12th October 2015 by Nigerian Tribune

NIGERIA’S MOST INFORMATIVE NEWSPAPER NO 16,346

MONDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2015

HID was mother to all

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—Akarigbo

•FOMWAN, GMAON, others visit Ikenne

From left, the Akarigbo of Remoland, Oba (Dr) Michael Adeniyi Sonariwo; Ambassador (Dr) Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu and Reverend (Mrs) Tola Oyediran, at the Ikenne residence of the Awolowos, on Sunday. PHOTO: YEMI FUNSO-OKE.

Tinubu blasts Saraki —P7

•Says he is APC on paper, PDP in soul

—P3

CNN/Multichoice African Journalist Award:

Tribune editor's winning story By 'Laolu Afolabi and Ronke Jaiyeola

Mr Adewale Emosu (right), receiving the CNN/Multichoice African Journalist Award (Culture) from Mr Stephen Isaboke, Regional Director, East Africa, MIH, in Nairobi, Kenya, on Saturday

4 injured as explosion Falae: Police arrest rocks Lagos 5 suspects —P40 —P7

"BAHIA: Even in Brazil, African heritage lives on," written by Mr Adewale Emosu, won the CNN Multichoice African Journalist Award (Culture category), at the event held at Kenyatta International Convention Centre, Nairobi, Kenya, on Saturday. The story was published in the Sunday Tribune of August 3, 2014. The judge, reading the citation on the piece, said “the story is about how African culture has been

transplanted to South America via slavery. "This story showed that over the years, African culture has not only been preserved but thrived – almost more than its origins. "The reporter actually went to Brazil for a Sports fiesta – the World Cup, but then went out of his way to look and discover this story. He did comprehensive work to bring the story to life.” The CNN/Multichoice African Journalist Award is the most prestigious and respected for journalists Continues pg3

Mina stampede: 145 Nigerians confirmed dead, 165 still missing —P3

Monday, 12 October, 2015

CHIEF (MRS) HID AWOLOWO (1915-2015)

PHOTOS: YEMI FUNSO-OKE

9 1. From left, Prince Oladapo Aderemi; the Aminisan of Oko Sagamu, Oba M.A. Sanni; Ambassador (Dr) Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu; the Akarigbo of Remoland, Oba (Dr) Michael Adeniyi Sonariwo; Reverend (Mrs) Tola Oyediran; the Alado of Ado Sagamu, Oba A. Solagbade Tijani and the Asoju Oba Obafemi Ososanwo. 2. Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu (left), Reverend (Mrs) Oyediran (second right) with Chief and Mrs Akin Delano. 3. From left, Honourable Omosanya Solaja, Reverend (Mrs) Oyediran and Prince Aderemi. 4. Reverend Oyediran and Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu with Men and Women Auxiliary Society. 5. From right, Mrs Nkechi Keri, Mrs Modupe Ogunlesi and Mrs Nene Ogunlesi.

6. From left, Mr Wole Ogunsan; Iya Ijo, Cathedral of St Paul, Sagamu, Chief (Mrs) Olufunke A. Wilde; Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu, Reverend (Mrs) Oyediran, Dean of the Cathedral, Sagamu, Venerable Emmanuel Adegbuyi and Chief (Mrs) D.A. Sodipe. 7. Reverend (Mrs) Oyediran and Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu with members of Cathedral of St Paul, Sagamu. 8. Reverend (Mrs) Oyediran and Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu with Federation of Muslim Women Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN), Ogun State chapter. 9. Reverend J.I. Adejuyigbe (left) and Mr Abel A. Sobanjo. 10. Golden Ambassador, led by their president, Mr Saidi Balogun, with Reverend (Mrs) Oyediran and Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu.

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Monday, 12 October, 2015

CNN/Multichoice African Journalist Award: Tribune editor's winning story Continued from front page

across the African continent. The award was presented to Mr Emosu by Mr Stephen Isaboke, Regional Director, East Africa, MIH. Emosu, Senior Deputy Editor, African Newspapers of Nigeria (ANN) Plc, publishers of the Tribune titles, joined three other winners in various categories from Nigeria, with Mr Arukaino Umukoro and Mr Femi Asu from The

Punch and Ibanga Isine of Premium Times. Isine emerged winner in the News Impact Award with the story: "Investigation: Massacre in Gboke: Soldiers at Dangote Factory kill 7, company, govt abandon victims' families." Umukoro emerged winner in the Sports Reporting Award with the story, "Monuments of waste: Nigeria's white elephant stadiums," while Asu won the Ecobank Economics and Business Award with

his entry, "Small business in death throes as power supply worsens." Emosu, a 1996 graduate of English from University of Ilorin, joined the Nigerian Tribune on August 16, 1999 as Sports Reporter. He covered AFCON 2002 in Mali; was a member of Tribunesports crew that covered the eighth All Africa Games in Abuja in 2003, where the Tribunesports won the award for giving the games the best coverage,

leading to a return ticket to the 2014 Olympics in Athens, Greece. The awardee became Tribune's first Online Editor in October 2006; became the Chief Sub-Editor in January 2009; was made Sports Editor in October 2012, from where he covered the FIFA World Cup in Brazil in 2014. He became the Senior Deputy Editor in April 2015. Emosu, reacting to comments and accolades over

the award, dedicated it to God, who he described as "the giver of life and source of wisdom, knowledge and understanding." He also dedicated it to "my immediate family, for the entire members of the Emosu clan, all my bosses and colleagues in the Tribune family, all of my friends and well wishers. "Thanks for being there all the time, for your words of advice, for your understanding and for tolerating my occasional excesses.

E seun mo dupe. It can only get better. We shall all go higher and higher. "Specifically I remember my late father, Christopher Sunday Adeniye Emosu, who together with my mother, struggled to ensure that I become my own man. I wish he was around today. But all the same, you will never be disappointed as you continue to be with your Lord. It is well." (Read the award-winning story on Pages 8 and 9).

Tinubu blasts Saraki, says 'he is APC on paper, PDP in soul' By Tinuola Ayanniyi

LL Progressives Congress (APC) national leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, has described the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, as disloyal, indisciplined and still a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in his soul. Senator Tinubu said this in a statement entitled: “TINUBU REMAINS TRUE TO THE APC VISION AND THE NIGERIAN PROJECT,” issued on his behalf by his media aide, Sunday Dare, on Sunday, as reaction to reports that he was conspiring with the Senate President to bring down President Muhammadu Buhari.

Dare, in the statement, said Tinubu “remains glued to the party’s decision that the manner by which Saraki captured his current seat travestied party discipline. It was a crass act of disloyalty showing that Saraki may have joined the APC on paper, but has remained true to the malpractices and wrong aims of the reactionary PDP in his soul.” The statement described the alleged conspiracy as a figment, saying “it takes minimum of two people to make a conspiracy. There has been no substantive communication between Tinubu and Saraki since the latter decided to foul the integrity of the Senate and the party. To be truthful, I don’t think Saraki would care to

hear what Tinubu would have to say to him. Tinubu counseled Saraki “to shelve his personal situation for the moment and concentrate on the people’s business. It will be a grave mistake and abuse of office for Saraki to directly or indirectly inject his personal matter into the approval process. Saraki should not link the approval of a single minister to his desire for extrajudicial treatment of his issues. “The senator should treat the nomination process with dispatch, justice, fairness, transparency, and most of all with the greatest patriotism. “Those who midwifed this garish tale, gave birth not to truth, but lies intended to

kill APC unity and to retard the Buhari-led administration’s strategic reform initiatives, as earlier outlined by our party manifesto. Given the potential for change that stands before us, we are now beginning to see the true nature of many people. There are those who truly want positive change so that we can break from the ways of a stolid past. “Then there are those who speak of change with their mouths, but never believe in it in their hearts. They came along with us for the ride or because no other political option availed itself at the operative time. Now, given the chance to redeem themselves from their past political actions, they would rather return to the political

NAFDAC gets tough on fake products, arraigns 5 TWO persons arrested for production and sale of ethanol, locally known as KaiKai or Ogogoro, were on Sunday arraigned by the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC). The suspects, Jonathan Uti and Isaac Uti, father and son, respectively, were arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on production, storage and sales of the local gin before Justice Ishola Olaterogun of the Federal High Court, Asaba, Delta State. In the suit number FHC/ ASB/36c/2015, the suspects were accused of contravening Section one of the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Food (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act. CAP C34 LFN 2004 which is punishable under Section 3(a) of the same Act. In three other suits, the agency also arraigned three persons, who were caught at various locations within the jurisdiction of the court, in possession and sale of fake drugs in different parts of Delta State. While one Osita Paul

Ely is facing a seven-count charge of fake drug trafficking in suit number FHC/ ASB/37c/2015, Chinedu Azugwu and Solomon Ezeani are facing a three-count charge in suit numbers FHC/ ASB/39c/2015 and FHC/ASB/35c/2015, respectively. All the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the offence when the charges were

read to them by the court. Justice Olaterogun, while adjourning the matter till December 14 for trial, granted the accused persons bail in the sum of N2 million each and two sureties each in like sum. The court further held that the sureties, who must reside within the jurisdiction of the court, must be re-

commended by the council chairmen in their respective localities, adding that they must also produce tax clearance certificate. The judge also granted the request of the prosecution counsel, Umar Shamaki, that the suspects be remanded in prison pending when they meet their bail conditions.

Mina stampede: 145 Nigerians confirmed dead, 165 still missing THE National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), on Sunday, confirmed that 145 Nigerians were killed in the September 24 stampede in Mina, Saudi Arabia. More than 769 pilgrims from across the world were confirmed dead and 1,000 injured during the stampede on one of the roads leading to the Jamarat complex (stone throwing site) in Mina. Briefing newsmen in Mecca in an update, NAHCON’s Commissioner in charge of Planning, Research, Information and Library Services, Dr Saleh Okenwa, said seven of the 42 injured pilgrims were

still on admission at various hospitals in Saudi Arabia. He, however, said the number of pilgrims earlier declared missing had reduced from 214 to165, following the discovery of additional bodies of some Nigerians killed in the stampede. On the transportation of pilgrims back to Nigeria, NAHCON's Commissioner in charge of Operation, Dr Saleh Modibbo, said more than 60 per cent of the pilgrims had been transported back to the country. Specifically, he said that 40,850 of the 76,000 Nigerians, who performed the pilgrimage had been trans-

ported back to the country. Among those transported back to Nigeria were pilgrims from Kwara, Gombe and Nasarawa states. Modibbo said the various committees set up by NAHCON helped in processing the pilgrims’ documents and luggage. Chairman of the commission, Alhaji Abdullahi Mukhtar, said while fielding questions from newsmen that the Nigerian mission in Saudi Arabia would continue to monitor the seven injured pilgrims still on admission at various Saudi hospitals even after the Hajj operation.

morass from whence they came. “The idea of an alleged conspiracy between Tinubu and Saraki against the president is an execrable lie. Without any proof except the veil of innuendo and some hate-mongers masquerading as Presidency sources, the story proclaimed that the government is surveilling Tinubu because of his purported unhappiness about the ministerial list. “He would not toss aside a lifetime’s labour because of an alleged slight and certainly would not join with Senator Saraki in stymying this government which may just be the nation’s last best chance to salvage itself. “Too mischievous yet cowardly for their own good, the yarn-spinners at the SUN neglect to precisely state what terrible thing they believe Tinubu to have done. This ambiguity is in part purposeful; their villainy seeks to place the innocent on edge and to cause those who must work together if the nation is to progress to begin to doubt the bona fides of each other. “With such a story, they hope to break the walls of confidence so that they may kindle mutual animus between the president and Tinubu. By getting the two to fight and weaken each other, they may then swoop down to destroy both. “If this nation is to have more than a fleeting chance of escaping the quagmire into which years of PDP misrule have taken us, we cannot allow these regressive elements to deploy their cunning tricks to divide and pitch progressive against progressive. “Here, I will state explicitly what they hoped to get the reader to infer. Their claim is that Tinubu has joined with Saraki to scuttle the president’s ministerial nominations. They have misfired. “Their wrong is a great

wrong. Like the rest of us, Tinubu waited for the president to select his cabinet. The majority of the selections have been made. There is nothing to do, but congratulate the appointees and pray for them. Their responsibilities are vast, the future of the nation now rests on their shoulders. The challenges before them are manifold and daunting. Those who want the best for Nigeria can only hope that these people succeed. “The only intervention that Senator Tinubu would make is one of encouragement. He would charge them to remain true to the progressive vision of the party and our president. None should allow themselves to be enticed to join league with those who would cast us back into the old mold of PDP governance: to pilfer, destroy and pillage. Instead, they should cohere faithfully to the enlightened programmes and promises made by our party and this government,” the statement stressed. "If adhering to the decisions of the party, supporting the government’s progressive plank and working for the good of the people qualifies Tinubu for surveillance, then he will accept that. However, we know that any such surveillance is not from state security organs. Such activity would come from the insecurity agencies of the PDP and its mercenary allies elsewhere who would seek to fragment the true core of the APC so that they may scuttle the Buhari reform programme and return the nation to the misgovernance of the past. They hope to delude the APC into attacking itself. By so doing, they believe they can regain through stealth, the reins of government the people seized from them through elections. They seek to break the hearts and hopes of the people. Asiwaju Tinubu would never team with anyone to gain such an inhumane objective.

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Monday, 12 October, 2015

Boko Haram attacks Chibok village, kills 4 James Bwala - Maiduguri

ANY houses were razed while four people were said to have been killed in a fresh attack at Balakari, a village in Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State. Locals told newsmen that the attackers rode on motorbikes, while others came on foot to attack the village Saturday evening. A local, Madu Peter, who spoke on phone to newsmen in Maiduguri, said there was no presence of security operatives in the villages, stressing that “only in Chibok town were soldiers present; no soldier or police or security was in the villages.” According to the local, most of the villagers had fled to Chibok town and some have fled towards Askira since the attack and many people were still planning to leave.

Speaking with some of the indigenes of Chibok Local Government Area, the told Nigerian Tribune that many villages had come un-

der the attack of Boko Haram in recent times, leaving a lot of people relocating to the city as internally displaced persons (IDPs).

According to Ma’aji Lawan, there was no Kibaku person in Maiduguri who had no IDP in his house or had not been supporting

one or two families housing IDPs in there homes. “I have over 10 people who ran away as a result of attack in our villages, who are now

Again, Army warns Boko Haram to surrender Chris Agbambu - Abuja

Some displaced persons at the internally displaced persons’ (IDPs) camp in Maiduguri, Borno State, on Sunday. PHOTO: NAN

Military denies report on Chibok girl

Says it’ll never lose hope on abducted girls, other captives Chris Agbambu - Abuja THE military, on Sunday, denied the report which claimed that one of the Chibok girls, who escaped from terrorists’ captivity, was handed to its post in Baga. It said the spurious report by a newspaper (not Nigerian Tribune), was not only

misleading, but was once again another unconscionable outing, as there was no iota of truth in it, hence should be disregarded. In a statement, Colonel Rabe Abubakar, acting Director, Defence Information, also restated its commitment towards the rescue of Chibok girls and other innocent victims being held captives by

the Boko Haram sect. He noted that inasmuch as the Nigerian military and other security agencies were working round the clock to secure the release of not only the Chibok girls, but other innocent citizens who were held hostage by the terrorists, it would not give in to misleading reports which had no true source,

as it had repeatedly pledged to inform Nigerians on the true situation on our ongoing operations. He said the sensitive nature of the report notwithstanding, the moral justification for the false publication cannot be substantiated. “Like other well-meaning Nigerians, friends of Nige-

Borno govt partners FHA to rebuild destroyed communities’ structures James Bwala - Maiduguri COMMUNITIES’ structures destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents will soon be rebuilt, the Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, has said. He gave the assurance when he received the Managing Director, Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Alhaji Muhammed AlAmin, at the Government House in Maiduguri. Speaking on Sunday, Commissioner for Works and Transport, Adamu Lawan, who represented Governor Shettima, said “there is no better time than now for this kind of partnership towards rebuilding structures destroyed by the terrorists; we are very happy and grateful for the intervention. “As you are aware, most of our local government areas have been destroyed by the terrorists; places like Mon-

IDPs in my home. I do not think government is ready to end this crisis, as it is because they are not doing anything as far as I am concerned,” he said.

guno, Marte, Guza-Mala, Kala-Balge and Dikwa. “These towns have been totally destroyed, especially Bama, where almost 98 per cent of the houses were ravaged by the terrorists.” According to him, in a bid to facilitate the resettlement of internally displaced persons (IDPs), the state government had created the Ministry of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement. “The new ministry is charged with the resettlement of the IDPs back

home, because of the nature of the damage caused by terrorists, but with the intervention of FHA, the sky will be our limit,” he said. He said the government would also take advantage of FHA’s Rammed Earth Building Technology to reconstruct old monuments destroyed by the terrorists across the state. “It is an opportunity for us to reconstruct our locallymade houses that had been there for hundreds of years. “May be, it is time to re-

build our old monuments in towns like Dikwa, so we can modernise the place for our people to get better life. “I think the most important thing is to thank the Federal Government for subduing the terrorists,” he said. Speaking earlier, Managing Director, Alhaji AlAmin said the authority was working on plans to train the IDPs on the Rammed Earth Technology towards rebuilding their houses with ease and little resources.

Fear of terrorists’ attack grips residents of Plateau Isaac Shobayo - Jos AN air of apprehension has gripped residents of Plateau State, especially those living in the state capital, over plan by terrorists to attack some target locations, especially public places. The Special Task Force,

otherwise known as ‘Operation Safe Haven (OPSH)’, deployed to restore law and order in the state had called on citizens of the state to tighten security around places a large number of people gather for one business or the other. Places mentioned include

motor park operators, relaxation spots, markets, mosques, churches, as well as other places that attract concentration of people. According to a statement signed by its Media/ Information Officer, Captain Iweha Ikedichi and made continues pg6

ria and the international community who showed concern for the plight of the abducted girls, the Nigerian military, also being a component of the society, is equally worried and is doing everything possible to address the current security challenges,” he said. According to him, search for abducted Chibok schoolgirls and the rescue of other Nigerians in hostage had never relapsed as could be attested to in recent times where hundreds of women and children were rescued by the military through its coordinated operations. Abubakar assured that the military had and would continue to sustain the operation until the entire NorthEast was cleared of all terrorists and miscreants. He said: “The DHQ is not unmindful of the media’s good intention in this regards; however, we wish to advise reporters and any other stakeholders to be good partners in ensuring their safe rescue and successful termination of terrorists campaign. “We also urge journalists to be cautious of reporting such issues, and by extension, security and defencerelated matters. “We wish to once again, remind journalists to seek clarifications on any issue relating to military operations and other national sensitive matters before going to press.”

THE Nigerian Army has again warned all Boko Haram insurgents wherever they are, to desist from all acts of terrorism, surrender themselves and face the law. It said it was aware of all the hideouts, camps and enclaves of the terrorists. Acting Director Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, said in a statement that the terrorists should follow their colleagues who had surrendered. “Failure to surrender will result in serious consequences, as our troops are fast closing up on them,” he said. Usman equally appealed to all Nigerians to kindly persuade the Boko Haram members to desist and renounce their membership of the terrorist organisation forthwith.

No explosion in Karu —NEMA, police THE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), on Sunday, said there was no bomb explosion Saturday night in Karu, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory, as being rumoured. Abuja Operations Coordinator of NEMA, Mr Ishaya Chonoko, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. He said the blast which was heard in the area came from a quarry company which carried out its activity without the permission of the police. “I live in Karu, there was nothing like bomb blast in Karu; it was a quarry company that carried out that balst,” he said. Similarly, the Abuja police command, also debunked the news of the bomb explosion in the area. The command’s spokesperson, Anjuguri Manzah, told NAN that personnel of the command had gone round the area and found nothing like bomb explosion.

Monday, 12 October, 2015

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Monday, 12 October, 2015

Appointment of ministers prerogative of Mr President —Kwande Isaac Shobayo - Jos

IQUED by the barrage of comments trailing the nomination of ministers before the Senate for approval, former Nigeria Ambassador to Switzerland, Ambassador Yahaya Kwande, has stated that appointment of ministers is a prerogative right of President Muhammadu Buhari. Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune in Jos, Ambassador Kwande said Nigerians trusted President Buhari, while they gave him the mandate to govern the country, adding that people should give him the leverage to govern and to appoint whoever he thinks can partner with him to achieve the change mantra of the administration. “Mr President has the prerogative power to appointment whoever he wants to

be minister in his government. Nigerians trusted him and gave him the mandate

and power to govern them; he should be given the leverage to govern uninter-

rupted. People should not confuse him through unnecessary criticisms, rather,

they should pray for him to succeed,” he said. According to him, most

From left, former Rivers Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mrs Ibim Semenitari; former Commissioner for Transport, Mr George Tolofari and a former Commissioner for Finance, Mr Chamberline Peterside, at a news conference on the alleged missing money during the Rotimi Amaechi-led administration, in Port Harcourt, on Saturday. PHOTO: NAN

PDP backs prosecution of Amaechi

He deserves special treatment at ministerial screening —APC Dapo Falade - Port Harcourt CHAIRMAN of the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Felix Obuah, has called for the prosecution of the state’s former governor, Mr Rotimi Amaechi and others indicted in the report of Justice George Omereji-led Judicial Commission of Inquiry which looked into the alleged sale of the valued assets of the state. He made this known in a statement signed by his media aide, Jerry Needam and made available in Port Harcourt, on Sunday. The commission had found Amaechi, some key members of his administration, some local government chairmen, as well as ex-military administrator of the state, Brigadier Anthony Ukpo, culpable in the misappropriation of the state funds to the tune of over N97 billion. However, his counterpart from the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr David Ikanya, in another statement, took a divergent view, as he said Amaechiled administration was the best in the state. He urged the Senate to give the former governor a special consideration during the ministerial screening and allow him to just take a bow, due to his contribution to the development of the legislative arm of government.

The Rivers PDP chairman said he was alarmed at what he said were the startling revelations arising from the White Paper issued on the report and recommendations of the judicial commission.

However, the state APC chairman made a strong case for the former governor, saying he should be cleared by the Senate for a ministerial appointment under the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

According to him, Amaechi should be among the few who should be given special consideration by the Senate during the screening of ministerial nominees. He commended the up-

per legislative chamber for deciding to be thorough in the expected screening exercise, but appealed that the Senate should not totally discard the tradition of asking deserving nominees to take a bow and go.

Drop corrupt, aged minister-nominees, CAN tells Senate AS the Senate begins the screening of ministerial nominees on Tuesday, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Enugu State chapter, has advised that any politician with corruption issues hanging on his neck should not be con-

firmed. The Christian body also urged the lawmakers to disqualify any of the nominees who were advanced in age. Secretary of CAN in Enugu State, Apostle Joseph Ajujungwa, who stated this

in Enugu at the weekend, at an event to mark his 35th priestly anniversary, said Nigerians should stop trivialising corruption. He maintained that corruption was clearly stealing and that any politician who continued with such habit,

Don’t reject female nominee on basis of state of origin —Grace Bent Ayodele adesanmi - Abuja AHEAD screening and confirmation of ministernominees by the Senate on Tuesday, a former senator, Grace Bent, has urged her former colleagues to dismiss the petition against a minister-nominee from Kaduna State, Mrs Amina Muhammed, based on marital affiliation, pleading with the Senate to disregard it and confirm her nomination as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Bent, in a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday, said the plot to stop her because she is not from Kaduna State by birth, but by marriage was unholy, impi-

ous and debasing for women in Nigeria, whose contributions to national growth and development, she stressed, had been unequalled. She said: “Nigerians should stop this absurdity of humiliating and debasing their women at the slightest opportunity. It is an aberration, as well as barbaric for anyone to begin to discriminate and fight a woman on the basis of marital affiliation. I feel our senators should not entertain that.” Senator Bent noted that the Senate and other political institutions in Nigeria should rather be using the case of a woman like Amina Muhammed to promote inter-ethnic marriage as the

basis for further advancing the cause of national unity. In that regard, “ inter-ethnic marriage should be seen as a blessing more than anything else,” she added. Bent identified those behind the plot to deny the Kaduna State’s nominee of ministerial appointment as high-handed, mischievous and ignorant, believing that such people have nothing to offer and hence, do not wish Nigeria well. She said the constitution of Nigeria accorded every right to any Nigerian woman to serve the country in any capacity notwithstanding her marital affiliation or state of origin, quoting section 42 (2) to buttress her argument.

despite hearing the word of God daily, would end up in hell fire. Ajujungwa said “they are talking about corruption; but what is corruption? It is simply stealing, call it by its name- stealing, if somebody is a thief, call him a thief, stop using the word corruption.” On the ministerial list, Ajujungwa, who is also the administrative secretary of the Southern Nigeria Christian Elders’ Forum, said the crop of people nominated by Buhari was an indication that he was not ready to fight corruption. He said, “I am sorry for Buhari; if you look at the crop of people he is picking as ministers, for instance, Audu Ogbeh, who was a minister in the 80s was screened by the father of the present Senate President for ministerial appointment, now the son is screening him again; what a mess! “Does it mean that we don’t have people? Such an old man is supposed to give young people the opportunity to serve.”

of those nominated were people of pedigree, who had contributed in one way or the other to the progress of Nigeria, adding that President Buhari meant well for the country and should be supported to salvage the country and return it to the path of honour in the comity of nations. Ambassador Kwande said each state in the country was with its peculiarities, adding that Plateau State was a peculiar state, where certain factors would have been put into consideration in the nomination from the state based on the yearning and demand of the people. “There are peculiarities in various states, ours is a perculiar one. We would have wish that based on the arrangement on ground that the ministerial nominee from the state come from the Northern part of Plateau State since the Southern and Central zones have produced the governor and deputy, respectively. “But notwithstanding, it is the perogative right of President Buhari to nominate whoever he can work with. People expected the best from him and for this reason he has to choose those he can work with,” he said. On the anti-corruption crusade of the present administration, the elder statesman commended the president for steps taken so far in this regard and implored the anti-graft agencies to spread their nets to the lower cadre, with the aim tackling the menace at the grassroots.

Fear of terrorists’ attack grips residents of Plateau

continued from pg4

available to newsmen in Jos, this was sequel to specific intelligence which revealed the intentions of the members of the Boko Haram sect to carry out an attack within Jos metropolis. It pointed out that the planned attack, which had been consistently foiled by security operatives for about two weeks running, had already seen the increased presence of security personnel around identified flash points. Meanwhile, following the announcement by the security agencies, most residents of Jos, capital city of Plateau State, have deserted public places, especially relaxation spots, for fear of bomb explosion or attack by gunmen.

news Mama Awolowo was mother to all — Akarigbo 7

Monday, 12 October, 2015

As FOMWAN, GMAON, others visit Ikenne

OlayinkaOlukoya-Abeokuta

HE Akarigbo and Paramount Ruler of Remoland, Oba (Dr) Adeniyi Sonariwo, has said that Mama HID Awolowo impacted positively on the lives of the people. The monarch stated this during his condolence visit to Ikenne, on Sunday, in company with the Aminisan of Oko, Sagamu, Oba M.A Sanni and the Alado of Ado, Sagamu, Oba Solagbade Tijani. Oba Sonariwo described the matriarch of the Awolowo dynasty as a mother to all.

“Mama was a mother to everybody; she was the head of my family. She was not just an ordinary person. She was a very accommodating and help-

ful woman. We should all emulate her and learn from her,” the monarch said. Also, the Federation of Muslims Women Associ-

ation (FOMWAN), Ogun State chapter, in its tribute in honour of Mama, said she was a role model for Nigerian women. In the same vein, mem-

Falae’s abduction: 5 suspects arrested Hakeem Gbadamosi - Akure BARELY two weeks after the release of the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief Olu Falae, five of the eight kidnappers have been arrested. According to a source within Falae’s family, three of the abductors were arrested in Niger State by the

security operatives from Ondo State while two others were arrested at various locations within the country. The source disclosed that the five suspects were arrested about a week ago and have been under interrogation by the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS). He said further that the security agents are still trailing

seven other members of the syndicate. He said “three of the abductors were arrested in Niger State last Sunday which led to the arrest of two others during the week. “The police are still on the trail of seven other members of the group who are at large.” Similarly, another family member who spoke

Edo NLC, JNC chairmen arrested over property destruction Banji Aluko - Benin City THE Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Edo State, Comrade Emmanuel Ademokun and his Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) counterpart in the state, Mr Shaka Otoide, were at the weekend arrested by security agents for their roles in the wilful destruction of property

belonging to one Mrs Rose Nweke. The duo were said to have removed the roof of Mrs Nweke’s shop located within the premises of the Civil Service Club, located at GRA, Benin City. The Civil Service club is being managed by the NLC. It was gathered that comrades Ademokun and Otoide were picked up last

Friday by officers of the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Benin after Mrs Nweke brought charges of wilful destruction of property against them. Counsel to Mrs Nweke, Olayiwola Afolabi, said the duo removed the roof of his client’s shop and in the process destroyed items such as freezers, microwave

Navy destroys 50 illegal refining camps, 150 drums of diesel in Delta The Central Naval Command (CNC), in Yenagoa, on Sunday, destroyed 50 illegal oil refining camps and 150 drums of locally refined diesel at Asiagbene in Delta. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reported that CNC conducted the operation in collaboration with Nigeria Navy Ship

(NNS), in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta. Real Admiral Apochi Suleiman, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Central Naval Command, Yenagoa, accompanied by Commodore Sule Aliyu, NNS chief in Delta, said that the largest illegal refinery in the region was discovered during the raid.

Perm sec lauds ICPC on reduction in open bribery, corruption THE Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Aviation, Hajia Binta Bello, has given credit to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) with the drastic reduction in open bribery and corruption at the international airports in the country. Binta stated this at the weekend during ICPC stakeholders’ inception meeting on Corruption Risk Assessment in aviation sector, held at NCAA Anex, Murtala Muhammed Airport. She noted that passengers coming into the country were now testifying of the good conducts by the airport officials as against the open bribery and corruption known hitherto at the

bers of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Sagamu, led by the Dean of the Cathedral, Venerable E.A Adegbuyi, said the deceased, who was the

airports. The permanent secretary said the stakeholders’ meeting was part of efforts to fight corruption in the aviation sector, commending ICPC for the initiative and partnership. “We cannot do it alone, hence our partnership with ICPC. We started this partnership since October 2014 and there had been tremendous changes in the attitude of our officials, particularly in Lagos and Abuja airports,” she said. Mr Ekpo Nta, Chairman, ICPC as one of the key moderators, said the reason why the commission was paying attention to the aviation was because airports were the gateways to international community.

He said that the camps, numbering about 50, as well as a boat used to convey the stolen crude for refining, were destroyed during the raid on the oil thieves.

oven and foodstuffs. When contacted, Mrs Nweke said her N200,000 per annum rent expired last September and that it was barely two months to the three-month quit notice served her by the management of the Civil Service Club when her shop was damaged. She noted that the value of the property she lost was being put together for the management of the Civil Service Club to pay, adding that the matter will go to court if her things were not replaced. The Commissioner of Police in Edo State, Mr Chris Ezike, also noted that Comrade Ademokun and his NJC counterpart took the laws into their hands, hence their arrest.

on condition of anonymity confirmed the development but said they want to keep the issue until other suspects on the run are arrested. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Femi Joseph, could not confirm the development saying all issues relating to Falae’s kidnap has been taken over by the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, saying “Falae’s issue is a national issue.” Joseph said Arase may likely brief journalists in Abuja tomorrow on the level of investigation on the Falae’s issue. Falae was kidnapped by unknown gunmen on his farm in Ilado in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State on his 77th birthday, on September 21. He was released four days later by his abductors around Ifon in Owo Local Government Area of the state after paying an undisclosed ransom.

Diocesan Mother of the Diocese of Remo (Anglican Communion), would be remembered for her support towards the creation of the diocese. In a letter of condolence presented on behalf of the cathedral to the family, the Church said “since the departure of her iconic husband, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Mama not only became the rallying point of the Awolowo political family, but the matriarch of the Awolowo dynasty and the entire Yoruba race. “Mama held forth gallantly and admirably. HID would be remembered for being a pillar of strength for her husband during his many travails and her immeasurable contributions to the development of her community, state and the country as a whole. She was a gift of God to her generation and generations yet unborn.” The Golden Movies Ambassadors of Nigeria (GMAON), led by its president, Mr Saheed Balogun, were also among the visitors at the Awolowos’ residence. Balogun said Mama was a legend and wonderful mother.

Monday, 12 October, 2015

specialfeatures Bahia: Even in Brazil, African heritage lives on

Though hundreds of miles away from the continental Yoruba- Yoruba people in Africa, the descendants of African slaves, mostly Yoruba, transported across the Atlantic to the Americas, still preserve their African heritage despite the spatial and time distance and marked disconnect between them and their roots. WALE EMOSU, who visited Salvador, the capital city of Bahia State, which incidentally served as the first capital city of the country and home of many Afro-Brazilians, reports that African culture is the lifeblood of every Bahian who values it even more than continental Africans.

EMILA and Zeyana are Oma nis, their father being from Oman. But the Said sisters who live in London, created time during the last FIFA World Cup in Brazil to visit Salvador - not beca use it was one of the 12 cities that hosted the World Cup matches - but because of its historical relevance to their existence. The present-day Brazil is made up of people including the descendants of the African slaves brought into the country in the mid-sixteenth century. Some of these are the Bakongo, the Mbundo and the Ovimbundu peoples from Angola and the Congo; the Fan people (or Jeje) from Benin; the Yoruba people (or Nago) from Nigeria and Benin. And it is needless to say that the culture and tradition of these people, though with various changes are with them in their adopted country. Jemila told Sunday Tribune that their mother is from the Urhobo extraction in Delta State, Nigeria. Then, were they in Salvador to trace their maternal roots, sort of? “No,” the elder of the sisters said. Flanked by George, their tour guide and other relatives, Jemila said: “Mummy is Urhobo and she teaches us the language back home in London.” Then I decided to take her up on this claim: Digwe, I told her and she replied Migwo, though in a flawed intonation. At any rate, I returned her greeting: Vredo.

Encounter with Canadian born in Lagos Jemila and Zeyana were not the only people who have one link or the other with Nigeria or Africa who made most of the opportunity the quadrennial FIFA tournament offered to check out on the norms in Brazil, vis a vis a background about which they were already well informed. What of Soman Mehta? Sonam, a Canadian, was born in Apapa, lagos, where she spent the first seven years of her life before leaving for Toronto, Ontario, where she resides today. Even in her home country, Sonam still ‘feels’ Nigerian with Daud, Nkiru and Ogo helping her out in her pharmacy profession. These ones could not have been able to guide this writer on his mission to the city reputed for its collection of monuments that earned it the title of World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985. Help, I thought, could only come from Brazilians on how to go about my mission, but even that prospect was not being threatened, thanks to language bar rier. However, out of the blue emerged Francois Due, who

A structure at the Historical Centre found me out in my confused state. I was in company of two Peruvian ladies who themselves were seeking direction from an equally uninformed me, who was only better off by the abridged map of Salvador I had picked up at the Rodoviario (bus station) on arriving in the Bahia State capital a few days earlier. As I tried to share the little information I had with the ladies, approached Due, who looked to be in his late 6os. “Hello, you are from which cou ntry? I ca n see you are not a Brazilian. If you dress like a Brazilian or even walk like one when you are not, I will know,” he said. A Swiss tells of Nigerian Civil War After telling him I was from Nigeria, Due opened up: “I know Lagos. I saw Sapele being destroyed during the Biafran wa r. That was in 1969, I was a sailor then. I am from Switzerland, my wife is Hindu from Brazil and I have been living in this cou ntry for 23 yea rs,” he retorted. And the name of his ship? “MES Malaya,” Due replied. To say I was excited would be an understatement as I had hoped to rely on him for much information on my mission to the city. But as I tried to engage him further, he dropped the bombshell: “Sony, I am a very busy man,” and then

Tribune editor, Wale Emosu (second left) with the Said sisters — Zeyana (left) and Jemila (middle) with their relatives at the Pelourinho. disappeared into his gems shop. However, before he left me to my fate, Due, who refused his photograph to be taken, handed me a lifeline: “There are no African influences here, but a reconstituted Africa.” Centro Historico A simple explanation of Due’s suggests that the presence of African peculiarities in Bahia (and by extensio n, the whole of Brazil) goes beyond mere traits (carried from that continent by those who were taken as slaves hundreds of years back into Brazil). The African essence, rather, has found home in a nother environment which now defines its world view. My encounters with these people took

place at different locations at the Centro Historico (Historic Centre), said to play a major role during the Portuguese colonial period. Being the first slave market on the South American continent, Salvador was the destination of most African slaves who were brought to work on sugar planta tions. The city was also the first capital of Brazil (1549-1763). At the Centro Histori co is a place called Pelourinho Arena (the word ‘pelourinho’ mea ns pillory), where slaves were always disciplined back in the clay. However, that same spot is known as Independence Arena and it is the choice ven ue for a lot of activities today. The whole area of the Centro Historico,

Continues on pg9

specialfeatures

Monday, 12 October, 2015

‘I saw Sapele being destroyed in 1969’

Continued from pg8

which covers an expa nse of land on which are still standing historical structures like churches, cafes, restaura nts a nd shops, is referred to sometimes as the Pelourinho beyond the point the slaves were subject eel to in those days. The slaves practically left their mark in the sands of time and this bears witness to the rigorous tasks they were made to ca rry out. The land sur face of the Centro Historico is paved with rocks - the handiwork of the slaves. The fact that rocks are still so deep in the earth shows the high quality of the work clone by hundreds of slaves on it. The labour of these slaves could, how ever, have been consigned to history. Sunday Tl’ibune was told the story of how a n attempt on this was halted. Alhaji Misbah udeen Oyewale Akanni is the liaison officer in Bahia State attached to the Nigeria n Embassy and he has been living in Brazil for over 20 years. Accord ing to him, at a time the rocks were going to be removed on the order of a director in charge of the department of cultme. Why? Alhaji Akanni added that the girlfriend of the director had come visiting him from Sao Paulo and the lady, who wore a pair of tiny high heel shoes to the Centro His torico, fell because of the uneven surface of the paved ground. For this reason the director felt that all the rocks should be removed. Then stepped in Antonio Carlos Peixoto de Magalhaes, the Bahia State governor, who not only stopped what he was said to have seen as an attempt to destroy a heritage, he also sent the director packing. Magalhaes died in July 2007. Back to Due’s wholesale statement, how true is it? Social linguistics teaches that language yields to the environment and reacts to same in evetyday use. This is apatt from the dynamic aspect of lan guage which overhauls it overtime. It is no surprise then that the African languages as ‘exported’ to Brazil by the slaves clm ing the colonial era have undergone some changes distinct from the way they are de is profound and unquestionable. Accordployed back “home”. ing to the man christened ‘Oluwafemi’ by Ayo Olayanju Aya nwale, former liaison Yoruba language in Brazil officer of the Nigeria Cultural House in However, to Adeyinka Adewole, Execu Salvador, he only studied architecture tive Director, Instituto Cultural e Linguis “just to show my family that I was doing tica Africana, Salvador, a Nigerian who something.” relocated to Brazil in 2008, some Brazil He talked about the influence of the ian speakers of Yoruba plainly manifest Arab o n the Yoruba language; how they er rors. He gives his instance. “When they co ntributed the diacritic mark to it, want to greet in Yoruba language here, adding that “Yoruba was just oral bethey say ‘e ka ka karo’, instead of ‘e kaa- fore the Arab began to write it.” Neither ro’. But Denilson Oluwafemi (born Denil was he oblivious of the tra nsformason Jose Sa ntana), a Bahiana (Brazilian tion ofYoruba language in 1852 by Ajayi from Bahia who believes he has his origin Crowther. “Before Crowther, Yoruba in Africa), disagrees, saying the fact that language was written by the Arabic there are differences in the way a particu people,” he said. lar language is used in a particular com Some noticeable differences between munity as opposed to the way the same the Yoruba language a nd the way it is language functions in another does not spoken in Brazil today include the ormea n that they are errors. thographic representation of ‘s’ as ‘x’ in According to Santana Denilson Oluwa the Brazil variation. So ‘Sango’ is writfemi who teaches Yoruba to beginners, ten as ‘Xango’; ‘n’ being represented “We just have variations, different ways, as ‘m ‘, as in ‘Osun’ written as ‘Ox um’. different meanings but the same language. Despite these orthographic differences, Nigeria is different and Bahia is different, they phonetically align with the wa y we have a kind of linguistic variation.” they are pronounced in Yoruba land. Denilson may have never been to Nige The voiceless velar sound /k/ in the ria, but his knowledge of the Yoruba lan sta ndard Yoruba language as spoken in guage will certainly dwarf that of many Nigeria today is orthographically reprepresent-day Yoruba person who looks sented as ‘c’ in the Brazilian version of down on his/her mother tongue. the Yoruba la nguage. As an instance, Denilson’s love of the Yoruba language the / k/ sound in a word like akara

Denilson Oluwafemi, an Afro-Brazillian

Some books being used by Oluwafemi to teach Yoruba to his students Alhaji Olawale Akanni Nigeria’s liaison officer in Bahia State.

Yam tubers and wraps of akasa (eko) on sale in Salvador.

(bean cake) as written by the Yoruba in Nigeria is represented as ‘c’ in the Brazilia n Yoruba orthogra phy. The difference does not end there; the word akara is acaraje in the Brazilia n version of the language. Brazil’s acaraje and ahara “Proof of the pudding is in the eating,” goes an English saying. The evidence of the acaraje,for me, too, must be in its consumption. The purchase of a piece of acaraje from Sheila at the Centro Historico left me in no doubt that it is same kind of akara fried with palm oil in Nigeria. In fact the taste took me down memory lane to the Foko a rea of Ibadan, where as a young boy, on his way back from his f ather’s electrical parts shop at Agbeni almost every evening, I must savour akara kengbe fried in palm oil. You ca n just imagine the taste a nd texture of the Brazilian acaraje in that light. But why acaraje, Alhaji Akanni gave an explanation: “According to a research we carried out, they wanted to say it is akm•a egbe, but beca use they had difficulty in pronouncing ‘gbe’, they substituted it with ‘je’. Like the Europeans came to Nigeria and they could not pronounce ‘Igbo’ and they said ‘Ibo’. The difference between akara a nd acaraje is that while the fo rmer is

not sold with any accompaniment, in Brazil acaraje is something of a burger - sliced and stuffed with shrimps, okro, halfground fried pepper a nd what they call vatapa.The buyer has the discretion to turn down the addition of any of these. For my taste bud not to play a f ast one on me, I had to wait till the following day to ha ve a taste of what they call abara in Brazil, but which in truth, as it turned out, is not different from what is kn own as moinmoin in Nigeria. Traditionally, the abara is wra pped in banana leaf unlike the special leaf used for the same purpose in Nigeria. The serving also goes with accompa niments. But some now use foil paper commo nly used to wrap cake to prepare the abara. As explained again by Alhaji Akanni, the name abara is from the Ju kun people traditionally found in Taraba, Nasarawa, Benne, Plateau, Adamawa and Gombe states in Nigeria a nd the north-west of Cameroon. There is also akasa (pronounced akasan) - a proof of the sustained nasalised vowel in the Yoruba va riation spoken in Brazil. Akasa is the solid pap wrapped in leaf known as eko in Yoruba la nd. Perhaps, just perhaps, it could have derived its name from the measurement of quantity as used in Yoruba land- akasu eko -a wrap of eko.

businessnews

Monday, 12 October, 2015

Nigerian Tribune

Dangote commissions $600m cement plant in Tanzania AyomideOwonibiOdekanyinLagos

angote Cement, one of Africa’s largest cement manufacturers, has commissioned a $600 million cement factory in Tanzania, bringing to 11 the number of cement factories the company recently commissioned in Africa. Speaking at the commissioning of the cement plant at the weekend, President of Dangote Cement, Aliko Dangote, pointed out that the key factor that drives investments in an economy is the presence of an investor-friendly business climate. He further pointed out that Tanzania was one of the most attractive investment destinations in Africa. “This is attested to by the substantial amount of foreign direct investments (FDI) that flows into the country, annually,” Dangote said, adding that the economic reforms in Tanzania, especially in tax, public sector, financial sector, innovations in rural finance, telecommunications and infrastructure as well as revamped legislative frameworks, had produced an enabling environment that had further provided a platform for future growth. “The Tanzanian economy has been growing rapidly over the last few years. GDP growth rates have averaged 7 per cent per annum,” he said. Speaking on the reason for the investment, Dangote pointed out that the construction sector was a major emerging component of the Tanzanian economy that had been

receiving the attention of investors. “This makes it an ideal market for cement production. The existing cement manufacturers have historically been unable to satisfy local demand, which has been filled by

imports. As essential economy-driven infrastructure continues to be built to improve electricity supply and the transport network, additional demand for cement can be expected. “The Dangote Cement investment (as has been

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has urged members of the National Assembly to act fast on the recentlyreleased ministerial list, noting that the absence of ministers in the past few months had created huge vacuum in the governance process. The chamber, in a communiqué signed by its Director-General, Muda Yusuf, stated that the need to rev up the engine of governance at the cen-

that our $600million investment in Tanzania will further speed up infrastructural development and complement the government’s efforts in stimulating economic growth and creating jobs for the people,” he said.

He also added that Dangote plans to commission some other African plants in Senegal and South Africa. Also speaking at the commissioning the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, reiterated his country’s drive to boost economic growth by providing incentives to encourage investment.

NIPC, border agency collaborate on investment opportunities Gbola Subair-Abuja

From left, President, Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote; President, United Republic of Tanzania, Dr Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete and Kaduna State governor, representative of Nigeria President, Mallam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai, during the plant tour at the commissioning of a new three million metric tonnes per annum Dangote Cement Tanzania Plant and groundbreaking ceremony of the Jetty at Mgao Village, Mtwara, Tanzania, on Saturday.

BoI empowers rural dwellers with 24KW solar system Gbola Subair-Abuja

Bank of Industry (BoI), at the weekend, put smiles in the faces of thousands of rural dwellers with the installation of 24KW microgrid solar solution at IdiIta/Onibambu community in Ife North Local Government of Osun State. Managing Director, BoI, Mr Rasheed Olaoluwa, speaking during the commissioning of the project disclosed that the N44 million rural electrification

project being financed by the bank in conjunction with the United Nations Development Programme, would provide electricity to over 200 homes not connected to national grid. Apart from the bid to replicate this off-grid solar system in four other locations across the country in the next few months, Olaoluwa added that the target of the development finance institution was to install solar systems in

Expedite action on ministerial list, LCCI urges National Assembly Akin Adewakun-lagos

the case in Ethiopia, Cameroon and Zambia) will certainly contribute to Tanzania’s ongoing story of infrastructure development, job creation and broad economic development,” he said. “It is our sincere belief

tre had become imperative so as to facilitate delivery of value to the people. While commending the Federal Government for the introduction of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), the chamber believes that besides reducing leakages of government revenue, the policy would also go a long way in improving the fiscal stability of the government at all levels. The chamber, however, stressed the need to put in place a framework that

would ensue that the operations of the incomegenerating ministries, agencies and departments of government were not crippled, as evident in such agencies’ present inability to pay its contractors and clients. “Evidence of these is beginning to manifest in some of the government agencies as the day to day operations of some of them are already being affected. Financial obligations to suppliers and contractors are not being met for instance.”

100,000 homes in the next five years. Mr Olaoluwa noted that benefiting communities would be required to pay a token for electricity consumed, unlike the old system in which payment was by fiat. He said: “We want our rural communities to take control of their energy generation and to pay for only the energy used. Our medium term vision is to have 100,000 homes installed with solar systems in the next five years through a combination of microgrid and stand-alone solar home systems. “This is essentially a programme aimed at poverty alleviation and rural economic development, and we are ready to partner with the state government and other stakeholders to replicate this project being commissioned at Idi-Ita/ Onibambu in other communities within the state. According to him, with the solar system, each home would have sufficient solar electricity to power three LED light bulbs, one electric fan, one radio/television set and mobile phone charging. The BoI boss said the

model being employed was a commercially sound model for delivering power to Nigerian rural homes at affordable rates, to provide a long term alternative to the problematic national grid. Explaining the vision behind the rural electrification project, the bank MD said, “The vision was informed by a study of development over several centuries. Up to 200 years ago, there was no national grid. The first electricity grid was established in New York in 1882. Based on discussion in global energy circle, it is obvious that the current configuration of the national grid is not sustainable not only in Nigeria, but also on a global scale. “With this solar system, the children of these two communities can read late in the night if they want, they can play and basically enjoy the good things of life. And we are hoping that first, this can help to further develop the communities, and we can begin to see a slowdown in rural urban migration. This is the sort of impact that we seek to make at the Bank of Industry.”

The Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) has promised to work in close collaboration with Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA) to attract investments into the border communities in the country in order to develop and provide them with social amenities. Executive Secretary of NIPC, Mrs Aisha Baba, who received in audience the Executive Secretary of the agency, Numoipre Wills, in her office, pledged to use the LAKAJI Development Projects being piloted by NEXTT and The United States Agency for International Development Nigeria (USAID NIGERIA) to bring beneficial investments into the border communities along the corridors. The USAID NIGERIA, in collaboration with NIPC, is currently implementing the Nigeria Expanded Trade and Transport (NEXTT) project which is expected to promote investments, trade, and the economic well-being of Nigerians. The project is an integrated approach to economically develop the Lagos - Kano – Jibiya corridor of eight contiguous states by promoting investments in agribusiness, advocating for business friendly policies along the corridor, and supporting the development of infrastructure along the corridor. She stated that the commission was determined through its mandate of promoting and attracting investments into the country to ensure that beneficial investments are brought into the country in order to create wealth and generate employment for Nigerians and also develop the communities.

businessnews

Monday, 12 October, 2015

NNPC remits $607.8m to FAAC as crude proceeds —Reports OlatundeDodondawa-Lagos

he Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has remitted a total of $607.8 million into the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) so far in 2015 from sales of oil and gas exports. According to monthly report by the corporation, a further breakdown indicated that the total export crude oil and gas receipt for the period from January to August, 2015, was $3.420 billion. The reports stated that out of the total receipts, the sum of $0.61 billion was remitted to Federation Account as dollar proceeds while the balance of $2.815 billion was used to fund the JV Cash Call for the period. The report noted that the receipts witnessed a sharp decline of more than 67 per cent from September 2014, when the receipt was at its peak to July, 2015 with dire consequences to the Federation Account. The NNPC informed that the continued decline in oil price led to insufficient cash available to meet monthly JV Cash Calls obligations of about $615.8 million as appropriated by the National Assembly. “To mitigate this effect, NNPC was compelled to sweep all the export receipt to JV Cash Call funding implying a zero dollar proceed remittance to the Federation Account since the month of April 2015. “The sum of N723.82 billion for Domestic Crude Oil and Gas Sales proceeds has been paid

to the Federation Account from January to August 2015 as Naira proceeds,” the report stated. The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, stated that the monthly report was in line with the earlier pledge of the Group Managing Director (GMD), Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, to open up the books of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation for public scrutiny. “The Management of the Corporation under the

leadership of Dr. Ibe Kachikwu over the weekend commenced the monthly publication of its provisional financial and operational reports. “The publication which is available on the Corporation’s official website provides an overview of NNPC’s operations across the oil and gas value chain (Upstream, Midstream & Downstream) as well as NNPC’s agency function on behalf of Government of the Federation from the period January to Au-

graphs and charts, the report vividly throws light into aspects of NNPC’s operations that were once described as ‘opaque’. “Issues like the status of the once misunderstand JP Morgan Foreign account, management and custody of revenue from crude oil sales, actual production capacity of the refineries, dollar accruals to NNPC/FGN from export crude oil and gas, as well as receipts & payments are laid bare,” he stated.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Babachir David Lawal (right), listening to explanations on the use of TRUSCAN, on-the-spot drug testing device, from the Director General of National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr Paul Orhii during a courtesy visit on him, recently.

SA Insurance records N1.4bn profit Gbemi Solaja-Lagos

Standard Alliance Insurance Plc said it recorded N1.4 billion underwriting profit in its 2014 financial statements against

N 1 billion posted the previous year. Speaking at the company’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Lagos last week, the chairman, SA Insurance, Mr Domi-

Longe is new PenOp chairman The Managing Director, AIICO Pension Managers Limited, Mr Eguarekhide Longe, has emerged as the new Chairman of the Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria (PenOp). Longe was elected into the position at the association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Lagos and takes over from the Managing Director of Legacy Pension Limited, Misbahu Yola, who held the position for two years. He has over 20 years of experience in the capital market, spanning Stock broking, asset management and investment banking, hands-on and senior management experience in setting up processes, developing operations/systems, strategy and business and

gust 2015. “Specifically, the report provides detailed and unprecedented statistical insight into crucial aspects of the Corporation’s activities ranging from National Crude Oil & Natural Gas Production, Lifting and Utilization; Refineries Plants Operations; and Petroleum Product Supply & Distribution to NNPC Budget Performance Report and Federation Crude Oil & Gas Revenue. “Illustrated with tables,

product development. Prior to his appointment as Managing Director of AIICO Pension Managers Limited, Eguarekhide worked at Diamond Capital & Financial Markets Limited (subsidiary of Diamond Bank Plc) as the Head of the Asset Management division. He was also for three years the MD/CEO of Kakawa Asset Management Limited from 2005 to 2008. He has held senior management positions in leading dealing member firms of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, and worked in Pension Management and Venture Capital environments at Shell Trustees Nigeria Limited (now Shell Closed Pension Fund Administrators) and First Funds Limited, respectively.

Eguarekhide holds a B.Sc. in Political Science from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria (1986) and an MBA from IESE Business School, University of Navarra, Barcelona, Spain (2002). He is a Fellow of the

nic Oneya, hinted that the firm made a gross premium of N4.33 billion in 2014 against N3.78 billion posted in 2013 financial year. He pointed out that the firm made a loss of N1.9 billion as against N240 million in 2013, according to him, the rise in loss recorded was occasioned by impairment provisions on assets as well as share of losses at the firm’s associate company. He, however, assured the shareholders that the firm

would continue to take advantage of the positive business atmosphere from the No Premium No Cover principle and other available opportunities. Similarly, the Group Managing Director, SA, Mr Bode Akinboye, said against the background of the firm’s performance in 2014, the management had embarked on transformation agenda that would focus the firm’s strategy and match same with sufficient capital injection.

Airtel hosts ‘premier’ customers in P/Harcourt DapoFalade-PortHarcourt

AS part of efforts to further deepen its commitment to customers, one of the leading telecoms services provider, Airtel Nigeria, hosted an exclusive business forum for its ‘premier’ customers in Port Harcourt, at the weekend. ‘Airtel Premier’ is a special V-VIP programme specifically designed to offer exceptional and per-

sonalised services to distinguished personalities on the network. The forum, designed as an interactive business session, created a relaxed ambience for discussion and at the same time availed the customers the opportunity to understand the various innovative offerings of the telecommunication company. Speaking at the ‘Premier customer night’, Chief

Sales Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Godfrey Urhobo, said the package was in demonstration of the company’s commitment to taking the art of customer service, service excellence and customer experience to a new height. According to him, customers who enroll on the Airtel Premier platform would enjoy several benefits, including dedicated helpline, exclusive emails and website.

Nigerian Tribune

IEC spends over N11m on repair, update of vandalised installations —MD The Ikeja Electric Company, Lagos, said on Sunday that it spent over N11 million in 18 months on the repair and upgrade of its installations that were damaged by vandals. A statement issued by the company’s Managing Director, Mr Abiodun Ajifowobaje, also said that the company lost huge revenue through meter bypassing involving more than 75,000 customers. It said that the customers had not paid their electricity bills for months. The statement urged its ``esteemed customers`` to be part of continuing efforts to safeguard the company’s installations in their neighbourhoods. It said that they could do that by reporting the activities of ``vandals and saboteurs`` to law enforcement agencies or the Ikeja Electric business offices. The managing director said in the statement, however, that the company had since received the backing of various security agencies who had expressed the commitment to checking the activities of vandals through arrest and prosecution. The MD added that the company was currently installing advanced pre-paid meters across its network in line with its commitment to serving its customers well. According to the statement, the company’s advanced meters, meter application forms and installation services were free of charge. The statement said that eight persons had been arrested for allegedly tampering with meters installed by the company’s Abule-Egba and Ikorodu business units. ``The illegal action, widely referred to as ‘meter bypass’, involves deliberate manipulation of meter installations to circumvent appropriate payment for energy consumed,’’ it said. The statement explained that the suspects were arrested by the men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps and mobile policemen on October 6 and October 9 following a complaint by the company. ``Investigations are ongoing to ensure that the suspects are made to face the wrath of the law along with their collaborators who are believed to be part of a notorious syndicate,’’ the statement added.

business

Monday, 12 October, 2015

Nigerian Tribune

daily summary (equities) for friday, 9 OCTOBER, 2015

Monday, 12 October, 2015

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Monday, 12 October, 2015

50TH GOLDEN JUBILEE OF NIGERIA EVANGELICAL FELLOWSHIP (NEF) HELD AT SHAO, KWARA STATE

7 1. Former Chairman, NEF and chairman, Association of Evangelical in Africa (AEA), Reverend (Dr.) Wilson Badejo, making his remarks during the Golden Jubilee Conference, held at Shao, Kwara State. 2. His Excellency, Executive Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji (Dr.) Abdulfatah Ahmed, welcoming NEF officials during their courtesy visit. 3. Chairman, Nigeria Evangelical Fellowship (NEF), Reverend (Dr.) Dachollom Datiri (third right) planting of Jubilee Tree and General Secretary, NEF, Reverend Ezekiel Bogunjoko (second right) while the others look on. 4. Chairman, Golden Jubilee Planning Committee, Reverend Samuel Obaniyi, introducing members of Nigeria Evangelical Fellowship (NEF) at the Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office, Ilorin, Kwara State.

5. His Excellency, Executive Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji (Dr.) Abdulfatah Ahmed (sixth right) flanked by Nigeria Evangelical Fellowship officials during their courtesy visit to the Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office. 6. Presentation of meritorious award by Reverend Dr. Aiah Foday-Khabenje to the Former General Secretary, NEF, Reverend Dr. Julius Adegbola. 7. Distribution of book project to the participants (the evangelists) during the conference. 8. From left, Inspector Sunday Olaseinde; Evangelist Ayo Adejumo; Evangelist Babatunde Akogun; Evangelist Mike Adeyemi; Reverend Samuel Obaniyi; Reverend Ezekiel Bogunjoko; Reverend Moses Owojaye, and Elder Lanre Adekeye during the conference.

news

Monday, 12 October, 2015

No division in PDP fold —BoT scribe Adelowo Oladipo-Minna

HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has insisted there is neither faction nor division in the party, either at the states or national level, as being insinuated in certain quarters, adding that the party is working assiduously for victory in the forthcoming elections in parts of the country. The Secretary of the party’s Board of Trustees (BOT), Senator Jibrin Wali stated this at the weekend, during the kick-off of the forthcoming Local Government election campaign and presentation of certificates and the party’s flag to the 25 local government chairmanship candidates in the state. Wali said that the BOT, NWC and Caucus of PDP are united and are jointly working hard for the vic-

tory of the party in the future elections across the country while calling for unity of purpose by members of the party and its supporters alike. He however, warned members of the party not to give room for factions within its fold as being perpetuated by enemies of the party. Wali stated further that it is only PDP that considers every state and each geo-political zones of the country for fair sharing of both the party and the government’s position with a view to ensuring justice and fairness to every parts of the nation.

The BoT Scribe added that the former ruling party had always preached peaceful coexistence and preached against hatred or abusive campaigns while calling for support of former Niger State governor, Abdulkadir Abdullahi Kure who has belief in the success of the party in the forthcoming local government election in Niger State. Meanwhile, former Governor Abdulkadir Kure, who was the chairman of the occasion, stated that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was yet to wake up from its slumber that it is now the

party in power in some states and at the centre, following their persistent calls for change. Kure boasted that the PDP will soon wrestle power from APC without much delay, while assuring that he is prepared to give financial and moral support to the party before, during and after the forthcoming elections with the view to ensure victory at the polls. He insisted that there is no faction in the Niger State chapter of the party, saying that what happened in the past was over, stressing that members of the party are now

more united for the progress of the party. The erstwhile governor of Niger State assured that the PDP will bounce back to power with the unity presently been exhibited which must be sustained with patience. He called for prayer for the present administration in the country to overcome insurgency. Also a former deputy governor in the State, Dr Nuhu Zagbayi, faulted the recent nomination of the immediate past deputy governor, Ahmed Musa Ibeto as ministernominee.

Kogi youths back Wada/ Awoniyi ticket Yinka Oladoyinbo-Lokoja

THE National Coalition of Ebira/Okun/Lokoja/Koton Youth for Good Governance has backed the second term ambition of the Kogi State governor, Captain Idris Wada and his deputy, Yomi Awoniyi, urging the people to reelect the duo. The group said there was the need for the people of the state, socio-cultural groups, labour unions, professionals, artisans and teachers to support the governor to enable him complete the transformation agenda he had started. The coordinator of the coalition, Zaccheaus Michael, told newsmen in Lokoja, on Saturday that members of the coalition from the Central and Western senatorial district of the state were behind the governor. Michael explained that as critical stakeholders in the state, the youth owe it a duty to make their position known on the election and candidates presented by the parties, adding that, “We have taken our time to look at all candidates contesting governorship election, their antecedents, their conducts in public and private life, the manifestos of their parties and programme, all have been subjected to through screening. “The coalition discovered that the people appreciated development in agricultural sector, including empowerment programme, free health care for rural dwellers and want all sustained and improved upon.”

From left, Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele, Mavin Records’ artistes; Korede Bello and Di’ja and a gospel singer, Sammie Okposo, at the Glo Slide n Bounce concert held at Surulere, Lagos, on Saturday.

I won’t drag any Kogi indigene before EFCC, ICPC —Audu Yinka Oladoyinbo-Lokoja

THE governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State, Abubakar Audu has promised not to drag any indigene of the state before the anti graft agencies in the country, if re-elected as governor.

He said his renewed bid to become the governor of the state was not based on vengeance mission as he was being accused in some quarters. Audu, who was addressing a crowd of supporters in Lokoja, the state capital, said he would not take any step that would disgrace

anybody that had served the state in whatever capacity. According to the former governor, while receiving some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who defected to the APC, including a former governorship aspirant of the PDP, Alhaji Jurin Isa,

Wada pledges more support for communities Yinka Oladoyinbo-Lokoja

THE Kogi State governor, Captain Idris Wada, has said his administration would continue to support those communities that have made development as their priority in the state. The governor stated this at the first anniversary of the presentation of the staff of office to the Elegbe of Egbe, Oba Ayodele Irukera and the 2015 Egbe Unity Day, held at Egbe, Yagba West local government area of the state. Wada, who spoke through the Deputy Gov-

ernor, Yomi Awoniyi, commended the initiative of the people to build a town hall, construct access roads, sink boreholes, and the construction of an administrative building as well as the laying of foundation of the residential buildings and Palace Primary School in the town. He lauded the people for their sense of unity, industry and self development, saying government would not relent in supporting communities with people oriented programmes like Egbe community. While noting that the

return to site by the contractor handling the Kabba-Egbe-Ilorin road, has topped the agenda of the present administration, he appealed to the people to persevere a little and allow the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari settle down and enable the contractor return to site. Wada assured that his administration had made efforts in providing water, roads, electricity and good healthcare facilities to the people of Egbe, promising to do more for the area, within the available resources.

he said, “I want to assure everybody in the state that I am not coming for vengeance, I leave vengeance to God. I will never disgrace any son or daughter of Kogi because I am governor. I won’t take any son or daughter of Kogi to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and I will not report any of our people to the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).” Audu also assured workers in the state of prompt payment of their salaries, saying the era of paying percentages of salary would be over with his election as the governor of the state. He said he was on a rescue mission to salvage the state, promising to ensure that the youths of the state are gainfully employed. The APC candidate also promised to be the first governor to ensure that power shift from the eastern senatorial district of the state to other parts.

We are willing to give more to our alma mater —WESCOSA president By Victor Ogunyinka And Blessing Obuaku

THE president of Wesley College Old Students Association (WESCOSA), Class of ’95, Mr Folarin Adesemowo, has expressed that “we are willing and ready to give much more to the school that made us.” Adesemowo made this statement during the commissioning of the renovated chemistry laboratory of the school, which had past and present students of the institution in attendance, adding that, “We are setting an example which we hope many stakeholders will follow.” While presenting his speech, the principal, Mr Kunle Adeosun enthused that WESCOSA had been a partner in progress with the state government in maintaining conducive environment for teaching and learning, stressing that the body has been contributing in no small measure to the development of its alma mater. The Permanent Secretary, Oyo State Ministry of Education, Mrs Aderonke Makanjuola, while commending the efforts of the old students, explained that the education sector is one opened to all, explaining that the government would continuing to explore means of improving the sector.

Kogi receives relief materials for flood victims Yinka Oladoyinbo-Lokoja

KOGI State government said one of the construction companies operating in the country, CGC Construction Limited had donated relief materials for victims of flood disaster in the state. The items received include 113 bags of rice, 300 cartons of Indomie noodles, 30 bags of flour, 20 barrel of oil and 10 bags of sugar as relief materials to assist those displaced by this year’s flood in the state. The state deputy governor and chairman Kogi State Flood Management, Yomi Awoniyi, who stated this while receiving the materials, described the gesture as the first assistance the flood victims in the state would be receiving. He also commended the construction company for its kind gesture of ameliorating the sufferings of the victims.

16 news

Monday, 12 October, 2015

Tanzania election: Jonathan getting his deserved recognition —Fayose

House felicitates with Fayose on one-year in office, students hail him over restoration of electricity Sam Nwaoko - Ado Ekiti

OVERNOR Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State on Sunday hailed the appointment of former President Goodluck Jonathan as the leader of a 33-nation observer mission to the October 25, 2015 general election to be held in Tanzania.

A government statement on Sunday, made available to newsmen in Ado Ekiti, described the appointment of Jonathan as “a global recognition of the former president’s democratic credentials.” Fayose said “Jonathan’s appointment to lead the Commonwealth observer team, comprising of 33 countries, is recognition

of his remarkable role in the last presidential election, in which he conceded defeat, thereby saving Nigeria from catastrophe that even the international community thought would befall the country.” Fayose who spoke through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said “Jonathan

should be celebrated and I am happy that the world is beginning to give him the deserved recognition and celebration less than five months that he left office.” Meanwhile, the Ekiti State House of Assembly has congratulated Governor Fayose on the occasion of his one year in office, stating that he should be more resolute in taking the

Osun State governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola (second left), with the chairman, Committee on the Apportionment of Net Revenue Accruing from Federation Accounts and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to the state, Comrade Hassan Sunmonu (right), deputy governor, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori (left) and others, during the official inauguration of the committee, at the Governor’s Office, Osogbo, at the weekend.

Adamawa election tribunal: My case was struck out on technical ground —Mustapha Maigari Kabeer Gwangwazo - Yola

Honourable Mustapha Maigari, a two-term member of the Adamawa State House of Assembly, last Wednesday, told newsmen in Yola that his case at the Adamawa State House of Assembly Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja was struck out on technical ground. It will be recalled that Mustapha had dragged Honourable Mohammed Hayatu Atiku, member representing Uba/Gaya state constituency in Hong Local Government Area to the tribunal over eligibility to contest the 2015 state assembly election. He also joined INEC and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the petition. He claimed that Mr Hayyatu Mohammed Atiku who was declared winner presented a fake certificate of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. Justice Anthony Onovo led tribunal struck out the case on grounds of not including the issue of nullification and conducting a

fresh election. He said that the petitioner did not seek for a fresh election in his prayer before the tribunal and that the tribunal would not act as a Father Christmas. Maigari added that the

Deputy Registrar of ABU, Zaria appeared before the tribunal and testified that the certificate presented to INEC by Mr Atiku was not from ABU, but rather forged. In a related development, Dr Raymond Chidama,

candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for Uba/Gaya House of Assembly State Constituency in Hong Local Government Area has rejected the judgment of the election petition tribunal.

Bridge gap between people, political system, Babalola tells politicians By Nurudeen Alimi

POLITICIANS have been urged to coordinate power and politics to harness the potentials of the country to drive development. A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwart in Oyo State and governorship aspirant in the 2015 election, Mr Femi Babalola (Jogor), made the observation during the 50th anniversary lecture he delivered at the Department of Nursing, University of Ibadan, last week. He said that a wide gap existed between Nigeria’s vast population and the political system which he noted stalled socio-economic

development in the country, hence, the need for politicians to bridge the gap. In the lecture entitled: Population, Power and Politics: Necessary tools for development, Babalola noted that the Nigeria population was not as productive as those of China and India because power and politics have not been brought to bear on the population, adding that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration should fashion an alchemy that would make population, power and politics facilitate development of the country. He identified absence of population strategy, lack of

functional education, poor political leadership, politicisation of population and poor patriotic motivation of Nigerians as reasons why Nigeria population is not driving development as in the case of China and India. “The Federal Government should have clear population strategy and decides what size of population the country really needs to translate development. The country needs not to live up to the projection that its population would surpass that of the United States in 2035 when in land mass and resources Nigeria is not up to the US,” he cautioned.”

state out of the woods in the years ahead. Speaker of the House, Honourable Kola Oluwawole, said “this occasion calls for thanks to the Almighty God. With the enthronement of Governor Fayose, He (God) provided the golden opportunity to save the state from imminent collapse.” Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Chief Olugboyega Aribisogan, also called on the people to continue to support and be patient with the government, adding that the process of returning the state to a strong footing cannot but be with sacrifices. Students in Ekiti State University (EKSU), AdoEkiti, also expressed their appreciation to the state governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, over yesterday’s restoration of electricity supply to Iworoko-Ekiti, where majority of the students reside.

Aregbesola appoints veteran labour leader chairman revenue allocation committee Oluwole Ige - Osogbo

Osun State governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, has appointed veteran labour leader and onetime Secretary-General of the Organisation of African Trade Unions (OATU), Comrade Hassan Sunmonu, as the chairman of the committee of government and labour to oversee allocation of state’s revenue for payment of salaries, as well for effective running of government. The committee is specifically for the apportionment of net revenue accruing from the Federation Account and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). Inaugurating the committee in his office, Aregbesola stated that the committee, in a transparent manner, would apportion all funds accruing to the state government to take care of salaries, pensions and other critical expenditure of government, stressing that the birth of such committee was long overdue having suggested the idea in the wake of the clamour for minimum wage which pitched workers against their state governments.

Tope Agbeyo bags Outstanding Philanthropic Achievement award By Emmanuel Ajibulu

CHIEF Executive Officer (CEO) of Cornfield Transnational Limited, a parent company to Media Concept International and Botosoft Technologies, Mr Tope Agbeyo, would be among notable personalities to be honoured at the 10th anniversary of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), South-West Zone, scheduled for the Lead City University, Ibadan, Oyo State on October 14. Mr Agbeyo earned himself this unique award from NAPPS as a result of his outstanding contributions to the growth and development of education in Nigeria and also through his philanthropic nature of assisting brilliant but indigent students who had lost hope in fulfilling their academic dreams. His empowerment programmes for senior citizens and other vulnerable groups in the society also counted. A statement obtained from NAPPS’s Public Relations Officer, South-West zone, Joshua Owolabi, reads: ‘’Over the years, we have watched with keen interest your antecedence in the philanthropic activities that span through the areas of education, social scheme for underprivileged and have therefore come to the conclusion that your activities deserve some recognition and thus conferring on you the award, ‘Outstanding Philanthropic Achievement’.’’ Owolabi while explaining the significance of NAPPS said the association represented well over 60,000 proprietors of private schools in the South-West Nigeria alone. He also stated that the anniversary would be used to unveil some of the association’s projects such as the proposed secretariat building in Ibadan. However, it will be recalled that Cornfield Transnational Limited innovated Candidates Identity Verification, Attendance, Malpractice and Post Examinations Management Systems (CIVAMPEMS), an ICTdriven device to checkmate exam malpractice.

Mr Tope Agbeyo

INSIDE LAGOS

Monday, 12 October, 2015

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Alaba Igbaroola: 08155975474

1. From left, Director, Information and Technology and Mobile, Samsung Electronics, Mr. Emmanouil Revmatas; Managing Director, Mr. Brovo Kim; Samsung Ambassador, Bankole Wellington ‘Banky W’; Marketing Manager, Miss Jumoke Okikiotu and Business Development Director, Mr. Daesong Ra, both of Samsung Information, Technology and Mobile West Africa at the launch of Samsung Galaxy Note 5 held on Wednesday in Lagos. 2. Hon Desmond Elliort, lawmaker representing Surulere Constituency 1; Marketing Manager, Guilder, Life,33, more and Stout category, Mr Emmanuel Agu; winner of brand new car in the Ultimate Promo Organised by Guilder, Chukwuoti Gift Chibueze during presentation of the car for the Guilder Promo Portharcourt Zone held at Nigerian Breweries bar, Iganmu, Lagos. 3. From left, member, Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN), Professor Lilian Salami, President, Dr Ngozi Nnam and the Senior Brand Manager, Maltina, Mr Adewole Adedeji, at the Nutrition Society of Nigeria Presentation of Endorsement Certificate to Maltina, during the opening session of the 45th annual general meeting and scientific conference 2015.

sylvester okoruwa: 08115708541

4. From left, Ifeoma Okoye, Public Affairs Manager, Lagos and West, Nigeria Bottling Company Ltd.; Funke Felix-Adejumo, Senior Pastor, Agape Christian Ministries; Bisi Ibitayo, guest speaker; and Nkiru Olumide-Ojo, Head, Marketing and Communication, Stanbic IBTC Holdings, during the body, Soul and Spirit 2015 in Lagos, recently. 5. From left, Special Adviser on Media to NIPR President, Dr (Mrs) Grace Achum, President, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Dr Rotimi Oladele and Chief of Staff, NIPR President, Mr Willy Ogbidi, during the presidential press media briefing on NIPR forthcoming activities at Yellow Cili Restaurant, Jeol Ogunnaike, Ikeja GRA, Lagos on Sunday. 6. From left, Mr Sidney Ogodo, Registrar/Chief Executive Officer, National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN); Mr Ganiyu Koledoye, President & Chairman, NIMN and Dr Ify Uraih, Chairman, Body of Fellows, NIMN, during a press briefing on opinion polls coming up in Bayelsa State, organised by NIMN, held on Monday, at institute’s corporate office, Shangisha, Lagos.

18 LETTERS TO THE

Monday, 12 October, 2015

editor

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

The president as petroleum minister

OLLOWING the appointment of himself as the Minister of Petroleum on Tuesday, September 29, 2015 in New York, USA, President Muhammadu Buhari has cast doubters of his anti-corruption stance into their early grave. I think this has been the best decision taken so far by this administration because of the sensitivity attached to the said ministry. It has been earlier insinuated in some quarters that PMB was going to appoint himself as Petroleum Minister as he had headed this same ministry in 1978. With this his vast experience in the oil sector coupled with his personality as a non-corrupt man, his integrity will be of a great help in eradicating corruption and total eclipse of corrupt individuals

who have been feeding fat on the nation’s economy. The ministry have been involved in a lot of corruption scandals in recent times and I think by ap-

pointing himself as petroleum minister, he will be able to monitor directly without the interference or report from a minis-

ter, about happenings in the ministry. Indeed the change is beckoning, for at least the oil sector. It is hoped that at the end of the four-year ten-

ure of this administration, Nigerians will know how the system in the oil sector works, so that future ministers will not en-

gage in fraud.

himself; he rode on the support of certain people. I, however, hope that the ministers will give their

best. •Yakub Aishat, Kaduna, Kaduna State.

•Olawale M. Oladoyin, Gbongan, Osun State.

Now that we know the ministers AFTER about four months, Nigerians have finally known those who will constitute the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari. I hope the ministers will put in their best so that the good plans of the president for the country can come into fruition. Having said this, I think we are still being ruled by those who have been in the system since 1999. With the exception of one or two of the ministers, Nigerians know the antecedents of the rest; we know what they did while they were in positions of

authority. I wouldn’t want to go into the details of some of these ministers, but I believe they are just

the ‘best’ people available to the president. President Buhari didn’t attain the top job all by

Supporting govt to win fight against corruption THE manner in which the government is fighting corruption, which has become a social malady among the people in the country, deserves commendation by all and sundry who cherish good governance. Many things have gone wrong in this country, and it is so unfortunate that those handling insti-

tutions that will put the society aright are also involved in this corruption. It is a good thing that President Muhammadu Buhari, since inauguration, has shown that he will tackle corruption, which is the biggest problem impeding this country’s growth. It is, therefore, the responsibility of all to en-

sure that we cooperate with government, both the Federal and state, in order to tackle corruption in the country. I am also happy with the renewed vigour in which our anti-corruption agen-

cies have been working since the coming on board of President Buhari. •Ola-Olaniyi Bamgbola, Agbeni Quarters, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Towards funding the local govts more Research has shown that about 70 per cent of the entire population of Nigeria live in rural areas. As a result, if the government must get to these rural dwellers, it must be through the local government of that area. Therefore, for all representative governments to be maintained, the local government must not be toiled with. It is worthy to note that if the policies and programmes of the government must be properly executed, the federal government through the state government must adequately fund local governments. It is very disheartening that in Nigeria, the power of the local government in the overall development of the country is underestimated .Local government workers are starved for months and even when payment is made, it is usually not complete. When asked why workers’ salaries are not paid, all you hear from the mouth of the local government executives is that they have not received their grant. Any government that wants to be successful and have the support of the masses must not

take the local dwellers for granted. Most of these local government workers are old men and women who most times depend on their salary for livelihood. I want to use this opportunity to appeal to the present government to take into cognizance the local dwellers by adequately funding local governments who in turn will find out the needs of these people and to some extent solve it. The local government is the government closest to these local dwellers and they look forward to seeing their wishes granted. Conclusively, I also urge the government at the top to ensure that the fund being allocated to the local government are effectively used to the benefit of the people and not used for the selfish gain of the top officers .This could be done by setting up committees to oversee the effective management and use of the grant allocated to the local government. •Chinweokwu Ugwuanyi, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

editorial

Monday, 12 October, 2015

Nigerian Tribune

The Hajj tragedy

y now thousands of Nigerians who went for this year’s pilgrimage to the holy land in Saudi Arabia must have returned, but the excitement of making it back home into the waiting hands of their loved ones surely belies the sad events that happened while there. As of the last count, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) gave the figures of Nigerian casualties as 355, out of which 99 died. The unfortunate stampede resulting in this number during the ‘stoning of the devil’ ritual which led to the death of almost a thousand pilgrims in all is yet another reminder of the need to have very strong and stringent measures for crowd control during the hajj operations in order to prevent such avoidable disasters. It has to be remembered that there had been such occurrences in the past and the expectation was that with the efforts of the Saudi authorities in upgrading infrastructure needed for hajj operations, a permanent solution would have been found to this problem. It is, therefore, regrettable that many lives would still be lost this year on account of the problem associated with managing the pilgrims. Indeed, even before the tragic stampede, more than a hundred pilgrims had died when a construction crane at the Grand Mosque collapsed, and there were more reported deaths through fire incidents at some of the hajj camps. Evidently, these were signs that should have sensitised the Saudi authorities to the need to be upscale about their plans and approach to managing the hajj operations in order to be on top of all the problems normally experienced. Unfortunately, it must be said that apparently the right lessons were not learnt or internalised enough or that appropriate steps and efforts were not deployed on the basis of the lessons learnt, resulting in the current tragedy. It has been said in hushed tones that perhaps African pilgrims are to blame for the stampede and the deaths resulting therefrom, but this would be to go before the fact, as the Saudi authorities have made it clear that the they are currently conducting a comprehensive investigation into the incident and it would be against logic to pretend to know anything conclusive before the outcome of the investigation is known. To be sure, however, some Nigerian pilgrims who witnessed the stampede have made it clear that there was no deliberate action by any group of African pilgrims to impede the arrangements for the ‘stoning of the devil’ ritual

that could have caused or resulted in the stampede. Rather, they were of the opinion that the stampede resulted majorly from the action of some pilgrims who were returning from performing the said ritual not being prevented from taking the same route as those just going for the same ritual. Making sure that all pilgrims follow the arrangement in place for this aspect of the hajj would and should be the responsibility of the Saudi authorities, such that not following the arrangement should be because of lax enforcement of the rules and arrangements on their part. Indeed, to the extent that hajj operations take place under the sovereign powers of Saudi Arabia, it should be its responsibility to account for all arrangements for the smooth and peaceful running of the hajj operations. In any case, Saudi Arabia announces and manages arrangements for the hajj operations and it should be assumed that it would only announce arrangements that it has the capacity to manage successfully. We nonetheless recognise that managing the influx of more than two million people for the hajj is not a simple operation. Undoubtedly, it is a tasking responsibility that would demand the best from the Saudi authorities. This is a responsibility that could require the authorities to learn from the experiences of others who have had to cope with managing such huge crowds and sourcing for new and creative ways to go about accomplishing this. Perhaps the Saudi authorities would also have to come to terms with the complex nature of its millions of visitors and be able to enter into meaningful discussion with countries providing more of the pilgrims in order to be able to jointly manage them better while in the Holy Land. There would be the need for a more comprehensive review of the hajj operations to ensure better management of the pilgrims such that activities are spaced out to make sure that pilgrims could attend to different rituals at different times, and when it is impossible to space out, measures are put in place to stringently manage and control the crowd. The deaths put a damp and tragic mien on the otherwise holy fare of the hajj operations and it would be hugely important for the Saudi authorities to work hard to ensure a hitch-free hajj operations in the future for the sake of its own image and for the integrity of the holy pilgrimage.

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opinion

Monday, 12 October, 2015

Lasisi Olagunju Lasgunju@yahoo.com (08111813053)

do not have any problem declaring that I am excited by two of the 21 names submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari for ministerial appointments. One of them is Mrs Amina Mohammed. The other is Dr Kayode Fayemi. I do not have any problem seeing them clearly as the stellar oasis in the unfortunate desert we are willingly drifting towards. I have followed this Fulani woman, Amina, who enjoys calling herself “aje butter” from her days as Special Adviser on MDGs to President Olusegun Obasanjo. Beautiful, bold, elegant in gait and language, she carries herself with very uncommon self confidence. Amina speaks the language of service and she is easily seen as an agent of change. But she appears not favoured by the political establishment in her chosen state of Kaduna where all manners of opposition has risen against her nomination. The case against her is that she is not originally from that state. But where is her husband from? I see her really as a citizen of Nigeria. She is not the usual girl from the north with all the inhibitions. Anyone who cares should just find out why both Presidents Umaru YarAdua and Goodluck Jonathan retained her and why the United Nations Secretary General, Ban-ki Moon picked her as his Special Adviser. I pray the senate gives President Muhammadu Buhari the grace of having her in his cabinet. I’m also interested in Dr Kayode Fayemi, gentleman, mercurial, intellectual, deep and cosmopolitan. I have always been interested in him since our paths crossed some six years ago. It was nice reading his home governor and his arch political rival, grassrooter Ayodele Fayose asking his senators to support his nomination. A statement has been made with that. You can see that between Fayemi and Amina Mohammed, it is different strokes when it comes to home support. Beyond these persons, I am also interested in one particular condition set by the senators for the nominees to be cleared: They must present their Asset Dec-

Senators and Buhari’s ministers of interest

laration forms. Now, at what point should one declare one’s assets? I find this very curious because what the constitution demand is for anyone elected or appointed into office to declare their assets before they start performing the functions of their office. Do you declare your assets before you are screened and cleared? Did the senators declare their own assets before they were inaugurated? It will be interesting having informed answers to these questions. It will also be interesting to see what our would-be ministers have in the Asset Declaration forms. Before that, will it not be nice to ask our senators to post their own asset declaration forms on the official website of the National Assembly since they have made this all important form a pass for the nominees? Again, you and I should be further enlightened if we have access to the forms as filled by our lords. We will, at least, know that unlike what President Buhari’s men gave us, the Code of Conduct Bureau’s Form CCB1 has no place for “home” as an item of interest in the possessions of public officers. It clearly asked for the “total number “ of “ buildings.” So, unlike what the president

gave us, Nigerians would know the number of buildings in the “homes” our senators and ministers keep. Again, unlike what the president gave us, the Form CCB1, demands more than the cash in bank office holders have. It, in specific terms, asks for: Name of bank, branch/address, account number, amount in the account and source of the money. Now, that our senators are asking our ministers to bring the forms, we should look forward to seeing these. We will see more in the forms if we insist that everyone from the president to his appointees, to our powerful senators post their forms on their offices official websites. We will see that it is not enough for our president and our senators and our ministers and governors and all to simply tell us what they want us to know about their possessions. We will see that the law demands that they also declare in their form “ properties of spouses if not public officers.” We will also know that the law goes beyond these to demand that “ properties of children under 18 years of age” be declared by the public official. Now, have you read or hear anything about these information from our President Buhari or your governor or your senator as they fight corruption and enthrone transparency and accountability? Senators are demanding asset declaration forms from minister nominees. Have you seen your senator’s own form anywhere? But it is good they have come up with this ingenuity. Should we not applaud our senators for making this demand which is asking us to wake up and ask the right questions on the right issues? Should we not deepen the discourse and expand the narrative the senators have started with this Code of Conduct form condition from minister-nominees by asking the physician to first heal himself? Or should we- you and Ijust be content with the contaminated milk of untruth, half truth and blatant lies we are served as transparency dishes?

Avoidable threats of nomadic herdsmen By Olukayode Oyeleye

That Chief Olu Falae was abducted and later released after a number of days could no longer be regarded as news. What could be news are the undercurrents that are either directly or remotely associated with the ugly incident, which may rear their heads, a consequence of trends which, over the years, have remained unchecked but now have matured to high level of criminality. Nigerians are no stranger to recurrent rankling, animosity and disagreements between crop farmers and Fulani herdsmen in various parts of the country, particularly in the middle belt, eastern and western parts. Fundamentally, Chief Olu Falae’s case with the herdsmen did not seem any different from the experiences of other farmers elsewhere. What was different was the calibre of personality the abductors chose to take this time around. Another thing that might be considered different was probably that Chief Falae had had some disagreement with them some months earlier, and probably did it where and when the abductors considered inconvenient to carry out their barbaric act. The argument here is not about the relative importance of the victim of these lawless herdsmen’s deplorable activities. What is of concern is the freedom without law, which is being displayed at will by the abductors. This is licence, which may graduate into anarchy. And an urgent remedial action needs to be fashioned out very quickly to avoid a snowballing of a societal ill that has negative and destructive social, political and economic implications. The abduction of Falae, the circumstance of his abduction and the fact that ransom had to be paid before his release send ominous signals to the whole of Nigeria. And this cannot be ignored or wished away. There is no better time to put an end to the assaults of the herdsmen in the farming communities all over Nigeria than at this point. While the relevance of these herdsmen is not in dispute with respect to their involvement in cattle rearing, modern civilisation has rendered their approach obsolete and proved that they no longer have the exclusive preserve of cattle production. In fact, cattle can be more productively produced without going through

the detrimental movements that have now become a recurring decimal. From a purely environmental perspective, nomadic lifestyle offends the environment in a number of ways. It presupposes that no one is in control and any part of the country can be subjected to incursion by grazing men and their animals at will. In addition to the herdsmen from various parts of Nigeria moving across the country with their herds, hundreds of others move into Nigeria from other neighbouring countries of Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Benin and even Burkina Faso. There are suspicions that some might even be making incursion from further afield. This is not acceptable under a modern condition. A situation that tends to lend a semblance of legal leeway to nomadic lifestyle or tries to sustain it is the old-fashioned grazing routes that - in practice - have no respect for political boundaries as grazing animals and their shepherd can cross from one state to another unhindered. To underscore the reality that such routes are not subjected to any periodic reviews, many of those in official gazette some three decades ago on old maps are now within or parts of growing towns and cities. Even at that, those nomads from within and outside Nigeria are currently unaware of routes in official gazette. They go places at will, to the detriment of hapless crop farmers. The designation of grazing reserves also deserves a critical review as those so designated in the past were merely outlined or demarcated as specific land areas without keen thoughts or practical actions to develop such for sustainable grazing purposes. Accordingly, the animal rearers show no reason to resort to such places, especially

as those became forests of trees rather than grasslands in many cases. Even those that remained grasslands did not grow the types of grass preferable to grazing animals. In the past, a lot of public funds and financial resources went down the drain under this contraption that served no real purpose. The sacking of many villages, killing of many innocent people in reprisals often carried out in the nights by the herdsmen, pose great social security risk. It was reported that the assailant herdsmen are moving from the use of bows and arrows to sophisticated ammunition, such as AK-47. Tracking them after nocturnal attacks has proven elusive in many of the reported cases. Yet the nomadic movement of cattle entails crossing state boundaries, entering school premises, hospital premises, industrial environment and major highways. And, whoever confronts them either got killed or maimed. Of particular concern is the conduct of the herdsmen while taking their animals across major highways. This has led to many fatal accidents with the loss of many precious lives. Apart from Jigawa State, under Governor Sule Lamido, I hear of no other state that designated transit routes which are different from highways. In other states, major highways are essentially the transit routes for nomadic herdsmen and their cattle, sheep and goats. Yet, the mostly avoidable accidents resulting from the use of highways for grazing animals continue. That nomadic cattle rearing is not befitting of the contemporary Nigeria cannot be disputed. While some might argue that this is the way of life of the herdsmen, the issues of their infringement on others people’s space pose great constraints to the continued relevance of these worn-out and outmoded ways of animal rearing. Nothing confers such unfettered freedom on them under a modern civilisation. And, where their rights end, those of others begin. We are told that these herdsmen sometimes rob, rape, abduct or kill their victims. Where these nomads commit such atrocities, the fluid nature of their movement makes it difficult to track them down and subject them to the law. They therefore commit crimes and flee to other places, thus escaping the consequences of their actions. •oyeleye sent this piece via oyeson2@yahoo. co.uk

Monday, 12 October, 2015

Nigerian Tribune

Group Business Editor

tribune

business

Sulaimon Olanrewaju

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

CBN and its many battles

President Buhari By Isiaka Oyetunji

gainst the expectations of doomsday pundits to the Emefiele led-Central Bank of Nigeria monetary policy interventions as a result of the perennial deep plunge in global oil prices, the measures so far taken have been rather salutary given the nod from reliable, dependable and reputable ratings agencies, Standards & Poor and Fitch. These world-class rating agencies have given their support to the bold move by the CBN to contain the grave consequences of the effect of the oil price dip on the Nigerian economy. The effectiveness and successes so far recorded contrast the painted gloomy scenario that may have played out had the CBN yielded to the ‘satanic’ prescription by the JP Morgan and its collaborators in western media to devalue the Naira. The refusal by the CBN to further devalue as canvassed have attracted opprobrium from so called ‘economic experts’ and ‘market analysts’ - local and foreign, who have insisted that the policy will further stifle the already traumatised economy. It was gladdening therefore to read from the reputable rating agencies giving the Nigeria economy as currently driven a clean bill of health. Acknowledging the initial reaction of the market to the JP Morgan’s delisting of Nigeria from its Government Bond Index, the rating agen-

Emefiele, CBN gov cies noted that, though the country’s financial system is currently challenged, the economy is still strong and resilient with greater potential for growth. This is warming as it portends that investors can transact businesses with ease and minimal risk. Standards & Poor rated Nigeria B+ with stable outlook, while Fitch Ratings confirmed Nigeria’s long term local and foreign currency Issuer Default Rating (IDRs) at BB- and BB to affirm that the nation’s financial system is stable and its economic outlook largely positive. This contrasted Emefiele’s acerbic critics who painted a gloomy picture. Also heartwarming, is the news from Reuters, few days ago, that, despite the JP Morgan’s action, some Nigerian firms have taken over almost half of the country’s bond listed on the JP Morgan emerging markets bond index (GBI-EM). It must be noted that the decision by the commercial bank – JP Morgan was simply self-serving. Their perception of the nature and peculiarities of the Nigeria economy was warped and purely uninformed. Their lopsided view was defined by the institution’s profit interest of promoting and protecting its investor’s portfolio – the fair-weather investors who never pretended to have entrenched interest in the Nigerian economy. No wonder, they left their core business concern to delve into issues of foreign exchange speculation. What could be more of an authentic

assessment and verdict on Nigeria’s economic outlook than those of reputable rating agencies – Standards & Poor and Fitch Ratings? No nation will pander to the whims or dictate of an ‘over-rated’ commercial bank to the detriment of the welfare of its citizens. Agreed that there would be capital flight, the amount may not be as much as it is being bandied. The ‘stubborn’ disposition of the CBN Governor not to yield to the prediction of economic Armageddon by further devaluation of the Naira is commendable. The expectation of JP Morgan and its doomsday prophets have not manifested, as the economy has remained strong and virile. Though there was initial panic by market watchers immediately after the announcement, but few days later the capital market rebounded. It is as much that the executive support for the ‘stubborn’ disposition of Emefiele which came from the nation’s number one citizen – President Muhammadu Buhari was seen by not a few Nigerians as not only comforting but strategic. He gave official seal to CBN’s decision not to devalue the Naira again. President Buhari’s support further emboldens the management of the CBN to stick to full implementation of its monetary policy interventions. Had the CBN succumbed to the whims of these neocolonialists tendencies and allow full devaluation of the Naira, the resultant grave effects it would have had on the masses

would have been unimaginable as inflation rates would have risen, further impoverishing the citizens. The CBN, few days ago also received another support on its interventionist drive from the nation’s number two man – Vice President Yemi Oshinbajo, assuring Nigerians and investors that the measures taken by the CBN is temporary and as soon as the objective of the restriction is achieved, the sub-sector will regain its normalcy. Globally no nation can do it all alone. We need development partners, not economic predators. Quite disheartening is that local collaborators of these neo-colonial agencies are not patriotic enough to read in between the lines the evil intention of JP Morgan and its ilk. Some captains of industry and chieftains of organized private sector, particularly, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industries (LCCI) have been vociferous and unrelenting in criticizing the CBN forex restriction policy. They are of the view that the policy is killing local manufacturers. Is this not laughable? The CBN policy is aimed at protecting local investors, urging Nigerians to look inward and protect their own. Create jobs and wealth, not to impoverish the economy. Make Naira stronger and competitive, not to devalue. Regulate the forex market to check currency speculators and traffickers. We know their antics, but this time around, Nigeria says no to agents of dehumanization. Not minding the shallowness and selfish arguments canvased by the economic detractors, economic indices show that policies so far initiated by the CBN are working and the reason the round trippers, the speculators do not want to go down without a fight. With the unbiased positive assessment of the economy by these two notable rating agencies – Standards & Poor and Fitch, JP Morgan and its cohort should know that Nigeria’s economy is peculiar with its rare fundamentals as rightly capture by the ratings agencies. Let the JP Morgan face its business and not delve into national economic management of other nations. They should stop misinforming the financial world about the Nigerian economy with their warped selfish assessment, corrupted by their business interest. The detractors may also note that, the Standards & Poor and Fitch Ratings have given a brighter and promising picture of the Nigeria economy which despite the challenge caused by the volatility in oil prices and slowed economic growth, the economy is set for a rebound in 2016 and may remain robust till 2017. It is expected that with the unveiling of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s economic blueprint which will complement Mr. Emefiele’s effort that Nigeria will once again experience a stronger and resilient economy. Isiaka Oyetunji, banker wrote in from Ilorin, Kwara State.

tribunebusiness Six cardinal ‘sins’ affecting ATM accessibility in Nigeria 22

Monday, 12 October, 2015

By Austin Okere

‘

auchi Deputy Governor Can’t Access Cash At ATMs,’ the headline screamed on July 1 2015. Apparently, there was no money in any of the three ATMs that the Deputy Governor tried, just to access N20k, according to a statement by the Permanent Secretary, Rabi’u Bello. This is indeed a sad commentary for banks in Nigeria, especially against the backdrop of the recent NOIpolls on Bank Financial Channels in the country, which revealed that ATMs were the most visible proceed of the banking sector reforms to Nigerians. According to the survey, of all the bank channels, customers used ATMs 68% of the time compared to just 6% for Internet Banking and 6% for Point of Sale terminals (PoS) respectively, with most customers using the ATMs more than once a week. The ATM has assumed great importance as the barometer of a bank’s brand as far as customers are concerned. It is therefore difficult to phantom why banks have not taken advantage of this ubiquitous channel to enhance their brand value and gain customer loyalty. Given that my company is an active player in the industry as a Value Added Reseller of Wincor-Nixdorf ATMs, I feel obligated to disclose my interest; but it is this same vantage position that affords me the insight to comment on this passionate issue bedeviling Nigeria’s bank customers. In my view, the unavailability of banks’ ATM are predicated on six cardinal sins namely; suboptimal support strategy, low spread, low penetration, old systems, dirty and mutilated currency notes, and techies running the show instead of business savvy personnel. The major culprit of ATM unavailability is the suboptimal support strategy of most banks. They are suboptimal because they usually fall on the sword of ‘penny wise and pound foolish’. Consider the following scenarios; a situation where by merely installing appropriate monitoring tools provided by the manufacturers, ATMs can be remotely diagnosed and most times proactively, before a fault occurs. In this situation, the fault can be trapped and fixed before it occurs, or in the case where a fault has occurred, the engineer appears at the site with the appropriate spare part, rather than make two trips, one to diagnose and the second to carry the right spare part to fix the problem. By saving on the investment on the monitoring tool, the bank is losing much more on the opportunity cost of unearned fees and more importantly, on brand impairment. Most banks opt out of weekend support for ATMs in order to save support money. This is akin to cutting down on cleaning at the cinemas at the weekends. This is just so counter-intuitive. During the week, the ATM infrastructure benefits from the widespread support from the branches where they are located. The bank’s custodians ensure that the surround environment such as power and networks links are available, and any cash jam or out of service issue is quickly resolved or escalated to the support company. It is during the weekend when that support structure is unavailable that ATM attendance is most required. And it is precisely this critical period that banks chooses not to support their ATMs in order to save cost. What ostensibly happens is that ATMs breakdown as they are opt to do, being mostly mechanical devices, and there is no opportunity for any call-out to repair

Austin Okere them. The ATM faults are piled up and reported en-block to the support company first thing on Monday morning, but they become overwhelmed because this bucks the trend of faults forecast under normal circumstances for which they would have been prepared. Being saddled with a ton of faulty ATMs simultaneously is not normal and inadvertently results in shortages of ATM Spares and long wait times. To compound issues, the banks typically do not make it easy for the support partners to have spares on hand by, insisting on maintenance payment in arrears. Maintenance payments in advance will greatly help sufficient spares procurement and readiness to attend to faults on time. Another ‘catch 22’ situation in the support strategy relates to access of the ATMs for maintenance purposes during the weekend, in the few cases where banks have signed for weekend support. There is the dilemma of having the two people who each have an access key for the ATM, to both be on site, as the keys are simultaneously required to open the ATM from a security perspective. Many of the custodians live very far from the ATMs which keys have been entrusted to them, and so there is an inherent wait time for them to make the long journey to the ATM to open it for the support personnel to have access for repairs, or even for cash loading in the case of cash out. It may be expedi-

ent to zone ATM keys to custodians who live close to the particular ATMs, or make adequate alternate arrangements. The second cardinal sin is the poor distribution of ATMs across the country, with most of them concentrated around the 5,000 odd bank branches. Going by the statistics of the CBN that there are 12,000 ATMs in Nigeria, and following the trend of at least two ATMs per branch, leaves only 2,000 ATMs to be distributed across all the other locations requiring cash dispensing in Nigeria. Typically, ATMs should be liberally placed around high footfall areas such as malls, markets, petrol stations, etc. The realities of distributing only 2,000 ATMs across all these areas are quite stark, not enough to go round. Barely enough to provide two ATMs each, for our 774 local government areas. And this leads to the third cardinal sin, low penetration of ATMs where they exist. The story was told around Christmas of 2013, where the only ATMs that seemed to be working on the whole Gbagadaaxis were the couple at the Charlie Boy Bus stop. Of course the queue had built up to the extent that faint hearted customers rather opted to go without cash than risk the possible consequences of a stampede. The problem could be solved by providing appropriate number of ATMs per location based on a study of the queues. If the intention is to keep the customers from crowding the banking halls, it seems to

Nigerian Tribune

me a circular argument bickering about the ATM and support costs, because this has to be compared against the cost of a bigger branch and more tellers, with their attendant salaries and benefits should the customers be compelled to go into a branch for lack of adequate ATM channels. The ATM penetration in Nigeria is about 11.4 ATMs per 100k adult population. Comparatively, Indonesia’s penetration of about 37 ATMs per 100k adult populationisover three times that of Nigeria. South Africa has 60 ATMs per 100k adult population, while the UK has 124 ATMs per 100k adult population The fourth cardinal sin is over-flogging the ATM well past its ‘use by’ date. Many senior bank officials will typically have their official cars changed after every four years (the ATMs are much less than half of the costs of the status cars of the banks’ middle management staff), yet even where statistics show that the cost of repair of a consistently failing old ATM is unsustainable and will be cheaper to replace, there is a deep reluctance to do so. This could perhaps be because the support partners aren’t given the opportunity of slab pricing, where they charge a higher support premium for very old systems. In the end, every shortcut gradually catches up with us. The system is just not able to perform the function for which it was procured, and the customers bear the brunch. The fifth cardinal sin is loading the ATM cassettes with currency notes not fit for that purpose. While it is understandable that it is not possible to always have crisp notes in the ATM, every effort should be made to sort and aerate the notes going into the ATM to ensure that that they are fit for purpose, and do not cause cash jams, which throw the ATM out of service, notwithstanding the amount of cash in it. It is common knowledge that bank staff and their friends do somehow find crisp notes for ‘spraying’ at social functions at the weekends. These are the kind of notes that should be loaded into the ATMs and not the unfit ones that will quickly fill the ‘reject bin’ and render the ATM out of service. The sixth cardinal sin which is not limited to banks; it is the common mistake of promoting techies out of their area of competence and comfort to business managers. Techies should have their own growth tracks and should aspire to the highest specialist positions where they can continue to usefully contribute to the organisation. Having said so, I have seen techies who have imbibed deep management skills and made the cross from the technical line to the business line. These are indeed rare breeds, whose background in both technology and business help them to make better managers. But having pure techies run important businesses such as ensuring that the over 76 million Nigerian bank customers consistently have ATM availability, and the managerial intricacies that this will demand, is not fair to them, or to the customers. In today’s’ cashless Nigeria, e-banking is going to be the key to the success or failure of a bank, based on her ability to retain customers. The need for this critical division to be appropriately manned cannot be overemphasized. If we get this right, then the deputy governor and indeed every bank customer will have the true benefit of the use of their ATM cards. Austin Okere is the Founder of CWG Plc and Entrepreneur in Residence at CBS, New York.

Nigerian Tribune

Monday, 12 October, 2015

+ entrepreneurship 5 reasons entrepreneurs should travel the world RUTH OLUROUNBI, who was on a just concluded week-long tour of Kenya, on the bill of the national carrier, Kenyan Airways, writes on why entrepreneurs should travel the world. This article is not about my exciting trips in the beautiful countryside of Kenya, neither is it about my impression of the country, its cities, people and their ways of life. If you’re interested in that, I invite you to check #RuthToursKenya on your social media feeds, something to hold you over as I write a full page report of my story. This article is about why it is important even for entrepreneurs to travel the world.

s every entrepreneur knows the fact that business owners need to keep abreast of trends in their sector. As someone who sets up a business or businesses, taking on financial risks in the hope of profit, it is expected of an entrepreneur to not only be informed about the happenings in his/her industry, such an entrepreneur needs to have a global perspective. This is why drawing from shared experience from entrepreneurs who are on the tour of Kenya with me, I am putting together six reasons every entrepreneur should travel the world. Awareness Awareness, “the state or condition of being aware, having knowledge, consciousness,” according to Cambridge English Dictionary, could be emotional, mental, physical and environmental, and these levels of awareness should be mastered by an entrepreneur who intends to be successful; and what way to achieve awareness if not through travels? Travelling afford entrepreneurs the opportunity to see the world from a different perspective, to view the market they operate in from a different viewpoint. Solomon Awe, founder and Managing Director (MD), Jireh Travels, a travel company based in Abuja, Nigeria, sharing from his experience of several decades in the travel industry and travelling himself as an entrepreneur, said business success requires an entrepreneur’s total concentration and focus, thus he recommends that small business owners who cannot afford traveling the world just yet could travel locally, learning one or two things along the way. Many people who travel have said that they attain a level of self-awareness, as well as other level of consciousness, which could be helpful to your business. Joel Brown, CEO and Founder of Addicted2Success.com, says that lurking behind random experiences from travelling “are business ideas.” Continues on pg25

anchor Ruth Olurounbi

m:0811 695 4637 e:ruth.olurounbi@tribuneonlineng.com t:@Olurounbi

INSIDE

Starting an airport taxi business is “doable”?

5 years ago he hated his job, now he’s a billionaire

+ entrepreneurship Monday, 12 October, 2015

5 years ago he hated his 6 considerations when thinking of selling your business job, now he’s a billionaire By Nellie Akalp, CEO, CorpNet.com

Companies are sold for many reasons: founders break up or burn out; investors force a sale; money runs out or sometimes the dollar signs are just too attractive to ignore. When my college boyfriend (now husband) and I launched our first business out of law school, we weren’t necessarily thinking about our exit plan. But fast-forward less than a decade later, and we found ourselves approached by Intuit. The money the company offered to buy our business was too good to pass up, so we sold. If you’ve been approached to sell your business or are considering looking for buyers, it’s an exciting time. Incredible opportunity, both personal and professional, can come from a sale. But you’ve also got to be prepared for what lies ahead. Based on our experience, here are six things I tell any business owner who is thinking of selling his or her business.

5 reasons entrepreneurs should travel the world Continues from pg23

New ideas An experience comes to mind when talking about new ideas. As we sat to dinner on our last day of the tour, on a beautiful Tamarind Dhow, an authentic traditional Arab sailing boat, formerly used for cargo trading along the Kenyan Coast and to the Arab States and completely refurbished as floating restaurant, I saw as several solutions were being offered to a rather previously thorny issues some business owners on the boat had. From those solutions were new ideas that an hotelier swore would change his business forever. Networking, opportunities and connections From travelling, an entrepreneur can get new networking experience, which can turn his/her business around. Business value Learning new things through travelling can influence the way an entrepreneur presents his/her product and/or services consumers. It can also affect, positively, the revenue of the company, as the owner cre-

atively charts new ways to meet consumers’ needs. “A travelling entrepreneur sees the world in a viewfinder. It allows him to enhance his business instincts and form interesting business ideas that go above and beyond what he sees every day. Travelling allows for new experiences, a new take on activities that are often taken for granted back home. An entrepreneur who travels a lot can also see a better way of doing things. This too can become a business framework for your business ventures later on,” Brown once said. Live A burnout entrepreneur can never be an effective and successful entrepreneur. This is why it is recommended that you take a vacation. Granted, working long hours and barely having time to pursue other interests are the hallmark of most entrepreneurs, but this should never be a continuous way of life. Living is about being in the moment, experiencing new things, exhaling and relaxing. A vacation is one of the effective ways to do this. When you come back from your trip, you’re calmer, refreshed and ready to take on the world.

By Jill Murphy Jr

aire.

little over five years ago, Ryan Graves was stuck in a dead-end job. Now he’s a billionaire. Here is how it happened and how his story can inspire you to make great changes in your life.

What happened in between? Of course, there’s more to the story. The short version is that while still working at GE, Graves decided in 2009 to apply for a job at Foursquare. Daily Finance explained: “He spent hours each week cold-calling bars around his adopted home of Chicago, explaining the benefits of Foursquare, showing business owners how the app worked, and encouraging them to sign up. And he didn’t even work for Foursquare.” That’s the kicker: Foursquare didn’t actually hire him. It turned him down, but yet he didn’t let the rejection faze him. Instead, as the story goes, he simply faked working there, and signed up 30 businesses to the company, and then “e-mailed that list of new customers to people connected with Foursquare, including investors.”

The old job It wasn’t terrible, really. It wasn’t as if he were outside in the rain or carrying heaving objects all day, or toiling in a coal mine. Graves was three years out of college, working as a data base administrator for GE Health Care, probably making about $109,000 a year (if the data at GlassDoor is accurate). Still, it was “unglamorous” work, he later recalled, according to Daily Finance. “The corporate career, 20 years in the same company, was not really my thing. I can’t be the GE guy.” The fortunate tweet If the name Ryan Graves sounds familiar, you probably know the most famous part of his story. In 2010, Travis Kalanick, who had just cofounded a company called UberCab, tweeted that he was looking for people to join his team: “Looking 4 entrepreneurial product mgr/biz-dev killer 4 a location based service..pre-launch, BIG equity, big peeps involved--ANY TIPS??” To which Graves replied: “here’s a tip. email me :) graves. ryan[at]gmail.com”. It worked. Graves joined Uber as its first nonfounder employee; in fact, as its first CEO, although he’s since stepped aside for Kalanick. (He’s now senior vice-president of global operations.) More important, perhaps, he’s a billion-

It’s not who you know... Foursquare ultimately brought Graves onboard officially. According to Daily Finance, he was hired outright, but on his LinkedIn profile, Graves said he was a business development intern at the company from October 2009 to January 2010. At the same time, he became a master networker, going to events, but more fortuitously via social media, all of which led to the Kalanick tweet, and his response, and his billion dollars. Do you know another inspiring story like this that I should write about? Let me know, and maybe we’ll explore it in future. This article was found on inc.com

1. Determine if you’re ready Before you begin the process, ask yourself one simple question, “If someone gave me X dollars for my company, would I walk away today?” Your answer will reveal how passionate you still are about your business. If you answered yes without hesitation, then you know you are mentally ready to move on and should seriously consider selling. Keep in mind that some business owners love what they do so much,

no amount of money would entice them to sell -- and that’s OK. 2. Find an advisor you trust. By the time we were approached to sell, my husband and I had become very skilled at running a business, but we were complete amateurs when it came to things such as multiples and determining a valuation. Fortunately, we had a trusted financial advisor to provide an outside perspective on our balance sheet and valuation. Some businesses turn to an investment banker or mergers and acquisitions adviser. You can typically expect to pay a fee of about 1 per cent of the transaction amount here -although exact figures vary. It may seem expensive, but many business owners consider this a sound investment to maximise value, keep the buyer honest and speed up the

Country Manager, Kenya Airways Nigeria, Hafeez Balogun, has told Entrepreneurship+ that the company, which he said was more than a travel vehicle, is committed to promoting and developing SMEs in Nigeria and Africa. Balogun spoke in Kenya at the weekend, during the Kenya familiarisation tour organised by the travel company for travel agents and Nigerian media. Balogun said Kenya is one of the major exporters of flowers to Europe, saying the airline helps the small business owners, who are the major exporters of the said flowers, in ways that are beneficial to them. Supporting SMEs, he said, is not only restricted to Kenya, in which many of its ground handlers are SMEs operators, Nigerian travel agencies run by small business owners are given preference in business slots. Two of the said SMEs were also on the tour of the country. Balogun, while encouraging more small business owners’ participation in the travel and tourism sector across Africa, Nigeria especially, said the company had many incentives to help the SMEs grow. He took the opportunity to invite

more Nigerians to visit Kenya, a country he said “is beautiful and great for many business owners who are looking to shed off some stress.” Balogun gave reasons why it was a good idea to visit Kenya, saying that the country had more than 50 of the world’s most breathtaking national parks, harbours some of Earth’s most threatened wildlife, and a promise of an experience that is not only visually incandescent, but spiritually moving as well. Some of the “exciting places” available for the purpose of detoxing from stress, he said, were: If you have animal lovers in the family, then Kenya is the perfect holiday destination: the equator, where you can stand “with one foot in the southern hemisphere and one foot in the northern hemisphere. Kenya is one of just 13 countries which straddle the equator,” he boasted. He also mentioned the Maasai Mara National Reserve as “world renowned for its huge expanse of open grasslands and its astonishingly large amount of wildlife;” Kilimanjaro, standing at 5,895 metres above sea level and the highest free-standing mountain in the world, as great attraction to Kenya.

‘Kenya Airways helping SMEs’ growth’

negotiation and due-diligence process. 3. Find a buyer who shares your vision After dedicating years of hard work and emotional energy to the business, it’s hard to just turn it over to anyone. This is particularly true if you have employees that will be staying with the business. The easiest way to overcome the twinges of guilt and doubt is to find a buyer who shares your vision, is willing to invest in the business, and has the ideas and resources to take it to the next level. 4. Make sure your books are in order If you think that bankers split ev-

ery hair when evaluating your mortgage or business-loan application, just wait until you’ve got a potential buyer looking at your business. You’ll need an up-to-date balance sheet, quarterly statements and at least two to three years of solid tax returns. The more profitable your tax returns are, the more you can typically get for your business. But this can be tricky, since you probably structured your revenue and expenses to minimize your tax bill each year. In addition, be prepared to answer questions such as how much it costs to acquire a new customer, what’s the average lifetime value of a customer and what’s your market penetration rate, along with details about your back-office infrastructure. 5. Don’t assume anything until the last contract is signed The old saying, “don’t count your chickens before they hatch,” may be cliché, but it’s particularly wise here. In his book Walk Away Wealthy, Mark Tepper shares the story of a small-business owner who thought he had an $11 million deal to sell his company, only to find that the seller completely disappeared at the last minute. In our case, the sale went through but involved more than six months of intense due diligence before Intuit was ready to close the deal. Getting interest, even a signed letter of intent, is a great first step, but

there’s still a long road ahead of you, with many possible outcomes. My advice? Keep your business chugging along as usual until the very last minute.

6. Figure out what’s next When you are in the midst of the process, it’s natural to focus all your emotional energy on closing the deal, and you forget to think about what happens the day after the paperwork is signed. Overnight, everything changes: You suddenly go from having a major mission of growing a business to having no mission at all. In our case, my husband and I both went to work for Intuit after the sale, but we quickly realized there’s a big difference between being a small company and being a small division within a large corporation. Some business owners can make this transition gracefully -- we couldn’t. Think long and hard about what you want to do. If you plan on staying on, make sure you’ll be OK giving up your autonomy. If you don’t plan on sticking around, come up with a game plan for what to do with the cash. For example, you can start a new business, get involved in volunteer work or invest in other entrepreneurs. Just make sure you have a reason to be excited to get out of bed each morning. This article was first published on Entrepreneur.com

Did You Know That... Starting an airport taxi business is “doable”? By Ruth Olurounbi Airport taxi service is one business opportunity that someone interested in going into travel business can look into. Samuel Olawale, a taxi operator at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, says this is a lucrative business most people don’t know about. According to Olawale, after leaving a banking job several years ago, he began researching into areas he can operate in Nigeria’s travel industry, which he said he had always been fascinated with, and found that running taxi service was a good fit for him. Olawale, who is currently looking into how to deliver taxi sharing service for travellers who arrive at the same time and are heading towards a common destination, to share a ride at a lower cost, said the process of getting into the airport taxi service could be tedious, but “really worth it at the end of the day.” He explained that as long as you’re able to get registered with the airport taxi body that oversees

the running of the business, the government and other agencies, you’re half-way covered. The following steps, he said, are necessary for the smooth running of the business. Investing in an affordable car for business is necessary. It is important that the car is clean and neat,

because, according to Olawale, “people will only get into your car if it is attractive.” “Be prepared to get licences, pay your fees and get insurance covering. These fees depend on the type of service you’re involved in,” he said. Insurance coverage is important for any vehicle user. “If you’re interested in running a larger business, you may need to get an office place, hire professional drivers, accountants, as well as business managers. But you’re starting on a smaller scale, one car is enough until you’ve made enough to buy more cars,” he said. Olawale recommended that you start driving the car yourself, as it would save you some money from paying salaries. As exciting as the prospect of starting a taxi service, just as starting any business for that matter, there are some challenges involved in starting up and running this business. Fees and taxes, dishonest drivers, maintenance and repairs, among others, Olawale said, are the top on the list.

Monday, 12 October, 2015

moneymarket

Nigerian Tribune

anchor Chima Nwokoji

m:08032637535 e:chimatitus@yahoo.com

weeklyreview

From left, Registrar/Chief Executive, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Mr ‘Seye Awojobi; Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, First Bank of Nigeria, Mr Bisi Onasanya; first Vice-President, CIBN, Deacon Segun Ajibola; Lord Mayor of the city of London & Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI) chairman, Sir Alderman Alan Yarrow and Director, CISI, Global Business Development, Mr Kevin Moore, at the CIBN Roundtable session on Ethics and Professionalism in Lagos, on Wednesday.

BVN: Banks resolute on denying access to accounts after Oct 31 By Chima Nwokoji

he Bankers’ Committee, an umbrella body of managing directors of deposit money banks in the country and directors of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has called on bank customers who are yet to obtain their Bank Verification Number (BVN) to do so between this period and October 31, 2015 to avoid losing access to accounts. The committee made it clear that it will not extend the deadline after October 31, and will not allow any customer that failed to register to make use of unregistered accounts. Addressing the media in Lagos, Managing Director of Ecobank Nigeria, Mr. Jubril Aku, said the committee, after its review, agreed that the October 31, 2015 deadline is sacrosanct. His words: “ We noted that October 31 is the deadline and we looked at it again that we don’t want what happened the other time where there was a rush

towards the end of the deadline. We want to make sure that we continue to sensitize bank customers so that they would come and do their BVN because there would be no extension. “Once that deadline passes, you will not be able to operate that account. All efforts have been made to ensure that the registration process is seamless for customers to come and obtain their BVN. With 29 days to the deadline, we are reaching out to customers to come and enroll for their BVN because once that deadline passes, you will not be able to operate your account.” Aku further explained that facilities have been made available for Nigerians in diaspora to en-

roll and if they go to the embassy or the branch of any Nigerian bank in their jurisdiction,they would be able to do the registration. “We also have a consultant for those in the diaspora. While it is free at the embassy or the branch of any Nigerian bank, the consultant can do it for a fee. We have seen the progress going on, but we want the customers to know that these deadlines would be enforced. We don’t want five days to the end of the month, we would see the crowd we saw the other time,” he emphasized. In her remark, Director of Banking Supervision, of CBN, Mrs. Agnes Tokunbo Martins, also allayed fears CBN Exchange Rates as at 10/8/2015

Currency US DOLLAR POUNDS STERLING EURO SWISS FRANC WAUA YEN CFA YUAN/RENMINBI

Buying(NGN) 196 299.6644 221.0488 202.0202 275.0506 1.6351 0.3175 30.8458

Central(NGN) 196.5 300.4289 221.6127 202.5356 275.7522 1.6393 0.3275 30.925

Selling(NGN) 197 301.1933 222.1966 203.0509 276.4539 1.6434 0.3375 31.0041

RIYAL DANISH KRONA

52.2625 29.6207

52.3958 29.6962

52.5291 29.7718

SDR

276.164

276.8685

277.573

Government Securities Auction Date

9/2/2015

Security Type

NTB

Tenor

Auction No

03-09-2015-91 Day

Auction

Primary Market

among Nigerians about the state of banks in the country. She said though there have been concerns on how the banking industry has been holding up to the risk in the economy both locally and internationally, the committee was satisfied that the banking industry is safe and sound. “There was also discussion that we need to sustain and continue having the kind of safe and sound banks that we have now. The committee agreed that banks on their own would improve their risk management processes and put sufficient capital to ensure that no matter the risk of the shock that emanate, the banks must be able to bear them”.

FGN Bonds Date of Auction

8/12/2015

7/15/2015

Security Type

FGN Bonds

Tenor Maturing On

5 Year 8/13/2020 8/13/2020

20 Year 7/18/2034 7/18/2034

5 Year 2/13/2020 2/13/2020

20 Year 7/18/2034 7/18/2034

Maturity Date

12/3/2015

Amount Offered (N mn)

Total Subscription

18202.5

Subscriptions (N mn)

88.33

65.16

77.07

42.48

Total Successful

17850.15

Tot. Successful (N mn)

40.00

30.00

28.00

16.00

Range Bid

9.0000 - 14.0000

Range of Bid Rates

12.0000 - 16.5000

14.0000 - 17.2000

12.0000 - 16.7450

14.3000 - 17.0000

Successful Bid Rates

12.0000 - 15.3890

14.0000 - 15.1990

12.0000 - 15.2890

14.3000 - 15.2990

Marginal Rate

15.389

15.199

15.289

15.299

Successful Bid Rates 9.0000 - 10.0000 Description

Issue

Rate

True Yield

10.2557

Net Sales (N mn)

Money Market Review With liquidity opening balance on the first trading day of the week at N314.5billion, the money market remained awash with liquidity last week reaching record highs for the year. This resulted in 1.2 per cent and 1.3 per cent decline in Open Buy Back(OBB) and Overnight(O/N) rates from the previous close to settle at 3.0 per cent and 3.6 per cent respectively on Monday. On Tuesday, liquidity level further improved to about N482.5billion due to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN›s) intervention refund which hit the system after the close of trade on Monday. Thus, money market rates further eased bringing OBB and O/N to 2.4 per cent and 2.9 per cent accordingly. Traders at an investment research and advisory firm, Afrinvest West Africa Limited, said said liquidity however fell to N274.6billion on Wednesday as Deposit money banks move to provide funds for the CBN›s special intervention slated for Friday (9th October, 2015. Notwithstanding, money market rates fell even lower to 1.4 per cent and 2.2 per cent for the OBB and O/N rates respectively due to a Cassh Reserve Requirement (CRR) credit of about N700billion that hit the system on the same day. On Thursday, T-bills maturity of about N137. 1billion hit the system to expand market liquidity to its highest level for the year (over N922.9bn) thus crashing money market rates to 0.7per cent (OBB) and 1.1 per cent (O/N). Average Money market rates declined 3.1 per cent for the OBB and 3.2 per cent for the O/N to1.9 per cent and 2.4 per cent week to date (WTD) respectively. «Performance of the Treasury Bills (T-bill) market last week was very bullish as a lot of buying interest was noticed across all tenor all through the week,» said Afrinvest in a mote to investors. The bullish performance according to dealers was attributable to the robust liquidity levels in the market during the week. As a result, average yield across all instruments declined 2.5 per cent to 12.5 per cent W-o-W. Foreign Exchange Market Review The Apex Bank last week continued to defend its stance on Foreign Exchange (FX ) stating that it is all in a bid to reduce pressures on the Foreign Reserves which has been gravely affected by declining oil price. However, the Governor stated that if demand for foreign currency drops further, then some form of easing of the FX restrictions may be implemented. This view was also further buttressed by the Vice president at a meeting of the Manufacturing Association of Nigeria, where he noted the fact that the restrictions have massively hindered manufacturing activities in the country and has resulted in huge losses, but pointed out that the Federal Government will consider easing some of the restrictions in order to reduce the pressures suffered by manufacturers. Last week Tuesday (29th September, 2015) the CBN Intervention rate slightly moderated to N196.95/ US $ 1.00, but returned to N197.00/US $1.00 on Monday (5th October, 2015) .Similarly in the Interbank market last week, the naira opened at N199.08/US $1.00 but returned to N199.10/US $1.00 on Tuesday and was sustained all through the week. Dealers at Afrinvest noted that pressure however continued to mount at the parallel market, as the naira depreciated from N224.00/ US $1.00 to N225.00/US $1.00 during the week. The depreciation in the value of the naira has continually been attributed to insufficient supply of the foreign currency in the market. Barring any major pronouncement from the CBN this week, dealers expect rate to trade within the current band. Similarly, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested a passenger for attempting to smuggle out 23 wraps containing $34,000 to Brazil. This was contained in a statement issued by the Head, Public Affairs, NDLEA, on Friday in Lagos, Mitchell Ofoyeju.

moneymarket

Monday, 12 October, 2015

Nigerian Tribune

Fayose to commission Sterling Bank’s e-library project

From left, French Ambassador to Nigeria, Denis Guaer; Chairman, UBA Plc, Mr. Tony Elumelu; President of Movement for the Enterprises of France( MEDEF), Mr. Pierre Gattaz; Group Managing Director/CEO, UBA Plc, Mr Phillips Oduoza; and Vice-Chairman, UBA Plc, Ambassador Joe Keshi, at the luncheon organised by UBA for the 50-man French business delegation from MEDEF in Lagos, recently.

Bond yields to remain low as N137.1bn worth OMO maturity boosts liquidity

o l l owin g the N137.1billion worth of Open Market Operation (OMO) maturity expected to add to existing liquidity in the money market, traders have said Nigerian bonds would be attracting lower yields this week. Dealers said injection of cash by the central bank last week from retired Treasury bills, re-

funds from cash reserve requirements (CRR) and foreign exchange intervention funds, had been a liquidity boost in the money market. “In the coming week, we expect the Apex bank to carry out a substantial mop up exercise given the level of liquidity in the system, more so that an OMO maturity worth N137.1billion is expected to hit the system on Thursday, 15th

October, 2015,” dealers at Afrinvest said. Also, domestic investors are expected to remain very active in the market given the sustained bearish state of the equities market for which the fixed income market is considered a safe haven. This is just as the Debt Management Office (DMO) is set to auction a total of N80.0billion in FEB 2020 and MAR 2024

instruments this week Wednesday. The local currency-denominated bonds with a maturity range of between 5-years and 10-years on Oct 14, are expected to remain largely successful at the prevailing market yields given the increased appetite of local fund managers for bonds amidst capital market volatility. “The market is very liquid

with the injection of cash by the central bank, bringing up the banking system cash balance with the central bank to around N1.2 trillion on Friday,” one dealer said. Yields on the benchmark 2024 paper fell sharply to 13.79 percent on Friday from 15.12 percent last week, while the longestdated paper also fell to 14.74 percent against 15.04 percent.

CBN mandates banks to separate abandoned account balances from income The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has mandated Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) that have, in the last 5 years recorded credit balances in dormant accounts as income to reclassify such accounts to deposits not later than six 6 months from October 7,2015. However, such an account shall be recognized as inactive after the first six months of non-depositor or customer originated transaction in it. The apex bank in a circular to all banks and other financial institutions available in its website, described dormant accounts as that which “there has been no customer or depositor-initiated transaction in it for a period of one (1) year after the last customer or depositor-initiated transaction.” When the account becomes dormant, CBN stated, the bank shall institute controls consistent

with its precautionary policies, including surveilance procedures and second level authorization. Banks according to the CBN, shall retain the records of all dormant accounts despite the number of years that the owners did not carry out any transaction on the accounts, “and shall reactivate such accounts upon request by the bona fide account holder or his/her legitimate representatives.” It said that in a situation where any unclaimed funds remain outstanding in the books of the bank beyond six months, the bank shall pool all such funds into a suspense account. “The bank shall warehouse the funds until the beneficiary shows up or the corresponding bank debits its account,” the circular signed by Mr. Kevin Amugo, the CBN’s Director, Financial Policy and Regulation Department read in part.

Contained in a set of new guidelines for the treatment and management of dormant accounts by commercial banks, CBN noted that the aims of the new policy is to ensure that dormant account funds are identified and routed through appropriate institutions to make

them more productive to the economy and eliminate the possibility of banks converting dormant account balances to income. The bank stated that the absence of clear guidelines for the management of dormant accounts had resulted in the dispropor-

tionate treatment of such account balances by deposit-taking financial institutions. The apex bank stated further that, it is in view of the above and the imperative to promote transparency in the financial system that the it hereby issues these guidelines.

Experts at Stanbic IBTC Leadership series harp on digitization for business growth Transforming Nigeria and Africa-made solutions to meet developmental aspirations has become imperative if the continent hopes to actualize its economic potential, experts have said. Rising from the second Stanbic IBTC Business Leadership Series, participants expressed their support to build a new cadre of business and entrepreneurship leadership to trigger the continent’s renaissance. The event, which had the theme,

“Digitalization and Business Sustainability in the new World,” took place last week at the Intercontinental Hotel Lagos. In her welcome address, Chief Executive Officer, Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, Mrs. Sola David-Borha, said a major objective of the event was to help individuals and businesses gain insight on how they can leverage digitalization and technology to develop their businesses and the Nigerian

economy. She described digitalization as the way of the future, while the development of a vast entrepreneurship class will be crucial in lifting Africa out of poverty. “The benefits of digitalization are obviously huge for any business or economy. In looking at today’s global economic landscape, businesses of every size need to overhaul their processes and applications if they hope to compete and succeed,” Daivid-Borha stated.

The Executive Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose will on Wednesday commission the e-library built by Sterling Bank Plc for the College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State. The project is part of the lender’s contributions to improve the nation’s education sector under its ‘One Education’ initiative. A statement signed by Mr. Shina Atilola, Group Head, Strategy & Communications and made available to newsmen over the weekend also confirmed that in sustenance of its strategic focus on clean environment as one of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) priorities, the Bank will also present 1000 units of branded highway managers’ and sweepers’ kits to the Governor. The reflective kits will be used by the beneficiaries engaged by the State Government to clean various highways and major streets in the state. It would be recalled that Mr. Atilola at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Bank and the authorities of the College assured that the project would be completed in a record time. Disclosing that the e-library is equipped with 80 computers, three servers and fibre optic cabling to provide power, he added that the Bank would subscribe for education materials on behalf of the school locally and internationally on an annual basis. “This is to ensure that the students have access to updated materials to develop their academic career”, he explained. His words: “Sterling Bank is known for innovation in several areas. As it concerns Education which has become the major focus of the Bank, we believe our business is to enrich lives in innovative ways. When you invest in people especially young people, you are enriching their lives and they will in turn enrich the society”. On the Bank’s choice of the e-library project, he cited the need for private sector participation in education based on research. “Research shows that Nigeria needs one billion dollars investment annually for the education sector to be at par with the least developed country in advanced nations”.

Monday, 12 October, 2015

capitalmarket

anchor Olatunde Dodondawa

m:08029370304 e:mrdodondawa@yahoo.com

How cost-saving strategy may balance debt-equity ratio Stories By Olatunde Dodondawa - Lagos

ost saving strategy otherwise called cost reduction is a strategy used by companies to reduce their costs and increase profitability. Depending on a company’s services or products, the strategies vary because every decision in the product development process affects costs. One of the main reasons, as alluded to by the shareholders at the recently concluded Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Honeywell Plc, for poor financial year performance by the company was high debt-equity ratio which was far above industry standard. Honeywell Plc’s debt-equity ratio is 70:30 as against industry’s average standard of 50:50. For instance, the company’s profit for the year 2015 was given as N1,120,267,000.00 as against N3,351,564,000.00 in 2014. The cost of financing the debt, according to the financial statement was N1,231,206,000.00 which was higher than the total profit for the year which stood at N1,120,267,000.00. However, another company in a similar industry, Northern Nigeria Flour Mills (NNFM) seems likely to achieve a new peak in profit in its current financial year. The flour milling company is converting an increased share of its revenue into profit, which has lifted its profit capacity for the current year. It is still facing revenue growth constraint, which has been the case over the past five years due to the unrest in the Northern region, but major cost saving strategy is expected to make a big difference in the company’s operating story. First quarter results showed the company is on a mission to grow profit from declining sales revenue after seeing two years of revenue losses and has entered the third year with a further decline in sales revenue. Increase in Profit After Tax (PAT) by 181 per cent in the first quarter however compensated for the revenue losses. Sales revenue went down by nine per cent to N3.13 billion year-on-year at the end of the company’s first quarter in June. Based on the growth pattern of the preceding year, sales revenue is projected at N10.26 billion for NNFM at the end of the current financial year. This will be a continuing decline in turnover for the third year running. Sales revenue has continued

to decline from the peak of N12.67 billion the company earned in the 2011/12 financial year. Revenue disappointment is over shadowed by cost cutting success that has lifted profit performance. PAT amounted to N132 million at the end of the first quarter. This is a high rise of 181 per cent over the corresponding figure last year. It is already more than 56 per cent of the full year profit figure in the preceding year. Based on the growth rate in the first quarter, full year net profit is projected at N588 million for NNFM in the 2014/15 financial year. This will be a major advance of 152 per cent over the full year figure in the preceding financial year. The company recorded a marginal improvement in profit in 2014 with which it sustained recovery for the second year from a loss of about N22 million in 2012. Its peak profit record is the

N455million it posted in 2012. The company has built the significantly improved profit capacity all from cost saving. Cost of goods sold declined ahead of sales revenue at 12.1 per cent compared to nine per cent fall in turnover. That lifted gross profit by over 46 per cent to a little below N206 million. Gross profit margin rose from 4.1 per cent to 6.6 per cent over the review period. The biggest cost saving came from administrative expenses, which dropped by 22.2 per cent to N69.2 million during the review period. Selling/distribution cost was flat and finance cost was insignificant, as the company maintained a net interest income position. Other operating income grew by 175.7 per cent to N36.4 million to reinforce the favourable cost behaviour. Net profit margin has improved from 1.3 per cent in the corresponding period last year to

4.2 per cent at the end of June. This is a major improvement also from the net profit margin of 2.0 per cent at the end of the preceding financial year. Over the same period, Flour Mills of Nigeria lost profit margin from 4.1 per cent to 3.4 per cent. NNFM’s strength to grow profit lies in its debt free balance sheet and therefore the absence of interest burden on the income statement. The company earned 74 kobo per share at the end of the first quarter against 26 kobo in the corresponding period last year. Full year earnings per share is projected at N3.30 for NNFM at the end of the financial year. This will be a major improvement from N1.31 the company earned in the preceding year. This will be a new peak in earnings per share, as the company has since not been able to match its record of N2.56 achieved in 2011.

From left, Mr Oladipo Aina; Alhaji Umoru Kwairanga; Mr Oluwole Abegunde; Mr Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, President, National Council, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE); Mr Oscar Onyema, Chief Executive Officer, NSE; and Mr Dunama Balami, all members of the National Council of NSE, celebrating Nigeria at 55.

Heineken rebuffs bid by SABMiller Heineken announced recently that it has rejected a bid by SABMiller to acquire the Dutch brewing giant, without revealing the offer price. The majority shareholding Heineken family informed the British-based rival SABMiller “of its intention to preserve the heritage and identity of Heineken as an independent company”, the Dutch brewer said in a statement. The majority shareholding Heineken family informed the British-based rival SABMiller “of its intention to preserve the heritage and identity of Heineken as an independent company. The Heineken family and Heineken N.V.’s man-

agement are confident that the company will continue to deliver growth and shareholder value,” the Dutch brewer said in a statement. Therefore the SABMiller bid was “non-actionable”. Heineken said it made the decision to announce the approach by SABMiller, and its rejection of the bid, due to rumours swirling around the markets. SABMiller, with its Miller and Peroni brands, is the second-biggest brewer in the world. Heineken is the third, thanks not only to its Heineken brand but also to sales of Amstel, Sol, Dos Equis and others. Last month Heineken said that beer drinking during the

Nigerian Tribune

World Cup football extravaganza raised sales volumes in the first half of the year but net profits fell to 631 million euros ($839 million) from 639 million euros at the same time last year. Heineken said it had gained market share in some important markets, citing Brazil, Nigeria, Vietnam, France and the Netherlands. However, overall, it expected consumption of its brands to slow down during the rest of the year owing to a cloudy outlook for the economy. The group produces and sells more than 200 brands of beer and cider and employs nearly 70,000 people around the world.

Market capitalization sheds 1.38% The NSE All-Share Index (ALSI) and market capitalization depreciated by 1.38 per cent to close on Friday at 30,165.22 basis points and N10.367 trillion respectively as against 30,588.41 basis points and N10.513 trillion it opened on Monday. Similarly, all the indices finished lower after trading last week. In all, 23 equities appreciated in price, lower than 31 equities of the preceding week; 48 equities depreciated in price, higher than 38 equities of the preceding week, while 119 equities remained unchanged, lower than 121 equities recorded in the preceding week. A turnover of 1.390 billion shares worth N12.170 billion in 14,821 deals were traded last week by investors on the floor of The Exchange in contrast to a total of 1.666 billion shares valued at N14.057 billion that exchanged hands the previous week in 14,003 deals. The Financial Services Industry (measured by volume) led the activity chart with 1.216 billion shares valued at N7.657 billion traded in 8,319 deals; thus contributing 87.43 per cent and 62.92 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively. The Consumer Goods Industry followed with a turnover of 44.315 million shares worth N1.794 billion in 2,691 deals. The third place was occupied by the Conglomerates Industry with 38.897 million shares worth N141.993 million in 668 deals. Trading in the top three equities were Access Bank Plc, Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc and Zenith International Bank Plc (measured by volume) accounted for 587.974 million shares worth N3.465 billion in 1,850 deals, contributing 42.29 per cent and 28.47 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively. However, leading the gainers’ table was Unity Bank Plc which gained N0.32 to close at N1.62. Other gainers included Cutix Plc which gained N0.14 to close at N1.80; Champion Breweries Plc gained N0.24 to close at N4.60; GlaxoSmithKline Nigeria Plc gained N1,76 to close at N36.96; Neimeth Plc gained N0.04 to close at N1.01; A.G Leventis gained N0.04 to close at N1.03; UBA Plc gained N0.16 to close at N4.40; NASCON Allied Industry gained N0.22 to close at N6.97; Beta Glass gained N1.30 to close at N44.00 while Unilever Nigeria Plc gained N1.37 to close at N46.50.

Monday, 12 October, 2015

Nigerian Tribune

labour

NAAT holds NEC meeting, rejects immunity clause for lawmakers Stories by Soji-Eze Fagbemi -Abuja

he National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) ended its 27th regular National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at the Federal University of Technology, (FUT) Minna, Niger State weekend; with a critical positions on the state of the nation and especially the education sector. The meeting, which was presided over by the President of NAAT, Comrade Sani Suleiman, specifically deliberated on some crucial issues affecting NAAT and the state of the nation, such as security, infrastructure, sabotage, education, and the 2009 FGN/NAAT Agreement, among others. NAAT expressed serious concern over national issues, such as the immunity clause for lawmakers, security, anti-corruption crusade of the present government and the state of infrastructural development in the country. A communique issued after the meeting and signed by the General Secretary, Comrade Iyoyo, Hamilton, said the proposed immunity clause for the Nigeria lawmakers is rejected by NAAT in its entirety. On the issue of security, NAAT urged the Federal Government to intensity efforts to curtail the incessant kidnapping and armed banditry across the country. It also implored the Federal Government to urgently work towards the rescue of the Chibok girls, and stem the pockets of bombings in parts of the country. NAAT supported the anti-corruption drive of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Government and advocated that no person should be spared in the ongoing campaign against corruption; while all those found wanting should be put on trial. NAAT also pleaded with the Federal Government to urgently kick-start the rehabilitation and maintenance of all Federal roads, which in turn will reduce the incidence of highway robbery and carnages. It urged the Federal Government to put in place machinery to check all acts of saboteurs that tend to undermine the efforts of the government in providing quality services to the citi-

zens, such as vandalism on electrical infrastructure and petroleum/pipeline installations. On the contentious 2009 FGN/NAAT Agreement, NAAT called on Federal and State governments to fully implement the agreement and put machinery in place for its re-negotiation.

“To stop further accumulation of arrears, NAAT urges the Federal Government to capture all allowances in the 2016 budget. NAAT also calls on the Federal Government to provide bailout to states for the implementation of the agreement,” the communique said. The union implored the

Federal Government to focus attention on the Education Sector with special emphasis on the laboratories, workshops and studios to ensure that institutions utilize research findings for the society and produce skilled graduates. However, NAAT commended the Federal Gov-

ernment for its sustained efforts in fighting insurgency and re-settling the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). It said the courage and bold steps of the Federal Government in fighting corruption, particularly the actions of the government in the recovery of looted funds

From left, Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Technology Minna, Prof Musbau Akanji, President of National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), Sani Suleiman and former NAAT President, Abdullateef Jokomba at the opening ceremony of National Executive.

should be commended, and urged that these efforts should be sustained. Also commended is the Treasury Single Account (TSA), which the union descrid as a right step in the right direction in preventing corrupt practices in our nation. The union commended the bailout funds provided for the financially distressed states; and the directive of the Federal Government to the Ministry Department and Agencies (MDAs) for compilation of arrears of salaries and allowances due to Federal workers, with the hope that the Federal Government will bring this intension to a logical conclusion. Besides, NAAT applauded the effort of the Federal Government in stabilizing fuel price, its availability and improved electricity supply. The NAAT chairman, FUT Minna Comrade Isyaku Mohammed in his opening speech said the union believes in dialogue and the branch has continue to maintain this stand as the union has a very cordial relationship with management and all other unions within the university.

Youth employment crisis easing but far from over —ILO The global youth unemployment rate has stabilized at 13 per cent following a period of rapid increase between 2007 and 2010 but it is still well above the pre-crisis level of 11.7 per cent, according to the ILO’s Global Employment Trends (GET) for Youth 2015 re-

port released on Thursday. Despite a mild recovery in the 2012-2014 period, the report says the youth unemployment rate remains well above its pre-crisis level. For millions of young people around the world finding a decent job is still a drawnout uphill struggle.

The report highlights a drop in the number of unemployed youth to 73.3 million in 2014. That is 3.3 million less than the crisis peak of 76.6 million in 2009. Compared to 2012, the youth unemployment rate has decreased by 1.4 per-

centage points in Developed Economies and the European Union and by half a percentage point or less in Central and South-Eastern Europe (non-EU) and CIS, Latin America and the Caribbean and Sub-Saharan Africa. The remaining regions – East Asia, South-East Asia

TUC expresses sadness over Diezani London arrest, alleged money laundering The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has expressed sadness over the arrest of the former Petroleum Resources Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, by the British authorities and the allegation of money laundering against her. To this end, the congress demanded that all the ministerial nominees must declared their assets publicly before they are confirmed by the Senate. In a statement jointly signed by its President, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama, and the Secretary General, Comrade Musa

Lawal, the Congress, said it was saddened by the recent revelation on Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, who was one of the most prominent kitchen cabinet of the immediate past government under former President Goodluck Jonathan. Saddened by revelations of the arrest of the former Petroleum Resources Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, by the British authorities and the amount of money that was said to be in her possession, as well as reports that many other government officers have generously helped them-

selves to the public till, the TUC emphasised the need to verify the financial and material statuses of each of the present ministerial nominees before they are allowed to assume such high offices. The congress called on the Senate to ask all President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial nominees not only to declare their assets but to also make such declaration public as one of the preconditions for their confirmation as ministers. According to the congress will be in the public interest as both the President and

vice president have set the ball rolling. It noted that the time has come for various government ministries to be headed only by persons of ascertained and proven integrity in all ramifications; not “socially insensitive ministers with hearts of stone who will tell us they are answerable to the President and not the Nigerian people.” “We do not need ministers who are only interested in buying and paying cash for mortgages in choice cities all over the world,” the congress added.

and the Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa – saw an increase in the youth unemployment rate between 2012 and 2014, or no change in the case of South Asia. Because of a shrinking youth labour force, the youth unemployment rate remains stubbornly high despite a decline in the number of unemployed youth. In fact, the rate is expected to creep up to 13.1 per cent in 2015, according to the report’s projections. “It is encouraging to see an improvement in the youth employment trends compared to the GET for Youth 2013,” says Sara Elder, the report’s lead author. “But we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that recovery is not universal and that almost 43 per cent of the global youth labour force is still either unemployed or working yet living in poverty. It’s still not easy to be young and starting out in today’s labour market.” Elder added.

Nigerian Tribune Monday, 12 October, 2015 30 labour Organised Labour opposes casual, outsourced and contract work Soji-Eze Fagbemi -Abuja

he Chairman, IndustriALL Global Union, Africa Region and General Secretary, National Union of Textile, Garment & Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), Comrade Issa Aremu, said the organised labour is opposed to casual, outsourced and contract work because under such arrangements workers are not protected. Besides, he said workers under such condition are exposed to all kind of abuses, unfair and unjust practices, which include low incomes, job insecurity, delayed payments of salaries and pensions, long hours of work without overtime payment, denial of sick leave and payment for sick leave, denial of annual leave and maternity leave, job insecurity, lack of redundancy benefits, Poor health and safety conditions and nonpayment of compensation for injuries sustained at work. These also include poor working conditions, poor motivation, lack of social protection, Arbitrary deduction and non-remittance of pension contributions and taxes, denial of rights to join the union and bargain collectively are some of the effects of casualisation and other unethical employment practices currently embraced by employers.  In his remarks as part of the activities to mark the Decent Work Day, Comrade Aremu said the labour law is an important regulator of the relationship between workers and their employers. “Violation and open disregard for the labour law by parties in

the Industrial relations system is capable of creating atmosphere of industrial anarchy and chaos. We observe with deep concern

increasing disregard for the rule of law by several private sector employers,” he said. Comrade Aremu stressed the

Bobboi Kaigama, TUC President

need for workers to organise, saying, “we recognize that we cannot overcome rights violation at work if we do not organise.

Organising is all about workers coming together to collectively solve problems encountered at their workplaces.”

Ayuba Wabba, NUC president

Illoh tasks newly recruited labour officers Soji-Eze Fagbemi -Abuja

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Clement Illoh has tasked newly recruited officers in the ministry to be conversant with the Extant Rules and Regulations guiding the operations of the Civil Service and also operate within the framework of the Service. Dr. Illoh who was represented by the Director, Human Resources Management, Mrs. Abiola Bawa was speaking while de-

claring open a 2-Day induction course for newly recruited officers in the ministry. According to him, “civil servants are referred to as foot soldiers, the engine of Government that provides support in shaping policies and programmes of the Nation. As foot soldiers therefore, we must be conversant with rules and regulations guiding the operations of the Civil Service and also operate within such rules and regulations”. Speaking further, Dr. Illoh

stated that the induction course was necessitated by the need to change the work ethics, values and productivity standard of the newly recruited officers toward building a strong institution as no nation can make sustainable progress without the right values and culture. He enjoined the officers to imbibe the core values of the Civil Service as culture, so that they can bring about the desired change, professionalism and progress to the Ministry in par-

ticular and the nation in general. Speaking on behalf of participants at the workshop, Mrs. Jane Nwafor appreciated the Permanent Secretary for organizing the induction course which she believes will expose the officers to the needed information that will boost their work ethics and standards. She assured the Management that the participants will make good use of the opportunities this workshop offers to develop their skills for enhanced productivity.

Ministry of Labour and Productivity: Beyond industrial relations management By Akintunde Martins

t the mention of Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, what comes to mind is the maintenance of industrial peace and harmony, but in reality the ministry plays more critical roles than just to ensure industrial peace and harmony in the Nigeria labour sector. The ministry’s vision and mission is to create enabling environment for employment generation, sustain and promote peaceful industrial relations, enhance productivity and skills, safe and decent working environment as well as provision of universal social security coverage to Nigerians. It also contributes to National growth and development through generation, promotion and sustenance of decent work. Towards realising its vision, the ministry has over the years formulated policies and programmes thrusts which had culminated in the development and promotion of productive employment policies and programmes for employment generation and actualization of the National Action Plan on Employment Creation and the Local Employment Content initiatives of

the Federal Government. It has also ensured the stimulation and enhancement of national productivity consciousness, rewards for excellence and promotion of national and global competitiveness, skills Development, upgrading, certification, placement and empowerment of artisans, tradesmen and applicants in various areas of national needs. It major roles over the years include the provision of industrial peace and harmony through mediation, conciliation and arbitration of trade disputes, provision of cooperative education and guidelines comprising monitoring of cooperatives at work, provision of social security coverage, welfare and workers compensation to the nation’s workforce. The ministry also guaranteed the promotion of occupational health, safety and welfare in work places as provided in Factories Act, 2004 and subsidiary legislations, formulation, implementation, coordination, monitoring and review of employment policies, legislations, regulations, guidelines and collective agreements with regards to employment generation, as well as formulation, implementation, enforcement, monitoring and

review of policies on terms and conditions of employment and protection of workers among others. In view of its critical role to the survival, growth and development of the country, the need to re-classify the ministry to the economic sector with appropriate funding of its activities will no doubt bring to fore the enormous benefit associated with a vibrant labour and productivity ministry. In his submission to President Muhammad Buhari recently, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Clement Illoh highlighted the need to re-classify the ministry from social to economic and security sector. In his words, “the need to place this Ministry of Labour and Productivity within the economic and security category with appropriate funding of its activities cannot be over-emphasized as Ministries of Labour all over the world are key to national survival, growth and development. It is the nation’s human capital resources that are responsible for the attainments of these critical objectives”. In compliance with the present administration’s strong focus on employment generation, labour protection, sound indus-

trial relations system, enhanced national productivity and Social Security in all sectors of the nation’s economy, the Ministry of Labour and Productivity would continue to deploy significantly tested and globally accepted strategies involving social dialogue, rule of Law, due process, accountability, transparency and tact in a corruption free environment in making its contributions to the process of national growth and development. The call for the re-classification of the ministry is apt at this moment when Nigerians have keyed into the change mantra of the present administration, looking forward to a deviation from the past which has to a great extent negatively impacted our dear country. Nigerians both young and old, employed and unemployed have a lot of benefits from a re-classified and re-energized Ministry of Labour and Productivity in line with international best practices as Ministry of Labour all over the world are key to national survival, growth and development. *Akintunde Martins is an Information Officer in the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Abuja

Monday, 12 October, 2015 Group Politics Editor Taiwo Adisa - 08072000046 tai_adis@yahoo.com

Buhari Obasanjo

AS Nigerians await Senate confirmation of the ministerial list, KUNLE ODEREMI and DARE ADEKANMBI write on some political undercurrents surrounding the list.

T was expected: the raging controversy over the names of personalities on the list of ministerial nominees by President Muhammadu Buhari. The apparent delay by the president, given the tradition over the years, had generated much heated debate, with many curious that the authorities did not after all generate the names from another planet. Whereas the authorities had vowed to uphold integrity in selecting those that would make the list, some touted names before the list was unveiled last week had triggered an admixture of excitement, consternation and outrage. The fit of anger occasioned by a few of the prominent names has assumed an upward scale since the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki unveiled the list. As the stage is set for the screening of the nominees in the Senate, which is constitutionally empowered to confirm the nominees, a tense battle of supremacy and wits is raging within the political circle

Tinubu

Can Buhari tame the godfathers?

among divergent interest groups and personalities. A number of enraged political godfathers, who felt stabbed in the back, are locked in a titanic battle with their es-

tranged political sons, who hitherto were tied to apron strings. While some of the former are fighting back through fronts within and outside the governing All Progressives

The controversy trailing the nominations of Amina Mohammed from Kaduna State is also indicative of the tensed build up to the screening exercise and the unpredictability of what might transpire on the floor of the Senate.

Congress (APC), some forces have taken up the responsibility, on their own, to fight and defend the interest of the godsons. Aside the accusations and counter-accusations between those distinct groups, some nominees are contending with wide-ranging allegations of malfeasance contained in heaps of petitions submitted by sundry groups and individuals, including senators from their states of origin. The most pronounced case is that of the immediate past governor of Rivers State, Mr Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi. Interest groups from the state have toed the path of the three senators representing Rivers in the National Assembly to oppose his nomination. The controversy trailing the nomination of Amina Mohammed from Kaduna State is also indicative of the tensed build up to the screening exercise and the unpredictability of what might transpire on the floor of the Senate. Another scenario some pundits are envisaging as part of the consequences of the animousity trailing the list is the possibility of the various caucuses in the leading political parties, especially the PDP and the APC going back to the drawing board to strategise. It might provide an opportunity for some members of the hitherto camps to team for the purpose of fighting perceived common enemies in the current political dispensation. These caucuses may set aside their continues on pg32

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Grooming a new breed continued from pg31

differences occasioned by the power tussle over National Assembly to forge a common front-with diverse political affiliations and backgrounds- to comprehensively confront a rival camp. The undercurrents Generally, the names on the list already before the Senate can be analysed in so many ways. This is particularly so, judging from the huge public expectations that trailed its transmission by Buhari to the Senate President. It comprises the low and the mighty spiced with the old and the new breed cutting across different spheres of life. A cursory look at the list indicates that most of the names are suggestive of the political divergence and tendencies in the governing APC, where a few powerful caucuses have been at each other’s jugular over power sharing. Some influential members of the party, who have always called the shots, had engaged those considered as posing a major threat to their political sagacity and audacity. With a few APC ‘young’ Turks with uncanny savvy imbue with integrity and enterprise making the list, some power brokers appear humbled. The development may have paved the way for the evolution of a new set of potential power brokers, whose ratings are informed by the record of their performance in elected public offices before now. In other words, President Buhari has wittingly or otherwise paved the way for the evolution of new power blocs comprising mostly a new generation of politicians. Having succeeded in securing their freedom from certain political godfathers, the young Turks, in the coming years, could become the beautiful brides in the chess game within and outside the APC, especially against the background of the polarisation among the ruling elite over power configuration in the National Assembly. Indeed, the apprehension among the political godfathers in the APC in particular of their diminishing influence is real, as the political intrigues preceding the compilation of the list had manifested manifold. The trend was characterised by a combination of subterfuge and character assassination through vicious publications. A few of the elected leaders, whose track records the APC used as benchmark in selling itself to the electorate, were literally torn into shreds by agents of some godfathers, when speculations became rife that the former were being considered for ministerial appointments. However, there are arguments that there is a flicker of hope for those interests in the APC that might not be reasonably accommodated through the ministerial nomination. This is because of the huge number of pending appointments into federal boards, parastatals and agencies. In effect, those godfathers that appear dissatisfied with the skewed list of ministerial nominees, might be compensated by the Presidency through subsequent appointments. It is on record that whatever might be the huge gain and fortune of the APC in the present dispensation, notable political figures like former President Olusegun Obasanjo and an APC leader, Senator Bola Tinubu played a key role. Professionals, technocrats In trying to justify the delay in consti-

Saraki

Amaechi

Fashola

Onu

A cursory look at the list indicates that most of the names are suggestive of the political divergence and tendencies in the governing APC, where a few powerful caucuses have been at each other’s jugular over power sharing.

tuting his cabinet, President Buhari had promised to gravitate away from the ugly past, which cast a serious slur on the integrity of government. Based on his promise, many had assumed that the list would substantially be a far departure from the

era of recycled politicians taking the centre stage as ministers. Though it comprised well-known politicians and upcoming ones, the list shows a sprinkle of former governors and ex-minister, as well as former members of the National Assembly.

These groups are complemented by a team of seasoned technocrats and professionals drawn from within and outside the shores of the country. Reminiscent of the separate Obasanjo and Jonathan years, the names of some Nigerian professionals with international organisations like the United Nations are on the list, with the hope that they are largely insulated from partisanship and should be able to serve their fatherland conscientiously, diligently and faithfully. Former Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwunmi ; former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili all came from such organisations to avail the country of their wealth of professional experience acquired from world bodies like the World Bank. There is also a discernible whiff of party continues on pg33

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The hurdles for would-be ministers continued from pg32

affiliations in the ministerial list. It reflects the images of the legacy parties in the APC, with elements of the Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) showing pre-eminence. Another major tendency that seems to have gained more is the new Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which broke away from the hitherto ruling PDP in 2013 to team up with the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the splinter group of the All Progressive Grand alliance (APGA), led the governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha. Mixed fortunes for nominees It has been a mixed bag of fortunes for the nominees. Notwithstanding the factor of bipartisanship in term of political configuration in a number of states, some key stakeholders have rallied support for nominees through consensus. For example, the governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has lobbied senators from the state to back the nominee from the state and his predecessor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, during screening by the Senate. He premised his position on what he considered as the overall interest of the state. Conscious of the challenges ahead, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang, equally initiated the process of lobbying the Senate shortly after the list was unveiled by Dr Saraki. The nominees have also been reaching out to the senators by using the opportunity of submitting their credentials to the Senate as it prepares for the screening exercise.

Mohammed

The hurdles Chairman, Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Media, Dino Melaye, dropped what some considered a bombshell of sort last week, on the conditions the Upper Chamber has set for ministerial nominees to fulfill

Shittu

From what has played out since the unveiling of the nominees by the Senators, it is obvious that echoes of local politics are going to be loud in the Upper legislative chamber when scrutiny commences.

Waiting game Again, speculations are rife concerning the names that will be contained in the second batch of ministerial nominees being expected from the president. No fewer than 15 names could feature on the list, since the constitution requires that he appoints one minister from each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Ministerial nominees 1. Rotimi Amaechi (South-South) 2. Babatunde Fashola (South-West) 3. Adebayo Shittu (South-West) 4. Audu Ogbeh (North-Central) 5. Kayode Fayemi (South-West) 6. Chris Ngige (South-East) 7. Amina Ibrahim 8. Kemi Adeosun (South-West) 9. Lai Mohammed (North-Central) 10.Ogbonnaya Onu (South-East0 11. Ibe Kachikwu (South-South) 12.Aisha Alhassan 13. Hadi Sirika 14. Udo Udoma (South-South) 15. Solomon Dalong (North-Central) 16. Ibrahim Usman Jubril 17. Ahmed Musa Ibeto 18. Suleiman Adamu 19. Abubakar Malami 20. Abdulrahman Dambazzau 21. Osagie Ehanire (South-South)

Ngige

Ogbeh before getting their clean bill of health as stipulated in the 1999 Constitution. According to him, each of the nominees will have to get the endorsement of two out of the three senators from their states. Apart from this, those who have held public offices among them in the past will have to come for screening armed with proof of asset declaration issued by the Code of Conduct Bureau. And since The conditions are distilled from constitutional provision, as well as the standing rules of the Senate and the lawmakers have already got the buy-in of President Muhammadu Buhari on the conditions the nominees must satisfy. Also to guide the action of the lawmakers is the veracity of the purport of the petitions submitted to the Senate against certain nominees. Melaye said the petitions had been dispatched to the appropriate committee for investigation and report which must be turned in before tomorrow plenary. According to Melaye, only those will enjoy a smooth ride during the screening in the usual ‘take a bow and go’ tradition are nominees who had been senators at

one time or the other. But some of the 21 nominees are likely to have it rough and tough when they start to appear for screening. These are: Rotimi Amaechi from Rivers State; Alhaji Lai Mohammed (Kwara); Adebayo Shittu (Oyo); Babatunde Fashola (Lagos); and Aminat Mohammed (Kaduna). Dr Kayode Fayemi, who would have had it rough too, got the endorsement of his successor, Mr Ayo Fayose who had called on all the three PDP Senators from the state to support his nomination. Observers note that some of the conditions were politically motivated. For instance, why would former senators take a bow, without affording Nigerians the opportunity to peep into their capacities to deliver the goods? Yet, others will not be so lucky. Granted it is the tradition to accord former lawmakers espirit de corps, that such extended privilege is capable of promoting mediocrity deserves mature reflection from the Senators. From what has played out since the unveiling of the nominees by the Senators, it is obvious that echoes of local politics are going to be loud in the upper legislative chamber when scrutiny commences. One particular instance where the provision of the constitution will be tested is on the claim of non-indigeneship contained in a petition from Southern Kaduna against Hadjia Mohammed. The issue for determination will be whether on account of her marriage to someone from Kaduna

Kachikwu she could not lay claim to her state of marriage. While some of the allegations against some of the nominees are flimsy, a number of them touched on corruption, which is the cancer President Buhari daily speaks of killing if the country must progress. But what will Buhari do should the Senate not screen some of those alleged to have graft cases? Will he persuade the Senate to waive the allegations aside and screen them nonetheless or shop for replacements? The Senators have shouted on the rooftop that the exercise would not be business as usual. But the clichéd phrase, according to analysts, has two branches of meaning in the context of the screening. One is that money will not exchange hands for nominees to be passed through the Senate’s ‘furnace’ and the other being that belongingness to party and swimming with the godfathers will not be a visa to get confirmed. Observers note that, whichever one is applicable, Senate’s ‘stringent measures’ and the accompanying hype will not in the end labeled a financial distress message. These are questions that time give provide answers for.

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Monday, 12 October, 2015

Kogi 2015: Can a third force spring surprise? The Kogi State governorship election is fast approaching and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) appear to be the main contenders. However, YINKA OLADOYINBO, in this report, looks at the possibility of the emergence of a third force in the election.

N seven weeks time, the people of Kogi State will file out to vote for candidates of their choice in the governorship election, which will either renew the mandate of the state governor, Idris Wada or usher in a new administration come January 27, 2016. Political activities have picked up in the state in the last few months, with the parties strategising on how to come out successful in the election. The strategies of the parties had led to them going into the rigorous exercise of electing candidates for the election. While some of the parties had hitch free exercises, that could not be said of others, as their candidates emerged after much political horse trading and maneuvering. The aftermath of the governorship primaries have however led to people coming up with different permutations on the likely outcome of the poll. The All Progressives Congress (APC) was the first party to conduct its governorship primary in the state. The exercise adjudged to be transparent and credible produced a former governor of the state, Prince Abubakar Audu as the candidate of the party, defeating 27 other aspirants that had also signified interest in governing the state. About two weeks after, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), also conducted its primary to elect a standard bearer for the November 21 election. The exercise came after weeks of speculations and apprehension among party faithful on what could be the fate of the incumbent, Wada. Moves were made to make the party come up with a consensus candidate, following the challenge thrown by another aspirant, Alhaji Jubrin Isa, popularly known as Echocho. But when the moves failed, the party also went into a primary and the exercise led to the emergence of Wada as the man to lead the party to the poll. In the same vein, the Labour Party (LP) organised its primary election during which a former deputy governor in the state, Philip Salawu emerged unopposed and his candidacy was ratified by delegates. Apart from that, the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) elected Enezi Ozigi as its candidate, while the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) at its primary, elected Goodman Apu to represent it at the election. However, with the expiration of the deadline for the conduct of primary elections and submission of names of candidates, it is obvious that the five candidates will be participating in the election. While many consider the election as a straight contest between the PDP and the APC, another school of thought is of the opinion that a “third force” may emerge and pull a surprise at the end of the day. The argument in favour of the third force is based on the political configuration of the state and the sharing of political posts, particularly the governorship seat among the three major ethnic groups in the state. The state is predominantly dominated by the Igalas, Ebiras and the Okuns and each of the groups is almost located in distinct senatorial district. The Igalas are in the Eastern Senatorial district; the Ebiras in the Central Senatorial, while the Okuns are in the Western Senatorial axis of the state. But since the creation of the state in 1991, the Eastern flank of the state has been producing the democratically elected governors. Audu, who ruled between 1991 and 1992 and later between 1999 and 2003 is an Igala man. His successor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, who governed between 2003 and 2012 and the incumbent, Wada, are from the same section of the state. The development has therefore made the agitation for power shift more vociferous in recent time. But unfortunately for the promoters of the doctrine of power shift, the two major parties going into the election, the PDP and the APC have again settled for Igala men as their candidates. What this portends is that they should look elsewhere if they want their dream come true with the coming election. Conversely, the LP and the PPA have picked their candidates from Ebira land, the section that has been more vocal in the clamour for power shift. The people are also of the belief that if power is shifting from Igala land, it should be their turn. This explained the reason the senatorial district produced many aspirants that jostled for the ticket of the APC in the buildup to its primary election. But they all lost to an Igala man. Now that the hope of the protagonists of power shift has been dashed by the PDP and the APC, is it possible for a third force to benefit from the arrangement? This is a million naira

Wada

Audu

question for the observers and followers of events in the state. Among the remaining three parties, the LP and its candidate appear to be most popular. Salawu was the deputy of Idris for the almost nine years that he governed the state. He is also an Ebira man, who should ordinarily benefit from the failure of the major parties to field people from his ethnic group as their candidates. However, it is the general belief that the votes from Ebira land alone, although next to that of Igala land, may not make him the governor of the state. Another factor is will an Okun man, who has already seen either of the deputy governorship candidates of the PDP, Yomi Awoniyi and APC, James Faleke as possible successors to the eventual winner of this election, vote for Salawu, who may in turn want to spend two terms? To a number of observers and stakeholders in the state, the issue of third force does not arise, as the contest is a straight one between Wada and Audu. The development is further confirmed by the fact that ongoing campaign issues are formulated around the two only, as little or no reference is being made to the other parties participating in the election. Speaking on the development, the state secretary of the APC, Salaam Adejo, said that issue of third force does not arise in the coming election. According to him, Salawu’s

candidacy should not be a source of worry to any politically conscious person. He said if he (Salawu) was that formidable he would have stayed put in the PDP and clinch its ticket instead of floating the LP in the state. He said, “There will be no surprise, they have nothing to spring. Philip Salawu was deputy governor to Ibrahim Idris for nine years. He should have known the terrain very well; he is supposed to have known their strength and weaknesses. Why did he opt out of the PDP? Why did he have to go and bring in a new party”? In the same vein, the publicity secretary of the PDP in the state, Bode Ogunmola, said Kogi election had nothing to do with a third force, adding that it would be a straight contest between Wada and Audu. He noted that the general feeling in the state did not give room for the emergence of any third force. He said, “From all indications, I don’t think any third force can emerge in this election. It is a straight contest between a former governor and the incumbent and Wada will go back to Lugard House by the grace of God. Wada is harmless; workers are comfortable with him unlike the opponent, who detests them. “As far as the candidate of the Labour Party is concerned, I don’t think he looks like somebody who wants to be governor. We know who and who are serious; we know those that have been campaigning and soliciting for votes. I wish him well but I dont think this is his time.” However, to the state chairman of LP, Honourable Ibrahim Usman, the party remained a force to be reckoned with in the election. He said that it was wrong to categorise it as a third force based on the yearning of the people for power shift in the state. He said, “For the past 16 years it is the eastern part of the state that has been ruling, now the APC candidate is aging from the eastern part, while that of the PDP is also from the area. We have just one person from the central and that person stands for the East and the West. So, this is an opportunity for us to make the power to shift. The motto of Labour party is social justice and equal opportunity, our candidate is someone that has been a deputy governor for nine years, he knows what it takes, his coming is to ensure fair sharing and equal opportunity”.

Now that the hope of the protagonists of power shift has been dashed by the PDP and the APC, is it possible for a third force to benefit from the arrangement?

Monday,12 October, 2015 Editor: Bayo ALADE featuresdesk@yahoo.com 08055001747

features

When research team escaped death by a whisker PAUL OMOROGBE tells the story of what led a mob of indigenes and foreigners in an Osun village to lynch a research team that came visiting. for the baale. He told us that since we had met with him as one of the chiefs, there was no need to go to the baale and that we could commence our work.” Miss Dare and the professor the went visiting households in the village in search of cocoa farmers when a boy of about 18 years old met them saying that he could take them to the cocoa farmers.

Miss Dare, displaying her bruised back

iss Alaba Dare is just a few months away from completing her PhD in Agricultural Economics and Farm Management. She had completed a Masters degree from the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ibadan (UI), and the PhD programme was meant to be the crowning glory of her educational pursuit which had begun decades ago. It was therefore with excitement that she set out with a professor who was her supervisor during her Masters programme at UI, along with three others on a data collection exercise which

the professor was leading. The aim of Miss Dare and the quartet, led by the professor who had come in South Africa, was to gather data directly from local cocoa farmers, who were the subject of their research work. Their quest took them to Ayedaade Local Government Area of Osun State where they expected to meet with their target group one on one. Miss Dare recounted how their journey began. “I am an agric economist. The professor came all the way from South Africa. He used to work at the University of Ibadan in the Faculty of Agriculture. Our

mission was to collect data from cocoa farmers. We set out to some villages in Ayedaade Local Government. Our first contact with Odeyinka Village was when we passed through the place on our way to Mokore the previous day; we only stopped there to eat. “On Tuesday, September 22, we went to Odeyinka village. The first thing we did, as usual, was to go to the village head to seek his permission before beginning our work in his domain. “So, we went to look for the baale, but we met the otun and told him we were looking

The professor agreed to pay him N2,000 for the whole day. We agreed to take him back to Odeyinka Village at the end of the day

Alaba explained that “this boy must have eavesdropped on us as we were talking to the households. He then walked up to the professor and myself and said that he could assist in locating the environs within the villages where the cocoa famers are.” She continued: “Because Odeyinka Village was quite large, this boy was to serve as our guide. He told the professor that he would have to pay him for his services. The professor agreed to pay him N2,000 for the whole day. We agreed to take him back to Odeyinka Village at the end of the day. “This boy succeeded in locating four villages, out of which only two were viable for data collection. Around 2.30 p.m., when we got to the last village called Alo, the boy informed us that he would alight there because that was his village.” At this, Alaba and the rest of the team were bewildered. “We were a bit confused, because we Continues on pg36

features

Monday,12 October, 2015

How corps member was raped, killed fortnight to wedding

By Paul Omorogbe

iss Omolola Abogunrin had just two weeks to wait before changing status to Mrs Omolola Babalola, but that was not to be. As the custom is in her church, she had been attending counselling sessions along with her husband-to-be, Olusola Babalola in preparation for their big day on October 17. Coincidentally, October 17 would also be the day Omolola would have clocked 29. Omolola was serving in Ogun State under the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Scheme. However, Sunday, October 4, was the day she had to be in Ibadan for the counselling session taking place at a Redeemed Christian Church of God parish in Apata area of Ibadan. Having concluded the activities on that Sunday, little did she know that she would never return to conclude her counselling session, nor would she live to spend the rest of her life as Olusola’s better half. On her way home, she had passed through the popular Moor Plantation area of Apata, Ibadan where the former headquarters of the National Cereal Research Institute is situated. It was there her body was found lifeless with an arm and leg broken. Omolola had been raped and possibly strangled and her body thrown into a ditch beside a stream in the area. “We saw semen in her private part and nail wounds around her neck when we found her corpse. That was evidence that she was raped and strangulated,” persons who saw the body said. Olusola, who was not with her at the church on that fateful day, was arrested earlier last week but was reportedly released last Thursday evening. Olusola is said to still be in shock over the incident.

Omolola was said to be on her way to his place before heading back to her base in Ogun State. One of the persons privy to the wedding arrangements said that the ceremony was to hold at a branch of Christ Apostolic Church in Ibadan. “She and her husband-to-be held their family introduction ceremony four months ago to pave the way for the proper wedding ceremony, scheduled to take place at a branch of Christ Apostolic Church in Ibadan,” the source said. The police in Ibadan have confirmed the incident. Speaking to the media on the matter, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Oyo State, Adekunle Ajisebutu, said that the case had been transferred to the state Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the command. He said the police would do everything to bring Omolola’s killers to book. Members of the Redeemed Christian Church of God where Omolola had spent her last Sunday on earth were sad and distraught over the incident. Some of the

church members interviewed spoke well of the deceased. She was said to be an active member of the church’s prayer team and was also an active member of the youth department. Meanwhile, at Moor Plantation where the

incident took place security has reportedly been beefed up. While some posit that it was possible that the deceased recognised her attackers, others said that it was the strong influence of drugs on her attackers that led to their bestiality.

She and her husbandto-be held their family introduction ceremony four months ago to pave the way for the proper wedding ceremony, scheduled to take place at a branch of Christ Apostolic Church The late Omolola

‘We were beaten and I was almost stripped naked’ Continued from pg35

had agreed to take him back to Odeyinka village. “He came with about six people and only one was a cocoa farmer; the others were pepper farmers. We saw him interacting with the people he came with, so we suspected nothing. He then demanded for his wage. Oga gave him N1,000 since it was 2.30pm and he had not completed the day. He refused to collect it. So, the professor chose to be generous and paid him N2,000 in full. There and then he gave the money to his colleagues. “We continued with the data collection that day and located two other villages on our own: Agbopo and Fagbemi Aba-Otun, and still passed through Odeyinka Village on our way back to our base. “Unknown to us he did not return to Odeyinka Village that day. It seemed as if he was having a rift with his people and wanted to escape from his residence since he refused to get down from the car; he was hiding from the villagers he took us to before getting to where he

alighted.” A member of the team, Tunji Aminu who also spoke on the incident said, “We noticed at the other villages while we were on the way that he refused to disembark even when we stopped to eat.” “The next day Wednesday, September 23, we were on our way to Araromi Orile-owu Village for data collection and were passing through Odeyinka Village when a motorbike crossed our vehicle’s path. Some people stopped us and said that we were kidnappers. They said, ‘the boy that you took yesterday, where is he?’ “Before we could explain they started beating all five of us, collected the car key and stole a phone that was being charged inside the car. Two other phones were taken as were beaten to stupor. We were bleeding and I was almost stripped naked,” Miss Dare said. While the lynching lasted, Miss Dare and her colleagues gathered that the boy concerned was from Cotonou, Benin Republic and that a good number of persons in the mob that assaulted them were Beninese.

“The professor and the other males were put on motorbikes and taken in search for the boy, while some of them rode in the car. They threatened to kill us if he was not found. I was the only female in the group and was detained behind with some of them,” she said. The boy was later found in Alo Village and Miss Dare and her group were taken to the baale’s place where the professor revealed their identities and explained their mission. She said the villagers apologised to them and asked them to let the matter be. Miss Dare added that “It was appalling that foreigners would beat us up over a wrong notion.” However, she said the case was reported to the Directorate of State Security Service office in Osun State and the Nigeria Immigrations Service in the state. A source at the Immigrations Service confirmed that an incident involving foreigners and Nigerian citizens did occur at Odeyinka village on the said date. He said that on getting to know that the foreigners were involved, the

baale, and one witness were invited to give a statement. He said, according to their statement, the Beninese had raised an alarm over the disappearance of their boy. When the professor and his team were sighted the following day, they were assumed to have returned for another round of kidnapping. “They could not say that it was the foreigners that started beating them. It was the villagers who motivated the foreigners to assault them. The villagers accommodate these foreigners who work for them. So when they complained that their boy was missing, it was up to the villagers to find them. It was the period Falae’s kidnapping was still in the air, so the people were tensed,” the source said. He added that the researchers had been contacted to give their own statement, adding that their undoing was not meeting the baale personally and also not returning with the boy in question. Nigerian Tribune gathered that the professor in question had since returned to South Africa, while the source at the NIS said the service was still investigating the incident.

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Monday, 12 October, 2015

How Alamieyeseigha died —Bayelsa govt From Jacob Segun Olatunji and Dapo Falade, with Agency Report

AYELSA State government has officially explained the cause of death of a former governor of the state, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. Mr Alamieyeseigha, 62, died on Saturday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital. The state Commissioner for Information, Esueme Kikile, on Sunday, told PREMIUM TIMES how the late former governor died. “Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha died of complications arising from high blood pressure and diabetes, which affected his kidney,” Mr Kikile said. “He had chronic kidney disease which was aggravated by the sudden rise in his blood pressure and the long diabetics,” he added. Popularly called the “Governor-General of the Ijaw Nation,” Mr Alamieyeseigha was the first civilian governor of Bayelsa State, serving between 1999 and 2005 when he was impeached.

PDP mourns

The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Sunday, mourned the sudden death of former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, which occurred over the weekend. In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja, by its national publicity secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, the party lamented that “it is still in shock over the news of the sudden death of the former governor, describing the development as deeply saddening.” The statement reads, “Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, on behalf of the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the PDP family nationwide mourns the death of former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. “The PDP mourns the demise of this great Nigerian, who made immense contributions and sacrifices towards the unity, stability and development of his state and our dear nation both as a military officer and a politician.”

His death, personal loss to me —Gov Dickson

Bayelsa State governor, Honourable Henry Seriake Dickson, has reacted to the news of the sudden death of Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, the first elected civilian governor of the state, describing it as a personal loss to him, the government and people of the state. An initial Government House statement, according to the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Bayelsa State, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, pointed out that, Chief Alamieyeseigha was a strong pillar of support to the restoration government, stressing that, his demise is a very painful and monumental loss to the entire Ijaw nation, which he has always stood firm for in all its ramifications. The Bayelsa State government also commiserated with his wife, Margaret, his immediate family, the Alamieyeseighas, the entire people of the state, noting that, the Ijaw nation has lost a rare gem. It stated that, a more detailed reaction will be coming from the Bayelsa State government in due course.

Mimiko condoles with Bayelsa gov

Ondo State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, has condoled with his Ebonyi State counterpart, David Umahi, over the death of his mother even as he sent his condolences to the Bayelsa State governor, Seriake Dickson and the people of the state over the sudden death, at weekend, of the former governor of the state, Diepereye Alamieyeseigha. Commiserating with Umahi over the death of his mother, Mrs Margaret Umahi, Mimiko, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Eni Akinsola, said he was sure the late Deaconess lived a great and rewarding life, having sired and raised wonderful children among whom is Governor David Umahi. In the same vein, Dr Mimiko has condoled with the Bayelsa State governor, Seriake Dickson and the people of the state over the death of the former governor of the state, DSP Alamieyeseigha, whose sudden death occurred at the weekend.

It’s a great shock –APC

All Progressives Congress (APC), on Sunday, reacted to the news of the death of former Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha of Bayelsa State, saying that it received the news with great shock, considering that the former governor was not publicly reported to have been gravely ill. The party’s reaction was contained in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and which was made available to newsmen. The APC, therefore, condoled with the family and friends of the former governor, who died on Saturday.

A great tragedy has befallen Ijaw nation —INC

Ijaw National Congress (INC) has described the death of the first civilian governor of Rivers State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, as great tragedy for the Ijaw nation. The former governor died of cardiac arrest at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), having slipped into coma, two days earlier. President of INC, the umbrella body of Ijaw groups, Boma Obuoforibo, in a statement issued on Sunday, said the Ijaw nation was thrown into grief by the death of the former governor, who was also known as the governor general of the Ijaw nation.

Fayose mourns, blames FG for his death

Ekiti State governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has described the death of former Bayelsa State governor, Senator Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, as painful and unfortunate, saying; “It is painful that the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government finally succeeded in hounding an Ijaw leader to death just because of his staunch stance on the upcoming Bayelsa State governorship election.” Reacting to Alamieyeseigha’s death through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and News Media, Lere Olayinka, the governor commiserated with the deceased family, former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, as well as the governor of Bayelsa State, Honourable Seriake Dickson and the entire people of the state.

Alamieyeseigha was an astute Ijaw leader —Atiku

A former Vice President and chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar describes the deceased former governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha as an astute politician who firmly protected the interest of the Ijaw people. The former Vice President in a press statement released by his media office in Abuja on Sunday, said the announcement of the death of Alamieyeseigha came to him as a rude shock. The Turaki Adamawa eulogizes the late Alamieyeseigha for being a worthy ambassador of the Ijaw nation, and for contributing his quota in the service of the nation, and the development of democratic governance in the country. “No one can dispute the fact that the late Governor General of the Ijaw nation, as he was fondly called, stood firm like a rock in preserving the interest of the Ijaw people is, and was a strong supporter of democratic governance in Nigeria.

We have lost a political colossus in Niger Delta, Nigeria —Akpabio

Former governor of Akwa Ibom State and Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, has reacted to the death of the pioneer civilian governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, describing it as a loss of a political colossus to, not only the people of Bayelsa, but the Niger Delta region and Nigeria. In a release by his media aide, Jackson Udom, Akpabio said, “ the sudden death of DSP Alamieyeseigha, has robbed the Niger Delta region of a committed and dedicated indigene, who was always in the forefront of the struggle for the emancipation and development of the Niger Delta region.” The release quoted the former governor as saying, “I also commiserate with the immediate family of the former governor, people and government of Bayelsa State, the Ijaw nation, the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), and most importantly, Nigeria for this great loss. I pray God to grant the family and the entire Niger Delta region the fortitude to bear this irrepa-

rable loss.”

Okowa mourns his exit

Delta State governor, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa, has commiserated with the Alamieyeseigha family, government and people of Bayelsa State as well as the Ijaw nation, at large, over the sudden death of the first civilian governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. Governor Okowa. in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Charles Ehiedu Aniagwu, described Alamieyeseigha’s exit as shocking and painful. “The late Alamieyeseigha was loved by the Ijaws who saw him as a rallying spot for the reawakening of the spirit of togetherness, irrespective of the spread of the Ijaws in all riverine areas of the country. No wonder they nicknamed him ‘Governor General of the Ijaw nation,’ ”Okowa noted. Okowa extolled the humility of the late Alamieyeseigha which enabled him to mentor up-coming politicians culminating in his deputy governor, Goodluck Jonathan, rising to become a former Nigeria’s president.

news

Monday, 12 October, 2015

Stable power supply, fruit of Jonathan’s labour —Nebo Sam Nwaoko - Ado Ekiti

mmediate past Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo, has said it is wrong to attribute the improvement in electricity supply in the country to “Buhari’s body language and resolve to fight corruption,” saying the heavy investment of the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan in the sector, has started to yield dividends for Nigerians. He said the noticeable improvement in the power supply across the country under President Muhammadu Buhari was a reflection of what Jonathan did in the sector. Professor Nebo, who spoke in Ikole-Ekiti, at the weekend, also appealed to the people from the South East to refrain from the castigation of President Buhari over perceived marginalisation of the re-

Rejection of appointment: We are not distracted —Ondo PDP HakeemGbadamosi-Akure The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ondo State chapter, on Sunday, said the party would not be distracted over comments on rejection of appointments made by the state governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, recently. The PDP reaction was coming on the heels of comments on the rejection of the appointment of the former chairman of the party in the state, Honourable Ebenezer Alabi, citing personal reasons for rejecting the appointment. The PDP director of publicity in the state, Ayo Fadaka, in a signed statement issued by him on behalf of the party, noted that the opposition All Progressives Party (APC) in the state, had been using the opportunity to woo some members of the PDP in the state The statement read in part: “We note that the APC has been active in disparaging these appointments and its operatives are loquaciously, but very lamely trying to reach out to our members with a view to turning against the party.” He described the recent appointment as being the quest of the state governor to inject new blood into his administration while noting that those who turned down the appointment had cited personal and business commitment as reasons, saying they remained loyal committee members of the PDP in the state.

gion in the appointments he had made so far, saying he thought that such imbalance would be corrected in the subsequent appointments. Nebo, who was the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, OyeEkiti (FUOYE), which has its Agriculture and Engineering faculties in Ikole-Ekiti, urged President Buhari to focus attention on “embedded power generation and strengthen the infrastructure for transmission for the dream of

total resuscitation of the sector to be realisable.” “Some said it was Buhari’s body language that brought the improvement but I didn’t know what they meant. You can see that these saboteurs have stopped regular bursting of the gas pipes that powered the electricity since President Buhari came on board. Some people did not want Jonathan to succeed. “Some of these people were doing this great disservice because they did not like President Jona-

than. The regular supply is Jonathan’s labour. The present administration has not added any value to the sector and Nigerians must appreciate this,” he said. Speaking further on the need for a wholesome revamp of the power sector, the former minister said “President Buhari will do wonders if he strengthens embedded generation and build more infrastructure for transmission of power. “He should also change the threshold for licens-

ing from one megawatt to 5 megawatts because the former has no incentive for investors and I believe Nigeria will leapfrog from 4,000mgws to something more appreciable if this is done.” He warned people to desist from using Nigeria’s diversity to cause crisis in the system, saying “the greatest strength we have in this country is our diversity and it should be used for the benefit of all rather using it to cause more confusion in the system.”

Public Relations practitioner, Yushau Shuaib, presenting his latest book on "Online Public Relations in Nigeria" to Dr Hajara Sanda Umar of the Department of Mass Communication, Bayero University, Kano, while some 1992 graduates of the department look on.”

ABUAD appoints Ajisafe as VC The Board of Trustees and the Council of the Afe Babalola University, AdoEkiti (ABUAD), over the weekend, announced the appointment of Professor Michael Ajisafe as the substantive vice chancellor of the six-year-old university. The Director of Academic Planning, Professor Yekini Lawal, was also appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor(Academics) while the Provost, College of Law, Mrs. Smaranda Olarinde, was appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor (Adminis-

tration). Ajisafe, the first professor of Sports Science in Africa, has been the acting vice chancellor since the expiration of the tenure of Professor Sidi Osho, who was the pioneer vice chancellor of the university on January 4, last year. Rising from a meeting of the Council of the university in Ado-Ekiti, over the weekend, its Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Ambassador (Professor) Iyorwuese Hagher, said Ajisafe, a foundation staff of the uni-

versity was appointed the vice chancellor in appreciation of his scholarship and immense contributions to the growth of the university since its inception in 2010. Ajisafe had earlier doubled as deputy vice chancellor and the provost, College of Sciences until he was appointed the acting vice chancellor in January last year. After obtaining a Doctorate Degree in Sports Science from Temple University in Philadelphia, the United States of American, he re-

11 professors vie for UniUyo VC post Eleven professors are to be interviewed for the job of vice chancellor of the University of Uyo, Professor Comfort Ekpo, whose tenure ends in December, according to the institution’s governing council. The Pro-Chancellor and chairman of the Council, Professor Kimse Okoko, disclosed this in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Sunday. Ekpo, a Professor of Educational Technology and the first female vice chancellor of the university, was appointed in 2010. The chairman of the gov-

erning council said the 11 aspirants to be interviewed this week, were among the 17 professors that indicated interest for the post. Okoko said due process was followed in the selection process to ensure that the best candidate emerged at the end of the exercise. The pro-chancellor said that candidates not invited for interview did not meet the requirements for the position. “There is nothing secret about it. We are determined to get the best candidate as the new vice chancellor of the University of Uyo. “Absolutely, there has been

no compromise no matter who is involved. We are now in the final stage of interaction with the candidates. “I think we should have a new vice chancellor by next week,” Okoko said. The pro-chancellor pledged the determination of the governing council to be fair to all the candidates during the interview. He assured that at end of the exercise, every member of the university community would be satisfied with the process. NAN recalled that litigations had trailed the selection of the outgoing vicechancellor.

turned to Nigeria and joined the University of Ife (Adeyemi College of Education), where he pioneered the establishment of the Department of Sports Science. He was Head of the Sports Science Department from 1973 to 1975 when he left for the University of Ibadan, where he founded the Sports Science Department of that university with two other colleagues He taught at the University of Ibadan from 1975 to 1977 before he left for the University of Benin, where he pioneered the establishment of the Sports Science Department and was Head of Department and the Dean of Education in that university for six and three years, respectively. For five years, he was Director for the National Institute of Sports Lagos. He is a member of very distinguished Academic and Professional Associations in Sports Science across the globe. Lawal, the new deputy vice chancellor (Academics), is a professor of Business Administration and a pioneer staff of the university. He was the pioneer acting Provost of the College of Social and Management Sciences and the pioneer Director of Academic Planning.

Oyo ministernominee, Shittu expresses gratitude Minister-nominee and frontline politician, Adebayo Shittu, has expressed deep gratitude to various groups, individuals and prominent indigenes of the state, for their overwhelming solidarity and support for his nomination. Shittu, in a statement in Abuja, disclosed that he was humbled by the exhibition of love and confidence reposed in him to deliver and meet the aspirations of the masses. He said that by the floodgate of solidarities, the people had encouraged him to always be on the side of truth and fairness. Shittu noted that the petitions filed against him were products of a jaundiced minds, targeted at discrediting his age-long principles of justice and fairness to all, irrespective of age, sex, social status, religion and any other parameter and thanked the various groups and individuals for standing by the truth, assuring them of better days ahead. He said that he bore no grudge with anybody or groups opposing his nomination but enjoined them to have the fear of God in all their actions. Meanwhile, Ahead Tuesday’s commencement of the screening of ministernominees by the Senate, a group, the Oke-Ogun professionals, has charged the Senate to conduct the exercise in a manner that would ensure only men of courage and unblemished character emerge to support the Buhari’ change agenda.

NEF Chair tasks members on commitment NIGERIA Evangelical Fellowship (NEF) recently held its 50th Golden Jubilee themed: “NEF GOFORWARD”, at Shao, Kwara State, Nigeria. The chairman of NEF, Reverend (Dr) Dachollom Datiri, appealed to all evangelical organisations in Nigeria, to handle their missionary work with seriousness and high sense of dedication while discharging their obligations. He said evangelicals must utilise this era to think and plan strategically against forces of extremism, fundamentalism, terrorism and secularism, even as he called on all Christians to take NEF passionately and encourage new members to join the fold to advance God’s kingdom.

news

Monday, 12 October, 2015

NASRDA boss wants diversification to space technology YinkaOladoyinbo-Lokoja

ollowing the decline in the revenue accruing to the country from crude oil sale, the Director General of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Professor Saidu Ogah, has charged the governments and corporate organisations to diversify into space technology. He said space technology is a money spinner that could aid the development and growth of the nation’s economy if properly harnessed. Ogah, who was addressing members of the correspondents’ chapel of the Nigeria Union of Jounalists, Kogi State chapter, at the headquarters of the agency, said space technology should not be left alone for government as individuals and private organisation could also venture into it. He explained that with the growing population of the West Africa region, Nigeria stood a good chance to further expand its revenue base if enough investment is made in space technology. “We have been talking about the need for diversification of the Nigerian economy and one of the ways we can do it is private participation in space business, particularly in communication satellite. “We are saying that our population is rising geometrically and we are believing to be over 180 million people, today we have GSM lines that are over 150 million, what that

means is that we are using facilities from the satellite companies and because we do not at the moment own the communication satellite which is the infrastructure for these. GSM lines, it means that so much capital is leaving our country on a daily basis and if we also calculate the number

of dstv points across the country, billions of naira leave our shores on a daily basis. “It is therefore time to educate our people, time to encourage private sector to be part of this business and not only that in the next three to four years, the population of

the whole of west Africa will be in the neighbourhood of 350 million, enormous resources will be there for people who have prepared to take adventure, for people who want commitment to do business, these resources are already enough for us if we want to make Nige-

Delta State governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa (left) and the Regent of Warri Kingdom, Prince Eroro Emiko, during the governor’s condolence visit to the Itsekiri nation, over the transition of the Olu of Warri.

Arrest kidnappers terrorising Benue, Ortom tasks security agents FOLLOWING rise in cases of abduction of toddlers within the age of two months to six years in Benue State, the state governor, Chief Samuel Ortom, has called on security agencies in the state to step up move to ar-

rest the kidnappers across the state. Some mothers of missing children numbering seven, on Thursday, had ambushed the governor and cried for help to rescue their kidnapped children

who they put at 22 across the state within few weeks. Subsequently, the state police command, on Friday, paraded nine-member syndicate who specialised in kidnapping and trading of babies across the state in

Mimiko, Olugbo commended on oil, gas committee reconstitution The Ugbo Central Working Committee on Oil and Gas has lauded the Olugbo of Ugbo, Oba Frederick Akinruntan and Ondo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko, on the dissolution and the reconstitution of oil committees in Ilaje land. The group said the reconstitution was aimed at capturing and carrying along all accredited stakeholders in the oil bearing communities for the purpose of sustaining and maintaining the peace in oil bearing communities. The statement was signed by chairman of Ilaje/Ugbo Central working committee, Chief Omomowo Victor Bolorunduro. The group said they aligned with the action of the traditional ruler in conjunction with the only agency related to oil matters in the state (the OSOPADEC). They said the compositions of oil committee were purely community affairs and accepted by the Ilaje ugbo

ria a regional economic hub for our people,” Professor Ogah stated. The NASRDA boss added that the agency and others that would be involved in the process, adding that they were ready to support the move to ensure that the country is salvaged from its present dependence on oil.

central working committee on oil and gas. The group appealed to the Governor to call some government agents, especially the Ministry of Environment to cooperate with the

administration of the working committee, to attain the goal of providing solution to the problems facing the people of the oil bearing communities. The group promised to

support the kabiyesi on the development of the oil bearing communities and appealed to all communities to be law-abiding and support the state government.

Olu of Warri: Okowa pays condolence visit to regent EbenezerAdurokiya-Warri Governor of Delta State, on Sunday afternoon, paid a condolence visit to the regent of Itsekiri kingdom, Prince Eroro Emiko, on the demise of the Olu of Itsekiri. Okowa, who was accompanied by his deputy, Mr Kingsley Otuaro and other government functionaries to the palace, said the visit was to find out the level of preparation as regards the burial rites of the monarch. He said he was also at the

palace to find out challenges confronting the preparation for the monarch's funeral rites as well as that the formal installation of the Olu designate. Okowa said the state government would partner with the palace on the burial rites. "I've come to find out the level of preparation in respect of his burial rites and until that is completed, a new designate cannot be installed. "I came to find out what challenges they have and

how the state government can partner with them ahead of the final burial rites. We will give him a befitting burial," Okowa pledged. He described the late Olu of Warri, Atuwatse II, as a "very peaceful man and an elder statesman with a fatherly figure to Delta State and Nigeria." It will be recalled that the Itsekiri monarch was officially announced to have joined his ancestors on September 19 at a congress held at Ode-Itsekiri.

which a girl of 16, Doshima Adogo, said that he was offered N20,000.00 to sell her one-month old baby girl. Disturbed by this rise in child abduction across the state, Ortom described the development as worrisome and charged security agents in the state to beef up security across the state. “Benue cannot afford to be a safe haven for kidnappers as well as other criminals and we shall do all in our power to support the security agencies to track the kidnappers and rescue the children,” he stated. He tasked the police in the state, at checkpoints and on patrol, to scrutinise commuters, based on the realisation that not all people conveying children in their vehicles were the rightful parents or guardians. The governor also enjoined parents to closely monitor their children so as to shield them from danger while expressing optimism that with sustained prayers and cooperation from the public, the kidnapped children would be rescued. He expressed sympathy and solidarity with families of the abducted children and restated commitment of his administration to secure the lives and property of the citizenry.

Buhari, Ghanian president for Unilorin 40th anniversary, 31st convocation Biola Azeez - Ilorin All is now set for the 40th anniversary and 31st convocation ceremonies of the University of Ilorin, kicking off on Friday with a special Juma’at service at the university central mosque with a special church service on Sunday, at the university’s Chapel of Light. According to a statement by the Head of the university’s Corporate Affairs Directorate, Mr Kunle Akogun, which was made available to journalists in Ilorin on Sunday, among the guests expected to attend the twin ceremonies are President Muhammadu Buhari, the visitor to the university and President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana. The Ghanaian President, who is also the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), will deliver the 40th anniversary lecture on Friday, October 23. Also, Buhari will unveil commemorative book entitled: “Unilorin @ 40: The Soaring Eagle”, as well as the commissioning of about 22 new projects executed by the university administration in the last one year on Friday, October 23.

Minister-nominees: Ngige, Ehanire’s choice ideal —Edo NMA Banji Aluko - Benin City The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) in Edo State has expressed satisfaction with the capacity of the two medical doctors on the list of President Muhammadu Buhari minister-nominees, pointing out that any of the duo would give the health ministry the desired impetus. Chairman of the Edo NMA, Professor Afekhide Ernest Omoti, said the prospect of having either Dr Chris Ngige or Dr Osagie Ehanire as Health Minister, holds so much promise for the nation’s health sector because of their professionalism and unblemished record. “We can testify to the personal integrity, discipline and uncommon courage of the two doctors."

Nigerian Tribune

Monday, 12 October, 2015

Lagosmetro

Monday, 12 October, 2015

Nigerian Tribune

Edited By

Lanre Adewole

olanreade@yahoo.com

0811 695 4647

N97m fraud: UBA staff sacked,

arraigned, remanded Lanre Adewole

The deplorable state of the road located close to a National Integrated Power Project station at Oworonsoki Bus-Stop, Lagos. Photo: SYLVESTER OKORUWA

Blast in Lagos bar injures baby, three others • It’s not a bomb — Police

Lanre Adewole

our people, including an eightmonth-old baby, were on Sunday afternoon injured in an explosion that occurred in Oworonsoki area of Lagos State. There was serious concern among residents of L & K Bus-Stop in Oworonsoki as many of them expressed their fears that it was a bomb explosion. The explosion was said to have occurred from gas in a refrigerator, and was compounded by bottles and cans of drinks in a nearby shop. About four shops were destroyed, while many houses on some nearby streets were affected by the vibration. The affected streets include: Ibadan, Olanrewaju , Maiyaki and Sokoya, while many parts of Oworonsoki were partially affected by the thunderous explosion. A resident of the area, who simply identified himself as Niran, while speaking with Lagos Metro, stated that “it was a very serious explosion and we were very con-

cerned. “It was actually from a bar, but it affected the hotel and the shops at the back and the sides of the bar. The injured baby was the grandchild of the owner of the buildings.” A minor fire incident from the explosion was later put out by fire fighters from Ilupeju Fire Service station with operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and National Emergency Management Agency on duty. The state police commissioner, Fatai Owoseni, while speaking on the incident, denied that it was a bomb explosion. The state police boss said: “It was an explosion from a refrigerator cylinder. People were just panicking because of the loud bang. We had to quickly deploy the Bomb Disposal Unit to the place just to assure the people that we are always ready in case of any eventuality.” Owoseni added that, “it was a minor incident. It was not explosives. No life was lost. The police have

taken over the place to forestall hoodlums from hijacking the situation to unleash mayhem on innocent citizens. “I want everybody not to panic but to go about their normal duties as the police

are always on ground in case of any eventuality.” Ibrahim Farnloye, the spokesperson of the NEMA for the Southwest also confirmed the incident to Lagos Metro and added that the injured victims had

been taken to the hospital. Rasak Fadipe , the director of the Lagos State Fire Service, also stated that operatives of the agency responded swiftly to the incident and were able to put out the minor fire at the scene.

A N97 million alleged fraud at Idowu Taylor, Victoria Island branch of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has seen a senior employee, Anselm Ekenna sacked, docked and granted N1 million bail. Police are accusing him of fraudulently withdrawing the said sum from his employer’s account. He was alleged to have unlawfully hacked into the bank’s account, fraudulently transferred the said sum to various accounts from where he cleaned out the transfers and converted same to his personal use. When the alleged fraud was discovered during an audit exercise, police from the Lion Building Division, Lagos Island were reportedly called in to pick the accused up. The alleged crime, according to the police, was perpetrated in September, 2015. His employer sacked him with immediate effect, while he was granted bail after the police arraigned him in court. The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) where the matter was reported, SP Tanaruno Anthonia, reportedly put a team in place led by Sgt. Olaoye Rafiu to track and ar-

Ikorodu quakes as soldiers, vandals engage in shoot-out Lanre Adewole

korodu quaked at the weekend as soldiers and suspected pipeline vandals engaged in a daytime shoot-out, Lagos Metro learnt on Sunday. Residents told our correspondent that soldiers, who were drafted to the troubled areas of Agric and Isawo following the alleged killing of security personnel by the suspected vandals, engaged the suspects in a shoot-out that started at about 11am on Saturday. The exchange of bullets reportedly took a couple of hours, with residents panicking and shunning compulsory outings. The gun battle was said to have taken place close to the swampy area at Isawo where the vandals allegedly

use as their hideout. During the daytime shootout, residents claimed both the suspected pipeline vandals and soldiers wore military camouflage, though the former had white draped over theirs. Residents told Lagos Metro they had run out of boldness to continue stay-

ing in the area. They said options of relocation were being weighed. Heavy military presence returned to the area with the decision of the security forces to rid the area of criminals. Last month, vandals killed at least seven security operatives in Ikorodu

and escaped through the lagoon. Lagos State government has, however, urged the residents not to panic over the military operation, explaining that the onslaught was part of efforts to liberate them from hoodlums, pipeline vandals and other undesirable elements.

....Shooting may last one week — CP Lanre Adewole Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, told residents of Ikorodu on Saturday to expect sporadic gunshots as the security operatives were fully ready to dislodge vandals and criminals from the town. An emergency State Security Council meeting held at

the weekend, at the State House, Ikeja, had in attendance the Director, State Security Service, Mr. Kunle Ajanaku; Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni; the Chief of Staff, Mr Samuel Olukunle Ojo; Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations, Mr. Johnson Kokumo, among others. According to Owoseni at the end of the meeting, the

state government said it was committed to ensuring that the hoodlums terrorising Ikorodu, disturbing the peace in the town and making life unbearable for residents, did not have a field day any longer. He said that security surveillance would be carried out 24 hours throughout the week, adding that the activities of the hoodlums and the

rest the suspect where ever he was hiding. The suspect, a resident of Iyana Ipaja was later smoked out of his hideout in Lagos and arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrate’s Court on a three-count charge of felony to wit: stealing. The prosecutor S. Molo said the offences were punishable under sections 409, 285(5)(e) and 338 of the criminal laws of Lagos State, 2011.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the crime. Chief Magistrate, Mrs. A. O. Sholadoye, admitted the accused to bail in the sum of N1million with two sureties in like sum, one of whom must be a chartered accountant. She adjourned the case till 11 November, 2015 for mention while the defendant was taken to Ikoyi prison pending when his bail conditions would be met.

We steal goods from trucks stuck in traffic — Suspect Olalekan Olabulo A member of a three-man armed robbery gang, which specialised in hiding under heavy traffic to steal from trucks loaded with goods, has been arrested by the police in Lagos State . The suspect, identified as Timothy Ojomandu, was a few days ago arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), who responded to a distress around Mile 2 area of the state. The arrested suspect and his colleagues were off-loading goods from a truck, which was stuck in traffic, when the policemen stormed the area and arrested him. Two other members of his gang, who were receiving the stolen goods from the arrested suspect, took to their heels on sighting the policemen. Timothy had jumped into the truck, a Mitsubishi Canter, with registration number, FKJ 676 XF and was passing the goods to his

criminal elements in the area had become unacceptable and uncontrollable. “Government cannot fold its arms, but take necessary actions by deploying security operatives to the area. Government will not allow criminal elements in the state and we want to say that the immunity for the vandals is over, the arbitrary and uncontrollable

colleagues when he was arrested. The driver of the truck, Ajiboye Mogaji, who accompanied the arrested suspect to the RRS office in Ikeja, commended the police for saving his job. The driver stated that “When I saw him sneaking into my truck, I pretended as if I didn’t see him. While inside the truck, he passed one carton to his partner who was moving beside the vehicle. As soon as I saw him passing one carton to his partner on the ground, I rushed down on motion.

“However, when his partner saw me alighting from the vehicle suddenly, he absconded with that one carton, and I held the suspect by his trousers when he wanted to jump down from the truck.

LAWMA road sweepers being transported in the back of a truck to their duty posts. Photo: SYLVESTER OKORUWA.

Non-seizure of vehicles making drivers lawless — Lawmaker Bola Badmus Member, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Segun Olulade, has said that one of the ways to curb the incessant gridlock on Lagos

roads is for every motorist to continue to comply with the traffic law passed by the House. The lawmaker representing Epe Constituency 2 said this in reaction to com-

plaints of some Lagosians on the persistent traffic jam in the state, explaining that some drivers were becoming lawless and taking advantage of the pronouncement by the state Governor,

Police prosecutor, Inspector Ignatius Okeke, informed the court that trouble began between the accused persons and the complainant, when she challenged the accused persons for urinating inside the market near where wares were displayed. He said the accused persons instead descended on the complainant and in the process picked up a big stone and landed it on her mouth, with three teeth falling off. Okeke said the complainant collapsed and had to be revived at a hospital she was taken to. He said the offences are punishable under sections 409 and 244 of criminal laws of Lagos State, 2011. The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the crime and the Magistrate, Mr. L. Owolabi admitted

them to bail in the sum of N100,000 each with two sureties in like sum. Owolabi adjourned the case till 2 November, 2015 for mention while the defendants, who are married with two and three children each, were taken to Kirikiri Prison, Apapa, Lagos, pending when their bail conditions would be met.

3 teeth lost as 3 housewives fight dirty at Oke-Arin Market Lanre Adewole Three teeth were lost during a bloody fight involving three housewives, with improper urinating point said to be the cause of the fight that landed two in Kirikiri prison. The two who are waiting for the perfection of their bail in Kirikiri are traders at Daddy Alaja Market, Oke

rape, vandalism and harassment is over,” he said. Owoseni appealed to residents not to panic as they might witness or hear sporadic gun shots, urging them to go on with their normal activities. He, however, cautioned them to restrict their movements to areas where the operations were not intensive.

Arin, Lagos Island. The victim of their joint beating is also a colleague in the market. The duo of Amina Adegun, 31, a resident of 1, Daddy Alaja Street, Oke Arin Market, who claimed to be a graduate of Accountancy from the University of Lagos, and Rukkayat Adebola Ladejobi, 36, who resides at 2B, Bank Olemo Street, Surulere, who claimed to be a graduate from Yaba College of Technology, were arraigned before a Tinubu Magistrates’ Court on a two-count charge of felony to wit: assault occasioning permanent injury. They allegedly hit Oluwaseyi Olaoluwa with a stone during the bloody fight and thereby removed three of her teeth, simply because she remonstrated with them over urinating inside the market.

Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, that the officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) should stop impounding vehicles. According to Olulade, the governor’s intention was not made to make drivers become disobedient to the traffic law which is still in place. He said it was important that Lagosians, especially motorists, commuters and every other road user should understand that the traffic law was still in operation as passed by the State House of Assembly and signed into law by the executive arm of government.

Again, govt asks residents to vacate flood-prone areas Chukwuma Okparaocha The Director of Public Enlightenment, Lagos State Ministry of Information, Oluwatoyin Awosika, has urged residents living within flood-prone areas to relocate to safe locations. Awosika told the media in Lagos that the ministry had

commenced sensitisation of the affected residents to change their attitudes in order to avert flood disasters. He said the state spent huge resources to make refuse collection cheap and affordable, adding that measures were already in place to relocate residents in case of flood disaster.

news

Monday, 12 October, 2015

Lone occupier of crashed fighter jet in Yola dies Kabeer Gwangwazo - Yola

N ill fated F7NAF801 fighter jet bomber, which crashed on Saturday evening, at about 4.30p.m., within the hilly area around Song Local Government of Adamawa State, was reportedly buried into the ground, a local resident of the area disclosed to Nigerian Tribune. The eyewitness, who said the incident took place at Didango Village, about 17 kilometres away from Song local government headquarters, said that the incident might have been caused by bad weather due to heavy windstorm in the area.

He noted that as the fighter jet plummeted to the ground, the pilot parachutes out of the jet but could not land to safety as he lost control and rammed into a tree as a result of the heavy windstorm leading

to his instant death. “The fighter jet sunk into the ground and it completely got damaged. This is the second time we are witnessing this type of mishap in our village which scared all of

us to our marrows as we thought it was the end of the world,” he said. A security source noted that the ill fated fighter jet was returning from its normal bombardment mission from parts of Yobe, Borno

State and came under heavy windstorm, which resulted in its crash. The source added that the only occupier of the jet, who was incidentally piloting it, also lost his life in the accident.

El-Rufai suspends Kaduna North LG chairman Muhammad Sabiu - Kaduna Governor Nasiru el-rufai of Kaduna State has suspended interim chairman of Kaduna North local government, Alhaji G.A. Kurfi, for his alleged complicity in the land recovery exercise going on in his local government area. This was contained in a statement issued to newsmen in Kaduna, on Sunday, and signed by Samuel Aruwan, the governor’s spokesman. The statement said the suspension, which took effect from Thursday last week, will remain until investigations are concluded. The statement read in part, “The Kaduna State government has announced the suspension of the interim committee chairman of Kaduna North local government council.” “This action is taken to enable the government thoroughly investigate the circumstances around the involvement of the suspended chairman in unauthorised activities in the land recovery process. “When the government decided to recover lands belonging to schools, hospitals and other public institutions, it set out clear guidelines which were issued to all relevant agencies and the general public. “These guidelines made mandatory the written approval of the governor before any action for land recovery is initiated, aside from clearly stating that local government councils have no role in the land recovery process beyond gathering and forwarding information to the appropriate agencies.”

President, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin (left), endorsing Alhaji Taofeek Oyerinde (Fele) as chairman of NURTW, Oyo State council, for another term of four years in office.

Air Traffic Controllers call for extension of probe to aviation sector Shola Adekola - Lagos Members of the Nigeria Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (NATCA) have called on the Federal Government to reduce corruption and wastages in the system by extending the current probe in the oil industry to the aviation sector. Speaking at the 44th annual general meeting and conference of NATCA, held in Akure, Ondo State, the president of NATCA, Mr Victor Eyaru, also used the occasion to call for the restructuring of various aviation agencies in the country in line with the primary functions enshrined in Acts establishing them. Eyaru said restructuring will reduce the bearing of unnecessary burdens of duplication of departments and directorates as against the originally designed structures. According to Eyaru, air traffic controllers formed only 12 per cent of the total staff strength of NAMA as against 45 and 70 per cent for other sister organisations outside the country, saying it was the reason for paucity of fund in the agency, which he said was slowing the timely renewal of facilities and training of core aviation professionals

in statutory areas to ensure proficiency in air safety. NATCA urged the federal government to extend most of the airports aprons, complete abandoned terminal buildings and create more jobs in view of the coming of a new national carrier. The controllers decried the abandonment of Lagos airports taxiway for more than six years, adding that it has reduced the capacity of the airport and prevented aircraft from accessing vital areas of the country’s

business airport. According to the NATCA president; “It is ripe here to call on the Federal government to urgently address issues bothering on the construction of a new control tower for Kaduna Airport to replace the one that got burnt on April 20, 2014.” He warned that the unnecessary delay in completing the Aeronautical Information Services Automation project may have undermined its usefulness to the system as most of

technologies in the industry will become obsolete soon. While frowning at the ways trainings of their members in NAMA has been handled over the past three years under the guise of lack of funds, he declared: “Only 40 out of 300 have been trained in Performance Base Navigation thereby hampering its scheduled provision with effect from December 2012 with the airspace, more trained in Aeronautical search and rescue for more than five years,” Eyaru said.

No cholera outbreak in my council area —Akwanga LG bos Ademola Adegbite - Lafia THE Chairman of Akwanga Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, Mr Abashiya Koto, on Sunday, debunked rumours that cholera outbreak has claimed many lives in the area.” Mr Koto, who made this clarification in an interview with newsmen in Akwanga, said nobody lost his or her life, as a result of cholera outbreak, as erroneously perceived in some quarters, but three persons lost their lives penultimate Sunday, as a result of diarrhea.

According to him, “it is not true that there is cholera outbreak in my local government. Altho3ugh, three persons lost their lives last Sunday due to diarrhea and vomiting, but it was not cholera as alleged in some quarters in the state. “When the council heard that three persons lost their lives in Gudi Primary Health Care Clinic in this local government, I went there personally with health experts including officials of World Health Organisation (WHO). “The health experts took

a sample and conducted a test and it was discovered that it was diarrhea and vomiting but not cholera as being speculated. I want to call on the people of this area and the state to remain calm as my administration is ready at all times to improve on the health wellbeing of the people,” he added. He also admonished the people of the area in particular and the state as a whole, to pay regular attention to cleaning and avoid incessant dumping of refuse into gutters, markets and other places in the interest of their health.

EFCC arrests LG chairman over alleged fraud The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Sunday, said the Chairman of Tarauni Local Government Area in Kano State, Mr Muktar Yarima, was in its custody. Spokesman of the commission, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that Yarima was arrested on Saturday, in Kano, over allegations of fraud against him. Uwujaren said that the chairman was already assisting the commission in the investigation of the case. A source at the Government House, Kano, who hinted on Yarima’s arrest, told NAN that it was in connection with alleged misappropriation of an unspecified amount of money. The source disclosed that the money was meant for an empowerment programme under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), now Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

NURTW boss endorses Lagos, Oyo, Ogun exco The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), National Headquarters, Abuja, has endorsed a second term of four years for Lagos, Oyo and Ogun states council chairmen of the union. The president of the union, Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin, who disclosed this after a stakeholders meeting in Abuja, at the weekend, said that the decision to allow the states council to continue in office for another term was informed by the way the executive had been able to restore unity and peace in the state council. Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede, Alhaji Taofeek Oyerinde (Fele) and Alhaji Akeem Adeosun (Jango) head the Lagos, Oyo and Osun councils of the union respectively. The NURTW boss explained that the leadership of the union decided to allow the three council chairmen to continue in office because of the creditable performance recorded by them. Alhaji Yasin added that two female members from the women wing will be coopted to join the state executives in each state in line with the provisions of the institution of the union.

news

Monday, 12 October, 2015

NASRDA boss wants diversification to space technology YinkaOladoyinbo-Lokoja

rest the kidnappers across the state. Some mothers of missing children numbering seven, on Thursday, had ambushed the governor and cried for help to rescue their kidnapped children

central working committee on oil and gas. The group appealed to the Governor to call some government agents, especially the Ministry of Environment to cooperate with the

administration of the working committee, to attain the goal of providing solution to the problems facing the people of the oil bearing communities. The group promised to

support the kabiyesi on the development of the oil bearing communities and appealed to all communities to be law-abiding and support the state government.

Monday, 12 October, 2015

US to pay compensation over airstrike on Afghan hospital

foreig naffairs

08116954632 with seyi gesinde foreignn ewseditor@gmail.com

Thousands rally to mourn Ankara bombing victims

housands of people have attended a rally in Ankara under heavy security to remember the at least 95 people killed in twin bombings in the Turkish capital. The demonstrators on Sunday filled Sihhiye Square in central Ankara, close to the site of Saturday’s blasts outside the city’s train station, with some shouting anti-government slogans. The rally was called by labour unions, leftist groups, NGOs and the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), the same groups that had called the peace rally targeted in Saturday’s attack. Two senior officials told Reuters news agency that initial signs pointed to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) responsibility in the Ankara bombings. However, several demonstrators blamed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the attack, shouting “Erdogan murderer”, “Government resign”, and “The state will give account”. The government has ridiculed suggestions it could be implicated in the bombings. President Erdogan denounced what he called a “heinous attack” targeting “our unity and our country’s peace”.

Declaring three days of mourning on Saturday, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said there were “strong signs” the attack was carried out by two suicide bombers. Davutoglu said no one had claimed responsibility for the bombings, but that groups, including the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the far-left Revolutionary People’s Liberation Par-

ty-Front (DHKP-C) were capable of carrying out such an attack. International condemnation of the bloodshed was swift. German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed “sadness and dismay” over the attacks, while US President Barack Obama and Russia’s Vladimir Putin offered their condolences to Erdogan. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the attack was an “impudent act of terrorism”.

Family members of Korkmaz Tedik, a victim of Saturday’s bomb blasts, mourn over his coffin during a funeral ceremony in Ankara, Turkey, Oct. 11, 2015. PHOTO: Reuters

Israel accused of ‘deliberately killing’ protesters Israel’s government is facing serious questions over its use of force in the latest outbreak of violence with protesters after a number of videos appeared online showing soldiers shooting at Palestinians. Amnesty International told Al Jazeera on Sunday that some of the recorded incidents amounted to “extrajudicial killings”, while Human rights Watch was “strongly concerned”

by Israel’s “indiscriminate and even deliberate” use of fire on demonstrators. “These are extrajudicial killings against unarmed civilians,” Mariam Farah, the spokesperson for Amnesty International in Israel, said. On Friday, a video emerged showing a number of Israeli soldiers surrounding a young Palestinian woman allegedly holding a knife before they shot her with live bullets multiple times. Israa Ayed, 29, was

Human rights Watch was “strongly concerned” by Israel’s “indiscriminate and even deliberate use of firearms” on demonstrators. PHOTO: AP

critically injured. “There is no proof whatsoever that Israa was holding a knife. The same goes for Alloun. They did not appear to

have posed enough threat to the soldiers to use deliberate lethal force [on them],” Amnesty’s Farah told Al Jazeera.

Iraq: ISIL leader Baghdadi’s convoy hit in air strike Iraqi security forces say they have struck the convoy of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, in an air strike near the country’s border with Syria. “The Iraqi air force carried out a heroic operation targeting the convoy of the criminal terrorist Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi,” Iraq’s security forces said in a statement on Sunday. “His health status is unknown,” it said. Pentagon officials told Al Jazeera that they could not “corroborate or confirm the Iraqi government claim of

striking or killing Baghdadi at this point”. Iraqi security sources have previously claimed several times that Baghdadi had been injured or killed in strikes but the claims were either never verified or later denied. The army statement said Iraqi aircraft struck Baghdadi’s convoy as it was “moving towards Karabla to attend a meeting of the Daesh terrorist leaders”. Daesh is an Arabic acronym for the ISIL group, which last year proclaimed a caliphate straddling Iraqi and Syria. Karabla is located on the

otherNEWS Guinea goes to poll as opposition cries foul Polls opened in Guinea on Sunday, but the country’s opposition candidates claim there is little chance of the vote being free and fair. Voters lined up across Guinea’s ocean-side capital early Sunday. President

People queue to cast their votes during Presidential elections in Bambeto neighbourhood of Conakry, Guinea, Oct. 11, 2015. PHOTO: AP

The United States will offer “condolence payments” for those killed or injured in the U.S. airstrike that mistakenly hit a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, on October 3. Defense Department spokesman Peter Cook said Saturday that the amount of the payments had not been determined. The payments will go to “civilian noncombatants injured and the families of civilian noncombatants killed as a result of U.S. military operations,” he said. The medical group, known by its French acronym MSF, said the airstrike killed 10 patients and 12 MSF staff members. The charity said Thursday that nine patients and 24 staff members were still missing.

Alpha Conde is running for a second term against seven opposition candidates. While looting and clashes between rival political supporters occurred earlier in the week in Guinea, there was no sign of trouble in Conakry as polls opened.

But Guinea’s opposition was already decrying the election. In an interview Saturday evening, leading opposition candidate Cellou Dalein Diallo told VOA he had no confidence in the electoral commission. He said he and the six other op-

Euphrates river barely five kilometres from the border with Syria. The statement did not make clear when the strike was carried out.

ISIL, led by Baghdadi, last year proclaimed a caliphate straddling Iraq and Syria. PHOTO AP

position challengers would reject the polls if they believed they were rigged. Diallo says if the results announced by the electoral commission or the Supreme Court do not reflect the voters’ will, then he will not accept them.

Thousands in Australia protest against refugee detention centres Thousands of Australians joined rallies calling for the closure of Pacific I sland camps for asylumseekers, just days after the government confirmed it was in talks with the Philippines to resettle detained refugees. Under Canberra’s tough immigration policy, asylum-

seekers attempting to reach the island continent by boat are turned back or sent to camps on Nauru or Papua New Guinea and barred from resettling in Australia even if found to be refugees. Chanting “free, free the refugees”, the protesters on Sunday in Sydney, Melbourne and other cities

said the government and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull should close the Pacific detention centres, which have been harshly criticised by rights groups. With Australia set to resettle 12,000 Syrian refugees amid the crisis in Europe, some demonstrators

waved Syrian and Kurdish flags and said the government should move those held in the camps to the mainland. One asylum-seeker, “Adbi”, who has reportedly been held on Manus Island for more than two years, called on Turnbull to help the detainees.

Protesters said the government and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull should close the Pacific detention centres. PHOTO: AFP

communitynews NYSC inaugurates rural health scheme in Kogi, Ondo

Yiinka Oladoyinbo-Lokoja And Hakeem Gbadamosi-Akure

he National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has inaugurated the Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers (HIRD), a programme designed to provide affordable and timely healthcare intervention for rural dwellers in the country. The NYSC DirectorGeneral, Brigadier-General Johnson Olawumi, said the initiative, conceived over a year ago, is to further make healthcare delivery available to the common man. He added that the programme had gained national acceptance, stressing that the successes recorded in the two pilot states are now being replicated in other states and the FCT. According to him, the plan is to mobilise corps medical volunteers in the provision of healthcare through diagnosis, treatment, referrals and proper prevention mechanism, thereby enhancing the general well-being of rural dwellers across Nigeria. The Director-General, who was represented at the inauguration in Kogi State by the Kogi State Coordinator of the NYSC, Mrs Bolanle Olatunji, said the volunteer corps medical personnel would form the core of the team. In his speech, the state governor, Captain Idris Wada, commended NYSC for the initiative, saying

Monday, 12 October, 2015

the move was capable of reducing the health challenges of people in rural communities. He noted that the initiative was in tandem with his administration’s transformation agenda in taking healthcare delivery to the doorsteps of rural dwellers in the state. The governor, who spoke through the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Idris Omede, stated that the presence of corps members across the country would enable the programme fulfill its objectives of taking healthcare service to remote parts of the country. In a related development, Olawumi, who was represented by the state Coordinator of the NYSC during the inauguration of the scheme in Ondo State said: “Our confidence in the success of this programme also lies in the fact that we have been able to secure support from stakeholders who are assisting with either personnel, drugs, ormedical equipment.” Also speaking, the state

Commissioner for Sports, Mr Bekekhimi Idhiarhi, commended the NYSC for the programme and said the initiative was the bold step towards a right di-

A cross section of traders in Utako Market, on Monday, called on authorities of Abuja Market Management Limited to evacuate the mounting refuse in the market. A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent, who visited the market, observed that piles of re-

fuse had littered the rear end of the market. The traders expressed concern over the delay by the waste management authorities to clear the refuse from the dump site. They said if urgent action was not taken to evacuate the refuse, the

rection in complementing different ongoing health programmes of Governor Olusegun Mimiko. The commissioner, who was represented by the

NOT less than 10,000 rural dwellers from different parts of Ogun State benefited from the health scheme tagged: Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers (HIRD) by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Ogun State. While speaking with newsmen at the kick-off of the HIRD programme at Ilubere village, Odeda Local Government Area of the state, Mr James Afolayan, said bringing free healthcare to the grassroots became imperative due to poor access to quality medical facilities in rural communities in the country. He said the goal of the HIRD programme was to mobilise corps medical volunteers in the provision of health intervention through diagnosis, treatment, referrals and proper prevention mechanism. He said that in driving the

step in realissing the motive for its establishment by creating a healthy society not only in urban areas but also in developing rural areas.”

A corps member attending to a member of Ilubere Community in Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State during the Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers (HIRD) programme by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Ogun State, recently. PHOTO: NURUDEEN ALIMI.

Traders call for evacuation of refuse from Utako Market situation could lead to the outbreak of diseases in the market. According to a vegetable seller, Mustapha Kabir, most buyers do not come into the market through the back gate anymore, due to the stench emanating from the area. He called on relevant au-

Ogun NYSC offers healthcare to 10,000 rural dwellers by nurudeen alimi

Permanent Secretary, Ondo Ministry of Youths and Sports Development, Emmanuel Adelayi, said: “By this health initiative, NYSC has taken another

health scheme, the NYSC hoped to help enhance the general well-being of rural dwellers across communities in Nigeria. Afolayan said the programme would be sustained by the NYSC scheme. “Our confidence in the success of this programme lies in the fact that we have been able to secure the support of stakeholders who are assisting our personnel with medical supplies and logistics. “This health outreach, which is taking place simultaneously in selected rural communities across the nation, has been designed to address our people’s health challenges. “The initiative is for the benefit of everyone, hence our people must take ownership and participate fully for the good health of all,” he said. The Chairman, Odeda Local Government Council Transition Committee, Mr

Segun Adebowale, urged the people to take advantage of the programme for their health benefit. He discouraged the use of self-medication and blind treatment with local methods while laying more emphasis on pre-

ventive medicine and the need to adopt healthy lifestyles. The Community Head of Ilubere, Mr Rasheed Olaleye, thanked the NYSC for the HIRD programme, saying it would bring succour to their lives.

thorities to clear the site, saying that this would go a long way to improve the health of the traders and residents. “The refuse dump is usually full and the people, who pack them, do not come regularly. “The smell from the dump site is terrible. We close our noses most times, when we come to sell. We don’t have a choice, if not, we would have moved away from here. “Even customers, who come here cover their noses due to the offensive odour; we want those incharge to clear this place quickly,” Kabir said. Another trader, Mrs Au-

Community leader charges on unity Biola Azeez-Ilorin

A prominent member of Olugbense ruling house of Offa in Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State, Prince Abdulrauf Adegboyega Keji, has charged members of the royal family to make peace, unity and mutual understanding their watchword. Speaking at Oba Oke compound in the ancient town of Offa last weekend during a general meeting of the ruling house, Prince Keji also said that they should close ranks and work for the progress and

development of the royal family. He refrain from any act capable of tarnishing the image of the royal family. Prince Keji also stressed the need for members to always engage in fervent prayers to make the royal family achieve its set objectives, while appealing to those fanning the embers of disunity in the family to stop in the interest of the family. He commended the people of Offa for their support and prayers for the ruling house and called on members of the royal fam-

ily to allow the interest and progress of the family to be paramount on their mind. Prince Keji also eulogised virtues of all departed Mogaji and members of the house and prayed God to grant them paradise and give their families fortitude to bear the loss. He also thanked God for the opportunity given them to witness yet another festival and urged Muslims to reflect on lessons of the festival as he implored members to always be law abiding and participate in all development projects in the community.

gusta Nnamdi, complained that the concerned authorities had not lived up to their responsibility of keeping the market environment clean. She also expressed the fear that if urgent steps are not taken to evacuate the heaps of refuse around the market, there could be an outbreak of cholera and other diseases. While the traders blamed government for ineffective waste management system, the authorities, however, accused the traders of being responsible for the problem, due to their indiscriminate disposal of waste. In a telephone interview, Mrs Aishat Adebayo, Acting Director, Abuja Environmental Protection Board, advised the the traders and residents to take charge of their environment and ensure that their drains are clear and clean. She said efforts by the board to sustain clean environment had demonstrated government’s resolve to ensure that Abuja residents live in a healthy environment. “Residents and traders should take charge of their immediate environment and make sure people do not dump refuse, urinate or defecate in their immediate environment,” she said.

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Monday, 12 October, 2015 Editor: Ganiyu Salman tribunesporteditor@yahoo.com 08053789060

Bankers Games: Skye Bank, First Bank win on opening day

Enyeama, Ahmed Musa nominated for CAF Award CONFEDERATION of African Football (CAF) have nominated Nigeria’s Vincent Enyeama and Ahmed Musa for the 2015 African Footballer of the Year award. Enyeama features for French club Lille, while Ahmed Musa has been in superb form for Russian army club CSKA Moscow in the year under review. Reigning African Player of the Year Yaya Toure is also on a long list of 37 nominees. England-based stars Riyad Mahrez from Algeria, Yannick Bolasie of DR Congo, Ghana’s Andre Ayew, Mame Diouf from Senegal, Kenya’s Victor Wanyama and Gabon skip- p e r Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are also on the list.

Djokovic beats Nadal to China Open title Novak Djokovic crushed his age-old rival, Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-2 on Sunday to seal his sixth China Open title and extend his amazing unbeaten run at the Beijing tournament. The world number one underlined his superiority in men’s tennis as he thrashed a fading Nadal for his 29th win at an event he also won in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Djokovic won three of the four Grand Slam finals this year and he shows no signs of slowing down at the end of the season, after losing only 18 games in his romp to the Chinese title. The Serbian, who has never lost a final in China, has also three Shanghai Masters titles to his name and he momentarily tripped himself up as he thanked the Beijing crowd.

El-Kanemi players boycott Glo league match over unpaid wages Players of El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri decided to stay away from their Globacom Premier League clash against FC Ifeanyiubah on Sunday. Chairman of the club, Zanna Mohammed, confirmed that the players refused to travel for the game in protest over unpaid wages. “It is true that we did not make the trip for the game against FC Ifeanyiubah),” began a disappointed Mohammed. “The players insisted that they will not make the trip unless they are paid despite our pleas to them.” Players of the club refused to talk to supersport.com unless they are guaranteed to be quoted anonymously. One of the players, who spoke on

behalf of his colleagues, claimed that they are owed eight months salaries, seven match bonuses as well as 145 per cent signing-on fees including 45 per cent from last season. Mohammed, however, shed more light on the unpaid wages: “What has happened is that we have paid them the old salary scale and not the enhanced salaries this season. For instance a player who is supposed to earn N200,000 has been getting N60,000 and we have made their outstanding money in calculation available to the Borno state government which has promised to offset every of the debt soon, in fact before the deadline given by the League Management Company.”

It was not a dream start for the Nigeria Bankers Games (NBG) defending champions, UBA as they endured a 1-1 draw with Sterling Bank on the opening day of the 2015 football events which saw rivals and last season’s runners-up Skye Bank romped to a 2-0 win over Ecobank at the Digital Bridge Institute mini-Stadium, Lagos Island. The opening day games was rounded off with a fixture which First Bank won 1-0 against Fidelity bank. Kelvin Ibekwe put UBA ahead in the early minutes of the first through a powerful placement to the far angle of the post but the Cup holders failed to make several other chances count. Lucky Sterling bank were also unlucky not to have cashed in on the only

opportunity that came their way to restore parity in the first half. The second half saw UBA still dominating play with captain Peter Chuka Nwachukwu narrowly missing a chance that would have sealed the game for his side. Afterwards, Sterling FC seemed to have been stung to fight back as they mounted pressure on UBA which yielded three minutes to full time when Omoniyi Alabi Afeez hit a volley from the 25 meters to level scores at 1-1. Afeez would afterwards admit they had a difficult first half but enjoyed a turn around towards the end of the game. “Maybe it is the first time factor, we took time to get into the game and thankfully, our second half response was positive”, said the hero of his side.

Why Oyo SWAN election was postponed —NUJ chairman

By Tunde Ogunesan

HE Chairman Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Oyo Council, Comrade Gbenga Opadotun has revealed why the state council waded into the crisis rocking the state chapter of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) in respect of the election of the association. According to Opadotun, being a mother association to SWAN, NUJ will not fold its hands and allow things get awry. Last Friday, sports writers in Oyo state were billed to elect new executives at the NUJ premises, Iyaganku, Ibadan, but agitation over ommission of some notable names of members and inclusion of some ‘unknown members’ in the voters’ list forced NUJ to postpone the election. Opadotun, who then addressed members of SWAN inside Dapo Aderogba hall said the decision to wade in was as a result of tension

which was brewing as a result of agitation over list of voters. He added that NUJ put a call through to the national President of NUJ, Alhaji Waheed Odusile who empowered the state council to postpone the election. According to Opadotun “some of us were here as early as 7am, hoping that the election process will start at 10am. But this is almost 2.30pm, the election has not started while we were expecting voters’ list from the national headquarters of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN). “when the list was eventually brought, most members kicked against it. There are complaints, genuine ones for that matter. Some prominent names of SWAN members in the state were missing out on the list. And this is generating crisis already, we all know that there is tension already. Based on that, we spoke with the national president of the union, NUJ, Alhaji Waheed Odusile, after explaining everything to him,

he said in order to save the day, the election should be postponed till October 30. “The hitherto electoral committee set up by SWAN to conduct election has also been suspended. There is a new committee in place headed by the secretary of Oyo NUJ, Comrade Rotimi Babalola, with Bode Akinbode of Oodua news and Tola Daramola of FRCN as members. “This three-man committee will liaise with chapel chairmen and secretaries to get a list of authentic SWAN members who will vote on October 30 to elect new leadership for the association. “The new list should be out by October 23, a week to election for claims and objections. “We can’t allow things to go out of hand. We spoke with the national president and he mandated us to control the situation. By next week, the committee will start working and you will be seeing them in your chapels,” Opadotun said.

Chairman, Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUT), Oyo State Council, Comrade Gbenga Opadotun (second right); vice-chairman of the union, Comrade Segun Adeyemo (third left); Assistant National Secretary, Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Ben Ogbemudia (left); Ex-officio of Oyo NUJ, Comrade Demola Babalola (second left) and the Chairman, Electoral Committee of the botched election, Mr Ibiwumi Ishola of Space FM, Ibadan during the announcement for postponement of Oyo SWAN election by the Oyo NUJ on Friday. PHOTO: YEMI FUNSHO-OKE

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Monday, 12 October, 2015 Blatter

Drogba hits 9th goal in 9 games Montreal Impact striker, Didier Drogba scored his ninth goal in nine games in the Major League Soccer on Saturday night, during his side’s 1-0 win at Colorado Rapids. The former Chelsea ace curled a 30-yard free-kick over the wall 15 minutes into the match to secure the three points for Impact. “It’s very difficult to play here,” the 37-year-old said. “It’s tough, but we dealt

quite well with the altitude. We all worked hard to secure the result.” Mauro Biello’s men now enjoy a four-point lead over seventh-place Orlando City with two more matches to go in the race for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. Drogba and Montreal Impact will travel to New England next weekend, before hosting Toronto for their final match of the regular season.

I’m a fighter —Blatter

ifa’s Sepp Blatter, who is appealing a 90-day suspension from the scandaltainted world football body, said on Sunday he would fight to defend his reputation. “I’m a fighter,” he told the Swiss weekly Schweizer am Sonntag. “They can destroy me, but they can’t destroy my life’s work.” The beleaguered football chief’s lawyers lodged an appeal against his suspension on Friday. At the same time, Blatter asked for further hearings with Fifa’s ethics commit-

Drogba

tee, claiming that he was not allowed to give evidence before he was banned. But ethics committee spokesman Andreas Bantel said Blatter, 79, had been given the chance to put his case on October 1. Fifa has been in crisis since May, when US authorities announced charges against 14 officials and sports marketing executives over bribery allegations amounting to more than $150 million. The president of the European football body Uefa, Michel Platini, was also suspended for 90 days, and

Guinea 2016 Qualifier: Falconets through to final round The U-20 Women national team, Falconets, have qualified for the final round of the African qualifying series for the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, courtesy of a 4-1 aggregate defeat of their counterparts from the Democratic Republic of Congo. 2012 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup top goalscorer Chinwendu Ihezuo was the heroine of the two legs, scoring both goals in Abuja on Saturday, to add to her goal in Kinshasa two weeks ago, when Nigeria beat the hosts 2-1. Ihezuo scored her first goal after only seven minutes at the National Stadium, Abuja, when she capitalized on a defensive mistake by the Congolese and raced unchallenged to slot the ball past goalkeeper Kashala Khonde. The Congolese refused to be deterred, and played

impressively with the petite Salu Lengi, Monique Kipoy and Joelle Muadi showing good skills. However, the game was all but over after only five minutes into the second half,

when Ihezuo again capitalized on a defensive error by the Congolese off a long ball, and held on to secure her brace. The Falconets, runnerup of the last edition of the

competition, will now take on the winner of the fixture between South Africa and Zambia, for a place at the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup finals in Papua New Guinea.

has also appealed. Neither Blatter nor Platini are implicated in the wider scandal however. If their appeals are rejected, they would still have the right to take their cases before the final-instance Court of Arbritation for Sport, based in Lausanne. The 60-year-old Platini, a frontrunner to succeed Blatter as Fifa chief, denies any wrongdoing in taking a $2 million payment from the world football body in 2011. Blatter told Schweizer am Sonntag he has quit his office at Fifa’s headquarters in Zurich and that his daughter Corinne and his girlfriend Linda Gabrielian visited him at his apartment in the Swiss city. Issa Hayatou of Cameroon, the 69-year-old head of the Confederation of African Football, was named Fifa’s acting president on Thursday.

NFF plans farewell match for Enyeama The president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has said a testimonial will be organised for Vincent Enyeama, saying he deserves “an honourable exit” from the Super Eagles. On Saturday, Enyeama returned to Belgium to meet with NFf president Amaju Pinnick, NFF 1st Vice President Seyi Akinwunmi and 2nd Vice President Shehu Dikko. Pinnick told Enyeama in clear terms that the country is bigger than any individual, and that even if he was determined to quit international football, he did not have to do so in a situation of acrimony. “I told him that he did so well for Nigeria over the past 13-and-half years that he had been there, and by all means, is deserving of a honourable exit,” the NFF boss said. “Whatever the situation, whether he decides to return to the team or not, the NFF will organise a worthy testimonial match in his honour because he served the nation so well. “However, the head coach is in full charge of the team and the camp at all times, and that fact must be respected. The NFF will support and respect the decision of the head coach of any of the national teams at all times. “Both Oliseh and Enyeama are true heroes of Nigeria football, if you look at what they achieved at different times. But Oliseh is head coach now and in charge of the team. We will continue to respect his contract; our role as a federation is advisory.” Pinnick further hinted that a code of conduct for players and officials of the various national teams will soon come into force.

Airtel supports our dreams to become professionals —ARS 5 Highest Goal Scorer With a total of three goals scored in the Airtel Rising Stars (ARS) Season 5, striker for Port Harcourt male team, Christopher Evo, emerged the Highest Goal Scorer in the tournament. The 16-year-old player described the ARS 5 football competition as a huge opportunity for the boys and girls to experience another level of football competition. Christopher said: “After qualifying for the finals, my

team members felt so happy and motivated. The encouragement we got from the ex-internationals, the spectators and Airtel Nigeria showed that they believe in us that is why they gave us such opportunity to display our talents. The ARS soccer clinic that followed it also allowed us to see our areas of weakness and how we can improve. Some of us used to play with right or left, but at the clinic the coaches gave us reason why we must be

skilful using both legs. The clinic helped us to further develop our skills. They coaches also encouraged us to ask questions.” The skillful player recalled that he started playing football at a very young age. “Right from age six, I knew I wanted football as a career. I played street soccer, but I had not played a big competition like this. My Mum really supports me and Dad was more particular about my studies than football.

Christopher Evo, the highest goal scorer (middle) flanked by former Super Eagles player, Garba Lawal (left) and an official of Airtel Nigeria Plc.

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NO 16,346

MONDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2015

HEN I was very young, I had this dream of becoming a footballer. Why this dream, I never really know. You may not believe it but I certainly was an all-rounder. I never joked with my books and studies – right from my infant years. I was generally regarded as a very precocious kid. And my father was more than encouraged to purchase for me, every now and then, any set of books he felt or was made to believe that I could read at my infant, impressionable years. At that time I never knew why. My father was not a reader. But he was fond of his little son who liked and loved books, and who liked and loved to read. Clearly, my kidhabit, my unusual kid-habit, pushed him to have strong desires for me. The books he bought for me crowded everywhere in my little bag, and also my little desk, anytime I took them to school to show off. The books were clearly outside recommended/ prescribed books. My fellow little kids called class-mates and school-mates and play-mates viewed me and my books as spectacular and mysterious beings at the same time. Even some of my teachers in my infant classes perceived us – my books and I – in this light as well. I remember clearly my infant one teacher, an Urhobo man, who called me a true child of Awolowo on account of my love of books and studies. He went further in the years ahead to say that I would not waste Awolowo’s money. You see, like many children of my age group in the Western Region at that time, I was a beneficiary of the Action Group free education policy – spear-headed by the one and only Obafemi Awolowo. But I also was a great lover of sports – athletics and football - and music. In fact, I represented my school in hundred yards, two hundred yards and four hundred yards. I also was my school’s big-band-playerand-drummer and a fabulous member of my school’s football team as an inside right forward. None of these activities affected my studies. And my father was at peace with me as my teachers were. He bought me foot-

N150

After Chief Olu Falae was released by his abductors the police in a press release said: “The primary interest of the police in this instance and granted the circumstances of the incident was the safe rescue of Chief Falae which was achieved.” One’s grammatical knowledge failed in this particular instance. Was the Falae incident a case of ‘rescue’ or ‘return’ after his family paid a ransom? Anyway both start with ‘r’, like rubbish.

in&out with Tony Afejuku

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55 years of Nigerian football balls any time I demanded for them. Football and my studies, which did I prefer? I loved football more. Quietly, I vowed to make something big out of football. I must out-play and out-class Pele, Stanley Matthews, Eusobio, Frenec Puskas and the other greats. In my very young age, I watched all football matches watchable football matches involving all big teams that graced the ancient stadium in Sapele where I grew up in my impressionable years. No football match that involved the golden Amukpe Football Club founded by the late Lebanese, Mr. Ibrahim Khalil missed my football inquiring and inquisitive eyes and mind. I had the twin-luck that my father was at that time always a travelling salesman, and that my school’s football coach was also a coach of Amukpe FC. I saw and knew many of the great names of the footballers that had donned the green-white-green of Nigeria. I knew Albert Onyeawuna, Bankole, Ewerebor, Macaulay Otire, Alabi Aissien, Dejo Fayemi, Olu Onagoruwa, Akin, Abu Malaya, Dan Anyiam, Jerry Azinge – in fact, the two or so Azinge brothers, Uwalaka, Sam Opone, Sam Garba Okoye, John Egbuonu, Chukwuma, Enebeli, Inua Rigogo – Oh, Oh, Oh, the pictures are fading! These are some of the great names that have promoted Nigerian football these fiftyfive years, names that have brought glory to our father-land right from the Red Devils’ and Green Eagles’ days, years and decades

Mr Pinnick and his NFF team should ponder on the thoughts of our national team(s). How many of these names (and others) do we remember today? Does our Nigerian Football Federation have these names in its scroll of honour? In fact, does the Nigeria Football Federation have any scroll of honour by which our heroes of ages past will ever be remembered? And their families will ever remain proud? And succeeding generations will look up to as icons to emulate patriotically? How many coaches of our national team(s) at different times are known to NFF? How many referees and other football officials have helped to promote our football, in varying degrees, at different times? Does the NFF have the record and census of all of them? How many different clubs have participated in our country’s different football competitions since the past fifty-five years? How many Nigerians have been invited or played for Nigeria at the very senior level since the past fifty-five years? I was bemused when I heard the announcement on Tuesday, September, 29th, 2015 that Porto

Football Club of Portugal was one hundred and twenty-two years in existence on that day. Clearly, Porto is far from being the oldest club in Europe. Where are our Railways, Marine, Ports Authority, Amukpe, Bata Football Club of Sapele, Abudu Rovers, Stationery Stores, Water Corporation of Ibadan, Vasco-da-Gama, Ethiope Sharks (NNB), Rubber Board (Flash Flamingoes/ Bendel United), Asabatex, Rancher Bees, Plateau, Leventis United, Abiola Babes and others of yesterdays and yesteryears – of only fifty-five years? We can’t truly say our football has significantly progressed when we have not nurtured any club to the status of years and years of durability. We do nothing well in Nigeria. We merely seek “glory” for self-aggrandizement. We never allow the good ones, men and women, who CAN perform to run our affairs. We lack, footballwise, a sense of resilient vision to be an Obafemi Awolowo these past fifty-five years. How many standard stadiums, how many five-star stadiums, do we have in our mighty country today? What analyses do we need for these thoughts/questions? None, I must say. I have been thinking and thinking…. Thank God, I’m not a footballer after all… Thank God, I’m not anywhere near our football today. But Mr. Pinnick and his NFF team should ponder on these thoughts, and other pertinent ones left out here, if they are really serious about improving our football. Winning laurels is good, but it’s not enough.

Oliseh/Enyeama feud: NFF to enforce code of conduct for players, officials

HE code of conduct for players and officials of the various national teams will soon come into force, so says the Nigeria Football Federa-

plemented soonest to guide the conduct of players, officials and coaches and minimize areas of conflict and tension in the national camp. tion. “A small group had been working on the Speaking from Belgium on Sunday, NFF code of conduct and I am happy to say that President, Amaju Pinnick assured that the it is now ready for implementation. This code of conduct was ready and would be im- will spell out how players and officials must conduct themselves while in any of the national camps, and minimize the probability of misunderstanding between coaches and players. “The recent happening in the camp of the Super Eagles in Belgium was unwarranted but I am happy we have been able to put that behind us. Both Coach Sunday Oliseh and player Vincent Enyeama even spoke cordially on Saturday during Enyeama’s meeting with the NFF leadership.” At the meeting, Pinnick, in company with Pinnick NFF 1st Vice President Seyi Akinwunmi and

2nd Vice President Shehu Dikko, told Enyeama in clear terms that the country is bigger than any individual, and that even if he was determined to quit international football, he did not have to do so in a situation of acrimony. “I told him that he did so well for Nigeria over the past thirteen-and-half years that he had been there, and by all means, is deserving of a honourable exit. Whatever the situation, whether he decides to return to the team or not, the NFF will organize a worthy testimonial match in his honour because he served the nation so well. “However, the Head Coach is in full charge of the team and the camp at all times, and that fact must be respected. The NFF will support and respect the decision of the Head Coach of any of the national teams at all times. Both Oliseh and Enyeama are true heroes of Nigeria football,

if you look at what they achieved at different times. But Oliseh is Head Coach now and in charge of the team. We will continue to respect his contract; our role as a Federation is advisory.” Pinnick noted.

RESULTS

Globacom Premier League

Giwa FC Sharks

1 2

Dolphins Wikki

0 0

FC Taraba

Heartland

Enyimba

Shooting Stars 1

Bayelsa Utd Lobi Stars

Nasarawa Utd 2

Kwara Utd

Akwa Utd

Abia Warriors 0

Kano Pillars

2 Sunshine Stars 1

Rangers

Wolves

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