24th November 2015 by Nigerian Tribune

nigeria’s most informative newspaper no 16,377

TUESDAY, 24 november, 2015

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FG produces MASSOB leader, Kanu, in court —P38

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How Abubakar Audu died, by brother The Ooni of Ife, Oba Eniitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, with his crown, at Ile-Ife, on Monday.

—P8,9

•'We had prophecies he would die after victory' •Prayer warriors fail to raise him from the dead •We'll apply legal provisions on election —INEC

Ogun names model school, estate after HID Awolowo

From left, Mr Segun Awolowo; wife of vice president, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo; Prince Adedamola Aderemi; Reverend (Mrs) Omotola Oyediran; Ambassador (Dr) Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu; Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State; his wife, Olufunso; Professor A. B. O. O. Oyediran and General Superintendent, Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor W. F. Kumuyi, at the programme organised by Ogun State government to celebrate Chief (Mrs) HID Awolowo, in Sagamu, on Monday. MORE PHOTOS ON PAGES 3,4,46,47.

•Shuts schools, markets —P6

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

3 HID AWOLOWO (1915-2015) OGUN GOVT CELEBRATES HID AWOLOWO

10 1. From left, Ambassador (Dr) Tokunbo Awolowo Dosumu, Reverend (Mrs) Tola Oyediran, former Head of Interim Govt, Chief Ernest Shonekan; wife of the Vice-President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo and Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State. 2. From left, wife of Governor Amosun, Olufunso; Chief Ayo Adebanjo and the wife of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Bola. 3. Mr Segun Awolowo and his wife, Bola. 4. From left, Prince Adedamola Aderemi, his wife, Kemi, Mrs Ayotola Ayodeji and her husband, Iranola; Mr and Mrs Ayo Subair

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015 PHOTOS: ALABA IGBAROOLA, YEMI FUNSO-OKE & Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;TOYIN

5. Alhaji Tunde Badmus and his wife, Yejide and Olatunde Badmus. 6. A cross section of guests. 7. From left, Chief (Mrs) Lola Adefope, Olori Ladun Sijuwade, Mrs Funmi Odunsi, Mrs Yewande Amusan and Mrs Bola Odufuwa. 8. Mr Bukola Awolowo and his wife. 9. From left, Mr Olayinka Awolowo, Mr Obafemi Awolowo, Mr Seyi Awolowo, Damilotun Aderemi and Alhaji Tunde Badmus. 10. Some of great grandchildren of Mama HID Awolowo.

4 HID AWOLOWO (1915-2015)

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

WOMANHOOD CELEBRATES HID AT IKENNE

PHOTOS: ALABA IGBAROOLA, YEMI FUNSO-OKE & Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;TOYIN

9 1. From left, the Iyaloja General, Chief (Mrs) Shade Tinubu-Ojo; guest speaker and wife of Minister of Solid Mineral, Chief (Mrs) Bisi Fayemi; wife of the Ogun State governor, Mrs Olufunso Amosun; Reverend (Mrs) Tola Oyediran, Ambassador (Dr) Tokunbo Awolowo Dosumu and the keynote speaker, Dr (Mrs) Olufemi Ogunsanya. 2. From left, Publisher, TW Magazine, Adesuwa Onyenokwe; Chairperson, Women Arise, Dr Joe Okei Odumakin, Ambassador (Dr) Awolowo Dosumu, Mrs Bisi Fayemi and Honourable Abike Dabiri-Erewa. 3. From left, Naomi Onasanya, Chairperson Women Circle, Dr (Mrs) Olufunmi Ogunsanya; Chief(Mrs) Abike Borisade and Mrs Dupe Oshin. 4. From left, Reverend (Mrs) Oyediran, Chief (Mrs) Alaba Lawson, Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu and Chief

Folake Solanke (SAN) Cross section of Iyalodes at the event. Cross Section of Oloris at the event. Ogun State Iyalodes, led by Chief (Mrs) Alaba Lawson. From left, Anthonia Balogun, National President, National Council of Women Societies, Chief (Dr) Nkechi Mba, Chief(Mrs) Gloria Shoda, Hajia A. Animasahun, Ikenne President, Chief (Mrs) Doris Sodipo and Alhaja F.A.Ettu. 9. Members of Federation of Muslim Women of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Ogun State chapter. 10. Members of National Council of Women Societies, led by Chief(Dr) Nkechi Mba. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

news

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

Ogun names model school, estate after HID Awolowo B y Olayinka Olukoya, Saheed Salawu and Olakunle Taiwo

HE Ogun State government has announced the renaming of Plainfield Estate, Abeokuta and a model school in IkenneRemo, after Chief (Mrs) HID Awolowo, as a way of immortalising the good ideals and virtues she stood for in her lifetime. This was disclosed by the state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, at a ceremony organised in honour of Mama, tagged: “Ogun celebrates HID Awolowo,” held at the Sagamu International Stadium, on Monday. The programme, attended by the wife of the vice president, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, who is one of the grandchildren of Mama Awolowo; former Head of Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan; wives of the governors of Lagos and Kwara states, Mrs Abolanle Ambode and Mrs Omolewa Ahmed; wife of former president, Chief (Mrs) Bola Obasanjo; Awolowo’s associate, Chief Ayo Adebanjo and Chief Bisi Akande; Pastor W. F Kumuyi and his wife, among others. The governor explained that the naming of one of the 28 model schools built by his administration was the best way to remember the contributions of Papa and Mama towards provision of qualitative education in the days of Papa Awolowo as the Premier of the defunct Western Region. He also said that the greatest legacy people could use to immortalise Mama

Awolowo was to emulate her good virtues and ideals. Amosun maintained that the Yeye Oodua lived her life to serve God and humanity, saying “she was an icon. Mama HID Awolowo was a rare gem,who lived her life for the service of God and humanity, promoting peaceful co-existence and contributing immensely to the development of democratic society. “She meant a lot to many people. As a life partner of our political sage, the first Premier of the Western Region, founder of the Action Group and the Unity Party of Nigeria, Papa Obafemi Awolowo. Mama played a prominent role in the stability of the Awolowo political dynasty. “As a wife, she could not have been anything less than a jewel of inestimable value, as described by Papa. During the trials and tribulations of Papa Awolowo, Mama stood resolute for the stability of not only the Awolowo family, but the Yoruba race as a whole. “She raised a formidable family. Many members of the family have served the nation in various capacities. Today, we celebrate the life of a great woman, a good mother, grandmother and great grandmother, sister, aunt and a great daughter of dear state, Ogun. “For us as a people and government, we are celebrating an amazon, who was a shining example of the Ogun standard ideals. Although, she will be sorely missed, we take solace in the fact that she lived a fulfilled and exemplary life worthy of emulation. “Her exit has created a

vaccum in our hearts that will be difficult to fill. We will always have beautiful memories of Mama Awolowo. Her contributions to our state, the Yoruba race and the entire country, the best way to immortalise her is to imbibe her ideals and values of selfless service, honesty and love for humanity as she exemplified in her lifetime. “We cannot overcelebrate her. We are doing all these, but the greatest legacy we can leave for Mama is for us to copy all the good virtues and values of Mama. “If we do all that she stood for, she will be happy and I know that Papa too will be happy with us. If we want to keep the flag flying, we should continue with all of those selfless service in that footsteps they have left for us. “Today, the Ogun State government will be naming our Plainfield Estate in Abeokuta after her. We are equally going to name our model school here in Ikenne after the memory of Mama, considering the role that she played alongside Papa, they introduced free education in Nigeria. Not just free education by mouth, they did everything humanly possible to ensure that people got educated. “Like I said, the best memory, the greatest memory to give to her is to continue with those good virtues that Mama was known for.” In his tribute, the former Head of Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan, said Mama lived a good life and left good legacies behind, adding that she was simple, witty and a virtuous woman.

HID Awolowo was quintessential political spouse —Bisi Fayemi B y Olayinka Olukoya, Saheed Salawu and Olakunle Taiwo WIFE of the Minister of Solid Minerals, Chief ‘Bisi Fayemi, has described Chief Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo as the quintessential political spouse, who performed all the roles expected of her with legendary grace, perseverance, fortitude and unique wisdom. She made the remarks on Monday, in Ikenne, Ogun State, at an event tagged: “Womanhood celebrates HID Awolowo,” organised to celebrate the life of the iconic Nigerian woman, whose burial is slated for tomorrow. The event was attended by the creme de la creme of Nigerian women in politics,

business and the professions, as well as members of women groups, trade associations and advocacy organisations. They included wife of the Ogun State governor, Mrs Olufunso Amosun; first female lawyer in the country, Chief (Mrs) Folake Solanke (SAN); former member of the House of Representatives, Honourable Abike Dabiri-Erewa; Olori Ladun Sijuwade and former Minister of Aviation, Mrs Kema Chikwe. Others were women rights activist, Dr Joe-Okei Odumakin; National President of the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS), Chief (Mrs) Nkechi Mba; the Iyalode of Yorubaland, Chief Alaba Lawson; former

deputy governor of Lagos State, Alhaja Sinatu Ojikutu; former deputy governor of Ekiti State, Professor Modupe Adelabu; the Iyaloja of Lagos, Chief Bintu Fatima Tinubu and renowned gospel singer, Evangelist Funmi Aragbaiye, who administered the music while the event lasted. Speaking on “The Role of Political Spouses in Our Evolving Democratic Space,” Mrs Fayemi encouraged wives of politicians to always draw from the spartan lifestyle of Mama HID Awolowo if they must pass the test of public life, especially now that activities of politicians and their spouses are under intense scrutiny by virtue of the “dark side” of social media. continues pg37

He said: “Not only that she was a virtuous woman, she was a great pillar of support to her husband. She was the rallying point of the progressives and the philosophy of her great husband. “She, like Pa Awolowo, brought Yoruba elders together to take joint decisions, and on such decisions, she never went back. She left indelible marks on the sand of time by improving the political standing of the Yoruba race after Pa Awolowo left. She came and contributed immensely to the political space of Yorubaland.” Also, eulogising Mama was the former sole administrator of Ekiti State, Chief Adetunji Olurin, who described Mama as a dutiful wife and a diligent supporter of her husband. Olurin said: “She was a very stronghearted woman. She was dedicated to her family and the society. She was an excellent woman, who followed her husband diligently. What Papa and Mama have done for the country can never be forgotten.” Pa Adebanjo commended the Ogun State government for the honour done on

Mama, saying her children did not suffer during the political travails of her husband. “We are celebrating her because of her support for her husband. When will another HID Awolowo pass this way again?,” he said. The gathering was entertained by Evangelist Ebenezer Obey-Fabiyi, Evangelist Tope Alabi, Dr Adewale Ayuba, Alhaji Musiliu Haruna Ishola and Alhaji Sefiu Alao. Responding on behalf of the family, Reverend (Mrs) Omotola Oyediran and Ambassador (Dr) Tokunbo Awolowo Dosumu, thanked Nigerians for the honour done the family since the departure of the Yeye Oodua to eternal glory. Oyediran said Nigerians

had demonstrated to the family that they appreciated what their parents did for the country, while promising that the entire Awolowo famiy would not disappoint Nigeria and Nigerians. Awolowo Dosumu added: “On behalf of the family, we want to sincerely appreciate Governor Amosun for going the extra mile to celebrate Mama and to make her burial ceremonies a memorable one, we thank Nigerians for showing us great love.” Also speaking, Mrs Osinbajo said she lent her voice to that of Oyediran and Awolowo Dosumu on behalf of the family to appreciate the government and the good people of Ogun State and Nigerians for celebrating her grandmother.

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

news How Abubakar Audu died, by brother 8

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

Nigerian Tribune

•Rumoured ‘resurrection’ sparks jubilation Yinka Oladoyinbo - Lokoja

HE governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State, Abubakar Audu, died after the collation of results of the governorship election held in the state last Saturday. The immediate younger brother of the former governor, who is also the Orego Attach Igala, Alhaji Tijani Audu, revealed on Monday that there had been information about the death before the election. This is just as his remains were buried at about 1:55 p.m. according to Islamic rites, amidst wailing by mourners in a grave within his country home. The junior Audu, however, said contrary to insinuation that his brother died in the morning of Sunday, he actually passed on after the Returning Officer for the election, Professor Emmanuel Kucha, declared the election inconclusive. Speaking with newsmen in his palace in Ogbonicha, he said the former governor listened and watched the collation of the results before he died.

He, however, said Audu lived and fought for his people and would continue to be remembered for his sacrifices and doggedness. He said: “I was with him when the whole thing started. I was told in the morning of Saturday that he was sick and I called him to confirm, but he said he was okay and would be voting by 1:00p.m. and he came without showing any sign of illness. We went together to vote. “But the following day (Sunday), by 10:00a.m., I went there to see him and his children said he was having health challenges and was weak. I even ad-

vised that after the announcement of the result, he should go abroad for treatment. “After the collation of results and no winner was announced, but he won 16 local government areas, the next thing was that people started crying and he could not even enter his vehicle again. He died before he could be taken to the hospital.” The junior Audu, however, debunked the insinuation that the APC candidate might have died because of excessive drinking following his victory at the poll. According to him, he

Audu was a talented, courageous politician —Buhari Leon Usigbe - Abuja

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari said he received the news of the death of Alhaji Abubakar Audu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the inconclusive Kogi State governorship election with an enormous sense of shock. The president, who is attending the Third Gas

Exporting Countries Forum in Tehran, Iran, said he was at a loss and devastated over the news. According to a statement made available in Abuja, on Monday, by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Buhari described the late Audu as a talented politician, a loving family head and

He was a visionary leader —Saraki Ayodele Adesanmi - Abuja

PRESIDENT of the Senate, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Monday, described as painful and shocking the demise of the former governor of Kogi State and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Abubakar Audu. He said the late politician was a dogged and visionary leader. Saraki, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, condoled with the immediate family of the deceased, the government and people of

Kogi State and the national and state executives as well as members of the APC over the irreparable loss. He recalled the tenacity of purpose and unwavering loyalty of the deceased who he said remained committed to the course of his people and his party to the very last moment of his life. Saraki said: “He was selfless, steadfast and patriotic in his services to the people of Kogi State and beyond. He was a visionary and patriotic party faithful. All his life time, he lived for the people. “His death is extremely painful but we cannot question the will of the Almighty

Mimiko condoles with Kogi govt Hakeem Gbadamosi - Akure

ONDO State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, has condoled with the government and people of Kogi State over the sudden death of the former governor of the state and the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last Saturday election, Alhaji Abubakar Audu. In his condolence message issued in Akure by the state’s Commissioner for

had stopped his brother from drinking since the electoral process started, adding that he was only taking bottled water. The junior Audu said: “Whatever happens to a Muslim, we accept it as an act of God. Only God has the souls of human beings. Human beings make mistake when they claim that somebody kills another person. “My brother has fought a good fight, it was a fight for survival and he really fought for his people. “We have been hearing since that he would die even if he wins the election. We heard from many sources that he would not

Information, Kayode Akinmade, Dr Mimiko said the news of the death of the former governor came to him as a rude shock, adding that no one would have envisaged that the late politician would not live to witness the end of the election proceedings. He said “the former governor’s death is most unfortunate and the day of his death will remain the darkest in the history of Kogi State.”

Allah in the present sorrowful circumstances. “Audu was a leader in all ramifications. He died when his services to the good people of Kogi State and Nigeria in general were mostly needed.”

a respected community leader. “He was immensely courageous,” the president added. The statement said: “President Buhari condoles with the family of the late governor, the government and people of Kogi State as well as all our party members, men and women who stood with Audu in his bid to return as governor. He ran as the favourite in the election as the early results have clearly shown.” The president prayed to Allah to repose the soul of Audu, and to give his family, the people of Kogi State and the APC members all over Nigeria the fortitude to bear the loss.

stay long after his victory, but whenever I told him this he would tell me not to mind them. He said even if they would kill him, he would fight for his people.” The remains of the former governor were brought out of his living room at about 1:45p.m. for the Islamic prayers before being buried. The burial was witnessed by the National Chairman of the APC, John OdigieOyegun; governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai; governor of Jigawa State, Abubakar Badaru; one of his predecessors, Saminu Turaki; former governors Lucky Igbinedion, Abdukadir Kure, Rabiu Kwakwanso and George Akume. Others were the deputy governorship candidate, James Faleke; the senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaiye; former Chief of Naval Staff, Jubril Usman, among others. On two occasions, sympathisers, family members and political associates that thronged his expansive mansion in his Ogbonicha village went into wild jubilation following the news that former Governor Audu had “resurrected.” The first incident was at about 11:30a.m while the people again went into wild jubilation at about 11:55am. It was gathered that a pastor was brought to pray for the former governor, who later went into serious prayers before he was believed to have woken up.

Kogi PDP mourns him Yinka Oladoyinbo - Lokoja

THE Kogi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday mourned the death of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abubakar Audu, describing the development as shocking. The PDP, in a statement by the state Publicity Secre-

tary, Bode Ogunmola, said the news of Audi’s demise came to it and the entire members as a rude shock. The party noted that the former governor was a leader that would be missed for his contributions to the development of the state. The statement read, “Politics apart, Prince Abubakar Audu left landmarks in almost all sectors of the

state’s life when he served as governor. “The contribution of the seasoned politician to the development of the state will be missed.” The statement urged his family and teeming supporters as well as the people of the state to take solace in the indelible marks the late politician left behind.

Audu’s death setback for APC —Dogara SPEAKER, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, said the death of Abubakar Audu was a major setback to the All Progressives Party (APC). In a statement issued by Mr Turaka Hassan, his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, he said that APC had lost one of its strong pillars, who helped to build the party in the state. Dogara said that the news

of Audu’s sudden death was shocking and sad, and described him as “a dogged fighter, grassroots mobiliser, leader and politician par excellence, whose influence transcended the frontiers of Kogi.” He regretted that the deceased could not live to celebrate the imminent victory of the APC in the governorship election, for which he was the leading candidate. “His death is a major set-

back for the APC family, but as people of faith, we cannot question the work of the Almighty God who gives life and only Him can take it away,” Dogara stated. He condoled with the family of the deceased, government and people of Kogi State over the great loss. “I pray Almighty God to grant his family and all his supporters the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss,” he said.

At a point, the people preparing the grave had to stop. Some ‘prayer warriors’ were also brought into the building and the sympathisers had to break the iron bar in one of the back entrances for the prayer warriors to gain entry into the building. The anxiety over his resurrection, however, subsided when the sympathisers waited for over an hour and the situation remained the same. The reality dawned on them when the corpse was brought out wrapped in white attire preparatory to his burial.

Why INEC must declare APC winner —Aduwo By Dare Adekanmbi

THE national coordinator of Rights Monitoring Group and Executive Director, Centre for Convention on Democratic Integrity, Mr Femi Aduwo, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the last Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi State. Aduwo, who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune on Monday, said the 240,867 votes scored by the late Abubakar Audu were for the APC and not the candidate, contending that there had been several judgments to support the position that parties and not candidates own votes cast at elections. The coordinator, who sympathised with the Audu family over the tragedy, urged APC leadership not to contemplate a fresh primary election but push for the declaration of the party with Audu’s running mate, James Faleke, being the beneficiary of the victory. He said although Audu was dead, the votes cast for him through the APC remained legitimate, calling on INEC to declare APC winner of the election without further delay. “APC led in the election by 41,353 votes. The bone of contention is what INEC said about the 49,953 votes that were cancelled. APC only needs 9,000 votes out of the 49,000 outstanding to be declared the winner. APC has already won in 16 of the 21 councils in the state. PDP won in five councils only.”

news

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

Kogi: We’ll rely on constitution —INEC JacobSegunOlatunji-Abuja

HE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Monday, declared that it was yet to be formally informed about the sudden death of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Prince Abubakar Audu, in the Kogi State governorship election. This comes as the commission was locked in meetings over the outcome of last Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi State. The issues deliberated upon, it was gathered, included the new date for the supplementary polls. The commission also met with its legal team over the implications of the death of the APC guber candidate. Audu, who was leading the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate and incumbent governor of the state, Idris Wada, in the election which was declared inconclusive by INEC, died suddenly on Sunday in his home in Ogbonicha. According to INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, “the meetings are still going on. We are still consulting with our lawyers. In the next 24 to 48

hours, we will issue a release on the matter. “But mind you, we are yet to be formally informed of the death of the APC candidate. But we are being proactive in tackling the issue.” The commission, however, assured that it would apply available legal provisions on the recent development over Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi. Deputy Director of Publicity of the commission, Mr Nick Dazang, who corroborated that the APC was yet to inform the commission of the death of the party’s flag bearer in the election, said “APC has to do proper notification, and accompany it with the certificate of death issued by a medical doctor,’’ he said. He, however, assured that INEC would apply relevant laws in taking a decision on the election, immediately it receives official notification of Audu’s death. While he noted that there were legal provisions to address such incidence in the country’s electoral process, he stated that INEC, on the directive of its chairman, was already making provisions for a supplementary election. “When something like this happens, the party on which platform the candidate con-

Gov Ahmed mourns Audu Biola Azeez - Ilorin

GOVERNOR Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State has described as painful and very shocking the death of Alhaji Abubakar Audu. Governor Ahmed, in a condolence message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Abdulwahab Oba, on Monday, commiserated with the government and people of Kogi State on the death of Alhaji Audu who was the first governor of the state. “It is particularly painful that Nigerians, especially the people of Kogi State have lost the services of Alhaji Abubakar Audu who was on the verge of being re-elected as the governor of Kogi State, going by the results of the election de-

clared so far by INEC. “It is, however, note worthy that the political history of Kogi State will be incomplete without a chapter on the contributions of late Audu to the democratic and infrastructural development of the state,” Ahmed said. Governor Ahmed noted that late Audu had played his part in the political annals of Nigeria before leaving the world on a high note as a man popularly loved by his people as the results of the last gubernatorial election in Kogi, so far, has shown. The governor prayed Allah to grant Audu eternal rest and the family as well as the people of Kogi State the fortitude to bear the loss.

tested will need to notify the commission; of course, we have heard and read like everyone else but we need to be notified. “Once the commission is notified, it will look at relevant clauses of the 1999 Constitution as amended, the Electoral Act 2010 as amended and also the Constitution of APC itself. “All these relevant laws will be looked at with a view to determine what to be done to ensure that whatever is done subsequently is done within the ambit of

man who fought till the last breath to see that APC is rooted in Kogi State,” Lasun remarked. He prayed to Almighty Allah to give the people of the state the fortitude to bear the loss of a great man, a philanthropic leader, a democrat who devoted part of his time in

there were legal provisions for such incident. He declined comment on whether the commission would proceed with a supplementary election or conduct a fresh poll in Kogi, but expressed hope that the commission would come out with its position about the election before the end of the week. He said that the Electoral Act prescribed 14 days for the conduct of supplementary poll. Dazang assured that the Kogi election would not af-

fect that of Bayelsa as the commission had the capacity to handle the two elections. “Assuming the two states’ elections coincide, the commission has the resources to conduct them. Don’t forget we have conducted national elections before and we are just talking about election in two states,’’ he said. He stated that the card reader for the Kogi election were efficient, revealing that available statistics show that less than one per cent of the deployed card readers failed.

The remains of the former governor of Kogi State and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Abubakar Audu, being carried for burial in Ogbonicha, Ofu Local Government Area of the state, on Monday. PHOTO: BAYOOR EWUOSO.

Audu died before his time —Tinubu By Tunde Ogunesan

THE National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, has said that the party’s flag bearer in the last Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi State, Prince Abubakar Audu, died before his time. Senator Tinubu, in a statement released by his media office, said Prince Audu’s death was sorrowful and shocking, saying he had

known the prince of Kogi for over three decades. In the statement, Tinubu said: “The sudden death of Prince Abubakar Audu is sorrowful and shocking. He died before his time. This is a wrenching loss that saddens me greatly. Prince Audu’s death reminds us of our mortality. None of us will be on this earth forever. While here, we must make positive impact. We must strive toward good.

“I knew Prince Abubakar roughly 30 years. He was a good friend and a good man. Some may not have known this but Prince Audu was a renowned financial expert. Well known in banking circles before his entry into politics. From banking to politics, Prince Audu became a dominant feature of our national landscape. “He was an industrious man and a determined, hardworking leader with

PDP expresses shock THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday said it was shocked by the

Take solace in Almighty Allah, Lasun tells APC, others Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Honourable Yussuff Sulaimon Lasun, yesterday described the sudden death of Prince Abubakar Audu as a rude shock. “Audu, who was leading in the Saturday election which INEC declared inconclusive was a true party

the law. “INEC, as a law-abiding body, will do everything prescribed by the law. “Thankfully we have a consortium of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) that provide counsel to the commission. We also have a very vibrant legal service department, headed by a SAN,’’ Dazang said. The director noted that the Constitution and not the opinion of people, remains the yardstick for the decision of the commission on the election, stressing that

Nigerian Tribune

helping less privileged in the society. He also urged his people and the APC to take solace in the Almighty Allah. He said that the late former governor would never be forgotten in the history of the country for his doggedness and determination to succeed.

sudden death of Prince Abubakar Audu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the last Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi State. This is contained in a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, which was made available to newsmen in Abuja. The statement, however, said that PDP refrained from commenting on the conduct of the governorship election “at this critical moment as it is not important now.”

“What is important at this point is the sanctity of human life. “Our deepest thoughts and prayers go to the family of Prince Abubakar Audu and indeed, the APC fold,” the statement said. It quoted PDP Acting National Chairman, Mr Uche Secondus, as charging all PDP members in Kogi and across the nation, to keep Audu, his family and loved ones in their prayers. “It is important we keep them in prayer as we mourn with them and the people of Kogi over this monumental loss,” the statement added.

few equals. He was consummate in the art of politics. Yet, Audu was also dedicated to the betterment of his people. He was an honorary title holder of Lagos, honoured by the late Oba of Lagos, Oba Oyekanmi. “He was very kind, generous and at ease with his friends and people. Audu wanted to make his state a better place. That was his driving concern. His people loved him because of this and he loved them in return. He was a man of great vision, committed to the Nigerian project and well-being of his people. He loved Kogi passionately. “As was his character, Prince Audu gave his all during this election because he wanted to move Kogi to a better place. His death is painful and has stunned us his friends, political associates and particularly his family. My heart reaches out to his loved ones. May God comfort them as only He can during this sad period. May they take solace in the fact that Prince Audu was an outstanding figure and great leader. They have a right to be proud of whom he was.”

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

Lagosmetro

Trouble averted as NURTW resolves crisis between factions Bola Badmus

here was serious confusion among motorists in Ojodu Berger as a group of transport unionists protested against the reinstatement of the Ojodu branch chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Tokunbo Seriki. The embattled chairman, however, blamed the protest on some members of the union who according to him, were engineered to create confusion Lagos Metro gathered that a group of the union members who were opposed to Seriki’s reinstatement staged a protest to the secretariat of the NURTW. Members of the aggrieved group were returning from the secretariat when another group who are sympathetic to the the

reinstatement of Seriki engaged them in a fight. The leadership of the union intervened in the

matter and normalcy was restored in the area. The embattled chairman while speaking with Lagos

Rehabilitation of Brown Street, Lagos.

The Lagos State House of Assembly has condemned recent attacks on traffic officers in Lagos State by soldiers allegedly from the 9 Division of the Nigerian Army, Ikeja Lagos. Disturbed by the development, the House on Monday directed the Clerk of the House, Mr Ganiyu Abiru, to write a letter to the authority of the Division over what the lawmakers described as an act of brutality against officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Au-

thority (LASTMA). This followed a motion moved by Mr Fatai Mojeed (APC-Ibeju Lekki I) on the floor of the Assembly during matters of public importance sesion. Mojeed, the Chairman of House Committee of Transportation, urged the Assembly to condemn the attitude of the soldiers which he de-

RRS nabs 2 fraudsters Olalekan Olabulo Two members of a syndicate which has been de-

frauding unsuspecting members of the public have been arrested by the police. The suspects, Jerry Eti-

Botched abortion: Doctor charged for

killing pregnant woman AyomideOwonibiOdekanyin A 35-year-old medical doctor, Edeye Monday, has been charged before a Yaba Magistrates’ Court for allegedly killing a 22-year-old pregnant woman, Tolani Aderoju. According to the police, Edeye injected Ms. Aderoju with some unknown drugs, while

attempting to abort her pregnancy. The police further said that Ms. Aderoju’s mother, in her complaint, said her daughter had informed her that she was pregnant for one Mufutau Alonge. She alleged that Mr. Alonge had taken her daughter to Edeye’s private clinic for an abortion.

After injecting Ms. Aderoju with drugs, Edeye who could not terminate the pregnancy, decided to rush her to another hospital where she eventually died. The presiding magistrate, Adekorede Ajibade, however, noted that a murder case had been established against the accused.

Lanre Adewole

olanreade@yahoo.com

0811 695 4647 LG trains 71 people free in skills acquisition Sylvester Okoruwa

offender were brutalised. One of the men, Col. Mustapha and his colleagues were identified to be from 9 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maryland, Ikeja,” he said. The lawmakers said that some officers of the Nigerian Army beat up LASTMA officers who attempted to enforce traffic regulations in

the state. The Speaker of the Assembly, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, also described the act as barbaric which he said must be condemned in the state. “This is a democratic era and not a military era and everything should be done in order. This kind of impunity should not be allowed. It is barbaric.

obho and Emeka Ogu, were arrested around Ojota area by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), when they attempted to escape after robbing a man. It was gathered that the duo had successfully conned and robbed a man simply identified as Lawan of his money and mobile phones and were running away when the RRS operatives chased and arrested them. A source at RRS, who pleaded anonymity, while speaking with Lagos Metro described the arrest of the suspect as a result of the intensified efforts of the squad

to rid the Lagos metropolis of criminals in preparation for the festive period. Lagos Metro further gathered that the suspects had accosted the victim pretending to be in need of help when they robbed him of his valuables. Etiobho, who pretended to be an importer whose goods were seized by the Nigerian Customs, lied to Lawan that he had a lot of dollars to change. The victim said that the suspects collected his phones and N10,000 and directed him to go and help them to change a US

dollar in Ikeja. “I was on my way when I realised that they were fraudsters. I turned back to collect all they had taken from me and to return their one dollar. It was at this point that they took to their heels before they were arrested by RRS,” he said. Jerry the lead suspect said he convinced the victim that his consignment containing laptops, desktops computers and office equipment were impounded by the Nigerian Customs, and that he needed to change foreign currencies.

they were just returning from a meeting where he was reinstated when the protesters went on rampage.

Ongoing construction at Ikotun Egbe Road.

scribed as the impunity of military officers in the state. According to him, some men of the Nigerian Army beat up some officers of LASTMA on November 17 after they were stopped for driving on the dedicated Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor. “The LASTMA officers on duty who tried to book the

Edited By

In a bid to bridge the unemployment gap, the Lagos Island Local Government Council has created a vocational institute to train unemployed youths in the council. The council revealed that it trained 71 persons in different vocations ranging from tailoring and bead making. Speaking on the initiative, the Executive Secretary of the Council, Honourable Tijani Adetoyese Olusi, while delivering his address at the first graduation ceremony of the 1014/2015 vocational trainees said that the council decided to go into the project because it was the only way it could help to reduce unemployment and the level of crime in the society. He went on to say that the graduating students were fully trained for a period of one year free of charge. The principal of Lagos Island Local Government Vocational Education Institute, Mrs. O.O Oyebola also said that 25 students graduated from computer studies skill, six from refrigerator and air-conditioning section, three from plumbing and pipe -fitting section, 13 from hat and bead making, three from the furniture, 34 from fashion design, 23 from catering and hotel management section, three from footwear section, five from barbing and 56 from hair dressing and cosmetology.

Metro described the protest as violent and uncalled for. Seriki also stated that

Lagos lawmakers condemn soldiers brutality against LASTMA officers Rachael Adesokan

Nigerian Tribune

businessnews

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

Nigerian Tribune

Massive under-declaration of imports rocking Nigeria’s borders —RIMIDAN Tola Adenubi-lagos

he Rice Millers, Importers and Distributors Association of Nigeria (RIMIDAN) has sent a letter to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Hameed Ali alleging high level of corruption and under-declaration involving Customs and importers at the various land borders across the country. “Sir, we want to bring to your notice our observations on the new rice policy. We gathered from reliable sources that massive under-declaration has now replaced outright smuggling in virtually all our land borders,” RIMIDAN stated in the letter dated November 16, 2015 and entitled ‘Under-declaration as the Bane of new rice policy.’ The association said it had observed that rice import through the land borders was not structured while proper procedures are not followed in making

Naira falls to 235 as dollar scarcity continues With the persistence of dollar scarcity, the Nigerian local currency crashed by 2.17 percent against the dollar at the parallel market on Monday. The naira traded at N235 to the dollar at the parallel market compared as against N230 to a dollar on Friday. The naira hits another low after the Central Bank cut dollar supply to bureaux de change (BDC) operators based on it struggles to conserve foreign exchange reserves. “The central bank has reduced the amount of dollar sold to bureaux de change at its twice-weekly intervention, which has also been cut to once a week now,” Harrison Owoh, a bureau de change operator, told Reuters. Owoh said the reduction in volume of dollar sales by the Central Bank coupled with year-end surged in demand for foreign currencies by importers have impacted negatively on the local currency. The price of the naira to the greenback however remained unchanged at 197 to the dollar on the official interbank market. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the apex bank is expected to meet this week to decide the way forward for the nation’s monetary policy.

declaration and clearance. “Form M is not original or may not be opened at all; PAAR is not included in the documents; customs officials are issuing assessments without form M; no NAFDAC numbers on the bags; rice dealers buy CFA and other foreign currencies through illegal means,” the association

stated in the letter signed by its National President, Tunji Owoeye. “The least a bag of rice imported through the land border is expected to land is N10,300. Our investigation in major Nigerian rice markets such as Daleko, Iddo, Alaba & Sango in Lagos, Bodija in Ibadan, Oyarugbulem/

Oba Oyemekun in Akure, Oja Oba new market in Borin, Kuto in Abeokuta, Igbudu in Warri, new Benin in Benin and Maraba, Wuse, & Garki in Abuja revealed that rice bags are unbelievably landing far below this rate; an indication that massive underdeclaration is going on at our land borders.

Further investigation also showed that smugglers/under-declaration agents are able to achieve this by paying for only 50% of whatever volume of cargo that is being passed. A truck of 60 metric tonns is only asked to pay officially for 30 metric tonnes.” It said that the implications of the anomalies with

From left, Head, Product Marketing, Information Technology and Mobile, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Ms Olajumoke Okikiolu; Director, Information Technology and Mobile, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. Emmanouil Revmatas; Winner, Samsung Picture Your Dream competition, Ms Ifeyinwa Obienu, and Managing Director, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. Brovo Kim at the J7 Picture Your Dream Competition winner announcement held on Thursday in Lagos.

NCC to sanction MTN, Airtel, Glo over auto migration of data services The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Monday said it would sanction MTN, Airtel and Globacom for defying the directive on automatic migration to Pay-As-You-Go data bundle. The commission made this known in its ‘2015 3Q Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Report’, obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos. NCC said it had continued to receive complaints from subscribers on automatic migration of data bundle package to Pay-As-You-Go Billing on depletion of their data bundle. ‘’Consequently and pursuant to section 53(1) of the NCA 2003, the commission on 3rd August 2015 directed all mobile service operators to comply with the data bundle directions. ‘’That where a subscriber’s data bundle account is fully depleted before the due date, service providers should notify the subscriber via SMS, giving information regarding the tariff/ billing rate for automatic migration. ‘’That all service provid-

ers should henceforth stop auto-migration of subscriber’s data service to the Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) account upon depletion of the data bundle account, except with the express consent and authorisation of the subscriber via SMS,’’ it said. The regulatory body said that a follow-up compliance check was carried out which revealed that Etisalat was in compliance with the directives. It said that Etisalat, through SMS, notified its subscribers of depletion of their data bundle accounts, before due dates. The telecoms regulator also said that Etisalat sought the consent of subscribers before automatically migrating them to the Pay-As-You-Go data service. ‘’Globacom is in compliance with Direction No. 1 as subscribers receive SMS detailing tariff rate for auto-migration on depletion of their data bundle. ‘’However, Globacom failed to obtain express consent from subscribers before migration to PAYG and therefore in violation of Direction No. 2. ‘’MTN is in compliance

with Direction No.1 but failed to highlight the tariff rate for PAYG billing. In addition, data service is not suspended on depletion of the data bundle account even without an authorisation via an SMS from the subscriber.

‘’Airtel is not in compliance with the above directions. ‘’Consequent upon the above, the commission has issued a notice of intention to sanction the concerned service providers,’’ NCC said.

regards to rice importation through the land borders are grave on the health of the citizenry and the national economy. “Other agencies of the government such as NAFDAC, SON, NPA, Quarantine Services, etc are deprived of their statutory functions with very serious implications on the health of our people, especially if there is food poisoning/ contamination. “Between July and October 2015, 16 vessels with a total volume of 515,731 metric tonnes laden with parboiled rice (Beninese eat only perfumed rice) have called Cotonou in Republic of Benin (Schedule attached). All this quantity has entered into Nigerian markets and we are not sure that duties are completely paid for same. “This under-declaration/ smuggling must not be allowed to continue, otherwise the serious revenue leakage we are witnessing now will become unimaginable. Genuine rice importers through the seaports and investors in (the) rice value chain development would be pushed out of business. “The problem of unemployment may be compounded as more drivers, truck owners, motor boys, mechanics, spare part dealers, dock workers, terminal operators, shipping and clearing agents may lose their jobs. “We may also see reversal of some of the gains we have achieved through the efforts made by your good self. In fact, the impact on the economy is better imagined.”

NARTO tasks Fashola, Amaechi, Kachikwu, Ngige on infrastructure development Tola Adenubi-lagos

The Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) has challenged the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola; Minister of Transport, Mr. Rotimi Amechi, Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, to quickly respond to the country’s infrastructural needs, especially in the areas of roads, railways, pipelines and refineries. President of NARTO, Alhaji Kassim Bataiya, who was speaking at the pre-National Executive Council (NEC) meeting and Award Night of the association in Abuja, appealed to the newly appointed ministers to focus on the critical areas and ensure that

the roads, rail system and the refineries are fixed. The association appealed to the Senate and House Committee on Works, Transportation and Downstream Petroleum industry to harmonise and supervise the activities of these ministers in order to address the unending energy crisis in the country. “The ministers must set to work immediately and resolve the issues of bad roads across the country, fix the rail system and tackle the ineffective power situation,” the NARTO president said. Accrding to him, the association had implicit confidence on the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to deliver on its electoral mandates, and give the maximum support to his government. He said: “We strongly support the anti-corrup-

tion campaign of Mr. President and we pledge to continue to play by the rules in line with our resolve to remain a committed and non-partisan organisation poised to deliver transportation services effectively throughout the country. “On this note, while congratulating the newly inaugurated ministers, we wish to appeal for quicker response to the country’s infrastructural needs.” Bataiya had, some weeks ago, called on the government to immediately repair some major roads across the country and said that the situation of the roads was affecting timely delivery of passengers, goods and services to designated areas, saying that the condition of the roads was negatively affecting the vehicles’ ability in terms of good turn around.

businessnews Power: W/Bank gives TCN N5.9bn facility for energy data generation 12

OlatundeDodondawa-Lagos

he Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has secured a $30 million (about N5.977 billion) facility from the World Bank to study the nature of electricity load demand and energy mix in Nigeria. TCN’s Deputy Managing Director, Mohammed Atiku, said the country’s power sector lacked reliable data to plan from, hence the funding support from the bank. Atiku explained that electricity demand and supply are two critical elements that must be studied and quantified to help operators make appropriate plans. He stated that: “Demand and supply are two critical elements in the power sector which has to be understood, to be identified, quantified and then we strategise on how to match them. Failure to do that, the sector will be in very bad shape and I am sorry to say, this is what is causing the situation we have in Nigeria.” According to him, “the TCN has initiated the process for the study. This is one of the reasons the TCN, on its own, even though it is out of our mandate, has been seeking to get the actual demand of our electricity. We have got a grant from the World Bank and will soon embark on a study which is going to be industry-wide to determine this load demand

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

and even our energy mix. “If we have identified our energy demand, how do we now get it addressed

through our various generating methods? So, in the absence of this, as I said earlier, we have been rely-

ing on two major sources of energy, that is the thermal, using gas powered station, and hydro. Very

The Nigerian Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Awards, otherwise known as the Social Enterprise Report Awards (SERAs), has conferred on Lafarge Africa awards for the Best Company in Environmental Sustainability, Best Company in Sustainability Reporting and Overall second runner-up at the 2015 edition of the annual awards ceremony. Held at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos, on Friday, the event, with the theme, ‘Building Partnership for a Sustainable Future,’ was attended by top executives of various companies and personalities in Nigeria. Leading Sub-Saharan Africa building materials company, Lafarge Africa

“When the study is concluded, it is going to take 30 months to complete with grant released from the World Bank. It is in the process. I can’t remember exactly the figure but it is going to be as much as $30 million attached to that. But I will confirm that figure. That study will be able to come up with detailed reports on the energy demand and supply with appropriate energy mix for the country.”

Stakeholders express concern over high cyber crimes OlatundeDodondawa-Lagos

From left, Global Head of Cybersecurity KPMG, Uk, Mr Malcolm Marshall; Partner & Head, Risk consulting KPMG, Nigeria, Olumide Olayinka; Partner, Information protection & Business Resilience (II), KPMG,UK, George Quigley and Senior Manager, Technology Advisory KPMG, Nigeria, John Anyanwu, at the Cybersecurity press conference by KPMG Nigeria in Lagos, on Friday.

Don’t dash hope of Nigerians, CIBN charges ministers Chima Nwokoji-lagos

The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) has called on the recently inaugurated ministers to collectively work towards fulfilling the promises made by the government to the people of Nigeria so as not to dash the hope reposed in the president Muhammadu Buhari-led government. Speaking at the 49th annual Bankers Dinner held at the weekend, President/ Chairman of Council CIBN,

Mrs ‘Debola Osibogun, said the administration had promised “creation of an enabling environment for all stakeholders with unprecedented rebuilding of Nigerian infrastructure; building a prosperous nation, respected for the right reasons, whose citizens can hold up their heads anywhere in the world; to diversify the economy through agriculture, solid minerals and the revival of the textile industry which would contribute to help-

ing the economy move forward and act as major revenue earners, thus helping to enhance employment generation.” She also said the administration promised greater determination and focus to pursue the goal of ensuring improved security for the country and its citizens, and without letting up on the fight against corruption, among others. “The nation expects the fulfillment of these promises and we enjoin new

Lafarge Africa wins 3 awards at SERAs 2015 By Doyin Adeoye

little attention has been given to other sources like renewable and nuclear, to mention a few.

Nigerian Tribune

Plc, opened the evening by winning the first award category as the Best Company in Environmental Sustainability, which had three other nominees, including GTBank, FCMB and Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). Lafarge subsequently won the Best Company in Sustainability Reporting with nominations into 11 other different award categories. In his remarks, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Lafarge Africa, Peter Hoddinott. , said adding value to its host communities and the lives of Nigerians at large remained the thrust of the company’s CSR interventions, while assuring that “the awards will spur Lafarge Africa Plc to remain

committed to sustainable social investments across the country, particularly in the areas of health and safety, environment, youth empowerment and provision of infrastructure.” Lafarge Africa Plc contributes to its host communities by complementing government’s efforts

through viable projects that have direct impacts on the socio-economic well-being of the people. These include building of boreholes for communities, rehabilitation of bridges, schools, roads, culverts and drainages, among others.

ministers to ensure that our hope is not dashed on the altar of personal pursuits,” Osibogun stated. According to her, there has been enormous challenges in the economic sphere but “we are all here today standing strong as a formidable sector within the Nigerian polity due to our resilience and dedicated collaborative resolve and efforts as regulators and operators of the banking industry to surmount and survive every challenge and maintain our role as the engine of growth for the economy.” She reiterated that 2015 had posed enormous challenges in the economic sphere, but remained hopeful that the various policies and programmes introduced by the CBN and the Federal Government would enable Nigerians to forge ahead. The CIBN president fur-

Stakeholders in the financial sector have expressed concern over high rate of cyber crimes in Nigeria. They argued that as cyber related crimes are on the rise across the globe, Nigerian companies, especially banks, are not isolated. Speaking at the KPMG Head Office in Lagos, the Global Head of Cyber Security, KPMG, UK, Mr Malcolm Marshall, stated that “recent cyber breaches at major corporations highlight the increasing sophistication, stealth and persistence of cyber attacks that organisations are facing today, from nation-states, organised crime and ‘hacktivists’, as well as threats from within the organizations. “Recent incidents have shown that technology solutions on their own cannot effectively mitigate the risk of cyber crime. In addition, although it is a good foundation, absolute reliance on security compliance certification is also not sufficient for managing cyber risks. “There is, therefore, a need to establish and embed effective security capabilities spanning people, process and technology.”

LASACO donates ICT equipment to school Gbemi Solaja – Lagos

AS part of its commitment to corporate social responsibility, Lasaco Assurance Plc has given a boost to education through donation of ultramodern information and communications technology equipment worth millions of naira to the Federal College of Dental Technology and Therapy, Enugu.

Making the presentation in Enugu recently, the Group Managing Director of Lasaco Assurance Plc, Mr Sola Ladipo-Ajayi, stated that as a risk management organization, it was imperative to insure the country against ignorance by partnering with the government to fund education. According to him, as a pragmatic company, our

definition of insurance goes beyond the orthodox of insuring life, goods, and other assets. To us, supporting education is another fund of insurance with good dividend for the society at large. Mr Ladipo-Ajayi pointed out that education is too germane to the common good and therefore its funding should not be left to the government alone, stating

that the ability of any nation to make giant strides is tied to sound and quality education of its citizenry. He stated that the socio-economic life of the country stands to gain tremendously when the government and the business world collaborate in funding and supporting education, urging other corporate organisations to follow suit.

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

Nigerian Tribune

Femi Ibirogba adefemi2007@yahoo.com 0811 695 4646

How to restore glory days of Nigeria’s oil palm industry –Okomu Oil boss

ow has Okomu Oil fared in the midst of adverse economic climate, the devaluation of the naira and the

like? It has not been easy. We have also been affected by what has happened beyond Nigeria. We are price takers just like any of the other agricultural commodity and if the price of oil palm and rubber drops, it affects us adversely. Our rubber prices in the last two years have dropped nearly 70 per cent. Now, you can imagine what that has done. We must thank God that the oil palm which has also dropped in price has not dropped as much, and that is that is our saving grace. Yes, we are under immense pressure, and what have we done about it? Unfortunately, we have had to retrench people, we have had to cut back on costs, streamline and we have been very serious about watching costs.

Okomu has a management input from its main shareholder and technical partner, SOCFINAF, a global player in the cultivation of oil palm, rubber and coffee. What was the vision of SOCFINAF when it chose to invest in Okomu Oil? SOCFINAF has been with Okomu Oil for a long time. Okomu started as a Federal Government project. The government deregistered the forest area here, and began it because it wanted to see the oil palm industry in Nigeria expanded. Obviously in the 80s and 90s, the Federal Government said it didn’t want to be in business. During that time, SOCFINAF had been a management agent for and on behalf of the Federal Government on this project and some other projects. Thereafter, it was given the opportunity through IPOs to buy shares

and it bought shares because it knew how the company had been run and it was happy to do that. As a result, it has had an ongoing relationship with Okomu. If you have a shareholding like SOCFINAF has, then obviously you would make sure that things are done correctly. It has a very large vested interest in the company and that’s why it would make sure that things are done properly. Would you say that the success Okomu Oil has seen so far is because of this foreign investment, for a lot of Nigerians have failed in managing companies? Do we really need foreign investments in managing agric businesses? Look, I don’t think that is the case. What you need is a good system. Make sure the systems are in place and make sure you get good people; because at the end of the day, everything depends on people. If your systems are not in place, those people would not be doing the right thing. It can be said the system is what leads the people. We have tried to make sure that our systems are in place. Regarding foreign intervention as you call it, I think foreign investments assist inasmuch as they bring a foreign technological improvement and stuff that have not been seen in the country. I don’t think that we should rely too much on overseas intervention because the (right) people are here. If you are not going to believe in yourself, you really will not get anywhere. At some stage you will have to say I am going to do this on my own, and make sure the people you carry along with you have the same mindset and are working towards the same goal. Of course having a foreign partner who has a large vested interest also assists because it has a lot to lose if anything goes wrong. So it makes more sense doing it like that. I don’t think there’s any bad

Okomu Oil Palm Company was established in 1976 as a Federal Government pilot project aimed at rehabilitating oil palm production in Nigeria. It was incorporated in 1979 as a limited liability company and, in 1990, the Technical Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation (TCPC) privatised the company. Today, the company is ranked as one of the top agric businesses by the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Managing Director, Dr Graham Hefer, has been at the helms of affairs for close to a decade. He spoke with PAUL OMOROGBE on how the oil palm industry can be restored to its hey days. thing about it. With reports of Presco Oil investing $300 million building an oil palm refinery, DUFIL Prima reportedly signed an agreement with Edo State government for 60,000 hectares for oil palm production and PZ Wilmar staked $80 million for its oil palm refinery; how does Okomu Oil respond to these? Do you see these as competition or development for the industry? It’s good to see that the industry is at last hopefully expanding. We are yet to see anything come of the 60,000 hectares form Edo State. We have been asking the Edo State government for only 20,000 hectares for more than five years now and we are still waiting. So, we will be very happy to see that they get 60,000 hectares from the Edo State. We have no problem with that because first of all, it spreads the risk, secondly it broadens the tax base (for the state government) so companies like ours will not be targeted as much because there is such a small tax base and hopefully now we will be left to do what we do best and that is to do business, because now more people will be generating more income for the

government which I don’t decry. At the end of the day, everybody pays taxes, reasonable legal taxes, and that will assist the development of Edo State. In terms of how we are responding, we acquired through the Edo State government who has signed a C of O and a Deed of Assignment to us with the Comrade Governor’s signature, 12,000 hectares in the Ovia Northeast area which we are developing. By this time next year, we would have already planted 4,000 hectares. This piece of land that was originally owned by government was deregistered and put to two other companies who held it for more than 20 years and did nothing with it. But in one year, we are planting 4,000 hectares. So you can see that we are here as serious investors not as part-time people trying to play games. And that will cost us $150 million to develop it. Do you see Nigeria regaining its past glory in the oil palm industry? Only as long as the government facilitates and allows agriculture to do what it does best and that is to grow and to use the people that are in the area and the land and resources that are required. It will be great to see (government do) that because potentially, Nigeria has it all. We don’t see problems with rainfall or sunshine, land or even people. Our biggest problems occur in politics and the way the economy is run and lack of law and order. Those are the major stumbling blocks which can hinder development. What will you advise the new minister of agriculture on? I think he has big shoes to fill. We know the previous minister of agriculture did a sterling job and he was a breath of fresh air in the time when we were seen to be a Cinderella economy where you have crude oil. But that has changed and I think that will assist him to take up the gauntlet. I think it could be easier for him, especially now that the government knows that agriculture should be one of the areas they should concentrate on. And with the backing of the rest of the government, I think life will be made much easier for him. He doesn’t have an easy road by any means. As I said, there remains a whole plethora of issues that remain which are stumbling blocks to agricultural development. And these (problems) are not new. The previous minister of agriculture had conferences and forums where all of us as affected parties sat with him and identified those areas of concern. We have done that at federal and state levels. And the biggest problem we have had is that nothing changes. I was at a European Union forum recently in Lagos and exactly the same issues came up; and in fact some of the delegates said this is the tenth year that we are talking about exactly the same issues that are affecting agriculture in terms of politics, law and order, incoherent government policies, multiple taxation, illegal tolls on the road, customs problems, produce levy taxes which went up before the constitution was changed because we don’t have produce boards but it continues to be an added tax, and the like; I can go on for a long time. The point is that these have been highlighted both a federal and state levels in the last 10 years. I have been here almost 10 years and not a single one of these issues has been removed.

agriculture

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

Nigerian Tribune

How Nigerians can reap billions from agribusiness —Consultant Lanre Adewole -Lagos

From left, Mr Adetoyi Ezekiel Olabode, new Chairman of Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Lagos State chapter; Mrs Olabisi Hamilton, new Financial Secretary and Mr Godwin Egebe, new Deputy Chairman, during the inauguration of 2015-2017 new executive of PAN Lagos chapter at Ada Oko Oba, Agege, Lagos, recently.

World Bank commends WAAPP implementation in Nigeria

he World Bank has commended West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP) in Nigeria for meticulously implementing its programmes to increase agricultural productivity in Nigeria with special interventions. The World Bank began the eight supervision mission for WAAPP-Nigeria to assess the success of WAAPP activities in some selected areas and for subsequent likely collaboration. The mission was to assess the progress of reducing interruption from the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) and also to assess the operation status of the dry mango projects and progress of implementation of action plans developed during the

implementation mission and tour visit in May, this year. The dry mango project is a value chain approach to flash-dry mango flesh into chips for export to South Africa for juice production, based on demand and specifications from buyers of the mango chips. WAAPP said this would avoid wastage associated with mango and other highly perishable fruits and crops, adding that it would also create jobs and alleviate poverty of mango farmers and processors. WAAPP has empowered some fabricators, including NOBEX Tech Ltd, to develop multipurpose and environment friendly flash dryers for the purpose of the mango value

chain development. The aim of the mission, according to WAAPP Nigeria, was also to see how WAAPP intervention had benefitted the farmers. WAAPP was initiated by ECOWAS with financial support from the World Bank to support regional cooperation in agriculture in Africa. To ensure the smooth conduct of the programme at the country level, the World Bank with other stakeholders at the end of every six month conducts supervision visits to assess level of project implementation in countries. The Regional Task Term Leader, Abdulahi Turie, also expressed satisfaction over the beneficiaries’ performance.

CGIAR centres move to align with Nigeria’s national agenda CGIAR centres working in Nigeria and key representatives of the country’s agriculture stakeholders from farmers’ organizations, development agencies, donor organizations, the private sector, private and public extension actors, regional organizations, research partners in the national programme, the media and policymakers are coming together in a move to work more closely with each other and at the same time better align their activities to the national priorities. Discussions on better integration and the mechanics of how all important stakeholders could work together at the national level were held at a two-day meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, last week. The meeting explored how CGIAR could be better integrated in the country’s agriculture research for development (R4D) fabric. The participants looked at the agricultural strategy of Nigeria, the challenges facing the sector, the national priorities, donors and funders’priorities, and CGIAR activities in the country. They discussed principles and mechanisms that would help guide the development of an integration framework outlining the collaboration, selection of sites, and other important areas including monitoring and evaluation, communication, governance structures. The framework which would lead to the development of a plan will be used to inform the development of phase 2 of the CGIAR Research Programs. The meeting was organized by IITA’s Partnership Coordination Office led by Alfred Dixon.

Engineer Akeju Olagbaju, a Director with the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development (FMARD), noted that this was a timely move by CGIAR that would lead to better impact of research and development efforts on the smallholder farmers in Nigeria. Engr Olagbaju officiated the opening of the meeting on behalf of the Permanent Secretary of FMARD. He noted that while the agricultural sector is very important in Nigeria, it is also still grappling with many challenges including low yields of key staple crops and livestock, poor market access, lack of inputs such as improved seeds and fertilizers, among others. Furthermore, the country also has a large number of unemployed youth for whom agriculture can be a source of jobs and income. Despite the challenges, Olagbaju said that agricultural research holds key to unlocking the bottlenecks, stressing that the Nigerian government would provide the enabling environment to ensure that the site integration plans were properly executed in line with the national development agenda. President of the Maize Association of Nigeria (MAAN), Mr Tunji Adenola, commended CGIAR for the initiative of site integration, emphasising that it would multiply the benefits of research. “Take for instance, IITA and CIMMYT have been working on maize, and they have been able to develop improved maize varieties. Site integration has the potential of scaling up the benefits of these varieties such that more

farmers will have access to these varieties,” he explained. Also speaking at the meeting, Kenton Dashiell, IITA Deputy Director General for Partnerships and Capacity Development, noted that the days of each CGIAR center working alone is long gone. “CGIAR is moving into a mode of greater collaboration and integration with national, regional, and international partners within a single location,” he said. Kwesi Atta-Krah, Director of the CGIAR Research Program on Integrated System for the Humidtropics spoke on behalf of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR), and the CGIAR Consortium. He said that the challenge to agricultural development was huge and demanded collaboration among all stakeholders. “Our goal is to ensure how best the smallholder farmer in Nigeria will derive more benefits from research,” Dr Atta-Krah added. Other speakers at the workshop were Atsuko Toda, from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) on behalf of the Agriculture Development Partners’ Working Group, and Alfred Dixon who gave an overview of CGIAR’s presence in Nigeria. This meeting is the first in a series of meetings on site integration being organized by CGIAR. The next meeting will take place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on 3-4 December also organized by IITA. Other countries slated soon include Ghana, Ethiopia, and Kenya, among others.

Agribusiness consultant, Mr Odunayo Adeyemi, has identified the points of huge profit in the agricultural valuechain, from where he said countries of the world now reap bountifully. Managing Director of Testimony Nigeria Limited and Coordinator, Greentree Sustainable Intervention Initiative, spoke at a one-day seminar in Lagos. According to him, he was on a mission to preach the demand-driven approach to business and the higher profit making potential of value addition to agricultural products. Present at the seminar, powered by Testimony Nigeria, on the theme ‘Investment in Commercial Agricultural Production and Agric-Food Processing in Nigeria-Steps towards creating a viable agribusiness,’ were other experts like Mr Olamide Ojo of Niji Group, Mr Segun Odunowo of Quali Foods, Mr Tunde Salami of T.S Integrated Farms, Mrs M.A. Dosumu, a trainer and a director of Greentree, Mr Kayode Ayankoya. According to Adeyemi, “We are on the crusade mission across the country to expose the generality of Nigerians to the vast investment opportunities in agribusiness and how to reap from them. “The collaboration is aimed at preaching the demand-driven approach to business and the higher profit making potential of value addition to agricultural products. Value-added agriculture generates several billion of dollars in economic impact for countries worldwide. In fact, adding value to agricultural products beyond the farm gate usually has several times the economic impact of the agricultural production alone.” He added that the overall goal of the seminar was to provide entrepreneurs with a basic understanding of the issues crucial to deciding on starting a viable agribusiness, especially in agri-food processing as well as guiding participants on new product development and commercialisation. The highlight of the seminar was the unveiling of trade secrets of successful agribusiness entrepreneurs who were on hand to give the participants insight into income-generating activities across the agricultural value chain, with major focus on commercial agriculture, agri-food processing, packaging, marketing, exporting and business models for financial sustainability. One of the participants, Mr Ola Akinnukawe said “the seminar was a blessing to me. It opened my eyes and mind to a lot of opportunities in agribusiness. My advice is that this seminar should be taken to other parts of the country to target mostly youth. It will reduce the rate of unemployment in the country.” The seminar train is moving to Ibadan, according to the organisers

18 LETTERS TO THE

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

editor

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

Youths and national development

OUTHS are one of the greatest assets that any nation can have, not only are they regarded by all as future leaders, they are potentially and actually the greatest investment for a country’s development. Youths are regarded as a good measure of the extent to which a country can reproduce as well as sustain itself. Youths in every part of the globe are expected to be positive agents of social, economic and political transformation of a country; they are the foundation of a society, as well as the tools used for the attainment of peace and development. In Nigeria, youths are the future drivers of the economy; they constitute the country’s only hope for national rebirth. If empowered, they are capable of driving the country’s dwindling economy in the right direction. Unfortunately, some of today’s youths, instead of being agents of change, are now becoming agents of destruction. At a time when the country is moving in the right direction, some youths still involve themselves in the old way

Message to Gov Ambode PERMIT me to use your widely-read newspaper to call on the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, and the state Water Corporation to, as a matter of urgency, address the issue of water scarcity that has been affecting people for some weeks now. The lack of water in some areas of the state is causing untold hardship to people. I know the governor wants the best for the people of the state. He should, therefore, order officials of the Water Corporation to fix the problem without further delay, as doing so would relieve residents of the problems they pass through to get water. •Oloyo Toyin, Ketu, Lagos.

of doing things. This is a time when we should all work together and do away with those things that divide us politically or religiously. It is so unfortunate that some youths have allowed themselves to be taken over by opportunists who disguise as leaders to mislead and misguide unsuspecting youths to a worthless cause. A good example of this is the current agitation for a Republic of Biafra. This agitation is not the collective decision of the entire zone; it is the handi work of some who are yet to recover from the political defeat they suffered in the last election. The Biafra agitation is an evil wind that will blow no good to the future of the youth, particularly those staging the protests. What we should agitate for are the poor people among us, our poor educational system, lack of social

amenities, among others. Youths should struggle to make our leaders at different levels of government accountable for their actions; we should struggle so that they (the leaders) can focus on policies that will empower the youth. We have a lot of problems in this country, even the younger children are now discouraged from being serious with their studies because their seniors who are now graduates are still roaming the streets. It will be better if these agitators use their strength to tackle our leaders on the problem of unemployment among youths. These youths agitating for a separate homeland would enjoy our collective support if they are on a campaign to ensure that job opportunities are created. Having said this, I hope the youth of this country will come together to find

a lasting solution to our problems. Instead of agitating for selfish agenda, they should use our strength to tackle our leaders. They should do more to make Nigeria conducive for the youth, as well as the coming generation.

Nigeria is stronger being a united country; it is only by respecting each others’ values that we can actually have a peaceful country. Our leaders should also focus on equality among all the tribes. This will give everybody a sense of belonging, thereby, stopping the

agitations for a new homeland for the Igbo people of the South Eastern part of the country. •Abbas Datti, Kano. abbasdatti873@ gmail.com

FG, offer free lunch in schools I, hereby, want to use this medium to laud the General Muhammadu Buhariled administration ideas on providing primary school pupils all over Nigeria with free lunch during school hours. I must say this is a very fantastic idea! Although this move may seem impossible to achieve, considering some modalities, such as the cost, the present economic condition of the country and judging by past

events. However, considering the positive effect it would have on the younger generation and how it would greatly aid their learning processes and being mindful of the fact that it is also a direct way by which the Federal Government could alleviate poverty and make direct impact on these fragile torchbearers, it would really worth all the effort. I hereby speak out for all the Nigerian children, whose parents can hardly make provision for their

daily meals and whom the society have neglected; that against all odds the President should not rest on it oars, but rather do all in his capacity in achieving this great feat. The followings are the undeniable benefits the children can derive from the programme. Firstly, regular and consistent attendance of pupils would be recorded in primary schools all over the nation. Also, noting that a hungry child is an angry child, who would not assimilate much, these meals will serve as a mind opener and comfort for these kids. Malnutrition in children will be drastically reduced, as I’m sure the Federal Government is able to provide balanced diets once a day; it is also a way of bridging the gap between the rich and the poor. Moreover, it would lighten the burden borne by parents who would also have to provide other essentials such as shelter, clothing and the educational stationeries. Poor parents,who have been discouraged from educating their children could think through on reenrolling them back in school. If the Federal Government succeeds in making this dream a reality, it would touch the heart of the children and increase their love for their fatherland, thereby making them good citizens as they grow up I believe strongly that the government is able to implement this project because lots of rich Nigerians would support the cause. •Shittu Sodeeq Solape, Mass Communication Department, The Polytechnic, Ibadan.

editorial Shonuga: An avoidable maternal tragedy Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

N the cusp of inexplicable human negligence and pedestrian approach to delivery of first aid medical services, Omowumi Shonuga, a pregnant woman in labour, lost her life after the death of her baby whom she gave birth to in a vehicle in which she was driven to the Rauf Aregbesola Health Centre (RAHC) in Egbeda, Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos. In his narrative to the press, the unfortunate husband, Ayobanji Shonuga, hinted that, on seeing labour symptoms, he conveyed his wife to the health centre around 5 a.m. and that in spite of creating awareness about the need for prompt medical attention, he was not granted access to the centre as the gates were locked, not until he shouted for help persistently and was consequently informed that there was no doctor on duty to attend to the woman and that he should take his wife to Igando General Hospital instead. In the husband’s words, “I said it was impossible for a doctor not to be on duty in a hospital as big as this. She ignored any other enquiry I was trying to make. As I got back to my car, I saw that my wife had delivered the baby and that she was in a pool of blood and she was also bleeding. It was when I started shouting, ‘Blood! Blood! Baby’ that two nurses rushed out from the hospital.” In the widower’s further narrated ordeal is the painful account of how both the woman and the baby died eventually as a result of negligence, uncomplimentary gestures, moribund ambulance and lack of essential first aid medical equipment, coupled with non-availability of any medical doctor on duty. According to the husband, apart from how the attention that both his wife and baby needed was ignored, no medical doctor was available to attend to both the mother and child until their conditions spiraled out of control and the doctor who came later had to refer them to Igando General Hospital (IGH), on the grounds that the woman’s case had become so critical for the health centre to handle. Meanwhile, the baby had died at that time due to lack of attention. It is sad that while it was so evident that the woman’s condition had become unstable, having lost much blood and consequently in dire need of transfusion and other necessary treatment that would make her convalesce, Omowumi’s life was cut short in the interplay of footdragging in issuing a referral note, an initial refusal to admit her on the spurious alibi of lack of available bedspace, and

Nigerian Tribune

resolute demand for 20,000 naira deposit as condition for blood transfusion while at the IGH to which she was referred. Disturbingly, this is another case of maternal tragedy that reeks of lackadaisical attitude to professional duties, incompetence, carelessness, ill-equipment and administrative lacuna in the nation’s public health centres and hospitals today. While it is unheard of that no doctor was readily available at the RAHC to handle Omowumi’s case with the expected expertise, it is unthinkable and very bad of the centre, where the woman had her antenatal throughout the period of the pregnancy, could give apparently flimsy excuses in respect of why Omowumi’s husband was not given access much earlier to the premises of the health facility, the non-availability of the ambulance keys which made the ambulance non-functional as of the time it was needed for the woman’s referral, and why the husband was asked by the centre to provide by himself some needed first-aid items. Also, we are pained that what happened at the IGH too was contributory to the tragedy. When will an end be put to circumstances that warrant refusal to admit patients into public health institutions on the basis of inadequate bed spaces? Why did the IGH refuse initially to admit the woman in that very critical condition on the grounds that there was no bed space, only for the hospital to make such available later on the cusp of the husband’s brawl and anger over a perceived disservice and insensitivity to his wife’s bad case? That N20,000 payment was demanded before the woman could be transfused at the IGH is another unpleasant and life-taking instance of how ‘pay before service’ has become a custom in the nation’s health institutions whose maintenances and funding are said to be gulping a lot of money yearly. While we sympathise with the husband and family of Omowunmi Shonuga, a Lagos State University graduate of Accounting, we prompt the Lagos State government to investigate the perceived negligence, carelessness, dereliction of duty and instances of patient-selfadministered services, like ‘pay before service’ which might be attributable to lack of equipment and maintenance. While this case of maternal tragedy is at variance with the creeds of the medical profession, it is equally eroding of any much touted value for public health care services.

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opinion

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

The dark lord, his fiends and earth’s response

HERE is him that sits in sombre darkness with eyes red as burning coal and breath as malodorous as the most nauseating sulphur. His palace is dingy, his throne rusty, his crown a mortal’s skull and at his smile, legions of fiends are exorcised from hell’s core. He disseminates a cavalry into our earth by day, a flotilla of wraiths dock on earth’s shore by dark, awaiting his beacon to unleash destruction and at dawn, thousands of winged creatures, shrieking in the most daunting manner, invade the skies above our earth in incalculable squadrons. Like the many hands of the Indian goddess Durga, his visage takes on varying forms in a futile bid to quench his insatiable blood thirsty appetite. On some days, he is a replica of the typical belligerent, irascible Middle Eastern extremist that goes by the acronym ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) and unleashes untold terror on the people. On other days, he shifts into a vampire called Al-Qaeda. This deadly sect spurred and participated actively in several wars in the regions of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Somali. This arid land demon fueled insurgency in the Maghreb, Yemen as well as pioneered the Arab Spring. And on other days, when he is slightly bored with the mountainous sands of the desert, its scorching sun and crispy dry air, he vacates to a continent, known for his lushness and fertility – Africa. On days like that, he is called Boko Haram, ravisher of Northern Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon. His tentacles are speedily spreading over the continents of the earth like those of the legendary sea monster, the Kraken. His desire is to crush our world as the Kraken annihilates a stray ship and its occupants. Horrifyingly, it looks as though he is gradually taking our world over as the reality of vicious attacks launched by his fiends strategically scattered all over the continents of our universe begins to kick in. In the space of about seven days, between November 13 and 21, over three well orchestrated catastrophes have rocked local and international news outlets worldwide- from the paralysing series of coordinated terrorist attacks in Western Europe, Paris specifically, to the demoralising suicide bombings in the core of Western Africa, precisely the North Eastern part of our motherland, Nigeria’s city of commerce, to the petrifying assault on innocent citizens at the capital of the eight largest country in West Africa, Bamako, Mali and the grisly attacks on the people of Cameroon on Saturday, November 21, 2015. Though, the Boko Haram sect has not openly

veracity with Vera Onana

veraonana@gmail.com 08054680688

claimed responsibility for the attack on Cameroon, the insurrection group is suspected to be the mastermind of the bombing that killed at least 10 people and left dozens wriggling in pains like salted worms in the far North of Cameroon. On Wednesday, November 18, twin bomb blasts rocked Kano’s GSM market, leaving scores of people dead. One doesn’t need a Sangoma to decipher the perpetrators of this sort of inhumane act. On Friday, 20 November, Bamako sang songs of woes and elegies rent the atmosphere of Mali. Words will fail to adequately depict the barbarity of the assailants and the trepidation of the besieged. Over 20 people fell to the sword of the dark Lord that was wielded in proxy by his emissary, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and its affiliate, al-Murabitoun. Yes, they openly declared that they were responsible for the attack on the hotel in Mali. Crippling was the account of Tamba Couye. His words will break the stoniest of hearts as he narrated his ordeal to an international media outlet “These people just started shooting. They were shooting at everybody without asking a single question. One man did yell “Allahu akbar”. They were shooting at anything that moved. Two Belgians, three Chinese, a United States national, Anita Datar, a 41-year-old that was working in Mali on projects involving family planning and HIV and Six Russians, all employees of the Volga-Dnepr airline were taken away by the tides of hate that day the villain struck in Mali. Al Mourabitoun announced it carried out the attack with al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and said the attack was carried out in retaliation for government aggression in northern Mali. The group also demanded the release of prisoners in France. On Saturday, 21 November 2015, Mali woke up to a state of emergency as was declared by President Ibrahim Boubacar Kei-

ta. It would tarry for 10 days the president declared alongside a three day national mourning period for the fallen. President Keita also said that Mali would “do everything to eradicate terrorism” in the country but how far is earth willing to go in its fight against terrorism and the dark lord? The dark lord isn’t folding his cards in this game. He willingly reveals them for every human to see and they clearly read obliteration, extirpation and eradication. What are our cards saying? This situation has long escalated beyond giving survivors relief materials and stashing them up in unsanitary camps. We don’t need more presidential victims’ support funds; we need to turn around and mirror the tactics of our oppressors if we deeply crave freedom. We wouldn’t want to leave behind a world where our seeds will be too scared to walk the streets during the day or attempt a wink of sleep at night, would we? On the contrary, a reminiscent smile will light up our spirit faces in the world of immortality when we remember the strides we took to send these sardonic devils back to hell. We just need more world leaders to cue into the highly elating and motivating words of Russian President, Vladimir Putin. He said “to forgive the terrorists is up to God, but to send them to him is up to me.” President Putin has swung into action and he is terrorising terrorists. This should be the collective response of our earth! He also said: “We are going to pursue terrorists everywhere. If they are in the airport, we will pursue them in the airport. And if we capture them in the toilet, then we will waste them in the outhouse” and these are not just empty words. Russia is burning terrorists alive. According to reports out of Syria, the Russian air force is using a banned chemical weapon — white phosphorus bombs — to literally scorch ISIS members alive. Also Russian warplanes recently delivered a critical hit to ISIS oil sales by eliminating 500 oil trucks. According to reports, the Russian General Staff spokesman, Colonel General Andrey Kartapolov said. “Around 500 fuel tanker vehicles transporting illegal oil from Syria to Iraq for processing have been destroyed by Russia’s Air Forces.” The adage goes; ‘a child that wouldn’t allow its mother any rest, would itself know no peace.’ The dark lord has long declared war on us. His fiends have worked and are working assiduously to bind our world in darkness. Have we bled enough, cried enough, buried children enough to do whatever it would take to send him into the fiery flames of abysmal doom?

tion. Many hold the strong view therefore that the governor should have bitten less for a mouthful. None, nevertheless, would forget in a hurry the uninspiring state of infrastructure in Ogun State prior to May 2011 when Governor Amosun took over. As a matter of fact, the administration met a comatose civil service, dysfunctional economic plan, moribund infrastructural arena aside from near-death state of health and educational facilities. The situation was so palpable that as the new helmsman took his oath of office in Abeokuta, the state capital, many banks in the state shut their gates against customers. Reason? Intractable menace of armed robbers. Aside man-made challenges, nature-induced peculiarities instantly made the job in the hands of the new governor quite tasking. Birthed in February 1976, the state boasts an estimated population of 4.3 million people occupying a land mass of about 16,409.16 square kilometres. Much as its proximity to the megacity of Lagos attracts advantages, the circumstances also impose its spectacular challenges. This gory situation is most manifest in the area of crime. Fleeing hoodlums and social fugitives from Lagos found Ogun a homely environment. This was promptly tackled by the Amosun administration through massive procurement of Armoured Personnel

Carriers (APCs) deployed across the state. In the meantime, the state’s health sector during the Amosun era has increasingly witnessed remarkable upliftment. Hospitals have sprung up in communities without one in the past. The existing ones have also been wellequipped while health personnel are currently enjoying never-before -experienced welfare largesse from government. Efforts of the government in these areas have greatly resulted in renewed confidence of the citizenry in public health policy of the government. The Amosun administration’s policy on urban renewal is classic. It is anchored on five cardinal points. There is no doubting the fact that every effort made in the area of modernisation geared toward making life more meaningful for the people thrives only on efficient road infrastructure. Roads are the vehicles to take anyone to other government facilities. While most roads in Ogun State had failed by 2011, the fact that a great number of them have been constructed between 30 and 40 years ago worsened the situation. It is, therefore, understandable that modern day pressure on the roads cannot be sustained by this old inadequate road network, a development leading to failure of these facilities. It is against this background that the Amosun administration has evolved the now famous Ogun standard roads. In spite of this eye-popping record of achievements, the Amosun administration scored its most decisive goal in the area of fiscal management. It is widely known that all tiers of government have been assailed by intractable cash crunch. The administration weathered the nation’s economic storm while still performing its transformational duties to the people without exposing the state to debts either in form of loan or unpaid services of contractors. •Lawal is Publicity Secretary, All Progressives Congress, Ogun State.

Ogun: The real change By Sola Lawal

ON Friday, 13th November, 2015, the Ibikunle Amosun administration in Ogun State brought the creme de la creme of government apparatus into the expansive hall of the former Gateway Hotel Abeokuta, now Park Inn. The list of attendees included commissioners, special advisers, consultants and permanent secretaries among others. It was a one-day retreat to jump-start the second term administration of Governor Amosun who was also in attendance. The Abeokuta event offered a rare opportunity to brainstorm over such knotty issues as effecting modern transformational governance in Ogun state, embedded in infrastructural rebirth, investment drive and revenue generation while keeping an eye on people-friendly governance. For Amosun, it is not so much about what to do to memorably impact on the affairs of his people but how to sustain the present tempo of infrastructural hurricane he wrought on the state since 2011 when he assumed office. For reasons that are obvious, the helmsman’s throbbing headache is easily decipherable. Available records show convincingly that in four years he has challenged failure to a duel by embarking on unimaginable volume of infrastructural workload. His somewhat ‘greedy’ onslaught on underdevelopment in Ogun state led many to reach the inevitable conclusion that he has, indeed, overdrawn his goodwill with the impatient god of accomplishment. Although his scorecard - particularly on successfully executed road infrastructure in many areas of the state - shocked many of his critics, many of them are still in various stages of completion at the close of first term last May. His critics were unsparing in firing salvos his way for this reason and the fact that many residents lost property to the bulldozers. Criticism of the administration is most strident in areas where road projects await comple-

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

Femi Olukunle Coordinating Editor 08158610216

Some waste evacuators doing their job in Abuja

How ‘Baba Mbolas’ save satellite towns from stench Christian Okeke -Abuja

ASTE evacuators, otherwise known as Baba Mbolas by some residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have become a saving grace of sorts in the business of keeping satellite towns of the territory tidy. For years, they have proved to be effective and ask the residents, they will tell you that the evacuators have become indispensable in the efforts of keeping clean environment in the satellite towns as government is yet to implement alternative waste evacuation policy. Over the years, the number of these evacuators has indeed swollen. It will perhaps take a person that pays attention to details to note that the evacuators effectively service the nooks and crannies of the towns despite the growing population. Within their camp, the evacuators have a form of government and the system runs effectively. For instance, they have leadership and issues arising from their daily tasks are tackled satisfactorily. In the towns where the evacuators operate, an estate may reach out to the leadership, demanding particular number of evacuators or faces and that would be sorted out by the leadership. The estate can also make special requests regarding particular day and time the evacuators are needed and that the leadership will relay that to the evacuators. Certainly, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) administration does not have control over the operations of the Baba

Mbolas. The reason is also not farfetched: they are not government’s creation and are not in any form of partnership with it. It was the above factors that make patronage and negotiations between residents and the evacuators personal.

Always, the amount to be charged for evacuating wastes depends on the negotiation power of the resident and the evacuator. There is no standard to determine an amount to be charged for a particular volume of waste. In many cases, arguments have arisen in the course of such negotiations because

once there are wastes to be disposed, the evacuators load them in their trucks before negotiation for the amount to be paid commences. In Abuja, many residents dread the Baba Mbolas for a number of reasons. First, there is the belief that most, if not all the evacuators, move around with dangerous weapons and charms. Parts of the weapons, Abuja Xtra gathered, are usually sharp knives. It is often feared that the evacuators carry the weapons for self defence. On the other hand, there is an allegation that they usually use the weapons freely on their victims whenever they are challenged or when negotiations go awry. Abuja Xtra gathered that residents also fear Baba Mbolas because they allegedly utilize their moving around for waste evacuation to engage in theft and other crimes.

Crew Wastes dumped besides a road in FCT

1. Christian Okeke chidiabujatribune@ yahoo.com 08030947856

How vigilante, journalist lost Parents battle life, valuables fees in FCT to robbery private schools attack

2. Clement Idoko idokoajiga@yahoo. co.uk 08034412281

—Pg.22

3. Kolawole Daniel kolawoledaniels@yahoo.co.uk 08030763782 4. Adetola Bademosi gloriaadetola@ gmail.com 08182214290 5. Collins Nnabuife chideraacollins@yahoo.com 08039521408 Abuja Xtra email & GSM: abujaxtra@ gmail.com 08054501406

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Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

How vigilante, journalist lost life, valuables to robbery attack Christian Okeke-Abuja

ARAM is a border town between the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Niger State. Due to the high cost of accommodation in Abuja and the low-cost nature of lands in the community, many residents of the territory consider buying and developing plots in Garam and that was how new structures started springing up there. Apart from these factors, those who show interest in having their own buildings in Garam consider the fact that the community is not too far from Bwari, reputed for housing the Nigeria Law School, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and an Area Council Secretariat, among others. To that effect, they overlook the fact that Garam lacks amenities and adequate security. The bottom line, definitely, is that getting one’s property in the community saves one from the trouble of exorbitant annual house rent in Abuja city. In view of that, a journalist with New Telegraph Newspapers, Alhaji Yekeen Nurudeen, bought some plots in the community and was soon able to complete his house. Afterwards, he happily parked into the new house with his family. However, on that fateful Sunday, he did not know that evil lurked. Narrating the robbery attack, Yekeen told Abuja Xtra that he was with his wife in the sitting room at about 9:45pm watching a channel on DSTV and charging his phones and Ipad for Monday’s work when suddenly he heard his Caucasian dog bark. He said he peeped through the window and saw someone trying to jump over the fence into the compound. According to him, before he could understand what was happening, four-heavily

armed men were already inside, demanding money and threatening to kill him and his wife. Yekeen, who covers ministries of Education and Labour, as well as FCT Minister’s office for New Telegraph, further stated that after handing over the money he had kept for his family’s upkeep ahead of the new week, the robbers still collected his two BlackBerry phones, a Techno Pad II Ipad as well as another Ipad belonging to his wife, her jewelry and other items. The traumatised journalist told Abuja Xtra that the dare-devil robbers were armed with sophisticated guns and carried out their operations in his house and the neighbourhood for about five hours. In the end, his gadgets, work tools and Toyota Camry car with registration number Abuja ABJ 857 AJ were all gone. He disclosed that his hands and legs as well as those of his wife were tied by the robbers while his mouth was also gagged when the robbers finished the operation. The incident, he said, is one that he would not forget in a hurry, especially as it reduced him to square one after the robbers left with property he laboured for years to acquire, including the car. He said: “They took my car and I have my laptop inside it. My two digital recorders, digital camera and my international passport were also inside the car.” Perhaps, the most horrific part of the operation was that the robbers took the life of a vigilante member in the process. Of course, their operation went on for hours unchallenged. Yekeen said: “When they finished, after one of them had kicked my head and face severally, asking if I didn’t know they were coming, they tied my hands backward, my legs and also my mouth and locked me up

in my bedroom. “My seven-year old son woke up in the process and watched as they were tying me. They also did the same thing to my wife and locked her in her room with two kids who were crying. It was only my elder daughter who did not wake up throughout the operation

“The robbers equally robbed three other houses in the neighbourhood and left a vigilante member dead after an operation that lasted about five hours. “The incident has been reported at Kuduru Police station and Sabon Wuse Police station although no clue has been got about the stolen car.”

Parents battle high fees in FCT private schools Christian Okeke-Abuja ASK residents of Abuja and they will tell you that apart from rents, high school fee comes as the next thing that gives them sleepless nights. The challenge they face in paying the fees by far outweighs that of daily feeding and the challenge is showing no signs of abating, checks by Abuja Xtra revealed. It was revealed that the fees are being forced down the throats of parents despite the fact that some of the schools are substandard. Some of the schools operate from residential flats, without adequate space for

sporting and social activities. It was gathered that various schemes were being used by the school owners to milk the parents. A parent told Abuja Xtra that some schools charge as high as N80, 000 as fees. He said the fee was outside bus service whose fee varies, depending on each school. According to him, some of the schools introduce various things that enable them extort the parents. Emmanuel Nnanna noted that there was the need for intervention in order to save the parents from the extortion. He said payment of schools was, indeed, a nightmare in the territory.

Students of a private school in the FCT in an examination hall.

3 1. Director General of Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Sola Omole presenting an award to 1st prize winner in the junior category (Science), Arife Jamiu, from Ondo State who invented fire and gas detector alarm system at the justconcluded NTA Childrens’ Expo 2015 in Abuja. 2. FCT Minister, Alhaji Bello Mohammed; his SA Media, Alhaji Sani Abubakar and the Chairman, FCT Press Corps, Mr Ikharo Attah, when the minister met with members of the press corps in Abuja. 3. FCT Minister,Alhaji Mohammed Bello(right) with some members of the FCT Council of Chiefs when they paid him courtesy visit in Abuja.

FCT minister promises better days for residents, appoints SA media Christian Okeke-Abuja MINISTER of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Muhammadu Bello, has approved the appointment of Alhaji Sani Abubakar as his special adviser on media. This came as he promised to render good governance and improve the living condition of the residents. The appointment, which took immediate effect, was the first to be made by the minister. Abubakar, until his appointment, was the Abuja Bureau Chief of Nasarawa Newsday Newspaper. He also was the chairman of FCT minister’s press corps. In announcing the appointment of his media aide, the minister assured he would work very

closely with the media to achieve the task of leaving laudable legacies in the FCT. Bello noted the desire of generality of the residents of the territory towards an effective leadership in the territory and promised not to disappoint the people. He called for change in the attitude of the residents in a way that would make the territory a better place to live in. The minister appealed for friendship, cooperation and support of the media to enable him succeed in his new task. According to him, “The basic thing is to have good governance for the people so that they can be better off; we should work with the mindset that we are working for the people.”

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Nigerian Tribune

leadership &

management with Sulaimon Olanrewaju

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

Leaders and others’ strengths By Sulaimon Olanrewaju

side working to keep the organization going stronger and better, a leader is also duty-bound to improve the skills and competence of those who work with him. He achieves this by playing to their strengths. This is a tough call because it is much easier to concentrate on what is wrong with an individual with the aim of dumping him or her and opting for a better person. But a good leader does not leave anyone who comes his way the same way he met them; he ensures they get better. So, rather than get bogged down by what is wrong with a team member, he looks for what is right with him and works on that to bring out the best in the individual. This is very important because one of the basic functions of a leader is to raise other leaders. One way that this is accomplished is by playing to the strengths of others. It is not that the leader is unconscious of the member’s weaknesses. He knows that there are two sides to every coin. So, he knows that the team member has his weaknesses. But he is also aware that whatever is paid attention increases. He knows that if he pays attention to the member’s weaknesses, he would never get the best out of him. Continues on pg32

Quote

inside

Leadership

26 business coach 25 Leaders’ forum 26

Don’t find a fault, find a remedy

PAGE

The 60-second

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— Henry Ford

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Dr Oba Otudeko, Chairman, Honeywell Group

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

leadership&management How leaders play to others’ strengths

leadership&management

BOOK

Continues from pg23

The thesis of Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee’s Primal Leadership is that it is neither a high IQ nor masterful skills that truly make a leader – the key essence is a high level of emotional intelligence. This emotional intelligence helps leaders create resonance, which is “a reservoir of positivity that frees the best in people”. Leaders can do this by moving between the six different leadership styles, while also increasingly growing in the four emotional intelligence domains. If leaders grasp these truths, then the impact across their lives, teams, organizations, and society will be revolutionary. In the first section, the authors argue for the importance of emotional intelligence, while relating it to resonance. They then describe the four emotional intelligence domains (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management), and the six leadership styles – four of which are resonant (visionary, coaching, affiliative, democratic), and two of which are dissonant (pacesetting, and commanding). The second part of the book details how to become a resonant leader using Boyatzis’s theory of self-directed learning. This is a section that is full of important insights, such as understanding how change does not just happen because one decides to do it, but how one needs to develop manageable learning goals, seize organic learning opportunities, and practice – all of this in the context of relationships. The last section of the book highlights how emotionally intelligent leaders can extend their emotional intelligence throughout their teams and organizations. The authors are essentially integrating all the concepts of their book into this section, with a strong bent toward application. Consequently, “to build an emotionally intelligent organization, you need to do three things: discover the emotional reality, visualize the ideal, and sustain emotional intelligence.”

He knows that the weaknesses would get magnified and stand in the way of the member giving his best. So, he chooses to concentrate on what is important. The member was not engaged because of his weaknesses but because of his strengths, so the leader encourages him to make use of his strengths for the good of the organisation. This strategy is beneficial to both the leader and the individual. When a leader concentrates on an individual’s strength, he provides him with an opportunity to be in his element; to do that which gives him energy, that which drives him, that which makes him laugh and come alive, that which he enjoys doing and never wants to stop doing. Because he loves what he does, he gets better at it, his productivity is enhanced and this will unfailingly result in a boost in the organization’s bottom line. What are strengths? According to Marcus Buckingham, a leadership expert who is also a co-author of First, Break the Rules, a strength is an activity that makes one feel strong. It is an activity which invigorates one. Before you do it, you find yourself unconsciously looking forward to it. While you are doing it you don’t struggle to concentrate, but instead you become so immersed in it that time speeds up and you lose yourself in the present moment. And after you are through with it, you feel authentic, connected to the best parts of who you really are. Strengths are important because when deployed, they put individuals at their best. Everyone has strengths. According to The Happiness Institute, there are 24 different personality strengths. These strengths are categorised into three; wisdom and knowledge; courage; and humanity. Under wisdom and knowledge, there are strengths such as curiosity, love of learning, critical thinking, ingenuity, perspective as well as social and emotional intelligence. The strengths under courage are; valour, perseverance and integrity. Those under humanity are kindness and love. All team members have

strengths. It is the task of the leader to find out what these strengths are and help his people to unleash them. It is when these are done that success comes within the grasp of the organisation.

developed. With strengths an individual can consistently demonstrate peak performance.

Linking the two, Clifton says a strength begins with a talent. When an individual dis-

Why strengths are important Finding out about team members’ strengths is very important for two major reasons.

Olubunkunola A. George, Founder and CEO of HealthPlus Nigeria

Arunma Oteh, World Bank Vice President

How leaders play to others’ strengths Leaders do not end up playing to others’ strengths just because they so desire; they do so by taking some specific steps.

Provide tailor-made opportunities for development As a follow up to identifying the distinctiveness of every team member, the leader should provide them unique opportunities for development. The trend is to treat team members as an entity and provide them with similar opportunities for development. But that is a disservice to both the affected individuals as well as the organization because that way, both parties are short-changed. Last August, Accenture came up with what it calls ‘performance achievement’ as against the traditional annual employee performance reviews. With this new approach to performance reviews, leaders are expected to provide timely feedback on an ongoing basis. Added to that is that leaders are also expected to come up with development needs of each of those they supervise on a constant basis. What Accenture has done is the deregulation of the performance review exercise, thus making it a frequent, forward-looking coaching session that helps people understand expectations and build on

their strengths. Don’t assume that employees know their strengths Leaders should not assume that team members will be able to identify their own strengths; research has shown that oftentimes they can’t. Instead of working on their strengths, most team members want to work on other things and this is a cause of frustration. So, great leaders don’t leave the determination of team members’ areas of strength to them. What they do is to work with each of the team members to arrive on what their strengths are. After identifying the strengths, the leader must then align the strengths with the expectations and responsibilities of their roles. Encourage team members to leverage everyone’s strengths The essence of finding out the strengths of each member of the team is to enable the leader deploy the strengths of everyone towards the accomplishment of corporate goals. Since the team members are going to work together for the realization of group objectives, it is important for them to know what the strengths of everyone on the team is so that they can leverage on them and build synergy. If team members know how their strengths complement others’, the strategic deployment of the strengths for the purpose of achieving corporate goals would be easy.

business coach THE 60-SECOND

5 bad leadership habits that undercut your team’s productivity These five habits, in particular, can have a negative and disruptive effect on your team’s productivity:

Between talents and strengths According to Don Clifton, the creator of StrengthsFinder, a talent is a naturally recurring pattern of thought, feeling or behaviour. A talent is what a person does naturally. It’s the way that he naturally thinks, feels or behaves. It is his default. While a person may be able to train himself to think, feel, or behave in another way, it may be like going against the grain since he is not operating in an area that is natural to him. Clifton also defines a strength as the ability to provide consistent, near-perfect performance. A person’s strengths are his abilities that have been

be devastating to spend one’s life in a frustrating job. Those who are frustrated on their jobs create a toxic environment which will have a telling effect on others’ productivity. The onus, therefore, is on the leader to play to the strengths of everyone on his team for the good of everyone.

Recognize that everyone is a distinct individual The starting point for playing to people’s strength is to recognize that every team member is a different individual. What that means is that reliance on a one size fits all strategy in dealing with team members will not only be futile and fruitless, it will also be frustrating and exasperating for both the leader and his people. Every individual should be treated distinctly. This requires having a sound knowledge of the team members so as to be able to identify their strengths. Knowing the distinguishing attributes of each member of the team is very critical for the leader as it enables him to bring out the best in each of them. It is also important because most people spend their waking moments on the job; in other words, the job is their lives. So, it will

It reduces stress A recent research has it that 75 per cent of Americans are stressed. The statistics maybe higher for Nigerians. Stress has become so commonplace that even young people are assailed by it. Stress is a product of frustration and frustration can emanate from all manner of sources. However, research has also established that those who operate in the areas of their strengths experience low level of stress. Because they enjoy what they do, because they operate in areas that come to them naturally, they do not experience any undue stress. It enhances productivity Studies have also confirmed that when people are encouraged to operate in their areas of strength, their productivity experiences a boost. People give more value, deliver better results and also have more commitment to the organization when they use their strengths than when they operate from areas that are alien to their natural abode.

covers, develops and deploys his talents, he builds his strengths. Talents are a breeding ground for strengths. By starting with talents, an individual can accelerate his learning curve and get more return for the time and energy invested. It’s making the most of one’s innate resources.

1. Managing the details The term “micromanagement” has a negative connotation for a good reason. Getting lost in the details is a sure way to waste your time, waste your employees’ time, and rack up enough annoyances to alienate your team completely. You don’t have to be completely handsoff to be a good manager, but you do have to focus on high-level thinking and planning. Set a general course or a general goal that you want your employees to achieve, and let them worry about how they want to get it done. If you don’t trust them to do that alone, you probably have the wrong person for the job.

Olajumoke Adenowo

Swaady M. Martin-Leke, Founder and CEO of Yswara

2. Neglecting the individual While it’s a good idea to establish a general work culture that appeals to the type of people you want to work with, not everybody works the same way. Your account manager might benefit from multiple team meetings to exchange information and build camaraderie, but your web developer might see that as an aggravating

waste of time. Your CFO might be a morning person while your designer works better in the afternoons. It’s your responsibility to know each person’s strengths and weaknesses, and cater to those as much as you can. 3. Not making your expectations clear Some entrepreneurs have a bad habit of assuming that their employees can read their minds. They’ll ask for some deliverable, like research for a prospective client, but when the employee gets it done it doesn’t look like they imagined it in their heads. Much of the blame in these scenarios can be directed toward a manager who didn’t make his/her expectations clear from the start. If you have expectations, or a clear idea in your head, you need to make that clear, otherwise, don’t be surprised when your employee submits something different and needs to start the whole project over again. 4. Indecisiveness As an entrepreneur, you’re under a lot of pressure to make the right decisions that drive your business forward. But there’s something worse than making the wrong decision, and that’s not

making any decision at all. If you have a list of to-do items that you’re postponing simply because you aren’t yet sure what to do with them, you might have a problem with indecisiveness. This inability to commit to decisions leads to a productivity halt for your entire business. Your employees won’t know which work to start and which to ignore, and they won’t have faith in the direction of your business overall. Commit to decisions, even if you’re not 100 per cent sure of the outcomes. A bad decision is still better than no decision. 5. Refusing to delegate Some entrepreneurs view this as a merit-worthy habit. They take on as much work as possible by themselves, delegating little to the employees below them. While on the surface this might seem a noble effort to avoid overworking your underlings, the reality is it can detract from your productivity as a group. Your employees are there to handle these responsibilities, freeing you up to conquer bigger and better things. Learn how to delegate effectively, and your productivity as an organization will skyrocket.

tribunebusiness

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Nigerian Tribune

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

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

The power of ethical leadership (3)

Effective leaders have no problem understanding the fact that there is no right way to do a wrong thing. By asking the question on whether the wrong thing can ever be done in a right way, a leader is simply asking himself if the action he is about to take to advance a personal or collective interest is legal. It is important to note however that legitimacy is not to be viewed only from the perspective of the laws of the land. Very often, what is legally right may be morally wrong. For instance, the law of the land will not bother itself with office romance. However, it is well known that when carried too far and done with reckless abandon, it can ruin cohesive operational dynamics and consequently, collective outcomes. Legitimacy must therefore be seen from two different perspectives. Where law and order rule, any organization should expect to be sanctioned when it infringes on extant laws of the land. For instance, in the cases of MTN and Skye Bank mentioned last week, the organizations concerned flouted the rules set by the regulatory agencies and were promptly sanctioned. Several people have expressed the opinion that the fines imposed are too draconian. While that may be true, it should also be known that the punishment was avoidable. After all, other operators in their industries did not fall foul of the same rules. I am reminded at this point of the story of the man who was arrested and arraigned before a law court on two counts of first degree murder. He was alleged to have killed both his parents. At the end of the trial, he was pronounced guilty. Asked if he had anything to say before sentence was pronounced, he said to the judge, “Thank you my lord. I don’t really have much to say except to plead that you be lenient with me. As you can see, I am an orphan”! Rules exist to guide conduct and once the standards are breached, sanctions act as deterrents. Where exceptions are constantly made in the enforcement of rules, in time, exceptions begin to masquerade as rules!

Beyond the law of the land is the values code of the organization itself. Core values are the compass of conduct in the organization. They represent the parameters, not only of operations but of relational ethos within the organization as well as with its public. Where those values are absent or they are ignored, anything goes. The law of the jungle rules. Survival at all cost, rather than service becomes the primary preoccupation, even if it has to be done at the expense of everyone else. Where core values are defined, every employee must be made to subscribe to them. Without corresponding values that prescribe ethics in an organization, the Mission Statement, no matter how beautifully crafted, is as good as dead on arrival! The second ethics question that every leader needs to ask is, “Is it fair to all concerned?” According to E.O Wilson, “Companies that are willing to share, to withhold in order to further the growth of the company, willing to try to get a better atmosphere through a demonstration of democratic principles, fairness and cooperation, a better product, those will win in the end.” Leaders often have to take decisions. Sometimes, decisions can be tough, especially when they involve people. Considering the fact that the basic resource of leadership is human, it is vital that every leader apply a lot of thought in taking decisions that affect the people that he leads. In every such decision, people will be affected differently, some positively and some negatively. In realization of this, the leader must not only be fair but must be seen to be so. The decision for instance, to fire someone or some people in one fell swoop can be very painful for a leader; considering the fact that such people at various times, had contributed something to the organization. The ultimate is to ensure that as much as possible, a win-win situation is created for all involved, such that even those who may seem to be holding the short end of the stick would see the justification for it. Even where objectivity may not be totally possible, fairness should not be seen to be lacking. According to Michael Pollan, “…perfect objectivity is an unrealistic goal. Fairness however, is not.” Potter Stewart says it even more poignantly, “Fairness is

what justice really is.” The third ethics question has to do with the law of one’s conscience. Leadership is not a popularity contest. Great leaders never lead to be popular but to be relevant. In taking decisions, it is important that the leader considers how a decision makes him feel after he has taken it. Does he feel happy, knowing that he has done the best that he could have done in the circumstance, even when a decision has been less than pleasant and perhaps unpopular? Or does he feel restless and unsettled, knowing that he could have done things differently but for less than altruistic reasons, did not? Can he go to sleep at night, knowing that he has a clear conscience or does he stay awake at night, pummeled by thoughts of his indiscretion? Questioned by his children on any of his decisions, can the leader proudly explain the rationale behind it to them and inspire them to take similar steps when confronted with a similar situation in future? According to a Polish proverb, conscience is the voice of the soul. A clear conscience has been described as the best pillow. Uthman Dan Fodio was quoted to have said that conscience is an open wound that only truth can heal. In all his dealings, a clear conscience is proof that a leader has been honest, transparent and above board in all his dealings. Even if all the courts in the land pronounce a man innocent, if his conscience disagrees, such a man is not free. On the other hand, if a man is convicted by the law of the land, and his conscience indicates the contrary, he is a free man even if put behind bars! Hear Martin Luther King Jr. “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but he must take it because his conscience tells him it is right.” Every leader should learn this discipline from Paul the apostle in Acts 24:16; “And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.” … continued. Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!

When what is good becomes bad

What is good becomes bad when it is done at the wrong time. Also, it is good to be hushed and silent but when you are silent and still when you are to speak out, silence becomes bad. Sleep is good, but when done at the wrong time, it becomes bad. It is good to rest at home, but when you rest at home at the wrong time, it becomes bad. Furthermore, it is good to catch fun, but when done at the wrong time, it becomes bad. As well, it is good to spend money, but when it is not spent wisely and cleverly, it becomes bad. One of the stories that changed my life very early in life is the chronicle of King David. History has it that he stayed back at home when kings were to be fighting. Please do understand me that it is not wrong to stay at home resting, but when done at the wrong time, it could lead to a generational error. If David had gone to the war-front, he would not have seen a naked woman bathing. And if he had not seen a naked woman bathing, he would not have slept with her— another man’s wife. When you rest at home when you are supposed to be working hard, you will see what you are not supposed to see and you will do what you will later regret. This is what happens when you stay at home resting when you are supposed to be out there working productively. Resting at home when you are supposed to be working productively will always birth problems. Eating solid meals is good, but when eaten at the wrong time it becomes bad. In recent times, I got to learn that it is bad to eat solid meals late in the night. I did glean from a book that it is deleterious to the body, but most of us do not know. Also, I got to learn that eating a solid meal should not go beyond 7pm. In Lagos State, many families do not get to their varied homes until either 10pm or 11pm; so it is not rocket science to know that too many families do eat late in

the night. And most of these families do not know that it is wrong to eat solid meals late in the night. Why? Because it is dangerous, going to bed with un-digested meals. You know it takes a long time for solid meals to digest. Unity is good, but when you take God out of it, it becomes bad. Also, what we come together to achieve and pull off is superior to our coming together. Take for instance, coming together is good, but coming together to balkanize Nigeria is bad. Remember, you and I have promised to always uphold the unity of our beloved country. It is a waste of time and energy to come together to build either a project or a movement that will end up in pointlessness. When people call you to unite with them, find out what you are going to be uniting with them to achieve. This is so important. You cannot afford to fritter away and squander your precious time and life, doing what will come to nothing in the days to come. Additionally, seeing a student with a high GPA is usually a good thing unless students are more concerned with the grade than they are with learning. In Nigeria today, students are more concerned with the grade than they are with learning. Of what good is a high GPA when no learning has truly taken place? Of what good is a student who graduates out of either a polytechnic or university with either upper credit or first class when he or she cannot solve life and business related problems? A high grade is good, but it becomes bad when students are more concerned with the grade than they are with learning. Marin Luther King Jr. said, “Our lives began to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Silence is good but it becomes bad when we are silent about things that matter. What are the things that matter in your com-

munity, state, country, continent and the world at large that you have been silent about? When we keep silent in the face of evil, it means we are not being nationalistic and patriotic. Patriotic and devoted Nigerians will always speak out about things that matter in Nigeria. Silence is not golden when it comes to things that matter to us as a nation. One characteristic of Martin Luther King Jr. that is most compelling and undeniable is that Dr. King warned all of us to refrain and desist from keeping silent—to speak up when we encounter injustice. It is evil to be silent in the face of oppression, injustice and corruption. When last did you speak out when you encountered an injustice? It is your onus and my onus to always not keep silent each time we encounter an injustice. Remember, he who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it. Speaking against evil is not an act of disobedience, but being silent when we encounter an injustice is an act of disobedience. Last but not least, late Dr. King said, “History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the vociferous and discordant clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silent of the good people.” I totally and wholly agree with these thought provoking words from one of the great men of all times. In this period that we are moving from the old to the new as a nation, history will not record the hullabaloo, ruckus and tricks of bad people, but the silence of those of us who call ourselves good people. For the umpteenth time, it is evil to be silent each time we encounter injustice as a people. See you where great people are found!

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

property

Nigerian Tribune

anchor Gbemi Solaja

m:07065220616 e:gbemisolaja@gmail.com

Ogun pledges to complete ongoing road projects Stories By Gbemi Solaja – Lagos

gun State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr Olamilekan Adegbite, has assured that the present administration in the state will complete the ongoing road projects it embarked upon across the state before the expiration of its tenure in 2019, and also open up new roads which would be completed before the end of its tenure. The commissioner, in a statement by the spokesman of the ministry, Mr Ayokunle Ewuoso, stated this during the 2015 budget performance visit to the ministry by the members of the House Committee on Works and Infrastructure led by the Chairman, Honourable Olayiwola Ojodu, who described the comments made by some people that the road projects would be abandoned as their imaginations. “New roads with socio-economic importance or advantage to our people have been identified. There are so many roads that are on ground; of course some of them will have to be prioritised according to the fund that is available. People are saying that all these roads are going to be abandoned, especially the ones that were marked for the urban re-

newal. “But I want to say that all these statements are mere imaginations of the people, because I am certain that not only will these projects be completed, we will start new ones. Moreover, some of these roads are 75 to 80 per cent completed.” Adegbite, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Kayode Ademolake, pointed out that out of about N21 billion

budgeted for the ministry, only N18 billion is meant for road projects, adding that the agency had spent N1.5 billion so far. On recurrent, he said the ministry had a sum of N360 million, while N192.28 million representing 53.4 per cent had been expended. Speaking on the ultramodern shopping mall located in Shapon, Abeokuta South Local Government Area of the state, which has been completed by the government,

Stakeholders seek end to corruption in built environment Stakeholders in the built industry have expressed concern over the high corruption in the industry, while also calling on the Federal Government to find lasting solution to impunity in the industry. Bearing his mind on the issue, Deputy President, Nigeria Institution of Surveyors, (NIS), Akin Oyegbola, blamed the high incidence of corruption on past governments who he said had failed in leadership, which also gave room for lawlessness and impunity across the industry, adding that corruption had taken a new dimension and it was imperative for government to come up with strategies to control fraud and associated crimes.

Immediate past President, Nigerian Institute of builders (NIOB), Charles Omeife, regretted that inflating prices of building materials was now a regular occurrence in the built environment. “According to him, various prices of building materials compute to form the bill of quantity, which ordinarily is the first principle, but this in reality, is different from what obtains in the country presently, emphasising that pricing in the built environment was based on assumptions. “Corruption is at a very high level right now, and it is growing everyday. You should know that even the cost of building

Expert urges Fashola to address housing problems as state of emergency Managing Director, Realty Point, Mr Debo Adejana, has called on the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, to address the housing problems in the country as a state of emergency that requires urgent solutions. Speaking recently with the Nigerian Tribune, Adejana urged the minister to look into pension funds and get it into the housing scheme in finding lasting solutions to housing shortage. The realty point boss who also urged the government to harness the potentials in the construction industry, noted that the built industry ought to contribute more to the Gross Domestic Product of the country.

the commissioner assured that government would be fair and just in its allocation, adding that government would soon commence the allocation to traders, as soon as all the necessary papers were completed. In his reaction, Ojodu commended the management of the ministry for a job well done, while also noting that their could be improvement on the part of the management.

According to him, housing is a reflection of how well an economy is doing. The level of mortgage participation and contribution to the GDP is an indication of how well an economy is doing. “Right now, that sector is not contributing as much as it should despite its potentials, this is also especially as a result of the shortfall and I must say that we need to address it as if we are in a crisis situation.” Similarly, Chief Executive Officer, InstinctWave, Mr Akin Naphtal called on government to take advantage of the construction industry as a major driver of growth and a major contributor to the country’s gross domestic product.

Naphtal said the industry cannot be neglected because it had become a veritable index in terms of employment generation for both skilled and unskilled manpower. The Instinct Wave boss who maintained that the industry’s potentials were immeasurable said it had witnessed considerable growth in recent years and now contributed about 3. 2 per cent to the GDP. According to Naphtal, every ambition that the Nigerian government has such as creating the much needed housing, improving public services, developing its tourist sector, improving transport links, creating new jobs and eradicating poverty can be linked to the construction sector.

roads in Nigeria is like the highest in the world. There is nowhere that they spend so much money on projects and most of these building materials are over inflated. “So the starting point is to look at the cost of projects, which means that the cost of materials must be looked into, and labour should be added, which gives the actual cost of the product. But if we look at what obtains in the industry, you will see that the cost of these things are inflated and in Africa, we pay highest for housing simply because of corruption. Most of what we have in the country are based on assumptions,” he said. He, however, said that if corruption must be checked, the starting point was to look at the cost of projects, stating that if any government could control the level of corruption in the built environment, orderliness will be restored to the industry. “We must be able to ascertain the cost of a one-bedroom apartment. We should be able to know how much it costs to build a one-bedroom apartment; how many workers are on a site, as this is the only way cost can be ascertained.” Similarly, Oyegbola said that impunity had remained in the industry and corruption had thrived because leadership was not up to the task. He expressed optimism that the corruption challenges would soon be a thing of the past, noting that the present administrations effort at combating corruption would herald change and hope.

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

brands& marketing

Nigerian Tribune

anchor Akin Adewakun

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

Jitters in IMC as the rains of fines continue Stories By Akin Adewakun - Lagos

t is no longer news that the regulatory agencies in the country have suddenly woken up from their deep slumber, as evident in the recent decision of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to fine one of the nation’s telecommunications services providers, MTN, the sum of N1.04 trillion for infractions. Guinness and some others had also suffered similar fate in recent times, for breaching corporate governance ethics. Interestingly, since that floodgate of fines was opened by NCC, a few weeks ago, reactions have continued to trail the actions and their likely implications for the nation’s IMC industry. While opinions have been divided on the likely consequences of the regulatory agencies’ actions on the industry, not a few stakeholders are however of the firm belief that the industry might be at the receiving end in the forthcoming year. A marketing communications expert, Mr. Gani Olowu is of the belief that the recent actions would be of significant implications for the industry, “it will go a long way in re-defining the industry by telling brand custodians that it is no longer business as usual.” While agreeing with the fact that the fines are on the high side and that they may at the end of the day leave the fined brand ‘gasping’ for breath, he however believes that it has its positives for other brands in that market segment. “For instance, while it is a known fact that the brand equity of the fined telecoms brand has continued to drop, even in foreign stock market, reports available show that competitions such as Etisalat and others are having a swell time, reaping from this recent adversity of the brand. “Besides, I believe that rather than scare investors, it will only provide the necessary confidence for them to play in the sector and the nation’s business environment; since it clearly shows a new thinking, a new direction and a new resolve by the government to ensure that everybody plays by the rule,” he stated. Throwing his weight behind the decisions, an outdoor advertising practitioner, Femi Ogala argued that the only way to safeguard the industry is to ensure that operators play by the rule. “I’m sure that fine is not arbitrary, NCC must have a way it arrived at that amount, but the only thing is for them to plead for leniency,” he stated. But Ogala, who is the incumbent Secretary General of the Outdoor Advertisers’ Association of Nigeria (OAAN), however believes that the heavy fines portend serious danger for the advertising industry. “MTN used to be one of the heaviest ad spenders in that market segment, and when this type of thing happens, and there is the need to cut cost, you can be sure that it is the ad budget that they would first review. So don’t be surprised

From left, Brand Manager, Pepsodent, Unilever Nigeria, Georg Umoh; President, Nigerian Dental Association, Dr. Bode Ijarogbe; Category Manager, Oral Care, Unilever Nigeria, Bunmi Adeniba; Director-General of the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr Paul Orhi and Director, National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Professor Karniyus Gamaniel, at a press briefing to flag off 2015 National Oral Health Week organised by the Federal Ministry of Health in partnership with Pepsodent, in Abuja, recently. if by 2016, you are seeing fewer MTN billboards on the road. And don’t be surprised too if you see a slow-down on its marketing communication activities next year, because its pre-occupation for now will be how to pay the heavy fine,” he stated. Ogala noted that what makes it more worrisome, especially for the outdoor advertising sub-sector is the fact that, of late, the sub-sector has been experiencing a slow-down in activities as seen in the increasing number of vacant billboards on the nation’s outdoor space. For instance, of late, practitioners have been complaining of the high cost of doing business in that sector and the need for government regulators in that sector to create an enabling environment for the practice to flourish. Muyiwa Olumide, a brand analyst believes the financial clampdowns will have far-reaching effects on the indus-

try; since it will negatively impact on the bottom-line of the agencies handling the briefs of such brands. “Do you think it will be business as usual for the agencies managing these brands? Perhaps no, because they are likely to experience a financial glut, especially if these troubled brands are their major clients,’ he argued. He however believes it could also be an opportunity for such brands’ reputation managers to enhance their bottom-lines too. “We are talking of corporate governance here. These brands have fallen short of those ethical standards, their reputations and equities are in tatters, so this may be the opportunity their public relations agencies have been looking for to get busier,” he stated. Another brand analyst and writer, Mr. Wole David would rather describe the development as an attestation to the fact

that it is rather late in the day for impunity. “For instance, prior to this, we had always associated impunity with government agencies, but recent developments now have shown that the private sector also has its fair share of this unethical standards too,” he argued. While he would not see anything wrong with those fines; since that has been the norm for violators of the state’s laws, all over the world, he also believes this development would not have any negative effect on the industry. Perhaps happenings in the industry in the next few weeks will enable stakeholders decipher which way the pendulum will eventually swing. But for now, the tension among stakeholders is that those rains of fines might rub off negatively on the bottom-line of companies eking their living within the nation’s IMC space.

Samantha’s Bistro Restaurant commences operations in Ikoyi The management of Samantha’s Bistro Restaurant has announced the opening of an outlet of the restaurant in Ikoyi, as part of its plans to bring healthy provenance dishes closer to the people in the area and its environs. The Chief Executive Officer of the restaurant, Dumebi Agbakoba, stated that the new outlet, which boasts of an indoor café, an outdoor grill known as The Village Grille, offers a weekly changing menu of well-prepared hearty meals. According to her, the reason behind the floating of the outlet, which runs three services of breakfast, lunch and dinner, is to ensure that there is an offering for everyone; hence the availability of Italian, British and French influences in the style of cooking , adopted by the Restaurant.

Dumebi, the daughter of former President of Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Olisa Agbakoba added that, besides providing provenance dishes, the restaurant will also have an in-house DJ to entertain the guests every Friday, while a live band will be on the music stand every last Friday of the month. Samantha’s restaurant, is made up of a bistro, cafe and an outdoor grill; the indoor is the bistro and bar, whilst the outdoor is the village grille. In a chat with Brands & Marketing, Dumebi, a fashion guru and also the Editor-in-Chief of Side view Magazine, explained that her passion for food and cooking had always been prevailed whenever she tried to switch career, hence her decision to come up with the idea of a unique restaurant, which the

new outlet represents. Dumebi, an experienced Chef, fuses her knowledge of Italian, French and Nigerian food to create an ever- changing seasonal menu such as Jacqueline, Bon Sergeant breakfast Burger and a classic cheese burger. “I started when I was nine years old. I have always been creative with my hand, and food has always been part of me. Every time I try to switch career food always comes in. “Samantha’s is like the end-product of my talent in one place. This place is for everybody, if you love it - you can come here and eat good food and most so, we will be expanding very soon so as to cater for people that love good food,” she said in an exclusive interview with Brands & Marketing.

brands&marketing

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

Nigerian Tribune

From left: Managing Director, Nutricima; Eelco Weber; Brand Ambassador, Nunu, Omoni Oboli; Marketing Director, Kalyan Bandyopadhyay and Category Marketing Manager, Nutricima, Charity Adeniji, at the relaunch of Nunu in Lagos, recently.

Multichoice slashes hardware prices, unveils promo Multichoice Nigeria has announced a downward review of prices of some of its hardware as the company unveiled a new promo, aimed at rewarding its teeming subscribers and cushioning the harsh economic conditions Nigerians are presently passing through. Speaking at the flag off of the end of the year consumer promotion tagged Spin the wheel and win, the company’s General Manager, Sales and Marketing, Mr. Martins Maputo, stated that being a sensitive corporate organization, the central idea of the consumer promotion is to see how the company can help in ameliorating the tough economic conditions Nigerians are presently going through. According to him, the company has reduced the price of its hard-

ware by over 40 per cent, with tens of thousands of decoders available for the promo. Expatiating on the promo, the Marketing Manager DStv, Chioma Afe, stated that all a consumer needs to qualify for the promo is to buy a DStv HD zapper decoder with family

bouquet. “You will be automatically upgraded to one month of compact bouquet subscription that comes with additional 17 channels, while also qualifying to participate in the DStv Spin the wheel promo for a 50 -50 chance to win amazing prizes,” she stated.

Dufil donates medical equipment to Akerele Health center Dufil Prima Foods Plc, makers of Indomie Instant Noodles, has donated medical equipment to the pediatric unit of the Akerele Health Centre, a governmentowned hospital as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities. The company’s Head, Public Relations and Event Manager, Mr. Tope Ashiwaju, described the donation as an ongoing activity,

aimed at supporting the public health sector, by partnering with the state and donating equipment relevant to the sectors. He expressed the company’s commitment to enhancing sustainable Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative (CSR) projects especially in the Health Sector. ‘We also believe there is no need feeding the over-fed and that is why we have decided to take up

RenMoney to introduce financial product for unemployed Nigerians Money solutions providers, RenMoney has announced plans to introduce a new product that will cater for the needs of the unemployed Nigerians as part of its expansion drive. Disclosing this recently, in Lagos, at the commissioning of the Ikota outlet of the company, the company’s chairman, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi stated that such offering had become imperative; since the products presently in the company’s bouquet, are designed only for the employed Nigerians. According to him, when eventually unveiled, the new product will be accessed by enterprising Nigerians, who are without regular employments. “What we are trying to do is to develop a new product that they will be able to access, because the products that we have now are only for those with regular employment,” he stated. He explained that the decision to

According to her, some of the prizes available to be won in the consumer promo, scheduled to end in February, 2016 include: double door Refrigerator, LED TV (40”), Explorer decoder, Generator, Zapper, One month on us, and Airtime and a host of other prizes.

open an outlet in Ikota, Lekki area of the metropolis, was informed by the need to bring financial services to more Nigerians, especially people living in that area. Oyekanmi expressed the belief that with the commissioning, the people in the area would not have to travel to other parts of the city to have access and enjoy the compa-

ny’s offerings. “Rather than get people to travel all the way from VGC, Ajah, Ikoyi, Lagos Island to Ikeja and Apapa where we have six branches already, what we’ve done is to bring this closer to the customers. With the new outlet, they don’t have to travel for them to access the products that we have,” he argued.

3D Makery unveils new scanning innovation United States of America-based company, 3D Makery.com, has added a new dimension to selfies in Nigeria, as it launched a 3D scanning and printing service tagged ultimate selfie technology in Nigeria and Africa. The introduction of the selfie technology, marks the first in Africa and one of the very few available globally. Speaking at the three-day unveiling event in Lagos, 3D Makery Nigeria Chairman and Founder, Israel Ovirih explained that the

one-of-a-kind ‘disruptive’ technology will outshine every other technology, while availing Nigerian youths employment through self dependence. According to him, “3D technology is opening up a whole new world of possibilities and the reward of 3D printing technology is that the scan can be used to produce a full color figurine known as a ‘Shapie.’ So, rather than a half cocked snapshot you can have a 3D printed sculpture to either keep as your own or give as a gift.”

community- based project as our key area of interventions and not the private health establishment,’ he stated. While commending the medical officers at the Centre, Ashiwaju stated that there are so many needs in the health sector; hence the decision of the company to come and experience it firsthand in order to know the areas for more intervention. He also highlighted the relevance of the donation as a direct form of giving back to the Surulere Community which is the host community of the corporate head office of Dufil Prima Foods Plc, while also assuring continuous partnership and support of Dufil Prima Foods Plc for the development of the community through other forms of interventions. Also speaking at the event, member, Lagos State House of Assembly representing Surulere Constituency, Honourable Desmond Elliot commended Dufil Prima Foods for the kind gesture, while also encouraging other corporate organizations to emulate the company by giving back to their operating environments. In showing appreciation for Dufil’s initiative, Bamidele Sulaimon Yusuf, the Deputy Executive Secretary, Surulere Local Government Area, described the donation as the first gift to the Centre, especially the the pediatric unit.

Experts commend Chivita’s Juiceball campaign over adherence to ad principles

The Chivita 100% Juice Ball Campaign, designed to sensitise consumers to the inherent qualities of the Chivita Juice brand, currently running on multiple communication platforms, has continued to attract comments from analysts in the industry who see the new campaign as further bonding the brand to more consumers. A marketing communications consultant, Charles Agwu, argued that the brand presence and growth of Chivita 100% juice has, of recent, been exceptional with the deployment of the Juiceball commercial, now on TV, Radio, social media space and billboards. According to him, the deployment of the commercial has brought the brand home to Nigerians, while further reinforcing fond memories consumers have about the brand. For Joshua Bamishaye, a sports content marketing executive, the Chivita 100% Juice ball campaign has in recent times attracted the attention of communication experts for its adherence to the principles of great advertising. “It is necessary to separate good advertising from great advertising because when certain basic fundamentals are adhered to, great commercials are capable of arousing the emotion in a way that deepens the interest of the target audience and brings about a lasting relationship, which I believe that is what Chi limited has done with this commercial,” he said.

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

infotech

Nigerian Tribune

anchor Bode Adewumi

m:08055001765 e:bodekafi@yahoo.com

Again, Globacom blazes the trail for Yuletide with twin gifts

Nigeria’s National Telecommunications Services Operator, Globacom has left no one in doubt as to its ability to provide quality services required to live up to the expectations of the terms of its license. BODE ADEWUMI writes on the recent twin bash the company just introduced to make the festive period more exciting for its subscribers.

t is the festive season one more time and gifts are already flying around, from hampers to souvenirs and to more expensive endowments. But even long before the yuletide gifts began flying; the next generation network has dropped a fantastic surprise for its subscribers. When it comes to pleasant surprises, Globacom appears to be an expert at it. Twelve years ago, the network surprised the nation by crashing the cost of making calls by introducing billing by the second. The Per Second Billing (PSB) was phenomenal. It changed the telecommunications landscape and brought great succour to phone users. Now twelve years after, the phenomenon has been re-enacted with what observers have called “...the next best thing after per second”. It is tagged Free Tomorrow. Free Tomorrow was followed with the Twin Bash promo. Globacom designed the Free Tomorrow promotional package to bring excitement into the Nigerian telecoms market. The value in the product is unprecedented in the 14 years history of telecoms in the country. The only precursor of this magnitude we could recall was the Per Second Billing which Globacom pioneered. Specifically, Free Tomorrow measures exactly how much data and airtime a subscriber uses in a day for calls, SMS and internet browsing, upload, download and then credits the subscriber the next day with the DOUBLE THE VALUE of the previous day’s usage FOR FREE. For instance, if a Glo subscriber uses N1, 000 airtime in a day on calls and data, he gets the N2, 000 back free the very next day. The uniqueness of the product is that the free credit can be used anyhow the subscriber wishes for calls to any network or for data. The subscriber can also use the bonus credit to call friends, family and business associates in any five of the most frequently called countries by Nigerians including Unites States of America, China, India, Canada and land

From left: Globacom’s Brand Specialist, Yewande Laditan; Globacom’s Head of Corporate Sales, Kamaldeen Shonibare, Executive Director, Legal Services, Globacom, Gladys Talabi, and Globacom’s Brand Specialist, Nnemdi Bekwenye, at a press conference for the launch of Twin Bash promo in Lagos, recently. lines in the United Kingdom. But as if that was not astounding enough, Globacom proved again to be an operator that is committed to focusing on the endless possibilities of indulging its subscribers in those things that make them happy Just two weeks after the launch of the Free Tomorrow, Globacom unveiled yet another mouth-watering offer, with benefits that include quadruple data and free double airtime for call to all networks. Explaining how the Twin Bash works, Globacom’s Executive Director, Legal Services, Mrs Gladys Talabi, said that a subscriber who recharges N200 data will get 200 MB of data worth N800, another N200 airtime to call or send SMS to any network and N200 airtime to call 10 friends and family. The subscriber will therefore get N1, 200 value for a data recharge of N200 and the recharge is valid for four days. She explained further that a subscriber who recharges with N500 data plan will get 500 MB of data, N500 airtime to call or send SMS to any network and N500 airtime to call 10 friends and family member, adding that this is valid for 10 days. Every subscriber who recharges with N1, 000 for data will get 1GB of data bundle. In addition, the subscriber will also receive N1, 000 free airtime to call or send SMS to any network and N1000 free air-

time to call 10 friends and family, adding that this is valid for 15 days. Similarly, for a N2, 000 data plan, the subscriber will enjoy 2 GB of data with N2, 000 airtime bonus to call or send SMS to any network and another N2, 000 free airtime to call ten friends and family members. She added that this package is valid for 30 days. Talabi explained further that

the company has invested enormously on network upgrade in the last one year, adding that this has led to significant improvement in the quality of voice and data service. Those who were at the Twin Bash launch event in Lagos recently, said the promo was “an unbeatable offer”. “Imagine paying N200 for a service and getting a value worth N1, 200,” Aniefiok Michael, a subscriber

said. According to Michael, a subscriber in Lagos, “Globacom has taken subscribers’ benefits to a brand new level. It has never been done that a network should give free voice airtime for when a subscriber buys data package,” he enthused. According to Globacom, the network will continue to invest huge resources in developing and maintaining a communications technology that is second to none in Africa. “We are currently enhancing the quality of our network to accommodate the anticipated traffic that this exciting promo will add to the network. “We are equally putting human and material resources to task to sustain a robust network and guarantee seamless communications within Nigeria and whenever our subscribers call other countries anywhere in the world,” Globacom’s Retail and Consumer Sales Chief, David Maji said. “We assure our subscribers that they will continue to enjoy quality and affordable data and voice offerings as well as greater and unfettered access to same,” he concluded.

We have achieved a paradigm shift at NIMC — Onyemenam The Director General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Barrister Chris Onyemenam, said the Commission has achieved a paradigm shift with the successful implementation of the components of the National Identity Management System (NIMS) in the country. The NIMC DG, who made the statement in an interview session with journalists at the weekend, also said that the specific value proposition that flows from the NIMS cuts across the three tiers of government, as well as the private sector and includes the family, and even the international society. According to him, if you take it by extension to the civil service generally, the concept of ghost workers or duplicate identities will be eliminated. “No one can be in the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) more than once, because the individual will be traced through the alignment of the ‘unique’ identities in the biometrics driven IPPS and the National Identification Num-

ber (NIN),” he said. Expressing confidence in the current setup of the Unique Identification Scheme under the NIMS, he said what the Commission is doing is in tandem with global best practice, which says, “Uniquely identify every citizen and legal resident, in terms of ‘who you are’ and not what you are eligible to like benefit identities or what you can participate in like the Voter card, or what you are obliged to like Tax, or what you need to have like the driver’s license.” Onyemenam explained: “Therefore, the ability to create a single version of truthof the identities of individuals that will serve the entire country is what we have set up at NIMC, because the NIMS is a cross cutting platform. If you don’t know people and they commit a crime, they can deny it. If someone is able to have more than one identity then they can benefit from their own acts of deception. “Today, advance fee fraud, popularly known as 419 is rampant because people can claim to be who

they are not and still get away with it. So in terms of fighting crime, what we have done with the NIMS is an important tool for law enforcement agencies to fight crime, corruption and/or ensuring that the war against corruption succeeds, because you can’t hide from yourself after having been identified by the Commission” You can only hide for a while, you cannot refuse to pay tax and hope not to be caught somehow, not possible.” “Because enrolment on the NIMS platform covers the period from ‘birth to death, it provides economic planners of the country that hardcore data about some of the socio-economic characteristics of citizens in a slightly more factual sense than what other organisation provides, e.g., if you know the people in the age bracket 0-13 and you want to be able to feed them in schools, it’s a bit easier and more purposive with the NIMS because you will use the uniqueness of the identity that has been given to them, to ensure that the benefit goes to them only.”

infotech

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

Samsung’s competition produces winner

PromoXchange loyalty and reward platform debuts

Stories By Bode Adewumi

n line with its commitment to help its customers achieve their dreams, Samsung Electronics West Africa, has announced Ms Ifeyinwa Obienu, a volunteer with the Destiny Trust, a non-government organisation, as the winner in the just-concluded Samsung’s Picture Your Dream competition. The platform availed Nigerians the opportunity to express their dreams through a palm selfie contest, which was launched at the end of August 2015. “It was truly a challenge short-listing the Top seven finalists for this contest,” said Ms Jumoke Okikiolu, Head, Product Marketing (IM), Samsung Electronics West Africa. “Many of the over 1,300 entries initially received were very inspiring. The seven finalists selected after the first round had a busy time soliciting votes from friends and family via social media. Ms. Obienu’s dream to ‘help destitute kids get off the street’ pulled the highest number votes in the second and final round,” Okikiolu added. Obienu thanked Samsung and Nigerians after emerging the winner of the contest, stating that it felt really good. “I still cannot believe that I actually won as I am very sure that there were so many entries. Getting disadvantaged children off the streets has been a dream I have nurtured and have been working towards for a while now;that Samsung would want to help me accomplish this dream brings joy to my heart. Thank you Samsung for making this possible and for keeping to your words,” stated Obienu. The contest is an offshoot of the company’s current theme, Dream Your Dream, which inspires progress and spurs dreams to suc-

From left, Mrs Kika Akpenyi of Heritage Bank; Mr Ade Aderinto, Managing Director, Carboss Tech Ltd; Mr Adebiyi Oke, Co-Founder, PromoXchange; Mr Adeoye Abodunrin, Chief Operating Officer, Cubed Integrated Management Consulting and Mr Tunde Samuel, Philips Consulting during the PromoXchange media launch in Lagos, recently. cess,while also nurturing the aspiration of young Nigerians who have great dreams with the potential to impact the country positively. The other six finalists of thePicture Your Dream campaign were also rewarded with Samsung Galaxy J7 devices.

“The emergence of Obienu as the winner of the palm selfie competition aptly portrays Samsung as an organisation that supports its customers in achieving their dreams. At Samsung,we are committed to seeing that dreams that positively impact on the society are brought

The former INEC boss stressed the need for a strong stakeholder alliance and consolidation as well as expansion of the scope of technology adoption in the Nigerian electoral process. This he said would engender greater transparency and effectiveness in delivering free, fair, credible and peaceful elections in the country. “As the 2015 general elections clearly illustrated, Nigeria has

Etisalat holds 2015 customer forum in Lagos Etisalat Nigeria has once again demonstrated its leadership as a customer-focused company when it hosted the Lagos edition of the company’s regional customer forum. The event recently held at Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, Victoria Island is an interactive feedback session aimed at engaging customers in order to serve them better. Speaking on the essence of the forum, the Chief Marketing Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr Francesco Angelone, said it was in recognition of the valuable contributory roles the company’s customers play in the development of services and products that offer richer experience on the network. “Any contact with the customer is a pillar for the company because our main objective is to improve customer experience, and this means everything to us. We want them to be able to buy and recharge their lines and use products and services in the easiest ways possible. We have heard from them and, as it is a tradition with us, we will go back with a view of addressing their challenges and this will lead to the introduction of more innovative products and services to meet their communication needs,”

to reality. Ms Ifeyinwa Obienu will certainly be happy, seeing that her dream of getting destitute kids off the street is going to be achieved, and that is what we want at Samsung,” remarkemrd Emmanouil Revmatas, Director, Information Technology and Mobile.

eNigeria 2015: Jega, Shittu, others call for consolidation of eElectoral process The immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega has called for consolidation and expansion of the scope of the use of technology in future elections in the country. Jega gave the advice while delivering a keynote address at the e-Nigeria 2015 Conference, organised by National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in Abuja last week.

he assures. Also speaking, Etisalat Nigeria’s Director for Customer Care, Plato Syrimis, said the Forum offers the company a bespoke platform to engage its customers in a valuable and productive way just as he expressed satisfaction over the quality of insights offered by the customers. Some of the customers showered encomiums on the company for its customer-focused business model as well as the various friendly services and products. Mr Oladele Adeboye-Ojo, a staff of Shell Nigeria, commended the

operator for creating a common ground to interact with its customers, noting that insights from such contacts would serve as leverage for developing better ways to enhance experience on the network .“They are more customer-focused than some other operators who do not care about their customers. I am really happy to be here and to have met with some of their management team, he said.” Another customer and a professional make-up artiste, Omontese Akhetuamen, expressed satisfaction with the close bond the operator shares with its customers.

Nigerian Tribune

come a long way in the improved effectiveness of its electoral processes, from an unwholesome situation of a series of poorly conducted elections, which created apathy and skepticism among the citizenry. “We are beginning to see the culmination of determined reform efforts into better managed elections, with renewed or revived hope amongst the citizenry that their votes are beginning to count in electing their leaders. “What remains to be seen is how better elections would translate into good democratic governance, but the prospects are bright. When votes count, politicians sit up and listen; and begin to take into account with seriousness the needs and aspirations of the voters. They ignore the voters at their own electoral peril,” Jega said. “The 2015 general elections point to the direction of enhancing the use of technology for greater effectiveness of the electoral processes. Use of technology is not without its challenges. Indeed, the challenges could be enormous,” he said.

For a long time, the raffle mechanism has been used to reward lucky customers during promotion. But the question arises, why do customers with less transaction value or who spend less win at the expense of other customers that have contributed more to the business bottom line?PromoXchange provides answers to these questions and lots more by offering new and exciting ways to reward true patronage using a combination of instant and life enriching rewards to attract customers. Speaking on the concept, Mr Adebiyi Oke, Co-Founder, PromoXchange, PromoXchange is customer-centric and a first of its kind technology solution that effectively turns a mobile phone into an account that earns and accumulates points on transaction of goods and services. Mobile phones, in teh words of Oke, are known to be trendy, accessible and most users are attached to this device. PromoXchange solution is as easy as sending SMS. “There are no entry barriers and available on all GSM Networks and also as mobile apps for smart devices. Considering that the mobile phone penetration in the Nigerian market now stands at about 80 per cent and growing. In simple terms, it means that no matter where a product is sold, you would find a brand customer or a potential customer owning a mobile phone. Consequently, there is an opportunity to influence transaction and consumption behaviour through an innovative solution that connects mobile phone users who are also sales merchant, brand customers to their favourite products or brands at anytime and anywhere,” Oke added. Sequel to years of careful research and development, PromoXchange has been crafted as a highly disruptive technology that seeks to challenge the status quo in the Nigerian and African loyalty reward environment. PromoXchange provides several compelling tactics that ensures that channel partners, brand customers, including consumer behaviour are influenced which ultimately results in increased transaction and consumption of products, goods and services.

Coordinated Universal Time needed to retain ‘leap second’ —ITU The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15), currently in session in Geneva, Switzerland, from 2 to 27 November, has decided that further studies are required on the impact and application of a future reference time-scale, including the modification of coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and suppressing the so-called “leap second”. Leap seconds are added periodically to adjust to irregularities

in the earth’s rotation in relation to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the current reference for measuring time, in order to remain close to mean solar time (UT1). A leap second was added most recently on 30 June 2015 at 23:59:60 UTC. The proposal to suppress the leap second would have made continuous reference time-scale available for all modern electronic navigation and computerised systems to operate while eliminating the

need for specialised ad hoc time systems. The decision by WRC-15 calls for further studies regarding current and potential future reference time-scales, including their impact and applications. A report will be considered by the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2023. Until then, UTC shall continue to be applied as described in Recommendation ITU-R TF.460-6 and as maintained by the International

Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). WRC-15 also calls for reinforcing the links between ITU and the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). ITU would continue to be responsible for the dissemination of time signals via radiocommunication and BIPM for establishing and maintaining the second of the International System of Units (SI) and its dissemination through the reference time scale.

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015 Group Politics Editor Taiwo Adisa - 08072000046 tai_adis@yahoo.com

How I will run my ministry —Fayemi Minister of Solid Minerals Development and immediate past Ekiti State governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, was in the state recently, the first time since his swearing-in as a member of the Federal Executive Council (FEC). He addressed some journalists at his Isan-Ekiti home on the expectations of Nigerians in the Buhari administration, his ministry and other issues. SAM NWAOKO brings some excerpts:

ern, effective law we may not be able to turn this sector around. How do you intend to go about this? I am new but I happen to know that this is one sector where regulation and law is not the problem. When my friend, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, was Minister for Solid Minerals, she put through the National Assembly the current Mining and Minerals Act 2007. So, the law that we have in place now is one of the most comprehensive laws governing the mineral sector anywhere in the world. It looks at the governance of the sector, it looks at the relationship between the ministry and the various mining institutions, it looks at the place of the community where mining takes place. It also looks at the position of the operators and their accountability to the system. The law is quite comprehensive. There may be the need to tweak one or two things in the law but I don’t think the law is the problem. The problem is the strategy to translate the law into reality by ensuring an enabling environment for the operators to realise their ambition. Government has tried its best but it surely hasn’t done enough, that is why you will see that every speech by Mr President is punctuated by his determination to diversify to agriculture and solid minerals. That task is what we are saddled with and we just have to try and deliver.

OU are a researcher, an academic and a teacher. Many Nigerians are wondering if you have not found yourself in a position that makes you seem like fish out of water in the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development. From the day he was sworn-in, President Muhammadu Buhari made it very clear that in the face of dwindling revenue from oil resources, it’s time for Nigeria to look in very different directions and he mentioned two specific directions: Agriculture and Solid Minerals. I’m delighted that the president has reposed confidence in me to be able to function in an area that is of great importance to him and I believe, to all Nigerians too. So, for me, it’s service not expertise. When you look at the position I occupy, it is really about direction and management; not about expertise. I believe that there are technical experts, there are geophysicists, there are geologists, there are mining and metallurgical engineers in that ministry and that is also for a purchase. I can hire consultants to come and assist me. What the president wants is somebody to turn the potential to reality because that’s what we’ve been pursuing all these while. So, whether I’m a teacher or researcher, it only comes to relevance because I’ve been a governor. As governor, I superintendent over the activities of budget, finance, health, education, solid minerals in Ekiti State, trade and investment, etc. I have broad knowledge and experience of governance, of management and of leadership. And once I’m able to follow the marching orders of the president in my ministry, we should be able to deliver on the promise made to the Nigerian people. So, looking at solid minerals to be the next thing for the country, what will you say will be your directional strategy to drive the ministry and attain the diversification so desired by the president? It’s too early to talk about directional strategy. I just told you that my own sense of Mr President’s mandate is that I turn to potential to reality. So, that’s my strategy. What are some of the potential you’ve seen? Oh, the potential are huge. There are 44 key minerals across 250 spots in the country covering the 36 states of the federation.

Fayemi There’s no state in the country that is not endowed with one mineral or the other. To that extent, we have them. Nigeria has gold; it has even diamond in Nasarawa; it has titanium, it has barite, it has tin and we have coal. There are so many things that are there. What we haven’t managed to do in the last 55 years of our independence is translate that. In fact, we used to do it in the past. Nigeria used to be the centre of tin and coal. We started mining tin in Nigeria in 1903 and coal long before the world war. And then petroleum came and we regressed in those two, not to talk of even moving into the other sectors. I thing the focus for us would have to be getting back to that past and ensuring that we are able to fulfill the promise of translating the potential to reality. Right now, solid minerals account for 0.3 per cent of the GDP of the country. I don’t want to give a figure of where I want us to be by the time Mr President completes his assignment as president but clearly, we really need to be moving in the direction of contributing, at the very minimum, five per cent to 10 per cent of the GDP from solid minerals.

There are cartels everywhere. Cartels also await all the ministers across the ministries. How do you intend to rein the cartels in that sector? I don’t know of any cartels. I don’t belong to any cartel. So, it is difficult for me to start commenting on cartels. But you know that the present administration came into office on a strong current of integrity and character and what we do will be driven largely by our integrity quotient. If there are people operating outside of the rule of law, including in the strategic minerals sector, I think it is time for them to start packing their bags. People operating illegal mines, just to cite an example of that cartel you’re talking about, we would assist them to mainstream their activity. But if they insist to continue along the path of illegality, then they are going to face the maximum wrath of the law. Illegal miners and sundry activities seem to thrive because of obsolete legislation. So, without a mod-

What the president wants is somebody to turn the potential to reality because that’s what we’ve been pursuing all these while. So, whether I’m a teacher or researcher, it only comes to relevance because I’ve been a governor.

Your successor in office as governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayò Fayose, while congratulating you for your new appointment, said you should use your good office to turn around the solid minerals sector in the state in the face of its dwindling resources. How do you react to this? I am Minister for Solid Minerals Development in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, not just in Ekiti State. Yes I come from Ekiti but, my responsibility is to Nigeria and I will do everything within my powers to ensure that we maximise the resources available in all the 36 states of the country. The demise of the traditional ruler of your community, which he explained was as a result of the sudden demise of the traditional ruler of the town, Oba Sunday Ajiboye, came suddenly. What’s your message to the people and his family? That’s really why I’m home today. It was an unfortunate occurrence. Those of you who have been around in Ekiti for sometime will know that our late Kabiyesi was a strong supporter of mine, not just because I come from this community but also because he was actually my cousin. Most people don’t know that. The Oba Onisan is my cousin and I feel a sense of deep personal loss at his sudden death because I spoke with him a day before. He was preparing to come to Abuja for my swearing-in but the next day I heard the news that overnight the unfortunate occurrence happened. We can’t query God. We have to thank God for he really sacrificed for our community to the very last, he did his best. He put in a lot of effort to make a difference. He was a scholar and he was studying for his Ph.D and he did a lot to ensure that peace and tranquility continues to reign in our community.

33 politics&policy

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

Of Reps, Buhari’s supplementary budget

KOLAWOLE DANIEL looks at the N465.7 billion supplementary bill sent to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari and the resolve of the House of Representatives to pass the bill in record time, with some drama that played out during second reading of the bill.

ITH less than a month plus to the end of the year, President Muhammadu Buhari last week dispatched a supplementary appropriation bill to the tune of N465.6 billion to the National Assembly for approval. While passing the 2015 budget, the 7th National Assembly, had said there was need to bring in supplementary appropriation bill to take care of some shortage in the approved budget in the area of capital project and fuel subsidy. However, within a few weeks after constituting his cabinet, President Buhari sent in a separate correspondence to the leadership of both chambers in the National Assembly entitled, “2015 supplementary appropriation bill and upward review of borrowing for the 2015 budget due to funding shortage on the implementation of the Federal government budget.” Breaking down the figures, the president explained that N460 billion of the supplementary budget is for additional recurrent (non-debt) expenditure, while N5 billion is contribution to the development fund for capital expenditure for the remaining days in the year. According to Buhari, N413 billion of the money is for the payment of fuel subsidy. It will be recalled that there was no provision for fuel subsidy in the 2015 passed budget. To tackle insurgency in the country, Buhari proposed N29 billion for the military on Operation Lafiya Dole and the outstanding balance of the Nigerian Army second quarter allocation.In addition, the sum of N3.1 billion is earmarked for the salaries of 72 recruitments, 62 regular combatant and 22 Direct Short Service soldiers. A total of N1.5 billion was also proposed for All African Games qualification for Rio 2016 Olympic Games, while N5 billion is for Victim Support Funds. The breakdown also indicated that N2 billion is for recurrent adjustment, while the sum of N10.6 billion is for outstanding payment of the severance gratuity and allowances of outdone and incoming legislators and legislative aides. President Buhari also adjusted some key assumptions in the supplementary bill like oil production which was premised on 2.2 million oil production barrel per day as against the initial projection of 2.2782 million barrels per day and $48 per barrel of crude oil as against the initial $53 per barrel and as well fixed N190 for the exchange rate. President Buhari also proposed upward review of borrowing from N882.12 billion which was proposed by former president Goodluck Jonathan to N1.6trillion. The letter read in part: “Given this new level of expenditure and revenue constraint, the 2015 budget which had a projected fiscal deficit of N1.041 trillion (or -1.09 per cent of GDP) with the deficit largely financed by domestic borrowing of N502.1 billion and foreign borrowing of N380.0 billion (total borrowing amounting to N882.12 billion), calls for additional borrowing. “The expected deficit arising from the above is projected at N.103 trillion (or 2.19 per cent of GDP) to be financed by additional borrowing of N1.601 trillion the Debt Management Office.Accordingly, I deem it necessary to formally request the

Dogara concurrence of the National Assembly to please consider and approve an upward review of the fiscal deficit from 1.09 percent of GDP to 2.19 percent of GDP. “An upward revision of the new borrowing from N882.1 billion to N2.103 trillion and new funding requirement to address security challenges and other important obligations in the sum of N465.64 billion”, President Buhari stated. However, in a move to quickly pass the supplementary appropriation bill before the National Assembly takes delivery of 2016 appropriation bill, the House last Wednesday debated and passed it for second reading. To this end, the House committees on appropriation and finance was thereafter directed to carryout further legislative action on the supplementary appropriation bill. A rowdy session was however recorded during the debate when members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) almost clashed over whether Federal Government would remove fuel subsidy or not as well as implementation of 2015 budget to the letter. The House Leader, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, set the tone for the second

reading of the supplementary bill when he informed his colleagues on the need to approve the bill which he said was in line with provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.According to him, “As at the time the 2015 budget was brought before this House, the bench mark of 53 dollars per barrel and exchange rate of N199 to a dollar. So many things have changed for the worse since then, and the president inherited a very huge domestic and foreign debt with the economy almost grinding to a halt.” “I therefore urge this House to as a matter of national duty consider the sum being proposed by the president so as to tackle the myriad of problems facing the nation”, he declared.He added that the passage of the supplementary appropriation bill was necessary in order to avert what he called a looming economic chaos threatening to topple order in the society. Supporting the passage, Honourable Mohammed Monguno said: “I’m more particularly concerned about the aspect of this budget that regards the area of ‘Operation Lafiya Dole’. We must do all that is within our powers to ensure that our military has all it needs to tackle the menace of Boko Haram in

How come we are incurring such a huge amount of debt as subsidy claims in such a short period of time under this government, especially coming from a president who had said severally that he does not believe in subsidy as it was alien to him?

the North-East region. This must be made to become a thing of the past through adequate funding and procurement of necessary equipment that will enable them tackle insecurity.” Also speaking similarly, Honourable Zakari Mohammed stated that, “I want to urge my colleagues to support this bill for the purpose of bringing peace to our nation and a lot too has to be done on the issue of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) where so many of our people are displaced and need to be returned back to their bases.” Trouble, however, started when a member of PDP, Honourable NkierukaOnyeojeocha questioned what she termed entrenched culture of non-implementation of budget by the Federal Government, saying such practice must be discontinued forthwith if any progress must be made at all.“I commend the president for coming up with this supplementary appropriation. But then, there has been a convention of not implementing budgets as passed by this National Assembly. We have a 2015 budget that has not been implemented up to 30 per cent. So, they should first tell us how much has been spent in the main budget and how much is the shortfall before coming to ask us to approve a supplementary appropriation.” A member of PDP, Honourable Agbonayinman Johnson however cautioned that members should set aside party sentiments, while addressing the issue of supplementary appropriation bill. The Minority Leader, Honourable Leo Ogor however said that, “If you look at this budget, it is broken into three parts. We must also look at the legislative powers of the National Assembly to appropriate funds before they are spent. But a situation where they begin to bring budget proposal for funds already spent creates an unacceptable scenario. How come we are being asked to approve funds that have already being spent? It is not done anywhere.” On the issue of fuel subsidy removal, Ogor declared: “the issue of subsidy is another thing that we must critically scrutinise in this budget proposal. How come we are incurring such a huge amount of debt as subsidy claims in such a short period of time under this government, especially coming from a president who had said severally that he does not believe in subsidy as it was alien to him?.” But the House Leader, Honourable Gbajabiamila raised a point of order to counter Honourable Ogor, saying that the Minority leader was misleading the public as the President had at no time said he would remove subsidy. According to him,”It is important that when we get up to speak on the floor of this House, we must speak the truth. The president has at no time voiced his opinion denouncing subsidy in his capacity as the President of this country. The minority leader should not mislead and misinform the public and creating erroneous impression that the President wants to remove subsidy and impoverish the masses more.” To avert the debate getting rancorous, the Speaker, Honourable YakubuDogara, stepped in saying that: “For the avoidance of doubt, the president has stated more than once that he is against the removal of subsidy which he believes is to the benefit of the masses. Now, if there’s any member in this House who has contrary information regarding that, I beg to be educated. “Now, I know that there was a motion brought before this House by HonourableAdeosun kicking against alleged plans to remove subsidy by the government, and there was a counter-motion via a point of order arguing that it was speculative and pre-emptive because there was no time did the President or his aides contemplate the removal of subsidy. That motion was withdrawn on that premise and is a record of this House. So, let us be guided by that as the position of the House,” the Speaker stated.

politicscommentary

Ambode

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

Obasa

Lagos Assembly as a model in democracy By Charles Chukwu

ECENTLY, the print and electronic media came out with advertisements on the first constituency stakeholders meeting of the 8th Lagos State House of Assembly, detailing vital information about the exercise, especially its intent and purpose. From Badagry to Ikorodu, Lagos Island, Epe, Somolu and the other local governments making up the state constituencies, the exercise took place simultaneously on November 10, 2015. It was undoubtedly the first of its kind in our legislative history in terms of content and style. The programme was designed by the Lagos Assembly to obtain the input of Lagosians on their desire in their areas as a way of carrying the people along in governance, coupled with encouraging the vital principle of bottom-up development model that has led to sweeping transformation in advanced nations.. This no doubt is big plus for the Right Honourable Mudashiru Obasa-led Lagos State of Assembly, in view of its timeliness and alignment with the social contract principle. More so, the House of Assembly is constitutionally empowered to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the state “by virtue of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” (as amended). The strategic nature of the stakeholders’ meeting could be better understood, considering the fact that the state legislature performs other functions including representation, oversight, checks and balance on the Executive and the Judiciary and conducting investigation into matters which it has powers to make laws and more. The Speaker Obasa was therefore on point when he told stakeholders at his constituency meeting in Agege that the

event was in line with the social contract, which the House has with the people. His words: “We are collaborating with our constituencies to ensure that the impact of government is felt at all levels and to reinvigorate rapid socio - economic projects, control of traffic, implementation of traffic laws, security and maintenance of law and order.” The spokesman of the House, Honourable Tunde Braimoh amplified the essence of the unique event, which has continued to be the main subject of in-depth, fascinating and highly instructive commentaries from far and wide. He stated at his constituency meeting; “While it is correct that constituency input has always been sought in formulating budgeting proposal every year, it is also correct that the scale and style on this exercise stand out as novel and new.” One of the biggest drawbacks of our democracy is the alienation of the people from government, thus sidelining the people for making meaningful inputs into government programmes and policies. Consequently, what we sometimes have are largely projects conceived without the voice of the people who are the reason for government. The end result is huge waste of tax payer’s

money as some of these projects do not suit the immediate needs of the people. The Lagos State House of Assembly must therefore be commended for according due recognition to their constituents through the stakeholders meeting. This, no doubt, is what participatory government is all about because all elected representatives must, as a matter of routine, report back to the principle periodically to intimate them about their stewardship. That those, who spoke across the 40 state constituencies included obas, chiefs, Community development Associations (CDAs), youths, artisans, professional bodies and various unions is highly commendable. Lagosians will also be glad that Speaker Obasa has assured that these inputs would form part of the 2016 Lagos State budget, which is very remarkable. If actualised, it therefore means that Lagos State would have, through its lawmakers, come up with a truly “people’s budget” next year. By this giant stride, the Lagos Assembly may have begun its journey towards fulfilling its vision “to be the leading light and pathfinder for Nigeria and African legislatures.” To realise this, it must continue its pursuit of excellence by ensuring it fulfills its prom-

What we sometimes have are largely projects conceived without the voice of the people who are the reason for government. The end result is huge waste of tax payer’s money as some of these projects do not suit the immediate needs of the people.

ise of a people’s budget in 2016. It should also continually interface with the people periodically to perfect their position on issues, as it better placed to do this than other arms of government. This will no doubt make the Change mantra of the All Progressives Congress-dominated House come to fruition, as the country is in dire need of true change. Other legislatures should also take a cue from the precedence set by the Assembly of the “Centre of Excellence,” which has opened a new vista in participatory democracy through the constituency stakeholders meeting by organising similar programmes. Just like a former chairman, Ikeja branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Monday Ubani said during Honourable Tunde Braimoh’s meeting with his constituents, the Lagos Assembly has set precedence for other legislatures with this novel idea. Aside interfacing with the people, across the length and breadth of the state, one of the unique things about the event was that it cut across every strata of the society which makes it inclusive. The Assembly may have unknowingly assisted the Executive by using the medium to collate issues very dear to the heart of the electorate for onward transmission to the Executive for consideration and implementation. Also by holding the exercise simultaneously across the state, the lawmakers have saved the state huge resources which could have been wasted had the exercise been staggered at this time of falling oil prices. The Lagos Assembly therefore deserves our praises, while hoping it continues to strive to be the flagship of the legislature for the benefit of the people by rising up to its constitutional duties at all times •Chukwu, the chairman of the Centre for Accountability and Good Governance (CAGG), writes from Lagos.

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

features

Editor: Kehinde Oyetimi featuresdesk@yahoo.com 081 118 450 48

Like these women, HID changed the world They were humanitarians but they were civil rights activists. Ultimately, the culmination of their actions in their times made the universe a better place. VERA ONANA chronicles great women in history who were and like Chief (Mrs) HID Awolowo, will be remembered for eternity.

othing in the world can be compared to a motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love. It has been described by poets as the morning dew that falls gently upon the grass and nourishes it. Scientists of old described it as an elixir â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one that is potent enough to cure all ailments. When this love touches the life of a child, it changes it but when it comes in contact with a nation, it revamps it. Therefore, blessed are the societies that have been touched by this unquantifiable love and fortunate are the generations in which such suis generis women, that radiated such great love walked in. Women like that, who touched the world are never forgotten in a hurry. On the contrary, their names are engraved in gold on the hearts of mortals and their praises are composed into melodies, posterity will yet relish. Ironically, women of this caliber are never ubiquitous like grains of sand on the sea shore; they depict an enviable property of rarity. From centuries long before the new millennium to recent times, here is an account of women who will never die due to their works and actions but only transited into immortality. These great women transmogrified their worlds and left indelible prints on the sands of time. The Jewel of inestimable value On November 25, 1915, the one that endured and evaded the spade with which her parents interred her siblings into the depth of the earth, emerged and began a sourjourn that would propel her, her family and her little community in Ikenne onto very high pedestals. The same 25 November in 2015, would have made history for posterity as the one that many thought would not have lasted a year prepared for her 100th birthday celebration, but in precisely three scores and seven days before the monumental event, Yeye Odua of Ife, pushed up the daisies. Continues on pg36 Katharine Graham

Rosa Parks

Funmilayo Ransom-Kuti

features

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

Like HID, they made the world better the market women. She fought strongly for the end to colonialism and for equality and justice in all ramifications and like Mama HID, she was a mother to all and did not see her background as an impediment to associating with the people. She died in 1977, and lives on as a model for discipline and uprightness.

Florence Nightingale

Jane Austen

Continues from pg35

On September 19, 2015, Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo, slept eternally. A huge shock like the magnitude of severe eruptions not only travelled through the bedrock of the Yoruba nation, but resonated in every nook and cranny of the nation. In the afternoon of 19 September, Nigeria lost a gem as Papa Awolowo’s jewel stopped breathing and an epoch of the finest Nigerians was terminated. Indeed, HID Awolowo’s death, as aptly described by Noble Laureate Wole Soyinka, is the recession of an era. Here is how the nation prepares to honour, in grand style, the last of genuine nation builders as the world immortalised other great women that had gone before her. The great matriarch shall be ushered into immortality with a series of activities all lined up as a 10 day burial event which will commence on Sunday, November 15 with a lying-in-State at Park Lane, Apapa Lagos. General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, and that of the Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare, as well as 60 other Anglican bishops are among several other ministers of God billed to participate in the 11-day burial programmes culminating in the final interment of the late Yeye Oodua and matriarch of the Awolowo dynasty, Mama HID Awolowo. Also, 35 governors as well as secretaries to the government of those states will be joining their Ogun State counterpart, Ibikunle Amosun, to give the late Mama Awolowo a befitting burial in the ceremony, which begins from November 15 and end on November 25 this year. Katharine Graham Katharine Graham, noted to have guided The Washington Post through its historic coverage of the toppling of a president, won a Pulitzer Prize for her autobiography, Personal History, and ruled Washington’s political and media scene in a peculiar style that became legendary. President of Washington Post at the time, Katharine Graham was a remarkable woman who was known to be a model for many

Amelia Earhart women, especially with her successful position in guiding a renowned medium, representing an example for women, who were more or less restricted to the home as the best they could be. Like Mama Awolowo who steered the ship of the African Newspapers of Nigeria PLC, for years towards success, Graham knew what was demanded of her as she was a strong pillar of support for keeping the family business together and making it a major force to reckon with worldwide. Mother Teresa Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, Mother Teresa, was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Skopje, Macedonia, on August 26, 1910, to Nikola and Dranafile Bojaxhiu, of Albanian descent. When she was eight years old, her father, an entrepreneur and a strong advocator of Albanian independence at the time, died suddenly, an occurrence that drew her very close to her mother, who was described as a person of enviable kindness and from her she learnt the ropes of serving God and the poor. She felt the call to serve God at the age of 12 and by the time she turned eighteen, she left the home of her parents and joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns who were on mission work in India. She worked tirelessly for the cause of the poor, including through her own order, a Catholic congregation of women dedicated to the plight of the poor, ‘The Missionaries

Rosa Parks Rosa Parks, was a civil rights activist who became Mother Theresa popular when on December 1, 1955, tired of giving in to racial practices, she refused to surrender her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery, Alabama bus, an action which spurred a citywide boycott, and culminated in the active efforts to end segregation. Born into a family that has always stood up for their rights, represented in her father’s taking on members of the Ku Klux Clan, in 1932, aged 19, she met and married an active member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. With Raymond’s support, Rosa earned her high school degree in 1933and rose through the ranks to become secretary to NAACP President E.D. Nixon, a post she held until 1957. Like Mama Awolowo, Rosa Parks dogged determination is legendary and she has won many awards including the NAACP’s highest award. On February 4, 2013 Rosa Parks would have been 100, and in her memory, memorial ceremonies and other events honouring Abimbola Awoliyi her were planned nationwide. President Barack Obama, in 2013, also of Charity,” until ill health forced her to step unveiled a statue honouring Parks in the down in March 1997. nation’s Capitol building, remembering During her time in India, while in school, her by stating in The New York Times, that she felt the strong urge to serve God and “In a single moment, with the simplest of took to religious life. In 1928, when she was gestures, she helped change America and eighteen years old, she decided to become a change the world. . . . And today, she takes nun and as the years went by, she became a her rightful place among those who shaped teacher and committed herself to alleviating this nation’s course.” girls’ poverty through education. Mother Teresa is synonymous to the rarFlorence Nightingale est forms of kindness all over the world and Florence Nightingale, a name associhas been duly rewarded and recognised as ated with nursing worldwide, was born in well. Besides the Nobel Prize, she has been Florence, Italy, on May 12, 1820. From a awarded the Jewel of India, the highest honyoung age, she has been very active in acts our bestowed on Indian civilians, as well as of philantropy, and as a nurse, she spent the now-defunct Soviet Union’s Gold Medal her time in the profession showing care to of the Soviet Peace Committee. the wounded, and thus established her imLike Mama HID, Mother Teresa is known age as the ‘Lady with the Lamp.’Her acts of for her Christian virtues, for having a listenkindness rose to the fore when the Crimean ing ear and her home is open to all who seek war broke out and she assembled a team of her. nurses,, numbering over 30, from religious circles, and despite the horrible conditions, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti A popular, disciplined and focused activist especially with the war situation, the noin her time, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was nonsense Nightingale proved herself up to born on the 25th day of October, 1900, in the task. Throughout the U.S. Civil War, she was Abeokuta, Ogun State. In those days when usually consulted on how to best manage women were more or less excluded from field hospital and served as an authority governance, except through the only-womon sanitation issues in India, despite never en group, the Iyalode society, she finally having visited India herself. helped to represent the ideas of the women and fought for their cause. She came into prominence during the direct taxation system and was at the forefront in the fight for human rights, especially when it came to alleviating the suffering of

Like Mama Awolowo, Nightingale was a woman of her words and was respected for her strict nature which in turn culminated in common good for the citizens.

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

Lagosmetro

Trouble averted as NURTW resolves crisis between factions Bola Badmus

reinstatement of Seriki engaged them in a fight. The leadership of the union intervened in the

matter and normalcy was restored in the area. The embattled chairman while speaking with Lagos

Rehabilitation of Brown Street, Lagos.

RRS nabs 2 fraudsters Olalekan Olabulo Two members of a syndicate which has been de-

frauding unsuspecting members of the public have been arrested by the police. The suspects, Jerry Eti-

Botched abortion: Doctor charged for

killing pregnant woman Ayomide Owonibi Odekanyin A 35-year-old medical doctor, Edeye Monday, has been charged before a Yaba Magistrates’ Court for allegedly killing a 22-year-old pregnant woman, Tolani Aderoju. According to the police, Edeye injected Ms. Aderoju with some unknown drugs, while

Lanre Adewole

olanreade@yahoo.com

0811 695 4647 LG trains 71 people free in skills acquisition Sylvester Okoruwa

they were just returning from a meeting where he was reinstated when the protesters went on rampage.

Ongoing construction at Ikotun Egbe Road.

Edited By

Metro described the protest as violent and uncalled for. Seriki also stated that

Lagos lawmakers condemn soldiers brutality against LASTMA officers Rachael Adesokan

Nigerian Tribune

40 news

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

Army investigates officers plotting against Buratai Chris Agbambu - Abuja

UTHORITIES at the Nigerian Army, on Monday, said they identified some officers and their collaborators plotting actions capable of ridiculing the Army and the person of the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, and had commenced investigation to unravel their motive and motivation. Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, who dropped the hint failed to give details, but said those involved intended to execute their plan as from next month using all means possible, including lies, fabricated stories and

falsehood, while plotting to publish and broadcast same through some designated print and electronic media, most especially the social media. He stated that the evil intents of the plotters would be distractive and capable of reversing the gains on the fight against the Boko Haram sect. Decrying the plot, Usman noted that the fight against Boko Haram was at critical stage and said any attack on

the Nigerian Army would be counter-productive and serious distraction on the fight against terrorism and insurgency. He said there was need for the public and the media to be careful and wary of the disgruntled persons and urged them to disregard any such material from them. He said: “The Nigerian Army holds the media in high esteem. The Nigerian media is one of the best in the world and have con-

sistently been partners in progress and very supportive, understanding and cooperative with the Nigerian Army, especially in the fight against terrorism and insurgency. This at times comes at the risk of their personal safety and corporate existence. “The role of the media in nation building and conflict resolution, peace building and social responsibility is never in doubt. They have proven to be very important

stakeholders in our collective efforts to restore peace and stability in our great nation. “With this and so many other things, the media, especially the online publications, should not be involved or lured into such dubious campaign. As always, our doors are open for clarification, enquiries and reactions on any issue concerning the Nigerian Army before filing or publicisaing such stories.”

Women rally support for Oshiomhole Banji Aluko - Benin City IN a counter protest to the one held last week against the government of Governor Adams Oshiomhole and in support of the Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, some women, in their hundreds, held a solidarity march in Benin, in support of Governor Oshiomhole. The women, who were adorned in white dress unlike last week protesters, who wore red, first converged on the Edo State House of Assembly, where they gathered before they moved to the Edo State Government House. The protesters came from all the local government areas of Edo State and carried placards with inscriptions such as “Esama, Leave Oshiomhole alone and Edo State can never return to Dark Days.” Governor Oshiomhole, who addressed the women, admonished them not to be instigated into doing evil, adding that they should not return evil for evil. He said those attacking him for disrespecting Benin elders were incorrect, pointing out that he only had quarrel with only one Benin chief over the mismanagement of the resources and properties of the state government under the leadership of his son as governor. He listed some of the corrupt practices of the Lucky Igbinedion administration to include the illegal handing over of 200,000 hectares of government land to Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, the sale of a fruit juice factory built for N360 million for N200 million and illegal sales of government properties.

From left, Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State; the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Sa’ad; the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Umar Ibn Garbai and Emir of Gwandu, Alhaji Mohammed Iliyasu, at the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council meeting in Kaduna, on Monday. PHOTO: NAN

We’ll not stifle free speech, but social media must self-regulate —Minister Bola Badmus - Lagos MINISTER of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Monday, assured that the President Muhammadu Buhari Administration will not stifle free speech by seeking to regulate the social media or abridging the rights of the citizens. The minister gave this assurance in Lagos, during a meeting with a cross section of Social Media Influencers, but said, however, that it was important for them to self regulate in order to maintain their credibility. “Let me assure you that the Federal Government does not intend to stifle free speech or abridge the rights of Nigerians to air their views freely. “We are not about to regulate or stultify the Social Media. This explains why we are asking you to selfregulate. That is why we are encouraging you to rein in the impostors among you and show restraint when dealing with issues of national unity, issues of Nige-

ria’s sovereignty, as well as issues concerning the lives and well-being of Nigerians. “What I am saying in essence is that you must self-regulate in order not to self-destruct. Self-regulation allows you to weed out the charlatans among

you in order to maintain your credibility and ensure your survival. Lose credibility and lose it all. That is the stark reality. If you must survive and grow, you must not compromise your credibility,” the minister said. Mohammed described as

alarming the spiralling level of hatred among Nigerians, especially the educated ones, on the Social Media in recent times, pointing out that the kind of debate that was being carried out on the Social Media was exploiting the fault lines in the country’s national unity.

Keyamo writes Senate committee over Lamorde’s invitation By Yejide Gbenga-Ogundare and John Umoh THE embattled former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Lamorde, on Monday, through his legal counsel, Festus Keyamo, wrote a letter to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, informing them of the impending suit he filed against his invitation by the committee. The letter, which was delivered by a bailiff of

the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, to the chairman of the committee and was accompanied by court processes, is asking that the committee maintains a status quo pending the determination of the suit filed before the court. The letter states that: “We are solicitors to Ibrahim Lamorde (hereinafter referred to as ‘our client’) and on whose instructions we write you this letter. Recall that your Committee “invited” our client to appear before it on the 17th of November, 2015. Recall also that at the

Committee’s proceedings of 17th November, 2015, we represented our client and sought to raise certain objections as to the powers and procedure employed by the Committee in “inviting” our client. “But we were not permitted to do so because your Committee ruled that legal practitioners are not permitted to appear and represent those invited by Senate Committees – even if it is to raise objections. With the greatest respect to the esteemed members of the Committee, we totally, entirely and completely disagree with you.

Ondo 2016: Akure group alleges plans to deny it guber seat A group, The Akure Initiatives, based in Canada, has warned against the plot to deny Akure the governorship seat in the 2016 governorship election, noting that a plan was afoot to use a serving judge in the state, who also eyes the number one seat, to truncate the peace and cohesion in Akure. According to the group, the judge is reportedly set to give a ruling on the legal tussle involving the Deji of Akure’s stool, which will unsettle Akure ahead of the governorship contest and pave way for other contenders. The group, in a statement signed by its international coordinator and professor of medicine, Prince Adeyemi Adeniran, warned of the political implications of such ambition and plan by the serving judge to plunge the state into political turmoil because of his inordinate ambition, urging Governor Olusegun Mimiko to call the said judge to order. “We have it on good authority that there are plans by a serving judicial officer to illegally use judicial instruments to create traditional crisis among the people of Akure to further his misplaced ambition. We enjoin Dr Mimiko, whom we have always supported, to call over-ambitious judicial officers to order before they plunge the state into a political conflagration that is capable of consuming the peaceful co-existence of the people of Ondo State,” the statement said. “The people of Akure Division have, over the years, been supportive of governors from other zones and it is now time for other divisions to reciprocate our good gestures,” the statement continued.

Ayoka Thompson is dead Mrs Adeshiyanbola Ayoka Thompson is dead. This information was contained in a statement made available to the Nigerian Tribune by Mr Adeyemo Thompson, a son of the deceased. The late Mrs Ayoka Thompson (nee Vaughan) died on November 15, 2015, while burial arrangements are expected to be released by the family soon.

41 news

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

OBJ tasks varsities on solution to Boko Haram, violent extremism Clement Idoko - Abuja

ORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Monday, challenged Nigerian universities to come up with creative solution to Boko Haram insurgency and violent extremism threatening peace in Africa and globally. He also urged the Association of West African Universities (AWAU), to assume the role of leadership in the quest of delivering a curriculum and research methodologies that would foster a culture of peace and human security in Africa and the World at large. Obasanjo, represented by a former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Peter Okebukola, spoke at the third annual conference and general meeting of AWAU, held at the Nigerian Turkish Nile University, Abuja. While condemning the recent attack by extremists that left many people dead in Paris, OBJ said the West Africa sub-region had not been spared by the scourge of Boko Haram. “Peace in Africa and in the World is getting increasingly compromised through violent extremism to which our universities should rise stoutly to defend and find solutions. We need our universities to come up with creative solutions,” he said. He identified curriculum irrelevance and poor research culture as some of the challenges facing uni-

versity education not only in Nigeria but also the entire African continent. Obasanjo, who disclosed that graduate unemployment rate in West Africa averaged 39 per cent according to a report in 2014,

said there was the need to revitalise high education in Africa, towards emergence of strong and vibrant institutions profoundly engaged in fundamental and development-oriented research and teaching.

Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, represented by the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, described the theme of the conference: “Turbulence in University Education in West Africa: Quality, Men-

From left, Glo subscriber, Mrs Oga Fidel; daughter of Governor Samuel Ortom, Mrs Grace Tarkula; Glo Brand Ambassador, Reekado Banks; Colonel J.O. Attah of the Nigerian Army School of Military Engineering; Marvin Records vocalist and Glo Brand Ambassador Di’Ja and the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Ortom on Youth Empowerment, Honourable Sunny Nyor, at the Makurdi edition of Glo Slide ‘n’ Bounce, on Friday.

N/Delta is nobody’s conquered territory —UNDEDSS Bola Badmus - Lagos A group, the United Niger Delta Energy Development Security Strategy (UNDEDSS), has reiterated its solidarity with the “best of the stated goals of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration,” even as it quickly declared that the region was nobody’s conquered territory. The group said this on

Monday in a statement issued by its Secretary-General, Tony Uranta, following its emergency meeting. The group said it aligned with the programmes of President Buhari which of necessity, must focus on drastically lowering the nation’s corruption index, expeditiously improving the well-being of Nigerians and establishing the best systems nationwide

to ensure sustained economic growth, tenable social justice and unblemished democratic institutions. The UNDEDSS stated that as political campaigns were over, the Federal Government should put behind it the rancour of political electioneering and immediately make itself truly open, more inclusive, more nationalistic in outlook and less exclusive,

MDCN warns medical practitioners in Kwara against unwholesome practices Biola Azeez - Ilorin THE Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has read riot acts to erring private medical practitioners engaging in unwholesome practices in Kwara State to desist from such acts or face sanction. Speaking with journalists during inspection/monitoring of private hospitals in Osi, Ekiti Local Government Area of the state, the Head of Inspectorate of the Council, Dr Henry Okwukeye, said the council was determined to sanitise the health sector and practitioners to reduce needless deaths among the people. “People have no regard for the rule of law. The era of impunity is gone and far gone. Any doctor practising,

toring and Access” as apt. He expressed the commitment of the Federal Government to revamp the nation’s university system in order to properly re-align to national development needs and aspirations.

anywhere without a practising licence is violating Nigeria law and the arm of the law will soon fall on them. The penalty is dependent on the gravity of offence. It ranges from suspension to fines, imprisonment and withdrawal of certificate,” he said.

The MDCN team which comprised the director of medical services, state ministry of health and policemen discovered a medical practitioner who did not renew his practising licence since 1982, and was therefore asked to pay a total

sum of N552, 000 being accumulated registration fees. The medical practitioner, MDCN uncovered, had allegedly been practising medicine illegally and without a license for 33 years, at Osi town in Ekiti Local Government Area of the state.

sectional or partisan. It also charged it to urgently evolve ways of being more accessible, less militaristic and ready to deploy the rule of law mechanisms to interface impartially with all persons or groups it perceived as being putative dissenters or opposed to it. The group resolved that the government should show contrition for its recent past acts of non-respect for the powers and independence of the legislative and judicial arms and immediately stop the frighteningly increasing culture of impunity as evidenced in its constant refusal to comply with orders by the judiciary. It urged that the legislative and judicial arms should reciprocate the gesture for the general good of the Nigerian citizenry.

Child mortality highest in the North —Survey Adetola Bademosi - Abuja VERBAL and Social Autopsy (VASA) 2014 survey indicated that the northern part of Nigeria has the highest record of child mortality with 79 per cent, while the southern region followed with 72 per cent prevalence. The study also identified early marriage as the major cause of deaths as parents in the regions are forced into marriage

with little or no education. This was disclosed on Monday, at the public presentation of the 2014 VASA survey report by the National Population Commission (NPC) in Abuja. The survey stated that the figure was based on findings that 73 per cent of babies were born at home in the northern regions as compared with the south where 24 per cent births

were recorded at home. It explained that 57 per cent of neonatal deaths that occurred at home were because deceased neonates and children lived in households with poor socio-economic conditions. It further pointed out that some of the causes of the deaths like sepsis infection, birth asphyxia (difficulty in breathing), pneumonia and other factors could be pre-

vented through proper intervention programmes such as healthcare services, improved sanitation and access to reproductive health services. “The vast majority of mothers of the deceased children entered into marriage at less than 16 years, both parents, especially mothers of the deceased children had little or no education, especially in the northern regions.”

Greenworld to reward outstanding workers in Nigeria THE management of Greenworld a multinational organisation that manufactures food supplements and drug, is set to reward outstanding workers in Nigeria. Items to be distributed at the programme scheduled to hold at the University of Ibadan Event Centre on Saturday, November 28, are posh cars, Jeep, feller fund, international trip tickets, among others. According to a release signed by the South West coordinator of the organisation, Mr Joseph Opaleye, the company’s President, Demming Lee and his Vice, Mr David L. Zhang would also be at the event for interaction with members of the public. Dignitaries expected to grace the historic presentation are the Executive Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, the Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111 and doyen of industries, among others.

EDE Poly honours Hon Odebunmi MEMBER of the National Assembly representing Surulere Ogo Oluwa federal constituency, Honourable Segun Dokun Odebunmi, was recently honoured by the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Osun State as the ‘Most Outstanding Alumni’ of the institution. Honourable Olusegun the chairman, House Committee on National Orientation, Ethics and Value, was among the awardees honoured during the 9th convocation ceremony of the institution. The rector of the institution, Patrick Hussein, recognising Honourable Odebumi said the lawmaker is one of the alumni of the institution, doing them proud. The presentation of the award was done by the Minister of Education Dr Adamu Adamu, represented by the Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education, Dr Masadu Adamu Kazaure. In his response, Odebunmi thanked the management and students of the institution for the honour and assured them of his contribution to the development of the institution.

news

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

Insurgency’ll soon go into extinction —COAS From Adelowo Oladipo And Johnson Babajide

HE Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Yusuf Buratai, has assured Nigerians that the insurgency attacks in the North East in recent times is an indication that the terrorists group will soon go into extinction and end suddenly . He added that the deadly bomb explosions by the insurgency group in Adamawa and Kano states last week, were attempts by the terrorists group to raise their ugly heads as they were fleeing, as if they were still existing, while the surveillance mounted against them in the North East by the Armed Forces is already yielding positive results and neutralising their grips in the troubled areas. General Buratai , who was represented by the Commander, Training and

Doctrine Command of the Nigerian Army {TRADOC} Major General Bolaji Koleoso, stated this at the weekend, in Minna, Niger State, in his remarks at the closing ceremony of a week- long seminar tagged: “Mindful leadership and emotional intelligence towards ending insurgency”. “Insurgency is now a global phenomenon, if the deadly attacks in Paris recently can happen, then, it means there is no nation

that can beat its chest and say that insurgency cannot happen in its shores. And I think what happens from now on is that we are going to have international cooperation towards ensuring that men and economic activities are secured”, he said He stated further that currently, the Nigerian Army Headquarters is collaborating with the British Military Advisory Team to train officers on leadership,

He noted further that at every level, leadership was being taught in the Nigerian Army, right from the Nigerian Defence Academy, saying that the seminar was a test case in the series of seminars to be held quarterly in all the Nigerian Army formations across the country. Meanwhile, General Buratai, have charged Nigerian Army to always get prepared for national duty just as he assured that the task ahead to end terror-

ism in Nigeria is a must. Speaking in Makurdi, on Monday, when he paid a visit to the 72 Battalion of Nigeria Army, the Chief of Staff, charged his men and officers to always get set as they will at anytime be deployed to the North East. He emphasized that the deadline given to the army by President Muhammadu Buhari, to end the Boko Haram activities in the North East ‘is a task that must be accomplished’.

Suspend street protests, group tells MASSOB, IPOB NIGERIAN Women in Clergy has cautioned proBiafran groups, Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, (MASSOB) and the Indigenous People of Biafra,( IPOB), to suspend their street protests in the interest of peace. The clergy women under the leadership of Prophetess Nonnie Robberson, had in a message to the groups, emphasised on the importance of dialogue against violent protests that will further lead to deaths and destruction of property in the South East. A statement issued on behalf of the group by its president, Prophetess Robberson, said violent agitation that led to Biafran war was to the disadvantage of all, asserting that victims of the war who managed to survive have continued to tell their horrible stories. She said Nigeria as country would have gone beyond the level it finds itself today, if not for the setback of the war. Nonnie, who advised the groups to view dialogue as a better option said, “I was conceived and born during the Biafran war, and it hurts me so much when I recall the pain my mother went through during the period. Reviving this agitation through street protests will further re-awaken the scars most of us have decided to leave behind; hence, it’s time to sheath the sword.

Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki (second right), exchanging pleasantries with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), ABB Group, Dr Ulrich Spiesshofer, during the ABB Group’s visit to the Senate President, in Abuja, on Monday. With them is the Sweden Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Svante Kilander.

NOUN warns study centres’ directors against illegal fees THE vice chancellor of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Professor Vincent Ado Tenebe, has warned study centre directors that there would be severe consequences if any of them were found to be charging students illegal “administrative fees,” at variance with the fees stipulated by the university. The warning was given

in response to allegations by some students that “illegal” fees, being charged in various study centres across the country, were overburdening them. The vice-chancellor stated that, “no study centre has the authority to charge and collect fees from students, as all charges must be paid into the authorised account of the university”. According to him, the

current educational revolution at NOUN was unprecedented in the annals of tertiary education in Nigeria. The vice-chancellor added that the goal of the university was to radically restructure the contents and methods of the nation’s tertiary educational system in a revolutionary paradigm that would systematically equip Nigerian

Enugu varsity sacks 153 lecturers Jude Ossai-Enugu

THE authorities of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Enugu, have sacked 153 lecturers from the institution. Although, no official reason was given for the exercise but it was gathered that the sack which also affected a professor and a reader, cut across various departments in the university. In the sack letter on October 23, signed by the registrar of the university, Leonard Khama and made available to the Nigerian Tribune, on Monday, the registrar stated: I am directed to inform you and you are hereby informed

that the university is presently not positioned to employ you” “You should, therefore, handover any university property in your possession to the Head of Department. If, however, your services are required in the future by the university, you will be informed accordingly” Briefing newsmen in Enugu, on Monday, on the development, some of the affected staff who preferred to remain anonymous, lamented, saying that it was injustice on their part as they were not paid since they were employed in February 2015 “In- spite of the huge debts we have incurred in the process of living up to

our responsibilities and keeping our jobs, no salary was paid to any of us. “Our employment was as a result of acute shortage of staff that consistently denied ESUT, the Nigeria Universities Commission (NUC) accreditation on different occasions. The fruit of our employment have been felt in the vacuum we filled in classes and other academic exercises but most evidently, we were used to get full NUC accreditation for many departments in the university.” Contacted, the ESUT Director for Public Affairs, Ossy Uwuoti, said he would not comment on the matter, adding that he would first see his principals on the matter for further details.

students, theoretically and practically, make them resourceful and entrepreneurially conscious; and enhance their creativity and capacity to develop a firm grasp of the world Professor Tenebe also stressed that NOUN was truly committed to producing requisite labour force and a crop of Nigerians, who would serve as active agents of change, imbued with the virtues of integrity, probity and patriotism. He reiterated the university’s commitment to inculcate into Nigerians moral values over and above greed and the quest for material possession. Referring to what he described as a “ universal fact,” the vice-chancellor disclosed that everywhere in the world, “Open and Distance Learning programmes are expensive to run because of their enormous flexibility, high level of technology and one-toone approach.” In NOUN’s response to the global demand for qualitative Open Distance Leering, it has evolved a highly functional system, now regarded as a model for other nations of world, especially in Africa.

Rivers lawmakers okay Wike’s quest for 20 commissioners DapoFalade-PortHarcourt

The quest by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State to appoint 20 new commissioners into his cabinet received legislative backing from the state House of Assembly, on Monday. This was as the state lawmakers screened and confirmed a letter by the governor, requesting for an approval of his intention to appoint the commissioners-designate. The governor had directed his letter to the House Speaker, Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani, pursuant to Section 195 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). Among the commissioners-designate were a former member of the House of Representatives and three former state lawmakers, who were allowed to take a “bow and leave”, in line with the legislative customs. Also, among those screened and confirmed was a non-indigene of the state, Mr Emeka Onowo, who hails from Imo State.

SAED programme: NYSC boss lauds intervention of BoI Alphonsus Agborh-Asaba

THE intervention of Bank of Industry (BOI), in funding the Graduates Entrepreneurship programme, has been described as a major turning point for the implementation of the Skills Acquisition Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme of the National Youth Service Corps(NYSC). The Director General of NYSC, Brigadier--General J .B. Olawumi ,stated this during the inauguration of Graduates Entrepreneurship programme (GEP) training of corps members in Delta, Lagos, Osun, Kastina, Plateau and Taraba states at the weekend. Represented in Delta State at the NYSC orientation camp in Issele-Uku by the director, NYSC skills acquisition and entrepreneurship development, Mrs. Mary Danabia, the director- general noted that over 500,000 corps members had been trained since the inception of SAED programme in 2012, adding that none of them had the opportunity of being presented by the collaboration with BOI to access desired fund.

communitynews

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

Ado community, Fed Poly at loggerheads over land encroachment Sam Nwaoko-Ado Ekiti

risis is brewing between the Federal Polytechnic, Ado and Ikewo community in Ado-Ekiti over allegations by the institution’s management that the community had made incursions into the institution’s land. The community recently put fetish items on parts of the land, especially a setback between the school’s fence and the Ado-Ijan Road, claiming it belonged to its forebears, and at the weekend, some members of the community began construction of a structure on it. Tension is currently building among students of the Federal Polytechnic, who saw the development as an affront and unhealthy to their wellness and well-being. It was gathered that the community wanted to take over the land to construct a shanty market. The Rector of the institution, Dr Theresa Akande, wondered why the Olu Ikewo, Chief Adewumi Aladesanmi, in connivance with the Ado-Ekiti

Local Government Area Chairman, in defiance of police intervention, were trespassing on the institution’s land which had been in the government gazette over 30 years ago. Akande, who confirmed

that students were already restive over the development, appealed to the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, to wade into the matter and prevent a breach of the peace that had been ex-

isting between the school and the host community. The rector also advised the Olu Ikewo against taking the laws into his hands, saying: “He should go to court if he feels he has a genuine case that

the setback between the school fence and the road on Ado-Ijan Road actually belong to his forebears or appeal to the Federal Government, owners of the polytechnic. “It is necessary for the

Baha’I community says no rituals in their mode of worship

Member representing Ibadan South-East I Constituency in Oyo State House of Assembly, Honourable Fatai Adesina (second right); Deputy Speaker, Honourable Abdulwasi Musa (third right) and others, during the presentation of tables and chairs donated by Hon. Adesina to Adelabu Memorial Grammar School, Odinjo, Ibadan, recently. PHOTO: WALE AKINSELURE

Asa, Moro communities want separate traditional councils Biola Azeez-Ilorin

The communities in Asa and Moro Local Government Areas of Kwara State have appealed to the state government to grade their traditional rulers and create separate traditional council for the areas. Speaking during book launch of a community leader in Afon, Asa Local Government Area, entitled, “Ba’ako: An encyclopedia of Kwara history”, the author, Chief Memudu Babatunde Ba’ako, said the grading of traditional rulers was long overdue. Chief Ba’ako, who was a legislator in the old Kwara State House of Assembly, as well as a chieftain of Afenifere Renewal Group, said that the two local government areas involved are Yoruba speaking areas. The community leader, who said that memoranda were submitted to Justice Anthony Ekundayo-led Chieftaincy Review Panel to demand for creation of separate traditional councils of the two local government areas in 1978, added that two of the four local government areas created in 1976 by Governor George Innih, namely, Asa, Moro, Ifelodun and Okehi, have their own traditional councils. “We shall all be 40 years

community to toe the line of peace by vacating the land,” she said. The Rector, who lamented that presence of shanties around the institution had been making it difficult for security agencies to keep surveillance, said: “Miscreants are using the cover of the shanties to perpetrate criminal acts around. There is the need to discourage furtherance of this.”

by August 2016. We do not want to cry as a fool at 40. We are now in 21st century and not in 18th century. For the past nine months, our traditional rulers in the two areas have not been paid their stipends. Some of them go on okada to honour invitations. Since 1995, when Sani Abacha government introduced traditional

councils fund, we have not benefitted. It is cheating to say that the local government areas should pay our traditional rulers. This is not so in other local government areas of Kwara State. “If our brothers, who left us on December 1968 to be part of Oyun Local Government Area (Ojoku, Ikotun, and Aho-Igbada), can be

graded, there is no reason(s) for us to be suffering at the expense of the state government after 55 years of Nigeria indepndence,” he said. Also, people of AlapakoIle and Alapako-Iju communities in Asa Local Government Area have called on the state government to intervene on the problem of water scarcity in the areas.

The people appealed to the government to provide borehole at different locations in the areas, saying they are not financially capable to dig borehole in their individual homes. They said the problem of water scarcity was always compounded during dry season when rain water would not be available.

Kwara promises adequate water supply biola azeez-ilorin

The Kwara State government has promised regular and adequate water supply in Ilorin, the state capital. The state Commissioner for Water Resources, Mr AbdulRazaq Akorede, gave the assurance while receiving members of Ibagun Progressives, Okelele, Ilorin in his office. Akorede said the government would soon commence rehabilitation of dilapidated water works in its bid to provide the people with potable water. He explained that the proposed N20 billion bond by the state government would be channeled towards infrastructural provisions in line with the electioneering promises of government. The commissioner blamed

the delay in the execution of some projects in the water sector to dwindling allocation from the federation account. Akorede also pointed out that poor maintenance

culture on water works in the state was partly responsible for shortage of water. Earlier, the chairman, Ibagun Progressives, Alhaji Kuranga Omomeji, de-

scribed the appointment of Akorede as well deserved, assuring that he would bring his expertise and experience to bear while carrying out government’s assignment.

‘Why we are not developed in Ogwashi-Uku’ alphonsus agborh-asaba

The decay of infrastructure in Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State since it became an administrative headquarters about 105 years ago ,has been attributed to the lack of commitment on the part of the people. Assessing the chart of development in the community since 1910, a United Kingdom-based businessman, Mr Charles Okondu, said the community had been without

electricity for over six years, no potable water, all the roads are in bad shape, while the spate of kidnapping is on the increase. Okondu said it was wrong to criticise political office holders without their contributions to the development of the community. Speaking to reporters in Ogwashi-Uku at the weekend, Okondu said the home town of former Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi

Okonjo Iweala, has not witnessed any improvement beyond the infrastructural development recorded during the time of former Secretary to the State Government in defunct Bendel State, late Isaac Okonjo, who used his position to serve his community and the state in general. “We need to come together as one entity and do things accordingly to ensure that our community regain its lost glory,” Okondu said.

The Baha’I community of Abuja with 1,500 followers said that there was no ritual in their mode of worship whenever they come together to worship in the Temple. The community said this during the birthday anniversary of the twin manifestation at Reiz Continental Hotel in Abuja. A former Commissioner of Police, Mr Lawrence Alobi, told newsmen that the birthday was to celebrate the two founders of Baha’I Faith, Bab and Baha’u’llah. He said that the religion had existed for 50 years and was registered with the United Nations as a non-government organisation since 1984. “We don’t do rituals in our mode of worship; we use the Holy Bible and Holy Qur’an as references. “ The religion holds consultative status with the United Nations Economic, Social Council and with UNICEF; it has an ongoing working relationship with several other UN agencies,’’ Alobi said. He further explained that the uniqueness of the Baha’I Temple was that it had nine doors and each door was represented by every other religion worldwide. “In Baha’I Temple, all the holy books of other religions are being kept there,’’ he said. He said that the Baha’I faith had no clergy and uses Kitab-i-Aqdas as their holy book. “We give more spiritual meaning in the writings and read the prayers the way they are revealed in our holy book,’’ he said.

44 tribunesport

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

Editor: Ganiyu Salman tribunesporteditor@yahoo.com 08053789060

Why Iheanacho didn’t make Senegal 2015 squad —Siasia

Mimiko breaks Federation Cup jinx for Ondo

IGERIA’S Dream Team handler, Samson Siasia has revealed why he ruled Manchester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho out of the 2015 African U-23 African Cup of Nations which begins this weekend in Senegal. The forward who part of the Super Eagles that silenced Swaziland in the 2018 FIFA World Cup second round qualifier will not join the Dream Team VI as they hope to secure a place in Rio 2016. “The initial plans I had with the player and his representative was that he would join us at least five days to the competition and also help the team till the semifinals stage which he agreed, but later he told somebody very close to me that his club Manchester City is not convinced to release him again since he was dumped on the bench at the last FIFA U-20 World Cup under Coach Manu Garba. So as it is right now I don’t think Kelechi Iheanacho will join us again,” Siasia told Goal. “The good news is that Junior Ajayi who is based in Tunisia has since Sunday joined us and we are expecting the team captain Azubuike (Okechukwu) and Taiwo Awoniyi to arrive on Tuesday (today) so that we can have a full house to concentrate on for the tournament,” he said. The former Super Eagles’ handler acknowledged that his team still find it hard to score goals, but vowed to do his best to ensure that the players convert at least two or three of five chances created in matches. “This team has been creating a lot of chances in competitive matches and test matches, but the problem is that they used to waste these begging chances which are not good for a team aspiring to win tournaments,” said the former international.

Iheanacho

Eaglets’ keeper lauds Mrs Amosun By Doyin Adeoye

From left, Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; Golden Eaglets’ goalkeeper, Akpan Udoh and Mrs Olufunso Amosun during Udoh’s visit to the governor and his wife in Abeokuta.

The Golden Eaglets’ first choice goalkeeper to the just-concluded FIFA U-17 World Cup, Chile 2015, Akpan Udoh, has expressed appreciation to the wife of the governor of Ogun State, Mrs Olufunso Amosun, for her kind gesture in encouraging him to develop his soccer potential. Udoh said playing for Nigeria’s U-17 team was a great privilege, adding that he owed the success to God and to Mrs Amosun, who he described as “a great mother, motivator and discoverer of talents.” He stated this when he paid a courtesy visit to governor Ibikunle Amosun and his UPLIFT Development Foundation mentor, Mrs Amosun in Abeokuta recently. Udoh was received by some of his 2013 U-15 UPLIFT Football team-mates. Meanwhile, Amosun used the occasion to encourage other members of the UPLIFT Football Team to be more determined, noting that “Udoh has opened the door for everyone of you to key into the progressive path of reaching the pinnacle of your career. This is just the beginning.” Also speaking, Mrs Amosun expressed delight at the victory recorded by the Golden Eaglets at Chile 2015, noting that their best was yet to come as she hoped to see other members of the Uplift Football Team excel in their football career.

The Ondo State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko has added a chapter to the history of football in the state as Sunshine Queens of Akure lifted the 2015 Women’s Federation Cup title last Sunday for the first time. Sunshine Queens, who lost 0-2 to Rivers Angels in last year’s final this time also at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, defeated Bayelsa Queens 3-1 via penalties after the regulation time had ended in a 1-1 draw. The victory marked the first time in the 39-year history of the state that a national football trophy will be won by the state football team. An elated head coach of Sunshine Queens, Kayode Olujohungbe said the structure put in place by the Mimiko administration paved the way for the victory. “All praises go to the Almighty God and to governor Mimiko for his efforts to take football development to the next level in the state and especially for appointing Mr Akin Akinbobola as the chairman of the State Football Agency. “One of the dreams and aspirations of the people of Ondo State was achieved for the first time after 39 years and we are very happy and grateful to all soccer-loving people of the state. The achievement is a testimony to the football development effort of the state through the football agency,” Olujohungbe said.

Fidelity Bank tops Bankers Games Fidelity Bank last Sunday completed a remarkable success in the 2015 Nigeria Bankers Games winning the prestigious football event gold as well as emerging the overall best in all competitions. In a show of pure class, Fidelity Bank were run away leaders on the medals’ table with 10 gold, two silver and four bronze ahead of First Bank with three gold, two silver and three bronze while UBA placed third with two gold and two silver medals. The final day began with a novelty match between the Corporate Nigeria Games Hall of Fame team playing against the Nigeria Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC) side

which ended 1-0 in favour of the Hall of Famers, captained by Funlola Oni of Standard Chartered Bank. Oni led Standard Chartered Bank to demystify Skye Bank, five times winners of the football gold to win the bronze. In the main game of the day, striker, Victor Jideonwu of Fidelity Bank struck a brace starting with a second minute goal and another on 36 minutes to beat First Bank 2-1. Adeleke Odusanya nicked the consolatory goal for the Elephant Boys on 48 minutes and their efforts to restore parity proved abortive, not even with the expulsion of defender Salisu Ibrahim of Fidelity Bank in the second half.

news

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

Bayelsa: Over 2,000 kinsmen of ex- deputy governor defect to PDP

ORMER Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Honourable Werinipre Seibarugu, at the weekend, lost over 2,000 of his kinsmen as they defected

to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at a campaign rally held in Gbarain and Ekpetiama clans of Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state. Governor Seriake Dickson and his campaign team were in the communities

PDP refutes Sylvaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s endorsement by Bayelsa elders The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State, on Monday, refuted the purported endorsement of All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Timipre Sylva, by the state Council of Elders. It also denied the claim by former governor, Nestor Binabo, that Governor Seriake Dickson was threatening his life. In a statement by the Director of Publicity of the Restoration Campaign Organisation, Jonathan Obuebite, said it was deceitful and misleading for Sylva to have claimed that the Council of Elders endorsed him, whereas he only had an audience with the council where he was implored to ensure he ran a violencefree campaign and be ready to accept defeat in humility

if he loses in the election. Sylva was reported to have been endorsed by the elders as widely reported in the media, but Obuebite said the reports were the figment of the imaginations of those behind what he said was a ploy to misinform the public. He said the elders were seen on television stating their non-partisan leaning and wondered where Sylva got his own endorsement from the said Bayelsa Council of Elders. He accused Sylva and his campaign team of spreading lies and mischievous publications to give the impression that he was acceptable to the people in the state, but said this was a contrary situation, stating that the former governor has been rejected by the people.

to meet with the people in continuation of his grassroots tour. The people of the clans said PDP was the only party that has been fair to the communities in terms of political appointment and provision of infrastructure. They praised Dickson for his leadership and efforts to change the fortunes of the state from the situation he inherited to a promising one and declared that he deserved to be re-elected. They consequently pledged their support to ensure that the people vote en-masse for the governor at the December 5 election. To further support their endorsement for the governor, the people chorused the same line of appreciation of the governor, saying the PDP accorded their communities a priority by making their son; Seibarugu, the speaker and subsequently the deputy governor of the state. While denouncing their membership of the APC, they pledged to work for the governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s re-election with conviction that he would deliver on his promises to further enhance development in their communities.

Nigerian Tribune

46 HID AWOLOWO (1915-2015)

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

IYAWO-ILES’ DANCE AT IKENNE

PHOTOS: ALABA IGBAROOLA, YEMI FUNSO-OKE & D’TOYIN

9 1. Reverend (Mrs) Tola Oyediran welcoming Olori Caroline Oluyemisi Onakade and Princess Tola Awodipe, to the Iyawo-Ile’s dance, at Ikenne. 2. From right, Alhaja Sikirat Awolowo, Olori Onakade, Princess Awodipe, Mrs Omolara Onatade and others. 3. From left,Tope Adebajo, Funmi Adefule and Mr Adaura Oyediran. 4. Lady Temi Waka Queen Sofagbae group. 5. Mrs Yemisi Subair and Funke Awolowo welcoming Iyawo Ile Dance group.

The Iyawo Ile Dance group in the street. Mrs Bola Awolowo and Alhaja Sikirat Awolowo. Chief (Mrs) Comfort Olutunda with HID Iyawo-Ile group. HID Iyawo-Ile group at Alanu Compound, received by Mr Isaiah Sokoya, Mrs Obafemi Olufunmilayo and Mrs Bose Sokoya. 10. HID Awolowo Iyawo Ile Dance group. 6. 7. 8. 9.

47 HID AWOLOWO (1915-2015)

Tuesday, 24 November, 2015

SERVICE OF SONG FOR HID AWOLOWO BY METHODIST CHURCH NIGERIA DIOCESE OF REMO

10 1.From left, Mrs Bolanle Ambode, Mrs Funso Amosun, wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, Ambassador Tokunbo Awolowo Dosumu and Reverend (Mrs) Tola Oyediran. 2. From left, Most Reverend A.A. Adewale, Most Reverend L.O. Odubayo, Ambassador Awolowo Dosumu, Most Reverend M.O. Akinwale, Reverend (Mrs) Oyediran and the Baba Ijo Methodist, Agowa, Sagamu, Sir Emmanuel Oyedele Awofala. 3. From left, Mrs Bola Awolowo, Mr Segun Awolowo and Sir Olaniwun Ajayi. 4. Funke Awolowo, Mrs Bola Awolowo and Mr Segun Awolowo.

PHOTOS: ALABA IGBAROOLA, YEMI FUNSO-OKE & Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;TOYIN

5. Members of West African Women Association, led by Mrs O. Carew, presenting gift to Reverend (Mrs) Oyediran 6. Cross section of clerics of the Methodist Church Nigeria. 7. Cross section of wives of clerics. 8. Chief Idowu Sofola and Mrs Grace Abraham. 9. The Funmi Aragbaye group ministering at the event. 10. The mass choir of Methodist Church Nigeria, Diocese of Remo, ministering.

SIDELINES

NO 16,377

TUESDAY, 24 NOVEMBER, 2015

Awoniyi leads Dream Team to Senegal 2015

N150

A robbery suspect, Aitlabor Gelebele who was nabbed in Ogun State claimed he always used explosives found on him to kill fishes in Delta State, which he was selling for a living. Perhaps, Aitlabor may have thought that he’s into a legal business- fishingbut does he have a licence to manufacture explosives in the first instance?

FIFA U-17 goal king, Osimhen dropped By Adebayo Samuel

AIWO Awoniyi tops the list of Nigeria’s final 21man squad named by coach Samson Siasia for the U-23 African Cup of Nations which begins on Saturday in Dakar, Senegal. The Senegal 2015 serves as the qualifying tournament for the 2016 Olympics billed for Rio, Brazil. Siasia also listed three other foreign-based professionals for the tournament as the rest of the squad was drawn from the domestic league. Awoniyi who plays for German second division side, FSV Frankfurt makes the list alongside Junior Ajayi of Tunisian club CS Sfaxien, Isaac success from La Liga side Granada and midfielder, Azubuike Okechukwu, who is based in Turkey. However, no player of Enyimba was named after Siasia dropped Kingsley Sokari and Etor Daniel for insisting on leaving training camp to play a final

Glo Premier League game with their club in Lagos against Sunshine Stars. Siasia also dropped the captain of the team to the recently-held 11th All Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville, Erhun Obanor and Mustapha Abdullahi from the squad to Senegal 2015, while Umar Aminu was stopped by his Turkish club. Also, no member of the reigning FIFA U-17 World Cup, the Golden Eaglets was included on the list. It will be recaled that only Victor Osimhen, who emerged the goal king of Chile 2015 with record 10 goals, among the four invited members of the victorious Eaglets including captain Kelechi Nwakali, made the training camp in The Gambia, where he featured in a 3-0 win over Real De Banjul. The Dream Team which won the bronze at the Brazzaville 2015, will face the Eagles of Mali in their opening game on Sunday in Mbour, and the Pharaohs of Egypt on December 2 also in Mbour and three days later tackle the Fennecs of Algeria in

Dakar in the final group B game. The top three teams will qualify automatically for the Rio 2016. The full squad: Goalkeepers: Emmanuel Daniel (Enugu Rangers), Yusuf Mohammed (Kano Pillars), Emmanuel Iwu (Heartland). Defenders: Sincere Seth (Supreme Court FC), Seun Oduduwa (Nath Boys), Zaharadeen Bello (Kano Pillars), Seun Olubayo (Sunshine Stars), Chizoba Amaefule (Dolphins), Ebuka Iroha (Diamond Football Academy). Midfielders: Ndifreke Effiong (Abia Warriors), Usman Mohammed (FC Taraba), Tiongoli Tobara (Bayelsa United), Bature Yaro (Nasarawa United), Oghenekaro Etebo (Warri Wolves), Azubuike Okechukwu (Yeni Matalatyaspor/Turkey), Godspower Aniefiok (Kano Pillars), Stanley Dimgba (Warri Wolves). Forward: Kufre Ebong (Warri Wolves), Junior Ajayi (CS Sfaxien/Tunisia), Taiwo Awoniyi (FSV Frankfurt/Germany), Isaac Success (Granada CF/Spain).

Bayern will surely get Guardiola’s replacement—Lahm BAYERN Munich will be able to find a “great coach” to replace Pep Guardiola, should the Spaniard not renew his contract which expires next June, says captain Philipp Lahm. “If Guardiola leaves one day, for sure another excellent coach will come along, but first we have to see what happens,” Lahm told German magazine Kicker. Guardiola, is in the third and final year of his current contract and has said he will

announce his future plans before Christmas with the Bundesliga set to start the winter break on December 20. The Spaniard has won 19 titles as coach of either Bayern or Barcelona and has repeatedly been linked to a series of Premier League clubs. Bayern’s 0-2 defeat at Arsenal in the Champions League last month is the only time they have been beaten this season.

Tonight’s Champions League fixtures

Guardiola

BATE Zenit Arsenal Barcelona Bayern M/Tel Aviv Lyon Porto

vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs

Leverkusen Valencia Dinamo Zagreb Roma Olympiakos Chelsea Gent Dynamo Kyiv

Awoniyi (right)

Blatter, Platini face 7years ban Know fate next month SUSPENDED FIFA president, Sepp Blatter and vicepresident, Michel Platini could face seven-year bans from football if found guilty of corruption claims. FIFA ethics investigators are likely to have recommended the sanctions over a “disloyal payment” that saw Platini, 60, receive £1.35m from Blatter. There was no written contract for the consultation-work payment, which Platini received nine years later. Both Blatter and Platini, who is also the president of European football’s governing body UEFA, are currently serving 90-day provisional bans. The pair have denied any wrongdoing, stating they had a “oral contract” for the work. However, they are thought to be facing additional charges including mismanagement, false accounting and failure to co-operate with the ethics committee. The adjudicatory committee, led by German judge Hans Joachim Eckert, opened proceedings on

Monday, although a verdict will not be announced until next month at the earliest. FIFA said the reports had been studied “carefully” but that it would not pub-

lish details of the sanctions requested, but its ethics investigatory committee is likely to have pushed for a minimum seven-year bans for both Blatter and Platini.

... I was close to death —Blatter

EMBATTLED FIFA president, Sepp Blatter has said he feared he was dying during a recent health scare. Blatter, 79, who is serving a 90-day suspension from football, spent six days in hospital earlier this month with a stress-related illness. “I was between the angels who were singing and the devil who was lighting the fire, but it was the angels who sang,” said Blatter. “I was close to dying. At some stage the body says ‘no, enough is enough’.” However, in an interview with Swiss broadcaster RTS, which will be broadcast on Wednesday, Blatter called Platini “an honest man”. “There is an agreement, even in the FIFA regulations that a contract can be made either in writing or orally. It is

an oral contract, a contract of work,” added the Swiss. Despite also serving a 90-day suspension, Platini is still in the running to succeed Blatter as FIFA president when the election is held in February. On the question of whether or not the UEFA president would make a good FIFA president, Blatter said: “Yes. If he comes back, he will be elected.”

Blatter

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