionately and others loathed him no less passionately. As Lincoln was ushered in and made for the podium, one man stood up. He was a rich aristocrat and he looked nowhere near conciliatory. Before the new President could get out a word, the rich aristocrat practically shouted to the hearing of all, “Mr. Lincoln, I just thought I should remind you that your father used to make shoes for my family” Appreciably loud

voices erupted in laughter as if there was a pre-arranged tryst to embarrass Lincoln. But Lincoln was totally unperturbed. With an unruffled look that seemed to imply, “I have seen worse things. You don’t even know what I went through to get here”, he beamed a smile. Looking at the man directly in the eyes, Lincoln said, “Sir, I know that my father used to make shoes for your family, as he did for several families represented here, because he made shoes the way nobody else did or can. My father was a creator. His shoes were not just shoes, he poured his whole soul into them. In the presence of everyone here, I would like to ask you sir, have you or any member of your family any complaint with any of the shoes that my father made? Because I know how to make shoes myself. If you have any complaint I can make you another pair of shoes. But as far as I know, nobody has ever complained about my father’s shoes. He was a genius, a great creator and I am so proud of my father”. The silence that descended on that room was so thick you could practically put a voice to it! The drop of a pin would have been akin to a loud din. But that was only to be for a few moments. As if roused from a deep sleep by the sound of an erupting volcano, the entire audience was on its feet in thunderous applause, including the man who had caused the entire furore in the first place. As the applause settled after what seemed to be several minutes, people could be heard whispering to themselves, “What kind of man is this?” The spirit of excellence is first about who you are before it is what you do. Irrespective of your social status or station in life, when excellence becomes a culture, there is no end to greatness. According to Martin Luther King Jr. “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” Abraham Lincoln was able to boast of his Dad’s commit-

ment to his shoemaking in a way almost akin to the way God is committed to His creation. According to scriptures, anyone who applies diligence in his work will stand before kings and not before ordinary men. If in doubt, ask Joseph in Egypt. Ask Daniel and his Hebrew friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Babylon. The king of Babylon called it “the spirit of the gods” while referring to Daniel, and so did Pharaoh in Egypt about Joseph after the latter had interpreted his dreams. This underscores the divine dimension of excellence. Another part of the Holy Bible exhorts us to do with all our might whatever our hands find to do. When your life is driven by the quest for excellence, it becomes difficult for anyone to hurt you or put you down without your consent. Excellence is not about what happens to you. Excellence or a deficit of it is demonstrated by your response to it. Life is full of people whose only pastime is seeking to hurt or put others down. It’s the way they get their kicks in life. What they do not understand however is that for you to successfully pull anyone down, you must go lower than him! To live a life of excellence, you must make up your mind that no one has a right to determine your worth apart from you and your Maker. Excellence is so fixated on desired outcomes that it simply considers anything that will not lead to those outcomes as expensive distractions. If we all learn to do every job we have in hand as if it’s the last we would ever do or as if the measure of our entire life will determined by it, there is no end to what we could become. To anyone who knows the story of Abraham Lincoln and all the failures, losses and heartbreaks he experienced before he finally arrived at being elected president of the USA, the story narrated above and his response should not come as a surprise. The word excellence implies jutting out beyond the ordinary and the mundane. It is not developed by experiences. It is only manifested in them. Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!

The difference between great leaders and mediocre ones It behooves me to start today’s piece by unveiling what transpired under the leadership of General George Washington, when he led a rag-tag army to victory against the British. History has it that the year 1777 was not a particularly good time for America’s newly formed revolutionary army. Under General George Washington’s command, some 11,000 soldiers made their way to Valley Forge. Following the latest defeat in a string of battles that left Philadelphia in the hands of British forces, these exhausted, downhearted, and disappointingly equipped early American heroes knew they now faced another devastating winter. Yet history clearly records that despite the harsh conditions and lack of equipment that left sentries to stand on their hats to prevent frostbite to their feet, the men who emerged from this terrible winter never gave up. Why? Largely because of the inspiring and selfless example of their leader, George Washington. He did not ask the members of his army to do anything he would not do. If they were cold, he was cold. If they were hungry, he went hungry. If they were uncomfortable, he too chose to experience the same discomfort. Nigerian politicians will need to learn a lot from this great leader—George Washington. Our politicians are fond of asking the citizenry to do what they cannot do. They do ask the citizens to endure when they are living in comfort. The lesson Washington’s profoundly positive example teaches is that leading people well is not about driving them as machines, directing them, or coercing them as animals; it is about leading them to join you in pushing into new territories. It is motivating them to share your enthusiasm for pursuing a shared ideal, objective, cause, or mission. In essence, it is to always conduct yourself in ways that communicate to others that you believe people are always more important than things. Donald Walters, in his insightful book, The Art of Leadership, provides a convincing example of how this perspective

plays out in the most unlikely of places: the battlefield. Walters points out, “The difference between great generals and mediocre ones may be attributed to the zeal great generals have been able to inspire in their men. Some excellent generals have been master strategists, and have won wars on this strength alone. Greatness, however, by very definition implies a great and expanded view. It transcends intelligence and mere technical competence. It implies an ability to see the lesser in relation to the greater; the immediate in relation to the long term; the need for victory in relations to the needs that will arise once victory has been achieved.” As someone who has been functioning in varied leadership positions for years, I can confirm that achieving my mission, be it in training a new generation of capable leaders for varied high-valued service, or achieving success in corporate organizations, I can tell you authoritatively that bonding with the people is non-negotiable. Great leaders do not indiscriminately pursue their goals or blindly pursue their objectives at all costs. What Walters’ wise words strive to remind us of is that leadership, be it as a politician, an executive in the boardroom, a pastor serving a congregation, or a parent providing for a family, is not about exercising power over people, but rather, it is about finding effective ways to work with people. The most effective form of leadership is supportive. It is collaborative. It is never assigning a task, role or function to another that we ourselves would not be willing to perform. For all practical purposes, leading well is as simple as remembering to remain others-centered instead of self-centered. To do this, I try to keep these four imperatives in mind: Listen to other people’s ideas, no matter how different they may be from yours: There’s ample evidence that the most imaginative and valuable ideas tend not to come from the top of an organization, but from within an organization. Be open to others’ opinions; what you hear may make the difference between merely being good and ultimately becoming great.

Embrace and promote a spirit of selfless service: People, be it employees, customers, constituents, or colleagues, are quick to figure out which leaders are truly dedicated to helping them succeed and which are only interested in promoting themselves at others’ expense. Be willing to put others’ legitimate needs and desires first and trust that they will freely give you the best they have to give. Ask great questions: The most effective leaders know they do not have all the answers. Instead, they constantly welcome and seek out new knowledge and insist on tapping into the curiosity and imaginations of those around them. Albert Einstein said, “I have no special talent, I am only passionately curious.” Be inquisitive. Do not fall prey to your own publicity: Spin and sensationalism is an attractive angle to take in today’s self-promoting society. Yet the more we get accustomed to seeking affirmation or basking in the glow of others’ praise and adulation, the more it dilutes our objectivity, diminishes our focus, and sets us up to believe others are put in our path to serve our needs. Be careful not to become proud; it will only set you up for a fall. Those who serve under an effective leader know well that he or she would ask nothing of others that they would not first do themselves. Such a leader believes with all his heart that he is one with his people, not superior to them. He knows that they are simply doing a job together. The need to re-imagine and re-cast how we think about leadership has never been greater. In my observation, too many of us in Nigeria have allowed our understanding of leadership to become moribund, contributing to why we face so many daunting problems in our society today. Now is the time to discover the leader within all of us. Now is the time to accept that leadership is meant to be more verb than noun, more active than passive. Nigeria needs real leaders, not mere leadership experts—who do not do what they teach!

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

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Nigerian Tribune

The

South-West Editor Wole Efunnuga 08111813056

Got news for us; contact: southwesttribune@yahoo.co.uk or southwesttribune@gmail.com

Sagamu/ Ikorodu road, Ogijo, Ogun State.

Bad portion of Apapa-Oshodi expressway, Lagos.

Abatakan bridge, Ojoo, Ibadan, Oyo State.

PHOTOS BY TOMMY ADEGBITE; YEMI FUNSO-OKE; TUNDE OGUNESAN; AKIN ADEWAKUN; OLUWOLE IGE; BIOLA AZEEZ; YINKA OLUKOYA; HAKEEM GBADAMOSI; SAM NWAOKO; YINKA OLADOYINBO.

New Iyin road, Ekiti State Flyover site at Fajuyi park, Ado-Ekiti.

Ogbomoso road, Oyo State.

South-West roads

The good, the bad , the ugly

In spite of the role road plays in socio-economic growth of society, their state in the South-West zone is admixture of good, bad and ugly. All hope, however, is not lost as some construction works are still ongoing as captured in this package, reports TUNDE BUSARI.

OMMISSIONED in August 1978 by the then General Olusegun Obasanjo Military regime, the Lagos-Ibadan expressway is the

Inside

first dual-carriage road Nigeria can boast of after independence. It is undoubtedly a strategic route connecting Lagos, the commercial nerve

centre of Nigeria, through Ibadan with the northern part of the country. The road is thus the most busied, in terms of volume of traffic of vehicles, goods and

After 500 years, Eposo people return to ancestral home

passengers. It became more engaged after the Continues on pg24

24 thesouth-west

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Completed/ongoing roads in the South-West

Ago Palace way, Okota, Isolo, Lagos.

Ijebu-Ode flyover, Ogun State.

Continues from pg23

collapse of rail system, a development which increased the number of articulated vehicles on the road. The attendant effect was failing of some sections of the road thereby making auto-crash a regular occurrence, therefore, leading to untold hardship and outright deaths of the road users. Successive governments’ disregard to the carnage made the road the most dangerous one in the nation. Hope of the users of the 105-kilometre road, however, was raised in 2009 when the federal government rose from its seeming slumber with an idea of a Public Private Partnership. The late Umar Yar’Adua government walked the talk and struck a deal with Bi-Courtney, a construction company. In the agreement, Bi-Courtney was to develop the section between the old toll plazas at Ojota, Lagos State; and Ibadan, Oyo State to international standard. But the hope was deflated when four years afterwards no appreciable progress was achieved. The marriage between the two parties headed for the rock when former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2013 re-awarded the contract to Julius Berger Nigeria Plc and Reynolds Construction Company Limited at a sum of N167 billion. Lagos-Sagamu interchange was awarded to Julius Berger while RCC was to handle Sagamu interchange-Ibadan. President Jonathan at the flag off ceremony of the road said, “We have made adequate funds arrangement and we shall deliver our pledge on schedule. Comprehensive construction is overdue (which is) why we went into partnership with reputable companies.” Sooner after the ceremony held at Sagamu interchange, the two companies moved to their respective sites and gave a good account of themselves with an inspiring pace of work-day and night. Although the work created some pains for road users who had to endure long traffic, it rekindled their lost hope and earned President Jonathan some pats in the back. But his failure to have a re-election at the March 28 presidential election and coming of President Muhammadu Buhari has taken a toll in the progress of work. The two companies were allegedly starved of fund by the new administration, hence their vacation of the sites. But the work so far done has brought a relief to motorists and reduced carnage on the road. Why federal government has failed to complete Ibadan-Ilorin expressway since 2000 remains an embarrassing question

Mokola flyover, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Lagos-Ibadan expressway (on-going) successive government evaded. While Ibadan-Oyo and Ilorin to Ogbomoso sections had since been completed,

Oke-Ogba area, Ondo State. the Ogbomoso-Oyo section, he longest section, is in the state of neglect, thereby diverting motorists to the narrow, bad, old

However, many of the roads within the state capital were begging for attention then and the state government was heavily criticised for giving attention to the only and major road in the capital city.

road constructed in 1905 or thereabout. The effect of this is regular accidents mostly caused by articulated vehicles to or from the Northern part of the country. A trip from Osogbo, the Osun State capital to Iwo, a boundary town between Osun and Oyo States, is usually a nightmare. The road is not only an eyesore but indeed a death trap, which is now being avoided like a plague. Unfortunately, the alternative route which passes through Ogbagba and Awo, is also hardly motorable making the travelers vulnerable to dangers such as attacks and occasional robbery incidents. Continues on pg25

25 thesouth-west

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

The Change that roads need

Oluyole bridge under construction in Ibadan, Oyo State. Continues from pg24

State of roads in Ondo state A visitor who is visiting the capital city of Ondo State, Akure for the first time will definitely marvel , moving from the road block area of the town through the popular Oyemekun- Adesida road to Fiwasaye area of the town will be surprised over the smooth driving on this road laden with some aesthetics, and give kudos to the state government over the road. Prior to the coming on board of the present administration of governor Olusegun Mimiko in 2009, the road had been in existence but was reconstructed to meet the modern day standard that those who have visited the town before the construction of the needed to seek assistance before getting to their destination. However, many of the roads within the state capital were begging for attention then and the state government was heavily criticised for giving attention to the only and major road in the capital city. This led to the construction of Arakale dual carriage road in the heart of the town. Houses were demolished and compensations were paid by the government to affected land owners and landlords and the road which the state governor said was constructed to ease traffic at the Oyemekun- Adesida road was constructed under 16 months. But most of the internal roads still remain nothing to write home about until the creation of Ondo State Asphalt Company (OSAC) which worked on the construction of some roads within the capital city. Such road include Aule road, Adegbemile/ NUJ press center road, Araromi, Isolo, Odo ikoyi and Davog roads within the town. The Chairman of OSAC, Engr. Kehinde Oshikoya stated that the construction of the intra-city roads became imperative because some of the roads have become death trap and have been failing due to heavy rains,

Ilorin Jebba road.

Ogbomoso road.

Gbongan-Akoda dualisation.

and said: “We know the importance of good roads to socio-economic growth. Most of our roads have started failing perhaps due to the incessant rains this year. As I talk to you now, we have different teams working on some of the identified roads. Before we started work on the roads, we went round for proper assessment of the level of damage. “Presently, we are working at Odi-Olowo, Oke-Ijebu, Stadium road, Aule axis and Agagu road. In addition, we are working on Hospital, Secretariat, Oluwatuyi roads.” He appealed to the people whose roads are yet to be fixed to exercise patience with the company, assuring that the task of making all roads pothole-free is a continuous one. But some residents within and outside state capital have made series of appeal to the state government to extend the gesture to their areas. As at the time of filing this report, residents of Oke Ogba community have resorted to parking their vehicles outside the community as road leading to the community has been washed away by erosion. Similarly, the Orita Obele road is seriously craving for attention while residents of the area cannot come out with their vehicles whenever it rains. Speaking on the condition of the road, Adebayo Akinnifesi, said: “ we have written series of letters to the local and state governments but never got any response from them. We have been living under this terrible condition for over ten years and this is one of the promises subsequent governments have made to us but we never enjoyed dividend of democracy for once.” The Akure/Ijare road is also nothing to write home about, the people of the hilly Continues on pg26

26 thesouth-west

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Some on-going road projects in South-West

Rehabilitation work at Bank road in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State

On-going reconstruction /rehabiliation of Lokoja township road, Kogi State

Officials of FERMA on repair work on Ilorin-Omu Aran-Eruku highway, Kwara State

Ita Olooka, Osogbo, Osun State. Continues from pg25

town have also complained about this major road that links Ikere - Ado Ekiti road but which has been neglected for ages. Speaking during an interview with newsmen, the traditional ruler of the town, Oba Adebamigbe Oluwagbemigun appealed to the state government to come to the aid of the town by constructing the major and the only road linking the town. Apart from this, all the federal roads within the state have become death traps. The only road linking the south west with the north has been a serious concern to the people of the state as terrible accidents have become the order of the day on the roads. The Akure-Owo road, Owo/ Akungba/ Ikare/ Isua road and Owo/ Benin road linking the state with Edo and Kogi witness fatal accidents on a daily basis. The Akure/

Gbongan-Akoda road

Ado Ekiti road that should take less than thirty minutes because of the bad shape of the road will now take an average of one hour. The state government took some steps to repair some bad spots on the Akure / Owo and some portion along Oroe road but

claimed that the federal government had failed to refund the money on this repair and reconstruction of some of the federal roads in the state amounting to N7b. The state governor who disclosed this during an interactive session while speaking on the deplorable state of Akure-Ado-

This administration has completed some of its road projects, including the 22.3-kilometre Ugbe-Iboropa-Ise road in Akoko North East Local Government.

Ekiti Road that linked the state capitals of Ondo and Ekiti said once the state is able to get the refund of the money something would be done not only on this particular road but also on other roads in the state Mimiko, who noted that progress is being made on how to get the refund, added that despite the situation, the government would do something to ammeliorate the situation of the important road particularly bad portions saying his administration has expended billions of naira on many of federal roads in the state when many of them became impassable while commuters spend hours in traffic. Though the state government embarked on many the dualisation of many township roads which include, Owo township road, Ondo township road, Ugbo- Ugbonla road, Continues on pg27

27 thesouth-west

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

South-West: Good roads, bad roads

Oke Imole Osogbo, Osun State.

Osun

Continues from pg26

which was constructed and completed in record time but there has been delay In the completion of the Fiwasaye/ Oba Ile / Airport road. The road which was flag off in 2010 is still under construction, though over 60 percent completion. The residents of the community in the area have lamented over time the delay in the construction of the road, but the state Commissioner for works, Gboye Adegbenro, explained that the delay was caused by the contractors who left the site but said The government has re-awarded the contract for the construction of the nine kilometres dual carriage. According to Adegbenro, the road would cost N4billion and explained that the state government re-awarded the contract to CGC Nig. Ltd. because the former contractor failed to deliver on schedule and expressed the belief that the road would be completed on schedule this time round, given the capacity and sophistication of the equipment being used by the new contractor. Adegbenro said that the state’s Ministry of Works has been monitoring road projects across the state to ensure quality and transportation and said that the state government was constructing roads across the three senatorial districts, adding that most of them had reached completion stage and said, “This administration has completed some of its road projects, including the 22.3-kilometre Ugbe-Iboropa-Ise road in Akoko North East Local Government.” The sate government has always maintained that the state has witnesses significant change in terms of road construction in the state, saying it has been able to increase the dual carriage ways in the state to six as part of its effort in providing good road network in the state.

Lagos-Ibadan Express road.

Offa road, Kwara State.

Ogbomoso road

On-going road project in Kogi State.

Nigerian Tribune

28 thesouth-west

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

From left, Caretaker Chairman, Remo North Local Government, Honourable Mufutau Awotola; chairman of the day, Senator Oladipo Odujinrin; Eleposo of Eposo, His Royal Highness Oba Ademasa Sonoiki; royal father of the day, Alaye-Ode of OdeRemo, Oba Adetunji Amidu Osho; Chief Host and the Special Adviser to the Eleposo in council, Aare Dr Kola Oyefeso and the Balogun of Eposo Alhaji Mukaila Runsewe.

After 500 years, Eposo people return to ancestral home Eposo is one of the 33 towns that make up Remoland. Having been dislodged from their original ancestral location over 500 years ago by tribal wars, the indigenous people of Eposo are now back, with a new king and a course for a modern city. TUNDE OGUNESAN reports what transpired during the recent first Eposo day celebration.

HE Indigenous people of Eposo community in Ode-Remo, Remo North Local Government Area of Ogun State, came out in their large number on Saturday March 26, to celebrate the first Eposo Day. They happily explicited their joy in having a day of their own to relict their experience as surviving sons and daughters of a community which was displaced by inter tribal war about 500 years ago. Clad in various modern day attires including a uniformed dress popularly known aso Ebi to match. All roads led to the Eleposo place ground, Akaka road, Eposo, OdeRemo, Ogun State as the natives, from the state and outside, visitors and traditional rulers from the state gathered to share in the joy of a Zionistic Eposo, a town resettles in its original ancestral location after decades of sojourn in neighbouring towns. The Chairman organising committee of the first Eposo Day, Otunba Idowu Asetoye informed that the original settlers of the town were displaced from their original homestead “Orile Eposo” during a tribal war by Dahomeans, about 500 years ago. He noted that the effect of the war displaced their forefathers who took refuge in neighbouring towns like Ode-Remo, Sagamu, Iperu, Isara among others. But in 1995, the late Alaye Ode of OdeRemo, Late Oba Sunday Olufunso Adeolu, Sataloye II, resolved that all communities ravaged by tribal wars but had a crowned Oba should be re-instated. At that point, Eposo had the opportunity of being ruled by an Oba again in person of Oba Ademasa Sonoiki, lodo Mer II, as he was installed as the Eleposo of Eposo. Since the new Oba emerged, there has been a special urge to develop the town. The Eposo Day, according to Otunba Asetoye was conceived about three years ago, after the installation of Oba Ademasa Sonoiki, to restore their tradition and as well document their history in a modern

way to their children and even the unborn generations. Asetoye who revealed that he personally came with some natives of Eposo to trace their ancestral home said “We conceived the idea of Eposo day so that we can bequeath a legacy to our children and to also remember the day that our Kabiyesi, His Royal Highness Oba Ademasa Sonoiki, ascended the throne of his forefathers. The salient thing is that he was installed 500 years after the last Eleposo reigned. That was before the town was overridden by a local war when we were at Orile Eposo. The indigenous people of Eposo were then scattered all over to Ode, Isara, Sagamu, Iperu, etc. “During the exercise, we discovered some items used by our forefathers like pots, cooking stuffs, cooking areas with ashes, huts, etc to confirm that they actually lived here.” And on that cloudy Saturday of the first Eposo Day, probably because of the story of the town, the occasion was almost turned to a tales by moonlight by almost all the speakers. Two prominent natives of the town were honoured with chieftaincy titles. Chief Adeolu Osho and his wife, Deaconess Cecilia Olufunmilayo Osho, were bestowed with the chieftaincy titles of Losi Eposo and Yeye Gbobaniyi Eposo at the banquet hall under construction before the commencement of the main event in front of the new palace and the fund raising to complete the

palace project. The chief host, who is also the Special Adviser to the Eleposo in Council, Aare (Dr) Kola Oyefeso expressed his delight in the development of Eposo so far. He however made a clarion call on the task ahead in turning Eposo to a city of their dream. He said “we need to, individually and collectively, make the efforts to build Eposoland and it is that effort of ours that the Lord will crown. Our support to Eposo should be unceasing. We must not say that having supported Eposo at a time we have done our bit. Thus: our love for Eposoland must be seen and treated like a burning fire of love. Without constant fuelling, any fire for that matter is bound to extinguish. The fuelling for this our fire of love for Eposo is in our unceasing support, in terms of constant donation and support to the Eposo cause. Even establishing businesses, resort centre, or residential buildings will be most welcome to make Eposo town the ideal city we all yearn for.” The chairman of the occasion and the Asiwaju of Eposo, Senator Chief Oladipo Odujinrin, MFR, DCOR, admonished all the people of Eposo not to be discouraged in their determination to develop the town. He also called for the establishment of Eposo Development Council to take up the task in connecting all the sons and daughters of the land to key into the vision. In his remark, the Eleposo of Eposo, Oba Ayoola Ademasa Sonoiki maintained that more than ever, he was committed to

During the exercise, we discovered some items used by our forefathers like pots, cooking stuffs, cooking areas with ashes, huts, etc to confirm that they actually lived here.

Otunba Idowu Asetoye

bringing development and prosperity to the community. He then called on the state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun to site attractive government projects like schools, healthcare and maternity centres in Eposoland, promising that “there is available land for any government projects, private interest and individual.” There were also royal messages from many traditional rulers who graced the occasion, in particular, the Nloku Iraye, Ode Remo, Oba Samuel Olatunji Kalejaiye and the Alaye Ode of Ode Remo, Oba (Surv.) Amidu Adetunji Osho, FNIS. The Alaye Ode, Oba Adetunji, in his address, expressed his joy at the turn of development of Eposo. He said “We have reasons to thank God for being alive today to witness the great effort of the Eleposo to develop this town. Today, this town is gradually coming up. When I was being crowned seven years ago, I said the light has come to Ode. I want to state categorically that this is the beginning of that light. Again, I want to state here that cooperation between Eposo and Ode demo is very cordial. There is nothing that Eposo will request that Ode would not assent to. Inasmuch as it is a town that has a king and palace.” As a mark of seal on the occasion, the representative of the government of the state, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and the host local government, the caretaker chairman for Remo Local Government, Honourable Mufutau Awotola promised government’s effort at developing all cities and local governments in the state. He, however, called on well meaning people of the state to join hands with the state government to achieve this lofty aim.

politics&policy

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

We run the risk of losing the gains in Edo if... —Obaseki

Godwin Obaseki, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State and governorship aspirant, speaks with BOLA BADMUS on his aspiration, among other issues. Excerpts:

OU have been part of Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s team since 2008. Can one say that your governorship ambition is for a payback, looking at how far you and Oshiomhole have come? It is not a payback because the question I had always asked after the governor’s re-election is: now that he is in the second and last term, what happens after him? The thought was always there; who will continue with what we started? If you think about Nigeria’s politics before the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as president, you had to have a thick skin to be able to fight. And, in any case, since I didn’t have that political background and history, it wasn’t something I thought about doing initially. But after Buhari succeeded despite all odds, I said “it is possible.” That gave me the perspective of the ability of an outsider to come in and take over power. More importantly, I looked around and said “we’ve been here together in the last seven years; I cannot absolve myself of any key policy that was made. The future is going to be more challenging than the past, and we run a huge risk of losing what we have accomplished.” And what are those things that we have accomplished? First, we restored governance by ensuring a sense of accountability and professionalism in the civil service, which helped us to earn the trust of people. I realised that we have done the easy part because we had a plan and money to build infrastructure and now have created that expectation from the people that if government can, then it should continue to do it. Now we are going into an era where oil prices have dropped drastically and those expectation are real and can still be accomplished, but with a different mindset and management style. So, looking around, I felt that it can’t just be politics only, it has to be politics mixed with some capacity to

manage resources in difficult times and I think that I am more than qualified. If there is anybody in the race today, who has the experience in terms of managing resources and government, I am that person. I agree that I don’t have 30 years of political experience behind me, but I have more than seven years’ experience of monitoring political activities in Edo State. For instance, how do you explain how we built the Airport Road? How do you explain that there is a drainage system on it that cost the state government so much and there is another ecological study that we have done that we have to link all the roads in the Government Reservation Area (GRA) into that drainage system before we built the roads in the GRA. So, it is not a payback but more like continuing with what have started. Given the array of aspirants, do you stand a chance of picking the APC’s ticket? A lot of political actors have failed to realise that the political environment has changed drastically; that the current economic reality is going to affect our politics more than we understand at the surface. The thinking of most of them is “let’s just grab power, once we are in government house, everything will fall in place.” But I say that it is beyond that. Being in government house does not make things happen. You have to possess the capability. With technology and improvement in our electoral process, people will now determine who governs them; people will now matter in the political process. Having political structure alone will not in itself deliver political power. There is the belief that those with whom you worked together for the emergence of Oshiomhole are not with you, so how do expect to be elected as governor? First, Oshiomhole delivered himself. If he had not restored governance and built the infrastructure that

Obaseki he did, if he had not get the confidence of the people, nobody would have been able to perform any magic. People voted, and that’s the point I am making. Gone are the days when politicians think that the people don’t matter; when a few political elite will gather and say this is how we want it; when you can just carry the ballot boxes and fill in result sheets. Today, whoever is going to deliver you politically is going to make sure that the votes count. A lot of political actors just believe that there is a structure and system, so they don’t need to work. I have gone round the 18 local government areas in the state. As I speak, I am going from ward to ward. I have done 30 wards in the last two weeks and I am going to go round all the 192 wards. Somebody said something in one of the wards. He said: “They said this man was imposed on the party but he is the only one that we are seeing. We don’t see those who were not imposed.”

My mission is to change the Ondo narrative —Gov aspirant Prince Eniola Ojajuni, an entrepreneur, who is eyeing the governorship seat of Ondo State in the coming poll, on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), speaks on the potentials of the State, in this interview with BOLA BADMUS. Excerpts:

and billboards trying to sell their motives and potentials to people of the state. Don’t forget that the present situation in the state is nothing to write home about; things are not functioning as they should. In the last seven years in the state, unemployment has been on the increase on a daily basis, and there is no new infrastructures in place. There is no youth development, and no infrastructural or institutional development in the state. Even at the national level, the economy has not performed as it should, especially in the last 11 months. Is this the change we have been talking about?

Some people are saying that the next governor of the state should come from certain senatorial districts. Actually, as a democrat who believes in good leadership, I don’t buy the ideology for a candidate to come from a certain senatorial district. But if you look at it from another angle, it is only those of us that come from the South Senatorial District that have not produced a governor in the 40 years of this state’s existence. I believe that it does not really matter the area the person who governs the state is from as long as that person performs and delivers on his promise. Zoning is not constitutional in Nigeria, so we should stop this idea of zoning or tribalism.

Ojajuni THE Ondo State people will be going to the poll later in the year to elect a successor to the incumbent, Dr Olusegun Mimiko. How would you assess the general situation in the state ahead of the poll? The situation in the state is very interesting. It could be assessed from different angles in terms of success and development. As you can see, various aspirants from various political parties are out with their posters

The state celebrated its 40 years of existence a few weeks ago. Can you say that the state has justified its creation so far? Absolutely not. Ondo has been celebrating failure and mediocrity. In all the 18 local governments in the state, only Akure has one day of power supply and then three days of darkness. When you go to Ese-Odo, Ilaje, Odigbo, Okitipupa and other local government areas, they have not enjoyed sufficient power supply for the past seven years. All we see and hear of the present government is propaganda and half truths. No government in Ondo, whether past or present, has really performed, so there is no justification in celebrating our 40 years of existence.

The issue of model school is zero. Abandoned projects dot our landscape. The government is still struggling with the non-payment of teachers’ salaries for the past four to six months. Just a few weeks ago, Ogun State celebrated 40 years of its existence with 40 comprehensive projects. Its sons and daughters, as well as past leaders, including governors were in attendance. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was also in attendance. And don’t forget that Ogun is not an oil-producing state. The revenue of Ondo State is far better than that of Ogun, but it (Ogun) is growing faster which makes investors to invest in the state; so, we have nothing to celebrate. What do you think the Ondo people are desperately in need of and how do you go about accomplishing them? Ondo people are desperate for an alternative; we cannot afford another four years of waste, pain and misery from the PDP or any other apostle of ‘change’ that does not exist anywhere. We cannot allow ourselves to be sold out and deceived in the name of change from all these old-fashioned politicians who have nothing to offer. For example, the same set of people who are clamouring for change in the state are the people who were in PDP in recent past. They are moving from one political party to another because of their selfish political interest. If I become the governor of Ondo, most of the dead industries will be revived. I will set up what I call, the Ondo State Infrastructure Agency. Akoko will become an industrial hub for investors. I will build what I call Ore International Mall along the expressway that will create over 40,000 jobs, in Odigbo Local Government. How do you hope to create alternative sources of revenue for the state? It is quite unfortunate that the people who are in the affairs of running the state have no business idea. We have a lot of natural resources that we can develop which will create more revenues and jobs.

politicscommentary

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

Legislative oversight as a critical component of good governance By Yakubu Dogara Continued from yesterday

This is provided for in Sections 50(2)(c) for the National Assembly. There have been several instances of impeachment in our political history. A case in point was the impeachment of Balarabe Musa in the Second Republic and Gov. Murtala Nyako, Former Governor of Adamawa State. Also impeached was Chief Sunday Onyebuchi, the Former Deputy Governor of Enugu State. How justified the impeachments were, is what Nigerians are yet to come to terms with. The Supreme Court has however struck down many impeachments/ removals from office that have not followed the due process of law. Examples include those of Gov. Peter Obi of Anambra State; Senator Ladoja of Oyo State, Gov. Joshua Dariye of Plateau State, Gov. Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, just to mention a few. The Power to Control Spending of Public Funds and monitoring of the Budget: In a bid to ensure that government performs her statutory responsibility of catering for the welfare of the people, the law empowers the legislature to ensure effective allocation and management of public funds. The legislature also exhibits great influence over the borrowing powers of the State. All these are to ensure prudent management of public funds and promotion of good governance. This is demonstrated by Section 81(1) of the 1999 Constitution which says that “the President shall cause to be prepared and laid before each House of the National Assembly at any time in each financial year estimates of the revenues and expenditure of the Federation for the next following financial year. Section 80(1) provides that all revenues or other moneys raised or received by the Federation (not being revenues or other money payable under this Constitution or any Act of the National Assembly into any other public fund of the Federation established for a specific purpose) shall be paid into and form one Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation. Section 80(4) states that no money shall be withdrawn from the Consolidated Revenue Fund or any other public fund of the Federation except in the manner prescribed by the National Assembly.” Oversight over States and Local Governments in the Federation: In a federation such as Nigeria, the States are largely independent and autonomous. There are however, many provisions of the Constitution that seem to place certain activities of the states within the oversight and supervisory jurisdiction of the federal government, especially the National Assembly, starting from Section 4 of the Constitution, in order to ensure good government. Section 4(2) provides that “The National Assembly shall have power to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the Federation or any part thereof with respect to any matter included in the Exclusive Legislative List set out in Part I of the Second Schedule to this Constitution. 4(4) In addition and without prejudice to the powers conferred by subsection (2) of this section, the National Assembly shall have power to make laws with respect to the following matters, that is to say:(a) any matter in the Concurrent Legislative List set out in the first column of Part II of the Second Schedule to this Constitution to the extent prescribed in the second column opposite thereto; and (b) any other matter with respect to which it is empowered to make laws in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution. 4(5) If any Law enacted by the House of Assembly of a State is inconsistent with any law validly made by the National Assembly, the law made by the National Assembly shall prevail, and that other Law shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void.” These provisions support the constitutional law principle of covering the field. This principle was upheld by the Supreme Court in Attorney General of Bendel State vs Attorney General of the Federation(1983) wherein it was held that: “It is settled law that in a federal system of government the National or Federal legislature ought not normally to pass a law which interferes with the machinery (functionaries inclusive) of State Government such as by im-

Dogara

position of a duty on a State authority or functionary. The converse situation hardly ever arises because in most federal government Constitutions it is provided that where the provision of the law of a State Government conflicts with that of the National or Federal Government the former becomes, to the extent of the conflict, invalid.” Per IDIGBE, J.S.C Power of the National Assembly to make laws for states in times of war and inability of House of Assembly to function. The National Assembly is imbued with constitutional power to take over and make laws for any State House of Assembly that is unable to function as a result of situation prevailing in the State. Section 11(3): provides that “During any period when the Federation is at war, the National Assembly may make such laws for the peace, order and good government of the Federation or any part therefore with respect to matters not included in the Exclusive Legislative List as may appear to it to be necessary or expedient for the defence of the Federation”. Section 11(4): provides that “At any time when any House of Assembly of a State is unable to perform its functions by reason of the situation prevailing in that State, the National Assembly may make such laws for the peace, order and good government of that State with respect to matters on which a House of Assembly may make laws as may appear to the National Assembly to be necessary or expedient until such time as the House of Assembly is able to resume its functions; and any such laws enacted by the National Assembly pursuant to this section shall have effect as if they were laws enacted by the House of Assembly of the State: Provided that nothing in this section shall be construed as conferring on the National Assembly power to remove

Like any human institution, there may be a few bad eggs that may not live up to their oath of office and legislative duties, but the leadership is dedicated to ensuring that any proven case of misdemeanour by any member is appropriately dealt with.

the Governor or the Deputy Governor of the State from office. 11(5) For the purposes of subsection (4) of this section, a House of Assembly shall not be deemed to be unable to perform its functions so long as the House of Assembly can hold a meeting and transact business. These constitutional provisions are not merely decorative. They have been invoked and applied recently in two different States of the federation. In Rivers State in 2013, five members of the state House of Assembly effectively took over the responsibilities of a 32 member House and became the majority in the State House of Assembly. They purportedly removed the Speaker and installed a new one with 5 members!! This led to violence on the floor of the House and clear and present danger of breakdown of law and order in the State. The National Assembly invoked Section 11(4) of the Constitution and in a concurrent Resolution of both Chambers of the National Assembly, took over the functions of the State House of Assembly because of its inability to continue to transact legislative business. This resolution effectively saved a situation where only 5 members would have continued to sit and thereby making a mockery of our Constitutional democracy. Only recently, the same scenario was played out in Kogi State. On February 16, 2016, again five members of the House of Assembly, purportedly removed the Speaker in a 20 member House of Assembly, and continued to function as the legitimate legislature of the State!. This also led to inability of the House to continue functioning. This 8th National Assembly, as guardians of our democracy and Constitution, once again rose against impunity and reckless political behaviour by using its oversight powers under Section 11 (4) of the Constitution, to take over the functions of the Kogi State House of Assembly, in a concurrent resolution of both Chambers. The law making powers of the Kogi House of Assembly will be immediately restored as soon as normalcy returns to that House as the National Assembly only intervened to safeguard our democracy and constitutionalism. CHALLENGES OF OVERSIGHT AND GOOD GOVERNANCE In practice however, the oversight activities of the legislature faces enormous challenges and setbacks that should be overcome, if it is to lead to good governance that we are all looking for. Some of the identified challenges include: lack of cooperation by some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA’s) in the executive branch; public misconception on the mandate, role and activities of the legislature; inadequate funding of oversight activities such that in highly technical areas of oversight, there may not be enough resources to engage the kind of technical assistance required to conduct a proper oversight. In addition, like any human institution, there may be a few bad eggs that may not live up to their oath of office and legislative duties, but the leadership is dedicated to ensuring that any proven case of misdemeanour by any member is appropriately dealt with. The 8th House of Representatives committed itself to fighting corruption and abuse of office in its Legislative Agenda and is supporting the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, in its effort to eradicate corruption in Nigeria. Conclusion There is no doubt that good governance is essential for the achievement of social, political and economic progress in society. It is the means through which the State can effectively address the allocation and management of resources to enable it respond to the collective good of society without discrimination. Nigeria as a fledgling democracy with a chequered history of military rule is yet to attain its full potential in the practice of good governance through legislative oversight. It is fair to say that the National Assembly has been a dependable organ of government willing and able to use its Constitutional powers of oversight for the common good. Indeed, each successive Assembly has made efforts in improving on the effectiveness of its legislative oversight function to promote good governance and accountability in Nigeria. Being excerpts from a convocation lecture delivered by Rt. Hon. Yakubu, Speaker, House of Representatives, at the 4th convocation ceremony of Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State, on 9th April, 2016.

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

brands& marketing

Nigerian Tribune

anchor Akin Adewakun

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

Bleak Q1, as OOH chokes under N1.2billion election campaign debt Stories By Akin Adewakun - Lagos

ITH the first quarter of the year successfully ended few days ago, one of the sectors in the nation’s integrated marketing communication space, that appears to be most-hit by the nation’s harsh economic weather has been the Out of Home (OOH) advertising sector, whose fortunes have continued to be on the downward trend since the beginning of the year. For instance, besides sharing a common ugly fate with some other corporate organisations, whose operations had been hindered in the past few months as a result of the delay in passing this year’s budget, the perennial challenges the sector has continued to experience in the past few years have also refused to abate. Besides the ‘regular’ harassments outdoor advertising practitioners have continued to suffer in the hands of individuals and the state, of late, there are strong indications that the industry might cave in under heavy financial burden’ it is presently faced with, if urgent steps are not taken to address the situation. Investigations among some operators in the industry, revealed that more than 70 outdoor advertising companies contracted to handle the Ambode/Buhari campaign billboards in Lagos, last year, are yet to be paid, almost one year after fulfilling their own part of the ‘bargain’. The debt, totaling over N1.2 billion, Brands & Marketing learnt, was incurred by the Lagos State Signage and Advertising Agency (LASAA), while the immediate past Managing Director of the agency, Mr George Noah was at the helm of affairs of the agency. Brands & Marketing further learnt that efforts by the owed practitioners to see that the state’s outdoor ad agency offset the bills had not yielded results, especially with the new man on the driver seat, Mr Mobolaji Sanusi, insisting that the practitioners should sort the debt out with his predecessor in office, since he actually handled the transaction, in isolation of the agency. With the hope of getting their funds getting dimmer by the day, and the prospect of having their offices sealed off by the various financial institutions being owed by some of these practitioners, in the process of prosecuting the job, the practitioners have started employing different means of compelling either LASAA or the former LASAA boss, George Noah, to fulfill their own side of the contract. One of the affected practitioners, who would not want his name in print for fear of being sanctioned, stated that the likelihood of some of them closing shop before the end of the second quarter remains very high, as their inability to get reimbursement for those jobs is already leaving gaping holes in the finances of those companies. According to him, majority of those who participated in the job got less than five per

cent mobilisation fee, with only very few influential ones getting substantial amounts from the contract. ‘Apart from a negligible few that have been partially paid, more than 70 companies that carried out the job remained unattended to. “The new MD, Mr Mobolaji Sanusi has refused to honour the agreement between us and his predecessor, yet his men have started clamping down on our members since October last year, shutting down our billboards for non-payment of their own dues. “He has also sent new bills for the year while the billboards are not working since he shut them down but we have explained that the APC billboard monies have not been paid to us by the former MD, George Noah,’ the practitioner, who would not want his name in print, stated. More worrisome, the practitioner explained, is the fact that despite getting in touch with the former LASAA boss, the only commitment they had been able to get from him was that the party, the All Progressives Party (APC) was yet to pay for those services, and that those practitioners would only be paid when the party pays. ‘All he keeps saying is that he is still talking to his principal but all we are asking for is payment for jobs we did,’ the practitioner stated. On why they had kept quiet about it till now, another member representing one of the affected companies said, “We hesitated from coming out till now because we didn’t want to embarrass the government or the APC but we were advised by

Babatunde Adedoyin, President, Outdoor Advertisers’ Association of Nigeria (OAAN) the current LASAA MD, to go after George Noah and Media Worth, the company he used to issue the media order.” Confirming the development, one of the officials of the Outdoor Advertiser Association of Nigeria (OAAN), the umbrella body for outdoor advertising practitioners, stated that it was evident that members were gradually running out of patience with the situation. “What we had been doing in the past was to calm down our members and assure them that the situation was under control. But from what we are seeing now, everybody seems to be running out of patience. They no longer want to suffer in silence. These things have been there for some time, we have only been managing the situation. We have some that are being owed close to N18 million, while the least is in the region of N4 million. The situation

is precarious and if not well handled, it might sound the death knell of some outdoor advertising companies in the country,’ the official stated. In a chat with Brands & Marketing, a marketing communications practitioner, Mr Ralph Bodunde, would however blame the parties involved in the debt issue for ‘improper handling of the matter’. “I think LASAA should have done better rather than engage in buck-passing; because the campaign was handled by the former LASAA boss, while still in office. Is the agency saying that there was no record of the debt in its system? If no, since government is a continuum, the new man in the saddle should take responsibility. And if it is the other way round, the former LASAA boss should be made to face the music for abuse of office and public trust,” he stated.

Nigerian products not inferior to foreign goods — MAN boss THE President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Dr Frank Jacobs has dismissed claims in some quarters that locally-made products are substandard to foreign goods, noting that such substandard home-made goods are products from unscrupulous Nigerians. Speaking with the media after the 289th National Council Meeting of the association in Lagos recently, Dr Jacobs argued that goods produced in Nigeria, especially by members of the association, were always certified by the regulatory agencies in the country before being allowed to go into the open markets. He announced that the association would soon hold an exhibition, designed to promote home-made goods and educate Nigerians on the need to patronise them with the aim of strengthening the diversification efforts of the federal government The MAN boss however called for a downward review of rates being charged on interests by the nation’s banks; since this, he stated, had constituted a disincentive to the growth of the nation’s real sector and the economy. Dr Jacobs also called on government

at different tiers to harmonise the levies charged manufacturers so as to save them the burden of multiple taxation which had been the lot of members in recent times. While calling on the presidency to expedite action on this year’s budget, the MAN

boss expressed the hope that the economy would eventually pick up when the implementation of the budget eventually commenced; since a huge sum of money had been allocated for infrastructure development.

Africa’s reputation managers push PR practice beyond borders Holds APRA 2016 Summit in Calabar PUBLIC Relations experts from different parts of Africa will converge on the city of Calabar, the Akwa Ibom State capital for this year’s Africa Public Relations Association Summit, as Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw, emerged the face the event. The popular actress was formally unveiled, recently in Lagos, as the brand ambassador of the Africa Public Relations Association Summit, scheduled to hold between May 24 and 27, this year While unveiling the actress to the media, the Secretary General of the Association, Mr Yomi Badejo Okusanya had described the Association as the central and most significant interaction platform for the practice of public relations

in Africa, since it was founded in 1975. He explained that the Association, a non-governmental, non-political, and non-profit organisation, was established to foster unity via interaction and exchange of ideas amongst public relations practitioners in Africa, while promoting social, political and economic integration on the continent, through communication. According to him, some of the key intervention areas of the association include promoting the economic integration of Africa; promoting its infrastructural development and technological advancement, while it will also be at the vanguard of promoting good governance in the continent.

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

infotech

Professor Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman, NCC By Bode Adewumi

HERE has never been any doubt as to do the place of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the hierarchy of the sectors that are the bedrock of the Nigerian economy. Many analysts and industry stakeholders have been drumming the fact that if well developed, the ICT sector will provide the viable alternative to the monolithic economy of Nigeria. Of course, the agricultural sector has been touted over the years as one of the money spinning sectors and which could cut unemployment, provide reliable alternative to oil, but stakeholders who know the impact of the ICT sector have been calling on subsequent governments in the country to pay heed to the need to give the ICT sector the needed support to bring Nigeria out of the oil dependent status. As noted above, the contribution of the ICT to Nigerian economy is probably next to that of Oil and Gas. Coming from the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, it could not be controverted that the sector is the proverbial golden geese of the Nigerian economy. According the to the NCC helmsman, the ICT sector has contributed about N500 billion to the national gross domestic product (GDP) in the last 10 years. The NCC boss, who revealed that other than the oil and gas sector, no sector has been able to parrarel the telecom sector’s contribution to the economy also said that the sector provided over 2.5 million direct and indirect jobs within the same period. He said: “We are in no doubt about what impact the telecom sector can make to the economy of the country. It has created 2.5 million direct and indirect jobs in the last 10 years, no other sector has done that except may be the oil and gas. No sector except the oil and gas has succeeded in contributing N500 billion to the Federation Account in the last 10 years. No sector has

Nigerian Tribune

anchor Bode Adewumi

m:08055001765 e:bodekafi@yahoo.com

Multiple taxation, others as telecoms’ growth impediments contributed 10 per cent to the GDP except for the oil and gas. In 2014 alone, the investment in the sector hit $10 billion. So, the telecoms sector has contributed more than any other sector to the economy.” Unfortunately, the sector, as big and influential as it is, has not been without its share of problems that are militating against its potential growth and development. Apart from challenges like power and having to literarily build their backbone among others, the players in the sector have been battling the hydra-headed hindrances like multiple taxation, Right of Ways (RoWs) among others in their pursuit of expansionist programmes. Ordinarily, this sector is under the purview of the Federal Government who collects the tax and Value Added Tax and also regulates their activities, but the quest for revenue generation coupled with the greed and ignorance of other arms of government like the states and local governments, the sector has been turned into a scapegoat of revenue generation. Over the years, the operators have had to battle various states and local governments in this regard, which sometimes turned awry and bloody. The result usually is for such operators to leave those troubled areas with the attendant setbacks for the people that were intended to serve and the operators losing the possibility of revenue in the process. The situation is not helped by the simple fact that the average Nigerian’s belief that the operators are ripping them of their money since many believed rather ignorantly that they were supposed to be charged less for services they do not know how it came to be. Therefore, many Nigerians believe that the telecoms operators are in possession of humongous money to be exploited. An analyst, Mr Odemuyiwa Samuel, in a chat said it was unfortunate that many Nigerians have forgotten that the operators had invested and are still investing in an almost unfriendly business atmosphere and yet still pay their workers living wages unlike many other sectors that pay pittance. He believes this mindset mirrors the type of hostility that

drives the quest for the other arms of government to want to take their own pound of flesh in terms of levying the operators in their states and local governments. A case of this mutual disdain and the unnecessary hostility in point is when the Nigerian Communications Commission ( NCC) slammed a N1.04 trillion (about $5.2 billion) fine on MTN for failure to disconnect 5.1 million unregistered subscribers’ SIM cards from its network. Odemuyiwa said it was a big surprise to see so many Nigerians supporting this development saying it was very absurd for a country looking for investors to be adamant about this type of issue. He opined that it was shocking the way most people even lawmakers were going about the whole issue as if MTN had committed the most heinous crime in the land. Therefore, it is this mindset that is probably driving the other arms of government in their quest to collect money, levies and taxes from the operators in what has been dubbed multiple taxations. Arising from this are the twin problems of Right of Ways and levy on the installation Base Stations in most states of the federation. A good example came in Ondo State late year when the Ondo State government sealed some of MTN’s installations and offices on the allegation of non-payment of taxes. In spite of MTN Nigeria’s denial of owing Ondo State government about N458 million in taxes and levies, the state decided to shut down its facilities thus leading to poor quality of service (QoS) to telecom, subscribers. MTN’s Corporate Services Executive, Amina Oyagbola, said that since December 23, 2015, the eve of the national public holidays leading to the Eid El Maulud and Christmas celebrations, officials of the Ondo State government had proceeded to seal MTN’s BTS’ and other facilities in the state. The closure followed an Ex-Parte court order taken against MTN regarding a tax claim of N458,585,783.12 allegedly owed the Ondo State Board of Internal Revenue Service (OSBIRS) in Pay As You Earn

(PAYE); Withholding Tax (WHT); Development levy, Business Premises and Education Endowment taxes. Oyagbola said MTN had fulfilled all its statutory obligations with respect to PAYE, withholding tax and development levy, amongst others, contrary to OSBIRS’ claim. “MTN has also provided all the relevant assistance through direct engagement, meetings and production of documentation (including third party contracts) which were availed to the Internal Revenue Board and its consultants. According to reports at a time, the Abia State Infrastructural Development Fund Board demanded N19 million from Airtel as infrastructure development levy. The Abia State Environmental Protection Agency/ Yagazie Nigeria Limited is demanding from each mobile operator N300, 000 per new site as environmental support fee and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), registration the State Town Planning Authority is demanding N650, 000 per site as permit/ processing fees. There was a new dimension to the problem at a time in Imo State, where the Environmental Transformation Commission (Entraco) and the Town Planning Authority demanded N262.4 million, pest/vector control fees and fumigation charges for 20082011 and N720,000 per site as permit fees. In Anambra State, the Ministry of Environment and the state’s signage and Adverting Agency are demanded N500, 000 per site as EIA fees and N4.5million as outdoor advertising for BTS as at 2011. In Edo State, Egor and Oredo local government areas see telecom operators as goldmine. They demanded the payment of N24.75 million as tenement rate for 11 BTS, N16.25 million as operational/inspection fee for five BTS, while the Edo State Town Planning and Ministry of Commerce wanted the payment of N750, 000 and N650, 000 as site permit and business premise fees respectively. It is instructive that these problems have been on since a very long time and it is even confounding that only lip service had been paid to it by subsequent governments at the federal and state levels despite the strident calls by both stakeholders and players alike. For instance, former Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Ernest Ndukwe, once warned that the numerous taxations and other levies imposed on GSM operators by states and local governments were discouraging further investments in the sector by GSM companies. He explained that if operators did not build new base stations, they could not increase their capacity and the uptake of new subscribers would be retarded. Also, the NCC disclosed plans to assist in finding solution to the burden of taxes, multiple regulations affecting telecommunications service providers. NCC’s boss, Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, said that if talks with the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), are anything to go by, multiple regulations, taxes and right of way issues will be over soon. Danbatta said that besides talks with NGF, the telecommunications regulatory body has also engaged other agencies of government in talks with a view to improving relationship with telecommunications operators who are often the victims of these taxes and multiple regulations. Nigerians are waiting for the resolution if it is going to be.

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

property

Nigerian Tribune

anchor Chukwuma Okparaocha

m: 08038984495 e: chukscop2005@gmail.com

LSPWC, lawmakers renew mandate to deliver more ‘usable’ roads

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, OMAIS Investment Limited, Chief Omo Aisagbonhi (right), presenting the keys and documents of a brand new Hyundai car to the star prize winner of Trinity Mall Customer promo, Mr Omotayo Oluwatoba, during Trinity Mall Customers promo raffle draw and presentation of prizes to winners, held at Trinity Mall, Awolowo Way, Ikeja on Saturday in Lagos. PHOTO: SYLVESTER OKORUWA.

WITH their renewed mandate to repair and maintain all roads in state, the management of the Lagos State Public Works Corporation (LSPWC) have been advised to carry the lawmakers in the state along in their projects. According to the Chairman of the Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Works and Infrastructure, Honourable Abiodun Tobun, it is wrong to do projects that affect few individuals instead of the ones that affect thousands or millions of people. In his speech during a familiarisation tour to the office of the corporation in Ojodu Area of the state recently by the committee, Tobun stated that the inputs of the representatives of the people should be captured in whatever the corpo-

‘85% of roads in Nigeria in deplorable state’ Stories by Chukwuma Okparaocha - Lagos

HE Federal Government has been called upon on several occasions to wake up to its responsibility of providing good roads for Nigerian citizens. Many of the accidents and deaths that have been recorded on Nigerian roads have been attributed to the state of the roads in the country, to the extent that it was once revealed that about 85 per cent of roads in the country are in a bad state. It has also been suggested that, apart from the loss of lives and maiming of people, bad roads also adversely affect the revenue drive of the nation, because they have a way of discouraging easy movement of goods. Also, according to experts, because bad roads obstruct free trade between member states in the country, they hinder the development of rural places. A report attributed to a Federal Government agency in the Goodluck Jonathan administration, the Rural Road Access and Mobility Project (RAMP), indicated that 85 per cent of roads in Nigeria were in bad condition. When elucidating on this issue, which has been described in some quarters as national embarrassment, the National Coordinator of RAMP, Mr Ubandoma Ularamu, had reportedly declared that only 15 per cent of more than 16,000 kilometres of secondary and tertiary roads in the country were motorable. For instance, the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, widely regarded as one of the busiest roads in the country, still has many sections

that are death traps and which greatly makes mockery of whatever ongoing repair or rehabilitation exercise being carried out on it. Also, ex-Senate Leader, Mr Victor Ndoma-Egba, was reported to have at a time, expressed worry over the deplorable state of the Calabar/Ikom/Ogoja Road and other federal highways in Cross River State. According to the lawmaker, the road rehabilitation, which had been taken over by the World Bank, had become a source of concern and embarrassment to him. Also belonging to the list of roads that urgently need the attention of the Federal Government is the Benin-Ore Road, which arguably is also one of the busiest in the country, because it connects the western part of the nation to the east.

Due to the state of the road, robbers are generally believed to find it convenient to operate along the road, especially at night, a situation that has made the road one of the most dangerous in the country. Yet calls by many Nigerians to the government to rehabilitate this road seem to have fallen on deaf ears, as many portions of the road are in a terrible shape, which often leads to endless gridlocks and loss of valuable man-hours. When lending his voice to countless others on the need for the government to stop endangering the lives of all Nigerians, by rehabilitating the existing major roads in the country, as well as the construction of new ones, Tribune Property recalls a chat it once had with the ex-National Chairman of the Environmental Division of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Mr Abduwahab Ogun-

biyi, where he disclosed that government should do more in the provision of basic infrastructure to all Nigerians, chief among which is the provision of good roads across the federation. He had insisted that one of the reasons the current roads were in deplorable condition was because of the high number of heavy vehicles that plied them regularly, a development which he claimed should prod the government to construct more roads. “The current number of roads we have in the country are not enough to deal with the population of trucks and other vehicles that ply them on daily basis, therefore, in addition to rehabilitating the already existing roads we have in the country, the government should work towards building more so as not to overstretch the existing ones,” said Mr Ogunbiyi.

Importation of artisans, tragedy to construction sector —Ex-NIESV boss AN ex-president of the Nigeria Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Mr Bode Adediji, has declared that it is a shame and tragedy to the construction sector when artisans are ‘imported’ from other countries. In a recent chat with the media, Mr Adediji opined that with a population of over 150 million, Nigeria ought to have been at the front line of countries with the highest number of exported experts in the building and construction industry. But he lamented that unfortunately, Nigerians remained the gross importer of manpower, including those required to plaster houses. The erstwhile NIESV boss un-

derpinned the reasons for this trend to a number of issues including lack of manpower empowerment on the part of the government. He pointed out that many government regimes had merely paid lip service to the formulation of well-drafted policies that would aid the growth of the housing sector and the construction industry as a whole. “Many regimes have not paid sufficient attention to the crucial role of housing delivery in Nigeria in all its ramifications. One is shelter, which has to do with providing housing for people; two is empowerment, which is meant to ensure that people have the psychology benefits to say ‘this is my

house;’ third is planning, which is also very important. Fourth is to have technological transfer. If you look at it today, why would a country of 150 million people still depend on Ghana and Togo to lay tiles; for carpenters; plumbers, and electricians? It is a tragedy which most governments in the past did not realise,” he declared. He insisted that the solution to this trend was for professional bodies like NIESV to partner with federal, state and local governments to address every issue impeding access to land and affordable housing, as well as equipping as many Nigerians as possible to be master artisans in all fields.

ration does, adding that with this, the lawmakers would be part of the projects, look at the ones that would affect the people most and that the projects would be more pronounced. “Our mission here is not too cumbersome, we want to familiarise ourselves with you and know more about what you do. LSPWC is central to the development of Lagos State on infrastructure renewal and roads maintenance. “Lagos State is the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria and continuous maintenance of our roads would show how responsible our government is. Our roads should be maintained and I believe that this is the core duty of the corporation,” he said. Tobun then asked the Special Adviser/CEO of the corporation, Mr Ayotunde Sodehinde to let the committee know the staff strength of the corporation, their sub-staff and the ‘gangs’ they use for their operations.

Valuers condemn idleness of land in national economic growth agenda THE Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers has condemned a situation where landed properties are left idle for years without them being developed and used for fruitful purposes that can aid economic growth. According to the institution, which singled out the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, as a reference point, the development is against the vision of the government to make making the city one of the best in the world. The group therefore called on the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Muhammad Bello, to revoke all landed properties allocated over a long period of time but are yet to be developed within the city centre. This was the view of the national president of the institution, Mr James Omeru, who made this known, during an event organised to make the FCT minister patron of the NIESV in accordance with its constitution. “We observed that some of the plots in the Central Area Phase II are not developed. It is our suggestion that a deliberate attempt should be made to revoke those areas that are yet to be developed and to be allocated to allotees who are ready to develop immediately,” Omeru said. Omeru further appealed to the FCT minister to make land available to the institution to enable it build affordable mass housing for Nigerians.

news Aregbesola slashes Osun’s budget by N13bn, seeks Assembly’s approval 34

Oluwole Ige - Osogbo

OVERNOR Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, on Monday, sought the approval of the state House of Assembly for downward review of the 2016 budget estimate from N150.7 billion to N137.9 billion. In a letter read by the Speaker, Honourable Najeem Salaam, at the plenary, on Monday, the governor said the review was necessary to give the government the capacity to implement the budget. A statement by the Chairman, House Committee on Information and Strategy, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, said the governor was seeking the approval of the house for the review of the budget due to the poor eco-

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

nomic reality. According to the statement, the letter read: “The current economic downturn in the country, occasioned by the dwindling revenue accruable to the federation account, necessitates the need to reduce the cost of governance.

“Therefore, it has become pertinent and inevitable to restructure the 2016 draft budget in line with the reality on ground. “In line with the extant rules and regulations, the House, through your office, is being informed about this new develop-

ment,” the letter read. The governor sought the review of the revenue and the expenditure from N150,728,245,450 to N137,977,966,630. Also, the personnel cost is to be reviewed from N33,344,515,710 to N32,793,966,970; the

overhead cost reviewed from N12,276,675,930 to N9,202,330,410; Consolidated Revenue Fund Charge remained N37,123,204,940, while the capital expenditure is reviewed from N67,983,848,960 to N58,858,464,310.

Ekiti SSG’s resignation causes confusion

Police quiz AAUA students over protest Hakeem Gbadamosi - Akure

AT least 20 students of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), in Ondo State, have been arrested and quizzed by men of the state police command over their involvement in the last Saturday’s protest in the school. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Femi Joseph, who disclosed this on Monday, said some of the students who are not involved in the uproar would be released after investigation by his men. He said his men discovered that some miscreants hijacked the protest from the students and caused mayhem in the town. Speaking with journalists in Akure, the state capital, the SUG President, Comrade Oduyemi Adegbola, accused the miscreants as the brain behind the destruction of property in the town, saying the miscreants misinformed the students about the death of another student to fuel the crisis.

DPO beats female traffic warden in Ogun

Sam Nwaoko - Ado Ekiti

THE rumour doing the rounds that the Secretary to the Ekiti State Government, Dr Modupe Alade, has resigned her appointment from Governor Ayodele Fayose’s government, on Monday, caused confusion in the state. However, the state government has denied the unsubstantiated news. The government statement by the Special Assistant to Governor Ayodele Fayose on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, claimed that “the rumour is part of the antics of the All Progressives Congress (APC) desperadoes to cause confusion in the state.” It added: “Dr Modupe Alade did not resign her appointment and she is not considering taking such step in the future.” However, the rumour got a foothold on the recent resignation of the Commissioner for Works, Chief Toyin Ojo, whom the state government said resigned due to ill health. The news had also received fodder because Mrs Alade ran into a bad patch with the state government in November last year and was suspended indefinitely by the governor. Dispelling the rumour of her alleged resignation, Alade, in a statement in Ado Ekiti, said she is presently on a two-week casual leave, commencing from Monday, April 11.

Nigerian Tribune

From left, Professor Akin Onigbinde, Mr Jimmy Agbaje, former governor of Ogun State, Chief Gbenga Daniel, another guest and Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, at the 60th birthday celebration of Chief Daniel, in Abeokuta, Ogun State, recently.

Ibadan security man wins N6.8m jackpot By Yejide Gbenga-Ogundare

A 33-year-old security man based in Ibadan, Oyo State, Soroye Adeolu, has won the sum of N6.8 million on the platform of Winners Golden Bet after two unsuccessful trials. Soroye’s third trial at the Golden Bet Coupons brought fortune to him after he placed a N100 bet on 38 games, which was played over 1.5. The games he predicted correctly included Valencia 0-2 Celta Vigo, Southampton 3-2 Liverpool, Sunderland 1-1 Newcastle among others. “Since Winners Golden Bet came to Ibadan, I have been trying my luck and my eyes have always been fixed on winning a million naira. The highest I ever won was N28,000. On two occasions I thought I would make it but my games were voided by a lost match when it was two matches left in one of my betting. “That day, my blood pressure rose up because I am hypertensive. But I thank God that I have won it big this time around.” The new millionaire, who has resigned from his se-

curity job after winning the N6.8 million jackpot, said he had great plans on how to spend his new fortune. He said he would first put the money in a fixed

deposit for it to yield some interests. Adeolu, however, said he entertained no fear on his way to Lagos headquarters of Winners Golden Bet, as

he knew that the company is reliable. “I had the confidence that I would be paid and I was paid to the last kobo,” he said.

Osun now on the path of economic recovery —Group OSUN Concerns Group has said that Osun State is on the fast path to economic recovery. The Chief Coordinator of the group, made up of professionals in the state, Mr Ayo Akinola, stated this. He opined that the various steps taken by the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola to ameliorate the dwindling financial fortunes of the state would soon begin to yield dividends. Speaking with newsmen after the end of the group’s extra-ordinary quarterly meeting held in Osogbo at the weekend, Mr Akinola took a review of innovative reforms of the administration of Governor Aregbesola especially in the recent restructuring of local government administration. He noted that the governor’s bold step at creating

additional LCDAs, the use of career senior civil servants as council heads as well as the parliamentary models could only come from a deeply thinking mind, the stuff the governor is made of. According to him, “when we say ‘change’, it must not always be at the federal level alone, a lot of things or ways of doing things must change, and we are happy that this governor is championing change at the state level. “I can tell you that more changes are coming from him. We cannot continue to do the same thing the same way and expect things to change for the better. “If you take corruption for example, what are the systems in place that reinforce it? I can tell you that the popular presidential

system is not only too expensive but also encourages corruption. This is a system that gives almost absolute powers to the so called executive chairman, who has the legislative arm at his beck and calls. If our constitution could be reviewed at the national level to reflect the semblance of the change Governor Aregbesola is championing, the better for us as a nation.” “Today, Aregbesola no longer looks in the way of Abuja. He works day and night for inward self sustenance. He is encouraging agriculture, local industry and strategising for fat Internally Generated Revenue. Osun Internal Revenue Service is now headed by an experienced professional and the results will start to manifest in matter of months.”

OlayinkaOlukoya-Abeokuta

A Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ikenne Division of Ogun State, Mr Patrick Onwu, on Monday morning, beat up a female traffic officer for stopping his private vehicle. The traffic warden, Inspector Anifat Bello, who was discharging her official duty at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) junction, along IBB Boulevard, had been severally honoured for her sense of dedication to duty. The victim was reported to have been beaten black and blue by the angered senior officer who was travelling into Abeokuta from Sagamu end of the Siun-Kopabe-Sagamu Expressway. The DPO was said to be on mufti while he allegedly disobeyed the traffic rule. He was said to have driven into a nearby filling station, parked and changed into a police uniform. He thereafter went to the traffic warden. When contacted on the development, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the commissioner of police was unhappy about the incident and had directed that the matter be thoroughly investigated.

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016 35 news Peak Milk adopts SSANU, NASU file application to stop appointment of new OAU VC 18 public schools By Tunde Ogunesan

HE Senior Staff Association of Nigerian University, (SSANU) and NonAcademic Staff Union of University and Allied institutions, (NASU), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, have filed an application for an interlocutory injunction to restrain the institution, university council and the current vice-chancellor of the institution, Professor Bamitale Omole from appointing a new vicechancellor for the institution. The application dated April 7, 2016, on suit no:

FHC/OS/CS/16/2016, was filed before the Federal High Court, Osogbo, by the union’s solicitor, S.T.A Raji. The claimants are: the chairman of SSANU, Ademola Oketunde, its secretary, Taiwo Arobadi, chairman of NASU, Wole Odewumi and its secretary, Olajide Ajagbe, while the respondents are; OAU, OAU council and the vicechancellor of OAU. In the application supported by a 33- paragraph affidavit deposed by Mr Ademola Oketunde, the claimant is seeking an order of interlocutory injunction retraining the respondents either by themselves,

their servants, agents and privies from conducting the interview or holding interactive session with the candidates short-listed by the OAU council at its meeting of March 8 and 10, 2016, pending the hearing and final determination of the suit. The affidavit further reads: that there have been numerous allegations of corruption, vindictiveness, non-transparency, retrogressive, unfair and unjust administrative policies and actions against the current outgoing vice chancellor and his team by various segments of the university community. That as stakeholders, who hold their

continued existence and survival as individual and a body, I together with other applications have a responsibility of ensuring that our interest are not adversely affected through the manipulation of the selection process that would deny the university of a competent, credible and corruption -free leadership. “That the tenure of the office of the incumbent vice chancellor would expire on June 23, hence, the university council has set in motion for the process of appointing a successor. That the search team which is comprised of five members, two of whom are members of the congre-

gation constituted by the membership of the claimants carried out the assignments and search for 39 candidates. “That the consideration of the report of the search team, the scoring and ranking of its candidates is the statutory responsibility of the Joint Council and Senate Board. That the OAU council has deliberately failed or neglected to constitute the membership of the Joint Council and Senate Selection Board even when they are aware or ought to be aware that they have a role to perform in the process of appointing a vice chancellor for the university. The date for hearing of the application has not been fixed by the Federal High Court, Osogbo.

N35bn fraud: Tompolo asks court to stop trial AyomideOwonibiOdekanyin - Lagos

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Manager of FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria, Mr Gbenga George, making a donation of classroom boards and cartons of Peak Milk to the Principal, Federal Government College, Odogbolu, Ogun State, Mrs Bassey Duke, during FrieslandCampina WAMCO School Adoption Programme, recently.

I’m still a member of PDP —Nwodo Leon Usigbe and Jacob Segun Olatunji - Abuja

FORMER national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, on Monday, denied that he has dumped the former ruling party in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Nwodo said although, a number of issues within PDP remained embarrassing to the founding fathers, “the truth is that I am still a member of PDP and has not joined the APC.” The Nigerian Tribune learnt at the weekend that Nwodo; former Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr Emeka Worgu and the former speaker, House of Representatives, Agunwa Anakwe, among other notable people in the South -East, had defected to APC. But in a statement personally signed by the former PDP boss and made available to newsmen in Abuja, he said even though, the politics of PDP was not exciting, he was yet to dump the party. Titled “Am not in APC, although, PDP is not exciting,” the statement said his atten-

tion had been drawn to media insinuations that he has dumped PDP and joined APC. It said he wished “to state categorically that while developments in PDP is embarrassing and unexciting, he is yet to dump the party.” Nwodo, a pioneer national

secretary of PDP and former Governor of old Enugu State, said that “its improper for the media to stand merely on my wife being present at a meeting that I was not, to conclude that I have joined the APC, disregarding the fact that my wife

as an adult, has her own political life.” The former governor then urged his supporters across the country, particularly, in Enugu State, to disregard the purported story as his political direction would not be hidden if the need arises.

Court adjourns case against ASUP members, Osun govt till May 12 By Tunde Ogunesan JUSTICE F. I. Kola-Olalere of the National Industrial Court, Ibadan, on Monday, adjourned a case involving Academic Staff Union members and Osun State government till May 12 Four academic unions as claimants are Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) Iree chapter; Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) Esa-Oke chapter, Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Ilesha chapter and College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Ila-Orangun, had approached the court to seek an order against Osun State government and 13 others in a sevenpoint demand.

Other defendants in suit NICN/IB/08/2016 include; Secretary to the Osun State Government (SSG), Head of Osun State Civil Service, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Osun State, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Osun State, Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke, Osun State College of Education, Ilesha, Osun State College, of Education, Ila-Orangun, Chief (Mrs) Maduka (OSP) Iree, Professor Layi Fagbenle (OSCT, Esa-Oke), Dr Niyi Adedeji (College of Education, Ilesa), Mr Oyaniyi Akande (OSCE, IlaOrangun) and the Attorney General of Osun State. The unions are seeking an order of the court “ask-

ing the first, sixth-ninth defendants to revert to the laws establishing the institutions by constituting valid governing councils and nullifying interim or acting chairmanship/officers of the council; declaration that all decisions taken by seventh to 10th defendants as they affect sixth to ninth defendants are illegal, null and void and order setting all such aside; order, asking the first to ninth and 14th defendants to conform and comply with the pension refund Act 2014 by remitting all outstanding deductions and paying the counterpart to appropriate pension managers with immediate effect.” In her ruling, Justice KolaOlalere, adjourned the case till May 12 for further mention.

EX-NIGER Delta militant, Chief Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo), has filed a fresh action before a Federal High Court, in Lagos, asking for an interpretation and nullification of certain sections of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, which he stated affected his constitutional rights. Tompolo is facing a N35 billion alleged fraud charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). It will be recalled that on January 14, 2016, Justice Ibrahim Buba, had issued a warrant for the arrest of Tompolo. Tompolo filed an application before the court, to set aside the said warrant of arrest, which was summarily argued and dismissed by the court. The ex-militant thereafter, filed an appeal against the ruling of the court. In the new case, filed against the Federal Government; the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation; EFCC; Inspector-General of Police; the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff and the Chief of Air Staff, Tompolo is contending that sections 221 and 306 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, are invalid and unconstitutional, in so far as they seek to prevent the court from exercising its jurisdiction to entertain any objection to a criminal charge and an application for a stay of proceedings pending appeal. He is, therefore, asking the court to stop his trial until the determination of these issues. No date has been fixed for the new case, filed through the law firm of Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa.

Supports with learning materials

foremost NIGERIA’S dairy company and makers of Peak, Three Crowns and Friso brands of milk, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria PLC, has deployed its mission of nourishing Nigerians with quality dairy nutrition to 18 public schools under its school adoption programme. This is in response to a need to promote quality education and support the nutritional well-being of the students. Through its flagship brand, Peak Milk, the company’s school adoption programme cares for 18 public schools across all geo-political zones, with an estimated reach of 26,000 school children. Speaking at the 43rd annual inter-house Sports programme of the Federal Government College, Odogbolu, Ogun State, the Corporate Affairs Director for FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria, Ore Famurewa, represented by Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) manager, Gbenga George said, “Improving the quality of education across the country requires an allaround approach that focuses not only on classrooms, books and equipment, but also ensures that the students are healthy and mentally alert and remain that way well into adulthood.”

LP boss urges Buhari to convene socio-economic summit

THE national chairman of Labour Party (LP), Alhaji AbdulKadir Abdusalam, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to convene a socio-economic summit for Nigerians to proffer lasting solutions to the current political and economic problems facing the nation. This was contained in a release he personally signed and made available to the Nigerian Tribune, in Ibadan, on Saturday. Abdulsalam urged the president to organise the summit to allow the participation of all and sundry to engender a sustainable democracy. He also advised the government to implement programmes and policies that would not make Nigerians feel oppressed, isolated, manipulated, disoriented and dejected, adding that President Buhari should adhere strictly to the ethics of good governance and participatory democracy in line with the sacred laws of the land. Abdulsalam, however, cautioned the Federal Government against any acts that could silence the opposition, saying such would put the country under siege.

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016 36 news remands Fulani herdsmen: Nigeria moving towards precipice —Mimiko Court herdsman in Hakeem Gbadamosi- Akure

NDO State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, on Monday, raised the alarm that the country is heading towards a precipice, if the activities of the Fulani herdsmen were not curtailed by the Federal Government, saying they have become a monster threatening the security of the country. Mimiko, who stated this in Akure, the Ondo State capital, after a peace meeting with members of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), said the menace demanded national emergency. This is just as he called on President Muhammadu Buhari and

other stakeholders to put heads together to save the nation from imminent catastrophe. “There is no question about the fact that this is becoming a monster of sort. I have had cause to express my views on this on many occasions and I think we all ignore this menace as a nation. I can see us moving towards a precipice and we must do something about it as early as possible. It is getting dangerous, the audacity is very disturbing,” the governor said. He condemned the re-

cent attack on the farm of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief Olu Falae and the killing of one of the guards, Ayodele Ige, by the Fulani herdsmen, describing the development as unfortunate and barbaric. He appealed to the OPC members not to take laws into their hands, just as he commended all the security operatives in the state for rising to the situation, saying the police have been supportive, particularly regarding their efforts in tracing the people behind the killing of the guard,

with an assurance that they would be brought to book. Mimiko said if urgent steps were not taken on the issue, it would get to a stage when people would resort to self-help. He noted further that the audacious incursions of Fulani herdsmen into other peoples’ territory should not continue for too long in the country. “I say it again, we are moving towards the precipices and the earlier we pull back, and it requires all the stakeholders from the President and this is a bi-partisan issue, all major

stakeholders must come together on how to resolve this issue. “These herdsmen must be called to order, these wanton destructions, audacious incursions in other peoples’ territory cannot continue for too long,” Mimiko said. The governor also noted that the activities of the Fulani herdsmen would not only pose a threat to national security, but also a great challenge to food security, especially when people are calling for the diversification of the economy while agriculture remains the main focus.

Group threatens to drag IPOB to ICC over killings C ollins NnabuifeAbuja THE Conference of Minority Tribes of Nigeria has said it will drag the leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to the International Criminal Court (ICC), at the Hague, following the alleged killings of some northerners in Abia. The group which condemned the killings of the northerners, described it as a crime against humanity. Addressing a press conference on Monday, in Abuja, Secretary-General of the group, Samson Babalola said these killings marked low in what had been cordial relations between ethnic nationalities in Nigeria that have always accepted each other as family. He said other ethnic groups strongly condemned government forces when it clampeddown on IPOB’ protests, adding that they had even planned sympathy marches in support of IPOB and its detained leaders. “However, by killing these innocent people, whose only offence is possibly that they were of a different ethnic stock from IPOB, these separatists have proven that they do not deserve and must never get the backing of other tribes and ethnic nationalities in the country,” he said. He warned that if not urgently tackled, the new dimension might lead to the Rwanda Genocide of 1990, when members of one ethnic group tried to wipe out the other.

Ondo State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko (second left) and the Chief of Staff to the governor, Dr Kola Ademujimi (left), with the wife of Ayodele Ige, who was killed by Fulani herdsmen, Mrs Ige (right) and her children, during the governor’s visit to the family, in Akure, on Monday.

Edo govt warns Fulani herdsmen, farmers Banji Aluko-Benin City EDO State government has warned Fulani herdsmen and local farmers in the state to maintain peace or face the wrath of the law, saying the government will neither ban grazing nor ban farming. The governor said if not properly managed, the lingering crisis between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in the state “can escalate beyond what we can manage quietly.” Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting to find lasting solution to the lingering crisis, the governor said after listening to stakeholders in the crisis including royal fathers, farmers and Fulani herdsmen, it was agreed that rape, robbery, destruction of farms or rustling of cattle were acceptable. The governor said, “in every conflict, you will find someone you can describe as the oppressor. Somebody might be blamed, but every conflict can be resolved if all the parties approach the solution with honest intentions

and whatever agreement reached, we faithfully try to implement. “It is clear to me that Nigeria can only explore ways and means of living together; not ways of how not to live together and create small islands. It’s

not going to happen. Even if we isolate the Fulani herdsmen challenge, we still have other pockets of boundary issues in various communities, even within the Benin Kingdom, within the Esanland, within Afemai, others versus others.

“So, it seems to me therefore that we cannot expect a world without conflicts, but we can develop the skills to manage and to resolve conflicts when they arise. And that is the purpose of this meeting,” the Govenor said.

FG, EU partner to de-radicalise Boko Haram members THE Federal Government and the European Union (EU) are partnering to deradicalise Boko Haram members as one of the ways to eliminate insurgency in the country. The delegation of EU to Nigeria, in a statement issued in Abuja, on Monday, said the programme was in partnership with the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA). “De-radicalisation is seen as a crucial element within the comprehensive Countering Violent Extremism programme launched by the government of Nigeria in March 2014. “Nigeria and its prisons service face an unprecedented new challenge

with a category of prison inmates, mainly members of the Boko Haram sect, charged and convicted under the Nigerian Terrorism Law. “With the support from EU experts, the Guide to the De-radicalisation programme is a milestone and key document in countering violent extremism. “It provides a clear and well informed policy as well as a practical direction in order to realise goals of the programme in Nigeria. “It is a fundamental basis for the establishment, implementation and monitoring of De-radicalisation programmes in Nigeria within and outside the prison environment,” it

said. The organisation said the Guide had the capacity to serve as example for other countries worldwide in defeating terrorist groups, preventing proliferation and addressing the root causes that enabled their evolution. It added that the document was a highly authoritative and valued response to the current security threats in Nigeria, adding that “it is a pioneering initiative in Nigeria to respond to urgent challenges. “The Guide and the Deradicalisation programme are in line with the UN Global Counter-terrorism Strategy,” it stated.

prison for alleged murder of 2 policemen A Makurdi Magistrates’ Court, on Monday, remanded a 25-year-old herdsman, Jooji Bature in prison custody for allegedly killing two policemen. The Magistrate, Mrs Masewange Odinya, did not take plea of the accused, and so adjourned the case till May 4, for further mention. Bature of Awe town in Nasarawa State, was arraigned for criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide contrary to Sections 97 and 222 of the Penal Code of Benue state, 2004. The Prosecutor, Sgt. Michael Iorundu, told the court that the case was transferred from the Divisional Police Headquarters, Buruku to the State CID, Makurdi through a letter on March 14. Iorundu said a team of policemen led by DSP Vincent Orokpo, were on patrol at Tomahaa Village, Mbaya-Tombo in Buruku, when they encountered a group of armed herdsmen.

Support Army to stamp out terrorism, group urges Nigerians ADEMOLA ADEGBITEABUJA

NIGERIANS have been urged to disregard the antics of those providing cover for extremists, but should instead support the Nigerian Army in its efforts to stamp out terrorism that has increasingly become the greatest threat to the nation. The National President of the Africa Arise for Change Network, Nkechi Odoma, who made this call in Abuja, said endorsing sectarian extremism and the radicalisation of youths, might put the nation in another chaos, hence, the reason it must be condemned by all and sundry. He, therefore, warned the coordinator of the Every Nigerian Do Something project, Dr Peregrino Brimah to desist from criminalising the Nigerian Army, its officers and men as they battle terrorism to secure the nation.

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

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Yemen truce first step in return to peace

Kerry expresses mixed feelings at Hiroshima memorial

—UN envoy THE United Nations special envoy has called the ceasefire in Yemen “a first step in Yemen’s return to peace”, as the truce in place since Sunday midnight seems to be mostly holding. Forces loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, the Shia Houthi rebels who drove his government out of the capital, and the Arab-led coalition that intervened in Yemen last year all pledged to honour the truce after it took effect. “This is critical, urgent and much needed. Yemen cannot afford the loss of more lives,” Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the UN’s special envoy for Yemen, said in a statement on Monday. Previous efforts to stop the fighting in Yemen - which has left more than 6,000 dead and forced more than two million people from their homes - have collapsed amid mutual recriminations. Sporadic clashes and exchange of gunfire, however, were reported in other parts of the country, including the besieged city of Taiz where one person was killed and five wounded in shelling. Residents of Taiz, which has been under the control of rebels for over a year, blamed the Houthis for the overnight random shelling. Ahmed urged all parties to work to ensure that the cessation of hostilities is “fully respected”. He added that preparations were under way for Kuwait peace talks scheduled to be held on April 18, which are to focus on key issues such as withdrawal of militias and armed groups, handover of heavy weapons and resumption of an allinclusive political dialogue. The coalition intervened last year in March to push out Houthis, who are backed by the Iran and former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The conflict in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula nation has ruined large parts of the country and raised Middle East tensions.

President Barack Obama

Not preparing for life after Gaddafi, Libya’s worst mistake —Obama

NITED States President Barack Obama has said failing to prepare for the aftermath of the ousting of Libyan leader, Col Muammar Gaddafi was the worst mistake of his presidency. Mr Obama was answering a series of questions on the highs and lows of his time in office on Fox News. He said, however, that intervening in Libya had been “the right thing to do”. The US and other countries carried out strikes designed to protect civilians during the 2011 uprising. But after the former Libyan leader was killed, Libya plunged into chaos with militias taking over and two rival parliaments and governments forming.

How Obama learned the limits of US power So-called Islamic State (IS) gained a foothold, and Libya became a major departure point for migrants trying to reach Europe. A UN-backed national unity government arrived in the capital Tripoli earlier this month but is waiting to take charge. The leader of the faction ruling western Libya has threatened to prosecute any of his ministers who co-operate with the UNbacked administration, contradicting an earlier announcement the ministers would stand down. It is not the first time President Obama has expressed regret over Libya. He toldthe Atlantic magazine last month the operation went as well as he had

hoped, but Libya was now “a mess”. In that interview, he also criticised France and the UK, in particular saying British Prime Minister David Cameron became “distracted” after the intervention. It was a rare rebuke for a close ally and one which BBC correspondents at the time said angered Downing Street. President Obama told Fox that his biggest accomplishment in office was “saving the economy from the great depression”. He said the best day of his presidency was when he passed the healthcare reforms. The worst, he said, was responding to the mass shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school.

Afghan bomber kills 12 police recruits AT least 12 people have been killed and dozens wounded by a bomb targeting police recruits in eastern Afghanistan, officials say. The blast happened in the Sorkhrot district of Nangarhar province. The recruits were travelling to the capital Kabul when the bus was hit by a remote-control device in a motorbike, a local official told the BBC.

Scene of the blast. PHOTO: AFP

Other reports suggested a suicide bomber had rammed the bus on the motorbike. A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the Islamist group had carried out the attack, according to the Reuters news agency. Taliban militants have previously targeted officials in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar. Ahsanullah Shinwari,

head of the Jalalabad hospital, told the Associated Press that 12 bodies had been brought to the hospital. He said another 38 people were wounded, most of them in critical condition. No group has yet claimed responsibility. Suicide attacks regularly take place in Jalalabad, as a number of anti-government insurgent groups are based in the province. Hours earlier, a bomb hit a minibus carrying Education Ministry workers in eastern Kabul, killing two people and wounding seven, a defence ministry spokesman told Reuters. Two districts in the Nangarhar province are controlled, or at least influenced, by the so-called Islamic State (IS).

UNITED States Secretary of State John Kerry has said that he is “deeply moved” and “honoured” to be the first U.S. Secretary of State to visit Hiroshima, Japan, a city devastated after the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb near the end of World War II. He commented at the end of a two-day meeting with other Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers that included a tour of a World War II memorial to victims in Hi-

roshima. “It was a stunning display,” said Kerry, after visiting Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. “It is a gut-wrenching display. It tugs at your sensibilities as a human being, he added.” Asked if President Obama will visit Hiroshima when he attends a G-7 leaders’ summit in Japan in May, Kerry said he hoped that one day the president of the U.S. would be among those who visited the city.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, (center left), puts his arm around Japan’s Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, (center right), after they and fellow G7 foreign ministers laid wreaths at the cenotaph at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, western Japan. PHOTO: AP

Egypt to give Saudi Arabia two Red Sea islands MOVES by the Egyptian government to hand two strategic Red Sea islands over to Saudi Arabia have drawn angry reaction from opposition figures. An Egyptian cabinet announcement said that technical work on the two countries’ maritime boundary had shown that the islands of Tiran and Sanafir were within Saudi territorial waters. The statement came while Saudi Arabia’s King Salman was in Cairo for a

five-day visit. The Saudi leader on Sunday addressed the Egyptian parliament, where he received a thunderous welcome with repeated applause and standing ovations. Riyadh has given significant financial and diplomatic backing to Egypt since President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi - then head of the armed forces - toppled then president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

Saudi King Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. PHOTO: AP

Ex al-Shabab official executed for journalists’ killings SOMALIA’S government on Monday executed a former journalist accused of helping al-Shabab militants kill at least five other journalists in Mogadishu between 2007 and 2011. Officials and witnesses say a firing squad executed Hassan Hanafi Haji at a police academy in Mogadishu. Haji was extradited from Kenya last year at the request of the Somali gov-

ernment. Abdulahi Hussein Mohamed, deputy judge of the military court, talked to the media after the execution and said the former journalist had a fair trial and finally faced justice. “He has been going under court process since earlier 2015. So, now with all the evidences and his confession the justice had been done,” Mohamed said.

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016 38 news How Metuh was paid to launder PDP’s image, witness tells court Sunday Ejike - Abuja

EGAL fireworks began on Monday in the seven-count charge slammed on the national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, as the PDP spokesman opened his defence by calling his first witness to testify before Justice Okon Abang of a Federal High Court in Abuja. Led in evidence by Metuh’s lead counsel, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu, the witness, Mr Ike Abonyi, told the court that former President Goodluck Jonathan asked Metuh for his corporate account number for payment, to commence activities that will re-position the image of the PDP, having approved the team, led by the CNC

Connect, a consulting firm engaged by the Metuh for that purpose. The witness told the court that he knew PDP spokesman when he served as the media adviser to the then national chairman of the party, Dr Ezekwesili Nwodo, while Metuh was the party’s vice chairman, South-East. Abonyi said it was by virtue of his experience as a journalist and as a media adviser to the former national chairman of PDP that Metuh invited him to function full-time as a consultant in the team he set up to improve the battered image of the PDP. According to him, Chief Metuh chose to work with CNC Consulting in view of the efficiency and quality of service of the firm, which helped in packaging Nwo-

communitynews

do’s programme of improving the image of the party when he (Nwodo) was national chairman of the party. He said CNC Consulting firm, managed by Mr Yomi Badejo, told Metuh that PDP was owing the firm from the work it did for the party during Nwodo’s tenure and Metuh assured them of payment when there was fund. “We swung into action and came up with a strategy that will improve the image of the party to help the party win the 2015 general election. “We presented the strategy of our team, put together by Metuh, as the national publicity secretary of the party. The strategy was approved by President Jonathan and there and then, the president asked for Metuh’s corporate account for im-

mediate mobilisation and action. “Few days later, Metuh called me that funds had been provided for the project to start,” he said, adding that he was aware that funding of the office of the national publicity secretary of the party came from the party and the leader of the party, who then was former President Jonathan. Under cross examination by the prosecution counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, the defence witness said as a consultant to the national publicity secretary of the PDP, his renumeration, along with other personal assistants to members of the National Working Committee of the party were paid by the party, as they were considered as staff of the party.

He said, in his remarks during the presentation of the team’s strategy to the president, in company of the then Vice-President Namadi Samabo and other senior members of the party, that the opinion of the public is that the president was weak. The witness, who resigned as the acting Managing Director of New Telegraph Newspaper, told the court that he had no knowledge of the source of the money paid for the publicity work of the team. Earlier, the court had turned down a request for an adjournment by the new counsel to Metuh’s company, Destra Investment Company Limited, the second defendant in the matter, Tochukwu Onwugbufor.

Onwugbufor had applied for an adjournment to enable him to study the processes filed before the court in the matter, as he was appearing new in the matter for the second defendant. But the prosecution counsel objected to his oral application, arguing that he ought to have applied formally in writing three days before proceedings of Monday, as contained in Section 349 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015. Justice Abang, however, in his ruling after the evidence of the witness, adjourned till April 20, for cross examination of the first defendant’s witness by the second defendant’s counsel, re-examination by the first defendant and also for continuation of trial.

Jegun proffers ways to enhance socio-economic fortunes of Ile-Oluji by akin adewakun

HE newly-appointed Jegun of Ile Oluji Kingdom, Oba Olu Adetimehin, has tasked socio-cultural organisations in the community on the need to come together and support the leadership of the community in its bid to enhance the social and economic fortunes of the town.

Oba Adetimehin, who made the charge recently, while receiving a delegation of Ile-Oluji County Club, a socio-cultural organisation in the community, at Lisa’s Place, where he is presently in seclusion, stressed the need for socio-cultural organisations in the community to rev up, social activities in the town if the community is to take its pride of place. He stated that for a com-

munity to grow, there is the need for members of the community, both individual and corporate, to enhance the social life of such community, as a way of attracting commerce. While expressing his grati-

tude to the visiting team, which included officials and members of the club, for deeming it fit to give him such solidarity visit, the royal father expressed regrets that socio-cultural organisations in the town were no longer

blazing the trail the way they used to do in the past. “The social clubs that are actually active in the town today can be counted on the fingers. They are no longer what they used to be in the past, when they used to add colour to the

activities of the community. Today, you hardly feel their presence, especially at the IleOluji Day event, the community’s annual event that is supposed to be of interest to all and sundry in the town,” he stated.

‘Assume ownership of facilities provided by govt’ THE Chairman, Caretaker Committee of Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State, Mr Kolawole Orelope, has called on residents of the council area to assume ownership of facilities provided for them by the local government. Speaking at the foundation-laying of an ultra-mod-

ern hall at Aba Alfa, Olomi area, Mr Orelope said: “You have all along been jealously guarding facilities provided by successive local government administrations. I implore you to sustain the spirit. You should see these facilities as part of our personal belongings.” He, however, explained that the unity of purpose forged by the community

had been of great benefit to the people. “Our people speak with one voice and in that regard, it is easy to achieve unity of purpose. The local government will, in the near future provide borehole facilities for the hall and the community mosque,’’ he said. The council boss also advised elders to ensure that

their children were properly mentored so as to be good leaders of tomorrow. Some of the dignitaries who graced the occasion were Chairman, Olomi Community, local government officials, representative of the Community Development Council (CDC), community leaders and the zonal chairmen of Ifelodun and Aba Alfa areas.

FORMER Minister of Health, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, has described Ekiti State governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, as an unusual governor who does things in unusual ways. Adelusi-Adeluyi, who was the Chairman of the 2016 Ekiti Day and Awards Ceremony organised by Ekiti Parapo, Lagos, said Fayose’s style also gets him unusual results. In a statement in AdoEkiti on Monday by the

governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, the former minister also lauded the governor for his charisma. “Governor Ayodele Fayose is an unusual governor, who does things in unusual ways. He, therefore, gets unusual results. He is ingenious, effervescent, forthright and focused. Look at the unusual way he is putting on his cap now,” he said. Adelusi-Adeluyi, while proffering solutions to the

political disharmony in the state, called on all Ekiti people to build bridges of understanding across political divides. He noted that Ekiti State could achieve greatness if the people would act as a nation-state given their uniqueness. He said the attention of all Ekiti people both at home and in the Diaspora should be directed back home to make the state better. Governor Fayose, in his

remarks, said despite the serious economic challenges facing the state, his administration had impacted positively on the lives of the people in about one and a half years that he assumed office. He called for the support and cooperation of all for his government to deliver more on its promises to the people. He decried the politics of bitterness being played by some people in the state.

by gbenga olumide

Ekiti Day: Fayose is an unusual gov—Adelusi-Adeluyi

Lafia residents protest against power outage, outrageous bill

The Chairman, Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State, Mr Kolawole Orelope, during the foundation-laying of an ultra-modern hall at Aba Alfa, Olomi area, Ibadan, at the weekend.

SOME consumers of electricity embarked on a peaceful protest against outrageous bills and unstable power supply in Lafia, Nasarawa State, on Monday. The protesters, under the aegis of Lafia Low Cost Youth Group, marched to the office of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), on Makurdi Road in Lafia.

They carried placards with inscriptions as ‘stop adding to our hardship’, ‘no light in our area for two weeks’, ‘the bill is too high’, and ‘drop the new electricity tariff.’ The protesters demanded urgent remedies to the problems by AEDC in the interest of the people. The leader of the group, Ali Ibrahim, said the area had been in darkness for

two weeks and still received exorbitant bills. Ali said residents experienced low current, lack of meter reading, and exorbitant bills before the blackout. “We are being charged exorbitantly by AEDC for what we are not using. Look at my electricity bill for March, it is over N7, 000,” he added. He explained that they

embarked on the protest for the company to address the problems as all efforts made in the past had been fruitless. “We are not here to fight but to press home demands for improved services”, Ali said. The leader, however, urged the state and the Federal Government to urgently address power problems in the state.

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016 Editor: Ganiyu Salman tribunesporteditor@yahoo.com 08053789060

Siasia invites 30 as Dream Team resumes camp Emmanuel Daniel

Claudio Ranieri sheds tears, dedicates win to Leicester’s supporters

Oliseh gets FIFA appointment AFTER his controversial resignation in February, former Super Eagles head coach, Sunday Oliseh has been appointed into FIFA’s new technical department. The former Nigeria captain took to his twitter handle very early on Mon-

Oliseh

day morning to make the announcement. He will also work at the football tournament of the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil. The 41-year-old said: “I feel honoured to be appointed into the “new look” FIFA technical department. “Next mission: The 2016 Rio Olympics football tournament in Brazil. We thank God for the elevation and opportunity to represent Africa again.” Oliseh resigned from his position as Super Eagles head coach in February, citing bridge of contract and lack of pay as the reasons for his exit. In March 2013, Oliseh was appointed by FIFA as a member of its technical study group. He was part of a technical team that evaluated the Borrusia Dortmund versus Liverpool game in the Europa League quarter-finals last Thursday, April 7.

HEAD Coach of Nigeria’s U-23 national team, Dream Team, Samson Siasia has invited 30 players to camp in preparation for the men’s football tournament of the Olympic Games, scheduled to hold in Brazil later this year. Siasia told thenff.com that the invited players led by goalkeeper Emmanuel Daniel, include defender Erhun Obanor, Stanley Dimgba, Kufre Ebong, Ndifreke Effiong, Ubong Ekpai and Daniel Etor. Invitation has also been extended to new players like Godwin Obaje, Julius Emiloju, Ifeanyi Mathew, Kabiru Moshood and Harrison Ibukun. The invited players are expected to arrive at the Starview Hotel, Gwarinpa Estate, Abuja today with their international passports, while training commences tomorrow. The invited players: Emmanuel Daniel (Enugu Rangers);

Yusuf Mohammed (Kano Pillars); Daniel Emmanson (Akwa United); Omasteye Alex (First Bank); Sincere Seth (Rhapsody FC); Oduduwa Segun (Nath FC) Obanor Erhun (MFM FC); Ahamefule Chizoba (Abia Warriors); Ndifreke Effiong (Abia Warriors); Chima Akas (Enyimba FC); Timothy Danladi (Katsina United); Stanley Okorom (MFM FC); Harrison Ibukun (Akwa United); Ubong Ekpai (Akwa United); David Itoho (Nath FC); Kabiru Moshood (Ikorodu United); Bright Onyedikachi (FC IfeanyiUbah); Ifeanyi Mathew (Kano Pillars); Tiongoli Tonbara (Bayelsa United); Olisah Ndah (Rivers FC); Julius Emiloju (MFM FC); Joseph Osadiaye (Enyimba FC); Daniel Etor (Enyimba FC); Austine Dimgba (Sunshine Stars); Ezekiel Mbah (Kano Pillars); Abdulrahman Taiwo (Kwara United); Godwin Obaje (Wikki Tourists); Kufre Ebong (Akwa United); Uchenna Agha (Freestans FC) and Godwin Aguda (Rangers FC).

Udoh savours hat-trick against Etoile

FON Udoh has said he felt great after his treble sunk Tunisia’s Etoile du Sahel to take Enyimba a step closer to the money-spinning stage of the CAF Champions League. Udoh was on target in the ninth, 55th and 80th minute last Sunday in Port Harcourt, as the Nigeria champions took a big advantage leading to the return leg in Sousse in the weekend of April 19 to 22. He is now the leading scorer in the competition with seven goals. “I am so overwhelmed to score three goals against Etoile du Sahel. I feel so happy and great about it,” Udoh told AfricanFoot-

ball.com “I expected such result against them based on faith,

but I didn’t know I was going to be the hero,” he said adding “I dedicate the goals to al-

mighty God and to my teammates for a tremendous effort, they were amazing.”

Udoh

Siasia ideal for Eagles job —Yusuf By Niyi Alebiosu AS the discussion ranges on as to the employment of a foreign coach for the Super Eagles by the Nigeria Football Federation, Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on Sport Facilities and Facilities Manager, Honourable Bolaji Yusuf, has called on the NFF to give Samson Siasia a chance. Yusuf, while speaking with Tri-

bunesport by phone hinged his stance on the fact that the Bayelsa State-born tactician has what it takes to lead the team to success. Yusuf, a member of the African Beach Soccer committee believes that there is the need for the authorities to ensure a long-term plan that would make the Super Eagles to have a solid team for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the 2018 World Cup in Russia. “We need a long-term plan to move

our football forward and with what Siasia did in the AFCON qualifiers against Egypt, it was obvious that he can deliver if given the job. What the NFF needs to do is to give him time to rebuild the team just as Clemens Westerhof did in his days. We do not have to go for a foreign coach when we have a number of competent coaches in this country. If the NFF can give the local coach the same adequate support it will give a foreign coach, then, Siasia will succeed,” Yusuf said.

SIDELINES

NO 16,477

TUESDAY, 12 APRIL, 2016

N150

A goat with its owner was recently arrested by the police in central India, for crimes bordering on gross misconduct and destruction of property. The police officer in charge of the case said the goat was a “repeat offender". If one may ask, how will the police make the goat turn a new leaf?

AWC qualifier: Falcons will stop Senegal—Omagbemi By Oluwabunmi Ajayi NIGERIA’S Super Eagles head coach, Florence Omagbemi is optimistic that Nigeria will eliminate Senegal when both sides clash again today in a reverse fixture of the 2016 African Women’s Championship (AWC) qualifier. Both sides settled for a 1-1 draw last Friday in Dakar in the first leg tie and at least, a barren draw today at the National Stadium, Abuja, will see Nigeria through to the biennial African women's soccer fiesta. Chioma Wogu of Confluence Queens who came on

to replace injured En Avant Guingamp forward, Desire Oparanozie put the reigning African champions ahead before half time, while the Teranga Lionesses rallied to a leveller in the 52nd minute. The Falcons would unleash the likes of Asisat Oshoala, Osinachi Ohale, Ngozi Okobi, Francisca Ordega, Ugo Njoku, Ebere Orji and Rita Chikwelu, among others on the Lionesses to confirm their supremacy once more, just as Oparanozie is doubtful for today's game after sustaining an injury last weekend in Dakar. “Our objective was to get a win in Dakar, but it didn’t hap-

Tonight's Champions League q/f fixtures

pen. Now, we have no choice but to do the business here on our own ground. “There is nothing to fear. We have the players to lift Nigeria to victory,” Omagbemi said ahead of today's clash with the Teranga Lionesses. The Senegal delegation flew with the Super Falcons back to Nigeria last Saturday afternoon, and the Lionesses were scheduled to have their official training at the National Stadium, Abuja on Monday evening ahead of today's clash ahead of today's clash.

Man City v Real Madrid v

NFF crisis: FIFA threatens

to suspend Nigeria W Stories by Saliu Gbadamosi-Abuja

ORLD football-governing body, FIFA, on Monday, wrote to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on last Friday's decision of Justice Musa Haruna Kurya which granted the prayers of the plaintiffs, Yahaya Adama and Senator Obinna Ogba, to not only re-list the suit on leadership tussle in the federation, but also sustain all the previous orders of the court, which made Ambassador Chris Giwa NFF president, pending the final determination of the case before the court. The world body, according to the letter addressed to embattled NNF president, Mr Amaju Pinnick and signed by Markus Kattner, Acting FIFA Secretary General and copied the Confederation of African Football (CAF), acknowledged NFF's correspondence dated April 8, 2016 with regard to the Jos Federal High Court ruling, which nullified the September 30, 2014 election which brought Pinnick on board. "We would like to remind you that according to articles 13 and 17 of the FIFA Statues, all members associations have to manage their affairs independently

and with no influence from third parties," the FIFA letter reads in part. It further stated that, "according to article 68 of FIFA Statues, recourse to ordinary courts of law is prohibited unless specifically provided for in FIFA regulations. "Furthermore, it is the duty of each member association to ensure that these provisions are implemented by its members and possibly take sanctions against those which fail to respect these

obligations." It, however, declared that in view of the above, if the decision of the Federal High Court, Jos, was implemented, it would likely be considered as an interference in the internal affairs of the country's football-governing body, adding that, "the case would be brought to the highest authorities of FIFA for consideration of sanctions, including suspension of NFF." The world body stressed that the plaintiff in the Jos

...Police seal off Glass House THE crisis rocking the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), took another dimension on Monday when men of the Nigeria Police Force sealed off the Glass House secretariat of the body in Abuja. Policemen from Wuse Division of the Federal Capital Territory Command stormed the secretariat, located at Wuse Zone 7, as early as 8am, to, according to one of them, who pleaded anonymity, "prevent breakdown of law and order". When Tribunesport visited the GlassHouse, a Toyota pickup van, with registration number NP 454 HQ, was seen conspicuously parked in front of the premises, which NFF shares with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC),

with the gate firmly locked. Three other Toyota Corolla cars belonging to the police, with registration numbers NPF 1439 C, NPF 5659 C and NPF 6631C, were seen parked around the premises. While staff of the football federation were allowed into their offices including the Secretary General, Dr Sanusi Muhammed while journalists were prevented by policemen from entering the premises. One CSP Irek Sunday, stated that, "I don't know what is happening here. I don't have the mandate to speak with journalists. There is procedure in the Police Force. You can approach the Force Public Relations Officer (PRO) to comment on this." A source, however, con-

PSG Wolfsburg

7:45pm 7:45pm

OSHOALA: Will she score today in Abuja after her futile attempt last weekend in Dakar?

court case had filed an appeal on the matter before the Court for Sports Arbitration (CAS), which was dismissed on May 18, 2015.

.. As Dalung warns Pinnick, Giwa's factions The Minister of Youth and Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung has said that the Ministry will not accept any action that will threaten the

fided in Tribunesport that policemen were drafted to the Glass House on the orders of the Sports Minister, Barrister Solomon Dalung, to forestall any possible break down of law and order. The source stated that given the fact that both Giwa and Pinnick factions were laying claim to the leadership of the NFF, the minister had to call for the intervention of the police in order for them to prevent any trouble that could break out if members of both factions reported for duty at the Glass House. Meanwhile, as of the time of filing this report, none of the members of both the Ambassador Chris Giwa and Amaju Pinnick factions showed up at the Glass House for duty.

peace of the country. According to Nneka Ikem Anibeze, the SA Media to the Sports Minister, Dalung made the statement in the wake of a Federal High court ruling in Jos, which nullified the election of the current executive of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). He said sports-loving Nigerians and the football family were thrown into a state of confusion following the ruling which sparked off the current leadership crisis in the NFF, that also led to different press statements from both camps laying claim to the leadership of the federation. Dalung warned that both parties must be guided by the rule of law. "This current administration believes in the rule of law and all of our actions must be guided by the provisions of the law. Therefore, anything that suggests the contrary will not be in

the interest of the nation," he said. Dalung however, stated that the Amaju-led board had a 30-day right of appeal. "The decision of the court will only take effect if the right to appeal expires and the Amaju-led board fails to exercise its right. It will be out of place for any group of persons who have enjoyed the protection of the law by going to court to exercise their rights to now turn round and want to deny the other party of their own right." This development, Dalung said, has been a source of great concern to sportsloving Nigerians. "I am therefore calling on all parties to the dispute to maintain peace and respect the rule of law. By this token, the judicial process must be allowed to run its full course, unless and until any of the parties wishes the contrary."

Printed and Published by the African Newspapers of Nigeria PLC, Imalefalafia Street, Oke-Ado, Ibadan. E mail: editornigeriantribune@yahoo.com Website: www.tribuneonlineng.com MANAGING DIRECTOR / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: EDWARD DICKSON. EDITOR: DEBO ABDULAI. All Correspondence to P.O. Box 78, Ibadan. ISSN 2712. ABC Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation. 12/4/2016.