14th March 2016

NIGERIA’S MOST INFORMATIVE NEWSPAPER NO 16,456

MONDAY, 14 MARCH, 2016

www.tribuneonlineng.com

Ocholi: FRSC insists driver had no licence •Says fake driver's licence is no licence —P12

Nigerian Tribune

NASS budget to be published next week —Saraki —P9

@nigeriantribune

Buhari leaves for Malabo today —P12

Nigerian Tribune

N150

Rivers rerun: Relocate now, IGP orders AIG

•Deploys 6,000 personnel, 3 CPs—P12

CCT trial: APC leaders divided over Saraki •How Villa's peace meeting was truncated —P2

China seeks more crude oil from Nigeria —P11

Saraki not reason for aborting planned Indian trip —Osinbajo —P8

Burnt house and vehicle in Adagbo Village, during the attack by herdsmen in Agatu, Benue State, on Saturday. PHOTO: NAN

EFCC to arraign Oronsaye over alleged fresh N190m fraud tomorrow —P9

We'll deal with electricity, fuel saboteurs —FG •Says repeated attacks on oil, gas pipelines amount to economic sabotage —P9 •As power generation hits 4,000mw

2 news

Monday, 14 March, 2016

CCT trial: APC leaders divided over Saraki • How Villa’s peace meeting was truncated Taiwo Adisa - Abuja

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EADERS of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) appear sharply divided on the fate that should befall the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, in view of his ongoing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), sources close to the party have said.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that a stakeholders’ meeting of the APC, which held at the Presidential Villa, two weeks ago, was truncated as a result of the cracks in the top hierarchy of the party on the issue.

It was also learnt that while a number of party chiefs were of the view that the Saraki matter must be handled carefully so as not to cause an early implosion within the party, some were of the view that the Senate President should be allowed to carry his cross, while others were of the view that the ongoing trial could speak negatively about the party.

It was gathered that while Saraki’s matter was billed for discussion at the Villa meeting, which was presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, some leaders, who were in attendance and who did not want the matter resolved by the party, sent out messages to some media, intimating them Saraki was going to the Villa to beg APC leaders.

A source in the know said the messages sent to some media outfits practically took the wind out of the sail of the meeting and largely culminated in the failure to reach any concrete conclusion.

“The party is largely divided on the Saraki issue and I can tell you this is affecting things down the line. It is affecting the way senators of the APC are also reacting to things. The Villa meeting was set up to ensure that the party could extract some commitments from Saraki and find a political solution to the issues at stake, but those opposed to a resolution apparently moved fast.

“They started sending messages to some media to indicate that Saraki was going to the Villa to be the APC even before the Senate President left the National Assembly. He got to the Villa late, but even before he left the chamber, his office had been bombarded by questions from several media.

The meeting could not come to a concrete solution that day because of the antics of the leaders, who leaked

the meeting, even though the absence of President Muhammadu Buhari also contributed to the meeting’s failure,” a source said.

Sources also confirmed that the division at the top echelon of the APC was also affecting the unity of its members in the Senate.

While the anti-Saraki forces are pushing for his replacement with another senator, who will have the backing of the party, sena-

tors loyal to Saraki are firming up together in case of any untoward development.

Loyalists of the Senate President, under the aegis

From left, Synod Secretary, The Very Reverend Femi Johnson; Legal Adviser, Mr Felix Adetoro; Lay President, Diocese of Remo, Sir Adelana Odutola; Bishop, Diocese of Remo, The Right Reverend Michael Akinwale and the Bishop of Ikorodu, Right Reverend Samson Osundina, during the 25th annual synod and thanksgiving/dedication of new executives of Methodist Church Nigeria, Diocese of Remo, Ogun State, on Sunday. PHOTO: D’TOYIN

of the Like Mind Senators (LMS), are insisting that even if the APC insists on removing Saraki, his supporters and the senators of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would determine the emergence of the successor.

Sources said the LMS was relying on its number, which currently stood at 32 out of the 58 senators of the APC and the backing of the PDP senators, whose number stood at 45 right now, pending the conduct of some rerun.

“We just hope that reason will prevail and this matter would be resolved amicably.

The APC needs to learn from recent history of the assembly. When former President Olusegun Obasanjo orchestrated the removal of Senator Adolphus Wabara, believing that he would not support the third term agenda, the senators rallied round and elected Senator Ken Nnamani, who was not his choice and the Enugu senator contributed to the defeat of third term,” a lawmaker said, on Sunday.

Why Kokori, other APC leaders are after me —Tompolo Ebenezer Adurokiya - Warri FORMER leader of the defunct Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, has said that former secretary-general of the National Union of Petroleum Employees of Nigeria (NUPENG), Chief Frank Kokori and other chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State are after him because of federal appointments.

Tompolo made this claim while reacting to a statement credited to Kokori, in which he asked Tompolo to come out of his hiding place and face the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) corruption allegation against him.

Media aide and consultant to the former militant, Paul Bebenimibo, in a statement signed and made available to the Nigerian Tribune on Sunday, in Warri, took a swipe at antagonists of Tompolo, asking them to mind their business and face the ongoing maladministration plaguing the country.

“Our attention has been drawn to a headline in one of the national dailies on Saturday, that High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, should come out of his hiding and face the EFCC.

“And this statement was made by an All Progressives Congress(APC) chieftain in Delta State, Frank Ovie Kokori.

“We have imagined why the APC leader decided to make such a statement like other APC leaders in the past at this time on a matter that is before a law court.

“Ordinarily, we would have ignored Kokori like others, if not for intelligent information we gathered from a clandestine meeting held by this group of persons on how to implicate Tompolo in a planned act of pipeline destruction in the Niger Delta region,” Beben-

imibo conjectured.

According to him, “we have been made to understand that these APC leaders are out there to get favour from President Mohammedu Buhari by way of appointments and empowerment with the issue of Tompolo and the EFCC. These people have inundated President Buhari and security agencies, particularly in the Niger Delta with unfounded information, that Tompolo is preparing to fight the APC-led Federal Government by way of destroying crude oil pipelines and other oil facilities, whereas they are the ones

planning to carry out such barbaric acts, in order to portray themselves as patriotic party members to get appointments and contracts from the government and its agencies.”

He added that: “This is a disturbing development in the Nigerian politics today.

We are aware of the antics of these so-called party faithful.

Most of them are not even happy with the performance of the Buhari-led administration, particularly the appointment of party members to political positions, but rather chose the issue of “Tompolo and EFCC’’ to show faithfulness to the ad-

ministration in order to get favour from the president.

“Their priority should be how Nigeria should be out of this social-economic and political quagmire and not on Tompolo and the EFCC, which they have chosen to make headlines on da aily basis.”

Bebenimibo said Kokori and his likes should mind their business and preoccupy themselves by finding solutions to the myriad of problems confronting the nation.

He said in no time, Tompolo would show up in the court, as his lawyers were working towards it.

Shi’ite: Court asked to order El-Zakzaky’s wife arrest Sunday Ejike - Abuja FEDERAL High Court in Abuja, has been asked to order the immediate arrest and prosecution of Mrs Zeenat El-Zakzaky, wife of the leader Shi’ite movement in Nigeria, Ibrahim El-Zakyzaky.

In suit No. FHC/ABJ/ CJ/189/2016, dated March 10, Mrs El-Zakzaky was said to have made inciting statement after killing of members of the movement and the arrest of her husband.

The plaintiff in the suit, Danbaba Gyang, who is also the Secretary-General of

Lawyers Alliance for the Defence of Democracy in Nigeria, is also asking the court to declare the Iranian Ambassador in Nigeria, Saeed Koozechi, a security threat to the country.

Joined as defendants in the matter are the Inspector-General of Police, Director-General of the DSS, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Attorney-General of the Federation.

Counsel for the plaintiff, Samson Esekhaigbe, asked the court to determine whether the statement contained in an exhibit before the court was not

capable of causing unrest and breach of the peace of Nigeria.

He also asked the court to determine whether the various threats issued by the ambassador, also contained in an exhibit before the court were not treasonable and whether they should not be investigated and if found wanting, the president should not be advised by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) to severe diplomatic ties with Iran.

The plaintiff also wants the court to declare that the IGP, DSS and the AGF have abdicated their duties by

failing to investigate, arrest and prosecute members and leaders of the Shi’ite movement for breach of public peace and attempted assassination on the life of Chief of Army Staff, LieutenantGeneral Tukur Buratai, in Zaria, on December 15, 2015.

He asked the court to prosecute Mrs Zeenat and her husband for allegedly promoting acts capable of causing unrest and also to declare the Iranian Ambassador to Nigeria a persona non grata.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the matter.

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Monday, 14 March, 2016

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Dupe

O O O…

WE THANK YOU ALL...

On Friday, March 4, 2016, the world literally converged on the ancient city of Ibadan to join us in celebrating the coronation of the 41st Olubadan of Ibadanland,

His Imperial Majesty,

OBA SALIU AKANMU OLASUPO ADETUNJI,

Aje Ogungunniso I .

It was indeed a glorious occasion for which we are eternally grateful to the Almighty who granted us the grace and mercies that attended the day. Our joy was made more remarkable by the esteemed presence and personal attendance of some of our most accomplished statesmen and women, the premier league of our royal pantheon, as well as the array of distinguished guests and compatriots whose company added grace and splendour to the epoch-making event.

On behalf of the Government and the good people of Oyo State, I wish to express our immense gratitude to the many very distinguished personalities, communities, institutions and individuals who honoured us with their presence at the installation of our new royal father.

Our most profound appreciation goes to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E. President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR); and the Vice President, H.E. Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, (GCON).

Our gratitude also goes to the following distinguished personalities and well-wishers: Our national and party leaders, past and present, including Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Chief Pius Akinyelure, Chief Akin Oke, among others My brother-Governors: Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Rochas Okorocha (Imo); Ayo Fayose (Ekiti), and others who sent messages and representations Esteemed serving and past Members of the National Assembly present and represented.

Members of the Diplomatic Corps Members of the Federal Executive Council, especially the Minister of Communication, Barr. Adebayo Shittu Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo Rt. Hon. Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Michael Adeyemo, as well as all Honourable members of the Assembly Rt. Hon. Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salaam Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Munta Abimbola Wife of the Oyo State Governor, Chief (Mrs) Florence Ajimobi Wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Janet Adeyemo Service Chiefs, GOC 2 Div. and various State Commanders Former Head of Service of the Federation, Prof. Oladapo Afolabi Past Governors of Oyo State, including Dr. Omololu Olunloyo, Senator Rashidi Ladoja and his wife, Alhaja Mutiat; Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala; of Ogun State, Aremo Olusegun Osoba; of Osun State, Chief Olagunsoye Oyinlola; as well as former Governor of Jigawa State, Senator Saminu Turaki; Past Deputy Governors of Oyo State, Chief Iyiola Oladokun and Alhaji Taofeek Arapaja Eminent Traditional Rulers, among whom are the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi; Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar; Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi ; Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari; Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu; Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Rasheed Akanbi; Ayangburen of Ikorodu, Oba Adewale Sotobi; Akarigbo of Remo; Oba Adeniyi Sonariwo; Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo; Olugbo of Ugbo Kingdom, Oba Obateru Akinruntan and other Royal Fathers that graced the occasion.

The Olubadan-in-Council Officials of Oyo State Government Elders and Leaders of Ibadanland Exco & Members of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes and all its affiliate Clubs Retired and Serving Public Functionaries Captains of Industry and legal luminaries Past and Current Local Government Chieftains Our revered Christian and Muslim Clerics Distinguished Leaders of Professional Bodies and Associations, including the Academia Top Fuji musicians, including King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall and Alhaji Rasheed Ayinde Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Mrs. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo Market Advisory Council leaders and members Media Chiefs and members of the Press, as well as the New Media Boards and Management Committees of Educational, Health and Social Institutions Citizens of Oyo State Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora

While we cannot thank you enough for your kind and gracious presence, please accept this as a token of our deep and fervent appreciation. May God continue to honour you and guide your every step.

Ire a kari o...

H.E. Senator Abiola Ajimobi Governor, Oyo State

news Police parade suspected cultists in Kwara 4

Biola Azeez - Ilorin

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WARA State police command has paraded four suspected cultists and one robber in Ilorin, the state capital.

The suspected cultists were said to be members of Eiye confraternity.

The state Commissioner of Police, Sam Okaula ,paraded the suspects shortly after receiving Toyota Hilux

van, donated to the command by the proprietor of Solid Worth Hotels, Ilorin.

Okaula said the police recovered from the four suspected cultists, two cutto-size double barrel guns and one long single barrel gun.

He stated that acting on intelligence, the Anti-vice operatives, stormed the rendezvous of the suspected cultists in Oyun area of Ilorin ,while they were pre-

Measles, whooping cough claim 6 children in Jigawa Adamu Amadu - Dutse SIX children were confirmed dead in Maizare Village, Suletankarkar Local Government Area of Jigawa State, following an outbreak of measles and whooping cough in the area.

Nigerian Tribune learnt that the deceased were under five years of age.

It was gathered that the diseases were suspected to have spread from neighbouring Niger Republic, as four out of the affected communities are border villages located on Nigeria/Niger Republic

border.

Confirming the incident, the Suletankarkar Local Government Area, Head of the Department for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Mohammed Maisamari, said the outbreak was recorded in six villages in the area.

According to him, his local government area got the report of the outbreak on March 1, after the death of the children, saying the council promptly responded by sending a team of health workers to the affected villages for treatment of the children diagnosed either of the diseases.

Fayemi condoles with Olofin family, APC MINISTER of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has condoled with the family of the late Ambassador Gbenga Olofin, the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Ekiti Central in the 2015 election, over the death of the politician, on Saturday.

Fayemi, in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Yinka Oyebode, described Olofin’s death as “deeply shocking and saddening.”

He described the late Olofin as a highly refined politician, loyal party man and a lover of peace, who loved and served his people passionately.

Recalling his working relationship with the late senatorial candidate, Fayemi said, Olofin was a politician of distinction, who had a clear vision and a huge sense of mission.

“He was a man of conscience, character and courage, who played politics without bitterness,” Fayemi said.

Speaking further, the Minister said Olofin’s death had robbed the party, and indeed, Ekiti State and Nigeria a distinguished citizen, a patriot, whose only motivation in politics was service.

“Ekiti State and the APC family would miss the con-

tributions of this man of honour to the development of the state.

paring to go out for operation.

"They are notorious members of Eiye confranternity.

They are confessed cultists.

With these weapons, you can imagine the atrocities they have committed. One of them has been recruiting cult members in Ilorin metropolis. He has confessed and mentioned a lot of names and I can assure you that the command is after these suspects. We smoked them out of their hideouts and we have clearly told them that they either relocate from their hideouts and we have our harmony and peace or they meet with their waterloo."

"This appears to be the end of the atrocities they have been committing over the time. We will thoroughly investigate them and prosecute them accordingly. I can assure members of the public that this war is ongoing and we need information from members of the public. We need their cooperation and collaboration and we would ensure that peace continues in Kwara State.

"Some of them claimed to be students and some of them have graduated according to them. But we are in the process of confirming whether they are students or they have graduated", he said.

The police boss said Abdulrahman was arrested with one locally made revolver pistol.

Monday, 14 March, 2016

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Monday, 14 March, 2016

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Monday, 14 March, 2016

Lagos

Unlucky thieves snatch bag, only to discover 2 ‘fufu’ wraps, soup

•We only snatch bags, we don’t use guns — Suspect Olalekan Olabulo

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HREE members of an armed robbery gang have been arrested for snatching a bag from a victim thinking it was money and other valuables, only to discover there were just two wraps of fufu and soup in the bag.

Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), who were on a routine patrol in Ajegunle area of Apapa, arrested the three suspects, who were identified as Emmanuel Ashaolu, Ikenna Bright and 19-yearold Daniel Daji, a national of the Republic of Benin.

“Their victim shouted for help and this prompted the RRS team to pursue the duo on okada leading to the arrest of Ashaolu while Dali escaped,” a police source said, added that; “The RRS team mobilised a decoy team of RRS intelligence, who combed the area that night, leading to the arrest of Dali, the Okada rider and Bright.”

At the suspects’ apartment, two other roommates were also arrested but later released after cross examination by the RRS officials.

Dali, while being interrogated, confessed that he was the Okada rider for the syndicate and that he started Okada snatch-andrun theft in April 2015 after the demise of his mother.

“My mother’s death forced me into robbery. She gave me everything I wanted but after her death, there was nobody to turn to again. My father lives in the village in Cotonou but I don’t want to go back there,” he confessed and added that, “I have been involved in countless robbery operations.”

He added that, “Bright and I have been to four operations. In one of our outing, we snatched a recharge card worth N35, 000. He sold it and gave me only N5000.

Although, there are occasional instances when we get nothing from operations but we don’t use guns. We have

Nigerian Tribune

never operated with guns.

We snatch bags, phones and

other belongings and escape with okada,” he stated.

The suspects.

The suspect also con- routes, where we operate. fessed that, “We have choice The areas we have operated are Boundary, Mile 2, New Roundabout, Wilma and Ajegunle. The okada we use was bought for me by a lady, who I pay instalmentaly. I have paid only N75, 000 out of N300, 000.”

Ikenna Bright, in his confession said, he had only operated seven times. “During fuel crisis, we suck fuel from vehicles parked on the streets to operate. Several boys do this business in Ajegunle. I know of a team, who live in different hotels, sleep in day time and operate at night. This is the only job they do to survive.”

The suspects have been transferred to State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti for further investigation.

The image maker in charge of the state police command, Dolapo Badmos confirmed the arrest of the suspect to Lagos Metro and added that they were giving information that would help the police to arrest other members of the gang.

Transport company staff steals N1.6m customer’s items Gbemi Solaja AN employee of Bestway Transport Limited Iddo, Alo Monday, has been arrested for allegedly stealing a customer’s luggage and items valued at N1, 683, 000, 00.

The 21-year-old suspect, according to the Police worked in the courier section of the transportation company and had received a travelling box from his colleague, Ojabo Amen Solomon to be sent to Colonel Edward Ojabo through courier. The box, according to the police contained 35 pairs of new native dresses valued at 800,000; two Mac Book Laptop valued at 500,000 and four wrist watches valued at 200,000.

Other items Monday allegedly stole, include: two necklaces valued at N40, 000; two snickers valued at 20,000; one Italian shoe

valued N45, 000; one Roman sandal valued at N8, 000,000 and casual wears valued 70,000,000.

The offence is punishable under Section 285 of criminal

laws of Lagos State of Nigeria. He, however, pleaded not guilty when he was charged before an Ebutte Meta Magistrate Court.

Upon his plea, the Magis-

trate, H O Omisore granted Monday bail of N250, 000 with two sureties, who must be gainfully employed. The matter was adjourned till March 31.

Awawa cult member jailed 7 years Ayomide Owonibi Odekanyin A 27-year-old man, Sule Otapo, was on Friday sentenced to seven and half year’s imprisonment by a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court, for unlawful confraternity and public terrorism.

Otapo was arraigned alongside 15 others on March 8, 2016 and he was the only one who pleaded guilty to the charge.

The Prosecutor, Roman Unuigbe, told the court that the accused and some others still at large committed the offences on February 27 at about 5:30 a.m. around Agege and Ogba, adding that that the accused were armed with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons and were found to be members of the dreaded “AWAWA” confraternity.

The Chief Magistrate, Mr P.A. Ojo sentenced Otapo after he pleaded guilty to a three-count charge of unlawful confraternity, public terrorism and illegal possession of arms stating that since the accused was not a first time offender and admitted committing the offence, he would be sentenced accordingly.

Yaba Police need urgent

Long queue at a filling station in Lagos, on Sunday.

YABA Police Station and Panti CID Barracks located between Yaba Local Government Secretariat and Lagos State Sports Commission office is presently in a state of near total disrepair and need urgent attention.

Just like other Police Barracks nationwide lacking basic infrastructure, Yaba Police Station is currently more like a junkyard with all kinds of vehicles parked inside the barracks, barely leaving space for other hu-

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Monday, 14 March, 2016

metro

Lekki building collapse: LASEMA insists no more trapped victim in rubble

Edited by

Lanre Adewole

olanreade@yahoo.com

0811 695 4647

Mile 12 mayhem: Mother of victim with shattered bowel calls for more help • Obasa visits, donates N.5m Chukwuma Oparaocha THE mother of the 16-yearold boy, Bolaji Kalejaiye, whose intestines were ripped open by stray bullets in the recent Mile 12 mayhem, has cried out for financial help to save the boy.

Mrs Alero Kalejaiye used the opportunity of a visit paid to her son by the Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, to call for public attention to the current plight of her son, who almost lost his life in the crisis which claimed no fewer than five lives.

The victim’s mother who promptly commended the Lagos Assembly Speaker, for donating N500, 000 for the boy’s upkeep, and members of his entourage, however, sought for more assistance from Nigerians as she continues to battle to save her son’s life.

“I am impressed by your good gesture and Almighty God will continue to bless you. However, I still want to appeal to Nigerians to come to our aid,” she said.

Speaking at the boy’s bedside at the Ikeja General, Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, Obasa commended Bolaji’s courage and desire to live despite being hit by stray bullets.

“When I read your story, I was moved by your courage. It was through sheer courage that after being hit by stray bullets and your intestines spilling out, you

Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Honourable Mudashiru Obasa (right) with the victim, Bolaji and his mother, Alero Kalejaiye, at the Ikeja General Hospital. still had the courage to pack your intestines and run to the police station.

I’m really moved,” Obasa said.

According to information gathered by Lagos Metro, Kalejaiye was hit by stray bullets during the crisis while returning from where he had gone to write his university entrance examination. But rather than despair, the young boy packed his gushing intes-

tines and ran to a nearby police station, where, rather than being helped, he was allegedly sent away.

He was however rescued and taken to a private hospital by passers-by from where he was transferred

to the Ikeja General Hospital.

Some of the lawmakers in the Speaker’s company were Chairman of the House Committee on Health, Segun Olulade; the Chairman of the House

Nigerian Tribune

Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, Tunde Buraimoh and the Chairman of the House Committee on Justice, Human Rights, Public Petitions and LASIEC, Adefunmilayo Tejuoso, among others.

THE Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has refuted a newspaper (not Nigerian publication Tribune) which claimed that some people were still trapped under the rubble, more than three days after the rescue operation was declared over.

Confirming this to Lagos Metro, the General Manager LASEMA, Mr Michael Akindele, said the Agency in company with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the representative of the Nigeria Police had on Wednesday, March 9, 2016 declared the operation completed at about 7:20 p.m after a thorough search by all the emergency responders which affirmed that nobody, dead or alive, was buried under the rubble.

He said that following the newspaper publication, the emergency response team of the Agency visited the site today at about 9:30 a.m. to double check so as to re-confirm the earlier established fact that the operation had ended with nobody still trapped under the rubble.

According him, the place had been sealed by the State Government, while the only security man on the site, identified as Isaac Atete, denied giving such report to the media. Akindele however noted that the State Government and security operatives were currently carrying out further investigations on the matter and would come out with detailed report after the investigation.

Station, Panti Barrack attention —Investigation man activities.

Lagos Metro’s interaction with a police officer residing in the barrack but who didn’t want his name in print disclosed that the barrack lacks basic infrastructure.

The source also explained that the vehicles parked inside the barrack were collected from their owners due to accident cases or for being involved in cases still under investigation. The vehicles are also found to be rusting away, considering that they have been parked on the same spots for years.

The source recalled when one of the buildings in the barrack was on fire, stated that it was a herculean task for the fire fighters to find their way in due to the bad road lading to the five-block barrack which also houses the Yaba Police Station office and CID Panti.

A visit to the barrack by Lagos metro correspondent showed the environment to be in a very untidy state, due to the vehicles parked in the barrack, the waterlog from rain fall and open gutters breeding bacteria.

Panti Barracks on Sunday.

8 news Saraki not reason for aborting planned Indian trip —Osinbajo Monday, 14 March, 2016

Leon Usigbe -Abuja

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ICE-PRESIDENT Yemi Osinbajo has dismissed insinuation that he aborted a planned official trip to India because of the need to prevent Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, from assuming the acting presidency of the country.

Reports had suggested that Saraki would have to act as president for a few days, in line with the provision of the constitution, since both President Muhammadu Buhari, billed to travel to Equatorial Guinea today and the vice-president would have been out of the country simultaneously.

The report also alleged

that Osinbajo’s advance team had already been dispatched to India before State House protocol realised that that there had been a clash in the foreign trips that the president and vice-president were scheduled to undertake.

It also alleged that over $250,000 had already been expended on the aborted trip.

The Presidency has, therefore, rubbished the speculation, as it told the Nigerian Tribune in Abuja, on Sunday, that the report, which appeared in some online publications, was meant to cause confusion.

Giving the position on phone, the Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity) to the President in the Office of the Vice Presi-

dent, Laolu Akande, said the report was baseless.

He said even if the president was not in the country, he continues to perform his functions unless he is on vacation and, therefore, the question of saying the vice-president aborted his trip to stop the Senate President from acting did not arise.

“If the president were to

Saraki, Mark, Akinyemi, others pay tributes to Felix Ibru From Taiwo Adisa, Bola BadmusandAyodeleAdesanmi PROMINENT Nigerians, on Sunday, paid glowing tributes to former governor of Delta State, Senator Felix Ibru, who died on Saturday at his Ikeja GRA, Lagos residence, at the age of 80.

The Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, in a statement by his special adviser, media and publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, described Ibru’s death as painful and a great loss to the people of Delta State, Niger Delta, the political class and the entire nation.

“Ibru’s contributions to the growth of democracy in Nigeria remain legendary. He laid the solid foundation upon which

subsequent governors of Delta State have continued to build. We shall all miss him,” Saraki said.

Former Senate President, David Mark, described the late Ibru as a pan-Nigerian, who worked for the peace and unity of the nation.

“Senator Ibru craved for a nation under God, where every citizen is free to pursue his or her legitimate ambition anywhere without fear of molestation,” he said.

The immediate past Senate leader, Victor NdomaEgba, recalled his relationship with the late Ibru in the fifth Senate, adding that his dedication to work, as well as his inter-personal relationship with other senators was fantastic.

“He was a complete gentleman, a statesman and

a patriot. In his time, he demonstrated commitment and hardwork that belied his age,” he said.

Those at the residence of the deceased, on Sunday, on a condolence visit, included former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi; former Minister of Health, Prince Julius Adelusi Adeluyi; Bishop of Lagos West, Anglican Communion, Right Reverend James Olusola Odedeji; former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works and Housing, Mr Guy Otobo, among others.

Professor Akinyemi, who disclosed that Ibru was his senior prefect at Igbobi College in 1955, said the deceased was very kind and gave him all the protection he needed, being

LASU alumni honours LASUTH medical team, outstanding achievers March 31 THE Lagos State University (LASU) Alumni Association is to honour the medical team of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), which performed the first successful kidney transplant by all-Nigerian professionals last November, with a dinner on March 31.

Announcing this in a statement jointly signed by the president, MajorGeneral Cecil Esekhaigbe (retd) and the secretary, Mr Wale Anthony, the association said some graduates of the institution who had distinguished themselves in various fields would also be honoured at the dinner, scheduled to hold at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja.

According to the association, the feat achieved by the LASUTH medical team, led by a Consultant Nephrologist, Dr Jacob Awobusuyi, deserved to be celebrated, given that it signalled the beginning of the end of an era whereby medical professionals who are nationals of other

countries had to be flown in to collaborate with Nigerians to carry out such transplants.

Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole; Lagos State governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode; his wife, Bolanle; as well as the state deputy governor, Dr Idiat Adebule, are expected as special guests at the dinner, which will also be graced by the Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Olanrewaju Fagbohun.

The pioneer vice chancellor of LASU, Professor Folabi Olumide, is the chairman of the event.

the youngest in the college those days.

Adeluyi, in his own remark, described the former Delta State governor as a giver, mentor and leader who was dedicated to the service of God in his lifetime.

Speaking on how Ibru should be immortalised, Adeluyi said that should be left for those that would succeed him, explaining that such effort should start from his state, Delta.

In his remark, former permanent secretary, Ministry of Works and Housing, Otobo, described Ibru as a good senior brother whom he revered.

“Olorogun Felix Ibru was

an elegant man and a good statesman who served Delta State well as a governor and a senator. He was very kind and gentle and someone who lived a blessed life,” Otobo wrote in the condolence.

According to Bishop Odedeji, the former Delta governor was a kind man who came down to the level of everybody when it came to interaction, saying, “he doesn’t discriminate. He was very kind and humble.

We will all miss him.”

Bishop Odedeji, who also had words of prayers with the family, said he was sure that papa lived a life that touched everybody that came across him.

be abroad, he is still the president except he is on vacation or indisposed, or for some reasons he is unable to perform his responsibilities,” said.

The presidential aide said the speculation are “wide speculation that adds no good to public information, but just confusing everybody. But I think Nigerians know better.”

He also said the money said to have been spent on the journey was mere speculation, as a Federal Government delegation had been invited to the meeting and would still be in attendance.

“Nigeria has been invited to the Indian/African summit and the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment will be leading a delegation to the event.

“There is nothing like cancellation. Remember that the visit of the vicepresident to any country is not treated in secrecy.

“Whenever the vicepresident is to travel out of the country, we inform Nigerians. So, this story in question is a bunch of speculation. There is no cancellation.”

9 news

Monday, 14 March, 2016

We will deal with electricity, fuel saboteurs —FG

Says power generation now 4,000MW Adetola Bademosi - Abuja

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HE Federal Government, on Sunday, warned that it will deal ruthlessly with those engaged in pipeline vandalism and sabotage of power infrastructure in the country.

Issuing the warning, the government disclosed that the power situation was gradually improving, as generation had now increased to around 4,000MW, just as it lamented the sabotage that drastically reduced power generation/transmission, as well as fuel supplies in recent times.

The warning came about 48 hours after the government apologised for power situation in the country and cautioned that as long as groups of Nigerians continued to sabotage the power infrastructure, citizens cannot enjoy a decent level of power supply.

In a statement issued in Abuja, on Sunday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the repeated attacks on oil and gas pipelines and the wilful shutdown of power facilities by protesters amounted to economic sabotage, which no government would tolerate.

The minister warned that vandals, whatever their motives were, cannot and would not be treated with kid gloves, as their actions constituted a clear and present danger to the nation’s economic, social and political well-being.

According to him, the attack on the Forcados Export Terminal that had affected

gas production by oil firms and reduced gas supply to power generating plants and the shutdown of the Utorogu gas plant were totally condemnable and could not

be allowed to continue.

He noted that while the current administration would not do anything to abridge the constitutional rights of any individual or

group to carry out protests, it would also not tolerate a situation in which anyone would hide under the guise of legitimate protests to sabotage power infrastructure.

Alhaji Mohammed insisted that the shutdown of the national transmission facility in Osogbo and the Ikeja DISCOs by some unionists amounted to economic sab-

The new Olu of Warri, King Godfrey Ikenwoli Emiko Ogiame Ikenwole 1, with Senator Bola Tinubu, during the monarch’s visit to Tinubu at his Bourdillon residence, Lagos, on Sunday.

NASS budget to be published next week —Saraki SENATE President, Dr Bukola Saraki, said on Sunday, that the budget breakdown of the National Assembly would be published next week.

This was contained in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Mohammed Isa and made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

The statement said Saraki made the disclosure while

speaking with a team of editors of the London-based newspaper, the Economist.

Saraki, who is the chairman of the National Assembly, said publication of details of the budget was in line with the anti-corruption stance of the eighth Senate.

He pledged that the legislature would not cover any form of corruption.

Saraki also said the budget of the Senate, which had

never been made public before, would be published in line with the anti-corruption stance of the Senate.

“For the first time, we promised Nigerians that the Senate will disclose its budget breakdown, the committee will make its report available by next week.

“We are resolved to break the tradition of one line item,” he said.

Saraki said the Senate would partner President

Muhammadu Buhari to ensure the success of the anticorruption war.

He said that the red chamber had already demonstrated its commitment to anti-corruption through its unravelling of transaction fraud, such as the management of the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

He said the investigation the Senate conducted on TSA saved the country over N7 billion, stressing that

EFCC to arraign Oronsaye over fresh N190m alleged fraud tomorrow Sunday Ejike - Abuja THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will, tomorrow, arraign a former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoS), Stephen Oronsaye, before High Court of the Federal Capital Territory on fresh two counts of corruption and obtaining on false pretence.

He will be arraigned on the fresh charges following EFCC’S completion of investigation on evidence that Oronsaye allegedly abused his position as chair of the Presidential Committee on the Financial Action Task Force, to fraudulently obtain a total sum of N190 million, being part of the N240 million grant the committee received from the Central

otage.

He said the government was not unaware that as it stepped up the fight against corruption, corruption would vigorously fight back in many forms, including the destruction/sabotage of key national infrastructure, so as to make the government look bad.

The minister vowed that nothing would make the government to slow down in its anti-corruption fight, adding that no corrupt person would be spared.

He said: “When oil and gas facilities are vandalised, the impact is felt directly by Nigerians. When power infrastructure is sabotaged for whatever reasons, Nigerians bear the brunt.

“While those actions may be aimed at discrediting the government, those who pay the price are the vast majority of innocent, law-abiding and well-meaning Nigerians, not just the vandals or the saboteurs.

“This is why Nigerians must not allow the few recreants behind these attacks to hold sway.”

Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The grant, investigation revealed, was allegedly paid into an account in Access Bank operated by Oronsaye, without the knowledge of other committee members and he proceeded to invest the funds for personal gains.

The charge read: “Stephen Oronsaye, a.k.a. Mr Steve Oronsaye, on or about 12th June, 2013, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, whilst being the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Financial Action Task Force and in such capacity, entrusted with certain property, to wit: the sum of N90 million committed Breach of Trust in respect of the said sum by converting it to your personal use through the in-

vestment of the said sum of N90 million in Access Bank Plc’s Bankers Acceptance for a tenure of 90 days at 9.0 per cent interest rate, in violation of the extant financial regulations.

“Stephen Oronsaye, a.k.a. Mr Steve Oronsaye, on or about 30th December, 2014, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, whilst being chairman of the Presidential Committee on Financial Action Task Force and in such capacity, entrusted with certain property, to wit: the sum of N100 million committed Breach of Trust in respect of the said sum, by converting it to your personal use through the investment of the said sum in Access Bank Plc’s Bankers

Acceptance for a tenure of 90 days at 12.0 per cent interest rate each in violation of the extant financial regulations.”

This new charge is different in all material particular from the existing charge for which Oronsaye, Osarenkhoe Afe, and their accomplices are being prosecuted before the Federal High court, Abuja, on 35-count of fraud and money laundering involving N2 billion.

In this charge, Oronsaye and his co-accused, are alleged to have been complicit in several contract awards during his tenure as HoS, using two companies – Federick Hamilton Global Services Limited and Xangee Technologies Limited, for shady biometrics enrolment deals to the tune of N2 billion.

In one of the counts in the amended charge, dated November 2, 2015, Oronsaye was alleged to have, in connivance with Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina (now at large), Osarenkhoe Afe and Fredrick Hamilton Global Services Limited, in July 2010, “in disguising genuine nature of the sum of N161,472,000 derived from an illegal act to wit conducting procurement fraud by means of fraudulent and corrupt act on the contract extension of biometric enrolment purportedly awarded to Innovative Solutions Limited by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, without following due process, an offence punishable under Section 14 (1) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004.”

the eighth Senate would not hinder or water down any allegation of corruption.

On the economy, Saraki said the Senate was doing all within its power to create an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive.

“It is only when the private sector thrives, that the issue of unemployment will be addressed and the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will increase.

“A few days ago, we received a report on the laws that need to be amended in order of priority importance to ease doing business and private sector participation in the stimulation of Nigeria’s economy.

“We will soon commence the implementation of the recommendations in the report, in addition to pushing for the amendment of the Procurement Act to protect our local industries,” he assured.

He allayed fears that the low prices of oil would have negative impact in the implementation of the 2016 budget, saying “what we need to do is to block leakages and show more transparency.

“Without blocking leakages, even if oil was sold at more than 100 dollars per barrel, Nigeria will still continue to witness decline in revenue inflow,’’ he said.

Nigerian Tribune Monday, 14 March, 2016 10 businessnews More banks give gloomy 2015 report warning to shareholders Chima Nwokoji-Lagos

A

T this period when Deposit Money Banks are expected to start churning out their financial performance for the year ended December 2015, more lenders are giving shareholders nothing to cheer about.

Their profit warnings are full of gloomy pictures due to loan write offs from the oil and gas sector.

Diamond Bank Plc in its profit guidance released on Friday joined First City Monument Bank and First Bank of Nigeria Holdings to inform shareholders in advance that following the worsening macro-economic conditions in Nigeria together with its overall impact on the Banking Sector, “earnings will be lower than in 2014.”

The bank noted that preliminary indications from its statement of financial performance for year ended December 31, 2015 are that earnings will be lower than in 2014. This is on the back of higher than expected impairment charges on loans made to the Energy and Commercial Business sectors.

Detailed financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2015 are expected to be released on or before March 31, 2016 according to the statement signed by Ifeatu O. Onwuasoanya, Head, Investor Relations, Diamond Bank.

Diamond Bank reiterated that in recent years it had deployed considerable resources in building a dependable risk management framework, and that the quality of its loan portfolio in general, remains high.

It noted that further investment had been made to improve customer relationships and revenue in its core business segments.

These actions aim to deliver improved earnings and lower operating costs from 2016 onward.

“Overall, despite the headwinds and the fact that 2016 presents a tough operating environment for the industry, we remain optimistic on the fundamentals underpinning our long term retail-led business strategy.

Just last month, Nigeria’s oldest and leading banking group, First Bank of Nigeria Holdings, issued a profit warning to stakeholders, saying earnings “will be materially below that of the prior year”.

In a statement sent to the Nigerian Stock Exchange, the company secretary, Tijjani Borodo, said the warning became necessary after the review of the manage-

ment accounts for 2015.

Borodo said the reduction in earnings “is a result of the recognition of impairment charges on some specific accounts resulting from a reassessment of the loan portfolio within our commercial banking business.

“This reassessment was driven by the challenging macroeconomic environment, coupled with fiscal and monetary headwinds which have resulted in

marked reduction in domestic output.”

He said further, “This is a prudent measure being taken while the bank has commenced active remedial action on the specific impaired accounts.”

FBN Holdings Plc, in 2014, made a profit after tax (PAT) of N82.8 billion, as against N70.6 billion in 2013 Its gross earnings grew to N480.6 billion, from N396.2 billion in 2013.

By this, FBN Holdings became the second Nigerian financial institution to give a profit warning this year. The first was FCMB Group, which issued a warning in January, saying that earnings in quarter three (Q3) and Q4 will be materially lower than projected.

Similarly FBN Holding stock traded at about N3.47 on the Lagos bourse, declining by 4.41 per cent as news of the profit warn-

ing sank home.

First City Monument Bank and its former subsidiaries, forewarned investors in January that it would report lower earnings for 2015 financial year. The profit warning compounded the downtrend at the Nigerian stock market, sending FCMB’s share price down by 8.47 per cent to N1.08 per share.

In a profit warning made available at the Nigerian

From left;Vice President, Western Union, Mr Dan Nordlander; Deputy Managing Director, Skye Bank Plc, Mrs Amaka Onwughalu; Vice President, Africa, Western Union, Mrs Aida Diarra;and Senior Vice President, sales, Western Union, Mr Carter Hunt, during a visit to Skye Bank by Western Union management in Lagos.

Stock Exchange (NSE), FCMB said its earnings in third quarter 2015 would be materially below earnings for the corresponding period in 2014.

It added that the fourth quarter 2015 earnings also followed a similar trend with the third quarter 2015.

Managing Director, FCMB Group Plc, Mr. Peter Obaseki, said the slowdown in the third quarter continued in the fourth quarter and largely emanated from wholesale banking activities, although retail banking showed greater resilience and earnings momentum.

“Third quarter 2015 earnings as at September 2015, will be materially below earnings for the same period in 2014, due to two factors: a spike in impairments particularly in the energy sector and the significant reduction in trade finance-related revenues due to foreign exchange illiquidity,” Obaseki said.

He, however, assured that 2016 will be characterised by continued growth in retail contribution, stabilisation of wholesale banking revenues and increased focus on cost efficiencies in order to restore earnings levels.

The increasing significance of remittances as bailout for Nigerian banks DECLINING oil prices and the unwillingness of the government, through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to devalue the naira amidst constrained reserves continue to worsen the forex liquidity position of Nigerian banks.

Feedback from the banks shows that the CBN has been unable to meet FX demand, with estimates of the backlog at $2-5bn and rising. The banks have therefore significantly slowed the issuance of new LCs, further hurting the general commerce and manufacturing sectors.

It is not a secret that Nigeria is dependent on imports, which Nigerian banks facilitate via the opening of letters of credit (LC). With the CBN struggling to provide sufficient forex to meet importers’ demands and banks prevented from accepting forex deposits, a fresh challenge facing banks today borders principally on how to find new and / or innovative sources of forex revenue and growth.

Nigerian banks have continued to reduce their customers’ international payment and ATM limits, with many reducing the limits to $5-15k annually (from $50k), $1k monthly and as

low as $100 daily. This has been necessary because customers’ international transactions create openended forex exposure for the banks, as they have to source forex to settle with MasterCard/Visa. Given the CBN’s inability to sufficiently meet banks’ demand for these settlements and the losses the banks could face if a devaluation occurs while their positions remain unsettled, the situation has never looked more daunting; calling for higher level of innovation and creativity as a means of sourcing forex on the part of banks.

An industry insider recently noted that remittances are now a key source of non-funded income for most banks, with many recording significant revenue inflows. This means on the strength of recent forex challenges in

the economy, banks are increasingly relying on remittance businesses as key sources of forex.

Within this context, some banks seem to be pushing forward rapidly, with clear leadership shown by FirstBank of Nigeria, UBA, Ecobank and Skye Bank. Industry feelers indicate that Fidelity Bank and Access Bank are rapidly growing in this path as well.

International remittances have been recognized as an important driver of the economy of most developing countries. It plays vital roles in poverty reduction, income redistribution and economic development, especially in rural areas.

Nigeria is the largest recipient of remittances in Sub-Saharan Africa, with the country receiving nearly 65 per cent of officially recorded remittance flows to the region and 2 per

cent of global flows. Nigeria is amongst the top 10 remittance corridors in the world and a key migration destination, especially in Africa.

The recent improvements effected by the CBN have made the Nigerian remittance industry more lucrative. Most notable of these is the enhancement of structures to enable customers send money out of Nigeria on formal Money Transfer Organisations (MTOs) services.

The formal MTOs and largest market players are Western Union, Ria and MoneyGram.

However, while MoneyGram and Western Union control the largest market share, industry watchers have noted that MoneyGram seems to be more poised for growth in the market.

MoneyGram is the only MTO with a full office in

Nigeria, based in Lagos. It offers a more flexible and easier to access send product and recently launched a seamless Cash-to-Account service that allows customer receive money into their account directly, at no cost. Today, it has aggressively grown its network to be at par with Western Union, in terms of reach.

In 2016 and even beyond, remittances are forecast to continue to grow, on the back of increasing migrant flows and favorable, forwardlooking Central Bank regulations. In recognition of this, MTOs like MoneyGram have continued to explore ways of deepening their operation in the market. This means Nigerian banks can look forward to improved opportunities to address their forex worries in this growing industry.

Engineers advocate deployment of financial tools to save infrastructural decay Gbola Subair-Abuja WITH the recently released national infrastructure scorecard painting infrastructural facilities across the country as a threat to public safety, the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE)

has called on the Federal Government to adopt policy based finance to save infrastructure and industry.

The Nigerian Infrastructure Report Card 2015 presented to the Federal Government by the NSE scored the infrastructural position of the

country as “E2”, meaning a score of 2.08 out of 5 meaning that the present condition of our national infrastructure across all sectors is a threat to public safety.

The President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Mr Otis Anyaeji at a press

conference he addressed weekend in Abuja said the score card which is modeled on international best practice is one of the ways the NSE has continued to contribute to the development of the country by focusing on infrastructural development.

11

businessnews

Monday, 14 March, 2016

China seeks more crude oil export from Nigeria

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HINA has said it seeks more crude oil exports from Nigeria in spite of the recent changes in oil prices.

Mr Zao LingXiang, Economic and Commercial Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

“But the total amount of export to China was only about one million barrels in 2015 that was just 1.3 per cent of Nigerian annual oil export.

“In my opinion, it really doesn’t matter whether Iran comes back or not;

SPAR store debuts in Abuja

Chinese companies want to import more crude oil from Nigeria,” he said.

He said that current trade volume between both countries stood at 14.94 billion U.S. dollars in 2014 making Nigeria third largest trade partner of China in Africa.

The economic counsellor added that Nigeria’s trade figure was 8.3 per cent of China’s total trade volume with Africa and 42 per cent of the total trade volume between China and Africa.

He said that China also sought to explore other areas of cooperation with Nigeria which he noted would be of benefit to both parties.

“China is the largest de-

veloping country in the world and Nigeria is the largest developing country in Africa and both countries have complementary advantages in natural and human resources, funds and markets.

“Right now, the Nigerian Government is trying to diversify its economy which is fully in line with the 10 China-Africa cooperation plans announced at the summit on China-Africa trade in Johannesburg in 2015.

“There are great potential for cooperation between China and Nigeria in the fields of industrialisation, agricultural modernisation, infrastructure construction, financial services, trade and invest-

ment facilitation, among others.”

He, however, added that both countries had made “remarkable achievements” in the areas of infrastructure cooperation.

He said that the coming visit of President Muhammad Buhari to China in April would facilitate the implementation of agreements reached at the 2015 China-African summit in Johannesburg.

The economic counsellor further added that the president’s visit would also deepen cooperation between both countries.

LinXiang explained that the total investment volume between China and Africa exceeded 100 billion U.S dollars in 2015 in spite

of the decline in imports from Africa.

He also assured that Africa remained China’s largest trade partner despite recent changes in that country’s economy.

“The amount in import from Africa to China declined but did not decline remarkably.

“Moreover, the economic and trade cooperation between China and Africa is not only about trade but technical cooperation as well.

“China’s total investment volume in Africa last year increased by 100 times more in a short span of 10 years, which shows that cooperation between both parties is moving to a new level,” he said.

By Rotimi Ige

SPAR, the largest chain of hypermarket stores officially launched the new store on Friday, March 12, 2016, at the Ceddi Plaza in Abuja.

The store was declared opened by former Nigerian/English Professional Footballer and Ambassador for Sports and Tourism, John Fashanu. Also present was TV Personality, Rachel Bakam and other guests.

During the opening, excited shoppers were ushered into the store richly stocked with a wide array of products, ranging from groceries to wine and spirits, fast moving consumer goods, electronics, mobile phones, perfumes, among other goods.

According to the company’s spokesperson, John Goldsmith, “SPAR store was designed to cater to the various shopping needs of the aspiring people of Abuja. The product assortments of over 12,000 items were hand-picked by SPAR to meet the various needs of all consumers. He added, “SPAR as a hypermarket brand, takes cognisance of the various kind of shopping missions and adapts its products and services in respect of choice, quality, service and value to translate the entire shopping experience into a world class one.

“SPAR is the only retail chain in Nigeria with shopper loyalty program called SPAR Reward Card.

SPAR is family oriented and serves your every need from the moment you wake to the moment you retire to bed.”

Continuing with the legacy of product and service innovation, SPAR has recently launched Easy Monthly Installment Payment scheme under SPAR Pay Easy.

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From left: Rachel Bakam, John Fashanu, a SPAR Shopper, SPAR Spokesperson, John Goldsmith and SPAR Abuja Branch Manager, Rahul Mehindiratta.

Speed up construction of cement plant, Okpella youths urge Dangote YOUTHS in Okpella community in Edo State have protested to the palace of the paramount ruler of the community over perceived delay in the construction of the multimillion dollar Dangote Cement plant in their community.

Hundreds of youths with placards on motorbikes and bicycles stormed the palace of Okuokpellagbe of Okpella, insisting that the monarch should clarify the situation as it has taken too long for Dangote Cement to register its presence in Okpella.

Some of the placard read; All we are saying, let Dangote Cement come to Okpella, Okpella youths earnestly ask for Dangote Cement and Okpella Chief and Elders, Please beg Dangote come here. We are waiting for Him.” Recently, Dangote Cement announced plans to commence a three million tonnes production capacity cement per annum in

Okpella along with another six million metric tons capacity plant in Itori, Ogun State.

Speaking at the Palace, the President of the Okpella Youths Forum, Mr Christopher Kadiri said the protest was informed by information reaching the youths that Alhaji Dangote has changed his mind on the initial plan to commence cement operations at Okpella.

“We are not a cursed people, why should we say

an investor like Dangote should not come to Okpella. This is an international investor that even nations are inviting him to come and invest in their countries.

“We want to put it on record that we the youths are ready and are in support of Dangote to come and invest here. It is for our own good, we want employment and we want infrastructural development.

This is a golden opportunity; we can’t allow it to

slip out of our hands. Posterity will not forgive us all if Dangote should take this plant to another place.

Okpella are calling on him to come quickly. It is long overdue even” Speaking in the same vein, the Okuokpellagbe of Okpella, Alhaji Dirisu said nobody in Okpella can stop Dangote from coming to set up a cement plant here.

“I don’t want to be a ruler over undeveloped community; I want a good life for my people.”

ICAO begins safety audit of Nigeria today Shola Adekola-Lagos A four-man team from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has arrived Nigeria to commence the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) of the country’s aviation sector today, Monday.

During the audit,the team is expected to focus

on Legislation, Organisation, Accident and Incident Investigation , Air Navigational Services and Aerodrome and Ground Aids.

The auditors who will be working with their Nigerian state counterparts, will visit the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority’s (NCAA) Regional Offices and all the relevant service providers in the aviation industry.

According to the General Manager, Public Affairs, NCAA; Sam Adurogboye, the team will work in separate groups based on specific assignments.

At the conclusion of the audit,there will be a closing meeting where the draft audit result will be presented.

The Audit will end on March 26, 2016.

Nigerian Tribune

SEC holds roundtable workshop on Islamic capital market today KehindeAkinseinde-JayeobaLagos

IN its effort to expand the depth of the Nigerian capital market and promote financial inclusiveness through the capital market, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) organises the second Regional Roundtable on Noninterest Capital Market in Sokoto State.

The Roundtable, with the theme, Financing Development Through Islamic Capital Market; a viable Alternative, will hold today, Monday, March 14 at Sultan Maccido Institute for Qur’ran and General Studies, Sokoto.

In line with the commission’s strategic ten year Master Plan on Islamic Capital Market, the objective of the workshop is to encourage states to explore the alternative model for financing infrastructure projects through Islamic Capital Market Products such as Sukuk.

Guests expected at the event include states Commissioners of Finance for Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara States, states investment companies, states Chambers of Commerce and Industries, Manufacturers Associations, SMEDAN, UDUS Centre for Islamic Studies, market operators It will be recalled that at a similar in Kano last year, Director-General of SEC, Mounir Gwarzo had said the SEC was determined to deepen the non-interest capital market space so as to enable millions of Nigerians and people of faith to invest their savings ethically.

He said Investors worldwide were increasingly allocating their resources into Islamic a finance products, adding that by the end of 2014, total assets under management in the global Islamic finance industry surpassed $2 trillion.

Gwarzo said while most people identify capital markets as an important source of medium-to-long term capital flow, there is also an amazing potential of capital markets to serve as a catalyst for financial inclusion, adding that going forward, the SEC would focus on massive public enlightenment and also stronger capacity building initiatives.

SEC recently disclosed that its goal was to boost non-interest capital market product innovation so that the segment could be at least 25 per cent of the overall market capitalisation.

12 news Ocholi: FRSC insists driver had no licence •Says fake driver’s licence is no licence Clement Idoko-Abuja

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HE Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), on Sunday, insisted that the driver of the late Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr James Ocholi, had no driver’s licence record with the commission.

Head, Media Relations and Strategy, FRSC, Mr Bisi Kazeem, in an interview with Nigerian Tribune in Abuja, debunked the news making the rounds in the social media that Mr Taiwo Elegbede, driver of the ill-fated vehicle that claimed the lives of Ocholi and his family members had a driver’s licence.

Kazeem re-echoed earlier explanation by the Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of FRSC, Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, that the driver had no licence, adding that even if the driver had obtained fake driver’s licence from elsewhere “to FRSC, it is no licence.”

It will be recalled that Ocholi, his wife and a son died in a ghastly auto crash along Kaduna-Abuja Highway on Sunday, March 6, while the driver and the Orderly sustained serious injuries.

But Oyeyemi, while presenting report of the Corps’ investigation into the crash to the Federal Executive Council (FEC), disclosed that the driver was not captured in the commission’s data, an indication that he had no driver’s licence.

Kazeem, further noted that Elegbede was not captured in the Corps’ drivers’ licensing data, so the license he claimed to have expired must be a fake one.

He said: “Our license procedure includes physical presence and biometric capturing of applicants which is permanently stored in our data bank, for

the purpose of verification.

“We always tell members of the public to visit our licensing centres spread across the country and desist from patronising touts while applying for their driver’s license.

“Elegbede cannot be called a competent driver if he does not have a genuine driver’s license, which he can only acquire showing mastery of basic driving principles.

On the claim that the vehi-

cle was not originally that of their ministry, Kazeem said, “A good driver must perform a routine check on his vehicles before driving out; it is not an excuse to say because the vehicle was provided by another office and he should

Adetola Bademosi-Abuja

ignored a check on it”.

Kazeem, wished the driver speedy recovery while urging members of the public to only engage the service of a genuinely licensed drivers, to avert road carnages.

Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun; Comptroller-General, Nigerian Customs Service, Colonel Hammed Ali (retd) and the Assistant Director, Department of State Security Service, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Mr Segun Daramola, during the inspection of Customs facilities at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport by the minister, at the weekend. PHOTO: NAN

Relocate to Rivers now, IGP orders AIG over rerun Chris Agbambu-Abuja

THE Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Solomon Arase, on Sunday, ordered the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of zone six, Calabar, Mr Adisa Baba Bolanta, to relocate to Rivers State for the smooth conduct of the forthcoming rerun election in the state.

This was contained in a press statement issued and authorised by the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Olabisi Kolawole, a copy of which was made available to the Nigerian

Tribune in Abuja.

He explained that three Commissioners of Police have been deployed to supervise security arrangements within the three senatorial districts, namely Rivers East, Rivers West and Rivers South East.

The IGP further stated that 6000 conventional policemen and 14 Units of Police Mobile Force personnel (MOPOL) would also be deployed to compliment the personnel of Rivers State command during the election.

According to him, “in furtherance of strategies de-

signed to prevent electoral violence and thus, ensure a smooth and orderly conduct of the Rivers State Supplementary elections slated for Saturday, March 19, 2016, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Solomon Arase, has directed the AIG in charge of Zone six, Calabar, AIG Adisa Baba Bolanta to relocate to Port Harcourt on Monday, March 14, 2016 for preparations with a view to emplacing conducive environment for free, fair and credible election.

“In addition, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Depart-

I never said economy beyond Buhari —Information minister MINISTER of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Sunday, denied saying that the economy of the country was beyond the control of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The minister appeared on a radio show in Abuja, on Saturday, where he spoke extensively on issues affecting the country, especially the economy.

On Sunday, he said to his surprise, his views were twisted.

“This is a gross misrepresentation of what I said. I could not have said our economy is out of the control of our President or the administration he heads,” he said in a statement.

The minister noted that as a matter of fact, the current administration has decided to turn the economic disaster

Monday, 14 March, 2016

that it inherited to a blessing by diversifying the economy.

He said, “I don’t know the reason behind the gross dis-

tortion of my comments on the radio today, but whatever the motive is, Nigerians should disregard such dis-

tortion and continue to support our President and his administration to take our country out of the woods.”

ment of Operations, DIG Sontoye Wakama, has also been directed to proceed to Rivers immediately to hold meetings with stakeholders and police officers in the state command on the need for peaceful conduct before, during and after the election,” he added.

The IGP, while assuring the law-abiding electorates of a secure and enabling environment to exercise their franchise, therefore, warned all security details to desist from accompanying their principals and politicians to polling booths and collation centres during the election.

He emphasised that only security personnel specially assigned for election duties must be seen within and around the election designated places.

Maritime policing: Buhari leaves for Malabo today Leon Usigbe-Abuja

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari will leave Abuja on Monday, for a two-day visit to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, for talks with President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, on further measures to protect the people and resources of the Niger Delta and Gulf of Guinea.

According to a statement issued by the Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to the president, Femi Adesina, in Abuja, on Sunday, it is in continuation of the Federal Government’s

efforts to achieve greater security of lives, resources and investments in all parts of Nigeria and its sub-region.

It said the conclusion and signing of an agreement

by Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea for the establishment of a combined maritime policing and security patrol committee on Tuesday is expected to be the major outcome of President Buhari’s talks with his host.

President Buhari and President Mbasogo are also expected to discuss

and agree on other collaborative measures to combat crimes such as piracy, crude oil theft, attacks on oil rigs, arms smuggling and human trafficking in the Gulf of Guinea.

Both leaders will also confer on the rescheduling of the joint summit of the Economic Community of West African States and the Economic Community of Central African States on additional cooperative measures to curb terrorism and violent extremism in West and Central Africa.

The statement explained that the summit was to have been hosted by Equatorial Guinea last year but was postponed because of Nigeria’s general elections.

It said in accordance with the main focus and agenda of the trip, Buhari will be accompanied by the Minister of Defence, Brig-Gen Mansur Dan-Ali (retd), the National Security Adviser, Maj-Gen Babagana Monguno (retd) and other senior security officials.

He is scheduled to return to Abuja on tomorrow.

Buhari condoles Delta people on death of Ibru Leon Usigbe-Abuja

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari said he received with sadness, news of the passing away of the first civilian governor of Delta State, Chief Felix Ibru.

A statement issued by the Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to the president, Femi Adesina, in Abuja on Sunday, said on behalf of the Federal Government, President Buhari extended sincere condolences to the renowned Ibru family, the Urhobos whom he led for many years as PresidentGeneral of the Urhobo Progressive Union, the people of Delta State and Chief Ibru’s friends and associates across Nigeria.

The President joined them in mourning the late governor and distinguished senator “who made remarkable contributions to the progress and development of Nigeria during his long career as an illustrious architect, businessman, politician, community leader and philanthropist.”

It said Buhari urged all who mourn Chief Ibru to take solace in the awareness of his much fulfilled life of great accomplishments and give thanks to God Almighty for the indelible legacies which the late governor has left behind for his heirs and successors to build on.

DPR seals off NNPC filling station in Uyo THE Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Akwa Ibom, said it had sealed the NNPC mega filling station in Uyo, for allegedly hoarding petrol.

The Controller (Operations) in charge of Akwa Ibom and Cross River, Mr Bassey Nkanga, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Eket, on Sunday that the mega station had amassed the product in its storage tanks, but refused to sell it to members of the public.

Nkanga, however, said that although the state was experiencing shortage of the product, the situation was not peculiar to the area.

He appealed to residents of the state to be patient as government was working hard to redress the problem.

'The fuel scarcity is not experienced only in Akwa Ibom; it is a national problem.

'Yesterday, we got two trucks of the product for Uyo. We are monitoring the sale of the product to see if there will be any illegality,’’ Nkanga said.

13

editorial

T

Monday, 14 March, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

National carrier again?

HE report credited to the Minister of State for Transportation (Aviation), Senator Hadi Sirika, to the effect that the ministry was already working on the report of the Committee appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari on the setting up of a new national carrier deserves critical attention and evaluation in view of the issues associated with it. To be sure, it is a matter of national pride to have a functional airline bearing a country’s name.

The citizens see such an airline as projecting their image and interests and thus helping to show that their country could also hold its own within the aviation sector of international relationships. Indeed, agreements on air services among countries have special provisions for national carriers and countries without such carriers miss out on the opportunities available for them in such an arrangement.

There is a sense therefore in which Nigeria and Nigerians have been missing all the benefits associated with having a national carrier since the demise of the Nigeria Airways and it is no surprise that the government and some Nigerians are desirous of seeing another national carrier very soon. It is also the case that with government having the responsibility of engineering economic activities where it is not initially profitable for private investors, a national carrier owned by the government is a veritable instrument for opening up the hinterlands of the country for air travels and services, as it plies routes not considered profitable by privately-owned airlines.

Many Nigerians recall the hey-days of the Nigeria Airways when it was fashionable to see its planes crisscrossing the whole of Nigeria, servicing virtually all the available airports in the country. And not a few would want to have a return to such halcyon days to have another taste of what a functional national carrier could be.

Yet, the point has to be made that in desiring a new national carrier, considerable thought should be given to how and why the Nigeria Airways became bankrupt and had to die in spite of all the benefits and advantages accruing to a national carrier. The Nigeria Airways did not go down because of lack of viable routes to ply or because of dwindling customers; it went down when other national carriers around the world were making much progress and when there was a noticeable increase in air travel in the country. The Nigeria Airways fell victim to the entirely Nigerian predicament of running government agencies and institutions without regard for rules and regulations and with an eye only to corruption and impunity.

There were times when it had to carry more non-paying passengers than paying passengers and reports had it that those non-paying passengers were no more than family members and consorts of highly placed officials. Sometimes, the planes were delayed simply to allow those officials to finish their businesses with families and consorts while dutiful and paying passengers were made to miss appointments. And yet, even the resources available to the airline were further depleted for perks and expenses related basically to personal aggrandizement. In the end, while privately owned airlines were able to survive and keep growing, the Nigeria Airways was owing its workers and creditors millions of naira at the time it was liquidated as a reflection of the pervasive corruption which characterized its operations, just like most government enterprises in Nigeria.

The question to ask therefore should be: to what extent has the overriding climate of corruption in government establishments been addressed to recommend the setting up of a new national carrier now? We are aware that not even the existing government agencies within the aviation sector could be said to be running functionally, yet the government wants to quickly embark on the setting up of another agency. The experiment with Virgin Nigeria in association with Richard Branson’s Virgin Airline was also torpedoed, if Branson is to be believed, by unspeakable corruption from the Nigerian end. We know, of course, that the present government has declared a war on corruption in government and high places.

But this is still more in intention rather than actuality, as virtually all government agencies continue to run in the usual, corrupt ways. And there is the added problem of the government not yet doing anything concrete to improve road and rail transport, before expressing its commitment to establishing a new national carrier as if that should be the priority concern of Nigeria now.

Nigerians are yet to hear of a concrete plan to change road transportation from the hell it is to many citizens today.

And even air travellers would prefer that the government works on making their experience through the various airports less stressful, rather than concentrating on the setting up of the new national carrier. Evidently, it would have to be set up ultimately, but this should not be done in such a hurry as to jeopardize its eventual sustenance. The government should take its time to rework the entire aviation industry, particularly the regulatory agencies, and ensure that the system functions well before finalizing the setting up of a carrier.

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14 LETTERS TO THE

Monday, 14 March, 2016

editor

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

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

On President Zuma’s visit to Nigeria

P

RESIDENT Jacob Zuma of South Africa, last week, visited Nigeria, and I was shocked by the honour accorded to him by the Federal Government.

President Zuma visited the National Assembly where he acknowledged Nigeria’s role in emancipating his country from the shackles of slavery.

He admitted that Nigerian civil servants contributed from their monthly earnings in order to keep the struggle on back in

South Africa, while many activists found a safe haven in Nigeria.

I believe President Zuma had gone through the history books before coming to Nigeria so as to make his speech relevant to his hosts.

As someone who once lived in South Africa, I can say that citizens of the former apartheid enclave have forgotten all that Nigeria did to liberate them from the Whites. From the airport, Nigerians are treated with disdain. Immigration officials look for the slight-

Fuel/electricity: Nigerians are suffering I want to appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to do everything in his power to end the suffering of Nigerians. One year is enough to pin the blame of the terrible state of things on past administrations; by now, we expect to have started reaping the fruits of our struggle for voting in the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The two major things that Nigerians need now are uninterrupted power supply and regular supply of fuel at filling stations.

In the area of fuel, the scarcity means that prices of goods and services go up — from transport fares, to cost of food, and even rents. Those who queue at filling stations waste precious time all in a bid to get fuel. What we are experiencing at the moment is like a throw-back to the Abacha era, when fuel scarcity was artificially created to weigh Nigerians down.

While I wouldn’t want to dispute the fact that saboteurs might be responsible for the current mess in the country, it is the responsibility of government to ensure that state saboteurs are severely punished.

This brings me to the area of special courts for those who commit crimes against the state; if we are truly serious about developing in this country, then the President should be supported in his quest to

establish special courts for fast dispensation of justice.

Those who are being tried by the regular courts today are so powerful and they can afford to use their wealth to delay their trials.

Lawyers know several tricks they can use to frustrate quick dispensation of justice, but when we have special courts, those who have committed crimes against the state will be tried and handed their sentences in record time.

At the moment, Nigerians are suffering; no one wants to know if saboteurs are responsible for the mess we are in or not. After electing this government, we have put our trust in it, and we don’t really want to hear stories. The President and his team already have our mandate to make things better for us, and if anybody, or group of persons, wants to sabotage government, then part of the mandate is also to prosecute and punish them.

In just two months, this government will be celebrating its one year in power, but will Nigerians celebrate yet? I don’t think so. We still lack the basic things that will make life conducive for us — uninterrupted power supply and constant supply of fuel at filling stations.

•Dr Taju Alalade, Ilorin, Kwara State.

est opportunity to detain our citizens, while travellers from other countries, who had no historical link with South Africa are accorded the utmost respect.

In the country, Nigerians are targeted by the police, and other criminal elements, who accuse our people of stealing their jobs

and women.

The 2008 xenophobic attacks are still fresh in my memory, and it was part of the reason I decided to relocate to Nigeria, although I still visit South Africa for business.

Black Africans, particularly Nigerians, are going through hell in South Af-

rica, and this is what I expected President Muhammadu Buhari to confront President Zuma with point blank.

Let us forget the issue of who was in power when Nigeria actually tried buying weapons from South Africa; on two different occasions, South Africa stopped Nige-

Minister Ocholi’s tragic death IT is so painful the manner in which a member of President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet, Mr James Ocholi, met his untimely death, alongside his wife and son. While not wanting to blame unforseen circumstances for the minister’s death, I think it is high time the Federal Government took the rehabilitation of roads as one of its priorities.

Minister Ocholi was travelling in a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), and

nothing could have caused the accident other than bad road, which ultimately made the tyre to burst.

I must commend the Federal Government for initiating investigation into Mr Ocholi’s death; this will go a long way in revealing the actual cause of the accident. However, hundreds of people are being killed on a daily basis in road accidents around the country, and no one is talking about them.

Minister Ocholi’s death

is definitely a loss to the Nigerian state, and it is expected that the government will wake up to its responsibilities by rehabilitating bad roads across the country.

We must not begin to wait until prominent people die on our roads before government takes the necessary steps. May God grant Mr Ocholi and his family eternal rest.

•Salisu Maiyaki, Ogori-Magongo, Kogi State.

ria from procuring arms, while our military lacked the weapons to fight the insurgents. Now, President Zuma is telling us that his people appreciate our contributions to his country’s liberation.

In the area of business, South African businesses are enjoying a profitable climate in Nigeria, but how many Nigerian businesses are thriving in their country? Their policies particularly make it impossible for foreign businesses to thrive.

If I must say the truth, President Zuma was only in Nigeria to appease our government against the fine slammed on MTN. We should not be fooled by President Zuma’s praises as South Africans detest Nigerians.

•Kelvin Idoko, Surulere, Lagos.

15

opinion

Monday, 14 March, 2016

Lasisi Olagunju Lasgunju@yahoo.com (08111813053)

T

WO years and three months ago, I wrote about an old trickster called Tortoise. I told one of the shocking stories ever balanced on the bald head of the trickster. Today, I am retelling the story because in the forest that bred Tortoise, the more things change, the more they remain the same. Tales of the Tortoise are almost always about subversion, of cunning and of subterfuge. The fabled Tortoise, ever alert to its weakness, carries on its shoulder a bag of tricks with which he hopes to defeat the odds stacked against him by an unfair power relations of the world of the strong. Often disdainful of truth, trust and loyalty to rules of engagement, Tortoise’s image is that of rule-breaking, corner-cutting, and playing tricks on all mortals - and even on the immortal!

A colleague said I should comment more on the sad tales all around us. A senior said he was out of the country, at least for one month, away from the suffocating air of greed and unedifying stories he was hearing every minute, everywhere. I said I would rather spend mine here ruminating over the evergreen tales of the trickster —Tortoise and its joke on all of us as a people. The creature struts the landscape in self-conscious pomposity. He is Ijapa in Yoruba, Mbe among the Igbo and Fudugazi among the Zulu of South Africa. He is wise in his ways; always sly in its gentlemanliness. He is selfish in his generosity, devious in his nice ways.

Nothing can be put past him. All stories belong to the Tortoise. And he did not just come to acquire all these stories by being laid back; he worked for it. He conquered all the elements, armed only with his guile and luck.

If the clever one owes you, he triggers the beast in you and if you fall for it, you misbehave and lose the right to demand your golden coins. He did precisely that to Mr. Pig. Today, Pig is forever digging the backyard in search of Tortoise’s grinding stone. Some other time, Tortoise and his wife, Yannibo, stole from their neighbour’s yam barn, then swore, successfully, that they didn’t do it. He is ever lucky with his spouse in deciding the next victim’s fate.

Sometime ago, before the forests were created with their tall trees, Tortoise persuaded all birds to take him out on their annual feast with sky dwellers. These sky dwellers were perfect event managers and were quite good and generous with their dishes. Food was not a problem with the sky dwellers; only you had to be there at the dining table.

Nothing has changed, it is still All of You and the birds

Sensible Tortoise knew a crawler like him was congenitally disadvantaged to partake in such a sky feast, hence his pact with the birds.

“What are friends for?” The birds chorused as they fell over one another donating feathers to Tortoise in preparation for the sky party. He was very effusive in his gratitude as he took off with the princes of the air. The birds were quite pleased that they had assisted a well-behaved Tortoise who appeared to have mastered so well the art of flying. And so, like astronauts carrying out repairs on NASA’s space station devoid of the law of gravity, Tortoise landed among the sky dwellers with his friends. Then, protocol demanded selfintroduction.

“My name is Dove,” one said “I am Hawk,” another announced.

“My parents named me Eagle,” a big one bellowed.

Another feebly raised his voice, “I am Pigeon” Yet, there was the bald-headed one, “Vulture is my name.”

One after the other, the birds announced their presence.

It was the turn of Tortoise. Then he remembered his wife at home and their last discussion before the flight. Slowly, Tortoise raised his voice as he panned his gaze round his winged friends, and the hosts, “My name is All of you,” he announced. Tortoise’s friends laughed heartily at the alias their funny friend just gave himself. “What a name,” the chief host intoned as he made a dash to the kitchen to serve

the meal. The first servant came with the food and, as he placed it on the table, he announced rather routinely, “This is for all of you.”

Tortoise took all. “I am All of You,” he reminded his friends.

The second servant came with assorted drinks and, like the first, declared it for “all of you” and again, Tortoise appropriated all, including fruits that joined the drinks. It wasn’t funny at all. It was not the birds’ first time in the sky, but this was the first time a strange creature would break into their ranks and swindle them. They were hungry; they were angry — first with one another for breaking the rules of nature which saw them donating feathers to an upstart crawler. Then they re-directed their anger at the cause of their marginalisation. It wasn’t difficult to agree on what to do. One after the other, the birds claimed their feathers from Tortoise and flew back home. Tortoise was alarmed.

He was stranded. He tried all his tricks, they didn’t work.

Even to deliver a message to his wife, Yannibo, at home, no way. But, no matter the situation, one is never alone. Parrot agreed to deliver Tortoise’s message to his wife: she should spread the bedding in the house outside for her husband to jump on. “I will deliver the message, Tortoise. You know I am your friend. Don’t mind those ones who left,” Parrot said as he flew back to earth.

True to his promise, Parrot went straight to Tortoise’s house and delivered his message: “Your husband has become so powerful on the journey, now he wants to make a show of it. So, he has asked me to tell you to bring out all the hard things in the house and spread them on the ground outside for him to test his newly acquired expertise. Wingless Tortoise then took a plunge back home - his shell responding in shattering tragedy. He was a mess; the remains of his shell scattered like potshards. The big ant (Ikamudu in Yoruba) that rushed to give him plastic surgery had to leave midway in annoyance as arrogant, ingrate Tortoise complained that he was stinking. That is the story of Tortoise’s ugliness and a window to the mess all around here. Letters; counter letters; mergers; suspensions; defections; change; no change; promise; no promise — all telling the unbroken story of the ugliness of a nation.

This is a revised version of the piece published on Monday, 30 December, 2013.

Nigerian varsities: Global ranking and critical reform issues

By Tunji Olaopa (Continued from last Friday)

BUT not even a sentimental patriot can deny our educational deficits: (i) Widespread indiscipline among both lectures and students; (ii) Declining research productivity and pedagogy; (iii) Lack of technical skills and knowledge of curriculum development and innovation and among lecturers across disciplines; (iv) Falling academic and moral standards; (v) Lack of institutional mechanism to deal effectively with the quantitative and qualitative dimension of knowledge and to sustain relevant reforms within exponential explosion of knowledge; (vi) Corruption, arrogance and abuse of power among the leadership and governance of university; (vii) Underfunding of the university; (viii) Irrelevant and obsolete curricula; (ix) Governance deficit and disconnect among major stakeholder and university authority. This dampening list can be multiplied ad nauseam. A critical peep into the 2006 Educational Sector Analysis will, somehow, leave a perspective reader deeply depressed.

Essentially, Nigeria’s tertiary educational system measures transformatory knowledge by the numbers of certificate a person is able to amass. This debilitating but ingrained culture ensures that we have quite a number of PhDs and educated people who lack the competences that a developmental state requires to move beyond development rhetoric. Let me reiterate this with a terrible joke I received sometimes ago on my WhatsApp: A group of Nigerian lecturers were on a trip. Immediately they boarded the plane, the captain announced that the plane they will be flying is a product of their students. At this announcement, many of them grew very frightened and disembarked immediately, except one. When asked why he remained seated, he said: ‘I have no reason to fear the plane crashing out

of the sky. If what we taught the students is anything to go by, this plane will not even leave the ground.’ If the existing critical mass of capacities in Nigeria cannot fly a plane, make pencils, build bridges or process early warning systems in case of disaster management, then how far away are we from achieving a knowledge society?

With these deficits, it is certain Nigeria is not ready to create a university of the future that rides on the knowledge revolution to facilitate qualitative development dynamics. Those who hold the future, I dare say, are those who are willing to take the risk of researching it. Over five decades since independence and it seems we have hardly moved forward to any point of radical rehabilitation. On the contrary, we seem to be compounding our own human capital deficit. But then, lamentation does not solve any problem; reform does. And Nigeria’s salvage point rests on unequivocal institutional reform.

There are three focal points which assiduously undermine our educational effort today—governance framework, curricular dynamics and research philosophy. And these three also, fortunately constitute critical reform frameworks for ensuring a radical transition from tertiary to higher education.

Governance, it seems to me, is key here. It is the steering mechanism that calibrates curricular and research directions.

Governance issues range from the excessive oversight of tertiary education that ensures that the delivery of education is terribly fragmented beyond measure, to the mute issue of corruption in university governance across Nigeria. To quote an erstwhile Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Olufemi Bamiro, governance, as a reform locus, would actuate the following reform questions: (a) How can the institution build the best leadership team? (b) What are the vision and mission statements, and what are the specific goals that the university is seeking to achieve? (c) In what niches(s) will it pursue excellence in teaching and research? (d) What is the likely cost of the proposed qualitative leap, and how is it giving

to be funded? (g) How will success be measured? What monitoring systems, outcome indicators, and accountability mechanisms will be used?

Apart from ensuring institutional stability in the midst of global and national multiplicity of contested ideological, economic cultural and political contexts from where the university must derive its objectives and direction, the responsibility of a morally responsible, administratively competent and intellectually savvy governance team in any Nigerian university is to facilitate networks in terms of research and teaching. This will be a network of different universities in Nigeria conjoined by research similarities. For instance, universities in the North could be associated with a research initiative that studies Islam, nomadic education, Sahel agriculture and desertification. Universities in the South could network around the oil economy, militancy, ethnic minorities issues, ecological issues like erosion, industrial studies, agriculture, mineral resources, urbanisation, and many other issues.

Higher education, through the harnessing of the significant human capital (SHC), constitutes Nigeria’s optimisation window into global and national relevance. It is the engine room for socio-economic fast tracking. But the first condition for such a rapid progress is to ensure that the fish does not get rotten from the head. Governance becomes our litmus reform test. The issue of the global ranking of Nigerian universities would really be a foregone conclusion once these universities are serving the developmental purposes Nigeria requires of them. In other words, rather than agitating about the ranking, let us declare a state of emergency on our universities.

•Being lecture delivered by Dr Tunji Olaopa at the Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, recently.

(Concluded).

16

Monday, 14 March, 2016 Taiwo Adisa - 08072000046 Group Politics Editor tai_adis@yahoo.com

Senate, Nigeria and first option policy T HOUGH the motion seeking to institutionalise policies that enhance Made in Nigeria goods was presented on March 2, the processes leading to that motion had been ignited long before that date. Some would say that the foundation was laid on February 8, when the week-long Made in Aba Trade Fair, an initiative of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP, Abia South), kicked off in Abuja. But to others, the foundation was actually laid three years before, when the Senator launched that initiative aimed at exposing the industry of his immediate constituency in Aba to Nigerians generally.

Senate President Bukola Saraki and a number of his colleagues, who visited the stands during the trade Fair, a constituency project of Senator Abaribe, were thrilled to see the products churned out by the Aba manufacturers. Many of them bought shoes, clothing and bags. Senator Ben Bruce Murray was actually impressed, as he donned one of the wears and posted on Facebook. Thus, when Abaribe presented a motion seeking to get the executive arm of government give priority to local manufacturers in the procurement process, not a single senator spoke against the idea.

The Abia senator, in his lead debate on the motion titled, “Need for Patronisation of Made in Nigeria Goods in Nigeria,” said that in the 1960s and up to the early 1970s, the Nigerian economy was run on “made in Nigeria exports.” He told his colleagues that industries that specialised in locally made goods were located in the rural areas and that Nigerian products were popular with Nigerians as well as among other African countries. In those years, according to the senator, the rate of industries shutting down was less that 10 percent, adding that Nigeria produced what it consumed at the time.

He, however, submitted that due to lack of patronage and very harsh business environment, over 80 percent of the businesses were forced to close shop.

He stated that in the era when businesses boomed in the country, government played an active part by putting in place agencies including marketing boards and other initiatives targeted at creating market for local production and enterprise. He further submitted: “Today, Nigeria consumes what it does not produce. Investment in real sector has given way to trading in foreign and imported goods. The resultant impact has been a negative balance of trade, the shutting down of textiles companies, battery, tobacco, wood processing factories, cocoa and palm oil farms and other factories that had been the strength of the Nigerian economy.”

Senator Abaribe stated that as at 1990, Nigeria had over 170 developed textile industries, which were employing between 2,000 and 10,000 workers each, regretting that today, only about 12 are still struggling to function with the resultant loss of opportunities and employments. He further painted a gloomy picture of the damage unbridled importation of goods was doing to the polity, adding that government spends billions of Naira yearly to purchase imported vehicles, furniture, textiles, printing paper and even consumables such as rice, drugs, vegetable oils and fruit juice. He said that in the second quarter of 2015 alone, Nigeria spent N42.4 billion in importation of wheat and another N25.3 billion in importation of rice.

He told his colleagues that the current depletion in foreign exchange earnings was a symptomatic effect of an import dependent economy which he said had ensured that the country is riddled with unemployment, negative balance of trade, low capital formation and low private sector development. He said that there is every need to sensitize Nigerians to consume made in Nigeria products, and that governments elsewhere had developed and adopted varying measures of First Option Policy to enhance locally manufactured goods in their countries.

The senator further said: “In countries like China, the Chinese Procurement Act makes it mandatory to source for and buy made in China products for any government funded agency in India and obligation to procure India manufactured goods is mandatory for all agencies of government in India. In the US, a buy Made in America was not just a policy

Group Politics Editor, TAIWO ADISA presents details of the First Option Policy adopted by the Senate in a bid to promote Made in Nigeria goods.

Saraki but a legislative mandate that most agencies of the American government still adopt till date.”

Abaribe further stated that he was certain that if the government put in place measures to ensure official patronage of locally made products for all offices funded by public funds, local producers and investors would have the incentive to invest qualitatively in the country because of the certainty of the market demand.

Senators largely backed the motion without a contrary voice. But Senator Dino Melaye, who represents Kogi West Senatorial District on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), caused a stir in the chamber when he made his own contribution. He digressed from the main issue and insisted the Nigerians must not only buy made in Nigeria but also marry made in Nigeria women. He mentioned the governor of Edo state, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, whom he called “my Uncle,” who recently married a Cape Verde Model years after he lost his Nigerian wife. Melaye said: “I want to celebrate the Made in Nigeria senator for bringing this motion. In considering the made in Nigeria goods, we must look at enabling factors that will necessitate the made in Nigeria goods. It is beyond having one made in Nigeria attire and you have over 70 Tom Ford and Lobefins in your wardrobe.

“What are those factors limiting the production of these goods? We must tackle them. We must also begin to look at our legislation then we will begin to talk about made in Nigeria goods. We will also move in order to encourage the made in Nigeria products and begin to talk about made in Nigeria women. Apologies to my uncle, the governor of Edo State, we must as a people stop paying dowries in dollars and pounds.

It is time for my colleagues here to become born again.”

After listening to the arguments, the Senate resolved to empower the two chambers of the National Assembly to amend

Abaribe the Public Procurement Act to ensure that as a matter of law, agencies of government and publicly funded institutions adopt the made in Nigeria Policy, while also giving the First Option Policy to Nigerian made goods. It also urged the Federal Government to initiate and implement the First Option Policy in favour of locally manufactured products and compel all publicly funded agencies to adopt same.

Senate President Bukola Saraki, while rounding off the debates, said he was impressed by Senator Abaribe’s commitment to made in Nigeria products and his diligence in promoting Made in Aba products. He added that National Assembly would not hesitate in amending the Procurement Act to ensure that MDAs patronize locally made products. : “I had the opportunity to attend this year’s made-in Aba trade fair, which he (Abaribe) has been promoting using his own intervention fund. It is commendable to see that, for years, he has used this money to support the trade fair. The major issue for us is job creation and we cannot do it without looking at ways to stimulate our own economy. We would be spending close to N5 trillion in the 2016 budget in this regard and if that alone is going towards the local industries it will make a great deal.’’

Saraki also asked the Senate Standing Committees to expedite action on the planned amendment of the Public Procurement Act before passage of the 2016 budget so that the First Option Policy would have been institutionalized. In these days of dwindling foreign exchange as a result of the fall in oil prices, the way to go is certainly Made in Nigeria.

If the lawmakers walk the talk, the amendments to the Public Procurement Act should be done within a matter of days.

That should also task the industry of Nigerians who have shown capability not just in Aba, Nnewi but all across the geopolitical zones.

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politics&policy

Monday, 14 March, 2016

Why we are building a N17 billion airport—Prof Shinkafi from different parts of the world. At the same time, we are working with the Federal Government to see how we can mutually benefit from the whole project We will take the advantage of all lawful and legal engagements in the solid mineral exploitation which will give the state a comparative advantage economically. We are also extending our hands of friendship to other international donor partners to come and explore the sector, and interestingly, we have started seeing positive results.

Professor Abdullahi Mohammed Shinkafi, is the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) in Zamfara State.

He speaks with MUHAMMAD SABIU on why the state is spending billions in building an airport, untapped solid mineral deposits in the state, among other issues. Excerpts:

W

HY is the state government spending N17billion to build an airport, when such money could have been used on projects that have direct bearings to the common man?

The building of an international airport is one of the major projects the government is embarking on, though there has been too much noise about the project.

People have been making insinuations about the amount of money involved. But, the issues should not be about money but the economic benefits to be derived from such edifice. After all, we are sourcing a N10 billion loan from Fidelity Bank, and I am happy to say that the state House of Assembly has graciously given us the nod to secure the loan. The remaining part of the N7 billion will be sourced through other legal means. The project was awarded to a Chinese firm and they promised to complete it in 12 months. So, in modern times, the building of an international airport is usually a good venture. It promotes trade and boosts the economy of a given state or country. This is what we are expecting to achieve from the project. You can see transportation is a very important sector that usually creates wealth: economically, socially and educationally. Without transportation, there is nothing anyone can do, and air transport is one very critical means of enhancing the economy of the nation.

Look at Ethiopia; they rely heavily on their airline. I can tell you that a small country like Malawi exports cotton and Tobacco by making use of their air transportation for their earnings. We have other opportunities like cargo too. With the abundant solid minerals in the state, investors can come to the state easily with an airport in place. We have an opportunity also for international donor agencies and other international bodies to come to Zamfara, so that they can exploit the potential we have in the state. So, that is exactly how we can diversify our economy.

The Speaker of the state House of Assembly has accused some Ministries, Departments nad Agencies of diverting revenues they collected? How would government would henceforth ensure that revenue generated are channeled into a single account?

We have started operating the concept of TSA, that is, all revenues coming in must be put into a central account. It is rather unfortunate that a lot of irregularities were witnessed in the past making the government to lose a substantial amount of money to fraudsters. The practice then was that revenue collectors will collect money and remit very little amount into government treasury. There was a case, where the revenue collected by a local government for a

Then, what will be your advice to the people of the state in this direction?

People tend to have a non-challant attitude towards government business.

People must be interested in what the government is doing. They should take advantage of government policies and explore then to their advantage. Government alone cannot provide everything for its citizenry. The people should also be interested in doing things that will enhance their living. So, I am calling on the general public to open up their minds and see how they can establish small and medium scale businesses. There are abundant opportunities and the government is ready to assist any one that has a bright idea for the state to grow.

Professor Abdullahi whole month was just N5. But the government, under the leadership of Governor Abdulaziz Yari, is determined to block all the financial leakages and ensure transparency and accountability in government.

We are aware of the fact that some workers were not happy with the current trend; they are calling us all sorts of names but the fact is that we are not going to be derailed from the path we have chosen which we feel is in the best interest of the people.

The governor has just signed into law the 2016 budget. How do you intend to generate the funds so as to make the budget realistic?

We are putting a lot of things in place, first of all, in collaboration with the Federal Government. We are doing everything possible to ensure that the national revenue base is properly harnessed and the state collects its own share. We are equally

There was a case, where the revenue collected by a local government for a whole month was just N5. But the government, under the leadership of Governor Abdulaziz Yari, is determined to block all the financial leakages.

taking pieces of advice on how to finance the budget. Internally, we are looking towards enhancing our revenue generation, which is also an element of the budget, and we are making sure that things go well. More importantly, we will ensure financial discipline and prudent management of our resources. I think with these in mind, we will be able to put things in order, insha Allah.

No doubt, it is a capital-intensive project, but you would have dome a cost analysis before embarking on it. What is the volume of revenue expected to be generated by the government from the airport when it becomes operational.

It is not easy to ascertain the revenue we expect to generate because it fluctuates. As you all know, we don’t have a lot of manufacturing industries in the state. So, our current revenue generation is poor, but as I said earlier, the governor is working hard to ensure that the revenue is improved so that we can channel the resources to other sectors. We will certainly improve, because we are putting things in order as per our plan and we are going to achieve in that direction.

Many people have criticised the decision of governors to construct airports in their states because most of the existing airports across the country have not be optimally put into use. How is the general attitude of big-time investors to the state?

Investors are approaching us day in and day out, and what we are trying to do is to explore and exploit the solid mineral potential in the state. Significantly, we are in the process of collaborating with different contractors and consultants

How would you compare your previous positions and the position you are occupying now in terms of challenges?

Let me begin by extending gratitude to God Almighty who gave me the privilege to serve in various capacities in the state.

To compare my previous appointments like a university professor, managing director of a government agency, special adviser and commissioner to my present position (SSG), to me, all have their own challenges. However, my present position seems to have greater challenges in terms of the work load and the demand of the office. The position of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) is just like the engine room of all government activities. Here, we operate for 24 hours, God willing, we are doing our best. In essence, the office of SSG office is coordinating the activities of government and its ministries. Therefore, it is quite different from having one major challenge like if you are appointed as a commissioner. As a commissioner, you are dealing with just one area, while as SSG, your job touches almost every aspect; you are to virtually deal with all aspects of work.

The state secretariat is getting a facelift. How much have you expanded in the project?

That is one major challenge confronting us because the office of Secretary to the State Government is responsible for ensuring a befitting office accommodation for all ministries, as well as taking care of the management of the state secretariat. And you are all witnesses to the dilapidated nature of the place when we took over. That was what motivated me to ensure things are put in order. The work going on in the secretariat is not a contract. In fact, we are using the normal cash allocation; we are not putting any artificial grant to do the job because we felt we should use the little amount that came in from the cash allocation. We hope that in the next one year, we are going to have a befitting Secretariat.

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politics&policy

Monday, 14 March, 2016

We must guard against political intolerance —APC chair time comes and anybody wants to run, once you have two people for a particular position, we will go for congresses.

You buy your forms and do the needful. You canvass for votes. The proper thing will be done-whoever wins will win. There will be no automatic ticket for anybody.

John Ochala, the acting All Progressives Congress (APC) chairman in Cross River State, in this interview with ANTHONY UBONG, spoke on the current political realignment in the state, implications for subsequent polls, among other emerging issues.

What does the ongoing realignment of forces among politicians portend for the 2019 elections in Cross River?

It portends a great prospect for the APC in 2019. It portends practical reality. When we were strategising towards 2015 elections, the APC approached Prince Otu when it was clear that the PDP would not want a bright star like him to shine. He eventually decided to join the Labour Party. By our own calculation, if he had joined forces with us, maybe he would have won that election. Now that he is with us, I don’t know his political plans for the next dispensation, that calculation still stand. Automatically, his force with ours will give him an edge if he eventually picks the ticket to run. I believe those that have joined us have the pedigree, they have good name and followership and we know they will give us positive outing when the time for elections comes.

T

HE residences of former NDDC commissioner representing the state, Paul Adah and that of former commissioner in the state, Vena Ikem, were attacked after they defected to the APC… It is a sad commentary for the politics of Cross River State.

Association is by choice never by force. The likes of Honourable Paul Adah and Barrister Vena Ikem have been in the PDP for a long a very long time. We have also been on this divide for a very long time. I cannot remember any such time where somebody from this divide abused them unnecessarily because they are on the other divide. We deal on issues. They decided that the environment was no longer conducive for them for one reason or the other and you want to force them to stay back. Don’t they have fundamental human rights to choose their association and their friends, and where they want to belong? In the political history of this state, this kind of thing has never happened, and it can easily be traced to the recent development of their defection to the APC. To what extent is true that the state governor has been holding talks with APC leaders, with a view to dumping the PDP for the APC? It is the gospel truth. Ayade has spoken with the national leadership which includes Prince Hilliard Eta, a proud son of Cross River State. The first proposal he made was that he is coming over they should give him the state party structure. We told him if you are coming over, come over but you can’t give us conditions. He wants to come over

Ochala or he does not want to come over is irrelevant to us- he is neither here nor there. Like I said association is by choice.

If he sleeps and wakes up tomorrow and feels he wants to join APC, our constitution is very clear in such matters he should do the needful.

Will APC give preferential treatment to people like Victor Ndoma-Egba, Clement Ebri, Prince Bassey Otu and other top PDP that have defected to the APC? None of them will be given preferential treatment and nobody is going to be disadvantaged. What that means is that if you are talking about 2019 elections, when that

The governor and his 28 commissioners have resolved to forfeit 80 and 20 per cent of their salaries respectively, because of the current economic crunch in the state?

It is unreasonable. In fact, it is very unrealistic. How can you say you have slashed your salary by 80 per cent? Tell us that you have slashed your security vote by 80 per cent, we will know that you have done something great. You collect security votes every month that we do not know the amount and you are telling us that you are slashing your salary that is not up to one per cent of your security vote. Slash your security vote; give local governments the chance to develop at their pace. He can tell that to those who do not know their left from their right, not somebody like me.

As Amosun carves a niche for himself

By Wole Elegbede

I

wish to draw the attention of readers back to the year 2011, after the current governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and some of his counterparts swept into power in the SouthWest in the general election of that year. The then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) had taken over power from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in four states: Ogun, Oyo, Osun and Ekiti. With Lagos State still firmly in the hands of the same party after Mr Babatunde Fashola was returned for a second term in office, and with the exception of Ondo State in the grip of Dr Olusegun Mimiko of the then Labour Party, the South-West had just found a new union with the ACN. Since the year 2011, new permutations and changes had taken place in the political firmament of zone. The ACN has fizzled out in an alliance with some political parties to become the All Progressives Congress (APC). Today, APC holds sway in four states instead of the five states as it was under the defunct ACN. At that time, while Labour party controlled Ondo State, PDP was left with nothing. However, the situation has changed now, with PDP controlling Ondo and Ekiti states. Though ACN may have metamorphosed into a new party, and PDP may have made spirited comeback in Ondo and Ekiti states, the truism is that, as at

today, the South-West is still being controlled virtually by the same political forces that took power in the region in 2011.

Against the backdrop of this evolving scenarios and events in the zone, a commentary was made by the Bishop of the Remo Anglican Diocese, The Right Reverend Olusina Fape, in May 2011 which admonished the then newly elected ACN governors to take a cue from the values and virtues of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the first Premier of Western Region. He had spoken in an interview with Nigerian Tribune after a thanksgiving service to commemorate the 24th remembrance of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, held at the Obafemi Awolowo Memorial Anglican Church (OAMAC), Ikenne.

The imperative of his plea had been aptly captured in a Nigerian Tribune headline, on Tuesday, 10th May, 2011: “Let’s see the Awo in you, Cleric tasks ACN govs, govs-elect.”

For emphasis, Bishop Fape said: “In the South-West region, they are saying a new party has come on board. This is Awolowo’s party. The governors of ACN should go into governance with a mind to be honest in their dealings with the people.

They should use their mandate for service delivery like Papa Awolowo did. They should have the intention of making people’s lives better than they met them “They should not make life dif-

Amosun ficult for the people that elected them. They should not be pretenders. They are expected to imbibe and implement the free education and health system as done

by Papa. They should be sensitive to the yearning of the downtrodden. These are the things that gave Papa Awolowo a good name.

Everbody should feel the touch of Papa’s legacies.”

Bishop Fape’s commentary could be described as salutory but what is more important is whether the governors elected on the platform of ACN, now APC, are doing things in accordance with the high standard laid by late Awo. Any observer should be able to arrive at a conclusion by assessing or analysing the philosophy, words, poli-

cies, programmes and actions of the said governors.

My concerns here are the happenings in Ogun State under the administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun. The words and actions of the governor have continued to show his unwavering belief in the virtues of Awo. Only last Thursday, March 3, Senator Amosun had the enviable task to again host another Awolowo event. This time around, it was the 2016 Obafemi Awolowo Birthday Commemorative Symposium, held at the Ikenne residence of the Awolowos in Ikenne, and Senator Amosun said his government would sustain the legacies of the late sage. Amosun also spoke of Awolowo’s template and benchmark for good governance, which has remained very relevant several years after his passing.

On Friday, November 25, last year, Governor Amosun had played host to the glorious and final exit of Chief Awolowo’s spouse, Mama HID Awolowo, from mother earth.

The high point of the governor’s love for the Awolowos may not be tied to the role he played in the final burial of Chief Mrs Awolowo per se, but his commitment to her during her lifetime. I was amazed when the point was revealed at a special session organised by the State Executive Council in Abeokuta to eulogise Mama Awolowo that the governor visited her in the minimum once every month.

Bishop Fape’s counsel will defi-

nitely touch the conscience of all reasonable citizens of Ogun State, especially because Chief Awolowo was an indigene of the state.

Therefore, if there is any particular governor more likely to be watched taking a cue from the standards set by the sage, it is Governor Amosun.

The philosophy of the Amosun-led administration is rooted in certain pillars similar to the five cardinal programmes of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) under Awo. The principles of the administration can be summarised thus: affordable and qualitative education; efficient healthcare delivery; agriculture production and industrialisation; affordable housing and urban renewal and lastly, rural, infrastructural development and employment generation.

In all those areas, service delivery has been excellent as can be seen in the achievements of the administration which dotted various parts of the state. The government has lived up to the expectation of Bishop Fape in the delivery of dividends of democracy, especially infrastructural development, opening up of rural areas, improvement in healthcare services, construction of housing estates, development of agriculture, ease of doing business and provision of an enabling environment for turning the state into a foremost industrial hub in Nigeria.

•Elegbede, a seasoned journalist and politician, writes from Abeokuta.

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Monday, 14 March, 2016

+ entrepreneurship

Nigerian Tribune

anchor Ruth Olurounbi

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

Why Africa needs its women entrepreneurs

PHOTO: BLOG.TRAVEFY.COM

By Ruth Olurounbi

K

AREN Quintos, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and Senior Vice President, Dell, once said: “Unleashing the power of female entrepreneurship can have a dramatic effect on a country’s economy.” She was speaking on the 2015 Female Entrepreneurship Index report, which measured the development of high potential female entrepre-

+How

+

to be a successful failure —Pg 21 quote

neurship worldwide.

Impacts of women entrepreneurs on Africa’s economy Countless researches have shown that “women entrepreneurs represent a large and untapped resource for generating jobs and high-growth businesses,” be it in formal or informal sector. Four years ago, a report by International Finance Corporation indicated that women-owned entities in the formal sector represent approximately 37 per cent of enterprises across the world.

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), in 2012, reported that there were an estimated 126 million women starting or running new businesses in 67 economies around the world. In addition, an estimated 98 million were running established businesses. These 224 million women entrepreneurs are not only creating jobs for themselves and their cofounders, but are also helping economies to bridge the unemployment gap.

As

Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life, because you become what you believe. — Oprah Winfrey

In 2012, there were an estimated 126 million women starting or running new businesses in 67 economies around the world. of four years ago, a projected 48 million female entrepreneurs and 64 million female business owners employed one or more people in their businesses. Moving forward, “a predicted seven million female

entrepreneurs and five million female established business owners plan to grow their businesses by at least six employees” by 2017, the report showed.

Of the women pooled in the 67 countries, African countries such as Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, Ethiopia and South Africa, among others were represented. The GEM report showed that in Africa, “female youth (1834 years) participate in entrepreneurship at the same or similar rate as the older population (35-64 years),” indicating that as far as societal perceptions of opportunities in Africa went, 69 per cent of adult women believed there were lots of opportunities for entrepreneurship in their areas.

“Where women believed there were good opportunities for starting businesses, and where they had confidence, ability and spirit for this activity, there were typically higher female entrepreneurship rates,” the report noted.

These data, therefore, help show governments and stakeholders the need to “capitalise on the growth opportunity that exists with women entrepreneurs.”

Continues on pg32

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Monday, 14 March, 2016

+ entrepreneurship PHOTO: MASTERCARD

7 tips to build a business while working a day job

By Grace Bluerock

M

ANY people dream of leaving their nineto-five jobs to start their own businesses.

Many successful entrepreneurs had to keep their day jobs until they reached a point in their businesses when it was feasible to quit. This transition time can be stressful and difficult, especially when you don’t enjoy your job, but it doesn’t have to be.

While ambition is important, it is not always enough to move you forward. Maintaining your motivation and drive during your transition from employee to entrepreneur is crucial. It’s easy to veer off course and get discouraged during this transitional phase. Here are some actions you can start taking immediately while you’re still at your day job that will keep you on track and moving forward.

MasterCard organises programme for start-ups

By Ruth Olurounbi

T

HE MasterCard has designed a programme that targets start-ups across the world with the aim of providing corporate-startup partnerships for an accelerated path to scale innovative solutions.

Dubbed MasterCard Start Path Global 2016 programme, the initiative will provide access on operational support, mentorship, and investment to develop the next generation of commerce solutions.

On the basis that technology and data are transforming the way consumers and businesses interact with each other, driving a need to bring new ideas to market with greater speed, the mobile money solutions provider is calling on start-ups across the

world to apply to its programme, with the hopes of scalability.

Stephane Wyper, global lead of MasterCard Start Path said the organisation is intensifying its search as a continuing reminder of the innovation potential of local start-ups.

“Start-ups are actively experimenting with new solutions aimed at transforming the status-quo across a wide variety of industries including financial services, retail, and healthcare.

“We can provide critical support through operational expertise and access to a steady pipeline of customers, channels and partners. In just two years, Start Path Global has a strong record of helping start-ups transform innovations into sustainable business propositions,” she said.

MastCard, which says it partners with startups from around the world to help scale their businesses, explains that the Start Path Global programme enables companies to gain access to MasterCard’s global ecosystem and to break new markets through relationships with MasterCard and our customers.

Shortlisted candidates for the programme, which its application closes on March 21, include some key features such as six months, two immersion weeks at different cities and none upfront equity in exchange for participation.

Candidates will be exposed to deep domain expertise across wide range of idea, access to MasterCard’s network of partners and opportunities to innovate on top of its solutions.

How to strengthen women entrepreneurs in Nigeria Continues from pg19

It has been established that entrepreneurship is the broad-based driver of economic growth and societal well-being, and as far as Africa, especially Nigeria is concerned, there is a lot more to be done by educators, policymakers and practitioners in the continent’s entrepreneurship to build local ecosystems in which female entrepreneurs can better thrive.

Limited access to resources has forced many female entrepreneurs to go it alone, as some, as research shows, either lack the financial capabilities to employ and expand or lack the education on how to grow their businesses. But as has been pointed out,

“one-woman operations cannot leverage the ideas, abilities, resources and connections of co-founders, neither do these contribute to job creation or the ability to grow a business.”

There are many women entrepreneurs in Nigeria who would love to expand their business and these are how to create competitive environments for them to express their strengths.

Equitable access to resources It was gratifying to see on the social media in the course of last week that some organisations in Nigeria signed up for parity pledge. Along with that are relative increased programmes targeted at Nigerian women en-

trepreneurs. However, it appears that there is still a wide disparity among women entrepreneurs’ access to fundamental resources such as finance, education and Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) training programs, as against their male counterpart.

Although the previous government approved micro-loans for Nigerian SMEs, but there are still complaints that these women could not access the loans. Nigeria, toeing the global approach to increasing women’s access to micro-credit, in response to lack of access to finance, appears to have forgotten that growth-oriented women entrepreneurs may require access beyond microfinance. Nigerian women like Olusola Pacheco, founder of Whoot Africa and Titilayo Ama, founder

Get crystal clear on your reason for starting your business Connecting with your “why” is the most important first step you can take. Maybe you are motivated by being your own boss, financial independence, time freedom, creative expression, being home with your kids or helping others. Whatever your reason, knowing what motivates and drives you is what will keep you focused and committed to your dream when times get difficult.

Commit yourself to your dream Having the desire for something to work vs. committing to it are vastly different. When you commit to your dream, you are making a binding obligation to see it through to success. It means you are “all in,” you find solutions when faced with ob-

of Spread Media Magazine, who want to grow sustainable businesses require more than micro-credits loan they said.

Pacheco said last weekend that there are many women who have extremely good ideas who require larger loans but are denied access to loans because they lacked the collaterals. Female entrepreneurs who have collaterals to access loans often complain of high interest rates on the loans, which potentially could force them to close their business.

Therefore, there is a need for an improved A 2015 report showed that governments also play a role in stagnating women entrepreneurs’ growth. According to the report, public procurement accounts for more than 30 to 40 per cent of GDP in developing countries and

PHOTO: FINANCIALJUNETEENTH.COM stacles and you don’t quit, no matter what. Make that pledge to yourself, and then tell the people in your life.

Create a personal vision for your business Think about what you want in your business a year from now and write it down. Be very specific and detailed. Describe in great detail in the present tense your ideal day, what activities you engage in, who your customers/clients are, how many customers/clients you have and what your monthly income is.

Join a mastermind group A mastermind group is a peer-topeer mentoring group that meets regularly to support each other, brainstorm ideas and share advice and work through challenges together. A mastermind group can be excellent for helping you stay ac-

10 to 15 percent GDP in developed countries.

However, globally, only an estimated one per cent of public-procurement contracts are awarded to women owned businesses. “Of the 31 scorecard countries, the US and South Africa are the only two that actively promoted growth-oriented female entrepreneurs through gender public procurement policies,” the report indicated.

It, therefore, behooves African, especially Nigerian government to empower its women entrepreneurs to not only grow and develop as people, as well as their businesses, but to also develop and growth the nation’s economy.

Improved infrastructure can potentially improve women’s ability to grow the economy, as they grow their own businesses.

countable and motivated.

Immerse yourself in learning Research and study anything you can find that is pertinent to your business. The Internet provides an abundance of valuable information on building a successful business.

Take courses, hire a coach or find a mentor. Listen to podcasts or audiobooks during your morning commute. The more you learn and become an expert in your area, the more self-assured, motivated and successful you will be.

which includes doing the mundane, you will start seeing results.

The more progress you make, the more confidence and determination you have to keep moving forward.

By taking these actions while still working your day job, you will stay focused, motivated and committed to making your dream a reality.

It will also make the time spent at your job seem to go by faster.

This article first appeared on entrepreneur.com

Entrepreneur of the week

Pacheco

OLUSHOLA Pacheco is the founder of Whoot Africa, a media outfit that promotes African brands.

Pacheco, a business graduate from the University of Wales, left her lucrative job in the UK to relocate to Africa’s biggest economy, Nigeria, to start a journey of discovering the real back stories of African successes, as she puts it.

Pacheco is chosen as our Entrepreneur of the Day for her resilience and dedication to her craft.

In the last 18 months, Entrepreneurship+ has keenly followed her journey as she struggles between giving up and sticking to her business, ultimately, she chose never to give up.

In an interview found online, Pacheco admitted that she is tempted to give up everyday, but, as those who are close to her will testify, one of her best qualities re-

mains her determination.

Over the years, she has interv i e w e d captains of industries, managers as well as startups.

Just last Friday, she conducted a Twitter interview with the MD/ CEO of StanbicIBTC, Shola David-Borha.

Aside her remarkable spirit and her relentless pursuit of perfection, which she recommends to every entrepreneur, Pacheco often advises to “never underestimate how great your life can turn out, every time I get a dream interview opportunity.” She will go on to add: “Find the people who inspire you in ways that are unique to you, don’t ever let anyone convince you that you deserve less, those who think so little of your efforts and all you stand for today, will one day have no choice than to acknowledge how awesome you are, if you keep working hard and smart.”

How to be a successful failure

Stay positive about your day job Every day, acknowledge someinitiate specific courses of acthing you appreciate about your adopt them yourself.

E CEO of a startup we TH tion (proceed as planned or job. Perhaps you enjoy your his us tell ded called to wind down the company). co-workers or always having hol- fun nesty Ho $1 had He n: isio gh dec Share them with your team idays off. Maybe it’s just the free tou Nothing frustrates investors he and k, ban the in million and investors, and stick to coffee or your comfortable chair. re than a CEO who is so shutting down his com- mo was them.

The point is to look for the good imistic that he or she rey. Crazy, right? Not really. opt pan py things. The more you focus on es to recognize the bum had set a benchmark for fus Accountability what is positive about your cur- He d ahead. When it looks like roa ch rea to ed fail and ss gre Winding down a company is rent situation, the more success pro things will be getting tough, and so he was returning trivial work. Aside from it, not ter to keep invesbet you will bring to all situations, far is it esinv to ital remaining cap unpleasant need to fire including your business. Negative the informed than surprised. the tors kl ma from all us ing -- sav people, a leader has to dea thoughts drain your energy, mak- tors Don’t wait for good news to idadd len , ted from was s in tion s ecta lion mil exp with ing it far more difficult to move ing re; investors like more di. al investments. We were sha tion ers, investors and customers s ber num wth gro n whe forward with your dream. gue alo e e sinc sur ve ke we’ ma t pected CEOs so impressed tha missed, burn is higher Res ded him the reins at two are these matters are settled han all lwel , new Set daily goals than expected, or a ies. pan com atic blem pro other before moving on, even if the Take small, measurable action ded competitor emerges. e of my best experi- fun Som outcome is difficult for everysteps each day toward your busiing dur e wer s ences with CEO one involved. Investors, who ness, understanding there will be nning Pla ir the for ns atio situ the worst are often stuck with all this times when it seems like you are Entrepreneurship is emolly cefu gra ting Exi ies. pan com dirty work when leadership making no progress at all. Much tional, so take feelings out of especially apprecies precision and tact, and tak n. Preemptively bails early, atio of the work, in the beginning, will equ the are e Her ice. this accountability.

VCs will take not be tedious day-to-day tasks. Reout your “stage gates,” ate p ma adto e com I’ve s the qualitie Culled from entrepreneur. s alize it is all part of building your the specific objective metric ng ggli stru of s CEO in e mir t com business. By taking steps each day, (revenue, funding, etc.) tha startups. You’d do well to

22

Monday, 14 March, 2016

tribune

business

Group Business Editor Sulaimon Olanrewaju

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

BDCs and challenge of deepening forex market

only enhanced employment generation but have contributed to the CBN’s revenues streams through one per cent commission charged on dollar sale to operators.

The over 3,000 BDC operators in the country have, especially since the CBN started direct sale of dollars to the industry in 2006, helped in the implementation of the historic convergence of exchange rates for the first time on 6 July, 2006.

That explains stakeholders’ worries when regulatory and government policies in recent months did not favour the continued operation and sustainability of BDCs’ businesses in the country.

CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele had last January announced a new foreign exchange (forex) policy that includes the stoppage of weekly dollar sales to BDCs. He said operators in this segment of the market would now need to source their foreign exchange from autonomous sources, even as CBN would deploy more resources to monitoring these sources to ensure that no operator is in violation of its anti-money laundering laws.

Chima Nwokoji - Lagos

B

UREAU de change (BDC) industry remains a critical sector in economic development and wealth creation. Most analysts believe that what the BDC operators need is the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) support to achieve exchange rate stability and contribute its quota to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Achieving this would require instituting relevant policies to deepen their operations and a partnership with fiscal and monetary authorities to put over $27.8 billion foreign reserves to domestic trade.

The Ayodeji Ebo-led analysts at Afrinvest West Africa Limited, in a note to investors, said, “The direction of capital and the performance of the local stock market reflect the wellbeing of the economy,” which in turn reflects on the strength of the naira.

According to the analysts, the economy has been experiencing moments of stagflation (low economic growth and high inflation rate) with a plethora of issues ranging from high unemployment, weakening consumer spending, poor monetary and fiscal responses and waning financial market sentiments.

This means that all hands must be on deck to salvage the situation. For instance, the CBN under Emefiele had earlier entered into an agreement with BDC operators on ways to bridge dollar liquidity crisis in the sector.

The President, Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), Alhaji Aminu Gwadabe, said the regulator had, during the time, agreed to source petrodollars from international oil companies (IOCs) and other autonomous sources. The decision was meant to find ways out of the dollar crisis in the sector, as he promised to directly intervene in selling dollars to the BDCs when market liquidity improved.

Gwadabe said: “The CBN agreed to be sourcing for dollar from IOCs and selling to the BDCs between N198 and N201 to a dollar. We have also accepted to ensure that our members follow the regulatory guidelines and not sell dollars obtained through the autonomous sources over the required

ABCON President, Aminu Gwadabe margin.”

He explained that the BDCs do not have the capacity to deal directly with the IOCs because of the intricate nature of the transactions, but will rely on the CBN’s expertise and experience to handle the transactions.

BDCs as partners in search of solution The importance of BDCs became evident under Professor Charles Soludo, former CBN governor. He introduced the policy titled, “Further Measures to Liberalise the Foreign Exchange Market.” The aim of the policy was to address the widening gap between the official exchange rate and the parallel market rate.

The ABCON President, Alhaji Aminu Gwadabe believes that despite stoppage of sales of forex to the BDCs, the sector can be a good partner in finding solution to currency crisis in Nigeria and contribute to economic growth.

According to him, as law abiding citizens and partner in progress with the CBN, the BDC operators respect the decision of the apex bank as the regulator of the banking industry and foreign exchange market where they operate.

“While we are not totally surprised by the decision, we however believe there are better ways of addressing the challenges in the foreign exchange market,” he said.

He regretted that the BDCs are always blamed whenever there is Naira volatility.

“Suffice to mention that before the CBN

Nigerian Tribune

started selling dollars to BDCs in 2006, there were about 270 BDCs in the country.

Despite the harsh operating environment, these operators were able to survive by servicing their clients,” he said.

A herd of industry stakeholders agree that Bureau De Change (BDC) operators remain critical stakeholders in economic development and wealth creation for the citizenry all over the world. They believe that BDC operators in Nigeria are collaborating with the CBN to achieve exchange rate stability and build an industry that contributes its quota to the National Gross Domestic Product.

The currency auctioners have repeatedly called for appropriate sanction against its erring members rather than condemning the entire sector as economic saboteurs.

Indeed, BDCs need regulatory and government backing in terms of policies that will deepen their operations.

They also want to partner with fiscal and monetary authorities to put over $27.8 billion foreign reserves to domestic trade and build a strong naira economy.

Globally, bureaux de change (BDC) operators have remained critical agent of development and economic growth.

For Nigeria, BDCs are not just a critical factor in the CBN’s plan to achieve price and exchange stability but have remained one of the major contributors to government’s revenues.

With over N250 billion worth of investments in the economy, the BDCs have not

Why BDCs were created According to Emefiele, the BDC industry was created by the CBN to fill a critical gap in the retail segment of the foreign exchange market even as the decision to sell dollars to them was because they have the capacity to counter the effect of the illegal currency traffickers and the continued depreciation of the Naira in the parallel market.

While the BDCs, which remain a globally acknowledged and reputable businesses have put the sudden stoppage of dollar sales to them by the CBN behind them, ABCON and its leadership have continued to seek plausible avenues to deepen dollar liquidity in the market, sustain their members businesses and make their contributions to Nigeria’s economic growth and development.

For Gwadabe, Nigeria BDCs can be strengthened to operate across the value chain of the retail foreign exchange sector; remittances and payments space as well as local and international travel insurance brokerage deals.

This, he said, can help turn them into a booming industry that can employ more millions of Nigerians. Both the CBN and BDCs, he said, can work also together and find sustainable solutions that can help the country wriggle out of the ongoing forex crisis confronting the economy.

“The BDCs do not depend on exchange rate to make profit and therefore will benefit nothing from a depreciated naira.

Depreciation affects operators’ working capital as they are more interested in turnover than the exchange rate. The BDCs do not also determine exchange rate and the ABCON has continually worked closely with the CBN to ensure that dollar supply increases so as to restore calm in the currency market,” he assured.

Diaspora remittances The BDCs can also explore opportunities in Diaspora remittances. For instance, the World Bank Migration and Remittances Continues on pg23

23

tribunebusiness

Monday, 14 March, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

‘Making BDCs major agents of money transfer’ Continued from pg22

Factbook 2016 showed that Nigerians living abroad sent home $20.8 billion in 2015. The figure, it said, is by far the largest volume of remittances to any country in Africa and the sixth largest in the world.

“The United States is the biggest remittance sending country to Nigeria, followed by the United Kingdom. Nigerians will receive $5.7 billion in remittances sent from friends and family members in the US and $3.7 billion from the UK in 2015. Nigeria is also the third largest destination country for migrants from other African nations,” it said.

It says a quarter of a billion people around the world are migrants, and over $600 billion in remittances are sent annually. BDC can partner other institutions as an official channel for most of these remittances as they are already doing at the moment, though unofficially due to higher rates they offer.

The global lender says international remittances to developing countries reached over $441 billion in 2015, more than foreign direct investment and thrice more than official aid flows. It says 34 per cent of all international remittances are sent among developing countries.

It disclosed that remittances constitute more than 10 per cent of Gross Domestic Product for 25 countries. It insists that international remittances have been growing steadily and remain stable even during episodes of financial volatility.

“In 2015, the number of international migrants surpassed 250 million, a quarter of a billion people, globally. International migrants now represent more than 3.4 per cent of the world’s population. SouthSouth migration is now larger than SouthNorth migration. Over 38 per cent of international migrants have migrated from developing countries to other developing countries. 14.4 per cent of international migrants are refugees,” it said.

Speaking on the development, Senior Mo-

bile Analyst at WorldRemit, Alix Murphy, says the World Bank’s latest report shows that countries have now hit two significant milestones - quarter of a billion migrants globally and $600 billion of remittances sent annually.

She believes that despite being the biggest economy in Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria’s financial system is still deeply fragmented, making sending and receiving money very challenging for ordinary Nigerians.

Gwadabe believes a proposal from ABCON to the CBN, asking the regulator to allow BDC operators operate correspondent bank accounts that would allow the currency auctioners receive the average $20.8 billion annual Diaspora remittances is needful. Making BDCs major agents of money transfer like the Western Union, MoneyGram, among others will enable them achieve the objective.

The proposal, which Gwadabe says is still being assessed by the CBN, will enable operators open forex account with Bank Of America or Barclays Bank or any other international bank, through which Nigerians living abroad can send funds home through the foreign bank accounts run by BDCs while the recipients claim their money at home. This practice, when approved, Gwadabe said, would not only boost dollar liquidity in the market, but help the country navigate through raging currency risks.

He believes that integrating BDCs into the money transfer business will ease the challenges faced in the industry and deepen Nigerian payment system.

Brighter future awaits BDCs But for the BDCs to play these roles in the economy, Gwadabe said the CBN must tackle the increasing challenges arising from over regulation and complex documentation requirements that licensed BDC operators are facing in carrying out their daily legitimate operation.

These, he said, have had negative impact on their efforts toward compliance to statutory and regulatory requirements. The

Despite being the biggest economy in Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria’s financial system is still deeply fragmented, making sending and receiving money very challenging for ordinary Nigerians.

asking government to pay more attention to economy diversification. He believes the strengthening of the BDCs will also be in line with the government’s diversification agenda because of the benefits that a strong BDC industry will bring to the economy.

The ABCON under Gwadabe’s leadership is also working on achieving transaction automation for members, create live trading platforms and uniform rate for operators. The operators also want to partner with other relevant agencies, while reviewing and updating its operational manual.

The ABCON, he said, has a zero tolerance for non-compliance with regulatory requirement and for unethical conduct amongst its members. “It is for this purpose that the association created the office of Compliance Officer in its National Secretariat and in all its zonal offices and also provided official vehicles for the compliance officers to regularly pay inspection visits to BDCs under their jurisdictions,” he said.

ABCON chief said that six units within the CBN are involved with BDC regulations, supervision, licensing, monitoring, saying this constitutes multiple regulation of a unit of the financial sub-sector that is only involved as a small market player.

“A BDC operator is expected to render daily, monthly, quarterly, half yearly and annual returns to these various departments of the same corporate body, which could be very cumbersome, repetitive and time consuming for both the operator and the regulator,” he said in a statement.

“In addition to the above, the BDC is also under obligation to render same returns to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission /Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit, while at the same time reporting to other statutory government establishments, including the Federal Inland Revenue Service and Corporate Affairs Commission respectively”.

Gwadabe said naira devaluation is not the solution to Nigeria’s problems while

Foreign exchange reserves Gross external reserves stood at $28.33 billion at end-June 2015, compared with $34.24 billion at end-December 2014, representing a decrease of 17.3 per cent. The end-June 2015 level of reserves was equivalent to 5.8 months import cover compared with 7.0 months of imports at end-December 2014. The fall in reserves was due to the sharp decline in foreign exchange inflow from $23.66 billion in the second half of 2014 to $15.28 billion at end-June 2015.

The development reflected a decrease of US$8.38 billion or 35.4 per cent. Total foreign exchange outflow was $21.07 billion in the first half of 2015, compared with $26.33 billion in the second half of 2014, indicating a decrease of 20.0 per cent.

The reserves currently stand at $27,881 billion as of Tuesday, 8 March, 2016 and Gwadabe believes that the fund should also be used for domestic trade where the BDCs will be involved. The practice, he said, will help deepen the market.

24

Monday, 14 March, 2016

moneymarket

anchor Chima Nwokoji

m:08032637535 e:chimatitus@yahoo.com

Ransomeware: CBN keeps financial industry at alert Stories by Chima Nwokoji Lagos

I

N order to take proactive steps towards averting any future occurrence, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has drawn the attention of stakeholders to the emerging fraud threat called ‘Ransomware’.

Ransomware is a new virus used by electronic fraudsters to attack the computer system of financial institutions, individuals, businesses and public agencies.

Ransomware, according to the Director, Banking and Payment Systems, CBN, Mr Dipo Fatokun, is a denial of service attack where by the computer system of an organisation is held to ransom electronically by fraudsters.

The fraudsters usually demand for ransom before the system is released.

Fatokun, however, said the development was not a major threat in Nigeria.

“It is not a threat in Nigeria, at least for now. But it has been reported in Ghana.

And if it has happened in Ghana, it means it can happen here. But we don’t want

Godwin Emefiele, CBN governor it to happen here, that’s why we are organising this forum,” he said.

Speaking under the aegis of the Nigerian Electronic Fraud Forum (NeFF), the director also promised that members of NeFF will con-

tinue to secure electronic payment platforms and protect customer information.

Fatokun, who is also the Chairman of the NeFF, stated this in Lagos during the general meeting of the

CBN Exchange Rates 3/11/2016 Currency US DOLLAR POUNDS STERLING EURO SWISS FRANC YEN CFA WAUA YUAN/RENMINBI RIYAL

Buying(NGN) 196 280.3388 217.8344 198.8233 1.7234 0.3052 271.4416 30.1298 52.2583

Central(NGN) 196.5 281.054 218.3901 199.3305 1.7278 0.3152 272.134 30.2071 52.3916

Selling(NGN) 197 281.7691 218.9458 199.8377 1.7322 0.3252 272.8265 30.2844 52.5249

DANISH KRONA SDR

29.2974 274.5064

29.3722 275.2068

29.4469 275.9073

NIBOR March 11, 2016

NITTY March 11, 2016 Tenor 1M 2M 3M 6M 9M 12M

Rate (%) 5.2232 5.4022 5.6219 7.6213 8.0442 9.2172

Change (%) 0.03 ▲ -0.05 ▼ 0.04 ▲ -0.06 ▼ 0.02 ▲ 0.02 ▲

Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M 9M 12M

Rate (%) 5.3067 7.7832 9.0802 10.9729 8.0442 9.2172

Change (%) 0.21 ▲ -0.03 ▼ -0.14 ▼ -0.09 ▼ 0.02 ▲ 0.02 ▲

FGN FGNBonds Bonds Date of Auction Security Type Tenor Maturing On Amount Offered (N mn) Subscriptions (N mn) Tot. Successful (N mn) Net Sales (N mn) Range of Bid Rates Successful Bid Rates Marginal Rate

forum.

In the same vein, the Managing Director, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Mr Segun Agbaje, who was represented by Mr Deji Oguntonade, noted that Ransomware had been in existence for over 20 years.

He, however, said financial security needed to be beefed up following the reported cases of Ransomware in Ghana.

According to him, “the general target of malwares includes computer servers, personal computers and mobile devices, especially Android smartphones.

The CBN and Deposit Money Banks further agreed that effective prosecution of fraudsters will be their focus this year.

“Top on the list of the agenda is the setting up of a dedicated e-payment and card crimes unit in the Nigeria Police Force. We also have other things we want to do such as collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on the use of Nigerian cards abroad.

“We are in collaboration with the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation to combat electronic frauds.

These are some of the things we intend to do this year,” stated Fatokun.

The proposed steps according to him will help to mitigate the spate of electronic frauds in the country and boost customers’ confidence in the payment system.

An executive director at United Bank for Africa Plc, Mr Femi Olalogo, commended the NeFF for providing safety, security and confidence to the banking community.

He said it would have been difficult for the financial services sector to make the giant strides it had made in the backing industry without the support of the Neff.

CBN Bills

1/22/2026 FGN Bonds 10 Year 1/22/2016 1/22/2016 40 74.99 35.00

2/10/2016 FGN Bonds 5 Year 2/13/2020 2/13/2020 40 122.66 40.00

5.7856 - 15.0000 5.7856 - 12.5000 12.5

10.0000 - 15.5400 10.0000 - 13.5400 10.0000 - 12.1900 10.0000 - 12.3900 12.19 12.39

2/10/2016 FGN Bonds 10 Year 1/22/2026 1/22/2026 50 111.60 50.00

1/20/2016 FGN Bonds 5 Year 2/13/2020 2/13/2020 40 74.44 40.00 10.0000 - 15.5400 10.0000 - 12.2430 12.243

Date of Auction Security Type Tenor Maturing On 11/13/2003 2/20/2003 11/21/2002 9/19/2002 Amount Offered (N mn) Subscriptions (N mn) Tot. Successful (N mn) Net Sales (N mn) Range of Bid Rates Successful Bid Rates Marginal Rate True Yield

Nigerian Tribune

5/15/2003 CBN Certificate 91 91 180 180 180 17019 82227 37767

2/25/2002 CBN Certificate 180 2/20/2003 15000 4161

11/26/2001 CBN Certificate 180 11/21/2002 5000 2740

9/24/2001 CBN Certificate 180 9/19/2002 1155 1155

4161 15000 4161

2740 5000 2740

1155 1155

17019

4161

2740

0

20.5

20.5

19.5

weeklyreview Money Market Review The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Monday auctioned Open Market Operations (OMO) worth N160 billion which reduced liquidity from the financial system.

Consequently, Open Buy Back (OBB) and Overnight (O/N) rates rose 0.8per cent from the previous trading session (week before last) to close at 4.0 per cent and 4.4 per cent respectively.

Similarly, rates inched higher on Tuesday as system liquidity remained low when refund for unfulfilled bids at last week’s CBN FX intervention auction was offset

by Deposit Money Bank’s (DMB) provisioning for the week’s auction.

Dealers at Afrinvest West Africa Limited said OBB and O/N rates closed at 4.7 per cent and 5.2 per cent by midweek, rising to 5 per cent and 5.5 per cent by the end of Thursday’s trading session on low system liquidity.

As with the first 4 trading sessions of the week, OBB and ON rates trended upwards on Friday with OBB and O/N closing at 5.1 per cent and 5.6 per cent, rising 1.9 per cent and 2 per cent Week on Week (W-O-W) respectively.

Activities in the T-bills market, was broadly bearish last week as liquidity level stayed at low ebb throughout the week. Sell pressure persisted on the short to medium tenors with marginal activities on the longer term bills. Average T-bills rates across tenors rose 0.4 per cent from the previous trading session to close at 6.7 per cent on Monday, while average rates across tenors settled at 6.6 per cent (higher than rates on all trading days week before last).

Dealers said bearish sentiments continued on Thursday as the rates increased 0.3 per cent on the average, to close at 6.9per cent while average rates steadied on Friday to close at 6.9 per cent, up 0.6 per cent W-o-W. Foreign Exchange Review The Naira/Dollar exchange rate at the official segments of the market last week remained tightly held at N197.00/ $1.00 and N199.10/$1.00 respectively.

However, foreign Exchange (FX) rate in the Bureau De Change (BDC) market segment recorded a considerable amount of activity, starting the week at N330.00/$1.00 on Monday.

FX rate at the BDC appreciated 3.8per cent on Tuesday, settling at N318.00/$1.00 but depreciated back toN320.00/$1.00 on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.

Meanwhile, over the weekend, the President weighed in on the controversy trailing the FX allocation for foreign studies and related demand for FX, maintaining that the country cannot afford it.

This is coming after the CBN clarified its position on the matter that it has not stopped the sales of FX for students studying abroad. Notwithstanding the above, FX rates across segments maintained relative stability W-o-W, as the local unit closed at N322.00/$1.00 in the parallel market on Friday.

Afrinvest analysts expect the currency market to maintain relative calmness in the week ahead as the market buckles for the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting scheduled for March 21 and 22, 2016.

Bond Market Review and Outlook Activities in the bonds market was mixed last week but broadly bearish. On Monday, average yields across benchmark bonds rose 0.1 per cent from the previous trading session (penultimate Friday) to close at 11.1 per cent. Investors’ sentiments were majorly driven by low system liquidity triggered by a mop up exercise conducted on Monday by the Apex Bank.

The bearish mood continued till midweek as average yields across benchmark bonds inched higher to settle at 11.2 per cent by Wednesday. However, average yields dropped to 11.1per cent on Thursday on the back of increased demands mostly at the longer end of the curve

by Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs). Average yields rose 0.1 per cent on Friday, to close the week at 11.2 per cent, up 0.2 per cent W-o-W.

25

moneymarket

Monday, 14 March, 2016

Bond yields, market rates to rise on N100bn worth auctions

F

OLLOWING the planned monthly bonds auction scheduled to hold this week, by the Debt Management Office, average yields as well as market rates are expected to rise marginally across board.

The Debt Management Office (DMO) announced last week that it would be holding its monthly bonds auction this week Wednesday, and that the bonds to be auctioned are N40 billion of the January 2026 FGN bond, N20 billion of February 2020 FGN bond and a fresh issue of N40 billion worth of the 2036 FGN bond.

Given the current market yields, dealers expect marginal rates to clear at 12.1 per cent for the 2036 FGN bond, 11.9 per cent for the January 2026 bond and 11.2 per cent for the February 2020 FGN bond.

“We expect activities to be largely bearish as investors free up liquidity ahead of the N100 billion worth bond auctions by the debt management office slated for next (this) week Wednesday. Thus, we expect aver-

age yields to rise marginally across board,” one dealer said.

However, investment bankers at Afrinvest Securities believe that barring unexpected mops ups and outflows, money market rates

might trend in a pattern dictated by liquidity dynamics as in recent weeks –“with rates inching higher at the start of the week as DMBs provision for the CBN FX auction.”

However, rates should de-

Access Bank, Stanbic IBTC set priority for gender parity

CBN reviews bank charges

BY pledging to make gender parity a priority, Access Bank has taken a decision to speed up the process to close the extensive economic gap between men and women which the World Economic Forum’s 2015 global gender calendar report, said will require another 117 years to achieve.

In commemoration of the 2016 International Women’s Day celebration, Access Bank aims to promote gender empowerment and equality during a two-day programme which will focus on advocacy and gender awareness.

According to its Group Head, Inclusive Banking, Ope Wemi-Jones this serves as a demonstration of the bank’s commitment to gender equality, women empowerment and inclusiveness, to which its ‘W’ initiative is dedicated.

As part of the outlined programmes, the Bank hosted a workshop on Gender Balance for its male staff and customers aligned with the theme for this years’ celebration ‘Pledge for Parity’ on Tuesday, March 8, 2016.

It elicited participants’ commitments on helping women and girls achieve their ambition, challenge conscious and unconscious bias and subscribe to the concept of gender balanced leadership.

AS part of its commitment to promote financial inclusion in Nigeria, and to commemorate Global Money Week 2016, the Bankers’ committee through its Financial Literacy and Public Enlightenment Sub-Committee has mapped out activities directed at primary and secondary school students.

The committee is an umbrella body comprising the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), deposit money banks (DMBs) and discount houses in Nigeria.

Global Money Week takes place from Monday, March

cline towards the end of the week due to an OMO maturity worth N45.5 billion expected to hit the system on Thursday and a possible refund by the CBN to DMBs on Friday for unfulfilled bids at the FX auction they said.

Development Director, Clarion Events, Russell Hughes; Executive Director, Finance and Strategy, Sterling Bank, Abubakar Suleiman and Director, Corporate Affairs, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Oluwasegun Osidipe, during a press conference to kick off the Nigeria Manufacturing Expo, in Lagos, on Friday.

FOLLOWING widespread concern around arbitrary charges as expressed by the banking public, the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) is currently reviewing its Guide to Bank Charges.

The apex bank therefore wants stakeholders to send in their comments before March 29, 2016.

In a statement signed by the Director, Financial Policy and Regulation Mr Kelvin Amugo, the banks said “Guide to Charges provides a standard for the application of charges on the various types of products and services Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) and other Financial Institutions (OFIs) in Nigeria offer to their customers - individuals, corporate organisations and gov-

ernments (Federal, State, Local and their Agencies).

It stated that Commission on Turnover (COT) applies to customer-induced debit transactions on current accounts, stressing that he banks should not charge COT on returned outward clearing cheques, reversal of transactions and all bank-induced debits.”

It should be remembered that despite CBN directive of gradual phase-out of COT from N3 in 2013 to N2 2014 to N1 2015, and zero 2016, most banks have continued to charge COT on customers’ accounts.

This led Nigerians to declare March 1, 2016, a no banking day to protest exorbitant deductions by banks.

In its latest notice, CBN

said debits representing transfer to other accounts in the same name, in the same branch or at another branch of the same bank attracts no charges.

It stated that wide consultations with relevant stakeholders were considered in arriving at the charges prescribed in the guide. The intendment of this guide according to the bank is to enhance flexibility, transparency and competition in the Nigerian economy.

“Where a charge is stipulated as negotiable, DMBs and OFIs are required to appropriately draw the attention of their customers to its consequence and the two parties should mutually agree on the applicable interest and charge,” the no-

tice read in part.

All commissions CBN said charges and rates stated in the Guide are subject to relevant taxes.

Although the Guide provides for charges on various products and services of DMBs and OFIs, it is not exhaustive. Banks and OFIs are mandated to present any new product, service and charge(s) not covered by this guide to the Central Bank of Nigeria for prior approval.

“This Guide to Charges for Banks and OFIs which replaces the Guide to Bank Charges issued in 2013 takes effect from (month), 2016, and may be reviewed from time to time to reflect changes in the business environment,” it further noted.

Bankers committee set to mark global money week 2016 14 to Sunday, March 20 and the Bankers’ committee has designated Thursday, March 17th as Financial Literacy Day.” The purpose of Global Money Week and Financial Literacy Day is to promote financial knowledge and fiscal planning skills in children and the youth.

Planned activities to mark the week include visits by officials of all Financial Institutions in Nigeria to schools adopted by their institutions.

During the school visits, Financial Institution CEOs/GMDs will teach

selected students from the schools a module of a Financial Literacy curriculum specially designed by Junior Achievement Nigeria, a non-governmental organisation focused on educating children on economic matters.

Individual financial institutions have also arranged for students to visit banking halls to observe day-today banking activities. The CBN will also be organising a Child and Youth Finance Fair/Exhibition in Abuja to mark the week.

Speaking on the activities, Emeka Emuwa, Chairman

of the Financial Literacy and Public Enlightenment Sub-committee and Chief Executive Officer of Union Bank of Nigeria PLC said “Financial Literacy is a key initiative in our effort to achieve Financial Inclusion in Nigeria. It is important that citizens are knowledgeable in economic and financial matters. The Bankers’ committee is committed to promoting Financial Literacy and enlightening the public in this area.”

The priorities and objectives of the sub-committee remain educating the public on Financial Literacy.

Nigerian Tribune

Ecobank Nigeria aims to be among top 3 THE Chairman, Ecobank Nigeria Limited, John Aboh has disclosed that the immediate objective of the board is to ensure Ecobank Nigeria becomes one of the top three banks in the country, in the next few years.

Speaking at the Board of Directors’ Dinner in honour of new and immediate past directors of Ecobank Nigeria, in Lagos at the weekend, Aboh re-iterated that the bank is putting in place various initiatives and strategies to realise the set objective.

He assures that all hands are on deck to ensure the bank assume its dream within a few years.

According to the Ecobank Chairman, the bank’s desire is predicated on its current growth trajectory reflected on its key financial indexes within the Ecobank Group results for the last quarter of 2015.

For Mr Aboh, “the board has a clear and specific mandate to ensure Ecobank Nigeria moves from its present number six position in total assets to Top three bank in assets and profitability in the country and everyone is working assiduously towards the realisation of this goal. I make bold to say that with the current management, human resources and strategies in place, we will surely achieve our goal in the next few years.”

He lauded the founders and past directors for their contributions to the present growth of the bank. “Your achievements speak volumes. We will continue to appreciate your sacrifice, efforts and doggedness for taking our bank to another level. We will continue to consolidate on your achievements and carry on with your dream. We are proud of you all,” he stated.

He welcomed the new directors and enjoined them to consolidate on the achievements of the past ones, noting that, it was the only way to prove their efforts was not in vain.

Also speaking, the Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Charles Kie assured that the management will continue to explore the abundant opportunities in the nation’s economic landscape to sustain the current phenomenal growth of the bank. He charged all stakeholders of the bank to continue to have faith in the financial institution, stressing that they will continue to improve on the standards the bank is known for.

26

capitalmarket

Monday, 14 March, 2016

Stocks post 0.65% WoW, gains N58bn Stories By Kehinde AkinseindeJayeoba -Lagos

E

QUITIES trading on the Nigerian Stock Exchange sustains positive

posture as indices recorded northward march during last week session.

All-Share Index and Market Capitalisation appreciated by 0.65 per cent to close the week at

25,988.40 basis points and N8.940 trillion respectively compared with the 25,820.10 basis points and N8.882 trillion recorded in the preceding week.

With the result posted

one-year return of the Exchange stands at -11.84 per cent, while its year-to-date (YTD) dips to -9.27 per cent.

Investors on the floor of the Exchange, last week, made a turnover of

1.111 billion shares worth N7.448 billion in 15,562 deals. This was in contrast to a total of 1.476 billion shares valued at N7.992 billion that exchanged hands in 15,743 deals in

From left, Mrs Oluwatomi Ojo, Company Secretary Heritage Bank Limited; Mrs Nneka Okoro, Divisional Head, Human Capital Management, Heritage Bank Limited;and Mrs Mavi Isibor, CEO, PoiseNigeria, at the 2016 International Women Day Celebration sponsored by Heritage Bank in Lagos.

Investors protection: NSE to deal with unauthorised shares transfer THE Nigerian Stock Exchange has began the implementation of the amended rules introduced to protect investors in the Nigerian capital market.

The Exchange notified it’s Dealing Members (stockbrokers) that some of the rules, which were approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) since last December, became effective on 8 March, 2016.

According to the amended rule, Stockbrokers who sell or transfer any securities worth N5 million will pay a fine of N1million. If the value of the security is higher than N5 million, the brokers will pay a fine of N5 million in addition to losing their licences.

Besides, the broker will not be permitted to keep any benefits accruing from such transaction, including but not limited to bonuses, rights, commissions, cash dividends, capital appreciation, and

any profit accruing therefrom whatsoever.

Also, a dealing member that sells or transfers securities without the authorisation of the owner shall: be required to buy back the securities along with any accrued benefits within a period of 14 business days from the day the dealing member is required to buy back the securities by NSE. According to the amended rule 11:9, “where the sale transaction is N5 million and below in value, the dealing member be liable to pay a fine of N1 million or three times the value of the sale or transfer, whichever is higher, and N5,000 for every day from the day on which the dealing member is required to buy back

the securities by the NSE until the day the dealing member completes buying back the shares for the owner.

“Or where the sale transaction is higher than N5 million in value or the dealing member has engaged in such unauthorised sale, or transfer of securities on a previous occasion, it shall have its dealing license withdrawn by the Council of the NSE and shall in addition be liable to pay a fine of N5 million or three times the value of the sale or transfer, whichever is higher and N5,000 for every day from the day of the sanction until the day the Dealing Member completes buying back the

shares for the owner.”

Other approved rules were rule 8:2 that showcases the Eligibility and

Admission Procedures for Authorized Clerks and rule 19:18 of Notification of Disciplinary Action.

Diamond Bank projects dip in earnings DIAMOND Bank has said it expected the company’s earning in the finanancial year ended 31 December, 2015 to be below that of 2014.

In a notice to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and investors, Diamond Bank Plc attributed the dip to the continuing deterioration in Nigeria’s macro-economic conditions which resulted into higher than expected impairment charges on loans made to the Energy and Commercial Business sectors.

It added that the bank had deployed considerable resources in building a dependable risk management framework, while explaining that the quality of its loan portfolio in general remained very high.

“The bank remains determined to deliver on its stated strategy of creating Nigeria’s leading technology-led retail bank,” the statement said.

The bank, however, noted that it had made significant changes in its operating structure aimed

Stock of the week TIGER Branded Consumer Goods Plc made a spike of 59 per cent increase in its share value within the seven-day trade to close at N2.74 kobo.

Tiger Brand stock has made an impressive gain in the past two weeks

the preceding week.

The Financial Services Industry led the activity chart, measured by volume, with 900.274 million shares valued at N3.826 billion traded in 10,216 deals; thus contributing 81.00 per cent and 51.37 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

The Conglomerates Industry followed with 72.524 million shares worth N92.218 million in 703 deals.

The third place was occupied by the Consumer Goods Industry with a turnover of 52.498 million shares worth N1.901 billion in 2,262 deals. Trading in the Top Three Equities, measured by volume, were Fidelity Bank Plc, FCMB Holding Plc and Zenith Bank International Plc. They accounted for 427.854 million shares worth N1.646 billion in 2,795 deals, contributing 38.50 per cent and 22.10 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

All other Indices finished higher during the week, with the exception of the NSE Premium Index and the NSE Industrial Goods Index that declined by 1.65 per cent, and 0.15 per cent respectively.

39 equities appreciated in price during the week, higher than 35 equities of the previous week. 22 equities depreciated in price, lower than 24 equities of the previous week, while 128 equities remained unchanged, lower than 130 equities recorded in the previous week.

despite the huge loss of value recorded between November and December, 2015.

The consumer goods company opened the week with N1.72 kobo per share but closed at N2.74 kobo having

gained N1.02 kobo.

In seven days, the company traded 16,064,026 shares worth N33,986,944.14 in 227 deals, leaving its market capitalisation currently at N13.7 billion.

at reducing operational cost.

According to the statement, further investment has been made to improve customer relationships and revenue in its core business segments.

“These actions aim to deliver improved earnings and lower operating costs from 2016 onward.

Despite the headwinds and the fact that 2016 presents a tough operating environment for the industry, we remain optimistic on the fundamentals underpinning our long-term retail-led business strategy,” it stated.

In the profit guidance statement to the Exchange, Diamond Bank said detailed financial statements for 2015 would be released on or before 31 March, 2016.

27

Monday, 14 March, 2016 Editor: Kehinde Oyetimi featuresdesk@yahoo.com 0811 184 5048

features

Labour leaders manning the entrance to the state secretariat, Oke Mosan to ensure compliance with the strike action, which started on Monday.

Ogun govt vs striking workers:

Who blinks first?

Ogun State has been in the news since workers in the service of the state government and doctors’ commenced an industrial strike action and a week warning strike respectively over different issues ranging from welfare to state of the health sector. OLAYINKA OLUKOYA writes on the current situation in the state.

L

AST Monday will forever be in the annals of labour struggle in Ogun State as workers under the umbrella of the Joint Public National Negotiating Council (JNC) and medical doctors under the auspices of National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP), embarked on strike to call the attention of government to their plight.

NAGGMDP directed its members not to turn up for work for one week as part of a strategy to make government reason with them on certain issues as it affects the health sector and their condition of service.

The doctors in their agitation insisted that the health sector is suffering under the present administration in the state, as it relates to functional working tools; shortage of staff, relativity as regards payment of CONMESS as issued by the Federal Government.

State owned hospitals and health centres across the 20 local government areas of the state locked their doors to patients in respect of the strike while schools, courts, government secretariat were abandoned.

The leadership of organised labour considered the option of strike necessary and

pertinent as the only way for government to accede to their plight over unremitted deductions of cooperative dues, check-off dues running into eight months, unpaid gratuities since October 2012 and non-remittance of Contributory Pension Scheme.

The workers noted that deductions covered about 55 per cent against salaries payment put at 45 per cent, contending that non-payment of deductions made by government had continued to be a source of concern to the workers.

Before considering the option of strike, the workers said they had made several efforts to ensure that government reasoned with them on the need to offset the deductions and resume the payment of gratuities which had been left unpaid over 40 months ago.

Another issue the workers are agitating for is the repeal of the law establishing the Contributory Pension Scheme. They claimed that the state government had been deducting from their salaries without remitting its own part for onward payment into the Pension Administrator Fund (PFAs) account to secure their future.

All these they argued must be addressed before they could return to work, hence the

They claimed that the state government had been deducting from their salaries without remitting its own part for onward payment into the Pension Administrator Fund (PFAs) account to secure their future. call for industrial action.

For the NAGGMDP, the one-week warning strike which lapsed last Friday was a signal for government to address all the issues raised for them to perform optimally.

The association maintained that the strike became imperative when it had explored all alternatives to call the attention of the state

government on issues affecting the health system.

In a communiqué by the association signed by its chairman and secretary, Dr. Oladunni Adetola and Dr. Adetonwa Festus respectively, it was said that series of letters were written to Governor Ibikunle Amosun on the need to restructure health facilities, address the problem of shortage of staff and relativity.

NAGGMDP said little or nothing could be achieved in the health sector in the state, considering lack of materials, equipment and good working environment.

The body also identified shortage of staff across all cadres of the health workforce, submitting that there was no new recruitment in the last two to three years despite the increasing demands on the sector.

NAGGMDP also noted with dismay the refusal of the state government to respect a circular by the Federal Government since 2013 on the need for all states to effect the payment of corrected CONMESS to correct an error of over 20 years on the doctors’ salaries.

Continues on pg28

features Striking workers are misguided — Govt 28

Monday, 14 March, 2016

Continues from pg27

It said further that their colleagues in the state teaching hospital, the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, had been paid 10 months using the same circular.

The association said, “After series of letters to the Executive Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, both official and personal, as well as sensitisation of all other stakeholders, the government has not seen any reason to attend to any of the aforementioned issues ravaging the health sector.

“Having fulfilled all necessary steps needed to ensure dialogue with the government and at the expiration of the 21 days ultimatum given to the state government with no favourable response, the members of the association have therefore mandated the executive members to declare a one week warning strike starting from 7th to 13th March.

“We are not unmindful of the inconveniences this might cause the masses which we greatly regret; we need to affirm our resolution to resolve these issues amicably through genuine dialogue so as to avert any prolonged industrial disharmony in the state.”

However, the state government in a statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Taiwo Adeoluwa, promised to look into the request of the striking general practitioner doctors.

Government explained that the responsibilities of the general practitioner doctors were different from that of specialist consultants at teaching hospitals and promised to verify the claim of the association in relation to their terms of employment.

But this was not the case as regards the strike called by the JNC, as government and the leadership of the council headed for a showdown.

Organised labour vowed that the strike would not be called off unless government paid at least two out of seven months outstanding deductions; suspension of the Contributory Pension Scheme and immediate payment of gratuities.

Government in a press statement signed

by Adeoluwa declared the strike as ‘unpopular’ and that only few ‘misguided’ workers’ embarked on it, and wondered what could be the motive behind it.

“We are at a loss as to what this small and unpopular group of workers in the state civil service really wants to achieve as Ogun is currently one of the few states in the federation that is able to pay workers’ salaries as and when due, in spite of the current economic downturn.

“Despite the current financial crisis affecting the country, salaries have been paid up to February 2016 for all categories of workers in the state.

“In spite of the fact that Ogun is one of the states that receives the least allocation from the Federation Account, it pays the highest wages to workers in Nigeria.

“It is the only state in the country that implemented the minimum wage across board for both the public and civil servants and local government employees from grade levels 1 to 17. Therefore, what the government expects from its workforce at this difficult period in Nigeria is understanding rather than an industrial action.

“The few misguided striking workers are simply playing the ostrich and pushing an insensitive argument which seems to suggest that the resources of a state with a population of over seven million people should be totally devoted to the payment and comfort of civil servants whose population is less

Nawair Ud Deen High School, NUD, Abeokuta, shut following workers’ strike.

Why is the money deducted not being remitted?

Where is the money going? There is no moral justification for government to claim that it paid salaries as and when due when the bulk of the money saved are unremitted than 50,000,” the government said.

However, the leadership of the JNC admitted that salaries are being paid as and when due, but insisted that the unremitted deductions were the bulk of the salaries of workers.

The JNC Secretary General, Comrade Adebiyi Olusegun, said workers in the state cannot be intimidated by the ‘no work, no pay’ rule, insisting that the workers’ would also apply the ‘no pay, no work’ rule.

“We are on strike because government had failed to remit deductions made from workers’ salaries to appropriate quarters.

For example, if a particular worker earns N70,000 per month and such worker decided to save about N50,000 as deduction into cooperative society account, what is left for such a worker is N20,000 at the end of each month. Now, the worker needs his/her money and approaches the Cooperative Society for loan and such was told that there

isn’t money in the coffers of the society, do you think such worker would be happy?

Such worker cannot access what he saved for whatever purpose all in the name of financial crisis.

“Why is the money deducted not being remitted? Where is the money going? There is no moral justification for government to claim that it paid salaries as and when due when the bulk of the money saved are unremitted.”

Meanwhile, relevant stakeholders have waded into ensuring that the government and the striking workers see reason why they have to have a roundtable discussion on the way forward.

One of such moves was taken by the State House of Assembly, appealing to workers to return to their duty posts with a promise to resolve all the issues raised by the leaders of organised labour.

With both parties not ready to shift ground, the question is: who blinks first over the strike, the government or the workers?

At thanksgiving service, police appreciate public support

By Adewale Oshodi IN an effort to sustain the current mutual relationship which exists between the Nigeria Police Zone 11 and members of the public, the law enforcers recently held their annual thanksgiving service, where they appreciated members of the public who had rendered tremendous support to the Police in the past year.

The event, which held at the Police Zone 11 Headquarters, Osogbo, Osun State, had in attendance police officers and friends of the police from the five states under the zonal command.

Speaking during the service, the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 11, Mrs Kalafite Adeyemi, said the essence of the thanksgiving service was to appreciate God for the past year, while praying for a beautiful new year.

“We are also using the occasion to solicit further cooperation from those who stood by us in the past year; we must not forget that the police as an institution cannot achieve anything without the members of the public.

“So the essence of the thanksgivings service is to, first and foremost, appreciate God, and then we appreciate our friends by giving them awards to show that we value the relationship,” Mrs Adeyemi said.

Earlier, the Osun State governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, who was represented his deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye Tomori, commended the police for the good job it is doing in securing peace in the zone.

From right, the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) in charge of Zone II, Mrs Kalafite Adeyemi, and the Oyo State Police Commissioner, Mr Leye Oyebade, presenting an award to Mrs Oluwatoyin Malik of the Nigerian Tribune.

“When people go about their lawful businesses without any fear of the breakdown of law and order, then it is because the police in the area are functioning well.

“The role of the police in the society cannot be overemphasised, as the citizens depend on them for security.

“It is as a result of this that everybody must see the police as his or her friend, except one is a criminal that is when one becomes afraid on sighting policemen.

“I am, therefore, happy that the police is using this service to thank God, as well as in appreciating the members of the public who had supported it in the past year,” Mrs Laoye-Tomori said, admitting that such appreciative gestures would boost more confidence in the police by members of the public.

In his brief remarks on the occasion, the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Mr Leye Oyebade, commended the sterling leadership qualities of AIG Adeyemi, saying she always harps on the need for the police to develop a mutual relationship with members of the public.

“Today, our doors are open for everybody; while the public needs us for their safety, we also need their cooperation to succeed in our assignments,” Mr Oyebade, said.

Those honoured by the Zonal Command include the Osun State governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola; Mrs Oluwatoyin Malik of the Nigerian Tribune, whom AIG Adeyemi specially thanked for her efforts in bringing the good works of the police to public knowledge, among others.

29 news House committee proffers solution to problem of constitution review

Monday, 14 March, 2016

T

HE House of Representatives ad hoc committee on the review of 1999 Constitution has adopted a new method of getting the reviewed constitution assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari, against what happened to second and third alteration exercises.

The committee, which is chaired by deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Sulaimon Lasun Yussuff, has concluded to review the constitution in piece meal instead of codifying it in a single bill which is easy to trash due to one or two errors.

This new system would be embarked upon and before the end of the eighth assembly; all the sections of the constitution that needed to be amended would have been concluded and assented to by the president.

The review exercise would be presented to the president in piece meal manner and not in a single bill as was done in the seventh Assembly. In other words, bills on the same subject matter would be presented to the president as a single bill.

So at the end of the day, the committee may come up with four or more bills to be presented to the president for assent.

Deputy Speaker was said to have been applauded by other members of the committee when he introduced the system to be adopted for the review of the constitution.

The reason to have up to four bills was to correct what the committee had suffered in the past, whereby the exercise would have been concluded but the president, due to one reason or the other withheld his assent on it.

“That the resources and efforts committed to the review of the constitution,

members of the committee and all the professionals hired to assist travelled round the country to collate views of Nigerians and at the end of the day the report

of the exercise was thrown out or ended in the dustbin is not good for the nation,” the committee concluded.

The Committee is set to review what was done in

THE Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital (LAUTECH), Osogbo chapter, on Sunday, took on Governor Rauf Aregbesola for planning to sack over 1,000 workers in the hospital, describing reasons advanced by the governor as unwarranted and baseless.

Reacting to a statement issued by the director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy to the governor, Mr Semiu Okanlawon, JOHESU chairman and secretary, Comrade Abio-

legal experts have been invited to review what was done and proffer reasons why the fourth alteration bill was not assented to by the former president.

Ondo State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko (left), with the Vice Chancellor, Ondo State University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Professor Friday Okunofua, at the maiden matriculation ceremony and inauguration of the institution, in Ondo, at the weekend.

Ekiti probes, suspends teachers over child labour Sam Nwaoko -Ado Ekiti EKITI State government has ordered a full scale investigation into the activities of some teachers who use their students as child labourers in their private farms during school hours.

In the meantime, no fewer than 16 of such teachers at Elo High School, AyetoroEkiti have been suspended pending the outcome of investigation of the matter.

The state governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, gave the directives in Ado-Ekiti, while receiving the report of a team led by the deputy governor, Dr Kolapo Olusola that went to the school for a preliminary investigation of the incident.

A statement on Sunday by the governor’s Chief

Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, said the action of the governor followed persistent complaints by concerned parents that their wards were being used as child labourers in private farms during school hours.

Governor Fayose added that the probe of activities of teachers in the school be extended to 2012.

Some of the affected students, who were brought to the Government House, Ado-Ekiti, said under the guise of doing practical agriculture, their teachers do take them to their private farms at least twice a week during official hours to work for at least 30 minutes.

One of them, Oluyeye Femi, a JSS 111 student, said though the school has a farm where students are

JOHESU tackles Aregbesola over planned sack of over 1,000 workers in LAUTECH Oluwole Ige -Osogbo

the fourth alteration on the Constitution in a working session /Retreat billed to take place at Transcorp Hilton Hotel on Monday, March 14. Consultants and

dun Afolabi and Comrade Victoria Ayano, argued that the report of the audit committee set up to look into recruitments and promotion of staffers in LAUTECH as claimed by the government spokesman was laced with lies.

According to a press release signed by JOHESU chairman and secretary, “that apart from the fact that the employment of these staffs were carried out by the hospital’s Chief Medical Director who is an appointee of the government, acting for, accountable and responsible to the government; vacancies

for the appointments were advertised in the newspapers.”

“It was in response to the advertisement that the staff applied, were interviewed and validly recruited; hence, this recruitment cannot be described as illegal after they have paid N5,000 for employment forms.”

“That no promotion as claimed by Mr Okanlawon was done within three months rather letters that were officially served to our members were to regularise their employment which was never done within three months.”

expected to work once a week, some teachers capitalise on that to take them to their private farms to weed and make heaps.

A member of the National Youth Service Corps posted to the school, Miss Giredana Enogha, said when she got to the school last June, the situation was like a farm settlement.

She added that students were not encouraged to do any other thing than to go to farm all day.

A visibly angry Gover-

nor Fayose ordered that at least 80 per cent of the teachers be transferred from that school.

“This is sheer slavery.

The teachers mentioned must be suspended immediately. The principal, who just got there two months ago, is exempted, but the former principal, who has been posted to somewhere in Ilasa-Ekiti must be investigated as well. Those that have taught in the school since 2012 must be investigated.

Okpella youths protest delay in take-off of Dangote’s cement plant FOLLOWING rumours that Alhaji Aliko Dangote has jettisoned his planned multimillion dollars investment in cement plant at Okpella in Edo State, youths in the community, at the weekend, staged a protest to the palace of the paramount ruler of Okpella Kingdom, Alhaji Yesufu Dirisu, urging him to ensure Dangote Cement commences construction without delay.

Hundreds of placard carrying youths on motorbikes and bicycles stormed the palace, insisting that the monarch should clarify the situation as it had taken too long for Dangote Cement to register its presence in Okpella.

Some of the placard read “All we are saying, let Dangote Cement come to Okpella,” “Okpella youths earnestly ask for Dangote Cement’’ and “Okpella Chief and Elders, Please beg Dangote to come here. We are waiting for Him.”

Dangote Cement had recently announced plans to commence a three million tonnes per annum production capacity cement plant in Okpella along with another six million metric tons capacity plant in Itori, Ogun State.

Speaking at the palace, the President of the Okpella Youths Forum, Mr Christopher Kadiri, said the protest was informed by information reaching the youths that Alhaji Dangote had changed his mind to start cement operations at Okpella at a time the youths were already expecting that more jobs were coming to them.

He said they decided to come to the palace to hear from the chiefs and elders why Dangote should not be allowed into Okpella when his coming was supposed to be a blessing to members of the community who were yearning for development of the area.

Adebutu launches political movement A political movement, under the auspices of Ladi Adebutu Organisation, has been launched recently in Obafemi-Owode Local Government.

According to one of the organisers, Hon Adesina Ogunsola, former Secretary to the Local Government, and chairman, PDP Campaign Committee in the Local Government for 2015 General Elections, the goal and objective of the movement was to provide succour to the less privileged and the down-trodden through education, job creation, empowerment and good governance.

Hon Adesina revealed further that the choice of Obafemi-Owode Local Government as the springboard of the movement is a reflection of the all-encompassing nature of the movement as it was not limited to Ijebu/Remo extraction of the state.

Honourable Adebutu is member representing Ikenne, Sagamu and Remo North Constituency in Ogun State in the Federal House of Representatives.

Lawmaker set to revive education sector in Oke-Ogun A lawmaker representing Kajola State Constituency in the Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon John Olateru, has commenced plans to revive the dwindling education sector of Kajola area and Oke-Ogun in general.

The legislator, who organised educational programme tagged 1st Kajola Education Summit and Merit Award last Wednesday at the Okeho Town Hall, said the development aimed at resuscitating and reviving the fallen standard of education in Kajola area and the OkeOgun region as a whole.

Hon Olateru, who is also the Deputy Chiefwhip of the House, represented by the caretaker chairman of Kajola Local Government Area of the state, Hon Babs Olawoyin Moses Adebayo, said the fallen standard in the sector made him organise the summit with a view to creating a think-thank in the sector among stakeholders in order to proffer a lasting solution to the menace.

south-westnews Ooni urges govt to seek traditional rulers’ advice on projects 30

Monday, 14 March, 2016

Oluwole Ige - Osogbo

T

HE Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi (Ojaja 11), has

urged government at all levels to always seek the advice of traditional rulers before embarking on developmental projects in their

domains.

He said this approach would enable the government to ascertain the priorities or exact needs of the

people so that such projects would have direct impacts on the citizenry.

Oba Ogunwusi made the appeal in his palace, while

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi and his new wife, Olori Wuraola, during a thanksgiving service of their traditional wedding, held at the Royal Court of Ife Palace, Enuwa Square, Ile-Ife, on Sunday. PHOTO: NAN.

Focus on existing projects, Oyo Assembly tasks LG caretaker chairmen

By Wale Akinselure THE Oyo State House of Assembly has tasked the newly inaugurated chairmen of the 33 local governments in the state to focus on maintaining existing road projects in their domains rather than constructing new ones.

Members deliberating on a motion by Majority Leader, Honourable Kehinde Subair and Honourable Joshua Oyebamiji, representing Akinyele I, at its plenary, decried that many roads, particularly roads in rural areas of the state, required repairs.

They also called for increased funding of local governments in view of its closeness to attending to local needs.

The plenary, presided over by the Speaker, Honourable Micheal Adeyemo, charged the council bosses to adequately manage funds allocated to them.

In his contribution, Honourable Fatai Adesina charged the Oyo State Road Maintenance Agency (OYSROMA) to also embark on road maintenance works outside Ibadan.

Adesina observed that road maintenance works were largely concentrated in the state capital,

Ibadan.

Other lawmakers also called for a strengthening of the state’s Ministry

of Works and OYSROMA through adequate funding and monitoring to ensure effectiveness.

receiving the Owa Ale of Ikare Akoko, Ondo State, Oba Samuel Adedoyin, who led prominent indigenes of the town on a courtesy visit, at the weekend.

According to him, “we live with the people, thus we know better what their needs are. Government should see us more as partners and consult us before initiating projects in our domains. If we are consulted, we will be able to advise on what our needs are and there won’t be a disconnect.”

In his remarks, Owa Ale, Oba Adedoyin, lauded the efforts of Oba Ogunwusi in building bridges of unity across Yorubaland and the entire country, just as he recalled that people of Ikare enjoyed a very good relationship with the late Ooni, Oba Okunade Sijuade.

While tasking Oba Ogunwusi to further strengthen the healthy relationship between Ikare and Ile-Ife, Oba Adedoyin lamented that the nation’s constitution only made provisions for a council of traditional rulers, but failed to empower it with constitutional duties.

The monarch also charged the Federal Government to immediately commence exploration of oil deposit in the South Western region of the country, expressing optimism that such decision would boost the economy of the region.

Learn from Ekiti electoral loss, Bamidele tells APC Sam Nwaoko - Ado Ekiti A legal practitioner and former member of the House of Representatives, Mr Opeyemi Bamidele, has urged the All Progressives Congress (APC) to learn a lesson from the colossal loss it suffered in the June 2014 governorship poll in Ekiti State.

Bamidele reiterated that the main takeaway for all members of the party should be that “there is the need to build a strong internal democracy and foster unity among all members,” saying no individual can unilaterally win an election without the contribution of others.

Governor Ayodele Fayose defeated the then incumbent, Dr Kayode Fayemi, in the poll, winning in all the 16 local government areas of the state.

He said this in Iyin Ekiti in Irepodun/Ifelodun Lo-

cal Government Area of the state, while addressing the party supporters during a reunification rally, where he formalised his return to APC with his supporters at the weekend.

He was received by the acting chairman of the party in the state, Mrs Kemi Olaleye and members of the state working committee.

Bamidele praised the national leader of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu; former Governors Niyi Adebayo; Segun Oni and Fayemi, over their roles at ensuring that the party bounces back to reckoning in the future elections.

He said his defection to Labour Party to realise his ambition was only constitutional and borne out of the necessity created by the circumstances of that time.

The former federal lawmaker was emphatic that

this should not be misinterpreted to mean that he was out to play a spoiler’s role against his friend, Fayemi.

“I pray that God will return all our losses and this could only happen when we are one and united.

APC has lost elections persistently because we are divided. Whoever knows me well will realise that I am not a desperado, nor a traitor. I believe strongly in the will of God. “There was nothing the then President Goodluck Jonathan didn’t do to ensure that I stepped down for Governor Fayose before the governorship election, but I stood my ground as a progressive. That was why I didn’t defect to PDP in the first place, because I was conscious of my background in politics.

“But I want to apologise to whoever I must have offended by my defection to

LP to contest at that time.

In politics, differences can come in diverse ways. It has come for us in APC and we lost an election, so what should be paramount to us now is reconciliation and how to restructure our party,” he stated.

The acting chairman warned the old member against discrimination, assuring that “both the old and the new will enjoy the same privileges. We are not like other parties that usually stipulate number of years before you can contest. You enjoy full privileges the moment you are accepted.

“I want to tell all our members that the storm is over. Ex-governors Oni and Fayemi fought for so many years, but they are now best of friends.

Whatever happened has become history and we have to forge ahead,” Olaleye said.

Nigerian Tribune

Federal Poly raises the alarm over invasion of farms by Fulani herdsmen Sam Nwaoko - Ado Ekiti AUTHORITIES of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, have raised the alarm over the invasion and destruction of the institution’s farmlands by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

The Rector of the polytechnic, Dr Taiwo Akande, said at a pre-convocation press conference in Ado Ekiti that the institution had lost several millions of Naira to the menace.

She called on the Federal Government to intervene in the crisis, as the police and eminent Nigerians had tried to curb further damage but to no avail.

She said: “This menace of Fulani cattle rearers has been most destructive to many of our demonstration farms and pilot plantations.

“It is most painful to also disclose that some of the pilot farm projects, academic research demonstration farms and recently established plantations on which we pinned our hope of future revenue enhancement have been destroyed one after the other by the Fulani cattle rearers.

“They will bring their animals to the campus environment and eat up every green thing in sight,” she said.

You’ve done well, ex-CCII president tells Makinde THE former President General, Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), Chief Bayo Oyero, has expressed joy and appreciation to Mr Seyi Makinde over his unrelenting efforts in the development of Ibadanland Chief Oyero stated this while commissioning streetlight around the Ibadan House and it environs donated by Makinde, at the weekend.

The former president general explained that “it was rare to see politicians fulfilling electioneering promises especially after they lost election. However, Seyi surprised everyone of us when he donated huge amount of money to CCII and mobilised contractor to site for streetlight around Ibadan House in fulfilment of his promise in 2014 Ibadan Week festival.

“I know you have done well and we will not let you down when you need us most. Your aspiration is Ibadan aspiration.”

31

south-westnews

Monday, 14 March, 2016

Strike: NLC warns Amosun against ‘no work, no pay’ rule Soji-Eze Fagbemi - Abuja

T

HE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned the Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, against his threat to implement the ‘no work, no pay’ rule on the striking workers in his state.

Besides, the congress condemned the arrest and detention of labour leaders by the governor for fighting for their legitimate rights, describing it as undemocratic.

Deputy President of NLC, Comrade Kiri Mohammed who also doubles as the National President of Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU), said the governor should understand that an agreement freely entered with the workers should not be jettison.

In a statement signed by Kiri, he advised the governor not to implement the rule since the workers’ strike is very legitimate.

He explained that the workers are on strike due to the failure of the state government to pay their full salaries including deductions for the past seven months.

The NCSU president lamented what is happening to workers in Ogun State, saying it was unacceptable to its members.

He described it as an aberration for the state government to pay net salaries and leave the gross, thereby withholding tax deductions, co-operatives, contributing pensions, check-off dues which are part of the salaries.

Kiri said: “The attention of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council has been drawn to the ongoing strike embark upon by the Ogun State public servants. The council discovered that the bone of contention that led to the strike was the failure of the Ogun State government to implement the Memorandum of Understanding reached between the leadership of Ogun State Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (Trade union side) on the intervention of the chiefs and respected elders in the state.

“Council noted that the state government has persistently failed to remit it’s percentage share of the contributing pension and the deductions from workers salaries to the Pension Fund Administrators as provided in 2004 Pension Act as amended.

“Council also observed that despite the bailout fund Ogun State received from the Federal Govern-

ment to offset backlog of arrears of salaries owed to workers, the state government could only pay June 2015 salaries in full.

“The council unequivocally condemns the payment of salaries haphaz-

ardly and call on the state government to implement the agreement signed with the State Joint Public Service Negotiating Council.”

The statement further said the present administration of President Mu-

hammadu Buhari deserved the support of all Nigerians, including organised labour, to salvage the country from the current severe economic situation, warning that fanning industrial unrests by some

state governments withholding workers salaries will be resisted.

Kiri also said that harassment and intimidation of workers while fighting for their rights would no longer be tolerated.

From left, Chief Olaseinde Arogbofa; Chairman, Yoruba Obas Conflicts Resolution Committee and Olugbo of Ugboland, Oba Obateru Akinruntan; Afenifere chieftain, Pa Reuben Fasoranti and the founder, Achiever University, Dr Olabode Ayorinde, at the Ondo State 40 Icons at 40, organised by TELL Communications, in Akure, on Saturday.

Exhumation of Ilora high chief postponed

By Tunde Ogunesan

LAST Friday’s planned exhumation of an Ilora high chief, the late Onisa of Ilora, Chief Lawrence Owoade, from his farm settlement after his burial was faulted by members of his family for lack of autopsy by a qualified medical doctor, has been shifted because the suspects in a case relating to his death and burial failed to appear for the exercise.

Sources informed the Nigerian Tribune that the late chief was alleged to have committed suicide by hanging himself on Thursday, November 20, 2014, and was buried same day.

Following this, police detectives from zone 11, Osogbo, invited nine people for questioning.

Sources further informed that a six-man team of officers from zone 11, Nigeria Police, Osogbo, had stormed Ilora, last Friday, to exhume the corpse in the presence of members of late Chief Owoade’s family and the nine people earlier mentioned who were alleged to have buried the deceased in a controversial circumstances. But the nine suspects failed to show up for the exercise, forcing the team to cancel the exercise.

When contacted, a younger brother to the deceased, Mr Adegboyega Adeniran, lamented the way the chief died and how he was bur-

ied. He informed that the wish of every member of the family is to give the late Onisa of Ilora a befitting burial.

His words: “We’re not happy with the way he died, and most especially the way and manner he was buried.

Chief Owoade, by the grace of God, was a very impor-

tant person in Ilora, High Chief for that matter.

“The way he was buried on the same day he was alleged to have died is unsatisfactory to members of his family who were not even aware of his burial at that time. What we want now is a privilege to exhume his body and give him a befit-

ting burial he deserved as the head of the family, a chief in Ilora, a responsible husband to his late wife and children, any other thing is secondary.”

Nigerian Tribune, however, gathered that a “tentative new date” has been fixed by all those involved.”

UNIOSUN alumni reject Aregbesola’s renaming of institution after Bola Ige Oluwole Ige - Osogbo

THE alumni association of Osun State University (UNIOSUN), Osogbo, on Sunday, rejected the recent renaming of the institution after former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, late Chief Bola Ige, by Governor Rauf Aregbesola during its fourth and fifth combined convocation.

They declared that the renaming of the university after the late minister was immaterial at this point in time, urging Aregbesola to reverse the action.

According to a statement signed by the president and secretary-general of the alumni, Mr Oluwatosin Abikanlu and Mr Otunde Adebowale respectively, “we are considering the option of approaching the court of competent jurisdiction in the land to seek

redress on the subject matter if Governor Aregbesola refuses to reverse the action to status quo.”

While contending that the governor took the decision unilaterally without considering the interest of all the university stakeholders, the alumni maintained that “the late Bola Ige had nothing to do with the establishment of UNIOSUN aside being a political leader in the state before he died in December 2003,” noting that “the acronym of the UNIOSUN with the renaming as Bola Ige University (BIU) had also clashed with Benson Idahosa University (BIU).”

The statement reads in part: “Renaming of Osun State University, popularly called UNIOSUN, after late Cicero of Esa-Oke and former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, late Chief Bola Ige, at this point

in time, is immaterial and misplacement of priority.

Chief Bola Ige has nothing to do with the establishment of the university. Mr Rauf Aregbesola’s action on the development is political, confusing and also against the wishes of the UNIOSUN concern stakeholders.

“The UNIOSUN is to bear the same acronym with Benson Idahosa University (BIU) after its renaming as Bola Ige University (BIU). As alumni of UNIOSUN, we are totally rejecting the renaming of UNIOSUN because Mr Aregbesola has failed to perform its constitutional duty in financing the university as its visitor. We are ready to approach the court of competent jurisdiction for redress if Governor Rauf Aregbesola failed to reverse the university to the status quo.”

Nigerian Tribune

Ogun new LCDAs: Group kicks against Ogun West slots Jacob Segun Olatunji - Abuja

AS the Ogun State House of Assembly get set to deliberate on the proposed additional 37 Local Development Area Councils (LCDAs) by Governor Ibikunle Amosun, a sociocultural group, under the umbrella of OmoIlu Foundation, has kicked against the 10 slots allocated to Ogun West Senatorial District of the state in the new arrangement.

In a statement made available to newsmen yesterday by Ogun West Zone Grand Chairman, who is also the National Auditor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Adewole Adeyanju, the group stated that it had reviewed the proposed exercise and discovered that the zone had again been shortchanged.

“Consequently, we the people of the Ogun West are rejecting the fraudulent arrangement. The marginalisation must stop now. We are demanding for additional slots in the spirit of justice, equity and fair play,” the group stated.

PDP members defect to APC in Ondo North Hakeem Gbadamosi - Akure

THOUSANDS of members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including former Special Assistant to Governor Olusegun Mimiko on Regional Planning and Urban Development, Aminu Vincent and seven other chieftains from Akoko South East Local Government Area of Ondo State, at the weekend, dumped the party for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The former PDP leaders, who are from Isua-Akoko community, also led over 1,000 loyalists into the APC, hinging their defection on the change phenomenon that is moving across the nation.

Other defectors included former ward Chairman of PDP, Mr Richard Adesipe, Mr Eko Ilesanmi, Mr Adeola Adesina, Honourable Ogidan Moses, Honourable Kayode Olupepe, Mr Ebenezer Adetoyese and Saliu Ayodele.

Receiving the defectors into the party during a political rally, the lawmaker representing Akoko South East/South West federal constituency, Honourable Babatunde Kolawole, described the defection as a welcome development.

32 news Embrace science, technology for national development, Buhari charges African nations

Monday, 14 March, 2016

Ademola Adegbite -Abuja

P

RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has admonished African nations to see science and technology as an important instru-

ment to stimulate human development and progress in the concerted effort to minimise human suffering, reduce levels of poverty, conflict and strife, social restiveness, as well as terrorism and environmental

degradation.

He was of the view that when the continent of Africa embraced science and technology, the face of hunger, illiteracy and underdevelopment associated with it, could be eradi-

cated.

The President, whose message was delivered by the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, at the ‘World Forum for Science’ held in Darkar, Senegal, said it

Wife of the president, Mrs Aisha Buhari (fifth left); wife of the vice-president, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo (fourth left); wife of the Senate President, Mrs Toyin Saraki (fifth right); Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mrs Hadiza Bukar (third left), with some governors’ wives, at a cocktail organised in honour of wives of heads of mission in Nigeria, in Abuja, on Sunday. PHOTO: NAN.

We’ll never cover up corruption —Saraki Ayodele Adesanmi -Abuja THE Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, at the weekend, reiterated the commitment of the current Senate to supporting the Buhari administration’s fight against corruption.

He said: “under my watch, the Senate will never cover corruption except if the information didn’t come to us.”

Saraki, who spoke with a team of editors of the Londo- based “The Economist” newspaper, said the Senate is ever -ready to partner President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure the success of the anti-corruption war.

The Senate President in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Mohammed Isa, said he had already demonstrated such commitment, through its interventions on many alleged corrupt transactions, such as its swift investigation and adoption of a report on the management of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) that saved the nation about N7 billion and the exposure of the inconsistencies in the 2016 budget.

The step, he insisted, was a departure from the past, where such reports were either whittle-down or not presented for debate and adoption, citing the report he presented to the last Senate on the over N1tril-

lion fuel subsidy scam that never saw the light of the day.

In furtherance to the commitment, Dr Saraki said Nigerians would in the next few weeks, be availed of the details of the National Assembly’s budget which, he said, would be a departure from the tradi-

tion of having one line item budget.

He stressed that “For the first time, we promised Nigerians to give out our budget breakdown. The committee will make its report available by next week. We are resolved to break the tradition of one line item.”

Saraki said though party differences existed between the senators, citing an example of the leadership tussle, he, however, said national interest and the desire of each senator to fulfill the promises made to Nigerians, had been the guiding principle of the Senate in their teamwork.

would help nations across Africa in the efficient exploitation of their huge natural resources, thereby creating jobs, wealth and reduce both poverty and human suffering.

President Buhari further urged African leaders to utilise the abundant human and material resources at their disposal, utilising science and technology to feed, educate, clothe and provide shelter for their citizens.

“Africa cannot be rich, while Africans are poor.

The development of Africa is our collective responsibility because Africa is the only home that we have,” he added.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the minister, Mr Taye Akinyemi, quoted the president as saying Nigeria believed in world peace, human progress, sustainable environment, democracy and also individual liberty and the rule of law. He said for these reasons Nigeria would continue to utilise the key of science and technology to unlock the door of progress, defeat hunger, disease and illiteracy for the common good.

According to him, “we are resolved to bridge gaps that divide and strengthen bonds that unite,” noting that Nigeria has commenced the utilisation of science and technology in its efforts to unlock the door to prosperity and defeat hunger, disease and illiteracy.”

State chair’s claim on Kwankwaso, betrayal of trust—Kano APC Kola Oyelere -Kano THE executive members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kano state chapter, have described as a betrayal of trust, the claim by its state chairman, Alhaji Umar Haruna Doguwa, that he signed under duress the purported statement on the suspension of former state governor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, for antiparty activities.

It will be recalled that the party’s state chairman raised the alarm that he was placed under duress by the state government to sign a press statement on the purported plan by the party to suspend Senator Kwankwaso.

Doguwa also declared that he was forced to address a press conference to indict Senator Kwankwaso for sponsoring armed thugs, during his condolence visit to Ganduje town, where he commiserated with Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje,

over the death of his mother.

Addressing a press conference, at the weekend, however, the state APC secretary, Alhaji Sani Abbas with other party executives, urged the party members to disregard the unauthorised second press statement made by the misguided party chairman, and advised

them to await further action by the party executives.

“That the previous press statement read and signed by me was not written by my humble self, neither did I participate in the drafting, but rather, I was coerced to sign under duress and under the close marking by the state apparatus.

“What makes it more curious for me to recant this is the fact that the Elders Committee is not part of the party executive, hence, procedurally, we cannot issue a joint statement. I therefore, consider this as an oversight on the part of the party to issue such statement,” Doguwa reacted.

Group protests continued detention of El-Zakzaky Biola Azeez -Ilorin MEMBERS of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria in Kwara State have staged a peaceful protest against the continued detention of the leader of Shiites in Nigeria, Sheik Ibrahim ElZakzaky, by the military.

Members of the movement, who carried out the protest at the gate of the Ilorin Central Mosque, at the weekend, demanded unconditional release of the Shiites leader and com-

pensation for the families of those allegedly killed.

They also demanded that the corpses of those allegedly killed by the army be released to their family members for burial, even as they demanded compensation for damages caused on the movement’s demolished structures.

The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions such as “free Zakzaky”, “Zaria Genocide: “crime against humanity”.

In a leaflet distributed to

worshipers that trooped out of the mosque, the group said the action of the military against ElZakzaky was a calculated attempt to clampdown on the sect leader.

They said El-Zakzaky is “a peaceful man who would not encourage violence and instability,” describing the alleged clampdown as “a witch-hunt against the movement.”

They said the only offence committed by El-Zakzaky is that he always stand by the “truth”.

Awolowo, Bola Ige, Alaafin feature in Lead City University Law Week THE essence of good name, great legacy and immeasurable contributions to the society, have inspired the entire members of the Law Students’ Association (LSA) of the Lead City University, Ibadan to single out the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the late Chief Ajibola Ige and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111, for special recognition and role at its 2016 Law Week celebration.

According to a release signed by the Public Relations Officer, LSA, Lead City University, Mr Wale Ojo- lanre, the 2016 Law Week programme commencing on Monday, March 14 and ending on Friday, March 18, 2016 is predicated on recognizing the relevance of law to the students in particular, individual and the society in general.

The release revealed that the Lead City Law week would formally kick off with a Legal Walk round the campus in the early hours of Monday, March 14, 2016 and thereafter followed by a public lecture entitled: “The Legal Profession: “The Prospects and Challenges of a Prospective Nigerian Lawyer in the 21st Century” to be delivered by Barrister Kazeem Gbadamosi, former chairman,Nigerian Bar Association, Oyo. The occasion will be presided over by Honourable Justice Nonyerem Okoronkwo, Justice of the Court of Appeal, Ibadan Division.

Don sues for peace in Wukari Sylvanus Viashima -Jalingo THE new Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Wukari, Professor Abubakar Kundiri, has called on the people of Wukari to give peace a chance to enable him bring development to the academic institution and the host community.

Speaking at a welcome reception organised in his honour by the Wukari community, Professor Kundiri expressed appreciation over the large number of people from the host community and the university, who turned out to receive him to Wukari.

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CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Taiwo Adebukola Oluwaseun now MRS. CROWN ADEBUKOLA TAIWO. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Miss Ayoola Comfort Foluke now MRS. OYELEKAN COMFORT FOLUKE. All former documents remain valid. Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, Local Government Education Authority, Oriire Local Government Area, Ogbomoso and general public take note.

I, formerly Osaigbovo Imariabe Ehigiator, Roland Imariabe Ehigiator and Ehigiator Osaigbovo Imar now ROLAND IMARIABE EHIGIATOR. All former documents remain valid. Sumal Foods Limited, Zenith Bank Plc., and General public take note.

I, formerly Iyun Olatoye Stephen now OGUNMODEDE OLATOYE STEPHEN. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Abuh Muhammed now ABUH IBRAHIM. All former documents remain valid.

FCMB Plc and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

I, Bamigboye Raheem Aderemi am the same person as Bamigboye Raheem Alade. Henceforth, I wish to be known and addressed as BAMIGBOYE RAHEEM ADEREMI. All documents bearing these names refer to me and remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Salawudeen Ganiyat Damilola now SALAU GANIYAT DAMILOLA. All former documents remain valid. Osun State SUBEB and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Gabriel Alaba now GABRIEL ALABA OLUWOLE. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

I, formerly Ogungbile Busayo Esther now EBIWONJUMI BUSAYO ESTHER. All former documents remain valid.

EcoBank Plc., SkyeBank Plc., and general public take note.

I, formerly Miss Kemi Oyewale Anthonia now MRS. KEMI ELEGBEDE ANTHONIA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Akorede Ayomide now MISS ADENIRAN ROSEMARY AKOREDE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Oladimeji Toyin now ADEMOLA OLAOLUWA HEZEKIAH. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Austine Chinedu Chiekwe now MICHAEL CHINEDU CHIEKWE. All former documents remain valid. Guaranty Trust Bank Plc., Access Bank Plc., Diamond Bank Plc., and general public take note.

I, formerly Miss Oluwatobiloba Omowumi Adeleye now MRS. OLUYEYE O L U WAT O B I L O B A OMOWUMI. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Adeleke Ajarat Dolapo now MRS. OMONIYI AJARAT DOLAPO. All former documents remain valid. Oyo State Ministry of Works and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Adeniran Milton now HASSAN OLAIDE KAZEEM. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

I, formerly Olawale Sunday Oluwatobi now ALAO SUNDAY OLUWATOBI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Agboluaje Saudat Yetunde now OLABODE SAUDAT YETUNDE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Mr. Ramoni Alabi now MR. RAMONI ALABI OLAYEMI. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

Egbinola Olalekan Ajao, am the same person bearing Egbinola Jubreel Olalekan. Henceforth, I want to be called and addressed as EGBINOLA OLALEKAN AJAO. All documents bearing these names remain valid. First Bank Plc and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, Yisau Olajide am the same person bearing Yisau Isaac.

Now, I wish to be known and addressed as YISAU OLAJIDE. All documents bearing these names refer to me and remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CORRECTION OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Yusuf Olusegun Tunde now MR YUSUF SEGUN TUNDE. All former documents remain valid. First Bank Plc and general public take note.

I, formerly Miss Ajibade Abosede Oluwabusayo now MRS EHIGIE ABOSEDE OLUWABUSAYO. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

I, formerly Friday Etuk-Udoh now FRIDAY ETUKUDOH. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, Momodu Sunday John am the same person bearing Momodu Sunday Abodeamhe. Now, I wish to be known and addressed as MOMODU SUNDAY ABODEAMHE. All documents bearing these names refers to me and remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CONFIMATIONOF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Florence Fausat Sunday now MRS FLORENCE FAUSAT ANOMO. All former documents remain valid. First Bank Plc, GTBank Plc and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Solomon Samuel Balogun now SOLOMON SAMUEL OLUWASEUN. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

news We are not retrenching workers —Kogi govt 34

Monday, 14 March, 2016

Says exercise is to create accurate database

K

OGI State government has said that the ongoing screening of workers at state and local government levels is not aimed at retrenchment.

The Head of Service, Mr Moses Atakpa, told newsmen in Lokoja, on Sunday, that the exercise was to create an accurate data base of staff in the state.

Atakpa said that the intention was to also plug loopholes through which public funds were being siphoned in the guise of salary payment.

On the refusal of some categories of staff in ministries and some local governments to proceed on a 30-day compulsory leave as ordered by the state government on February 15, he said that his office had started enforcing compliance.

He identified the agricultural development programme in the state as one of the organisations where the order was recently enforced, insisting that the directive must be fully complied with by all affected officers.

The order applied to 38 permanent secretaries, directors of finance and administrations and chief accountants in all the ministries, council treasur-

ers, education secretaries, directors of local government and cashiers in the 21 local government areas.

Also commenting on the non-compliance with the directive in some local governments, the chairman of the Nigeria Labour Con-

gress ( NLC) in the state, Mr Onu Edoka, attributed the development to confusion arising from the directive.

Edoka, however, said that the NLC had waded into the matter, calling on the affected officials to imme-

Benue govt needs N400m to upgrade CAPS to polytechnic status Johnson Babajide - Makurdi AS effort is being made to upgrade the College of Arts and Professional Studies (CAPS), Makurdi, Benue State, to a full fledged Polytechnic, the rector of

the institution, Dr Tyotom Keghku, has said that over N400 million is needed to get the approval of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).

Speaking to newsmen in his office at the week-

As pregnant women desert public health institutions PEOPLE suspected to be specialists in stealing new born babies have invaded government hospitals in Jigawa State, making pregnant women desert public health institutions in the state.

The Nigerian Tribune learnt that stealing of newborn babies, especially male children, is now common in public hospitals in the state, which seemed to be a big threat to the state policy on free health care delivery service for pregnant women and children.

The recent case of stealing a newborn baby occurred in Dutse, the state capital, where a day-old baby was stolen in the maternity ward of the state general hospital The Nigerian Tribune gathered that the mother of the stolen baby delivered the baby through operation on Friday evening

exercise must be implemented.

He also pleaded with the state government to allow the screening to go on simultaneously with the payment of salaries which ,he said ,was in arrears of four months.

Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, paying homage to the Crown Prince of Benin Kingdom, Prince Eheneden Erediauwa, after his official installation as Edaiken N’Uselu, on Saturday.

Thieves invade Jigawa govt hospital for newborn babies Adamu Amadu - Dutse

diately hand over to the appropriate officials and proceed on leave in their own interest.

He expressed the support of the organised labour for the ongoing screening of workers but said that the report of the

and taken out of the theater room few hours after the operation to maternity ward.

Speaking to the Nigerian Tribune, the mother of the missing baby, Malama Huraira Yahaya, said that her baby was stolen without seeing him after operation.

Malama Yahaya explained that she was told about the ugly development when she recovered from her unconsciousness and asked for the baby for breast-feeding, "at the beginning, nobody was willing to reveal to me about the situation until when I keep on asking and insisted on seeing my baby."

Also, speaking with the father of the stolen baby, Yahaya Ali, he said that his wife was operated upon on Thursday around 7.00 pm and that by the following day, at around 10.00am, the baby had already been stolen.

He said that he reported the matter to the police in the state.

Contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer(,PPRO),Abdul Jinjiri, confirmed the theft of the baby, saying two women, Libabatu Musa and Asabe Uba ,had been arrested on the matter, while investigation is ongoing.

end, Dr Keghku, explained that the NBTE team had already visited the institution on an assessment mission and provided the needed facilities for a full fledged polytechnic.

He listed some of the facilities to include; structures, personnel and a host of others, which he said, has the financial cost of over N400million.

The rector, however, argued that the benefits that would be accrued to the institution if upgraded to be a full fledged polytechnic are enormous and far beyond the expected N400million required by the state government for upgrading.

According to him, 'the advantages are many, for instance, massive funding from donor agencies like TETFund intervention

in infrastructural development, training of staff among others.'

He dismissed the insinuation that additional polytechnic in the state may be an added burden to the state government, saying, 'I do not believe in that, after all, some states in the country have more than two polytechnics, in fact, it would remove burdens from the state government'.

While appreciating the state government for its support to the growth of education in the state, Dr Keghku, expressed optimism that the state governor, Chief Samuel Ortom, would release funds for the upgrading of the institution soon so that the state and the people will benefit from the school in terms of manpower on yearly basis.

SON prosecutes 40 suspected substandard goods dealers in Ondo

THE Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), in Ondo State, said on Sunday , said that it had prosecuted 40 persons for allegedly selling fake and substandard goods.

The coordinator of the organisation, Mr Paul Oke, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Akure ,that SON also helped 20 consumers to either retrieve from the dealers, the money they paid for the

substandard goods or be supplied with quality goods as replacement for the substandard ones.

He said that the dealers were prosecuted for selling products, which did not carry SON’s cap.

"We have prosecuted 40 offenders for engaging in businesses involving fake and substandard products in recent years.

"Any product without SON’s cap, is seized and the seller or merchant

prosecuted. The person, on conviction, pays a penalty to the Federal Government,’’ he said.

Oke advised consumers to send all complaints on substandard products to the organisation to enable it to achieve its mandate. ``We ensure that consumers have confidence in goods they buy; therefore, complaints are welcome from them and their complaints are treated free of charge.

Kano records first rain in 2016 Kola Oyelere - Kano RESIDENTS in the ancient city of Kano, both the Muslims and the Christians, witnessed unexpected heavy downpour in the state capital, on Sunday morning Nigerian Tribune gathered that it is unusual to witness downpour during the month of March in the state.

However, the down pour caught many people unaware in the state capital when it started at about 4.30am and lasted 45 minutes.

The people, however, thanked God for the downpour as it reduced heat.

Ambode to present N2.8m cheque to 56 students Ayodele Adesanmi - Abuja LAGOS State governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, is to present a cheque worth N2.8million for scholarship award to 56 tertiary students across the 28 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) of Lagos West Senatorial District.

The sponsor of the scholarship scheme and the senator representing Lagos West Senatorial District, Senator Solomon Adeola, informed that the programme would run yearly for four years.

Adeola told newsmen in Abuja that he is equally donating 10 transformers, 28 boreholes in 28 LCDAs and 500 lifejackets for riverine communities.

"I am also empowering many constituents with grinding machines, sewing machines, freezers, and helmets among other items,” he said.

The lawmaker disclosed that this would take place at a town hall meeting ,explaining that “Already, as part of my educational empowerment, I had already purchased and distributed 500 free JAMB forms earlier in the year in the recently concluded tertiary entrance examination while 250 chairs and benches would be distributed to secondary schools in my district that is over half of the population of the mega city of Lagos State.”

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‘Kwara recorded 155 fire outbreaks in 2015’ Biola Azeez-Ilorin

Baale of Oyagbade, Chief Olajiire Oyagbade (fourth left) and other members of Aba-Ibeji community in Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State, after the inauguration of the new access road and bridge linking the community to Podo, constructed by B Zone members, recently.

Gani Adams urges stakeholders to modernise Oke’badan festival by tunde adegbola

T

HE national coordinator of Oodua Peoples’ Congress (OPC) and founder of Olokun Festival Foundation (OFF), Otunba Gani Adams, has appealed to the Oyo State government and concerned citizens of Ibadanland to modernise Oke’badan cultural festival to be on a parl with other cultural festivals in the South-Western part of the country.

Adams made the appeal on Thursday, at the 2016 Oke’badan Festival, at Mapo Hall, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The Ikare-Akoko born promoter of Yoruba culture described the fes-

tival as one of the very pristine festivals in Yorubaland which Olokun Festival Foundation holds in high esteem because of its cultural significance to the soul of Ibadan.

According to him: “I must reveal to all that the celebration of Oke’badan Festival from time immemorial as stipulated by the oracle, accounted for the generational achievements and progress witnessed in the city.

“It must be noted that any town that is faithful to the celebration of cultural festival which involves praying for the town and celebrating the feats of past heroes, will continue to witness unprecedented progress and

Community commended for success of polytechnic by wale akintelure

THE people of Saki in Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State have been commended for their contributions towards the construction of a computer centre in Oke-Ogun Polytechnic.

The rector of the institution, Mr Matthew Oladeji, gave the commendation while speaking with Community News in his office, at the weekend.

He attributed the success of the institution since attainment of the status of a full-fledged Polytechnic to the unflinching support of the entire community.

Oladeji disclosed that the institution is committed to empowering students through vocational training in

order to make them job creators rather than job seekers after completing their studies.

According to him: “We are concerned about training our students in technology and vocation with a good dose of entrepreneurial skills. This is aimed at producing graduates that are selfreliant.

“The institution has met with a number of government and nongovernment organisations. We are also in the process of establishing a micro-finance bank within the campus to facilitate soft loans.”

Oladeji added that their major priority is empowering the students in order not to become a nuisance in their respective communities.

development.

“The celebration of Oke’badan festival is the key that unlocks the pot of fortunes and clears the road for accelerated development strides in Ibadan land. There is nothing fetish or primitive about Oke’badan festival; it is just a festival through which the efforts of heroes past are appreciated, evaluated and celebrated.”

Chief Adams congratu-

lated the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji Aje Ogungunniso I, for ascending the seat of his forefathers successfully without rancor and prayed that the period and tenure of the new king would bring peace, progress and prosperity to the people of Ibadanland.

He also commended the Aboke of Ibadanland for keeping faith with the tradition and for his obser-

THE Kwara State Fire Service has said that a total of 155 fire incidents were recorded between January and December 2015 in various parts of the state.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin, the head of Department of Fire Prevention, State Fire Service, Alhaji Abdulwaheed Yakub, said the number, which was higher than those of previous years, occurred in filling stations, residential areas, markets and public places across the three senatorial districts of the state.

The fire officer, who said

vance of all rites as laid down by Lagelu.

The guest speaker, Dr Sina Arulogun, a lecturer at the Department of Local Government and Development Studies of the Polytechnic Ibadan, emphasised the importance of Oke’badan cultural festival celebration to indigenes of Ibadanland.

He said Oke’badan festival paves way for peace and smooth organisation of Ibadanland.

34 fire incidents occurred in January, 2015, added that 12 cases were recorded in February, while March had 22 and April 17.

He also said that 17 cases were recorded in May, eight in June, six in July, eight in August, while September had the lowest figure of four.

The rest of the months, according to the HOD, were October and November, which recorded nine cases each while December had 18.

He said the state fire service could not ascertain the immediate causes of the fire incidents but attributed their remote causes to negligence.

The fire officer further said that the state Fire Service was fully prepared to ensure less number of fire cases in 2016 He said the state government had provided modern equipment and manpower that would put out fire whenever the incident occurs in any part of the state.

He said the state fire service was currently embarking on sensitisation programmes alongside the production of hand bills in various languages to prevent fire outbreaks.

Yakub advised residents of the state to be fire concious by avoiding acts that can cause fire disaster.

‘My empowerment beyond distributing motorcycles’ hakeem gbadamosi-akure

A lawmaker representing Akure South/North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Honourable Afe Olowookere, recently, empowered over 150 people within his constituency.

Items distributed included 10 deep freezers, 50 motorcycles, 10 cars, generating sets, sewing machines and cash, while

about 50 people have been registered for vocational training.

Speaking at the event, Olowookere said he opted to empower the people after they had signified their areas of interest with comparative advantage that would make them not only to progress, but to break away from poverty.

He explained that his empowerment goes beyond distributing motorcycles without considering the

people’s educational status or profession, adding that he had taken the pain to assess beneficiaries on what they really need.

He said: “We have counselled them on why they need to decide for themselves and through this, we have got a long list of people that have indicated interest in animal husbandry, farming, textile and fabric business, dry cleaning service, among others.

“We have gone to the mar-

Residents laud Aregbesola for creating Ikoyi LCDA by gbenga olumide

OSUN State governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, has been commended for the creation of Isokan South Local Council Development Area with headquarters in Ikoyi.

The commendation was made in a statement issued and made available to Community News, on behalf of the people of Ikoyi, by the Olukoyi of Ikoyi land, Oba Yisau Bantale Oyetunji Otunla Kodaolu 1 and other members of Olukoyi-in-Council.

The people of Ikoyi, who described the newly cre-

ated Isokan South LCDA as the rightstep in the right direction, noted that the decision would ensure the development of the area.

While appreciating the efforts of the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti; the Chief of Staff, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola; the Speaker, Osun State House of Assembly, Honourable Najeem Salam and other members of the assembly as well as the Chairman, Local Government Service Commission, Chief Peter Babalola, the people prayed that the regime

of Governor Aregbesola would continue to grow from strength to strength and witness many more development.

The residents and Olukoyi-in-Council also commended the National President, Ikoyi Descendants Union (IDU), Alhaji Tiamiyu Bello and Mr Sikiru Falade, among others for their contributions to the upliftment of Ikoyi land.

They, however, charged residents to continue to maintain peace and be law-abiding and should pay their taxes as at when due.

ket and got the materials and tools needed for these business engagements and they shall be made available to those concerned.”

The lawmaker stated that his mission was to raise self-employed and self-dependent people, who will in turn be employers of labour and encourage other youths to deploy their energies into productive ventures rather than political thuggery.

He said the era of distributing okada was gone, pledging that he would no longer empower people with okada.

While noting that some motorcycles distributed were demanded by beneficiaries, he said, “I consider it irrational and wicked to subject young university graduates to okada riding to make ends meet when there are many other dignifying engagements.”

He, however, said he had established a synergy with the Federal School of Agriculture in Akure to sponsor the training of over 50 people in animal husbandry and food crop farming, while some will be trained in crafts and trades like tailoring, welding and fabrication, tie and dye, soap making, among others.

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Kogi gov’s wife inaugurates pet project Yinka Oladoyinbo-Lokoja

THE wife of Kogi State governor, Hajia Rashidat Bello, has inaugurated her pet project, “Kogi Women and Youth Empowerment Foundation”, with the empowerment of 42 rural women.

Speaking at the inauguration in Lokoja, the state capital, Mrs Bello said the programme was aimed at training and assisting those who have acquired skills, but could not start their businesses because of lack of funds.

She explained that the empowerment programme also involved the distribution of working tools to beneficiaries.

Sir Ikpokpu, unveiling the plaque during the inauguration of the toilet facility.

Egbe Omo Ibile Igbomina solicits unity among public office holders Biola Azeez-Ilorin

T

HE people of Igbomina in Kwara State have called on public office holders, both at federal and state levels, who are members of the tribe to unite to fight poverty and underdevelopment in the area.

Igbomina land in Kwara State is made up of three local government areas of Ifelodun, Irepodun and Isin, while some indigenes of the area who are in government are Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; a member of the House of Representatives, Funke Adedoyin.

Others are local government chairmen, members of the state House of Assembly, commissioners, permanent secretaries.

Speaking at a special inter-faith prayer programme for public office holders of Igbomina origin in Ilorin at the weekend, the national president of Egbe Omo Ibile Igbomina, Engineer Timothy Adebayo, said the task of taking the area to greater heights rested mainly on the shoulders of their leaders.

Adebayo, who said the magnanimity of God to the Igbomina people, politically, deserved appreciation, added that the tribe had never had it so good.

“It is in realisation of this that we organised an inter-faith prayer session to thank God for His mercy and favour on our sons and daughters in government and to also commit them to the hands of the Almighty God for direction, wisdom and protection”, he said.

The national president, who called on the public office holders to be good ambassadors of Igbomina land, prayed that God sees them through in their various assignments.

He also said it was expedient to sustain close and regular rapport with elders, public office holders, traditional leaders, adding that the unity of Igbomina was the thrust of his leadership.

“It is our belief that there can be no growth, progress and development without unity.

This quest for unity will cover every facet as we are poised to take the unity message to every town and village of Igbomina land, including groups, organisations and branches of the asssociation,” he said.

Adebayo also called for the creation of another local government area out of Ifelodun Local Government Area, which he described as the largest local government area in the country, for greater development.

In their prayer/admonition during the programme, the Chief Imam of Olarewaju mosque, Alhaji Abdulkadir Salaudeen and Reverend Stephen Ajise of First ECWA church, said the prayers of the people had been answered by their political elevation, adding that Igbomina people believed they are the ones to engender the glory of the land.

In his address, Governor Ahmed, represented by the Commissioner for Planning and Economic Development, Alhaji Wasiu Odewale, reiterated the resolve of the state

government to fulfill its campaign promises, while soliciting support in the task of taking the state to greater heights.

Traditional rulers at

the event included Olupo of Ajase Ipo, Oba Sikiru Atanda Woleola; Oloro of Oro kingdom, Oba Rafiu Ajiboye; Elesie of Esie kingdom,

Oba Yakub Babalola; Oloro of Oro Ago, Oba Johnson Dada; Elese of Igbaja, dignitaries and friends and well-wishers of Igbomina.

Delta community rejoices as Chevron, employees donate toilet to school EbenezerAdurokiya-Warri THE joy of stakeholders in Olomoro town in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State knew no bounds recently as Chevron Nigeria Limited and some of its employees from Isoko land donated a modern toilet facility and borehole to Arasa Primary School.

Inaugurating the facilities at the school premises, the Chairman of the Isoko South Local Government Area, Sir Itiako Ikpokpu, noted that the company’s gesture in partnership with its employees from the area was remarkable and worthy of emulation.

He observed that it was rare to see an organisation and its employees embarking on such developmental project, especially where they do not have operational base.

“What we are used to is that companies sign MoU with communities where they carry out their operations to undertake a development project. But this one is different. This is a company saying to the employees – tell me that you love your community, and we will assist you to show them love,” he reiterated.

Sir Ikpokpu noted that the amenities was a clear testimony that the company understands the importance of good health,

especially among children who are more vulnerable to different diseases occasioned by poor sanitary conditions and unkempt toilet facilities.

He advised the school management to properly maintain the facilities and avoid converting same for public use.

Earlier in his remarks on behalf of the company, Mr. Wilson Ekakite, stated that the NNPC/Chevron Joint Venture, recognised that its progress is tied to the progress of host communities.

He added that in line with its tradition, Chevron had continued to implement social investment programmes cutting across health, education and economic empowerment.

“Our employees have imbibed this culture and

through the Employee Volunteering Programme (EVP), they are giving back to the society by engaging in different projects to assist in the social development of the communities.”

One of the employees involved in the project, Mrs. Joyce Efe-Arugba, stated that they were disturbed by the poor sanitary condition of the toilet in the school, hence the decision to partner with the company in implementing the project.

She also implored the school management to take good care of the facilities for the benefit of the pupils and teachers.

Other Chevron representatives at the commissioning ceremony include Victor Anyaegbudike and Emmanuel Emeribe.

According to her, apart from the distribution of sewing machines and hair dryers, each of them to the 42 beneficiaries were also given N100,000 to enable them kick-start their businesses.

She, however, cautioned the beneficiaries to shun reckless spending and cultivate the habit of saving to expand their businesses and become employers of labour.

Mrs Bello, who disclosed that the programme would be carried out throughout her husband’s tenure, added that she would not relent in her effort to better the lives of women and youths, especially those at rural areas across the state.

Earlier, the Chief of Staff (CoS) to the governor, Mr Edward Onoja, said the move was part of efforts of the state government at putting smile on the faces of the people.

He said the governor’s wife had taken the initiative in line with the Yahaya Bello’s vision of transforming the state and ensuring that the dividends of democracy reach the downtrodden.

Onoja said: “If the wife of the governor can empower 42 women within 40 days of the present administration, in the next one year, many people will benefit from the programme.”

The Chief of Staff, who maintained that white collar jobs were no longer available, noted that two women were selected from the 21 local government areas of the state to enjoy the gesture.

He called on women and youths in the state to acquire skills, saying the governor’s wife was resolute in assisting rural dwellers to boost their businesses.

Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries , Mrs Agnes Komolafe, described the gesture as a challenge to the beneficiaries.

She assured Mrs Bello that they would judiciously utilise the opportunity to better their lives and that of their families.

Gusau residents groan over increase in price of sachet water In a related development, MuhammadSabiu-Kaduna

RESIDENTS of Gusau in Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State are groaning over increase in the price of sachet water.

A cross section of people interviewed by Community News, maintained that the 100 per cent increase had made it difficult for them to buy a bag of sachet water.

While speaking with

Community News, a respondent, Mallam Lawali Birnin Ruwa, said: “I am a pensioner and it is now three months since I was paid my pension.

‘So, where will I get N100 to buy a bag of sachet water everyday?” he queried.

Findings revealed that a sachet of pure water formerly sold at N5 is now N10, while the price of a bag of pure water rose from N50 to N100.

the Chairman, Gusau Local Government Area, Ibrahim Umar Tanko, has decried the increase in the price of sachet water.

Speaking with newsmen in an interview shortly after addressing sachet water vendors in Gusau, the council boss said the increase in the price of sachet water had impacted negatively on the people of Gusau and environs.

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Monday, 14 March, 2016

foreig naffairs

08116954632 with seyi gesinde foreignn ewseditor@gmail.com

Civil war: US accuses Syria of disrupting peace talks

U

NITED States Secretary of State John Kerry, on Sunday, accused Syria of “clearly trying to disrupt” the United Nationssponsored peace talks aimed at ending the bloody five-year civil war in the country, by demanding that there be no discussion of removing President Bashar al-Assad from power.

The top U.S. diplomat said that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his counterparts from France, Italy, Germany, Britain and the EU meet in Paris, France, March, 13, 2016. They were to discuss Syria, Libya, Yemen and Ukraine, among other foreign policy violence in the war-wracked counmatters. PHOTO: US DEPARTMENT OF STATE. try has been “hugely reduced” by

Turkey:

Merkel faces test as Germany votes in regional elections

27 killed, 25 injured in explosion A car bomb killed 27 people in the heart of the Turkish capital Ankara on Sunday and wounded 75 more, the governor’s office said, less than a month after a similar attack killed 29 people just blocks away.

Video footage showed burning debris showering down on what appeared to be the entrance to an underpass. The blast could be heard 2.5 km (1.5 miles) away and a large cloud of smoke could be seen rising over the city centre, a Reuters witness said.

A senior security official told Reuters that the blast appeared to have been caused by a suicide car bomb. A second security official said gunfire was heard after the blast. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The area, close to a courthouse and the Justice and Interior Ministries, was crowded when the explosion happened at 6:43 p.m.

(1643 GMT), state broadcaster TRT said.

TRT said a vehicle had exploded at a major transport hub, hitting a bus carrying some 20 people near the central Guven Park and Kizilay Square.

80 to 90 per cent since a “cessation of hostilities” was declared two weeks ago. But he said the “single biggest violator” of the truce has been the Assad regime.

“Aerial bombardments ... must stop,” Kerry said. “Look hard at who is committing these violations.”

He said “incremental violations threaten to undermine” efforts to permanently end the fighting and any effort to eventually hold elections in Syria.

GERMANS are voting in three regional elections seen as a test of support for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s policy towards refugees.

The anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party (AfD) is expected to make gains amid unease over Mrs Merkel’s so-called “open door” policy.

More than a million migrants and refugees entered Germany in 2015.

Asked on Saturday how she was preparing for Sunday’s elections, Mrs Merkel said: “I’m crossing my fingers.”

Polls suggest that her

Merkel

Christian Democratic Union (CDU) will remain the biggest party in Saxony-Anhalt in the east of the country.

It faces defeat to the Greens in BadenWuerttemberg in the west, where it is currently the largest party.

And in RhinelandPalatinate, where the CDU came a close second last time, the race is on a knife edge.

Polls put the AfD’s support as high as 19 per cent in SaxonyAnhalt, where the CDU and the Social Democrats now govern in coalition.

Kerry spoke after meeting with his British, French, German and Italian counterparts Sunday in Paris about the Syrian crisis, a day before the U.N. talks are set to begin in Geneva.

Ahead of Monday’s discussions, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem warned negotiators that any talk about the fate of Syria’s president is off the table. “We will not talk with anyone who wants to discuss the presidency . . . Bashar al-Assad is a red line,” Muallem said.

Mohammad Alloush, the chief negotiator for Syria’s main opposition group, said the president has to go, a demand the U.S. also has long made.

Alloush told the French news agency AFP, “We believe that the transitional period should start with the fall or death of Bashar al-Assad.”

Kerry has urged both sides in Syria to proceed with the peace talks despite their conflict over the presidency.

Muallem said the Syrian government remains committed to the cease-fire agreement, but its delegation to the peace talks will only wait 24 hours for the opposition delegation to arrive for the talks. Muallem said Saturday in Damascus the diplomats will leave for Geneva Sunday.

Trump, Sanders trade blame over Chicago campaign rally disruption REPUBLICAN United States presidential candidate, Donald Trump, blamed Democrat Bernie Sanders and his supporters for what he said were a planned disruption that forced him to cancel a Chicago rally Friday night.

Fights broke out among several Trump supporters and opponents before police cleared the crowd and made five arrests. Many of the protesters chanted “Bernie,

Donald Trump

Bernie” and waved Sanders signs.

Campaign-

otherNEWS

Bernie Sanders

ing in Cleveland, Ohio Saturday, Trump mocked the socialist senator from Ver-

mont as “our communist friend.

“Where do these people

come from?” Trump asked.

“They’re Bernie’s crowd.

Hey, Bernie. Get your people in line, Bernie.”

According to VOA, Sanders issued a statement Saturday denying his campaign organised the protests and blamed Trump’s harsh rhetoric.

“What causes the violence at Trump’s rally is a candidate that has promoted hatred and division against Latinos, Muslims, women and people with disabilities.”

Gunmen kill scores in Ivory Coast hotel shooting

Afghan insurgent group says it is ready for peace talks

AT least 11 people, including a five-year-old child, have been killed after four gunmen attacked two hotels in the Ivory Coast resort of Grand Bassam, according to witnesses and local media.

The assailants, who were “heavily armed and wearing balaclavas, fired at guests at the L’Etoile du Sud (Southern Star), a large hotel

AN insurgent group fighting alongside Afghanistan’s Taliban has said it is ready to join political reconciliation talks with the Kabul government, despite being deeply sceptical about peace intentions of the other side.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani last week renewed his offer of negotiations to all insurgent groups in his bid to seek an end to the devastat-

which was full of experts in the current heatwave,” a witness told AFP. According to reports, hostages have been taken as Security Opearatives opened fire on the gunmen using Kalashnikovs who arrived at the resort on boats, witness said.

Some reports suggested as many as 15 people had been killed, including five Ivori-

Police at the incident in Grand Bassam PHOTO: @MICHAELH992

ans and five women whose nationality is unknown. But one witness told Reuters, they saw seven dead.

ing war, now in its 15th year.

The United States, China and neighbouring Pakistan have all welcomed and backed Ghani’s move, though the mainstream Taliban faction has rejected the offer.

But in a statement released to media on Sunday, the Hezb-e-Islami (HIG) faction led by fugitive Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, said it has accepted the govern-

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

PHOTO: REUTERS.

ment’s offer and is “prepared to participate in the talks to show to the (Afghan) nation it wants peace.”

38

Monday, 14 March, 2016

Editor: Ganiyu Salman tribunesporteditor@yahoo.com 08053789060

The Flamingoes celebrate their victory over Bantwana of South Africa last weekend in Abuja.

NTTF fixes March 21 deadline for U-16 National League registration TO give states the chance to be part of the maiden U-16 national league, the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) has fixed March 21 as registration deadline.

According to the Secretary General of NTTF, Chinedu Ezeala-Ogundare, it becomes necessary to give the participants ample time to perfect their registration for the championship.

“With the success recorded by the senior national team at the ITTF World Team Championship in Malaysia, we want to ensure that we groom players that will come through the rank and

that is why the U-16 National League becomes necessary and we have decided to give the states the opportunity finish their registration for the competition. We will not allow late registration because we want to give the teams chance to be part of the tournament which will help us to unearth new talents,” she added.

The U-16 national league will involve players across the country and it is meant to give new players the opportunity to make national junior teams as well as work their way into the senior team.

World Class Athletes Ltd boosts Team Nigeria boxers with equipment

By Niyi Alebiosu AS part of its contributions to the development of boxing and to ensure the country records success at the forthcoming Rio Olympics, Nigerian Diaspora Direct Investment Summit has boosted the Team Nigeria boxing team to the Olympics with equipment worth millions of naira.

According the director of the organisation who has been mobilising Nigerian community behind former Olympian and world title challenger Ajose Olusegun and current undefeated African champion, Larry Ekundayo, Bimbo Folayan, the idea behind the donation of kits was to ensure that the Nigeria boxers to the games excel, believing that the boxers will reignite the country’s passion for the sport.

Speaking further at the ceremony held at Ojez Restaurant Surulere, Lagos, the group through British

Sport Agency; World Class Athletes Limited donated equipment such as gloves, punching bags, pad to the Team Nigeria boxing contingent and various youth boxing clubs within the National Stadium, Lagos.

Folayan said that the plan is not only to deliver Nigerian world champions but also positive trade ambassadors for the country to help improve trade between the UK and USA. The boxers will be presented to the National Assembly tomorrow, while they will be appointed as Investment Representatives for the country where the way forward for Nigeria boxing will be discussed. The team will also later during the week meet with the Lagos State government officials to discuss how they can support the state’s aim of becoming a leading destination for sporting events not only in the country but at the international level.

From left, Ben Gray, head, World Class Athletes Ltd; Larry Ekundayo; Bimbo Folayan and Ajose Olusegun with kid boxers at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, during the presentation of boxing kits to the youth club.

U-17 W/Cup qualifier:

How NFF motivated Flamingoes to 6-0 victory —Nikyu Saliu Gbadamosi - Abuja

N

IGERIA’S women’s U-17 team, Flamingoes’ head coach, Bala Nikyu, on Saturday revealed the secret behind the team’s 6-0 pummeling of their South African counterparts, Bantwana, at the National

Stadium, Abuja, in the first leg final round of the 2016 FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup qualifier.

Speaking with Tribunesport after the match, Nikyu stated that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) motivated the side by paying salaries and allowances of coaches and players.

“I want to tell you that the payment of our allowances and salaries played a major role in ensuring that we worked hard to achieve the results we got. There is no one that would be motivated that would not do well. We are grateful to the NFF and we would not let the country down,” Nikyu said.

...As 4-goal heroine, Ajibade dedicates feat to team-mates, Nigerians Saliu Gbadamosi - Abuja NIGERIA’S four-goal heroine in last Saturday’s FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup first leg final round qualifier against South Africa, Rasheedat Ajibade, has dedicated the feat to soccer-loving Nigerians and her team-mates.

The Flamingoes drubbed their South African counterparts, Bantwana, 6-0 at the National Stadium, Abuja, with Ajibade, who is the team’s captain accounting for four of the goals on the 32nd, 35th 39th and 45th minute of the game.

“I dedicate these goals to

my countrymen and women who have stood solidly behind us. I also dedicate the goals to my teammates for giving me the ball at every point in time to put smiles on the faces of all Nigerians. I am very proud of them,” she said after the match.

Ajibade expressed surprise that the Bantwana fell easily as they did in the encounter, attributing this to the first minute goal scored by Atinuke Yetunde Fajobi, which she said rattled the South Africans.

According to the FC Robbo of Lagos player, “we

had anticipated a very difficult match but the early goal really threw them off balance. We had to capitalise on that to score more goals. We wanted more goals even in the second half but they realised that the game was up and decided to stay back.”

Asked how the Flamingoes would approach the return tie in South Africa, the captain said, “we are going to take the game to them right from the blast of the whistle. We are not going to rest on our oars, as qualifying for Jordan 2016 is our ultimate target.”

The former FC Abuja technical adviser, stated that the Flamingoes could have scored more goals, but for the tactic employed by their opponents.

“We wanted to score more goals in the second half to make the return leg in South Africa a mere formality. But after the six goals, the South Africans refused to come out in the second half. But when we get to their place, we would approach the game on a different platform.

“We all know that when we get to South Africa, they would want to come out on us, which was exactly what they did here and paid dearly for it. If they do that, we would take the game to them because we are not going to be under whatsoever pressure. Instead, we would relax to play our normal game,” Nikyu, a former Nasarawa United technical adviser stated.

He, boasted that South Africa can’t prevent his girls from hoisting the country’s flag in Jordan.

“It is not possible, they cannot turn the tables against us.”

39

Monday, 14 March, 2016

schoolsport

Nigerian Tribune

Anchor: Nurudeen Alimi oladimejialimi@yahoo.co.in 08111847089

Sports can create wealth for Nigeria —Babatunde

By Kehinde Adio

P

ROPRIETRESS of De Ayo International College and Kiddies School, Ibadan, Dr (Mrs) Ayoyinka Babatunde, has urged the Federal Government to attach more importance to sports development especially from the grassroots, saying it’s a platform to create wealth for the nation.

She made the appeal while speaking at the 15th inter-house sports competition of the College held last week at the Nigeria Air Force Primary School play ground, Alakia, Ibadan.

“As we encourage large scale farming in Nigeria, we need not wait any longer to show seriousness in the world of sports, thus creating alternatives of generating wealth for our nation.

“In our school, we encourage students to exhibit their talents to the best of their abilities.

We believe in all round development of the child, that is education of a total child that will not restrict them to specific professions, but give them positive exposure, part of which is through sports to prepare them for a glorious future,” Babatunde said.

She noted that doping especially among professional athletes has remained a trend which must be discouraged as it brings more shame to the nation than fame.

“Athletes in our society today want to win medals without serious work. They believe money can do all things. They falsify documents to alter their age at international

sporting events. This adds more shame to the nation than fame. Sporting activities like this (inter-house sports) prevent such,” Babatunde stated.

Also in his remarks, former Head of Service, Oyo State, Alhaji Tajudeen Aremu, noted that “the development of a child is far from being complete if the mental development is not complemented by the physical alertness and development.”

Aremu stated that sports has been a veritable platform for revenue generation adding

that “many Nigerian sportsmen/women and footballers have proved this by bringing in foreign currencies to Nigeria to invest in many business ventures and charity programmes”.

He noted that sports enhance “team spirit and the spirit of sportsmanship in our children” adding that countries that are famous in the world of sports “do gain a lot of international recognition, which such nations also use to negotiate with other countries for other investment opportunities” to attain greater heights.

Aremu urged well-meaning individuals and philanthropists to help in sponsoring sporting activities as he pointed out that schools and government cannot do it alone.

“We can never know the talents of our children until we give them the opportunity to express themselves in platforms such as this,” he said adding “at the end of the day, the country will be better for it.”

Meanwhile, Green House won the competition as Orange House came second, while Blue House finished third.

Parents urged to encourage students partake in sports Biola Azeez - Ilorin THE Vice-Chancellor of Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State, Professor Aize Obayan has called for more parental encouragement to enhance active students’ participation in sports, especially at the grassroots.

Obayan made the call during the maiden inter-house sports competition of Landmark University Secondary School, OmuAran (LUSS).

Obayan, who was represented by Dr Christian Osueke, said such parental encouragement was needed to adequately complement the school authorities’ effort aimed at resuscitating sports and discovering new talents.

Obayan, who described sports and academics as two inseparable entities, expressed regret that lack of parental support in the recent

past had contributed to low students’ interest and non-active participation in sports.

She said that the role of sports and other physical recreational activities played in facilitating the right frame of mind toward a high level academic performance could not be over emphasised.

Obayan urged parents to be alive to their responsibilities by being promptly paying their children’s school fees and other miscellaneous monies to achieve the desired development in schools’ sports.

She also appealed to parents not to hesitate in offering useful tips and pieces of advice that would assist the school authorities to plan ahead.

In his remarks, Pastor John Aderogba, Principal of LUSS, said that organising the maiden inter-house sports competition was informed by the need to improve the physical status of

the students.

“When I assumed duty in this school as a principal, I discovered that most of our students were sluggish and the psychomotor aspect of these children has not been fully tapped into.

“After discussion with my subordinates, we all agreed that 2016 sports calendar should be looked into and the rest is now history,” he said.

Bishop David Oyedepo, Chancellor of Landmark University, in a goodwill message, said sports and recreation remain the best platform for the required sound mindset to achieve high level of academic performance.

Oyedepo, who was represented by Mrs M.O. Aduloju, chairperson, LUSS governing council, called for more synergy between the parents and the school authorities to achieve the desired objective.

De Ayo International College 15th inter-house sports 1

2

3

4

1. Students of Green House during the March Past.

2. Members of Green House after winning the female football event of the inter-house sports competition. With them are the Asipa Olubadan, High Chief Eddy Oyewole; the newly-elected caretaker chairman of Egbeda LGA, Honourable Ademola Adewuyi; the proprietress of the college, Dr (Mrs) Ayoyinka Babatunde and the former SSG, Oyo State, Alhaji Akin Olajide.

3. From left, special guest, Major Segun Ariyibi and members of the governing board of De Ayo International College, Major Olu Opawole; Dr (Mrs) Adelola Falase; Alhaji Tajudeen Aremu and the proprietress of the college, Dr (Mrs) Ayoyinka Babatunde.

4. Captain of Green House (third from left) with his team-mate; first from left display the overall winner’s trophy. With them are the proprietress of the college, Dr (Mrs) Ayoyinka Babatunde (second left) and the former Head of Service, Oyo State, Alhaji Tajudeen Aremu.

SIDELINES

NO 16,456

M

MONDAY, 14 MARCH, 2016

OST times, I find it very difficult, so difficult that it often has been really difficult but even more difficult at the moment of writing to focus on a subject that should interest, ennoble, amuse, charm and astound the senses and sensibilities of my readers whose endorsement I think I should ceaselessly crave in this column – whether or not they share my perspectives about anything that sees daylight here. Clearly, there is a huge amount of nothingness that I always talk about once I wear it the garment of somethingfulness varnished in the natural varnish of somethingfulness.. And I do so in my natural desire to dwell on different aspects of the subject of human nature.

My subject could be overtly political, or about everything that is something that you need to know since the beginning of the things you already know or do not know. Always, at the end of each and every enterprise, you must, as I crave that you should, leave here with a piece of a master-piece in a lesson of human nature.

There is a great deal of philosophy talked about so far – which more or less is the subject of concern now.

On Tuesday, 8 March, 2016 I read on page 31 of the Nigerian Tribune, that is, this your thrillingly enchanting newspaper, the richly meaningful story of 80-year-old newspaper vender, Pa Ayodele Gabriel Ajayi. The octogenarian has been vending newspapers since the 1970s even though his real profession has always been photography. The story of this vender-photographer of Ekiti origin, who is currently residing in Ondo State after savouring Jos and Ibadan, as told

by Hakeem Gbadamosi, has the literary trappings of vers de societe – even though it is not verse per se.

History, economics, politics, philosophy, public health and art cohere in the simple tale nicely told. I doubt, however, if Hakeem Gbadamosi thought of all these subjects when he decided to dwell on his story in the manner in which he did.

N150

Whatever side one belongs to in the naira devaluation debate, there can be no doubt that, as pointed out by Ndi Kato, a discussant at a summit organised by the Ondo State government last week, that the Nigerian life has long been devalued!

in&out with Tony Afejuku 08055213059

The honest dreamer But what is really important to me in this well rendered story is Pa Ayodele’s artful reminiscence that brings to the fore the history of newspaper business in Nigeria, and that of the great, handsome newspapers of yore. Herald, Observer, Sketch, Daily Times – newspapers, which, in varying degrees, are either no more or have ceased to be what they were in terms of brand, reputation and circulation. Of the supremely great newspapers that contributed a great deal to the birth and growth of Nigeria politically and otherwise only Nigerian Tribune is truly alive and fruitfully flourishing with the flourish of flourish.

In Pa Ayodele’s reminiscence we were taken to the Vespa and Raleigh Bicycle years of Nigeria. Those were years, historically speaking, of economic honesty and self-contentment every honest person, for example, in journalism, the civil service, teaching profession, genuine business field/endeavour was consciously proud of. The Vespa motor-cycle and Raleigh bicycle years were also years of our most supreme and greatest political shakers who were, despite their foibles, genuinely committed to taking Nigeria out of the wilderness. The Vespa motorcycle and Raleigh years were indeed years of men and women of excellent political,

For 20 years of honesty, Pa Ayodele has been struggling to build a house from his honest business and honest gains. economic, spiritual and moral quality.

Our present political decision-makers are of far inferior quality in comparison with our heroes and heroines of the Vespa and Raleigh years.

At 80 years, Pa Ayodele is still going strong. Every morning he hops on his Raleigh bicycle selling and distributing newspapers. He knows the meaning of the branch of public health that dwells on routinely physical exercise for one to stay healthy and reap the fruitful benefit of long life. Has he ever perused any book or any writing on public health? The answer cannot but be a resounding capital NO! For him, newspaper vending cannot but be a lesson on how to live pretty well – as it gives him physical fitness on account

of the “daily exercise” it subjects him to.

He equally informs us of the economic significance of his Raleigh bicycle thus: “this is economical and I don’t need to queue at the filling station waiting endlessly for fuel. My legs provide the needed fuel.” What a superb lesson and moral regarding how to live healthy and regarding how to be contented with our lot in this world, we must learn a-new from “poor” but ‘’rich’’ Pa Ayodele!

For 20 years of honesty, Pa Ayodele has been struggling to build a house from his honest business and honest gains. He is not going to steal or cut corners to achieve his dream. What a man in a country of swindlers and ritual men and women, and political and economic thieves, killers and murderers of the foulest grade!

Pa Ayodele’s life is teaching me a-new a slice of the master-piece in a lesson of human nature. An honest man’s honest dream must be our honest dream.

And is Governor Fayose there? He should kindly garland this honest vender from his state by way of aiding him to complete his house of honesty after hosting him to a public glitter of lights. But our supremely honest man is the mirror of Nigeria of our dream, not of Ekiti’s or of Yoruba land’s alone. And his honesty is the honesty of pure art that has a universal significance and appeal.

Ighalo, Guediora end Arsenal’s FA Cup treble team

By Ganiyu Salman

NIGERIAN international, Odion Ighalo, on Sunday eventually regained his scoring form as he scored for Watford in the 2-1 victory over back-to-back title holders, Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-final clash at the Emirates Stadium.

The defeat ended the Gunners ambition to claim the 13th FA Cup title and gave Watford its first-ever Wembley FA Cup semi-final appearance. It also ended Arsenal’s ambition of becoming the first team since Blackburn in the 1880s to win the FA Cup three years in a row.

Watford’s victory also ended Arsenal 16-game unbeaten run in the FA Cup as the London club has not lost in the cup competition since February 2013.

Ighalo, with 14 goals in the kitty this season in the English Premier League, last scored in January but on Sunday had cause to celebrate again.

The Edo State-born striker put the Hornets ahead in the 50th minute when he turned brilliantly after holding off Gabriel before he beat David Ospina with a clinical grounder.

Algeria’s Adlene Guediora doubled the lead in the 63rd minute with a thunderous shot at close range off an excellent goal build up.

Four minutes later, manager Arsene Wenger made three changes as he introduced Danny Welbeck, Theo Walcott and Nigerian Alex Iwobi in place of Joel Campbell, Olivier Giroud and Mohamed Elneny.

Substitute Welbeck reduced the deficit for the Gunners in the 88th minute, when he blasted the ball past Costel Pantilimon off a back-heel pass from Mezut Ozil.

Welbeck perhaps sealed the victory of Watford when he wasted what would have been an equaliser in the 90th minute, as the former Manchester United forward shot wide in front of an empty net.

Wenger who has won the FA Cup title six

times, after the game lamented the defeat especially the gilt-edged chance lost by Welbeck.

“It was difficult to understand how we didn’t score. I want to watch it again,” he said.

Results:

Nigeria Premier League MFM, Lagos 3 El-Kanemi FC Giwa 1 Sunshine Ifeanyi Ubah 4 Ikorodu Utd Lobi Stars 2 Kano Pillars Tornadoes 3 Rivers Utd Abia Warriors 2 Rangers

1 0 1 2 2 2

CAF Champions League Warri Wolves 0 El Merreikh Enyimba 5 Vital’O

1 1

CAF Confederation Cup Nasarawa Utd 1 Constantine

0

Ighalo celebrates his goal against Arsenal

Printed and Published by the African Newspapers of Nigeria PLC, Imalefalafia Street, Oke-Ado, Ibadan. Telephone: 08165728976; 08073598322. E mail: editornigeriantribune@yahoo.com Website: www.tribuneonlineng.com MANAGING DIRECTOR / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: EDWARD DICKSON. EDITOR: DEBO ABDULAI. All Correspondence to P.O. Box 78, Ibadan. ISSN 2712. ABC Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation. 14/03/2016.