19th January 2016 by Nigerian Tribune

NIGERIA’S MOST INFORMATIVE NEWSPAPER NO 16,417

TUESDAY, 19 JANUARY, 2016

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55 Nigerians stole N1.35trn in 7yrs —FG •Says only EFCC can invite Jonathan

—P2

“Between the period of 2006 and 2013, just 55 people allegedly stole a total of N1.34 trillion in the country. That's more than a quarter of last year’s national budget. Out of the stolen funds, 15 former governors allegedly stole N146.84 billion; four former ministers allegedly stole N7 billion; 12 former public servants, both at federal and state levels, allegedly stole over N14 billion; eight people in the banking industry allegedly stole N524 billion while 11 businessmen allegedly stole N653 billion.”

How we exposed discrepancies in 2016 budget —Ndume

EFCC invites Badeh, other ex-military chiefs, companies —P2

•Says Presidency will withdraw 'doctored' document today

Attack on oil facilities: Navy bans night movement on waterways

Ayodele Adesanmi -Abuja SENATE leader, Senator Ali Ndume, on Monday, said due diligence and integrity checks carried out by the Senate led to the discovery of the doctored 2016 budget. The Senate leader, who spoke with newsmen in his office, said investigations carried out showed that two versions of the budget were in circulation. He, however, said barring any unforeseen circumstances, President Muhammadu Buhari had signified continues pg2

•I won't appear before just any judge —Tompolo —Pgs4&5

President Muhammadu Buhari with Mr Yousif Alnowais, Chairman and Managing Director, Arab Development, Mr Hussein Matar, Director/Business Developer, Alnowais Investments and Mr Wale Tinubu, Group Chief Executive Officer, Oando Plc, at the Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, on Monday.

Armsgate: Step aside now, PDP national officers tell Muhammed, Metuh —P3

Lassa fever spreads to Ekiti, Delta

•Claims 2 more lives in Plateau —Pgs6&43

news

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

55 Nigerians looted N1.35tr in 7 years —FG Says only EFCC can invite Jonathan Chris Agbambu and Collins Nnabuife -Abuja

INISTER of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Monday, said between 2006 and 2013, over N1.35 trillion was stolen by 55 Nigerians at all the level of government and in the private sector. This was as he said only the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) have the prerogative to invite former president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, to clarify some issues on the $2.1 billion arms deal. The minister, who disclosed this while answering questions from newsmen said the government did not interfere in EFCC investigation and did not teleguide it, adding that if the commission needed to invite the former president, it is left to it. According to Mohammed, one third of the stolen money, if recovered, could transform the nation’s road and education sector rapidly. “Between the period of 2006 and 2013, just 55 people allegedly stole a total of N1.34 trillion in the country. That’s more than a quarter of last year’s national budget. Out of the stolen funds, 15 former governors allegedly stole N146.84 billion; four former ministers allegedly stole N7 billion; 12 former public servants, both at federal and state levels, allegedly stole over N14 billion; eight people in the banking industry allegedly stole N524 billion while 11 businessmen allegedly stole N653 billion.” “Using World Bank rates and costs, one third of the stolen funds could have provided 635.18 kilometres of road; built 36 ultramodern hospitals per state; built 183 schools; educated 3,974 children from primary to tertiary level at 25.24 million per child and built 20,062 units of two-bedroom houses. “This is the money that a few people, just 55 in number, allegedly stole within a period of just eight years. And instead of a national outrage, all we hear are these nonsensical statements that the government is fighting only the opposition, or that the government is engaging in vendetta,” he said. The minister, however, described the perception of some Nigerians that the war on corruption is a witchhunt of perceived enemies of the

Federal Government as untrue. “There is the wrong impression that the war against corruption is being fought only by the president or the Federal Government or the governing All Progressives Congress (APC). “There is the erroneous impression that the war against corruption is a vendetta against the opposition, and that indeed, it is onesided. This is not true and indeed very nauseating.

“Irrespective of your political, religious or tribal leanings, and not minding whether you belong to the APC, PDP, SDP or Labour Party, if you have stolen public funds, you must not go scot-free. “Everyone and every arm of government must rise up to be counted in this epic war, and defeat is not an option if our country is to survive,” he said. Responding to questions on how the the government

is handling the rule of law, Mohammed said “this government will always respect the rule of law. The truth of the matter is that those who were granted bail were rearrested under valid charges. This government has the highest respect for the rule of law, I want to assure you.” On the 55 corrupt Nigerians, the minister said they were not ghost, adding that all of them are currently in court since 2006. He appealed to the judi-

ciary to treat the cases with the urgency it deserved. “These 55 persons are in various courts, but they have employed all sorts of strategies, adjournment, medical treatment abroad, sickness. You can see in recent times, many of them come to court either with crutches or wheelchair, they don’t fall sick until when they are charged to court,” he said. Speaking on how the government intended to carry

out the war against corruption, Mohammed said “in the days ahead, we intend to carry this sensitisation programme to all the corners of the country, leveraging on the wide reach of the National Orientation Agency (NOA). “We also intend to partner with other agencies of government, especially the anti-corruption agencies and the police, as well as the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption.”

Armsgate: EFCC invites Badeh, other ex-military chiefs, companies Raises the alarm over fake Magu Facebook account Saliu Gbadamosi -Abuja IN compliance with the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should probe former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh and 16 other former and serving military chiefs, the commission has invited the affected military top brass to come and explain their roles in the procurement of arms during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. President Buhari had ordered for probe of the affected individuals, following the recommendation of the committee he set up to audit the procurement of arms and equipment in the armed forces and defence sector between the period of 2007 and 2015. Also slated to be investigated by the anti-graft commission were 21 companies and their directors for their roles in the fundamental breaches associated with the procurements by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Nigerian Air Force (NAF). There were speculations that the affected officers and directors of the companies would start appearing at the commission on Monday, but up till close of work on Monday, none of them showed up at the commission’s office in Abuja. A source informed the Nigerian Tribune that with the presidential directive, the commission had promptly taken step to commence investigation into the roles of ex-Chief of Defence Staff and other military chiefs mentioned, as well as the companies and their directors by sending a formal invitation to them to explain their roles in the arms procurement saga.

The acting chairman of the commission, Ibrahim Magu, may likely address the issue and sundry others in his address to journalists today at the commission’s office in Abuja. Meanwhile, the commission has alerted the general public to the activities of some unscrupulous elements who have opened fake

Facebook accounts in the name of its chairman, Ibrahim Mustafa Magu. According to a statement made available to the Nigerian Tribune in Abuja by the commission’s Head, Media and Publicity, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, the two accounts:https://www. facebook.com/ibrahimmustafa.magu and https://www.

facebook.com/magu.ibrahim.77, had become platform for various unwholesome activities, including solicitation for gratification and influence peddling using the name of the EFCC boss. The statement warned members of the public not to respond to any request for friendship and other demands in the name of Magu

as the accounts did not belong to him. Also, the commission warned the public to be mindful of telephone calls by persons claiming to be acting on behalf of the acting chairman and soliciting gratification, adding that such calls/ persons should be reported to the EFCC or the nearest police station.

How we exposed discrepancies in 2016 budget —Ndume continued from frontpage

intention to withdraw the document through a written communication to the leadership of the National Assembly at the weekend, the content of which would be read on the floor of the Senate today. Ndume reiterated his stand on the missing budget during a chat with newsmen that there was nothing like disappearance of the document from the Senate or from the House of Representatives as reported in the media, but agreed that what happened was discrepancies in figures discovered at the level of integrity checks.

“As I earlier stated, no budget is missing in the Senate because it is not even possible for a document laid before a joint session of the National Assembly by a sitting president to miss. “What only happened and blew out of proportion by the opposition are slight differences observed in copies of the documents at the level of integrity checks. “What I can tell you now is that in the budget that was submitted originally, there were certain integrity check on it that made some changes in the quantity but not in the total,” he said. He, however, described the call for impeachment pro-

ceedings against President Muhammadu Buhari over the budget controversy as a bad joke from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying “if we are to consider the act of impunity committed at the presidency during PDP’s 16 years rule, then Nigerians deserve to kill the party and anything it represents.” He informed that there was no punishment that awaited the presidency over the integrity checks failure of the budget, insisting that the president did not submit a failed budget but a budget that, during integrity checks, showed some discrepancies that needed to be corrected.

Inspite of the controversy trailing the budget document, he said the Senate and, by extension, the National Assembly , would get it passed into law latest by the end of February. “We are targeting end of February to round off on the budget. In fact, if not for this mix up, we are committed to turning out the budget on time,” he said. Ndume also said the appearance of the Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, before the Senate over the dwindling fortune of the Naira in the international market, which was scheduled for today, would be conducted behind closed door.

I never tore confessional papers —Metuh Leon Usigbe and Jacob Segun Olatunji -Abuja DETAINED spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, has denied ever tearing his confessional papers and attempting to swallow them after interrogation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). According to a report published by an online newspaper, on Monday, Metuh made the denial when he was reached at the weekend by some members of the PDP in Kuje Prison, Abuja, where he is currently being

remanded on the orders of the court. It said the PDP national publicity secretary decried the report as propaganda, saying that the last time he saw his interrogators was the second day after they picked him up from his residence. It also said Metuh did not want to speak more on the matter because it was already in court, but urged his visitors to inform Nigerians that he did not do what he had been reported to have done. “They said I ate paper? Tell them o, I did not eat any paper. I don’t know

where they got that from. As a matter of fact, the last contact I had with those people was the next day after I was arrested when I told them to charge me to court,” he said. On the confessional statement he was said to have made, Metuh said: “Confession? Confess what again? These people sef! Anyway, the matter is in court. If I speak on it now, it would be sub-judice.” Meanwhile, his family has decried a statement credited to Metuh regarding his ongoing case with the EFCC. In a statement made avail-

able to newsmen in Abuja by the spokesman of the family, Chief Gilbert Metuh, the family expressed shock over the reports, adding that such statement never emanated from their son. “We are indeed shocked by this report as Chief Metuh, being a seasoned lawyer of many years standing, had, following his appearance in court, not only refrained from making public comments, but had also directly barred his family and aides from making public comments on the matter since it is now in court,” the statement read.

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Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

Step aside now, PDP national officers tell Muhammed, Metuh •They are ignorant —Secondus Leon Usigbe and Jacob Segun Olatunji - Abuja

group of national deputy officers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the acting chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Dr Haliru Bello Muhammed and the National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, who are facing various corruption charges in court to step aside from their offices until they clear their names. In a statement issued in Abuja, on Monday, the group claimed that both men accused of being beneficiaries of the $2.1billion arms procurement fund allegedly diverted in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), acted on their own and should take responsibility for their action without involving the party. Those who signed the statement included Dennis Alonge-Niyi, Deputy National Youth Leader; Bashir Maidugu, Deputy National Legal Adviser; Okey Nnaedozie, Deputy National Organising Secretary and Abdullahi Jalo, Deputy National Publicity Secretary. None of them is a member of the National Working Committee (NWC). The statement noted that the two national leaders were accused of using accounts of their private companies without the knowledge and instructions of any organ of the party. The statement added: “All those mentioned in the ongoing corruption trial are, therefore, on their own and the party was not involved financially or in anyway with the office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) or any other organ of the Federal Government in the last regime.

“They must bear full responsibility of their actions and must henceforth, refrain from dragging the name of the party into the mud.” While it stressed the support of the PDP for the ongoing anti-corruption war, the statement appealed to the Federal Government to apply the principles of objectivity in order not to create the impression of a witch-hunt. It declared: “As a consequence of the wide public interest which this trial has generated, we urge the national caucus, the BoT and the PDP Governors’ Forum

to prevail on the two accused persons to honourably step aside until they clear their names, thereby saving the party from any further damage. “This is not a pronouncement of guilt, but a passionate appeal to halt erroneous concept that the party tolerates corruption. “The National Executive Committee is, therefore, urged to convene a meeting immediately in order to formalise the appointment of a new spokesperson, in line with the party’s constitution that is not weighed down by integrity issues.

“The ideals of our party, in accordance with the vision of the founding father, is among others, respect to the rule of law. “We must not continue with flagrant impunity which has brought us to this situation in the first place.” The group called on the national leadership to obey the December 15, 2015 Abuja High Court ruling on the national chairmanship position of the party, which affirmed that a suitable person from the North-East get-political zone should occupy it. It said: “This is a declara-

tory ruling, where no order of stay of execution from any other court has been granted. “The NEC must do the needful by selecting a suitable national chairman from the North-East to complete their tenure in accordance with our tradition and the party’s constitution. “In pursuance of this, therefore, Prince Uche Secondus, should revert back to his constitutional position of deputy as a matter of urgency. “The pursuit of national chairman of the party of any appeal against this

Charles Okah (second left) and Obi Nwanbueze (second right), both alleged masterminds of 2010 Abuja bombing, being assisted out of the court by Prison officials during their trial, at Abuja Federal High Court, on Monday. PHOTO: SUNDAY OSUNRAYI

Buhari appoints Abdallah to head NDLEA PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Mr Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The appointment, which takes effect from January 11, is for a first tenure of five

years, according to a statement by the Director Press in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Mr Bolaji Adebiyi. Mr Abdallah, a retired Lieutenant-Colonel of the Nigerian Army, has a Certificate of Education from Nigeria Defence Academy in

1977, a Bachelor’s Degree in American Politics and Government from Sam Houston State University, Huntville, Texas, USA in 1989, an M.A. Public Administration, LLB and LLM Degrees from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria 2005 and 2011, respectively and Bachelors of Law from the Nigeria Law

School in 2006. Mr Abdallah is a professional security officer, whose public service career spanned over 30 years, during which he served in various capacities and strategic positions in the military. Born on November 13, 1954, Mr Abdallah is from Hong, Adamawa State.

Appeal Court affirms sack of LG chairmen in Rivers Dapo Falade - Port Harcourt COURT of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Monday, dismissed a motion filed by the sacked 23 local government council chairmen elected during the last days of Rotimi Amaechi-led administration in the state. It will be recalled that Honourable Augustine Ngor and the other 22 sacked local chairmen filed the suit, appealing against a

judgment delivered by then Justice Lambo Akanbi of the Federal High Court which removed them from office. It will also be recalled that the Yenagoa, Bayelsa State Division of the National Industrial Court (NIC) had also thrown out a suit by the sacked chairmen on the ground of abuse of court process. The 22 local government chairmen, all members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), were elected in a one-sided exercise boycotted by the state chapter

of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on May 23, 2015, It was conducted after PDP approached the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, seeking an injunction restraining Amaechi from conducting the election. The appellate court, presided over by Justice Teresa Orji Abosua, while upholding the Justice Akanbi judgment, struck out the motion by the sacked council chairmen on the ground of administrative error.

She dismissed the motion before the court, noting that it was a suit seeking for Appeal Court number which would indicated full administration by the court before hearing, but the applicants already had the number. The trial judge, however, declined a proposal by the defendant’s counsel, Emma Aguma, that the applicants should be fined N50,000 each for their carelessness before the court. Addressing newsmen after the judgment, Aguma,

who is also the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, said the ruling was in order. He said it justified the ruling of Justice Akanbi (now retired) of the Port Federal High Court, as well as that of the NIC at Yenagoa, which he said both declared the council poll illegal. Also speaking, counsel for the sacked council chairmen, E. A. Yohelp, said he withdrew the motion after he noticed it was filed on administration error.

ruling which sought to interpret our constitution was not only selfish, but inconsiderate, in view of the sanctity of our zoning arrangements.” The group also kicked against the timetable released for the forthcoming congresses and national convention by the NWC without recourse to the NEC, noting that it was null and void, because the NWC was not properly constituted. It pointed out that: “Aside from the offices of the National Chairman, National Secretary, National Financial Secretary and the National Auditor, the National Convention that produced the other national officers was held on the 30th of August, 2013, when their positions were put up for fresh elections. It also called for the proper audit of the finances of the party by certified external auditors as enshrined in the party’s constitution, noting that the audit period should be as from 24h March, 2012. “This will enable the NEC to discharge its constitutional obligations to the National Convention,” it said. The deputy national officers urged the national caucus and the BoT to urgently convene a meeting of NEC “to address all these burning issues. Any further delay will exacerbate the situation.” In his reaction, the acting national chairman, Secondus, said the group was acting in ignorance, while he accused them of being used by the ruling APC. He recalled that the party’s NWC had already been taken to court and had appealed the ruling even though he as the substantive deputy national chairman has not stepped into the national chairmanship position, as he was only acting in the absence of a national chairman in line with the PDP’s constitution. Secondus said the group was acting with malice and was being used to destabilise the opposition party, saying “they are doing it out of malice and ignorance. They are being used by the other party to destabilise us, but we aren’t going to be distracted. We are strong. “I haven’t assumed the office of chairman. I am still the deputy chairman. I am only administering in acting capacity.” He added that the group of deputy national officers was alien to the party and was not authorised by the PDP.

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Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

Biafra will not die, MASSOB replies OBJ •As police buffer IPOB protest Alphonsus Agborh-Asaba

HE Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has dismissed the claim of former President Olusegun Obasanjo that Biafra is dead. While delivering a keynote address at a public discussion on Biafra in Abuja on Friday, Obasanjo had argued that no Nigerian should give vent to the agitation because it was “a dead issue.” “Biafra as a secession issue is dead, and nobody should follow that way. I see it as a platform rather than a cause. The agitation was born in error and ignorance. There is the commercialisation of the Biafran agitation, which is criminal – for example, the issuance of so-called Biafran passport which takes one nowhere. Biafra agitation is a hopeless and futile exercise of which no-

body should embark on,” Obasanjo had said. Samuel Edeson, director of information, in reaction to this, released a statement on MASSOB’s behalf on Monday, saying Biafra outlived Obasanjo, who tried to destroy it when he was in power. “Obasanjo is ignorant of Biafra. MASSOB wishes to reply Obasanjo that Biafra is not dead and will never die,” the statement read. Meanwhile, the police command in Delta State has said that it gave buffer to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), during their protest in Asaba, on Monday in order to avoid any breakdown of law and order. IPOB has embarked on the protest, demanding the release of their leader Nnamdi Kalu, being held by the Federal Government. Two Hilux vehicles with anti-riot policemen accompanied the protesters who

Boko Haram: Over 600 flee villages, seek refuge in Maiduguri James Bwala-Maiduguri

OVER 600 people from five villages in Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State have fled their homes in a renewed Boko Haram attack, to seek refuge in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. Speaking with Nigerian Tribune in Maiduguri, on Monday, Mallam Bunu Kachallah, who spoke on behalf of the five villages said there was no security presence 10 kilometres away after Mafa and that Boko Haram terrorist have been killing their people, a situation which informed their decision to relocate to Maiduguri, a place they see as safe heaven. Kachallah said they have come with their Chief Imam and their village heads to settle in Maiduguri and want government to give them a place to stay and mourn some of their people who were killed by the insurgents. The people who stormed Maiduguri with their horses, donkeys and any other essentials, stationed themselves at the entrance to the city, near the NNPC Mega station along Mafa road, where they were asked to stay by security operatives for further

clearance. Kachallah added they have resisted the insurgents by fighting back but were overpowered and have come to the decision to leave their home before the insurgents kill them all. “We fought them back but lost many of our youths in the process. We decided to abandon our villages and flee from the terrorists having met with some of our people last week, during the market day at Gwom, he said. He stated that they would not have left their villages if their security was guaranteed revealing that they only discovered military presence when they arrived Maiduguri. He said, “Boko Haram people have more dangerous weapons including sophisticated guns, while we use spears, bows and arrows. We can not match their powers because they out number us. I lost my son while he was trying to defend our village from Boko Haram attack. I regretted allowing him to join the youth to defend our village but as an elder I have to allow him when other people’s children went to defend the village.”

as early as 8:00 a.m. had commenced a long trek from Abraka area through

Nnebisi road to Anwai road before making a uturn back, towards Abraka.

The State Police Public Relations officer, Celestina Kalu, told Nigerian Tri-

bune that the protest was peaceful adding that “we are monitoring them.”

Attacks of oil pipelines: Navy bans night movements on waterways Ebenezer Adurokiya-Warri

THE Nigerian Navy has placed a ban on all movements on waterways after sunset in Delta State. The ban is to checkmate the recent vandalisation of oil and gas pipelines by suspected former militants in Delta creeks. Commander, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS DELTA), Warri Naval Base, Commodore Raimi Moham-

med gave this hint, on Monday, in Warri. The naval boss also announced that boats using engines from 200 horse power or more have been restricted from plying the waterways, adding that enforcement of the bans have commenced in earnest. Commodore Mohammed warned those behind the renewed bombing of oil and gas pipelines in Warri South West Local Govern-

ment Area to desist, or be ready to face the music, when caught. He informed that his men have been able to contain the heinous activities of the miscreants on oil and gas facilities in parts of Delta creeks. He added that strategic steps were being taken to ensure safety and security of lives and property in the waterways. According to the naval

Enugu residents defy MASSOB ‘stay at home’ order Jude Ossai-Enugu

RESIDENTS of Enugu and other parts of the coal city state, on Monday, defied a call by the factional leadership of Movement for Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) that they should stay at home for the refusal of the Federal Government to release the detained Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu. When Nigerian Tribune went to the streets of Enugu metropolis and its environs, people were seen going about their normal activities just as markets including Ogbete and Kenyatta markets were beehive of economic activities. They later disappeared to unknown destination. Some of the traders at Ogbete market, who anonymously spoke with Nigerian Tribune, said they were not aware of the directive by the MASSOB leadership, adding that even if they knew, they would not want to obey an order that did not come from the government. The Chairman of the Ogbete Amalgamated Traders Association (OMATA), Chief Temple Udeh was not in office when contacted for comment. Schools including primary and post primary institutions in the state also went about normal academic activities. Reports said there was a road block mounted by MASSOB members at Abakpa-Nike, an outskirts of Enugu and they hoisted Biafra flag in the area. The Police Public Relations Officer, Ebere Ama-

rizu had recently warned that no person or group of persons is bigger than the government, adding that MASSOB is an illegal body and consequently should not operate in the state. It will be recalled that the factional leadership of MASSOB had threatened

that unless the Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu is released by the Federal Government, it would call for public protest, demonstrations, civil disobedience and stay at home protest against his continued detention beginning from Monday.

commander, a combined force of security services had already pushed back the miscreants to avert further destruction of oil and gas pipelines within the creeks. “We have been on it, trying to make sure that we contain it; at least last night (Saturday night), we had peace and we want to maintain that momentum. No place was blown up last night. We have actually blocked all the places, which they come out from, and which move through. They can’t come out at night and we hope to keep it that way. “Those behind these attacks should know that it is not in the interest of the communities where they are from or in the interest of the nation, they have to very careful. Anybody caught will face to the full weight of the law,” commodore Mohammed noted.

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Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

How NIMASA spent N2.6bn —Witness

As another says EFCC still investigating Suswam, Okolobia in N6 bn fraud F rom Ayomide Owonibi Odekanyin and Sunday Ejike

EDERAL High Court in Lagos, on Monday heard how part of the N2.6 billion allegedly stolen by a former Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mr Patrick Akpobolokemi, was disbursed. It will be recalled that Akpobolokemi was also accused of defrauding the Federal Government to the tune of N795.2 million. Akpobolokemi was arraigned before Justice Ibrahim Buba alongside three others – Captain Ezekiel Agaba, Ekene Nwakuche, Governor Juan – and three companies, namely Blockz and Stonz Limited, Kenzo Logistics Limited and AlKenzo Logistic Limited. In a 22-count charge by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), they were accused of converting a total of N2,658,957,666 between December 23, 2013 and May 28, 2015. The defendants pleaded not guilty to all the counts. EFCC, which opened trial on Monday, called its first witness, Teslim Ajuwon, who is the Compliance Officer at Zenith Bank. He said he was responsible for inquiries from regulatory agencies, such as the EFCC, the police, NDLEA, among others. He said he received inquiries from EFCC for a report of activities on some accounts, including Aruwo Consulting Limited, Extreme Vertex Limited, Southern Options Limited, Green Lemon Services and Committee on ISPS. He said the bank received a request to produce account opening package of the companies, as well as their financial statements. The witness said the fourth defendant, Governor Juan, was paid N11 million on September 9, 2014, while Kenzo Logistics, also a defendant, got N10 million same day. For the Committee on ISPS account, there was an inflow of N14.2 million on June 17, 2014 from Access Bank; N21.2 million on March 5, 2015; N16 million on May 5, 2015; and N21.2 million on June 18, 2015. He said the monies were later disbursed, leaving only N1.4 million as balance on June 18, 2015. Ajuwon said N10 million was transferred to Uchen-

na Emenalo last June 19; while another N11 million was transferred to him the same day. He said on August 29, 2014, there was a a credit of N795.2 million into the ISPS account from NIMASA. The witness said it was followed by several payments amounting to N27 million to Ekene Nwauche between September 16 and November 18, 2014. According to him, N318 million was paid to Extreme Bracket on November 6, 2014, while Avant Guard Security Services got N94 million. Several other companies also received payments. According to the witness, on January 8, Soko Global Services got N15.7 million; Alfa Convoy got N6.9 million; R-World Consulding got N70 million, while O2 Services Plus Limited got N21.2 million last March 5. Ajuwon said last May 28, NIMASA made a lodgment of N447 million, which was also disbursed to different companies. They included N95 mil-

lion to Avant Guard on May 28; N46 million to R-World Consulting; and N7 million to Green Lemon Consulting. During cross-examination by Akpbolokemi’s lawyer, the witness said he did not see the first accused’s name in the documents he tendered. “I’ve looked through exhibits 1-12. I did not see the name of the first defendant,” he said. Justice Buba adjourned till Tuesday for continuation of trial. Meanwhile, apart from the N3.1billion fraud allegation against former governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam and his Finance Commissioner, Omadachi Okolobia, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday, told the Federal High Court in Abuja that it is still investigating them on another N6 billion alleged fraud. At the resumed trial on Monday, a star witness of the commission and a detective with the EFCC, Junaidu Sa’id, told the court that the allegations against

Suswam and his Finance Commissioner were being investigated in fragments. He said the allegation of the diversion of over N3.1billion of Benue State funds into the pocket of the defendants had been concluded hence, their arraignment, adding, however, that investigation was still ongoing in the alleged theft of another N6 billion of the Benue State government money by the defendants. According to Sa’id, “investigation into some aspects of the allegations is ongoing. What the team that investigated the matter did was to segment the allegations, investigated them and left the rest for further investigation, which is ongoing.” The witness, who was being cross-examined by counsel for the former governor, Joseph Daudu, said EFCC operatives commenced investigation into the allegations against Suswam and his co-accused, following a petition in that respect. He told the court that the address on the petition against the defendant cap-

tioned, “Truth shall prevail over evil minds” could not be traced and that the message sent to the e-mail address on the petition was not delivered. He also said the petition, upon which the EFCC commenced investigation was not signed by any particular person. The petition, which Daudu tendered as exhibit from the bar, accused Suswam and Co of diverting N6 billion ecological fund from the Federal Government over a period of eight years, diversion of N1billion from the sale/ lease of Taraku Vegetable Oil Company, as well as the diversion of about N25 billion from local government account, among others. The trial judge, Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed, adjourned till 12 noon today for continuation of trials. The witness told the court earlier while led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, that ex-Governor Suswam gave the instruction that shares owned by the Benue State government in the Benue

Investment and Property Company be sold off for the sum of N10 billion. Upon the order, the witness said that Elixir Investment Partners was appointed as stockbrokers to carry out the sales of the shares, during which over N9 billion was realised. The witness said Elixir Investment Partners, was thereafter instructed to pay the N9 billion into three different bank accounts of the state Ministry of Finance. N5 billion was paid into the account of Benue State Ministry of Finance by Elixir Investment Partners, while a total sum of N3.1 billion was paid into Fanffash Resources account. The witness said the owner of Fanfash Resources, Abubakar Umar, was invited by the EFCC, who confirmed that he received N3.1 billion in his company account and converted same to dollar equivalent, amounting to $15.8 million and that he delivered same in cash to former Governor Suswam at his Maitama Residence in Abuja.

Tompolo: I won’t appear before biased judge GOVERNMENT Ekpemupolo, ex-militant leader better known as Tompolo, has said he is yet to honour the invitation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) because he does not want to be arraigned before a biased judge. Tompolo, who is being investigated for alleged fraudulent deals he had with the Nigerian Maritime Safety Agency (NIMASA), maintained innocence. Accusing the Federal Government of flouting court orders with impunity, Tompolo said no one should be above the law and promised to honour the invitation of the anti-graft agency. “He will appear before the EFCC, but the court case he has with them has to be settled before he will honour the invitation,” Paul Bebenibo, Tompolo’s spokesman, told TheCable. “Be that as it may, adherence to constitutionalism and the rule of law should not be on one part. There have been so many court pronouncements which the government and its agencies have refused to obey. “The Federal Government should also respect the rule of law. Imagine the president saying that some persons should be kept in custody when the court asked that they should be freed. It doesn’t work. Tompolo will

certainly appear because there is no misdeed on his part as far as the transactions with the Federal Government and NIMASA are concerned. As I speak to you now, his lawyers are working to sort that out. “He was actually the backbone of NIMASA in recovering the levies, taxes and so on, since he has interest in Global West Vessel Company, which does the job for NIMASA. “So, if there is any financial issue that has got to do with NIMASA, Global West and Tompolo, he is

very innocent. His records in ensuring that the publicprivate partnership which Global West had with NIMASA worked out for good are out known. “So, one needs to be careful in order not to appear before just any court. Tompolo would not allow himself to be ridiculed, never. He would not appear before just any judge that would not be able to give effective judgment. Not a judge that would make pronouncement that would tie his hands, he won’t appear be-

fore such judge,” he said. Bebenibo maintained that the ex-militant leader knew nothing about the recent attack on oil installations in the Niger Delta, saying the EFCC should give Tompolo more time to honour its summons. “Tompolo would not condescend so low to attack oil installations, because he is being invited by the EFCC. “It is a non-issue. Afterall, he is in court with the EFCC. He went to court two months after the EFCC froze his account without any

court mandate. “He challenged them in court and the EFCC invited him after that; so Tompolo is not afraid of appearing before EFCC. He will certainly appear, but he should be given more time,” he said. Reacting to rumours that Tompolo has fled the country, Bebenibo said: “Flee to where? Tompolo has not left this country before. Since he accepted the amnesty offer of the late President Musa Yar’Adua, he had remained in this country. He cannot go through the backdoor.”

Why Buhari will not congratulate Bayelsa gov —Lai Mohammed T aiwo Adisa - Abuja MINISTER of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Monday, said President Muhammadu Buhari will not congratulate winner of the Bayelsa governorship election, Governor Seriake Dickson, adding that the president was out to separate conduct of elections from public office. Mohammed, who addressed newsmen in Abuja, said Buhari would deviate from the tradition he inherited because he was separating politics from presidency. “This president is not in the business of interfering and intervening in elections,” he said, while asking: “What if he sent a congratu-

latory message and they go to court and the election is overturned, will he withdraw the congratulatory message? “This president believes that the presidency should be insulated from the conduct of elections and their outcomes.” But in a direct reference to the government’s spokesman, Governor Seriake Dickson, in Abuja, also on Monday, said Buhari’s conduct was unstatesmanly. He insisted that as the president, Buhari needed to see himself as the father of the nation, adding that he should build on democratic foundations inherited from the past governments. The governor said after his election, President Muham-

madu Buhari should have congratulated him, in line with the practice instituted by other past leaders. He insisted that his failure to congratulate him was not helping the nation’s democracy. “The president is the custodian of the country. President Olusegun Obasanjo and others never compromised that standard. In the interest of the nation, the president should congratulate me. He should be advised to project himself more and that is the opportunity my re-election has provided. “I know it is not yet late, I don’t know the briefing he got. If you look at the manner he was elected, President Goodluck Jonathan congrat-

ulated him, he would have gone to court and that is a major milestone,” he said. Speaking on his re-election, the governor said it was a major significant development for Nigeria’s democracy, adding that “this is the first time a governor in the core Niger Delta would be winning election different from the government at the centre. It is a triumph of peoples’ will over might.” He expressed optimism that the traditional ruler of Peremabiri community, Chief Progress Never Die, who was attacked by hoodlums during the election and had a bullet lodged in his head, would get well, adding that he was responding to treatment.

news Student nurse contracts Lassa fever in Ekiti 6

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

No cause for alarm —Govt Sam Nwaoko - Ado Ekiti

ASSA fever has spread to Ekiti State with authorities announcing that one index case of the deadly virus has been recorded. It was announced that a patient is currently on admission at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti (FETHI) and that the patient tested positive to the infection on Saturday. The Commissioner for Health in the state, Dr Olurotimi Ojo, who made the announcement in Ado Ekiti, on Monday, said “over the weekend, the state had

confirmed a case of Lassa fever that is being managed at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti. The patient is stable and had commenced treatment.” Dr Ojo, who spoke at a stakeholders’ meeting on Lassa fever, explained that “immediately the patient was diagnosed and confirmed, the management began the process of contact tracing. Once you have an index case, there is tendency of having a primary case and possible spread and this could be dangerous.” He, however, allayed the fears of the people of the

state, saying “the doctors are handling the situation and monitoring the situation very closely. So, nobody has been quarantined after the contact tracing.” He added that the state governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, had, long before now, approved an isolation ward at the Oba Adejugbe General Hospital in Ado Ekiti, as a proactive step prior to the breakout. Dr Ojo also added that he had confirmed from the Chief Medical Director of FETHI, Dr Lawrence Ayodele Majekodunmi, who confirmed that the patient was a student of the FETHI

2 more casualties in Plateau Lassa fever has claimed two more lives in Plateau, the state government confirmed on Monday in Jos. The state Commissioner for Health, Mr Kuden Dayin, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the victims died at the Jos University Teaching Hosital (JUTH), on Saturday. The latest development brings to three, the number of persons so far killed, after the commissioner confirmed the death of one person at Ting village in Fombur District of Mangu Local Government Area last week. According to Dayin, rela-

tions, friends and health workers who came in contact with the latest victims have been placed under surveillance. He also disclosed that 32 persons were currently under surveillance in Mangu, up from the 15 earlier placed under surveillance in that area last week. The commissioner, however, said that none of the persons under surveillance had shown any positive sign of symptoms of the disease. He commended the Federal Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation for supplying drugs to

Get rat killers,Oduah advises Kola Oyelere - Kano

SENATOR Stella Oduah representing Anambra North senatorial district has advised all Nigerians, especially those in rural areas, to get rat killers and other chemicals to enable them get rid of the virus infected rodents. She also called on them to maintain a clean environment to avoid the spreading of Lassa fever. According to a statement made available on Monday through email, the senator urged the people to cling to caution against Lassa. She urged Nigerians to imbibe the culture of maintaining a clean environment to avoid further spread of Lassa fever as already reported in various states of the federation. “Maintaining a clean environment is key to avoiding the fast-spreading Lassa haemorrhagic fever. “Avoiding close contact and reporting suspected victims to the nearest health centre will also help to curb further spread. “It is important for us to

key into the ongoing sensitisation campaign by the Ministry of Health and eventually, the disease will become a thing of the past,” she said.

the state through the Centre for Disease Control. He warned people against the consumption of rat meat. Dayin advised residents to ensure personal and environmental hygiene to minimise the possibility of contacting the disease.

School of Nursing, a nurses’ training arm of the teaching hospital. “However, the situation is being curtailed from efforts from the state government in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and World Health Organisation (FMH), through the office of the national centre for

By Lanre Akinmoladun

VICE President, African Veterinary Association, Dr Gani Enahoro, has advocated change in failed strategies employed by health authorities to stop the recurrence of deadly zoonotic viral haemorrhagic fever. Enahoro disclosed this on Monday, while speaking with the Nigerian Tribune. “As a nation, we must come out of the box and design a new and sincere approach to deal with a dis-

ease that is quite endemic in our region, rather than continue with the fire brigade methods of raising alarm, daily blow-by-blow ministerial updates of deaths on television, setting up onesided committee, begging for international donations and building professional silos around the outbreaks, as if an island exist around diseases. “At best, what those steps have given us was to unfairly concentrate every effort in post infec-

Don’t eat rats, NMA warns Nigerians Soji-Eze Fagbemi - Abuja

THE Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) on Monday warned Nigerians not to eat rats, while it also asked all other states not affected by the outbreak of Lassa fever not to relax as the epidemic is not exclusive of any state of the federation. In its declaration on Lassa fever as national epidemic in Abuja yesterday,

anti-viral drugs, Ribavirin, is distributed in line with the sensitisation campaign carried out in 1,500 communities across the state. The commissioner who said the state government was concentrating on enlightenment on the dangers of the disease, appealed to the people to promote “good personal hygiene.” “We have distributed Lassa fever drugs to 1,031 community health centres in the state and we have equipped all the centres adequately. “The Cross River State government is concerned about the health of the people, and that is why we are doing everything possible to ensure that we keep the disease out of the state. “Members of the public should promote good community and personal hygiene by keeping their en-

can lead to the contact or spread of the disease. The commissioner, who revealed that the disease had been endemic, particularly in Borno State since 1969, said the patient was said to have been treated for malaria and typhoid fever with high profile antibiotics, but did not respond to treatment.

Enahoro canvasses new strategies

the association commended the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari, for his moral, timely and financial support towards curtailing the epidemic. The declaration, signed by the President of NMA, Dr Kayode Obembe and the Secretary General, Dr Adewunmi Alayaki, also commended the minister of health for tireless efforts towards nipping the Lassa epidemic in the

C/River govt warns residents against drinking ‘garri’ THE Cross River State government has warned residents of the state against drinking ‘garri’, a staple made from cassava for now. Dr Inyang Asibong, the Commissioner for Health, gave the warning on Monday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Calabar. Asibong said the warning became imperative as the causative agents, rats, might have urinated or defecated on it. She noted that because of poor storage, rats easily had access to the food item. Asibong disclosed that the government had distributed anti-viral drugs to 1,031 community health centres across the 18 local government areas of the state to check the imminent outbreak of Lassa fever. According to Asibong, the

disease control. “The governor is also embarking on public and town-to-town sensitisation about Lassa fever through the airing of jingles and distribution of IEC materials to the people.” He advised the people of the state to take precautionary measures and refrain from taking risk that

Nigerian Tribune

vironment clean,” she told NAN, expressing gratitude to God that the state has not recorded a case. “Covering of foods and other consumable items as well as washing their hands regularly with soap and water is highly advisable. “We are grateful to God that we have not had any case of Lassa fever in Cross River, we are aware of the outbreak in some states in Nigeria.

bud, saying that public enlightenment and proactiveness on the epidemic have been most heart warming. “Do not eat rats and improve rat control in your personal houses,” NMA advised. The NMA advised Nigerians not to panic, saying that the Federal Government and Ministry of Health had risen up to the task. It said: “Outside of Bauchi, Kano, Nasarawa, Niger, Edo and the other states in which the current epidemics are noted, all should know that no state in Nigeria should relax that they are not involved or affected. Lassa fever is not exclusive to any state because of the random population-mixing pattern in the country. “In fact, all the states have the potential to be at risk of being affected if we neglect to observe basic personal and communal hygienic practices at the individual, family and community levels.”

tion management of patients and contact tracing of those who related with infected people, rather than a holistic multi-disciplinary approach that is more efficient, prudent and sustainable, when all hands are on the deck,” he said. He noted that the animal-human interface that makes elimination of rats and rodents critical in the case of Lassa fever “has been completely ignored or played down, when the committees are formed and when funds are deployed.” “No expert in that area of competence has ever been found worthy of membership of Lassa Fever Committees, even when an unwieldy number of 26-man omnibus committee of solely medical doctors was formed in 2012. The failure of such one-sided panel beating of a very deadly situation is now staring us in the face today with the current recurrence. This is the missing link, which could be traced to pecuniary benefits that may surround the funds that would be provided, under emergency, to deal with the disease,” he said. The former Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA) president also noted that veterinary institutions like the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), Vom in Plateau State, which could boast of diagnostic facilities of a similar Bio-Safety Levels (BSL 3 or 4) available at Irrua, which can confirm Lassa or possibly Ebola viruses, such that samples from patients in Taraba would not have had to be transported all the way to Irrua Specialist Hospital in Edo State for confirmation.

FCTA unveils plans to prevent its spread THE Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has mapped out plans to curtail the spread of Lassa fever in the territory. Dr Hadiza Balarabe, the Director, Public Health Department of the FCTA Health Secretariat, made this known in an interview

with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday, in Abuja. Balarabe said that the secretariat had instituted coordinated activities to promote and encourage healthy behaviours. She said that the secretariat was in collaborating with

the six area councils and other relevant organisations to check the spread of the deadly disease. “We are strengthening all surveillance activities and executing coordinated community-wide activities to encourage healthy behaviour.”

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

Lagosmetro

Edited By

Lanre Adewole

olanreade@yahoo.com

0811 695 4647

Govt sacks trucks from new Ijora terminal

“1 million boys” members arrested in Badagry

Tola Adenubi

Olalekan Olabulo Eleven suspected members of the dreaded “1 million boys” in Badagry area of Lagos State have been arrested by the police. Members of the group are said to be notorious for cultism and armed robbery incidents in communities around Badagry. The suspects were arrested at one of the communities in Badagry while allegedly attempting to rob some motorists. A source at Badagry police station, while speaking with Lagos Metro, stated that arrested suspects had denied being members of the gang. The police source also stated that the suspects insisted that they were students and that they were framed up by the people who arrested them. “But that does not mean that we will just release them like that. We are investigating. If we find them innocent, we will release them and if not, they will be charged to court,” the source stated. Efforts to speak with the image maker in charge of the state police command, Dolapo Badmus failed as calls to her mobile phone were not answered.

A messy drainage at Oshodi Mafoluku area of Lagos. Photo: Sylvester Okoruwa

Cynthia Osokogu:

Police arrested me when I returned her phone —Suspect AyomideOwonibiOdekanyin

zike Nonso, one of the four people accused of murdering Cynthia

Osokogu who they met on Facebook, has told an Igbosere High Court of his involvement in her murder. It will be recalled that the

late Cynthia was a postgraduate student of Nasarawa State University. She was murdered at Cosmilla Hotel, FESTAC Town, Lagos, on July 22, 2012 by

friends she met on Facebook, a social media site. Okwumo Nwabufo, Olisaeloka Ezike, Orji Osita and Ejike Nonso are facing a six-count charge bor-

court for alleged theft of N16.5 million belonging to their employers. The incident occurred between July and September 2015 at the Orile-Iganmu

branch of First Bank Plc. According to the police, the bankers used their office as the Automated Teller Machine custodian officers to steal N2.9 million. They were also accused of diverting cheques worth N12.2 million meant for Leadway Insurance and converted it to their personal use. They were equally accused of stealing N1.4 million. The total sum of money stolen by the two accused persons was N16.5 million. Kehinde, 34, who resides at 409, Borno way, Sabo Yaba, Lagos, and Abdulwaheed, 29, who resides at 34, Awe Street, Orile Iganmu, were arraigned before an

Igbosere Magistrate Court over allegations of fraud. The two bankers however pleaded not guilty to the offences. The presiding magistrate, A. T Omoyele, admitted them bail in the sum of 1 million naira each with two responsible sureties each in like sum. She said that the sureties must be gainfully employed, and also show evidence of two years tax payment to Lagos State government and have their addresses verified by the prosecutors. She also ordered that civil servants and touts were not allowed to stand as sureties for the accused persons and adjourned the matter till February 2 for mention.

Bankers in prison over N16.5m fraud AyomideOwonibi-Odekanyin

Two bankers, Akani Kehinde and Mustapha Abdulwaheed, have been arrested and charged to

...Herbal mixture seller too AyomideOwonibi-Odekanyin

A 39-year-old man, Joseph Odaleye, who was accused of selling herbal mixture in a commercial bus has been arrested and charged before a Federal High Court. Odaleye who was arrested by the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) was accused of advertising and selling Katoka mixture, a herbal cleanser.

Nigerian Tribune

He was further accused of displaying the herbal drink to the public for distribution and sale. According to NAFDAC, the offence contravened the provisions of sections 2 (1) (a) of the Counterfeit and Unwholesome Processed Foods (Miscellaneous offence) Act, Cap C34, Laws of the Federation 2004. He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge. Following an application

for bail by his lawyer, Mrs Pamela Amadi, Justice Salisu Saidu granted him bail in the sum of N2 million with two sureties in like sum. The judge insisted that one of the sureties must be a blood relation of the accused. Justice Saidu, however, ordered the remand of the accused at the Ikoyi prison until the perfection of his bail terms. He adjourned the case till March 3 for trial.

dering on felony, conspiracy, robbery and murder, brought against them by the state. Nonso said that he was arrested at Festac Area E police command when he voluntarily went there to return the phone that he was alleged to have stolen. He said that the alleged stolen phone was given to him by his brother for repair but that he later asked him to sell the phone as the owner was no longer interested in using the phone after the repair. He also stated that he had sold the phone to a schoolmate who resides in Port Harcourt, who later called him to complain about the strange calls and text messages that he was receiving. The suspect asked the buyer to return the phone to him and also send him the number that had been calling him. Justice Olabisi Akinlade fixed April 11 for mention and also filling of the final written addresses on the case.

Any hope by truck operators plying the Lagos seaport of a reprieve from their long stay on the ports access roads and bridges was dashed when the Lagos State government told them they could no longer park their trucks in the open expanse of land at Ilu-Eri in Ijora. According to findings, many of the truck operators under the aegis of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) had started parking their trucks at Ilu-Eri, very close to the premises of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) in order to avoid the parking of trucks on ports access roads and bridges, which had caused untold gridlock to road users in recent times. According to the chairman of AMATO, Remi Ogungbemi, the operators had even committed millions in capital for the survey of the land at Ilu-Eri. “We have been working assiduously to get a befitting place that will serve as a truck terminal so that we will not keep parking our trucks on the roads or on top of the bridges. “We identified a place in Ilu-Eri in Ijora but the Lagos State government has not seen reasons to partner with us on that. We hav even put in money to develop the place as regards the land survey, but all of a sudden the state government came up with a notice to us, telling us that the place has been earmarked for one of their low cost housing scheme.

“Since we cannot argue with government, we had to leave that place in Ijora despite having spent so much to develop the place. We have committed millions in capital to develop that place and I have all the documents to back that. The place is at Ilu-Eri between Ijora and brewery. It is by the railway corridor. We paid millions of naira for the survey and have started taking away the refuse on the place before the government told us to leave, even though the government has not given us another place. “As I speak to you, if you go through Ajegunle, Ijora and Iganmu, you will see trucks littering all the access roads that lead to the ports. This is not the best. We need a large expanse of land that can serve as a holding bay or truck terminal or a truck marshalling yard that can serve the interest of the ports,” he stated.

Barricades being erected along the Oshodi-Agege rail line.

Mushin mayhem suspects face probe over missing police rifle Olalekan Olabulo A leader of one of the two gangs allegedly responsible for last week’s mayhem in Mushin area of Lagos State and one other person have been arrested by the police in the state. They are equally expected to face probe over a missing police rifle. The suspect identified as Afeez and another member of his gang, Mubo, were ar-

rested around Daleko area of Isolo. The suspects were over the weekend arrested by policemen from Olosan divisional police station, who had been on the trail of members of the gangs. A source at Olosan police station, who spoke with Lagos Metro on the condition of anonymity, stated that the suspects had been transferred to the State Criminal

Mechanic bites neighbour’s nose AyomideOwonibiOdekanyin

A mechanic, Augustine Orivba, has been arrested and charged to court for allegedly biting his neighbour’s nose. Orivba was accused of unlawfully assaulting his neighbour, one Mr. Henry Obocha, by biting his nose. It was gathered that anytime Orivba came home very late at night and found the door leading to his apart-

ment locked, he would start knocking heavily for neighbours to open. It was gathered further that on the day of the incident, he banged on the gate, but none of his neighbours responded. Angry with the development, he damaged the door to gain entrance into the passage that led to his apartment. When the accused finally entered, he sighted Obocha sleeping in the passage and

angrily attacked him for not opening the door for him. During the altercation, Orivba bit the complainant’s nose. The accused pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrate Court and was granted bail in the sum of N200, 000 with two sureties in like sum. The Magistrate, Mr A. A Adesanya, adjourned the case to February 2 for mention.

Investigations Department, Panti, for further interrogation. No fewer than six people were injured and over thirty vehicles were last week vandalised and some set ablaze as the two rival gangs of hoodlums battled for territorial control in Mushin. The arrested Ilesanmi was said to be the leader of the “Ceasefire Boys”, who confronted another group, headed by Akeem No Case. A police source at Panti, who pleaded anonymity , while speaking with Lagos Metro stated that the police were also investigating the arrested suspects in connection with a police stolen riffle. The police source said “they were arrested by policemen from Olosan Police Station and we called for their transfer to this place.” The police source also added that “already we have a case of a missing police rifle in which the names of some of these people had

been mentioned. We are certainly going to ensure that everybody involved in the Mushin crisis will be made to face the full wrath of the law.”

The image maker in charge of the state police command, Dolapo Badmus could not be reached to react to the arrest as of the time of filing this report.

Agent in custody over N100,000 fraud AyomideOwonibi-Odekanyin

A 38-year-old man, Adeniyi Oriade, has been remanded in prison for allegedly defrauding one Dozie Hogan of N100,000 under the false pretence of securing an accommodation for him. The incident happened at Oriade Street in Oke Afa area of Ejigbo where Adeniyi Oriade resides with his family. It was gathered that Oriade claimed that he was an agent and therefore collected the money after which he showed the victim an apartment but rented same to another person. According to Hogan, he paid the money to Oriade who promised to get him a selfcontained apartment last year, which he did not.

The matter was reported to the police at Ejigbo division and Oriade was arrested and taken to the station. At the station, he allegedly admitted collecting the money and informed the police that he spent the money during the Christmas celebration. Oriade was charged to court with obtaining money under false pretence under the Criminal Code. He pleaded not guilty. The presiding magistrate, Mrs A. O. Adedayo, granted Oriade bail in the sum of N100,000 with one surety in like sum. Oriade was remanded in prison custody at Kirikiri pending when he would perfect his bail condition. The matter was adjourned till 24 February, 2016.

businessnews

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Economy downturn: Private sector urged not to sack workers Gbola Subair-Abuja

S Nigeria continues to experience distortions in macro and micro economic variables, the private investors have been enjoined not to sack workers. Speaking at the inauguration of the 30th president of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) in Abuja, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, stressed that any retrenchment of workers at this time would have serious negative consequence on the economy The minister, who was represented at the event by the Minister of State in the ministry, Mr James Ocholi, disclosed that engineers are important in job creation, adding that job creation is one of the cardinal programmes of President Muhammadu Buhari.

ACCA offers fresh tips for succeeding in Oil&Gas sector Chima Nwokoji-lagos

A new report from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) outlines the key things business leaders in the oil and gas sector need to master if they want to be successful in the most volatile and competitive era the sector has ever seen. According to Toyin Ademola, head of ACCA, Nigeria, business chiefs who can successfully steer their organization through this challenging period will be set to prosper. After analyzing market conditions and taking the views of a range of key strategic players in the sector, she said four key areas of focus emerged. “The key to navigating the choppy waters we are currently experiencing in the oil and gas sector is good management of growth, costs, funding and externalities. Get those four factors under control and you give your organisation the best chance of success.” She wants leaders in the sector to identify and postpone projects with a high degree of uncertainty. “Seek partners to share in the risk and of course, reward, of projects. For example, through part-sale of operating interest in new discoveries. “If you can, explore opportunistic growth via acquisition in areas with room for consolidation, for example oilfield services,” she said.

The minister, who was elated by the large turn out of private sector operators at the NSE gathering advised the private sector operators to always seek ways of managing their workforce without necessarily increasing the number of unemployed persons in Nigeria

via retrenchment. According to the minister, “Engineers are too critical to the nation and this is because they create jobs. We all know that one of the President’s key priorities is job creation. But without engineers this cannot be achieved. So engineers are

of great significance to our country, especially with respect to job creation. “Now I think it is important to state that we should not lay off staff at this critical stage. Because if we do, we will be creating more problems. You should try to micro-manage and retain

the staff that you have now. Because no matter how much we accommodate, government alone cannot be the largest employer of labour. The largest employer of labour is, of course, the private sector.” In his inaugural address, the new NSE president, En-

From left, Omoniyi Fagbemi, Benjamin Dikki, both Non-Executive Directors of Transcorp Hotels Plc; Oscar Onyema, CEO, Nigerian Stock Exchange; Valentine Ozigbo, MD/CEO and Emmanuel N. Nnorom, Non–Executive Director, both of Transcorp Hotels Plc during the listing of the company’s N10bn Series 1 bond at the Nigerian Stock Exchange, on Monday.

gineer Otis Oliver Anyaeji, stated that engineering is germane to the development of any economy, disclosing that over 95 per cent of the activities in the public and private sectors of the economy make use of engineering technology. Anyaeji said “engineering infrastructure, industrial and agricultural economics are critical for the adequate planning and managing of an economy.” He said the society would partner with like-minded persons and bodies to get the government to appreciate that industrialisation drives both infrastructure and agriculture adding that without attaining a critical level of in-country manufacturing, adequate and reliable infrastructure would not be achieved. In his own speech, the immediate past President of the society, Mr Ademola Isaac Olorunfemi, acknowledged the support given to him by all stakeholders, a development that culminated in the great success achieved by the NSE during his tenure.

Transcorp Hotels Plc lists N10bn bond on NSE, FMDQ Transcorp Hotels Plc the hospitality subsidiary of Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc (Transcorp Plc), on Monday, announced the listing of its Series 1 N10billion naira bond on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange. The company successfully closed its Series 1 & 2 bonds at the last quarter of 2015 and has raised a total of N19.758billion. Series 1 which is now listed, is a 7-year bond issued at 16.00 per cent fixed rate and maturing in 2022. With this, the company’s bonds are now available at the bond markets and, the investing public can trade and derive value from their investments. Such a major accomplishment reiterates the company’s resolve to continuously deliver value to all its stakeholders.

During the event at the NSE, the MD/CEO of Transcorp Hotels Plc, Valentine Ozigbo, expressed his excitement over the successful completion of the company’s Series 1 & 2 bonds. According to him, Series 1 was oversubscribed by 30 per cent while Series 2 was 98 per cent subscribed, a testimony of undeniable investors’ confidence to the achievements and leadership of the company. “By successfully raising these funds, we now have sufficient funding for our immediate priority projects, especially the upgrade and expansion of the multi –award winning and iconic Transcorp Hilton Abuja,” Mr. Ozigbo said. At the meeting between the management of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), and the board and Transcorp Hotels Plc, the

Executive Director, Capital Markets, NSE, Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri stated: “The NSE is committed to providing a reliable and efficient capital market for companies and governments to raise funds for economic expansion. In this challenging time, our market is robust enough to cater to capital needs that traditional lenders cannot handle. The listing of

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has been enmeshed again in crisis as its immediate past National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Seyi Gambo led some aggrieved members to court over constitutional breaches by the Association’s President, Mr Francis Johnson and his Central Working Commit-

tee (CWC). This was contained in a statement issued by Gambo led group and made available to the Nigerian Tribune on Monday The statement accused Johnson-led CWC of intimidation by disqualifying eligible candidates on the day of branch election of the Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF). The statement said that the aggrieved members, in a court summon obtained

do so”. Speaking at the FMDQ Securities Exchange, the second exchange where the bond was listed on Monday, Mr Valentine Ozigbo, said: “We are very delighted to have successfully closed our Series 1 & 2 Bonds, where we raised N19.76 billion in the last quarter of 2015; Series 1 (N10.00bn) of which is being listed on FMDQ today.

Africa will produce only 14% of its food need by 2050 Femi Ibirogba, Nanning, Guangxi, China

While China is expected to stabilise at the population of 1.5 billion and with a target 95 per cent food sufficiency by 2050, Africa, including Nigeria, will be far below food sufficiency as the conti-

PENGASSAN: Aggrieved members seek court intervention OlatundeDodondawa-Lagos

the Transcorp Hotels Plc Series 1 bond on the Exchange is a remarkable achievement as this will further develop and deepen the domestic debt market. The NSE will continue to provide the necessary platform for the bonds to thrive. From today, companies and individuals wishing to trade on Transcorp Hotels Plc bonds on the stock exchange can now

from the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, alleged that Johnsonled CWC and its agents at the PENGASSAN Kaduna Zone upheld an illegal suspension of Comrade Gambo. The group faulted the suspension of Seyi Gambo, who was then the PENGASSAN National PRO and by inference a member of the CWC, by the PEF Branch Chairman, Mr Aminu Modibo.

nent will only be able to produce about 14 per cent of the food requirements. Pamela Anderson, one of the presenters at the first World Congress on Root and Tuber Crops in Nanning, Guangxi, China, from January 18 to 22, while speaking on ‘Roots and Tubers: Serving people, the planet, and prosperity,’ said this. “I will like to challenge us to action on the need to prevent hunger, improvement in nutrition, especially in the developing world. “China leads in potato production and could intensify cassava, yam and cocoyam as part of efforts to feed the world. “Over 2 billion people are experiencing nutrient deficiency, most of them in Africa. And Africa will pro-

duce only 14 per cent of its food need by 2050, while China is expected to meet 95 per cent food sufficiency,” Anderson said. She called on the congress to intensify efforts to achieve the millennium development goals of ending hunger globally, providing employment and decent work, gender equality and empowerment, climate friendly production and sustainable development through the development of root and tuber crops value chains. She said cassava starch, flour, ethanol and poultry feeds and other uses can be explored and incorporated to create economic movement of quantum wealth production for poverty reduction among households and entrepreneurs around the world.

businessnews Forex controversy: ‘Operations of BDCs huge scam’ 11

Tola Adenubi-Lagos

ivil society group, the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), has called for the re-structuring of the operations of the Bureau De Change (BDC) in the country in tune with international best practices. Making this appeal yesterday, Monday, at a media briefing on state of the nation and the recent face-off between the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and operators of the Bureau De Change (BDC) in the country, the President of the organisation, Comrade Igho Akeregha, described the operations of the BDCs in Nigeria as a huge scam and an avenue for corruption; since their operations no longer justify the objectives of setting them up. While throwing his weight behind the recent policies of the nation’s apex bank’s to discontinue allocations of foreign currencies to the BDCs, the CLO president argued that the practice of allocating foreign currencies to the BDCs in the past had given room to large-scale corruption in the sector. “The CLO is worried that the same circumstances that triggered the petroleum subsidy scam is what is at play in the way the BDCs operated. Just by getting a licence through a ‘paddy paddy’ arrangement, you become entitled to a share of the looting going on in the sector. The BDCs, the way they operated, have become a huge scam and an avenue for truncating the dream

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

and destiny of this nation. “CLO believes that Nigeria has suffered adversely and will continue to suffer as a result of the unholy operations of the BDCs in the way they were structured before

the policy of discontinuing the vile allocation of foreign currencies to them,” he stated. While calling on the federal government and the CBN to stand firm on the policy

decision to protect the common masses, Comrade Akeregha argued that with the dwindling foreign exchange revenue accruing to the nation, it will be foolhardy to continue with a system

IN its determination to shore up the Asaba airport in Delta State to an international standard, the state government has decided to engage experts who will invest on the facility.

Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi (left), receiving an audited report from the acting Executive Secretary, Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Dr Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, who visited the ministry in Abuja, on Monday. With them is the Minister of State for Solid Minerals Development, Mr Abubakar Bwari.

Ex-CBN chief calls for less dependence on oil trade A retired Director of the CBN, Mr Chris Nemedia, on Monday urged the Federal Government to be less-dependent on trading in crude oil in the international market. Nemedia, who made the plea in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, said that processed commodities were more profitable to trade in. “Emphasis should be on

adding value to the primary commodities like oil before exporting them in order to get the desired yield like other nations from natural resources “A major achievement of this government will be to make us belong to the league of countries that trade in manufactured products. “By now, we ought to have improved on the processing and refining of our crude oil,’’ the former CBN direc-

Towards this end, 14 notable firms at the weekend bided for the concession of the airport. There are BGL Consortium, FBN Capital, Infrastructural Bank PLC, One Dott Aviation, Roughton International Consortium,

Poclef Asociation Limited, Planelt Capital Consortium, Interpruse Intergratus, Halcro Infrastructure Consortium, Deloids, PWC Rosecross, V.tima Capital Management Limited. One company’s bid was however rejected for failing

CWG announces change in executive leadership team By Ronke Sanya

The Board of Directors of Computer Warehouse Group (CWG) Plc has notified all it stakeholders and the general public of changes in the Company’s executive management. The company, in a release made available to Nigerian Tribune stated that Mr James Agada, formerly the Chief Technology Officer of the Company has been appointed as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the

ing with the spirit establishing them as a window for mobilising and mediating small forex receipts from the holders to those that need them for limited purchases.

NCC says telecoms active lines over 52m in November

tor said. According to Nemedia, there has been steady decline in commodity prices internationally in the last one year. He said the decline had been to the detriment of economies that relied solely on exporting the commodities in their crude state. Nemedia urged the government to give priority to the value of the nation’s primary products for ex-

14 firms bid for Asaba airport AlphontusuAgborh-Asaba

that is clearly profligate and counter-productive. The CLO boss counselled that the BDCs must be encouraged to creatively seek other sources that would serve as their stock, in keep-

Nigerian Tribune

Company while Mr Kunle Ayodeji has been appointed as the Company’s Chief Operating Officer. Mr Austin Okere, who founded the company and previously filled the role of the Executive Vice Chairman in addition to his role as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, continues as the Executive Vice Chairman of the Company while Mrs Obianuju Ejeh-Nnabuife has been appointed as the Chief Financial Officer. Announcing the appoint-

ments, the Company Secretary, Mr Okey Ejibe expressed his conviction that the company’s business performance and standard would continually improve. Speaking on the appointment, Mr Agada expressed appreciation to the Board of Directors of CWG for the confidence reposed on him by appointing him as the CEO of CWG Plc. “I assure you of my commitment to put in my utmost best to ensure CWG Plc returns to a growing profitable path,” he said.

to beat dead line for submission of advisory note. Presently work has reached an advance stage to upgrade the facility in the airport which was last year downgraded by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority [NCAA] after a whopping sum of N20 billion was spent to build the airport. According to the Senior Special Adviser to the state governor on Policy, Prof. Sylvester Monye who conducted the bidding with the Economic Adviser, Mr. George Orogun, one of the firms that bided is from India while the rest are locals. Professor Monye while speaking to newsmen after the exercise expressed satisfaction with the quality of bidders, saying: “Some of the finest companies are here to bid, that means they have confidence in what we are doing.

port. “President Buhari needs to emphasise the establishment of processing plants by partnering with the private sector. “Former developing economies that have moved to a more advanced stage went the way of industrialisation and manufacturing to change their fortunes,’’ he said. Nemedia said that the hallmark of diversification of the economy should be increased industrialisation and manufacturing. “We have the population to sustain the consumption of locally-manufactured goods to our benefit,’’ he said. The National Bureau of Statistics said that till 2014, exportation of crude oil and natural gas accounted for more than 91 per cent of total exports.

Active lines in the nation’s telecommunications industry increased to over 152 million in the month of November 2015, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says. The commission made this known in its Monthly Subscriber Data, which was obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Lagos on Monday. NAN reports that active lines in Nigeria were 152,003,124 for the month of October 2015, but the figure increased by 120,048 in November. According to the data, 149,787,120 of the 152,123,172 active numbers subscribed to the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) network services. The GSM operators increased their active customers by 103,861 as against the 149,683,259 subscribers they recorded in the month of October. The Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) operators had 2,149,120 active users in November, indicating an increase of 18,775 from the 2,130,345 customers they had in October. Also, the monthly subscriber data showed that the Fixed Wired/Wireless networks’ consumers reduced to 186,775 in November, as the operators lost 2,742 customers from the 189,517 users they had in the month of October. The chart revealed that the teledensity of the country’s telecommunications industry increased to 108.66 per cent in November, from 108.57 per cent in the month of October.

Sterling Bank training academy gets CIBN accreditation Chima Nwokoji-lagos

IN recognition of its compliance with regulatory standards and best practices, the Chartered institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) has granted a Full Accreditation status to the Sterling Bank Training Academy in Lagos. Mr ‘Seye Awojobi, the Registrar and Chief Executive of the CIBN indicated that the Certificate of Accreditation and the Technical Report of the Accreditation Exercise

which had a validity of three years would be formally presented to the Bank during an official ceremony to be duly communicated. The Sterling Training Academy is the arm of the Human Performance Management Group responsible for the foundation school training of the Bank’s new intakes as well as ensuring the continuing professional development of the institution’s workforce.

businessnews Naira appreciates to N285 at parallel market 12

Chima Nwokoji-Lagos

he nation’s currency, naira on Monday hedged up slightly against the dollar at the parallel market amid calls for the central bank to relax its strict foreign exchange policy. The naira appreciated yesterday evening as it exchanged for N285 against the dollar from N295 it traded for previously.However, the naira closed at N197 to the dollar at the official interbank window. Some Bureau De Change(BDC) operators disclosed that the central bank has promised that it will ease the forex policy slightly to enable them get dollar sup-

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

ply from other sources. The CBN Governor had announced that BDCs should source dollars from autonomous sources, but the acting president of the Association of Bureau De Change

Operators of Nigeria (ABCON) Aminu Gwadabe who confirmed the naira rally in Lagos on Monday, said the apex bank did not define these autonomous sources or the modalities. Right now

Gwadabe noted, banks and oil firms are not selling to BDCs. They insisted they would not do so until there is a clear directive from CBN. He wants CBN to come out with specifics on the autono-

mous sources BDCs should source foreign exchange from. This he added, is necessary for certainty and stability in the market. According to him, the CBN unveiled a revised guide-

Tradings on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) maintained the negative trend of the year 2016, on Monday, with the Market Capitalisation dropping to N7 trillion mark amid massive profit taking by investors. The Market Capitalisation shed exactly N111 billion or 4.10 per cent to close at N7.75 trillion as against N8.86 trillion recorded on Friday. Similarly, the All-Share Index lost 963.21 points or 4.10 per cent to close lower at 22,550.83 compared with 23,514.04 achieved on Friday following price loses. The price movement table indicated that Nestle Nigeria Plc led the losers’ pack with a loss of N37.00 to close at N703.05 per share. Dangote Cement Plc trailed with a loss of N9.40 to close at N123.60, while Ashaka Cement Plc dropped 96 kobo to close at N24.24 per share. Cadbury declined by 81 kobo to close at N15.49, while West African Portland Cement Plc dipped by N8.45 to close at N78.30 per share. Meanwhile, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc led the gainers’ table, increasing by 16 kobo to close at N13.53 per share. Continental Insurance Plc gained four kobo to close at 92 kobo, while Tiger Brands Plc increased by four kobo to close at 95 kobo per share. Eternal Oil Plc grew by three kobo to close at N1.50, while Transcorp went up by two kobo to close at N1.00 per share.

line for BDCs December last year, in which it banned branch operations by BDCs. The CBN thus ordered BDCs to close all branches within 90 days. “This policy and the directive are not helpful for the stability of the foreign exchange market. Rather it would weaken the BDC subsector and empower black illegal forex operators (black market). Thus, we urge the CBN Governor to review this decision,” he said. The naira had depreciated steadily since Monday last week when the apex bank stopped the weekly sale of foreign exchange to operators in a bid to sanitise the market.

Nnamdi Azikwe International Terminal ready December —FG

NSE: Year-long lull persists as Market value drops to N7trn mark Kehinde AkinseindeJayeoba -Lagos

Nigerian Tribune

Clement Idoko -Abuja

Governor Adams Oshiomhole presents a cheque to Mr Aburime Robert, during the payment of gratuities to 2010/ 2011 pensioners in Edo State, on Monday.

Aero management breaks silence, reports union to labour ministry Shola Adekola -Lagos

The Management of Aero Contractors has finally broken its silence by reacting to the ongoing confrontation between it and the aviation unions on behalf of its workers. The unions had last week reported the airline management to the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) over sundry allegations. The company in a statement issued yesterday evening said it has reported the

two unions, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and National Union of Air transport Employees (NUATE) to the Labour and Productivity Ministry, copying the Aviation ministry, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and State Security Service In a statement signed by the Acting Managing Director/CEO, Iyene Amapakabo, the report to these institutions is to look into the matter with the ultimate goal of checking what it called the unethi-

cal practice of the unions because of its serious safety implications on our operations as an airline. According to the the airline the management was taken aback when the unions stormed its premises with their own Press Crew and Security details in such a predetermined manner and protested within and around the Company premises thereby causing serious embarrassment to “our esteemed customers. “In the cause of this protest on 14th December 2015, two of our staff who

NIPOST remodels 300 post offices, partners Galaxy Backbone on ICT Christian Okeke -Abuja

THE Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) said it has, in the last four years, remodelled about 300 post offices and also entered into partnership with Galaxy Backbone to install 1,500 VSAT in post offices across the country. The disclosure was made by the acting Post Master General of the Federation, Mr. Enoch Adeogun when he exchanged views with the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed on Monday. Adeogun said in spite of the reach and efficiency of

communication through the telephone and the internet, physical delivery of parcels at affordable cost, especially in reserved areas, was crucial to the economy. He disclosed that NIPOST, with over 3,000 outlets, had embraced technology to boost its activities through the establishment of telecentres. Responding, the minister stated that his ministry is to leverage on the existing structures of the service in the impending national reorientation campaign of the current administration. He noted that the outlets

of NIPOST across the country remained veritable platforms for the change campaign of the government. He said, “Very soon we are going to start our reorientation campaign. This is a campaign in which we are going to tell Nigerians about the change we promised. “The fact is that the change we promised will only happen if we all change the ways and manners we do things and this is why your tele-centres become useful to us, this is where your postal agencies and post offices become useful to us.

are also members of the Association (Messrs Emakpor Ayo-Ife and Adeniyi Adenuga) divulged sensitive Company information to the press which is contrary to the Company’s Policy and had the tendency to portray the company in bad light. “In line with this, the Human Resources department was directed by management to initiate disciplinary procedure against two of the company’s employees who are incidentally members of these associations for infringements of company policy. “To this end, both employees were issued with queries by the Ag. Head of the company’s Human Resources Department and the responses received from these employees’ pointed to the fact that there was a need for the company to carry out investigation into the matter. “In line with the policy of our company and international labour laws, when the need arises for an investigation to be conducted concerning infringements of this nature, the company places the relevant staff on suspension pending the outcome of the investigation in order to forestall the employee from interfering with the investigation process.”

THE Federal Government has assured Nigerians that the on-going construction of the second terminal at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, will be ready on or before December this year. Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, who disclosed this said that its completion would improve the comfort and convenience of both airline operators and the flying public. Sirika, who spoke when a delegation from the Emirates Group paid him a courtesy visit in his office, also warned of dire consequences for airline operators who treat Nigerians shabbily especially on international operations. According to the Aviation Minister, government would not continue to condone the practice of subjecting Nigerians to all forms of suffering, either by making them walk long distances before boarding or using small aircrafts that would not carry them along with their luggage to their destinations. Sirika, informed the group that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has been directed to invoke all relevant laws to protect the interest and rights of Nigerians and others from being flagrantly abused the airlines. He, however, assured the operators of the federal government’s commitment to the complete overhaul and upgrading of the nation’s airport facilities that would make the use of Nigeria’s airspace a delightful experience.

news

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

Lake Chad now 10% of its original size —Buhari •Says Boko Haram has been driven to ‘fall-back’ positions Leon Usigbe-Abuja

RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has lamented the devastating effects of climate change, disclosing that Lake Chad is now 10 per cent of its original size and has also called for greater global cooperation to avert the disaster. Buhari, who stated this at the opening of the 2016 World Future Energy Summit, on Monday, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), reaffirmed Nigeria’s readiness to work with UAE and the rest of the world in a collective effort to mitigate the effects of climate change. The President said: “In Nigeria, the drastic drying up of the Lake Chad to just about 10 per cent of its original size has negatively impacted on the livelihood of millions of people, and contributed in making the region a hot bed of insurgency. Africa is already suffering from the consequences of climate change, which include recurrent drought and floods. . “Desert encroachment in Niger, our northern neighbour and in far northern Nigeria, at the rate of several hundred metres per annum, has impacted on the existence of man, animal and vegetation, threatening to alter the whole ecological balance of the sub-region. “In the middle and southern part of Nigeria, land erosion threatens farming, forestry, town and village peripheries and in some areas major highways. Constant and abrupt al-

teration between floods and droughts prove that climate change is real and therefore a global approach and cooperation to combat its effects are vital if the human race is not to face disaster in the 21st century.”

The president observed that the summit was taking place soon after the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, held in Paris, late last year and praised UAE for consistently supporting international action on climate change.

with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr Ban Ki Moon on the sidelines of the World Future Energy Summit, he said that in collaboration with the Multinational Joint Task Force, the Nigerian Armed Forces have driven

Guest lecturer, Mr Adebola Adeboye (left), displaying the award he received after delivering the pre-matriculation lecture at the MacPherson University, Seriki Sotayo, Ogun State, last week. With him are his wife, Bisi; the Vice Chancellor, Professor Adeniyi Agunbiade and the Chairman, Board of Trustees, McPherson University, Dr Mayowa Afe.

the terrorist group from Nigerian territory into ‘fall-back positions.’ “They are currently not holding any territory today as we speak,” he noted, assuring that Nigeria will persistently pursue global action to reverse the drying up of Lake Chad and save the lives of those who depend on it for survival. “With all due respect to our neighbours, Nigeria has been worst hit by the drying up of the Lake Chad and we are hoping that the global community will support the process of halting the drying up of the lake,” Buhari said. In his remark, Ban Ki Moon commended the President for his courage in fighting terrorism and corruption. He observed that Nigeria has made amazing progress against terrorism since President Buhari assumed office, while the President’s war against corruption has boosted global confidence in the Nigerian economy. The UN Scribe urged Buhari to integrate the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into Nigeria’s economic and environmental vision.

Pipeline bombings: Security operatives won’t attack •Attack, threat to national security —JTF creeks —Okowa Ebenezer Adurokiya-Warri

Miffed bombing facilities of Delta

by the renewed of oil and gas in some parts State over the

weekend, the Delta State governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has dispelled rumour that there were plans for security operatives to attack communities in the

Customs assets declaration exercise yet to kick off in Lagos commands Customs commands in Lagos have yet to receive the circular from the service headquarters directing officers to declare their assets within 14 days, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. The Public Relations Officer of the Tin-Can Island Customs Command, Mr Chris Osunkwo, said on Monday in Lagos that the command had not received any circular on the declaration of assets. He told NAN that officers in the command were only aware of the information like other Nigerians. “We have procedures. We are waiting for the circular and officers are familiar with the asset declaration exercise of the Federal Government,” Osunkwo told NAN. The Spokesman of Customs Command, Ports

Meanwhile, President Buhari has noted that Nigeria has made very significant progress towards ending the Boko Haram insurgency since his assumption of office. Speaking on Monday, in Abu Dhabi, at a meeting

and Terminal Multiservices Limited, Mr Steve Okonma, said he had no comment on the Asset declaration, adding that the command had not received any circular to that effect. The Public Relations Officer, Apapa Customs Command, Mr Emmanuel Ekpa, in his response said asset declaration was part of the public service rules. He said there was “nothing extra-ordinary” about the directive on asset declaration. “The 14-day ultimatum by the Comptroller-General to officers to declare their assets is normal and is in line with the public service rule that all workers should do that once in four years. “What Colonel Ali has done with the ultimatum is to compel all officers, who have not complied with

this rule to do so in view of the fact that many officers have not declared their assets. “I have done my assets declaration and so I am not affected by the ultimatum. All civil servants are required to declare their assets and all the comptroller-general wants is total compliance,” he said. Ekpa said the Code of Conduct Bureau was in a better position to confirm if some customs officers had started complying with the directive. The National Public Relations Officer of Customs, Mr Wale Adeniyi told NAN that the circular on asset declaration was released on Friday. He said gradually the commands would be receiving the circular between Monday and Tuesday.

creeks. Governor Okowa, speaking at a press briefing, after the security meeting held at the Government House Annex, Warri, on Monday, said “People should go about their businesses because, there are no plans to attack the communities, what we witnessed was unfortunate and condemnable.” The governor disclosed that the Minister of Defence and Chief of Defence Staff would be in the state for on-the-spot assessment of the damaged facilities. He stated that the level of damage had not been assessed in monetary terms, but expressed confidence that security operatives are on top of the situation and calm had returned to the creeks. The Nigerian Navy, Army, and Airforce were at the meeting which had Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as Chairman. Meanwhile, Nigerian Tribune has learned that soldiers are still manning strategic positions at communities in Gbaramatu, Warri South West Local Government Area of the

state where destructions of oil and gas pipelines were carried out over the weekend. Feelers have it that palpable fear has gripped villagers who have fled the creeks for fear of arrest as soldiers keep combing the woods for possible arrest of miscreants. A beneficiary of the amnesty scheme, one Ebipade, told Nigerian Tribune in Warri that: “that area dey somehow, now army dey patrol for the creek because of the matter wen happen. I sure say them still dey there now. “The community people some of them no dey peace mind because of the matter, for me na my money I know to better my life; anything to carry gun again I no agree, I don leave that crises life, na better things I want for life,” he disclosed in pidgin. Also, Governor Okowa has called on the people of Delta to cooperate with the security agencies in order to unmask the rampaging criminals perpetrating the economic sabotage. The governor said this

in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Charles Ehiedu Aniagwu, and made available to newsmen on Monday. Condemning the attack, Okowa said, “These attacks should be condemned by all well meaning Nigerians, particularly compatriots from Niger Delta. This is an attack on our soul. The state is bleeding again and its implication for the economy and image of Delta State is grave.” It will be recalled that the renewed attacks came just a day after the state government held a oneday summit comprising all stakeholders in the oil and gas sector in the state. Meanwhile, the Operation Pulo Shield (OPS) formerly known as the Joint Task Force (JTF) has said that the recent multiple attacks on pipelines in the Niger Delta region was capable of undermining national security. The Commander Operation, OPS, Major General Alani Okunlola, threatened to hold community leaders in the Niger Delta region responsible for any attack on oil installations within their domains.

news

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

Prosecute corrupt APC, PDP, PDM, SDP, other members, Kano CAN tells Buhari

Kola Oyelere - Kano

HE Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kano State chapter, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to prosecute any member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the People Democratic Movement (PDM) and other political parties that were alleged to be corrupt. He was also enjoined to fight the war against corruption in a holistic approach, respect the rule of law and the right of the citi-

zens in accordance with the law of the country. Kano State CAN Chairman, Pastor Ransom Bello, who made the call Sunday night, at the closing ceremony of the association’s annual week of prayer, said while it was imperative for CAN members and every well meaning Nigerian to support the fight against corruption, Buhari’s administration should look inward and not be partisan in his anti-corruption crusade. According to him, ‘’any-

body who is alleged to have stolen yesterday and those fingered to have stolen nine years ago, need to be prosecuted by the antigraft body,’’ hence there is need to look at the past too. His words, ‘’let Buhari’s administration take its time to investigate the issue of Halliburton alleged scam, many nations were laughing at us, that the country is pursuing war on corruption, but for long, we left the Halliburton issue uninvestigated.’’

Those people alleged to be connected to the above issue have to be prosecuted and brought to book, noting that the present government should not hesitate to step on toes that Nigerians say were untouchable. The clergyman then charged President Buhari to look inward and ensure that those needed to be prosecuted were prosecuted, no preferential treatment, as according to him, ‘’wash a dog, clean a dog, feed a dog, a dog will still remain a dog.’’

Pastor Bello, whose sermon centred on unity, urged Christians and Muslims to cherish the nation’s peace by tolerating one another and prioritising national interest in any given opportunity, to make Nigeria a progressive nation. According to him, there is hope for Nigeria to reach its promised land, only if all and sundry contribute their quota towards supporting the constituted authorities and ensure peaceful coexistence in their various domains.

There’ll be peace in Rivers State —Adeboye Dapo Falade - Port Harcourt GENERAL Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has declared Rivers State will surmount its troubles and enjoy peace. This was as he declared that there would be progress and development and that God would settle whatever problem the state was passing through. As contained in a statement issued by the special assistant (electronic media) to the Rivers State governor, Simeon Nwakaudu, the cleric said this during his visit to Governor Nyesom Wike in his office at the Government House, Port Harcourt, on Monday. The RCCG General Overseer was in Rivers State as part of his annual visit to the state to meet with members of the church and pray for the state. He said he was always concerned about the wellbeing of the people of the state, noting that the state had the second largest population of RCCG members in the country. Offering special prayer for the people and government of the state, he said, “The Almighty God will let peace reign Supreme in this state. There will be progress and development. Whatever little problem we may still have, God will settle them.” Responding, Governor Wike declared that prayers of leading Christian leaders have been the sustaining force behind the country. He said, “If not for the prayers of men of God, what would have happened to Nigeria” and expressed his appreciation for the exploits of Pastor Adeboye, who he said had been a vessel of God used in blessing Nigeria.

From left, Ondo State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko; Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Poebor Usani Uguru and the Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Professor Claudius Daramola, during a visit by the ministers to the Governor’s Office, in Akure, on Monday.

Looters should have their hands amputated —House of Reps member Muhammad Sabiu - Kaduna A member of the House of Representatives, representing Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency of Kaduna State, under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Yakubu Barde, has advocated for the amputation of hands of those who looted public funds in the country.

He said those who stole in millions of naira should have their hands amputated, while those who looted in billions of naira should be hanged to death. Speaking in an interactive session with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Correspondents chapel, in Kaduna, Barde said some members of the lower chamber of like

minds were already looking at the possibility of putting such law in place to make it legal. To this end, the lawmaker called for special court rather than the conventional courts, saying that looters usually use such courts to delay justice. He said, “I am a believer of the fact that, people should be punished for whatever

Foundation, that the political party was different from any political player. He said, “I am a PDP loyalist to the core. I love my party and the party is not involved in corruption. The party is like any other party. It does not mean that because it was PDP that produced the past executive at the centre, it should now be held responsible for whatever action or inaction of the people in that government. “PDP is a good party; anyone that is involved in corruption should face the mu-

sic. The party has nothing to do with that. PDP’s integrity still stands.” He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for tackling the problem of corruption in the country, calling on Nigerians to support the move for a greater country. Asked to comment on the forthcoming congresses of the party in the state, Kashamu urged members to vote for credible leaders while ruling out the idea of harmonisation and reconciliation of different groups within the party.

Corrupt politicians in PDP should be prosecuted —Kashamu Olayinka Olukoya, Abeokuta THE leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Senator Buruji Kashamu, on Sunday, in Ijebu-Igbo, said any member of the party found guilty of corruption should be punished for the offence, rather than bringing the party to the mud. Kashamu, who is the Senator representing Ogun East in the National Assembly, said this during an empowerment programme organised by the Omo Ilu

offence they commit. And I am also of the belief that punishment should also be segregated according to the offence. “At least, your punishment should be commensurate with what you have done,” he stressed. “For me, if you ask me, if someone steals from N1million to N100 million, they should cut his hand. Yes, there is nothing wrong with that, so that when we see him, we will know yes, he stole. And those that steal from billions upward should be hanged and their property confiscated. “You can imagine this issue of arms deal. If you knew this money was meant for the procurement of arms, weapons, my brothers and sisters here, if you have a brother in the Army, he is sent to the warfront and because his weapons are archaic, he is killed. Do you now want to have sympathy for someone who knows that the money was meant for arms and he pocketed it? It is so painful, we have lost loved ones.”

AD counsels Buhari on anti-corruption crusade Bola Badmus - Lagos ALLIANCE for Democracy (AD), under the national leadership of Chief Joseph Avazi, has lauded the anticorruption programme of President Muhammadu Buhari, urging that the antigraft crusade should not be selective and that the rights of the accused should be respected with strict adherence to the Rule of Law. He noted that the pervasive influence of corruption had affected tremendously, the political and economic development of the country. The party said this in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Ms Olayinka Nola, expressing satisfaction at the manner in which corruption cases were being pursued in order to retrieve money frittered away by some few people in the country. The AD noted that the pervasive influence of corruption had affected tremendously the political and economic development of the country. Speaking further, the party expressed disappointment at the news of the alleged missing 2016 Budget proposal document, noting that a budget, considered as a critical tool of any administration, and if it was truly missing, was an embarrassment to the nation both locally and internationally and should be investigated.

Lado trains 1000 youths on various vocations Adelowo Oladipo - Minna THE member representing Gurara, Tafa and Suleja Federal constituency of Niger State in the House of Representatives, Honourable Abubakar Lado Suleja, is set to train 1000 youths drawn from the 30 wards of his constituency through the Nimble Youth Empowerment & Development Initiative (NYEDI). In the same vein, 40 youths from the constituency will be leaving for China by end of February for four months professional training in various skills acquisition and agricultural programmes. In a statement made available to newsmen on Monday, in Minna, the federal legislator disclosed that in the last fiscal year, he sponsored 12 youths to study four years degree programmes leading to Bsc General Nursing and Midwifery, Operation, Theatre Technique and Civil Engineering at Noida International University, New Delhi, India.

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016 With Tommy Adegbite 0811 695 4631 tommyabijo@yahoo.com

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo (right), with the couple, Engineer and Dr (Mrs) Olalekan Ganiyy Taslim, during their wedding held at the Grandeur Event Centre, Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos.

From left, Loogun Tunde Omikunle, bride’s father; Mrs Modupe Ayo, groom’s mother; the couple, Mr and Olukayode Ayo; Pastor James Olatunde Ayo, groom’s father and Mrs Olasunmade Omikunle, bride’s mother at the wedding held recently.

The celebrant, Comrade Amitolu Shittu (third right), with beggars, in commemoration of his 51st birthday, at his residence in Osogbo, Osun State, recently.

The Very Reverend (Dr) David Olasode Olagbaju, the Provost of Cathedral of St James the Great, Oke-Bola (second left), Reverend E.A. Adebayo (left), Reverend M.I. Oladipo (right) and Mr Ademidun Ademola (second right), during the New Year service held at the Cathedral of St James the Great, Oke-Bola, Ibadan. PHOTO: D’TOYIN

From left, Honourable Yakubu Dati, General Manager, Corprate Affair Manager, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr Hamid Abbo, Captain, IBB Golf Club Abuja, Mr Dagwom Howlshe, Captain, Rayfield Golf Club 1913 Jos and Professor Nuhu Dakum, Captain of Laminga Golf Club, during the 2015 Plateau State Governor’s Cup held at the Laminga Golf Club, Jos.

Special Apostle (Dr) J.O. Daniel (JP), Leader-in-Charge, Ilorin, District Headquarters CSMC Worldwide (second right), cutting the tape, while Special Apostle John Oluwole Awotuyi (JP) (second left) and other clerics watch, at the official opening and dedication of ultramodern cathedral of Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church, Ilorin District Headquarters, at Murtala Muhammed Way, Ilorin, recently.

Mr Felix Joko Sokera and Olaitan Otunola, during the Investiture of Ambassador (Dr) Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu as Patroness of CAN, Remo chapter, held at Abraham Tabernacle Baptist International Worship Centre, Oba Erinwole Awolesi GRA, Sagamu. PHOTO: D’TOYIN

Newly wedded Mr and Mrs Azeez Taiwo, during their wedding in Lagos, recently.

Mrs Julianah Olisakue, flanked by, from left, Miss Fear God Maduka, Mr Sunday Maduka, Chidinma Maduka, Chioma Maduka, Mrs Uochinna Maduka and Chinenye, shortly after her 70th birthday anniversary thanksgiving service held recently at Salvation Army Church, Ekotedo, Ibadan.

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

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Femi Ibirogba adefemi2007@yahoo.com 0811 695 4646

Ogbeh launches agric mechanisation scheme M Stories By Femi Ibirogba

INISTER of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, flaged-off the second phase of the Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprise (AEHE), under the Mechanisation Intervention Programme (MIP), on Tuesday, at the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation (NCAM), in Ilorin, Kwara State. The minister, in his opening statement commended the revolutionary stride of his predecessor, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, now President of the African Development Bank AfDB), for reposition agriculture in Nigeria. He has laid a good foundation for reforming the sector. However, much is still left to be achieved, as the agricultural sector has suffered neglect for over 30 years of oil discovery. Ogbeh considered it unthinkable and counterproductive to think of developing

agriculture in Nigeria, by continuing to distribute hoes, machetes, axes and ordinary and low yielding seeds to farmers. Capitalism puts wealth in the hands of the drivers, but the time to democratise capitalism, especially in the Nigerian agricultural sector is now, adding that this government is committed to achieving an allinclusive growth. The minister lamented that the low level of mechanisation limits the ability of our farmers to expand cultivated areas, perform timely farm operations and achieve economies of scale

in increasing food production. He pointed out that the FAO estimates that in Sub-Saharan Africa, only one per cent of farm power is provided by mechanical means, less than 10 per cent from draught animals and 89 per cent from human labour. Nigeria is not an exemption. “The total number of tractors in the country is estimated at about 35,000, over 50 per cent of which have broken down due to the nature of our farm lands, lack of sustainable products’ sales, service and poor maintenance culture. The event in Ilorin was the

flag-off of high powered 110hp to 200hp precision farming tractors and other 295 tractors, various harvest and post-harvest equipment required to set up additional 60 AEHE centres. According to Ogbeh, “through these 60 AEHE centres, we will have 2,000 direct jobs created for the unemployed youths; 100,000 hectares of land mechanised; 500,000 metric tons of food added to national production.” Ogbeh challenged the Service Provider Operators (SPOs) to reciprocate our efforts in setting up the Agricultural Equipment Hiring Centres by rendering

affordable services to Nigerian farmers. He promised that “Nigeria’s local farm technologies will be given attention; the efforts of our local fabricators will be encouraged. The first-ever local farm technology fabricators fair will be held in February/March 2016 to enable us identify local farm technology and companies that need to be promoted and commercialised. “We shall be open to institutional partnership with ready foreign equipment manufacturers to develop our farm technology.” Dr Muyideen Kasali, Acting Executive Director of NCAM, said that the physical presence minister for this flag-off, underscores the importance of agricultural mechanisation and equipment hiring service. He added that NCAM has the broad mandate to mechanise Nigeria’s agriculture and the mandate of NCAM is peculiar and it is the only agency of this nature in Nigeria. He said that NCAM has the largest single pool of agricultural engineers in Nigeria and Africa, South of Sahara. Mr Olawale Ajibola, Chairman of All Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kwara State chapter, urged that “Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GES) should not be allowed to die a natural death. This should be revisited and given better improvement to encourage more value chains into the fold and increase the quantity of inputs and extension to other value chains, example: groundnut, soyabeans, vegetables, etc.” Ajibola recommended that “farmers association, including commodity associations, should be captured into policy making for a successful implementation of programmes. Youth and women empowerment should be encouraged to eradicate poverty at various levels.” Vice Chairman of Dangote Group, Alhaji Sani Dangote, who was a major investor in the AEHE scheme, stressed his commitment to the success of the programme. Earlier, the Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed, pledged the support of his state for the mechanisation programme of the federal government.

Why Iraq banned poultry imports from Nigeria, others AVIAN Flu pandemic and the necessity to save the economy from total collapse by reducing foreign exchange spent on imports have necessitated the ban Iraq placed on poultry products from 24 countries. It will be recalled that the country extended a ban on imports of frozen and live poultry products from Nigeria and 23 other countries, recently.

“The import of poultry and birds of all kinds, as well as both types of eggs (table and hatching), feathers and all products that use poultry or their products is prohibited,” a government statement said. The other affected countries are Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Bhutan, China, Egypt, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Ivory Coast, Kazakhstan, Laos, Libya, Myanmar, Mexico, Nepal, Niger, North

Korea, Palestine, South Africa, South Korea and Vietnam. Baghdad last month restricted poultry imports from France, where an outbreak of avian flu has been reported. The Mail reported, that though the agriculture ministry could not be contacted for immediate comment, a ministry spokesman previously said that the ban on French poultry was because of avian flu.

agriculture

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

9% interest rate for farmers too high —Agric minister By Femi Ibirogba

INISTER of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has lamented that the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) policy under the national programme that fixed lending to farmers at nine per cent interest rate is not good enough, as it is still the highest anywhere in the world. The minister would want the apex bank to consider a five per cent lending rate to farmers. Speaking on recently in Idofian, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, at the launch of the second phase of agricultural equipment hiring enterprise organised by National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation (NCAM), Ogbeh said, “We thank the CBN for the efforts it has made so far in trying under the national programme, to lend money to farmers at nine percent interest rate. But we are like Oliver Twist. Nine per cent is very good, but it is not good enough for agriculture. Nine per cent is the highest for agriculture anywhere on planet earth. “We want five per cent and we are going to plead with banks if they want this country to feed well; agriculture to grow and Nigeria to become a major exporter of food, interest rate has to reduce to the barest minimum. Five per cent will give them more returns as more farmers will borrow and pay back. “Beginning from this year, Nigeria will embark on agro-forestry. We are looking at cashew, at least two million trees a year, cocoa three million per year, because there should be no reason, why Nigeria should be now number ten on the line of cocoa producers when just 50 years ago, we are number one. We are now miserably behind Ivory Coast and Ghana. We shall plant more castor seeds. Nigeria spends 350 million Dollars yearly importing castor oil. “Our programme on rice and wheat will increase and we are starting a programme on cattle breed improvement. We want 200 farmers in the country to start the programme. The programme will be private sector driven supported by the treasury. “The Fulani cow you

see wandering about is a very unhappy animal. We don’t feed it well; it does have water to drink and in roaming around it is creating crisis between herdsmen and farmers. “We intend to bring that crisis to an end in the next two years. We will simply grow grasses for the cows, locate them in one place, give them good water to drink and good vet

services. “If rice, wheat and sorghum can grow in the north, then cattle folders can grow in the north. If the largest ranch on earth is in Saudi Arabia with 153,000 cows and the Saudi authorities grow grasses in the United States, ship them to Saudi Arabia to feed their cows, there is no reason why we can’t grow grasses in the

south and transfer them to the north to feed our cows. This innovation will happen.” On the administration’s programme for the youth, he said that “we are very sad about your plight. We feel you should enjoy better life than our time. We know many of you as a result of the pains you suffer have taken to drugs, but we want to assure you that

the agriculture programme has a large portion. We want to say to you that in partnership with the state governors, we are designing programmes where at your young age you should be designing your own plantation. “In your older age, you can sustain your families, drive good cars, go to Abuja and come back because you are a landlord. But if don’t invest

From left, Deputy Director, Oyo State Agricultural Development Programme (OYSADEP), Dr Tolu Adegbesan, Dean of Agriculture and Forestry, Professor Eustace Iyayi, one of the fish farmers, Head of Departrment, Aquaculture and Fishery, Professor Bamidele Omitoyin and others, during the presentation of fish seeds to farmers in Oyo State at the University of Ibadan. PHOTO: VICTOR OGUNYINKA

UI, WAAPP distribute 80,000 fish seeds to farmers in Oyo By Victor Ogunyinka IN its bid to encourage more agricultural practice in the state, the Department of Aquaculture and Fishery, University of Ibadan, in partnership with the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP) and Oyo State Agricultural Development Programme (OYSADEP), distributed 80,000 fingerlings to fish farmers in the four geopolitical zones of the state. The Head of Department of Aquaculture and Fishery, Professor Bamidele Omitoyin explained that the programme was aimed at encouraging fish farmers to have good productivity in their business. He added that “the first phase of the programme was entrepreneurship training and the second area is

fish seed production. “The first area has been concluded late last year, I want to appreciate WAAPP for having faith in the institution and the ADP that has worked tirelessly within the department and I want to appreciate our good farmers that have so much believed and supported us in this project.” The Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, Professor Eustace Iyayi, representing the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Professor Abel Olayinka, noted that the programme wouldn’t have come at a better time than when crude oil is failing the country and majority is looking at agriculture to rescue the economy, adding that the distribution would yield productivity for the farmers and increase

protein in the country. “The vice chancellor is excited about this initiative, I would like to put on record that the department of aquaculture is one of the flagship departments we have in the faculty; it is gradually gaining international prominence and it is one of the best in Africa. “We are grateful to all our colleagues who have made this project come to fruition and we have started receiving testimonies from different parts of the country from the series of training held last year. “We know that WAAPP partnering with us is a good development because we know that whatever we do here is to increase food production in our country. “It is with that confident we also believe that this

second phase will also yield something very beneficial for our people and for protein production for our country,” he said. The Chairperson, Oyo State Catfish Farmers Association of Nigeria, Mrs Awoyemi kolade said, “I feel excited and I feel very happy about it. It is going to benefit us a lot because we are taking these fingerlings free of charge, it is going to increase our production and our members are very grateful for it. The distribution cut across the small and large scale farmers and our association is a blend of the youth, elderly men and women. About 20,000 fingerlings were given to our group, because we are so many, we decided to make it 500 per farmer so that it can cut across 40 farmers.”

from now for tomorrow, you could become old prematurely. We will support you in the cashew extension programme.”

Deji declares support for Akure College of agric By Femi Ibirogba THE Deji of Akure Kingdom, Oba Kole Aladetoyinbo, has promised his total support for the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure, Ondo State. He made this pledge while receiving the management team of the college, who paid a courtesy visit to the monarch recently. In his remarks, the Provost of the College, Dr Samson Odedina, congratulated Oba Aladetoyinbo on his elevation to the exalted position. He further intimated the Deji of the agricultural transformation programmes and projects ongoing at the college, which include international partnerships/ collaborations for agricultural value chain projects for students and communities, improved college-neighbouring communities relations, profitable agri-business investments, provision of employment opportunities for students and indigenes, Agricultural vocational training, among other things. Odedina later solicited the support of Oba Aladetoyinbo and the entire Akure Kingdom in ensuring the total transformation of the college and hence, Ondo State at large. In his response, Oba Aladetoyinbo appreciated the management of the College for the visit. He commended the provost for his foresight and commitment to the development of the college, while also lauding the giant strides achieved in the college. He further admonished the entire management team not to rest on their oars in making more giant strides that would position the college and Ondo State on the map of wealth creation through profitable agriculture. Oba Aladetoyinbo, on a final note, pledged his support for the agricultural transformation programmes and projects in the College.

18 LETTERS TO THE

Tuesday, 19 January, 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 IMF chief’s curious visit to Nigeria

HERE was palpable curiosity recently when news filtered in that the Managing Director of International Monetary Fund (IMF) was visiting Nigeria to hold meetings with key policy makers and other stakeholders in the Nigerian economy. The anxiety reflected concerns, misgiving and scepticism many hold about IMF’s interventions in the third world countries including Nigeria. Nigerians would not forget in a hurry the havoc caused by the whole hearted embrace of IMF policy prescriptions during the Babangida military regime in late 1980s and early 1990s. The introduction of Structural Adjustment

Programme (SAP) by the Babangida military regime impacted heavily on the downtrodden masses as the state rolled back from key social services sector. The clauses often attached to the IMF loans have been criticised because of their adverse effects on the social sector. This was why many of the social services hitherto provided by the state were outsourced through commercialisation, privatisation and deregulation. The much talked about brain drain in the country was also attributed to the implementation of SAP neoliberal policies. This was the mindset with which most Nigerians received news of IMF visitation to the country. As a result of a 1986

UNICEF’s report that detailed the impact of SAP on health and education, the World Bank, a sister agency to IMF, canvassed protecting the social services sector through the articulation of Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) to accommodate pro poor interventions in public expenditure. The IMF has since tried balancing the negative impacts of its interventions on the poor and vulnerable people. Its operational guideline now requires analysis of the impact of adjustment programmes on the poor in order to have a human face. It was therefore a very big relief that Ms Christine Lagarde did not come to Abuja to negotiate any loan as many fear but to

The end of Boko Haram NIGERIANS are now beginning to see the desperation of the Boko Haram sect to remain relevant, thereby setting off strings of suicide bombings. I want to commend the Nigerian military for successfully curbing the activities of the sect. What is left to be done now is to clear the remaining terrorists. This is called ‘mop-up’ operation in military parlance. Another important thing is also for the Nigerian government to start sensitising the people against being sympathetic to the cause of the terrorists. What made the insurgency drag on for a long time is the fact that some people were sympathetic to their cause, and they supported them in one way or the other. The government should carry along traditional and religious leaders in this situation as they are well-respected by the people. When the traditional and religious leaders speak, the people will know that they are telling them the truth. This is the only way we can even prevent a future occurence of terrorism in our country. We should now start looking at how to rebuild the destroyed communities in the North East.

Governors in this region should also attract investors, particularly in agriculture to the area. This will build poeple’s confidence

that the war is truly over. •Augusta Uche, augustlove_50@yahoo.com

lend credence to some of the measures being taken by the government to address the economic challenges being faced by Nigeria. The 2016 – 2018 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper clearly shows that the thinking within the current administration is not too far from some of the recommended policy options by the IMF chief. The Buhari administration has crafted an expansionary budget for the 2016 fiscal year that is largely predicated on deficit financing of critical infrastructure. About five hundred billion naira is also earmarked for social interventions programme in the proposed budget ranging from job creation, to school feeding, etc. Unlike the 2008-2009 financial crisis, Nigeria’s ability to manage current fiscal difficulties imposed by lower oil prices is constrained by growing sovereign debts, low national saving, and depleting for-

eign reserves as well as general lack of fiscal discipline. With Buhari, some level of fiscal responsibility will be brought to bear on the management of public

finance. •Tunde Salman, Grassroots Development and Advocacy Centre (CGDA), Ilorin

CBN’s forex policy flawed RECENTLY, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) lifted restrictions on foreign currency deposits into and withdrawals from domiciliary accounts, while at the same time, it banned the sale of forex to Bureau De Change operators (BDCs). This new development will make no difference as far as the strategy to save the naira is concerned. It is a good thing that those who have foreign currencies can now deposit in their accounts, and withdraw as well, but how does the CBN want BDCs to source for forex to meet its needs? The CBN’s official rate of a US dollar is N197, but how many people, or businesses have access to the official rate? The last time the CBN

made the official rate available to Nigerians was when some pilgrims wanted to visit the holy land of Mecca and Jerusalem, but sentiment aside, what will the country gain by subsidising religious tourism? Individuals and businesses, therefore, rely on BDCs while sourcing for their forex needs, and this is why the value of the naira is on a free fall. Simple economic analysis says when demand outstrips supply, then the price will rise. This is what is happening in Nigeria’s currency sector, but the fire brigade approach which the CBN is using will never make any difference. I hope the CBN will reverse its decision to ban the sale of forex to BDCs so that the value of the naira will not continue to fall. What is happening at the moment is having a terrible effect on Nigerians, particularly those engaged in international trade, and those who have children studying abroad. While the exchange rate has gone up, the income generation of businesses and personal income have not, and as a result, Nigerians are suffering from the current economic situation. While not blaming the CBN, I will rather blame successive governments that did not have the vision that things might nosedive one day, thereby making them to save for the rainy days. Norway, another oil producing country, as of 2014, had over $400billion in savings, but Nigeria, even when the going was good, had only $38billion maximum in foreign reserve. We can imagine if we had saved about $400billion, we wouldn’t even feel the effect of the slump in oil price, as we would have used the reserves to lessen the economic damage. •Vincent Haruna, Abuja.

editorial

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

A world on edge

ELIVERING his last State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress on January 12, 2016, American President Barack Obama went out of his way to sound a note of optimism about the state of the American economy and global security. Not only did he remind Americans that the turbulence of the past seven years notwithstanding, theirs remains “the most durable economy in the world,” Obama, who will vacate the Oval Office early next year, also sought to tamp down nagging fears about threats to American and world security. Said President Obama: “The United States of America is the most powerful nation on Earth. Period. It’s not even close. We spend more on our military than the next eight nations combined.” The US President’s boast about his country’s military prowess as a way to mollify frayed nerves on the issue of global security is understandable. On January 6, a week before his address, North Korea announced that it had successfully detonated a small hydrogen bomb as “an act of self-defense,” presumably against neighboring South Korea and its long-term ally, the United States. Despite North Korea’s reassurance that “as a peaceful nation and a nuclear powered nation, it will be a responsible state and will not use its nuclear power before [an attack] and will not transfer the technology to others,” the announcement had the all-too-predictable effect of increasing tension across the Korean Peninsula. As it were, North Korea’s “H-bomb” announcement was made amid palpable global perturbation concerning the dastardly activities of the Islamist terrorist group, ISIS- the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. For instance, on the evening of November 13, 2015, ISIS and its affiliates launched a series of attacks which left a reported 129 innocent people dead. The death toll could have been higher had the group succeeded in its attempt to detonate a bomb at the Stade de France during a friendly match between France and Germany. On January 14, a series of ISIS-coordinated attacks in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, left several people dead. Across Africa, in the past year alone, major attacks either directed by or directly linked to ISIS have

occurred in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Mali, and Kenya, where the terrorist group Al-Shabab, an Al-Qaeda offshoot operating from a base in Somalia, has launched a series of deadly attacks. For instance, on April 2, 2015, four Al-Shabab operatives stormed a student hostel and killed a reported 148 people. In Northern Nigeria, Boko Haram continues to wreak havoc with suicide bombing, taking innocent lives in the process; this, despite significant success by the Nigerian military in the past few months. The picture that emerges from the foregoing is of a world that is profoundly out of sync and teetering on the edge of disaster. The global security prognosis becomes gloomier when two elements are factored into the equation. One is the amount of arms in the possession of non-state agents with both the capacity and the inclination to inflict massive fatalities. A 2015 survey by the Geneva-based group, Small Arms Survey, puts the number of small arms currently in circulation worldwide at 875 million. Second, the thought of such rogue agents getting access to radioactive material to make a ‘dirty’ nuclear bomb is enough to send shivers down most spines. In October 2015, an Associated Press report confirmed the fears of many in the intelligence community: ISIS is frantically trying to acquire radioactive material via the black market. No doubt, there is always a danger in analysing security matters, of inflating the associated risk. For instance, the risks of ISIS acquiring a dirty bomb are minuscule. Experts have also argued that the staccato nature of ISIS and its offshoots’ attacks suggests that the group may not be as strong and coherent as widely feared. And as for North Korea, who is to say that it is not doing what it has always done in living memory: grandstanding as a bargaining strategy? No matter one’s perception of the seriousness of the threat to global security, it is imperative that worldwide, intelligence agencies and states, working in collaboration, increase their vigilance. World leaders should realise that they cannot be too careful in a world full of sinister people whose aim is to change the world, but whose method is to destroy it.

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opinion

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

Tough times, tougher Nigerians?

N the year before the leap year, the All Progressives Congress (APC), on whose broom President Muhammadu Buhari rode to become the first citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, uttered a statement. The words that were spoken for the party and invariably PMB’s administration via the mouth of its National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, sent millions of sanctimonious Nigerians running to mountain tops, valleys and river banks as if a reversal, that could serve as an antidote to the foretelling of doom, was embedded in the bosom of nature. The elite and intellectual minds simply laughed it off as another shallow figment of a stuffed up politician’s imagination while the spirituals tagged Oyegun as an emissary of quietus whose words evoked fumes with obnoxious stench over the national atmospheric. Their verdict was a deep cleansing of the four cardinals to rid Nigeria of the looming plagues that were like exorcised fiends, released into the national atmosphere by the chairman’s words. Nigerians at home and even those in the Diaspora certainly would have not developed shorttime amnesia since October, 2015. This implies that the utterance made public by Oyegun yet hovers around the nation’s atmosphere and lingers in the labyrinths of our hearts. National dailies went awash with various headlines culled from Oyegun’s words. “Be prepared for hard times,” “Brace up for hard times,” “Nigerians should prepare for hardship….” These and many more were such headlines that flooded both the print and online media outlets last year. In October last year, while receiving the management and Alumni Association of the University of Ibadan (UI), Oyegun had stressed that the duty before the Federal Government had gone beyond building roads and infrastructure to rebuilding the psyche of Nigerians, but he went further to act clairvoyant when he threw the following words into the air. “These are going to be interesting times. There are going to be difficulties ahead because of the state of the economy.” His words provoked a cocktail of emotions from recipient Nigerians. While some Nigerians adopted the mantra of a certain religious body and simply sent them “back to the

sender”, others swept them under the carpet and we all moved on. The year 2016 has been around for some time now and the reality that stares Nigerians in the face is in total compliance with Oyegun’s words. Perhaps his words can be likened to the voice of the prophet in the wilderness, calling out to oblivious Nigerians or maybe he was simply just psychic, but we do not need a Sangoma to decipher the writings on the wall- for as dusk turns into dawn and another dawn dissipates to usher in darkness, the tough times come sprawling in. It is no longer news that most government workers and retirees are singing death songs due to delayed salaries and in some outlandish cases, no payment at all. Nigerians lamented during the festivities as mixed reactions trailed the celebration when the economy took its toll on the celebration. However, as the legendarily happy people that we are, we put on our masks of smiling faces and celebrated but mostly in frugality. January is yet to usher in the month that makes the 2016 a leap year, but workers, who probably borrowed money to celebrate Christmas and New Year, just a few weeks ago, are being laid off work sans any consideration. All hell is currently being let loose in a south western state as the state government declared a clampdown on its employees a few weeks ago. Lecturers and non-academic staff of polytechnics are literally being bathed with an acidic rain of mass

veracity with Vera Onana

veraonana@gmail.com 08054680688 retrenchment while doctors are being consumed with an abhorrent fear of the unknown as their fates remain uncertain. What is happening in our Nigeria? When we were younger, our parents motivated us to study hard, get good grades and secure government jobs so that we would have a secured job life not only as fulfilled workers, but as happy retirees. Young people with morbid hatred for the modern day slavery that depicts private establishments, especially banking, ran for dear lives in thousands to serve the government. They erroneously believed working for the government meant a life time job security; alas they goofed on that assertion. The government employment that used to be some sort of fortress and strong tower to which any worker could run and be safe is fast becoming the most dangerous place to pitch one’s tent. Surely, the going has got tougher but we must ourselves get tough to survive in today’s Nigeria. Enough of bickering about the government, enough of protesting, chanting the cliché “all we are saying,” we must look within us to change our situation and quit the endless waiting on the government. I would thereby posit that this is the time to look inward and create something out of nothingness. These desperate times call for innovations and creative ideas that would make almost every Nigerian an entrepreneur. Yes, white collar jobs have long stopped being the fairy tale dream we dreamt and government jobs are fast becoming a nightmare. For us to weather these storms, we need to unleash our creativity on the adversities besieging us so we can break into affluence. Ironically, Veracity doesn’t seem to be the only one thinking in this direction, even those supposedly swimming in money have the same opinion. Very recently, Femi Adekanmbi, Ondo State Commissioner for Culture, Tourism and Special Duties, said “we have told our people, the civil servants and everybody that they should start bracing themselves up for the challenges ahead; they must start looking for alternatives to their incomes.” If entrepreneurship becomes every Nigerian’s Holy Grail, collectively, we will break the chains that hold our economy captive, but until then, we may continue to languish, pointing the proverbial fingers at the government we consider as our bane while in reality, we are mostly the custodians of our own woes.

Ray of light on Chibok girls By Garba Shehu

AT a time when the issue of accountability has emerged as the most talked about subject in public discourse, the abduction of the 219 girls from a government school in Chibok Borno state has, expectedly kicked up questions about how far, so far, and whether this is going to be an endless wait for their return. A government that says it would be respectful of the people’s mandate would be willing to give a snapshot of the continuing efforts to find the girls and free them. When the government of Muhammadu Buhari gave strict directives for the Nigerian armed forces to root out Boko Haram and bring an end to the insurgency in our country’s northeast, the kidnapped girls from the Government Secondary School in Chibok were foremost in his mind. The issue remains one of great significances to Nigerians at home and abroad, and to the international community, and finding the missing girls is still a priority of the Buhari government. Over the past months, the Nigerian military has recorded major victories against Boko Haram, reclaiming territory that had previously been occupied by the terrorists and dislodging them from their strongholds, deep within the Sambisa forest. Throughout these operations, special care has been taken by the military to not harm any abducted persons in the terrorists’ captivity. Our armed forces are under instruction to withhold invasion rather than endanger the life of any Boko Haram captive. Various reports giving alleged information as to the whereabouts of the abducted girls have also been received by the army, but these have all turned out to be false or misconstrued. Unfortunately, things were left too late. The previous government wasted precious time questioning the veracity of the abduction rather than going in search of the girls when the trails left by their kidnappers must have still been fresh and easier to follow. In addition, after almost two years,

there is a big questions out there among the experts if all the over 200 abducted girls are gathered in one spot, in one location, sitting and waiting to be rescued. When he spoke honestly and truthfully on the issue in his maiden media chat, the president drew criticism from some members of the Bring Back Our Girls, (BBOG) movement when he answered in the negative, a question on if he knew specifically where the girls were being held. The president equally faced criticism for offering unconditional talks to Boko Haram leaders to secure the release of these girls, criticism that ignores sufficient record in history in the United States, Russia and even Israel. As illustrated by security consultant and author, Brian Jenkins in a 2014 article, if a safe rescue is the objective-which truly it is in this case-a negotiated outcome is always better than an armed rescue operation. In his words: “Armed action should never be ruled out completely, but negotiations are the more practical course to bring the girls safely home.” That article strengthens the argument that, while the government must not abandon military efforts, it should carefully consider the complexity of such operation, especially given President Buhari’s emphasis that delay is preferable to errors, especially where getting the girls unharmed is the

ultimate goal. Don’t forget that after the 9-11 terrorist attack on the United States by Alqaeda, it took 10 years of careful planning to bring Osama Bin-Laden to a final, Hollywoodstyle finish. For President Buhari, there is no place for political posturing over the sad incident. He is not seeking applause because this problem is far more serious than most people think. From everything the Defence Headquarters has been saying, our troops are ready, able and willing to storm anywhere, at anytime to secure the girls once that needed intelligence is available. The last battle-ground, the Sambisa forest is large and expansive. It covers about 3,000 square kilometers of Nigerian territory and it ideally harbours the remaining terrorists and their captives. But Sambisa presents a number of challenges not only to our own fighting forces but to the terrorists themselves. The place has been heavily mined. The terrorist operatives who planted the mines are believed to be mostly dead or have fled, so they too fall victim to them as they move in the forest because the remnants of their fighters don’t know where the mines are planted. With recent military procurements by the present administration, mine-sweeping equipment have been deployed to pave the way for our soldiers. The Air Force is doing its duty of providing air cover and the Navy is active in Lake Chad waters. Our neighbours, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin are collectively standing with Nigeria to deny terrorists a foothold on their soil. In addition to these efforts, there are daily intelligence reconnaissance flights by our Air Force, the U.K, U.S and France which are partnering with the Lake Chad Basin Commission countries. In the light of all these, a serious advance is being made towards liberating the forest and hopefully, government will be laying its hands on whatever is left of the terrorists and their hostages. •Shehu is senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity.

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

Femi Olukunle Coordinating Editor 08158610216

Adetola Bademosi And Soji-Eze Fagbemi-Abuja

ertainly, when the current Lassa haemorrhagic fever broke out, many did not believe, as usual, that the deadly virus would strike in the nation’s capital, or at least, any time soon. This was even so as residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were told not to panic, but to be highly vigilant and readily available for test if they observed symptoms which include high fever, stooling, tiredness and vomiting, among others. That assurance was the reason why when the disease was recorded in the territory, the incident raised some panic among the residents. The victim, who died at the National Hospital a day after being transferred from a private medical centre in the suburb of Kubwa, was said to have, however, come from Jos on a visit. Be that as it may, the outbreak in Abuja has generated much fear in the minds of residents, especially those who live in slums where rate of rodents is high. While on a visit to one of the slums at the popular Jabi upstairs, residents told Abuja Xtra how they had come to co-habit with rodents. A resident, who simply gave her name as Yemisi, told Abuja Xtra that she tried to maintain proper hygiene and hoped that the rodents in the house were not carriers of the deadly virus. According to her, “if you see the big rats in this house, you will be surprised. They are just like tenants; some of them look like bush rats, but they grew up inside this house. We have tried to pursue them, but as some were dying others kept coming. “Even poisons don’t kill them anymore. Before we started hearing of this Lassa fever, we didn’t even care about the rats any more because we got used to them. But now, we have to be careful and hope that they don’t have Lassa fever,” she said. Also, foodstuff sellers, especially garri sellers, in a chat, complained that since the confirmation of the Lassa fever death in Abuja, there had been a decrease in the sale of cassava flakes. According to them, the situation is due to a broadcast message that has gone viral on social media, cautioning against drinking cassava flakes popularly known as garri. When Abuja Xtra also visited a suburb of Lugbe and its environs, residents were seen engaging in sanitation exercise. It did seem that they had come to the realisation of the dangers involved in harbouring rodents in the home. A resident simply called Alhaji, said: “I don’t even like rats in my house at all. The day I saw one, I brought out all my things to make sure that I killed it. Apart from

An Abuja slum area.

Lassa Fever: Slum dwellers jittery, rat poison sellers smile Lassa fever, rat is not supposed to be staying in the house with human beings. It is supposed to be living in the bush. “So you see, we have to make sure that the environment is clean, no dirty water and as you can see, we are making sure everybody channel their dirty water,” he said. A health expert at the Gwarinpa General hospital, who pleaded anonymity in a chat with Abuja Xtra, observed that government was not handling the Lassa fever scourge the same way Ebola was handled and defeated. He observed that during the Ebola saga, a quarantine centre was set up for patients on observation, while the then health minister, on a daily basis, briefed journalists on the current situation and advised on precautionary measures. His words: “Can you imagine? During

territory. This is so as residents, who are afraid of contacting the disease, storm everywhere the product is available to buy. Ironically, before now, rats’ killer medicine sellers were rarely patronised in Abuja, but many residents now look out for the product. That has made sale of rats’ killer medicine a moving business in the Federal Capital Territory. In Abuja, it is now a common sight to see sellers hanging the medicine on their necks approaching vehicles in trffic jam to advertise the product and inform drivers and their passengers on the importance of having rats killers at home and on the need to buy one. They knock on screens of vehicles telling the residents, “Buy rats’ killer. Rat is dangerous, beware of Lassa Fever.” Continues pg22

Crew 1. Christian Okeke chidiabujatribune@ yahoo.com 08030947856

Vandals destroy Abuja rail tracks, others —Pg.22 Boy, 25, in police net over cyber crime —Pg.22

the Ebola stuff, even an average child knew what it was; he knew that in order for him not to contract Ebola, he must wash his hands with water, soap or hand sanitizer. They knew all these things. “They knew what to eat and what not to eat. A primary school child at that time knew the name of the Health Minister because he was always talking. “But in this case of Lassa fever, we barely hear anything. Don’t be surprised some people still don’t know what causes Lassa fever, what to do and what not to. The government really needs to step up its campaign, especially the Heath Minister and maintain a balance in this,” he said. Meanwhile, since the Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, announced the death of the Lassa fever victim at the National Hospital Abuja, sale of rats’ killers medicine became a brisk business in the

2. Clement Idoko idokoajiga@yahoo. co.uk 08034412281 3. Kolawole Daniel kolawoledaniels@yahoo.co.uk 08030763782 4. Adetola Bademosi gloriaadetola@ gmail.com 08182214290 5. Collins Nnabuife chideraacollins@yahoo.com 08039521408

A rat poison seller.

Abuja Xtra email & GSM: abujaxtra@ gmail.com 08054501406

abujaxtra

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

Vandals destroy Abuja rail tracks, others Christian Okeke-Abuja

ersons who thought vandalism of government equipment cannot happen in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, have since been proved wrong as vandals do not spare such equipment. The vandals remove vital equipment as electrical and telecommunication cables, manhole covers as well as railway tracks, even as the railway project remains under construction. Certainly, what is more disturbing currently is that the vandals have started vandalising the tracks by removing the vital equipment being used to provide railway transportation system in the territory. Largely, identities of the vandals were yet to be unmasked as markets, where they take the items to for sale, were yet to be identified. That is why the FCT Administration ap-

pealed to the police high command to step up surveillance on the increasing activities of the vandals and arrest those involved. The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, told the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase, while playing host to the police chief, that security agents had to frontally tackle all those engaged in the nefarious activities who, he said, had the potentials of graduating into big time criminals if they were not adequately checked. He told him: “What is more disturbing now is that vandals have even started vandalising the tracks of the urban railway system that is under construction by removing vital equipment. Of course, the issue of the manhole covers is well known. Each manhole is probably about four meters deep and when you leave it open, it’s very dangerous.” According to him, even though such vandalism might not appear to be very serious

crimes compared to armed robbery and kidnapping, they yet are still crimes. The minister challenged the InspectorGeneral to also unmask those patronising the vandals so as to put an end to the illicit trade. Bello frowned at the situation where

some motorists flouted basic traffic rules in Abuja, describing it as disheartening. He said: “We need to make examples with some people or else, government will continue to invest a lot of resources on key infrastructure and people will just vandalise and sell them for a fraction of the cost.”

Photo News

Boy, 25, in police net over cyber crime Chris Agbambu-Abuja A 25-year old suspect, Elom Nzube, has been arrested by the police for offences relating to cyber crime, intimidation, blackmail and impersonation. The suspect, who will be 26-year old by April this year, said he graduated from secondary school in 2008, but could not go further in his education because of funding challenge. Unable to continue with his education, he said he became a barber. However, Force spokesperson, ACP Olabisi Kolawole, said that the suspect fraudulently used his professional knowledge in computer applications to prepare a human skull, attached same to the photograph of Dr Reginald Rememngi and created a web page with Vanguard News Media Logo which he used to blackmail the petitioner internationally. According to her, the suspect did not stop at this, but continued to demand for dollars and further threatened to make more publications if the money was not paid in time to him through money gram. She added that the cyber fraudster, noticing that his twitter account @latdiscovery was closed, abandoned it and continued to use the twitter account of Dr Reginald Rememngi, which he fraudulently hacked into and embarked on intimidation, harassment and demanding by menace the sum of $5,000 from the complainant, threatening to tarnish his reputation internationally. ACP Kolawole advised Nigerians to en-

sure diligence in keeping the password of their social network accounts. She also noted that the suspect would be prosecuted in accordance to the law. During an interview with the suspect, he said: “I hacked into people’s account because the twitter account that I had been managing since 2012 was hijacked “I also hacked into people’s accounts because I needed money to pay for rent and because I had been sleeping in my shop and I felt there was need to have a house of my own and that was why I was demanding $5000 “I hacked into people’s accounts because I got frustrated on account of my hijacked twitter account. Before the account was hijacked,” “I used it in promoting and marketing health products and I had over 4000 foreign followers alone not to talk of local ones. “I choose to use Vanguard media logo to make my act more credible because I got frustrated. I can even use BBC or CNN, there is no one I cannot use. “I had been a honest person, but when my account was hijacked, I became hopeless. I was really hoping that I could get few dollars from my health business, but immediately my account got hijacked, I became frustrated. “I also impersonated Dr Reginald to get followers from Tanzania. Having my account hijacked is so painful and it made things difficult for me because I had been managing that account since 2012.

From left, Deputy Director, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), Mr Akinbode Oluwafemi; Sub-Regional Coordinator for West African Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Hilda Ochefu and Deputy Director, Non-Communicable Disease, Federal Ministry of Health, Mr Ordu Donald at a press briefing to update the media on the current state of National Tobacco Control Act 2015 in Abuja recently.

From left, Chairman, Inter-Parliamentary Union-Forum of Young Parliamentarians, Honourable Raphael Nnanna Igbokwe; Member of the House of Representatives, Honourable Kehinde Agboola; another honourable, Honourable Saheed Akinade Fijabi and Manager, Public Affairs Section, United States Embassy, Bella Anne Ndubusi, during the Young Legislators Accountability Project Media Launch in Abuja recently.

FCT Minister, Muhammad Bello(right) receiving a souvenir from the Inspector General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase, during a courtesy visit to the minister’s office in Abuja recently.

Lassa fever: Slum dwellers jittery, rat poison sellers smile Continued from pg21

A seller, Muhammed Hassan, told Abuja Xtra that the market was moving fast since Abuja recorded a case of Lassa fever last week. He said he had been in the business for a while, but never had his business boom like he experienced last week. “To my surprise, I exhausted my market before I knew it, the second day that death of a Lassa fever patient was announced. I have been going out, hawking same product without much sales, but I sold all that day and went back to replenish my stock,” he said. But Hassan stated that some of them did their home work when the Abuja Lassa fever death was announced to capitalise on it to boost sales, adding that some of them bought newspapers which they displayed

for people to see. He stated that within the two days, he made N3, 000 gain because he sometimes increased the cost price when “big people with big cars” park to buy, saying that some of the big people would be in a hurry and not want others to know that they were buying rat killers. Besides, he said that he bought in big quantities and sold in small packs to some of his colleagues on the road who re-sold on the road in sachets as well. He said they sold at N50 and N100 per sachet, but pointed out that a person might buy five or more sachets because it was small in size. A man simply called Alhaji Bala sells in both sachets and packs to customers at FHA Lugbe market, behind the police station. He stated that the market was unusually on the increase since the outbreak

of Lassa fever. According to him, “the market cannot be better than now. At first, I didn’t know what is happening until a customer who

Rats on the prowl

sells in sachets by the National Stadium on Airport Road came to tell me that people were buying because they wanted to control Lassa Fever outbreak.”

Nigerian Tribune

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

leadership &

management with Sulaimon Olanrewaju

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

How leaders boost others’ self-esteem By Sulaimon Olanrewaju

N 1979, 7,660 people between the age range of 14 and 22 years were selected for a study that would span 25 years. They were to be measured on issues such as career success, job status, education and health at the end of the study. The participants were divided into two groups; those who had a high level of self-confidence and those who were low on self-confidence. At the end of the study, it was discovered that people with high selfconfidence in 1979 were experiencing a higher level of career satisfaction in 2004 than those with lower self-confidence. Continues on pg24

Biola Alabi, Managing Partner, Biola Alabi Media Consulting

The 60-second

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Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

leadership&management THE 60-SECOND

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5 ways leaders lose credibility IN The Leadership Challenge, researchers and authors, Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner claim that the most important leadership characteristic is credibility. Based on extensive research over two decades, they write that “more than anything, we want leaders who are credible. People must be able to believe in their leaders.” Without credibility a “leader” won’t be leading long. With similar thinking, Aristotle believed that effective communicators possess logic, passion, and credibility (logos, pathos, and ethos). A communicator without credibility is a communicator who won’t really be heard. Credibility is essential in leadership. Here are five common ways leaders lose their credibility: 1. Lack of humility Pride is repulsive. Over time, people loathe following someone who continually displays pride. Leaders who are unwilling to admit mistakes, who think everyone else’s ideas are inferior to their own, and who never asks for help lose credibility over time … and in escalating amounts. 2. Lack of clarity When a leader fails to offer clarity of mission or clarity of values, people are unsure of their collective mission and their collective identity. When clarity is absent, trust erodes. An unclear leader loses credibility as people look to leaders for direction. 3. Lack of love A leader without love is a clanging cymbal. A leader who continually is angry, not hospitable, and views people as tools instead of people with value decidedly loses the heart of those he/she is seeking to lead. 4. Lack of moral authority People do not expect their leaders to be perfect. But they do expect their leaders to be men and women of character and integrity. A leader whose life lacks integrity is a leader who lacks the authority to really lead. 5. Lack of serving Leaders who never get their hands dirty, who never step into the context of those they are leading, who never experience what their teams experience lose credibility to lead. They are perceived as dictators and talking heads and not leaders who serve alongside those they lead. The Book of Proverbs teaches us “A good name is to be chosen over great wealth; favor is better than silver and gold” (Proverbs 22:1). Both riches and credibility can be lost, but when leaders lose their credibility, they lose much more.

Continued from pg23

BOOK

It was also discovered that those with a high level of self-confidence in their early years had an edge over others with respect to earnings. According to the study conducted by University of Florida’s Timothy Judge and Charlice Hurst, these people were, on the average in 1979, earning $3,496 more per year than those with low self-confidence. However, the researchers found out that the gap continued to widen as the years rolled by to the extent that those with high level of self-confidence were, on the average, earning $12,821 more annually than members of the other group by 2004. The study also discovered that the group with low self-confidence in 1979 reported thrice as many health problems in 2004 as those with high level of self-confidence. From the findings of the study, it is crystal clear that self-confidence is critical to career success and wellbeing. Those who are confident carry themselves better, execute their duties more purposefully and are in turn amply rewarded by the system. Source of self-confidence The source of true self-confidence is a healthy self-esteem. Self-esteem is a person’s evaluation of himself. It is how a person feels about who he is. It is a positive or negative judgment about oneself that determines how one feels about oneself and what one does with one’s life. So, if an individual has a healthy assessment of his worth, he treats himself with respect and expects others to treat him likewise. But an individual with an unhealthy self-esteem disparages himself, underrates his accomplishments and does not expect to be treated any better by others. Having a healthy self-esteem boosts an individual’s confidence. The person with a good self-esteem is confident about what he can contribute to the advancement of the society where he finds himself. He knows that he has a symbiotic relationship with the society; the society needs him as much as he needs the society. This gives him the impetus to give his best, knowing that the society will not fail to appropriately recompense him. While it is possible for an individual with unhealthy or low self-esteem to demonstrate self-confidence, such demonstration does not always last the distance because the confidence is not hinged on who they really are. Many of the people in this category usually depend on external stimuli to put up such shows. After the event, they go back to their normal plane and are overwhelmed by a sense of inadequacy. That is why musicians, sportsmen and even businessmen, who seem to enjoy global acclaim and are regarded as successful by those outside their immediate worlds, are often engaged in substance abuse and sometimes commit suicide. This happens when the bottom is knocked out of their confidence because there is no correlation between how the world perceives them and how they see themselves. The world thinks they are successful but to themselves, they are failures. The world thinks they are profound but they know that they are shallow. The misalignment is too much for them to handle and that leads to their destruction. Ben Carson and his mother One of the leading American Republican Party’s 2016 presidential aspirants and one

Influence: Science and Practice Reviewed By George Ambler

Akin Olawore, CEO, Akin Olawore & CO.

Oluwatoyin Sanni, Group CEO, United Capital

Ademola Adeyemi-Bero, CEO, First E&P

Akin Akinfemiwa, CEO, Forte Oil Plc

Leaders and others’ self-esteem

of the world’s most respected neurosurgeons, Dr. Ben Carson, was raised by his mother in a disadvantaged environment. As a primary school pupil, Carson always found himself at the rear of the class and eventually became the butt of the class rude jokes. This made him resort to violence as his way of warding off his peers’ verbal attacks. But his mother sat him down and counseled him about the need for him to show his classmates that he was not the dullard they thought he was. She told him that he was better than any of his peers but for that to manifest, he had to commit himself to reading. She took away the television set from the living room and encouraged him and his brother to read at least two books a week. As Carson took this advice, he started getting better in class. To the amazement of his classmates, he began volunteering to answer questions in class. Gradually, he moved from the rear of his class to the top. As he got better academically, his classmates moved from ridiculing him to praising him. If not for his mother who did her best to raise Carson’s self-esteem, he would have ended up on the streets and the world would have been robbed of the services of an exceptional neurosurgeon. How leaders boost others’ self esteem Self-esteem is not hereditary; it is a product of environmental factors. Therefore, one of the best things a leader; at home, work or nation, can do for those he leads is to imbue in them a healthy self-esteem. Hereunder are some of the ways leaders can boost the self-esteem of their people. Appreciation and recognition A leader’s appreciation puts a spring in the step of his people and a smile on their faces. It is like a tonic to them. According to William James, who is regarded as the father of psychology, the most fundamental psychological need of an individual is to be appreciated. This becomes really important when such apprecia-

tion comes from those he holds in high esteem. When a leader openly expresses appreciation to those who work with him, he sends a message of approval of them to others. This enhances the workers’ sense of worth. They believe that they are not just mere statistical figures but valued members of the organization. Rather than trying to catch team members trying to do what is wrong, leaders should endeavour to catch them doing what is right and openly acknowledge and praise them for that. This is positive reinforcement and it works like magic in soaring the people’s self-worth. The leader’s appreciation could be oral or written. The format is immaterial what is important is that it is coming from the sincere heart of a leader. Listening to him When leaders listen to their members the signal they send is that the members have something worthwhile to say. People listen to those they value, those they respect, those they love

Self-esteem is not hereditary; it is a product of environmental factors. Therefore, one of the best things a leader; at home, work or nation, can do for those he leads is to imbue in them a healthy selfesteem.

and those they consider worthy of their time. So, by listening to what a team member has to say, the leader indirectly tells him he is valuable. That is enough to increase the self-esteem of the team member. But when the leader goes ahead and actually implements the intervention of the member, the member has an out of the world experience which convinces him that he is valuable. As a way of boosting their people’s self-esteem, leaders should listen attentively to them. The listening should not be out of a sense of duty but because they believe that the member has something worthwhile to say. They should also learn to listen without interruption so as to avoid intimidating the member. They should, however, not fail to ask questions or clarifications if that would help in fully understanding the message the member is trying to pass across to them.

Show that you care Many of those who are plagued by low self-esteem travel that route because of the belief that others do not care about them. They go about as if the world is against them because they believe that no one cares about issues that are important to them. So, showing care to team members is one solid way through which the leader can raise their estimation of their worth. If a team member gets to know that the leader cares for him not just because he wants him to do his job well but because he wants him to become a better person, he begins to see himself in a new light and this will have a positive consequence on everything he does. Invest in his strength A leader is one who can see the potential of those who work with him when it is not so obvious. A team member may be oblivious of his talents and consequently may be operating from his weak point instead of from his point of strength. Because he is moving against the tide, he may not be getting as good a result

as he wants. And this will definitely affect his estimation of himself. It is the duty of the leader to help him cross this hurdle by identifying what his strength is and enabling him to hone the skill so well that he becomes a value-adding member of the team. Much of the frustration that happens in the work place is tied to employees not being properly engaged in what they are most suited for. The leader can reduce such tension by identifying the strengths of those who work with him and help them to develop such strengths by exposing them to training. People perform better when they know better. When individuals know that they are not just filling space but are actually contributing to the overall output of the organization to which they belong, their self-esteem is positively affected. Create opportunities for them One of the debts leaders owe their team members is to create opportunities for them to grow on the job. Apart from the overall corporate objectives, every member of the team also has his own personal goals and aspirations. If corporate goals are achieved but personal goals and aspirations are not realized, frustration sets in. So, the leader needs to know his people well enough to know what their personal aspirations are and should do all in his power to facilitate the realization of such. When team members’ aspirations are realized, their self-esteem is enhanced. Play down his faults Mistakes do occur. Mistakes can be costly to the organization as well as its members. But great leaders would rather bear the cost of such mistakes than allow the mistakes to destroy the people involved. Leaders know that smart people do not repeat mistakes. Even when they call the attention of the affected person to the issue, they don’t do that with the intention of bringing him down, it is with the intention of making him get better as a result of that experience.

THE book, Influence: Science and Practice is written by Robert B. Cialdini, who received his graduate and postgraduate training in persuasion and social influence from the University of North Carolina and Columbia University. The book shows how much of human behaviour is automatic, as we go through life we develop “rules of thumb” as shortcuts to decisionmaking, these shortcuts can be used to influence others. An example of shortcut occurs when we assume that if something is expensive then it’s of good quality. These rules of thumb work for us most of the time. Drawing from research in the field of social psychology, this book explores six “rules of thumb” or principles of persuasion and how they can be used to persuade and influence others. The Six Principles of Influence The book explores in detail the following six principles of influence. Reciprocation The rule of reciprocation states that we should try to repay, in kind, what another person has provided us. Research shows that there is no human society that does not subscribe to the rule. Triggered by uninvited favours. This rule results in the lowering of the natural inhibitions against transactions. Commitment and Consistency This principle is triggered by our obsessive desire to be (and appear) consistent with what we have already done. The drive to be (and look) consistent constitutes a highly potent weapon of social influence, often causing us to act in ways that are clearly contrary to our own best interests. Once we have made a personal choice or taken a stand, we will encounter personal and interpersonal pressures to behave consistently with that commitment. Social Proof One means we use to determine what is correct is to find out what other people think is correct. The principle applies especially to the way we decide what constitutes correct behaviour. We view a behaviour as more correct in a given situation to the degree that we see others performing it. Liking Few people would be surprised to learn that, as a rule, we most prefer to say yes to the requests of someone we

know and like. Authority It is the extreme willingness of adults to go to almost any lengths on the command of an authority that is the focus of this principle. We are trained from birth that obedience to proper authority is right and proper. Information from a recognized authority can provide us a valuable shortcut for deciding how to act in a situation. Scarcity Opportunities seem more valuable to us when their availability is limited. The idea of potential loss plays a large role in human decision-making. People seem to be more motivated by the thought of losing something than by the thought of gaining something of equal value. We know that the things that are difficult to possess are typically better than those that are easy to possess, we can often use an item’s availability to help us quickly and correctly decide on its quality. This book is very well written and contains numerous examples from research to support each of the principles. I was constantly kept interested and intrigued by the examples and anecdotes, extracted from research, found extensively throughout the book. As I read, I was able to continually relate the principles and examples to experiences in my life, providing numerous “A-HA” moments along the way. The book does give some practical examples, which illustrates how the principles are applied.

leadership&management

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

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

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

Purposology as the springboard of success - 4

HY do you do what you do or want to do? Why are you in your current relationships? Why did you live in the city where you live now? Why did you marry your spouse and not another? Why did you or do you want to marry? Why did you have the number of children you currently have? Why do you eat what and when you eat? Why do you need a new job? Why did you take up the current job? How do you identify your WHY? Sometimes, it comes by direct inspiration or revelation, an inner nudging that tells you “I WAS BORN TO DO THIS” and you cannot shake it off. For some, certain experiences of life lead them to it. Nobody, except her family, would have known Rolake Oguntoyinbo if she had not lost her husband to HIV/AIDS and contracted the virus herself. ‘Tomi Popoola lives with the Sickle Cell Disorder. She would have been like millions of people who live with the disorder without any special notice until she decided to do something. She started an NGO to provide needed enlightenment and advocacy on the disorder. Each of these women found purpose in their personal experiences. For others, it comes through serendipity. Like Saul in the Bible who was going in search of his father’s donkeys but found a throne instead, many people set out in pursuit of one thing and coincidentally chance on another which eventually becomes the very essence of their being. For others, it follows a process of evolution in life which leads to taking an inventory of their activities and asking themselves what they do for and with others that brings them and those they do it for and with, the greatest joy and sense of fulfillment even if it attracts no immediate applause, recognition or reward? They can invest hours, going without food or sleep just to get it done, irrespective of who does or doesn’t notice. To them, it doesn’t feel like work! It’s a vocation. Two things are at the heart of all human frustration and disappointment. Whenever we take on activity that is not

in tandem with our core essence or persona and for which we have no defined purpose, even if we succeed at it, we are still left with a sense of frustration that leaves us feeling as if on the edge of a precipice. In the same vein, when our outcomes go contrary to our original intention, a gross sense of disappointment follows. Purpose is always established at the onset of creating anything. Like everything else in creation, Man was made to fulfill a definite purpose. The resolute pursuit of his core WHY is what distinguishes a man from the crowd. It is what creates his Blue Ocean, that point of distinction in his life where competition is never an issue. It attracts positive attention and respect and by extension, tangible and intangible rewards. You cannot keep down a man who has found and is painstakingly pursuing his purpose. Integrated purposology however does not stop at merely defining a WHY. It entails the definition of action guided by definite goals and an action plan. Purpose must also birth strategies and define geography. It helps us to recognize relevant opportunities. A critical ingredient of success is knowing that not every opportunity is relevant to your course. Purposology must also define the disciplines in tandem with your predetermined destination. Discipline becomes pleasure when it can be connected with a higher purpose. Without a driving WHY, discipline becomes punishment and routine becomes boredom. When people cannot connect discipline with purpose, they rebel. The discipline of the rail is not to punish the train or deprive it of liberty. It is to ensure that a train gets to its designated destination successfully. The discipline of study is not to punish a student. It is to ensure that he becomes a valuable member of society. Let your life purpose define your boundaries. What you are pursuing must determine what you are forsaking! Ancillary to these is the ability to connect purpose with people. Someone who is going nowhere needs neither help nor direction because he has already arrived. Material and human resources are servants of purpose. They will be attracted to wherever purpose is given full expression.

Sometime ago, I bought a camera which delivered very sharp, excellent pictures. I was however disappointed when, one day when I wanted to use it for video recording, I could not locate a video setting on the Settings button where I PRESUMED it would be found. I thought I had wasted good money. Some weeks later, my eyes caught a red button positioned at the top right side of the camera’s rear. I pressed it and pronto, it activated the video recording! It then dawned on me that I lost the chance of recording an important moment as well as faith in my camera as a result of presumption and ignorance. If only I had checked the manual... Every product is the material outcome of a purpose in the mind of its manufacturer. At any point where we encounter the possibility of malfunction in the equipment, wisdom demands a recourse to the manufacturer’s manual to correct the anomaly which may largely be due to our inability to follow stipulated operating instructions. We can ignore or even throw away the manual only to know the consequences of our indiscretion when the equipment begins to malfunction. So is your life. To fully understand how it was designed to function and why, you must constantly connect it to the original intention of your Maker, your SOURCE. For me, The Holy Bible provides the manual for living that no book out of Harvard or any other business school can match. Trust me when I say that. I read voraciously and have a rich library to boot. Unfortunately, many people cannot see the Bible beyond religion. Others read their greed into its creed. Many even despise it or outright deny its relevance. But your attitude to a manual does not in any way change its content or its importance. If you are satisfied with the mediocre life that simply lives for the moment, you probably don’t need to bother yourself with the manual. But if you desire a noble life, characterized by distinction, godliness and all other things that a life of excellence attracts ,there is only one way to go as a lifestyle. Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!

Being in leadership without being a leader

TO start with, Walter Lippmann defined leaders as “the custodians of a nation’s ideals, the beliefs it cherishes, of its permanent hopes, of the faith which makes nation out of a mere aggregation of individuals.” Nations are reduced to rubble, when those who are in leadership are not leaders—in the context of who Walter Lippmann says a leader should be. In reality, we are where we are as a nation, because there are too many people, who are occupying varied leadership positions, who know little or nothing about what leadership is about. This is in point of fact our major bane in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. What does it mean to be a custodian? It clearly means to be a keeper, a guardian, or a caretaker. It is a proactive word that implies action on the part of the bearer. Custodians hold something in trust on behalf of others. It is not a behavior goaded out of self-interest, but a conduct motivated out of altruism. If you are selfish, you cannot be called a custodian, though you may be occupying a leadership position. Also, a custodian is an individual who upholds what is best for everyone within his or her sphere of influence, even if it may not be in their own interest to do so. A custodian role must be something greater than the self—principles of enduring and lasting value. This is an attitude of mind that focuses on the task at hand and not on what the leader may gain from the position. It entails and means a caring and concerned relationship between leaders and followers; individuals motivated by the citizens’ best interests. The truth is, custodians are scarce as eagles in the corridors of power today. Most of those in leadership positions seldom and rarely uphold what is best for all people within their spheres of influence. What most of us are after is what we can gain, not what we can give. In all too many areas,

we see many of our political, religious and business leaders holding nothing in trust for those whom they purport to serve but advancing only their own ideals and hopes. In the present day, it is often very hard to tell if our political leaders are serving the citizenry or not. In our country nowadays, it is all too common to find leaders simply helping themselves to privilege and power. Throughout time, leaders who have exhibited the proper kind of custodianship—leaders who have sought service over self—have been held in high regard and affection. We gladly look to them for direction and guidance in times of indecision, turmoil and trouble.One such custodian stood out in the fifth century BC. The Roman army was surrounded. The country was in need of a leader who would seize the moment and turn the situation around from defeat into victory. They called upon who was plowing his field, a farmer. He led them to conquer their enemies and after that, he went home. Cincinnatus gained fame for his selfless devotion to his country. This hero of the Roman Republic gave his all in a time of crisis and then gave up the reins of power when the task was done and went back to his plow. Can we do this in Nigeria today? In more contemporary times, America’s first President, George Washington, considered “the father of his country,” provides an intervening example of this same kind of custodial leadership that Lippmann espoused. What did George Washington of this world do? And who was George Washington? Washington was a blue-blooded and highborn gentleman farmer of idiosyncraticand distinguishing character. When called upon to defend the interests of a fledging nation as Commander in Chief of the Revolutionary Army during the

American War of Independence, he rose to the challenge and persevered against all odds. Then, after eight years and half years of being the most powerful man in America, he resigned his commission and returned to his agricultural pursuits. Washington is remembered for his strength of character and discipline, his loyal patriotism, his principled leadership and selfless devotion to public duty. In reality, true leadership is and has always been a selfless action. It involves taking yourself out of the picture and considering the needs of others. This is the only way out of the economic quagmire and the pit of corruption that we have found ourselves as a people. Remember, leadership is everything when it comes to nation building. Clearly, leadership is an issue that affects all of us as a nation. Not only are we impacted by it, but also, we are all called upon to exercise leadership. Whether we are called upon to be involved in leading government or business, guiding young minds, leading a family and standing for what is right, we are each thrust into many different leadership roles again and again, throughout our lives. We are each called upon to be custodians of what is right and good, lasting and of value, for those within our sphere of influence. The word custodian as I am applying it here is the same as the word steward. A custodian or steward performs the task of watching over that which is placed in his or her trust by the one who owns it or for those who will benefit by it. It is a service performed for others; it is not about ownership or control. In other words, true leaders are stewards. But the question is: do we have stewards in the corridors of power today in Nigeria? Until we start to have stewards in the corridors of power, Nigeria will not be able to move from the third world to first.

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

brands& marketing

Nigerian Tribune

anchor Akin Adewakun

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

Why we’re giving online media award

—MD, Promasidor, Mr Olivier Thiry The Managing Director, Promasidor Nigeria, Olivier Thiry, in this interview with Akin Adewakun, reiterates the company’s determination to give back to its immediate environment, insisting that the decision of the company to introduce some innovations into this year’s Quill Awards for the media, especially the Online Reporter of The Year, was informed by the need to enhance the quality of materials being churned out from that platform.

HIS year’s Quil Award being organised by your company is coming with some innovations, and one of such is the introduction of the Online Reporter of the Year Category to the Award. What informed the decision and what qualifies a journalist to participate in this category? You all will agree with me that the way the media is going, you can not ignore the online platform again. And one of the things we have also found out is that there is a need to encourage the online writers to improve on the quality of their publications. So we decided to include the Online Reporter of The Year, because of the feedback that we have gotten, that we are leaving out a very large segment of the media. Besides, to also help in improving the quality of contents. What we have seen is that a lot of online publications, what they do is just to take materials from other publications and publish. There is really no originality, so in this category, we are not going to include media houses that are established. For example, if you write article and publish it in The Guardian or Nigerian Tribune online, you are not qualified. We need publications and blogs that are strictly online. And the goal is to encourage them to develop original quality material, and because of that we have not limited the write-up to any category. So any good quality online material that was published can be entered for this category. Another of such innovations is the merger of the nutrition and children categories, interestingly a lot of people would want to know why? When we merge categories, there are a number of factors that influence that. The recent one we merged was nutrition and children. When you are organising an Award, you need to be careful, much as you want to catch a large pool of journalists, you also make sure you don’t leave some out, and also you look at the budgetary constraints and even the award proper. Don’t forget that the award is just the company’s way of giving back, it’s not our core function of business, so we can’t afford for example, to give 15 or more

awards, which is what should be. So when we merge, we try to get the best in those categories. Besides, we also looked at the first and second editions of the award and found out that the entries for these two categories were similar. And we even had a situation where some people would enter one material for the two categories. Since most of the materials were children and nutrition-focused, we decided to merge the two categories. But is this new introduction not restricting the online media to just one category; since they won’t have the opportunity to submit entries in other categories, even if their materials are relevant in such categories? That is another way of looking at it, but for now the intention is to encourage the online publication, that is why we are having a category for them. The goal is to encourage originality. You will agree with me that most of the stories online are not original, that is why we are saying that if a story is already published and you put it in your online platform, it can not be accepted. The goal is to encourage the quality of material that are published online in this environment. If you look at the western world, you go to their online publication, you find original story. You even find out that a lot of print publications will go to the online publication to cull stories.

You see a lot of blogs, they break news in the western world. That is the kind of things that we want to encourage in this environment.

Olivier Thiry You see a lot of blogs, they break news in the western world. That is the kind of things that we want to encourage in this environment. Also, the CSR category in the last three years, the entries that had been winning have been tilted towards industry, those submitting entries from the industry beat, now you are also merging two of the categories, don’t you think one of these categories would sub-merge the other? I must confess to you that the fact that the CSR award has been going the direction of the industry reporters is beyond us. It is in the hands of the judges, who sieve out the best paper in each category. If the CSR reporters, for instance, have reports that are better than those of the industry, be rest assured that it will actually be the winner. The fact remains that the judges assess according to the materials that are submitted to them, the quality of the material that are submitted them. But the thing about this is the feedback

mechanism, which we also will inform our judges, just for them. You talk about improved response to the award in terms of entries, can we have an idea of the entries in some of the past editions of the award to give have an insight to the level of acceptance? I can tell you the number of entries have been very encouraging. In the first edition, surprisingly we had over 100 entries, but in the second edition, we had almost 400 entries. In fact some people were still submitting materials after entries had closed. So we need to be aware that the entries now will close on April 14, this year, to enable the judges to have enough time to go through all the materials because the event may be in May or first week of June. So we want to give them at least one month to go through all the materials, because we expect that if we had about 400 entries last year, we may also have about 400 or more than 400 entries this year. So they need to have enough time to really go through all the materials.

brands&marketing

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Guinness presents social investments scorecard in mid-year report Stories By Akin Adewakun— Lagos

HE social interventions activities of Guinness Nigeria in the various sectors in Nigeria were made public by the company in its recently-released Mid-Year Social Impact Report, 2016 Financial Year. According to a report released by the corporate communications department of the company, the company’s social investments in the first half of the financial year covered a wide range of sectors such as Health, ICT, Education and social development interventions. For instance, in the last six months, it partnered with Concern Universal, an international non-government organisation to deliver the Safe Water and Improved Sanitation and Hygiene

Programme in Abi, Bekwama and Obaniliku Local Government Areas of Cross Rivers State. The company said 10 boreholes were sunk in 10 communities of these three local government areas, a development that “went a long way in providing safe drinking water for residents of those local government areas.”

The company, in the current financial year, continued its joint scholarship scheme with the Institute for Industrial Technology, a partnership that allows the company to offer 10 bright candidates an opportunity to study at the prestigious Institute for Industrial Technology (IIT), Isheri Lagos. As a way of making life easier

for Nigerians, who were forced to flee their homes as a result of the conflict in North East Nigeria, the company also donated camp mattresses, to be delivered to Shaibu Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Nassarawa State. According to the report, part of the company’s plans for the

second half of the year, would be offering scholarships to more undergraduates. “We have received many competitive entries for the next phase of the scholarship, while successful candidates will be unveiled upon conclusion of the selection process in the coming months,” the report read.

Why we introduced 100k mobile banking rewards — GTbank THE need to encourage customers to embrace mobile banking has been identified as one of the reasons for introducing #GTBankMobileWin100k competition, a reward initiative designed for mobile banking customers of the GTBank. Disclosing this at the launch of the competition, the bank’s Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer, Segun Agbaje, explained that mobile banking puts the bank in the palm of its customers and provides a unique opportunity for the bank to offer quick and more efficient ways of providing banking services. According to him, “the bank remains steadfast in its mission of delivering value -adding services, tailored to meet the diverse needs of its ever-growing customer base, by leveraging technology to make banking more convenient for such customers.” He explained that the competition, which runs throughout January 2016, will see 10 lucky customers win N100,000 weekly during the period, adding that, “all that is required for a customer to participate in the competition is to perform two banking transactions weekly on the GTBank Mobile App.” He said the GTBank Mobile App is a versatile mobile application that merges the bank’s internet banking and mobile money service offerings to allow customers enjoy 24/7 flexibility in carrying out banking transactions without having to visit the Bank’s offices. Using the mobile app, customers can confirm transactions, transfer funds, pay bills and check balances from the comfort of their mobile devices.”

From Left, Ifedayo Oni, Digital Brand Manager, Family Care; Oluwatobi Adetunji, Assistant Brand Manager, Cussons Baby; Oluwaseun Ayeni, Brand Manager, Family Care; Ireti Oladapo, Mother of the winner of 2016 Cussons Baby Competition, Imisi Subomi Smile Oladapo; Charles Nnochiri, Regional Head of Category Africa; Faith Okoli, Group Brand Development & Activation Manager and Vivian Akindele, Channel & Category Manager, Personal Care, at the grand finale of 2016 Cussons Baby Competition held in Lagos.

ASUS, Cosharis’ partnership boosts Nigeria’s N167 bn smart phone market THE country’s over N167 billion smart phone market received a boost recently, with the signing of a partnership deal between leading digital enterprise company, ASUS and Coscharis Technologies for the distribution of ASUS’ newly launched ZenFone mobile phone models across Nigeria. The phone models included ZenFone Selfie, ZenFone Laser 5.5, ZenFone Go 5.0, and ZenFone C 4.5, come with comprehensive camera solutions supported by PixelMaster technology and ZenUI software. Expressing the company’s delight at the partnership, the company’s Country Nigeria Product Manager, Simplice Zaongo, noted that the entrance of the ZenFone Selfie into the Nigerian market specially marks the berthing of this flagship product into English speaking Africa. According to Zaongo, the partnership with Coscharis will ensure that smartphone users across Nigeria have ready access to the company’s innovative technology, irrespective of their locations within the country. “We are very excited to bring our latest ZenFone family to the Nigerian market. These brand new innovations are each an empowering luxury that strikes the perfect balance of beauty, functionality and performance, and especially offers Nigerian con-

sumers a comprehensive camera experience via both hardware and software. “The entrance of the ZenFone Selfie into the Nigerian market specially marks the berthing of this flagship product into English speaking Africa. And, we are excited that this partnership with Coscharis Technologies will ensure that smartphone users across Nigeria have ready access to ASUS’ innovative technology wherever they are and whatever their category of need,” he added.

Speaking on the partnership, Managing Director, Coscharis Technologies, Emomine Mukoro, described it as in tune with the company’s commitment to always be at the forefront of innovative pursuits that will change the landscape for the deployment of ICT technologies in Nigeria. “ASUS is globally recognised for its innovative and high quality products that perfectly meet the needs of today’s digital home and office. We share the same passions at Coscharis Technol-

ogies and trust that the coming together of these two great companies will herald a new era in Nigeria’s smartphone experience,” Mukoro stated. With Nigeria’s smartphone market being the biggest in Africa and the 10th in the world, not a few market watchers believe the market segment would continue to hold its attractions to investors. For instance, over N167 billion was recorded as sales from smart phone devices in 2013 alone in the country.

4 year-old wins Cussons baby N1m education grant FOUR-year-old Imisi Subomi Oladapo from Chrisland School, Victoria Garden City (VGC), has emerged the winner of N1 million education grant and Cussons range of products at the maiden edition of the Cussons Baby toddler competition tagged “grow and shine.’ Ehiarekhian Hayble, 4, a pianist and Amarachi Akujobi 5, a dancer came second and third respectively to win N250,000 and N150,000 education grant. 17 others also went home with product gifts and shopping vouchers each. The judges for the inaugural competitions were Jude Abaga popularly known as MI, Waje Iruobe and Chidinma Ekile all musicians.

Reiterating the transparency of the competition, PZ Cussons’ Regional Marketing Head, Africa, Charles Nnochiri, said the judges were objective in their judgment, with the event meeting stakeholders’ expectations. “The judges were objective as they could have been because the winner is someone who sang a lot of songs that edified our country Nigeria through choreography. That on its own is a lot of talent from 4 years old,” he said. Reinforcing the brands belief in its audience, Cussons Baby Senior Brand Manager Family Care, Oluwaseun Ayeni, said the brand believes that all babies are uniquely gifted “and that is the reason the Cussons baby added to the earlier platform, Cussons

Baby Moments Competition, to give toddlers between the ages of two and five the opportunity to share their amazing talents.” The elated winner’s mother, Mrs Ireti Oladapo, writer/publicist, who expressed her fears after seeing some talented kids on display prior to her baby’s performance, confessed that at some point, her faith began to shake. She, however, expressed her gratitude to Cussons baby for believing in the Nigerian child and not only providing them with world class baby lotion, soaps, oil and powder, but also giving them the opportunity to express themselves through dancing, singing, choreographing and other talents.”

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

infotech

Nigerian Tribune

anchor Bode Adewumi

m:08055001765 e:bodekafi@yahoo.com

ICT remains best alternative to oil in Nigeria —Ekeh Leo Stan Ekeh, who is the Chairman, Zinox Technologies Group, in this interview with BODE ADEWUMI, says he’s passionate about the desire to see the country leverage on the limitless opportunities in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) subsector of Nigeria’s economy, among other issues.

ou believe in the role of ICT as a game-changer in the nation’s economic development. What are your visions as regards this? When it comes to taking Nigeria to the level of development we so urgently crave for, it is by building a ‘knowledge economy.’ In this 21st century, no one has a business being poor, especially considering the proliferation of ICT tools and the internet, which has put the world at everyone’s finger-tips. Today, you no longer have to physically leave your environment to gain access to formal education. With a computer and access to the internet, a variety of degrees can be acquired at your convenience. So also is access to new information on business intelligence, ideas and concepts which could radically change one’s circumstances. Information is power and it is at everyone’s disposal at the speed of light these days. Many years ago, I had realised that the power to liberate millions of our youths lay in the internet and associated technologies, hence the decision behind our “Computerise Nigeria” project, which we launched in 2001. The idea is to provide affordable access to ICT tools and processes which, among other things, promoted the digital re-tooling of individuals, institutions and corporate entities as well as the launch of the first computer ownership scheme in Nigeria. Imagine every Nigerian being able to own a computer with which he or she can access the internet and avail themselves of the huge well of information and intelligence that is evidently manifest therein. Before long, you will have built a knowledge economy of highly literate and sound-thinking people who can stand on their own and take meaningful decisions in business and life which will undoubtedly rub off on the nation’s fortunes. Understandably, all these will have to go hand-in-hand with improved access to education which is the foundational basis for every developed economy. What can be done to improve access to education, especially considering the obvious linkage to building the ‘knowledge economy’ you have advocated? Education, no doubt, is the bedrock of development. While I commend the efforts of previous administrations, it is worth stating that more needs to be done to raise the dwindling standards. Contemporary realities make it evidently imperative for the government to beam its focus on the education sector as a matter of urgency and the time is now. The recent budget presentation made by the president, which saw an increase in the allocation to education thankfully, seems to have taken into cognisance the need to urgently intervene in the sector. Nevertheless, while allocating 5.5 per cent of the

Leo Stan Ekeh budget, which amounts to 396 billion and represents the largest sectoral allocation, is a big step in the right direction, more still needs to be done in expanding access to formal education for millions of our youths. Today, many parents find it hard to support or see their children through school especially at the tertiary level owing to obvious economic challenges and the spiralling cost of access. This is one area the government should focus on, with a view to finding means of reducing the impacts on indigent and economically vulnerable parents. Furthermore, the government needs to do more in the area of reviving our institutions to average standards which is not rocket

By reaching out to large corporates, influential businessmen, individuals and even some of our big churches, government can find a way out of the foreign exchange challenges.

science, moreso, when you consider that what obtains at the moment is at best a watered-down version of what some of us were exposed to back then. The prevailing downturn in the economy occasioned by the falling price of crude oil, forex challenges and the dwindling value of the naira is hurting a lot of businesses in the country at the moment, as well as massive job losses being reported. Do you see light at the end of the tunnel? Well, I have always been an optimist. I believe the Nigerian economy can never shut down totally, by God’s grace. However, the shocks and gaps in the economy at the moment represent our current realities and we must find creative ways to navigate this harsh economic climate. The unprecedented fall in the price of crude oil is a global phenomenon, which not even the smartest economist could have predicted. Having said that, we must always look forward. I sincerely believe that the current administration has the requisite political will and capacity to see the country through this storm and the new mindset of Nigerians to get things done properly also helps. I also believe that the organised private sector holds the key to a way out of the present quagmire. As a matter of urgency, President Buhari should engage the private sector to save

Nigeria. The three levels of the sector drive over 80 per cent of Nigeria’s economy and certainly, we can only move forward when the government carries them along. Recall that in the run-up to last year’s elections, President Buhari met with representatives of the private sector in Lagos to present his party’s economic plans. This and other engagements certainly went a long way in contributing to his victory at the polls. The time is right for the president to enlist the support of the sector in finding a way out of the current economic challenges by restating the vision and focus of the government as well as its sincerity to turn around the economy, as eloquently outlined during the electioneering period. In so doing, the president can secure the support of the sector for the vision and plans of his government. For instance, by reaching out to large corporates, influential businessmen, individuals and even some of our big churches, government can find a way out of the foreign exchange challenges. These establishments and individuals can lend the government through promissory notes at an interest rate of, say 1.5 per cent per year, which will be the highest anywhere in the world and repay gradually over a period of one year. Government can raise money through this means which will provide the needed foreign exchange to enable it meet the numerous commitments and also help it navigate and offset the low price of crude oil in the global market. Government, on its own part, can reward the private sector by giving them a chance to have a say in government and by looking into some of the challenges being faced by the sector in terms of confiscation of goods by some agencies, multiple taxation from the tiers of government, unconducive business environment especially as they are the custodian of power and they should be accountable to the people who elected them into office. What is the next big sector for employment? I have been saying it in the last 20 years. It is technology, technology and technology. If past administrations invested heavily in this sector, the ICT sector would be earning more revenue than oil with solid hopes of prosperity for the majority, mostly for those from poor homes who have the brain power. Do we expect miracles from oil? The answer is no. Global statistics has shown credible trend in countries resolving their employment challenges through structured investment in the ICT sector. Is it that our leaders and their advisers are too blind to see future measureable wealth? The devices, software, solution and e-commerce sector could employ well over 45 million Nigerians with solid future and could also bring minimum revenue of $150 billion every year. I am not sure what we are still waiting for to save this nation. Is it not a shame we are all waiting for oil prices to move up for the nation to survive? We are ignoring what we have control of and putting all our hopes on nature in this 21st century.

infotech

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Airtel begins broadcast of Touching Lives Season 2

From left: Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun; wife of Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Ronke Ogunsanya; wife of Vice-President, Dolapo Osinbajo; Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya, and the United Nations Women Goodwill Ambassador and former first lady of Ekiti State, Erelu Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, during the premiere of Airtel Touching Lives Season 2, held in Abuja, last week.

Following the Touching Lives Season 2 Premiere in Abuja last week, Airtel Nigeria has announced the commencement of broadcast of the 13-episode programme on satellite and terrestrial television stations. According to the operator, the programme, which captures stories of how the plight and despair of people are turned to optimism, will kicked off on Sunday on Africa Magic Channel 151 by 7.308.00pm. Repeat broadcast will be aired on Africa Magic Family 154 on Saturdays 8pm to 8.30pm; Africa Magic Urban on Thursdays 7.30pm to 8.00pm; AIT on Sundays by 6.30pm to 7pm; NTA on Wednes-

We’ve invested more than $15bn in Nigeria’s economy — MTN Nigeria Stories By Bode Adewumi

TN Nigeria has said that it has so far invested more than $15 billion into the country’s economy, saying the company appreciates the economic potentials in the country and therefore it is desirous of tapping into these. This was disclosed by the company during a media interaction with the new Chief Executive Officer of MTN, Mr Ferdi Moolman and the Corporate Services Executive of MTN, Amina Oyagbola, in Lagos, last week. Moolman said “MTN is putting in huge investment in upgrading its network having invested over $15 billion in the nation’s economy. There is huge growth potential in Nigeria and I believe it is going to be unlocked and we want to be part of that growth. We would like to be people’s company where we continually offer our customers values.” While answering questions on the acquisition of Visafone and other sundry issues, Oyagbola said MTN has not sacked any staff contrary to reports. She maintained that Visafone actually had 350 workforce contrary to reports that the telecoms firm had 2, 000 staffers This position was corroborated by the founder and retired Chairman of Visafone Communications Limited, Mr Jim Ovia, in a statement last week. Ovia, in the statement, said, with regard to manpower development and contrary to media reports, “MTN did not sack any staff.” He, however, stated that of the total 350 professional staffers that Visafone had prior to the acquisition, some voluntarily resigned and were adequately compensated. Ovia further said he had it on good authority that in a bid to ensure seamless transition of the process and maintain business

continuity, some staff of Visafone were being re-engaged by MTN in order to maximise the use of key assets such as Network and Technology. Ovia explained that in spite of the acquisition, Visafone remains open for business and will be leveraged to expand MTN’s roll out of its Long Term Evolution (LTE) broadband services. He said this will ensure the continuity of the Visafone trademark broadband, enterprise solutions and voice services to its customer base. Meanwhile, Moolman said the

acquisition of Visafone was part of the company’s investment strategy to make its network more robust. To efficiently manage Visafone, Moolman said MTN had put in place a team to look at what “is happening in Visafone to ensure that subscribers on Visafone for both voice and data experience better services delivery.” “After our acquisition of Visafone, things are being reviewed. We were under the impression that the staff we have in-house can handle the Visafone functions as an entity but it is becoming

clearer that we need to re-hire disengaged staff by Visafone to manage the entity,” he said. MTN currently have over 63 million subscribers. This will be joined by over two million Visafone subscribers and other data telecoms consumers. Stressing MTN commitment to improved quality of service, Moolman said: “We have plan to deploy LTE and we are also increasing the quality of our 3G because 3G can be improved substantially to provide high quality of service to our customers,” he said.

WhatsApp faces possible regulation in South Africa Over-the-top internet services, such as WhatsApp, could be regulated in South Africa depending on the outcome of planned Parliament hearings this month. Over-the-top services, which range from WhatsApp to Skype and Google Hangouts , allow users to make messages and calls over data networks, often at comparatively lower costs than traditional telephone calls or SMS. OTT services like WhatsApp have rocketed in usage in South Africa with over 10 million users in the country, according to a recent report by World Wide Worx and Fuseware. Amid this growth, South Africa’s two biggest mobile networks Vodacom and MTN last year called for regulation of OTT services in South Africa. Subsequently, the Portfolio Committee on Telecommunications and Postal Services has confirmed to Fin24 that it has scheduled hearings into the possible regulation of OTT services in South Africa on January 26. A notice of the planned hearings, which was sent to relevant stakeholders, said the hearings are set to discuss “necessary policy interventions on how to govern OTTs, regulatory interventions on the guidelines to regulate OTTs” and the “impact of

OTTs on competition.” Another topic to be discussed at the hearings is whether “there is a need for the OTTs to be defined as telecom services (voice or data) or telecom infrastructure, and thus whether they should be subject to licensing and regulatory obligations (such as legal intercept and emergency call access) or not?” The committee is trying to secure a venue for the hearings which are

planned to be open to the public, the secretary of the committee, Hajiera Salie, told Fin24. More details about the hearings will be provided later this month, Salie added. It’s unclear who will be presenting at the hearings at this stage. Dominic Cull, who is a communications regulatory expert at Ellipsis Regulatory Solutions, said he has received a notice of the hearings.

days by 8.30pm to 9.00pm and Arewa 24 TV on Sundays by 7.00pm to 7.30pm. Now in its second Season, the Airtel Touching Lives is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) intervention of the company focused on empowering, uplifting and creating opportunities for under-privileged people, community and groups in the Nigerian society. The activities of Airtel Touching Lives are recorded and produced for national television with a view to promoting the spirit of giving, self-sacrifice and love among Nigerians. Speaking at the premiere, the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Mr Segun Ogunsanya, called on Nigerians, including corporate organisations, government and NGOs, to join efforts in humanitarian causes to support the under-privileged. According to Ogunsanya,” if we all support just one programme in our immediate communities, it will make a huge difference in making our country a better place for all. “At Airtel, we believe that to be a great company, we must be a good company; and we are very much committed to earning our social license – the love and acceptance of the various communities and people we serve,” he said. The premiere of the Airtel Touching Lives Season 2, which held at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton, Abuja was attended by important dignitaries, including the majority leader, House of Representatives, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila; Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, Deputy Chairman, Senate Committee on Communications; Hon. Saheed Fijabi, Chairman, House Committee on Communications; Honourable Minister for Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun; Minister, Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalong; wife of Hon. Minister for Solid Minerals, Erelu Olabisi Fayemi; Indian High Commissioner, A. Ghanashyam and British Deputy High Commissioner, Simon Shercliff, among several others.

IoT’ll drive tech industry to $287 bn in revenues —CTA The ever expanding adoption and continued growth of innovations comprising the Internet of Things (IoT) will help lead the United States’ consumer technology industry to a record setting $287 billion in retail revenues ($224 billion wholesale) in 2016, according to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Well-established technologies including smartphones, televisions and laptops will continue to drive United States retail revenues and lead to one per cent industry growth in 2016. While these categories, together with tablets and desktops, account for 51 per cent of the consumer tech industry’s revenue, the catalysts for industry growth are newer innovations such as wear-

ables, virtual reality and drones. “2016 will be another great year for consumers. As more products become connected, we’ll be able to manage our lives in ways that weren’t possible even just a few years ago,” said Mr Gary Shapiro, president and Chief Executive Officer, Consumer Technology Association. “The exponential growth of the IoT and the lightning-fast speed of innovation are key reasons we’ll see such strong growth across so many tech categories. Highly sophisticated technology is becoming more affordable and accessible - improving our safety, productivity and entertainment,” he added. While CTA forecasts overall industry growth in 2016, the strong household penetration of mature

categories, such as tablets, televisions, PCs and laptops, and continued industry innovation are declining or slowing growth and placing pressure on margins for some manufacturers and retailers. For example, despite a projected 65 percent increase in revenue for Ultra High-Definition TVs in 2016, CTA expects revenue for the overall TV market to not increase this year. “Aggressive competition, longer product replacement cycles and disruptive innovation replacing legacy products create financial challenges for segments of our industry,” noted Shapiro. “However, we believe newer categories, continuing innovation and improving economic conditions provide additional cause for industry optimism.”

tribunebusiness

Tuesday,19 January, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Dangote, President, Dangote Group

Tomatos

Tackling poverty, unemployment with tomatoes

t’s a situation that mirrors the giant oil industry, where Nigeria has abundant resources but has lacked the capacity, will or ability to exploit it, forcing a reliance on imports. But Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote is hoping to change tomato production with a giant factory that will boost domestic output, create jobs -- and even, indirectly, fight Boko Haram. For the past five years, the Dangote Group conglomerate he heads has been working to build a $20-million (18.4-million-euro) tomato processing plant outside the northern city of Kano. The city and state of the same name has been blighted by poverty and unemployment, seen as key drivers to radicalisation fuelling the Islamist insurgency in the wider north since 2009. But it’s hoped the giant factory the size of 10 football pitches, set alongside 17,000 hectares (acres) of irrigated fields, will help by tapping a potential agricultural goldmine. The country’s agriculture ministry puts annual current demand for tomato puree at 900,000 tonnes. When the Dangote factory opens from next month it will provide 430,000 tonnes of paste that is used widely in Nigerian dishes from jollof rice to fiery soups. “Nigeria is such a huge market for tomato paste that we will find quite challenging to satisfy,” the factory’s general manager, Abdulkarim Kaita, told AFP. “Already local tomato paste packaging companies have placed orders with us which we will have to work hard to satisfy.

“We are set to begin operations. We are only waiting for the tomatoes which are ripening in the fields.” Nigeria grows some 1.5 million tonnes of

Nigeria grows some 1.5 million tonnes of tomatoes every year, making it the 14th biggest producer in the world. But it’s forced to rely on imports of tomato puree, mostly from China, because of a lack of processing plants.

tomatoes every year, making it the 14th biggest producer in the world. But it’s forced to rely on imports of tomato puree, mostly from China, because of a lack of processing plants. Dangote’s factory, built by Switzerland-based Syngenta, will directly employ 120 people and 50,000 farmers have been engaged to grow the tomatoes required for the process of making concentrate. The Central Bank of Nigeria has provided technical assistance such as soft loans for seeds and fertiliser. The factory will then buy the produce at competitive rates, said Kaita. Currently, about half of the local tomato crop rots because of a lack of storage facilities, poor pricing and access to markets, which has prompted many farmers to stop cultivation, said the CBN. The improved seed varieties to increase yields, access to chemicals, more up-to-date farming techniques and a ready market for the produce is designed to entice farmers back. “Once we start production the factory will be providing employment to farmers and (the) tomato paste packaging industry, traders, haulage operators and many others to support the tomato value chain,” said production manager Ashwin Patil. Plans to increase production -- and acquire an idle tomato paste factory in neighbouring Kaduna state -- are in the pipeline, he added. For farmers such as Yusuf Ado Kadawa, it’s a lifeline. “We really incur heavy losses from our yield, which rots away due to lack of (a)

ready market for our tomatoes, which is a perishable produce. But now we have a market close to us,” he said. Challenges President Muhammadu Buhari is keen to diversify Nigeria’s economy away from an over-reliance on oil as revenues have been severely depleted by the global slump in crude prices. Former agriculture minister Akinwumi Adesina, now head of the African Development Bank, in 2013 described the sector as “the new oil”. Some 30 percent of Nigeria’s estimated 170 million people are employed in agriculture, mostly at a subsistence level, although moves have been made to commercialise production. Erratic power supply, which Nigeria has been grappling with for more than two decades, and lack of import controls remain the factory’s main challenges. The factory will have to rely on diesel-hungry generators for electricity, adding to production costs and reducing competitiveness with cheaper imports. Both issues contributed to the collapse of hundreds of factories in Dangote’s home state of Kano in the past two decades, including his textile and wheat flour factories. But the vice-president of Nigeria’s manufacturers union, Ali Madugu, said the future still looked bright. “Once the government can place restrictions on the import of Chinese tomato pastes... the sky’s the limit for the Dangote tomato paste because the market is there for them to exploit,” he added. Courtesy: AFP

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016 Group Politics Editor Taiwo Adisa - 08072000046 taiadis@yahoo.com

Why I am supporting Buhari’s anti-corruption war —Kashamu Kashamu

Senator Buruji Kashamu is the lawmaker representing Ogun East Senatorial District of Ogun State at the National Assembly and ViceChairman, Senate Committee on State and Local Government Administration. At an interactive session with some journalists, he spoke on the ongoing anti-corruption campaign of the Federal Government, among other issues. KUNLE ODEREMI brings some excerpts:

IEWS on the nation’s state of affairs A new government just came on board and it is barely eight months old. So, it might be too early to rightly assess it. But, given that it is generally said that the morning makes the day, the concern and disapproval that are being expressed over some activities of the current government are understandable. However, we also do know that history is replete with those who had a wobbly start and ended well, and vice versa. For instance, we had the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) and Otunba Gbenga Daniel (OGD), who were elected governors of Lagos and Ogun states respectively. Despite the challenges they had at the beginning of their administrations, they did so well in their first tenure so much that the masses began to call for their re-election which they got. Nigeria as a member of the global community is challenged by a number of sociopolitical issues that are largely influenced by happenings internally and externally. Some of these happenings are sudden glitches that are wildly beyond the control of the government. In my recent contribution on the state of the nation, I underscored the fact that governance is collaboration between the leadership and the led. It requires the unreserved resourcefulness of the leaders and the led for the desired

results to be achieved. Although I am a leader in my own right, I am also a man under authority. So, this time I am speaking to the masses as a leader who shares their feelings and yearnings. I was not born with a silver spoon. I know what it means to be hungry. I have experienced lack of the basic necessities of life. I have felt the pangs of denial, subjugation and oppression. I know from experience and interactions with the masses what they feel. That is why I consider myself as one of those who can talk to them in the language they will understand, and see reason with me. A few honest columnists and commentators have shown genuine concern about the state of affairs in our country and also offered credible alternatives. Yet, a good number of the other comments are driven by primordial partisan interest. Those

who criticise must do so with a deep sense of responsibility, just as those who govern must do so with the fear of the Almighty Allah. The task to comply with the policies and directives is one that must be done by all Nigerians. Government succeeds through compliance. And the compliance must be spontaneous or lawfully negotiated if need be. This is because in the past, brilliant policies failed not necessarily because they were faulty but because compliance was not spontaneously given or lawfully negotiated. It is for this simple reason that I want to reiterate the need for well-meaning Nigerians to offer ideas that will enhance the efforts of the government at making life better for the generality of the people. Criticisms without progressive ideas lend credence to what a US politician, James

Governance is collaboration between the leadership and the led. It requires the unreserved resourcefulness of the leaders and the led for the desired results to be achieved

Clarke, said about politicians when he said, “A politician thinks of the next election; a statesman (thinks) of the next generation.” Once a politician is elected, he is no longer the leader of his political party. He becomes the leader of the people within and outside his party. He becomes the leader of those in the ruling party, those in the opposition and non-politicians alike. The elections and campaigns are over. Now, we must creatively solve today’s problems in a manner that creates a sustainable future for our children. By the grace of the Almighty Allah, I will continue to support initiatives that will move Nigeria forward despite being a member of the opposition party. For the past 16 years, our political space has been dominated by office holders who literally emasculated the party once elected. They equated themselves with the party and literally became the party such that the platform was subjected to their whims and caprices. Therefore, the party could not be held responsible for whatever the person did or did not do. Truth is, we are at a crossroads and we must decisively choose the path that encourages inclusiveness in governance because that is the only way to effectively fast-track the much-needed development. The people must participate and ultimately own the process that will lead to national recovery and growth. Rather continues pg33

politics&policy

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016 and should be encouraged. This makes the dollars readily available for more purposeful uses and ensures stability of the exchange rate. Instead of crying over the temporary inconveniences that we are experiencing as a people, it is better we look inwards with a view to boosting our local production capacities in solid minerals, agriculture and other critical sectors of the economy. That way, we will increase our exports, strengthen the naira and grow our economy.

‘To guarantee development, Nigerians must own the process’ continues from pg32

than rue over our situation, we all must light our candles and illuminate our various corners for the progress and success of our dear country. Anti-corruption campaign We should be patient with the government and perform our civic responsibilities as patriotic citizens. For instance, I endorse the ongoing anti-corruption campaign. It is one effort that must be supported by all and sundry irrespective of ethnic, religious or political affiliations. My support for the ongoing anticorruption campaign is neither meant to rubbish anyone, curry favour from any quarters nor join the ruling party. My support for the anti-graft campaign is borne out of my genuine desire to stand up for what is right, just and equitable in order for the masses to weigh whatever I say and be able to take informed decisions rather than being brainwashed. For, as Martin Luther King, Jnr said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Naturally, the current anti-corruption campaign would affect a lot of those who played active roles in the immediate past administration, especially at the federal level. Therefore, it is only normal for the government of the day to first clear the Augean stable before settling down for the onerous task of governance. In the course of doing that, if anybody’s name is found in the books, the anti-graft agencies have a duty to do their job. But, such a job must be done, according to the Rule of Law. It is only the court that can say whether someone is guilty or not. Indeed, it is an aberration for a creation of the law to violate the law. Yet, if the truth must be told, within the short time that this anti-corruption campaign began, there are positive results to show that the government is on track. The President rode to office on account of his integrity and goodwill. No matter what anybody says, his integrity is intact. He is a focused President whose body language is making treasury looters shiver and return their loot to the government’s coffers. Put simply, his anti-corruption record is infallible. In view of the dwindling oil revenue, we need all the money we can get to fix our infrastructure and develop our economy. Oil sector reforms With the current situation in the oil sector as it relates to oil subsidy, I am of the firm belief that the long-term benefits of its removal outweigh the difficulties. Over N1 trillion is paid annually as subsidy, whereas the masses who should benefit from the policy do not really get it because the subsidy regime has been a drain pipe through which some brief-case millionaires have been ripping off the government and people of Nigeria. In the past, there were tales of people who corrupted the oil sector to get favourable deals which they ended up diverting. They never wanted to sell products at normal rates. In fact, they tend to precipitate crises that will make them sell at exorbitant rates. Hopefully, with the eradication of bu-

Kashamu reaucratic malpractices, kick-backs, upfront payments, as well as other underhand dealings that pushed up the prices of petroleum products, Nigerians should be able to buy products at reasonable prices without much ado. Local production capacity is being boosted by the repairs of refineries across the country, and hopefully, those who have been given licences to build and operate refineries would swing into action. Some have even suggested that in the interim, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) could issue more import licenses to reputable firms. All things being equal, market forces will accordingly dictate prices like it was and still is in the telecommunication sector. This possibility makes the mixed feelings over the current 50 kobo reduction in the price of petrol somewhat out of place because the price will continue to drop as market forces prevail. Electricity Another contentious issue that people have sought to make a heavy weather out of is the increase in the tariff of electricity. The choice before us as citizens is either to give the government the benefit of the doubt by accepting to pay a little more for electricity supply in the hope that things

will improve or remain where we are without any hope of improvement. I make bold to say that with the benefit of hindsight and our experience in the telecommunication sector, the first option is better. With time, market forces would force the operators to adjust as it was in the telecoms sector when the cost of SIM card and the method of billing changed for the good of the masses and the economy. Foreign exchange policy Despite the misgivings being expressed over the current forex policy, it is my belief that those who genuinely need dollar should have access to it. Some need it for school fees, others as Basic Travel Allowance and yet others for small-scale businesses. With the Biometric Verification Number (BVN), it is now increasingly difficult for anyone to engage in roundtripping. The BVN, coupled with the new forex policy, has curbed round-tripping and profiteering. It is common knowledge that not all those who buy dollars for N197, for instance, do use it for importation. Some resell for huge profit at the prevailing black market rates, especially in the neighbouring countries. The old practice of buying travellers’ cheque for legitimate uses through the banks is preferable

Those who criticise must do so with a deep sense of responsibility, just as those who govern must do so with the fear of the Almighty Allah

Boko Haram/Chibok girls Under the immediate past administration, I had consistently argued that the issue of Boko Haram should not be used to judge the performance of the government. I still maintain that view under this government. Terrorism is a global phenomenon. It requires the concerted efforts of all Nigerians and friends of Nigeria. Let us not localise or politicise it. Perhaps, we should be reminded that we now have the cooperation and support of our neighbouring countries. We might have forgotten that hitherto Cameroun, Chad, Niger and other neighbouring countries refused to support the immediate past government in the fight against Boko Haram. We are now witnesses to how the uncooperative disposition of these countries has given way to a more aggressive onslaught against Boko Haram – all thanks to the untiring efforts of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. He has provided the much-needed leadership and inspiration to the men and officers of the nation’s security agencies. On the Chibok girls, as a parent, I empathise with the parents of the abducted girls and pray that they are found. However, we must be thankful to the Almighty Allah for victories won so far. Our territorial sovereignty remains intact. While the agitation for the Chibok girls remains legitimate, we must see the proverbial cup as half full instead of half empty. The Chibok girls are symbolic of efforts to rescue every Nigerian held captive in socioeconomical shackles. We have recorded appreciable victories against the insurgents. Many women, girls and children have been rescued, restored and reunited with their families. The other day I saw over 200 of such girls already rescued on the internet. Although most of them had been put in the family way, they can still be rehabilitated and made to live normal life yet again. All these have shown that our security situation has improved tremendously. In a nutshell, we must celebrate the successes recorded so far while we support the government in the continued search for the girls. Our attitude Our national anthem is a very inspiring creed that we all must profess and manifest at a time like this. This is the time when we all must be patriots who will inspire one another to arise and serve our fatherland with love, strength and faith. Love for our fatherland will stop violations from corrupt practices, impunity, terror and other malpractices. Strength is the virtue we desperately need to birth a greater nation from the throes of our current economic, political and security challenges. Above all, we must have faith in ourselves, faith in the government and faith in the Almighty Allah who makes all things possible. We must meditate and act on our pledge to be faithful, loyal and honest and to serve Nigeria with all of our strength. To do so, we must all lend our support to the fight against corruption and impunity. For Nigeria to live and outlive us, corruption must die.

politics&policy

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

Reasons PDP leaders are moving to APC —Inah Chief Wilfred Inah is a former Head of Service in the old Cross River State and commissioner in the Federal Character Commission (FCC). In this interview by ANTHONY UBONG, the stalwart of the All Progressives Congress (APC) reflects on ongoing political realignments in the state, his former party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other issues. Excerpts:

tell on PDP’s performance in future elections. I believe the calibre of people I see in APC in the northern, central and southern senatorial districts, are those who made PDP strong. They have taken that strength out of PDP and they come into a new party and their new party has a chance of throwing PDP out of Cross River. In other words, are you saying it is the end of the PDP in the state? I will not say it is the end of PDP in Cross River. If the party had 200 people who were strong and they are now left with 25, it means they have lost 175 and that does not mean it will cease to exist. It will still be there but it will have no energy.

OW do you see the gale of defection by stalwarts of other parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River? Each person must have his reason for moving, I can talk about myself. I moved to APC because I was disenchanted with the way PDP managed the party before the elections took place in March and April 2015. I said it before that there were no proper primaries for people to emerge and contest election into the various elective positions. You can imagine that the 25 House of Assembly members are PDP. How did they emerge as candidates? It was through imposition. No matter what anybody may say, it was through imposition. That impunity is objectionable; some of us don’t accept such. I will rather stay in a party where I can be heard than in the one where we have an emperor; somebody who must decide who contests election and who does not. How many members of the House of Representatives went through credible primaries? None; the same applied to the Senate. That impunity is

Inah what my spirit revolts against and I thought I should not remain in a party where my views don’t matter. That was why I left. Many of those who have left now have given reasons publicly, and some of them point to this impunity. What do you think are the implications of the mass movement on the PDP as it concerns the proposed 2016 local government elections in the state and other future polls in the country?

I believe that with the mass movement, the PDP has become an endangered party in Cross River; endangered in the sense that many credible people who made the PDP strong in the past have left it. You cannot take energy from me and believe that I will remain the same. PDP has lost those people and I do not know how many people are coming into the party to replace those that are going out. If so many credible people are leaving PDP, the simple conclusion is that the party will be weakened, and it of course

Some politicians make a lot of promises during electioneering campaigns but hardly do they keep those promises when they in power. What accounts for this? Governments exist for the welfare and security of the citizenry; that is the aim of government. Politicians, especially those holding elective offices should be mindful of the promises they make when they are contesting elections. Those, who make false promises and do so deliberately in order to come to power, are fraudulent and their days are numbered in politics. Nigeria is not in the Dark Age; Nigerians are enlightened people. If you lie to them, they know. If you are lucky you may get a chance to complete your present tenure, but if you are not, they may terminate it before it is due all because they have discovered that you have deceived them. If you make a promise you know you cannot keep, you are fraudulent. People will vote you out of power because you cannot lie to them in perpetuity.

Boko Haram reduced to fleeing ragtag —Nwankpa Mr Emeka Nwakpa is the Chief Media Strategist and one of the promoters of a group, Concerned Professionals’ Congress (CPC), an advocacy group which seeks to add a voice to Nigeria’s development. Nwakpa, a journalist, among other issues, speaks on what he sees as the gallantry of the Nigerian military against the dread sect, Boko Haram. BOLA BADMUS brings excerpts: YOUR group seems to be saying Nigerians don’t honour our military enough. Is that correct? Precisely yes. But we can do more. Five months ago, Boko Haram used to move around brazenly with 12 to 15 Hilluxjeeps from one territory to another. On one occasion, they bombarded Bama, chased the Emir away, hoisted their flag, declared their Caliphate and started collecting levies, taxes and what have you, from the conquered territories. In Borno State alone, 21 out of the 27 LGAs were under Boko Haram. It was a horrible blight on our sovereignty as a nation. But thank God that today all that nonsense has stopped not without a heavy price paid by our military. A new crop of officers with the passion, patriotism, commitment and zeal are now in charge. I had expected that our citizens will roll out the drums to appreciate our soldiers. But in spite of what you see as a big success in the fight against insurgency, why are we still recording terrorist attacks in isolated places? I’m glad you used the term isolated places. It is so because they (Boko Haram) can no longer hold on to specific places to launch their attacks. They have been degraded, scattered and are in disarray. Their centre can no longer hold. In other words,

Nwakpa it is no longer at ease for them. You now find them sneaking into towns, villages and settlements, forming sleeper cells, adopting funny antics to lure innocent people at soft targets to kill through suicide bombing. This is where you and I need to come in. The battle-ready troops under our committed, courageous and highly passionate commanders are doing a wonderful job. We’ve never had it so good. And that is why we are witnessing many operational successes in the epicenter of war. I am not a soldier but as a journalist, observation is

a good tool. It enables me to see what many cannot see. Some would say you sound like a military apologist from your take. A military apologist? Please count us out. But if we have to be called apologists to appreciate the sacrifices of our troops, then so be it. For crying out aloud, we love these soldiers for their bravery and courageous gallantry. We have no apologies whatsoever. History will judge. Altitude responds to attitude. You know that since these new

officers came, it has not been business as usual at the battle front. Our military has done a good job to actualise Mr President’s timeline. You may have also observed that Boko Haram has not released their hollow video and audio messages for some time now. That was only possible before. Boko Haram is now a thoroughly decimated, degraded and disoriented group that has been reduced to a fleeing ragtag force and cannot think of any video or audio recording now. So what do you think is the next move in view of the post-Christmas incidents by the group? The degraded Boko Haram is working along the narrative that it has not lost in order to create more fear in the minds of the people, including the media whose responsibility is to report what happens. It is our duty now to ensure that we don’t suck into the terrorists’ game. To the extent that they can no longer hold territories again it shows they have lost capacity. It is the issues around soft targets- which is a global phenomenon- that must engage the attention of everybody now. I’m not an insider, so I won’t know what the military people are thinking now. But I know that they are not moved except for the condolences to the bereaved families. Sufficient peace has returned for residents of the troubles North-East to return to their ancestral homes and live their normal lives again. All these have been achieved at a price. We’ve lost officers and men. Their families will carry the pain and agony forever. Some are permanently maimed.

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

tribunelaw

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

ACJA 2015: Panacea to the malaise of criminal justice in Nigeria

Since the introduction of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), the hope of many in the judicial system as the last hope of the common man have been rekindled and for what seems to be the first time, legal practitioners are speaking with one voice that the implementation of the act will herald a new dawn in criminal justice in Nigeria. YEJIDE GBENGA-OGUNDARE reports

HEN the former AttorneyGeneral of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), on Tuesday, May 26, 2015, presented to the public the new Administration of Criminal Justice Act, (ACJA) 2015, to sensitize the public of the existence of the law, few took it serious, to them, it was just another law that would have no real significance on the judicial sector. However, when given the chance to peruse the provisions of the Act, all had a rethink and welcomed the Act as the next level in justice administration. Indeed, many have since described the ACJA 2015 as a revolutionary intervention in the Nigerian justice system, adding that it would greatly turn the tide on the quality of justice and curb delays in justice dispensation in the country. ACJA is a 495-section law that repealed the Criminal Procedure Act and the Criminal Procedure Code that is used in all federal courts and courts in the FCT and it covers the entire criminal justice process; from arrest to investigation, trial and custodial matters to sentencing guidelines. Basically, the Act in all its provisions aims at ensuring that the system of administration of criminal justice in Nigeria is efficient, speedy and protects the rights and interests of the suspect and the victim of crime by restoring the capacity of the courts and law enforcement agencies, subjecting custodial and other processes to transparent and internal scrutiny, providing for non-custodial alternatives such as community service, providing opportunity to dispense with formal trial in certain circumstances and giving further expression to various constitutional guarantees on human rights while all regulatory, institutional as well as constitutional impediments to achieving these goals were removed. One of the highlights is Section 306 which states that application for stay of proceedings shall no longer be heard until judgment and cannot operate to stall continuation of trial. This means that no interlocutory appeal shall operate as a stay of proceedings in the lower court and consequently, law enforcement agencies and institutions like the Police, Prison Service, Ministry of Justice and the Magistratesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; court have to synergize, rather than compete and find faults with each other. The major problem of justice dispensation in Nigeria especially in criminal matters is unarguably delay due to prolonged trials and adjournments and this is what the ACJA stands to eradicate through restrictions on stay of proceedings and the number and interval of adjournments. The ACJA states that upon arraignment, trial shall be from day to day until the conclusion of the

Malami

ACJA states that upon arraignment, trial shall be from day to day until the conclusion of the trial.

trial and in situations where this is impossible, it provides for adjournments to just four on each side with just an interval of 14 days; this will end issues of trials taking years to conclude from time of arraignment. The ACJA is divided into 49 parts which covers arrest to conviction, issues of pregnant inmates, capital offences as well as treatment of child offenders. And all provisions are geared towards promoting efficient management of criminal justice institutions and speedy dispensation of justice to protect the society from crime and also protect the rights and the interest of the de-

fendant and the victim by deliberately shifting from punishment as the main goal of the criminal justice to restorative justice which pays attention to the needs of the society, the victims, vulnerable persons and human dignity in Section 1. The Act, which has been described as progressive, timely and in conformity with international best practices, also deletes the provisions of Section 10(1) of CPA which empower the police to arrest without a warrant, any person who has no ostensible means of sustenance and who cannot give a satisfactory account of his/ her activities.

Further, it ensures that the liberty, dignity and fundamental rights of suspects are not violated by ensuring that no one under any guise is deprived of legal representation while unlawful arrests become an offense especially arrest of people on civil offenses leading to over congestion of prison facilities. Another good news is that Section 7 of the ACJA prohibits people being arrested in lieu of a close relative that commits crime just to compel the suspect to give himself up even though that person is not linked in any way to the crime the suspect is alleged to commit and in Section 8 states that the fundamental right of a suspect must not be violated; suspects must be accorded humane treatment, having regard to his right to the dignity of his person and not be subjected to any form of torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Further, Section 15(2) of the Act provides that the process of recording personal data of suspects shall be concluded within a reaContinues pg36

law

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

Reducing life span of litigation with ACJA 2015 Continued from pg35

sonable time and not exceeding 48 hours to check the prolonged pre-trial detention by the police or other law enforcement agencies and Section 15(4) provides for electronic recording of confessional statement of suspects on a retrievable video compact disc or such other audio visual means to ensure violence is not unleashed on suspects during interrogation and show whether any particular extra-judicial statements is voluntary or involuntary. The major aim of this act is access to justice, reduction in cost of litigation, reducing delays so that cases can be decided speedily; ensuring that litigants have an equal opportunity regardless of their resources to assert or defend their legal rights and making the legal system understandable to those who use it and under Section 398, a summoned witness is obliged to attend the court from day to day or any subsequent dates until the conclusion of the case or until discharged by the court or stands the risk of being issued a bench warrant, be fined or sent to prison for default. There is great optimism that the Act will deliver an effective criminal justice system for Nigeria. Legal practitioners while speaking with Tribune Law expressed the belief that unacceptable delays in adjudication of criminal cases will be eradicated and the justice system will be more effective as the ACJA 2015 will not only promote speedy dispensation of cases filed in courts but will also enhance efficient management of criminal justice institutions. According to them, the fact that the act states that there will be a ban on application for stay of proceedings until judgment in Section 306 will ensure speedy trial and is in line with the best practices across the world. Speaking on the advantages of the ACJA, Lagos based lawyer and human rights activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa said the advantages are many but highlighted the abolition of interlocutory applications as a major advantage. “Abolition of Interlocutory Applications for stay of proceedings pending interlocutory appeals which causes the main trial of a case to be suspended pending the determination of the appeal is an advantage,” Adegboruwa said.

Mamhoud Barrister Dave Ajetomobi, former Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association, Ikeja branch also listed as an advantage, the provision for daily hearing of cases. “One of them is that it seeks to eliminate cases being prolonged in court by providing that cases shall be heard from day to day and that stay of proceedings are no longer allowed,” Barrister Gbenga Makinde believes that

the advantage is the empowerment of the police in investigations and prosecution and confirmation of plea bargaining as a tool in justice administration. “It is an Act of Law that has improved on our Criminal Procedure. It has given it more flesh and added new dimensions which weren’t fully provided for in our criminal procedure law. “These new additions are as a result of

ACJA prohibits people being arrested in lieu of a close relative that commits crime just to compel the suspect to give himself up.

Court strikes out contempt charge against bank By Ayomide Owonibi Odekanyin JUSTICE Ibrahim Idris of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has struck out a contempt charge filed against Ecobank Nigeria Limited by Honeywell Flour Mills Plc based on irregularities of service of the contempt proceedings. The Judge held that the Form 48 and Form 49 (with which contempt proceedings are initiated) were not properly served on the alleged contemnors and directed both parties to maintain status quo until the order is set aside by the Court of Appeal. The judge said a party seeking to jail another for disobeying a court order was duty bound to ensure that processes in contempt proceedings were duly served. “Breach of such proper service, will wrought consequences on the proceedings,” the Judge averred. Honeywell and its sister companies; Anchorage Leisures Limited and Siloam Global Services Limited accused Ecobank of disobeying an earlier directive by the judge that all parties should maintain status quo ante-bellum. They dragged the bank to court over disagreements regarding an alleged debt owed

the bank by the group. Justice Idris had on August 10 made an order of interim injunction restraining the bank from publishing the plaintiffs’ name as debtors. The Judge also ordered parties to maintain status quo pending hearing of the plaintiffs’ suit against Ecobank. While the suit was pending, Ecobank filed other suits before other judges in a bid to recover its debt from Honeywell Group and its chairman Oba Otudeko. Honeywell, through its lawyer Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), filed the Form 48 and Form 49, urging the court to hold the bank in contempt. Declining jurisdiction, Justice Idris held said, what I can see from a close examination of form 48 is that the form is stamped; the wordings are however illegible. I can see that the stamp has the date of 19th November 2015. The same applies to Form 49. “A valid proof of service of the same forms must have endorsed therein the following, as stated by the Court of Appeal: (1) particulars of the person serving; (2) date of service; (3) time and place of service and (4) the person that accepted the service. I’m afraid that it appears that the Form 48 and 49 were not properly endorsed with the

particulars of service. In effect, there is no reliable or authentic information before the court as to the service of the Form 48 and 49 on the defendants herein. This issue goes to the issue of the jurisdiction of the court. This court must act with caution. I decline jurisdiction.” He, however, warned parties against taking any action that could incur the court’s wrath. “Let me warn that orders of court are binding and enforceable until set aside by an order of court of competent jurisdiction. The order of this court that the parties maintain status quo ante bellum remains valid and binding on all the parties until set aside. Whenever the disciplinary jurisdiction of this court is properly invoked, this court will descend heavily without any fear on whichever party is found guilty of contempt of this court. This court barks and it bites. I hold that the jurisdiction of this court has not been properly invoked in respect of the contempt proceedings and same is hereby struck out,” Justice Idris held. He adjourned till February 26, 2016 for hearing of the bank’s motion for stay of proceedings.

pronouncements derived from the courts in/during criminal cases thereby making it necessary to inculcate them into this Act. For example, plea bargain is now included in the ACJ Act. More so, in my view, it has also empowered the police to investigate/ prosecute cases without let or hindrance. Also, like Part 26 which bothers on Witness Expenses where, from experience, cases had been stalled due to lack of financial wherewithal. The Act has stated who bears it now. Part 20 deals with Property & Persons. This Act has done a great job in distinguishing these two. “On a Charge itself (Part 21), the Act has extended the capability of the prosecutor, in doing justice to accommodate “offences falling within two definitions” (sub 212) & “incidental offences in the same transaction” (sub 215) amongst others. The act is a good development and it has come improve, expand & to empower the law officers to do justice in criminal law. The ACJA is also very favorable to individuals as sub section 375 is eroding people being remanded,” Makinde said. Also, Barrister Kayode Ajayi stated that the ACJA serves to speed up criminal trial, protect the right of citizens and makes provisions for restitution for those wrongfully accused of an offense while Barrister Ikechukwu Ikeji also stated that the ACJ Act provides for quick dispensation of cases by restricting preliminary objections and interlocutory applications, adding that it also unifies the Nigerian criminal procedure among many advantages. For Barrister Kunle Akintola, the ACJA will definitely ensure speedy dispensation of criminal cases while Barrister Shuaib Alaran stated that the advantage of the ACJA is summarized in Section 1. “The major advantage of the ACJ Act 2015 is summarized in its Section 1 which is as follows; The purpose of this Act is to ensure that the system of administration of criminal justice in Nigeria promotes efficient management of criminal justice institutions, speedy dispensation of justice, protection of the society from crime and protection of the rights and interest of the suspect and the victim “It regulates more than just criminal procedure; it covers the entire criminal justice process from arrest, investigation, trial and sentencing. An example of one of the provisions of the Act that encourage speedy trial is Section 306 which says an application for stay of proceedings shall not be entertained,” Alaran concluded. Another lawyer stated that effective implementation of the ACJA will eradicate the jungle justice system once people are sure that the matter if handed over to the police will quickly be discharged in court, adding that it will create a synergy among all agencies in the dispensation of justice and will eradicate issues of pervasive impunity. In reality however, the problem is always not with the law but with the execution. There are no doubt challenges of implementation as an established system cannot be easily replaced. This can however be settled by enlightenment campaigns and there must be adequate safeguards in the law to ensure that the implementation is not frustrated. Also, the ACJA 2015 is a federal enactment which needs to be replicated by states in their territories as it cannot automatically be used in states except the state justice adopts and enforces it in their territories. With efficient implementation, the ACJA will indeed cure the malaise of justice administration in Nigeria especially in issues of lengthy trials and over congestion in prisons.

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

features

Editor: Kehinde Oyetimi featuresdesk@yahoo.com 08111845048

As Lagos ups fight against Lassa fever Newton-Ray Ukwuoma

n Friday, 15th of January, 2016, the first confirmed case of Lassa fever, the dangerous viral disease ravaging Nigeria, hit Lagos. Ahmed Fasasi, a 25-year-old male, and student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, who came to Lagos for a visit has tested positive to the Lassa virus, the commissioner of Health, Lagos State, Dr Idris Jide confirmed on the phone on Friday evening. An attendant at the unit Fasasi was brought, who spoke under anonymity, said the undergraduate was first admitted in a private hospital in Lagos with late symptoms of bleeding through the nose and fever. A series of tests was conducted on him by one of the nurses and doctor on duty after his admission. The source said as he was not responding to treatment the management contacted LUTH, which tested Lassa fever and confirmed him positive. Fasasi was brought to the Accident and Emergency unit of the teaching hospital on Friday evening and is being kept at a section of the Theatre ward in the Accident and Emergency, the first option for an isolation ward. Fasasi is said to have just arrived from the northern part of Nigeria, where the deadly virus, has been identified. The Federal Ministry of Health’s announcement of the re-emergence of Lassa fever in Bauchi in November 2015 has affected with frenzy the memory of its last visit. Families who have lost loved ones to the fever are now thrown again into the devastating happenstance of “what if”, what if it returns again to our home? What if it takes another life? For Lagos, the honourable commissioner, Dr Jide Idris has urged Lagosians not to

panic stating that the government would commence tracing the people the patient had had contact with. In a statement made available to Nigerian Tribune, Dr Idris said that Ahmmadiyyah Hospital where the first case of the disease in Lagos was reported is now under surveillance and “there will be no service delivery in the facility until further notice”. He also said that “the fifteen (15) inpatients as well as 25 health workers in the facility are being monitored for the next 21 days. Contacts tracing is ongoing; and currently we have 92 contacts and all are being followed-up”. The commissioner assured of deploying international standard practice in tackling the outbreak in the state, saying that “drugs and other materials have also been prepositioned at our designated facilities and isolation centres have been prepared to manage suspected and confirmed cases.” A former chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Adedamola Dada, advised Lagos residents to stay safe, saying

Lassa fever is highly endemic in Nigeria, 24 states in Nigeria have at one time or the other experienced Lassa fever since the first outbreak.

there was no cause for alarm. However, Lassa fever has been identified in more than twelve states since November including Taraba, Borno, Gombe, Yobe, Plateau, Nasarawa, Niger, Edo, Rivers, Ondo and Oyo, all transmitted by a species of rat with the nasal multimammate rat (Mastomys natalensis) regarded as the reservoir host of the Lassa virus. At the last check, the Federal Ministry of Health has reported over 40 death and 91 casualties of Lassa fever, with the case fatality rate of the disease put at 46.5 per cent as about 50 million Nigerians are believed to be at risk of the disease which is killing doctors and nurses. Speaking to Nigerian Tribune, the chairman of the 23-member Rapid Response Committee recently inaugurated by the federal government, Professor Sunday Omilabu, a professor of Virology and Dean, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, said that Lagos has been put on red alert since the report of the first outbreak, stating that the highest chance of getting virus into the state was through transit. “Lassa fever is highly endemic in Nigeria”, he said. “24 states in Nigeria have at one time or the other experienced Lassa fever since the first outbreak. So anybody coming from those states can bring it to Lagos. As is the case now, also all other cases reported in Lagos were brought to Lagos from parts of the country. This is because we believe strongly that those rodents that harbor the virus are not found in the cities as Lagos”. “They are found,” he said, “in the environment where they can access bush as well as household as they look for food in the houses and go back to the wild. We call them peridomestic rodents, because they are capable of living in the wild and at home. “That is why there is an upsurge of lassa fever during the dry seasons. It is not that one cannot contract it at any time of the

year. After all, the rodents carry the virus all the year round but because the rainy season restrains them to the forest that is why we do not have any case of lassa fever during the rainy seasons. During the dry season they are forced to find food elsewhere that is when they come to homes and the virus is spread,” he said. Speaking on the researches conducted on the virus and how Lagos can tackle the disease, the professor said, “We have been monitoring this for over twenty years now. It was in 2003 that we started real laboratory confirmation in here. Since then we have identified the pattern. “Having said that, people who have lassa fever can easily relocate to Lagos. The only thing that is effective is the alertness on the side of the health care facilitators, where the sick patients will be brought. That side of the system has also been perfected in Lagos. As soon as health workers notice the presentation of the virus, they alert the ministry of health and the rapid response team is alerted. “Rapid Response Team in Lagos spread across all local government areas because we have studied the seasonal nature of the disease for over twenty years. The team move round in terms of surveillance to monitor patients and their treatments. “We rely solely on health education. So that the health care facility, where the patients are taken to is fully aware of the chances of contracting lassa fever. We carried out a major health education across the state the moment Kano State was confirmed with lassa fever. Lagos State had to be prepared for it. We intensified health education across the state. The level of awareness should now be raised since we have a confirmed case. “The general public is usually informed about the disease, how the disease is spread and where to take suspects to. That has been very helpful,” he stated.

features

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

Workers should find alternatives to their regular income —Ondo commissioner Femi Adekanmbi, Ondo State commissioner for Culture, Tourism and Special Duties, speaks with Abiodun Awolaja on the economic programmes of the state government and sundry issues. Excerpts:

We have a programme slated for next week at the Dome where we shall unveil all our ambassadors, tagged THE UNVEILING THE FACE OF ONDO STATE. Also, we will be rolling out the ministry’ s programmes and events for the year. We are signing an agreement with them to anchor this sponsorship drive. How will you rate the preparedness of your party for this year’s governorship poll viz-a-viz the integration carried out by the governor? With the integration carried out by the governor and which is still ongoing anyway, the party now is a big and strong one in Ondo State. We are moving ahead, we are getting ready for the election, and I can tell you that the PDP in Ondo State is well integrated.

ow is your government coping with the monthly reduction of federal allocation to states due to the economic situation in the country? It is a situation we never anticipated and it is not our state alone; we are talking about the generality of Nigeria. It is quite challenging. If you may recall, Ondo State used to collect between N4billion to N6billion in allocation every month in the past, but now we are collecting less than N3billion. The last monthly allocation we collected was N2.4 billion and our monthly wage bill is about N3.9billion, while our internally generated revenue is less than N500million. It’s been quite challenging and the price of crude oil is going down. We pray it starts to pick up once again, otherwise we have told our people, the civil servants and everybody that they should start bracing themselves up for the challenges ahead; they must start looking for alternatives to their incomes. People must look into farming and any other skills-based work. The governor made it emphatically clear that people must embark on farming. You can imagine how much a person can make if he goes into fish farming, mushroom and others. Regarding your Special duties Ministry, you are in charge of water resources.What are your plans to improve the water supply in the state? The governor has emphatically made it clear that I must, as a matter of urgency, improve the water supply in Ondo State and we have put machinery in place to ensure that we have water in at least 85% of rural and urban centers in Ondo State. Any moment from now, we will commence the drilling of boreholes in designated places, which we have tagged Iroko Water.

Recently, Governor Mimiko directed you to intervene in the full implementation and compliance with the Ore Modern Market scheme. How are you going about this directive? It is quite challenging. This is a government that truly cares about the welfare of the people, but the people also should learn to work with good policies laid down by the government in the general interest of the whole society. Government decided to site these markets where needed and built them up to international standard, but it would sadden your mind that people abandoned some of the shops, locked them up and preferred to set up attachments, thereby allowing the facilities in the main market to deteriorate. The governor gave us a directive to ensure that the market is optimally utilized and we have been there, we have given them an ultimatum that, by next week,

Do you see your party winning the forthcoming election? Absolutely, yes! Because when you look at it statistically, whether you want to believe or deny the obvious, Ondo State is still totally under the control of PDP. From the south, PDP is in control, the central, PDP is in control and in the North, you can see that we are waxing stronger. I can tell you that, in fact it’s a new PDP that we are having, we are having young intellectual democrats, new breed politicians who are working to develop the party, who are making sure that we take this party to the next level and that is what is happening in Ondo State right now. Adekanmbi

everybody must move in. Your ministry just concluded MARE FESTIVAL, how will you assess the festival and what are your plans for this year’s MARE FESTIVAL? The last MARE festival was lovely and magnificent but it could be improved upon and we have sat down with our people, we have mapped out plans on how we can improve on MARE. MARE festival is not just about the people of Ondo State or Idanre. MARE Festival is showcasing Idanre, showcasing Ondo State to the entire world. I want a festival which I will see people from outside Nigeria coming to attend. I want to see people from Bornu, Kaduna, Kano and Abuja attending this festival and that is exactly what we are working on for this years’ MARE. This year’s MARE will be sponsorship-driven. We are already looking for sponsors for this year’s festival and all other plans that we have in the ministry this year. What are these plans? Apart from MARE Festival, there is going to be Ondo State Sunshine Carnival this year. It will be a very lovely carnival where we shall be showcasing our cultural heritage, our history and richness

in each of the local governments in the state. We want to showcase to the outside world our rich cultural background in the state, where you will see our amiable governor in the attire of the cultural richness of Ondo town and the festivals that Ondo people are known with, where you will see even myself dressed in the attire of the cultural background of Owo kingdom and showcasing our Igogo festival. We are planning it for Easter, it is going to be sponsorship-driven, we are looking for sponsors for this carnival and apart from that, each month, we will be making use of our world acclaimed Dome for hosting theatre gurus in Ondo State. How do you intend to achieve all these set goals, considering the present economic situation and realities? What I want you to understand is that the ministry has decided that all our programmes for this year will be sponsorship driven. We are embarking on vigorous sponsorship drives which will be led by our ambassadors. In Ondo State here we have King Sunny Ade, Mo Abudu, Funsho Adeolu, Ara, Demola Dabo, Bimbo Oshin, Yemi Blaq, Toyosi Adesanya as our ambassadors, we are adding Omotola Jolade as our new ambassador.

People must look into farming and any other skillsbased work. The governor made it emphatically clear that people must embark on farming. You can imagine how much a person can make if he goes into fish farming, mushroom and others.

Don’t you think the recent defection of some of the past key members of the PDP, talking about Dr Pius Osunyikanmi and Senator Ayo Akinyelu to APC may affect the party? There are two reasons why people defect from a party. It is either because of principle or because of greed. If it is based on the fact that you don’t align with the principles of the party, you can defect. When I defected from the party, I defected due to disagreement with some principles of the party, I did not defect because of greed but when you see these people defecting now from PDP in Ondo State, they are defecting because of greed. One would have expected all these people to remain loyal and committed to Dr. Mimiko, the governor having been part of their success story. However, the reverse is the case in Ondo state. Once you lift somebody up, they turn around to fight youand this must stop in Ondo State, we must be loyal and committed to leaders that pull us up. Ondo State will be 40 years by February and also the same month will be the 7th anniversary of Governor MImiko’s administration. Any plans to celebrate this? A lot of plans have been lined up by the state to celebrate this anniversary. You are going to see a lot of commissioning here and there. The governor is going to be commissioning quite a number of projects across the local governments in Ondo State, and the Ministry is planning a Cultural and Award night which we are going to tag Sunshine Awards, and it will be a night that we will celebrate our own eminent people in Ondo State. We will celebrate our governor, we will celebrate all those who have contributed remarkably to make Ondo State an enviable place in the past 40 years, and the 7th year of Dr. Mimiko will be great, although it is going to be low key. It will be perfectly packaged.

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

40 news

Tuesday, 19 Janaury, 2016

Why we disengaged staff school teachers —FUTA VC Hakeem Gbadamosi - Akure

HE management of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) on Monday, explained the rationale behind the disengagement of some staff of the University Staff Primary School. Speaking on the development during a press conference, FUTA Vice Chancellor, Professor Adebiyi Daramola stated that the management of the institution acted on the directives of the Federal Ministry of Education in December, 2015 which affected all staff schools in federal universities across the country. According to him, the Federal Government restated the policy that funding of staff schools within federal universities, should be met from the resources of such universities or the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the schools. Daramola said that all federal universities had, however, been warned not to include the names of staff schools in their personnel budget proposal to government, saying they would be regarded as ‘ghost workers’. The VC explained that the management met with the affected staff to intimate them with the development and the decision of the institution’s council to employ all the disengaged staff as employee of the council. “We served them the disengagement letter and declared all the posts in the

school vacant and made the advertisement an internal and eternal advert, with a promise to give all the affected staff consensus over others, but only two people reapplied while the leadership of the two unions in-

structed them not to apply. “They went to the Deji of Akure, Oba Ogunlade Aladetoyinbo and the Bishop of Akure Diocese (Anglican Communion), Bishop Simeon Borokini, and also the state Commissioner of

Police, Mike Ogbodu and we promised to extend the date of submission to honour these people and allow the disengaged workers to apply but they did not apply,” Professor Daramola stated. Daramola said further

Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari (eighth left); wife of the Vice President, Dolapo Osinbajo (sixth right); wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Gimbiya Dogara (seventh left), with wives of state governors, after their meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday. Photo: NAN

Lagos appeals judgment on LG caretaker committees Ayomide Owonibi Odekanyin - Lagos DISSATISFIED with the ruling of a lower court, the Lagos State government has appealed a court judgment which declared the constitution of caretaker committees to manage the affairs of local government areas and local council development areas as null and void. The state government

filed a Notice of Appeal against the judgment and prayed the court to stay execution of judgment, pending the hearing and determination of its appeal before the Court of Appeal. At Monday’s proceedings, Justice Abdulfatai Lawal ordered that the records of the proceedings should be transmitted to the Appeal Court following the Notice of Appeal filed

by Lagos State, dated November 17, 2015. The court had, in a suit filed by the National Conscience Party (NCP), through its lawyer; EbunOlu Adegboruwa, directed LASIEC to conduct elections in all local governments within 30 days. The court held that no governor is empowered by the constitution to take over the administration of

Aisha Buhari, governors’ wives meet in Aso Rock Leon Usigbe - Abuja WIFE of the President, Aisha Buhari, on Monday, met with wives of state governors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to fashion out a way the ‘First Ladies’ could better serve the interest of their people. Addressing them at the meeting which took place inside the Conference Room of the First Lady Wing, she told them that they were not precluded from making a difference in the lives of their people even though the constitution does not explicitly provide a role for First Ladies. She explained that the Governors’ Wives Forum was an organ for the women to support their husbands in their effort to de-

that the school management also offered to continue paying the disengaged staff their normal salary until the outcome of the struggle put in place by the leadership of their union.

liver on the change agenda. According to her, “As wives of political office holders, we must continue to do our best in contributing to the success. “I believe in our little ways, we can assist them to bring succour to the populace, especially those

in need such as victims of insurgency in the North East and other forms of violence, physically challenged and other vulnerable groups. “It is on this note I felt it is important for us to come together to strengthen our unity and extend our soli-

darity to each other under a common platform. “There, we need to develop strong leadership structures in the two regions not only in one as the case with the already known Northern Governors Wives’ Forum of the country.”

local governments, through sole administrators or caretaker committees. Justice Lawal held that the system of local government could only be managed by democratically elected people, adding that if the state Assembly should make any law validating sole administrators for local government, such law would be invalid and unconstitutional. The court further declared the Lagos State Local Government Law, which allows for the appointment of caretaker committees, as illegal and unconstitutional. The court held that section 1(3) of the constitution stipulates that Nigeria should not be run in any manner that is contrary to the constitution.

We’ll boycott LG election —Ondo APC Hakeem Gbadamosi - Akure FOLLOWING the release of election timetable for local government election in Ondo State, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state has threatened to boycott the local government election fixed for April 23, by the State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC). The chairman of the par-

ty, Isaac Kekemeke, who stated this on Monday, during the Leaders’ Consultative meeting of the APC, said the party did not have faith in the leadership of the state electoral body. According to him, the state electoral body, ODIEC cannot conduct credible election saying rather than conduct election, the intention of the body is to ‘select’ chairmen and

councilors for local government areas in the state. Kekemeke said the Central Working Committee of the party, the State Executive Committee and the expanded executives of APC, had met and deliberated over the issue and decided to boycott the election. He said “the conclusion reached was that the election is a sham meant to trap our party. It is an il-

legal election about to be conducted when there is a subsisting case on the matter at the Supreme Court. Kekemeke assured the party supporters in the state that the party would embrace internal democracy in choosing the party standard-bearer in the next governorship election, saying there is no anointed or preferred candidate for the election.

NCPC ’ll make pilgrimage affordable, accessible —Opara THE Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), John Kennedy Opara, has assured that the commission would explore all available possibilities to ensure that through its Lottery Scheme, pilgrimage would be made more affordable and accessible to all Christians in every nooks and crannies of Nigeria. He gave this assurance recently during the 2016 Board/Staff retreat at Goshen City, AbujaKeffi expressway, which brought together NCPC Board and staff from the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria, to discuss and strategise towards better service delivery. In his welcome address, the Executive Secretary highlighted some of the giant strides the commission was able to attain in the previous year; among which were the launching of the mega edition of youth pilgrimage, commencement of skills acquisition programme during pilgrimage exercises in Israel, signing of MoU with the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), among others.

Seek God’s attention first, cleric charges Nigerians THE Founder Of AlHaqudeen Islamiyah Of Nigeria, Fadilat Sheik Hamad Dihikrullah, at a recent National prayer in Ibadan, during end of the year annual prayer, charged Nigerians to always seek God’s attention first in order to experience blessings in their ways. In his sermon, the cleric stated that “God knows all because He is our creator and has the knowledge of all,” adding that “as we seek God, His blessings will be upon us and He will deliver Nigeria from many challenges.” The Sheik also urged Nigerian youths to always embrace principles that will support the present administration under President Muhammadu Buhari, in order to add value to the society. He admonished members of the Islamic group to always devise ways to know God better than anything else.

news

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

Our revenue drive has human face —Fayose

Ekiti State governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has said despite the financial crunch in the state, his administration is still seeking extra revenue with a human face. The governor has also warned revenue agents and bodies against exploiting the people by collecting more than required. The governor spoke on Monday, in Ado-Ekiti, through his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr Idowu Adelusi. The governor said the introduction of levies such as N1,000 per cow to be paid by butchers, N500 per trip to be paid by tipper drivers excavating sands among others, was to help the government meet some obligations. “Despite the paucity of funds, our administration has been providing essential services, paying salaries and embarking on capital projects to make life better for our people. Taxes and levies are civic obligations of the citizens and corporate bodies and they must be paid promptly. “Compared to other nearby states, our rates are not on the high side and we are humane in the way we have come up with those rates. With the poor income coming in from oil to the purse of the country, does it mean we are going to cancel Ekiti State if statutory allocations do not come again? “We are monitoring the process and those who feel they can exploit the people by asking them to pay more than the government has directed, will be in serious trouble when caught?. Our government is always poised to give the people more dividends of democracy,” he said. On the claim in some quarters that he is anti-elite, Fayose said as the leader of the state, he is for all.

Women group joins PDP in Edo Banji Aluko - Benin City Membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Edo State, was on Sunday, expanded as about 500 women in Udaba community in Etsako Central Local Government Area of the state, were received into the party. The women were received by the Edo State chairman of PDP, Dan Orbih, and other leaders of PDP, including a governorship aspirant, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and the vice chairman of the party in the Edo North, Henry Duke Tenebe.

From left, Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai; District Head of Barnawa, Alhaji Ibrahim Sambo and the state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Dr Shehu Adamu, during the inauguration of free feeding programme in public primary schools, in Kaduna, on Monday. PHOTO: Nan

Kaduna ’ll be feeding 1.5 million pupils daily —el-rufai Muhammad Sabiu - Kaduna

o v e r no r Malam Nasir elrufai of Kaduna State, has inaugurated the free feeding of 1.5 million primary school pupils in the state daily. Performing the official inauguration of the feeding programme, which was held at the Aliyu Makama Road Primary School, Barnawa area of Kaduna metropolis, on Monday, he said that the free feeding was the beginning of a different phase of the state government’s project to expand access to education. He noted that with the inauguration of the programme, which is to serve as a direct intervention on the health of the pupils, it will as well, place the schools to promote education and nutrition among the pupils. The governor admitted that his administration will not be surprised to

hear about teething problems with the take-off of the scheme, adding that these problems will be swiftly addressed with continuous improvement where necessary. He said in executing the policy, perfection must not be allowed to be a restraint in doing the needful, adding that it is in the process of feeding the children that the programme can be refined and perfected. “Every school day from today (Monday), the state government will be providing a meal

the state, bemoaned that the recent impeachment saga faced by the governor which was caused by some people. He emphasised that the governor’s major problem then was his cabinet members, who instigated the parliamentarians against him, urging him to consolidate on his achievements, particularly, in the area of education, health and road construction. SUBEB boss stressed that if the governor wanted to succeed in his second term, he should be wary of his aides with a view not to mis-

for 1.5million pupils. “It is an unprecedented undertaking in this state but one that we solemnly pledged to do when we were campaigning. “It is a challenge in terms of its scale, cost and the logistics required to deliver the meals everyday. But our children deserve this and more.” “We are conscious that it would assist parents, empower the women within the community, who have been selected as the catering vendors and expand the

market for farm products. “In fact, the school feeding programme is directly creating 17,000 jobs for catering vendors, each of whom will need to employ workers to help them deliver. “Thus, there is something for everyone in the school feeding programme. In seeking to take care of our children, we are creating jobs, boosting demand and exposing our people to new skills and hygiene standards and providing extra income.

Niger CJ constitutes tribunals on LG polls Adelowo Oladipo - Minna The Chief Judge of Niger State, Justice Fati Lami Abubakar, has constituted tribunals to look into cases that may arise from the just concluded local government election held in the 24 local government areas of the state last Saturday. This was coming just as the Niger State Independent Electoral Commis-

NASUBEB boss cautions Al-Makura on cabinet members Ademola Adegbite - Lafia CHAIRMAN, Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education (NASUBEB), Mallam Abdulkarim Abdullahi Mohammed, on Monday, cautioned Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura of the state, to be wary of his cabinet members in order not to lead him into another political turbulence. Mallam Mohammed, while speaking at the official inauguration of Government Model Girls Junior Secondary School, Kwandere in Lafia Local Government Area of

Nigerian Tribune

leading him as being done during his first tenure. In his speech, Governor Al-Makura identified, as pathetic, the state of almajiris in the state, who were seen roaming the streets, begging for daily meals, despite government’s effort to ameliorate their sufferings. “My administration is very much interested in the education of youths. We don’t want a situation where children will be roaming about aimlessly like almajiris who are like loose animals without control”.

sion (NSIEC), declared the results of the chairmanship and councillorship elections for the 24 local government areas of the state. The three-man local government election tribunal for Zone “A” is headed by Mr Hamza Muazu, with Hassan Mohammed and Sani Kalas, as members, while the tribunal for Zone ‘B’, is to be chaired by Hajia Aisha Wodu Bawa, with Yabagi Bida and Musa Sakaba, as members. The tribunal established for Zone C, will be chaired by Alhaji Jibrin Zabbo, with Umar Mohammed Izom and Musa Sulaiman, as members. The appeal tribunal, according to a statement signed by the Chief Registrar of the High Court Division, Alhaji Mohammed Mamba Gwajas, is to be chaired by a Judge of the High Court, Justice Aisha Bwari, with Justice Musa Abdul and Abdullahi Mikaila, as members. The statement stated further that the tribunal members were chosen based

on their ‘individual merits, wealth and vast experience in legal and election-related tribunal matters’. NSIEC, had, late on Sunday, announced the final results of the election for the 24 chairmanship and 263 councillorship positions contested in Saturday’s local government polls in the state. Election did not take place in Suleja Local Government Area of the state, following a clash between supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), a few days to the election. The results announced by the chairman of the commission, Alhaji Mohammed Danlami Abubakar, showed that APC won the chairmanship seats for the 24 local government councils and more than majority of the councillorship positions. Alhaji Abubakar, who said the election was conducted in a peaceful atmosphere in all the council areas, advised those that contested the polls to accept the result in good faith.

Remembrance

THE tenth year remembrance service for late Superintendent Apostle (Prince) C.O.A. Odunuga, was held at the Sacred Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Adegbite Street, Oke-Bola Headquarters, Ibadan, Oyo State, on Sunday, January 10, 2016. Prince Odunuga was survived by Mr Tunde Odunuga; Gbenga Odunuga and Mrs Bukola Osinowo.

Superintendent Apostle C.O.A. Odunuga

Burial

DEACON Emmanuel Aboluwarin Oni, is dead. He died at the age of 94 years, on January 10, 2016. Deacon Oni, who hailed from Ile-Lawoye, Tede, Atisbo Local Government Area, Oyo State, was the Chairman/Managing Director, Harmony and Radio Stores of Nos 17 and 32, New Court Road, Gbagi, Ibadan, when alive. He was survived by wife, Mrs Sarah Aderoju Oni; sister; children, grand childr,as well as great-grand children. Burial activities will be announced by the family later.

Deacon Emmanuel Oni

news

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

ANAN charged on scientific solution to corruption, unemployment

HE AccountantGeneral of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, on Monday received in audience a high-powered del-

egation of the Research Committee Members of the Association of the National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), at the OAGF Conference Room.

The meeting was to deliberate on how best to progress on the issues of research in accounting. Alhaji Idris observed that research holds the

solution to the myriads of socio-economic problems facing the country, and called on the committee not to be fixated on only core accounting issues, but

Strike: VCs not encouraging FG’s peace move —SSANU By Tunde Ogunesan

THE Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has accused vice chancellor of Nigerian universities of attempt to scuttle a peace move effort between the Federal Government and the union over the ongoing strike in the universities.

This position was made known by the Chairman of SSANU, University of Ibadan (UI), Comrade Wale Akinremi, on Monday, during the union’s congress held at the Theatre Arts department, University of Ibadan. The union is currently on a three-week strike over

plans by the Federal Government to sack teachers in the federal university staff schools across the country. Akinremi lamented that within 24/48 hours after a roundtable meeting of SSANU President with the Minister of Education to resolve the issue, “the

Lassa: AMLSN, TUC express worries Soji-Eze Fagbemi - Abuja

THE Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) has expressed worries on the re-emergence of Lassa fever in Nigeria after the last outbreak in 2012 which claimed many lives. The association lamented the outbreak, as the

Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Rivers State, appealed to the Rivers State government and the Federal Government to expedite action in containing the spread of Lassa. In a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, AMLSN commended the Federal Ministry of Health for the prompt intervention to arrest further spread of the

First casualty recorded in Delta Alphonsus Agbor - Asaba

LASSA fever has spread to Delta State with a 65-yearold woman dying of the fever. The woman from Ifiogwari Village, Ayamelunu, Anambra State who came for treatment in Asaba, Delta State, was first admitted at St. Joseph’s Hospital before she was referred to Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, when her condition worsened. The case was confirmed at the virology laboratory, Specialist Hospital, Irrua, Edo State. Two other samples sent to the same

laboratory tested negative. According to the Delta State Rapid Response Team responsible for managing any outbreak of the disease, it has placed 22 persons who had contact with the confirmed case on surveillance, while five samples have been sent for laboratory investigation. The Delta State government has already informed the Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja, on these developments and the governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, has provided the necessary logistics to enhance contact tracing and other control measures.

disease and for ensuring that ribavirin is in good supply to most states of the federation. In a statement signed by its National President, Alhaji Toyosi Raheem, AMLSN decried the inadequate diagnostic laboratory facilities in Nigeria in spite of the persistent outbreaks in the country since the first case was detected in 1969. According to him, this is not in tandem with the principle of universal health coverage which has to be accessible, available and affordable. The TUC said: “We are deeply worried that the Lassa fever epidemic is not given the attention it deserves in the state and this could lead to several more avoidable deaths. We call on the Rivers State government to keep the public regularly updated on the Lassa fever outbreak; explain the efforts being made to contain the spread; the number of reported cases ; symptoms; isolation and treatment centres; and preventive actions that should be taken by individuals.”

Why Africa, other continents must learn from China —Swedish scientist Femi Ibirogba, Nanning, Guangxi, China

CHINA is getting richer and more sophisticated in economy, science and technologies because of high level attention it pays to education, technology, health and agriculture, not because of population. Hence, Africa and other developing continents should learn from China how to move up the ladder of economic emancipation despite their challenges. Professor Hans Rosling,

Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm Royal Swedish Academy of Science, said these while speaking on ‘Cassava in a Global Perspective’ at the ongoing first World Congress on Roots and Tuber Crops in China. Commenting on the pattern of the world population and money, he said out of seven billion people in the world now, the Americas have one billion; Europe one billion; Africa one billion and Asia four billion,

but by 2050, Africa would double and by 2100, it would be four billion (UN figure) while Asia would have perfectly self-regulated its population because of high literacy level, improved economy and contraceptive education. Rosling said Asia and Africa would have over 80% of the world population by 2100, but expressed concern over the ability of the latter to feed, educate and secure its expected larger population by then.

vice-chancellors of universities started advertising vacancy for the positions of our members.” According to him, “SSANU is not a strike trigger happy union, but regretted that the only language the government understands most is strike because it is never ready to yield to our demands. “We’ve had a meeting with the representatives of the Federal Government, but subsequently what we saw was that after the Minister of Education told us that we should give them time to look into the matter, with a promise to call us to suspend the strike, surprisingly, less than 24 hours later, the universities started advertising vacancies for the positions of our members.”

to consider other aspects of the nation’s life, particularly on how to raise the moral consciousness of the nation, solving the unemployment issues, as well as security problems. The AGF recalled how he charged his colleagues to get interested in research processes, adding that research would help to improve activities of the treasury. He also called on them to identify people of like minds to work with, including the ANAN research committee, to realise the OAGF‘s goals. Ahmed Idris noted that as the treasury of the nation, OAGF has been key to initiating and implementing the various public finance management reform initiatives for the government such as IPSAS, TSA, IPPIS, GIFMIS and several others. He added that it is only through research the processes can be perfected to meet international best practices. The accountant general reiterated that research should be taken seriously and subjected to empiri-

cal scrutiny, so as to derive maximum benefits and to enable the cleaning up of anomalies in the accounting processes. The AGF pledged his support as well as his office to the activities of the ANAN research committee. Earlier, the leader of the team and Chairperson of the Research and Technical Committee for ANAN, also the President of African Accounting and Finance Association (AAFA), Professor Jane Ande, appreciated the Accountant General of the Federation for his unparalleled support for the committee. He stated their readiness to see him succeed by partnering with him to deliver on the mandate of the treasury office. She praised the quality of ideas that came from the AGF and his team, saying that the team is openminded and even proposing working on “Peace Accounting”, stressing that until the security of lives and property improves, no nation can develop in a state of insecurity.

communitynews

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

Nigerian in diaspora establishes 120-acre plantation in Odeda community

Nigerian, Mr Banji Odumosu, who returned home after 25 years abroad has established a 120-acre palm tree plantation in a community in Odeda area of Ogun State. The plantation, located in Sokan Village, Odeda Local Government Area of the state, was commissioned last week with the aim of boosting agriculture and the economy of the state. Speaking at the commissioning, the initiator said the farm would naturally bring development to the community through employment opportunities, access roads and bridges, and enhancement of electricity supply. Odumosu, who is the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Bayink Investment International Limited, stated further that the farm would address unemployment among youths, stressing that on its take-off, about 3,000 would be employed. He noted that his decision to establish the farm was as a result of his resolve to give back to the society that made him, and assist government in agriculture business. According to him, in the coming years, the farm would focus on the provision of potable water, scholarship and low housing estates for the people of

the host community. “This project, which is in collaboration with local, foreign and institutional investors, is expected to bring long term growth and development,” Odu-

mosu said. In his speech at the commissioning, the Chairman of Odeda Local Government Area, Mr. Segun Adebowale, said agriculture remains the only remedy

IN keeping with his election promise, a member of Oyo State House of Assembly, Honourable Fatai Adesina, has empowered 70 members of his constituency with vocation training. Honourable Adesina, who represents Ibadan South-East Constituency I on the ticket of Accord Party, has also procured a mass transit coach to freely convey primary and secondary school pupils to their schools. Speaking at the empowerment programme attended by chieftains of Accord Party and thousands of supporters, at the weekend, Adesina said the beneficiaries of the one-year training would be equipped and properly set up at the end of the training free of charge. He explained that the maintenance of the coach namely the payment of the

a reality if agriculture is made the focus of the process, adding that with the dwindling revenue accruing to the Federation Account from the sale of

A mass transit coach bought by Honourable Fatai Adeniyi Adesina representing Ibadan South-East Constituency 1, Oyo State, for the free conveyance of school pupils in the constituency.

crude oil due to the fall in price at the international market, agriculture should be vigorously pursued and explored. “I want to assure you that the local government will do everything to support the farm. I’m sure this farm will create job opportunities for indigenes and other Nigerians,” he said. The traditional ruler of Odeda, HRM David Olorunnisola, in his remarks, warned youths in the community to desist from stealing from the farm, declaring that he would not hesitate to hand over any resident of the community found to have involved himself in the theft of any property belonging to the farm to law enforcement agencies. The royal father also called on other Nigerians in the diaspora to emulate the initiative of Odumosu, adding that no matter how long they have stayed abroad, homecoming is a must. He said there was need for them to contribute positively towards nation building.

Community leaders will be liable for attacks on oil, gas facilities —JTF

he Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Pulo Shield, has warned that community leaders would

henceforth be held responsible for any attack on the country’s oil and gas facilities in their domains. The JTF Commander,

Oyo lawmaker empowers constituents, donates mass transit coach for pupils By Dare Adekanmbi

for the myriad of economic problems currently facing the Nigerian nation. He said the diversification of the nation’s economy could only become

driver and fuelling would be borne by him, while promising to add more coaches to the fleet as the economy improves. He stressed the need for the political class to always honour the covenant they enter into with the people during campaign, adding that voters were daily getting wiser and would wait for politicians who fail to honour their promises at the next election. Adesina, who resigned as a branch manager of a popular bank to join politics, said it was not for joblessness that he forayed into politics but for him to realise his goal of imparting positively on people. The lawmaker tasked youths in the counstituecy to shun thuggery and touting, admonishing them to be serious with their lives and contribute to the economic development of the state. Some of the beneficiaries were full of thanks to

the lawmaker for redeeming his election promise, promising to always stand by him in his political career.

Major-General Alani Okunlola, gave the warning on Sunday while inspecting the site of Friday’s pipeline explosion at Egwa 11, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State. Okunlola, who led other security personnel to the explosion site, also warned that henceforth, extant laws banning the use of outboard engines with 200 horsepower and above would be enforced in the

region. “This warning is coming as a result of the recent multiple attacks on oil facilities and platforms by suspected militants in the Niger Delta,” he said. The JTF commander, who described the acts as economic sabotage, assured that the command would apprehend the perpetrators. He, therefore, advised members of the community to desist from further

Ogun disburses N21m revolving loan to cooperative movement Ogun State government has presented a cheque of N21 million revolving loan to the State Cooperative Federation Limited (OGSCOFED) to further fortify the movement for the socio-economic development of the state. Presenting the cheque on behalf of the state government, the Commissioner for Community Development and Cooperatives, Honourable Gbenga Adenmosun, said the gesture was to encourage strong and viable self-help institutions and create more jobs through the establishment of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Adenmosun further charged the management of the movement to make

judicious use of the fund, warning that those found wanting for mismanagement of the fund would be dealt with according to the provisions of the law. He said the loan would be payable at 7 per cent interest rate over a year into government coffers. “It is imperative for members of the movement to be prudent with the fund and use it judiciously in order to contribute to the socioeconomic growth of the state, as government will not hesitate in providing them more loans in due course” Adenmosun said. Appreciating the state government for its gesture, the president of the movement, Alhaji Abdul-Rasaq

Ola Balogun, promised that the movement would continue to contribute its quota to the development of the state by paying its tax and rates as at when due. “We are promising the state government that the movement will make use of the money judiciously and no member will be found wanting for mismanagement of the loan as we are determined to contribute our quota to the economic growth of the state” he said. The movement also assured the state government that it would be involved in the socio-economic development of the state by working towards increasing its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

destruction of the nation’s oil and gas facilities. He called on government officials and community leaders to furnish the task force and other security agencies with information that would facilitate the arrest of the perpetrators of the attacks. He said that the acts were criminal in nature and were capable of undermining the security of the country. “There is no way we will fold our arms and allow the criminals to get away with it. “It is massive sabotage and critical to national assets; we must fish out those responsible for it. “We don’t have our men on ground in the area that is why they were able to carry out the act,” he said. The commander assured Niger Delta residents of JTF’s determination to eliminate illegality from the region. The Brigade Commander, Brigadier-General Farouk Yahaya and the Commander, 3 Battalion, Igwe Omoke were among the team that visited the explosion site. Others are Commander, Nigeria Navy Ship (NNS) Delta, Commodore Raimi Mohammed and other top ranking personnel from the Police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps.

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

foreig naffairs

08116954632 with seyi gesinde foreignn ewseditor@gmail.com Nigerien pupils attend a lesson at a Koranic school in the south-eastern city of Bosso. PHOTO: AFP.

Morocco arrests Belgian involved in Paris terror attacks

Niger moves 99 schools away from Boko Haram threat —UN

he Niger government and United Nations staff have moved 99 schools to “safer zones” out of harm’s way from Boko Haram jihadists who attack from neighbouring Nigeria, the United Nations said Monday. According to AFP, The programme was launched in November and has enabled nearly 6,000 pupils -- a total of 2,784 boys and 3,129 girls -- to resume their lessons, according to the monthly bulletin of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian

Affairs (OCHA) in Niamey. A dozen classrooms have also been built in camps for people displaced because of the threat from the Boko Haram group, which has killed at least 17,000 people since 2009, mainly in Nigeria, and makes frequent cross-border attacks. The plan to get more children back in school continues to be hampered however by persistent insecurity and the ongoing displacement of residents, OCHA said. Early in November, Niger officials and the UN Chil-

dren’s Fund (UNICEF) announced that 166 schools for more than 12,600 pupils had been closed because of deadly Boko Haram raids in the southeastern Diffa region, near the border with Nigeria. The aim was to “take charge of these pupils” in the most exposed areas and “shelter them from Boko Haram aggression”, Prime Minister Brigi Rafini said at the time. Most schools that have closed and been deserted by teachers are close to Lake Chad and the Komadougou Yobe river that form the

Iran calls new US ballistic missile sanctions illegitimate Iran’s Foreign Ministry called new United States sanctions targeting the country’s ballistic missile programme illegitimate. Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said on Monday that Iran will respond by boosting efforts in its legal ballistic missile program and promoting its defense capabilities. VOA said Iran drew condemnation from the U.S. and other Western powers for two ballistic missile tests late last year they said violated U.N. Security Council resolutions. Iran defended the tests as a matter of na-

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani

tional security. The U.S. enacted new measures Sunday against five Iranian nationals and a network of companies with links to banned missile activity. President Barack Obama said his government will “vigorously” enforce sanctions against Iran’s ballistic missile programme. “Iran’s recent missile test, for example, was a violation of its international obligations and as a result the United States is imposing sanctions on individuals and companies working to advance Iran’s ballistic missile programme. And we are going to remain vigilant about it,” he said. The U.S. Treasury Department said the five Iranians worked to get missile components for Iran, as did the network of companies based In the United Arab Emirates and China that used third parties to try to deceive foreign suppliers and hide the identity of who would ultimately be using the materials.

border between Niger and Nigeria, in territory that is hard to control. Some schools closed after the very first attacks on Niger soil by the Islamist movement in February 2015. Other schools followed suit after subsequent cross-border raids, a local municipal official told AFP. Boko Haram has in the past year stepped up attacks in Niger, Cameroon and Chad as the countries’ armies joined Nigeria in the fight against the extremist group, which seeks to establish an Islamic caliphate.

Morocco said it has arrested a Belgian of Moroccan descent with direct links to the Islamist gunmen and bombers who carried out the Paris attacks. The man was detained near Casablanca on Friday, the interior ministry said, and had travelled from Syria via Turkey, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. He had fought in Syria with al-Nusra front before joining so-called Islamic State, Morocco said. The Paris attacks of 13 November killed 130 people. They are believed to have been at least partly planned in Brussels, and Belgian po-

lice have arrested several people as part of their investigation. The Moroccan interior ministry’s statement did not name the suspect, but gave his initials in Arabic, which could be translated as either GA or JA. The statement said the man had travelled to Syria “with one of the suicide bombers of Saint-Denis.” French police raided a flat in the Saint-Denis district of Paris five days after the attacks, searching for the suspected ringleader, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a Belgian national. He and his cousin Hasna Aitboulahcen died in a fierce gun battle during the raid.

US observes Martin Luther King Jr Day Americans across the country paused on Monday to observe the federal holiday marking the birthday of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, the VOA reported. King first rose to prominence in 1955 when he led a successful

boycott of the public buses in the southern city of Montgomery, Alabama, forcing the city to end its practice of segregating black passengers. He became the central figure of the Civil Rights Move-

Republicans lose hope of winning Iowa, New Hampshire After months of predicting a comeback for their preferred candidates, Republican establishment leaders now concede the first two contests of the presidential race, in Iowa and New Hampshire early next month, are Donald Trump’s and Ted Cruz’s to lose. The Associated Press said

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gives a thumbs-up during a campaign stop in Portsmouth, N.H. PHOTO: AP.

that leaves many Republican traditionalists, who fear each candidate would be a disaster in the November general election, pinning their White House hopes on a feat no Republican has pulled off in modern political history: securing the nomination without winning at least one of the first two states on the calendar. It’s a risky strategy at best, and party officials are hoping that weaker candidates will drop out before the South Carolina primary that follows New Hampshire, allowing voters to more easily coalesce behind an alternative to the billionaire real estate mogul and the Texas senator.

Sierra Shields. PHOTO: CBS.

Police in the United States are asking for the public’s help in finding 30-yearold Queens resident Sierra Shields, who mysteriously quit her job with Shuttle America on Thursday and hasn’t been seen since. Sierra’s family, too, are asking for any clues that might help them get back the woman they said is an active member of her church. Friends and family have started Facebook groups to help spread the word about Sierra’s disappearance,

ment of the 1950s and ‘60s, inspiring millions with his famous “I Have a Dream” speech during the 1963 March on Washington.

otherNEWS Flight attendant last seen at airport mysteriously vanishes including the Find Sierra Shields page. “Please help find this beautiful young lady! She is a precious, bubbly, and happy person. She lives her life by God’s word and is such an amazing, helpful, and caring daughter, sister, and friend,” reads one post on the page. “All of us who know her, love her very much! If anyone has any information, please contact the number in the picture or this page. Please share and pray for her and her family! Thank you.”

foreig naffairs

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

Richest 62 people own same amount as half world’s population —Oxfam

he wealthiest 62 people now own as much as half the world’s population, some 3.5 billion people, as the super-rich have grown richer and the poor poorer, Oxfam, an international charity said on Monday. The wealth of the richest 62 people has risen by 44 per cent since 2010, while the wealth of the poorest 3.5 billion fell 41 per cent, Oxfam said in a report released ahead of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Reuters quoted Oxfam as saying “almost half the super-rich individuals are from the United States, 17 from Europe, and the rest from countries including

China, Brazil, Mexico, Japan and Saudi Arabia.” “World leaders’ concern about the escalating inequality crisis has so far not translated into concrete action, the world has become a much more unequal place and the trend is accelerating,” Oxfam International’s executive director, Winnie Byanima, said in a statement accompanying the report. “We cannot continue to allow hundreds of millions of people to go hungry while resources that could be used to help them are sucked up by those at the top,” Byanima added. About $7.6 trillion of individuals’ wealth sits in offshore tax havens, and if

tax were paid on the income that this wealth generates, an extra $190 billion would be available to governments every year, Gabriel Zucman, assistant professor at University of California, Berkeley, has estimated. As much as 30 percent of all African financial wealth is held offshore, costing about $14 billion in lost tax revenues every year, Oxfam said, referring to Zucman’s work.

This is enough money to pay for healthcare that could save 4 million children’s lives a year, and employ enough teachers to get every African child into school, Oxfam said in its report. “Multinational companies and wealthy elites are playing by different rules to everyone else, refusing to pay the taxes that soci-

British Prime Minister David Cameron (centre), meets women attending an English language class during a visit to the Shantona Women Centre in Leeds, on Monday. PHOTO: AP.

otherNEWS

victed by The Hague-based tribunal in 2014 of murder, pillage and assaults on civilians during a 2003 raid on a village that killed some 200 people. He was returned to the Congolese capital Kinshasa last month to serve the remaining weeks of his sentence. He had been scheduled to be the first ICC convict to be freed. But Congo Justice Minister Alexis Thambwe said that Katanga would not be released on Monday as investigators were exploring other accusations against him.

Zuma’s office admits Africa isn’t biggest continent South Africa’s presidency issued an embarrassing correction on Monday to rectify an erroneous reference last month by President Jacob Zuma to Africa being the “largest continent.” Speaking at a business dinner on Dec. 9, Zuma, who has no formal education, also described Africa as so big that “all continents put together will fit into Africa”.

South African President Jacob Zuma

Reuters said the comments were seized upon by Zuma’s opponents, who argue that his lack of schooling makes him unfit to lead a sophisticated emerging economy. It was unclear why the presidency decided to issue the correction after a delay of nearly six weeks. “Africa is in fact the second biggest continent in terms of population size, and the biggest continent in this regard is Asia. The President regrets the error,” the statement said. Zuma’s comments about Africa’s size came hours before he fired respected finance minister Nhlanhla Nene in favour a relative unknown, triggering financial turmoil that sent the rand, bonds and stocks plummeting.

able Development Goals set in September, Oxfam said. EXTREME POVERTY FALLING The number of people living in extreme poverty has fallen by 650 million since 1981, even though the global population grew by 2 billion in that time, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Muslim women must learn English or risk deportation —British PM

Congo looks into new charges against ICC convict, Katanga Democratic Republic of Congo said it would not free warlord Germain Katanga at the end of his International Criminal Court (ICC)imposed jail term on Monday as it is investigating him for other offences including the killing of nine United Nations peacekeepers. According to Reuters, the decision to hold Katanga is the latest chapter in a conflict that flared up in northeastern Congo over a decade ago but has continued to scar the province of Ituri. Katanga, former commander of a militia in Congo’s northeast, was con-

ety needs to function. The fact that 188 of 201 leading companies have a presence in at least one tax haven shows it is time to act,” Byanima said. Ensuring governments collect the taxes they are owed by companies and rich individuals will be vital if world leaders are to meet their goal to eliminate extreme poverty by 2030, one of 17 Sustain-

Muslim women who fail to learn English to a high enough standard could face deportation from Britain, Prime Minister David Cameron announced Monday. According to AFP, He also suggested that poor English skills can leave people “more susceptible” to the messages of groups like Islamic State (IS). Cameron’s comments came as his centre-right Conservatives launched a Â£20 million ($28.5 million, 26 million euro) language fund for women in isolated communities as part of a drive to build community integration. Immigration rules already force spouses to speak English before they come to Britain to live with their partners. But Cameron said they

would also face further tests after two and a half years in the country to make sure their language skills were improving. “You can’t guarantee you will be able to stay if you

are not improving your language,” he told BBC radio. “People coming to our country, they have responsibilities too.” Cameron’s government estimates that around 190,000

Muslim women in England -- about 22 percent of the total -- speak little or no English. There are estimated to be around 2.7 million Muslims in England out of a total population of some 53 million. Cameron said that a lack of language skills could make Muslims in Britain more vulnerable to the message of extremist groups. “I am not saying there is some sort of causal connection between not speaking English and becoming an extremist, of course not,” he told BBC radio.

Gabon recalls Paris ambassador after election comments Gabon has recalled its ambassador to Paris after France’s prime minister appeared to question the legitimacy of President Ali Bongo’s election in 2009, the central African country said. The latest sign of fraying relations between Gabon and its former colonial ruler follows a French investigation into the origins of the wealth of the Bongo family, which has ruled the oil producing

nation since 1967, Reuters said. Asked during a television interview on Saturday whether Bongo had been democratically elected, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said: “No, not as I understand it.” Gabon’s Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet Boubeya told state television late on Sunday that the government was seeking clarification of Valls’ remark.

“We are surprised and shocked by the words of Manuel Valls when our two countries have such excellent relations,” he said. France’s foreign ministry said it was “extremely attached” to its relationship with Gabon under the presidency of Bongo since he was elected in 2009 after the death of his father, Omar Bongo, who had ruled since the 1960s.

UN food agency says 14 million face hunger in southern Africa About 14 million people face hunger in Southern Africa because of a drought that has been exacerbated by an El Nino weather pattern, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said on Monday. Quoting WFP, Reuters said the worst-affected country is Malawi, where 2.8 million people, 16 per cent of the population, are expected to go hungry, followed by the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar where almost 1.9 million are at risk, WFP said in a statement. In Zimbabwe, 1.5 million people, more than 10 percent of the population, face hunger, WFP said.

“With little or no rain falling in many areas and the window for the planting of cereals closing fast or already closed in some countries, the outlook is alarming,” the U.N. agency said. “WFP is looking to scale

Ban Ki-moon

up its lean season food and cash-based assistance programmes in the worst-hit countries but faces critical funding challenges,” it added. The drought has hit much of the region including the

maize belt in South Africa, the continent’s most advanced economy and the top producer of the staple grain. South Africa faces its worst drought in decades after 2015 was the driest calendar year since records began in 1904. Expectations of a dire crop this season could force the country to import up to 6 million tonnes of maize, over half of its consumption needs. Maize prices in South Africa hit record highs on Monday, with the March contract for the white variety scaling a new peak of 5,106 rand ($304) a tonne, according to Thomson Reuters’ data.

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Editor: Ganiyu Salman tribunesporteditor@yahoo.com 08053789060

Kwara sets to revive Saraki tennis tournament

I want to be next African best player —Ighalo

IGERIA international, Odion Ighalo has revealed that he’s aiming to the become the next African Footballer of the Year. It will be recalled that Gabon and Borussia Dortmund striker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang a few days ago, was crowned as Africa’s best at the 2015 GlO-CAF

awards gala held in Abuja, beating four-time winner, Yaya Toure to the award. Ighalo told Football Live.ng that he is prepared to win the prestigious award last won by Nwankwo Kanu 19 years ago. The Watford striker last week was voted the EPL’s Player of the Month for December 2015 and says hard work and team work

Ighalo (left) celebrates after scoring were the key to his brilliant form. “I must thank my team-mates for their contributions to every goal I scored. I owe them a lot for the award,” said Ighalo, who finished 2015 with 33 goals including 13 in the English Premier League. “Most people do not see the hard work I put into my game, the feel I just show up and score goals.

“Aubameyang (Pierre-Emerick) showed up and won the award and I think I can do the same. It will require a lot of hard work but it is surely achievable,” Ighalo said. The next CAF Award for the African Player of the Year is set to be announced after the 2017 CAF African Cup of Nations in Gabon next year.

Ban: Musa gets reprieve in Turkey NIGERIA junior international, Musa Mohammed will only miss a game and not two matches after he was sent off in Turkish Cup tie involving his club Istanbul BB. The Turkish FA has announced a match ban for the defender after television replays showed he ought not to have been dismissed when Istanbul BB beat lower league Bandirmaspor 3-2 in a Cup game. Before now, Musa’s club said they will not sanction the de-

fender because the red card was too harsh. Musa has already served out the one-match suspension and so was picked for in the squad for his team’s last league game at Antalyspor, which they won. It will be recalled that Musa led the Golden Eaglets to win the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and later featured for the Flying Eagles at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand.

Musa on duty for Istanbul BB in Turkey.

KWARA State Tennis Association has reiterated its resolve to focus on the discovery of more players from the grassroots, and guard against poaching of the already discovered players. It has also mapped out strategies to revive the late Dr Abubakar Olusola Saraki tennis tournament and also introduce inter-club competitions in the state. The association while unveiling its 2016 calendar during a stakeholders meeting expressed its readiness to partner with schools sports officers and the Nigeria School Sports Federation to drive the game from the base. It further stated in its communique that it will continue to design programmes to catch them young, especially from schools, and to encourage kiddies to take their education seriously as well. To encourage total development of the sport, the association called on government to absorb coaches and also send them to the National Institute for Sports (NIS) for training, and equally employ and place tennis players on stipends. While commending the stakeholders and the government for their support, it reminded the government to re-introduce medical services at the stadium by providing a well-equipped clinic. The association also stressed the need to upgrade all the facilities at the stadium complex, particularly the hostels, and make them available for use. Among the programmes, which the Chairman, Mr Tope Daramola, said the association will undertake this year are the All-Kwara State Secondary School Tennis Championship, the Optiweb Tennis Tournament, Emirs’ Cup Tennis Competition, Club Tennis League and Summer Tennis Clinic.

Hayatou gives up FIFA election duties ACTING president of FIFA, Alhaji Issa Hayatou has given up some of his powers as Confederation of African Football (CAF) leader ahead of the increasingly controversial election campaign to head football’s world body. Hayatou will leave CAF’s handling of the FIFA election and relations with other regional confederations to his two vice presidents, according an official statement.

CAF decided the move on Saturday, a day after FIFA presidential contender, Prince Ali bin al Hussein made a complaint over an accord made by the CAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). CAF officials denied there was a link however. “The president, in agreement with the executive committee, just wants to exclusively wear his

FIFA hat in handling the election for which the final phase will start on January 26 with the final list of candidates,” said a CAF spokesman Junior Binyam. Hayatou took over at FIFA when Sepp Blatter was suspended by the world body in October. Blatter faces a criminal investigation in Switzerland over a suspect $2 million payment to UEFA chief Michel Platini.

CAF said its executive committee on Saturday “authorised a delegation of powers” to first vice president, Suketu Patel and second deputy, Almamy Kabele Camara. “They will be in charge of relations between CAF, other confederations, members and candidates for the FIFA presidential elections until the conclusion of the FIFA electoral process.” Patel and Camara will also lead

the African delegation at the FIFA election in Zurich on February 26. CAF is to decide on February 5 which of the five candidates it will back. Prince Ali has asked FIFA’s Electoral Committee to look into an accord made on Friday by the CAF and the AFC, which is headed by Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al Khalifa a leading rival for the FIFA presidency.

tribunesport

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016

‘Messi’s injury not serious’ THE Medical team of Barcelona has confirmed that although, Lionel Messi took a bang in the right leg, there is nothing serious to worry about. Messi was substituted for Arda Turan at half-time against Athletic Bilbao last Sunday, after parading his fifth Ballon d’Or trophy to the fans before the match and scoring the penalty that opened the scoring in a 6-0 win.

Barcelona boss, Luis Enrique sought to ease concerns about Messi’s health by insisting he took the Argentina star off at half-time only as a precaution. The club in an official statement on Monday said: “Medical tests on striker Lionel Messi this Monday morning have revealed great news. It turns out that the Argentinian has not got a hamstring injury and has just taken a bit of a knock.

Abia Warriors declare Obanor AWOL

Messi

CHAN 2016:

Eagles massive win, a morale booster —Chukwu F ORMER Super Eagles manager, Christian Chukwu has described as good start the side massive win against the Menas of Niger at the ongoing Afri-

can Nations Championship (CHAN) in Kigali, Rwanda. Eagles outclassed neighbours, Niger 4-1 in Monday’s group C second match at the Stade Regional Nyamirambo, Kigali.

... As Glo lauds team GLOBACOM, has congratulated the home-based Super Eagles on their 4-1 victory over the Menas of Niger Republic in their first group C match at the ongoing Af-

rican Nations Championship (CHAN) in Rwanda on Monday. The Super Eagles following the victory took the commanding position in the

NFF tasks referees’ assessors THE task of moulding and mentoring active referees in Nigeria especially those handling the various leagues have been dropped at the doorsteps of the panel of referees assessors of the Referees Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). This was made known by the NFF during the opening session of the pre-season seminar organised by the NFF for referees assessors at the FIFA project complex, Abuja. Represented by the Secretary General of the NFF, Dr Mohammad Sanusi, NFF noted that the introduction of referees assessors has improved the fortune of refereeing in Nigeria, adding that the job of making referees excel is partly in the hands of the retired arbiters who have been trained to asses the active ones. Sanusi, who declared the event open, expressed happiness on the introduction of referees assessors in the premier league last season

which according to him contributed immensely to the wonderful performance of referees last season. He stated that the requests from the NRA relating to better welfare are being looked into with a view to accomplishing them for the good of the referees. In his earlier speech, NRA President, Tade Azeez admonished the NFF for working in partnership with Nigeria referees adding that, other areas of collaboration especially in the sponsorship and training aspects will further be exploited to achieve maximum results. Apart from requesting for inclusion of referees assessors in the National League, Tade appealed for the inclusion of referees interest in the sponsorships packages of the federation. Tade expressed happiness on the various training programs NFF organised including the UK training tour where some referees where beneficiaries.

Enugu Rangers forward, Osas Okoro netted the opener in the 46th minute and substitute, Chisom Chikatara who emerged the Man of the Match grabbed a hat-trick while

group as Tunisia and Guinea had earlier in the day settled for a 2-2 draw. Globacom advised the Super Eagles not to “leave any stone unturned as they work toward a good outing in the second group C match and ensure they emerge victorious in order to consolidate their position and qualify for the next round.” “Qualification for the next round by Super Eagles is a must and all hands must be on deck to make this a reality,” the statement added. The company also enjoined Nigerians not to relent in giving the much needed support to the Super Eagles through prayers and goodwill messages as they continue their campaign to qualify from group C.

Osas Okoro

the Nigeriens scored the consolation through dangerman and substitute, Zakari Adebayor. Chukwu said the convincing victory will further boost the side confidence confronting the other two group’s tougher opponents, Tunisia and Guinea. “It’s a good result and the right way to start their title campaign at the African Nations Championship in Rwanda. “The massive win will certainly motivate the team to go further in the biennial football championship. “At least the victory has come at the right time to further boost their confidence as they march to confront tougher opponents, Tunisia and Guinea. “Of course, Tunisia and Guinea will certainly be tougher than Niger Republic given the hard fought 2-2 draw in their own clash. “Three points is quite good for the Eagles going forward in the championship in Kigali, Rwanda,”

Chukwu told supersport. com. The Eagles will engage the North African giants, Tunisia on Friday at the Stade Regional Nyamirambo in Kigali, while the last group match will be against West African foes, Guinea on Tuesday, January 26.

THE management of Abia Warriors a Glo Premier League side, has declared that ex-Nigeria U-23 skipper, Erhun Obanor disappeared without any official permission from the club. Warriors chairman, Chief Emeka Inyama disclosed that the former Bendel Insurance of Benin defender has not been seen in Umuahia. since the players resumed training camp after the yuletide break while he had refused to pick his calls. He said such an attitude was unbecomingly of a player who is still under a valid contract. Inyama reminded clubs who may possibly be fraternising with Obanor of the consequences of their action, insisting that the left-footed player is not for sale. “Even if he wants to leave, the proper procedure for the transfer of players in the international market must be followed,” Inyama said.

Tunde Adeniji, Sunshine striker.

Ondo charges Sunshine Stars to strive for excellence THE Commissioner for Youth Development and Sports in Ondo State, Mr Dayo Awude has charged the players of Sunshine Stars to remain focused and committed ahead of the new Glo Premier League season scheduled to begin next month. He made the admonition while addressing the players at their football village camp in Akure shortly be-

fore the team’s departure for camping in Ilorin. Awude who commended the Akin Akinbobola-led Ondo State Football Agency for the good job done so far to transform the state in the area of football development stressed the need for the players to always show determination to succeed. “It is very important for the players to always show

determination, commitment and hard work so as to realise the ambition of our Governor (Dr Olusegun Mimiko) and soccerloving people of the state. “We must not fail to commend the good job done so far by the leadership of this football agency under Mr Akinbobola, especially in the area of players’ development as several players from the state teams are

now parts of various national teams.” Awude also assured the players that their welfare will be given top priority this season. “Let me assure you that we shall place high premium on your welfare this season as we shall work hard to make you happy at all times in a bid to always get the best from you,” he said.

SIDELINES

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TUESDAY, 19 JANUARY, 2016

A community in Plateau State has reportedly deployed cats to engage rats as a panacea for Lassa fever. This could only prove a wise decision if people do not start eating cats!

Djokovic

I was once offered £140,000 bribe to lose —Djokovic

HAT- TRICK hero, Chikatara.

CHAN 2016: Eagles in flying

start, whip Niger 4-1 As Chikatara nets hat-trick

By OLAOLUWA OLOWOYEYE

IGERIA on Monday began its campaign in the ongoing African Nations Champioship (CHAN) in Rwanda, on a good note following a 4-1 spanking of Niger Republic. The massive win took the home-based Super Eagles to the top of the table in group C with three points, after the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia had earlier in the day settled for a 2-2 draw with Syli Nationale of Guinea. Substitute Chisom Chikatara was arguably the hero of the match as he scored a hat-trick to seal the demolition of the Menas of Niger. The Sunday Oliseh men opened the scoring barely a minute into the second half through Osas Okoro, who clinically connected a pullout from the left flank. Chikatara, who came on to replace Tunde Adeniji in the 57th minute doubled

the lead in the 74th minute. However, the Nigeriens reduced the deficit in the 80th minute through Adebayor Zakari, whose long range shot caught goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa helpless.

The ovation which greeted the goal was however, still on, when Chikatara extended the Eagles lead off a cross from Okoro. The Abia Warriors forward, Chikatara who had earlier wasted a gilt edged

chance when he jabbed wide in the six-yard box, eventually made it a hat-trick during added time when he scored with a grounder. Nigeria's next game holds on Friday against the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia.

WORLD number one, Novak Djokovic has revealed he was once offered a $200,000 (£140,000) about N56million bribe to fix a contest, with new match-fixing allegations swirling around the world of tennis. The Serb had in the early hours of Monday began the defence of his Australian Open title with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 defeat of South Korea's Chung Hyeon, while Serena Williams, who is the women's title holder had a 6-4, 7-5 win over Italy's Camila Giorgi. A joint investigation between the BBC and BuzzFeed News has made some astonishing claims about the depth and breadth of match-fixing in tennis, and the apparent failure of the authori-

Adidas hands Ozil special boots for Chelsea tie ARSENAL mercurial midfielder, Mesut Ozil is expected to wear revolutionary Adidas laceless boots against Chelsea when both sides file out for the Barclays Premier League week 23 fixture at the Emirates on Sunday. The new boot has a “larger surface area to generate more power and accuracy,” according to adidas. Basically, players who previously blamed their laces for a poor touch or errant shot can no longer hold their footwear accountable (there’s always one). The German international missed the Gunners’ scoreless draw with Stoke City with a slight foot injury, but manager Arsene Wenger confirmed after the game that he should recover to play against the Premier League champions on Sunday.

And should he play, he will be wearing the ground-breaking laceless adidas boot known as the ACE+PureControl for the first time against Chelsea. The Arsenal playmaker has described the prospect of wearing the boots “a dream come true”. “My whole career I have tried to minimize the impact of laces on my strike and ball control. “I revealed to adidas in 2014 that in the changing room I knot the laces over and over again and then tuck in the ends, that way they do not interfere with my touch. “When they came to me last year with the laceless boots, it was like they have created my dream product. I cannot wait to wear them on the pitch.” Ozil who has made a phenomenal 16 assists in the Premier League this season, said.

Ozil

ties to clamp down on such practices. The two media sources say no action has been taken against the players, who remain unnamed. There are multiple other allegations about the extent of the problem and the inaction of various tennis bodies. Djokovic, 10-time Grand Slam champion was asked about the sensational report after reaching the second round with a comprehensive win over Hyeon Chung, and admitted that he had been approached prior to a tournament in St Petersburg in 2007. “I was not approached directly. I was approached through people that were working with me at that time, that were with my team,” he said. “Of course, we threw it away right away. It didn't even get to me, the guy that was trying to talk to me, he didn't even get to me directly. There was nothing out of it. “Unfortunately there were some, in those times, those days, rumours, some talk, some people were going around. They were dealt with. In the last six, seven years, I haven't heard anything similar. “It made me feel terrible because I don't want to be anyhow linked to this kind of opportunity. For me, that's a crime in sport honestly. I don't support it. I think there is no room for it in any sport, especially in tennis." Roger Federer was also asked about the emerging story - and admitted that he is worried.

Printed and Published by the African Newspapers of Nigeria PLC, Imalefalafia Street, Oke-Ado, Ibadan. E mail: editornigeriantribune@yahoo.com Website: www.tribuneonlineng.com MANAGING DIRECTOR / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: EDWARD DICKSON. EDITOR: DEBO ABDULAI. All Correspondence to P.O. Box 78, Ibadan. ISSN 2712. ABC Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation. 19/1/2016.