20th September, 2016

NIGERIA’S MOST INFORMATIVE NEWSPAPER NO 16,593 TUESDAY, 20 SEPTEMBER, 2016

www.tribuneonlineng.com

Nigerian Tribune

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How to prevent blindness HAVE you ever made a conscious effort to close your eyes for one minute? If yes, it is almost certain you didn’t wait for a minute before you opened them. Reason? The few seconds you had your eyes closed would have appeared as a long while, hence the belief that it was already a minute.

If you find it hard to close your eyes for one minute at a

Nigerian Tribune

N150

Edo election: INEC withdraws—P35 card readers for re-configuration

TODAY'S SPECIAL

By Tessy Umunakwe

TribuneOnline

stretch, then imagine how you will feel if you have to close them for, say, 30 minutes, one hour, three hours, an entire day, a whole week or even a lifetime.

Research has consistently proved that sight is the most valued of all the senses. Findings show that two thirds (68 per cent) of people value eyesight above other senses.

Continues pg5

Herdsman bags 2-year jail term in Ekiti

—P32

NJC to probe judges involved in conflicting judgments —P33 Tight security in Kogi as Supreme Court rules on governorship election today—P35

Recession: Buhari sends emergency recovery bill to NASS —P6,8 •Plans injection of $15bn into economy •Senate to meet economic experts •Organised Private Sector proffers ways out of recession, identifies 13 challenges

From left, Ambassador (Dr) Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu; Senator Daisy Danjuma; the Obi of Onitsha and Patron, Obafemi Awolowo Foundation, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe; chairman on the occasion, Mrs Ayo Obe and Professor Oladipo Akinkugbe, at the unveiling of the HID Awolowo Foundation, on Monday. PHOTOS: TOMMY ADEGBITE. MORE PHOTOS ON PAGES 2, 3, 39.

From left, chairman, African Newspapers of Nigeria (ANN) Plc, Reverend (Mrs) Omotola Oyediran; co-chairman, Ambassador (Dr) Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu; Professor A. B. O. O. Oyediran and wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, at the first memorial service of Chief (Mrs) HID Awolowo, held at Efunyela Hall, Ikenne Remo, on Monday.

Nigeria in critical stage —Bishop Fape •As family, friends remember HID Awolowo, unveil foundation •Yoruba Unity Forum celebrates HID Awolowo in Lagos today

—P4

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Tuesday, 20 September, 2016

FIRST MEMORIAL ANNIVERSARY OF CHIEF (MRS) H.I.D. AWOLOWO/UNVEILING OF PHOTOS: TOMMY ADEGBITE & D’TOYIN H.I.D. AWOLOWO FOUNDATION

From left, Co-chairman, African Newspapers of Nigeria (ANN) Plc, Ambassador (Dr) Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu; Archbishop Olusina Fape; chairman, ANN Plc, Reverend (Mrs) Tola Oyediran and Bishop Titus Olayinka, at the first memorial anniversary of Chief (Mrs) HID Awolowo, held at Efunyela Hall, Ikenne Remo, Ogun State, on Monday.

Wife of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Dolapo with Mr Segun Awolowo at the memorial service.

From left, Reverend (Mrs) Oyediran; Secretary to the Ogun State Government (SSG), Mr Taiwo Adeoluwa, representing Governor Ibikunle Amosun and Ambassador (Dr) Awolowo Dosumu.

The Obi of Onitsha and Patron, Obafemi Awolowo Foundation, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe (left), with Professor Oladipo Akinkugbe.

From left, President, The Apostolic Church Nigeria and chairman, LAWNA Territory, Pastor (Dr) Gabriel Olutola; Mrs Yemi Aborisade and Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu.

Archbishop Fape administering the holy communion on Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu and Reverend (Mrs) Oyediran.

A cross section of clerics at the event..

From left, Funke Awolowo, Mrs Wemimo Anifowose, Mr Ayodeji Olonimoyo, Mr Ladi Soyode and Senator Tony Adefuye.

The Alakenne of Ikenne Remo, Oba Adeyinka Onakade and his wife, Olori Yemisi.

Mr Ladi Soyode with Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo.

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Tuesday, 20 September, 2016

FIRST MEMORIAL ANNIVERSARY OF CHIEF (MRS) H.I.D. AWOLOWO/UNVEILING OF H.I.D. AWOLOWO FOUNDATION PHOTOS: TOMMY ADEGBITE & D’TOYIN

A cross section of members of Advisory Council of HID Awolowo Foundation, after the inauguration on Monday.

From left, Mr Bisi Olatawura, Ambassador (Dr) Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu and the secretary, Advisory Board, HID Awolowo Foundation, Mrs Folusho Olaniyan, at the unveiling of the HID Foundation, on Monday.

Guest lecturer, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin (left) and the chairman on the occasion, Mrs Ayo Obe.

From left, Chief (Mrs) Bisi Fayemi, Dr Okei-Odumakin and Senator Daisy Danjuma.

From left, Princess Adenrele Adeniran Ogunsanya, Honourable Bukola Adedeji and Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu.

From left, Professor A.B.O.O. Oyediran, Reverend (Mrs) Omotola Oyediran, Prince Bola Ajibola and Chief (Mrs) Bisi Fayemi.

Professor Theophilus Ogunlesi (left) and Pastor (Dr) G. O. Olutola.

Ambassador (Dr) Awolowo Dosumu (left), with some members of the Advisory Council of HID Awolowo Foundation.

Prince Bola Ajibola (left), with the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Odu’a Investment Company, Mr Adewale Raji.

From left, Senator Femi Okurounmu, Chief (Mrs) Yemi Aborisade, Mrs Folusho Olaniyan and Prince Lekan Fadina.

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HID Awolowo: Nigeria in critical stage —Fape Olayinka Olukoya - Abeokuta

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HE Archbishop of the Ecclesiastical Province of Lagos, His Grace, Dr Michael Olusina Fape, has urged the nation’s leaders to put up their best while serving the country, for their names to be written in the good book of the people.

Fape, who doubles as the Bishop of Remo Diocese (Anglican Communion), noted that the country was presently passing through a critical period and that each actor administering it must do things that would make the people to remember them, either for good or bad.

He spoke while delivering a short sermon at the first remembrance and communion service in honour of the matriarch of the Awolowo dynasty, Chief (Mrs) Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo, held at the family chapel, Efunyela Hall, Awolowo’s residence, Ikenne-Remo, Ogun State, on Monday.

“Nigeria is in a critical stage. Every actor on the scene now will give account of his/her stewardship. It may seem as if nobody is taking note, but I say here that somebody is taking note. One day, your testimonial will come out clearly. Beloved, what will you wish to be remembered for?

“While still alive, we are daily writing our testimonials. We will leave the stage one day and everything we do while here will be remembered. Mama HID Awolowo remains a reference point,” he added.

The cleric, while speaking on the theme: “What will you be remembered for?” explained that Mama Awolowo was being remembered for the good name she left behind, her role in the development of God’s work and her immediate society.

Fape described the cofounder of the African

Newspapers of Nigeria (ANN) Plc, publishers of the Tribune titles as a lover of peace, a generous, simple and virtuous woman, who impacted positively in her lifetime.

The archbishop said the remembrance service would not have been held if Mama had not contributed her own quota to the development of Nigeria, which, according to him, had made her to be a reference point, even in death.

Fape highlighted reasons the family decided to celebrate Mama in death, saying she was a woman who knew God; a woman who held fort the family and political circles of her late husband, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, for 30 years after his exit and a woman, who handed a good name to her children.

He commended the family for putting up a foundation in honour of Mama, saying the initiative would further perpetuate the memories of what she stood for in her lifetime.

The Bishop said: “We

appreciate God for keeping watch over everybody and the gathering here to remember a virtuous woman, a matriarch of the Awolowo dynasty, Chief (Mrs) HID Awolowo, who transited to the great beyond exactly a year ago.

“The theme of this gathering is: “What will you be remembered for?” It is customary to remember our departed beloved ones, especially among the Yoruba people. It is out of the love we have for them that we have among the Yoruba people names like Babatunde, Babatunji, Babajide, Babarinde, Yejide, Yeside, among others.”

“Why are we remembering Mama today? I have identified four reasons the family is remembering her today. First, Mama is being remembered today because of what the children know about her. The entire family is thanking God for all you knew about your mother when she was alive. You are remembering Mama for her love for

God. Mama served the Lord in her lifetime. Age was not a hindrance. She tried to be in church for Sunday worship before any other person. We are thanking God for a woman, who knew the Lord, who served the Lord.

“Second, the reason we are remembering Mama today is to rehash the faith of the Awolowo family. I believe you are thanking God today because God has made it possible for you to still remain in the light.

“Third, I believe you are remembering Mama today, to challenge yourself that you must not depart from the good name that had been handed to you.

You are receiving the challenge and I am challenging you today to hold forth.

Let me thank you for putting in place a foundation again in the name of Mama, remembering the ideals of what Mama stood for, both in the church of God and the society.

“When you mention HID, it resonates. When

THE Yoruba Unity Forum, will today, celebrate the matriarch of Awolowo dynasty, Chief (Mrs) HID Awolowo, in Lagos.

It will hold a One Year Memorial Anniversary

her generation positively.

Fourthly, to demonstrate that a godly life has eternal rewards. We thank God that a year after, it seems as if Mama was still here.”

The Old Testament and the Epistle were read by the chairman of African Newspapers of Nigeria (ANN) Plc, Reverend (Mrs) Omotola Oyediran and co-chairman, Dr Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu, respectively.

The service was attended by the wife of the vice-president, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, who is a granddaughter to Mama Awolowo; the Obi of Onitsha and patron, Obafemi Awolowo Foundation, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe; the Bishop of Ogbomoso, The Right Reverend (Dr) Titus Olayinka; Senator Femi Okurounmu, Senator Anthony Adefuye, Mr Segun Awolowo (Jnr), Chief Idowu Sofola (SAN), the Alakene of IkenneRemo, Oba Adeyinka Onakade and his wife; Pa Emmanuel Osibona, among many others.

Odumakin, Danjuma berate loss of family values in Nigeria Olayinka Olukoya - Abeokuta PRESIDENT, Women Arise for Change Initiative, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin and the chairman, Advisory Council of the HID Awolowo, Senator Daisy Danjuma, have berated the loss of family value system in the country.

The duo spoke at the unveiling of the HID Awolowo Foundation and the inauguration of its advisory council on Monday, in commemoration of the first year remembrance of the matriarch of the Awolowo dynasty, Chief (Mrs) HID Awolowo, who joined the triumphant saints on September 19, 2015, at 99.

Odumakin, a human rights activist, who delivered a lecture entitled: “The Nigerian woman in the footprints of HID,”

noted that there was dearth of a new generation of HIDs in the society due to survival instinct, as a result of economic factors.

She explained that the issue of an ideal family had been lost as a result of social limitations and shrinking space for women expression.

Odumakin said that present generation of women must learn from Mama Awolowo’s qualities, such as being a pillar of support, an ideal, consistent, industrious and highly respectful woman, all of which made her husband to refer to her as his “jewel of inestimable value.”

She noted that the Awolowo family was a typical example of a model family this generation must emulate.

The president of Wom-

en Arise said “If we want a prototype of standard family life, a family with great value, we would be so wasteful to be looking far for an example. Here is just for us, the great family, Awolowo!

“This generation, therefore, needs to learn and copy this model family, Awolowo. There is a dearth today, however, of this model of Awolowo family. We have been inundated, instead, of stories of domestic violence and resulting future dangers for innocent children in the family.

“The dearth of a new generation of HIDs is due largely to economic factors, shrinking space for women expression and social limitations.

“While a proportion of females are wandering for survival due to economic hardships, others are fac-

Yoruba Unity Forum celebrates HID Awolowo in Lagos today

By Paul Omorogbe

you mention HID, people know it for good. Whether you like it or not, the onus is on you to make sure that the good names of your parents do not evaporate.

It is a big challenge and you may not know, but reality will dawn on you more and more now that Mama is gone. We thank God that the Awolowo Foundation is already thriving, as well as the HID Awolowo Foundation, which is expected to berth today.

“You cannot separate the two. You cannot speak about the achievements of one without talking about the other.

The foundation to be instituted today is for a reason. The foundation will tell many upcoming generations about her. A woman who was a pillar of support to her husband and family. A woman of value who held the fort for almost 30 years since the departure of her husband. All roads were still leading to Ikenne in her lifetime. She was a woman, who impacted

Lecture in honour of Yeye HID Awolowo who was the forum’s founding chairman.

The lecture will hold at the secretariat of the Chief Obafemi Awolowo Foundation, 15 Lanre Awolokun Street, Gbagada Estate

Phase II, Lagos State, by 10 am.

Special guest of honour for the day will be the Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi Ojaja II. The lecture titled, “Eternal Sustenance of Yoruba

Language and Culture” will be delivered by an erudite scholar and historian of note, Professor Adebisi Afolayan.

The event is expected to be attended by dignitaries from within and outside the country.

ing various forms of gender abuses and domestic violence today. The family idea is under serious assault.”

Senator Danjuma, in her acceptance speech as the chairman of the advisory council, commended the effort of the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation for establishing the HID Awolowo Foundation, to imbue in women the qualities of leadership and doggedness demonstrated by the matriarch and to advocate the empowerment of women in all spheres of life.

She submitted that the foundation would mentor the younger generation of girls to become responsible women in the country.

Executive Secretary of the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation, Dr Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu, in her welcome address , said the main purpose of institutionalising a foundation in Mama’s memory was a result of the remarkable life she lived.

Awolowo Dosumu described her mother as a strong, smart and kind woman, whose dedication and loyalty to her spouse and family was unquantifiable.

“Since today is about

Papa honouring Mama through his legacy institution , so to say, we will restrict ourselves to talking about her. Her loyalty and dedication to spouse and family, even and especially in the face of severe trials; her perseverance in the struggle for the supremacy of truth and social justice; her extraordinary industry and entrepreneurship and her indomitable spirit in the face of formidable odds. She was strong, she was smart and she was kind.

“These are attributes that should be acclaimed and celebrated even more now than ever before, even if evidences all round us appear to suggest that it is no longer enough to possess such noble qualities. We must, nonetheless, keep hope alive.

“The HID Awolowo Foundation is, therefore, poised for advocacy and, if necessary, intervention on issues that inspire women, promote values and build the nation. Our focus will be to underline the careers of role models like Yeye Oodua HID Awolowo in a bid to reset the values of younger Nigerians, who already, I fear, appear to be morally adrift,” she added.

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How to prevent blindness Continued from front page

Nonetheless, more than a third (36 per cent) of these people admit having eye problem for over a month- and in some cases (13 per cent) years- before seeking help, even after noticing that their eyesight is deteriorating.

Over 53 per cent said in a survey that they sometimes struggle to see what is on TV and a further 50 per cent struggle to read books.

But how soon should one visit an eye care provider after noticing certain abnormalities? According to Dr Camillus Asumu, the founder of Sight Foundation, Ibadan, there’s the need for people to visit the eye care provider every six months, even when there are no symptoms suggesting any problem. He said: “It is imperative to visit the eye doctor every six months for thorough examination of the eyes because certain eye diseases do not present any symptoms until it is too late for remedy and this should start. This goes to suggest that one must visit the eye clinic as soon as one notices any eye problem.”

Speaking further, the ophthalmologist disclosed that “the two most common eye defects are cataract and glaucoma. But unlike cataract, glaucoma can occur at any age- and it usually does not start with symptoms.”

Cataract, on the other hand, he said, is mostly age-related. While there are other forms of cataract which are not linked to age like the traumatic cataract (which

occurs when a hard object hits the eye) and drug-related cataract, the medical expert asserted that advancement in age is a major factor in degenerating eyesight.

“The eyes degenerate as one gets older, which usually starts from age 35. As one gets older, many changes begin to occur, like dryness of the eyes.”

He added that old age is also a major cause of blindness. While old age, untreated or poorly managed eye diseases can lead to blindness, blindness can also be selfinflicted, according to Dr Asumu.

“When some people are afflicted with common eye problems like Apollo, instead of visiting the eye expert for the right medication, they resort to things like battery water, breast milk, etc which worsen the situation because they make the eyes more conducive to the growth of the organisms causing the eye infection.”

He added: ”Many times, when an eye care expert prescribes medicated glasses for a child to correct certain refractive errors in the eyes, the parents are often not well disposed to such a development. Blindness, however, is both reversible and irreversible.”

Tips on how to care for your eyes Wash your eyes two times a day- morning and night- to make the eyes free of dirt that causes eye infection.

Quit smoking or never start. Smoking is bad for the eyes and the rest of the body.

Studies show that smokers are at increased risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, cataract and optic nerve

damage, all of which can lead to blindness.

Eat right: Vitamin deficiency can impair the functions of the retina. Carrots can improve vision because of its carotene content. Fruits and vegetables, especially the dark leafy ones, should also be an important part of your diet. Researchers have found that diets with high level omega-3 fatty acids as it is found in some fishes like “Titus” is also important in keeping your eyes healthy.

Know your family history: Many eye diseases have been found to be genetic in nature. Knowing your family history, therefore, helps you to know the eye diseases you are at an increased risk of having.

Eye protection: Sun glasses protect the eyes from direct sunlight and help delay the development of cataract since sunlight hastens its development. Sun glasses also prevent dust and other forms of dirt from getting into the eyes to cause infection or other forms of damage. They also protect the delicate eyelid skin and prevent both wrinkles and skin cancer around the eye and both cancerous and non-cancerous growths on the eye. There are also special eye protectors to prevent eye injury, especially during sports like swimming and hockey.

Sports eye protection

should meet specific requirements of the sport which are certified by the sport governing body.

Early intervention: Most serious eye defects like glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration can be treated easily and successfully with early diagnosis. Left untreated, they can cause vision loss and blindness.

Give your eyes a rest: If you spend a lot of time staring at the computer or any other thing, your eyes are likely to get fatigued.

Try looking away from these objects every 20 minutes, look away about 20 feet in front of you for 20 seconds.

Practice workplace eye safety: If your job involves wearing protective eye wears, make a habit of wearing them.

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Tuesday, 20 September, 2016

Recession: Buhari sends emergency recovery bill to NASS •Plans injection of $15bn into economy Sanya Adejokun- Abuja

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N a bid to get the country out of recession, President Muhammadu Buhari and members of his economic team have resolved to deploy presidential orders and directives in reflating the economy.

Rising from a cabinet retreat on the budget, which held inside the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday last week, all 234 participants consisting of ministers, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, permanent secretaries, heads of government parastatals and other senior government officials also endorsed Emergency Economic Recovery Bill to be forwarded to the National Assembly to deal with those changes requiring legislation.

Outlining government’s plan for getting the country out of recession, Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, said government was developing a fiscal stimulus strategy, which

involves a plan to generate and inject large amount of funds, principally in foreign currency, estimated at between $10 billion and $15 billion into the economy.

The funds, according to him, would be generated through asset sales, advance

payment for license renewals, infrastructure concessioning and use of recovered funds to bridge the funding gap.

In addition, he indicated that government was working hard to resolve disruptions in the Niger Delta by

militants.

In a communique of the retreat obtained on Monday, Udoma also stated that beyond the immediate and urgent response to the recession, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had also adopted some other

measures to ensure that the economy was weaned out of continuity to depend only on crude oil for its sustenance.

The retreat agreed on some quick wins and priority project and programmes to be pursued in the 2017

From left, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma; Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, at the presidential quarterly business forum, in Abuja, on Monday. PHOTO: NAN

Organised private sector proffers ways out of recession

Identifies 13 challenges bedevilling economy ORGANISED Private Sector (OPS) and other stakeholders, on Monday, listed ways to get Nigeria out of the present economic recession.

Meeting under the first Presidential Quarterly Business Forum, it identified 13 challenges, which, it said, were the clog in the wheel of Nigeria’s economic recovery.

Some of the factors pointed out were access to finance, access to foreign exchange, high interest rates and high cost of energy.

The meeting, which took place at the Old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, had in attendance members of the Economic Management Team, led by the Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.

They also identified other important challenges, such as transport and infrastructural deficit, weak export support, inconsistent government policies and absence of clear investment policies.

Other impediments, according to the OPS, were ease of doing business and approval delays, low support for domestic manufacturing, customs delay and security.

The combined effect of these factors, they pointed out, crumbled the economy, which had thrived in the last five years.

The OPS, therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to take necessary steps to address the situation.

In his remark, Vice-President Osinbajo reiterated that the current economic recession was caused by militants blowing up oil and gas infrastructure in the Niger Delta.

Noting that from a daily crude oil production of 2.2 million barrels upon which the budget was predicated, Nigeria was now producing at less than 1.1 million barrels, a situation he said was a source of concern.

“Perhaps it is important for us to understand the nature of this recession in which we have found ourselves. In discussing this, there is the tendency for people to generalise, a lot depend on what sort of recession and how we got here.

“If we did not have vandalism in the Niger Delta as we are currently suffering, we will not have this recession today. Moreover, in looking

at the solutions, we should try to focus on the type of problem we have and what instigated it, then we can begin to come up with better solutions,” he said.

The vice-president pledged government’s readiness to address power sector challenges, saying it would require a “revolution” to shore up power to adequate level nationwide.

“If the Dangote refinery

comes on stream, it will help us overcome some of those challenges, like the sub-sea gas pipelines, it will take care of vandalism.

“But I think the more important thing is how to clean up the mess in the power sector, especially infrastructure.

In the short-term, we will try to bring up power to an appreciable level to help the manufacturing sector,” he said.

budget and diversifying the economy for general prosperity.

The quick wins include immediate implementation of the social intervention like programmes school feeding, N-Power, STEM, CCT; effective communication of government projects, programmes and policies which would go a long way in mobilising support for government to succeed; and payment of local debt, including debt owed states and contractors.

Priority programmes and projects included infrastructure, which has power, rail and public works; agriculture and agro processing; mining and solid minerals; social intervention schemes and public works; human capital development; and population census, to facilitate accurate data for planning.

The retreat also mandated the Ministry of Budget and National Planning to further review and fine-tune the proposal priority areas for incorporation into the 2017 budget.

In the first part of the retreat, which was divided into sessions, four notable economists and development policy experts like Dr Obadiah Mailafia, Mr Bode Augusto, Mr Bismark Rewane and Dr Ayo Teriba made paper presentations to participants.

The four, according to the communique, harped on the need for government to work closely with the private sector operators to bridge the funding gap in the infrastructural development, especially given that government was expected to spend between N3 trillion and N5 trillion annually for infrastructure project.

How we can boost petroleum industry —Kachikwu MINISTER of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, has identified seven key implementation strategies to boost the petroleum industry and enable export of refined products by 2019.

He announced this at the Presidential Quarterly Business Forum between the Private Sector and the Economic Management Team in Abuja, on Monday.

Represented by Mr Johnson Awoyemi,, the Senior Technical Adviser of the ministry, the minister identified peace and security in the Niger Delta region as crucial in the programme.

Kachikwu mentioned policy and regulation; business environment and investment drive; transparency and efficiency; stakeholder management and international coordination as primary concerns of the ministry.

The others, he said, were engaging in gas revolution as

well as increasing refineries and local production capacity.

“Oil and gas will drive diversification but the drop in oil production to 1.56 billion barrels per day from the annual estimate of 2.2 billion barrels per day will negatively affect growth,” he said.

The minister stressed the need to empower the Niger Delta region and ensure peace in the region by stopping militancy in enhancing the attainment of national aspirations in oil and gas production.

He explained that there was 29 per cent decline in oil production amount to loss of 700,000 million barrels per day.

Accordingly, there was 32 per cent decline in gas production from 8,000 million cubic feet per day to 5,500 million cubic feet.

He announced that 3,000 pipeline vandalism incidents were recorded from 2010 to

2015, while 643 million litres of petroleum products amounting to N51.28 billion was lost in 2015 alone.

The minister explained that between January and June

2016, the ministry recorded 1,600 vandalism incidents in spite of efforts to boost local production and refining of products.

“Until we are able to locally

refine what we produce, we won’t be able to go forward.

It is the plan of the ministry that by 2019 the country has to export Premium Motor Spirit (PMS),” he said.

Resolve economic crisis, Labour tells Buhari Soji-Eze Fagbemi -Abuja

LABOUR, on Monday, challenged President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) government to resolve the current economic crisis and ensure that the period of recession is short; irrespective of why the economy went into it and who was the cause of the current crisis.

Speaking at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Non-Academic Staff Union of educational and associated institutions (NASU), in Abuja, the president of

NASU, Comrade Chris Ani and the deputy president of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and NASU’s General-Secretary, Comrade Peters Adeyemi, said the organised Labour and Nigerians were no longer interested in the cause of the crisis or who were behind it; warning that the blame game should stop.

They warned that workers and Nigerians should not be made to face the brunt of economic recession, while those whole stole and crippled the nation’s resources were working around enjoying their loot.

In his address, Comrade

Ani said “we want to warn that NASU members and, indeed, Nigerian workers are no longer ready to be used as scape goats or sacrificial lambs to appease the god of economic recession.”

He warned that NASU leadership may not be able to guarantee peace across the nation’s universities because of the hardship workers were going through due to the economy recession.

Comrade Adeyemi asked the government to take responsibilities and do what was right, in order to get the country out of the current crisis.

Tuesday, 20 September, 2016 7 news Boko Haram attacks military convoy escorting commuters in Borno

...as Army debunks alleged church attack Chris Agbambu, Bodunrin Kayode - Abuja

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USPECTED members of Boko Haram, said to be foraging for food, on Monday, ambushed troops of Operation Lafiya Dole escorting commercial vehicles from Damboa to Maiduguri, at Sanda general area, in Borno State.

Five civilians lost their lives in the incident while another died on the way to the hospital.

Three soldiers also sustained injuries in the attack.

A statement from the army confirmed this and said that those wounded in the attack were evacuated to Maiduguri.

The statement noted that robust patrol team was dispatched to reinforce the troops, clear the general area and pursue the terrorists.

In the statement, the army assured the public that the isolated incident would not be allowed to thwart the peace and security which commuters enjoyed along the route and all other opened routes in the North-East.

It noted that the troops were on the heels of the attackers and would not relent till they were appre-

hended or killed.

In addition, the army clarified that the alleged suspected Boko Haram ter-

rorists attack at Chibok was not correct.

It said what happened was that two persons were

murdered at Kwamjilari village, which is over 30 kilometres from Chibok, and very close to Sambisa for-

est, by suspected remnants of Boko Haram terrorists looking for food.

“We wish to reiterate that

Summit: Buhari rallies support for military, countries, victims of Boko Haram PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has urged memberstates of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), development partners and international community to assist security personnel,

victims and countries affected by Boko Haram insurgency.

This was contained in a statement by the spokesperson, Nigerian Mission to the United Nations

(UN), Mr Akinremi Bolaji, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, on Monday.

The statement quoted the president as making

the call in his speech at the 17th Summit of NAM, at the Island of Margarita, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

NAN reported that NAM was a group of states

From right, President Muhammadu Buhari; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Zamfara State governor, Abubakar Yari and the Minister of Interior Abdulrahman Dambazzau (behind the president), during the opening of high level plenary meeting on addressing movements of refugees and migrants, at the United Nations headquarters, New York, United States, on Monday.

Assist Nigeria in ongoing humanitarian crisis, CAN tells world leaders •As US-based Initiative decries attacks on ethnic, religious minorities Collins Nnabuife-Abuja

THE Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), on Monday, called on the developed countries, world leaders across the world to assist Nigeria in the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the country.

This is just as the humanitarian groups currently working in the Northern part of the country; the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative and the Stefanos Foundation decried the attacks on the ethnic and religious minorities in the region by the Boko Haram terrorists and the Fulani militants, describing the situation as the “worst in the world.”

The President of CAN, Dr Samson Ayokunle, who was represented by the Vice President of CAN, Elder Professor Joseph Otubu, said in spite of the situation in Nigeria, it had not received the corresponding responses from the western countries.

Ayokunle, who was speaking at the two days capacity building workshop tagged; “Religious Freedom in Northern and Central Nigeria,” in Abuja, maintained that the victims “are human beings and need your and our assistance in order to bounce back to life again.”

they weren’t killed outside or near a church as being bandied around,” the statement noted.

His words: “This displacement (IDPs) is regarded today by many international bodies as the biggest humanitarian crisis/disaster in the world.

“The most disheartening thing about it is that it has not received substantial humanitarian response from the world, especially, the world’s most powerful nations as other disasters of smaller degrees in other parts of the world.

“I am, therefore, calling on the world’s powerful nations to come to the aid of Nigeria, in seeing the end of insurgency.

“Come to the aid of many victims of insurgency in many Internally Displaced Peoples’ camps or homes who are naked, jobless, orphaned, maimed or widows”.

He said many people had been hearing about the activities of terrorists in Nigeria without documented statistical idea of the impact of their activities, explaining that the workshop was designed to intimate them about the gravity of the situation.

Meanwhile, the United States of America-based group, the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative said since Boko Haram started

its attack in Nigeria, about 910 schools was destroyed, forcing about 1,500 schools to close down.

The group also said 611 teachers had been killed in the North-East by the insurgents and about 19,000 additional teachers fled for their lives.

This was disclosed by Dr Elijah Brown while presenting a paper at a capacity building workshop organised by the CAN in Abuja.

According Dr Brown, “since 2011, Boko Haram had killed over 15,000, displaced 2.1 million from their homes.

“Although exact numbers are difficult to ascertain, as many as 2,000 women, boys and girls have been abducted by Boko Haram since 2012.

“Since 2009 in the NorthEast Nigeria, 611 teachers have been intentionally killed and 19,000 additional teachers have fled from their homes, 910 schools have been destroyed and another 1,500 schools forced to close, leaving close to one million school-age children almost no opportunity for education.

Brown called on the federal and state governments

to ensure rule of law and religious freedom in their respective domains to promote peace and unity in the country.

According to him, “Nigeria is a country on the verge of fracturing along religious fault lines. Ethnic and religious minorities in Northern Nigeria are largely forgotten as they face systemic discrimination.

“Muslim and Christian communities in NorthEastern Nigeria are profoundly and negatively impacted by the terrorists’ violence pursued by Boko Haram.

which were not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc.

Buhari stressed the need to provide assistance to member-countries that had borne the brunt of Boko Haram terrorism, and relief to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees.

He explained that twin scourge of terrorism and violent extremism had continued to wreak havoc in Nigeria and countries around Lake Chad Basin.

According to him, thousands of nationals had been killed and maimed in addition to the millions displaced from their homes.

He, however, stated that the capacity of Boko Haram had been severely degraded with huge sacrifices of the Nigerian Armed Forces and those of Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).

While noting that the situation in some other parts of the world such as Libya, Iraq and Syria had continued to be a major concern, Buhari urged support for the peace process in those countries.

“It is essential that the Non-Aligned Movement finds a role for itself in addressing these challenges so as to retain its relevance in the world of today and in the future,’’ he added.

“In addressing the challenge of resource mobilization and flows for sustainable development of our countries, our collective solidarity is required now more than ever before, to uphold the Bandung Principles.

“I need not stress that cooperation among nations is an essential condition for global peace, security and a just world and economic order anchored on democratic values.’’

Gangs invade Abuja centre to rescue arrested beggars, destitute Christian Okeke-Abuja

SOME criminal gangs have invaded Vocational and Rehabilitation Centre, Kuchiko, in Bwari Area Council of Abuja, in an attempt to rescue some of the inmates at the centre.

Six hundred and eighty seven (687) beggars/destitute arrested over various offences were at the centre as at the time of the invasion.

The incident came after previous attempts at the Kuje prison.

However, the details of

the recent incident at Kuchiko was not clear as of the time of this report.

It was, however, confirmed and deliberated upon at an emergency FCT security committee meeting, which held at the residence of FCT Minister, Musa Bello, at Life Camp District, on Monday.

FCT Police Commissioner, Commandant Guards Brigade, Garrison Commander, heads of Navy and Air Force in the FCT and Director of FCT DSS attended the meeting.

Others included the FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr Babatope Ajakaiye; chairmen of the six area councils in FCT; Coordinator, AMMC; acting Mandate Secretaries; Ona of Abaji and heads of para-military agencies in the FCT. An insider told the Nigerian Tribune that the meeting condemned the attempt.

The insider said the committee also decried illegal use of uncompleted buildings in Abuja by destitute, miscreants and other

criminals in the territory and warned that owners of such property would be held responsible for any security threat traced to their property.

Also confirming this to the Nigerian Tribune, the Deputy Director at FCT administration in charge of Information, Hazat Sule, said the minister stressed that the administration would continue to collaborate with the security agencies to ensure that the ban against begging was made effective.

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news

Tuesday, 20 September, 2016

Recession: Senate to meet economic experts •Seeks one voice to tackle crisis Taiwo Adisa-Abuja

T

HE Senate, which today resumes plenary after a two month recess, has resolved to seek inputs from economic experts in the country in an attempt to help find ways to tackle Nigeria’s economic recession.

Chairman, Senate committee on Rules and Business, Senator Baba Gabai, who stated this on Monday, said that the Senators will be briefed at the plenary by economic experts at the Tuesday sitting.

The Senator also stated that the entire 2016/2017 legislative session would be devoted to seeking strategies that would help the country summon recession.

Reports in the Senate also confirmed that Senate President Bukola Saraki will also present a strongly worded speech on the economy at the Tuesday plenary.

A source close to the Senate President said that the nation’s number three citizen would proffer solu-

tions and lead a debate of his colleagues on the way forward for the economy.

Saraki, in his speech, is expected to rally the senators in a bid to talk with one voice in the search for solutions to the current

economic crisis.

It was learnt that following a meeting of the leadership of the Senate on Monday, some senators met across party lines to debate the resumption and the issue of the moment,

the economy.

“After the speech by the Senate President, the Senate President will lead a debate among the senators on the way forward for the economy.

“The session will also be

briefed by an economic expert on the options before the Nigerian government,” a source in the senate said.

While briefing newsmen on Monday, Senator Gabai said that every senator is expected to contribute to

Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki (second left), exchanging pleasantries with the President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Dr Frank Udemba Jacobs, with them is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Trade and Investment , Senator Samuel Egwu (right) and Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Cybercrime, Senator Foster Ogola, when the group visited the Senate President in Abuja, on Monday.

Saraki takes buy-made-in-Nigeria campaign to manufacturers Ayodele Adesanmi-Abuja

THE Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, on Monday, assured the nation’s manufacturers that the National Assembly would do all it takes to ensure maximum patronage for their goods and services by government agencies and Nigerians alike.

Saraki, who spoke while receiving the President of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Dr Frank Udemba Jacobs, who led other members of the executives of the group on a visit to his office, in Abuja, informed that the Senate will not rest until the country overcomes her present economic hardship occasioned by the recession.

He said apart from the Public Procurement Act which has been amended by the Senate to drastically reduce the time wasted in the process of procurement and award of contracts by the Federal Government, the Senate has also amended the Railways Act and made provision for private investment in the sector.

He added that the National Assembly will continue to enact relevant legislation to fast-track the diversification of the economy by the executive as well as to ensure stability in government’s economic policies.

Saraki, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sanni Onogu, in Abuja, said: “We are very concerned about the situation of the economy. It is our primary focus for the next few months and I am sure with the support of everybody, we will get the country out of it.

“We will do whatever is necessary to find solu-

tion to the crisis because Nigeria comes first. We are not afraid to say what we have to say. Where we find ourselves today, we cannot continue to apportion blames but to search for solutions. And your coming here is part of our search for solution. We will take some of your suggestions and we will make sure we work together.

“I want to assure you that this eighth Senate is very committed to work very closely with MAN and to support local industries.

Before your visit, we have been very strong on how to revive the economy. We have engaged the Nigerian Economic Summit Group.

We have engaged with the private sector to come out with bills that will support

the economy of the country. We are looking at how to improve on Bills that affect doing business.

“As you must have known that we have passed the bill on procurement law, an amendment with two areas of interest. One area was to shorten the time it takes for government to process the award of contracts.

Resumption: Budget padding, economic recession top House agenda Jacob Segun Olatunji and KOlawole Daniel-Abja

AS the National Assembly resumes today after its two months long recess, alleged padding of the 2016 budget and economic recession facing the country is expected to top the agenda of House of Representatives.

The House had embarked on its recess on July 20 with expectation to resume on September 13 but was forced to postpone its resumption date to September 20 for Eid-el-Kabir celebration.

During the break, allegation of budget padding among some principal officers and key chairmen in the House was raised by the former chairman, House committee on Appropriation, Honourable Abdulmumin Jibrin.

Those principal officers accused of padding the budget include the Speak-

er, Hon Yakubu Dogara; Deputy Speaker, Hon Yussuff Lasun; Chief Whip, Hon Alhassan Ado-Doguwa and the House Minority Leader, Hon Leo Ogor.

Hon Jibrin, also alleged that the speaker and four other principal officers inserted figures into the budget to the tune of N284 billion.

Some members in the House, including Hon Peter Akpatason, disclosed that the House may be forced into an executive session where all the controversies and blames between the Speaker and Hon Jibrin will be addressed.

According to him, “The issues that actually led to the tension in the House will be in the mind of everybody. I can’t say for sure whether that issue will be discussed tomorrow. I expect that as we resume, we shall quickly go into executive session

where we shall critically look at the issues.

“If we are fortunate to go into executive session tomorrow, one of the things I expect is that people will insist on getting a brief from the speaker and from the other principal officers that were alleged to have padded the budget.

“Also if Hon Jibrin is courageous enough to come into the house tomorrow, he may also have to answer a lot of questions with reference to the allegations he made against those people.

I think that will provide us the opportunity to be up to date on the issues because what we keep hearing is allegations and counter allegations. I can tell you as a member of the house that some of those things are wrongdoings but not all of them.

Speaking in the same vein, Hon Ayodeji Adebayo noted that “The first thing

is our internal issues which I want to believe will be resolved, anybody that has to be blamed will be blamed, any correction that has to be done will be done. We need to tell ourselves the truth no matter whose ox is gored.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I, Ibitoye Oladapo Oluwarotimi am the same person bearing Ibitoye Oladapo. Now, I wish to be known and addressed as IBITOYE OLADAPO OLUWAROTIMI. All documents bearing these names valid. General public take note.

the debate on the economy, adding that the debate may last more than one plenary session.

He said: “ Every Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has gone to his/ her constituency during the annual recess which is coming to an end tomorrow (today).

“We have also seen that people are actually going through a lot of hardship because of the various problems we are undergoing as a result of the economic recession in the country.

“The discussions, particularly within the next two months in the Senate will be dominated by issues relating to economy, especially how to rescue the economy out of the recession we are currently facing.

This will dominate this legislative session.”

He further said: “we will actually have discussions bothering on recession.

Some will be open to everybody in the plenary, and we will also have a close door session, where we will hold discussions with some resource persons in relation to the recession.

“Although we have several items in our order paper for tomorrow (today) but the discussion on the recession will dominate our meeting.

“And most part of the entire legislative session will be geared towards deliberations on how to bail out the economy from the current recession.”

While speaking on the proposed emergency powers being sought by President Muhammadu Buhari, the senator said: “As far as I am concerned, the issue of the President requesting for emergency powers is speculative because we have not received any communication to that effect.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Mrs Adebayo Amudalat Adebukola now MRS ALABI AMUDALAT ADEBUKOLA. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

RECONCILIATION OF NAME I, Grant Ndubuisi Umeh am the same person as GRANT UMEH in my Diamond Account and IKECHUKWU GRANT NDUBUISI UMEH in other documents. I reconcile as Grant Ndubuisi Umeh. All documents remain valid. Banks and general public take note.

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Tuesday, 20 September, 2016

In Loving Memory Today, we remember a Jewel of inestimable value. Mama, though you are gone, your legacy of courage, sacrifice and service to mankind lives on. As we mark a year since you left to be with the Lord, we can only celebrate the beauty that was your life.

Continue to rest in perfect peace.

Chief (Mrs.) H.I.D. AWOLOWO, CON (25/11/1915 – 19/09/2015)

Nigerian Tribune

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Tuesday, 20 September, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

businessnews Emefiele assures on early end to recession 11

C

ONTRARY to the position of notable economists that the economic recession the country is currently enmeshed in will last a while, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele, has said the recession is nearing its end as its worst part is over.

Emefiele, who gave this assurance while addressing members of the Nigeria Newspaper Proprietors Association (NPAN) in Lagos, promised that the recession would become history by the end of the year.

According to him, “The Nigerian economy is on the path of recovery and growth.”

He continued, “Trust me, if you are standing as a bystander, you are losing by being a bystander. Join the train now before the bus leaves the bus station. Let me repeat myself, we are already in the valley, the only direction for us to go is up the hill.

“Government is doing everything possible to ensure we move up the hill as quickly as possible. I am optimistic that with the action being taken by government, the monetary and fiscal authority, by the end of the fourth quarter of the year, Nigerians will see that the economy has started to move up the hills, out of recession.”

He added, “I must apologise that people are suffering, I must apologise that this is happening to our people, but I must confess that what is happening today is as a result of a global crisis; a global crisis in the sense that we’ve seen commodity prices dropping, we’ve seen geopolitical tensions all around the world.

Here, we are talking about political tensions between Russia, Ukraine and the US and EU staying on one side and watching; political tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, trying to play their game.

“Of course, the US Fed, following the mortgage crisis of 2009 took a couple of actions, which given the size of the US economy in the world, have had an impact, both positive and negative on emerging and frontier markets which is where Nigeria unfortunately stands today.”

On the country’s descent to the current recession, the CBN governor said it was a consequence of the nation’s over-dependence on oil revenue over the years as well as the people’s insatiable desire for imported items.

He expatiated further, “I think that when you want to address the question of how did we get here, it is important to go back into the history to remind ourselves

Tuesday, 20 September, 2016

that there was a time in this country when we survived only on revenues from agriculture produce.

“There was a time in this country when we survived on revenues from groundnut pyramids in the northern part of the country.

There was a time when this country survived on reve-

nue from cocoa that was being produced and exported to the extent that the tallest building at the time, Cocoa House, was built with revenues from the export of cocoa.

“There was a time when this country survived on revenues generated from the production and export of

palm oil and palm oil products from the mid-western and south-eastern parts of the country.

“At that time, I’m talking about the 50s and the 60s, Nigeria was the largest producer and exporter of palm produce in the world. Unfortunately, we abandoned it because we found oil. I

wish what we did at that time was to ensure that we held strongly to our potential in agricultural sector.

“If we had held strongly to our potential in the agricultural sector and in the same vein, held strongly to the potential that we have because we found oil, our story will be different today,” he said.

From left, Executive Director, Corporate Service and Commercial, Mr. Jonathan Tobi, Acting Managing Director, Mr Waheed Olagunju both of Bank of Industry (BOI); Managing Director, Mr Aliyu Abdulhameed and Legal Adviser, Seyi Ajinusi both of Nigeria Incentive Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between BOI and NIRSAL held at BOI Office, Marina on Monday in Lagos. PHOTO: SYLVESTER OKORUWA.

CBN advises PSSPs, banks on prevention of e-payment risks Chima Nwokoji-Lagos THE Central Bank of Nigeria has directed Payments Solution Service Providers(PSSP),Switches and Deposit Money Banks(DMBs), to take steps aimed at reducing operational failures that exposes banks and customers to risks in the electronic payment system.

The apex bank in a circular issued and signed by the Director, Banking and Payment Systems, Dipo Fatokun noted that it observed the growing exposure of banks on payments solution service providers platform, due to operational failures.

It therefore directed that banks give value to customers after settlement in furtherance of its responsibility for effective oversight of the payment system. According to the circular, all banks and PSSP for the purposes of payments under the guidelines on electronic payments of salaries, pensions, suppliers and taxes in Nigeria, should give values to customers after settlement at T+1. The apex bank however said the banks can give exceptions where the paying organizations and/or sending banks pledge collateral against their transactions, for which they require instant value to customers.

Also exceptions could be given when the PSSP scheme operates a scheme collateral arrangement, which is adequate to offset

irrevocable exposures. In the event of any shortfall of such collateral arrangement, the shortfall shall be borne by the payment solution service provider The circular read further “All payments solution service providers should ensure implementation of

adequate system exceptions monitoring tools, including alerts, to aid banks in detecting anomalies that could lead to exposures.

“All payments solution service providers shall jointly determine with participating banks, ICT resource capacity planning for

banks transaction levels. In addition, banks and PSSPs shall ensure that their systems are not over stretched by the level of transactions being supported by providing necessary headroom for all critical ICT resource used in facilitating payments services.”

Nigerian Tribune

NIPR inducts CBN’s Okorafor, 50 others Sanya Adejokun-Abuja

ACTING Director, Corporate Communications Department of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Mr. Isaac Okorafor has attributed frequent conflicts in human relationship to the inability if individuals to harness the potentials of public relations to solve misunderstanding.

Speaking at the induction ceremony of the 8th Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) Master Executive Class in Abuja at the weekend, Okorafor advocated the use of public relations in addressing challenges facing the country.

He noted that the 3-day Master Executive Class demonstrates that nothing will stop practitioners from being professionals adding that the name of the game as it concerns Public Relations practice is being professional.

The CBN image maker who was among the 51 new inductees declared “the days of quackery is over”, expressed delight on their induction as members of the prestigious Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).

Speaking earlier, Vice-President of the institute, Mallam Murktar Sirajo said the decree establishing the NIPR makes it mandatory that anyone who signifies interest in the PR practice, to be a bona-fide member of NIPR.

Why FG should merge tourism with aviation —NANTA Shola Adekola TO underscore the global importance of aviation as the locative engine of any economy, the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA)) President, Bankole Bernard has called on the federal government to relocate the Ministry of Tourism to Aviation to fast track an immediate development of tourism in Nigeria.

Bankole, who in recent weeks has consistently decreed the poor situation of Nigeria’s airports and the entire aviation sector, assured the government of NANTA’s support to help change the ugly scenario painted about travel facilities in country only if only a systematic and strategic re-alignment is put in place to drive tourism through aviation.

He urged the minister of state for Aviation Minister, Senator Hadi Sirika to let president Buhari know that Nigeria can quickly get out of economic recession if tourism is married to avia-

tion which he described as a progressive partnership and policy decision that has helped other nations in the world to rebound on all indices of development.

“Nanta is embarrassed

by the look of our airports and the situation our aviation sector today because Nigeria never has truly paid attention to the huge benefits in bound tourism hence we urge you to please do all

you can to bring the tourism portfolio to the aviation sector so that Nigeria can power domestic tourism and grow the huge potentialities of Nigeria as a global tourism destination.”

Non-payment of salary, inflation impact negatively on business activities —Excel MFB chairman

By Lanre Akinmoladun INABILITY of some state governments to pay salaries and the double-digit inflation rate impacted negatively on business activities in the country in 2015.

This was disclosed by the Chairman, Excel Microfinance Bank, Chief Olatunji Alao Fadairo, at the bank’s 23rd Annual General Meeting (AGM), held in Eruwa, on Saturday.

Chief Fadairo noted that “2015 started on a challenging note for the Nigeria economy being an election year. The year was also characterised with high rate of demand for dollars, forcing prices of goods and services to shoot

up,” adding that the global market further worsened the situation.

On the bank’s performance during the year under review, he commended the management and staff for living up to the expectations of shareholders, just as he disclosed the decision of the board of directors to declare a cash dividend of five kobo per one ordinary share held as at 31st December, 2015.

Responding to some of the questions asked by shareholders, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Elder Femi Jegede, said the company had gone far in the deployment of information communication technology in

all its areas of operations.

He said the bank “compares favourably with other leading microfinance banks in the country.”

The gross earnings of the bank increased from N113.779,224 in 2014 to N119,674,166 in 2015, an increase of N5,894,942.

Shareholders’ fund increased from N135,182,394 in 2014 to N144,035,553 in 2015, an increase of N8,853,159 in absolute term and 6.55 per cent in relative term.

Some of the shareholders who spoke at the AGM commended the management and staff of the bank for their excellent performance during the year under review.

businessnews Nigeria will lose $1.3trn to EPA —MAN 12

N

IGERIA may lose up to 1.3 trillion dollars in revenues if it signs the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), the Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (MAN) has said.

The association’s view is contained in a statement, issued by its President, Mr Frank Jacobs, in Lagos on Monday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that EPA is a free trade deal between Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and European Union.

The Committee of Heads of State and Governments of ECOWAS endorsed EPA in July 2014 and opened it for signature by member states.

But in spite of being beneficiary to the letters of EPA, including a 6.5 billion pledge by the EU to support infrastructure development in the ECOWAS region in a 2015 to 2020 programme, Nigeria is one of three states yet to sign the document.

Other ECOWAS states yet to sign the deal are Ghana and Ivory Coast.

Nigeria fears that the deal may undermine its economic interest considering that it involves two regions with unequal economic strengths.

Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the Vice President of Nigeria, in June during the 49th Ordinary Session of ECOWAS in Dakar, said that the government would consult key players, such as MAN, before deciding on the agreement.

Jacobs said “Nigeria should at this time look at ways we can come out of the economic recession by generating more foreign ex-

Tuesday, 20 September, 2016

change from exports instead of signing such agreement.

“We totally oppose signing if the agreement because it will stifle the Nigerian market and hinder the government’s effort at industrialisation with finished items from European countries.

“As an estimate, Nigeria

can lose up to 1.3 trillion dollars if the partnership is signed.

“The nation currently lacks the technology to produce finished goods with its commodities where it has comparative advantage, signing the EPA will stifle all these efforts.

“The markets will be further choked with products that will cause undue competition to the existing locally manufactured products, and we currently lack the capacity to flood the European market with our own products.”

He further said that the

From left, Labake Awoniyi, Branch Manager, Daleko, Sterling Bank Plc; Saka Jimoh, winner, Sterling Bank Cash Reward Promo and Chukwuma Angela, Service Manager, Daleko Branch, Sterling Bank Plc at the presentation of prizes in the on-going Sterling Bank Cash Reward Promo held in Lagos, recently.

Elumelu to Clinton, Trump: On US-Africa policy, somethings don’t need to change MR Tony Elumelu, UBA Chairman, has urged both Mr Donald Trump and Mrs Hillary Clinton, the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates respectively not to bother to change some things about US-Africa policy.

Elumelu, who was the Keynote Speaker at the US

Senator Chris Coons’ Opportunity Africa Conference 2016, in Delaware at the weekend, said whichever of the two presidential hopefuls that emerges victorious at the polls should rather work towards expanding and scaling up the policy.

The UBA chairman noted, “We need more U.S. en-

gagement in Africa through mutually beneficial trade and investment.”

He added, “That is exactly what I, and 200 other US and African political and business leaders including President Obama and over 30 African Presidents, will be discussing next week at the US-Africa Business

Naira appreciates against dollar at interbank market THE naira on Monday appreciated against the dollar at the interbank market, the

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

The currency gained

1.4 points to exchange at N307.25 to the dollar, from N308.69 it exchanged on

SPDC awards full scholarships to 60 Niger Delta students Olatunde Dodondawa- Lagos

THE Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) Joint Venture, has awarded full scholarships to a new batch of 60 children from the Niger Delta region.

The scholarship is tagged ‘Cradle to Career’ covering tuition and all other bills for six years in four of the topmost private secondary schools in Port Harcourt.

Brookstone Secondary School, Jephthah Comprehensive College, Archdeacon Brown Educational Centre (ABEC) and Bloombreed High School in Port Harcourt receive 60 beneficiaries each year from difficult to reach parts of the Niger Delta on full scholarship for their secondary education,

EPA would stifle the informal trading sector which included the major population.

Jacobs said that all manufacturers were opposed to Nigeria signing EPA because the country generally lacked capacity to compete with Europe.

after a two-week orientation programme with introductory courses in academics, character and psychology.

The 60 students are the seventh set of beneficiaries and they bring the total number of beneficiaries since inception of the Cradle to Career programme to 410.

The Managing Director of SPDC and Chairman, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Osagie Okunbor, said, “This year, the first set of beneficiaries completed their secondary education and the report we have is that about all of them recorded excellent performance in the school certificate and unified tertiary matriculation examinations.

It means the aims of the programme are being achieved.”

Represented by the Gen-

eral Manager External Relations, Mr. Igo Weli, said SPDC and its joint venture partners have sustained the scholarship initiative despite the current economic challenges because they see education as a right for every child and not a privilege.

Dr Patricia Ogbonnaya, Mrs Elizabeth Alagoa and Dr Moses Onoriode Bragiwa, representatives of the Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta states Commissioners for Education respectively, extolled the Cradle to Career scholarship scheme for complementing their governments’ investments in education.

They praised the transparent selection process and the human capital development benefits of the programme to the region.

Friday, representing an appreciation of 0.5 per cent.

It, however, stabilized at the parallel market, exchanging at N425 to the dollar, a figure it had maintained for three days, while it traded against the Pound Sterling and Euro at N550 and N470, respectively.

Trading at the Bureau De Change (BDC) segment of the market also showed the naira stabilising against the dollar, closing at N422 while it settled at N549 and N470 against Pound Sterling and Euro, respectively.

Currency traders attributed the relative stability of the naira to the anticipation of a likely policy change by the MPC meeting that is underway at the CBN. They expressed the hope that the apex bank would reconsider its foreign exchange policy with a view to coming up with the best option that would rescue the nation’s currency.

Forum in New York- how to strengthen mutually beneficial economic ties between the African and American peoples.”

According to Elumelu, “If we give our people the economic tools to thrive, living standards increase, the political challenges that Africa faces can be tackled and fundamental positive change can be assured.”

He called on the next US President to work in Shared Purpose with Africans on implementing innovative solutions to the complex but surmountable challenges in Africa.

Challenging the American electorate, he said, “When you meet, write, call and email your political candidates and representatives and the elected President in November, tell them that when it comes to Africa, you want more. And by “more”, I mean more engagement, more positively impactful policies and more development and commercial investment in Africa.”

He stressed, “I am an unashamed optimist and I believe that by working together, in Shared Purpose, which is what Africapitalism is about, we can help usher in economic transformation that will ensure Africa is a critical player in the 21stcentury global economy.”

Nigerian Tribune

PwC absorbs graduates of Lagos State Entrepreneurship and Employability Initiative PwC Nigeria, a leading professional services firm, has announced that it would absorb 10 graduating students of Ready Set Work Initiative of the Lagos State Government, as interns for a period of six months with a possibility of employing them at the end of their internship.

Uyi Akpata, Country Senior Partner for PwC Nigeria and Regional Senior Partner for the West Market Area, disclosed this at the graduation ceremony of the pioneer class of the initiative consisting of 422 students.

He said, “PwC is taking 10 of the graduating students as interns to run over a sixmonth period and I can say here from what I am seeing that those 10 people would have almost a foot in the door to get professional careers in PwC.” While calling on the other organisations sponsoring the initiative to follow the example, he said that if at the end of the day 10 per cent of the graduating students gain employment within the sponsors, it would go a long way in not only further supporting the initiative but also help to address the unemployment issue in the country.

NEPC urges FG to generate forex from cashew, cassava, others under AGOA THE Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) on Monday urged the Federal Government to generate more Forex under the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA).

Mr Babatunde Faleke, Southwest Coordinator, NEPC, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that Forex could be earned through the export of cashew, cassava and spices like ginger.

Faleke said exporters would benefit more because they would be given duty waivers under AGOA. He said that many exporters had not exported under AGOA platform because they lacked proper information and documentation of the programme.

According to him, there has been an increasing global demand for cassava products like chips, garri, fufu, and spices like ginger, pepper, garlic, dried onions, and cashew nuts.

“We know that Nigerians export these items to the U.S. and other countries, but AGOA is an opportunity to save costs, manage the rigours of export processes.

“In a nutshell, we are losing a lot by not using AGOA, which is duty-free.”

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editorial

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Tuesday, 20 September, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

The power outages at MMIA

ECENTLY, the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), the busiest airport in Nigeria and the country’s major gateway, experienced two power outages within a week. While the outages lasted, flashlights were used to board planes— yes, in a 21st century Nigeria. It is yet unclear how the control tower worked during this period. Perhaps everything was left to chance and since there was no major incident, there might be no official inquiry.

Like every bad news, however, this development went round the world capitals in a jiffy, perhaps causing many potential visitors to the country to reconsider their travel plans. This should be expected as no one wants to risk his/her life to visit a country with palpable attributes of compromised safety. And for an economy in recession and in dire need of alternative sources of foreign exchange from Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) and tourism, that turn of events was unsavory.

Not many airport users and industry watchers will consider MMIA safe given the incessant power outages that have now become a national embarrassment. The thought that the situation may be the same or even worse in many other airports in the country is also disturbing. Ironically, many Nigerians who use airports in other parts of the world often have salutary things to say about the quality of facilities and efficiency of their friendly but highly professional personnel.

Some of them cannot help becoming activists on arrival in the country, lamenting the deplorable condition of the Nigerian airports and agitating for an improvement that approximates the services and the ambience they experience in saner climes.

But the really unsettling issue around these power outages is that no lesson seems to have been learnt. The embarrassment recurs time and again while the managers of this critical national asset hardly get questioned or sanctioned for patently avoidable hitches in operations.

Worse still, there is no incentive to act proactively and with caution. Before the shameful incidents of September 12, 2016 and August 27 through 28, 2016 currently in the front burner, there had been precedents from which valuable precautionary lessons could have been drawn. For instance, on May 9, 2010, March 12, 2012 and March 8, 2013, this same MMIA was thrown into darkness due to power failure. Passengers arriving and departing the airport were subjected to untold hardship at the airline counters, immigration area and checkin-area. In all of these instances, the immediate issue was resolved without addressing the fundamental challenges or

taking measures that could help to forestall a recurrence.

Sadly, the reason adduced by the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) for the recent outages is hardly tenable.

FAAN had claimed that the ongoing remodeling of the MMIA caused damage to the underground power cables, thereby short-circuiting power supply. But the question is why FAAN did not prepare well for the remodeling, both in terms of cautious excavation of the power cables without causing damage to them and /or provision of alternative source of power. There is even an indication that the remodeling and damaged power cables narrative may be incorrect, as a report actually blamed the outages on a broken down transformer.

In any case, whatever may have accounted for the recent power outages was obviously preventable. The provision of uninterrupted power supply at the country’s airports, especially at the main gateway, should not be a herculean task for FAAN. If smaller and less endowed but better organised countries are getting it right, there is no reason why it cannot be done here. Moreover, some critical stakeholders in the aviation sector believe that FAAN’s revenue generating capacity, especially the $50 per passenger it collects, can more than conveniently accommodate the provision of uninterrupted power supply at the MMIA if it was a priority.

We urge the FAAN management and indeed the Minister of State for Aviation to be more alive to their responsibilities.

The incessant power outages at the MMIA is unacceptable.

It is common knowledge that the aviation industry is currently beset with myriads of challenges ranging from the prohibitive cost of aviation fuel to the major issue of scarcity of the dollar. The economic downturn in the country has taken a huge toll on the airlines’ operations, so much so that they have allegedly lost 45 percent of their passenger traffic. The inherently dollarized nature of the sector in the face of paucity of dollars has also exacerbated the current challenges. It is a sad commentary that many foreign airlines are now gravitating towards Ghana as the aviation hub in West Africa. With all these negatives, the managers of the aviation sector and their supervisors should appreciate the gravity of the matter at issue and find a permanent solution to it. It is saddening enough that the aviation industry is in the throes of imminent collapse. But adding avoidable safety concerns occasioned by recurring power failure at the nation’s international airports to the already confounding existential challenges may ultimately sound the death knell of this critical sector.

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LETTERS TO THE

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No to another fuel price hike

F

OR some time now, oil marketers have been saying that the current N145 per litre which fuel goes for in the country is not profitable, and an adjustment might be needed.

This came to a crescendo when some top officials of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) also came out to admit that due to the increasing value of the dollar, then the price of a litre of fuel

might increase. One thing I want to tell those who are in this school of thought is that they shouldn’t test the patience of Nigerians. Already, things are so tough for our people that increas-

PDP not a ‘dying baby’ WHEN a factional leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta recently to intimate him of the crisis in the country’s main opposition party, the former president had pitied Sheriff’s predicament, while describing the PDP as ‘a dying baby.’

I want to disagree with Chief Obasanjo on this statement; the fact remains that the PDP is Nigeria’s main opposition party, and it is the only available option for Nigerians if they want an alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

What is happening in the PDP today, though unfortunate, can be resolved when the players laying claim to its leadership do away with personal ambitions.

If these people are not out to sabotage the party, then why is it hard for them to come to an agreement that will be of mutual benefit to all members, and most especially, the party.

In advanced democracies, there are usually two major political parties, with several other smaller parties.

In the United States of America, there are the Democratic and Republican parties, which are the country’s major parties, while in the United Kingdom, there are the Conservative and Labour parties.

In Nigeria, we have the APC and the PDP, which are the two major parties, and everything must be done by all lovers of democracy to ensure that these two parties thrive, particularly the opposition PDP. While one may agree that the PDP took Nigerians for granted in its 16-year rule, I believe its members have

learnt their lessons. We, therefore, need the PDP to keep the ruling APC on its toes, because if there is no strong opposition party, the ruling party will not feel challenged, and it may begin to act as if there is no one waiting on the wings to benefit from its failures.

Therefore, instead of Chief Obasanjo concluding that the PDP is a dying baby, he should help revive the party since he is one of the greatest beneficiaries of the PDP, with him ruling the country for two terms on its platform.

The PDP may be having its challenges at the moment, it is, however, not the end of the road for the party.

Every hand must be on deck towards ensuring that the party is repositioned in order to play its opposition role in this democratic dispensation effectively.

•Felix Adigun, Kabba, Kogi State. feldiggs_02@yahoo. co.uk

ing the price of fuel will finally drive millions of families that are still struggling to survive in this tough economic period into abject poverty.

Instead of clamouring for the increase in the price of fuel, what these NNPC bosses should be after is how to make our refineries work. I will partly blame the NNPC for the failure of our refineries to work over the years since these refineries are being supervised by the nation’s oil company. It is not a secret that those who were benefiting from the subsidy claims were the ones who ensured that our refineries did not work at optimum capacities. They knew that if all our refineries were working well, then there would be no reason for them to be importing fuel, and subsequently, no reason to be claiming subsidy funds.

So, those who are in

charge of the country’s oil economy should look at other ways through which we can produce the fuel we consume locally, instead of agitating for an increase in its price. Oil and food importation are the two commodities straining our local currency against foreign currencies. Consequently, if we can refine our oil and produce our food locally, then the strain on the naira will be minimal.

I, therefore, hope that the Federal Government will look at the pain Nigerians are currently going through and not accede to the request of these energy chiefs to increase the pump price of fuel.

•Femi Adeyinka, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

Saving Nigeria’s aviation sector DUE to the economic situation in the country, several local airlines have gone out of business, thereby throwing our aviation sector into crisis. The unavailability of aviation fuel is the major reason our local airlines are shutting down

operations, with some travelling as far as Ghana to source for aviation fuel.

Unfortunately, the silence of our Ministry of Aviation is also not helping matters in the midst of this crisis.

As a result of this, foreign airlines have increased their fares arbitrarily due to the stress they go through before procuring aviation fuel before travelling to their respective destinations.

I am happy when a top official of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said the Federal Government might designate the Kaduna refinery to be refining aviation fuel only in order to solve the crisis; this is commendable, and I hope this crisis will be resolved as soon as possible. The unavailability of aviation fuel is a national shame for the country, as foreign airlines travel to another country to source for the product.

The problem we are having is the fact that our refineries are not producing enough aviation fuel, but I hope the Federal Government will do everything in its power towards reviving our refineries, while also bringing in investors to build more refineries in the country.

•Etudor Henry, Ikeja, Lagos. henryOetudor@yahoo.com

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Tuesday, 20 September, 2016

Convoys of death and terror

T

RAVELLING our roads are usually not very pleasant experiences. One of diverse evils could occur — frustrating gridlocks, temporal body paralysis accompanied by nausea from being thrown in and out the potholes, sprawling on the high ways, robbery, fuel tanker explosions or ultimately, death. In the wake of these petrifying realities, our roads gained the epithet “death traps.”

Sadly, however, an average Nigerian has no other choice but to tread the valley of the shadow of death from dawn to dusk. As appalling as these realities may be, the tragedy of the commoner branches off into another lane like the traditional boulevard. This lane I would like to christen thus: “heart in your mouth lane.”

Without telling quaint tales, allow me to elucidate with a quick narrative. It is an account of my experience last weekend on the Ife-Ibadan expressway. The screeching sound of tyres, made by the car I listlessly sat in, caused my heart to skip a beat. Impulsively, my right hand flew up my left rib cage, as though the motion could prevent a cardiac arrest. Hilarious isn’t it? I glanced back, perturbed.

The initial gridlock had dissipated and had been replaced with pandemonium. Cars on the speed lane of the exit area of the highway were swerving with exigency onto the right like a demented herd suffering from the mad cow disease. A clear area began to emerge on the initially gridded expressway and like the shrill of newborn, it filled the entropic atmosphere. The sound of the siren was unnerving but the conduct of the drivers and front seat passengers was particularly inexplicably irksome.

Clad in camouflage, a young soldier, private perhaps, with his head stuck out of the window, rained obscenities on other road users. All he cared about was being a Moses for the convoy of seven government’s black beasts. The common man could perish at the bottom of the Red Sea like pharaoh’s chariots!

Heart wrenching was the sight of civilians scampering away from the express like diseased sewer rats, not minding, if they were turning the wheels of their vehicles into

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Hades! Like a patient with an onset of Parkinson’s, my hands began to shake. Not out of trepidation, but due to disgust. My stomach churned, out of anger. A great infuriation took me over as I venomously spat out “arrant nonsense, tyrants!”

Unfortunately, this sort of gross intimidation and menacing terrorism has leeched its way into the blood stream of the nation. Total disregard for humanity, crushing the commoner under national feet is a norm no one contends with in today’s Nigeria. Do we flee into fiery furnaces each time the people we elected use our national roads? Are our lives as citizens so inconsequential that they could be so trifled with?

Festus Iyayi, the former ASUU president was wasted in the most brutal way about three years ago on the AbujaLokoja expressway. The FRSC’s five page finding indicted the convoy of former Kogi State governor, Idris Wada.

According to the corps legal adviser, Wole Olaniran, an assistant corps marshal, the driver of the Toyota Hilux pickup, Danladi Baba, travelling on a high but determined speed, southbound of the road, deliberately stuck to his lane of travel!

The convoys of Gombe State governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo and former Deputy Governor of Niger state, Ahmed Musa Ibeto, were separately involved in road crashes on January 18 and 20, 2013 for the same practices of reckless driving on highways causing the death of one person and leaving six others with severe injuries.

Pilot Newspapers lost Mr James Umoh in September 2012. He was knocked down at NNPC junction, Maitama Abuja while returning home from work by the convoy of the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke. Devastating, isn’t it?

I hope you remember the convoy of Adams Oshiomole of Edo State which, on April 28, 2012, was involved in a ghastly auto accident. This resulted in the death of three journalists, leaving four others severely injured. Can we forget the convoy accidents of Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State; Abdul Aziz Yari of Zamfara State and indeed the late Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna State, all of which had claimed lives in the process?

Most pathetic was the one in which a whole family save one perished. Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NTA Chapter, Ondo State, his wife, daughter and one other family member, were brutally cleared off the face of the earth by the convoy of Alhaji Ali Olanusi, the deputy governor of Ondo State that was later impeached.

This happened two years ago in the month of love.

Perhaps, these government officials and political office appointees are in league with the extinct Greek fiends called “Sirens”. Sirens were winged women whose songs forced ships into rocky shores or led mesmerised men to fall from high cliffs and mountains. Tossing gruesome death at men, either by drowning them or eating them was their forte.

Harrowingly, it seems like some of their descendants occupy our government houses, only they have morphed into wingless monsters and drive sophisticated cars with blaring sirens!

Rebuilding Nigeria’s economy with oil seeds

By Kabiru Danladi Lawanti

ECONOMIC growth and prosperity are central to longterm poverty alleviation for social and environmental sustainability. The vegetable oil industry represents one of the most effective avenues for poverty alleviation, job creation and economic stability in Nigeria. The industry has the prospects of providing employment for millions of skilled and semi-skilled people. As demonstrated in other economies, with proper focus on production of commodities of large scale commercial values, improvement in the production of vegetable oil can effectively mitigate the poverty level in Nigeria, and especially in northern Nigeria, which available statistics indicated is the poorest compared to other regions.

In 2006, there was an attempt by the National Assembly to look into the vegetable oil industry with a view to lifting the nation forward in the area of economic reforms in agriculture. Although the proposed bill initially was formulated as “Palm Oil Development Fund,” stakeholders in the industry, the Oil Seeds Processors Association of Nigeria (OSPAN) inclusive, raised concern on the contents of the proposed bill, which they described as narrow, while recommending a review of the bill. OSPAN specifically called the attention of the members of the National Assembly to an all-encompassing programme under a presidential initiative called Vegetable Oil Development Programme (VODEP). The committee’s outcome led to the inauguration of a presidential committee in 2003, saddled with the responsibility of formulating policies under VODEP that are capable of increasing the production of vegetable oil in Nigeria. Part of the committee’s recommendations approved by the Council of State in March, 2003 were: sustenance of vegetable oil ban, exemption of vegetable oil from VAT, among others.

However, the bill was not signed into law and since then, little has been heard about it. In the 1970s to 1980s,

the groundnuts oil mills were the main producers of oil and cake in the country, and they formed the Groundnut Crushers Association (GCA), which has the sole objective of addressing the common challenges of its members.

With time, the GCA transformed into Oil Seeds Processors Association of Nigeria (OSPAN), and this was to enable it embrace all other soft-oil bearing seeds that are largely and naturally available in the northern part of Nigeria.

The economic downturn in the early and middle of 1980s led to the implementation of stabilisation measures which included restriction on exports. This development led to the close down of many industries, while the few ones that survived were forced to retrench a large proportion of their workforce. This continued throughout the 1990s. With the return to democracy in 1999, hopes were raised, and luckily for the country, there was an upsurge of oil prices in the global market. Sixteen years after, the country is back to ground zero, as oil prices have crumbled and Nigeria is again faced with so many social and economic crises.

Some of the crises include rise in the level of poverty, shut down of many industries and businesses. Automatically, this is bringing about job losses and its ripple effect are being felt everywhere in the country. The crises in the labour market, and the menace it posed to Nigeria’s national security, led the Federal Government to mention in its manifesto that job creation is its major priority.

This government, on coming on board, sprang into ac-

tion and specifically mentioned its intention to increase the number of small and medium-sized enterprises that can create new jobs.

This is, in our opinion, an indication from the government that it has the will to address some of the inherent problems that crippled the nation’s economy. To do this, I think the government needs to look into the opportunities OSPAN and other vegetable oil processors offer, in terms of semi-skilled and skilled employment, as well as the value chain of that industry.

Today, despite numerous challenges, OSPAN has been recognised in relevant government ministries like Agriculture, Industries, Commerce, NAFDAC, RMRDC, Customs Service, NEPC and some development financial institutions, as well as the offices of key lawmakers of the National Assembly, and this has made the organisation to attract favourable policies from government. Also, affordable machineries from China and India have made OSPAN to operate more efficiently.

On record, there were 41 oil mills scattered all over northern Nigeria, and an equally substantial number are also found in the south of the country. With an investment of N37 billion monthly, and a turn-over of over N80 billion, the oil mill industries have the capacity to offer direct and indirect employment to over four million people.

One can see the zeal, enthusiasm and commitment of OSPAN members to continue production, even though at very low capacity. Now, with over 50 well-established oil mills and over 150 small scale processors, all engaged in the processing and marketing of arable oil seeds, OSPAN is a force to reckon with as the industrial association for arable oil seeds processors.

Therefore, any transformation of the country’s agricultural sector must also take a look at the oil seeds sector to ensure increase in domestic production on a sustainable basis.

•Lawanti is of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.

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agriculture Cassava can generate N15 trillion for Nigeria —NCGA President Collins Nnabuife - Abuja The National President of the Nigerian Cassava Growers Association (NCGA), Segun Adewumi has said if the government can devote five million hectares of land out of the 84 million hectares of arable land for cassava production, it could generate over N15 trillion for the country.

Adewumi, who disclosed this while speaking with Nigerian Tribune, also said industrial revolution could be triggered if the potentials of cassava products were utilised.

According to him “cassava has the key to the diversification we are talking about, we in the Cassava Growers Association believe that cassava can give more money than oil we have relied upon for years.

“The 84 million hectares of arable land that Nigeria have, if we devote just 5 million hectares to cassava, we will be able to achieve 200 million metric tons, it will translate to over N15 trillion to us in the industrial products of cassava.

“The major products of cassava like ethanol, starch, flour, glucose, syrup are raw materials to numerous utility with limitless market potentials. So cassava can trigger industrial revolution in Nigeria that every village will have a viable cassava industry.”

Speaking on cassava flour, the NCGA President said “the issue of cassava flour inclusion in bread baking started during Obasanjo regime, it was a believe that we can have 40 per cent of our bread with cassava inside, it was a very good programme but the implementation had problems.

“Akinwumi Adesina started very well, he initiated the programme that 15 per cent of the value of imported wheat is earmarked for cassava bread development, by my calculations, since it was understood that as at that time, the import bill of wheat was about N650 billion in a year, so 15 per cent was about N100 billion and we had it for almost five years.

“Now, we should have about N500 billion out of which N10 billion was released to the ministry of Agriculture to prosecute cassava bread programme, these are areas where we have to look at.”

Speaking further, Adewumi said “from the N10 billion cassava flour initiative, we have accessed N2.4 billion and was used to establish 29,000 hectares.

“The time the first set of cassava matured, the processors could not use the cassava because somehow, they had problem accessing their own money, so the cassava wasted. Many cassava was eaten up by cattle.

“So, the programme had that issue, it was not the fault of the ministry, it was the fault of maybe the financial institution that was disbursing the money, in our own case, the Bank of Agriculture disbursed to us very well, and cellulant sent the money to our accounts, everything went well as far as cassava farmers was concerned, but it wasn’t so with processors a d that affected us,” he concluded.

How cassava can trigger industrial revolution Collins Nnabuife - Abuja

C

assava is one of the world’s most important food crops, with annual global production at about 276 million metric tons in 2013 with Nigeria accounting about 19 per cent of the gross global production.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Nigerian cassava production is by far the largest in the world; a third more than production in Brazil and almost double the production of Indonesia and Thailand. Cassava production in other African countries, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda appears small in comparison to Nigeria’s substantial output Regrettably, all these achievements disappeared as a result of crude oil exploration in Nigeria. The government diverted its attention to petroleum production, agriculture got very little attention.

Cassava is an appropriate commodity to feature in Nigeria’s economic development as the country is confronted with a rapidly growing population and rising urbanization while demands increase for food, feed for livestocks and raw materials for industries.

Nigeria’s cassava production accounts for about 20 per cent of the total global output of cassava, but less than 1 per cent of exports.

In 1989, Nigeria became the world largest producer of cassava due to the use of me-

chanical grater to prepare gari (a local food made from cassava).

Also, the development of the TMS varieties by national partners and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) helped in boosting cassava production in Nigeria.

Nearly 90 per cent of cassava production in Nigeria is for domestic food production and produced by smallholder farmers. Production yield are still extremely low and Nigeria could easily double its production.

Smallholder farmers produce cassava for consumption in form of gari, fufu and other local food which may not contribute to the nation’s foreign exchange.

It is important to know that cassava provides over 20 domestic food types for Nigerians. It is a raw material to ethanol, industrial starch, cassava flour, glucose syrup and sweetener. These products are also raw materials to numerous industrial firms with limitless domestic and export market potential.

This negligence of agriculture led to Nigeria being one of the largest food importation nation in the world. Nigeria currently spends over N1.3 trillion importing basic food in the country.

According to Alfred Dixon from the IITA, during the just concluded National Cassava Summit “Nigeria has all it takes to revolutionize the cassava subsector. It has 84 million hectares of arable land but cultivates only 40 per cent; has 263 billion cubic meters of water - with two of the largest rivers

in Africa, have a cheap labor force to support agricultural intensification and above all, has a population of over 170 million which makes the country a huge market”.

Realising the importance of cassava, the government have prioritised a cassava development plan as part of its initiative to transform the agricultural sector.

The first move to improve cassava production was during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo when he launched the Presidential Initiative on Cassava (PIC) in 2002.

Subsequently in 2012, former President Goodluck Jonathan launched the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) as a private sector driven, agribusiness based and development of commodity value chains to create wealth.

Part of the aims of the ATA was to inject $380 billion into the economy from partial substitution of cassava flour for wheat flour in bread and confectionery.

The Cassava Transformation Agenda which was part of the ATA was also aimed to create a new generation of commercially oriented cassava farmers linked to businesses in the value chain that could drive reliable demand for cassava.

Nigeria produce 40 million MT of cassava annually, yet, Nigeria does not add value to the crop. The price farmers get for their cassava is so low that many leave their crops under the ground because the cost of harvesting the crop is far higher than the returns.

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Being the largest producer of cassava in the world, yet Nigeria spends $680 million annually importing flour, starch, glucose and animal feed.

It was as a result of this that the past administration engaged in strategies to add value to cassava production in Nigeria, and make Nigeria the largest processor of cassava. The step taken was the introduction of the cassava flour for bread making.

The cassava bread initiative is the inclusion of 20 per cent cassava flour to bread baking, thereby substituting wheat flour with cassava flour.

In the past and presently, Nigeria had depended on importation of wheat flour annually to feed its population, thereby spending about N635 billion importing wheat every year.

There is need for the present administration to review and fine tune the cassava flour initiative because if taken seriously, cassava bread production will enrich the local farmers, increase the nation’s GDP and save a lot of money for the nation.

Despite previous interventions in cassava subsector, the cassava value chain in Nigeria remains highly fragmented. The majority of production and processing is done by very small scale farmers.

Cassava production is dominated by smallholder farmers with about 90 per cent farming on 0.2-2 hectares with few inputs.

The small scale millers produce traditional food products like fufu and gari for sale in local markets. The formal SME processors produce packaged traditional foods as well as high quality cassava flour and starch while the large and industrial operators process cassava into industrial products.

The Programme Director of Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), Dara Akala while speaking at the National Cassava Summit said cassava has numerous potentials.

He said that the summit will facilitate the the process of transforming the potentials of cassava into real gain for producers and processors.

“Cassava has so many potentials, the key driver of this summit is to learn how to transform the potentials to rest gains for producers and processors.

“We want to grow cassava sector into a $5 billion market, by 2021, the cassava sector both in terms of investment and volume of trade will be worth $5 billion.

“There are two broad market in cassava which includes food market in terms of gari and fufu and the industry market where we have the greatest potential, for example, Nigeria currently produce about 54 million tons of cassava tuber but less than 200,000 tons are processed into industrial products”, he added.

Akala also noted that industrial processors are operating at less than 20 per cent of their installed capacity because they cannot get cassava tubers to process.

There is need for the government to improve its partnership with private sector and form a strong synergy with cassava farmers so that the untapped potentials of cassava could be harnessed.

The government should also ensure that credit facilities are made available and affordable to farmers at a single digit interest rate, this will further make cassava production more attractive.

When all these are put in place, cassava production will be more of a business instead of the predominant subsistence approach.

Do not nationalise agric devt, Stakeholder advise FG Oluwasegun Kasali -Lagos The Federal Government has been advised to desist from nationalising agricultural development in order to escape its current economic woes.

The Chief Executive Officer, AgroNigeria, Richard Mbram, while addressing the press recently, said the paradigm for agricultural development has been nationally oriented, saying it was at the federal level the impetus for agricultural development has been generated and disseminated subsequently across governmental tiers.

“Constitutionally, agriculture is a mandate area for all tiers of government and hence, stakeholders have felt that it is necessary to bring the subnational government into the action parameters, research level, export and import level,” he said.

Richard said states could leverage their own potential and maximise such to the benefits of their people by working together in tandem with one another.

“Indeed, agriculture is central to getting Nigeria out of the mess that we find ourselves today. Agriculture is also central to youngmen’s self-sufficiency to doing a serious business regionally and internationally,” he added.

Chanto Food company set to repackage cassava Collins Nnabuife - Abuja

Seed security panacea to food security —DG Seed Council Collins Nnabuife - Abuja The Director General of National Agriculture Seed Council (NASC) , Dr Olusegun Ojo have said that ensuring seed security will enhance food security in the country.

Ojo disclosed this while speaking with the Nigerian Tribune after his visit to the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Abdullahi Muhammadu, in Abuja.

According to him, the purpose of the visit to the NSCDC was to seek partnership from the Corps to help secure some of the key facilities of the Council and also assist the Council in ensuring that adulterated seed is eradicated from the market.

“We came to seek collaboration and cooperation between the Seed Council and the NSCDC, because we believe that we must partner together because we have some critical facilities which they are actually monitoring and we have seen that the NSCDC have done a lot in monitoring and ensuring safety of critical facilities in Nigeria.

“Since we are in the seed industry, agriculture is beginning to be the mainstay of Nigeria now the price of oil is going down and seed is the beginning of agriculture, we must ensure seed security before we can have food security,” he said.

Ojo further said some persons have infiltrated the market with substandard seeds, but with collaboration with the NSCDC, the Council will be able to sanitise the market of those substandard seeds.

“Because we want to ensure that seed made available to farmers are in top quality and we discovered that there unscrupulous agents out there who are actually shortchanging the efforts of the government and the seed companies, it is our responsibility to ensure that they don’t succeed.

“We do a lot of intelligent gathering and raze of market to ensure that only seeds that have passed the standard set by the Council go into the market a doctor we can’t do it alone, we have to do it in conjunction with the NSCDC,” he added.

Speaking further on the facilities of the council that needs to be secured by the Corps, the DG said “we have regional offices in the six geo-political zones, and these regional offices have the seed testing laboratory, we have the seed processing plants and research facilities, these are critical infrastructure that has to be protected.

“In Sheda, Abuja, we have our technical headquarter where we have the centre seed testing laboratories and it is referee laboratory even for states in West Africa because the quantity of seed we produce in Nigeria is about 60 per cent of what is being used in West Africa, so these are critical facilities that have to be protected.”

Following the efforts to add value to locally produced food items, thereby boosting the economy and creating jobs, Chanto Food company have initiated an idea to repackage Gari (a product from cassava) to serve as an instant food to consumers.

According to the Managing Director of the company, Anita Ogunleye, this repackaged Gari contains sugar, groundnut in separate mini sacks contained in one sack and will be sold for N150, while the 1kg packaged Gari will be sold for N450.

Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune in her office in Abuja, Ogunleye said the company wanted to come up with something different from the way things were being done to add value to cassava and make it attractive.

“Basically, as a company, we wanted to come out and do something different from the way everybody else do and we also wanted to use the local existing products that we have in Nigeria that a lot of them are being looked down upon, like the Gari which we have started with.

“We decided to do things properly and make a difference with our packaging to make it convenient and affordable,” she said.

Oyo Fadama III project trains rice, cassava farmers

In line with the World Bank support to implement projects aimed at empowering farmers to boost food production and increase income, Oyo State Fadama III AF has started training of rice and cassava farmers with a Pre-disbursement Training and Capacity Building workshop held on August 23, 2016 at the Farmers’ Hall, Oyo State Agricultural Development Programme (OYSADEP) Zonal office, Moor Plantation, Ibadan.

The State Project Coordinator, Nathaniel Olayinka, in his welcoming address, said that 13 local government areas (Atisbo, Oorelope, Orrire, Surulere, Ibarapa North, Oyo West, Oyo East, Ido, Oluyole, Ogo Oluwa, Iseyin, Saki West, Iwajowa and Kajola) had fulfilled the necessary conditions to benefit from Fadama III AF project.

He added that the development objective of Fadama III AF was to increase income of users of land and water resources producing cassava, rice, sorghum and horticulture crops and thier value chains in the state that have comparative advantage, and to link them to organised markets.

Olayinka said objectives of the training workshop were to let the beneficiaries know roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders involved in the implementation of the project, and to build and improve the capacities of the beneficiaries to increase their productivity.

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Tuesday, 20 September, 2016 With Tommy Adegbite 0811 695 4631 tommyabijo@yahoo.com

From left, Lagos State governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode; Divisional Head, Human Resources and Strategy, First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Felicia Obozuwa and the Regional Head, Lagos and South West, FCMB, Bukola Smith, at the graduation ceremony of the Pioneer Class 2016 of the Ready, Set, Work programme initiative, in Lagos.

From left, Area Manager, Sterling Bank Plc, Mr Abiodun Jegede; deputy governor of Osun State, Chief (Mrs) Titi Laoye-Tomori; Governor Rauf Aregbesola; his wife, Sherifat and the Regional Manager (South West) of the bank, Mr Ademola Adeyemi, when the bank officials visited the Government House, Osogbo.

From left, president, Third Estate, Ilorin Emirate, Dr Yusuf Lawal; Vice-President, Bolaji Nagode; Secretary to the Kwara State Government, Alhaji Isiaka Gold and Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, during a dinner by Third Estate at Kwara Hotel, Ilorin.

From left, a director of FCMB Group Plc, Professor Toyin Ashiru; his wife, Adenike; Founder, FCMB Group, Otunba Subomi Balogun and his wife, Olori Abimbola, during the wedding of Professor Ashiru’s daughter, in Lagos, recently.

From left, Chief Abiola Ogundokun, Chief Bola Ajibola, the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu; celebrant, Chief Alani Bankole, the Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale and a former governor of Ogun State, Chief Segun Osoba, at the birthday lecture in honour of Chief Bankole, in Abeokuta, Ogun State. PHOTO: TOMMY ADEGBITE.

From left, Mr Elijah Olagbaiye, Mrs Tinu Alesinloye, the celebrant, Pa Tunmise Moses Olagbaiye and his wife, Felicia, Mrs Yemi Aluko, Mrs Eniola Tunde-John and Mr Gabriel Olagbaiye, during the celebrant’s 90th birthday thanksgiving service, at St Anne’s Church, Molete, Ibadan. PHOTO: ALOLADE GANIYU.

Chief Rotimi Olagunju and his wife, the chairperson, Sola Olagunju Foundation (SOF), flanked by, from left, Baale Orisunbare, Chief Emiola A. Ewebiyi; the Director, Social Welfare Services, Community Development and Poverty Alleviation, Ministry of Women Affairs, Oyo State, Mr Kolajo Sunday Olaniyi; Executive Coordinator, Ajoke Ayisa Afolabi Foundation, Lagos, Mrs Fokuke Ademokun and the Baale Fenwa, Chief Gafari Yusuff, to cut the cake at Empowerment Sensitisation Programme (ESMOP) 2016, held at No 4, Oladimeji Otiti Crescent, New Bodija, Ibadan. PHOTO: ALOLADE GANIYU.

The groom, Mr Samuel Bada and his wife, Former Miss Esther Oluokun, during their wedding at The Gospel Faith Mission International (GOFAMINT), Aremo Assembly, Ibadan, on Saturday. PHOTO: ALOLADE GANIYU.

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

19

Tuesday, 20 September 2016 Taiwo Adisa - 08072000046 Group Politics Editor tai_adis@yahoo.com

What Buhari must do to rejig economy—Nwodo Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo (CON), the first civilian governor of old Enugu State, is the pioneer national secretary of the the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He also held the position of national chairman of the party. In this interview with journalists in Enugu, he spoke on the issue of insecurity, local government administration in the country, among others. JUDE OSSAI, was there. Excerpts:

T

HE issue of local government administration remains controversial in the country. What is your take as regards the running of the affairs of our local government areas?

When I was a governor, the revenue allocation favoured federal, state and local governments. Less than six months into our governorship, the Federal Government, without consultation with the governors, changed the revenue allocations in favour of local governments. At that time, the Ibrahim Babangida administration made us (the governors) to believe that those who would manage local governments were people who were retiring as permanent secretaries and going back home with their wealth of experience to ensure serious development at the local government areas.

They wanted to make sure that they hadmoney to do what we had in the mind. That was the first time we had the governors’ forum and we went to see the President and we said to him: “What you are saying is right but if you come to Enugu and jump into a pothole, the thing that will come out from your mouth is Nwodo. If you go to school and there is no chalkboard to write, you will say Nwodo, and if you go to the hospitals, and there is no drug, you will also say Nwodo. So, nobody talks about local government chairmen. We are having the responsibility and you are giving the local government people the money.”

That was our first problem. The second problem we had less than six months from then was the devaluation of the currency.

Our budget became nonsense. If you were going to do a project of N1 million, you were going to look for about 1.7 million to do the project. And then there was the increased in the wages of civil servants without increasing the money that was given to us and most states could not pay salaries. The former government had savings which they called “stabilization fund”, so if you made a strong case, that this was what you were getting and this was what you were spending, they would give you money from the stabilization fund, maybe to help you sort out salaries for three months and you come back to beg again. So, it was that difficult.

The point is that, at that time, no governor was even crazy enough to touch the money going to the local governments; the money went straight to them. At that time, we had a holistic plan that supervised what the local governments did, and concentrated on the ones we could do. But, the difference is that, today, the governors have access to the money meant for local governments. They don’t take it for the actual development of the local council areas but for other reasons and the people in the local government are forced to sign that the money has been used for the local areas. This is a general problem in Nigeria today. So, it is hard to get a local government in Nigeria that is doing well in primary health, primary education, and primary agriculture and so on because the fund is not there. So, it is either we don’t want the local councils and scrap them it, or we want

Dr. Nwodo and empower it.

Having observed consistent attacks by herdsmen in Enugu State in recent times, what is your advice to the state governor on how best to manage the situation?

One of the issues with the herdsmen is that they feel that their own man or brother is the

The point is that, at that time, no governor was even crazy enough to touch the money going to the local governments; the money went straight to them.

president. It is not that the president asked them to be doing that, but the notion that “my brother is in charge, what can you do to me? is the major factor fuelling this menace. Therefore, the security agencies, that is the police, and the Army, cannot do better than the local vigilantes because the latter know the hideouts of those Herdsmen and can even help them to escape if they want.

I therefore advice the governor to make sure that the local vigilantes are up and doing. If they apprehend these people and the state knows they did committed the act, it is the duty of the state government to make sure that the full arm of the law is meted on them.

There must be a point at which we are going to take the destiny and the responsibility of ourselves in our own hands for the country, as at it is now becoming more polarised.

The law in this country does not allow an individual to purchase an AK47 rifle with licence but, these herdsmen carry it around without anybody questioning them; it is worrisome. I believe we need to be up and doing and if eventually we catch one of these people, we hold him down till the governor comes. Our press will make noise about it

with our radio stations until the law catches up with the person and they will know that they cannot do this any more in Enugu.

I equally advise that those, who have basic knowledge of security, to draw up a plan as to how our local vigilantes can be trained on how to protect themselves so that they do not just go and get killed. They will be given basic education and training on how best to catch the perpetrators and hand them over to the police.

We learnt you to dump PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC)?

I have since refuted the allegations. It is improper for the media to stand merely on my wife being present at a meeting that I was not present to conclude that I have joined the APC, disregarding the fact that my wife as an adult has her own political life. As one of the founding fathers of PDP, who has held the highest office in the party, I know the statutory procedure of resigning and would willingly do that if necessary.

Continues on pg20

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politics&policy

Tuesday, 20 September 2016

‘The issue of ethnic agitation, Niger Delta, Boko Haram’ one of the best documents I have seen.

That is one of other documents the World Bank had approved for us $45 million dollars and we were at the point of completing the conditionalities of the bank; appointing a director for highway and other requirements before we could draw down the loan, the coup came. That document has never been revisited. Otherwise, 24 years ago, all the major roads in Enugu would have been built by now. So, the point I want to underscore is that we tried to make sure we had a solid blueprint for whatever we wanted to do and we presented them to IMF and we got commitments because we went with the best brains in the state to prepare the solid documents which met the conditions of international organisations and met the conditions of the Federal Government to guarantee all the loan we needed because they saw that we had solid studies which made a lot of sense. So, that was why we emphasised the policy of meritocracy in spite of the fact that all the senatorial zones contributed in these think thank groups.

The leadership was not compromised and we got the result we wanted and as I said, these were the things that I felt I needed to correct from the 30 years we fought to create Enugu State. We made sure that those things we were complaining about, those things that were paining us did not repeat themselves in the new state. That was the state we met, that was how we tried to confront the development and the moral background that led to the fight for the creation of the state.

Continues on pg19

How do you see the war against corruption?

On the anti-corruption fight, the president should ensure that those who have corruption charges are tried and if they are found guilty, they should be made to return the money or jailed and barred from holding political offices. This is what will stop Nigerians from looting public funds, and they will take the anti corruption war serious.

How about the economy? Is the administration making serious efforts to bring the needed positive change in the country?

My take on President Buhari’s economic agenda is that he should get a team of best brains on economic management to help us out of the quagmire. He should not consider religion, party loyalty or ethnicity while searching for these brains.

Enugu is 25 years old as a state; what informed the quest for the creation of this state?

This is a very interesting question because it allows one to go down memory lane. As a background, I will like to say that Enugu State or old Enugu Wawa State was actually created after 30 years of struggle by the Wawa-speaking people of Igboland to herald a state of their own. What informed the struggle was simply that the Northern Igbo embraced Western education much later than the Southern Igbo. So, at the time we had the first generation of doctors, engineers, and lawyers, our Southern brothers already had their fourth generation of such people. So, they had a good headstart on and because of that, they occupied the principal positions in the government of Eastern Nigeria and Southern states when it was created and, later on, old Anambra State. So, in all of these different administrative set up, the Wawa - speaking people were always seen as wood fetchers, such that if you wanted an honest domestic staff, you either go to Nsukka, Abakaliki or Afikpo to get such a person.

Our Southern brothers did not believe that we were endowed as they were to sit on the same table with them. Well, our pioneer leaders, who had also acquired western education like late Chief C.C. Onoh, Dr Akanu Ibiam, Martin Elechi, Chief Nwodo, Chief Charles Abangwu, Chief Enechi Onyia, Mgbada, just to name a few, started to spear head the agitation that we should have equal treatment as the other people, especially as the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, began to help us produce a lot more younger graduates.

We felt that our people also needed to participate in equal proportions in governance. But getting the state was not easy. One of the big problems we had was the experience of the Igbo and the issues of their abandoned properties in the Southern states of Rivers and Bayelsa in particular, where a lot of properties of the Igbo were confiscated and said to have been abandoned to the people of those areas after the Biafran War. A lot of the properties in Enugu were owned by these very people we were complaining about that were marginalising us. Since they had more rich people than our leaders, they were able to stop the creation of Enugu Wawa State for a long time because they were afraid that their properties would be declared abandoned and the people of Wawa State were going to take their properties and so on and so forth. So, a lot of misgivings delayed this very important developmental agenda that our people had.

Since that state was created, there is no doubt that there has been monumental progress in the Wawa-speaking part of the country. And by the Grace of God, General Sani Abacha, went ahead to give the people of Abakaliki; Ebonyi State,with headquarters in Abakaliki, we speak now, the people of Nsukka are agitating for Adada State. State creation in Nigeria today is the biggest catalyst for development because the state headquarters, with all the government apparatus, have to be built and there is the tendency that more money will come into the area. If you have Adada State now, they will have their own allocation every month, as well as what will become now as old Enugu State again will have their own allocation and then the local governments, and so on. So, these are indices of development in our country for today.

We believe that as long as the Igbo have five states, they are short of one governor; they are losing three senators, as well as about 7-8 members of the House of Representatives. They are losing manpower that is critical at the center as well in the states in terms the members of House of Assembly. So, that is why the South-East is still agitating for one more state to be ona par with others, so that when we vote at the National Assembly, our votes will count and not when a state like the Kano votes in the North, will cover the entire votes of the people of the South East. We think that

Dr. Nwodo that is not fair. So, this is the background for the creation of our state.

We were able to fish out ghost workers, do a lot of savings here and there and concentrated on things which would help us create wealth because there is no way you can spend money without creating money.

What we were getting from the Federation Account was between N62 million and N63 million every month. The wages bill of Enugu state then was N63 million. So, it means that if we just pay salaries, we will sit down and look at ourselves until the next allocation comes. But with his document, we were able to create N5 million, we were able to fix N65 million which Babangida gave us for rehabilitation of industries and we were making about N5 million after paying our contractors. The whole money was in a fixed deposit and we were making interest of about N5 million every month. Then there was this magic interest rate which the banks were giving. President Babangida again gave us N25 million for rehabilitation of Ajali water scheme and we went on to fix the money, and it was giving us interest.

What then happened?

My government actually concentrated on projects that were being financed by ADB and World Bank which we needed to pay a very little counterpart fund and the bank paid most of the bill; so we were able to do more than 95% of water projects in Enugu and Nsukka boreholes and reticulation from Ebonyi River in Abakailiki. We were able to finish the first set of rural electrification and ADB gave us money again for the second phase which we were implementing before we left.

So, the third and fourth blueprint was on road network, which was the one that was headed by somebody from Nsukka, Ben Okwor, who contested the election with me in SDP. We were not interested in your party; our interest was in your ability to deliver. Ben is an Engineer, he was a former commissioner for works and we believed he knew what we were looking for and his document answered the question on how we could connect Enugu the capital city with all the local governments in the state with all the food producing areas and with all the major markets to evacuate agricultural products from the farm and take it to the market. He produced

We believe that as long as the Igbo have five states, they are short of one governor; they are losing three senators, as well as about 7-8 members of the House of Representatives.

Do you think Enugu State has fared well after 25 years of its creation?

Yes, Enugu state in my view has moved on since its creation. I think that every government that has led the state prioritized her programmes and tried to do the best they could.

And therefore, there has been steady improvement in infrastructure and in the empowerment of the people. The creation of Ebonyi state helped a lot in the development of the Wawas in so many ways. The only fault I have in our progress is as it is the order of the day in Nigeria for successive governments to believe that the government before them had nothing to offer and they abandoned projects initiated by the predecessors and then they start new projects which within their own tenure might also not be able to be completed.

So, you have all the place littered with abandoned projects.

For instance, we spent a lot of time, to engage one Mr. Arthur Ugwu from Akagbeugwu or somewhere in Enugu and his team to produce 20 years’ master plan for ESUT; the main campus in Awkunano, where Jim Nowbodo, started it and the Adada campus. If you look at this two master plans, you will be shocked if there will be any University in Nigeria that will meet the quality of those drawings and of course, there will be no governor that will stay for 20 years in office at most 8 years; but I felt that any government that is coming doesn’t have to think about what to do in these campuses.

With the master plan, all you just need to as a governor is to find out what is the need of the campus at the time and deal with those ones and the University will keep growing at the end of the day. The infrastructure we are talking of in the master plan were roads, gardens, and then the buildings wherever they were supposed to be were intact. The drawing of all the buildings to my knowledge met the standard as at that time. Now, these were abandoned at the end of the day and the university was moved to Agbani, the teaching hospital was moved from Ugwu-Queens Nsukka to Parklane Hospital.

Again, we the people of Nsukka were not receiving the radio channel in Enugu, so we started a transmission station at Ugwu-Queens Nsukka to make sure that we were heard not only in Nsukka but in Kogi and beyond and in spite of all the money. We invested there, the project was almost 80% concluded and 24 years down the line, it is still abandoned. It required just the last payment to complete that project. You see the road that the governor is doing now between OpiNsukka, we designed that road exactly as it is being built now and it’s the same contractor that is doing that job, the R.C.C. that we gave the job. When I was removed as governor, I had paid them N6 million plus just about a week before I was removed and when I left, RCC left the site. I went to their office in Lagos to complain and they said to me that when Jim Nwobodo was governor, they were building the road from Oghe to Uzo-Uwani and Jim’s government owed them before they were removed and that they were not paid. So, Since then, it took 24 years for us to go back to that drawing board. If you drive on that road now, you feel very happy. So, this is why I am complaining that government should not feel that whatever their predecessor started is stupid, especially when it is for the good of the people and when you are going to spend more money changing the goalpost to fit your own whims and caprices. If we had given in on those master plans, I am sure that ESUT will be a different ball game than what it is today.

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Tuesday, 20 September, 2016 Editor: Kehinde Oyetimi featuresdesk@yahoo.com 08111845048

features

Govt can’t run education as well as missions

—Methodist Archbishop, Kehinde Stephen Methodist Archbishop, Kehinde Stephen speaks on religion, education and politics and governance in this interview by AYO-LAWAL GBENOBA, pointing out that the nation’s leaders failed to translate the free education they received under Obafemi Awolowo’s administration into positive gains for the country.

W

HY are the missions so bent on taking back their schools?

Government cannot run education as well as the missions. Look at the situation our schools are in now. They cannot pay teachers; they cannot maintain schools; they cannot do anything.

What kind of life is that? They are not developing infrastructure, they are not doing anything and we are saying, return our schools. We are the people to run the errand. We would be the ones to call parents together to fashion out ways of running these schools. If we build two classrooms each year, in 20 years we would have 40 classrooms. So, there won’t be a year without a sign of development and this would cost little; N1, 000 or N2, 000 here and there and the school would continue to grow. And then, the teachers would be disciplined, there would be supervision, no delay in their salaries; no private businesses and everyone would be held accountable. You would be surprised that in five years, pupils who could not spell their names would begin to have ‘A’s. So, what else is the state looking for?

But government has always been running schools. For instance, many products of Awolowo’s free education programme in the then Western Region are in leadership positions today and…. (cuts in) That was then. All they do now is to play politics with education and they are calling the name of Awo. When Awolowo was running free education, he didn’t take over mission schools and government schools were still established.

They had both, they knew what they were doing. You would not get to any classroom without chalks or scheme of work; everything was provided.

Sir, Awolowo was not dealing with millions of children; the population then was not as huge as what we have today.

If it had been like that, Awolowo would have generated more revenue and would have applied the increase in revenue toward education. I think something is wrong, and we have to stop playing with the future of our children.

Shouldn’t religious organisations face the task of spiritual awareness and revival?

God made religion; an educated Muslim child is a pride to the parents and the community. An ignorant Muslim becomes a

problem to the community, the same goes for the Christians. If we want to play politics let’s play it after giving proper education to all our children; this would enable them play it better than us. Religion is important, but it is essentially a private business, do not make it a public thing, because we have religious organisations and bodies in education and that is what we have been saying. I have been saying do not sponsor anyone to carry out religious obligations. No government funds must be used to support anyone to carry out religious pilgrimage. No government funds must be applied for such things. If you have your money, you go and then the government can facilitate it, by ensuring that no one abuses you, that you know your right, or it provides functional services. The money the government is using to send people on pilgrimages and so on should be applied to educational infrastructures.

But the belief was that if government sent people on pilgrimage, it would better their orientation.

It is the business of religious organisations to make people become better. If that is the case, let governors come and mount the pulpit and start preaching in churches every Sunday or Friday in the mosque. If they cannot do that, then leave us alone to go after ourselves and place proper moral values; that is our own business. The business of the government is to govern and look after the citizens, to provide infrastructures and make sure education is in place. Government is dabbling into areas that should be left for the private sector and I believe that is why we have failed as a nation. Let me tell you, I think the 1999 constitution has to be rewritten. I want the state to have less power and even the Federal Government to have lesser power, but more power to the local governments.

Are you suggesting a confederate system of government?

Government is dabbling into areas that should be left for the private sector and I believe that is why we have failed as a nation. Let me tell you, I think the 1999 constitution has to be rewritten

Kehinde Stephen No, this is common sense system. Instead of the 774 local governments in Nigeria, I would want us to have about 20,000. Let the power to grow and develop be invested in the grassroots; by so doing, this country would transform.

What about corruption….because the state governments would tell you that they are trying to control the local governments to avoid misappropriation of funds?

They are not controlling them. See, all these things should be taken care of by proper legislation. The leaders should be held accountable. If 20 million Naira was given to you for development, you would spell out how the 20 million Naira was spent and we would make sure it was spent on what it was meant for.

Are you saying there should be something like town hall meeting?

Not even that, but power should come to the grassroots. Look, nobody is managing the Ibadan Archdiocese, Methodist Church of Nigeria for me, for instance…. (cuts in) Sir, it is because you are a man of God. If power is given to the councillors…. (cuts in) Councillors are not lunatics. You won’t even see them. It’s because they are very few and the states don’t want them.

Even the money that is meant for the lo-

cal governments, they don’t give them.

They only give them enough to gather themselves to share and leave everything undone. Nobody is holding them accountable. How many people know the names of the representatives of their areas? If the constitution is fashioned in that way everybody will know… After all, you have people in charge of cooperative societies.

The cooperative society is very successful in Nigeria, because you know the people you are dealing with and if there is any problem you know the people to hold accountable. So, there would be progress.

The state governments are just wasting our money, blowing sirens and wasting our money all over. And we do not know what they are doing; no one is saying anything. Even when the say that they have a town hall meeting, the hall is empty and no one knows what has come from the government. There is no serious accountability. What is happening at the central level is also there. To me, I believe the whole system should be re-arranged…. (cuts in) That is constitution amendment?

The constitution should be amended. A new constitution should emerge to checkmate powers.

What type of rearrangement, is it regional….?

Continues pg22

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features

Tuesday, 20 September, 2016

Ikorodu-Sagamu: Who cares about this road?

By Paul Omorogbe

I

T is interesting to see how long a people can cope with a bad situation: Ikorodu-Sagamu Road has been in a more than deplorable state for donkey years, yet no one in authority seems to be bothered. As for the commercial drivers who ply the road, they have resigned to fate. They are used to wading through mud and pools of water that cover the breadth of the road, which are deep enough to submerge a man lying prostrate. Ask any of the drivers how they cope and they will just tell you something like this: “The road is terrible,” “We are tired of it,” “Our vehicles are suffering for it,” “Government should do something about it,” and so on. But the question is when will these pleas and complaints be heard?

Economic Importance The economic importance of this road is not in doubt: 42 communities and 45 industries are said to be situated on this road. Of note among the industries are PZ Cussons at the Lagos end of the road, Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC)’s Mosinmi depot, and Lafarge’s Cement factory at Sagamu. The Lagos City Polytechnic is among some of the educational institutes situated along this road. The movement of essential goods and fuels take place along this road, and the arduous transit often leaves broken down trucks in its wake. The delays which result are significant economic losses for

Vehicles having a hard time travelling through the road those involved. The road also serves as an alternate route linking Lagos to Ibadan.

That this road is economically significant is an understatement.

While the Lagos State Assembly has added its voice to the calls for the repair of the road by the Federal Government, even as it has called on the state gover-

nor, Akinwunmi Ambode, as a matter of urgency to carry out palliative repairs on the road, one cannot but hope that these calls will not fall on deaf ears or simply accorded lip-service.

‘Implementing last confab report imperative’ Continued from pg21

(cuts in) We cannot run away from regional arrangement. We are suffering in this country because the military intervened in Nigerian governance. Before 1966, you had the Eastern Region, the Northern Region, Western and the MidWestern Regions and they were all running their own affairs. Of course, we had the Federal level, but it wasn’t as powerful. Each region nurtured its autonomy and developed properly. We must go back to that kind of arrangement.

The military has only one unified command, which is why they turned the entire country to what we have today. So, everybody goes to Abuja for allocation.

No, this shouldn’t be, each state should generate its own revenue and decide what goes to the Federal and how much stays in the state. I think that arrangement needs to be done. If we don’t do the rearrangement agitations will not cease -Niger Delta, Biafra, OPC and all those kind of things. We must have the courage to rearrange the country and if we do, my own idea is that we must give greater autonomy and powers to local governments. We must create many more local governments and give them more powers while the states have limited authority, and the Federal Government, even smaller. The Federal can control the army and so on, but let the states have their own police.

There is darkness all over now, can you imagine if regions are allowed to generate their own electricity? We would never be in this kind of peculiar case. Nothing stops the South-Eastern region, which has coal, from generating electricity.

Does it mean we don’t have the ability and infrastructure to generate adequate electricity?

We do, but we discontinued doing well in that area. There are so many things we have that can power electricity.

So, you are also in support of implementation of the CONFAB report?

I think it would be inappropriate for any government to say that they do not have time to look at that. Governance is continuity; if the previous administration had done something right, those things must be allowed to survive. We must take a look at

them. The people in the previous administration, whether they were serious or not, at least, called Nigerians together, so we must see to the report with a view of implementing it for the benefit of the country.

As far as I am concerned, Buhari is doing well fighting corruption, but he must look at the rearrangement of the country.

But, some people are saying he is only fighting the opposition?

Forget about those who are saying he is fighting the opposition. Wrong is wrong.

But, why is he not spreading it to others, even when they have the pe-

titions?

You have to start from a point. If people had fought corruption the way it is being done now, if EFCC and ICPC had been empowered and made independent to prosecute and do things the way it should, we would have moved beyond this level.

People would not have had such impunity to suck this country dry economically.

They destroyed Nigeria; they killed Nigeria; many of them should never get out of jail. It is not a question of looking nice, or blaming the PDP or APC. Corruption has thrived in Nigeria for so long. So, I don’t care whether it is APC or PDP. If they prosecute PDP, at a point there would be no PDP culprits left and the attention would be turned on APC, and there is no way, if they do it very well, that the APC would not be involved. You start from the known to the unknown; they are the people who held power most recently, so, what is wrong if they turn the searchlight on those people. If they are looking for N2.1 billion or what have you, which was meant for the armed forces, and some people were said to have shared it, buying houses worth N300/N400 million for their children, and you are saying such move is sectional. What is sectional about that? If they continue to probe and if that consumes Buhari, good for the country!

Subsequent people would know that being corrupt is not a way of life. Let them beam the searchlight on the judiciary, religious leaders, or anyone who has stolen from Nigeria. Let whoever has stolen from Nigeria return all the money they have stolen from Nigeria. They have set Nigeria back for decades. I don’t want to listen to the argument that what the present administration is doing is sectional; evil is evil.

23

Tuesday, 20 September, 2016

Tunde Busari 08127593530 Yejide Gbenga - Ogundare 08116706853 Tunde Ogunesan 08116954634

Nigerian Tribune

The

South-West Editor Kehinde Oyetimi 08074626431

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

Ponmo (processed cow skin) production is a major trade in Ijebu Igbo town, Ogun state with over 300 people engaged in the business and though many people still underrate this venture, YEJIDE GBENGA-OGUNDARE, who went round cottage ponmo industries in the town finds that ponmo has not only made many people silent millionaires but has also brought glory to the town. Her report.

A

Inside

DEGBESAN Adenuga Street, off Molusi College road in IjebuIgbo, Ogun state is one that will necessarily not invite attention.

The reason is not farfetched; the sloppy untarred road is not a terrain one would want to traipse around especially on rainy days; it is not only rugged but also terminates in a swamp which makes some spots dangerous

Ponmo production:

Gold mine that transcends South West

to vehicular movement in the rainy season as cars cannot pass beyond a point except the driver wants to take the risk of getting stuck. In spite of its condition however, the road is as important as any other one in the town as it has one of the biggest cottage industries that could be found in Ijebu Igbo town today situated on it.

Just at the end of the road is a storey

Ojude Oba 2016: When heritage met glamour

building belonging to Madam Abeni Lawal, popularly called Iya Owo Oniponmo in Ijebu Igbo and renowned for her expertise in ponmo production. Iya Owo is one of the pioneers of ponmo trade in Ijebu Igbo, being one of the first three to engage in bringing down cow hide from the north to produce ponmo at commercial scale level and she has been doing this for over 40

years now.

Ponmo, a popular delicacy among Nigerians especially people in the South-West, is cow skin which is processed to become edible and is often used in lieu of beef or such other condiments while eating while to some, the diet is not balanced if ponmo is not included.

Continues on pg24

Ayinkunnugba Waterfall: Nature’s wonder begging for attention

24 thesouth-west

Tuesday, 20 September, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Inside Ijebu Igbo ponmo cottage industry Continued from pg23 There are two major types of ponmo; the brown and the white, Ijebu Igbo people are known for their expertise in the production of the brown ponmo in commercial quantities with so many people engaged in diverse aspects of the trade. And in spite of the multitude engaged in the business, demand is still high, ensuring that every person trades at a profit. Also, Ijebu Ode for long is said to be one of the highest ponmo producers and sellers as they are a major market for people who repackage dry ponmo into packs and those that engage in exportation of ponmo to foreign countries.

Though outsiders also learn the trade, ponmo production in Ijebu Igbo is hereditary, passing down the family line and has no age demarcation. However, children often set out on their own and separate their businesses from that of their parents or guardian. An example of such is Mr. Kazeem Lawal, a ponmo producer and one of the children of Iya Owo Oniponmo. He is also well known in the town as an accomplished ponmo producer and marketer who operates a separate business that has grown as big as his mother’s own.

The procedure of producing ponmo looks easy to the average person but it is indeed hard work for those involved in the process.

Nigerian Tribune found out that it not only involves patience, it also needs great perseverance and an ability to withstand heat as the first step in ponmo production involves the application of heat.

Mr Lawal took Nigerian Tribune through the ponmo production process step by step; the first stage in ponmo production after bringing in the cow skin and hide from the north is to get very fat and long logs of wood and arrange in a customized oblong fireplace before setting fire to it and when the fire breaks out, the hide is put on the fire to burn until it shrinks to the smallest form and it is blackened. After this a drum of water is placed on another big but round fireplace and when it boils, the blackened ponmo is put inside the boiled water and cook until it swells back.

After the boiled skin is cooked, it is allowed to cool down and put into big plastic drums filled with water to soak overnight. The ponmo is soaked so that the bitterness of the fire will be eradicated though if this is not done, it doesn’t make the ponmo inedible.

According to Mr Lawal, when the ponmo is to be a dry one, it may not be soaked and some also soak it then oven dry it before cutting to return it to its dry form. “We soak the ponmo overnight to remove the bitter taste, not soaking it does not make it poisonous, it is only that the soup you use it in will have a similar taste to a soup cooked with bitter leaf, not too bitter. But when the ponmo is to be the dry repackaged one, we may not soak it overnight and if it is soaked, it will be oven dried then cut to size,” he said.

And after the ponmo is soaked overnight, it is removed from the drums, cleaned and cut to the specified sizes for customers to come and pick their merchandise. And for many residents of Ijebu Igbo, there is no other business than ponmo production or sales.

There are different levels of work in ponmo production; buying of hides from the north, production of ponmo and the sales. Some people do not even produce ponmo on their own but serve as factory workers in various capacities in the various ponmo cottage in-

Burnt Ponmo about to be cooked.

Cow hide being burnt to make ponmo.

Ponmo production in Ijebu Igbo is hereditary, passing down the family line and has no age demarcation. dustries spread across Ijebu Igbo.

For Iya owo, though the ponmo business is not her first occupation, it is one that she had engaged in for decades and she had used the proceeds to do all the things that people aspire to do in life.

“I started this ponmo business a long time ago and it is very lucrative, I can attest that it is a good business. Though it wasn’t my first job, it is what I’m known for. I used to go to the north to but beans and maize for sale and when I got to Ijebu Igbo, I continued this line of business until a neighbor asked me whether I don’t see skin and hides when I go to the North and I told her that I used

Ponmo soaked overnight to remove bitterness.

to see it. She then said I should buy on my next trip.

“I bought it but nobody really knew the processing then, so I was afraid that I wasn’t going to make my money and maybe it was better for me to have continued my maize and beans business but I researched it and got the required information and began to do it and make huge profits, so I involved a co-wife and business was good.

“But another woman heard that we were making money and I had built a house form the proceeds, so she asked to join us but I was reluctant because I believed that we would be too much and business will not be that profitable again but an elderly man talked to me and I consented, the three of us pioneered the business in this town and we are comfortable. And then more people Continues on pg26

25 thesouth-west

Tuesday, 20 September, 2016

A journey to Oke-Ila in Ifedayo Local Government Council of Osun State would be more memorable and indeed fulfilling with a visit to the Ayaankunugba Waterfall flowing at its backyard.

However beautiful the waterfall is, TUNDE BUSARI, after a visit to the site, reports its current state of neglect.

Nigerian Tribune

Ayinkunnugba Waterfall

Nature’s wonder begging for attention

The waterfall is thickly covered by this green vegetation, making it difficult for tourism enthusiasts to gain access to its allure.

T

OURISTS who visit the historic Osun grove in Osogbo often round off their leisure trip at Olumirin waterfall at Erin-Ijesa. This trend is so regular that hardly can any public holiday go by without drawing tourists to the ijesha community located about one hour drive from Ilesa.

Erin-Ijesa is, thus, regarded as a synonym of the incredible waterfall, which, to some extent, is a revenue-generating source for the Osun State government.

Nigerian Tribune findings, however, reveal that there is another waterfall in the state running in Oke-Ila at Ifedayo Local Government Council. It is named Ayinkunugba Waterfall. But this rare sight is not enjoying the same prominence and, by extension, the same patronage experienced

by Erin-Ijesa Waterfall.

Although further finding reveal that the Osun State government had officially listed the over 80-metre high waterfall as a viable tourist destination with a view to developing it and turning it to revenue source, its current state is a sharp contrast to the recognition.

Accessing it from the town almost shares affinity with a journey of no return. The beginning of a voyage to the site offers no fascination as the bushy footpath is scarcely motorable.

It was gathered that oftentimes, the bad road had turned some enthusiastic tourists to the waterfall back because their vehicles could not navigate the bushy, bumpy road surface. They reportedly terminated their journey in disappointment and accused the state government of negligence.

Olasehinde Ade, a resident, decried the plight of some visitors who attempted to view the waterfall but ended up not reaching the site due to the same reason. Ade, whose farm is located enroute the waterfall, recalled a particular incident in which some visitors were divided on the adventure.

“I saw some visitors arguing among themselves on whether to continue or returne

home. But we are used to the road, more so we don’t go there with vehicles. We trek and some of us go with motorcycles and bicycles.

We are praying that one day the government would look at this place and develop it. If the government expands this road today, the problem of the place will be solved,” he said.

Ade’s prayer may take a long time to see fruition going by the submission of the Osun State Director of Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Alhaji Semiu Okanlawon, who categorised the project as futuristic owing largely to the current lean treasury of the state.

Okanlawon reaffirmed the government’s recognition of the waterfall as a viable tourists’ attraction of which the state is blessed with. This is more evident in the signboard erected some metres to the site. Inscribed on the signboard is Osun State Ministry of Culture and Tourism, thereby announcing the government’s presence there.

“Ayinkunungba Waterfall is on the list of the state tourists’ destinations. It is recognised as a viable revenue source and the government is not abandoning it. The issue at hand is what everybody knows is happening, in terms of the state of the economy.

“When the economy was not like what we have now, the government paid some appreciable attention to the Erin-Ijesa Waterfall and opened it up to more tourists. The government has no reason not to do same for Ayinkunnugba.

“But the current economic challenge must end for such a meaningful attention to be given to the waterfall. The government will also not rule out the possibility of public private partnership in realising its dream of developing it to a standard that will make it an attractive tourist destination,” Okanlawon stated.

Orangun of Oke-Ila, Oba Dokun Abolarin is on the same page with Okanlawon, dismissing insinuations that the Osun State government has abandoned the waterfall.

The Orangun rather appreciated the gov-

ernment’s recognition of the site, an indication, according to him, of future development of the site.

He reasoned that the inclement economic weather could be a distraction to the development of such project at a time much pressure was on the government as regards meeting its many financial obligations.

“At a time like this when even the federal government is serious in diversifying the economy following the fall of oil prices, states too are working towards expanding their revenue base. Developing the tourism sector is one of them. But this involves money.

“I am sure at the right time, everything will be okay and the waterfall will also get the attention it requires. I am very positive because I know the government is working,” he said.

The Orangun is proud to have Ayinkunnugba in his domain. The highly exposed traditional ruler believes that the future of his town lies in the waterfall considering the productive role the tourism sector is playing in the economy of other countries.

“This is what I have here and I must be the first person to sell it to the world. I must at all times encourage my guests who come

At a time like this when even the federal government is serious about diversifying the economy following the fall of oil prices, states too are working towards expanding their revenue base. Developing the tourism sector is one of them.

But this involves money.

by taking them to have a look at the work of God in my town. It is high time we took our leisure time serious. We can take it serious by coming to a place like this to interact with nature and enjoy uninterrupted serenity.

“Some people go on holiday from work, but they hardly abandon the chaotic environment in which they work. How do they refresh themselves? The essence of holiday is to take time off your regular space and relax. I am very positive that the Ayinkunnugba Waterfall will place the name of my town on a better pedestal,” he said.

Currently running a tuition- free school in his town, Oba Abolarin’s vision for Ayankunnugba Waterfall is indeed ambitious and inspiring. Having enjoyed the splendor of some tourist destinations around the globe, the Orangun knows what it takes to elevate the waterfall to international standard.

Having beautiful hotels around the waterfall, he stressed, is part of his blueprint to boost Ayankunnugba. Already he is looking at the possibility of talking to his friends and associates to share his vision and invest in the hospitality industry to serve tourists.

This, according to the monarch, is what obtains in the developed world where tourism is a serious business.

“I am sure one day we shall achieve it. I will not relent in speaking out because that is why I am here as the Orangun. An Oba must not fold his arm and wait for opportunities to descend from heaven down to his lap. An Oba must engage in serious thinking and also reach out to people, speak with them, convince them of the short, medium and long term benefits of their investment.

“The topography of this place also makes an international golf course appropriate.

This is also my dream. It is my vision which I believe will come to reality. Holiday in a place like this is better than expending the scarce foreign exchange on foreign trips,” he said.

26 thesouth-west

Tuesday, 20 September, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

‘Some people are frustrating our business’ Continued from pg24 joined us and the northerners realized that it had become a big business, so they also raised the stakes.

“We have since grown from, the original three to over 300 and business is still good, though we aren’t rich like new people in the business but we still call the shots and everyone is still doing well. I don’t regret this work and it is a trade one can hand over to her children,” declared the renowned Iya Owo. Also confirming that production of cow hides and skin into ponmo is very lucrative is a worker in one of the factories who identified herself as Iya Bimpe, she told Nigerian Tribune that though she works in a factory as one of the people that burn then cut ponmo, she has found that it is lucrative as she sells the finished product. She expressed the wish to set up he own cottage industry once she has enough money to buy adequate hides and the required base of customers.

However, getting Iya Owo and others to talk was not an easy feat, she was adamant that she will not say anything or take anyone through the production procedure. But Nigerian Tribune finally wore down her defenses and she explained that the reluctance exhibited by the local ponmo manufacturers is due to the negative experience of the past, “We are not difficult people and we have nothing to hide; our ponmo is produced in a strictly hygienic condition and we can’t poison people. We also eat out of what we produce. Our past experience is the reason you can’t easily get us to divulge information.

“One day, someone in this town brought a woman to me that she wants to do a research on ponmo production and because we had helped people with such before, we didn’t suspect foul play. In fact, we thought she was going to do a documentary because she had a video camera and was filming every stage of production.

“The next thing was that she and some other rich and educated people came to our next meeting to tell us that they are joining us in the business and will be doing it on a large scale and that our traditional ways will be phased out, this is a business we started and suffered so much before it became big, we let them know that though they have the means, we will not be chased out of business,” she explained.

According to her, they then moved to Lagos to set up factories using foreign hides that no one can vouch for, adding that the hides are prepared with chemical and look like leather for shoes.

They first came to learn from us under pretence then went to Lagos to start big business. And when people saw that their ponmo are big and thicker than our own, they started buying, not knowing it is a bad product. Then, when they realized it is bad, the council started taking our products in Lagos and were dumping it in the canal, it took a lot of investigations before the council knew it isn’t our own product that is bad.

“That is where the information that ponmo is bad came out from. It is those that just came into the business to make more profit than their investments can give that is spoiling business by using bad hides, that is why I said I will not talk to anyone again. The people that do it on an industrialized scale want to spoil the business for us.

“We use good hides, in fact, the hides they introduced to us and we rejected as bad were taken to Lagos. We don’t use tyre or any poisonous product, you can see its only logs of wood that we use; that one is even a stream of income for us as we sell the charcoals from the logs. No one should spoil our business, we have been doing is-

Cow hide used to produce ponmo.

Fireplace where ponmo is cooked.

Ponmo ready for the market.

Mr Kazeem Lawal

Mrs Abeni Lawal

People should not underestimate this business; if you can invest, join us by exporting and repackaging it to give it class, not by introducing bad products into the market. sues,’ she concluded.

Iya Owo’s stance was corroborated few weeks back by the Ogun State government when it raised an alarm over the discovery of some poisonous ponmo in some markets within the state.

The government speaking through the Commissioner for Agriculture, Ronke Sokefun said some unscrupulous businessmen were taking advantage of the gap in demand and supply of ponmo due to the high demand, to sell industrial

‘Ponmo’ laden with tanning chemicals to the unsuspecting public.

The toxic ponmo popularly called ‘imported ponmo’ is often brownish black, foul smelling, abnormally thick with layers and ridiculously cheap compared to the certified ponmo.

Sokefun had stated that what is being sold is raw hide meant for leather production from African and European countries like Sudan, Italy and Japan. “Tanning chemicals like biocides and fungicides are added along the processing chain to preserve the hides against protein degradation, bacteria and mould growth that would have damaged the hides and skin,” she said.

In spite of the challenges posed by infiltration of imported ponmo, the Ponmo sellers in Ijebu Igbo have continued to wax stronger and are encouraging people that have the wherewithal to engage in the exportation of ponmo in order to create another stream of foreign exchange for the country and the South West in particular.

“People should not underestimate this business; if you can invest, join us by exporting and repackaging it to give it class, not by introducing bad products into the market. This business can lift the profile of the Yoruba people business wise. We should all join hands to expand the frontiers,” Iya Owo advised.

The ponmo like many other overlooked resources have been proved to be a veritable source of income to people of the south-west irrespective of their age, social or academic status.

27 thesouth-west Oluwole Ige - Osogbo

R

ESIDENTS of Osogbo, capital of Osun and the state government did not see danger looming when the torrential rain of 12th and 13th of September, 2016 that lasted for hours, descended.

Their confidence was based on the usual preemptive measures already taken by Governor Rauf Aregbesola-led administration in dredging waterways and channels in Osogbo and other communities prone to flood in the state.

From this standpoint, when the cloudy sky gave way to the heavy rain, residents and property owners were unperturbed, having the belief that the downpour was normal due to the fact that the nation is in the thick of a rainy season.

But, their seemingly lackadaisical posture of “no cause for alarm” gradually evaporated when the rain snowballed into a raging flood, leading to massive destruction of valuable properties, goods and the death of a 60-yearold man identified as Elder Olabode.

Though Nigerian Tribune learnt that more than three people lost their lives to the flood, the only ascertained casualty, Olabode, was trapped in his car by the flood on his way back home on Tuesday evening. His lifeless body would later be recovered on Wednesday at the bank of River Okooko in Oke Oniti area of Osogbo.

Sources informed our correspondent that some Hausa men, who were contracted by the late Olabode’s family, retrieved the corpse after an intense search which lasted several hours. The remains were deposited at the morgue of the Osun State General Hospital, Asubiaro, Osogbo.

According to eyewitnesses, the deceased was returning home in his car when he ran into the flood. He was said to have defied the advice to allow the flood to subside.

One of the eyewitnesses, Mr Thomas Onaolapo said “we all warned him to go back but he didn’t listen. After moving for a few minutes, the intensity of the flood forced open the booth of his car and the flood trapped him.

“Two people standing nearby made attempts to rescue him and one of them nearly got drowned in the process and we all became powerless. So there was nothing we could do to save him”, he remarked.

Areas terribly affected by the flood in Osogbo metropolis included Rasco, Oke Onitea, Obate, in Oke Bale, Gbonmi, Fiwasaye and Testing Ground.

Many residents and shops in these areas were almost submerged by the water level as terrified residents struggled to vacate their buildings, just as men of the Osun State Fire Service lent a helping hand to help evacuate the people.

It was reliably gathered that the flood was aggravated by blocked drains and debris thrown into water channels, which inhibited free flow of water, thereby culminating in the disaster.

Some of the affected victims, who spoke to our correspondent, lamented the destruction of their properties and valuables by the ravaging flood, calling on the state government to come to their aid.

One of them, Mrs Ajoke Akintoye, who lived around Oke Onitea said “we did not expect that the rain would cause so much damage. I have been living in this house for about three years and have not experienced this kind of flood. The water almost covered our house. We had to use a ladder to come out to safety.

“We are begging the government to assist us in any capacity because this loss is too much to bear. All our household items have been damaged by the flood. We have nothing again. All my clothes, including my children’s clothes have been washed away by the flood”, he lamented.

Tuesday, 20 September, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Osogbo flood: Tears, pain that won’t go away

Scenes of the flood.

Another victim of the flood disaster, Alhaji Salmon Adedeji stated that “we were caught unaware by this flood because we never expected it. My house and shop were affected by it.”

Adedeji, who owns a cement and building materials shop around Rasco area, further explained that “what pained me most is that I just restocked my shop with about 50 bags of cements. All of them have been destroyed by water. Where do I start from now? I am confused.”

Governor Rauf Aregbesola, on Wednesday evening, said his administration was shocked and surprised following wreckage and massive destruction caused by the flood in the state.

He lamented that despite heavy investment of the state government in dredging waterways annually, it was unfortunate that the recent flood caused so much damage within Osogbo, the state capital.

Aregbesola, who sympathised with victims of the flood caused by the heavy downpour which lasted for more than three days, at a visit to areas affected by the incidents, warned residents against dumping of refuse in water channels to avoid flood disaster.

In a statement on Thursday signed by his director, Bureau of Communication Mr. Semiu Okanlawon after his tour of the affected areas which included Okeonitea, Rasco, Fiwasaye and Gbomi, the governor said the flood occurrence took the state by surprise

We are begging the government to assist us in any capacity because this loss is too much to bear. All our household items have been damaged by the flood. We have nothing again.

All my clothes, including my children’s clothes have been washed away by the flood.

judging by the heavy investments of his administration on flood prevention since 2011.

According to Aregbesola, “considering our efforts in the past at ensuring cleared waterways, we never expected this. Our government deeply regrets the flooding that has affected our people. Since 2011, the government has been embarking on massive dredging of waterways in all parts of the state in order to stave off such disasters.

“I have moved round to commiserate with the victims whose properties were affected by this disaster. We have been quite committed to ensuring absence of this calamity since the advent of our administration as we have been regularly dredging the waterways on annual basis and as a matter of fact we are still very much indebted to those who normally work with us to ensure cleaning of our waterways.”

Aregbesola, however, attributed the development to what he called the negative impact of people’s activities on the environment adding that a huge accumulation of wastes remains a major invitation to flood.

He said, “This happens mostly when the negative activities of the people impact on the environment as we have seen a huge accumulation of wastes blocking the free flow of waterways. I want to use this opportunity to appeal to our people to heed our call to live very hygienic life. Let us cooperate with the government in the maintenance of good liveable environment”.

Reacting to the devastating effect of the flood, Aregbesola said his administration was shocked and surprised following wreckage and massive destruction caused by flood in the state.

He lamented that despite heavy investment of the state government in dredging waterways annually, it was unfortunate that the recent flood caused so much damage within Osogbo, the state capital.

Aregbesola, who sympathised with victims after his tour of the affected areas said “considering our efforts in the past at ensuring cleared waterways, we never expected this.

Our government deeply regret the flooding that has affected our people. Since 2011, the government had been embarking on massive dredging of waterways in all parts of state in order to stave off such disasters”.

“I have moved round to commiserate with the victims whose properties were affected by this disaster. We have been quite committed to ensuring absence of this calamity since the advent of our administration as we have been regularly dredging the waterways on annual basis and as a matter of fact we are still very much indebted to those who normally work with us to ensure cleaning of our waterways”, he remarked.

Aregbesola, however, attributed the development to what he called the negative impact of people’s activities on the environment adding that a huge accumulation of wastes remains a major invitation to flooding.

“This happens mostly when the negative activities of the people impact on the environment as we have seen a huge accumulation of wastes blocking the free flow of waterways. I want to use this opportunity to appeal to our people to heed our call to live very hygienic life. Let us cooperate with the government in the maintenance of good, liveable environments,” he appealed.

29

Tuesday, 20 September, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

with Soji-Eze Fagbemi m:08179047919 e:sojiezek@yahoo.co.uk

Local govt autonomy: NULGE tasks Buhari to back words with actions Demands immediate constitution amendment Stories By Soji-Eze Fagbemi

T

HE Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to back his words and promises over the local gov-

ernment autonomy with decisive action, before it is too late.

Besides, NULGE has demanded from the president immediate constitutional amendment, if that is what is required to achieve the desired autonomy for local governments and free them from the

apron of the state governors, who see and treat local government as an extension of the state.

Since President Buhari was sworn in on May 29, 2015, he had on several foray, promised to ensure the autonomy of local government as the third tier of govern-

Wabba, NLC president

ment in the country.

Also, during the visit of the leadership of the Association of Local Governments in Nigeria (ALGON) on Thursday, last week, the president declared that his administration will support a constitutional amendment to free local governments from the stranglehold of states.

While promising that this would better the lot of Nigerians at the community level, President Buhari said a constitutional amendment was urgently required to clearly define the relationship among the three tiers of government.

However, while speaking with journalists in Abuja, the President of NULGE, Ibrahim Kahleel, said the union and the organised Labour will join hands with the President and support him in his efforts to liberate the third tier of government from the state governors.

The NULGE President said “We listened to President Buhari during the ALGON’s visits and I can tell you that we are very happy with what the president said. Labour as

We have no rest after labour —Nigerian pensioners Demand N25,000 minimum wage THE motto of Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), the umbrella trade union of all pensioners in the country is “rest is sweet after labour.”

To Nigerian pensioners, however, the letters of these words are mere dream rather than realities. To many of them, they have no rest after their labour. They used the strength of their youth to serve the nation, many of them in all honesty.

Today, larger percentage of beggars on the streets, especially in Abuja are pensioners, they have no steady income and any other means of livelihood. Their pensions, which they worked for early in their lives, are not being paid.

They face myriads of problems, starting from feeding, to medication and meeting other daily needs.

The plight of pensioners has not been helped by large scale corruption in the land. The lots of the pensioners have been largely affected by corruption. The President of NUP, Dr Abel Afolayan, who spoke extensively on the plights of pensioners said his members were the worst affected by the gay of corruption in the land.

Dr Afolayan said “If there is any group of people who have

suffered tremendous effects of corruption in Nigeria, it is the pensioners who have virtually become endangered species. In the days when pensioners were paid by the office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Pension Funds became virtually a cesspool of corruption where officers dipped their hands and gratified their insatiable dirty appetites.”

One critical issue disturbing the pensioners is the backlog of pension arrears which have not been paid. According to the NUP president, these have piled up over the years, especially during the previous administration.

He regretted that mountains of complaint forms submitted by pensioners and inherited by Pension Transitional Arrangements Directorate (PTAD) were still unattended to.

Another contributing factor is the inability by the PTAD to complete the screening verification exercise due to paucity of fund.

The NUP has seen the PTAD as a government agency which is willing to assist pensioners in ameliorating their suffering but was not supported by the government to perform its functions.

While stressing the need for the government to give PTAD

the necessary wherewithal, and the provision of necessary funds to complete the exercise and pay the arrears due to genuine and cleared pensioners, Dr Afolayan said his members “shall very much appreciate it if settlement and payment of the arrears can be addressed and effected expeditiously.”

The NUP president accused the Federal Government for its failure to comply with the constitutional provision as regards the periodic review of pension. In line with sections 173 (3) and 210 (3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). The provision states that “pensions shall be reviewed every 5 years or together with any Federal Civil Service salary reviews, whichever is earlier.”

The NUP said the last pension review was in July 2010, and that the review has since been overdue. Dr Afolayan said “The next increase, in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) was due in July 2015. The pensioners are therefore eagerly waiting for the implementation. We believe compliance with this constitutional provision should be automatic and should not therefore be delayed for any reason.”

The pensioners also requested for the harmonization of old and new pension rates after discovering that the various harmonisation exercise carried out in the past have not been properly done.

Afolayan also claimed that the 53.4 per cent pension increase was arbitrary and wrongfully reduced to 33 per cent.

“This brings us to the important issue of outstanding 33 per cent arrears of pension resulting from increase in workers’ wages. It is important to explain here again as we have done for umpteen times that there was a fundamental error in the calculations and computations of the increase due to pensioners.

“Whereas deduction of a total of 20 per cent representing tax, housing and health insurance scheme were deducted from workers wages, these deductions were not and are still not, in any way, applicable to our members.

We do not pay tax as pension is tax free, we are not subjected to Contributory Pension payment, neither are we part of National Housing and/or National Health Insurance scheme.

“Therefore our rightful entitlement should be 53.4 per cent but even as at now, 33 per cent approved for our members are in arrears of 30 months as mentioned above.”

a whole and NULGE in particular are willing and ready to help the president fulfil this promise.

“I can tell you that many things are wrong with our system and the way the local government is being run in Nigeria today. President Buhari has made such promises on several occasions but we have not seen any step been taken in that direction. Inasmuch as we support him, we want him to begin the process. Four years is too short in the life of a nation, especially in a country like ours. By the year 2018, serious politicking will begin, and whatever you don’t achieve by then, it may be difficult when another election is approaching.”

Comrade Kahleel advised President Muhammadu Buhari to as a matter of urgency put all machinery in motion if it requires constitutional amendment to ensure financial autonomy of local government.

Khaleel said the overbearing influence of the governor’s have affected development at local government levels, regretting that against the constitution, political leadership at the local government are now appointed by the state governors rather than elected by the people.

The NULGE president also lamented that this development has resulted in high level corruption in the local government, as the allocations to the third tier of governments are allegedly embezzled by the state governors or diverted for their own use.

Comrade Khaleel also advised President Buhari to beam searchlight on the allocation to local governments in the on-going war against corruption.

“It is very necessary for the president to also focus on the local government, especially on the allocation to the local government in the fight against corruption. We believe that many of the governors will have questions to answer on how they spend the local government allocations.”

President Buhari had admitted during the visit that the relationship between the three tiers of government is not a very nice one, especially that between the local governments and the states.

“The states feel like they own the local government, if they are of the same party. It is worse if they are not. This is a very serious constitutional problem and unless there is absolute clarity and transparency, the relationship will continue to be exploited against the interest of the ordinary people of the country,” he said.

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Nigerian Tribune

Samsung with Bode Adewumi demonstrates m:08055001765 support for e:bodekafi@yahoo.com education in Akwa Ibom State

Etisalat reassures customers of commitment to quality service delivery Stories By Bode Adewumi

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TISALAT Nigeria has reiterated its commitment to strengthening relationships with its millions of teeming customers across the country through constant value-adding engagement.

Director, Brands and Experience, Mr Elvis Ogiemwanye, gave this assurance while speaking at a roundtable meeting with some of its customers in Benin City, the Edo State capital last week.

According to Ogiemwanye, the customer forum is a demonstration of the premium value Etisalat Nigeria places on its customers and how much it considers them an integral part of its business decision-making process.

“The customer forum offers us the platform to enhance existing relationships with our customers, speak with them, hear from them and take feedback from them on our products and services to which

MTN rewards new smartphone users with 100% data bonus

MTN Nigeria has launched a campaign that rewards its subscribers with 100 per cent data bonus on any data purchased over a period of six months.

The campaign tagged, ‘Drop Dat Kpalasa’ is aimed at deepening internet penetration in the country as well as improving the lifestyle of customers across the country.

With the campaign, potential and existing MTN subscribers can enjoy the offer by purchasing any smartphone device of their choice wherever they reside in Nigeria and once they subscribe to any data plan on the MTN network, they get a 100 per cent data bonus for six months.

Commenting on the launch of the smartphone upgrade campaign, the General Manager, Consumer Marketing, Mr Richard Iweanoge emphasised the need for every Nigerian to work and live smart using their smartphone devices.

“Smartphones can ease the daily routine of all our customers nationwide. The use of a smartphone enhances our lives in diverse ways.

This ranges from communicating with friends, family, and co-workers to constant internet access, music streaming, watching videos on the go, taking pictures, gaming, getting health tips and much more.

“While a large percentage of Nigerians are not accessing internet services owing to non- data enabled devices in use, this campaign will inspire more Nigerians to use smartphones and be rewarded with 100 per cent data bonus for a period of six months,” he said.

they have subscribed.

“We are basically a customer-orientated organisation and this reflects in our desire to feel the pulse of our customers regarding the products and services we offer, and also understand how best they want us to serve them,” he explained.

The regional customer forum, which began in 2010 and has held in many cities across the nation,

is an interactive feedback session that provides a platform for engagement with customers on their experiences from using various service and product propositions; it aims at engaging customers on the network for better service delivery and mutually benefitting relationships.

Meanwhile, customers who attended the Forum have showered encomiums on the operator for

its commitment to effective customer service and development of bespoke range of products and services.

A medical practitioner and former Commissioner for Health, Edo State, Dr Wilson Imongan, described the Forum as the “extra mile in service delivery” which offers customers the opportunity to speak one-on-one with the senior management team of the company.

From left, Head, Enterprise Business Team /IT Business, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr Anu Rotimi Agboola; Commissioner for Education, Akwa Ibom State, Mr Aniekan Akpan; Deputy Governor, Akwa Ibom State, Mr Moses Ekpo and Chairman, BRACED Commission, Ambassador Joseph Keshi, at the recently-launched Smart School by Samsung in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

Smartphone cameras may displace conventional cameras —LG boss LG Electronics has declared that smartphone cameras may be gradually displacing conventional cameras as the emerging way of capturing lovely moments to be cherished forever.

A statement from the company said there is no doubt its uniqueness is in the ability to shoot anytime, anywhere, since smartphones come handy and always available with the owner.

“The beginning of the modern era can arguably be set at the invention of photography. The ability to preserve an exact moment in time was revolutionary and has changed the way we view ourselves and the world around us in ways inventors could never have imagined. Classic photographs that define historical persons and events have touched us all, something that would never have been possible with other mediums.

“The development of digital photography has proven to be just as important as the invention of the first camera. By allowing users to instantly see pictures and eliminating the hassle of developing film, digital cameras have had an outsized impact on the way we think about photography. Leading smartphone manufacturers are now developing smartphones with superior camera functions and one of such

companies is LG Electronics with its plethora of forward-looking smartphones,” said General Manger, Mobile Communications, LG Electronics West Africa Operations, Mr Steve Seungeui.

According to him, in the smartphone era, most people have cameras on them at all times.

The prevalence of cameras, he said, has been instrumental in the rise of social media and has also helped enhance as well as stream-

line the spread of information.

“There is an increasing common tendency for people to automatically catalogue their lives.

Today’s front-facing cameras can capture images in higher resolution than the back-facing cameras of phones from previous generation. For example, the LG G5’s 8MP front-facing camera is many times more powerful than what was available on the G2 just three years ago.”

UNDERLINING its commitment to help facilitate the growth and development of Nigeria’s education sector, Samsung Electronics West Africa has launched its fourth Samsung Smart School Project for teachers and students in Akwa Ibom State.

The project is targeted at training teachers in basic computer literacy, while also providing them access to tools they need for more impactful teaching. Through deployment of its pioneering Smart Classroom solutions, the company aims to provide a purposeful and smart learning environment.

Other Smart Schools have also been established in Abuja, Ogun and Cross River states.

The electronic giant presented two units of the widely acclaimed Samsung Interactive White Board (E-Boards) to Uyo High School, situated in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

In addition, the company also presented 50 units of Samsung Thin Clients and other devices such as keyboards and mouse, laptop, 6.5KVA Solar Power, solar panels, tables and chairs.

All these will help to empower teachers to access digital content which can be shared with students at any location, conduct assessments and monitor students progress as well as provide students with learning tools.

Managing Director of Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr Changwook Lee, represented by the Head, Enterprise Business Team/IT Business, Mr Anu Rotimi Agboola, during the event, said the Samsung Smart School initiative is a testament to the company’s commitment to assisting stakeholders in Nigeria’s education sector bridge the digital divide as well as make the learning environment more interactive, using the latest technology.

“The inauguration of the Samsung Smart School in Akwa Ibom State represents an important part of our continuing effort to deliver the classroom of the future today using the Samsung Smart School Solution,” he said.

MediaReach OMD partners Facebook on e-learning programme As part of the regional development programme, OMD joined forces with Facebook to launch an e-learning initiative in Europe, Middle East and Africa, EMEA. OMD is the first agency globally to launch an initiative at such scale, placing an importance on inspiring teams as to how to fully leverage Facebook’s growing product portfolio to drive greater results for their Clients. This initiative is part of OMD’s strategy across the region which is focused on moving the company from a reliance on purely ‘transactional media’ to delivering ‘marketing performance’ for their clients.

The programme entitled, ‘OMD Facebook Challenge,’ was a learning path within Facebook Blueprint programme spread over two months, offering three levels of product immersion (Basic, In-

termediate and Advanced). The programme was designed to further accelerate OMD’s delivery of innovative solutions via the Facebook and Instagram platforms and drive further beta tests both locally and regionally.

As a result of this effort, over 60 staff of mediaReach OMD across West & Central Africa has been trained and completed Facebook Blueprint eLearning Programme.

At the end of the exercise, two staff members have been selected based on stringent criteria for Facebook’s Agency Ambassador programme, a three-day intense learning and immersion into all things at Facebook, happening in Dublin, Facebook’s EMEA headquarter in September 2016.

As part of Facebook’s increasing focus on Nigeria with the visit of Facebook’s senior officials earlier

in the year, this Agency Ambassador Programme was first rolled out in Africa in Q1 2016 and was eventually extended to other markets in the world. mediaReach OMD was then chosen and went for the programme in South Africa.

“Our global learning and developing culture cascades into our local markets; we train our talent on an on-going basis, through local initiatives and regional webinars on weekly basis as a source of inspiration to be abreast of latest developments and Raise our Game. It’s vital to keep learning and developing in the ever changing Digital Landscape in order to ensure that our staff are up to speed on Facebook’s products and services,” said Mr Tolu Ogunkoya, Chief Executive Officer, mediaReach OMD.

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Again, militants attack delivery line in Delta •Navy averts attack on marine tanker From Chris Agbambu and Ebenezer Adurokiya

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N continuation of its economic sabotage and declaration of Operation Crocodile Tears, the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate (NDGJM) said on Monday that it has vandalised the Afiesere - Ekiugbo delivery line in Ughelli, Delta State, operated by NPDC/Shoreline.

“The Opudo strike force, at about 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 18, 2016, struck the Afiesere - Ekiugbo delivery line in Ughelli, operated by NPDC/Shoreline,” a statement signed by its spokesperson, General Aldo Agbalaja, stated.

The group, in the statement, also threatened to attack facilities belonging to other oil companies situated in Urhobo land.

“SHORELINES, First Hydrocarbon, NPDC, Se-

plat, Total E&P, Shell, Agip, Saipem, Mobil and co wait for us, we are just coming out for you,” it warned.

It vowed to continue with its economic sabotage until its demands were met by the Federal Government.

Meanwhile, the attack could not be easily confirmed from the officials of NPDC as well as security agents as of the time of filing the report.

In a related develop-

ment, operatives of the Nigerian Navy have successfully repelled attack by suspected sea robbers on marine tanker en route Lagos from Port Harcourt.

The attackers made effort to board the vessel 50 nautical miles off Bayelsa State on September 16, but were heavily engaged and overpowered in a gun duel by naval personnel.

In a related development, a patrol team deployed by FOB Bonny in Rivers State has arrested Marine Vessel

at Shell Slot Jetty in Bonny for alleged involvement in illegal bunkering activities.

At the time of the arrest on September 14, the vessel was carrying about 500 metric tons of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).

Similarly, on September 17, a patrol team deployed

by NNS DELTA conducted anti-crude oil theft operations in which two illegal refinery sites were raided.

The sites are located at

Lakpaje and Ubeje Creeks in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State.

During the raid, the patrol team destroyed about 18,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil and 15,000 litres of suspected refined AGO. The feat achieved by the Nigerian Navy in cracking down the activities of the criminals in the maritime domain is a pointer that there is no hiding place for any criminal.

65 US varsities woo Nigerians to institutions MORE than 65 universities in the US are to participate in the forthcoming EducationUSA’s 17th Annual College and Career Fair, scheduled to hold on different dates in Lagos and Abuja.

Mrs Chinenye Uwadileke, EducationUSA Adviser in Lagos, said on Monday that the fair would hold from September 26 to 27 in Lagos and from September 28 to 29 in Abuja.

According to her, the Lagos fair will be devoted to prospective Nigerian undergraduate students who want to embark on Bachelor Degrees programme in the U.S. “We are expecting 32 accredited US universities in Lagos, while another 33 are also being expected in Abuja,’’ she told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

“This is the only fair of its kind and size in Nigeria and a great way for Nigerian students to learn more about higher education in the US.’’ The Adviser said that the fair would not only give prospective students options of where to study, it would also give US Alumni the opportunity to share their experiences with them.

Uwadileke said the fair would afford Nigerians the opportunity to interact freely with representatives of the universities as well as enable them to make the right career choices.

The official said that the US government was committed to partnering with Nigeria in the overall development of her citizenry, especially in education.

From left, Chief Of Planning and Monitoring, United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), Mr Denis Jobin (left); representative of Statistician-General of the Federation, Mr Isiaka Olanrewaju and the Director, Procurement, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Mr Adamu Alhassan, at a news conference on Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS 5) in Abuja, on Monday. PHOTO: NAN

NBS conducts N1.2bn survey on child mortality, violence against women Sanya Adejokun - Abuja NATIONAL Bureau of Statistics (NBS), on Monday, commenced a special survey on maternal and infant mortality rate and violence against women and children.

The fifth round of Multi Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS5), according to the director, Real Sector and Households Department of NBS, Chief Isiaka Olanrewaju, who addressd a press briefing in Abuja , said

that the survey will also measure educational development of children, nutritional status and women as well as children’s access to water and sanitation.

MICS is a household based survey developed by the United Nations International Children Education Fund (UNICEF) and designed to assess the situation of children and women in the areas of health, education, child protection as well

as HIV/AIDS worldwide.

The survey also intends to provide up-to-date information on the situation of children and women in Nigeria; strengthen national statistical capacity by focusing on data gathering, quality of survey information, statistical tracking and analysis as well as contribute to the improvement of data and monitoring systems in Nigeria.

It will equally strengthen

Police rescue 14 abducted oil workers in Rivers THE Rivers Police Command said it has rescued 14 oil workers abducted by unknown gunmen on September 2, along EleleOmoku road.

The command`s spokesman, Mr Nnamdi Omoni, said in a statement in Port Harcourt that the workers were freed in the early hours of Sunday.

Omoni said the Command`s Tactical Units, engaged the kidnappers in a gun battle, which lasted for one and half hours, to rescue the victims.

“The oil workers were rescued unhurt due largely to the efforts of the Command’s Tactical Units, who, at the early hours of September 18, engaged the hoodlums, in a fierce gun battle, which lasted for one and half hours, leading to the rescue of the victims.

“The hoodlums took to flight abandoning their hostages. Efforts are on to arrest and bring them to justice,” he said.

Omoni told the News Agency of Nigeria

(NAN) that no ransom was paid to rescue the workers.

“They have been debriefed and are receiving medical attention in the hospital.

“Investigation is on-going at the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit,” he said.

Omoni said that the police was determined to fight all forms of criminality and crime in the state.

He appealed to residents to give the police useful information that would assist it achieve set objectives.

technical expertise in the design, implementation and analysis of such systems; serve as baseline for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda; provide statistics to complement and assess the quality of data from recent national surveys such as Nigerian General Household Panel Survey (NGHPS) and National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), conducted

by National Population Commission (NPC).

MICS can be used as data collection tool in monitoring progress of national goals and global commitments aimed at promoting the welfare of children, including SDGs. While noting that MICS5 will hold across the 36 states and Abuja, Olanrewaju added that the survey will however, be conducted on a senatorial basis in Lagos and Kano states in view of their large population.

In all, 37, 440 households would be surveyed in the three-month exercise that will be concluded by midDecember,

23 SSGs brainstorm on challenges facing Nigeria THE Secretaries to State Governments [SSGs] of 23 states controlled by the All Progressives Congress (APC) are meeting in Jos, on the economic challenges facing the country, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

Mr Salihu Lukman, Director General, Progressive Governors Forum, said in Jos, on Monday that the meeting was to articulate ways to ease out of the recession.

“We are here to discuss what is to be done across the 23 states. Once it is agreed we will present it to the progressive governors for adoption of the recommendations and implementation.”

Plateau governor, Simon Lalong, in his message, advised the SSGs to “think out of the box” in addressing the abnormal situation in their states.

“As you brainstorm to proffer solutions to our plethora of problems, I admonish you in the words of our President to think outside the box, because abnormal situations require abnormal solutions.”

NIS rescues 11 from human traffickers

THE Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) command in Katsina State said it had rescued 11 youths trying to cross into Niger Republic through the state.

The command’s Comptroller, Mr Mohammed Yaro, made this known at a news briefing, in Katsina, on Monday, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

Yaro said that the youths were rescued on Saturday, in Babban-Mutum forest, while trying to cross the border on their way to Niger Republic and Europe.

“Our intelligent officers on patrol arrested the victims one-after-the-other on the same day at different intervals inside the bush.

“They came differently on commercial motorcycles and begun to walk inside the forest to find their way to Agadez, Niger Republic.

“They are now giving us vital information on how to arrest their traffickers,’’ he said.

According to him, five of the victims are females, while the remaining six are males between the ages of 19 and 38.

Yaro said that none of the victims was in possession of any travel document or any means of livelihood.

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ASUU LAUTECH finally begins strike

By Laolu Harolds

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INALLY, academic activities at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Oyo State, have ceased, as the local branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared an indefinite strike over the failure of the two owner states of Oyo and Osun to address the issues tabled before them.

The chairman of the LAUTECH ASUU, Dr ’Biodun Olaniran, told the Nigerian Tribune, on Monday, that the union, at its congress held on Monday, decided to embark on strike because there was “nothing forthcoming” from the two state governments over its demands.

The two non-academic staff unions in the institution, Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), had been on strike since July over issues bordering on staff welfare.

The university had also

Ondo begins emergency repairs of federal roads ONDO State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, has approved a special intervention programme to give attention to the deplorable condition of some federal roads in the state.

The programme, tagged ‘Emergency Repairs’ will commence with the dreaded Owo-Ikare road in the northern senatorial district of the state.

Speaking at a media briefing jointly addressed by the Commissioner for Information, Mr Kayode Akinmade and the Chairman, Ondo State Agency for Roads Maintenance and Construction, OSARMCO, Kehinde Oshikoya, in Akure, on Monday, Mr Akinmade said Governor Mimiko gave approval for the Emergency Repair Programme to ameliorate the challenges being faced by motorists on the federal roads in the state.

The commissioner, who appealed to the Federal Government to refund to the state, money being owed it on roads rehabilitated on its behalf, said making the refund would go a long way as the financial implication of combining rehabilitation of both federal and local roads by the state at a time is overwhelming.

remained closed to undergraduate students since mid-June following students’ protest; but ASUU members were, till Monday, attending to postgraduate students and final year students working on their projects.

By the end of September, it would have been five months since salaries were paid in the university; while there has been a backlog of unpaid Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) dating back to 2012.

Subventions have not been released to the university for 17 months. The institution has been running on internally generated revenue (IGR) the Nigerian Tribune gathered.

“On different occasions, ASUU had reached out to the Governing Council of the university to contact the two owner state governors and educate them on why the monthly subvention should be provided as and when due, but such pieces of advice were ignored,” Olani-

ran had told the Nigerian Tribune on Thursday.

“Cases of lecturers collapsing during lectures have been reported. This desperate search for IGR is also greatly compromising academic standards in our university,” the union said.

When contacted over the development on Thursday, the Public Relations Officer of the institution, Mr Lekan Fadeyi, had told the Nigerian Tribune that he believed the two governors (Senator Abiola Ajimobi, Oyo and

Mr Rauf Aregbesola, Osun) were working towards resolving the problem.

“I think the two governors are meeting, and I’m aware there have been series of meetings of management and the governing council.

“I’m aware the management is working round the clock. Postgraduate students are having their classes. Things are being worked out, and I’m sure that resumption will be sooner than expected,” Fadeyi said.

Bishop of Ibadan Diocese (Anglican Communion), Most Reverend Joseph Akinfenwa (fourth right) with some of the awardees, during the 2016 honours and awards service, organised by the diocese, at the All Souls’ Church, Bodija, Ibadan, on Sunday. PHOTO: D’ TOYIN.

Recession, time for Nigerians to re-examine themselves —Ajimobi

By Wale Akinselure

GOVERNOR Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has described the current times in the country as an opportunity for both the government and governed to introspect if they were working towards a better Nigeria.

This was part of Ajimobi’s remarks at the 50th birthday anniversary of Chief

Operating Officer, Access to Basic Medical Care Foundation (ABC), Mrs Dolapo Oyedipe, held at The Breakforth Church, Bodija, on Monday.

Calling for prayers for the nation to sail through its current economic challenges, Ajimobi harped on the need for Nigerians to, in their own societies, live as dutiful citizens of the country.

“The greatest form of godliness is service to humanity. We must pray for the country. Especially, at this time, we Nigerians have to re-examine ourselves because we all have a role to play towards a better Nigeria,” Ajimobi stated.

He regarded Oyedipe, the celebrant, as a graceful, committed, accommodating, dedicated and hard working woman.

Herdsman bags 2yrs jail term in Ekiti For grazing cattle in farmland Sam Nwaoko - Ado Ekiti

A herdsman, Ali Haruna, has been sentenced to two years in prison by a court in Ekiti State for grazing his cattle in a farmland in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

Eighteen-year-old Haruna was arraigned on January 22, 2016 on a twocount charge of willful and unlawful damage of crops at a farm in Ago Aduloju, a farming community in Ado Ekiti Local Government Area of the state.

The Chief Magistrate, Idowu Ayenimo, said in his judgement, on Monday, that his court didn’t believe in the defence put up by

Haruna and held that his evidence was not credible.

Ayenimo also said that the police prosecutor, Mr Olasunkanmi Bankole, had proved his case beyond reasonable doubt.

The four witnesses called by the prosecution confirmed that Haruna had been caught in the midnight grazing his cow in a cash crops farm belonging to Abdulahi Yaho and Bello Mohammed.

Among the crops destroyed in the process were cassava, maize, okro and pepper, which value was put at N3million.

Haruna, in his defence, had said that the owner

of the cows lives in Ilorin, Kwara State.

Haruna’s counsel, Mr Chris Omokhhafe, had prayed the court to be liberal in the dispensation of justice, and had averred that the defendant was a first offender.

Chief Magistrate Idowu Ayenimo, however, sentenced the defendant to two years on each of the count charge without option of fine and the sentence should run concurrently.

He said the sentence was minimised because the offence was committed before the grazing law came into operation in Ekiti State.

In his homily at the thanksgiving service, Pastor Austin Onogbese also echoed the need for the current generation of leaders and the led to be responsible.

He also stressed the need for Nigerians to be hard working and besought God to grant the leaders the needed wisdom to make right decisions that would lead the country out of the current economic challenge.

“We all have to work this time. We have a responsibility to our generation because things cannot continue to be this way. We cannot deny the fact that the times are so hard but we pray that our leaders have the needed wisdom and knowledge to take the country out of the current bad economic situation,” Onogbese said.

Husband of the celebrant, who is a Senior Special Assistant to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Security, Mr Femi Oyedipe, lauded the dedication of his wife.

Among other dignitaries at the occasion were state Commissioner for Police, Sam Adegbuyi; Chief of Staff, Dr Gbade Ojo, and other members of the state executive council.

Nigerian Tribune

Group demands APC deputy governorship slot for Ile Oluji/ Okeigbo/ Odigbo Hakeem Gbadamosi - Akure

A group within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Ondo State Solidarity Congress (OSSC), on Monday, advocated for the zoning of deputy governorship seat of the party to Ile Oluji/Okeigbo/Odigbo federal constituency.

This was contained in a statement signed by the chairman of the group, Chief Samuel Ikujuminu, who demanded that the zone should be given the slot for fairness, justice and equity.

The group, which comprises of present and former political office holders in the state, said the party should not toy with the idea of giving the running mate to Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to any other zone if it wants to win the November 26 governorship election.

Ikujuminu insisted that zoning the slot to the area would enhance the chances of Akeredolu in winning the election, saying Ile Oluji/ Okeigbo/Odigbo has the highest registered voters in Ondo south with 184,233 followed by Okitipupa/Irele with 156,275 while Ilaje/ Ese-Odo had 171,490 votes.

Ayangburen to receive award in US

By Tunde Busari

THE Ayangburen of Ikorodu, Oba Kabir Adewale Shotobi, will depart Lagos today for the United States to receive an award at Raleigh Marriott City Centre, North Carolina.

In a release from the office of the monarch, Governor of North Carolina, Pat McCrory, invited him to be a special guest at the 2016 edition of the prestigious annual North Carolina awards, holding on Thursday, September 22, 2016.

Since 1964, the awards have been given to citizens who have distinguished themselves and obtained distinction for notable accomplishments in the fields of Public Service, Science, Literature and Fine Arts. It is the highest honour the Governor and state of North Carolina can bestow.

Other recipients of this year’s awards include Joseph Bathanti- Vilas – Literature; Dr Linda S. Barnbaum - Chapel Hill – Science; Robert J. Brown-High Point - Public service; James C Gardner, Rocky Mount -Public Service; Dr Assard Meymamdi, Raleigh-Fine Arts and Dr Azaz Sancar and Dr Paul I. Modrich, Chapel Hill- Public Service.

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Tuesday, 20 September, 2016

NJC to probe judges involved in conflicting judgments

CJN warns lawyers against routing petition against judges to presidency Sunday Ejike - Abuja

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UDGES involved in recent conflicting judgments, said to have exposed the country’s judiciary into ridicule and embarrassment, are in for big trouble, as the National Judicial Council (NJC) has commenced investigation of the judges.

Speaking at the opening of the 2016/2017 legal year and the conferment of the rank of the Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) on

22 lawyers, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) gave a stern warning to legal practitioners in the country to stop routing their petitions against judicial officers directly to President Muhammadu Buhhari.

He also told lawyers to stop actions that were capable of maligning judicial offices.

The CJN, who is the chairman of the NJC, assured that appropriate actions would be taken against judges found wanting in the conflicting judgment in-

volved by the NJC after the a thorough investigation, adding also that most of the conflicting judgments emanated from court actions instituted by the two factions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a bid to resolve their political differences on the leadership of the party.

Expressing his displeasure in the way and manners complaints against judges were sent directly to the president instead of the NJC, Justice Mohammed said the

cases had been marked for action against erring lawyers by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee.

He added that the motivation for the trend lied in the narrow, deplorable self interest and incompetence of the lawyers involved in the act of writing petition against judges.

According to the CJN, “this dangerous new trend has borne itself out with various complaints, ranging from disparaging remarks against judges of our superi-

or courts to unprecedented, unwarranted and unfortunate personal attack on judicial officers.”

Justice Mohammed further cautioned that allowing lobbyists interfere with the appointment would “undoubtedly and irreversibly hurt our justice system.”

Justice Mohammed, who is due for retirement from the position of the CJN in November, added that the constitution was clear as to the procedure that must be followed in appointing a justice of the Supreme Court or a substantive CJN and such must be adhered to in appointing the next Chief Justice after his tenure.

In his speech, president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud, applauded the CJN for the innovations introduced to the judiciary, even as he made case for the NBA president to be a permanent member of the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee.

Buhari committed to Niger Delta development —Lokpobiri From left, Iyalode Alaba Lawson, Ahaji Rasaq Okoya, mother of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Chief (Mrs) Olabisi Osinbajo and the Osile Oke Ona Egba, Oba (Dr) Adedapo Tejuoso, at the 20th Memorial Service of the first female industrialist in Nigeria, late Chief Bisoye Tejuoso, held in Abeokuta, on Monday.

Nigerians must embrace national unity for development —Buhari Olayinka Olukoya - Abeokuta PRESIDENT Muhamadu Buhari, on Monday, emphasised the need for Nigerians to embrace national unity towards progress and development of the country.

He said this at the 20th Memorial Service of the first female industrialist in Nigeria, late Chief (Mrs) Bisoye Tejuoso, organised by the Tejuoso Royal Family in conjunction with Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission, held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta.

The president, who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, said the legacies of the third Iyalode of Egbaland had remained a reference point for Nigeria.

Buhari said the country needed the likes of Madam Tejuoso at this critical period in the nation’s history to take the country back to track.

The president said, “If our leaders had demonstrated the foresight, uprightness and managerial skills of Chief Bisoye Tejuoso, our

economy would have been better.

“Our past leaders refused to save and diversify the economy. Chief Bisoye Tejuoso’s success story in business can serve as a roadmap on how we can come out of recession.

“She rewarded excellence and merit. She was a true heroine and a woman of courage. Her life should propel us to dedicate our

lives more to the unity, progress and security of our country.”

Osinbajo canvassed for community policing, saying that the Nigeria Police had not been able to unravel the killers of the matriarch of the Tejuoso dynasty who was assassinated at the age of 80 years, in 1996.

He insisted that community policing would help the country to tackle the secu-

rity challenges battling it.

The ceremony was equally attended by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo; Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi; former governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; the Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, represented by the Ebumawe of Ago-Iwoye, Oba Abdulrazaq Adenugba, among others.

Ekiti pays compensation, demolishes structures for project Gives 400 workers laptops, special training Sam Nwaoko - Ado Ekiti EKITI State government has announced that it has paid compensation to citizens whose buildings and structures were demolished to give way for the construction of an overhead bridge in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

The state government made the announcement following the commencement of the demolition of buildings and structures on the way of the project.

The state governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, who monitored the demolition and creation of setback for the

project at Okesa area of the town, pointed out that since those affected had been given enough notice and compensation, there was no point delaying the project.

Fayose said: “First, we appreciate the people whose structures and buildings are affected by the construction work. We all have to make sacrifices for the development of our state. We must all ensure that our state competes favourably with others and on our part as a government we are determined to give the people our best despite the paucity of funds.

“Property affected duly assessed and the owners have

been paid. The compensation ranges from N100,000 to N15 million. We are hopeful that the project will be delivered next year.

The landlords commended the governor for the prompt payment of their compensation.

Meanwhile, the state government has boosted the capacity of about 400 of its workers involved in personnel and payroll matters with specialised job-enhancement training.

The public servants were drawn from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) at both local and state levels.

Austin Ebipade - Yenagoa THE Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to develop the Niger Delta and all parts of the country.

Lokpobiri said this on Monday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, while officially presenting sports equipment to benefitting public primary schools.

The equipment was distributed to 41 public schools in the state by the National Lottery Trust Fund.

The minister, who was a special guest of honour and former Chairman, Senate Committee on Sports and Youth Development, said talent development was critical to Buhari’s administration.

Lokpobiri said, “We believe that talent development is critical to this administration and the Federal Government is ready to support our young children in primary schools to grow with the best of talents that are needed to win Olympics gold in the next few years.

“This programme is carefully designed to support public schools. I think that underscores the importance the Federal Government attaches to public schools.”

Nigerian Tribune

Ogun assembly commends SACA on reduction of HIV/AIDS

By Gbenga Olumide THE Ogun State House of Assembly’s Committee on Health has lauded the State Agency for the Control of AIDS and HIV (SACA) for reducing the prevalence rate of the disease from 12.6 per cent to 0.6 per cent in the state.

The Chairman of the Committee, Honourable Akinpelu Aina, gave the commendation when the committee members paid a courtesy visit to the head office of SACA in Abeokuta, in continuation of the 2016 budget appraisal.

He lauded the achievements recorded by SACA in the face of financial downturn.

Honourable Aina also implored the management of the agency to solicit the support of philanthropists, captains of industries and other well-meaning Nigerians in the fight against the spread of the disease.

The committee said that as part of the efforts to achieve the success of the Senator Ibikunle Amosunled administration to rebuild the state, government would continue to provide and support healthcare services as entrenched in the five cardinal programmes of the state government.

Ondo NURTW calls for suspension of FRSC speed limit Hakeem Gbadamosi - Akure THE Ondo State chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), on Monday, called on the Federal Government to halt the enforcement of the new speed limit device of the commercial vehicles in the country by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC).

The chairman of the union in the state, Chief Ariyo Adetula, who stated this in Akure, the state capital, called for the suspension of the speed limit until the nation’s roads are put in good shape.

Adetula said the deplorable state of roads in the country had certainly become an unnecessary embarrassment and shame, saying there is hardly any part of the country that can boast of good roads.

He noted that billions of Naira had been said to be spent on road construction across the country with little or no evidence to show for it.

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Tuesday, 20 September, 2016

Schools: We will withdraw letters of approval if... —Lagos dep gov

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HE Lagos State deputy governor, Dr Idiat Adebule, on Monday, said the state government would not also hesitate to withdraw letters of approval from schools that refuse to adhere to regulations.

Adebule spoke at the 3rd Quarterly Stakeholders’ Forum of Private School Owners with the theme, `’Entrenching best practices’, organised by the State Ministry of Education.

She said that quality foundation of human capital at primary and secondary learning institutions, was critical to the development and sustenance of the nation’s economy.

The deputy governor reiterated her displeasure at the high number of private schools operating illegally in the state.

“Government is not comfortable with our discovery that over 15, 000 private schools are operating in the state and only 4,556 are approved and registered.

“We will no longer allow unregistered schools to operate in the state as from next session, and will not also hesitate to withdraw letters of approvals from schools that refuse to adhere to regulations,” she said.

Adebule said that the government was committed to engaging private school op-

erators effectively in delivering quality education in the state.

She said the government was also investing heavily to upgrade teaching and learning in public schools.

“This forum demonstrates our commitment to continuously evolve an inclusive education sector to drive quality, effective and functional education.

“Quality education will bring about quality human capital and no nation or society can develop better without the quality of its human capital.

“As a government, we are committed to ensuring that all children have access to quality education in the state because educational development is synonymous with sustainable economic

development,’’ she said.

Mr Adesina Odeyemi, the permanent secretary, Ministry of Education, said that the forum was to evaluate educational progress of private school students in the state and the way forward.

Odeyemi urged private school owners to cooperate with the government in driving policies that would impact positively on the

performance and progress of the students, who are tomorrow’s leaders.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that 119 Letters of Approval, were presented to some newlyapproved private schools.

On April 11, the Lagos State government had also issued letters of approvals to 114 private school owners, who met government require-

A physically challenged pupil being assisted by his colleague as schools resumed in Lagos, on Monday. PHOTO: SYLVESTER OKORUWA.

Public schools commence academic activities in Rivers THE Rivers State government has announced that all its public primary schools across the state are opened for teaching and learning as the state government is not owing any security guard in its employment.

The Rivers State Commissioner for Educatio, Professor Kaniye Ebeku, said this after a tour of public primary schools across Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor Local Government areas, on Monday.

“All our public schools

have been reopened. The teachers and pupils are in their respective schools.

“Like I said before, we are not owing any security guard that is in direct employment of the Rivers State government. Therefore, nobody can close the

gates of the public schools.

“The elements making noise on the radio are unknown to the Rivers State government and they have no contractual agreement with us. “ At all the schools visited , the commissioner had

Pupils, students defy downpour to resume schools in Abuja Christian Okeke - Abuja

PUPILS and students in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Monday, defied heavy downpour to resume schools.

The FCT Administration had shifted resumption date from September 4 and 5 to September18 (for boarding schools) and September 19 (for day schools).

During a visit to some of the public primary and secondary schools to monitor the resumption, it was observed that academic exercise resumed in earnest.

Some of the schools visited, included Government Secondary School (GSS), Wuse zone 3 and Festival Road Primary School, all in Garki district.

At the Senior Secondary School in Garki, Area 10, the principal of the school, Mo-

hammed Nabayi, said that a total of 500, out of the 800 students, turned out on the first day.

Speaking, the acting secretary, Education Secretariat of FCT Administration, Musa Maikasuwa Yakubu, expressed delight with the impressive turnout at the schools.

He expressed satisfaction that the change agenda of the Federal Government, was really permeating the system.

According to him, the schools’ inspection would be a continuous exercise.

Yakubu advised pupils, students and teachers alike, to not only maintain the momentum but also ensure that their academic performance was improved upon.

“We are very pleased with what we have seen because in spite of the fact that it

rained this morning, students and pupils were able to go to schools.”

“And the fact that the students are ready for the teachers, only means that they should be more serious with their job.

“The teachers have had

their pre-resumption meeting in all the schools, so they are ready; they have prepared their lesson notes and scheme of work. The environment is also ready to absorb all manner of children from any part of the country.

interactions with the pupils and their teachers.

Some of the public primary schools visited by the commissioner include: State Primary Township Schools 1 and 2, Moscow Road, Centenary Primary School, Port Harcourt and Saint Andrews Primary Schools (1,2,3 and 4), in Port Harcourt.

The Head Teacher of Port Harcourt City Centenary Primary School, Mrs Okachi Charity, said that 85 pupils turned up on the first day of resumption.

She said that teaching and learning had already commenced.

ments for the operation of private primary and secondary schools in the state.

Lagos SUBEB boss charges teachers on rededication Bola Badmus - Lagos

AS public primary schools resumed on Monday, in Lagos, after the long holiday, the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) executive chairman, Dr Ganiyu Oluremi Sopeyin, has urged teachers in those schools to rededicate themselves to the service of humanity in the best interest of their pupils and the state in general This was just as the board chairman urged students who were successful in the state placement test to resume at their schools of posting.

Sopeyin said this in a statement made available to newsmen, while welcoming the teachers and pupils to their various schools after the long holiday.

Dr Sopeyin said that the current administration had already done a lot to improve the standard of public education in the state and would not relent in its efforts to continually provide conducive-learning atmosphere for all public school teachers and pupils to maintain improved performance.

The board chairman, who urged successful students in the state placement test to resume at their schools of posting, stressed that for school children to be successful in life, they must take education very seriously.

He said that the placement lists had been released to tutor generals and permanent secretaries of the six education districts.

“Education is a ladder which one uses to attain success in life, at every stage of one’s life education plays an important role, therefore, our wards must get education,” he said.

Insurgency: Borno re-opens secondary schools next week THE Borno government said on Monday that it would re-open public secondary schools next week, two years after they were closed due to Boko Haram insurgency.

The state’s Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Inuwa Kubo, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri that Internally Displayed Persons (IDPs) occupying the schools had been relocated to allow for resumption of academic activities.

Kubo said that repairs had been carried out on all the structures in the schools to provide atmosphere conducive for teaching and learning.

“I wish to announce that on September 26, all public schools are going to be reopened.

“I want to state that government has repaired all the structures damaged by the IDPs in the schools, to ensure comfort for the returning students.

“Parents and guardians

should please make sure that they send their children back to school,” he said.

Kubo, however, decried the prolong closure of the schools and the fact that proprietors of private schools took undue advantage of the development to charge arbitrary fees.

“We understand that some of them have taken undue advantage of the closure to hike school fees; we will not allow the situation to continue.

“We are going to visit the schools to find out how much they are charging and how much they are paying their teachers.”

NAN recalls that the schools were shut in March 2014, after suspected terrorists attacked a school in neighbouring Yobe.

The government reopened the primary schools in 2015 but could not do so with the secondary schools because they had been taken over by IDPs.

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Tuesday, 20 September, 2016

Tight security in Kogi as Supreme Court rules on governorship election today

THE Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has deployed over 1,000 personnel to maintain peace in Kogi State, as the Supreme Court delivers judgment on the state governorship election appeals today.

Commandant of the corps in the state, Everestus Obiyo, who stated this at a press briefing in Lokoja, the state capital, on Monday, said the effort was to avert possible breakdown of law and order after the court judgment.

Marriot International debuts in Nigeria with Renaissance hotel THE global luxury brand in hotel management, Marriot, will make its debut in SubSaharan Africa next month with the grand opening of Renaissance Lagos Ikeja Hotel, located in the Ikeja GRA, Lagos State.

The hotel, which is the first Marriot Hotel in Sub-Africa, according to a statement, is an embodiment of luxury, high taste, class and safety displayed from the gate through the reception to the exquisite rooms.

In a rare feat, it also boasts of eight conference rooms of different capacities, ranging from 10 to 500 comfortable seats.

Apart from the 155 tastefully-furnished rooms of varying classes on nine floors, the hotel also boasts of boutique, all day dining restaurant; specialty steakhouse and outdoor terrace, spa, pool deck and events place among others.

The glamour of the assortment of marble-like finishing on the floors and walls combined with a unique carport at the entrance will make lodging irresistible for guests, according to a Director of Projects of the Hotel, Mr Ahmed Tajudeen.

He added that the suspended glass floor and glass bridge at the reception area is to create a unique class for a hotel that is first of its kind in Africa.

With an underground car park, security within the premises is reinforced starting with electronically-controlled bollards at the gate, at the car park entrance and body scanners at the entrance to the reception area.

According to Mr Tajudeen, date for the opening ceremony of the hotel, strategically located on Isaac John Street, in the Ikeja GRA, scheduled for October 2016, will be announced in the coming days.

Obiyo stressed that the command would not hesitate to deal decisively with any individual or group that disturbed public peace after the verdict.

According to him, peace remained the hallmark of any meaningful development, urging the people of the state to remain calm and display sense of maturity during and after the judgment.

He reiterated the corps’ mandate to protecting critical infrastructure in the state.

Obiyo urged traditional rulers, religious leaders, parents and guardians to educate their people on the need to avoid acts capable of undermining peace in the state.

The commandant urged youths in the state to desist from any act that could land them in trouble, but engage in lawful businesses and ventures as means of livelihood.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that both Wada and Faleke approached the Supreme Court after the Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the governorship election petitions tribunal, which

dismissed all six petitions challenging the election of Governor Bello.

Dangote welcomes oil discovery in Lagos THE recent discovery of oil in Lagos in commercial quantity has been described as a good omen for the development of the oil and gas industry which Dangote refinery will benefit from.

Speaking in his office in Lagos, during a visit by the leaders of the League of African Development Student (LEADS), Mr Devakumar Edwin, the Group Executive Director of the Dangote Industries Limited, said it was a good development that Lagos is now a proud oil producing state, adding that it will further strengthen oil output from the country He said that Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical would be more than willing to partner the state and the Federal Government in ensuring that the oil production from Lagos add value to the economy of Lagos and the nation at large.

HWPL boss urges world leaders to sign declaration of peace document

By Tunde Ogunesan, Seoul, South Korea

PEACE Ambassadors, messengers of peace around the world, Heavenly culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light, (HWPL) International Law Peace Committee members, and journalists attending the second World Alliance of Religions’ Peace (WARP) Summit in Seoul, South Korea, have been advised to urge heads of state and religious leaders around the world to fulfil their promises and sign the legal document for peace and cessation of wars.

This was contained in an opening address delivered by the Peace Advocate and Chairman of Heavenly Culture, World peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), Man Hee Lee, during the declaration of the summit held on Sunday afternoon, September 18, at the Olympic stadium, Seoul, South Korea.

Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) was founded in 2012, as a non-profit, non-governmental organization with the goal of achieving world peace and the cessation of war. With over 70 branches in Korea and another 100 branches around the world, HWPL, in conjunction with the Interna-

tional Women’s Peace Group (IWPG) and the International Peace Youth Group (IPYG), is actively working to bring all wars to an end.

World leaders like the former president of Republic of Croatia, Ivo Josipovic, former Prime Minister of Armenia, Rt Honourable Hrant Bagratyan, First Lady of Albania, Her excellency Odeta Nishani, Honourable Hector Leonel Ayala of the Ministry of Human rights, justice, Governance and decentralization of Honduras, the Patriarch of Kingdom ofCambodia, Tep Vong, former President of Korea Softball, Jonghwan Suh, and deputy chief Justice, Supreme Constitutional court of Egypt, Dr Adel Omar Sherif, also delivered congratulatory remarks.

Former President of Croatia, Josipovic said the peace message has increased awareness of the need for urgent action to stop wars and build peace around the globe.

According to Josipovic, “We are strongly obligated to leave a world of peace to future generations. It is the biggest moral, legal and political task for all of us, particularlyfor the politicians, religious leaders and other powerful and influential individuals.

Edo: INEC withdraws card readers for re-configuration THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in Edo State, said it had commenced the withdrawal of its card readers and non-sensitive materials, following the postponement of the governorship election till September 28.

It will be recalled that INEC, on September 8, announced the postponement of the governorship

election in Edo State originally fixed for September 10, citing security reasons.

Mrs Prisillia Sule, INEC’s assistant director on voter education and publicity in Edo State, said this while addressing newsmen in Benin City, on Monday.

Sule said the withdrawal of the card readers from the 18 local government areas of the state was to enable the commission reconfigure

the machines ahead of the September 28 election.

She said INEC would also retrain Presiding Officers and Assistant Presiding Officers for the election.

Sule further said a stakeholders’ meeting had been scheduled for September 22, to enable the commission intimate critical stakeholders on its level of readiness ahead of the governorship election on September 28.

Again, Benin palace chiefs endorse Ize-Iyamu Banji Aluko - Benin City AHEAD of the September 28 governorship election in Edo State, the Benin Palace chiefs belonging to the Egha Evbo’ Nore group, have endorsed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

This is coming about 72 hours after some Benin

palace chiefs under the aegis of Nedoghama Nedo, including businessmen and professionals, adopted the PDP candidate.

The palace chiefs took the decision to adopt IzeIyamu, at a meeting held in the Benin residence of the Esama of Benin Kingdom, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion.

Meanwhile, the candidates of the Action Alli-

APGA will participate —Spokesman THE All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), on Monday, reassured its members that it would participate in the rescheduled governorship election in Edo State.

Its Director of Publicity, Mr Ifeanacho Oguejiofor, said in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Abuja, that though, the election was shifted from September 10 to 28, the party remained resolute to participate in it.

He added that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),had the constitutional right to postpone or shift any election, so, it did not affect the party in any form.

“APGA is prepared to go to the poll any time, any day.

“Our candidate asking for further postponement does not mean that the party is not ready,’’ he said.

He said he was sure that the party would create impact in the election and called for a peaceful, credible and violence-free exercise.

Have a rethink, forum tells fake voters, militants Bola Badmus - Lagos AHEAD of the postponed governorship election holding in Edo State on September 28, a group, South West Consultative Forum (SWCF), has warned those being recruited as fake voters and militants for the purposes

I will produce 100 millionaires in 4 yrs --Obaseki Banji Aluko - Benin City THE governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Godwin Obaseki, has said that he will produce over 100 millionaires in the state in four years if elected as governor in the September 28 governorsip election in the state.

Obaseki, who said this while speaking with a group, the Grassroots Initiative, in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area, said Edo State was working, urging voters in the state to use their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to install a people-oriented government.

“We have started working in Edo and we will finish it. What we have done in the last eight years has been seen by you people

ance (AA) and that of the Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD), in the September 28 Edo State governorship election, Ishaka Paul Ofomile and Andrew Igwemoh, respectively, have announced their withdrawal from the election and have adopted the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Pastor Osagie IzeIyamu.

The duo, who made the declaration on Monday during a PDP rally held in Okpella, Etsako East Local Government Area, noted that their decision to endorse Ize-Iyamu was an easy one, adding that the PDP candidate was fully prepared for the office he is seeking and offered the best hope for the state.

but what we will do in the next four years is what I will emphasise on.

“God has blessed us in Edo that no state is like Edo. We don’t have any reason to be poor. The only reason why we are poor is because of bad leadership but with good leadership the sky is our limit.

“I don’t want to be a governor where people fight to be senior special assistant before they can buy a car. I want to be a governor that will produce 100 millionaires after four years. That is my goal so that at the end my tenure, the people will truly lead because they will be empowered.

“If you have your PVC, on the 28, you all should come out and vote for the APC. They had planned violence on the September 10th but it didn’t work out.”

of serving as thugs in order to manipulate and disrupt the exercise to have a rethink.

This was just as the forum, which said it had registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to monitor the election, urged security agencies to be at alert before, during and even after the election so “that these agents of darkness will not disrupt the election process.”

The president of the forum, Osinowo Ibrahim, said this while addressing newsmen in Lagos, on Sunday, adding that the group had received information that thugs and fake voters were being recruited from Delta and Bayelsa states with the purpose of manipulating the governorship election holding in the state.

“It has come to the notice of the forum that some agents of a political party are recruiting fake voters in Delta and Bayelsa states and that they are already purchasing voter cards for them towards helping the party to win the election by all means,” he said.

The SWCF warned that such fake voters should not be allowed to vote in the governorship election in order to realise their plan.

communitynews Reps member takes education project to 20 schools in Oye, Ikole 36

sam nwaoko-ado-ekiti

T

he lawmaker representing Ekiti North Federal Constituency I of Ekiti State in the House of Representatives, Mr. Kehinde Agboola, has taken his “Education Support Project” to 20 schools in the various communities that make up his Ikole/ Oye Federal Constituency.

Honourable Agboola, in an event which took place at Ijesa-Isu Comprehensive High School, Ìjèsà-Isu in Ikole Local Government Area of the state, said students in the various communities of the constituency deserved to be supported in these hard times, as they resume their educational pursuits.

Under the project, Agboola distributed past questions to final year secondary school students and paid for the coaching of hundreds of students in the beneficiary schools.

He said: “I’m mentoring these young ones to raise their hopes and make them aim higher and become serious with their

Tuesday, 20 September, 2016

studies.

“Already, I have been doing this on a small scale

but by next year, we will make it bigger than this.

I strongly believe in hu-

man capacity development and in catching them young. It is easier

Ekiti State governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, addressing representatives and leaders of all the communities in the state, during an interactive session on the 2017 budget proposal by the state government, recently. Photo: Sam Nwaoko.

Offa people seek Buhari’s intervention on Olofa’s stool biola azeez-ilorin

The Olugbense ruling house of Offa in Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State has sought

the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Judicial Commission (NJC) over the Supreme Court judgment of July 1, 2016

which ruled in favour of Anilelerin ruling house over Olofa’s stool.

The ruling house had earlier petitioned the Chairman of the National

Corps members organise spelling competition for students in Aramoko sam nwaoko-ado-ekiti

Four Batch B 2015 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members serving in Aramoko community in Ekiti West Local Government Area of Ekiti State, have identified spelling challenge as a hurdle pupils need to scale to achieve the desired end in their educational pursuit.

The corps members: Ajetomobi Roland, Joel Mercy, Odeyemi Joshua and Fakoyede Fisayo, who had their primary assignments at Aramoko District Secondary School and Community Secondary School, Aramoko consequently organised a spelling bee competition for junior and senior secondary school students in the council area in the spirit of Community Development Service (CDS).

Roland, who spoke on behalf of the organisers, said the competition, which took participants through various stages, “was aimed at building a better educational background for students in rural communities”.

The corps members, who said, “when you educate a child, you are educate a nation,” said they came up with the concept following their discovery of the poor educational background of

to mould them in a positive way now that they are young and flexible so that

students from community schools with most of them having difficulty in reading or writing, thus making passing examinations a burden.

The month-long competition tagged: “Ekiti West Spelling Challenge for Secondary Schools,” which had three stages for the junior and senior categories, drilled participants at group and individual levels on

proper use of English tenses, spellings, construction of sentences, among others.

Winners went home with exciting gifts including scholarship for one term, school bags, textbooks and school uniforms, while other participants got consolatory prizes.

Wife of Alara of Aramoko, Olori Olu Adeyemi, lauded the organisers for the “mind training, brain challenging

exercise” for students in the community, assuring that she would ensure students all over the state benefit from the gesture through radio and television.

Speaking on behalf of the contestants, Miss Oluwadamilola Arinde, winner in the senior category, expressed joy for the opportunity to participate in such a developmental competition.

Lawmaker partners NHIS, NGO on healthcare delivery in Ilaje Hakeem Gbadamosi-Akure

As part of efforts to ensure improved, affordable and qualitative healthcare for the people of coastal communities, the lawmaker representing Ilaje constituency 1 in Ondo State House of Assembly, Honourable Abayomi Akinruntan, has partnered the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), to give medical support to the people under primary healthcare service.

Aside this, is also collaborating with a non-government organisation, Equitable Health Access Initiative, to solve some basic health challenges facing the people.

Speaking on the development during an inspection

of health centres, Akinruntan disclosed that he, alongside representatives of the NGO and the NHIS in the state were visiting two of the 18 health centres in the constituency in readiness for the commencement of the health insurance scheme.

According to him, the collaboration with the NGO and NHIS became imperative in order to provide qualitative and affordable healthcare as stipulated by the United Nations.

He said the two health centres visited are Ilowo Comprehensive Health Centre, located in the centre of the coastal area and Ugbonla Basic Health Centre, Ugbonla.

He said: “Our people, especially those in riverine areas, face a lot of problems

in trying to access quality healthcare. It is expensive and it is not easy moving pregnant women and emergency cases with boat or canoe from the riverine area to the upland.

“I saw the need for intervention in this area and I have decided to put it upon myself to provide quality healthcare not minding the harsh economic situation.

This tour is for us to assess the level of readiness of the centres to provide such services.”

Speaking during the inspection visit, the NHIS Director in the state, Mr. Simon Adeniji, commended the lawmaker for providing the platform to deliver the Federal Government initiative to the people of Ilaje constituency

Judicial Commission and the Chief Justice of Nigeria, to probe the Supreme Court’s judgment on the case involving the Olofa of Offa, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi of Anilelerin Ruling House and Alhaji Jimoh Bosere-substituted for Alhaji Shehu Oyeniyi and eight others.

Speaking with journalists in Offa on Thursday after the house’s annual general meeting, the national chairman of the ruling house, Alhaji Abdulmumin Lawal, said the judgment was “controversial.”

In attendance at the meeting were members of Olugbense Ruling House from Osogbo, Ifon, Inisa in Osun State, while others came from Igosun, Offa.

Lawal described the court judgment which, he alleged, affirmed the Anilering female ruling house as solely entitled to the Olofa’s stool, as antithetical to Yoruba culture and tradition.

He said: “We have considered the Supreme Court judgment and our people are not happy about it. We have, therefore, decided that a petition should be written.

“We want President Muhammadu Buhari and the NJC to look into the judgment so that the rightful family member to Olofa’s stool would be installed.”

The chairman who maitained that Offa town started from the Olugbense family house called “Idi-Ape”, said for over 400 years, their forefathers ruled Offa from the first palace before the town spread over.

they can become successful future leaders and not become armed robbers or failures.”

According to the lawmaker, “before I became a representative of my people, I used to visit schools to teach and mentor students. But now that I no longer have the time, I have hired 60 teachers who are also examiners to teach and guide them in preparing for their exams. That has continued through the holiday and now I’m going round to see the progress of the scheme and to distribute past questions from 1988 till date to those of them preparing to write the West African School Certificate Examination.”

The lawmaker also assured that a library project worth N25 million which he promised the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), had already been approved and would take off as soon as the Federal Government released fund.

Ala-Ijebu gets new Oloolu Ramuja by gbenga olumide

The Okemu of AlaIjebu, Oba Johnson Adekunle Dehinbo and his Council of Chiefs, have installed Alhaji AbdulRasaki Olayiwola, as Oloolu Ramuja of AlaIjebu in Odogbolu Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Oba Dehinbo, on the occasion which took place at Ala town hall, said the selection of the new Oloolu Ramuja was based on merit.

The traditional ruler also used the occasion to call on sons and daughters of the community both at home and in the Diaspora to come home and contribute their quota to the development of the town.

In his speech, the new Oloolu Ramuja commended Oba Dehinbo for his selection in spite of certain obstacles.

He promised to cooperate with Oba Dehinbo, the council of chiefs and the entire people of the community.

He further charged youths in the area to be self-reliant instead of looking for non-existing white collar jobs and to abstain from acts capable of causing unrest.

37

Tuesday, 20 September, 2016

foreig naffairs with seyi gesinde

08116954632 foreignnewseditor@gmail.com

NY, NJ bombings: Suspect wounded,

arrested after shootout, 2 officers injured

Rahami early Monday. Police say Rahami, a U.S. citizen of Afghan descent, was last known to live in Elizabeth, New Jersey, about 6 km from where he was detained in Linden. Local

media reports say his family ran a restaurant there on the first floor of their home.

The FBI said Rahami is wanted for questioning in the Chelsea explosion, which happened around

8:30 p.m. Saturday, as well as in another bombing hours earlier in Seaside Park, New Jersey, about 135 kilometers south of New York City. Explosives detonated in a trash bin there just before the start of a 5-kilometer foot race. No one was hurt in that blast.

The FBI and police in New York have also been searching for possible links between the Saturday blast in Chelsea and another explosive device found a few blocks away that did not detonate. The second device, recovered a short time after the first went off, involved a pressure cooker with a cell phone attached to it. Police safely removed it from the area and said Sunday they blew it up in a controlled explosion.

AT least 17 people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo during protests calling for President Joseph Kabila to step down.

Three of them were police officers, one of whom was burnt alive, according to the Interior Minister, Evariste Boshab.

BBC revealed that protesters set up barricades and torched cars on one of the main roads in Kinsha-

sa, the country’s capital.

Police fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators. One witness said police fired live ammunition into the crowd.

The bodies of people who had died were seen lying in the streets after protests ended.

The electoral commission was meant to announce a date for presidential elections, due in November, on Monday,

but has said it will not be possible to hold them then.

The opposition says Mr Kabila is trying to delay the elections in order to remain in power beyond his two-term limit, which finishes in December.

Police have made at least 10 arrests, with hundreds of protesters out on the streets, reports BBC Afrique’s Poly Muzalia from the capital.

Ahmad Khan Rahami on a stretcher was wounded in a shootout with police Monday.

A

man, Ahmad Rahami, 28, sought by police in connection with bombings in New York and New Jersey on Saturday is in custody following what has been described as a shootout with police that left two officers injured.

Law enforcement officials said Rahami was detained in Linden, New Jersey, late Monday morning.+ VOA stated that authorities have been searching for suspects linked to four explosives-related incidents in the last 48 hours, including a blast Saturday night that injured 29 people in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighbourhood.

Local and federal police announced their search for

DR Congo election: 17 dead in anti-Kabila protests

Russian election: Big victory for

Putin-backed party UNITED Russia, backed by President Vladimir Putin, has won a majority in the country’s parliamentary election, far ahead of rival parties.

With 93 per cent of the votes counted, the party has secured 54.2 per cent of ballots and 343 seats in the 450-member parliament, officials said..

BBC stated that Mr Putin said his party had “achieved a very good result”, however the turnout was a record low 47.8 per cent.

The Communist Party and nationalist LDPR both secured just over 13 per cent.

The party A Just Russia gained just over six per cent of the votes. All four parties are loyal to Mr Putin and dominated the last parliament, or State Duma.

Mr Putin has enjoyed 17 years in power as either

president or prime minister.

Voting irregularities were reported in several areas and the head of the election commission suggested that the results might be cancelled in three polling stations.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel clinched an EU deal with Turkey to stem the influx of migrants. PHOTO: AFP

to last summer’s migrant crisis in Germany. More than a million migrants reached Germany, a record.

“If I could, I would turn back time for many, many years, to prepare better,”

Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte.

PHOTO: AL JAZEERA

Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte wants 6 months to tackle drug problem PHILIPPINES President Rodrigo Duterte wants six more months to “put everything in order” regarding his country’s drug problems.

Duterte said Saturday he did not realise the severity of the problem until he became president. He’s been accused of ordering or encouraging hundreds of killings of drug dealers and users since taking of-

fice in June, CNN stated.

“But the problem is ...

I cannot kill them all ... even if I wanted to,” he told reporters. “I did not have any idea that there were hundreds of thousands of people already in the drug business and what makes it worse is that they are operated now by people in government -- especially those elected positions.”

UNITED States pastor, Steven Anderson, has been banned from visiting South Africa over his anti-gays views, which the country’s home affairs minister on Tuesday equated with hate speech.

Anderson, of the Faithful Word Baptist Church in Arizona, notoriously welcomed the gunning down in June of 50 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida by saying “there are 50 less paedophiles in this world,” Reuters reported.

South African gay and lesbian groups collected more than 60,000 signatures opposing his visit this week-

end, when he was expected to preach and seek converts to his church.

Citing anti-discrimination laws designed to “prevent and prohibit hate speech”, Home Affairs minister Malusi Gigaba told a media briefing he was banning Anderson indefinitely.

South Africa bans US pastor over anti-gay views

US pastor, Steven Anderson

Sound of Music actress, Charmian Carr, dies at 73

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets to protest against President Kabila. PHOTO: REUTERS

Berlin election: Merkel links migrant crisis to party defeat GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel has accepted responsibility for her Christian Democratic party’s “bitter defeat” in Berlin state elections.

She voiced regret over mistakes that contributed

otherNEWS

she told reporters.

Her CDU party can no longer run Berlin with the Social Democrats (SPD), BBC said.

The centre-right CDU won 17.6 per cent of the vote - its worst-ever result in Berlin.

Mrs Merkel conceded that her open-door policy towards migrants - embodied in her phrase “wir schaffen das” (we can manage it) - was a factor in the election. She has now distanced herself from that phrase, calling it “a sort of simplified motto.”

AMERICAN actress Charmian Carr, who played the eldest von Trapp daughter Liesl in the film The Sound of Music, has died aged 73.

Carr died in Los Angeles after complications from a rare form of dementia, her representative said.

In her role in the 1965 film, she famously performed the song Sixteen Going on Seventeen.

After leaving the film industry, BBC reported that Carr ran an interior design firm in California.

Her mother had arranged for her to audition for the role, although she had had no singing or acting lessons.

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music

was a massive hit, at the time surpassing Gone with the Wind as the highestgrossing film of all time.

Carr later wrote two books on her experience - Forever Liesl and Letters to Liesl and frequently appeared at events commemorating the movie.

Charmian Carr. PHOTO: BBC

38

Tuesday, 20 September, 2016 Editor: Wale Emosu tribunesporteditor@yahoo.com 08111813054, 08055444383

AWCON: Falcons’ body size no threat

Terror Club wins Lagos Inter Club Parasoccer tourney

By Niyi Alebiosu

—Kenya’s captain

H

OSTS Cameroon and debutants Kenya are both confident they can cope with being in tough groups at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (AWCON).

The Harambee Starlets have been drawn in Group B alongside defending champions Nigeria, Mali and Ghana for the November 19 to December 3 tournament in Yaounde.

“We are not scared of facing Nigeria at all. Yes we are underdogs but they will be more on pressure facing a team they do not know much about,” Kenya captain Ann Oluoch Onyango told BBC Sport.

Speaking about the body size and physical attributes of the Nigerian players, Onyango said what will matter is playing as a team and nothing will scare them.

“We know the secret

to tame the West African sides,” she added. “We want to go and impress on our first outing in this tournament.”

Striker Esse Mbeyu Akida, who is one of the leading scorers at the ongoing CECAFA Women’s Championship with five goals, said Kenya have been boosted by victory over Algeria in the qualifiers are motivated to do well in Cameroon.

Kenya coach David Ouma concedes that his team does not have the experience of the West African sides, who even have players featuring in Europe, but he believes they have what it takes to cause some upsets.

“We are simply going to prepare well for the tournament and go without fear of facing any team.

Playing the best also brings the best out of a team,” he said.

Falcon’s Evelyn Nwabuoko (right) against Senegal during the AWCON qualifier

Lyon gave ridiculous excuse not to sign me —Adebayor TOGO striker Emmanuel Adebayor has said that Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyon used a “ridiculous

excuse” not to sign him.

The Sparrow Hawks player was close to a move to the French side

I want to be goal king in Greece —Ideye NIGERIAN international, Brown Ideye has said he hopes to finish as top scorer in Greece this season after scoring his fourth goal for Greek champions, Olympiacos in two games last weekend.

Ideye, who scored 10 goals last season after he joined Olympiacos in mid-season from Premier League club, West Bromwich Albion, who opened the new season on a flourish with a hat-trick against Veria was also on target in a UEFA Europa League group game in midweek, before he scored again at Iraklis last Sunday.

The 2013 Africa cup of Nations (AFCON) winner, who failed to fire at Premier League club West Bromwich Albion, is the leading scorer in the league with his closest rivals two goals behind.

“As a striker, I want to score goals and so I want to finish as the highest scorer this season.

“But still the team will come first before any personal ambitions,” Ideye said.

Last Sunday, the Edo State-born Ideye came off the bench in the 73rd minute, before he scored what proved to be the match winner two minutes later.

Iraklis took the lead as early as the fifth minute and it was not until the 51st minute that the champions equalised from the spot.

Ideye, it will be recalled, netted 12 goals in the 2009/10 season for Neuchatal Xamax of Switzerland; 15 goals with Sochaux in the 2010/11 French Ligue 1 and 17 goals for Dynamo Kiev in Ukraine in the 2012/13 season.

Ideye

last week, with Lyon reportedly keen due to an injury sustained by leading striker Alexandre Lacazette.

Adebayor met with Lyon’s Bruno Genesio on Friday, with the coach claiming the Togolese “could indeed” sign at a pre-match press conference.

However, Lyon then pulled out of the deal to sign the free agent, apparently because they have concerns over him missing a large portion of action in the New Year when he could feature for Togo at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, as well as him being ineligible for the Champions League.

Adebayor has hit back by telling L’Equipe: “They said that? That’s nonsense. They came to me after we had qualified [for the Africa Cup of Nations].

“They knew I was going to play. If they start looking for such excuses, they will kill themselves. I’m the captain of my country, so how could I not go? What if a Frenchman refused to play in the Euros?”

ARCHITECT. Theo Lawson’s TC Terror Parasoccer Club has emerged winners of the third edition of Lagos State Inter Club Parasoccer Championship.

TC Terror subdued New African Shrine Warriors, owned by Yeni Kuti, in a thrilling final that ended 3-1 at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Centre, Rowe Park, Yaba.

Premium Parasoccer Club beat Lead United, owned by Tayo Popoola, 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at the regulation time to place third.

The final ceremony was witnessed by dignitaries that included the Special Adviser on Sports to Lagos State Governor, Mr. Deji Tinubu, who is also the Chairman of Lagos State Sports Commission; Mr. Gbolahan Adewunmi Ogunsanya, the Director General of the Commission; Mr. Theo Lawson financier of TC Terror, Mrs. Nkechi Obi, chairperson of Lagos State Parasoccer Association and a host of others.

Tinubu said the support given to the association was in line with the Akinwunmi Ambode government policy trust in sports to give this set of people a sense of belonging, adding that Lagos would from next year begin the parasoccer league to develop the game from the grass roots.

Nkechi Obi was particular about the success and the progress made since the first edition where two clubs took part and now a tournament of 10 clubs with participation of 122 players.

Individual awards were given to the Most Valuable Player, Abdullahi Mohammed of TC Terror, Best Goalkeeper, Isa Jamur from Jufema Club and Amodu Zakari of Lead United whose 11 goals earned him the Best Goalscorer award.

39

Tuesday, 20 September, 2016

FIRST MEMORIAL ANNIVERSARY OF CHIEF (MRS) H.I.D. AWOLOWO/UNVEILING OF PHOTOS: TOMMY ADEGBITE & D’TOYIN H.I.D. AWOLOWO FOUNDATION

From left, Reverend (Mrs) Tola Oyediran; her husband, Professor A.B.O.O. Oyediran and Chief Idowu Sofola.

Ambassador (Dr) Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu with her grandson, Master Iyanuoluwa Anifowose.

From left, Ambassador (Dr) Awolowo Dosumu, Funke Awolowo and Reverend (Mrs) Oyediran.

From left, Reverend Canon Doyin Oshinowo, Lady Evangelist Mercy Sonubi, Prince Emmanuel Osibona and Chief Comfort Olutunda.

Former deputy governor of Lagos State, Alhaja Sinatu Ojikutu (third left), Reverend Sesan Adebajo (right) and other guests.

Chief Ebenezer Babatope (right) and other guests.

From left, Alhaji Adewale Kazeem, Mrs Omotayo Morgan, Professor Oyediran and Mrs Omolara Kazeem.

Mr Bukola Awolowo and his wife (left), with Mr Obafemi Awolowo and his daughter, Omojadesola.

From left, Bishop Michael Akinwale, Sir Simeon Oguntimehin and Professor Oladipo Akinkugbe.

Dr Femi Majekodunmi (left) with Chief Jide Osinubi

SIDELINES

NO 16,593

TUESDAY, 20 SEPTEMBER, 2016

N150

A traditional ruler in Ghana has been reportedly dethroned as he was always spotted at weed smoking joints. Hmmm. We think the ‘populist’ traditional ruler was only trying to ‘socialise’ with his subjects.

Today’s League Cup fixtures Bournemouth Brighton Derby Everton Leeds Newcastle Nottm Forest Leicester

vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs

Preston Reading Liverpool Norwich Blackburn Wolves Arsenal Chelsea

It’s interesting what Iwobi has done —Wenger By ganiyu salman Iwobi

Kalusha faults Zambia’s plan against Eagles

•Chipolopolo plan Sept 28 friendly

By Oluwabunmi Ajayi

C

OUNTING down on Russia 2018 World Cup qualifier against Nigeria, Zambia’s football heroes believe winning the game is against the odds for their country’s flag bearers.

Former African Footballer of the Year, Kalusha Bwalya and former President of Zambia Football Coaches Association, Patrick Kangwa believe Zambia’s preparation towards the game is inadequate.

Bwalya personally believes Zambia’s approach to the October 9 match smacks of inferiority complex.

“You don’t go for a caretaker coach for such an important match. It is as if we believe we are just in that group to gift others easy points, whereas we have equal chance with the others if we put our house in order.’’

Last week, Zambia announced Wedson Nyirenda as stand-in coach instead of George Lwandamina, but Bwalya says it is an inappropriate designation going into a top game against Nigeria.

“We all know what to come and we should have put the house in order, he

maintained.

Meanwhile, Kangwa says a lot needs to be in place ahead of the little time before the October 9 clash.

“We have a lot of work to do to prepare the team for the World Cup qualifier but we have all the resources and all the personnel, I am positive that we can do it before the qualifier next month,” Kangwa told The Post of Zambia.

“It is a difficult task but we are equal to the task,” he added.

Zambia and Nigeria are in Group B of the World Cup qualifiers alongside seasoned campaigners Algeria and Cameroon.

Meanwhile, the Football Association of Zambia is courting South Korea, among other teams, for an international friendly before the Chipolopolo play Nigeria in the World Cup qualifier on October 9.

But FAZ general secretary Ponga Liwewe only confirmed that the association was engaged in discussions with two nations for a friendly on September 28 ahead of the Nigeria match.

“We are in discussions with one or two teams for a possible friendly on the 28th, but we cannot say who for now,” said Liwewe.

Arsenal Manager, Arsene Wenger has heaped plaudits on injury retunee Alex Iwobi for his heroics during the 4-1 demolition of Hull City last weekend in an English Premier League game at KCOM Stadium.

The Nigerian international earned accolades for his awesome performance which he capped with a delightful backheel pass for Theo Walcott to net the second goal in the 55th minute.

Wenger was quick to acknowledge the rise of the youngster after his elevation from the youth team.

“I started him last year because I’ve seen that there’s

something in him that is quality of vision, quality of give and go, of movement. He can break the lines with a pass and individually as well, so there’s a lot in the locker,” the French tacician told the Gunners website.

Wenger also said Iwobi has grown in confidence as he has improved in solo move.

“Overall, he’s only 20 years old so you could see that he has gained in confidence now. He can take people on much more and he has gained power as well. It’s interesting what he has done,” Wenger said.

Paralympians’ determination brought Nigeria glory —Buhari •Second batch of athletes arrives Leon Usigbe - Abuja PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Nigeria’s team for “an outstanding performance” at the Paralympic

Roland Ezuruike, Nigeria’s gold medallist

Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

According to a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu in Abuja on Monday, President Buhari joined all sports-loving Nigerians in commending the athletes for doing the country proud by winning 12 medals and setting new records, which made them the top-performing African team at the 2016 games.

The President extolled the resilient spirit of the Nigerian Paralympic athletes, who were able to excel in the face of adversity.

He applauded the athletes for their “tenacity, focus and determination, which has brought glory to the country.”

The President also extended gratitude to all the officials and trainers of the Paralympic athletes, “who made sacrifices and persevered to fly the country’s colours.”

Meanwhile, the second batch of the Team Nigeria contingent to the just-ended Paralympic Games in Rio arrived in Abuja on Monday evening.

Nneka Anibeze, the SA Media to the Minister of Youth and Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung disclosed this via a social media platform.

“Again, the Ministry of Youth and Sports was on the ground to welcome the victorious team.

Congratulations,” said the statement via her twitter handle, @nnekaikem.

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. 20/9/2016.