24th December 2015

NIGERIA’S MOST INFORMATIVE NEWSPAPER NO 16,399

THURSDAY, 24 DECEMBER, 2015

Wada goes to tribunal

•Wants to be declared gov —P10

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Kaduna refinery now supplies 3.2 million litres of fuel daily —NNPC

N150

Drama in court as Kanu, Biafra leader, refuses to take plea

Boko Haram largely defeated, December deadline met —FG —P12

—P3

—P2

Plan to privatise 4 airports underway —Amaechi —P2

Police release 83 El-Zakzaky's followers, detain 191 —P2

From right, former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; his wife, Bola; former head of Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan; Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and his wife, Funso, at the Christmas Carol service organised by the Ogun State government, held at June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, on Tuesday. PHOTO: D'TOYIN.

Yuletide: Police beef up security nationwide —P6

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Thursday, 24 December, 2015

Boko Haram largely defeated, December deadline met —FG Bola Badmus -Lagos

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INISTER of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in Lagos, on Wednesday, declared that the war against Boko Haram has been largely successful.

The minister, during an interactive with newspaper editors, said the military had largely met the December 31 deadline to defeat Boko Haram, saying what he saw during his recent trip to the theatre of war in Borno State and the briefings he received from the military top brass convinced him of the successes recorded by the military.

According to him, the military had so degraded the capability of Boko Haram that the terrorists could no longer carry out any spectacular attacks, recalling that Boko Haram controlled 20 of the 27 local governments in Borno at the height of the war.

“I can hear you saying to yourself: ‘But the terrorists are still carrying out suicide bombings and killing people.’ My response to that is that such is the nature of insurgency anywhere. Unlike a war between two armies, an insurgency never ends with an armistice. Even in coun-

tries like Colombia where insurgency was supposed to have ended decades ago, attacks still happen,” Alhaji Mohammed said.

He warned that as the deadline approaches, Boko Haram and ISIS had launched their propaganda seeking to discredit the Nigerian military to give the impression that they (terrorists) wee still holding sway.

The minister described the report widely published in newspapers in that regard as untrue, declaring that Boko Haram was dispersed and largely defeated.

“The insurgents are hungry, they are sick and they are desperate and will clutch at any straw. Don’t let us prop them up with our reports.

“In the days ahead, they will release propaganda videos through their usual channels, we must not give them any play because it is nothing but a hoax,” he said.

Mohammed said with the military having largely met the deadline, what was missing in the war against terrorism was the “civilian aspect.

“To fill that gap, we have commenced a national security campaign to raise awareness among Nigerians about the war, about the sacrifice of our troops

that has seen the terrorists largely defeated and about how to finally stamp out the remnant of the war, which is suicide bombing.

“As I speak, jingles are being played on national radio and television as part of this campaign, in order to keep the media better informed about the war, so that they can also better inform Nigerians.”

The minister, who solicited the support of the country’s media for the war against terrorism, said “when Nigeria is at war, they cannot afford to be neutral.

“Gentlemen, in this time of war, you cannot afford to be neutral. Yes, you must remain professional at all times, and we are not asking you to do anything less, but you must also act in the national interest always.

“Acting in the national interest means not playing up the reports of the cowardly Boko Haram attacks on soft targets. Acting in the national interest means not regurgitating the propaganda of Boko Haram and its fellow terrorist group, ISIS. “Acting in the national interest means extolling the bravery and sacrifice of our gallant troops. Acting in the national interest means not viewing the war from a partisan prism. Act-

ing in the national interest means rallying all Nigerians, irrespective of their political, religious or ethnic background, to support the war.

“We will soon inaugurate an ad hoc committee comprising media representatives as well as representatives of the military and intelligence agencies.

This committee will meet from time to time for background briefings that will give the media a better perspective of the war.”

Speaking further, he said “the military has largely met the deadline and are now involved in mop-up and humanitarian operations. The attacks on soft targets will not end with the deadline, but it will taper off gradually, in line with the nature of insurgency worldwide. These attacks do not constitute victory for the insurgents but represent the death pangs of a fading insurgency.

“Gentlemen, we need peace before we can even practice our professions.

We need peace before we can meaningfully revive our economy. We need peace for our democracy to thrive. Boko Haram is the very antithesis of peace.

Boko Haram must be wiped out, not just through military might, but with the support and efforts of all of us.”

Police release 83 El-Zakzaky’s followers, detain 191 THE Kaduna State police command has released 83 followers of Ibrahim ElZakzaky, leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria and arraigned 191 of them for various offences.

This was disclosed by Samuel Aruwan, spokesman of the Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai.

In a statement issued at the end of the security council on Wednesday, Aruwan explained that juveniles and women were among those released.

It added that those in detention were charged with offences, including obstruction of highways, possession of weapons and attacking security agents.

“The Kaduna State police command has released 83 suspects that were arrested during the Zaria clash between the Nigerian Army and the Shiites movement,” the statement read.

“Among the released detainees are 34 juveniles and 49 women. About 191 suspects have also been ar-

raigned for various offences, including obstruction of highways, possession of weapons and attacking security agents.

“The suspects have been placed on remand pending the conclusion of ongoing investigations which may

lead to charges being filed at the state high court or the federal high court.

“Residents of Gyellesu in Zaria Local Government Area of the state who fled their homes following the unfortunate incident on

December 12, 2015 are encouraged to return to their homes, as security agencies have been permanently stationed in the community to provide adequate security for citizens residing in the area,” the statement read.

Oyinlola felicitates with Christians at Xmas FORMER governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, has felicitated with Christians in the country on this year’s Christmas celebrations.

Oyinlola, in a statement he issued in Abuja, on Wednesday, noted that the birth of Christ, being celebrated, represented the redemption of humanity from sin and other challenges of life, adding that Christians and non-Christians alike had so much to learn from the gift of Christ to the world.

He urged Nigerians to let the spirit of love and sacrifice which Christ preached to permeate their lives, stressing that godliness and selflessness in words and deeds by all would

make the country to be great again.

Prince Oyinlola prayed that the years ahead would

be celebrated by Nigerians in an atmosphere of peace, economic prosperity and sound health.

Plans to privatise 4 airports underway —Amaechi Shola Adekola -Lagos THE Federal Government has concluded plans to concession or privatise four of the nation’s airports, to guarantee efficiency and good management, in view of government’s dwindling revenue for infrastructural development in the aviation industry.

Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, made the disclosure at a press briefing, on Wednesday, after inspection of facilities at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

This was coming as he gave December 2016 for the completion of the four major international airport terminal under construction for Lagos, Abuja, PortHarcourt and Kano.

He stated that after completion, Lagos airport would help to generate 15 million passengers, while other airports, after completion, would equally generate 15 million, bringing total traffic to 30 million annually.

“The new terminal in Lagos will generate additional 15 million passengers annually, making a total of 30 million passengers yearly nationwide. The medium and long term plans will require significant investments to upgrade and expand infrastructure to meet current and future requirements.

“As a result of limited resources for capital projects development, government is exploring the possibility of private sector participation towards the realisation of potentials of the industry,” he said.

Amaechi stated that there was the urgent need to continue to improve on infrastructure, noting that in Lagos, out of the four conveyor belts, only two were functional.

Although the minister did not disclose the air-

ports that would be concessioned or privatised, there were indications that the Lagos airport, the Nnamdi Azikiwe International, the Port-Harcourt International Airport and the Mallam Aminu Kano were the aerodromes slated for the exercise.

The minister was accompanied on the tour by Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika; Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Muhtar Usman; Managing Directors of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Saleh Dunoma and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Ibrahim Abdulsalam; DirectorGeneral of the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Dr Anthony Anuforom, among others.

He, however, stated that there would not be no sacred cows in the recovery of debts owed the various agencies.

Collectively, Nigerian carriers were said to owe NAMA, NCAA, NCAT, NIMET over N4 billion in Passenger Service Charge (PSC) and Ticket Sales Charge (TSC), prompting the NCAA to issue two weeks ultimatum to pay up or be grounded.

On the planned national carrier, he explained that the ministerial committee on the national airline had submitted its report to President Muhammadu Buhari, saying the government was studying it carefully and would announce its decision in due course.

He added that the government of President Buhari was in the process of developing a national transportation masterplan that would be implemented as a fulfilment of one of his campaign promises to diversify the national economy, while improving non-oil sector revenues.

FG receives report on review of MDAs Clement Idoko -Abuja THE committee on the review of the structure of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in the Federal Civil Service has submitted its report to the acting Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita. This was contained in a statement issued by the Director of Communications in the HoS Office, Mr Haruna Imrana and made

available to newsmen on Wednesday.

Receiving the report, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita thanked the members of the committee for “a good job executed on time” noting that the committee, made up of former top functionaries and serving senior civil servants had, indeed, brought its wealth of experience to bear in the final report.

She said the structure of the service had to be reviewed, in order to guide

the ministers and ministries, particularly those merged, in view of their new scopes and responsibilities.

She assured the members that the report would be forwarded to the president for his study and further directives.

Earlier, chairman of the committee, Ebele O.Okeke, had called on the Federal Government to review the enabling acts of some merged entities, which may have consequences for

the mergers.

Other recommendations of the committee included the professionalisation of the Human Resource Management Department in all ministries for effective performance.

In order to forge a closer link between planning and budgeting, the committee recommended that planning research and statistics should be renamed Department of Planning, Budget, Research and Statistics.

news Drama in court as Kanu, Biafra leader refuses to take plea 3

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

Judge withdraws from trial Sunday Ejike - Abuja

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USTICE Ahmed Ramat Mohammed of a Federal High Court, in Abuja, on Wednesday, declined to handle the treason charges brought against the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

The judge announced his decision after the Biafran leader objected to him hearing the case.

Kanu, who is the founder of Radio Biafra refused bluntly to take plea on the six-count criminal charges bordering on treason, importation of illegal goods and possession of fire arms filed against him by the Department of Security Services (DSS) on the ground that he will not get fair trial.

Kanu, who was docked along with two others, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi, claimed that he has no confidence in the court because information available to him indicated that he will not get fair trial before the judge.

In his words, “I will not sacrifice the due process of the law founded in the principles of natural justice upon the altar of speedy release from detention.

“In other words, I will rather remain in detention than subjecting myself to a trial that I know amounts to perversion of justice.

“Previous court judgments

and rulings have been delivered by competent court of laws in Nigeria in my favour which the DSS failed to obey or implement.

“On that premise, I am not ready to stand before this court for trial because I am convinced that the outcome will go the way of the previous ones, therefore, I have chosen to remain in custody until justice prevails in my matter in the interest of justice,” he added.

The lawyer to the Federal Government, Mohammed Saidu Diri, however, asked Justice Mohammed to reject the claim of the Biafran leader on the ground that, being an accused, he cannot dictate to the court.

He said the accused, if he has any objection to his trail can only come by way of application stating his grievances with exhibits in clear terms, special circumstances on why he should not be tried by a particular court.

Diri, who is the Director, Public Prosecution (DPP) of the Federation, cited Section 396 (2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, adding that under the Act, an objection to trial can only be raised by the accused when the plea has been taken and not before.

He, therefore, urged the court to compel Kanu who was already in the dock to take his plea.

But counsel to Kanu, Vincent Egechukwu Obetta,

Osun needs N5bn IGR to augment FG’s monthly allocation —Aregbesola Oluwole Ige - Osogbo

GOVERNOR Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, on Tuesday, said for the state to overcome its current financial challenges, it would require at least N5billion Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) monthly to augment allocation from the federation account.

He made the disclosure while commissioning Olufi Middle School, Gbongan, in Ayedaade Local Government Area of the state.

Aregbesola, who maintained that Osun needs N5billion IGR in a month to wriggle out of its financial difficulties, contended that with dwindling monthly allocation from the Federation Account, it was imperative to look inward and explore opportunities aimed at generating revenue internally.

While explaining that his administration borrowed about N130billion to build mega schools across the state, the governor charged teachers and students to make proper use of the

schools, stressing that “we want the school to be renovated after 50 years.”

Aregbesola recalled that 11 high schools had been built by his administration, just as he assured that the remaining seven will be completed by March 2016 to fulfil the number he promised.

“We intend to construct 100 state-of-the-art elementary schools. 15 have been completed and we are also going to construct 50 middle schools in the state,” he added.

Commenting on the economic challenges in the country, Aregbesola said “it is time for every adult to involve in one agricultural activities or the other as that is the only way we can survive the current challenges.”

Speaking on the merger of tertiary institutions, he said “Colleges of Education will be training teachers, offering remedial courses and re-training teachers while polytechnics will offer their traditional courses, provide technical training to improve technical and vocational education.”

informed the court that the accused has the fundamental right to object to the trial and pleaded with the court to grant him his request.

In his ruling, Justice Mohammed agreed that the accused person has the

right to object to his trial before his court on the ground that justice is rooted in confidence and rejected the submission of the Federal Government lawyer.

The judge, therefore, ordered that the case file be

returned to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court so that it can be re-assigned to another judge and for further action.

Kanu had earlier been granted unconditional release by Justice Adeniyi

Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja, from the custody of the DSS but the order was not obeyed and instead, a fresh charge was brought against him by the Federal Government last Friday.

General Overseer, the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye (middle), greeting the wife of Oyo State governor, Mrs Florence Ajimobi, at a programme held at the Covenant Sanctuary, Oluyole Estate, Ibadan, on Wednesday. With them is the Regional Pastor, Region 21, Pastor Dele Balogun. PHOTO: ALOLADE GANIYU.

Kaka accuses Kashamu of hijacking constituency projects Allegation funny —Kashamu Olayinka Olukoya - Abeokuta

THE immediate past senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District, Alhaji Adegbenga Kaka, has accused his successor, Senator Buruji Kashamu, of hijacking two Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) constituency projects facilitated by him while in office.

Kaka was reacting to a statement made by Kashamu during a reception held penultimate Saturday, in Ijebu-Igbo, that he had sponsored two projects to his constituency within the last seven months.

The former lawmaker noted that all the constituency projects facilitated by him from 2011-2015, were carried out in such a way that all the nine local governments in the senatorial district benefitted.

He maintained that the last set of the projects, which were six in number, were budgeted for in the 2015 fiscal year.

The two MDGs projects in contention were a block of three classrooms each at Japara High School, in Ijebu-Igbo and Ansar-rudeen High School, Isiwo, in Ijebu North and Ijebu-Ode local government areas of the state respectively.

He added that the solar power street lights were also

provided in all the nine local governments, saying he was still expecting some other empowerment programme materials from the Federal Government.

He said, “I concede the fact that government is supposed to be a continuum so that nothing should be abandoned. But in this case, I had four years and I programmed all my projects in such a way that no local government is left untouched and I did it in such a way that where the Federal Government constituency projects cannot satisfy the need of my constituency, I took it upon myself to do many others to the extent that those that I did privately are probably more than what the government did.

“So, for 2015, which was the last lap, I had six blocks of three classrooms in six local government areas. One is in Ijebu North and another one in Ijebu North East.

The one in Ijebu North is in Japara High School. The one in Ijebu North East is in Idomila Comprehensive High School. The one in Ijebu Ode is in Isiwo Comprehensive High School. For primary schools, we have Makun-Irokun in Ogun Waterside and then we have one in Ijebu East at Isire Local Government Authority Primary School and Ansar-

ud-Deen Primary School at Irolu in Ikenne Local Government.

“I selected them based on needs and the need to spread the projects and I packaged all of them for 2015 constituency projects.

Not only that, solar power street lights in all the nine local government areas were also earmarked. And in addition to that are all those empowerment products like the Keke Marwa, the motorcycles.

“I’m still expecting those ones to be delivered. So, out of the desire to continue, I’ve been monitoring from Abuja and only about two weeks ago, I commissioned a three-classroom blocks at Muslim Primary School, Ijebu Ife. So, we have just finished inspecting a primary healthcare centre in Ijebu Igbo here and also in Japara High School and Ansar-ud-Deen High School, Isiwo.”

Kaka said he was surprised when he saw that Senator Kashamu has put signboard claiming that he sponsored the two projects in contention.

Kashamu, in his reaction, described Kaka’s allegation as funny.

The lawmaker, in a statement issued by his media aide, Austin Oniyokor, insisted that Kaka could not

lay claim to any constituency projects in the senatorial district.

The statement read, “Our attention has been drawn to Senator Gbenga Kaka’s allegation that we are claiming the glory of projects he facilitated.

“His allegation is funny, to say the least. Everybody knows that government is a continuum. If he claimed to have influenced the inclusion of some projects in the budget, he was able to do that as a senator.

“Having lost his re-election bid and seat to Senator Kashamu, he has automatically lost all the rights and privileges that go with the position. He cannot justifiably lay claim to any constituency project. They are meant for the good people of Ogun East Senatorial District and having been elected to represent them, the responsibility to ensure the projects are executed falls on Senator Kashamu, particularly as a member of the Senate Committee on Education (Basic and Secondary).

“Besides, Senator Kashamu was not the one who awarded the contract for the projects. The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) awarded the projects to contractors who met the requirements.”

news We are owed 3 months salaries, Alaafin, Eleruwa, others tell Ajimobi 4

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RADITIONAL rulers in Oyo State, on Wednesday, called on Governor Abiola Ajimobi to see to the non payment of their salaries and emoluments for the past three months.

The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, who led other members of the State Council of

Nigerian Tribune

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

Obas to the Governor’s Office, Ibadan, noted increasing complaints of the Obas at non receipt of their stipends, hence the visit.

Adeyemi who however recognised the current financial crisis in the nation, noted that the Obas craved firsthand information on how the state was being managed.

Adeyemi said, “We were not invited for the budget presentation. If the government proposes to spend N165 billion in 2016 and the state is not financially buoyant, we want to know how government intends to generate the needed income to finance the budget expenditure.

“For about three months,

traditional rulers have not been getting funds from government. Though we recognise the current financial crisis in the nation, we are here to find out how the governor has been able to regularly pay the salaries and emoluments of members of the council of Obas until the last three months.

“I regularly communicate

with and have sent a number of correspondences to the governor, but I had to lead the traditional rulers themselves here to hear from the horse’s mouth.

“Government is about management of resources.

It is about being caring. It is about being open to the people. We are grateful for the attention he gives traditional rulers. Some say the Alaafin usually does not support a governor for four years. It is because I am with the people. If a governor does not govern in the interest of the people, I switch to being on the part of the people.”

He saluted the managerial intelligence of Ajimobi such that government was run without excessive borrowing.

Consequently, he pledged the commitment of the traditional rulers to increasing the state’s Internally Generated Revenue, resolving communal disputes and peace.

Other Obas present at the meeting included Eleruwa of Eruwa, Oba Samuel Adegbola; Sabiganna of

Iganna, Oba Saliu Azeez Oyemola.

Responding, Ajimobi allayed the monarchs’ fears on how income would be generated to finance the proposed N165 billion budget.

He noted that the payment of taxes, tenement rates, among others, had become mandatory so as to achieve the N5 billion IGR target for 2016.

Calling on the traditional rulers to encourage their subjects to align with government’s renewed IGR drive, Ajimobi held that regular payment of traditional rulers depended upon increased IGR. “We have identified companies that have not paid tax for five years. Many house owners don’t pay tenement rate. So, traditional rulers have to help speak to their people on the need to pay tax.

“With our renewed IGR drive, we will be able to settle all traditional rulers. We must jointly participate in generating enough income to go round.”

AEDC installs 5,000 meters in pilot mass metering project in Niger Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr Olusegun Awolowo, presenting a Nigerian processed ca- ABUJA Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has shew (Food Pro), to the Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (right), during a courtesy call at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday. With commenced the installation them is the Special Adviser to the NEPC CEO, Mr Taofeek Owoseni.

Tambuwal meets Shagari, as Sokoto pledges to build teachers’ villages AS part of measures put in place to ensure the success of the state of emergency declared in the education sector in Sokoto, the state government will, from next year, build special estates, known as teachers’ villages, in various districts across the state.

In addition, monetary and other incentives would be introduced to all teachers posted to rural areas in order to ginger them to give their best for the development of education in the state.

Making this known during a meeting with former president, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, in Sokoto, on Wednesday, Governor Aminu Tambuwal said government was taking the issue of teacher training serious, because they were important components in the success of his administration’s education policy.

He said various training programmes had been in-

troduced, after which the teachers would be evaluated to ascertain their capability to teach.

“Any teacher that fails to meet our requirement will be re-posted to other parts of the public service, where his competence will be more needed. Let me make it clear that we will not sack any teacher from government service.

“But where he fails to meet the expectation in our schools, we will have other areas where his service will be needed and we will send the person there accordingly,” Tambuwal said.

The governor added that all aspects of education sector would be given massive lift.

In his remarks, former President Shagari pledged to assist the government to meet its target for the rapid development of education sector in the state.

He said the Sokoto Education Trust Fund, which

he heads, has, for the past 17 years, issued scholarships to some students and executed various projects aimed at empowering

women and youths.

He solicited the support of the state government in enhancing the activities of the fund.

of 5,000 meters in Tunga area of Niger State under the pilot scheme of its planned mass metering project.

Speaking to newsmen after an inspection visit to the installation sites, on Tuesday, in Minna, the AEDC’s Executive Director, Commercial Services, Mr Ernest Mupwaya, said

the company would use the pilot scheme to assess the efficacy of the smart meters ahead of the mass roll out of 100,000 of the meters next year.

He explained that the rationale behind the installation “is to ensure that we sell a product for which the customers are confident and sure of getting value for the electricity they are paying for.”

FUTA workers protest sack of colleagues Hakeem Gbadamos - Akure

MEMBERS of staff of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Ondo State, on Wednesday, staged a peaceful protest in Akure, condemning the dismissal of some of their colleagues teaching at the institution’s staff school by the Federal Government.

The protesters, who are members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, said the 45 teachers were illegally relieved of their duties.

They said the union would fight the injustice to the end.

The protesters, armed with placards of various inscriptions which included, ‘This is not the

change we voted for’, ‘Save our jobs’, ‘Daramola don’t privatise FUTA Staff Primary School’, ‘Teachers are not second class citizens’, ‘Stop maltreating us in FUTA staff primary School’ among others The chairman of the association in FUTA, Benedict Chukwudi, while addressing the protesters, said that members of SSANU would commence an indefinite strike nationwide today, to press home their demand and to let the Federal Government reverse its decision on the sack of the 200 teachers across the country.

The union leader pleaded with the Federal Government to withdraw the circular, noting that the government was wrong in its

decision to sack the workers despite instituting a suit challenging the action of the government in court.

Chukuwdi also alleged the authorities of FUTA of spear-heading the battle, saying “it is only FUTA among all the federal institutions that has issued sacked letters to its affected workers.”

According to him, the FUTA management had also gone ahead to advertise the vacancy positions on national dailies.

However, the management of the institution in a statement issued by its Public Relations Officer, Mr Adegbenro Adebanjo, said the institution took the steps to disengage the staff following the direc-

tives from the Federal Government.

Adegbenro statement read in part, “After a thorough appraisal of the Federal Government circular which precluded personnel/teachers of primary school affiliated to institutions/agencies from being included in the nominal roll as from January 2016, “FUTA management sought the approval of the Governing Council to make the primary school independent of government funding in order to ensure that it is in a position to pay the salaries of teachers and personnel in its employ whose payment the Federal Government will stop from 31st December, 2015.

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Thursday, 24 December, 2015

Non-release of Appeal Judgment: Ladoja asks CJN, PCA to intervene

By Dare Adekanmbi

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OVERNORSHIP candidate of Accord and former governor of Oyo State, Senator Rashidi Ladoja has asked the Justice H.M Ogunwumijuled five-member Appeal Court panel to release a copy of the judgment it delivered more than eight days ago.

Ladoja said the decision of the panel was deliberate and had eaten into the time he has to file the necessary processes to challenge the decision of the Appellate Court panel at the Supreme Court.

In a statement by his media aide, the former

Court orders remand of 40-year-old woman for lying against pastor SUNDAY EJIKE-ABUJA

AN Abuja Chief Magistrate Court has remanded a 45-year-old woman, Juliet Uche Ezeonye Idu, to prison custody for making false allegation and criminal intimidation against the General Overseer, Lord’s Charismatic Revival Ministries, Pastor Lazarus Muoka.

The suspect who has been on the wanted list of the police since 2013 was arraigned before the court by the Force Criminal Investigation Department [FCID] for giving force information with intent to mislead a public servant and defamation contrary to sections 140 and 392 of the Penal Code law as well as alleged criminal intimidation contrary to section 397 [b] of the Penal Code Law. Although she pleaded not guilty to the charge, her bail application which was moved by her lawyer, C.P. Ezedebe was overruled by Chief Magistrate Azubike Ikaogwu on the ground that no sufficient materials were placed before the court to warrant the granting of bail.

Chief Magistrate Ikaogwu said the offence of criminal intimidation is not an ordinary bailable offence since it carries a sentence of seven years upon conviction and therefore sufficient materials were needed to be placed before the court for its consideration.

governor noted that if there had been suspicion as to the integrity of the panel, the seeming refusal to release the verdict delivered on December 17 had confirmed speculations that the panel did not do a thorough job.

He described the holding on to the judgment as being purposively tar-

geted at frustrating his intention to contest the judgment at the apex court.

“In addition to the eight days already wasted out of the 21 days we have to contest the verdict of the Justice Ogunwumiju-led panel, five more days will have been taken by Monday, December 28, as a

result of the public holidays declared by the Federal Government.

“An election petitioner has to race against time for his case to be heard.

It is unfortunate that the panel has furthered the tyranny of time that the petitioner has to battle.

Will the panel be held responsible for the lost

time?” the statement said.

Ladoja, therefore, called the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed and the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, to prevail on the panel to release the judgment and investigate the delay.

Varsity students take rally to Soun over Akintola’s remembrance

By Tunde Busari

STUDENTS of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) visited the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Jimoh Oyewumi, in his palace, during their rally preparatory to the 50th year remembrance of the former Premier of the defunct Western Region, Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola.

The rally, which electrified the ancient town, saw the students singing and dancing in a peaceful manner that impressed the people of the town including the security agents.

According to the chairman, Akintola Memorial Committee, Yemi Adedokun, the rally was incorporated into the programme with a view to carrying the youths along, having observed their growing interest in contemporary issues in the country.

Adedokun also said a memorial lecture would hold on January 14, 2016 at the LAUTECH campus, Ogbomoso. The Emeritus Professor of History and International Affairs, Professor Akinjide Osuntokun, is the guest speaker, while President Muhammadu Buhari, South-West governors,

Senate president and other eminent Nigerians would be special guests.

“There is also going to be an interdenominational service, lecture and grand reception on January 15, 2016 at SLA Akintola, Oke Ado, Ogbomoso at 10 a.m. in the morning. Also the library of Chief Akintola would be opened to the public,” he stated.

Adedokun added that a church service would also hold on December 27 at First Baptist Church, Igbajo. Between January 10 and January 13, 2016, there would be a church service in Ogbomoso, vis-

Centre backs FG’s employment policy for youths DIRECTOR-GENERAL of the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre (CLTC), Mr Michael Fawole, has said the centre would key into President Muhammadu Buhari’s employment policy, especially in providing skill acquisition and empowerment programmes for unemployed graduates across the country.

He also hinted that the centre was planning to give financial grants to such beneficiaries to enable them start off in life, not just as small scale entrepreneurs, but also as employers of labour in their own rights.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of a one-week workshop on skills acquisition and empowerment programme organised by CLTC in Jos, Plateau State, Fawole said: “The primary objective of this programme, like other trainings organised by this Centre in the past, is to re-orientate participants on value system, by instilling in them, the spirit of patriotism, integrity, service, innovation, discipline and excellence as well as to harness their potentials towards national development.”

The Director General, who explained that the participants were mobilised from 31 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), said the participants were trained on various fields including cell phone repair, hair dressing, barbing, chin-chin and popcorn making, industrial tailoring, commercial bread baking, shoe and bag making as well as jewelleries.

He said: “The decision to provide you with equipment and working tools, (I am repeating this to emphasise its importance), is to help you become better citizens and agents of positive change, both in behavioural pattern and as productive members of your com-

munities.

“I am convinced, that with the knowledge you have acquired and the tools in your hands, you have no reason any longer, to become tools for violence, terror, armed robbery, vandalism and other social vices that otherwise vulnerable people may be tempted to deviate into.”

In his remarks, Minister of Youths and Sports, Mr Solomon Dalong, described as rare privilege, the opportunity given to the beneficiaries of the programme, who were chosen out of the millions of young men and women out there waiting for jobs, saying they have been trained and armed to face their future meaningfully.

it to motherless home and art exhibition.

After the rally, former Minister of Finance and son of Chief Akintola, Chief Yomi Akintola, expressed his gratitude, especially to the Nigerian media for standing by the family in terms of reportage.

He specifically thanked Nigerian Tribune for what he described as Tribune cooperation, adding that his family history with Tribune family is rich.

“For you to know how close we were, Segun was my childhood friend. We spent holidays together. He was with me in Dublin after he had completed his Law programme at Cambridge.

I can recall that he spent his last days abroad with me. So, when the bad news of his death was broken, I was so shocked and hospitalised. Doctors could not diagnose the sickness. For nine months I was in shock because of our cordiality,” he said.

Court docks UNIBEN’s CSO over stealing Banji Aluko, Benin City

THE Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the University of Benin, Umar Otokiti, 62, was on Wednesday, arraigned before an Ekiadolor Magistrate Court in Ovia North East Area of the state for alleged stealing.

Otokiti, a retired Colonel in the Nigerian Army, and one Osayande Osaro, aged 52, were arraigned on a three-count charge of stealing and breaking and entry.

They were alleged to have broken into the dwelling house of one Dr Emmanuel Irabor, a lecturer in the institution, on November 14.

The accused persons were alleged to have carted away properties worth over N27million from Dr Irabor’s residence.

They pleaded not guilty to the three charges.

The offences are punishable under sections 516, 411(1), and 390(9) of the Criminal Code Cap 48 Vol.II Laws of the defunct Bendel State of Nigeria 1976 as applicable in Edo State.

Presiding Magistrate, Franca Oghator, granted the accused persons bail in the sum of N500,000 or a surety in like sum who must be gainfully employed.

The case was adjourned to February 20, 2016.

6 xmasnews

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

Be hopeful, Mimiko tells Nigerians

O

ndo State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, has expressed optimism that God will intervene in the economic challenges being witnessed in the country, urging the people to be hopeful and continue in prayer.

Urging the people not to despair in the face of the excruciating economic climate, Mimiko in his goodwill message to the people of the state at Christmas, said the good Lord ,who intervened in the last general election, and ensured a smooth transition against every evil preditions, will still answer the prayers of his people.

“There are challenges in this land, we are faced with

economic challenges. Our major source of income, crude oil is depreciating, our currency is also depreciating and devalued.

These in turn, have led to downturn in the state revenue allocation.

“I am very confident that this tough time will pass in Nigeria because of the love of God for our country,” he said.

Thanking God for the

As Christians all over the country prepare for the Christmas and New Year celebrations, the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, has urged all Nigerians to embrace peace even as they celebrate the joy of the season.

He also assured Nigerians of the determination to ensure adequate security before, during and after the yuletide period.

In a statement issued by the force spokesperson, ACP Olabisi Kolawole ,on Wednesday, in Abuja, the IG directed all zonal AIGs and State Command Commissioners of Police, to take all necessary measures to ensure the provision of adequate security

Biola Azeez - Ilorin Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State has advised Nigerians to be their brothers’ keepers as they celebrate the birthday

across the country.

To this end, he further directed all commissioners of Police to personally, ensure that key and vulnerable points, such as; shopping malls, motor parks, financial houses, places of worship, recreation centres and other public places are adequately and effectively protected.

The IG also warned officers, who will be deployed during the period, to ensure that they comport themselves and act within the confines of the law.

He urged them to be firm but polite, civil and professional in the discharge of their assigned roles, even as they respect the fundamental human rights of citizens at all times.

of Jesus Christ even as we march towards a new Nigeria of religious stability and economic prosperity.

The governor, in his Christmas message issued by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Alhaji Abdulwahab Oba, said Nigerians should always walk the path of humility, moderacy, self denial and brotherliness, which are the hallmarks of the teachings of Christian religion.

Governor Ahmed, who also advised that the period should be used as a time to show love and affection, especially to the needy, said Nigerians should be prepared to make sacrifices in this trying times

The Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, Wilson Inalegwu, on Wednesday, reiterated the ban on the use of knockouts, fireworks popularly referred to as ‘bangers’ in the Federal Capital Territory.

The police boss, reiterated this on Wednesday, in Abuja ,when he held an interactive session with representatives of different transportation unions, to clamp down on the incidences of crime in the FCT. According to him, the use of knock-outs could trigger fire outbreaks and also cause panic in the minds of residents, considering the current security challenges in the country.

He warned that the FCT Police will not hesitate to treat disobedience to the ban, as a crime.

“I also want to use this opportunity to warn that the use of knock-outs is banned. Because the fire from these knock-outs can cause fire outbreak and so ,I want to warn and advise that the use of knock-outs across FCT is banned so that we can ensure the safety of all.

“You know when people hear such sounds, they always cause panic and ap-

in the economic history of our nation to make Nigeria better for all.

He commended Christian leaders in the state for promoting religious harmony and encouraged them not to relent in their effort in

to show that a new era is here.’’

Atiku also said that this year’s celebrations were “significant and special.

“It was in this year’s national elections that the 16-year-old prayer of the Nigerian people of all faiths, for a purposeful and more responsive government was answered.’’

Clement Idoko - Abuja THE Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, (NSCDC), Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu, has ordered the deployment of over 50,000 personnel nationwide to ensure peaceful Christmas and New Year celebrations.

prehension in the minds of people and also I have directed that anytime we receive notification from construction companies, if they want to carry out blast, they should notify all media houses in FCT so that they can be alerted ahead of time so that when you hear such sounds you will not panic. So, knockouts, they call it banger, is prohibited” he said.

Clement Idoko - Abuja THE Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), has deployed over 36,000 of its officers and men nationwide on special patrol to ensure smooth flow of traffic and effective rescue operations during the Christmas and New Year

He gave this directive at the Corps National Headquarters, Abuja, while calling on Christians to continue to walk in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He said: “I implore all Christians both in Nigeria and all over the world , that the great virtues laid down

by Jesus Christ is worthy of emulation always, as this season of Christmas is a time encapsulated in love.

“The Haves should remember the less privileged be they Christians and non-Christians and extend a token of their love to them,” Gana, said in a statement signed by the Corps Public Relations Officer, Mr Emmanuel Okeh.

Committed to ensure a free Christmas and new year celebrations, the Ogun State Police Command, on Wednesday, deployed no fewer than 40 patrol vans on highways across the state.

This was coming on the heels of a fierce gun battle between the police and

a gang of armed robbers that operated at Ajede area near J3, on the Sagamu/ Expressway, Ore/Benin on Wednesday morning, which left one robber dead.

This was contained in a statement by the command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said some of the robbers fled the scene with wounds of

celebrations.

On a sad note, however, the corps has lost about 134 of its personnel on active service between 2014 and 2015.

Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of FRSC, Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, who disclosed this on Wednesday, in Abuja, while addressing newsmen on the activities lined up for 2015 yuletide special patrol tagged, “Operation drive safely”, said the corps would also deploy aerial surveillance to be flagged off today (Thursday), at the Domestic Wing of the Nnandi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

SOCIAL Democratic Party governorship candidate in the April 11 governorship election in Oyo State, Mr Seyi Makinde, has urged the

gunshots.

According to Adejobi, the hoodlums blocked the highway with a Toyota bus marked NND 529 XA and ordered the commuters to lie flat beside the highway.

He said the immediate response of the anti-patrol team foiled the operations of the armed robbers while the victims were rescued unhurt.

He said that the prayer of Nigerians was answered with a new government and a new political party in power.

Lagos govt, LAGBUS to provide free bus service The Lagos State government, through LAGBUS and its Franchisees, will provide free bus ride to Lagosians tomorrow to commemorate this year’s Christmas celebration.

The move is aimed at promoting the use of public transportation as well as reducing congestion on Lagos roads during the festivities.

According to the release signed by the Managing Director of LAGBUS, Mr Idowu Oguntona, the free bus ride, will be provided on all LAGBUS routes across the metropolis within normal operational hours.

While imploring Lagosians to take the opportunity of the free bus service provided by the state government, Oguntona appealed to motorists not to drink and drive so as to prevent avoidable accidents during festivities.

He, however, thanked all Lagosians for their patronage during the year and wished them a merry Christmas.

Be cautious at Xmas, Lagos NURTW boss tells Nigerians

By Gbenga Olumide The chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Lagos State council, Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede, has charged commercial drivers in the state to be moderate in their actions while celebrating Christmas and New Year festival.

The charge was contained

Seyi Makinde sues for peaceful festive period

Police deploy 40 patrol vans on highways in Ogun Olayinka Olukoya - Abeokuta

building a better society.

The governor assured the people of the state that his administration remains committed to the well -being of all and the delivery of the dividends of democracy.

FRSC deploys 36,000 personnel, aerial surveillance

NSCDC deploys 50,000 officers

Use of ‘knock-out’ remains banned in FCT, CP reiterates Chris Agbambu and Adetola Bademosi - Abuja

Atiku preaches tolerance, peace at Xmas

Be your brother’s keeper, Ahmed urges Nigerians

IG sues for peace, assures of adequate security Chris Agbambu - Abuja

peace being enjoyed in the state, the governor said all the development witnessed in the state would not have been possible, but for the peace that reigns in the state.

He, thus, implored the citizens to look to the new year with optimism, submitting that with love and total dedication by Nigerians, the nation will overcome its challenges.

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has congratulated Christians ahead of the Christmas celebration, to mark the birth of Jesus Christ.

He said that the birth of Christ showed God’s love for mankind and a rekindled hope that the creator wished for people to live a full and happy life on earth.

Atiku commended the current administration for “preaching the gospel of change and renewal and taking sure-footed steps

Nigerian Tribune

people of the state to go out and enjoy a peaceful festive period.

Makinde, in a press release signed by his media assistant, Akeem Azeez, said year 2015 had been an eventful year for the people of the state and urged them not to be left out in the mood of the season as the world marks the birth of Jesus Christ.

“Christmas season is a time to love, express joy and exchange gifts. The people of Oyo State should not be left out in this fun sharing period.

We have had an eventful year that will live in our memory and spur us to do more in the new year,” he said.

in a goodwill message he personally signed and made available to the Nigerian Tribune, on Wednesday.

The NURTW boss advised that drivers must avoid vices that could lead to road accident.

“We are moving towards the end of the year, while people will be travelling from one town to the other.

So, we must be cautious on the road and avoid things that can cause accident.

“I’m imploring our members to abstain from overloading, over speeding and overtaking at dangerous bends throughout the festive period,” he said.

Agbede further appealed to members of the union, especially those plying interstate routes to avoid night travelling.

According to him, “for our own sake, it is advisable for our people not to travel in the night, because there are lot of hazards associated with it.”

He also charged them to always ensure that their vehicles are in good condition to avoid friction with police and other law enforcement agencies.

7

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

8 eid-elmaulud

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

Reflect on the teachings of Muhammad, Buhari admonishes Muslims Leon Usigbe - Abuja

P

RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has felicitated with the Islamic community in Nigeria, as they celebrate the birthday of Prophet Muhammad.

According to a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, in Abuja, on Wednesday, the president called on all Muslims to use the opportunity of his birthday to reflect on the teachings of the Prophet, who lived a life of piety, prayer and service

to God and humanity.

As they join the rest of the Islamic world in commemorating the prophet’s birthday, President Buhari

and in their relationship with others.

He wished all Nigerians Happy Eid-el-Maulud celebrations.

Embrace love, peaceful co-existence, harmony, Saraki advises Muslims Ayodele Adesanmi - Abuja THE Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki on Wednesday, felicitated with Muslims on this year’s celebration of Eid-el-Maulud, and enjoined Nigerians

Pray for peace, progress of Nigeria, Ambode charges Muslims LAGOS State governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, on Wednesday, called on Muslims in Nigeria to offer special prayers for greater peace, unity and continuous progress of Nigeria, as they join their counterparts across the world to celebrate Eid-el-Maulud, the birth of Prophet Muhammad.

The Governor in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Habib Aruna, enjoined Muslims to follow the exemplary leadership of the Holy Prophet, by promoting peaceful coexistence among the various segments of the society.

While imploring Nigerians to shun ethnic, political and religious differences, and to work towards building a safer and better Nigeria, Governor Ambode said the celebration of the birth of the Prophet, should renew the faith and bond of unity among Nigerians as one people and one nation irrespective of diversity.

“On the occasion of the commemoration of the birth of the holy Prophet, it is imperative to reflect on his teachings and uphold his legacies of unity, integrity, peaceful coexistence and love for one’s neighbour,

urges the adherents of the Islamic faith to rededicate themselves to upholding the injunctions of the Holy Quran in their personal life

which are indispensable in our quest for meaningful development and the profitable management of our diversity,” he said.

Governor Ambode also urged Muslims to internalise the virtues of honesty, selflessness, charity, tolerance, good neighbourliness, justice, equity and fairness which the Mohammad preached, saying such would go a long way to engender national development.

“I want to seize this occasion to urge all Nigerians to commit and rededicate themselves to making greater effort to imbibe these qualities and values as they celebrate the Prophet’s birth.”

to imbibe the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) which are anchored on love, peaceful coexistence and harmony.

Saraki in a goodwill message to celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), signed by his Special Adviser ( Media and Publicity), Yusuph Olaniyonu, said just like the birth of the Holy Prophet in Mecca ushered in a new dawn for humanity, Nigerians should view the occasion of this year’s Maulud Nabiyyi as an opportunity for a new beginning for the country.

He noted that the country has made tremendous progress in terms of security of lives and property since the last celebration, and urged Muslim faithful to use the occasion to further seek the mercy and protection of Allah for all Nigerians.

According to him “I believe that we will make progress towards the realisation of our shared vision of a strong, united and prosperous nation if our people imbibe the Prophet’s lessons of peace, tolerance, hon-

esty, selflessness, sincerity, justice, equity and peaceful co-existence with others, including fairness to all.”

Saraki reminded Muslims of the life and times of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) which was characterised by series of challenges, but at the end of it all he triumphed, and expressed confidence that Nigeria would soon overcome her challenges.

Jacob Segun Olatunji and Kolawole Daniel - Abuja THE Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Yakubu Dogara, on Wednesday, felicitated with the Muslim Ummah in the country on the occasion of the celebration of this year’s Eid-el-Maulud.

In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja, on Wednesday, by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Turaki Hassan, the Speaker called on Muslim faithful to imbibe the spirit of humility, gratitude and charity to one another as demonstrated by the life and times of the Holy Prophet Mohammed.

Hon Dogara noted that the virtues of service and

exemplary leadership as demonstrated by the Holy Prophet, should guide both leaders and the led, on the need to give their all in the overall interest of the nation.

According to him, “Let me use this occasion to call on us all to reappraise our commitment to the unity and progress of the country as entrenched by our forefathers, on our part as lawmakers, we shall continue to come up with legislative intervention that will guarantee a virile and united nation.”

While wishing all Muslims a happy Moulud celebration, Dogara urged the Ummah to use the occasion of the Prophet’s birth to reflect on the essential lessons of his life and to pray for the continued well-being of the nation.

Emulate Prophet Muhammad’s virtues, Atiku urges Muslims FORMER vice president Atiku Abubakar, on Wednesday, urged Muslims to emulate Prophet Muhammad’s virtues of compassion, tolerance and commitment to peace.

This was contained in a statement issued by Mr Paul Ibe, Head of Media to Atiku, a copy of which was made available to newsmen in Abuja, to mark Maulud, the birthday of the Prophet.

Atiku reminded Muslims

that the greatest honour they could do was to practice Muhammad’s positive examples.

He expressed concern that the activities of some misguided elements around the world ``are inconsistent with the virtues for which Prophet Muhammad was famous for.

Atiku identified such virtues as respect for life, tolerance and avoiding violence against the innocent.

“Deliberate aggression

was never part of the virtues the Prophet of Islam lived for.

“Therefore, Muslims have a binding duty to reclaim the good name of Islam by neutralising the pernicious influence of extremists,’’ he said.

According to the statement, the violent interpretation of Islam by a minority of extremists that espouse poisonous ideologies was giving the religion a bad name.

Ajimobi felicitates with Muslims, Xtians on Maulud, Xmas OYO State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has felicitated with the Muslim Ummah and Christian community on the unique occasions of this year’s Eid-el Maulud and Christmas festival, which commemorate the birth of Prophet Mohammed (SWT) and Jesus Christ.

Ajimobi said this year’s celebrations of the birth of

the holy ones, which follow in quick succession, was a rare coincidence and a momentous occasion that should be accordingly savoured by adherents of Islam and Christianity.

Ajimobi urged Christians and Muslims to use the occasion to rededicate themselves to the worship of the Almighty and to emulate the sterling lifestyle of both the

son and messenger of God. He advised the people of the state to remember the less privileged in orphanage, homes, hospitals and prisons, during the season, by extending love to the inmates through visits, gifts and money.

Noting the economic downturn, Ajimobi encouraged the privileged ones among us to be their broth-

MURIC calls for unity between Xtian, Muslims THE Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), a faith-based organisation, on Wednesday, called for unity between Muslims and Christians ``as the birthdays of Prophet Muhammad and Jesus Christ came so intimately close this year.’’

As Muslims celebrate the birth of prophet Muhammad on December 24, Christians will also celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25.

Dogara calls for gratitude, humility, charity

The call for unity between followers of the two religions was contained in a statement issued in Ibadan, by the MURIC Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

Akintola said that the closeness of the birthdays was not a coincidence, noting that ``it is because God wants Christians and Muslims to unite.

“It is an indication that God wants us to eschew hatred, bitterness and violence;

it is an indication that religion should be seen as a way to promote love, kindness and peaceful coexistence.

“All religions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Islam, Jainism, African Traditional Religion, etc, teach love and mercy for all.

“There is no religion that teaches hatred and enjoins its adherents to kill and maim.

“The problem we have in

Nigeria is that people abuse religion. They use it as launching pad for their selfish desires.

“MURIC believes that it is not late for Nigerians to put religion in its proper perspective; there is the need for Nigerians to redesign their religious practices and conventions.

“We must therefore share love. We must learn to tolerate one another. We must learn to forgive.

er’s keepers.

He urged residents of the state to embrace modesty in celebration and to be

security-conscious during the season, which he said, always witnessed upsurge in criminal activities.

Brace up for more fruitful 2016, Lagos APC tells residents THE Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged the people of the state to celebrate the festive periodChristmas and New Year, with “every sense of responsibility” and brace up for a more fruitful new year.

This was contained in a press release signed by the Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the APC, Joe Igbokwe.

The party described this year’s festivities as anticipation for the “good things that lay in store for Nigerians as the change movement roars in full steam in the coming year.”

The statement further reads: “We share with Lagosians and indeed all Nigerisns, the joy of the restive

season. We share with them the greet expectations of a new year that promises to be very exciting in line with the change agenda of the APC government. We celebrate with Lagosians the joys of Christmas and the New Year as Nigeria navigates through a difficult period to a new wave of hope wrought by deep institutional changes that will positively affect the lives of every Nigerian.

“While we acknowledge the strictures imposed on Nigerians by harsh economic realities occasioned by dwindling economic prospects and a recent past of mismanagement and brazen corruption, we feel Lagosians have every reason to celebrate.

9

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

Lagosmetro

Nigerian Tribune

Edited By

Lanre Adewole

olanreade@yahoo.com

0811 695 4647

Lagos Medical Village: Govt shortlists seven firms Sylvester Okoruwa

T

he Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris has revealed that seven medical firms have been shortlisted to summit their proposals for the proposed Lagos State Medical Park Village located at the old Nursing School, Awolowo Way, Ikoyi.

The seven shortlisted firms, according to Idris, are expected to submit their proposals before 15th of January 2016 as the Medical Village is expected to kick off either in February or March.

On the issue of the ongoing renovation of Ayinke House at Lagos State Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Idris said that the construc-

tion company handling the contract failed to deliver,

prompting Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to ter-

minate the contract and awarded same to a new con-

struction company with the instruction to deliver within

Lawyer drags secretary to court over missing N118,000 Ayomide Owonibi Odekanyin

Illicit drugs: Police accuse conductors of trafficking Funmi Fasinu bus conductors, Two Akeem Akinwande and Seun Abolade have been accused by the police for allegedly trafficking hard drugs.

Akinwande, 29, lives at No. 17, Unity Road, Alakuko, while 25-year-old Abolade’s address is unknown.

The prosecutor, Sergeant Joseph Ajebe told an Ikeja Magistrate Court that the offence was committed on December 16 at SMC Motor Park, Ogba Okeira.

Ajebe said the accused were arrested by policemen from Area ‘G’, Ogba, while on patrol.

“The accused and others still at large attacked their victims and made away with their property. The accused unlawfully sold and smoked weeds suspected to be hemp in the public. Several wraps of weeds and dangerous weapons such as axes and cutlasses were recovered from them,” Ajebe said.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty.

The Chief Magistrate, Mr Alexander Komolafe, granted the accused bail in the sum of N100, 000 each with one surety each and the case was adjourned till next year.

a period of twelve months.

He assured residents that the state was working on a new template that would see to the improvement of medical facilities and increase in medical personnel.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Environment, Dr Babatunde Adejare, addressing a press conference on the 2015 World Toilet Day.

Seven-day quit notice: Oko Baba mechanics

beg Ambode Bola Badmus Scores of mechanics at Oko- Baba in Ebute-Meta area of Lagos State, who were given a 7- day ultimatum to vacate the place and relocate to Agbowa, during a protest on Thursday, made a passionate appeal to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to reconsider the ultimatum and also find a better location for them to ply their trade.

Governor Ambode, last Monday, while on a visit to Ebute- Meta, promised to transform the place to a tourist attraction and consequently ordered the mechanics at Oko- Baba to move out of the place to Agbowa within seven days.

The mechanics, under the aegis of Nigeria Automobile Technician Association (NATA), said they were making the appeal because the ultimatum was too short for them.

Besides, they said Agbowa where the governor said they should relocate to was too far, pointing out that having lived in EbuteMeta for long, it would be too difficult to move their families, even as they expressed fears of losing their customers.

Speaking with newsmen during the protest which took place at Oko Baba, branch chairman of NATA, Wahab Jinaid, who recalled several efforts made by the association to secure the place and developed it thereafter to its present status with over N30 million, appealed to Ambode to show compassion by withdrawing the 7-day ultimatum.

Junaid, who displayed various documents to testify that the local and state governments gave approval of the land in question, in addition to the Federal Government which collects

a sum of N122,500 as annual rents, said they were ready to quit the place, but the government should provide a closer place as an alternative.

“We are begging the governor to please reconsider the ultimatum and find a better alternative for us to ply our trade. Agbowa is too far, we have settled here for long and as family men, our families are also living here with us. Also, it would amount to loss of business because our cus-

tomers know this is the place they can locate us whenever they are looking for us,” he said.

A community leader, Olusaye Ayodapo, recalled that Oko Baba was a notorious place before the mechanics moved in, saying that the mechanics had been law- abiding and keeping in the area.

This was just as he said the 7-day ultimatum was too short, adding, “all these vehicles can’t be moved out of here in seven days.”

A lawyer has dragged his secretary to court for alleged theft. The secretary, Gbenga Akindele, who allegedly bolted with his employer’s N118, 000, was charged before an Ikeja Magistrate Court yesterday.

The 21-year-old, who lives at Agege in Lagos, is facing a charge of stealing.

According to the prosecutor, Inspector Ezekiel Ayorinde, the accused committed the offence on December 17 at Tabon-Tabon in Agege.

He said Akindele, who was working as the secretary in the chambers of Mr Rotimi Akomolafe, was asked to pay some money into his employer’s account at First Bank but converted the money to personal use.

“Gbenga was sent to make payment of N79, 000 and N39, 000 into two different accounts at First Bank belonging to Akomolafe and Oluwakemi Adeniyi.

He, however, converted the money to personal use,” Ayorinde said.

The accused pleaded not guilty.

Ruling on the bail application of the accused, the Magistrate, Mrs O.J. Awope, granted him bail in the sum of N50, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

Petrol dealer docked for alleged illegality Ayomide Owonibi Odekanyin A 33-year-old man, Bedram Isaac, has been accused of illegally dealing in petroleum products.

It was gathered that the accused committed the offence on December 2.

He was arrested at Ajido

Waterside in Badagry, on a tip off and was accused of conspiring with some others to sell petroleum products without lawful authorisation.

The offence contravened the provisions of Sections 1 (17) and 3 (6) of the Miscellanous offence Act, 2004.

He however pleaded not guilty when he was charged before a Federal High Court.

The judge, Justice Saliu Saidu, however, ordered him to be remanded in prison and adjourned the matter till December 29 to hear his bail application.

10 news

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

N8bn CBN currency scam: Right lawyers raise the alarm on suspects’ health

By Yejide GbengaOgundare

A

coalition of human right lawyers, the Forum for Equity and Justice (FEJ), known for pro bono services in prison, on Wednesday, raised alarm over the worsening health condition of majority of the suspects remanded at the Agodi Prisons in Ibadan, Oyo State over allegations of being culpable in the N8 billion Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) scam, asking that those that need medical attention be granted bail pending their trial since the offence is a bailable one.

FEJ in an open letter titled, ‘Suspects deserve bail pending trial,’ signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Akpoki, said most of the suspects were praying for a speedy trial to save them from possible untimely deaths and urged the Presidency, National Assembly and the judiciary to show concern over the predicament of the suspects as only five out of 20 had been granted bail and some of the affected inmates have life threatening ailments like high blood pressure while one is suffering from a hole in his heart.

It will be recalled that 20 suspects were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before the Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan on June 2 this year and while five of the suspects were granted bail, others were ordered to be detained at Agodi Prisons, Ibadan by the Court.

FEJ national coordinator

in the letter said families of the suspects were worried about the health conditions of their breadwinners, especially since they had been in detention without trial for months while their families

are in disarray and most of their children have dropped out of school. He added that the employers of the suspects had allegedly terminated their appointments, adding to the harrowing

experiences being faced by their families.

He noted that whereas suspects involved in similar cases going on in Abuja, had been granted bail by courts of competent jurisdiction, the

Osun State governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola (middle) exchanging pleasantries with the newly inaugurated chairman of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Professor Oluwole Atoyebi, while the Aragberi of Iragberi, Oba (Dr) Folorunso Agboade Makanju (right) and others watch, during the inauguration of a nine-man governing board of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, at the Governor’s Office, Osogbo, on Monday.

Wada files petition, wants tribunal to declare him gov Yinka Oladoyinbo - Lokoja THE Kogi State governor, Captain Idris Wada, has filed a petition before the Election Petition Tribunal to challenge the declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, as the governor-elect of the state.

The petition is seeking the nullification of the declaration of Bello as the winner of the election, praying the tribunal to declare him winner of the election.

Nigerian Tribune learnt on Wednesday, that the petition was filed at the secretariat of the tribunal at about 7.30p.m. on Tuesday.

The petition was said to

have been received by the secretary of the tribunal, Mr Akanji Akinlabi.

Confirming the development, Akinlabi said the petition was signed by Chief Chris Uche (SAN), who led two other Senior Advocates of Nigeria, among other lawyers.

The petition was said to have as defendants - the APC, Bello and the Inde-

Kaduna APC, Shehu Sani at loggerheads Muhammad Sabiu - Kaduna THE All Progressives Congress (APC), Kaduna Chapter might have concluded plans to suspend the Senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, for not honouring its invitation to appear before a disciplinary committee.

The party had sent a letter to Senator Shehu Sani, inviting him to appear within seven days before a disciplinary committee set up by acting Chairman, Shuaibu Idris, to clear himself over what the party termed “Anti Party Stand” of the senator.

Speaking at a conference, Kaduna APC spokesman, Salisu Tanko Wusono, expressed displeasure that the Senator refused to accept the letter.

He urged Senator Sani to

current fate of the suspects in respect of the CBN matter remanded in Ibadan is unhealthy and called on the authorities to quickly intervene so that the cause of justice is not delayed.

appear before the committee within the stipulated seven days or face the wrath of the party.

However, speaking on the invitation, Sani’s Senior Assistant (SA) on Political and Ideology, Comrade Suleiman Ahmed, said the letter was rejected on grounds that the signatories of the letter and party address were unknown to the lawmaker.

“If the address of the party office in Kaduna he knew of has been changed, the Senator is supposed to be informed, in the same vein, if the acting chairman was appointed, he should have been notified,” Ahmed stated.

Ahmed maintained that because he was not notified about the APC new state chairman and secretary, he would not respond to their

invitation.

He also believed the two officers were mere cronies of the governor who the governor is using to smear the image of the lawmaker as well as to mastermind his

subsequent suspension.

“From now till 2019, Senator Sani will continue to challenge any el-Rufai policy suspected or adjudged to be anti masses,” Ahmed added.

pendent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Akinlabi however said he was not in a position to disclose the grounds of the petition and reliefs being sought by the petitioners to the public.

The petition is challenging the declaration of Bello as the winner of the November 21, and December 5 supplementary state governorship election.

It will be recalled the INEC had on December 6 declared Bello the winner of the elections.

Wada, who was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the election, however rejected the result as declared by the electoral body.

ACF replies Balarabe Musa, says it has no secessionist agenda Muhammad Sabiu - Kaduna THE Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has berated the claim made by the former governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, that it is promoting secessionist agenda, insisting that the forum would never canvass for the seceding of the country.

In a statement issued to the Nigerian Tribune in Kaduna and signed by the

forum’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Muhammad Ibrahim, said the claim by the former governor was most embarrassing and provocative.

“It is not in the character of ACF to respond to such a reckless and unfortunate statement especially by a former governor and an elder statesman.

“However, ACF found it imperative to state that as an umbrella body for all

northerners, irrespective of their religion, tribe, ethnicity and political leanings, it has never and will never canvass to secede from Nigeria.

“But ACF will continue to help and encourage constructively, our political leaders at all levels to pursue their political ambitions consistent with the long term benefit of our people, survival and development of our country.

Group calls for investigation into death of 21-yearold carpenter Olalekan Olabulo - Lagos A human rights group, the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ) has called for a comprehensive investigation into the killing of a 21-year-old carpenter who was shot dead by a policeman in Aboru.

The human rights group also condemned the killing of the deceased Ganiyu Akinyemi by a group of policemen, who accused him of stealing a ‘T’ shirt.

The group in a press statement, signed by its Executive Chairman, Adeniyi Sulaimon, urged the police not to sweep the case under the carpet because a senior police officer was involved.

The human rights group also vowed that it would do all the necessary things to ensure that the police high authority and the Police Service Commission wades into the matter Lagos Metro gathered that three people have been arrested by the state and were being detained at the homicide section of the state Criminal Investigation Department.

Celebration of life for Archbishop Akinadewo

LIFE and times of the founder of Motailatu Church Cherubim and Seraphim Worldwide, Archbishop Isaiah M. Akinadewo (Omo Jesu), will be celebrated on Saturday in Ondo, Ondo State.

According to a statement

by Senior Superintendent Gabriel Akinadewo (Omo Jesu II), the popular prophet died on December 26, 2014 “and we are following his wish to celebrate him a year after his transition.”

The event will hold at Fade-Olu Event Centre, Ondo.

On Sunday, an outing service will be conducted at the international headquarters of the church, St Adekahunsi Motailatu Cathedral, Oke-Iwosan, Ondo.

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businessnews

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

Nigerian Tribune

2016 budget: RMAFC promises to check revenue leakages Gbola Subair-Abuja

T

HE Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) is fully organised and mobilised to complement the efforts of the Federal Government in the effective implementation of the Year 2016 Budget by beefing up revenue generation from diverse revenue sources and ensuring timely remittances by all revenue generating agencies into the Federation Account for the rapid development of the country.

In a press statement signed by the commission’s spokesperson, Mr Ibrahim Mohammed, in Abuja, yesterday, the commission stated that the major highlights of the proposed budget as submitted to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari were in line with the commission’s mandate, particularly monitoring the accruals to and disbursements of revenue from the Federation Account and advising the Federal and State governments on fiscal efficiency and methods by which their revenue could be increased, amongst others.

Mohammed, in the statement, recalled that beyond mobilising revenue from traditional sources namely oil and gas and the non-oil sector, RMAFC had in the last two years been effectively engaged in promoting economic diversification through advocacy and mass mobilisation campaign aimed at boosting the revenue base

of the nation and reducing overdependence on oil revenue by states and local governments despite the abundance of human and natural resources in the country.

In this regard, he disclosed that the commission had, between 2011 and 2013, visited all the six geopolitical zones of the country to sensitise the governments at all levels and

stakeholders on the danger and negative consequences of continuous operation of a single-product economy, and the urgent need to diversify the productive base and revenue sources of the

nation, adding that for the first time ever, substantial revenue had been derived from the solid minerals sector in the last few months and payment of 13 per cent derivation paid

From left, Efe Asibor, Regional Head, Sales Agency, Lagos Central, Heritage Bank Plc; Olayinka Ademo, also known as Nnenna and Patrick Foster, Team Lead, Education & Youth Unit, Heritage Bank, during the Nnenna & Friends End of Year Show 2015 at the Muson Centre, Lagos, on Sunday.

Adeyemi college harps on entrepreneurship development

By Femi Ibirogba

ADEYEMI College of Education (ACE), Ondo, has emphasized the need for greater investment and development of entrepreneurship skills as essential tools of tackling poverty, unemployment and monocultural economy.

This was said during a three-day conference or-

ganised by the college on how to strengthen ties between it and Africans in the Diaspora.

In a paper presented on the occasion by one of the resource persons, Dr Bryon Price from Barruck’s College, City University of New York, United States of America, he stressed the need for African countries and Nigeria in particular

to pay adequate attention to the development of entrepreneurship and agroallied businesses.

According to him, investment in entrepreneurship, agriculture and education would help in accelerating development and create employment opportunities.

While acknowledging availability of human and natural resources in Africa,

Bryon explained that available information revealed that the African continent has what it takes to be super powers, noting that the only missing link is the inability of its leaders to properly harness what they have for the benefits of their citizens.

Bryon stressed the need for the development of local content, cultural exchange

Heritage Bank introduces savings culture to children AS part of its bid to ensure a properly equipped and secure future, Heritage Bank has continued its crusade of introducing the savings culture to children.

The bank used the endof-the-year show for children organised at the weekend by Nnenna &

Friends, a subsidiary of Wale Adenuga Productions Limited, at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos, to inculcate the savings culture in them.

The children and their parents were treated to performances from dif-

Stanbic IBTC Bank, UPDC back 45 retailers for shopping malls Chima Nwokoji-lagos

STANBIC IBTC Bank, in partnership with UACN Property Development Company (UPDC) Plc, has thrown their weight behind 45 other retailers to establish Festival Mall, a sprawling shopping complex in Festac Town, Lagos.

Already opened for business, the project, developed

by UACN Property Development Company Plc, through a special vehicle, First Festival Mall Ltd, was commissioned recently.

Stanbic IBTC Bank provided a $9 million Bridge Facility as part funding to

to contributing states to encourage massive exploration of minerals, which abound in all parts of the country.

The commission, according to him, would continue to engage critical stakeholders like the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, the customs, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporations (NNPC), Department of Petroleum Resources and the Central Bank of Nigeria to devise strategies of reducing revenue leakages to the barest minimum.

The commission, the statement explained, also observed that revenues from Stamp Duty had not been remitted into the Federation Account. “Consequently, the commission, in conjunction with other relevant agencies, including NIPOST, FIRS, CBN, NIBSS and OAGF, had commenced the process of reconciling revenue accruable to the Federation Account from Stamp Duty collections.”

commence the development phase and subsequently refinanced this amount with the provision of a 7-year $25 million medium term loan facility, representing 50 percent of the total project cost.

First Festival Mall Ltd is owned by UACN Property Development Company Plc, Africa Capital Alliance and UPDC Real Estate Investment Trust.

A statement from the bank noted that First Festival Mall Ltd will own the mall, with Shoprite and Silverbird Cinemas as anchor tenants and 45 other retailers offering diverse products and services.

ferent actors, comedians, dancers and musicians like Bukunmi Preacher, Korede Sax, Desmond Osarobe, Jim Boi, Oshadipe Twins, Dizzy Mbata, 9ice, and Chigul.

Addressing participants on the occasion, Mrs Olayinka Ademo, popularly called Nnenna, said the purpose of the event was to create an avenue for children to come together, celebrate, learn and have fun.

“It is no gainsaying the fact that God has been very faithful and merciful to us right from the first day in the year to this very moment,” she said.

She said the event was organised to wrap up the hustles and bustles of the year 2015 with a view to giving the children a memorable experience that would linger in their memory for a long time.

She thanked Heritage Bank for the magnanimous support Nnenna & Friends had been enjoying from Heritage Bank since the in-

ception of the brand, which she said had assisted in the actualisation of its mission. According to her, the mission of the group was to provide dedicated commitment to developing the young minds of children through edutainment.

Mr Patrick Foster, Team Lead, Education and Youth Unit, Heritage Bank, said that the mission of Nnenna

& Friends aligned with the mantra of the bank, which is “… to create, preserve and transfer wealth across generations.”

Foster said that being leaders of tomorrow, the bank had created specific financial products that children could explore to safeguard their future while cultivating the habit of saving.

and participation of the college in global educational matters, especially in the areas of Information Communication Technology (ICT).

The don assured of readiness to partner with the college in boosting its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) through recycling of waste management, adding that his presence in the institution was aimed at exploring ways through which the Diaspora Institute of which he is one of the major stakeholders could work with Nigerian citizens to develop the country.

In his remark, the Provost of the institution, Professor Olukoya Ogen, explained that the seminar was organized as part of efforts aimed at re-uniting with Africans in the diaspora from where opportunities could be tapped that would take the institutions to greater heights.

Marketing Edge donates to orphanage

By Bode Adewumi

MARKETING Edge has donated food stuffs and several products and items to Little Saints’ Orphanage home in Lagos as a way of identifying with the underprivileged at Christmas while demonstrating commitment to corporate social responsibility.

While handing out the products, including bags of rice, cartons of milk, packs of fruit juice and other products to the home, Chief Operating Officer of

the magazine, Mr Amos Oladele, commended the orphanage for its contribution to the socio-economic development of the society and promised that the magazine would continue to support the institution.

The delegation was received at the orphanage’s facility in the Alimosho local government area of the state by Mrs Tina Odiong, who is the hostel administrator.

Odiong, who was excited about the visit, thanked

Marketing Edge for showing love to the orphanage’s children during the Christmas season, adding that such donation would further reassured them that no matter what they face, there are people out there who still love and appreciate them.

The visit by Marketing Edge is a tradition that the reputable publishing house has sustained over the years as part of its corporate social responsibility activities and as a way of giving back to the society.

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Thursday, 24 December, 2015

Intels receives 183 commendations in 4 years INTEGRATED Logistic Services Nigeria Limited (Intels) has received not less than 183 commendation letters from Clients and Authorities between 2012 and 2015, a compendium on appreciations letters received by the company has shown.

The compendium, which was made available in Lagos on Wednesday, showed that such letters were received from oil producing companies, oil services companies, the Senate, the House of Representatives, authorities and government agencies.

A breakdown showed that a total of 82 letters, which expressed satisfaction with the high quality of services provided by Intels Nigeria Limited and the dedication of its staff, were received from oil producing companies within the four years under review.

The list of oil producing companies that put their appreciation in writing included Chevron Nigeria Limited, Nigerian Agip Exploration limited, Shell Petroleum Development Company, Mobil Producing Nigeria Limited and TOTAL Premier Services Nigeria Limited, among others.

A further breakdown of commendation letters from the companies showed that while 10 of them sent letters to Intels in 2012, 56 letters were received by the company in 2013, five in 2014 and 11 letters in 2015.

In its letter of 2015, Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited stated that: “In spite of the numerous challenges encountered during the year under review, you (Intels) performed excellently well. We urge you to maintain the momentum or more in 2016”.

In the category of oil services companies a total of 90 commendation letters were received between 2012 and 2015, with 36 letters in 2012, 24 letters in 2014 and 30 letters in 2015.

Among the oil services

companies that expressed appreciation in 2015 are Schlumberger Nigeria Limited, Dawoo Nigeria Limited, West Atlantic Shipyard, Seadril Mobil Unit Nigeria Limited, Saipem Contracting Nigeria Limited, Del Waste Management Company Limited and a host of other oil services companies.

In its 2015 letter of appreciation, Saipem Contracting Nigeria Limited said: “we hereby express our appreciation to Intels team for continued professional logistics service provision and timely delivery. This to a large extent speaks for the competence and professionalism of your staff and has also facilitated the attainment of our various milestones.

Gionee introduces new smartphone in Nigeria

By Bode Adewumi

From left, Anyanwu Camillus, Surveilliance & Enforcement Unit, Consumer Protection Council; Ope Wemi-Jones, Group Head, Inclusive Banking, Access Bank Plc; Victor Etuokwu, Executive Director, Personnel Banking, Access Bank Plc; Celine Loader, Board Advisor, Corporate Strategy & Business Development, Seplat and Osayi Alile, former chairperson, WIMBIZ, at the final draw of Access Bank’s Women Let’s Save promo in Lagos, on Thursday.

Kaduna refinery begins daily supply of 3.2m litres of petrol —NNPC

T

HE Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) has begun daily production of 3.2 million litres of petrol.

This is contained in a statement signed by MR Ohi Alegbe, Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on Wednesday in Abuja.

It said that the plant began production with an initial PMS yield of about 1.5 million litres, adding that had ramped up its daily yield to 3.2 million litres.

“The injection of this volume into the system will significantly impact ongoing special intervention efforts designed to bring relief to motorists across the country,” it stated.

The statement stated that the deployment of NNPC staff in the monitoring of fuel distribution and retail system at filling stations nationwide had

started yielding positive results in Abuja and environs in less than 48 hours.

It said that the situation at most filling stations visited in Abuja remained calm and orderly as the staff of the corporation helped to fast-track the process of dispensing fuel to motorists in the FCT. According to the statement, the Group Executive Director, Commercial and Investment of the NNPC, Dr. Babatunde Adeniran, after visiting some outlet in Abuja, has said the exercise had recorded some success.

“Our staff are putting in all their best to ensure that

orderliness is restored in most of the filling stations.

“They are also there to ensure that nobody creates a situation that will hamper the discharge of products to ordinary Nigerians.

So far, they are doing well in this regard,” he said.

He explained that the exercise was a hands-on approach designed to ensure that Nigerians did not suffer unnecessarily at the hands of unscrupulous marketers, adding that the situation would be improved upon.

He also called on security agencies to complement the efforts of NNPC at the filling stations.

SOME stakeholders in the oil and gas sector have continued to express worry over the 2016 budget crude oil price benchmark of 38 dollars per barrel.

They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews in

Lagos, that the benchmark might not be feasible due to the current oil glut at the international market.

Mr Philips Sunday, the Managing Partner, Magnet Oil Ltd, Lagos, said it would have been better to have a more realistic benchmark in view of the oil glut.

Sunday said that the 38 dollars per barrel benchmark was too ambitious, adding that government should have been more conservative.

He said that it would not have been out of place if the government had adopted around 30 dollars per barrel benchmark so that if the price fell below 38 dollars, there would be room for maneuvering.

On the daily output of 2.2 million barrels of crude, Sunday said he was not sure if that was also

Crude: More reactions trail $38 per barrel benchmark

LCCI lauds FG’s forex policy THE Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mr Muda Yusuf, on Wednesday, commended the Federal Government’s efforts in reviewing the nation’s foreign exchange policy.

Yusuf gave the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, against the backdrop of the 2016 Budget presented on Tuesday by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Buhari said in his budget

speech that government was carefully assessing the exchange rate regime, keeping in mind its willingness to attract foreign investors.

He said this was in view of problems many Nigerians have in accessing foreign exchange.

The President mentioned traders, business operators, manufacturers, airlines operators and financial services sector and capital markets as some of those in need of the for-

“At one of the filling stations in Asokoro today, the police came to assist us to clear out some motorists trying to jump the queue.

That is most commendable,” he added Dr. Adeniran further urged Nigerians to cooperate with the NNPC and ensure the success of the initiative by being lawabiding and orderly to avoid chaotic situations at the filling stations.

“I hope Nigerians can have the spirit of orderliness, the spirit of cohesion and the spirit of responsibility in order to help this process,” he said.

eign exchange.

Buhari observed inadequacies in the supply of foreign exchange to Nigerians who need it and said the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was fine-tuning the foreign exchange management.

The LCCI director-general said that the increase in capital expenditure from N557 billion in the 2015 budget to N1.8 trillion in 2016, representing 30 per cent of the total budget was also commendable.

achievable because the country had not been able to achieve that for a long time.

“We have been constantly doing less than this figure and it may not be achievable immediately.

Mr Seyi Gambo, a former Public Relations Officer in PENGASSAN, said the price of crude was difficult to predict because oil price could be very volatile.

Gambo said benchmarks were best determined by leaving wide margins from the current price and with careful consideration of present circumstances and unforeseen challenges.

He said that there must always be enough elasticity in the benchmarks so that whenever there was any crisis something would trigger correction within the system to reduce the impact of any sudden price changes.

GIONEE, a renowned and global Chinese phone manufacturer and China’s largest mobile manufacturer, has introduced a new phone into the Nigerian market. The new phone Gionee S plus aligns with the aspirations of consumers to own a phone that provides tailor made solutions. The new brand is a very sleek and unique brand in a class of its own.

It comes after the Gionee EliteS5.1, which is the slimmest smartphone around.

Mr Frank Chenlei, Present Director Gionee for the Africa region says the brand is a major output of a research and consistent consumer engagement.

Gionee, according to him, is poised to not only meet but also surpass consumer expectations. The designs according to him are unique and they will resonate with the Nigerian audience who love innovative and unique mobile devices.

The arrival of the Gionee S Plus is a product of ingenious progressive brand development that started 5 years ago and by 2014, Gionee was the slimmest smartphone in the world.

NACCIMA lists areas for economic diversification

THE Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has listed four areas for the Federal Government to focus on in its diversification agenda.

The chamber advised that the diversification should aim at boosting capacities in the manufacturing, mining, agriculture and services sectors for sustainable development.

Mr Emmanuel Cobham, the Director-General of the chamber, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos. ``The government should continue to encourage the productive capacities of large-scale industries as well as the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to manufacture goods competitively. ``Agro-businesses should be promoted, local content strategy must be encouraged, while Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) should be developed to be the major driver of the economy,’’ he said.

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Thursday, 24 December, 2015

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Thursday, 24 December, 2015

ENGINEER (REV) ETTE I.I. ETTEH, OFR, DISTINGUISHED ANNUAL LECTURE SERIES

The maiden edition of the Distinguished Annual Lecture Series instituted by the Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers in honour of one of the icons of the engineering profession, Engr (Reverend) Ette I. I. Etteh, OFR, was held at the Ballroom of Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos, on Wednesday, December 16, 2015, a day the honouree, Engr.

(Rev) Etteh, turned 80.

Engineer (Reverend) Ette I. I. Etteh arriving at the venue of the lecture with his wife, Elizabeth. Following closely is their daughter, Mrs Nkaepe Etteh Lisk-Carew.

Engr (Rev) Ette I. I. Etteh in a handshake with the guest lecturer, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi. Middle is Engineer Mayne David West Snr, Chairman Pearl Consultants, while Mr Dele Agekameh, left, looks on.

From left, Engr Robbie James Owivry, national chairman, Nigerian Institute of Civil Engineers (NICE); Engr (Rev) Etteh; his wife, Elizabeth; Professor Bolaji Akinyemi and Engr Saliu Lawal, the immediate past national chairman of NICE.

Senator Barnabas Gemade, a former staff of Etteh Aro & Partners, presenting a portrait to Engr (Rev) Etteh, while Elizabeth, his wife, looks on.

Engr (Chief) Ebenezer Osoba (in native attire), Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Civil Engineers, presenting an award to Engr (Rev) Etteh, while Elizabeth, his wife, looks on.

From left, Mrs David-West, Engr (Rev) Etteh; his wife, Elizabeth; Chief Agnes Ojehomon, a guest and Senator Barnabas Gemade, toasting to the health of Engr Etteh at the event.

Bird’s-Eye view of the East-West Coastal Road, one of Engr. (Rev) Etteh’s astonishing works.

Engr (Rev) Ette I. I. Etteh, assisted by his wife, Elizabeth, cutting his 80th birthday cake at the event. They are flanked by their daughter, Mrs Nkaepe Etteh Lisk-Carew (left) and her husband, Mr Sheyi Lisk-Carew (right).

Etteh’s first bridge assignments in 1965: Jamison and River Ethiope bridges on Benin-Sapele Road (Old Alignments).

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Thursday, 24 December, 2015

PHOTOS: D’TOYIN

OGUN STATE CHRISTMAS CAROL

From right, former head of the Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Sonekan; Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; his wife, Olufunso and the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG ), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, during the Ogun State 2015 Christmas Carol, held at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta.

Nigerian Tribune

From right, General Overseer, Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye; President, Living Faith Church (a.k.a Winners Chapel), Bishop David Oyedepo, and the Prelate, Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence (Dr) Samuel Uche.

The Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, being welcomed by the state Chief Judge, Justice Olatokunbo Olopade (right) and her husband, Chief Duro Olopade.

Chairman, African Newspapers of Nigeria (ANN) Plc, Reverend (Mrs) Omotola Oyediran (right) and the co-chairman, Ambassador (Dr) Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu.

From left, Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly, Honourable Suraj Ishola Adekunbi; husband of the state deputy governor, Chief Abiodun Onanuga and the deputy governor, Chief (Mrs) Yetunde Onanuga.

The Right Reverend Michael O. Akinwale (left) and The Right Reverend (Dr) Michael Olusina Fape.

General Evangelist, Christ Apostolic Church, Prophet (Dr) Samuel Kayode Abiara (left) and his Eminence, Emmanuel Omolaja Olorunwo (right)

The state choir ministering at the carol.

Reverend (Mrs) Oyediran and Ambassador (Dr Awolowo Dosumu welcoming His Eminence, The Most Reverend Dr Rufus Ositelu.

General Overseer, Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, Reverend Felix Meduoye and his wife, Olubisi.

16

Thursday, 24 December, 2015 With Tommy Adegbite 0811 695 4631 tommyabijo@yahoo.com

The celebrant, Mrs Stella Oyindamola Adebogun (right); Chief Nelson Adejumo Adebogun, her husband (left) and the special guest, Mr Folu Olamiti, during the thanksgiving service of 70th birthday of Mrs Oyindamola Adebogun held at the Cathedral of St James the Great, Oke Bola, Ibadan, on Sunday. PHOTO: D’TOYIN

From left, the Jagunmolu of Igbominaland, Chief Raimi Amao Oladimeji; his wife, who was installed as Yeye Fadegbayi Shawo of Ojokuland, Chief Rashidat Oladimeji and the Olojoku of Ojokuland, Oba Abdulrazaq Adegboyega Afolabi, at the 27th Ojoku Day celebration and conferment of chieftancy titles, at Ojoku town hall.

Chief Kunle Kalejaiye (left) presenting merit award organised by the Ilese Dynamic Association (IDA) to the president of the association, Mr Niyi Odusanya, during the dedication ceremony of Ilese Recreation Centre, Ilese, recently. PHOTO: TOMMY ADEGBITE

From left, Joseph Alexander, David Alexander, Bimbo Alex-Nosagie, Elder Seun Adeleke and Samuel Alexander, during the funeral service of their mother, Reverend (Dr) (Mrs) Grace Obiageli Bamgbola (nee Igbokwe), at Tabernacle of David RCCG, Lekki, Lagos.

The couple, Mr and Mrs Abolade Afolabi, after their wedding held at The Gospel Faith Mission International (GOFAMINT), Agunbelewo Assembly, Osogbo, Osun State, on Saturday.

Mr Dotun Ayansina and his wife, Fadeke, during their wedding engagement ceremony held in Lagos, recently.

Mr and Mrs John Oyeniran Oyekunle, during their wedding reception held at Tafo Arena Hall, WAEC Junction, Sango-Eleyele Road, Ibadan.

Mrs Aina Akanni, bride’s mother (left), rejoicing with Mr and Mrs Adeola Adeyosoye, shortly after their wedding held at St Paul Anglican Church, Gada, Odo-Ona, Ibadan, recently.

Mr Saeed Omotayo Edu and his wife, Ruquoyah, during their Walimatu-un Nikkah held at Niyem Hall, Highwa Motel, OdoOna Elebu, Apata, Ibadan, on Saturday. PHOTO: ALOLADE GANIYU

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

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Thursday, 24 December, 2015 With Tommy Adegbite 0811 695 4631 tommyabijo@yahoo.com

From left, Bar Ngozi jipreze, Director of Legal Services; Mr Saleh Dunoma, Managing Director, FAAN, Mr Femi Oguode, Director of Maintenance and Engineering; Dr Uchenna Ofulue, Director of Cargo Development and Mr Tito Okpaise, Acting Director, Business and Commercial Development, during the inspecting tour of fire bay of Muritala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, by management of FAAN.

Mr Niyi Odusanya (second left), president, Ilese Dynamic Association (IDA), unveiling the plaque to commission the Ilese Recreation Centre, built by IDA, recently. With him, from left, are Chief kunle Kalejaye, vice president, Pastor S.A. Ayanga, Chief Juwon Okubena, Chief R.O. Odusanya and other guests. PHOTO: TOMMY ADEGBITE

From left, Lady Evangelist Toyin Ajibolade, Mr Nelson Bunmi Agbi, Mrs R.O. Ajibolade, bride’s father, Mr Adetunji Gideon Ajibolade, bride’s mothers, Mrs Remi Agbi and Deacon Amos Ajibolade.

Sitting: Mr Olayemi Fadimilehin and his wife, Oluyemi, at the wedding held at the Centre E99, Oluyole Estate, Ibadan, recently. PHOTO: TOMMY ADEGBITE

Mr Abolade Afolabi and his wife, former Miss Omowunmi Ogunrinade, during their engagement ceremony held at Agunbelewo, Osogbo, Osun State, on Saturday.

Dr and Dr (Mrs) Korede and Iyanuoluwa Taiwo Awani and Dr and Mrs Oluwaseun and Ifeoluwa Kehinde Onigbinde, during their wedding held at Christ Apostolic Church, Olugbode, New Generation Assembly, Akinnigain, Apata, Ibadan, recently.

Colonel Olatoyosi Muftiat Akiyode of Ntoji Compound, Isale Ijeun, Abeokuta, being decorated with her new rank of Brigader-General by the NA Medical Corp Commander, Major General A.O. Ogunbiyi, assisted by her husband, Mr O.S. Ogunyomi, at Bonny Camp, Lagos, recently.

Mr and Mrs Tosin Fagade during their wedding held at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Ipetu-Ijesa, Osun State, recently.

Mr and Mrs Olaoluwa Aluko after their wedding held at The Gospel Faith Mission International (GOFAMINT), Orin-Ekiti, Ekiti State, recently.

Mr Emmanuel Samuel Amodu and his wife, former Miss Adenike Ibukun-Okediran, during their wedding held at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Governor’s Road, Igando/Ikotun, Lagos.

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

18

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

SEND YOUR SHORT MESSAGES TO: 08054005323, 08055001746

yournews

No to fuel subsidy removal THERE have been speculations that President Muhammadu Buhari might remove the fuel subsidy next year. Doing so will definitely bring more suffering on Nigerians.

I see the fuel importers forming a cabal to rip Nigerians off.

Withing a short period of time, we should expect a litre of fuel to reach about N200. Maybe this is what the president has been telling Nigerians to brace up for.

I hope our labour leaders will be ready to tackle the government once it removes the fuel subsidy.

Tumini George, 09095687489

... Remove it now

Dressed for the Xmas season?

Letter to Nigerian political office holders

P

OLITICAL office holders must justify people’s confidence in them by striving to fulfill their promises, especially the ones they made during electioneering campaigns.

This is because it is the only way that the change of government can make

meaning to them.

Fundamental issues affecting the country such as insecurity, corruption, unemployment and poor power supply should be given prompt attention.

Also the political consciousness of the people is now high and they will no longer vote for those who

Towards preventing fire outbreaks during dry season WE are in the dry season, and there is need for us to be careful on how we handle fire at this period so as not to bring about fire incidents.

Things burn faster in this period, and we must not take anything for granted.

I just want to share with us some safety tips in preventing fire incidents. First, we must not leave burning things unattended to. Some people will set out to burn their refuse and leave as

soon as they ignite the fire.

This is dangerous, as the fire could go beyond burning just the refuse. We should also ensure that our electrical appliances are switched off whenever we are not in the house. Those who burn bushes while searching for bush meat should also be cautioned. May we not experience fire disasters.

Anuku Uzor, 08136449554

cannot add value to their lives.

Nigerian political leaders should also turn from their wicked ways, so as not to incur the wrath of God as the foolishness of the nation’s rulers will attract divine punishment.

Clearly, Nigerian politicians do a lot of things which God hates. They tell lies under oath, trust in deceitful works. They make promises and break them and worship gods, hence, they should turn a new leaf, to avoid God’s punishment.

The leaders and the followers should go back to the word of the Bible for

God to reveal His glory in all of us, with divine comfort; also, the clerics should speak and preach the true messages of God to the church and the nation and open the ears of the people to the words of God. Also, Nigerians should rededicate themselves to the service of God and humanity and realise that the difficult situations facing the country demanded a lot of sacrifice from the collective efforts of both the leaders and the led.

Men of God are not left out, they should always pray for the nation’s leaders so that they will be able to surmount every obstacle

For President Buhari at 73 I wish to congratulate our president, Muhammadu Buhari, for clocking 73 years of age. I pray he will continue to age with grace.

The hope of over 180 million Nigerians now rest on

the shoulder of this humble man from Daura, Katsina State, and I pray that God will give him the wisdom to perform.

Sanmi Adekunle, 08191143941.

on the way and lead well, so that Nigeria can attain greatness, peace, tranquility and blessings.

Prophet Oladipupo Funmilade-Joel, 08033733470.

TODAY, Nigerians are buying fuel for about N120 per litre. If the fuel subsidy is removed now, we shouldn’t be buying it for more than N100 per litre, considering the fact that fuel is now trading for $35 per barrel. This is a good time for the subsidy to be removed.

Nigerians are tired of having to queue for fuel everyday, while wasting away precious hours. It is high time the subsidy is removed.

Tayo Isola, 08062086668.

Solution to Nigeria’s problems What is really happening to our naira? Last week, it traded for N270 per $1. I know part of the problem is due to the fact that oil, which we rely solely on for our foreign exchange, is now selling so low in the international market.

But part of this slump could also be blamed on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), for stopping the sale of forex to importers. This has made the importers to besiege the parellel market for their forex needs.

Having said this, the so-

lution to our problem now is for the country to leave the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and then determing the quantity and price of our crude oil.

Currently, we sell over a million barrels of crude oil per day, but if we can leave OPEC, we can pump about three million barrels a day. This will equal what we were making when the price of oil was still high. President Buhari should take this step now.

Gbade Hakeem, 08072977112.

19

editorial

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

Nigerian Tribune

Dambazzau’s reversal of NIS promotion

R

ecently, the Minister of Interior, Lt. General Abdulrahman Dambazau was reported to have ordered the reversal of the special promotion of some senior officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service. According to media reports, on the grounds that the said promotion did not follow due process, the minister directed the Civil Defence, Fire, Prisons and Immigration Services Board (CDFPIB) to annul the promotion and consequently demote the hitherto promoted officers to their former ranks.

Though the minister did not explain evidently how the procedure used for the elevation was at variance with the due process of getting special promotion in the NIS, such promotion, as explained in documentations on appointments and promotions in the NIS, is said to be based on a systematic assessment of extra-ordinary feats, acts of gallantry, courage, bravery, exceptional honesty and conduct that are worthy of emulation.

This would mean that Dambazau’s annulment of the said special promotion could not have been based on any other premise apart from the likelihood that, in the process of promoting the officers, the given conditions and parameters, were not duly considered and evaluated procedurally by the CDFPIB. But, it also holds that given the probability that due process was observed, the specially promoted officers are today in the NIS as unfortunate people who have been unjustifiably denied of their reward for meeting with the CDFIPB criteria used as the basis for promoting them to various ranks.

It is worth restating that promotion is very significant; it is a step further that an employee takes while working in an organisation as far as his/her work, rank or position is concerned. Every organisation or workplace has a certain job hierarchy structure according to which an employee advances in that organisation and gets promoted. Promotion is not just a reward that an employee is given for his/her continued good performance, but is the proof that an employer thinks that it is time to add more responsibilities to an employee’s existing set of responsibilities.

One of the most important benefits of employee promotion is that it helps to recognise and acknowledge the performance and hard work of employees, and thus, making workers to feel valued. When an employee’s efforts are valued, he/she tends to work harder and

tries to improve his/her performance further; which in turn works for the establishment. A promotion also improves the ambition of employees and boosts their passion for reaching their goals as well as the objectives of the organisation. In view of this, it is very paramount to mention that if the reversal of the said promotion of the NIS senior staff was not on any justifiable premise, the affected officers have been treated badly and unfairly, and their fate in the NIS now contravenes the goal of promotion which is to reward merit and excellence so as to encourage dedication to service.

However, we wish to state unequivocally here that, if indeed the special promotion was canceled because due process was not followed, we endorse the take of Dambazau on the issue as a bold step in the right direction of advocating merit-driven promotion in the civil service, thus denouncing the perceived lopsidedness and mediocrity which have characterised promotion in the civil service today. Consequently, in the spirit of alluding to the importance of following due process in performance evaluation for promotion as suggested by Dambazau’s directive, it is suffice to hint at the prerequisites for merit-based promotion as consisting of: performance, length of service, merit and ability, educational/technical qualification, assessment of potential, training and spacing of the promotion in view of career span of the individual.

Promotion should be well-deserved and excellenceprovoking. But, it is unfortunate that in our country today, while some people are getting promoted at the expense of more qualified colleagues as a result of frivolous yardsticks and discriminatory parameters that some promotion panels use, it is also apparent that, merit and other cardinal criteria, which should be the basis for getting promoted are being sacrificed on the altar of ethnicity, tribalism and favouritism.

Promotion is not just the upward or forward reassignment of an employee in a workplace; but it is a properly structured process that must remain within the bounds of the organisation’s hierarchy and be sustained by the integrity of both the promoter and the promoted. Thus, a proper process of promotion which is fair to all is that which stands as a true recognition and acknowledgement elevation and motivation of human resources needed to achieve organisational and national objectives.

AFRICAN NEWSPAPERS OF NIGERIA PLC Founder: CHIEF OBAFEMI AWOLOWO GCFR, SAN (1909 - 1987)

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20

opinion

Thursday,24 December, 2015

Education: Between teaching profession and politicking

By Segun Imohiosen

T

he importance of education cannot be overemphasised and it is unarguably the bedrock of the sociopolitical and economic development of any nation.

The quality of education of any nation will no doubt stand that nation out in every respect, whereas the failure of it could make a colossal nonsense of that nation. It is apparent that there is a problem with our education sector, but the solution is not far-fetched as long as the critical players are true to themselves in finding lasting solutions to the problems confronting this very critical sector.

Recently in an event, the Minister of Labour, Dr. Chris Ngige said, as it was published in the pages of some dailies that the Federal Government may employ jobless graduates as teachers. This, as far as the future of this nation is concerned needs a lot of caution so that the almost moribund sector is not further plunged into abysmal disarray. Apparently, the need to move beyond lip service and politicking is germane, if the comatose education system of this country will come out of the woods. It goes without saying that an emergency ought to have been declared in the education sector by now.

There is a need for total overhaul and critical review of the school curriculum, especially with the traffic of books of many hungry authors in our schools that is fast making a mockery of this very critical and all important sector. How officials of the ministry of education are compromised to have the books of these hungry authors enter into the school curriculum needs the avid and most needful attention of the authority, that is, if they too will be sincere with the responsibility placed upon their shoulders. In as much as I am not an authority in education, it is crystal clear that with the experience we had in the past in comparison with what obtains today, there is a huge deficit in that sector.

However, if this sector must be rescued from the casualty of mismanagement, playing politics with it must be done away with. It shouldn’t be business as usual. Invariably, to make jobless graduates take over the teaching profession in the name of providing employment is not a well-thought out

idea. The words of Pat Utomi that: “Most educated Nigerians are certificated illiterates” is too apposite. I share this view, and by extension, I will confidently say that too many graduates from our universities and other tertiary institutions are unemployable and they litter our communities in their hundreds, which though to a very large extent is not really a fault of their own, but the failure of the system.

How on earth do you wish to turn these people into teachers? Before they turn these graduates to teachers, has the Ministry of Labour in consonance with the Ministry of Education carried out an audit of the existing teachers in both our primary and secondary schools to know their areas of strength and deficiency? Understanding what is available and what is missing will help to proffer the right solution for the future of our educational system but the recourse to turning jobless graduates into teachers will not better the status quo ante.

In the words of Professor Addison Mark Wokocha: “A quack teacher can destroy the generation of children by teaching them wrong things.” In fact, he can maim the students intellectually and that would affect the future of the nation adversely. I share the views of Idang Alibi that “our

education system has truly given birth to a very strange generation...” It is so sad! ‘Cry, the beloved country’!

In as much as the present administration has laid its hands on the plough to right the wrongs of the past years in the different sectors of the nation’s economy, a systemic damage has been done to particularly the country’s education sector over the years unchecked. And for that singular reason, the intervention approach to repair this sector must be practicably result-oriented and futuristic in nature if Nigeria would still be able to stand on its feet tomorrow. The fear here is notably based on the everyday report and occurrence in the sector. We have children in schools and we see things. Education has been left in the hands of quacks, very unserious and irresponsible authorities.

We cannot downplay the fact that interest is key in all of this. In a situation where a graduate is to be trained as a teacher and that is not really his interest, how does one expect to get the very best from that kind of dissatisfied individual? I think it is not just enough to say that because we are going to give jobs to people then we should further kill the sector we are trying to save. We did not get to this point in one day. But then, one very germane question that ought to be asked is: how was it done in the past while we had great professionals from these schools and colleges? At what point did we get it wrong. Before any panacea could be adduced, especially the one by Dr. Ngige, a deep sense of history is required and a need to go down memory lane by way of checking records is too important if we are to make a huge success of this.

These so-called graduates spent at least four years in the university. Now, the challenge is: what difference would nine months of training do to people who could not do much in four years? Nigeria needs a great rethink in this matter.

Dr. Ngige’s idea is a good one but he would need to meet with the critical stakeholders of this sector to be able to come up with a workable approach that can change the status quo and not just a crack programme.

Segun Imohiosen wrote from Abuja segunimohiosen@yahoo.com

Something worth more than gold

By Tope Fasua

I have been ruminating about how we who ‘naively’ agonise about society can derive more value from our advocacy rather than being seen as fools, and are left holding the can.

I was ruminating about how we would not end up as paupers or totally frustrated, as those who consider themselves smarter grab political space, keep the naïve ones out, and proceed to lord it over society. I felt we should develop a system whereby we keep our cash flows growing among ourselves by generating mutual support each time one of us has programmes – say book launchings, seminars, workshops, projects or something similar.

What we have seen is a situation where this shrinking circle of idealistic people, who are somehow trying to resist the norm in Nigeria, have need for little things and are unable to come up with support. Their book launchings are attended by a handful of people.

Their lectures and symposia are sniffed at and ignored.

They often suffer; and we often see many diminishing into penury, wearing worn out shoes and shirts ridden with holes. It is sad. That is the reason why after four books, I have never launched any. Because beyond social media, I cannot vouch that most ‘friends’ will show support or love for all the work that one has done trying really to make society better. But I stand by the ideas in my books and would rather they are discovered, not forced upon people. And I often say that no one can pay me enough for what I wrote in them. Really I mean it, because I put my soul in my writings.

Yet our work is important. In the PhD programme I am on, we recently treated the differences between Ethics and Professional Responsibility, especially why some members of a profession or organisation sometimes break ranks and become whistle-blowers. One thing I learnt was that in a few instances, the wiring of some people – genetically or otherwise – forces them to act in certain ways. There are people who cannot easily cheat other people. There are people who

are mainly motivated by social service. There are people who are not overly motivated by self, greed, power and so on.

The question is: should that be a death sentence? Should such people find themselves unable to pick small medical bills, while real smart criminals who – in a nation like Nigeria – have constituted themselves into the Lords and the Masters – simply steal the commonwealth and utilise it in prolonging their own lives, sending their children to the best schools in the world, laundering their images and consciences, buying national honours, and buying over the emotions of the vast majority of unsuspecting people? Well, should we?

It will be unfair. And even though we live in an unfair world, it is important to put these issues on the table and discuss them. In all the societies we look up to today, they had to discuss these issues.

Without people like Oliver Cromwell (1599 – 1658), England will probably still be under a brutal monarchy. Perhaps the concept of democracy itself would never have seen the light of day, as the entire world was only used to some form of feudalism and oppressive monarchies then. Yet the beauty of democracy is in its ability to throw up new ideas, by admitting blue and red blood alike into governance. Cromwell was a key mover and a signatory to the death warrant of King

Charles I, the birthing of England as a Republic, and its freedom, however partial, from the hands of the monarchs after the English Civil War. With people like Paul Revere (1734–1818), perhaps the entire USA will still be under British rule, and that irrepressible spirit that nation has released around the world would be stillborn.

But it is possible to be discouraged. When visionaries and philosophers, so the speak, are busy trying to force a new reality and redirect the trajectory of their society, but they realise the strong tide that pulls in a different direction is more powerful than them, and that the people for which their hearts bleed couldn’t care a hoot – even for their own salvation, that can be depressing.

That is the case of Nigeria, where adults organise seminars to actively empower the youth, but the youth would rather attend lewd musical concerts, comedy shows, or even, religious houses. Not for them some ‘boring’ sensetalk which reminds them that there is some future upfront.

They just cannot be bothered. What do we do, when a nation solidly believes in quick-fixes, fire-brigade approaches when things go awry, or more often than not, miracles, magic and juju? It is a tiring task telling our people that we are where we are today, specifically because of our beliefs.

And that we need to change those beliefs because we have become the beliefs. Who cares? The politicians think the same way most often!

The world values modesty, honesty, even advocacy for the poor and doing what is right. The world loves the underdog, and anyone who fights for the underdog. Nigeria may be different today, but it wont be forever. It is true that Nigeria could be much much better than it is today, so those of us who struggle daily to let that be known, painting the pictures for people to see, are on the side of angels.

•Fasua, an economist and consultant, is CEO of Global Analytics Consulting.

21

Thursday, 24 December, 2015 Femi Olukunle Co-ordinating Editor 08158610216

maka nd’igbo

A scene of one of the recent global terror attacks.

Dialogues, not guns, central to global peace —Industrialist Suzy Oruya - Onitsha

A

front line industrialist, Sir Godwin Ezeemo, has advocated peace all over the world, without which, he said, there would be no safe place for anyone to rest in the world.

Ezeemo, who is also the state chairman of Progressive People's Alliance (PPA), maintained that with peace as a core value in all human dealing, either in private or public domain, much more would be achieved in all spheres of life than when we engage in violence in trying to solve any problem that challenges our peaceful existence.

Speaking in his home town, Umuchu, in Aniocha Local Government Area of Anambra State on his recent award as World Ambassador for Peace by UNPOLAC which took place in Port Harcourt, Rivers State recently, Ezeemo said that it was only dialogues that could make Nigeria peaceful.

He said that the application of dialogue in any crisis would save lives and ensure a lasting solution to problems instead of use of the gun to resolve crisis as this had often resulted in failur es.

Ezeemo, then, called on the people advocating a Biafran State to be calm and adopt peace to ensure peace in the country.

According to him, I want to advise both Biafrans and the ones that are yet to raise their heads up that they should realise that we are one Nigeria. ''Our forefathers had a goal and that

is what we are singing in our national anthem which is that the labours of our heroes past shall never be in vain,'' he said.

He also called out to other ethnic groups in the country agitating for recognition to employ the tool of peace as the ultimate key to unlocking their success which was assumed to be locked either by the state or Federal Government or any other body.

“Professor Chinedum Adiele, Director,

National Crime Prevention, Abia State, who spoke during the award ceremony touched the silent points of negativity associated with violence and no right thinking person would wish that the people of this great country go through the experience again no matter the provocation”, Ezeemo said.

He said he was nominated by Positive Living Award Centre (POLAC), an initiative of United Nations Education,

Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), to reach out more to youths and young-at-hearts who could in their various localities educate youths and young ones the needed to toe the path of peace at all times in spite of hard challenges of good living.

He disclosed that while Adiele was delivering a paper entitled: “Global Peace, Panacea for Sustainable Development and Security,” he was touched, knowing that without peace, no nation could develop since violence brought about insecurity which had scared away investors and aided mass unemployment being experienced in the country today .

He said that from Adiele’s researched statistics , Nigeria, due to violence, lost more than 16,000 lives between 1999 and 2014.

He said that from the available research in the country, the Odi massacre in Bayelsa claimed about 2,500 lives in November 20, 1999.

“Others are the February 21, 2000 continues pg22

Terrorists on the march

Nigeria should not break up —Monarch —pg22

Jubilation as Idaw River Catholic Church dedicates building in Enugu —pg22

CREW Jude Ossai-Enugu-South East Bureau Chief 08052817955 Joe Nwachukwu- Owerri 08033271227 Suzy Oruya- Onitsha 08063653735

22 makand’igbo

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

Nigeria should not break up —Monarch Joe Nwachukwu - Owerri

F

ORMER chairman of South-East Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, has appealed to Nigerians to work towards ensuring that the country, despite her current economic downturn and political challenges, does not disintegrate as the unforeseen consequences of such

disintegration might be too severe.

The Obi of Obinugwu and Chancellor, Federal University of Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, gave the charge in Owerri after returning from a familiarisation visit to the university as its pioneer chancellor.

The monarch pointed out that despite ethno-religious and linguistic differences among Nigerians, there was no alternative country for them, adding that “no sacrifice

made to keep the indivisibility of Nigeria intact as a nation will be too much”.

The traditional ruler passionately appealed to Nigerians to be patient with President Muhammadu Buhari government, saying “Buhari is barely six months in office; it will be hasty to pass judgement on him at the moment".

The monarch told Maka Ndigbo: “Mr President means well for Nigeria. He is

not there to amass wealth considering his background. He was once a former head of state, minister of petroleum and had held several top positions in the past.

“He has a vision and good blue print for a better Nigeria. Out of over 170 million Nigerians, God chose him to be president.

I think he means well, let’s give him a chance”, he added.

Jubilation as Idaw River dedicates church in Enugu Jude Ossai - Enugu IT was a day of joy at the weekend for Catholic faithful and well-wishers of Saint Gregory the Great Catholic Church Parish, Idaw River, in Enugu-South Local Government Area of Enugu State, when they handed over over 2000 seater capacity church to the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Reverend Calistoga Onaga for dedication.

Maka Ndigbo observed that as early as dedication day, worshippers and well wishers of the Saint Gregory Church had gathered in the church premises waiting patiently for commencement of the programme.

The church was filled to capacity as the Bishop delivered his sermon, just as the choristers thrilled the audience with melodious songs. Some of the top dignitaries included priests from within and outside Enugu Diocese, members of Knight of St. John, knights of St. Mulumber, Igwe Edmund Onyefulu, Omennachi 111.

In his brief welcome address, the

Eze Cletus Ilomuanya

Vice Chairman of the Parish Pastoral Council, Ichie C. U. Etta, said it took them years of hardwork to achieve this feat, stressing that handing over the keys of the church to the Bishop was a dream come true.

The officiating Bishop,in his response, thanked the entire members, priests of the parish for a job well done. He expressed joy in the fact that the church was beautiful and ready for use and stated that the church had now been registered in the register book of all catholic churches all over the world in Rome.

The Bishop, who took his message from

Ephesians 2:19-22., emphasised the need for all people to live in peace and avoid discrimination. There was also conferment of the sacrament of confirmation on over 500 candidates.

The high points of the occasion were anointment of the church facility with the Oil of Chrism and lighting up of the church by the Bishop assisted by the priests with a candle light amidst a beautiful rendition by the church choir.

There was a loud ovation from the audience as the keys to the church were handed to the Rector and Parish Priest of the church, Reverend Joe Ezechi.

'Dialogues, not guns, central to world peace' continued from pg21

Kaduna riot in which over 2,000 people lost their lives, May 23, 2000 Kaduna crisis which claimed 5,000 lives and the Jos religious riot between Christians and Muslims that claimed about 5,000 lives between September 7 and 17, 2001.

“And more were the Kano religious crises which occurred on Feb. 24, May 11 and 12, 2004, in which 957 person died and the United Nations House bombing which claimed about 21 lives on Aug. 26, 2011 in Abuja.

“The Mandella Church bomb blast in Abuja, which claimed about 61 lives with about 73 persons injured on December 25, 2011 and August 7, 2012 Deeper Life Church shooting in which 91 persons lost

Soldiers

their lives in Okene, Kogi State.

“Also on this list were 19th and 20th April, 2013 Baga Massacre in Borno State which took about 258 lives, July 6, 2013 Momudu Government School shooting which left 30 persons dead and 32 others injured. ''On 14th of April, 2014, the Nyanya bus stand bombing attack claimed 71 lives just to mention but a few.

He said that these records of Adiele explained the figure of the victims of religious and communal crises across the country, saying if these bloody moments had been avoided, what a joyful country Nigeria could have been without any ethnic group having dirt against the other as they had lost loved ones at one point or the other during these crises.

The front view of the Catholic church

Yuletide: Enugu gov's wife extends gestures to less-privileged Jude Ossai - Enugu EXPECTEDLY, Christmas period is when many people, particularly Christians, extend love to their dear ones. The wife of Enugu State Governor, Mrs Monica Ugwuanyi, has proved that she is equal to the charitable task in this year's yuletide.

In the last two weeks, she has embarked on unscheduled visits to old people's homes giving them succour through relief materials including food and clothes.

Equally, Mrs Ugwuanyi has used this period to empower unemployed youths, women and farmers to enhance socioeconomic development in the state.

For instance, last week, 100 farmers drawn from the 17 local government councils of the state were trained in cassava multiplication, production and processing, improved rice production, modern day bees keeping and honey production and processing. Others are snail farming, fish production and processing.

The entrepreneurship/vocational training is anchored by the Federal Government in partnership with the office of the wife of the Enugu State governor.

The governor’s wife donated starter packs including fingerlings, snails as well as big plastic containers just as she donated unspecified amounts of money to

the beneficiaries to enable them to take off.

Addressing the beneficiaries of the scheme at Cooperative College, Enugu, Mrs Ugwuanyi charged them to make judicious use of the opportunity in line with the theme, “Empowerment for Self Reliance and Increase Food Production.”

Mrs Ugwuanyi noted that no nation could survive without adequate food production, adding that people were now gradually shifting attention to the agricultural sector since the fall in the oil sector of the economy.

She expressed the hope that the empowerment scheme would arouse the passion of farmers towards greater height, as she looked forward to seeing Enugu State farmers exporting their agricultural produce to other countries of the world.

In a remark, the Provost of Federal College of Agriculture Ishiagu, Ebonyi State, Professor Justina Uzoma Mgbada affirmed that the gesture would improve the status of farmer’s socio-economic development.

According to Professor Mgbada, the credit of the exercise goes to Mrs Ugwuanyi for her presence, interest and effort towards the welfare of unemployed youths, women and farmers in the state, urging the beneficiaries not to disappoint the Office of the First Lady.

23

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

education

Editor: Laolu Harolds 08111845016 tribune.education@yahoo.com

Colleges risk sanctions over slow release of results Clement Idoko— Abuja

C

OLLEGES of Education in the country that fail to release the results of their students years after completion of their academic programmes will soon face the wrath of the Federal Government.

Accordingly, the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), the regulatory body in charge of colleges, has set June 2016 as deadline for all the colleges of education in Nigeria to release results of their students for the 2014/2015 academic session, as well as other backlog of results.

The Executive Secretary of the commission, Professor Monday Joshua, has also disclosed that NCCE has commenced nationwide accreditation of programmes run by all colleges of education, as part of efforts to strengthen the quality of teacher education in the country.

He spoke while addressing the Committee of Provosts of Colleges of Education in Nigeria at their 4th Annual National Conference and sendoff for the immediate past Executive Secretary of the commission, Professor M. Junaid.

Professor Joshua also reminded the provosts that the commission had set March 2016 as deadline for all the colleg-

es to have their programmes accredited, and that no plea for extension would be entertained.

He noted that the nine-year basic education, which covers six years of primary education and three years of Junior Secondary Education, as well as the adoption of the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) as the minimum teaching qualification in Nigeria have placed enormous responsibilities on the colleges of education to prepare teachers for the Universal Basic Education.

He said: “If you are running programmes that are not accredited, you should not be comfortable as a provost. You should feel agitated and do everything to make yourself comfortable by inviting us and making your programmes available to be accredited.

“As I’m talking to you now, we are carrying out accreditation in two colleges. We are on and we are expecting that as we enter into New Year, every week we will be having up to three or four teams at different colleges of education doing accreditation.

“We have set March, 2016 as deadline for all colleges of education to have their programmes accredited. Our coming is to your own advantage, so that you know where you are and know the quality of pro-

grammes that you are running as well as know what next to do to be in line.”

The Chairman, Committee of Provosts, Dr. Ezeom Ignatus, in his remark called for proper funding of colleges of education in the country in order to produce quality teachers for teaching at the basic level of education.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to make quality of education his first, second and third priorities of his administration if significant economic development is to be achieved in the country.

Former Provost, Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo, Professor Adeyemi Idowu, made the call in his keynote address at the conference.

He said the implementation of the UBE programme of the Federal Government would not succeed without paying adequate attention to the quality of teachers that would teach in primary and secondary schools.

Idowu, who quoted a report that indicated that 23 per cent of 400,000 teachers employed in the nation’s primary schools do not possess the Teachers’ Grade Two Certificate, said this is a sad development considering that the NCE is the minimum requirement for teaching in Nigeria.

He said: “This troubling revelation re-

garding the shortage of teachers and half-baked status of many of the teachers employed to teach in schools raise doubts about the success of UBE. “It exposes the fact that the number and quality of teachers needed to successfully implement the UBE have not been attained by the government. If the standard of education is to improve and if UBE is to be enhanced, society must educate and motivate teachers to perform their duties.”

He also emphasised that for quality of UBE to thrive, there is the urgent need for colleges of education to intensify efforts at educating teachers to develop competences related to technological, pedagogical and curriculum content knowledge.

While calling on the federal and state governments to ensure proper funding of the education sector, Professor Idowu also called for review of basic education curriculum in order to expunge irrelevant contents and include new ones in line with global demands.

He maintained that no nation has ever had significant economic development without achieving a broad-based education for its population, and that developed countries have attained their present economic status mainly because of the quality of their human resources, which are results of quality education systems.

Thursday, 24 December, 2015 24 education FG warns Unity School principals against corruption, mismanagement Clement Idoko, Abuja

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HE Federal Government has warned all principals of the 104 Federal Unity Colleges against corruption and mismanagement of the institutions established to serve as models in the country.

Minister of State for Education, Professor Anthony Anwukah, who gave the warning at the 2015 annual general meeting of principals of the Unity Colleges, said government would not condone anyone who tries to frustrate current efforts to stamp out corrupt practices in all government business.

“I must remind you of the premium the current

administration places on prudent management of funds, transparency in the utilisation of public funds and zero-tolerance for corruption and impunity.

“As managers of public funds, I enjoin you to imbibe the afore-mentioned virtues. You must comply with the guidelines issued by the ministry at all times and ensure that your actions do not bring the colleges to disrepute,” he said.

Anwukah said the Federal Government had remained committed to attaining the Education for All (EFA) and creating an education system that could live up to the challenges of producing world class citizens whose competences will be globally relevant.

He noted that the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari had taken note of the vari-

ous agitations, comments and arguments as regards the education sector and would address them.

The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, said the meeting was crucial, as

it provided opportunity to discuss critical issues hampering delivery of quality education in schools.

‘Governments should encourage entrepreneurial education’ Olayinka Olukoya, Abeokuta FOUNDER and proprietor of International College, Ibefun, Prince Babatunde Taiwo, has appealed to government at different levels to encourage and support entrepreneurial education from the secondary school level to address the challenge of unemployment in the country.

Taiwo made the call recently while receiving an award from the national executives of the National Association of Nigerian Students, at the school auditorium in Ibefun, in Odogbolu Local Government Area of Ogun State, for his contribution to the development of education.

He said this could be achievable if government provides training equipment and other components, which he says his school does, as it identifies skills in each of its students and trains them accordingly.

The educationist bemoaned the inability of government at different levels to fund education adequately, noting that government at the federal and state levels had failed to adequately funded education.

The development, according to him, has resulted in the falling standard of education.

He appealed to the wellto-do in the country to use their wealth to promote education by collaborating with government, either by establishing their own

schools or helping to rehabilitate and renovating dilapidated schools in their communities.

Head ,Public Relations and Events,Dufil Prima Foods PLC,Mr Tope Asiwaju and Coordinator,Indomie Fan Club,Mrs Ibe Ifeyinwa flanked by Indomie Fan Club members during the 2015 Indomie Fans Club end of the year party held at Parkland Maryland,Lagos,on 9/12/2015.PHOTO BY ALABA IGBAROOLA.

FG tasks states on quality basic education delivery Clement Idoko, Abuja The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to delivering qualitative basic education to the Nigerian children, but has insisted that this can only be achieved if various state governments give priority to the sub-sector.

Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, who spoke at the 14th quarterly meeting of the management of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), with the chairmen of the State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs), also called for effective collaboration of all relevant stake-

holders to lay solid foundation for development of education in Nigeria.

Adamu identified improper planning, inefficient administration and misap-

propriation of resources allocated to the education sector as the major impediments to achieving qualitative education in Nigeria.

He, therefore, warned

Don proffers solutions to mass failure in English Language Naza Okoli – Lagos A professor of English Language, Joy Eyisi, has identified teacher training as a major step towards combating the incidence of failure in the English language, particularly at the secondary school level.

Eyisi made this known

while delivering the 9th Inaugural Lecture of the National Open University (NOUN) at the university’s headquarters at Victoria Island, Lagos, last week.

“There are teachers; the only problem is that many of them do not even know the language itself,” she

Okowa charges students to shun cultism, drug abuse ebenezer adurokiya, warri

The Delta State governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has urged youths, particularly students, to avoid the twin vices of drug abuse and cultism.

He said abstinence from the deadly sins would ensure they become meaningful and respectable members of the society.

The governor gave the admonition at a symposium tagged ‘Dangers of Cultism and Drug Abuse’ organised by the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Orientation and Social Development, at

SUBEB chairmen against misappropriation of intervention funds allocated to them for development of basic education in their states. He warned that any-

the Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku. Okowa, who declared the conference open through a representative, the Senior Special Adviser Special Duties, Government House, Honourable Sam Obi, observed that the prevalence of cultism and drug abuse in institutions of higher learning was one of the moral failures that should be combated by well-meaning members of the society.

“As youths, you should dedicate your talents, energies and time to meaningful activities and ventures that will positively impact

on the socio-economic and political transformation of the society; and this can be best achieved if you are prepared physically, spiritually and mentally,” he said.

Senator Okowa noted that his administration has built enough mechanism to keep youths off crime through numerous empowerment and skill acquisition programmes, as encapsulated in the SMART agenda.

The guest speaker, Professor Patrick Muoboghare, enjoined the students to be courageous to resist entreaties by dangerous groups to recruit them.

said. “I would advise that teachers are well groomed in the teaching of English so that they can teach the language with expertise.

“Under no circumstances must a teacher rebuke a child in the classroom for his or her inability to use the language well, because this English Language is being learnt in a secondlanguage environment. We have a lot to do in order to achieve proficiency in it.”

Eyisi, who is also Director of NOUN’s Special Study Centre, National Assembly, Abuja, listed other things that must be done to overcome the challenge: “Another (way) is having good language laboratories.

“Another is having welldeveloped libraries.

“Another is having the students motivated to learn. I have said it that every teacher must learn to teach with reinforcements – material or non-material reinforcements – to be able to raise the morale of these students and pupils into wanting to learn English,” she noted.

one found to have misappropriated funds meant for basic education at the state or federal level would be face the law.

Adamu also frowned at some state governments that failed to access their matching grants from UBEC, because of their unwillingness to pay the counterpart funds as demanded by the law establishing the commission.

“I also charge this meeting to address the challenge of accumulated funds in the UBEC, which have not been accessed by some benefitting states. We cannot be talking of insufficient funds for basic education when billions of naira is in the vault of banks, idling away,” he said.

The minister was represented by the Director, Basic and Secondary Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Mrs Augusta Okonkwo.

The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr Suleiman Dikko, however, disclosed that with the coming of this new government, most states have accessed their funds while others were making efforts to pay their counterpart funds to receive their matching grants.

Dikko said he was impressed by the genuine commitment of some state governors to access the funds that their predecessors had left accumulated for about three to four years.

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education

an we share in your experience of working with the nomads?

We work round the clock to ensure that opportunity for basic education is created for the children of nomads, which also include the pastoralists, the migrant fishers folks and farmers children. We are not doing that for their children alone, but also with their youths and adults who are illiterates. We provide them with opportunity for acquiring literacy skills along with some other life improvement skills. Actually, the commission was established in 1989 under a Federal Government decree which was reviewed in 2004. The mandate is to provide access to basic education for this group of people and to work in harmony with other parastatals in education, particularly those in basic education like the Universal Basic Education Commission, Mass Literacy Commission and the Federal Ministry of Education, with the hope of effectively projecting and making quality education available to these people.

You studied adult and non-formal education. Would you say this was what prepared and qualified you for what you are doing today?

Being a product of Teacher Training College gives you the oppourtunity of being trained and prepared for teaching and learning for life. It is unfortunate that nowadays, there’s nothing like teacher training colleges and that perhaps is one of the bases of Nigeria’s educational problem. Particularly, when you talk of quality in the teaching profession today, we now have minimum teaching qualification as NCE. And when we talk of NCE, NCE teachers are prepared to teach two subjects in the school system. However, when they come back to teach, they find themselves teaching eight subjects; and that is why we have issue of incompetences here and there. Coming down to the area of Adult and Non-formal Education, it gives you the opportunity to be prepared as a total educationist. My experience along this line as well as my specialisation in distance education, a training on how to reach people in the remote areas without the classroom, has really prepared me for this task.

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

Eradication of teacher training programme has affected education system —NCNE chief

Professor Rashid Aderinoye is the Executive Secretary for the National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE), a parastatal under the Ministry of Education. In this interview with MODUPE GEORGE, he shares his experience in the commission, challenges of his assignment and other issues affecting basic education in the country. Excerpts ised a community-based programme to intimate them with the fact that they are to monitor the schools in their community and take care of them. We don’t just teach them reading and writing, but other life improvement skills such as shea butter processing , fashion designing, bee keeping and the likes. This was supported by African Development Bank(ADB) and the World Bank. We also tried to make them see reasons why they should have vet doctors amongst them. Reaching those who are in creeks costs us more. For example, in Bayelsa, three classrooms cost 10 million, but the ones in the creeks cost three times that. Ditto with Badagry, we had to relocate because of the cost of constructing in water-logged areas.

Given the insurgency in the NorthEast, have you abandoned the normads in these areas?

No, we have not completely stopped working in those places affected by insurgency, except for Yobe and Adamawa, Borno States. We recently held programmes in Gusau for the North-West teachers of our schools. We still go for other NorthEastern states like Bauchi and Gombe and people are still coming from some parts of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa to participate.

As a matter of fact, regular schools are not working in Borno and Yobe, let alone normadic schools. We no longer situate programmes in any of these parts of the country.

Professor Aderinoye

What do you think this generation is losing by not going through the Teachers’ Training College?

Recently, I had the opportunity of meeting with the Minister of Education, Alhaji Adamu Adamu. While we discussed on the level of basic education in the country, quality of education, quality of teaching and learning and of the teachers we have in schools today. We saw the enormity of the challenge emanating from the eradication of the Teachers’ Training Programme. This has really affected the educational system. As a teachers’ training product, you are well equipped to teach because you have the full knowledge of the principles and practices of education. You know the psychology of the pupils, you are exposed to various teaching methods that can be applied in the teaching process. To me, whoever fails to pass through that system is not adequately equipped to teach.

years of junior secondary school education). In some other countries, the basic education curriculum is loaded with life’s improvement skills and other technical skills which prepare them beyond looking for white-collar jobs after school. The application of ICT such as the use of radio and audio cassettes are applied to learning and these gadgets enable them to reach more learners than those they have in the classroom. For example in Ethopia, they employ the inclusive method of learning where adults, children and youth are all in the same class, including disabled children and their parents, so that they could better communicate with them at home the instructions they are given in school.

Participating at different seminars, conferences and consultancy has exposed one to different approaches, but one is handicapped to fully implement what one has seen.

terpart fund to UBEC. This is how it goes: if you take N2 billion from UBEC, you are to pay one billion to it, for the purpose of providing infrastructural development in state schools. You don’t pay salaries or any allowance from this fund. Most states have failed to access this money and those that have accessed it did not use the fund judiciously.

You offer consultancy services for UNESCO, World Bank, UNICEF, among others. How does that affect your assignment in NCNE? Consulting for all these bodies is an asset to me. It allows me to compare and see different things from different settings in different communities. On two occasions, I was in Sudan to participate in some activities in their basic education sector. I was able to understand that they have eight years of basic education curriculum, unlike Nigeria where we have nine years (six years of primary and three

You were the Deputy Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Eduation Commission from 2010 to 2011 and now the Executive Secretary, NCNE. What was the transition like?

It has been closely related because UBE is the larger house in terms of personnel and resources. We also have the SUBEB at the state level and the local education officers at the local level. The intervention of UBEC is a good one, but unfortunately most states UBEBs have failed to use the opportunity to actually finance basic education. SUBEBs are supposed to pay con-

What are the challenges in meeting your people in remote areas and creeks?

One of them is in the area of language.

However, I have staffers who are Fulani and Hausa who translate for me. There’s also a challenge of the nomads/pastoralists allowing their children go to school.

This has called for the need to enhance relationship between us and Miyati Alllah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), so that we could reach their members and let them know the importance of education. Recently, we organ-

But why are SUBEBs not accessing these funds?

It’s because they know they don’t have control over it. When they access the fund, they can’t spend it anyhow. Before they can access the fund, they must meet up or pay what is called ‘the matching grant.’

The money is strictly meant for infrastructure. Though, they have another fund we give them for teachers training and same goes for special education needs. They don’t pay marching grant for these ones.

We understand there are no permanent school structures for the normads.

Permanent structures are capital-intensive; and if you observe education funding, it is very low. With UBEC collaboration and intervention last year, we were able to reach about 48 communities with structures and beautiful classrooms. It was appreciated by the nomads because it gave meaning to their lives. This year, we are working on about 24 locations to provide them with physical classroom.

Some people have been advocating for the scrapping of NCNE, What is your view about this?

I’m one of the advocates; I do say that if government feel they can’t fund the commission, why not merge it with UBEC? When they post teachers to these remote areas, they refuse to go because they are not being taken care of. If you see these children too, you can’t showcase them on the television as pupils of Nigerian schools because they don’t have school uniform.

We have about 519,000 nomadic pupils.

I personally wrote Aliko Dangote to please donate free school uniforms to them, but nobody is willing to help. If government will not be able to adequately fund the commission, as its funding the schools under SUBEB or UBEC, why don’t we do otherwise? However, that would mean abandoning the children. And if we do, an idle hand, they say, is the devil’s workshop. We cannot just scrap NCNE because if we do, some children will be left out of the school system.

education Mountain Top University takes off with 270 students 26

naza okoli, lagos

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he General Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), Dr D. K. Olukoya, on Monday officially declared the church-owned Mountain Top University open.

The event, which took place at the temporary site of the university, MFM Prayer City along LagosIbadan Expressway, was witnessed by a long list of dignitaries including the wife of Lagos State governor, Mrs Bolanle Ambode; and the Senator representing Lagos Central District, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu.

The ceremony, which marked the beginning of the school’s maiden academic session (2015/16), doubled as matriculation for 270 pioneer students.

Olukoya said the idea to establish the school had come to him as a vision from God. “The synopsis of this is the concern to stem the tide of youth wastage by instituting salvation programmes that can rescue our youth from the jaws of Satan. So far, about 70 programmes have been instituted for the youth along this line, including soccer, all in a bid to ensure that they live a godly life, fulfill their destinies, re-write the history of their families and positively impact their generation.”

The cleric said his vision

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

is for the new university to become “the Harvard of Africa,” and thereby charged the pioneer students to “pursue excellence.”

The vice chancellor of the university, Professor Elijah Ayolabi, in his address, said extra steps had been taken to ensure that

the school continued to attract the best students and members of staff.

Ayolabi said: “My operational philosophy since I came on board is attainment of excellence and achievement of the mandate expressed in both the vision and the mission of

ties, because in addition to the normal UTME and post-UTME, they all went through and passed an oral interview…”

The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Julius Okogie, was represented at the

event by the Chairman of the Standing Committee for Private Universities at the Commission, Professor Akaneren Essien.

FG discharges 100 interns under GIS newton-ray ukwuoma, lagos

Lecturers and students of Business Education, Osun State College of Education, Ilesa, during their excursion to Tribune House, Imalefalafia Ibadan last week Friday.

18 AAUA graduates get automatic employment hakeem gbadamosi, akure

EIGHTEEN First Class graduates of the Adekunle Ajasin University, AkungbaAkoko, Ondo State, have been offered automatic employment by the state governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko.

Speaking during the 6th convocation ceremony of the institution held last weekend, Mimiko promised

to absorb any of the 18 distinguished graduands that is willing to work in the state civil service. He said the gesture was to encourage academic excellence in tertiary institutions in the state.

He also acknowledged the positive impact made by the university in producing viable manpower for the nation, and noted that

Be worthy ambassadors of FUTA, VC tells new students FRESH students admitted to various programmes of the Federal University of Technology, Akure have been admonished to abide by the rules and regulations of the institution in order to have a successful and memorable stay in the university.

The vice chancellor, Professor Adebiyi Daramola, gave the advice during the 33rd matriculation ceremony for the over 3000 undergraduate students admitted for the 2015/2016 academic session.

Daramola urged the students to be serious with their studies, as the matriculation is just the first step in ensuring a successful academic sojourn. He also counseled them to be worthy ambassadors of the institution in words and deeds.

“The primary reason for coming to the university is to acquire knowledge and

the university. I am happy to inform this gathering that all our academic and non-teaching staff have been recruited on merit.

I am also happy to inform us that our admitted students have scaled more hurdles than their counterparts in other universi-

requisite skills through intensive training and mentorship by your lecturers and other members of the university,” he said.

He also implored the new students to look to lecturers as role models and mentors and to refer all challenges they may encounter to the Students Affairs’ Division in case of any difficulty requiring counseling and interaction.

He assured the students that FUTA will continue to sustain its tradition of excellence in academic research and peaceful learning atmosphere, as well as the character training of students.

He, however, warned that acts of indiscipline in whatever guise would not be tolerated.

Principal officers of the university, deans of schools, school officers and parents of the matriculating students graced the

ceremony held in the Main Auditorium of the university, while the matriculation oath was administered on the new students by the registrar, Dr Modupe Ajayi.

graduates of the institution have been making the state proud home and abroad.

Mimiko also commended the university and the students for maintaining an uninterrupted academic calendar in the last six years, and promised that his administration would continue to make education affordable to the people of the state.

The vice chancellor, Professor Igbekele Ajibefun, explained that the institution’s ultimate desire is to accommodate its over 14,000 students on campus, compared to the less than 20 per cent that are currently accommodated.

He appealed to individuals and corporate organisations to help the university, especially in the construc-

tion of students’ hostels and staff quarters.

During the convocation, a total of 4,310 graduated from the school with 4,053 earning first degree, 107 obtaining diploma, 130 taking master’s degree and 20 earning PhDs. 18 graduated with First Class, 787 earned Second Class (Upper Division), 2500 obtained Second Class (Lower Division), 702 made Third Class and 46 had pass.

Honorary awards were conferred on four Nigerians, including the President of the African Development Bank and former Agriculture Minister, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina; the Olugbo of Ugbo Kingdom, Oba Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan; Chief Bisi Egbunjobi and Professor Bolanle Awe.

EU to partner FUNAAB The European Union is set to collaborate with the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), in three important areas: Tuning, Horizon 2020 and the Erasmus Plus programmes.

Deputy Head, European Union in Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Mr. Richard Young, disclosed this during a meeting he had with the vice chancellor, Professor Olusola Oyewole in his office.

According to him, the three programmes exist in terms of collaboration, and

one of them is the Tuning programme, which has developed into a process, an approach to re-designing, developing, implementing, evaluating and enhancing quality first, second and third cycle degree programmes.

According to him, Tuning focuses not on educational systems but on structures with emphasis on the subject area level; that is, the content of studies, adding that educational systems are primarily responsibilities of governments, while contents of educational programmes are that of higher educational institutions and

their academic staff.

Young added that the name Tuning was chosen so as to reflect the idea that universities do not have uniform degree programmes.

He lauded the vice chancellor for being active in running the Tuning programme.

Mr. Young stated that the Horizon 2020 programme was designed to promote academic research collaboration with Europe and other countries, and added that Horizon 2020 would help to achieve this by emphasising excellent science, industrial leadership in tackling societal challenges.

The Federal Government through the Ministry of Finance on Wednesday discharged about 100 interns after successfully completing a 12-month internship programme on employability and entrepreneurial skills, under the Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS).

This batch of interns will make an approximate sum of 10,000 graduates already retrained and discharged by the scheme since its inception as the sole social safety net intervention initiative of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) adopted by the Buhari-led government.

Speaking during the exit training and certificate bestowment ceremony of the interns in Lagos on Wednesday, the Director, Graduate Internship Scheme, Mr P. M. Papka, representing the Ministry of Finance, in a statement delivered by the Project Director GIS, John Umoren, admonished interns to optimise the training opportunity to contribute meaningfully to national development.

“We believe,” he said, “that the skills and experience you have acquired through GIS have placed you in a position to contribute meaningfully to national development. I wish to note that GIS is one of the many success stories of government’s effort to reduce graduate unemployment. On your part, you must ensure that your internship adds value not just to your immediate employers but to the nation as a whole.”

Papka, who also called for the sustenance of the scheme by the Federal Government, saying that “GIS will be another example Nigeria will sell to the world as one of the solutions to graduate unemployment.”

Mrs. Monika Ukey-Onyedikachi, the project facilitator, Parson Consult, who spoke with Tribune Education after the ceremony called on the Federal Government to make the initiative public for more participation.

“This is a wonderful initiative. I didn’t know about it until I came here. The Federal Government should let the public know so that many more graduates can participate,” she said.

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Thursday, 24 December, 2015

aviation

anchor Shola Adekola

m:0803 365 4818 e:sholanig@yahoo.com

Security agencies applaud NAMA’s e-clearance web portal Stories By Shola Adekola Lagos

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HE aircraft e-clearance web portal recently deployed by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) in collaboration with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has continued to attract commendations and buy-in from stakeholders even as they declared that the internet solution will go a long way in reducing time constraints and make for efficiency in processing entry and landing permits for non -scheduled foreign aircraft into the country.

The commendations were made during the demonstration of the eclearance module to National Air Defence Corp and other security agencies by NAMA at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Conference Centre and Suites, Abuja.

Speaking at the event, the Military Airport Commandant, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Group Captain Simon Peter, said: “The aviation industry globally has gone digital and what NAMA has done by deploying the e-clearance portal is the way forward because apart from facilitating the process of getting the clearances, it also helps to improve the country’s rating on the ease of doing business.”

According to the Group Captain, the internet solution will also improve security because all security agencies now have copies at the same time the checks are going on, so it makes “it easier, better and faster for us to work and I think it is a good way to go. You can be assured that the Nigerian Air Force is going to sustain collaboration with NAMA as they continue to enhance air traffic management capacity as well as airspace security.”

In his own remarks, the Chief of Staff, British Military Advisory and Training Team in Nigeria, Squadron Leader, Ian Partridge, described the innovation as “a complete step change in the way many nations do their clearances for aircraft and the fact that you have done this in less than two years is quite outstanding.”

He described the digital clearance system as very thorough and “a fantastic initiative that they have come up with as you do not have to deal with all the paper work or drive between offices anymore. You have to do it all online and also maintain the integrity of the clearance process. It is going

From left, Simon Tumba, Chief Executive Officer, SY&T Communications; Captain Russell Lee Foon, Accountable Manager / Acting MD, Aero; Captain Wole Fajobi, Fleet Manager B737, Aero and Peter Omata, Head Ground Operations, Aero, at the airline’s press conference on the controversial use of ladder to disembark passengers at Bauchi airport. to revolutionise the process, going forward.”

Partridge, who is a Royal Air Force officer, said his office was interested in how diplomatic clearances are approved even as he revealed that Britain was willing to continue to support Nigeria as the nation strives to enhance its airspace capacity with innovations such as this “e-clearance system.”

Also speaking, the Director of Air Traffic Service, Nigeria Air Force, Wing Commander Nuhu Hassan described e-clearance as a commendable breakthrough calling for a periodic review of the system by all stakeholders to enable them observe areas of possible improvement.

Earlier in his address, the Managing Director of NAMA, Mr Ib-

rahim Abdulsalam, noted that the increasing demand for air services in the country necessitated the agency to embark on some strategic projects aimed at developing its air traffic management capacity, stressing that the deployment of the e-clearance system was in line with the agency’s strategic objective of automating its business processes.

AIB seeks more funding for efficiency The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has called on the Minister of Transport and his state counterpart for Aviation, Mr Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi and Senator Hadi Sirika respectively to aid the agency in getting more funding, saying funds accrued to it from the government was not enough to function at its peak.

Making the appeal, the Commissioner of the Bureau, Dr Felix Abali, said the AIB is funded through the 3 per cent the Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) collected by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Federal Government allocations through the Federal Budget.

While urging for more funding, Abali said the fund would be directed to areas where it is mostly needed, especially training and procurement of hi-tech equipment.

“We also need to have hi-tech equipment and other sophisticated tools. These two resources

Nigerian Tribune

would help us to deliver on our mandate and fulfil our vision of being among the leading accident investigation bodies in the world,” he said.

Abali stated that though the agency had some well trained professionals and good facilities, the accident investigation body needed more in this direction.

The AIB boss said the agency had challenges just as it had great potential, hoping that the visit of the two ministers would help overcome some of these challenges and reposition AIB among the leading accident investigation bodies in the world.

The AIB commissioner said the agency was silently but diligently working behind the public glare to prevent accidents from reoccurring, adding that the purpose of accident investigation is not to apportion blame or liability but to prevent future re occurrence.

He added that when the agency

determined the cause of an accident, the agency would issue safety recommendations, adding that AIB uses the instrument of safety recommendations to effect changes in aviation safety.

Abali added that with the recommendations made in the past, AIB had made local and international impacts that had affected aviation safety positively, even as he added that in doing this, however, AIB required well trained, well motivated and diligent professional investigators.

AIB, he said, became an autonomous agency and effectively started operation in 2007 with the appointment of a commissioner as a result of the passing into law of the Civil Aviation Act of 2006, adding that prior to this time, the Bureau was a department in the Federal Ministry of Aviation as Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIPB) and was headed by a director.

Without AMCON’s intervention, Aero may not be flying today The management of Aero Contractors has stated that contrary to claims that the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) mismanaged the airline, the debt management company played a supportive role for the majority of the existing airlines in the country.

A statement issued on behalf of the airline by its media consultant, Aero Contractors, acknowledged the positive impact AMCON’s intervention continues to have on the aviation industry, despite various challenges confronting the industry.

“Without AMCON’s intervention, the airline may not be flying today. The aviation industry has performed well over the years but like all other business segments, experiences some challenges as a fall back from the global financial crisis and the fall in global oil prices,” Aero said.

The airline observed that myriad of challenges in the industry which is not limited to Aero alone, as well as the specialisation required in the industry, necessitated a structured and methodical approach to solving the challenges.

“In order to sustain customer’s confidence and its enviable position as the flagship of the Nigeria aviation industry, and potentially Sub-Saharan Africa, especially in the area of safety and on-time performance, Aero has invested hugely in replacing its ageing fleet. Orders have been made and we are awaiting delivery. Staff issues are being addressed in line with industry best practices, and the airline does not plan to allow staff/ unions to manage its affairs,” the airline said.

The management of Aero stated further that the airline would continue to ensure a thorough and timely training and re certification of its human assets to ensure the enviable safety of Aero Contractors.

“We cannot aim for less because the travelling public which has continuously supported Aero is deserving of no less than a safe, enjoyable and timely flying experience. We hereby assure the flying public that the airline’s operation is not at any risk whatsoever as it continues to enjoy the support of its shareholders and the Board of Directors of Aero, and safety will continue to be at the core of our business.”

28

aviation

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

crucial moment

‘NAHCO not responsible for Aero’s ordeals at Bauchi airport’

With Shola Adekola

0803 365 4818

The Bauchi ladder debacle and matters arising Nigeria’s aviation sector is enmeshed in another controversial news which has been described as a national embarrassment.

At this jet age when even smaller countries are busy transforming their aviation sector including their airports, here, we are being subjected to shocking news such as the use of a ladder in place of a world standard stairs way to disembark passengers who boarded an Aero airline chartered aircraft from Abuja to Bauchi airport on 18 December 18, 2015.

The news which went viral on social media network has raised anger and condemnation within and outside the sector.

Since the outbreak of the bad news, all the relevant key players have been engaged in intrigues and counter intrigues to exonerate themselves definitely because they realised the weight of the incident.

While the affected airline blamed the airport manager at the airport for assuring them that all that was required to handle the plane at the Bauchi end was on ground but only to get to discover that the promise was just a hoax.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the organisation the airport manager in question works for at the Bauchi airport has also come out to clear itself saying it had nothing to do with the incident.

According to the general manager, corporate communications for FAAN, Yakubu Dati; “The Bauchi Airport is managed by the Bauchi State Government and FAAN only provides statutory services at the airport such as aircraft marshalling, aviation security services and fire cover. The Authority does not provide handling services for Aero Contractors and therefore does not understand why it should be held responsible for non provision of appropriate equipment for passenger disembarkation.”

While all the dramas continue to unfold, the Bauchi State government has refused to declare its own role in the debacle.

At this point, it is expected that each side will continue to shift blame as a way of defending the shameful incident which has unfortunately again put the country’s aviation sector at a very tight corner among the global aviation community.

For crying out loud, how can the country despite all the efforts made in the recent past to raise the standard be found to be lacking required components like stairs way at any of it airports to the extent that they now use ladder to disembark passengers?

Apart from the embarrassment, the use of a ladder is not only criminal but a total departure from the stipulated rules and recommended practice laid down by the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO).

Certainly, all the key players in this disgraceful incident cannot exonerate themselves because there over 1001 questions waiting for answers from them.

The position of Aero on this issue is not tenable anywhere for the management failed to do its homework well before embarking on the journey for if any untoward thing had happened to the aircraft or any of the passengers, it would have been too bad for the airline.

For FAAN, the excuse that it only provides statutory services at the airport does not stand since its manager at the airport was said to have given the airline the green light to start coming.

Amidst all the blame game, what is the position of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the country’s aviation regulatory body in this saga?

Certainly, if the NCAA had done its work well, it should have known that many of the airports particularly the state owned ones are mere death traps due to their level of inefficiencies.

Nigerian Tribune

Amaechi tasks aviation agencies on more revenue generation Stories By Shola Adekola - Lagos

N

igeria’s Transport Minister, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, has said the Federal Government was expecting more revenue inflows from its various parastatals in the aviation industry given its massive investments in acquisition and deployment of state-of-the-art technologies in the industry.

Amaechi, who undertook a tour of the agencies based in Lagos last week, commended the CEOs and managements of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Accident and Investigation Bureau (AIB) for staying steadfast and committed to the course of boosting the infrastructure in the industry with allocations granted by the government

and those generated internally.

He specifically commended the agencies for the installation of safety critical equipment in every airport across the country. The minister said matched with the level of revenue or incomes, the state of infrastructure in the aviation industry was better than that of some of its counterparts in the maritime sector.

“With what I have seen here today, it shows that Nigerian aviation industry can be compared to any developed ones anywhere in the world.

“The government should be commended for what it has done recently. What we saw in NIMASA was nothing to write home about when you compare the money they earn and the facilities you see on ground,” he added.

He explained that with the migration to e-clearance by the aviation agencies, the industry would earn more

revenue while shorter time would be used to process clearance by airlines.

“With this software you have, you can manage your time better and earn some revenues for yourself,” he added.

Worried by the contribution of the aviation sector to the country’s GDP figure, the Federal Government, he said, had stepped up investments to stimulate further growth of the sector in the years ahead.

Industry data showed aviation contributed only about N200 billion to the country’s GDP estimated at over $510 billion.

But experts insist the industry has the potential to rake in over N1 trillion as part of its contribution to the GDP if properly harnessed by 2020. Short term growth has been estimated at N500 billion with about 500,000 jobs created for citizens.

Dana Air announces special Xmas package for kids Bags excellent domestic airline carrier award In its determination to make the Christmas and New Year holidays a special one for kids and guests, Dana Air has revealed that from 19th December 2015, it is offering kids travelling on its flights a special in-flight package.

The airline also revealed that business class passengers will be treated to specials meals while members of its frequent flyer program will benefit from its ongoing double miles promo.

According to Obi Mbanuzuo, Dana Air’s Accountable Manager, “From December 19, 2015, our valued kids and guests will enjoy our special package when they fly from now till the end of January 2016 and our smart kids will be getting something extra to make this yuletide truly Special.”

Also, in recognition of its exceptional customer service, innovative online products and efficiency, Dana Air has

bagged the domestic airline carrier of the year award, organised by AES Excellence Club at the City Mall, Lagos.

The AES award is an initiative designed by the AES Excellence Club to reward, cele-

brate, encourage and project to the world individuals and organisations which made eminent contributions towards the development of our country in their various fields of Endeavour.

As the recent controversial use of a ladder to disembark passengers onboard an Aero chartered flight to Bauchi State continues to generate condemnation, different stakeholders are dissociating themselves from the sad development.

Among those who have distanced themselves from the incident was the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (nahco aviance) which declared that it was not responsible for the ordeals of Aero contractors at Bauchi airport where its passengers had to disembark from an aircraft with a ladder last Saturday.

Although Aero, in its explanation did not mention NAHCO or any ground handling company, Tayo Ajakaye, NAHCO spokesperson, said in a statement that their position was to clarify insinuations and belief in some quarters that NAHCO was supposed to have provided the equipment.

While clearing the air that NAHCO does not operate at Bauchi airport at all, Ajakaye declared: “The attention of NAHCO has been drawn to reports making rounds on the social media to the effect that it was its failure to provide handling service to one of its esteemed clients, Aero Contractors, that caused passengers of the airline to disembark with ladder at the Bauchi Airport.

“Nothing can be further from the truth. NAHCO does not have operations in Bauchi. This fact is well known to Aero and all our client airlines. So, for Aero to embark on that chartered flight to Bauchi, it definitely would have made its own private arrangements,” he said.

Air France celebrates Xmas for young travellers With the busy end-of-year holiday season approaching, Air France has everything planned to ensure its young travellers enjoy their trip to the full.

In line with this, from 18 December 2015, to celebrate the Christmas holidays, Air France is offering children travelling on its flights a selection of toys when they arrive at the airport.

In the kids’ areas at the long-haul business lounges at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and in the six kids’ areas dedicated to UMs (Unaccompanied Minors) at

Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly, the company has introduced a new range of games in partnership with Mattel (Barbie, Cars and HotWheels toys, board games, etc.), ideal for having fun before boarding a flight.

Air France has also joined forces with Bonpoint for the end-of-year celebrations as its agents will give families kits containing a range of cosmetics for mum, a cuddly toy, a wooden car or a doll at all the Business lounges at Paris-Charles de Gaulle.

Finally, Bayard Jeunesse

magazines (Pomme d’Api, J’aime lire, Okapi, Adventure Box and Story Box) will also be given to young passengers at the Business lounges at Paris-Charles de Gaulle.

On board, there are also surprises for children (games kits, card games to colour in, noughts & crosses, tangrams, etc.) to ensure they have a fun trip. These surprises will be available throughout the holiday season on the entire Hop! Air France and Air France network on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly.

29

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

Nigerian Tribune

anchor

maritime

Tola Adenubi

m:07068476673 e:adenubiadetola@yahoo.com

Why NIMASA’s maiden ministerial visit was a nightmare Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, recently visited the seaport during his maiden tour of ports facilities and inspections. In this report, TOLA ADENUBI examines his position on NIMASA.

W

hen the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, visited seaport agencies under his purview, little did anybody know that while he would be commending some agencies for their role in the port operation system, he had sticks and wipes for others?

The barrage of criticism that trailed the minister’s visits at NIMASA was unexpected given the fact that the agency had received commendation for the improved management of the International Ships and Ports facility Security (ISPS) Code which hitherto used to be moribund when it was being implemented by the Presidential Implementation Committee on Maritime Safety and Security (PICOMSS).

NIMASA had even gone ahead to shut some non-complaint jetties in a show of force that never was before the agency took over the ISPS Code management.

Although pockets of kidnapfor-ransom cases were on the rise in the volatise Niger Delta region, the agency had done enough to ward off piracy attacks and sea robbery along and off the coast of Lagos channels, the major gateway into the nation’s seaports.

Therefore, many were expecting a ministerial pat on the back and words of encouragement when news filtered around that Amaechi is set to visit the ports.

NIMASA’s nightmare The Minister of Transport, at the NIMASA Search and Rescue Clinic located at the agency’s Resource Centre in Kirikiri, stated that, “When I visited what they called the Search and Rescue Clinic, the NIMASA Director-General told me they have latest equipment, but when I asked the doctor, he said what they have in the clinic was basic equipment.

“I then asked the doctor to define basic for the DG, which he did.

They have only two stethoscopes and I believe one doesn’t need to be a doctor to be accompanied to buy a stethoscope, but you just need to be a Doctor before you can use it.

“Also, at the clinic, if anyone was rushed here from the sea, he should just say his last prayer because it is either he goes to heaven

or hell, that is how bad the agency is.”

Amaechi, who was visibly angry about the state of facilities at the resource center, demanded financial audit of the agency, the contracts, contractors that have handled contracts for the agency at different times, amount paid and completion status. He equally demanded staff nominal roll of NIMASA to his ministry to know whether there are vacancies to be filled.

How other agencies fared When the Amaechi visited the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), he even confessed to having been tutored on port operations at the agency. He commended the management of the agency for their role in the cargo clearance chain and even admonished the agency noit to relent on its role as economic regulator of the maritime sector.

“Of all the parastatals I have visited, I think I have learnt a lot from

the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC),” Amaechi remarked.

The minister said President Muhammadu Buhari is bent on confronting corruption on all fronts and that the president would be proud to see that honesty still exist

Other countries operating maritime industry are achieving 48-hour-cargo– clearance target; so, Nigeria must not be an exemption to the rule.

in some sectors of the economy.

At the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the minister urged the agency to ensure the nation meets up with the 48 hours cargo clearance target.

“Other countries operating maritime industry are achieving 48-hour-cargo–clearance target; so, Nigeria must not be an exemption to the rule. I believe in transparency and hard work. We should endeavour to do what people are expecting us to do. I will inform the public about the activities of the maritime industry to make sure you do what people will like to know,” he said.

At the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), the minister explained that the Federal Government was committed to the improvement of the standard of the railway service.

Amaechi said there were plans to upgrade the railway from the narrow gauge lines to standard gauge lines.

Why the ministerial outburst

Findings later revealed that the minister was harsh on the management of NIMASA simply because of the way the agency managed its dispute with the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, over statutory five per cent remittances.

It will be recalled that MAN, Oron had accused NIMASA of not remitting as at when due the five per cent statutory remittances needed for the smooth running of the academy. This is even as NIMASA had maintained it had not defaulted in the remittances to the academy.

However, weeks to the minister’s visit, the media became awash with stories of how MAN, the management mis-managed the five per cent remittances given to it by NIMASA since 2011 when Joshua Okpo took over as Rector of the academy. Unfortunately, for the beleaguered Rector, he died some days after the report accusing him of embezzling the remittances which now reportedly stood at N31bn.

According to an impeccable source in the Ministry of Transport, the minister did not fall for the report. Rather, he suspected foul play and accused NIMASA of sponsoring the report.

“The minister never said he was going to probe the Rector of MAN, Oron. That was why when the report came out in the papers, the minister suspected foul play. He suspected NIMASA of sponsoring the report and he told them when he came visiting.

“As a seasoned politician, he knows when reports are sponsored.

That was why he did not spare them when he came down to the seaport.

While the minister gave a pat on the back to management of other agencies, he did not spare NIMASA even though the agency had performed well in its core areas of maintaining safety at the seaports.

“The minister could have just visited the NIMASA headquarters if he had not wanted to cut them to size due to what he perceived as sponsored reports against MAN, Oron. At other agencies, he went straight to their corporate headquarters, but at NIMASA, he decided to catch them where they are ill prepared, the NIMASA Resource Centre in Kirikiri,” he said.

30

maritime

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

Public hearing: NAGAFF seeking

unnecessary attention — ANLCA Stories by Tola Adenubi - Lagos

T

he Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has accused the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) of seeking for unnecessary attention with its call for a public hearing on some officials of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS).

Disclosing this to the Nigerian Tribune in an exclusive chat, the National President of ANLCA, Olayiwola Shittu, accused NAGAFF of chickening out of its proposed public hearing after mentioning names of Customs officials in the public domain.

“It’s not just about mentioning names of corrupt customs officials publicly; it’s about following up with your views with necessary actions.

“How can a group come out publicly to mention somebody’s name as being corrupt, and at the end of the day chicken out because of some external pressure?

They claimed they have all their facts against the affected customs officials but later claimed they were begged not to go ahead with the public hearing. It is obvious that their intention was not right from inception.

“Anybody can accuse anybody of being corrupt. But with all the attendant noise that trailed that botched public hearing, we begin to ask ourselves, are agents or freight forwarders competent to hold inquisition against Customs officers?

“If we are harping on corruption, we need to ask ourselves about the role of the agent in the corruption at the port too. It’s a game of the giver and the taker.

“But when a group makes so much noise, mentioning names of alleged corrupt customs officers, the group is the accuser, the group is the judge, now let’s see them prove it, and they suddenly make a turn-around, claiming they have been begged; I think it’s a set-back for this noble profession. Anyway, ANLCA can never indulge in such attention seeking venture.

“Much interpretation has been ascribed to NAGAFF’s action. Some have said it is blackmail because nobody can prove that the mentioned Custom officer is the only one collecting money at

the port.

“Is DC Saidu Aliu the only custom officer at the port?

It’s obvious that somebody had asked for another per-

son’s favour and it was declined, that is why there was so much noise about Saidu?

It’s unethical,” the ANLCA president stated.

It will be recalled that NAGAFF had scheduled a public hearing on corrupt customs officials for last Wednesday, but cancelled

SIFAX Group rebrands for next strategic growth —Afolabi the proposed public hearing due to intervention from superior authorities of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and NAGAFF.

Lagos Seaport

Informal sector provides 70% of Nigerian bound cargoes — Shippers Council The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has confirmed that 70 per cent of cargoes coming into the country are made possible by the informal sector and that they are major players in the national economy.

Executive Secretary, of the Council, Hassan Bello, stated this recently at a oneday awareness clinic for importers at Alaba international market in Lagos. The programme was tagged: ‘the need for compliance to cargo clearance guidelines at the Nigerian ports and understanding International Cargo Tracking Note.’

Represented by Assistant Director in charge of Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement, Celine Amaka Ifeora, Bello enjoined importers and traders to make input into government policy, even as he stressed the need for them to comply with guidelines for the clearance of goods at the nation’s ports.

He also stated that there is need for importers to be honest in their declaration, adding that the council was created to ensure that Nigerian importers carry out their business under the

most conducive environment where cost must be effective.

The Executive Secretary saidthat “we are also aware that many of your members have suffered delay in cargo clearance, payment of additional duty or outright seizures as a result of non -compliance to trade and cargo clearance guideline at the Nigerian ports.

“The informal sector of the national economy imports almost 70 per cent of all cargoes coming into the country. Your members are therefore expected to make input in government policy

on international trade.

“The only way to realise this is by partnering with the Nigerian Shippers’ Council to ensure that the concerns of your members are reflected in the government policies.”

Justifying the rationale behind the awareness programme, he added that: “it is in a bid to create awareness among your members that we decided to bring the programme to your door step.”

“It pays to be a honest and compliant importer and it also guarantees continuity of your business,” he advised.

Nigerian Tribune

He also updated the importers about the Advance Cargo Declaration (ACD) which is also known as International Cargo Tracking Note (ICTN).

The council’s boss further noted that the Nigerian Shippers’ Council is collaborating with the Nigeria Customs Service to ensure that identified importers are granted the status of accredited economic operators and their consignment cleared through the green lane, saying that such goods would be examined at the importers’ warehouse if need be.

The Group Executive Vice Chairman, SIFAX Group, Dr. Taiwo Afolabi, has said that the need to reposition the brand for its next strategic growth phase is responsible for the company’s launch of a new brand identity.

SIFAX Group is a multinational corporation with diverse interests in maritime, aviation, haulage & logistics, oil & gas and hospitality, and has offices in Ghana, South Africa, Morocco, United States, United Kingdom, Djibouti and Liberia, among others. The strategy behind the new identity, which was unveiled to the media in Lagos, according to Afolabi, is to achieve a very strong corporate brand, SIFAX Group, which will in turn deliver superior customer experience across all its subsidiaries.

Speaking at the event, Afolabi, who was represented by the Managing Director, SIFAX Shipping Company Limited, Markus Brinkmann, said the brand was transiting to a global one and needed a strong brand identity to compete favourably on the global stage.

“The consensus about our performance and impact on the Nigerian business environment is that we have done very well. With interests across maritime, aviation, haulage & logistics, oil & gas, hospitality, among others, SIFAX Group has carved a unique niche for itself. With various diverse opportunities emerging globally, we felt the need to launch a new identity that signifies our global business intentions and ambitions.

“This identity, among other reasons, would bring uniformity to our image as a company across all our subsidiaries, improve our service delivery and establish our brand as a force to reckon with in all our areas and countries of operations.”

Yuletide rush: Seme customs impounds N8m worth of rice The Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has disclosed its readiness in combating smuggling activities as the yuletide period approaches.

According to a statement signed by the Commands Spokesman, S.K. Taupyen, “The operational searchlights of the enforcement unit of the command that was stretched to all areas including the creeks that are not accessible to vehicular patrol, Owode axis

and the entire approved checkpoints manned by officers and men of the command resulted to a seizure of six hundred and fifty bags of 50kg rice with a duty paid value (DPV) of N8, 775,000.00.

“Also detained are quite a number of imported fairly used vehicles pending the verification of relevant documents as evidence of duty payments.”

In the area of revenue generation, the statement

explained that, “Seme Area Command has made a giant stride in revenue collection in recent times, exceeding the monthly target of N1,021,790,667.33 for the month of November with 25% excess collection.

“The officers of this Command that is adjudged to be the busiest international land border is always at alert to checkmate and break all barriers to legitimate trade across the European Union sponsored

Lagos Abidjan corridor.

“As a command, while we wish all and sundry compliments of the season, we also advocate the co-operation of our critical stakeholders, opinion leaders both the print and electronic media, our immediate host community in enlightening the youth and other border miscreants the need for restrain and not to be involved in smuggling and other illegal activities during the yuletide period.”

31

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

With Adewale Oshodi tribunearts@yahoo.com 08054005323

‘Nigeria is a perfect setting for detective novels’ French writer, Pierre Cherruau worked as a journalist in Nigeria during the Sani Abacha years, and set some of his novels in the country.

In this interview, the author of about 10 novels, talks about his years in Nigeria and his writing. EXCERPTS:

B

OTH your parents were journalists, and you are a journalist as well. Did they influence you in your career choice?

My parents were journalists and most of their friends were also working in this field too. My father was obsessed with his job as a reporter. He was a very good journalist, spending nights trying to improve his work. His commitment was even threatening his health. When he was doing his investigation I was often following him. I was also spending many weekends in the news room. It was fascinating to see how the front page changed all day long until the deadline. It looked like a very exciting “game” when I was a kid. Then I wanted to become a “paperboy” too.

At that time, newsrooms were very friendly and lively places. The newspapers were very prosperous and influential. Everybody was reading newspapers.

Then it was exciting to be part of this adventure, even as a kid.

But my parents never asked me to become a journalist. My father was working for the most famous French newspaper Le Monde. But he advised me to start with a very local newspaper. Because he told me that to know if you really love this job you have to start working with the very local newspaper in a small town.

I did it and I really enjoyed it, because it gave me the opportunity to interact with people I would not have met otherwise. I interacted with so many farmers, fishermen, petty traders. They trusted me to tell their stories properly. Then I didn’t want to disappoint them.

At this time, people spoke very easily to the local journalists because they trusted the local newspaper Sud-Ouest, in South-west of France. Everybody was reading this newspaper in the South west. The circulation was more than 500, 000 copies a day.

I also became a journalist to have the opportunity to communicate with my father. He was so obsessed with his job that it was the only way to really interact with him. It was the only way to share his world and to be part of it.

You have authored many novels, a great number of them are set in Nigeria. What informed the choice of Nigeria as a setting for most of your novels?

•Pierre Cherruau I also wrote many stories taking place in France, Spain, Japan, Benin Republic, Togo, Mali or Senegal. But it’s true that my first inspiration came from Nigeria. Because one day in Enugu, during the big strikes in 1994, I had nothing to read. I had finished the last novel I brought from France. There was no NEPA, no water, no fuel, no more cash.

Nobody to talk with. So, to keep myself busy, I lighted a candle and started to write a novel with a pen. I wrote all night. At the end of the night, I had finished my first novel that was set in Nigeria. Don’t ask me why ? Maybe because I was alone. Then my plain sheet of white paper was my only confidant.

Once I read a Henning Mankell interview, in which a French newspaper was asking this Swedish writer what he thought about the way the Western media were covering African news. This writer was living part time in Africa

(He is sharing his time between Sweden and Mozambique where he is running a theatre). He answered that with western media you know everything about the way Africans are dying but nothing about the way they are living.

It is a bit of an exaggeration because we don’t know everything about the way Africans die, but it is true that we don’t know enough about the way they live. Through literature we can say more about the way people live, about their dreams and their mind.

And why did you choose detective novels to showcase how Nigerians live?

I believe Nigeria is a perfect place for detective novels or black novels. I am more interested in black novels than detective novels. I read more James Ellroy than Agatha Christie. I am very interested in the way James Ellroy described America;

I believe Nigeria is a perfect place for detective or black novels.

the way he is showing the dark side of the Kennedy era, more than by the fact of knowing who is the killer at the end of the story.

In Nigeria, you don’t have to use so much of your imagination to write fiction. You just have to open your eyes, to open your ears and also to read the newspapers. It’s strange to notice that so many detective novels or black novels take place in northern Europe. In Norway, Finland, Sweden and Island where there are more violent death in books than in real life. In these novels, the detectives are often depressed, like in the novels of the Swedish writer Henning Mankell. Maybe, their detectives are bored because they have nothing to do.

My first novel on Nigeria was heavily influence by a book I just read about Brazil. The novel I just finished before starting my own writing.

I asked myself : why do we have this kind of book about Brazil and not about Nigeria ? In fact, I wrote the books I wanted to read. But I am more interested by the description of the society than by the detective side.

I also thought fiction was a good way to talk about Nigeria. If I had decided to write a political essays about Nigeria, almost no one would have read it in France. At that time, twenty years ago; very few people in France knew the name of the Nigerian president. And Nigerian politics was sounding very complex for the French. At that time, 1994, it was easier for Europeans to understand what was taking place in South Africa. The fight against apartheid was much easier to understand. The spotlights and the focus were on Mandela, his election as South African president. And also, people were starting to talk a lot about the Rwandan genocide. Now Nigeria is much more in the center of the media’s attention. Nobody can contest the fact that what is affecting Nigeria is affecting the rest of the continent, and of course the rest of the world. The biggest economy; the biggest population in Africa. Nobody can ignore Nigeria. It was a bit different 20 years ago, even if Nigeria was already very powerful. Many people had not noticed it then.

Were there stories you covered as a journalist that you felt needed to be expanded into a novel?

Every time I was covering a story as journalist, I was thinking about the fiction it could become someday. From the beginning, I knew you could tell much more in the fiction than through the media field, or through journalistic work.

First, in journalism, you have to write very short pieces, especially when you write for a French newspaper about a faraway place, but when I write a novel, nobody tells me how long it should be. If I want to write about a city or a woman or a painting in 10 or 20 pages I can do it. I am totally free.

arts&review Towards using culture, tourism for economic development

32

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

By Moses Ojo Ishola

D

EVELOPMENT generally means the improvement of people’s lifestyles through improved education, incomes, skills acquisition development and employment. Development also means that people should have decenthouses, and that they should have security within those houses including better education.

There is no gainsaying the fact that culture and tourism industry is very vital to the economic development of any nation, especially a developing one like Nigeria. If well developed, culture and tourism could be viable alternate to our present over-dependence on petroleum resources.

Today, no country in the world, whether industrialised or developing, can afford to ignore its social and cultural development.

It is, however, regrettable that Nigeria, as a country, is still quite unaware of the

A museum relevance of the culture and tourism sector to its economy.

Nigeria has about 250 ethnics groups, and this can be tapped into to develop its culture sector.

The discovery of the culture and tourism sector in Nigeria will serve as an alternative to oil and gas if properly tapped and developed Indeed, the practice of culture tour-

Ogun NAPPS launches magazine THE Mowe/Ofada unit of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Ogun State chapter, has launched its maiden edition of its biannual magazine.

Speaking during the launching in Mowe, Ogun State recently, the Coordinator of the unit, Comrade Oluwatoyin Komolafe, said the magazine would portray the activities of the association in positive light.

“As we all know, magazines spread messages about a particular organisation or institution far beyond it will ever reach, and as a result, we believe that this magazine will take what we are doing at NAPPS, Mowe/Ofada unit far beyond where our members will ever reach,” Comrade Komolafe said.

While launching the magazine, the Olu of Igbein land, Oba (Dr) Festus Oluwole Makinde, commended the Mowe/Ofada

•Ishola is of the National Museum, Ile-Ife.

Children’s book author, Dickinson, dies on 88th birthday

From right, Oba Festus Oluwole Makinde, the Olu of Igbeinland, Mowe, Ogun State, with Honourable Tunde Sanusi, during the public presentation of the magazine recently.

NAPPS for the good job it is doing, saying the unit takes special interest in promot-

Nigerian artist emerges first African winner of Korean award A Nigerian fine artist, Otobong Nkanga, has emerged the first African to win the Yanghyun Foundation Artist Award in Seoul, Korea.

Ms. Nkanga was selected for her outstanding creativity in media and motivational photography, drawing, painting, sculpture, installation and video.

While selecting Ms. Nkanga’s work, the panel declared, “in Nkanga’s work, the landscape is a sounding board for ideas, stories and memories, evoking an awareness of our connection with natural resources and its challenging histories.”

“Her installations are imaginative and emotive, but also earthly: they represent our relationship with the world. We are greatly impressed by the intensity, depth and variety of Nkanga’s body of work; it said.

Announcing the award, the foundation’s director, Eunyoung Choi, noted that Nkanga’s trans-categorical artistic practice was defined by her ability to

ism is not so well-entrenched in Nigeria that it may require a significant research and documentation of its own in order to fathom the role it plays in inter-ethnic relationship.

The culture and tourism sector has a significant role to play in the economic development of the country through various ways, such as serving as a means of creating job opportunity for the people.

Therefore, it becomes apparent that to develop a viable cultural tourism sector would require brilliant initiatives, imaginative minds and creativity for it to be a success.

We have also recognised the need to have an enabling political and social environment for culture and tourism to succeed.

Now, the present unhealthy state of the Nigerian economy should be revamped in order to attract tourists and foreign exchange into the country through culture and tourism.

The culture and tourism sector has a lot to do in our national life, and as such, should be taken seriously by government, and even the private sector.

pervade the complex layers of human and natural traces left in material objects and landscapes.

The foundation awards its winning artist with a cash prize, and the opportunity to hold a full solo exhibition at one of the world’s most renowned galleries or museums as chosen by the winner within three years of receiving the prize.

The Yanghyun Prize was established in 2008 as the first international art prize by a Korean institution.

Its key aim is to acknowledge and support outstanding mid-career artists by offering a global stage for exhibiting their work.

Past recipients are Cameron Jamie, an American (2008), Isa Genzken, from Germany (2009), Jewyo Rhii, a South Korean (2010), Akram Zaatari, a Lebanese (2011), Abraham Cruzvillegas, a Mexican (2012), Rivane Neuenschwander, Brasil (2013) and Apitchapong Weerasethakul, also a Lebanese (2014).

ing the standard of education in the area through the setting of a standard for its members.

The event was also used to honour those who had contributed in one way or the other to the development of the area.

Among those honoured was the wife of the Ogun State governor, Mrs Funsho Amosun; a member of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Honourable Tunde Sanusi; the Divisional Police Officer of the Redemption Camp, Mr Olaiya Ishola Martins; the Divisional Police Officer of Mowe, Mr Agboola Abiodun; the Federal Road Safety Corps Marshal, Mowe, Mr Oludare Ogunjobi, as well as the royal father, Oba Makinde.

Awards were also presented to deserving members of the unit, including the coordinator, Comrade Komolafe.

Another positive news at the event was when it was revealed that NAPPS assisted a public primary school within the area to get support by the MTB Foundation.

While thanking NAPPS for the gesture, the headmistress of AUD Primary School, Mowe, Mrs Janet Akinyemi, said through NAPPS, the school was able to get 100 chairs and tables that will seat 200 pupils.

“Everybody is so happy in the school concerning this donation, and that is why we are here to appreciate NAPPS,” the headmistress said.

BRITISH children’s book author Peter Dickinson, who twice won the Carnegie medal, has died on his 88th birthday.

The fantasy writer won the prestigious medal in 1979 for Tulku and in 1980 for City of Gold.

He wrote almost 60 books which have been translated into 53 different languages and was awarded an OBE for services to literature in 2009.

He died in Winchester, Hampshire, on December 16 during a brief illness, with his family by his side.

His Dark Materials writer Philip Pullman is among the authors who have paid tribute to Dickinson.

“I was very sorry to hear of the death of Peter Dickinson. He was a fine writer and a lovely man,” he tweeted.

Fantasy author and graphic novelist, Neil Gaiman added: “The Weathermonger books hit me hard when I was a boy.

He was a warm and satisfyingly brilliant writer. Giant Cold was a true dream.

“A real loss to literature. I wish I’d known him and my thoughts and love go to his wife, Robin McKinley.”

Dickinson was born in Africa but was educated in England and started his career at the satirical magazine, Punch.

He was the first person to win the Carnegie medal twice and was nominated for the prestigious medal nine times, including his last book In The Palace Of The Khans, which was published in 2012.

He was the first and so far only author to win the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger award for two consecutive novels for his detective books Skin Deep in 1968 and A Pride Of Heroes in 1969.

He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and former chairman of the Society of Authors.

33

Thursday, 24 December, 2015 Editor:

health YOU&EYE

INSIDE

O

Merck, Stefan Oschmann

Page 36

NATURAL HEALTH

Sex gets better with Moringa leaf extract Page 37

Postpartum sex made easy Page 37

HEALTH QUOTE

SEX,SEXUALITY&YOU

By Victor Ogunyinka

How we are helping to combat HIV, schistosomiasis, counterfeit drugs in Nigeria —CEO

Sade Oguntola sadeboguntola@yahoo.com 0805 506 9260

NLY few activities (none actually) can stand the special aura of Christmas; it has its own weather, dress code, alluring decorations, food and song!

With different delicacies on the table during the Christmas season, it is safe to say every meal is profitable but not every meal is gratifying to the body.

There are lots of health damaging foods or ingredients on the shelf during festive season and processed foods are particularly unreliable when it comes to health.

Processed foods are loaded with preservatives, artificial colours, and artificial flavourings, experts have revealed that processed foods are somewhat loaded with toxins, once you become a label reader, you’ll realise just how ubiquitous they are.

The best way to avoid toxic chemical additives is to consume only fresh whole foods. But practically speaking, this can be difficult for many people to accomplish, at least 100 per cent of the time.

Chances are that despite your best efforts, you’ll have a processed food or two somewhere in your diet.

According to Joyce Ajayi, a Biochemical analyst explained that it is good to know which of the thousands of chemical additives are the most dangerous and should be avoided at all cost when you spot them on a food label.

“If you notice any of these on a food label, put it right back on the shelf!

Here are my own ‘worst of the worst’ ingredients found in processed foods.”

Artificial sweeteners Studies have shown that tasting something sweet enhances your appetite, regardless of calories, and consuming artificial sweet-

NATURALHEALTH

Be wary of these health damaging substances added to countless processed food products ranging from frozen dinners and salad dressing to snack chips and meats.

“The term “monosodium glutamate” or its acronym MSG might not appear in the ingredient list. Instead, dozens of other names may be used, such as glutamic acid, hydrolysed protein, yeast extract, and dozens of others.

“Part of the problem is that free glutamic acid is the same neurotransmitter that your brain, nervous system, eyes, pancreas, and other organs use to initiate t ien red Varieties of ing certain processes in your body. Although the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to claim that consuming MSG does not cause ill effects, many experts report otherwise. MSG has been associated with obesity, eye damage, headaches, fatigue, com le. og Source: go disorientation, depression, rapid heartbeat, and numbness and eners have been shown to result in even harmful and are largely being eliminated, tingling,” she said. greater weight gain than consuming sugar. many restaurants are reverting to the use Preservatives Unfortunately, weight gain is only the of synthetic vegetable oils, which may be Though preservatives tip of the iceberg when it comes to the creating even more of a problem due to improve the shelf life of health hazards of artificial sweeteners. the sheer volume people now consume.

Trans fats also interfere with basic cell food, researches have exAjayi added: “Artificial sweeteners raise your risk of diabetes. Both animal and hu- membrane function, which can pave the pounded that it reduces man studies have shown that Splenda al- way for cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascu- the ‘shelf life’ of the conters glucose and insulin function, thereby lar disease. Trans fats can radically raise sumers.

Neurological problems, promoting weight gain, insulin resistance, your risk for stroke.

Unlike Trans fats, vegetable oils contin- behavioural issues, horand type 2 diabetes.

“But there are additional concerns that ue to be ignored despite the fact that they monal issues, metabolic sucralose may cause DNA damage, and degrade into toxic oxidation by-products dysfunction, and cancer are among the dangers when heated, it releases chloropropanols, when heated.

A 2010 study involving post-menopaus- associated with the conwhich are members of the extremely dangerous class of carcinogens called diox- al women found a 30 per cent higher in- sumption of preservains.6 artificial sweeteners are a group of cidence of ischemic strokes among those tives.

Others are nausea and chemical additives that should be com- whose daily Trans fat consumption was vomiting, tinnitus, deliripletely avoided.” the highest, seven. um, sense of suffocation, liver toxicity, and reproMonosodium Glutamate (MSG) Trans fats and vegetable oils Ajayi described MSG as an enhancer ductive mutations.

While trans fats are widely recognised as

The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition —Thomas Edison

34

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

Dr. Ben Ajayi 0805 400 5447

you-and-eye@gmail.com

Glaucoma - The silent destroyer of sight

W

HY do you quench the light And turn day to night?

Why are you so merciless And refuse the sacrifice of drops and tablets Offered daily for your appeasement?

Why? You silent destroyer of sight!

Even when we accept to worship at your feet, And the surgeon carves out a channel in our eyes That you may find your way out And leave us in peace.

You ignore our pleas.

Why? You insolent thief of vision!

As I had anticipated, all members of the United for Vision Club wanted to know why 33-years-old Deji went blind. He had been diagnosed as having glaucoma five years before and commenced relevant medications; got a pair of glasses and had gone back to his studies. Oju asked, “Deji had lost his left eye before he came to see you. Why did you allow him to go blind in his other eye? You should have done everything to save his sight.” She was in tears. I could feel the torment in her voice.

“Oju” I said calmly, “Ophthalmologists are not God. We always try to give our best but we need the patients’ support and collaboration. It takes two to tango,” I said,

looking at her face and then at the other members to see if they got my message.

When I was certain that I had retained their attention, I proceeded, “patients with glaucoma can go blind for several reasons. First, if they don’t use their eye drops and tablets as prescribed. Please, note “as prescribed.” Do you remember the story of the village headmaster who was given instructions to shake his medicine bottle before use? He forgot and decided to jump up and down for two minutes after! Would you consider that he has complied with the instructions?” “Yes, of course,” said Ahmad. “He hasn’t,” I retorted. “If you soak your garri in water and leave it standing for a few minutes, the garri will sink to the bottom and the water will stay at the top. You would be drinking garri water and not garri except you stir it up or shake the container. No amount of jumping up will help.

“There must be a reason why some drugs are used once a day while others are used more frequently like twice daily or even four times daily. It is because of the duration of action and effectiveness of the drug. The doctor wants the next dose to be used before the effectiveness declines so that the level of action remains the same. If you use a medicine more fre-

quently than recommended, you would be increasing the toxic effect of the medicine.

It is also important that the patient keeps his appointment. At every follow up visit, the doctor’s examination and tests are directed towards answering at least four important questions: Is the medicine working properly?

Is the patient suffering from any side effect of the medication?

Is the disease we are treating responding to the treatment?

Is there anything new, related or unrelated that has developed between this visit and the previous one?

There must be a reason why some drugs are used once a day while others are used more frequently like twice daily or even four times daily

“When a patient does not use his medication as prescribed, the doctor loses the opportunity to help him. “Can the patient come any time that is convenient for him?” asked Boro. “Follow up appointments are determined by anticipated events or nonevents such as when the doctor expects the medicine to have established a regular effect or the first sign of complications to crop up. Do you now understand why Deji went blind?” “You are yet to tell us sir!”

Segun cried out.

“It is rather sad,” I said. “Deji was using his eye drops haphazardly. That was not unusual for patients at his age. Since there was no pain, no ache or discomfort and he could see very well with his glasses, it was difficult for him to comprehend. I offered him surgery, but when he heard about the possible complications of glaucoma surgery he ran away. “So there are complications of glaucoma surgery?” asked Segun.

“Yes, everything in this world has possible dangers but we don’t, because there are dangers in eating –the food may pass the wrong way or because when travelling, the car may crash, refuse to eat or travel.

We always weigh the advantages over the disadvantages. In this case we would have saved Deji from blindness if he had accepted surgery.”

Drugs, tax and ailing pharmaceutical industry

By Victor Ogunyinka THE road to good health is multifaceted; it could be as smooth as maintaining personal hygiene, eating right and exercising on the one hand and it could be using drugs or other forms of treatment to correct a deficiency on the other hand. Either way, good health has a price.

Some have, due to a careless act or ignorance, which shouldn’t be an excuse, lost their good health along the line and are now left with different control damage measure, chief of which is living on drugs and in extreme cases, life support facility.

Drugs have constituted a very essential part of medicine and health, but unfortunately, it is becoming more burdensome for a common man who relies on drug for survival to conveniently afford them because of the high cost.

The Nigeria health sector is bedeviled with different challenges; poor facilities, funding, structured and effective programmes for good health delivery and as a matter of fact, division in the different units of the health sector.

With over three million cases of diabetes in 2014 and HIV, and several millions also suffering from cancer, the use of drugs as a life saving measure to these terminal diseases cannot be overemphasised.

What now remains a lingering problem is the affordability of these drugs for people concerned.

As of now, Nigeria is not yet a manufacturer of life saving drugs and that means all the drugs the country relies on to sustain over 10 million Nigerians who need

these drugs, is by importing and these have raised a lot of concerns from both stakeholders and analysts in terms of costs and availability at the right quantity.

There have been complaints from local manufacturers, questioning government’s role in supporting local production of drugs. The government once introduced the Nigerian Pharmaceutical Development Fund (NPDF), to boost local production of medicines and help Nigerian companies modernise their facilities but after many years, not much has been recorded in the pharmaceutical industry.

Also, the implementation of the Economic Community of West African States Common External Tariff (ECOWAS CET) has raised lot of eye brows among stakeholders.

Under the new policy, goods are grouped into five categories of tariff rates: zero, five, 10, 20 and 50 per cent. Goods dutiable under the zero per cent category are special drugs as well as industrial machinery and equipment. Under the five per cent category, goods dutiable include raw materials and other capital goods. Those dutiable under the 10 per cent category are intermediate goods while finished goods attract 20 per cent import tariff. Finished goods that can be manufactured locally, however, attract 35 per cent import tariff.

The Association of Nigerian Representatives of Overseas Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (NIROPHARM), recently appealed to the Federal Government to implement the zero per cent tax on raw materials, excipients and packaging on

imported substances.

The president of the group, Lekan Asuni, while speaking on the access to essential medicines in Nigeria and reacting to the call by the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMGMAN) expressed that there are more benefits accruable to the wider Nigerian pharmaceutical industry and the citizens if the CET tariff is retained, supported and sustained.

“These NIROPHARM assertions and positions are to replace the recent calls by the PMGMAN, suggesting an import adjustment of tax of 20 per cent on imported finished products of HS Code 3003 and HS Code 3004. Whilst it is a development, imperative for the Nigerian government to support local manufacturers across all industrial sectors, NIROPHARM affirms that this PMGMAN position, albeit, based on an unsubstantiated premise that any additional taxes on the products will be passed on to the patients, should be deemed invalid as there are more benefits accruable to the wider Nigerian pharmaceutical industry and most importantly Nigerians (citizens and patients), if the CET tariff is retained, supported and sustained,” he said.

Some of the drugs in the HS Codes 3003 and 3004 include medicines that are used to treat some chronic diseases like cancer, asthma, heart and kidney problems.

Unless the Federal Government proffer a lasting solution to the issue of drugs and tax, Nigeria will continue losing citizens to ailments like cancer, asthma and other diseases that essentially depend on importation for survival.

35 everydayhealth

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

Miraflash launches new factory, 37 medical products Newton-Ray Ukwuoma - Lagos

Cutting of cake by customers, special guests, the MD, Mr Oluwalade Moses and his wife, Chairman of the occasion, Professor Ayo Arije and other dignitaries during the commissioning of Miraflash’ first commercial drug factory in Oke Afa, Magboro, Ogun State, recently.

Vono asks SON to guard against spread of substandard mattresses Newton-Ray Ukwuoma -Lagos

M

R Tunji Anjorin, the Acting Managing Director, Vono Products Nigeria Plc. has drawn attention to the rise of substandard bedding products such as mattresses and pillows in the market, asking regulatory bodies to mount guard on the spread of unhealthy mattresses.

Anjorin, who spoke during the unveiling ceremony of the company’s hospital furniture at the Ilupeju factory in Lagos on Thursday, appealed to the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to “intensify surveillance efforts on those who manufacture these fake products” as counterfeit bedding pose health risks.

He also spoke on the need for increased public awareness on the importance of foam mattresses to healthy living and comfort.

“One of the challenges facing local manufacturers of bedding products in the country is the influx of adulterated products in the market. These people ply their trades in secret corners and with unsuspecting consumers. We cannot fight them alone. We are using the opportunity to call on statutory regulatory bodies such as the Standard Organisation of Nigeria to intensify surveillance efforts on those who manufacture these fake products.

“In time past, we initiated an anti-adulteration campaign to educate consumers on how to instantly authenticate their purchase by sending SMS to code

numbers on the products.

Though this worked, these manufacturers of fake products have renewed their strategy. We would like to corporate with SON to effectively combat the menace because such brandless products are hazardous to public health,” he said.

“We also encourage prospective consumers to go to authorised dealers where you are sure of getting products which are results of research findings and understanding of the needs of

end users in particular,” he added.

Also speaking on the significance of mattress to healthy living, Chief Medical Officer, GEO Medical Center, Dr Adetomiwa George, stated that the choice of the right kind of size and texture of mattresses should not be compromised in homes.

He said, “We spend the average of six hours on daily basis sleeping which is about one third of our lives on our beds. You must make it a comfortable place.”

This means that your mattresses must be good and your pillows must be excellent. You cannot afford to use substandard foam mattresses or pillows on our beds; you cannot afford to patronize brandless products as whatever health complications that arise from the products cannot be addressed. As much as it lies in your hand, make inquiries as to the kind of size and texture you want before buying any bedding products.”

ARA calls for donation for bone marrow transplant Newton-Ray Ukwuoma -Lagos A newly founded panAfrican bone marrow and cord blood donation group known as ARA Foundation has raised awareness on the lack of black donor registry for bone marrow transplant in the world, calling for more donations to the bone marrow registry in Nigeria.

“There is a dearth of black donors in the world.”

Miss Ronke Babalakin, the founder, told newsmen on Monday during a press conference organised to create awareness about bone marrow transplant in Lagos.

She said that the foundation became necessary as a result of high death rate arising from lack of donors for bone marrow transplant in Nigeria.

“I know of people who have died from leukemia and sickle cell anemia be-

cause they could not find a donor that was a match on time. So we decided to start this foundation in partnership with Mr Segun Adebiyi, who is a leukemia survivor and also the founder of the Bone Marrow Registry in Nigeria,” she said.

According to statistics, she said one in 540 people in the US donate bone marrow, while the donor population in Africa is 0.006 per cent of the entire population of Africa.

The United States has over 10.5million people in the bone marrow registry in America (BMRA) while in the U.K it is 1.4 per cent of the population.

Continuing she said, “There are two bone marrow registries in Africa, which are internationally accredited, the BMRN which was accredited in 2012 and the South African Bone marrow registry (SABMR). And the

total number of people on these two registries is 68222 where only 4212 are blacks of African descent and only 347 of those people are Nigerians in the BMRN.”

AN indigenous pharmaceutical company based in Ogun State, Miraflash Nigeria Limited, on Tuesday commissioned its first commercial drug factory in Oke Afa, Magboro, Ogun State. It also launched into the market 37 different medical products.

Speaking during the official commissioning, the Managing Director of the company, Mr Oluwalade Moses, who described the launch as “an event of joy,” expressed optimism about the future of local manufacturing companies in the country, extolling component virtues such as hard work and purpose as the needed drive.

He said: “The Company as at 2005 was only involved in the local manufacturing of four oral dry suspension powder which are Miramox (Amoxycillin), Miraclox (Ampiclox), Mirapicin (Ampicillin) and Cephaflash (Cephalexin) 125miligrammes.

“However, through hard work and purpose driven management, Miraflash Nigeria Limited has made tremendous progress with the introduction of our capsule line at this factory and I am happy to inform you that the approval for this has been given by the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN).

Today, the company sells over 37 high quality products at affordable prices all over Nigeria,” he said Moses also said “Miraflash is one of the two pharmaceutical compa-

nies selected in Nigeria by Standford Seed Innovation Programme, West Africa in March 2015 for the transformation of developing economies through the scaling of medium to large companies by intensive training and development of manpower and structural capacity. The programme has enabled the company as a medium size company to put in place some set goals to be achieved within five to ten years.”

He, however, called on the government to tackle the issue of the current interest rate of commercial banks as no manufacturer can survive with an interest rate above 10 per cent.

He stated that the “government should revisit the law by making capital more available, accessible and affordable to manufacturers. The interest rate has to be below 10 per cent for the survival of local manufacturers.”

On combating counterfeit products in the health sector, Moses lauded the efforts of NAFDAC in being consistent in the fight against fake drugs. He also urged the government to do more as it robs poorly on the integrity of the pharmaceutical sector and the country.

He said, “Miraflash, in ensuring that more quality drugs are made available to the public has introduced a system of immediate authentication.

Whenever you buy our products, you will see a place to scratch and a number to send a text message to, which is free of charge. With this system, you can immediately receive an alert telling you that the drug is authentic.”

There is hope for cancer patients in Nigeria —Experts NIGERIANS no longer have to travel abroad for the diagnoses and management of cancer and neurological disorders as the treatment for the ailments is now available in the Nigeria, experts in Apollo Hospitals, have declared.

The Head Manager, Health Care Services International, Apollo Hospitals, India, Abubakkar Siddique disclosed this at a two-day free medical campaign organised by the hospital in collaboration with the Capital Hill Hospital, Warri, Delta

State.

According to Siddique, Apollo Hospitals would be collaborating with local hospitals to facilitate proper diagnoses of cancer and other neurological disorders.

Siddique, who noted that the group had 64 hospitals across India and four in other countries, added that the hospitals would bring their rich medical heights, especially in the area of continuous medical education and the provision of tele-health services, training and de-

velopment to Nigeria.

Chairman, Delta State chapter of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners in Nigeria, Dr Luckys Okparanyote, stated that prompt diagnosis of cancer and access of specialists could reduce the number of Nigerians dying of cancer.

Also, at the event, were Professor Krishna K. N, a Neuroscience consultant and Dr Anil Kameth, Senaor Consultant/Surgical Oncologist.

36

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

healthpeople W

HAT benefit will Merck’s new office in Lagos bring to

the country?

Merck is a leading science and technology company in healthcare. We are mostly active in the field of diabetes, hypertension, thyroid disorder as well as cancer.

We recently opened a new office in Lagos, because it is part of our strategy to grow our market share in the West African region. Nigeria is an evident choice for us.

With a population that is known for its entrepreneurial spirit and innovative ideas, this is a perfect match with Merck. Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, has one of the fastest growing economies in the world and we believe that through our high quality and innovative healthcare and life science specialty products and services we can contribute to that growth.

Besides a presence through our products, the company has been working closely with the Nigerian government and international organisations to increase access to health solutions in Nigeria.

Together with the Federal Ministry of Health, Merck organised a panel discussion on November 17 that focused on the role the private sector can play in helping countries like Nigeria accelerate progress on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the importance of forging partnerships to deliver health solutions for the population. It also took a closer look at the challenges of scaling up and sustaining public-private partnerships and private-private partnerships that seek to improve access to affordable and quality healthcare.

The company recently launched its innovative Muse Auto CD4/ CD4 per cent System, a portable instrument for monitoring the progression of the HIV/AIDS virus in Nigerian adults and children. As a life science leader, we aim to deliver the most innovative, highest quality products and services to help our customers improve human health and life every day, everywhere. Through the launch of the Muse CD4/CD4 per cent system, we are enabling health professionals in Nigeria to more effectively respond to the health care needs of their patients and make progress towards the treatment, cure, and prevention of HIV/AIDS. The most important one that we have right now is to combat schistosomiasis, disease that is very prominent in Nigeria. This year, we have donated 35 million tablets to the Nigerian health system so that children can be treated.

This is a very terrible disease.

Many children die, some don’t

‘We are in partnership with FG to combat HIV, counterfeit drugs’ Stefan Oschmann, CEO-Elect of Merck Pharmaceutical Company Limited, in this interview with NEWTON-RAY UKWUOMA, shares the benefit of the company’s new office in Lagos to Nigerians and the challenges confronting the healthcare system of Nigeria. go to school and others have retarded development and it can be solved. Nigeria is one of the countries that have made the most drastic progress in treating this disease and we are very happy about this.

Now that you are in Nigeria, do you think your company will be able to solve most of the health issues in the country?

No, I don’t think so. Solving all the health issues in Nigeria requires a huge effort. We are trying to be a partner. We are trying to contribute to that. Thinking that we could solve all the health issues in the country will be arrogant on our part. So, we are working on areas that can make a real big impact. We recently launched the Muse system for HIV diagnoses and treatment monitoring. In the future it will be used to monitor other diseases.

We are trying to help the Nigeria government to combat counterfeit medicines, which is a big problem in Nigeria and many other countries. We are also doing capacity advancement programmes in the so called Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).

The healthcare systems in Nigeria and other African countries have been very much focused on infectious diseases like HIV, malaria, tuberculosis. They need to continue to reckon with these diseases, but the NCDs such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, respiratory disease, mental health are becoming more and more important and we are working with academic institutions so that medical students can be trained better in those areas.

We are also getting involved in communities, so that local communities can do better at early detection of NCDs and to also work on lifestyle changes because many of these diseases can be prevented without drugs.

With simple life changes, the risk can be reduced and if these diseases are detected early, they can be treated better. So we have a lot of involvement in different areas in Nigeria.

What are some of the challenges you may face, opening

an office in Nigeria?

So far, it has gone relatively well. We just opened the office in Nigeria. We are focusing on finding talents. We are amazed to see that there are some very well trained people; people with both science and business background in Nigeria. We have been recruiting these people.

Also, Nigerians in our corporate headquarter in Germany and in United States are coming back to help their country by sharing knowledge with their fellow brothers here in Nigeria.

So going forward, we all know the issues Nigerians are struggling with. The country is struggling with inequality, crime, corruption and Merck as a global company is equipped to deal with these challenges.

We are working on compliance training. This is very important that our employees understand compliance in today’s world.

When it comes to medicines, we think that supply chain reliability

Oschmann

We are thinking of cutting down the prices of our medicines in Nigeria is very important in Nigeria. We see that there are some problems with cargo theft. We need to address this. I mentioned that counterfeit medicine is a major challenge we may face, but we believe that Nigeria is making a tremendous progress and we are very optimistic about the future.

You just mentioned that access to quality medicines is a problem in Nigeria, what ways do you think Merck can

help in this regard?

Access to quality medicines is very important. Our industry needs to make sure so that we adopt our business model, so that we can make medicines available at prices that the common man on the street can be able to buy it. We need to be involved with public-private partnership; we also need to do private partnerships. We need to join forces with Nigerian players to make medicines more affordable. We need to work on supply chain, security and reliability. We need to make sure that medicines are safely distributed to the people that need them and in some areas, such as the neglected tropical diseases, we need to work on our social responsibilities programmes and donate medicines because the very poor cannot afford the very cheap medicines.

We are thinking of cutting down the prices of our medicines in Nigeria. Such things are currently going on in Ghana where we make products available at a much lower price for the public system and charge regular price in the private system for the people who can afford it. So there are plenty of things we want to do in Nigeria.

And again, we are very optimistic that we are going to make huge progress in the future.

Malaria has become a major issue in Nigeria; do you have any plans to tackle the problem?

Yes, we are getting involved in malaria. We are working with the medicines from malaria venture that is based in Geneva. We are also working with other researchers, by making our compounds available for research in malaria and we also have our own scientific leads into malaria. We are trying to develop new malaria products. We are trying to develop technology so that we can use Muse for important diagnosing perimeters in malaria. We have also developed an insect repellent that has a very good environmental balance that can be used to combat malaria. So, we are very serious about the issue of malaria and we are working hard to combat it in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.

37

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

natural

Victor Ogunyinka

J

UST when you think you’ve heard all about Moringa oleifera, the one some tout as a ‘miracle plant’, something more interesting is discovered.

For men, nothing is more gratifying than having a fulfilling sexual activity, in fact, some schools of thought have argued that it is what defines a ‘real man’. But while many have gone beyond borders to ensure a grand sexual lifestyle, researches and science have revealed that most organic solution could be counter productive.

Trying to find a lasting solution not only to your sexual inabilities, but also a total healthy life is not impossible with the many health properties of Moringa oleifera.

According to Samson Ajobiewe, a microbiologist, moringa contains more than 90 nutrients, 46 antioxidants, and 36 anti-inflammatory compounds. It also has 18 amino acids, including the eight essentials that our bodies need to survive but cannot manufacture ourselves (and must be supplied through diet).

What makes moringa so unique is that all these properties are 100 per cent natural, whereas most multivitamins and calcium supplements available on the market are made using synthetic ingredients that the human body absorbs very minimal nutrients from.

For you to have a healthy relationship, sex must be a part of that relationship. Sex can help a relationship get better. According to experts, once sex is taken out of a relationship, many relationship issues like poor communication, the most dangerous problem couples with poor sex life encounter, lack of trust, betrayals, infidelity, poor libido and many more set in.

Ajobiewe added: “Testosterone is the most important male sexual hormone. In males, it is mainly responsible for the development of the sex organs, the formation and maintenance of the typical male sexual characteristics, sperm production, the controlling of the male desire.

Supplying the body with sufficient amount of Vitamin D has positive effects on testosterone levels. Moringa has lots of vitamin D in there for you.”

According to a research in the American Journal of Neuroscience carried out by Thawatchai Prabsattroo, Jinta-

LAST week, we discussed how you can regain your sexual confidence after childbirth or what is medically referred to as postpartum sex. After you must have regained your confidence and realised you can be sexy again..

As stated last week, most women lose that loving and sexy feeling during the postpartum period and probably beyond for a variety of reasons. Because of this, postpartum sex could be more pain than pleasure, especially if you delivered vaginally, but surprisingly, even if you labored and then had a Cesarean Section. Because, your vagina has just been stretched to its earthly limits, possibly torn or surgically cut, and sutured; leaving you too sore to sit talk less of contemplating sex.

Postpartum libido has other problems to contend with besides the physical ones: For example; sleep deprivation. You have been consumed with a little baby, who is given to waking up with a full diaper and an empty tummy at the least opportune times. And much other time consuming chores.

Like everything else in your new and often overwhelming life, it will take time and patience, especially from your partner. Here are practical ways to make postpartum sex easy.

Get the green light. First and foremost, make sure you have gotten the okay from your medical doctor. If you had a vaginal delivery, sexual intercourse prior to four weeks postpartum, can be more than just messy but it could also leave you susceptible to a vaginal infection; and if you had a Cesarean Section, your incision is still healing. Either way, your body needs time to recover.

Take control. Unless you want back-to-back pregnancies, you need a reliable form of birth control. And despite what you have heard, breastfeeding is not 100 per cent. At your postpartum visit, your doctor will surely want to discuss your birth-control options, which, if you are breastfeeding, may differ from what you used before you got pregnant.

Your doctor will pick one that is most suitable for you.

It is best to seek professional advice, especially when you are breastfeeding.

When you have done the above….

Lubricate. Using K-Y jelly or Astroglide until your own

health Sex gets better with Moringa leaf extract

naporn Wattanathorn, Sitthichai Iamsa-ard, Supaporn Muchimapura and Wipawee Thukhammee. An experiment was carried out to determine the effect of M.oleifera leaves extract on male sexual behaviours in animal model of sexual dysfunction.

A male Wistar rat, weighing 200 to 250grammes, had been orally given M.oleifera leaves extract at doses of 10, 50 and 250 mg kg-1 BW once daily at 30 minutes before the exposure to a 12-hour immobilisation stress for 14 days. Their male sexual behaviours were assessed including mounting, intromission and ejaculation numbers and latencies after single administration and every seven days until the end of experiment. To further investigate the possible mechanisms of action, the serum testosterone level of all rats at the end of the experiment together with the suppression effect of the plant extract on MAOB and PDE-5 activities was also determined.

The results showed that after single administration, rats subjected to M.oleifera extract at dose of 10 mg kg-1 BW significantly enhanced mounting number.

When the treatment was prolonged to seven days rats subjected to the low dose of extract showed the enhanced intromission number whereas rats subjected to high dose of extract showed the enhanced mounting number. The data also showed no significant change in serum testosterone level. However, the extract could also suppress MAOB and PDE-5 activities. Taken all

sex,sexuality

&your health With Monica Taiwo

strictly adult teenagers, adult & geriatric sexual well being

08187754992 (sms only) taiwomonica@gmail.com

Postpartum sex made easy natural secretions return can reduce pain and increase pleasure.

Loosen up. Speaking of lubrication, drinking a small glass of wine can also help you unwind and keep you from tensing up and experiencing pain during intercourse. If you’re nursing, just make sure you drink it right after a feeding. Another great way to loosen up is massage, so request one from your partner prior to closing love making.

Warm up. Of course, your partner is probably eager to get down with you after about six weeks or more of recess. But while he may not need much; if any foreplay, you definitely do. So ask for it. And then ask for some more. The greater effort he puts into warming you up, the better the main event will be for both of you.

Tell it like it is. You know what hurts and what feels good, but your partner doesn’t unless you provide him with clear information so speak up when and if you are not comfortable.

Position properly. Experiment and find a position that puts less pressure on any stitches and gives you control over the depth of penetration; this is one time when deeper will definitely not be better. Woman-on-top or side-to-side are both great postpartum picks for those reasons.

Pump it up. No, not what you are thinking. Pump blood flow and restore muscle tone to your vagina by doing everybody’s favorite exercise, Kegels. Do them day and night.

together, the extract could enhance male sexual desire and performance via the suppression of MAOB and PDE-5 activities. The study recommended further study regarding the treatment of sexual dysfunction M. oleifera leaf extract.

Ajobiewe maintained that sugar related problems like diabetes have also contributed to sexual dysfunction, stating that “Dead Sea Moringa is now one of the most promising supplements for men wanting to maintain normal blood sugar levels. Scientific research indicates that it has a positive effect on normal glucose levels in the blood. It is important to note that studies have revealed that used freshly harvested Moringa leaves that were dried in sunlight and broken into powder has been proven to be effective. The supplement should be taken consistently over time to deliver maximum results.

“Other issues Moringa address in the body that could naturally transcend to improvement in sexual activities is weight loss. But it should also be stated that though Moringa could be credited as a miracle plant, when you continuously eat unhealthily, the plant may just not be able to help you effectively.

“Moringa could also to a great extent, improve the immune system and of course, when the immune system is functioning well, every other activity in the body works perfectly and that includes great sex too!”

38

Thursday, 24 December, 2015 Group Politics Editor Taiwo Adisa - 08072000046 tai_adis@yahoo.com

Biafra: One issue, multiple approaches Jude Ossai - Enugu

A

“

NY narrative, which propounds that Ndigbo cannot prosper within the Nigeria political landscape is dead wrong as well. Ndigbo as an ethnic nationality is one of the most prosperous in Nigeria. We are widely travelled, settled and accepted, hence our investment in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, etc.”

Those were the words of Osita Okechukwu, the spokesman of the South-East leadership caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) when he was thanking Junior Chamber International (JCI) for the honour they bestowed on him in Enugu. In accepting the award because of what he described as the immortal goals of the Jacees as espoused 100 years ago by the founder Henry Giessenbier in St Louis, Missouri, USA on 13th October, 1915, took time to join in pleading for the release of the detained Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamadi Kanu even as he pointed out that his (Kanu) narrative was vile and condemnable.

“Kanu’s negative propaganda shows that he neither does not care about the strides Ndigbo made nationwide nor the lives of Ndigbo in Dutse, Potiskum, Mubi or Akure.

My humble self fought in Boys Company in Biafra and knows the danger of Kanu’s negative narrative,”Osita stated. To the APC stalwart, the young man should embark on wide consultations with leaders of the igbo race across the country on his agitation once he regains his freedom. “We must desist from throwing away the baby and the bath water. In this vein, one will advise that when Kanu comes out, he should visit Eze-Igbo in Akure and other Ezes scattered across the country, consult them and assess their living conditions.” He added: “History is not a witness to Kanu’s narrative. There is no nation state one can point at that didn’t fight one civil war or the other, or is not a mere geographical expression. United States, India, United Kingdom, China, Germany, etc all fought at various times. What happened is that they healed their wounds and moved on.”

For weeks now, the issue of pro-Biafra agitation has been a major concern in the South-East and across the country. The agitation had taken the form of street protests in a number of major towns particularly in the zone. The protests led to a seeming clampdown by law enforcements on the agitators, with the attendant casualties.

Nonetheless, the agitation has persisted with the protesters demanding the release of Kanu from incarceration. Even when a court granted him bail last week, the spontaneous jubilation among his sympathisers turned bloody in Onitsha, Anambra State. Generally, the issue of Biafra remains a touchy matter among Ndigbo. That is why even among those who share in the philosophy of the pro-Biafra groups, the issue of how the issue should be approached tends to differ.

For instance, the hitherto leader of MASSOB, Ralph Uwazurike believes in the principle of passive resistance. But his approach has pitched him against some members of

Ekweremadu

Okorocha

Metuh

the group, thus the crack in the organisation. Perhaps, it is against this backdrop of that major stakeholders in the South-East have initiated a multi-pronged mechanism to address the inherent core issues in the agitation. Within a month, governors from the zone have met twice in an attempt to resolve the riddle. One of such meetings involving the governors and other stakeholders took place in Enugu, which a source said also centred on security, economic and infrastructural development of the zone. Unlike in the past, the leaders failed to issue a communiqué at the end of the meeting.

However, the source said the forum considered how best the member-states could pool resources together to tackle core challenges in the South-East, especially security matters and infrastructure. The governors, who also met with other elected political office holders, reportedly deliberated on their earlier decision to send a delegation to the Presidency to discuss the deplorable state of infrastructure in the South-East. But more importantly, the leaders expressed their desire to discuss the best way to approach the recent protests by pro-Biafra agitation, sparked off by the detention of the Director of Radio Biafra (Kanu), while urging the group to maintain their cool. A source at the meeting claimed that the governors watched a video projection by development experts on an economic blueprint to boost

the economy of the South-East. Only Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State alongside the deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu were at the meeting. Others were the deputy governors of Anambra and Imo states: Dr Nkem Okeke and Prince Eze Madumere. Such Igbo leaders as Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Chief Jim Nwobodo, Chief Amechi Mbazulike, Dr Dozie Ikedife, Chief Gary Igariwey and Dr Joe Nworgu, who are the current president-general and secretary general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo respectively, were absent.

Many other stakeholders in the zone believe the importance of the meeting cannot be over-emphasised, given the emerging chain of political events in the South-East.

Aside the challenges of restiveness among the youths, near collapsed infrastructure and security are issues of equity and fairness by the centre to the zone. These issues have generated anger and anguish from stakeholders in the South-East. For example, Senator Ekweremadu took the opportunity of a South-East PDP caucus meeting in Enugu to address many issues, including those affecting the national , which he said might collapse if the authorities should fail to take some proactive measures. He said the poor state of the economy could lead to the collapse of major business activities within the next six months, if nothing was

done to arrest the current drift. Ekweremadu opined that the APC had shown not to be a good manager. He declared: “There has been an unchecked downfall in our currency; Naira has depreciated to the point of N260 to a dollar. It has never happened in the history of this country. So many people are worried over the situation of Nigeria in the hands of the APC. I don’t know what will happen between now and 2019. Unless APC changes their style, Nigerians will be begging PDP to come back.” Ekweremadu also chided the federal administration over the war against sleaze. He accused the government of adopting a selective-approach in its anti-corruption war. “The fight against corruption is selective; most of them are media orchestrated. We are prepared to join hands with the government to fight corruption but it must be done in a very civilised way. Even the international community is no longer taking us serious,” he claimed. But, he called on the government to urgently address the complaint of injustice in the country, stating that “there is no way injustice and peace can co-exist. Government should address complaints no matter where they are coming from. The government should ensure that everybody has a sense of belonging.”

Also speaking, PDP national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh accused the APC of running a government of falsehood and propaganda, which he said was bound to fail. He criticized the government for allegedly engaging in what he called “imaginary convictions,” stressing that “You cannot convict people in the media; the people who have refunded money should not only be named but should be tried publicly and jailed.” On pro-Biafra protests, Metuh urged security agencies to respect the people’s rights. He observed that the right to peaceful protest was guaranteed under democracy.

Aside the challenges of restiveness among the youths, near collapsed infrastructure and security are other issues of equity and fairness.

39 politicscommentary

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

What NASS expects from the Executive

By Bukola Saraki

M

R President, your coming to this hallowed chamber in person to present the 2016 draft Appropriation Bill, bears eloquent testimony to your profound respect and commitment to the ideals of our constitutional democracy and the dictate of the rule of law. This is the first time in a few years that the President of Nigeria has personally performed this constitutional task. It highlights the importance you have attached to building a smooth working relationship with the National Assembly. This is a positive gesture that is not lost on all of us.

Mr President, the National Assembly is acutely aware of the challenges we face today as a nation both in terms of the economy and security. In addition to this, the price of oil is at a seven-year low and the dwindling government revenue consequently. This notwithstanding, in order to meet with the aspirations of Nigerians across all works of life, we expect that the budget must de-emphasis recurrent expenditure and prioritise the upgrade of infrastructure in order to achieve economic recovery and generate employment for our teeming population. The 2016 budget must also be bold and pragmatic in providing transparent incentives and conducive environment that will prime private sector-led development, encourage local production and promote made-in Nigeria goods.

Mr President, the National Assembly is conscious of the yearning of Nigerians for quick delivery of democracy dividends.

The National Assembly has a critical role to play and we recognise this role. On the budget we are willing and ready to provide the scrutiny necessary to pass only a budget that can be implemented comprehensively to the letter. We are ready to move swiftly and speedily to pass the 2016 Appropriation Bill. The swift passage of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper already points to our commitment and resolve towards this. I would like to use this opportunity to thank all my colleagues in the Senate and the House for their steadfastness and patriotism in this area. We will apply same but in the light of the great importance of this document we will not short-circuit scrutiny on the altar of expediency.

I acknowledge that the task of implementing the budget is primarily that of the Executive. But our recent experience has shown that even with the best of intentions, too much discretionary powers over budget matters are inimical to accountability. It is also true that impunity and corruption thrive best when the democratic safeguards for checks and balances collapse and accountability institutions abdicate their responsibilities. In this regard, the 8th National Assembly intends to discharge our oversight responsibilities fully. I therefore, want to implore Your Excellency to support us in this important task by ensuring that members of your government promptly respond to invitations for clarifications when they are required to do so by the National Assembly.

Mr President, if only half of the unfolding allegations regarding financial misappropriation under the previous administration are true, they would already be sufficient evidence of the dangers that we face when public officials treat accountability institutions with disdain and oversight

Saraki

Our recent experience has shown that even with the best of intentions, too much discretionary powers over budget matters are inimical to accountability. It is also true that impunity and corruption thrive best when the democratic safeguards for checks and balances collapse and accountability institutions abdicate their responsibilities.

activities with irritation. I am confident that your avowed commitment to the rule of law and accountability would have no accommodation for such behavior. On our own side, we want to assure you that we shall only pursue that which is provided for by the laws and strictly within the ambits of the law.

Mr President, I wish you to assure you that both chambers of the National Assembly are united in our support for your administration. We both recognize that

even as we seek to maintain the integrity and independence of our respective Chambers, that autonomy must be embedded within the overriding responsibility we all have, to improve the quality of lives of our people and make them proud once again to be Nigerians. We recognize that a harmonious National Assembly is essential not only to Legislative progress, but also for the Executive to function effectively. I therefore invite Mr President to take advantage of this relationship, which

we have not had for a couple of years, to push through some of the necessary reforms that would promote our economy.

It is in this light that the National Assembly is also prioritizing the passage of laws that further enhances our business environment and promotes accountability in governance.

Let me assure you Mr President, that with the 8th National Assembly you have got a partner; an ally to help you steer the ship of State in the right direction for growth, transparency, accountability, equal opportunities, inclusion and fairness. We will stand by you and work with you to see Nigeria become the pride of all Nigerians home and abroad and earn the respect it deserves in the global arena.

With these few words, I hereby invite Your Excellency to deliver your speech and lay the 2016 budget proposals for the consideration of the National Assembly in accordance with Section 81 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended. •Excerpts of the speech by the President of the Senate and chairman of the National Assembly, Senator Saraki to the joint session of the National Assembly on the presentation of the 2016 draft Appropriation Bill

by President Muhammadu Buhari.

40 politicscommentary

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

Dogora

How to make 2016 budget meaningful

By Yakubu Dogara

I

have the pleasure to congratulate President Muhamadu Buhari, GCFR, for the successful presentation of the 2016 Budget Estimates, being the inaugural budget proposal of the APC Federal administration. This is a clear demonstration of executive capacity which has put a lie to the widespread apprehension that the 2016 budget was going to be negatively impacted by the seeming delay in the constitution of the Federal Executive Council.

Indeed change has also come to the Executive : It was fast becoming a norm that the President seats in the Villa and submits the Budget estimates to the Parliament by post, thereby shunning the opportunity which today’s occasion normally presents the President to interact with the legislature and also talk directly to Nigerians about the Budget.

I was afraid that, with the revolution in science and technology now, the President, this time around, was going to either email or tweet the Budget estimates to the national Assembly.

Let me also commend Mr President on the general structural improvements that are apparent on the face of the document, it gives a positive pointer to the quality of

the contents. Of course, I am not oblivious of the fact that a book is not judged by the quality of its cover.

Also worthy of commendation is Mr President’s anti corruption war which is largely the reason the country can afford the size of today’s budget proposal. It is important to hold firmly to the awareness that this war against corruption is not a tea party. Recently, there have been orchestrations in certain sections of the media subtly discouraging prosecution of the anti corruption war.

These tend to focus on the methodology of the war and other sectional, partisan or even primordial considerations rather than the devastating impact of corruption on the

society.

Let me assure Mr President that the college of Nigerians favourably disposed to corruption is a small one, terribly small: indeed if a census were conducted, it would show that less than two percent of Nigerians have that disposition and that the real practitioners would number not more than one percent. Make no mistake, though few in number, they are very loud because they have the means. In accordance with the dictates of democracy they may have their say but the majority must have it’s way. It will therefore amount to despicable failure of governance to succumb to the shenanigans of this terrible minority by subjecting the

Recent developments, especially what is known as Armsgate have proven that oversight must include following not just project implementation but also the security and sanctity of unspent budgeted funds.

fate of the 98 percent non corrupt Nigerians to their sinister designs.

For the avoidance of doubt, Mr President, distinguished colleagues, this is one war that must not only be won but must be won expeditiously and decisively if the change mantra is to deliver ultimately : It is a divine second chance for Nigeria to pull herself out of the vicious circle of debilitating poverty; inequality; squalor; unemployment; graft and insecurity, indeed it is the season for the enthronement of good governance.

While thanking Mr President for meeting the Constitutional requirement for the presentation of the budget estimates, I wish to reiterate that a well-crafted budget is not an end in itself, the real meat of a budget is in its implementation. While the National Assembly will endeavour to diligently scrutinise and pass the budget in good time to facilitate early commencement of it’s implementation. In this regard, and in order to aid Mr President to execute and implement the budget, it may be necessary to take a second look at the constitutional definition of Financial Year. Section 318 of the Constitution defines a ‘Financial Year’ to mean ‘any period of twelve months beginning on the first day of January in any year or such other date as the National Assembly may prescribe’.The National Assembly, going forward, may need therefore, to prescribe another date as the financial year in line with provisions of Section 318 of the Constitution, whenever the budget is not passed before January 1 in any given year. The letter and spirit of the Constitution requires that the Financial year shall not be less than 12 months. The date of commencement of the financial year may change but not the 12 months period, it seems.

Consequently, if this proposal is accepted, it may become imperative that the 2016 budget may commence 12 months from the date it is signed into Law by Mr President. A budget may have a realistic chance of implementation when the Executive has 12 uninterrupted months to execute it. Mr President’s Change Agenda can only be realised for the benefit of the Nigerian people when his policies and programmes are faithfully executed. This proposal would need to be effected in full consultation with the Executive branch.

We wish to give notice that oversight will be diligent, thorough and intensive. Recent developments, especially what is known as Armsgate have proven that oversight must include following not just project implementation but also the security and sanctity of unspent budgeted funds. On our part and in the spirit of change that has come to this Legislature, we promise Nigerians to hold Mr. President to every word, line and provision of the budget when passed and assented to.

To my colleagues, distinguished Senators and Honourable Members of the National Assembly, I appreciate your spirit of civic duty in suspending the scheduled recess to receive Mr President and the 2016 Annual Budget Estimates. The implication for us is that we are in for a working recess, as work on this Appropriation Bill must commence timeously. Finally, on behalf of the National Assembly, we thank all Nigerians for the confidence they have continued to repose in the present administration and to assure that the National Assembly will deploy fully, its constitutional mandate to do only those things that will add value to governance in order to meet public expectation. With God on our side we shall surely succeed.

•Some excerpts of the speech by the Speaker House of Representatives, Honourable Yakubu at the presentation of the 2016 budget by President Muhamadu Buhari to the National Assembly.

41

news

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

Indigenous engineers can handle multi-billion projects too, Etteh tells govt

Bayelsa pensioners protest non-payment of 4 months arrears

Chukwuma Okparaocha - Lagos

Bayelsa chapter of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), on Wednesday, protested over non-payment of their pensions and gratuities, urging the state government to settle the fourmonth arrears.

It also reported that the pensioners, which staged a peaceful protest in Yenagoa, matched to the Government House with placards.

The pensioners, most of who were aged and frail looking, began the demonstration from St. Peter’s Primary School, Ovom, and carried placards with various inscriptions to drive home their demands.

Some of the inscriptions read: “Pensioners are dying every day, please pay us our gratuities; Dickson, be good to pensioners, among others.

The union’s caretaker committee chairman, Mr Bodi Amarah, said the protest was to call government’s attention to their plight, in order to settle their four months pension arrears.

“We are not protesting for disorder, but all we want from Bayelsa government is to pay us our four month arrears; we have served the state and retired after the 35 years.

T

HE government has been urged to give more consultancy and “big jobs” to indigenous engineers because no nation can grow by employing foreigners to handle its affairs.

This was made known by renowned bridge engineer, Reverend Ette I. I. Etteh at the first distinguished annual lecture series held in his honour by the Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers (NICE), in Lagos on Wednesday.

The event was also used to mark the 80th birthday celebrations of Reverend Etteh, who began active engineering service in Nigeria in the 70’s through one the foremost indigenous engineering firms which he co-founded in the country - Etteh Aro and Partners.

According to Reverend Etteh, the strength of any nation lies in the ability of the government of that nation to give opportunities for its indigenous professionals such as engineers to use their expertise to bring about whatever turnaround the nations needs to grow economically, intellectually and socially.

“No nation can grow by having foreigners develop its economy. The Nigerian government needs to know that room should be given to Nigerian engineers to be appointed for all the consulting engineering works to be done in the country.

“Therefore, there is a need for the government to change some of its policies, especially as it relates to giving contracts to expatriates at the expense of indigenous ones. Nigerian engineers are good enough to be entrusted with good contracts, and they (engineers) could then use their discretion to employ foreigners to handle any aspect of the job if they so desire,” he said.

In his remarks, the guest lecturer, Professor Bolaji Akinwunmi, eulogised the celebrant, who he described as a detribalized Nigerian whose life and human relations described a Nigeria that had fast moved away from the dream country it once was.

In his lecture entitled: “National reconciliation and integration as catalyst for sustainable development,” the one time Minister of Foreign Affairs, insisted that Nigeria’s current woes were not due to its multi-ethnicity nature, rather, they were due to the notion that one ethnic group was superior to others.

He also questioned the ra-

tionale behind the decision to introduce certain ideas such as rotation of power, federal character principles, multi-party system, among others, into the nation’s constitution, a decision he said had further torn the nation apart in the line of ethnicity rather than unite it.

“If truth be told, appointments at the federal level became a battleground between the East and the

West as merit was thrown overboard. People now get the impression that what you got at the federal level depended on the ethnic colouration of the Minister and Permanent Secretary.

The descent into politics quagmire was accompanied by a bureaucratic descent into ethnic quagmire and a descent in all spheres of human endeavour in Nigeria into ethnic quagmire,” he

noted.

When suggesting the way forward, Prof Akinyemi said there was the need to show group mutual respect in a multi-ethnic environment.

“You may call it reciprocity or reciprocal hospitality. Within a religious environment, the golden rule is do unto others as you wish they should do unto you. If your group is welcomed in other parts, you are under an obligation

to welcome other groups into your zone,” he said.

Also present at the event and extolled the virtues of Reverend Etteh, was one of Nigeria’ s senators, Senator Barnabas Gemade, who said that the country needed more people like the renowned engineer to also invest their services not just in the field of engineering but in other fields as well.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Babachir David Lawal (right), receiving the report of the 2015 Hajj report from the chairman of National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, Alhaji Abdullahi Mohammed, in Abuja, on Wednesday.

43 Nigerian pilgrims still missing in Saudi —Hajj Commission Confirms 280 deaths as FG receives report Clement Idoko - Abuja

THE National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, on Wednesday, confirmed that Nigeria recorded a total of 280 deaths in the two tragedies that occurred during the 2015 Hajj operations in Saudi Arabia.

The commission also disclosed that 43 other

pilgrims were considered missing as their status is yet to be ascertained.

Chairman, Board of the Commission, Abdullahi Mohammed, made this known while submitting the 2015 hajj report to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal, in his office.

He noted that the 2015

hajj was the most eventful in the history of hajj operations in Nigeria with pilgrims witnessing two tragic events: the crane incident at the Grand Mosque in Makkah on September 11 and the stampede recorded in Mina on September 24.

The chairman used the occasion to once again condole Mr President, families of victims and indeed, Ni-

gerians on the loss of lives.

He assured that the report contained observations and recommendations that will ensure more successes during future hajj exercises.

A total of 75,081 Nigerian Pilgrims participated in the 2015 hajj exercise. Both the outbound and inbound flights were concluded well ahead of schedule.

Fire razes fuel station in Ondo, as 2 fuel tankers explode Hakeem Gbadamosi - Akure

ABOUT 10 members of staff of Giant IBK Oil and Gas, a filling station in Akure, on Wednesday, the Ondo State capital, escaped death by the whiskers, when two tankers caught fire on the premises of the filling station.

A source told the Nigerian Tribune that the two petrol tankers loaded with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) arrived at the station around 12 noon, adding that as one of the tankers was discharging fuel into the fuel dump, the tanker suddenly caught fire at about 1.30 p.m.

According to a staff of the filling station, the two drivers and the manager of the fuel station, were at the fuel dump where the tankers were

offloading fuel when the unfortunate incident occurred, saying that no one could explain the cause of the inferno.

He said the building immediately caught fire, accompa-

nied by a deafening explosion from the tanker, that drew the attention of others workers on the premises, who had to scamper for their lives.

He stated further that men

of the state fire station, who were contacted and arrived at the spot within few minutes after the inferno began, tried to contain the fire outbreak.

ASUP, COEASU issue 14-day ultimatum to Aregbesola Oluwole Ige - Osogbo

CONTROVERSY over the alleged plan by the Osun State government to merge its tertiary institutions, has assumed a new dimension as the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) and the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) in the state, issued a 14-day ultimatum to Governor Rauf Aregbesola to withdraw the directive stopping admission process.

Both ASUP and COEASU declared that failure of the state governor to withdraw the directive would lead to industrial crisis.

In a letter addressed to Aregbesola dated December 21, 2015 and signed by the secretary of COEASU, Comrade Olusegun Lana, which was obtained by the Nigerian Tribune in Osogbo, on Wednesday, the unions called for the immediate reversal of the directive, halting the

admission process for the 2015/2016 academic year.

The letter read in part: “the management of the state-owned colleges of education (Ilesa and Ila-Orangun) and polytechnics (Iree and Esa-Oke), respectively, have put the admission of students for the 2015/2016 academic session on hold, under the guise of complying with a directive from the state government that admission must not be conducted in the next two years.

Austin Ebipad - Yenagoa

FG opens 4 new pensions offices to ease pensioners plight Christian Okeke - Abuja

THE Federal Government, through the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), has opened four state offices in Lagos, Enugu, Benin and Kaduna states, in its bid to extend its services to the pensioners, and to reduce turnaround time of complaint resolution.

The move was also to eliminate the need for pensioners to travel long distances to lodge complaints, and to provide easy access to relevant information.

Nigerian Tribune learnt that the new offices were the first in PTAD’s master plan, to have state offices in most states of the federation.

It was gathered that the four offices were already open to receive pensioners who were advised to make use of the offices for submission of complaints, followup on complaints, suggestions and feedback.

42

news

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

Zaria killings: HRW calls for independent, impartial probes

By Yejide Gbenga-Ogundare

T

HE Human Rights Watch (HRW) has condemned the killing of hundreds of members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) also known as Shiite Muslims by Nigerian army soldiers from December 12 to 14, 2015, describing it as wholly unjustified and asked that the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by the government should be sufficiently independent and impartial to hold those responsible to account.

This call was made by Daniel Bekele, the Africa Director at Human Rights Watch on Monday, adding that the Human Rights Watch interviewed 16 witnesses to the killings and five others, including local authorities, who said that

Nigerian army soldiers fired on Shiite Muslim members of the group at three locations in Zaria, in northern Nigeria.

Bekele added that, “The army said its confrontation with the Shiite sect members who had erected a makeshift roadblock near a mosque resulted from an assassination attempt on the army chief of staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, whose convoy was passing by. In an internal military document seen

by Human Rights Watch, the army said protesters appeared to be taking up positions near the back of the convoy. The Nigerian military’s version of events

does not stack up. It is almost impossible to see how a roadblock by angry young men could justify the killings of hundreds of people. At best it was a brutal overreaction and at worst it was a planned attack on the minority group.

“The army carried out attacks at the Hussainniya Baqiyyatullah mosque and religious center, at the home of the Shiite leader, Sheikh Ibrahim Al Zakzaky, in the Gyellesu neighborhood and at the sect’s burial ground, DaralRahma, over the course of two days. At least 300 Shiite sect members, and likely many more, were

killed and hundreds more injured, according to witnesses in at least two of the sites and a hospital source.

Soldiers quickly buried the bodies in mass graves without family members’ permission, making it difficult to determine an accurate death toll. Although some people threw stones and had sticks, there has been no credible information that any soldiers were injured or killed.

“Under international human rights law governing the use of force during policing operations such as this, the intentional use of lethal force is only permitted when strictly unavoidable, to protect life.

On December 17, 2015, the Kaduna state governor, Malam Nasir El Rufai, announced the establishment of a state Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the incident. In his news conference, the governor listed a range of grievances against the Shia sect, including how road traffic had been disrupted during Shiite processions and the sect’s disregard for Nigerian government authorities. President Muhammadu Buhari is yet to make any public statement on the killings. On December 18, a presidential spokesperson said that the incident was “a military affair,” Bekele stated.

Enugu budgets N85.179bn for 2016 Jude Ossai-Enugu

GOVERNOR Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State on Wednesday presented to the State House of Assembly a budget of N85.179 billion for the 2016 fiscal year for consideration.

The budget, tagged, “Budget of Stability and Consolidation” is lower than the 2015 budget of N96, 735,300,000

by N11, 555,851,000.

Presenting the budget to the lawmakers, Ugwuanyi explained that the budget which represents a decrease of 12 per cent was necessitated by the realities of the times with respect to revenue inflow from Federal Allocation.

The governor further said a total sum of N43, 735,931,000 representing 51 per cent is for Recurrent Expenditure as against N41, 795,319,789 in 2015.

According to him, N41, 443,518,000 which represents 49 per cent is for Capital Expenditure as against N54, 939,980,211 budgeted for 2015 fiscal year.

He said that in 2016, the state government expects a Recurrent Revenue of N63, 097,415,000 as against N85, 338,129,700 forecasted in 2015.

The administration, he stated, intended to realise this amount through aggressive Internally Generated Revenue IGR drive which is estimated to yield N18, 882,415,000, representing 29.93 per cent of total recurrent revenue and a projected share from the Federal Revenue estimated at N44,215,000,000 which accounts for 70.07 per cent of the total projected Recur-

Wike inaugurates two caretaker committee chairmen RIVERS State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has declared that the state government had to dissolve Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA) because of high level insecurity that has claimed lives and damaged the economy of the area.

Governor Wike said that the former Chairman of ONELGA, Augustine Ahiamadu was funding cult groups in the area, which led to the loss of lives and property in the area.

Performing the swearing in of the caretaker committee of ONELGA, Prince Isaac Umejere and caretaker committee, Michael Amadi at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Wednesday, Governor Wike said the state government cannot stand aloof and watch the total breakdown of law and order in a local government area.

He noted that security reports indicate that there was need to intervene and enthrone rule of law in ONELGA.

el-Rufai assents to 2016 budget Muhammad Sabiu-Kaduna

Lagos State governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode (right), being decorated by Corps of Nigeria Commissionaire, State Chairman and Deputy CommandantGeneral of Nigerian Legion, Colonel Samuel Fola (retd), during the launch of the 2016 Armed Forces Remembrance Emblem Appeal, at the Lagos House, Marina, on Wednesday.

Glo receives kudos for supporting Akwa Ibom Xmas Carol GLOBACOM has been commended by the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, Mr Udom Emmanuel for showing strong commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The company was the major sponsor of this year’s Akwa Ibom Christmas Carol Festival.

Governor Emmanuel,

who declared the carol open at the Uyo Township Stadium, thanked Globacom for deciding to support the hosting of an excellent Carol Festival which took place in Uyo, on Saturday and ended in the early hours of Sunday.

Emmanuel explained that with the support of the corporate world led by

Globacom, which was the biggest sponsor, the 2015 Akwa Ibom State Christmas Carol festival was superlative in its technical quality, equipment, organisation, security, logistics and performances by the artistes.

Former Governor of the State, Senator Godswill Akpabio and Permanent Secretary, Akwa Ibom

Ambode launches Armed Forces remembrance appeal emblem LAGOS State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, on Wednesday advocated the need for acknowledgement of the gallant and bravery efforts of officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces both in protecting the territorial integrity of the nation and keeping the country united.

Governor Ambode, who spoke at the Lagos House, Marina, while launching the 2016 Armed Forces Remembrance Emblem Appeal, also emphasised the need for all citizens

to appreciate the gallant fallen heroes through donations for the welfare and upkeep of the families they left behind, especially their widows and children.

According to the governor, such acknowledgement was needed not just in the spirit of showing appreciation for what has been done in the past, but also to assure those that are still in active service that their efforts and sacrifices would not be in vain.

The governor said that the appreciation was im-

perative particularly at this period that the nation is faced with the challenges of terrorism and insurgency in parts of the country.

He said: “As we speak, officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces are on the battlefield. They have continued to demonstrate bravery, courage and valour in order to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our nation.

They do this on our behalf so that we may continue to live in peace and security.”

State Ministry of Social Services, Mr Aniepeno Mkpanang, also appreciated the sponsors, especially Globacom, saying that their support made a difference in the execution of the event.

The event, which drew attendance from all over Akwa Ibom State, also featured foreign gospel musicians, including two Grammy award winners, Donnie McClurkin and Shirley Caesar. McClurkin excited the audience by singing in Ibibio, Russia and English languages.

There were other interesting performances, including one by a 13-year-old jazz prodigy, David Eka, who kept the audience spellbound with his mastery of the trumpet. His duet with American instrumentalist Angella Christie was loudly applauded.

Globacom in a statement said that it sponsored the event as its contribution promoting communality, unity and bonding among the people.

GOVERNOR Nasir ElRufai of Kaduna State has assented into law the 2016 budget.

While giving assent to the N171.7 billion budget tagged Budget of Hope, the governor pledged to execute the full implementation of the budget as well as to improve effort to raise internally generated revenue (IGR) to complement dwindling oil prices.

El-Rufai also assented to the Facility Management Agency Bill, the Kaduna Geographic Information System Bill (KAGIS) and the Kaduna Investment Promotion Bill that were recently passed by the Kaduna State House of Assembly.

Speaking while assenting to the budget on Tuesday at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Governor El-Rufai commended the Kaduna State House of Assembly for speedily passing the budget, while doing a quality job, noting that the Executive arm would not disappoint them.

“Today is important day in the life of our administration; Kaduna State House of Assembly is the first APC state assembly to pass its budget.”

43

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

foreig naffairs with seyi gesinde

08116954632 foreignnewseditor@gmail.com

Somalia bans Christmas, New Year festivities

S

OMALIA’S government has banned celebrations of Christmas and New Year in the Muslim majority country, saying the festivities might attract Islamist attacks.

“All events related to Christmas and New Year celebrations are contrary to Islamic culture, which could damage the faith of the Muslim community,” the director general of the religious affairs ministry told reporters on Tuesday.

Sheikh Mohamed Khayrow said security forces had been ordered to break up any such celebrations. “There should be no activity at all,” he said.

According to AFP, Sheikh Nur Barud Gurhan, of the Supreme Religious Council of Somalia, said that non-Muslim festivities might provoke the ire of the Shebab, East Africa’s Al-Qaeda branch, which is headquartered in Somalia.

“We are warning against the celebration of such events which are not relevant to the principles of our religion,” Gurhan added, saying it could provoke the Shebab “to carry out attacks”.

Last year Shebab militants launched a Christmas attack on Mogadishu airport that killed at least

12 people.

Somalia is at least the second Muslim majority country to ban Christmas this year, after Brunei announced a similar prohibi-

tion. Somalia also issued a previous ban in 2013.

Somalia also follows the Islamic calendar that does not recognise January 1 as the beginning of the year.

Man pulled out alive from China’s mudslide after 3 days

There are almost no Christians left living in Somalia, although a bombed-out Italian-built Catholic cathedral remains a city landmark in the capital Mogadishu.

Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud

US blocks UK Muslim family from boarding plane to Disneyland PRIME Minister David Cameron’s office said Wednesday he will look into a lawmaker’s claim that United States officials prevented a British Muslim family of 11 from flying to Disneyland for a planned holiday, The Associated Press reported.

Stella Creasy, a member of the opposition Labour Party, says U.S. officials gave no explanation for refusing to allow her constituents to board a flight from Gatwick Airport on Dec. 15.

A top Muslim group said

cases like it appear to be related to religion and are worrying for British Muslims, and that a lack of information from U.S. officials is distressing.

Cameron’s office said he

would investigate the matter. He had earlier characterised Trump’s policy as “divisive and wrong.”

U.S. Embassy officials in London declined to comment on the topic.

US President Barack Obama

British Prime Minister David Cameron

otherNEWS

A man was pulled out alive from rubble in a southern Chinese city on Wednesday, more than 60 hours after a waste heap collapsed and buried dozens of buildings in mud and construction debris, state media said.

Reuters said Tian Zeming, who was found at 3:30 a.m.

(2.30 p.m. ET Tuesday), was in a coherent state but his legs had been crushed in Sunday’s landslide at an industrial park in Shenzhen, a boomtown near Hong Kong.

“He told the soldiers who

rescued him, there is another survivor close by,” state news agency Xinhua said, although it later reported rescuers had found another body rather than a survivor.

That took the confirmed death toll to two. The government has said more than 70 people are missing in China’s latest industrial disaster, although the figure continues to be revised down as authorities make contact with people who were believed to have been buried but were not.

The 19-year-old survivor is carried on a stretcher after being pulled out by rescuers on Wednesday, more than 60 hours after a landslide hit an industrial park on Sunday, in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. PHOTO: CHINA DAILY/REUTERS.

Burundi rejects AU force deployment BURUNDI has rejected a 5,000 member peacekeeping mission the African Union said last week it would send to the country amid fears it is sliding back towards civil war.

Burundi’s National Security Council (NSC) including President Pierre Nkurunziza and his entire cabinet rejected the proposed force on Tuesday, the VOA said.

A day earlier, the Burundian parliament said it would

be considered an invasion force.

Foreign Minister Alain Nyamitwe criticised the African Union for not consulting his government before deciding on sending peacekeepers.

“The decision of the Peace and Security Council contained a provision by which the government of the Republic of Burundi has to have a say in the deployment of those troops.

Kenya charges 4 women with recruiting for al Shabaab militants Members of al Shabaab parade at Ala Yaasir camp, outside of Somalia”s capital Mogadishu.

PHOTO: REUTERS.

THREE Kenyan women and one Tanzanian have been charged with conspiring to recruit Kenyans for the Islamist group, al Shabaab, Reuters said a charge sheet issued by a courthouse in Mombasa showed on Wednesday.

The Islamist group has sought to overthrow Somalia’s Western-backed government and

regularly launches attacks in neighbouring Kenya in retaliation for Kenya contributing troops to an African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia.

It has carried out numerous attacks in Kenya including the storming of a university in the northeastern city of Garissa that left 148

people dead.

The four women, who were arrested in March and charged for attempting to cross into Somalia, were brought to the courthouse on Wednesday to hear the additional charges. They have been held in custody since the initial charges, which they deny.

Iran calls new US visa law breach of nuclear deal IRANIAN Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday a new United States law putting visa restrictions on Iranians and those who had visited Iran would, if implemented, breach a nuclear deal Tehran had struck with world powers earlier this year.

The new measure passed by

the U.S. Congress will prevent visa-free travel to the United States for people who have visited Iran or hold Iranian nationality.

Reuters said the measure, which President Barack Obama signed into law on Friday, also applies to Iraq, Syria and Sudan, and was introduced as a security measure

after Islamic State attacks in Paris and an attack in San Bernardino, California.

Iran, a Shi’ite Muslim theocracy staunchly opposed to Sunni radicalism espoused by groups like Islamic State, says its inclusion on the list is intended to undermine the nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA.

“If the Congress law is implemented as it is, it would definitely be a breach (of JCPOA),” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted as saying by the Tasnim news agency, speaking at a joint press conference with his Mongolian counterpart, Lundeg Purevsuren.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif

44

communitynews

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

Oyo lawmaker laments poor attitude to public sanitation

By Tunde Ogunesan

O

yo State House of Assembly Majority Leader, Honourable Kehinde Subair, has decried the attitude of some people in the state to environmental sanitation.

According to the Information Officer of Ibadan South-West Local Government Area, Prince Segun Adeyemo, the lawmaker stated this while addressing stakeholders drawn from the 12 wards of Ibadan South-West Local Government Area at the council secretariat, Alesinloye, Ibadan to deliberate and come up with sustainable measures aimed at making the local government filth-free.

Reiterating the commitment of the Senator Abiola Ajimobi-led government to eradicating indiscriminate dumping of refuse in sacks and polythene bags on main roads, Honourable Subair condemned the

Ogun assembly tasks commissioner on companies’ corporate social responsibility by gbenga olumide

Ogun State House of Assembly Committee on Finance and Appropriation led by Honourable Akanbi Bankole, has charged the state Ministry of Commerce and Industry to ensure that industries in the state carry out their corporate social responsibility to their host communities and partner with government in the provision of jobs and infrastructure.

The committee chairman spoke when committee members hosted the commissioner incharge of the ministry, Chief Bimbo Ashiru, at the ongoing budget defence at the assembly complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

The chairman said that the ministry which brought 78 companies to the state could do more to create employment for the teeming populace in the state.

According to him, increased revenue drive and employment generation will aid the socio-economic development of the state.

Defending the budget, Ashiru said a total of N962 million was the proposed expenditure for the next fiscal year, out of which recurrent expenditure will gulp N315 million and capital expenditure will take N647 million. .

activities of some unscrupulous elements who have made themselves clogs in the wheel of achieving a filth-free environment.

Acording to him, a healthy and clean environment will continue to be a major policy thrust of the present administration in the state.

In his contribution, the representative of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Habitat, Mr Kehinde Popoola, informed that to achieve proper monitoring of environmental sanitation exercises, an environmental task force will be put to work very soon.

He then urged residents of the state to co-operate with them to effect cleanliness and tidiness.

Earlier, the Head of Local Government Administration of the council area, Mr Kolawole Laoye, noted that it was worrisome that in spite of the financial and moral commitment of the state government to make the state “filth-free” through both weekly and monthly environmental sanitation exercises, some members of the public still indulge in defacing the roads with heaps of refuse in broad daylight and even at night.

He, however, assured that to address the situation, private refuse collectors have been appointed and attached to various communities within Ibadan metropolis.

He also stated that the local government area had

introduced the use of reflective jacket by members of the Local Government Task Force on Environmental Sanitation in order

to checkmate indiscriminate dumping of wastes on roads.

Mr Laoye then called on community leaders,

political stalwarts, market men and women and landlord associations to rise up to complement the efforts of government so

Plant Manager, Ewekoro Cement Plant, Thiery Terriere and Lafarge members of staff, riding in one of the tricycles donated to some Lafarge’s host communities in Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State, recently. PHOTO: OLAYINKA OLUKOYA

Kwara govt sets up committee on communal clash The Kwara State government has set up a factfinding committee on the remote and immediate causes of the recent communal clash between Share and Tsaragi communities in the state.

The Senior Special As-

sistant (SSA), Communications to the Governor, Dr Muideen Akorede, made this known after the State Executive Council meeting in Ilorin, on Monday.

The committee is headed by the deputy gover-

nor, Elder Peter Kisra, with members drawn from the state executive and security outfits.

Akorede said the committee had visited the feuding communities to assess the level of damage with a view to finding

Traditional ruler solicits communities’ assistance in provision of amenities The Alagere of Ofiki land in Atisbo Local Government Area of Oyo State, Oba Bello Oyesiji, has enjoined the people of Ofiki and Oke-Ogun Area of Oyo State as a whole to assist government in the provision of social amenities for their communities as government alone cannot provide everything for them.

The monarch, who was speaking on behalf of the other two traditional rulers in the town, however, called on government at the federal and state l evel to come to the aid of the town by making roads linking it with neighbouring towns motorable.

He specifically mentioned Agunrege- OwoOfiki-Irawo Road which was being rehabilitated

by Senator Hosea Agboola, but which had been abandoned.

He appealed for the resuscitation of the construction of the Federal Health Centre which had

that the council will attain the status of the neatest council not only in the state but in the country as a whole.

been abandoned.

The monarch made these appeals while responding to the speech of the Chairman, Ofiki Day 2015 Planning Committee, Alhaji Yinusa Olafaju, who visited him in his palace together with other members of the committee to intimate him with

the plan of the committee for the third edition of the programme togged Ofiki Day 2015.

Ofiki Day 2015 is scheduled to hold on Saturday, December 26, at Ofiki Grammar School by 10.00 a.m.

The three-day event commences on Thursday with a visit to Oke-Iluku,

where the people of Ofiki originated from.

An interdenominational prayer is scheduled for Friday to be followed by a friendly football match between Ofiki and AgoAre. The grand finale will be held on Saturday at the school play ground.

Monarch commends ex-lawmaker for uplifting education standard in Ogun Olayinka Olukoya-Abeokuta

The Ajalorun of IjebuIfe, Oba Adesesan Oguntayo, has commended the effort of a former member of the National Assembly, Senator Adegbenga Kaka, for contributing to the development of education in Ogun State.

The monarch said this during the commissioning and handover of a block of two classrooms facilitated

by Kaka, who was a member of the seventh Assembly,to Moslem Primary School,

Oke-Ife, Ijebu-Ife in Ijebu East Local Government Area of the state.

Oba Oguntayo, represented by High Chief Adewale Duduyemi, noted that the construction of the building named in honour of a prominent indigene of the town, Dr Rotimi Tiamiyu, would boost the educational advancement of the pupils.

He noted the contributions of Kaka at the red chamber as a remarkable one, saying many projects were facilitated by him to Ogun East Senatorial District

during his tenure in office.

“I want to implore all political office holders and the well-to-do among us to contribute their quota to the development of their areas.

“For Senator Kaka, he has etched his name in the hearts of many people in this locality and the entire Ogun East Senatorial District. The projects that he facilitated in the interest of our people are all there for us to see. He has done his best and we appreciate him for that,” the monarch said.

a lasting solution to the crisis.

The governor’s aide said the committee would assess the extent of damage and recommend necessary measures to stem the clash to the state governor.

Akorede added that the government had zero tolerance for communal clash.

He, therefore, advised residents of the state to always live in peace and harmony in order to ensure growth and development while creating enabling environment for businesses and investments.

The state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Alhaji Mahmud Ajeigbe, said the council approved the establishment of a Directorate of Orientation under the Ministry of Information and Communications for re-orientation against societal ills.

The commissioner said the decision was aimed at addressing immorality, indecent dressing and other immoral behaviours in the society.

Ajeigbe explained that the directorate would partner the National Orientation Agency (NOA), and other relevant agencies in sensitising the populace against societal ills.

45 tribunesport

Thursday, 24 December, 2015

Olashore raises swimming hopes for Nigerian youngsters

From left, Secretary, Nigeria Netball Federation, Hellen Manufor; president/coach, BNB Netball, Bimbo Smith; Training Director, BNB Netball, Fehintola Smith and UK certified Netball Umpire, Rosemary Okocha during the 2015 BNB Charity Netball Tournament in Lagos.

Flying Vixens win 2015 BNB Charity netball tourney The Bringing Netball Back (BNB) recently organised a Charity Netball Tournament in Lagos in order to raise awareness about netball in Nigeria and also donated funds to the Family Vocational Institute for the Disabled (FVID).

The Flying Vixens, Hot Shots, Las Gidi Chicks and Sky Divas took part in the tourney, while Vixens defeated Divas in the final.

The teams which participated in the tourney consisted of BNB members as well as players

across Lagos State.

It was an exciting demonstration of netball before an impressive crowd which included the children from the Family Vocational Institute for the Disabled (FVID), who went home with with a bus load of donated items.

BNB supports FVID and arranged for them to be part of the tournament which was also to raise money to support Reverend Okon’s efforts at FVID. Proceeds from ticket and raffle sales from the day also went to FVID.

The event attracted a wide array of sponsors including Sky Enterprise, Air France/ KLM, SAKR, Leadway Assurance Company, Polygon Sports and SevenUp Bottling Company.

The Lagos State Sports Commission was represented by Mr Ayodele Agbesanwa and Mr Nunayon Travih.

President of BNB, Bimbo Smith, in her remarks expressed gratitude to the sponsors who made the event possible and hinted at an even more spectacular event to come in December 2016.

Olashore International School has raised swimming hopes for Nigerian youngsters in the recently organised Swimming Gala for its students held at the school’s swimming pool complex.

The competition which was part of the activities to mark the school’s Speech and Prize Giving Day, is an annual event to help students develop in swimming.

Sponsored annually by the Parents Teachers Association (PTA), this year’s competition lived up to its billings.

The Assistant Director, Co-Curricular Activities of the School, Mr Felix Adeboboye, said the competition is organised to train students on how to swim and get them ready for competitions.

“Today is one of the landmark activities organised by the every first term in every session. It is not house by house based but rather individual students are compelled to join either of the four groups formed which are Stingrays, Piranhas, Sardines and Sharks.

“The essence of the swimming competition is to teach students how to swim, and also to get our competitors ready for external swimming competitions. We have an array of sports activities in the school, but I like the idea of the

City can sign Messi —Caballero

M

anchester City goalkeeper, Willy Caballero believes there is “no doubt” that the club has what it takes to sign Lionel Messi from Barcelona.

Goal has previously reported that the Premier League club would be ready to do a deal for Messi should he ever decide to leave Camp Nou. That is a stance now backed up

by Caballero, who is convinced that City has both the desire and the financial means to make the historic transfer possible.

“That subject is talked about a lot and it’s inevitable not to think or speak about it,” he exclusively told Goal. “And then when you think that Kun [Sergio Aguero] is at the club and he’s such a good friend of Messi...

“But until he’s signed or not it’s nothing more than a rumour. But yes, I understand that it’s possible, because this club has massive economic power. The expensive players that the club has at the moment shows that it can deal with high prices.

“Because of that it seems that they can try to sign Messi if he decides to leave Barcelona. No doubt that City can get Messi, but everything

depends on what Leo wants to do.”

Caballero earned his first callup to the Argentina national team in 2014, at the age of 33, and has struggled to get back into the international fold since.

But he says he has already been

able to enjoying playing alongside Messi and is clearly excited about the prospect of doing so in Manchester.

“I’m already grateful to the club I’m playing for, but imagine that!” he added. “It wouldn’t just be an-

other star in a team full of stars, it would be the best in the world in your team.

“Having the chance to enjoy that in the national team and imagining to be able to have him in my team, it would be the best in the world.”

From left, Ibadan Golf Club (IGC), Mr Akin Funmilayo (left) presenting plaque to the Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi (right) towards his committment to the game of golf last weekend, in Ibadan as Prince Larry Adeyemo looks on. PHOTO: OLAWALE OLANIYAN.

swimming competition because swimming is a lifestyle that helps keep fit.

“Swimming is an important sport in Olashore because we want to help students do well when we go out. Nigeria did not win a single medal in the last All Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville.

“In any sporting event, it only gives you one medal. But swimming can earn you multiple medals. It can boost our standing on the medals table. And it can also boost our image greatly,” Adeboye said.

Meanwhile, the Piranhas won the trophy for the Big Fish Relay.

At the championship stage, Kalu Netochukwu and Onyiuke Nwachukwu emerged victorious in the junior category, while Nwachukwu Ebere and Adeyeye Bolaniran triumphed in the senior category.

Nothing special about my Liverpool goals —Ighalo Nigeria international, Odion Ighalo has insisted there was nothing special about his brace for Watford against Liverpool last weekend.

Ighalo has now fired 12 goals in the EPL, but he maintained there was nothing special about the goals against Liverpool.

“I thank God for giving me the grace to score two goals against Liverpool. I give him the glory.

I see nothing special about scoring against Liverpool, it’s the same feeling for scoring goal and it doesn’t matter against which team,” Ighalo said.

The forward’s double against Liverpool left him just three goals behind leader Jamie Vardy in the EPL goal chart.

It remains to be seen just how many goals he can finish his maiden Premier League campaign with, but the former Granada and Udinese ace is refusing to set himself any targets.

“I give God all the glory for my goals and the victory,” the former Udinese of Italy player said.

“Last season I never set a target and this season I haven’t either.

“I will never set myself a target as then I put pressure on myself.

I want to keep going game by game.

“When the team wins a game that is the most important.

In the meantime, Ighalo has credited manager Quique Flores for Watford’s run in the EPL. “He is one of the best coaches I’ve worked with in terms of game plans and encouraging his players. He is a very intelligent guy and deserves big credit for everything we are going through now,” Ighalo remarked.

46

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FANTASTIC OBINYAN AT IT AGAIN

Enjoy the yuletide season with our 3 Nap able draws send N1000 glo card and win on pools this Xmas season merry Xmas to you all

The evergreen pools compilation and computation in African and chairman managing director of king and George group of forcast papers PRINCE WILLY OBINYAN in another face off with promoters in Figaro and his late NEWS hot sport. The telegraph recorded 8x10x38x46x while the shoot pointer gave fortune on 8x10x38x and papers were not left out.

In a chat with the pools Editor the don of 1.2x worldwide promised yet another winning this feature period he warned stakers to invest with promoters with boyant finance for their prompt payment.

He therefore enjoined all winning desired stakers to get copies of his fortune papers for regular winnings like of pools Telegraph, Zeters pool guild, shoot pointers, Murphy sports, the Dream and final result. Obinyan wishes all stakers merry Xmas.

MISTER-DRAW 08030415683

XMAS BONUS. NEW CURRENT INFORMATION KEY = 09038633666

A blissful Xmas to you all we advice all our last week caller to call again as fortune is assured again with just N1, 500 mtn card big jackpot await you all 40 bet 49

24XXX42 SIR-BRAKA 08078052128

Notice to hold Hartlepool plus 2 super draws cost N2000 mtn card call now and enjoy your Xmas celebrations

MID – WEEK 1 BK DRAWS AGAIN ON NO 4B

NOW OFFERS 4.........10........46... ......9/13 FOR XMAS & NEW YR CELEBRATIONS – 08087176217 The juicy Mid – Week International was on song agian in our 1 BK series on No 46xx last week. We now cap the year with a very scintillating performance on 4 – 10 – 46 – 9/13. Please end year 2015 on a happy note and start year 2016 on good financial strengh. Use 4 – 10 – 46 – 9/13 maximally as same set costs N50,000 next week on 08087176217. You have been told.

Merry Xmas.

OLOYEDE SUPER NAP IS FREE –

08103244128, 08144047577

WEEK 24 FREE 34, 40, 42, and 44.

I am appealing to all Stakers in Nigeria and beyond to perm 34, 40, 42, 44 for at least 3 draws in week 24 as key to my 3 sure direct Nap draws in weeks 25 and 26, cost only N10,000 cash per week payable at GT Bank to Mr. Oloyede Ibrahim Olamide, acct Number 0154084537. Call 08103244128

UNCLE J.J HOPE 2015 = (08103222635

WK 24 PAIR 23. 24 WK 25 NO 7X 7X 7X WK 25. BROWN. NO7. NAP NAP NAP= N7, 500 OPEN your current Record wk4 to wk 5 = wk6 to wk7.

Wk15 to wk16 and wk21 to wk22.

Opponent of mancity and NO4 to meet in wk5 to draw wk5 key No 9x 12x 13x 22x = 4/4 wk6. Opponent Mancity Yandaway tam No 4 to meet in wk7 to draw plus. 3. Others cost N6, 000 wk 15 Opponet of Mancity and away team No 4 to meet in wk16 to fraw plus.3. others cost N6,000 wk16 key No 2x 16x 17x 30x = 4/4 wk 21. Opponent of mancity and away team No 4 to meet in wk 22 blue plus 3 others cost N6,000 wk 22. Blue key 10x 14x 30x 46x 4/4 KEY opponent of ManCity in wk 24 away team No 4 in wk 23 tomeet in wk 25 to draws wk 25 No 7. 7. 7. Plus. 3 others cost N7, 500

HERITAGE NAP

08032428168 (15 MUST 15)

The elusive draws must be picked out of their hidden places with the Experts working tirelessly since Monday. Therefore, we offer the above banker with others fixed draws for Stakers enjoyment this weekend. Pay just N25, 000 to get the whole package. It is a deal you will not regret.

SHORT-GUN

08050614477/08168241902 2 HOT 3 As the season progresses, the draws are being unveiled with form draws taking the center stage last week. This week, the above pair must supply with other form draws to enhance your yuletide celebration. The game costs N25, 000. We are back on track.

Thursday, December 24 - 30 2015

WK 24. BANKER. ASTON V. NO 1XX Wk22 blue = stoke No 10x 12x 14x 15x with 30x 31x Wk 23 RED NO 18X 27X 32X 33X= N6000 Wk 24 PURPLE NO NAP NAP NAP NAP= N10, 000 Wk 25 BROWN NO NAP NAP NAP NAP= N15, 000 Key every week 22 blue. Bank stoke to deaw wk 22 No 10.10.10 plus. 3.

Others cost N6,000 to draw every wk 23 RED bank no 18. 32. To draw Wk 32 No 18.32 plus 3. Others wk 23 No 18.32. plus. 3. Others cost N6,000 Wk 23 = 2012 No 10x 11x 23x 47x with 18x 32x Wk 23 = 2013 No 12x 25x 26x 38x with. 18x 32x wk 23 RED 2014 No 15x 25x 39x with. 18x 32x wk 23 RED = 2015 NO 18x 27x 32x 33x with.

18x.32x. Wk 24= 4 SPECIAL DRAWS COST N10, 000 WK 24 NO 1XX PLUS. 3. OTHERS. Hurry up . to bet your copy to pay = 09038633666.

JOSEPH RESUMPTION )STAKERS’ CHOICE) 08167278061= 18X 21X 33X 20/47.

Incredible 5/5 Nap on 12 draws on score board. Xmas shopping? Yes. We ar Joseph resumed in grand style to enrich all suffered stakers to promoters. We rescure many – Have many Millionaires in our mist, Now we are now at peak. Weeks – 10 – 20 and 24 win. KEY: Aston Villa Home No 1 meeting Letter ‘W’.

NOTE: We have 3 W’s in premierships. WESTBROM, WATFORD and WESTHAM. ASTON VILLA – Weeks 10, 20 and 24 Week 10 – ASTON V – WESTBROM= 7 + 8= 15XXX NAP Week 20 – ASTON V – WATFORD= 9 + 10= 19XXX NAP Week 24 – ASTON V – WESTHAM= X X= X xxx NAP Replenished after Xmas overhead, costly celebration with Joseph sure NAPs (calculated directed winning formula from the source). N50, 000 – Millionaire place. We give birth to Millionaires in our release weeks ONLY. Have fun! Happy celebrations.

DR. SANJ FAREWELL TO 2015 BETTING SEASON (WK24, WK25)07038878227/08189427447

WIN = ON BET NOS:- 24, 14, 4 = (29X, 39X) = “XX” 100% . . .!!!

WIN = ON BET NOS:- 46, 36, 26 = (31X, 41X) = “XX” 100% . . .!!!

WIN = ON BET NOS:- 29, 39, 49 = (46, 48) = “XX” 100% . . .!!!

The last offer wk 24, is Nos:- 25, 26, 27, for two fixed draws and this four Nos:- 39, 40, 41, 42 is also fixed draws. All in a roll is (to score 4/7) fixed draws. Last wk 23 (24, 25, 19, 20x, 33, 35) = 3/6 Next wk 25, is to welcome 2016 betting season with the key’s system of “CHESTERF’D vs SHREWSBURY” ON (WEEK NUMBER) = Nos:- 25xx cbk + two other fixed teams. Watch out ... !!! it’s total winning again ....!!!

(25xx, 25xx, 25xx). CALL DR. SANJ TODAY. “HAPPY XMAS” AND PROSPEROUS NEW – YEAR”.

BEST BARGAIN INTERNATIONAL 08092621480 WK 24 = 23 CBK + OTHERS

(With Aston Villa back on coupon No 1 and Tottenham Hotspurs on coupon No 10, the road is clear for our bumper harvests in the next three weeks to ensure that we end 2015 and begin 2016 on a very happy and promising note. The last time this sequence came was in week 07, when we have 12 draws. This week also, expect 12 draws with the experts and the pools panel surprising many Stakers with the way the draws will be distributed. However, we have the Authority of the pools panel that Blackpool and oldham must draw on coupon No 23 with other fixed draws. This week’s draws are spectacular and only the initiated can fish them out. If you are interested in this life changing formular, call me on 08092621480 for us to discuss on your payment details. Call me because I want everybody to benefit. This is your chance to win pools if you have never won in your life.

OLA-CITY 3 XMAS DRAWS FOR WK 24

Sure of getting 3 Draws correct Pairs 13xxx 43xxx Phone 08140575314, 08085005634 The compiler of Ola-City International and Sir Waddy Naps assures stakers of his 3 Xmas Draws and New Year Draw for week 24, week 25, wk 26 cost N10, 000 cash each week. Which will surely get all correct.

Pay your N10, 000 cash to first Bank Plc in the name of OLAFENWA R. OLA-CITY Account No. 3033318854 and collect the Xmas and New Year Draws on phone after confirmation of your payment. Phone 08140575314.

HOPE NAPS & CO 08107128449.

PAIR (13X 17) (13X 17) (13X 17).

This is to inform the stakers and fans that the pair must produce on Saturday, as the special key to a 3 weeks Naps from wk 24, wk 25X Wk 26. Respectively.

Call Hopes for details and pay to first Bank Plc Acc. No 3088328923 in person of Mr. Gbadebo Stephen. A. while the week releases will be sent to you when your payments are confirmed. Please make sure that your payment confirmed.

Each week cost just N10, 000.

PAIR (17X 13) (17X 13) (17X 13) Merry Xmas & Happy New Year. Remain blessed in the Lord Bye.

GRACE & MERCY VENTURES 070719154754 OR 08092621593 (20 FREE 21)

WEEK 22 – 14X15X31XX 3/3 alt 18x – week 23 – 8x27x33xxx alt 47 Congratulations, 20 wise men should pay to the normal account details with them to celebrate the birth of our lord JESUS. We are now deliberately let loose our last week 24 Nap to all, an opportunity for all to enjoy Christ birth.

Be p art of our BALISTIC MISSILES draws that sent many Promoters to early grave while some run from Puller to Post in week 22 and 23.

Call on us for your registration details on first come service. Merry Xmas

WISDOM XMAS NAP

– 07088103080. 10X 20X 7XXX 21 GIFT 22= WOLVES AT HOME. Xmas is the season of gift sharing especially to the less privileged.

Week 5 = 9x 30x 41xxx 21x 22x Week 22 = 5x 18x 43xxx 21x 22.

Week 24 = X X X – 21x 22x.

Please for ‘X’ Christ sake use wisdom to win with us on our week 24 unparallel NAPS scheduled and directed by our foregn Experts for your Xmas celebrations. Win Big! Celebrate wisely= N25, 000= ‘Xmas fee’ – N25, 000=

BETTERMAN GIVES FREE XMAS NAP‘

08022594478 PAIR 15, 18 Anytime Aston Villa is at No. 1 home and Arsenal is at No. 7 Away in purple coupon, it is key to 3 accurate unstoppable Nap draws: Week 20=9x, 11x, 19x. Pair 10x, 13x. Any interested Stakers should send only N400 AIRTEL, MTN, or GLO Credit to receive Week 24 Free Xmas Nap and thereafter pay only N40, 000 cash after winning.

Phone/text 08022594478

DR. BILLY – 08034970970

NOW OUT WITH NEW YEAR GIFT BANK 38 OR 39 With 2 other bankers that must give you ¾ or 4/4 cost N10,000.

Don’t miss it. Happy New Year in advance. Call for details.

FORTUNE DONOR REPEATS 46/47 (08099111828)

Last week, your selfless and hardworking Fortune Donor International give 46xx/47xx free on p.47 of your popular Tribune page. This week again, we want you to celebrate the Christmas season in joyfulness and happiness. We again donate Nos. 46/47 for another super draws.

Don’t doubt the expert’s No. 46 will draw again before moving to another No. next week. Join the experts. Our 1BK cost N1, 500.00, 2 draws sell for N3, 000.00 and 3 sure draws costN15, 000.00 on 08099111828.

INNOCENT NAP

08095602502590 32 NAP 33

4 Special Draws wk 24 cost N6, 000 Wk 23 No 10x 20x 27x 32x= 4/4 Wk 24. No NAP NAP NAP NAP with NAP NAP. Wk 25 No NAP NAP NAP NAP. 2 Special draws wk 24 No 10x 20x Pair 15x 21x Wk 23 No NAP NAP Pair NAP NAP. Time for winners try to get INNOCENT NAP 4 Special draws this week 24 RED N6, 000 cash,, 2 special draws cost N4, 000 and 1 bankers for N2, 000. One banker, wk 22 No 14x wk 23 No 20x wk 24 No NAP 08095602590 for your booking.

MAGIC KINGDOM – 08056753098/07085060512 NAP – 01X 21X 49XX PAIR 2 AND 3.

The managing director of Magic Kingdom wishes all our customers merry Xmas and Prosperous New year with the above free winning games as Xmas bonus. Week 25 nap will cost N25,000 – payable to Balogun Adesina Kamoru at FCM Bank No 0279550010, Wema Bank No – 0206965116 or G.T Bank No – 0115505082. Call for details – 08056753098/07085060512.

THE CYRIL 08154836338. (WINNING DIRECTOR)

CONGRATULATION = ANNUAL PRE XMAS NAP— 38 MUST 39 WEEK24–2013–02X 22X 43XXX 34, 35 WEEK24–2014–05X 19X 40XXX 36, 37 WEEK24–2015– X X X– 38 & 39 Records are kept by the wise. So our reminder annual XMAS NAP is a must= N25, 000= reduced.

History is kept by the wise. Our annual week 24 NAP is to enrich you this Christmas and to prepare you for our New Year repeated NAPS. N50,000.

XMAS 4 MEMBERS. 4 BANKERS= 08162705220= 1XX BK 2XXBK 4 BANKERS N5000 WK 24= 2013 KEY NAP NAP NAP NAP 4 BANKERS N5000 WK 25= 2014 KEY NAP NAP NAP NAP 4 BANKERS N5000 WK 26= 2015 18. NAP NAP NAP NAP 4 BANKERS N5000 WK 27= 2012 KEY NAP NAP NAP NAP Stakers try to get 4 members 4. This wk 24 RED cost N5000 wk 24 No NAP NAP NAP NAP. Send MTN Card to 08162705220.

DR. SANJ FAREWELL TO 2015 BETTING SEASON (WK24, WK25)07038878227/08189427447

WIN = ON BET NOS:- 24, 14, 4 = (29X, 39X) = “XX” 100% . . .!!!

WIN = ON BET NOS:- 46, 36, 26 = (31X, 41X) = “XX” 100% . . .!!!

WIN = ON BET NOS:- 29, 39, 49 = (46, 48) = “XX” 100% . . .!!!

The last offer wk 24, is Nos:- 25, 26, 27, for two fixed draws and this four Nos:- 39, 40, 41, 42 is also fixed draws. All in a roll is (to score 4/7) fixed draws.

FAITHFUL INTERVENTION – 08082899957 24 MUST 23.

BLACKPOOL, BRADFORD. C. = B MUST B CONGRATULATIONS. ANNUAL WEEK 24 (3 YEARS WINNING SENSATION) December WIN= FREE PAIR= BLACKPOOL (Bradford. C) Week 24’ 2013= 10x 22x 35xxx Bradford C. 23x Week 24’ 2014= 06x 24x 40xx BLACKPOOL. 11X Week 24’ 2015= X X X – Bradford C= Blackpool Our intervention winning team is on board to put good smile to stakers with faith faces. That is why we are known as stakers delight. Your faith is your first winning assurance.

WIN – WIN – WIN – N50, 000= 3/3 NAP. And free alternative draws.

47

tribunepools

EMIRATES FLY – 08087104491.

39 – 40 – 41 = 2DRAWS The above free games, starts our weeks Naps to 2016.

WEEK 25, 26 AND 27 Naps is to welcome our clients to prosperous 2016. Don’t be left out. Let start now – on board with Emirate to Promised Land N10, 000 = Now.

WINNER CODE 505 – 08135637650

XMAS BONUS FREE NO 4, 34, 41 PAIR 24, 25 Free wk 25 = 3 special draws cost N15,000 stakers try to get winner code 505. Two bankers cost N3,000 wk 24 No Nap Nap wk 25 No Nap Nap. U.K system, two bankers cost N3,000 wk 24 No Nap Nap wk 25 No Nap Nap power x Power two bankers cost N3,000 wk 24 No Nap Nap wk 25 No Nap Nap. Ade sure nap two bankers cost N3,000 wk 24 No Nap Nap wk 25 No Nap Nap. Jointly Release 4 special draws. New year bonus cost N15,000. Send MTN card to 08135637650.

ZENITH NAP – 08146879314 - 13 xx 15

SILENCE BREAKER TO 2016 On 10-10-Weeks Nap Week 4 – 07x 25x 36xxx - 13x Week 14 – 14x 06x 17x – 13x Week 24 – x x x 13x Our Zenith silence breaker Nap is to celebrate you to 2016 after a while silence on page. - N20, 000= merry Xmas – Have fun

MADAM HILLARY – 08163902330 (13X 28)

Xmas Naps on fixed matches. Let celebrates women know the celebrations overhead. Partnership with token and win Big to 2015 N10, 000 – X X X – 13x 28. Free for all WIN.

DOSA – 08072216644 (8 PAIR 9)

Here is Christmas bonus draws to all my fans to mark the Christmas festival. Those who know the value of draws will render my past good performances because many pool Stakers has become rich through my forecast. Just send to me N1, 500 MTN recharge card and receive my 3 good draws and 1 hot pair for your Christmas enjoyment.

Merry Christmas to you and happy New Year to all my fans in advance

KAMARK SUPER – 08186673842

11- 12 – 13 – 14 = 3 DRAWS. Free win against week 25 with advance KEY Blackburn – Middles bro set to provide 3 direct Naps.

Interested Stakers to pay in favour of Mr. S. B. Odesola – IBTC bank no: 0001361916 Nap is N6, 500 while permutation is N5, 500.

Good luck.

AUTHORITY NAP – 09030084552.

28X 29X. Xmas sure win at Authority Naps for all call now for sure winning contact. Good luck

JAMES NAP = 08069759520.

FREE XMAS GIFT. (WIN).

23x 24x 25xxx – 40x41.

Guaranteed winning line again sure New Year Nap – cost N50, 000 = Don’t ignored.

SAM AYO – 08109152443 39 X 40

Xmas win at Sam Ayo International Naps. Call for your Nap winning details. Good luck.

XMAS BONUS. QUEEN INTERNATIONAL TIP

09038633666= 11 NAP 12 4 Draws correct Wk 23 No 8x 20x 32x 35x 4 Draws correct Wk 24 RED No NAP NAP NAP NAP 4 Draws correct N6, 000 No Wk 25 No NAP NAP NAP Pair XX 2 Draws correct Wk 24 No 8x 32x PAIR 20x 22F 2 Draws correct Wk 25 No NAP NAP PAIR NAP NAP KEY LETTER W. AT AWAY NO 1.

LETTER W. AT AWAY NO 9. To control 4 special draws this wk 24 PURPLE cost N6000 two Banker draws N3, 000 send MTN Card.

08135888720.

WINNING GALORE – 08077887876

NAP – 01X 12X 34XXX Free to enable you buy our special week 25 release cost N25, 000 after week 24 result for week 24 draws.

Call 08077887876

EDITOR’S PLACE 39 x 43

MERRY XMAS AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR

TO ALL OUR ESTEEM READERS. LET’S WIN TO 2016 YEAR OF MULTIPLE HARVEST. PLEAID DE MAXWELL – 09099968585

13X 21X 23X 28X 39X 43X FREE XMAS PICK YOUR DRAWS & WIN OH Yes, the beauty of Xmas is when you give what you have free to prepare around you, this is my token gift to all. Have you done yours? If not, please do so.

Morinho – CHELSEA = incredible departure or sack from the Blues. The bridge was broken on Morinho for the second time. Whao! What will be the aftermath of his exist. Let’s wait and see. Wishing the blues the best.

Back to your finance. Your winning is crystal clear with the above free games scheduled as your Xmas gift but for the direct 3 draws contact De Maxwell draws clinic with TOKEN INVOVLED. Merry Xmas

SOLOMON RESORT (RESCUE TEAM ) – 09091111800 PETERBORO AND PORTVALE IN 2WKS WIN PETERBORO AGAIN ON NUMBER – 30 HOME PORTVALE AGAIN ON NUMBER – 30 HOME Peterboro and Portvale Home 30 = 2 WEEKS WIN Peterboro refrence weeks – 7, 22 and 24 Portvale refrence weeks – 6 and 25.

Week 7 – 10x 26x 38xxx – OLDHAM. 13x Week 22 – 13x 21x 43xxx – OLDHAM. 13x Week 24 – x x x – 13 xx 23.

Portvale – week 6 and 25 = SURE WIN AGAIN Congratulations our back to back sure winning gazett is scheduled on fixed matches get Rescued with N50,000 – (Now) . Good luck

NAZAR MASTER PAYS WINNINGS IN FULL

The leading Pools company in Oyo state and environs, NAZAR MASTER Pools company limited, Ibadan has paid winnings for week 22 and week 23 in full without owing anybody.

This was disclosed to TRIBUNE POLLS during the week in a statement issued by the Ibadan – based pools company.

According to the statement, “NAZAR master once again has paid all winnings on its odds in full. The Pools Company does not owe anybody whether on the week 22, week 23 or any other week winnings since the start of the current U.K. football season. Stakers should continue to bet on our fixed odd and Treble chance without any fear. Payment of their winnings is guaranteed.

FAITHFUL INTERVENTION – 08082899957 24 MUST 23.

BLACKPOOL, BRADFORD. C. = B MUST B CONGRATULATIONS. ANNUAL WEEK 24 (3 YEARS WINNING SENSATION) December WIN= FREE PAIR= BLACKPOOL (Bradford. C) Week 24’ 2013= 10x 22x 35xxx Bradford C. 23x Week 24’ 2014= 06x 24x 40xx BLACKPOOL. 11X Week 24’ 2015= X X X – Bradford C= Blackpool Our intervention winning team is on board to put good smile to stakers with faith faces. That is why we are known as stakers delight. Your faith is your first winning assurance.

WIN – WIN – WIN – N50, 000= 3/3 NAP. And free alternative draws.

MADAM DE MADAM = 08023329191 = 39x38

WOMEN’S WORLD ON LET’S WIN TOGETHER 8X 20X 27XXX – CAMBRIDGE. U= 46X 47 = 5/5 NAP BOLTON, OLDHAM, MANSFIELD = LINCON/46 Reference to week 22 – 2014/15 and week 23 2015/2016 as quoted last week.

LET’S WIN TOGETHER WINNING CONTD. Week 24 2014/15 – x x x – DAGENHAM / 38 Week 24 2015/16 – x x x – DAGENHAM / 38 Good winning information or performance needed less talk. Our recent oversea trip was successful with our performances. Promoters once Media manager for your assured win this week. (Mr. Joshua) – N50, 000.

TRIPLE SPICE OFFERS 4-10 (08035324990)

Your Indomitable Triple Spice International ends the year on a joyful note with 4 and 10 for a mandatory draws on Saturday. Use the duo to wrap up the year and enter the ensuing year 2016 on good financial standing combine the pair with our 1BK and get your 3/3. You are strongly advised to use them well. Our IBK costs N1, 500.00, 2 draws sell for N3, 000 and 3 good and sure draws sell for N15, 000.00 this week. Call 08035324990 for details Merry Xmas!

MALLAM BAWA VS PROMOTERS AT XMAS 08052506287 PAIR 26, 28

WK 22 = 10X, 15X, 24F PAIR 5X, 7X WK 23 = 33X, 35X, 36F PAIR 46, 47X Stakers, my Xmas bonus Naps for Wk22 scored 10x, 15x, 24f and for week 23 scored 33x, 35x, 36f. I can assure you that weeks 24 and 25 will score 3/3 Nap all correct. No excuse! No story!! Cost only N5, 000 cash per week. Please do not miss it. Payments at Access Bank to Mallam Musa Ibrahim Bawa, accts No: 0042075587. Nap, win, to enjoy Xmas and New Year. Call 08052506287

ADEOTI SYNDICATE 07051327960

SPECIAL RELEASE: (19x) 1-1 (48x) 1-1 I am sorry for our last week game that he fails to Stakers and y syndicate.

I believe that we will celebrate Xmas and New Year with happiness. Bank the two games above Nos. (19x) 1-1 (48x) 1-1 for at least a banker draws with 3 others this week. All our members should expect their new year Gift Next week (week 25) Membership registration fees are N25, 000 cash and pay the money to AHMED SHAFIRI A/C Nos. 2001788431 Zenith Bank Ibadan. Merry Xmas to you all and New Year in advance, money for release N10, 000 cash. Thanks Good luck all.

IKECHUKWU IS BACK AT XMAS – 08168157259 28 SURE 23 DONCASTER – SCUNTHORPE NO 28.

Congratulatory Xmas sure win with refrence in week 4 = Doncaster was at home 28 in week 10 – Scunthorpe at Away 28. What a double gazette Naps for your Xmas confirmed celebration.

Week 6 – 07x 19x 43xxx OLDHAM – 34x Week 10 – 15x 21x 37xxx OLDHAM – 25x Week 24 – x x x – OLDHAM – 23x Birth of Christ sure Nap cost N25, 000 for only – 3 wise men as gift.

MANCITY SYSTEM F. A. CUP SYSTEM C 08135888720= 12XX 32XXX

Two Bankers N3000 Wk 23 NO 10X 20X PAIR 8X 9F Two Bankers N3000 Wk 24 No Nap Nap Pair Nap Nap 4 Special Draws N6, 000 Wk 23 NO 10X 20X 27X 33X 4 Special Draws N6, 000 Wk 24 No NAP NAP NAP NAP Stakers try to get MANCITY. 4 SPECIAL Draws this 24 Cup cost N6, 000 two Bankers Wk 24 cost N3000 we set for 4 wks operations Wk 24 No NAP NAP NAP NAP. Two Bankers wk 25 No cup cup cup cup send MTN to 09038633666= 08135888720.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH text message OF write up without advert is regarded VOID . PLACE YOUR ADVERT FOR EFFECTIVE PUBLICATION OF YOUR FORECAST. THANKS POOLS EDITOR

Thursday, December 24 - 30 2015 MODUPE (08033566694) 26- 28- 29. 2drs Call for super winning now.

MR MOSES – 08126994038

XMAS – 07X 11X 13X 15XX WIN. Starting of 3 weeks Annual December to January sure Naps.

2013 – 2014 – 2015 – 2016. Merry Xmas and New Year Nap cost N50, 000 – Be prepared.

AKIN MR AKIN – 07067202291=39XX 19X

ABC Home 123 AND WEST HAM AWAY 1 Xmas is a time of goodies when the whole world celebrates the birth of our Lord Jesus.

Week 3 - 13x 28x 43xxxWeek 24 - x x x20 weeks interval assured direct naps and a pair Akin 2 in one Expert Xmas Nap is to enrich & put winning smile to our client’s faces.

Have a fulfilled Yelutide to New Year-N20, 000

XMAS NONUS PROFESSOR ONE BANKERS =

08055230300= 12XX 13 PROFESSOR ONE BANKERS N7500 WK 23 NO 10X 20X 33X= 3/3 PROFESSOR ONE BANKERS N7500 WK 24 2015 NO NAP NAP NAP PROFESSOR ONE BANKERS N7500 WK 25 NO NAP NAP NAP PROFESSOR ONE BANKERS N7500 WK 26 NO NAP NAP NAP PROFESSOR 2 BANKERS N5000 WK 23 NO 10X 20X PAIR 32X 33X PROFESSOR 2 BANKERDS N5000 WK 24 NO CUP CUP PAIR CUP CUP. Professor F. A. Cup English system booklet out cost N30, 000 membership group a. cost N100, 000.

Send MTN Card to 08055230300.

The game will send to you by text message.

DR. JACKSON –

08156829811(28 MUST 41)

HAMILTON HOME 49 AGAIN. All thanks to God for sparing our lives to witness another Xmas and our sure win setting week again on Hamilton Home 49.

Week 7 – 02x 26x 37x – 39x Week 22 – 07x 21x 43x – 40x Week 24 – X X X – 41x Our S. S. S 2015/2016 winning Naps still lingers in our clients memories. Our new winning contact made our recent successes possible. Dr Jackson New era Nap is irresistible at Xmas and New year N25, 000 – welcome & Goodluck.

DR B4 DR –

08062748396. (13 MUST 23)

BRISTOL. C. and BLACKPOOL On the same digit numbers is the Key to our week 24 sure Naps.

Event makes History our Naps is always with Reference weeks. Any week of setting we usual experienced good result. At Dr’s place your win is sure from the above illustration.

Check your record for perusal. Congrats & Merry Xmas N25, 000=

PETER NAP

20 PAIR 21 – 08076546261 Congratulation the system that got 18xx, 19f, 20xx, 46xx last week though 20xx got it from the headline pair must get it again this week. This week release got cost just N25, 000 pay to saving acct no: 3023114822, First Bank in person of Mr. Onaolapo Peter G. and call on 08076546261. Meanwhile 20 pair 21, prepare for Xmas and New Year now.

SUNDERLAND SYSTEM

11.12. 09038460009= 11 NAP 12 4. Special draws N6, 000 Wk 22 NO 12X 13X 21X 30X WITH 14X 15X 4. Special draws N6, 000 Wk 24 NO NAP NAP NAP NAP WITH 4. Special draws N6, 000 Wk 25 NO CUP CUP CUP CUP= N6, 000 Two Bankers N3000 Wk 22 NO 10X 12X PAIR 14X 15X Two Bankers N3000 Wk 24 NO NAP NAP PAIR NAP NAP Two Bankers N3000 Wk 25 NO CUP CUP CUP CUP Time to win pool this wk 24 Sunderland system 4 special draws this wk 24 play 4/4 correct hurry to get your copy today two Bankers cost N3000 wk 22 NO 10X 12X PAIR 14X 15X. 4 Bankers wk 24 CUP CUP CUP CUP Send MTN Card 09038460009.

SINBAD NAP07083993858 19X 13

Your silent leader Sinbad week 24 fixed NAP is to enrich all our clients. The above 3 games is sure for 2 draws for Xmas – Call for details.

Goodluck.

WEEK 24 STATUS EKO – 8, 12, 39 LKO – 6, 7, 22 SUNDAY - 19

NJOROGE MR. ASSURANCE – 08177474535.

23 – 24 – 25XXX

Blackpool – Bradford.c. and Bury week 24 schedule at home under the bar at Xmas is a winning gazette and other 2 fixed matches as your Xmas free win.

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ATTENTION ALL COMPILERS, OUR POLICY ON NO ADVERT NO WRITE UP STILL IN PLACE — MANAGEMENT

SIDELINES

no 16,399

n150

THURSDAY, 24 December, 2015

“On a particular occasion, I instructed some of my lawyers to observe the volume of traffic from three points on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway over a 24-hour period.

The volume of vehicular traffic observed and the expected revenue from these was mind blowing.’’

R

ecently the Federal Government, through the Works, Housing and Power Minister, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) announced the planned reintroduction of toll gates across selected Federal Roads in Nigeria.

Explaining the rationale for the change in policy, the minister was reported to have stated as follows: “Maintenance would be our watchword.

We are setting up a robust maintenance regime to keep our highways in good shape…

This shows that tolling is necessary to support government funding. So, it will not be too much if we ask every road user to pay little to augment government funding for road maintenance…It is eminent commonsense for us to find that money. We will use technology; so if we don’t pay cash, you will pay by tokens or tickets and the money is accountable and it will go to the right place…

We will manage that fund properly and we will hold those who we put there to account.”

Furthermore the minister stated that the road sector had so many road projects estimated to cost about N2 trillion. He revealed out that out of the N18 billion budgetary allocation in 2015 for the ministry, N15 billion has been spent. He compared this with the highest yearly budgetary allocation which was N200 billion in 2002. The minister generally painted a bleak prospect of government’s ability to fund the maintenance of roads without collecting tolls.

Hardly had the minister’s press conference been concluded than his statements began to attract diverse comments from concerned Nigerians. While some questioned the timing of the proposal, a time when a greater number of Nigerians were facing economic hardships owing to the poor state of the economy, others were concerned by what they saw as a general lack of policy

OFR, CON, SAN, LL.D, D.Litt

A housewife in the United States has landed in custody for domestic battery after she beat up her husband for frequent farting while in bed. After shooting pepper spray into her husband’s face, she also elbowed and kicked him before she called the police who however, arrested her instead. But was the wife asleep on the wedding day when the pastor says marriage is for better or worse?

afeonthursday

aareafe@gmail.com

Proposed reintroduction of Toll Gates on federal roads (I) consistency on the part of governments in Nigeria as the Federal Government had in 2004 spent over N430 million to demolish the old toll gates. It was stated at that time that the toll gates had become conduit pipes for siphoning of government revenue rather than an avenue for road maintenance. The Sun Newspaper in its Editorial of December 18th 2015 adequately captured the view of most sceptics when it stated as follows: “Irrespective of what the government thinks of the proposed plan, the new initiative has elicited mixed reactions from Nigerians. Many Nigerians are worried over policy somersaults of our government, especially on the issue of toll gates. Even Nigerians who would like the project to be given another trial equally decry the high cost of road tolls in the country. Therefore, the coming and going of the toll gates is a clear demonstration of policy inconsistency and utter confusion on how best to manage our roads by our policy makers. If the toll gates did not work efficiently before, what is the guarantee that they will work well in this dispensation?”

I share some of the concerns raised about the impending return of the toll gates. However, I am of the firm view that the reintroduction of the gates is long overdue. We simply cannot continue to pretend that the finances of government will dramatically improve overnight as to enable it budget adequate funds for the maintenance of the roads and construction of urgently needed new ones. What is more, tolls are not entire-

ly new to Nigeria and Nigerians. Until the government of former President Olusegun Obasanjo decided to pull down toll gates, they were a common feature on our roads.

The only problem at that time was that the revenue being generated at the toll gates were not ending up in government coffers.

Yet so much was being generated without anything to show for it. On a particular occasion, I instructed some of my lawyers to observe the volume of traffic from three points on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway over a 24 hour period. The volume of vehicular traffic observed and the expected revenue from these was mind blowing. Therefore, if properly managed, revenue collection at toll gates could serve a lot of good to the government and the populace.

However to make them work requires more than the usual statements of intent from government. To underscore this point, I intend to highlight briefly just what and how Nigeria continues to lose economically owing to the bad state of our roads.

STATE OF TRANSPORTATION IN THE PAST At independence, Nigeria could boast an efficient rail system which cut across the length and breadth of the country. This aided the movement of goods, including farm produce. Even the city of Lagos had its own tram system. Nigerians roads, on their part were not the death traps that they currently are.

However with the passage of time, a cul-

ture of neglect of public infrastructure crept into the psyche of the government and the governed alike. The rails system fell apart.

Heavy goods which were hitherto moved by rail had to be transported by road. This in turn had a devastating effect on the roads.

Nigerians in the recent past have had one sorry tale or the other to tell about their experiences on such roads such as the LagosIbadan Expressway, the Sagamu-Ore-Benin Road and the Onitsha-Awka-Enugu Road.

The lamentations of Nigerians have never succeeded in getting a firm commitment of the government to attend to the sorry state of these roads. In most cases, a ministerial visit to the roads is often followed only by half-hearted measures aimed only at bringing about temporary reprieve to motorists.

The reason for this seeming nonchalant attitude of governments at the federal and state levels may not be unconnected with the huge recurrent expenditure of these governments. In some states, salaries of civil servants and emoluments of elected political office holders and appointees take up a huge chunk of the monthly allocation of the said states thereby leaving very little for the funding of other vital sectors of the economy such as education, health and infrastructural development. In realisation of this, most governments simply pay lip service to the issue of good roads and other facilities.

(To be continued) •Aare Afe Babalola san, con, ll.D, d.Litt

Van Gaal mad at journalists after Mourinho job link Under-pressure Manchester United manager, Louis van Gaal answered only three questions before walking out of a news conference on Wednesday.

The 64-year-old Dutchman was unhappy at being asked about his future following speculation that he could be sacked and probably replaced by sacked Chelsea coach, Jose Mourinho.

“What do you think happens with my wife or my kids?” he snapped.

“Or with my grandchildren?

Or with the fans of Manchester United? Or my friends? What do you think?

“So you think that I want to talk with the media now. I am here only because of the Premier League rules. I have to talk with you.”

The media briefing, ahead of Saturday’s game at Stoke, lasted only five minutes before Van Gaal’s departure.

The former Netherlands boss said he had only turned up to speak to journalists because of Premier League rules.

As he left, he told the reporters: “I wish you a merry Christmas and maybe also a happy new year when I see you. Enjoy the wine and a mince pie. Good-

bye.”

Van Gaal was in an angry mood from the moment he took his seat in the media room at the club’s training ground in Carrington.

“Has anybody in this room not a feeling to apologise to me?

That’s what I’m wondering,” he responded after being asked about Arsenal boss, Arsene Wenger’s earlier claim that speculation about Van Gaal’s future had been “disrespectful”.

United are without a win in six games, having lost their last three matches to Wolfsburg, Bournemouth and Norwich City. Van Gaal

Printed and Published by the African Newspapers of Nigeria PLC, Imalefalafia Street, Oke-Ado, Ibadan. E mail: editornigeriantribune@yahoo.com Website: www.tribuneonlineng.com MANAGING DIRECTOR / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: EDWARD DICKSON. EDITOR: DEBO ABDULAI. All Correspondence to P.O. Box 78, Ibadan. ISSN 2712. ABC Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation. 24/12/2015.