25th January 2016 by Nigerian Tribune

NIGERIA’S MOST INFORMATIVE NEWSPAPER NO 16,421

MONDAY, 25 JANUARY, 2016

www.tribuneonlineng.com

Oyediji cannot be Olubadan now —Olunloyo —P2

Nigerian Tribune

Pipeline vandalism must stop, Buhari orders NDDC —P5

Alleged N22.7bn fraud

@nigeriantribune

Kerosene to sell at N83 —PPPRA —P11

Nigerian Tribune

N150

Tribunal to rule on motion to stop Bello's inauguration —P37

Tompolo, others in fresh 22-count charge —P4

•FG lines 25 witnesses against him •$8bn arms fund: Falana drags Dasuki, others to ICC

Economy: Bear with us, Tinubu begs Nigerians •As he lauds Olubadan's succession plan

NATIONAL Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Bola Tinubu, has called on Nigerians to be more patient and persevere, as the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration continues the task of rearranging and re-engineering the nation’s economy for the benefit of the people.

story pg6

Minimum wage:

From left, Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi; national leader, All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu; widow of Oba Samuel Odulana, Olori Moriyike and a chieftain of APC and former governor of Osun State, Chief Bisi Akande, during a condolence visit to the palace of Oba Odulana, on Sunday. PHOTO: D'TOYIN

DPO killed as Fulani herdsmen attack Adamawa villages •29 others feared killed

NLC meets Thursday, to present new demands Feb —P37

—P41

news Oyediji cannot be Olubadan now —Olunloyo 2

By Laolu Afolabi

former governor of Oyo State, Dr Omololu Olunloyo, has said giving many reasons, the head of Seriki line in Ibadanland, Chief Bayo Oyediji, cannot be the next Olubadan of Ibadanland for now. Dr Olunloyo, in an interview with the Nigerian Tribune, on Sunday, said “I have been informed through the media that Chief Oyediji, my very good friend, has claimed that he is the next Olubadan,” adding that his claim was wrong for many reasons. According to the former governor, Oyediji is on the Seriki line which, by the tradition of Ibadanland and the laws, is a tributary of the Balogun line, adding that the confluence of the two lines is at the Ekerin Balogun. “It is a pity some people are saying Seriki line is moribund. That is inaccurate. There are also important people who don’t want the line to exist anymore. It is not even the matter for the executive to see whether the Seriki line should exist or not. “The Chiefs Law was adroitly constructed on June 20, 1957 and taken into considerations all the amendments so far by the legislature. It must be said to the informed public, including the executive in the state and the judiciary that the Seriki line exists and it can only be abolished by the legislature. The legislature must, however, have reasons to abolish it,” he said. He said it was unfortunate that the fortune of the Seriki line had been stuck after what he termed dangerous encounter with the late Olubadan Asanike, adding that as observed in a book written by Oyediji himself, the promotion on the line was pegged when the chiefs on the Seriki line were promoting themselves and not carrying out their customary duties. Olunloyo said the embargo placed on the line by the Olubadan Asanike still subsists, adding that up till date, it had not been lifted. He said for Oyediji and others on the Seriki line to have their fortune back, the freezing of the promotion on that line must be defrozen, adding that in that regard, since all the people between Chief A. M. A. Akinloye, who was the last Seriki and Oyediji, the current head of the line, had died, Oyediji could then be promoted to Seriki and not Olubadan. Another issue raised by Olunloyo was that assum-

Monday, 25 January, 2016

ing Oyediji was even Seriki as he is claiming; he would have a problem of crossing over to Balogun now, as he had to wait for simultaneous deaths condition on the Ekerin Balogun Declaration. Quoting from the declaration by Chief I. B. Akinyele, with the minister at the time, D. S. Adegbenro, which he said had not been altered since date, Olunloyo said “And further provided that when vacan-

cies in the Ashipa and the Ekerin Chieftaincy titles occur simultaneously, the Ekarun Balogun shall be eligible for promotion to the Ashipa and the Seriki to the Ekerin Balogun.” Speaking on the simultaneity, Olunloyo said it is a weird and controversial condition, but it is the law, adding that the word had given scientists a lot of problem in its analysis. Olunloyo said simulta-

neous deaths had not occurred during the period Oyediji had been claiming to be Seriki, adding however, that unfortunately, the head of Seriki line had never been Seriki and a fortiori, the talking of cross over for him had not arisen. “Akinloye missed two crossovers when he was in exile. Ogunwusi, in 1964, did cross over and became Ekerin Balogun. Unfortunately, he didn’t finish the

Osun Assembly, Makinde, Folarin extol virtues of Oba Odulana THE Osun State House of Assembly under the leadership of its Speaker, Honourable Najeem Salaam has expressed condolences to the people and government of Oyo State over the demise of the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Samuel Odulana. In a statement by the Chairman, House Committee on Information and Strategy, Honourable Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, the Assembly said though, the monarch was ripe in age, his contribution to the Yoruba nation; impact and positive influence in the country will be greatly missed. Meanwhile, the Oyo State chapter of Social Democratic Party (SDP) has sent condolences to the people of Ibadan and Oyo State in general on the demise of Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade. In a release signed by the publicity secretary of the party, Alhaji Akeem Azeez, he described the late Olubadan as principled king and moral titan of the ancient city who ruled with exemplary character, justice and mercy.

The leader of the SDP in Oyo State, Seyi Makinde expressed his condolences to the governor of Oyo State, Olubadan-in-council, the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes, the sons and daughters of Ibadanland over the demise of the king. He described the late Olubadan as someone who dedicated his life to the development and growth of Ibadanland and Oyo State in general. Former senate majority leader and gubernatorial candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, Teslim Folarin, also described Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade as a great icon and a role model. Folarin, who paid a condolence visit to the palace of the Olubadan on Thursday, expressed that “the Olubadan could be described as a true monarch with an in-depth knowledge of traditional administrative system coupled with a philosophical approach to governance.” He added that till his death, he was a role model to members of both the state and federal parlia-

ments, adding that he was a true patriot who served the country right from his early years.

race before he died. Anyone who crosses over had to complete the race. For Oyediji, it is complicated, as he has not even joined the race at all. He has not joined the ladder at the Ekerin Balogun. His claim to the stool of Olubadan is unfounded,” the former governor said. Olunloyo said Oyediji must meet these four conditions to be able to lay claim to the Olubadan stool, to wit, his actual promotion to become Seriki, simultaneous death on the Balogun line, leading to his crossing over, his journey on the Balogun line and his eventual emergence as Balogun at a suitable time. “As statesman and some-

one who had handled intrinsic cases in the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, I have no doubt in my mind that the best they could do for the Seriki line is to defreeze the promotion and ask them to follow the customary requirements of the laws as stated in the declaration. “High Chief Saliu Adetunji, who is the Olubadandesignate, has nothing to do with the freezing of the Seriki line. Logically and clinically, it is not the turn of Oyediji to become Olubadan. He has not met the conditions stated above. If he had, nothing would have stopped his emergence,” he said.

Chairman, African Newspapers of Nigeria (ANN) Plc, Reverend (Mrs) Omotola Oyediran (second right); Olori Moriyike Lana (right); Professor Femi Lana and his wife, Bola, during a condolence visit of ANN Plc’s chairman to the family of Olubadan of Ibadanland, at his residence in Ibadan, on Sunday. PHOTO: D’TOYIN

Alao-Akala, lawmaker admonish Olubadan-designate on development By Tunde Ogunesan

FORMER Governor of Oyo State Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, on Sunday advised the Olubadan-designate, Chief Saliu Adetunji, to use his experience as a successful businessman to aid industrial development and foster unity among Ibadan indigenes. Chief Alao-Akala made this submission when he visited the Olubadan-designate on Sunday, at his Popoyemoja residence. The former governor said “I felicitate with Chief Adetunji and at the same time want to implore him as a businessman to think big for Ibadan. He should also ensure total unity among the sons and daughters of Ibadan. “As a businessman, he

should also use his wealth of experience to encourage business growth in the city. In the area of business development, I trust the Olubadan-designate to flourish in this aspect.” In the same vein, member representing Akinyele/ Lagelu Federal Constituency in the Representatives, Honourable Temitope Olatoye, a.k.a Sugar, was among other callers at the home of the Olubadan-designate. Honourable Olatoye said there is need for Chief Adetunji to continue to pursue vigorously the project of Ibadan State, which was started by the late Odulana Odugade. He added that “Ibadan State must also continue to be on the priority list of the Olubadan-designate,” he said.

Former governor of Oyo State, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala (left), discussing with Olori Moriyike Lana, during his visit to the family of Oba Samuel Odulana, on Sunday. PHOTO: D’TOYIN

Mr Seyi Makinde (left) with the Olubadan-designate, High Chief Saliu Adetunji, during his visit to the Popoyemoja house of Chief Adetunji.

Monday, 25 January, 2016

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Monday, 25 January, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

FG slams fresh N22.7bn fraud charges against Tompolo, others Ayomide Owonibi Odekanyin Lagos

FOLLOWING his alleged involvement in N22.7 billion fraud, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed fresh charges against ex-Niger Delta militant leader, Government Ekemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, and 12 others. The charges, numbering 22, were filed by the anti

graft agency at the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos. The fresh charges border on stealing, advanced fee fraud and money laundering all to the tune of over N22.7 billion. Tompolo and nine others are facing another alleged N34 billion fraud before Justice Ibrahim Buba. He, however, did not turn up as expected in court on January 14, and Buba gave

an order for his arrest. The EFCC listed 25 witnesses that will testify against Tompolo and his 12 co-suspects when the trial begins. Among the witnesses are seven EFCC investigators, officials of the Nigerian Maritime Administration

and Safety Agency, officials of the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, and officials of Bureau of Public Procurement. Also to testify against the suspects are officials of four commercial banks in-

cluding Access Bank, FirstBank, Zenith Bank Plc and United Bank for Africa Plc. Those to be arraigned alongside Tompolo in the fresh 22 counts are: a former Director-General of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi, whose four brothers – Victor, Nobert,

Emmanuel and Clement, who are still at large, were said to have aided the suspects to commit the fraud. The other suspects are Kime Engozu, Josephine Otuaga, Rita Uruakpa and Pondi Kestin. The case is yet to be assigned to any judge.

FG endorses PRCAN advocacy campaign THE media and publicity team of President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged support for the advocacy campaign of the Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria (PRCAN), which is aimed at ensuring that the laws governing PR practice in Nigeria are complied with. Receiving the PRCAN delegation, led by its President, Mr John Ehiguese, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, said the government would ensure that PRCAN member-agencies became significant players in its communications drive. He said that the Buhariled administration was willing to seek and secure support from all stakeholders in the quest to rescue the country from national and economic decline occasioned by past errors.

Adesina recalled the significant strides of PRCAN, particularly its thought leadership and capacity development programmes, as well as its determination to sanitise PR practice in Nigeria. He promised that the administration would lend support to the initiatives of the association, which he believed would promote the goals of bridging the gap between the government and the populace. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, commended PRCAN for finding time to rub minds with the team, and pledged support for the association. Earlier, PRCAN President, Mr John Ehiguese, had condoled with Adesina on the recent passage of his sister, Professor (Mrs) Foluke Ogunleye and prayed that God would forever stand by the family.

FG seeks Nigerians’ support in fight against corruption Olatunde Dodondawa - Lagos

THE Federal Government has urged Nigerians to support its fight against corruption. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made the plea during his sensitisation campaign on war against corruption in Lagos on Sunday. According to him, “we urge Nigerians to support us in the campaign to stop corruption. We all need to rise and support the war because it is a war of survival. As President Muhammadu Buhari often say, ‘if we don’t kill corruption, corruption will kill us’.” He argued that the rate at which national budget was increasing supposed to have led to corresponding decrease in poverty level. “Have you noticed that Nigeria’s national budget increased from N900 billion in 1999 to N6 trillion today

and poverty has also increased almost at the same proportion? One would have expected that the increasing budget would have reduced poverty drastically,” he stated. However, he said the reason for disconnection between growth in budget and poverty level was that appropriated fund mostly ended up in the pockets of few Nigerians. He said when money meant for construction of roads is misappropriated people suffer and die in an avoidable accident. “In the so called Dasukigate $2.1 billion scam, fund meant for the fight against Boko Haram which was diverted into other usage including over N4 billion for spiritual purposes, N13 billion for Maritime University land, N2.1 billion for publicity and hundreds of million of naira for political class.”

From left, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu; Vice-President, Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria (PRCAN), Muyiwa Akintunde; Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina; PRCAN President, John Ehiguese and the PRCAN Assistant General Secretary, Mike Nzeagwu, during a courtesy visit by PRCAN to the presidential media team in Abuja.

$8bn arms fund: Falana drags Dasuki, others to ICC Ayomide Owonibi Odekanyin Lagos

HUMAN rights lawyer and activist, Femi Falana, has petitioned the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate allegations of crimes against humanity committed against the Nigerian people by some former and serving military officers as well as public officials and private persons. He specifically cited the mismanagement and diversion of $8 billion earmarked to procure equipment for the armed forces to fight insurgency. According to a petition dated January 19, 2016, which was sent to the Prosecutor of the ICC, Mrs Fatou Bensouda, Falana called for immediate action from the international court. The petition reads in part: “On account of the deliberate refusal of the former military authorities to equip and motivate the members of the armed forces involved in combat operations, the insurgents have killed about 25,000 soldiers and civilians including children and displaced over 2,000,000 people. “In order to divert the attention of the Nigerian people and the international community from the aforementioned crimes against humanity, scores

of soldiers were put on trial before courts-martial for demanding for equipment to fight the well-armed members of the Boko Haram sect. The military courts convicted the soldiers and sentenced them to various terms of imprisonment while 70 were sentenced to death. “Over 3,000 others were dismissed from the Nigerian Army in similar circumstances.” Falana added that upon investigation, it was confirmed that the said soldiers were sacrificed to cover up the criminal negligence of the former military authorities. “The current Army leadership has ordered the recall and reinstatement of the 3,000 dismissed soldiers and commuted the death sentence of 66 out of 70 convicts on death row to 10 years’ imprisonment. “The inquiry conducted by the Presidential Panel on arms procurement has established that the bulk of the sum of $2.1 billion and N643 billion ($4 billion) earmarked for the purchase of military hardware to fight terrorism was criminally diverted by the former government through the office of the National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd). “It has also been confirmed that the said Dasuki colluded with some serving

and retired military officers and civilians to divert the sum of $2 billion and N29 billion set aside for the procurement of fighter jets and other equipment for the Nigeria Air Force,” Falana alleged. The human rights lawyer also alleged that the sum of $322 million and £5.5 million from the Abacha loot which was illegally transferred to Colonel Dasuki by a former Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, for prosecuting the war on terror was also criminally diverted. Part of the stolen fund he claimed, was used to fund the campaign for the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 general election. “Apart from diverting the fund for acquiring military equipment, some corrupt public officers also stole money set aside for acquiring the necessary gadgets and equipment for securing the Nigerian people. For instance, the $470 million contract awarded in 2009 for the installation of CCTV cameras in Abuja, the seat of the Federal Government, was poorly executed due to corrupt practices. Thus, the identification of terrorists who launched bomb attacks in public places in Abuja has been frustrated by the government officials who stole the contract sum.

“Although the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has so far shown some political will to fight corruption and recover stolen assets, we believe that an international investigation by the ICC from the perspective of crimes against humanity would complement the anti-corruption initiatives by the current government and contribute to ending a culture of impunity of perpetrators. “We submit that substantial grounds exist to warrant the intervention of the Prosecutor in this case. Under Article 30(2)(b) of the Rome Statute, a person has intent in relation to a consequence, (where) that person means to cause that consequence or is aware that it will occur in the ordinary course of events. “We, therefore, submit that this is sufficient to hold Col Dasuki and others that have been indicted in the arms theft scandal responsible for crimes against humanity perpetrated against Nigerians. The failure of a former Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to prevent widespread and systematic corruption including the re-looting of the Abacha loot amounts to complicity under the Rome Statute, and therefore fits the legal requirements of a crime against humanity,” the petition read.

news Pipeline vandalism must stop, Buhari orders NDDC 5

Dapo Falade - Port Harcourt

RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has given a marching order to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to explore all avenues to stem the increasing pipeline vandalism and general insecurity in the region. This was as the president also directed the commission to secure peace and stability by means of consulting and negotiating (where necessary) to ensure there were no further acts of vandalism and criminality in the region. NDDC Acting Managing Director, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, made this known during a consultative meeting

Monday, 25 January, 2016

she held with the Association of Traditional Rulers of Oil Producing Communities of Nigeria (TROMPCON) in Port Harcourt, at the weekend. She described as unfortunate the kidnapping and eventual death of King Obi Akaeze Ofulue III of UbuluUku, Delta State, last week, adding that it was a dastardly act that cannot be condoned. Admonishing the traditional rulers on the need for peace in their respective domains, she said, “You are aware that, in the last few weeks, major oil and gas pipelines were attacked. “The effect of this is the closure of the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refiner-

Navy uncovers illegal oil bunkering site on govt facility THE Nigerian Navy says it has uncovered an illegal oil bunkering site at the government-owned Ship Builders Yard facility in Port Harcourt. Commodore Sanusi Ibrahim, the Commander of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, Port Harcourt, who took newsmen to the illegal site on Sunday, said five suspects were arrested at the scene. He said naval troops were immediately deployed to the site at Makoba Beach, shortly after a whistle blower revealed the location of the illegal site. “Following intelligence tip-off, we raided the area and discovered seven different storage facilities in a secret make-shift facility at the Ship Builders Yard, very close to Ibeto cement and NPA. “During investigation, we discovered illegal activities which involved bunkering of illegally refined petroleum products and lifting of diesel on to wooden boats, trucks and tanker trucks. “Several drums loaded with stolen diesel and two trucks waiting to load petroleum products among other equipment were seen at the site. “Five suspects, including a driver and three conductors of the trucks, were arrested while others fled the scene on sighting advancing naval operatives,” he said. Represented by Lt.-Cdr. Sunday Haruna, the NNS Pathfinder Base Operation Officer, Ibrahim said investigations were ongoing to identify sources of the products and those who patronise the site. He said that the suspects were currently being questioned in order to identity

the operators of the site and how they carried out the illicit business without detection. “Navy operatives are currently trailing some individuals who have been identified as sponsors and owners of the illegal bunkering site,” he said. Ibrahim, while urging oil thieves to desist from sabotage of oil and gas installations, gave an assurance that the navy would continue with its 24-hour patrol and communitybased intelligence gathering strategy.

ies which in turn has led to a further reduction in the fuel supply chain in the country, as well as a reduction in gas supply. “This vandalism degrades our environment and will require huge resources to mitigate. This will obviously affect the revenue accrues to this region and, indeed, NDDC. “The president has directed NDDC to quickly intervene and explore every avenue that will help bring back peace and stability in the region. “This marching order entails that we must immediately swing into action; consulting and negotiating, where necessary, to ensure there are no further acts of vandalism and criminality in the region. “We, therefore, appeal to you, your majesties, to, as a matter of urgency, engage in serious sensitisation of your subjects against oil theft, vandalism and other

acts that could cause breach of security. “This has become even more critical in view of the dwindling oil revenue and serious economic challenges we face today as a nation. “It, therefore, becomes extremely expedient for us as a people, and as a region, to ensure that our collective wealth and heritage are not further dissipated and our well-being compromised. “We must protect our pipelines and infrastructure. We must protect our people. We must protect our collective dream of a region that helps us fulfil our aspirations. We cannot afford to do otherwise,” she said. The NDDC acting chief executive, therefore, charged the traditional rulers to engage in curtailing interruptions and community disturbances and building of culture of community participation in project cycle and ownership.

She said they should accelerate efforts at building suitable relationships between contractors and community youths as well as building stronger network with the security agencies to mitigate the challenges. Responding, the traditional rulers in the oil-producing communities said they had always been willing to partner with NDDC and other agencies to curb oil theft and youth restiveness in the Niger Delta region. This was as TROMPCON expressed concerns over the increasing rate of oil theft, illegal bunkering, kidnapping and youth restiveness in the region. National chairman of the association, Eze Akuwueze Raphael, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said TROMPCON had, since its inception in 1992, remained committed to providing the needed enabling environment for peace and stability in the region.

IJAW oil-producing communities have been charged to increase surveillance around oil facilities in their domains to avert a recurrence of the recent vandalism of oil pipelines in the creeks of Delta State. Leaders of the ethnic stock, drawn from Ogu-

By Soji-Eze Fagbemi with Agency Reports

THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has declared that the recent destruction and vandalism of oil pipelines in the Niger Delta region are indications that corruption is seriously fighting back.

The NLC President, Comrade Ayubba Wabba who condemned the renewed attack on oil pipeline in the region, said it was an obvious fact that “when you fight corruption, corruption will fight back.” However, Comrade Wabba, who spoke in an interview with the Nigeria

lagha, Egbema, Gbaramatu and Ogbe-Ijoh kingdoms, made this call at the weekend during an emergency town hall meeting held over the recent bombings of oil pipelines by suspected militants in the state. The meeting was at the instance of the Commissioner representing the Ijaw ethnic group on the board of

the State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPAC), Chief Favour Izoukumor. The leaders condemned the attacks as criminal and exonerated host communities while urging security operatives to unearth the masterminds. Izoukumor explained that the meeting was held

Why militants bombed oil facilities —Ikimi Ebenezer Adurokiya - Warri

WARRI-based human rights activist and lawyer, Oghenejabor Ikimi, has fingered the revocation of juicy oil pipelines surveillance contracts from some former militants as probable reason miscreants recently blew up oil and gas pipelines in creeks of Delta State. He also identified the “politics of who to and who not to be re-awarded the juicy contract of safeguarding our oil and gas pipelines,” which had initially been awarded to a

“For quite a while, TROMPCON has longed to join hands with NDDC and other development agencies to organise a workshop on curbing oil theft and illegal bunkering, stemming of youth restiveness and to stimulate empowerment. “It is the view of TROMPCON that all stakeholders, as well as service providers, should collaborate to ensure coordinated and accelerated development of the Niger Delta region. “This imperative has been underscored in the Niger Delta region development master plan which provided for Partners for Sustainable Development (PSD) Forum. “However, we appreciate the efforts of the commission for reactivating the forum recently but urge that it is encouraged continually so as to stem the tide of wasteful duplication of projects by different service providers,” he said.

...It’s evidence that corruption is fighting back —NLC Tribune called on President Muhammadu Buhari not to be deterred or succumb to pressure but remain focused in the fight against corruption. He said: “There is another school of thought that it is also not unconnected with the ongoing probe on how our resources have

Ijaw leaders charge communities on surveillance around pipelines Ebenezer Adurokiya - Warri

Nigerian Tribune

company owed by an ex militant, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, but later revoked as another probable reason for the bombings. Ikimi made these disclosures in a statement he signed and made available to the Nigerian Tribune on Sunday, in Warri, Delta State. According to the national coordinator of the Centre for the Vulnerable and the Underprivileged (CENTREP), “Some ex-militants in the Niger Delta region had, before the above re-

vocation, frowned at the idea of awarding the contract of safeguarding our oil and gas pipelines to an ex-militant as opposed to a collection of ex-militants. “Also, the recent repudiation of the above contract by the Federal Government did not also help matters as some ex-militants had frowned at the move. “It is the space created above that some disgruntled criminal elements within the region have now explored to the detriment of our nation,” he observed.

on behalf of the Deputy Governor, Deacon Kingsley Otuaro, to convey the state government’s stance on the criminal act. According to him, “the government condemns the vandalism of the gas pipeline and called on all Ijaw oil and gas producing communities to be observant, increase surveillance of oil facilities within their territory and urge members to campaign against the act in their various community levels.” The commissioner noted further that peace must be given a chance for sustainable development in every part of the state. Some of the stakeholders that attended the meeting included: Mr Kingsley Ikiere, Chairman HOSTCOM and executive Members, Mr Clifford Atijere; President HOSTCOM Youths and executives members, Bishop Samson Amajene; Comrade Sheriff Mulade, Gbaramatu; Felix Equare Gbaramatu and Elder Paul Ukuli,Gbaramatu.

been carted away and you know that the position of NLC is that we are totally committed to the fight against corruption. “It is also being said that when you fight corruption, there is the tendency that corruption will fight back. I think this is one evidence that corruption is fighting back, but our call is that government should not be deterred by whatever it is to actually succumb to pressure because if we miss it this time around, it will be difficult for Nigeria as a country to find its bearing because corruption, which has been very monumental, has been part of the reasons why we are at this very sorry stage where we cannot manufacture, we continue to depend on importation, where even the threat of disintegration is there.” He added “All of these are by-products of corruption and therefore I think it is important for government to remain focused and fight the fight against corruption frontally.” However, he advised that “government should do all it can to try to also respond effectively within the confine of the law to address those issues and that Nigerians are solidly behind the fight against corruption.” Meanwhile, the NLC, on Sunday, in Abuja, condemned the renewed blowing up of major oil and gas pipelines by suspected militants in the Niger-Delta region.

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Monday, 25 January, 2016

Economy: Bear with us, Tinubu begs Nigerians •As he lauds Olubadan’s succession plan By Wale Akinselure

ATIONAL Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Bola Tinubu, has called on Nigerians to be more patient and persevere, as the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration continues the task of rearranging and re-engineering the nation’s economy for the benefit of the people. This was just as he harped on the need for Nigerians to support the Buhari-led administration in its efforts to ensure good governance, rid the country of insurgency, rejuvenate the economy and address kidnapping, which was bane to investments in the nation’s economy. Tinubu made this call in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Sunday, when he paid a condolence visit to the Monatan residence of the late Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Samuel Odulana. Noting the challenging times in the country caused by oil crisis in the world market, Tinubu said the current times demanded creativity and innovation in the management of the economy, but called for caution in projections of a worse economic future. “We face the challenge. We accept the need for the diversification of the nation’s economy. There are a lot of variables in the oil sector which we have to look at critically. We are not the only country that is affected by the effect of this oil crisis. We have to be more creative in a way that will not hurt the welfare of the people. “We keep talking about diversification of the economy. It is always in the drawing board. We never implemented it. There are so many ways to create and revitalise this economy, but it is not as bad into the future as people make it appear. But it will take time. There is a gestation, rearrangement, re-engineering necessary for the economy to be beneficial to the people. We must be patient and persevere and the leadership must be creative in order to rejuvenate the economy. Just bear with us. “The past is nauseating, terrible. There had never been any principle of good governance in the past. It has been cesspool of corruption. We have to support and encourage the administration in its efforts in two principal areas which are

the struggle against insurgency and kidnapping. “Today, nearly all the local governments of the affected areas are being cleared of Boko Haram. If you don’t clear terrorism out of the stable of politics in any environment, there is no way you will attract foreign investments in the country, where people do not feel safe and secure. The other challenge for the administration is kidnapping, particularly the expatriates and many of

our citizens. Until you fight that and people feel secure, investors will not associate with our economy.” On the continued influx of politicians of other parties into the All Progressives Congress (APC), Tinubu maintained that the APC remained tolerant, but was watchful not to import corrupt and unjust persons into the party. “Do you believe in the freedom principle? Human beings must be able to as-

sociate with any organisation or political party they want. You can’t stop that. You cannot discriminate against that. The builders of this party, APC, must be tolerant, must understand as long as they don’t import corruption and injustice into our party. There is nothing we can do about that. We cannot prevent people from coming in. the more, the merrier; the better, the competitiveness,” he said.

Speaking on the demise of the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Odulana, Tinubu said he wished that the succession plan to the Olubadan throne was also applicable to how political leaders emerge in the country. Tinubu said it was difficult to align with such sequential order in political leadership, because the nation’s leaders were unwilling to let go of power. Also rendering the eulogy of the late Olubadan, Ti-

Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola (left) and the Director-General of the National Pension Commission (PENCOM), Mrs Chinelo Anohu- Amazu, shortly before the minister delivered his keynote address, at the Nigerian Pension Industry Strategy Leadership Retreat, organised by PENCOM, at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, on Friday.

We must make N5trn pension fund to work —Fashola MINISTER of Works, Power and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, at the weekend, advocated the adoption of a collective national attitude that would make it possible to invest the over N5 trillion fund constituting the contributions of the nation’s working class into real sectors as a means of diversifying the nation’s economy and achieving inclusive growth. Fashola, who spoke in Abuja, while delivering a keynote address at the Nigerian Pension Industry Strategy Implementation Roadmap Retreat, said with the dwindling revenue from the country’s major source of income, the crude oil, there was dire need to diversify and change the face of the nation’s economy once and for all. In his keynote address entitled: “Overcoming the challenges and managing the risks and constraints that inhibit the investment of private capital and funds in Nigeria’s infrastructure landscape in order to make a visible economic impact”

Fashola noted that with the right attitude to diversification utilizing the huge fund representing the contribution of Nigeria’s working class pension it could be shown that the national economy was bigger than the challenges posed by the dwindling oil prices. The minister, who noted that the country failed to utilise the oil boom period to diversify the economy, declared: “Today’s reality is that we are in another cycle of burst. Oil prices have crashed from over $100 per barrel and is now hovering around $30 per barrel and there is a real chance that it will fall lower,” adding that one of the options available to still achieve diversification was to utilise its available assets or “savings such as the private money belonging to pensioners.” “For over three decades, we have mouthed the need to diversify our economy in order to open up more sectors for productive activities, income, economic growth and jobs, but we failed to follow through because of oil

resources. Every time the cycle burst, we scampered, and promised to diversify, but we soon drop the idea because not too far on the horizon is a boom in oil prices and we go back to an old life,” Fashola said. According to the minister, the periods 1970 and 1976 represented a period of the first oil boom when the Federal Government went on spending spree and increased salaries of workers while Nigerian workers asked for free everything until 1980s when the price of oil went down briefly and government mouthed diversification of the economy but dropped the idea again when oil price rose again particularly between 2009 and 2014 when oil sold for over $100 per barrel for almost five years. He advocated a rethink of the attitude of seeking everything free as, according to him, “nothing in life is free.” Fashola, who said the use of the Pension Fund for diversification would not be free, pointed out “the pension funds, which are under

the management of pension funds administrators will not go into roads, rail, housing, hospitals or universities unless we change our attitude.” “The new pension fund has shown what can happen if people resolve to contribute and pay their way…,” he said. According to the minister, “it was difficult to get private capital into critical sectors of our economy like infrastructure. Private capital and fund managers were not going to invest funds entrusted to them in infrastructure if we wanted to use them for free. As a people, we were willing to pay for these services outside our country but demanded that they be provided for free in our country.” Citing Health Insurance as another option for diversification, the Minister said it would give Nigerians a choice and access to the best medical service when they need it adding that it would also give them “a second highway away from public health service, which even with its best intentions cannot provide every service free.”

nubu said the late Olubadan spoke truth to power at all times. “The succession arrangement of how the next Olubadan will emerge is credible. The Ibadan succession plan is without rancour and the people should celebrate the life of a great man. I wish we had such arrangement whereby we know the next person to attain a political position, but it is difficult because we politicians are unwilling to let go of power. “The late Olubadan never disappointed throughout his reign. He was a devout patriot, peacemaker and straightforward father of our culture. He had a peaceful reign and exit. More importantly, he held on to truth at all times and told truth to anyone regardless such person’s status,” he said. He urged the family of the late Olubadan not to taint the good legacy that the late Oba Odulana was renowned for. Also, former interim national chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande, lauded the late Olubadan, saying he was a respectable politician and traditional ruler, under whom Ibadan witnessed rapid development. “He was able to preside over a peaceful kingdom. To be a monarch is to preserve peace and happiness for the people. During his reign, there was peace and development. It is becoming difficult for monarchs in Nigeria because democracy and monarchy are not synonymous. They are very different,” he said. Some guests who received the national APC leaders were Governor Abiola Ajimobi; Speaker, Oyo House of Assembly, Mr Micheal Adeyemo; Oyo APC chairman, Chief Akin Oke. Others were Otun Olubadan, High Chief Lekan Balogun; Olubadan, High Chief Eddy Oyewole; Otun Balogun, High Chief Owolabi Olakunlehin; Asipa Balogun, High Chief Tajudeen Ajibola; Prince Femi Lana and Prince Gbade Lana.

news

Monday, 25 January, 2016

We have laid solid foundation for Kogi development —Awoniyi

he deputy-governor of Kogi state,Mr Yomi Awoniyi, said on Sunday, that the outgoing administration was leaving the state better than it met it 2012, Awoniyi, who stated this during a thanksgiving service, held in his honour on Sunday, at the First Baptist Church, Mopa, described the tenure of outgoing Governor Idris Wada, as a successful and eventful one which the people would live to cherish for a long time. According to him, the administration has laid a solid foundation for the future growth and development of the state and prosperity of the people. He thanked the people for their support for the Wada-led administration, saying that the leadership and mem-

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bers of the church and the people of Mopa, were particularly wonderful in their support and prayers for the administration. The outgoing deputy governor promised his continuous support to churches in the area and promised to remain steadfast in his resolve to join others to uplift the socio-economic status of Mopa. Awoniyi solicited the support of the people for the incoming administration of Alhaji Yahaya Bello of the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying that it was their support that enabled the outgoing administration to make successes in all sectors. In his sermon, Rev. Joshua Ige, was full of praises for Awoniyi for what God has been able to use him to achieve for the people of Mopa and the state in general.

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I, Tirimisiyu Ayanlowo Obisesan am also the same person as Tirimisiyu Ayanlowo Arowolo Obisesan, ’Lowo Arowolo Obisesan, ’Lowo T. Arowolo Obisesan and ’Lowo Obisesan. Henceforth, I want to be known and addressed as TIRIMISIYU AYANLOWO OBISESAN. All documents with these names remain valid. Access Bank Plc., Stanbic IBTC, Fidelity, Zenith, Diamond, UBA, CBN and general public take note. ______________________________ My name is BASIRAT OLUWAKEMI OBISESAN and not Bashirat Oluwakemi Obisesan as stated in my BVN details by Access Bank Plc. Access Bank Plc., CBN and general public take note.

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I, Mrs Toyin Adegoke am the same person as Miss Ramota Adeyemo. Now, I wish to be known and addressed as MRS TOYIN ADEGOKE and my correct date of birth is 20/2/1980 not 20/4/1980. All documents bearing these names remain valid. First Bank, Wema Bank and general public take note.

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Nigerian Tribune

Monday, 25 January, 2016

Lagosmetro

Edited By

Lanre Adewole

olanreade@yahoo.com

0811 695 4647

Kiosks resurface on Oshodi railway track Gbemi Solaja

Large amount of waste left unattended to at Marina car park, Lagos Island. Photo: Sylvester Okoruwa.

Lassa fever: Anti-rat campaigns

crash garri patronage — Investigation AyomideOwonibiOdekanyin

fter several warnings by the Medical and Health Workers Union, Lagos State Council, to Lagos residents to avoid drinking cassava flakes commonly known as garri, in order to prevent Lassa fever, some garri sellers have complained of low patronage. It will be recalled that Razak Adeofalade, the chairman of the union had over the weekend stated that house rats that cause Lassa fever are mostly in contact with garri, hence the need for campaign against drinking of the staple food. “We will go into premises, market places and teach people the best practice of storing of food items from contacts with rodents. We are waging total war and that is: `War against rats,’ and that is what we are going to do to ensure we do

not have another victim of Lassa fever in the state. We will also be telling them to ensure that their fruits and raw vegetables are properly washed if they must be consumed raw and cooked at the appropriate temperature,” Adefolade had said. Checks by Lagos Metro in some popular markets in Lagos revealed that though garri is readily available, its patronage has dwindled. Speaking with Lagos Metro, Mrs. Aina Olowofela, a garri and beans seller at Mile 12 Market, lamented bitterly about the sudden drop in purchase. “I get my garri especially from Ondo State. My customers know that I sell quality garri. Ever since the government said people should stop drinking garri, the demand has reduced. “I have customers all over the state. It is not as if they are not buying at all but people would rather buy the yellow one and make eba with

it than buy the white and sour one. “My prayer is that this Lassa fever would soon stop. Ebola came and went, so I believe that Lassa fever would also go or else it would spoil business for us,” she said. Also commenting on the low sales, another garri seller who simply called herself Mama Agnes, called on the government to do something about the spread of Lassa fever. “Since the government started campaigning against drinking garri, my business has suffered. Before now, I sell garri more than the other products like yam flour and wheat. But with the rate at which things are going, I pray this Lassa fever does not finish my business. “I still drank from the garri yesterday and nothing happened to me. I believe people can only catch Lassa fever if they live in dirty environment,” she said.

Another foodstuff seller at the Binikonu Market in Ojota who declined to give her name, called on the government to help stop the spread of the disease. “I have all sorts of rat killers in my shop. I always tell my customers this. Garri is

the poor man’s food. The government should not discourage people as such. The fight against Lassa fever should cut across all types of food. Even the food we buy at our local canteen or eatery is not safe anymore,” she said.

Traders dislodged by the former governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, in 2008, have been spotted on the Oshodi rail tracks with kioks. Residents of the state have therefore urged the present governor, Akinwumi Ambode to act fast in dismissing the traders and finding a lasting solution to the menace of street trading in the state Some of the residents who spoke with Lagos Metro expressed great fear and anxiety, stating that no chance should ever be left to allow the state to drift into its former condition when the state was characterised by filth, dirt and intolerable height of lawlessness. Reports indicate that the traders limited the display of their goods on the Nigerian Railway Corporation disused second track which has been abandoned since 2009. It was reported that when Fashola, now the Minister of Power, Housing and Works, dislodged the traders, the two tracks were functional, but the traders then defiantly displayed their goods on the two tracks. Kiosks of different sizes were then placed on and along the two tracks by the traders to display their wares. The traders hurriedly moved their goods away for an approaching train only to return after the train had gone. The traders were dislodged because Oshodi, especially along the rail tracks, was

12 years after, man to die for killing woman AyomideOwonibi-Odekanyin One Nonso Okeke has been sentenced to death by the Supreme Court of Nigeria for the murder of woman, Chinwe Ofomatu in 2004. Okeke had been accused of the murder of Ofomatu on October 28, 2004 at her residence, House 18, A Close, 403 Road, Festac Town. Okeke was subsequently convicted by the Lagos State High Court and sentenced to death. Dissatisfied with the judg-

ment, Okeke appealed to the Court of Appeal which again upheld his conviction by the lower court. He then again proceeded to the Supreme Court of Nigeria which also confirmed the death sentence passed on him by the two lower courts. During the hearing, the Lagos State Attorney General who was represented by the Director of Public Prosecution, (DPP) Mrs. Idowu Alakija and Mr. Justin Jacobs urged the Supreme Court to dismiss

the appeal and uphold the judgment of the lower courts. Consequently, in a judgment delivered by Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammed, the apex court held that the appeal of Okeke lacked merit, dismissed it and upheld the decision of the lower courts. Okeke was in 2010 arraigned on a two-count charge of conspiracy to murder and murder, contrary to sections 324 and 319(1) of the Criminal Code Law Cap 17 Laws of Lagos State 2003.

Nigerian Tribune

known to be the dirtiest and an abode for criminals in Lagos State. Before the dislodgement, their activities not only disrupted the movement of the train due to the congestion, but also prevented easy movement of passengers when alighting or joining the train at the station. At the moment, residents and regular passersby of Oshodi area are uneasy with what they fear might be a return to its formerly degrading state. A resident, Adebola Kaudri said the greatest fear was that Oshodi should not be allowed to fall back to cramps. According to her, it is one of the areas notorious for thuggery and robbery and as such should be carefully watched and monitored. Meanwhile, reports gathered indicate that the Lagos State government has started erecting metal fence to protect the rail tracks from Ilupeju to Ikeja to check the activities of the traders and miscreants. “One of the serious chal-

lenges in combating societal issues like street trading is enforcement. The reason why

these traders have returned to the spot are unknown, but it is easy to deduce that

they must have nursed the idea after sensing that tension has reduced and the

enforcement agencies have relaxed,” Adedayo Okebiyi maintained.

AyomideOwonibi-Odekanyin

This pile of waste is behind a community at Estate Area located at the back of Mile 12 Market, Lagos. Photo: Sylvester Okoruwa.

Bariga cult clash: Gang leader, 6 others arrested Bola Badmus Seven suspected cultists, including their leader, who engaged in supremacy battle in Bariga area of the state on Saturday, leading to the killing of a 65-year-old woman have been arrested by the Lagos State police command. The deceased, Adejoke Adefuye, was burnt beyond recognition when her house located at 19, Oshinfolarin Street in Bariga was set ablaze by the rival cult groups. A statement issued by the office of the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Sunday said that the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Dolapo Badmus, confirmed the arrest of the cultists, as well as some of the equipment used to carry out the operation. According to the statement, recovered items include three power bikes, one live/expended cartridge and a tricycle popularly known

Businessman confesses to selling fake wine

as Keke Marwa used by the cultists to get to the scene of the incident. Trouble had started when members of Eiye Confraternity led by one Ibrahim Balogun clashed with another rival cult group known as Aiye Confraternity led by a man simply identified as Gideon in a supremacy fight at the area. The cultists, according to reports, vandalised some vehicles parked along the road in the area, while two members of the Aiye confraternity known as Bobo and Abayomi Olubola lost their lives in the fracas. The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Badmus, while confirming the arrest of the second-in-command of one of the cult groups, said the cultists had been terrorising the area for some days and that they were able to make some arrests due to the quick response to the distress calls received concerning the fracas. Those arrested, accord-

ing to Badmus, include Afees Olaide Fagunwa, Nurudeen Lateef, Richard Ewa, Richard Abayomi, Mohammed Musa, Kayode Dada and Adams Adelakun. She said that the bodies

of the deceased had been deposited at the Gbagada General Hospital for autopsy by the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU), while other occupants of the burnt building who sustained mi-

nor injuries were treated by the Lagos State Ambulance Services (LASAMBUS). She said that further investigation into the matter had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti.

A 43-year-old man, Julian Madu, has admitted to producing fake Moet wine. Madu who resides at No 18, Offin Road, Oke-arin allegedly engaged in the reproduction of the branded wine which he sold to unsuspecting members of the public. Madu would have continued with the illegal business but luck however ran out on him when he was arrested by officials of the National Agency for Food, Drugs, Administration and Control (NAFDAC) following a tipoff. Madu admitted his involvement in the crime when he was charged before a Federal High Court. Based on his admission to the crime, NAFDAC’s prosecutor, Mr Shamaki Umar asked the court to remand him in prison, as he had earlier jumped bail and refused to appear in court. The trial judge, Justice Abdulazeez Anka consequently, ordered him to be remanded in prison custody. He adjourned the case to January 26 for a review of facts.

I used LASUTH disposed prescription papers for fraud — Suspect Olalekan Olabulo A suspected drug addict, Kehinde Olatunbosun, has confessed that he was using drug prescription paper from the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) waste bin to dupe unsuspecting residents of the state. The suspect and eighteen others were over the weekend arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, during a raid on a drug joint in Ikeja area of the state. A team of Rapid Response Squad Decoy Team had on Saturday night traced a stolen phone to the drug joint, leading to the arrest of a 3–man gang mobile phone

thieves, 3 hard drug peddlers and 13 drug addicts. Olatubosun stated that he made over N10, 000 daily begging at the Mobolaji Bank Anthony roundabout beside the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Toyin Street and Opebi, all in Ikeja. “Every day, I make over N10, 000 begging. All days of the week, I am always at Mobolaji Bank Anthony roundabout, Toyin Street roundabout and Opebi. At times, I collaborate with beggars. Whatever we make, we share but I get the largest share,” he confessed He also added that “what I do is that I get LASUTH drug prescription papers. I get them from their waste

bin. With these in my hand, I convinced motorists, passengers and passersby that I had a relative who is in dire need of money to buy drugs and I show them the prescription papers. “This is what I have been doing since I was deported from Germany in 2004. Before the deportation, I was working as an electrical engineer in Bauhusa, Colon, Germany. I was in Germany for 12 years before I was deported. “I was caught in possession of drugs in Germany, so they deported me. I have four children. Two are in Germany with my wife. One is in Texas, United States and another in Nigeria.” He added that “Unfortu-

nately, all the money I made from begging went into drugs. Day after day, I was always there, seven days a week. I made more money on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. “As I speak to you, I am not on drugs but I am experiencing withdrawal symptoms, that is, the effect of not taking drugs for sometimes. I was in Ipodo drug joint, Ikeja when I was arrested. I was on drugs when I was picked up yesterday. I have never been arrested for any offence before. I am praying that RRS release me. I promise I won’t go back to drugs again. Where I live presently was given to me by my in-law.”

businessnews

Monday, 25 January, 2016

Banking stocks lose N296bn in 15 days KehindeAkinseinde-JayeobaLagos

nvestments in the banking index equities of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has shed a total of N296 billion naira within the first threeweek trade. According to checks by the Nigerian Tribune on the NSE daily trading statistics, it was revealed that the loss, translating to 15.7 per cent was recorded from Monday, January 4, 2016, the first trading day for the year till Friday, January 22. According to its daily report, the NSE Banking Index Capitalisation, which tells the value of the stocks on the Exchange, opened the year at N1.889 billion and closed trading on Friday at N1.593 billion having dropped by N295.989 billion. All the banks listed on the Nigerian Bourse within the first 15 days trading of the year depreciated in value except Wema Bank Plc that closed flat at N1.00 per share on Friday. Unity Bank Plc was the worst performing stocks within the days under review as it lost 34.8 per cent off the value it brought into the year 2016, closing at 73 kobo per share as against N1.12 kobo it opened the year with. Diamond Bank Plc followed as it depreciated by 25.2 per cent having lost 58 kobo from N2.30 per share it started the year trade with, to close at N1.72. Skye Bank also shed 37 kobo from its share value, having opened the year with N1.50 kobo to close at N1.13 kobo per share. Zenith Bank Plc, the only bank listed on the Premi-

um Board of the Exchange, lost 21 per cent of the value it traded at the beginning of the year, having shed three naira to close at N11.30 kobo as against N14.30 kobo per share. It will be recalled that the NSE Banking Index was the worst hit by the poor performance of stocks at the Nigerian Bourse in 2015 as it depreciated by 23.6 per cent. While giving a review of

the performance of the NSE in 2015, Chief Executive Officer of NSE, Oscar Onyema, said Nigerian banking stocks were the worst performing stocks in 2015. “Banking stocks were most affected by widespread bearish sentiments caused by declining oil prices, the depreciation of the naira against the dollar, and sustained uncertainty during the gen-

of Nigerian banking stocks occurred despite the positive financial results reported by most banks last year. For instance, the three biggest banks, Zenith Bank, First Bank and Guaranty Trust Bank, reported higher year-on-year growth in revenues and profits in each of their results for the nine months period ending on September 30, 2015.

From left: Greg Amaihwe of the Social Enterprise Report and Awards (SERAs) - Nigeria CSR awards; Nolan O’Neal, Managing Director and Lead Country Manager, ExxonMobil affiliates in Nigeria and Ken Egbas, coordinator of the SERAs during the presentation of the award for overall best company in CSR at the 2015 SERA Award held in Lagos.

PENCOM retreat: Fashola seeks proper use of pension funds for infrastructure development Gbola Subair-Abuja

AS the Federal Government grapples with the issue of infrastructural deficit in the country, the Minister of Power, Works & Housing, Babatunde Fashola has advocated proper use of pension fund to build the required infra-

structures for a rapid development for the country. The National Pension Commission (PENCOM) had recently disclosed that its PENSION funds has rising to about N5.2 trillion as at 2015. Fashola, in a key note speech at the Nigerian Pension Industry Strat-

Port survey reveals more than 60% govt officials request bribe —NSC The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) has disclosed that a survey conducted recently indicated that most officials of government agencies in the port request for ‘facilitation payments ‘’ from port users. The was disclosed recently by the Director of Consumer Affairs Department of the NSC, Azuka Ogoh, at a workshop held in Lagos on corruption risk assessment and implementation of integrity plan in the port sector. Ogoh, who represented the council’s Executive Secretary, Hassan Bello at the event, confirmed that the survey was participated in by officials of government agencies in the ports. Reiterating its commitment to reduce corrupt practices in theports, the

eral elections last year. The NSE banking index was the worst hit in 2015, plunging by 23.6 per cent,” Onyema said. According to the NSE CEO, “A few things that happened in that sector like changes in foreign exchange and commissions on turnover (COT) may have caused investors to selloff their banking holdings.” The woeful performance

NSC also assured stakeholders that it would reduce cost of transportation and the cost of doing business at the ports. “The Nigerian Shippers Council, as the economic regulator for the nation’s ports has taken note of the outcome of the survey which shows that a large number of government of-

ficials request facilitation payments in the ports; this however varies from port to port”, Ogoh told the gathering. She appealed to stakeholders to contribute their quota towards ports development in the country and ensure that best practices are achieved through standards.

egy Implementation Road Map Retreat packaged by PENCOM in Abuja said, “I see a future for Africa led by Nigeria, using the resources of the People to build a future that include the people’’ Speaking on the topic, “Overcoming the challenge and managing the risks and constraints that inhibit the investment of private capital and Funds in Nigeria’s Infrastructure Landscape in order to make a visible Economic Impact,” the minister stated that “in contrast to the mismanagement that used to be the story of our own pension funds, the most prolific of the pension funds in Africa, which is the South African Public Investment Corporation (PIC) had over $150 Billion assets

Efficiency, unit to eliminate waste, FG insists The Federal Government has insisted that its newly established Efficiency Unit in the Federal Ministry of Finance will undertake a review of the FG’s expenditure profile, while working with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to introduce more efficient processes and procedures to achieve prudent deployment of material and human resources in

order to reduce waste. The unit is a comprehensive public sector reform initiative, whose mandate goes beyond merely regulating government procurement processes. According to the Head of the Efficiency Unit, Patience Oniha, the establishment of the unit was aimed at reviewing the internal mechanisms of government recur-

rent expenditure, work and procurement processes as well as practices in the public sector which promote or support wastage and inefficiency. “While its remit includes a review of the procurement process in government for the purpose of identifying opportunities for savings, the Efficiency Unit is not a procurement regulatory agency.”

under management.” In Nigeria alone, he said, “they have $289 million in Dangote Cement , $98million approved but yet to be drawn for Notore Fertilizer, $230million in MTN Nigeria, $270million in Erin Energy (formerly CAMAC) and $150million in Mainstream Energy Solutions (in the power sector of Nigeria). By contrast, the question to ask is what is the ‘home based’ pension fund doing? If as I have shown, the ‘visiting’ pension fund from South Africa has a total of $897million in our economy. “The answer is obvious, that is why we are here, that is why my host in their invitation spoke of suitable investible vehicles with low risk profiles and sufficient comfort as the reason that continues to hamper the drive to make visible economic impact.” The minister however, said such investment should be channeled towards building of roads, hospitals, educational facilities, railways, inland water ways with the aim of generating employment for the people, creating wealth for the country and improving the standard of living for all and sundry.

We’ll ensure full implementation of 2016 budget —LSHA Yinka Ogundimu, the Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Finance, has said that the legislature would ensure the full implementation of 2016 budget by the executive arm of government. Ogundimu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, in Lagos that the legislature had the constitutional responsibility through its oversight functions to ensure that the executive arm implemented the budget to its letter. According to him, the House through its standing committees, would ensure strict compliance to the Appropriation Bill as passed by the Assembly on Dec. 31, 2015. The lawmaker said that the legislative arm would ensure that the executive arm stressing that the assembly would fulfill its statutory responsibilities to the citizens of the state without any hindrance. “If, we members of the legislative arm perform our oversight functions dutifully, there is no way the executive arm will be smarter than us.” The lawmaker called for a quarterly review of activities of all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of government by the House Committees. Ogundimu, who noted that the budget could not capture the entire needs of citizens, urged the executive arm to prioritise its the needs. “Many needs are begging for attention, but all could not be captured at the same time. “We cannot do all that we want at the same time because of limited resources, all we need is to prioritise. We just need to concentrate on the most pressing needs like education, health, security, infrastructure which cannot wait till another year.” The chairman advised all MDAs in the state to adhere strictly to the implementation of the budgets, saying that “there is the need for deviation, it must be made known for all to see and the legislature must be carried along. “All MDAs must follow this financial law without deviation because anything out of this can lead to financial crimes that can lead to prosecution.” On the plan by the state to borrow to finance the budget, the lawmaker said that it was better for a state to borrow to build infrastructure. Ogundimu said that such would enhance an enabling environment for economic activities that would also improve the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state.

businessnews

Monday, 25 January, 2016

Nigeria’s non-oil export volume in 2015 was $612m —NEPC

he Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) says Nigeria’s total non-oil export volume in the first three-quarters of 2015 was 612.73 million dollars. The NEPC Executive Director, Mr Olusegun Awolowo, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday. Awolowo said the volume of non-oil exports dropped slightly during the year when compared to the preceding year. He attributed the drop to the uncertainties surrounding political activities in the country as well as the activities of insurgents in the northeast region. “Statistics of non-oil ex-

ports dipped a little in 2015 when compared to the preceding year. “This can be attributed largely to two major reasons, which are – 2015 being an election year, there were plenty of uncertainties surrounding political activities and that of the insurgents in the northeast. “However, some marginal impact was made

though only statistics of the first three-quarters are captured for now. “For the first quarter, we have gross weight of 516, 428. 63 metric tonnes with export value of 664, 638. 89 dollars. “The second quarter has gross weight of 368, 529. 64 metric tonnes with export value of 391, 602,161. 02, while for third quarter

we have gross weight of 311, 769. 10 metric tonnes with export value of 220, 460, 728 dollars respectively,’’ he said. Awolowo said the council was working on a Zero Oil Plan that would enable it to achieve its objective in the current year. He said the plan was “in addition to implementing the National Strategic Ex-

port Product (NSEP) targeted at replacing oil and to shore up the country’s foreign exchange earnings. “The Zero Oil Plan will ensure that the sector emerges as a major contributor to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product. “When fully implemented, the Zero Oil Plan will assist in achieving our set goals,’’ Awolowo said.

Kerosene to sell at N83 —PPPPRA The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) has increased the price of household kerosene from N50 to N83. This is contained in its products pricing template, released on Sunday, in Abuja. It stated that the N83 per litre price applied only to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) outlets. The template also showed that at N83, the Federal Government will be making a gain of N10.72 on every litre. It further puts the expected open market price, which is the landing cost plus total margins at N72.28 per litre. The expected open market price is the prevailing open market rate for the product in Nigeria, after taking certain costs into consideration. Giving a breakdown of the price, the PPPRA template put the landing cost of the product at N57.98 per litre, while the total margin due middlemen was put at N14.30. The retailers’ margin was put at N5 per litre; transporters at N3.05 per litre while dealers at N1.95 per litre. It further put the bridging fund at N5.85 per litre; marine transport average at N0.15 and administrative charges - N0.15. It stated that the official ex-depot price, which depot owners would sell to marketers, is N68.70 per litre. The official ex-depot price for collection is N73 per litre, while ex-coastal price is N68.02 per litre.

The Managing Director of Bank of Industry (BOI), Rasheed Olaoluwa (left) and the Executive Director of Sterling Bank Plc, Abubakar Suleiman, at the ‘Good Morning Africa’ program organized by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), on Friday.

Banks, most hit by plunging oil prices, falling naira —Analysts Chima Nwokoji-lagos

A herd of analysts and other stakeholders have revealed that Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) are the most hit by declining oil prices and falling Naira. They have also identified areas the industry is already feeling the brunt, which include: A rise in loan losses particularly in the energy sector,significant reduction in trade finance-related revenues due to foreign exchange illiquidity among others. Describing the situation over the weekend, Managing Director, Afrinvest West Africa Mr. Ike Chioke said the banks today are seen as the toll gate of the economy. “When the economy does well, banks can collect a higher toll. When the economy did not do well, the toll trickles. You also see that a number of factors in the banking sector have changed,” Chioke said. He further said the Commission on Turnover as a means of generating income has ended and the frequency of policies from the regulator have had huge impact on the industry. Commenting on FCMB Group’s update on Interim

Audit for the quarter three (Q3):2015 released last week Peter Obaseki, the Managing Director of FCMB Group Plc, said the Q3:2015 earnings is expected to be below results from the same period in the corresponding year (Q3:2014). “The performance was attributed to two factors: A spike in impairments particularly in the energy sector; The significant reduction in trade financerelated revenues due to foreign exchange illiquidity among others. Soji Solanke who led other analysts from Renaissance Capital (RenCap) observed a threefold impact on Nigerian banks from a Naira devaluation: capital, foreign exchange (FX) income and asset quality. According to the analysts from Rencap, the outlook appears grim for the sector and management teams allude to this but “in our view, the banks are not reflecting this sufficiently in their guidance.” Solanke said RenCap’s base case for the sector assumes a (profit) margin decline of at least 30 basis points (bpts) on average, a 70 bpts increase in cost of Risk (CoR) to 2.4 per cent, a 2 ppts decline in Return

on Equity (RoE) to 10 per cent and 20 per cent devaluation. The company fears that if care is not taken, the banks may write-off 50 per cent of their exposures to upstream, services and power sector. “We however acknowledge investors’ concerns about the performance of the loan book in the event of another devaluation and a continued decline in oil prices. We think the prolonged decline in oil prices leaves the sector facing unprecedented risks, including FX scarcity (which no bank or the regulator appear to have factored in as a plausible scenario),” the analysts from RenCap stated in a note to investors obtained by Nigerian Tribune. The two sectors the banks have aggressively lent to since 2009 are where the private equity firm analysts think some of the most significant risks lie – oil and gas upstream and services (about 20% of total loans in 9M15) and power (4% of total loans). “We therefore explore a worst-case scenario where the banks write-off 50 per cent of their exposures to upstream, services and power, as well as 10 per

cent of the remainder of the loan book. “However, we think that should oil prices continue their steady decline, it could be a matter of who blinks first in provisioning for the extensive loans before the domino effect sets in,” said RenCap’s analysts. Their estimate is that GTBank, FCMB and Zenith’s capital adequacy ratios (CARs) are the most sensitive to a weaker Naira given they do not have sufficient FX tier 2 capital buffers to shield them from the impact of a devaluation; “but First Bank Holdings (FBNH), Skye Bank, Ecobank Nigeria (not covered) and FCMB would probably be quickest to breach minimum CAR requirements and feel the pressure to raise capital. “GTBank, Fidelity and Stanbic witnessed the most significant jumps in FX income in 4Q14 and 1Q15 when the naira was devalued and history could repeat itself. The asset quality impact is more difficult to estimate, but we expect an increase in cost of risk (CoR) to 2.4 per cent on average in FY16, vs 1.7 per cent in 9Months 2015,” according to RenCap.

Nigerian Tribune

Sterling Bank flags off reward promo Following the success story of the first edition of its ‘New Sterling Plus’ Cash Reward Scheme and positive feedback from customers, the bank at the weekend, disclosed that it has concluded plans to kick off the second season of the scheme. The Sterling Plus Cash Reward Scheme was introduced by the bank Plc in 2015, in fulfilment of the bank’s promise to reward customer loyalty, encourage savings culture among Nigerians and promote financial inclusion. A statement from the bank said winners of the various prize monies emerged regularly across the country at the weekly, monthly, quarterly draws. Grand prizes were also given on national holidays declared by the federal government. Giving the breakdown on the first edition of the promo, the Bank’s Group Head, Strategy & Communications, Shina Atilola, said 661 winners emerged in 44 draws winning a total prize money of N44 million in different categories. “While five winners won one million naira each, six customers of the bank who took part in the promo won a cash prize of N500,000 each,” Atilola said.

Skye Bank rolls out plans for 10th anniversary Skye Bank Plc has begun to celebrate its 10th anniversary, as well as celebrate its customers and employees. Skye Bank was formed after the merger and integration of five legacy banks. The legacy banks were the erstwhile Prudent Bank Plc, EIB International Bank Plc, Bond Bank Limited, Reliance Bank Limited and Co-operative Bank Plc, all of which came together in 2006 in the wake of the banking industry recapitalisation and consolidation programme of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The year-long programme of celebration kicked off on Saturday, January 23, with a staffled thanksgiving outing at the bank’s head office in Lagos, which will also take place simultaneously in all its regional offices in Ikeja, Ibadan, Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Abuja. Theme: The Skye of Possibilities the thanksgiving offered in appreciation for divine blessings since it commenced a decade ago.

tribunebusiness

Monday, 25 January, 2016

Godwin Emefiele, CBN Governor

By Steve Johnson

opying Venezuela’s exchange rate policy and China’s failed equity market strategy might seem the height of foolishness. But, at least in the opinion of John Ashbourne, Africa economist at Capital Economics, that is precisely what Nigeria, the continent’s largest economy, has just done. “Low oil prices are battering Nigeria’s export-dependent economy, but it’s the government’s market-distorting response that risks pushing the country into a Venezuelastyle crisis,” Mr Ashbourne says. “Nigeria is sliding towards a Venezuelastyle FX regime and adopting a Chinesestyle stock market circuit breaker. Neither will reassure foreign investors, many of whom seem to be eyeing the exits.” Both measures were announced after markets closed on Friday, January 15. The circuit breaker on the Nigerian stock exchange, one of the worst performing in the world this year with a fall of 17.7 per cent, will pause trading for 30 minutes if stock prices fall 5 per cent. Trading will cease for the day if it is triggered twice in a session, or after 1.45pm. This month, Beijing abandoned a similar policy after just four days, concluding that in a falling market the existence of the circuit breaker encouraged more selling as traders rushed to exit while they could. “The effect is akin to calling last orders at a crowded bar,” Mr Ashbourne says. “It is hardly confidence-inspiring that Nigeria is copying a Chinese policy that is widely seen to have failed.” He accepts that Nigeria’s circuit breaker may not be as badly designed as the Chinese version. Whereas the NSE All Share index rarely falls by five per cent a day, the Shanghai Composite did so a dozen times in 2015. The NSE’s version has not yet been called into action. Nevertheless, Mr Ashbourne says that using a circuit breaker to shore up the market, rather than to avoid volatility, is “deeply flawed.” Simultaneously, the central bank has said it will stop selling US dollars into the interbank FX market. Nigeria has operated a de facto twin currency system for the naira since February 2015, when the bank held the official interbank rate at N199 to the dollar to avoid a spike in inflation. The unofficial rate, available at bureaux de change, has plunged to N300/$. However Mr Ashbourne argues the latest move takes Nigeria a step along the road to a Venezuela-style scenario, where the dollar now buys 913 bolívars on the black market, according to dolartoday.com, compared with an unofficial rate of 6.28/$. “Suspending US dollar sales to the interbank market will force consumers and firms to source dollars at bureaux de change,” he says, while providing an implicit subsidy for companies and individuals with the connections needed to access the official rate. Nigeria’s reluctance to let the naira’s official exchange rate weaken means it has borne the brunt of the sharp fall in oil prices since the middle of 2014. In naira terms, the oil price has fallen from $115 a barrel to around $35, with the modicum of weakening permitted so far doing little to take the edge off the fall in oil prices to $28 in dollar terms. In contrast, Russia, which has allowed the rouble to fall sharply, is still seeing oil prices of around $65 in local currency terms, with many other oil exporters such

Nigerian Tribune

Nigeria heads for ‘Venezuelan FX regime’ as Brazil and Azerbaijan also seeing more cushioning of the blow than Nigeria. Charles Robertson, chief global economist at Renaissance Capital, expects Nigeria to bow to the seemingly inevitable and devalue the naira, given that his calculation of fair value is N305/$, very close to the current black market rate. He notes that frontier market funds are now underweight Nigerian equities, and

Suspending US dollar sales to the interbank market will force consumers and firms to source dollars at bureaux de change, while providing an implicit subsidy for companies and individuals with the connections needed to access the official rate.

believes that international investors “are likely to remain on the sidelines,” barring an obvious catalyst for change. Nevertheless he believes a devaluation to N250/$, “while no longer sufficient to ease all dollar shortages … would be good enough to warrant investors taking a fresh look at Nigeria, especially if they expect a rebound in the oil price”. Daniel Salter, global equity strategist at RenCap, has been busy analysing just when equity market investors should consider returning to a freshly devalued Nigeria, if history is anything to go by. Mr Salter analysed 13 emerging market currency devaluations since 1994 in countries ranging from Mexico and Turkey to Egypt and South Korea. His conclusions are that it is rarely worth buying in anticipation of a currency devaluation and that, on average, equity markets do not hit their low point (in dollar terms) until 99 days after the start of the currency devaluation. This delay can vary significantly, though. In the case of South Korea in 1997 the stock market troughed the day before the won started to fall. In Nigeria itself, in 2009, this point was reached after 35 days. However in the cases of Thailand (1997), the Philippines (1998) and Egypt (2001), it would have paid equity market investors to stay out for at least six months. Mr Salter believes the lag is due to two factors: the initial devaluation is often

insufficient to stabilise the currency; and that devaluations frequently coincide with banking crises. Unfortunately, this analysis probably tells us little about how Nigeria’s equity market is likely to behave in the year after any devaluation. In the 13 previous episodes, the stock market typically fell 3 per cent in dollar terms in the three months after the start of the devaluation. However, as the above chart shows, there has been huge variability in this figure, from -56 per cent in Mexico in 1994-1995 to +100 per cent in South Korea in 1997-98. Likewise, on average the typical stock market gained 4 per cent in dollar terms in the year after the devaluation, but once again this is the average of a widely dispersed data set, with the returns ranging from -86 per cent (Indonesia, 1997-98) to +172 per cent (South Korea). The sector breakdown perhaps delivers a clearer message. RenCap found that consumer staple stocks have tended to outperform in the 12 months after the start of a devaluation, while consumer discretionary companies and industrials tend to pick up once the currency has bottomed. Financial stocks, in contrast, tend to be the worst sector in the year after a devaluation, probably due to declining credit quality. Culled from The Financial Times, UK of 21 January, 2016.

Monday, 25 January, 2016

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Monday, 25 January, 2016

LG chair escapes assassination in Rivers Sea pirates kill 1, injure others Dapo Falade - Port Harcourt

ARETAKER chairman of Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, Rowland Sekeibo, narrowly escaped being killed by men suspected to be assassins, Saturday evening. The unknown gunmen were said to have perpetrated their unsuccessful attack on the residence of the council boss on Iwofe/ Rumuelumeni Road, in Port Harcourt. The gunmen were said to have shot sporadically outside Sekeibo’s residence for sometime, destroying valuables, though it could not be ascertained if any life was lost during the attack. The caretaker committee chairman was, however, not at his residence when the gunmen attacked, even as the state police command claimed it was yet to receive a formal complaint about the attack.

The state police spokesman, DSP Ahmad Mohammed, assured that the command would commence investigation into the incident as soon as it received a formal complaint from local government boss. “As we speak, the police have not received a formal complaint from the caretaker committee chairman of Akoku-Toru Local Government Area. “Our operatives will surely swing into action as soon as we receive an official complaint to that effect. As usual, we seek the cooperation of all members of the public to enable the police to effectively police the state. “I assure that the police is aware of its responsibilities to protect lives and property and we will continue to put in maximum efforts in combating crime and criminality,” he said. In a related development, sea pirates, at the weekend, killed one person and injured several others when

it hijacked a passenger boat travelling from Koula to Abonnema town, in AkokuToru Local Government Area of Rivers State. Chairman of Koula Community Development Committee, Awala Lolu, affirmed that a passenger aboard the boat was shot dead by the sea pirates, while sever others were injured. “At about 10.00 a.m., a passenger boat travelling from Koula to Abonnema was attacked by sea pirates. The driver of the boat managed to maneouvre the boat to a mangrove swamp and some of the passengers managed to scamper for safety. “One of the passengers who was wounded but could not get out of the boat was taken along with the boat by the sea pirates and later shot dead by the pirates. “All the valuables in the boat were taken by the pirates, who later kept the corpse of the victim at a shallow swamp and left with the boat,” he said.

All is set for constitution review —Lasun FOLLOWING the inauguration of the ad hoc committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Yukubu Dogara, chairman of the committee, who is the Deputy Speaker of the House, Honourable Sulaimon Yussuff Lasun, has said no opinion presented to the committee will be discarded as irrelevant. The Deputy Speaker said it had become imperative to give the executive good laws that would help them to carry out the duties of good governance through the amendment of all obsolete laws in the constitution. Lasun, who noted that the committee was not ready to take any chance, disclosed that the commissioning of seasoned legal luminaries to give the committee the needed technical assistance was a pointer to the readiness of the committee to do a thorough job. He believed that there were laws and enactments of the National Assembly that had not been tested, adding that the review had provided an opportunity to ensure that all laws that needed to be reviewed were amended by the committee The panel, chaired by Lasun Yussuff had all the nine principal officers of the House, with one member each from the 36 states of

the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory, as members. The panel also had special representatives for women. The Deputy Speaker assured Nigerians that issues would be addressed based on merit, while pointing out that the focus of the committee was to do a thorough job that would improve the condition of Nigerians.

With a clear jurisdiction and mandate, the constitution review committee is expected to work on the fourth Alteration Bill started by the seventh Assembly, as well as process all other proposals for further alteration of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as may be necessary on behalf of the House of Representatives or as referred to it by the House.

Osinbajo donates to Muslim women By Tunde Busari VICE president, Yemi Osinbajo has donated 10 bags of rice to the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) Orphanage in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. In a release signed by the Patron of Buhari/Oshibajo Support Organisation, South-West chapter, Chief Hamidu Ajibade, the presentation was done on behalf of the vice-president by the South-West co-coordinator of Buhari/Osinbajo Support Organisation, Dr Femi Olufunmilade. Dr Olufunmilade called for concerted efforts to support the Buhari-led administration drive to ameliorate the suffering of the poor masses. He explained that the vice

president was touched by the plight of the inmates and assured that he would support every move to turnaround the fortune of the underprivileged in the society. Receiving the donation, president of FOMWAN, Oyo State chapter, Alhaja Simiat Ogundiran, thanked the vice president for the gift she described as first of its kind from Federal Government’s official. She also described the donation as a succour to the children of the orphanage, expressing the gratitude of her non-profit organisation and hoping the gesture would continue. Alhaja Ogundiran charged the Buhari-led administration to remain focused, to actualise the change Nigerians had dreamt of.

Monday, 25 January, 2016

Monday, 25 January, 2016 With Tommy Adegbite 0811 695 4631 tommyabijo@yahoo.com

From left, President, Nigeria Mining and Geo–Sciences Society (NMSS), Professor Gbenga Okunlola; Kwara State governor, Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed; LOC chairman, Professor Sunday Dada, the immediate past president of NMSS, Professor S. C. Teme and others, during a courtesy visit to the governor at the Government House, Ilorin.

Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko (left), with the wife of the deceased, Mrs Oluremi Olaiya-Oni (right), during the funeral service for the late former Minister of Education, Dr Olaiya Oni, at St. Silas Anglican Church, Ise-Akoko, at the weekend.

From Left, All Progresives Congress (APC) chieftain in Akoko Ondo State, Chief Felix Ayegbusi; gubernatorial aspirant, Dr Olusegun Abraham; former state Commissioner for Works and leader, Ondo State Elders Forum, Chief Erastus Akeju and a former chairman, Buhari Campaign Organisation and Director-General, O Abraham Campaign Organisation, Prince Olu Adegboro, during a courtesy visit to Chief Akeju, in Okeagbe, Ondo State.

Executive members of Unique Vision Club of Nigeria, handing over food items and toiletries to the administrator of Little Saint Ophanage (Ogudu Branch), Mrs Victoria Amos (third left), in Lagos.

From left, National Secretary, Association of Water Well Drilling Rig Owners and Practitioners(AWDROP), Mr Yomi Adeyemi; Leader of AWDROP in Oyo State, Alhaji Ganiyu Abiola; National President of AWDROP, Mr Micheal Ale, acting chairman of AWDROP in Oyo State, Mr Kolawole Olayinka and the National Publicity Secretary of the association, Mr Richard Ajayi, during a national emergency meeting with the Oyo State executive of AWDROP, at the weekend.

From left, The Most Reverend (Dr) Joseph Olatunji Akinfenwa, Bishop of Ibadan Diocese; The Right Reverend Jacob Adeyemo Ajetunmobi, Ibadan South Diocese; The Most Reverend Segun Okubadejo, Diocesan Bishop/Archbishop (right) and Olori Moriyike Lana, widow, during the condolence visit to the family of Oba Samuel Odulana, at his Monatan residence, in Ibadan, on Sunday. PHOTO: D’TOYIN

From left, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr Peter Ndegwa and the President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Chief (Mrs) Nike Akande, after a meeting between the leadership team of Guinness Nigeria and LCCI in Lagos.

From left, initiator of Olalekan Olomide Platform for Development, Mr Kola Olomide; Asiwaju of Ibadanland, Chief Bode Amoo and Alhaji Kehinde Olaosebikan, during the fourth Olalekan Olomide summit, held at the NUJ Press Centre, Iyaganku, Ibadan.

From left, Group Managing Director, Creativexone, Mr Doyin Adewumi; Marketing Director, Gionee Nigeria, Mr Somoye Habeeb and the Brand Manager, Creativexone, Mr Christopher Woghiren, at the media launch of M5 Mini Smartphone by Gionee Mobile Phone, in Lagos.

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

INSIDE LAGOS

Monday, 25 January, 2016

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From left, Ifeoma Okoye, Public Affairs Manager, Lagos and West, Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Limited; Pastor (Mrs) Funke Felix-Adejumo, Senior Pastor, Agape Christian Ministries and Convener of the Women on the Winning Edge; Mrs Abimbola Fashola, former First Lady of Lagos State; and Akomen Omijeh, Corporate Communications Manager, NBC Limited at this year’s Women on the Winning Edge Conference organised by the Funke Felix Adeyemo Foundation and co-sponsored by NBC Limited in Lagos, on Sunday.

From left, Head, Sales and Markets, Mrs. Nike Oyewolu; Partner, Management Consulting, Mr. Segun Sowande and Partner and Head, Audit Services, Mr. Tolu Adeyemi all of KPMG Professional Services at a press conference organized by the company to announce its forth coming CFO Survey Report Conference, held at the company’s Head Office, on Friday, in Lagos.

From left, Kemi Adeniji, Executive Director, Larry Kay Events; Olis Emeka, Brand Rep, Dano Milk; and Lanre Adeniji, CEO, Larry Kay Events, during the Arla Dano Milk roadshow campaign in Lagos, recently.

Alaba Igbaroola: 08155975474

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From left, Marketing Manager, Malta & Apnad, GNPlc., Uche Onwudiwe; Comedian, Bright Okpocha (BasketMouth); Customer Marketing Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc., Mr. Obinna Anyalebechi and Corporate Communications Manager, GNPlc., Mrs Olayinka Edmond at the Malta Guinness You vs…Campaign Brand Ambassador signing ceremony in Lagos.

From left, Assistant Director, Lagos State Building Control Agency, Mr. Gbolahan Oki; President, Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers, Mr. Oreoluwa Fadayomi; Senior Research Officer, Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, Mr. Atomen Edom; and Coordinator, Building Collapse Prevention Guild, Kosofe Cell, Mrs. Jane Ogbu, during a forum for foundation practitioners and drillers by BCPG Kosofe Cell, in Lagos, on Tuesday.

From left, Director, Nigerian Economic Summit, Mrs Wonu Adetayo; Chairman, Nigerian Economic Summit, Kyari Bullar; former Chairman, Nigerian Economic Summit, Foluso Philips, and Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Economic Summit, Laoye Jaiyeola, during the the initiative to Integrate Young person into the Nigerian Economic Summit, held recently.

18 LETTERS TO THE

Monday, 25 January, 2016

editor

Letters to the editor should be sent to letters@tribune.com.ng or by sms to 08053412982. It MUST be accompanied by the full name and address of the writer.

Subsidy removal: How not to make Nigerians suffer

ODAY, the official price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), which is better known as Petrol in Nigeria is N86.50k, while the NNPC outlets sell at N86.00k. However, these prices are just official as marketers dictate the prices they sell their fuel across the country. The average litre of fuel now is between N120 and N140, but in some other cities, it is about N150 to N170.

We should, therefore, ask ourselves why the Federal Government has not been able to provide a uniform price for Nigerians. This, I believe, is one of the demerits of deregulating the sector. Despite all the promises, Nigerians cannot find fuel to buy at the official price; even, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), which ought to enforce the uniform price, has not been successful with this.

At filling stations where the official price is N86, then one must be prepared to spend the whole day queuing for fuel, as such stations are often besieged by motorists who want to buy low. When the Federal Government announced that it was removing the subsidy in this year’s budget, I knew it would be very difficult to enforce a uniform price regime, since the marketers no longer receive the subsidy grant from government, then

they will determine the best price to sell their products. It is important that there is a price control mechanism, which will not make the marketers cheat the people unnecessarily, and this is why the government came up with the official price of N86 and N86.50k respectively. If the government doesn’t want Nigerians to suffer unnecessarily, then it must come up with a task force that will be monitoring filling sta-

tions that don’t comply with the official price. Government must also ensure that all its refineries are working at full capacities, so as to reduce dependence on imported fuel. Finally, the government must attract investors to come and build refineries in the country. When this happens, we will be able to refine what we consume locally, while selling the excess to neighbouring countries. Building refineries is a

profitable business for investors, particularly at a time when the oil sector has been deregulated in the country. A refinery, after meeting local demand, can target countries such as Benin, Togo, Cameroon, Ghana, among others. It will make economic sense for these countries to buy refined fuel from Nigeria than from Europe or the United States due to the proximity.

MAY I use this opportunity to say something about the so-called armsgate which has been in the media for sometime now. The armsgate is not only an absurdity, but another wicked atrocity being committed against the

Nigerian people by politicians. It is a known fact that billions of naira was donated to support expresident Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election bid, then how coem the $2.1 billion meant for the purchase of arms to fight

Boko Haram, was shared by the same politicians? Is this greed or wickedness, in a country where millions are sick, hungry, homeless, unemployed and living without electricity? The awful aspect of this authority stealing is the

effective collusion with banks, which not only helped to hide the loots but also helped to siphon same abroad. Then how can the economy grow? Only God can deliver Nigeria.

Biafra agitation: Is it a wise decision? This absurd armsgate IN recent years, Nigerians used to hear about the ethnic militia called “Niger Delta militants”, a group agitating for the infrastructural develpment of the Niger Delta region. Not only that, they were equally agitating for the total control of revenue collected from that oilrich region. As this group continued with their agitation, another faceless group from the North-East region, equally emerged, known as Boko Haram, an Islamic sect, fighting for the total control of the North Eastern parts of the country, although the sect had done a lot of the economic destruction to the area as well as affecting the socio-economic and political development of the country. However, in the South Eastern part of the country, which is noted for commercial activities, the nation is battling with the activities of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB). One needs to ask: Is it worth it to have another group agitating for certain demands like secession?” This is a question which all well-meaning Nigerians should provide answers to. The main progenitor for the creation of Biafra State, the late Nkemba of Nnewi, Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, a more respected man actually made

his stance known to the world on the need to free his kinsmen from the shackles of oppression, marginalisation as well as poverty. We need to stress if this agitation is still necessary at this material period or is this group just wanting to follow what other militia groups are doing in other regions? It is good to really make it known to the global community what MASSOB actually wants to achieve for the inhabitants of the region, otherwise, there might be division within the people of the region which may lead to crises that can affect the socio-economic as well as its political stability and that of the nation. According to some notable chieftains of Eze Ndigbo, the agitation for the control of the region at this crucial period of the nation’s democratic dispensation, is not a wise decision, hence, people should think otherwise and seek the survival of the group or people who will develop the region. There is also the need to make a proper review of investment within the region and other parts of the country including the issue of inter-marriage among many other salient issues. Esther Ugwu, Department of Mass Communication, The Polytechnic, Ibadan.

•Nugwa James, Lokoja, Kogi State.

•Nosa Osawaye, Ilesa, Osun State.

editorial

Monday, 25 January, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unmanned border routes

he Minister of Interior, General Abdurahman Dambazzau, recently stated that only 100 out of the 1500 border routes into the country are being manned by officials, leaving 1400 routes unmanned. This situation evidently means that Nigeria has one of the most porous borders in the world given that there are enough unmanned routes for people to get into and out of the country without official notice. And yet, the country has been facing security challenges for some time including fighting the Boko Haram insurgency without the government realising that it has a big problem on its hands with these unmanned border routes. It is difficult within this context to see how the country would successfully deal with its security challenges and defeat the Boko Haram insurgency as these unmanned routes assure that insurgents could freely come and go into the country and use the same routes for the unceasing supply of arms and recruits. It is, therefore, no surprise that in spite of the successes recorded by the Nigerian military in decimating the insurgents and their organizational structure, Boko Haram continues to be a thorn in the flesh of the nation, perhaps to the extent that it is able to replenish itself through these unmanned routes. Indeed, it is doubtful in the present case whether those prosecuting the insurgency on behalf of Boko Haram are indeed only Nigerians, given the porous borders that would assure the group of recruiting from outside of the country. The easy, illegal movement of people across these porous borders would also suggest lack of seriousness about the problem of human trafficking into and out of the country. Evidently, there is no way the country could know what would be happening on all these unmanned routes with respect to human trafficking, such that the whole interest of government and other organisations in the issue would not be concentrated on monitoring proceedings in the 100 manned border posts. With more than 1400 routes without any form of check, it should be easy to understand why human trafficking remains a big problem in the country and it should be clear that nothing could be done seriously about the issue until Nigeria has a secure border and is able to officially account for how people move in and out of the country. The same goes for the issue of smuggling

which has been touted as responsible for the problems with petroleum distribution and protection of local industries in the country. Obviously, the government cannot be sure about the amount of petroleum it should provide for local consumption as a large percentage of such usually finds its way to other countries through the unmanned border routes. In essence, even the economic management of the country is undermined by this copious exposure to other countries. With the security, economy and indeed human existence of the country under siege from its unmanned borders, we hope the minister of interior is not just raising this issue for media attention, but to suggest the preparedness of the government to tackle the issue head-on. It is definitely not enough to simply identify the problem without working out modalities and strategies to combat it. In this wise, General Dambazzau should not plead helplessness and lack of resources as the cost of the unmanned routes is huge indeed. The security of a country is as good as the security of its borders such that the government should view the present situation as part of the cost of combating insecurity in the country. Government must properly designate official routes and let people know that moving in or out through any other routes would be an offense. In the same manner, with the use of appropriate technology, it should be possible for the government to monitor other areas without official routes in such a way that those who want to engage in illegal and nefarious activities would know that they are being watched. This way, the government would be able to keep a tab on the borders and ensure that illegal activities do not become the order of the day from there. We know, of course, that these are trying times for the economy and it would be unreasonable to expect the government to get officials to man all the outposts and routes. Yet, the government must be innovative in employing technology to ensure that the borders are protected and that they do not constitute avenues for smuggling, human trafficking and insecurity. It is only by doing this that the government would show that it has reacted appropriately to the current situation of having so many unmanned and illegal border posts and routes.

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opinion

Monday, 25 January, 2016

Lasisi Olagunju Lasgunju@yahoo.com (08111813053)

an you disclose the number of people you have slept with? Whether man or woman, if your cup runneth over in that faculty, you are likely to get flustered by the audacious question. In my undergraduate days, I remember there was this graffiti deliberately written (by whoever) on the back of a toilet door. It was (or is) a long list of girls the anonymous writer claimed he loved — something like “I love Grace, Bunmi, Bola, Bisi, Biola, Bidemi and so on...” Of course, there were reactions in form of comments under it. The one I can remember vividly is: “Jesus loves you!” Some other people of religion would intone a quick prayer for the writer to be delivered of the spirit of fornication. He needs prayers, they would say. We all need prayers. But before you start praying, I ask you again, how many people have you slept with? Not many can really answer the question. Some sincerely cannot answer it because they have long lost count of their objects of play. Some won’t answer because they are miserably poor in that area. For some, however, silence is very golden. Now, is that really the most difficult question to answer? Or rather, is it the only difficult personal question anyone can ask you? It is not the only question of counting you may find not funny. Another is: how much do you have in your bank account? Or how many houses do you have? Those with just one house may answer truthfully. Those with more than one may manage an answer holding back the whole truth or may just feign being dumb and deaf. To them, you don’t even count children in some cultures let alone count houses, wives or concubines or mistresses or gold coins. So, what do you feel when you are asked ‘how rich are you?’ I don’t know if you noticed it. The most famous question in the country in the last one week is: How rich are you? That was the question the Comptroller-General of Customs asked his officers and men to answer within 14 days. It was the same question the Chief of Army Staff asked his officers and men. It is the question Nigeria is asking anyone with the remotest link to the national purse to answer. It is the question anyone who walks the corridors of

How many people have you slept with?

public office must answer. Those who have been asked to write how rich or poor they are will do as instructed. Declaration of assets and liabilities is a constitutional obligation for a wide range of persons in public sphere. And do they do it? They do — but as the law stipulates. And there it ends. Can we remove the ass in the law by making it more open to public scrutiny? Can we blaze the trail in getting asset declaration forms uploaded on purpose-built websites for everyone to access, assess and attest to the veracity or otherwise of the claims? Imagine knowing that the market would make one to answer questions on how promiscuous one is; would one still hop from the laps of one concubine to another’s? Imagine knowing that one would one day be forced to say how dingy the course of one’s social voyage has been, wouldn’t one carefully choose the way to go? President Muhammadu Buhari, during his last media chat, complained that the media was “harassing” him demanding for his assets declaration form. Really, we are unfair to him each time we ask for that form. He has fulfilled the demands of the law and has even gone further with a press release providing a summary of his ‘riches.’ Instead of harassing presidents and governors, what we

need is a law that is not stupid. We do not need a law that compels secret confession. When we have a law that ensures full disclosure, the media will no longer ‘harass’ presidents for asset forms that can be accessed online. Even presidents will sweat less in fighting corruption, because compulsive thieves would know when to stop stealing what can’t be hidden from the owners. Having that law will add to the beauty of Change. Like all unusual steps, this government has been making new possibilities possible. One beauty I have seen in the anti-corruption war of the Buhari presidency is that it has been very avant-garde in planning and execution. Bails are no longer institutional escalators for the accused to bail out of trial. I am not of those who see partisanship in the current anti-corruption campaigns. Rather, I see this government teaching all of us how to do it when it is out of power and others get there. Precedents are being set for the nation to follow in the cleansing of the sacred terrace of Nigeria. Why should the PDP complain that only its dirty arse is targeted in the cleansing festival going on? If the PDP knew the other side was dirty too, what did it do with it when it (PDP) was in power? Did it not celebrate certain members of the other side as examples in excellence? The precedent of total disclosure of everything by the leader is another we must have in our law before this government ends its swag. Should a girl blindly follow to the altar a man who cannot tell her how many ladies he has slept with? Should a man make as wife a lady who is ashamed to show him her footprints on the social highway. Any politician who feels offended when asked to fully disclose his material worth is not worthy of our votes and confidence. He should just be content minding his family business. George Washington was America’s stellar president. At a point in his presidency he had cause to declare: “I walk on untrodden ground. There is scarcely any part of my conduct which may not hereafter be drawn into precedent.” Every human being who wants to preside over the affairs of my country should not be afraid to say that.

Towards properly constituted INEC, other statutory boards By Babatunde Adewale

There appears to be an erroneous assumption that, when the executive and its complements of staff have been elected and appointed, then the structures of governance have been formed and other structures become dispensable or redundant. Even more worrisome is the scant regard paid to the statutory guidelines enabling the governance structures of some Federal Commissions, Boards, Agencies and other relevant institutions. An important example is the Independent National Electoral Commission, wherein paragraph 14 of the 1999 constitution (as amended) clearly stated that the Board of INEC shall comprise of 13 members without floating any provisos requiring piecemeal, staggered or discretional constitution of the board, but unfortunately what has happened so far is a total disregard for the constitution. The proper constitution of governance structures in a democratic society is not a discretional whim of the President, those who are appointed may be by his discretion, except where specific directional orders are made by statute, but the proper constitution of such institutions centres around the core notion of governance. It is consequently a defect in the practices, traditions, decision-making process in election management as required for a democratic society, when the executive arm of government discretionally decides without reference to enabling constitutional provisions to appoint the board of INEC, a governance structure, provided for by Law in a piecemeal fashion by appointing seven instead of the 13 members required by Law, to make decisions which are only considered legal and constitutional when a minimum of five of the statutory 13 members meet to take such decisions on election matters. It is only then that it is properly constituted. The same nonchalance in the requirements of proper democratic governance is evident in the constitution of federal boards dissolved by the current government; the statutes enabling these boards envisage that such boards constitute significant accounting layers in the decision making of such institutions. Persistent failures to properly constitute such boards concentrates decision making centrally, or worse still, it places in abeyance core functions of such institutions where higher

level decision-making are needed to generate implementable recommendations. In other instances such as the case of the AMCON, appointees were named and empowered without following due processes. These developments suggest a gap in the consistency of tradition and practices of the democratic functions which should define governance in Nigeria, allowing such gaps to grow rather than being addressed may lead to regressions in institution building required to consolidate democracy in Nigeria. The case of INEC is particularly worrisome because when the president dissolved the boards of federal agencies in July 2015, the president rightly exempted those Executive Boards mentioned specifically in section 153 of the 1999 Constitution such as INEC, NPC, Code of Conduct Bureau and others. Whereas the Presidency conceded to the importance of such boards, yet it did not follow up with the proactive appointment of the full board of INEC, despite the fact that the board was primed to conduct gubernatorial elections in 2015 and 2016. It only conducted a reactive appointment of six members to join the only remaining one legal member making a total of seven out of the constitutionally prescribed 13 members, and this was after it was reminded by key players in the Civil Society that a subsisting Court judgment had pronounced elections illegal, if conducted by a commission which had no quorum that meets the statutory requirements envisaged from a full member board. The constitutional requirement for a properly constituted

INEC is clearly stated as 13 National Commissioners who in making decisions for elections and election matters according to Section 159 of the constitution, must have a quorum of not fewer than five, determined only from a full Board of 13. At the moment INEC has an inconclusive and inchoate board of only seven members and if they sit as five members or seven, what quorum does this represent? Is it a five-member quorum of seven or a five-member quorum of a hypothetical but non-existent 13? The minimum quorum envisaged by the constitution is that calculated or determined from a 13 full member Board and not a mere bringing of 5 people together to assume the role of a “provisional” board. The regression currently in INEC is a sad commentary given that constituting such a board properly in line with the provisions of the constitution is for national development. This has been worsened by public perception of the character of some persons appointed already, contrary to paragraph 14(2) of the constitution that such person must be of “......unquestionable integrity” yet in the recent piecemeal appointments to INEC, Nigerians were shocked as to how this government, recognised globally for honesty and transparency, can represent itself in terms of election integrity with an individual whose past has been well exposed, and alleged to have served the interest of a political party all through his previous appointment. It is not only worrisome that President Buhari’s almost 8 months in office has been unable to properly constitute the Board of INEC that was previously made up of men of integrity that made it possible for him to win the 2015 election. Nigerians have high regard and expectation for President Buhari, but by constraining the possible achievements of his government through limiting the governance space as foreseen in the creation of national institutions for public decision-making in different spheres, he might be unable to achieve the many things he hopes to achieve in the limited period of four years, delays in setting up such national institutions by appointing the full boards with credible and effective people will only widen the governance gap and limit democratic development under his regime. Dr Babatunde Adewale sent this piece from Ibadan, Oyo State.

Monday, 25 January, 2016

Group Business Editor

tribune

business

Tackling recession:

Adeosun, Lagarde’s point of divergence By Sulaimon Olanrewaju

URING her visit to Nigeria early in January, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Ms Christine Lagarde, barely stopped short of saying that the nation’s economy was heading into recession. Lagarde had noted that although Nigeria’s economy had grown after her last visit in 2011, several global issues such as the sharp fall in the price of oil, the tightening of global financial conditions, the slowdown in the growth of emerging and developing economies and an increase in geopolit-

Nigerian Tribune

Sulaimon Olanrewaju

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

Christine Lagarde, MD, IMF (left) and Kemi Adeosun, Finance Minister during a Lagarde’s visit to Nigeria. ical tensions have slowed down the nation’s economic growth. According to her, “Over the medium term, oil prices are likely to remain much lower than the 201013 average of more than $100 a barrel. Why? Because of the huge oversupply in global oil markets. Think of the shale oil boom in the United States and some historically large producers such as Iraq and Iran coming back to the market. Other factors include OPEC’s strategic behaviour and the drop in global demand for oil, especially in emerging economies.” She added that although the country now had a large and diversified economy that had grown by about 7 per cent a year over the last decade, the outlook had become weakened. She said, “Growth in 2015 is estimated at about 3.2 per cent, its slowest pace since 1999 and only a modest recovery is expected in 2016. “For a country with a rapidly increasing population, this means almost no real economic growth in per capita terms. Low fiscal savings and reserves restrict the ability to manage shocks. And the weakening oil sector could stress balance

sheets and put pressure on the banking system,” she said. The words of Lagarde are a euphemism for recession. What is economic recession? The United States of America’s National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) defines recession as a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, “normally visible in real gross domestic product (GDP), real income, employment, industrial production and wholesale-retail sales”. Economists say recession, also known as negative growth, sets in when businesses do not expand but either shrink or remain stagnant, and there is a spike in the rate of unemployment while the Gross Domestic Product nosedives for two consecutive quarters. According to economists, the major cause of recession is inflation. They explain that inflation limits the reach of the disposable income and forces consumers to embark on discretionary expenditure by spending their limited resources on only basic needs. This affects other sectors and limits economic growth.

Tackling recession But Lagarde did not leave the nation without a ray of hope. She suggested four measures that the political leadership of the country needs to take to ward off recession. While addressing members of the National Assembly, she called on the country to act with resolve by stepping up revenue mobilization. She explained that the first step in taking the country out of economic doldrums “is to broaden the tax base and reduce leakages by improving compliance and enhancing collection efficiency. At the same time, public finances can be bolstered further to meet the huge expenditure needs. For example, the current VAT rate is among the lowest in the world and well below the rates in other ECOWAS members—so an increase should be considered.” She also said the country would need to build resilience by making careful decisions on borrowing. She added that “Nigeria’s debt is relatively low at about 12 per cent of GDP. But it weighs heavily on the public purse. Already, about 35 kobo of every naira collected by the Continues on pg22

tribunebusiness

President Muhammadu Buhari

Monday, 25 January, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Godwin Emefiele, CBN governor

Adeosun, Lagarde’s point of divergence Continued from pg21

federal government is used to service outstanding public debt.” The third strategy to beat recession, according to Lagarde is to exercise restraint “by focusing on the quality and efficiency of every naira spent. This is critically important. As more people pay taxes there will, rightly, be increasing pressure to demonstrate that those tax payments are producing improvements in public service delivery.” Finally, she said Nigeria needs to act with resolve in fighting corruption. “Corruption not only corrodes public trust, but it also destroys confidence and diminishes the potential for strong economic growth. At the global level, it is estimated that the cost of corruption is equivalent to more than five per cent of world GDP, with over US$ 1 trillion paid in bribes each year,” she said. In an article she released last Thursday, Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, also threw light on the steps the government plans to take to energise the economy and steer it away from recession. According to her, “Our focus is to stimulate the economy by the implementation of the draft 2016 budget. Our economic strategy is therefore built on four pillars and these are: to stimulate the economy and achieve a real GDP growth rate of 4.2 per cent in 2017; to reduce the cost of governance, extract efficiencies in public service and enhance revenue collections, to increase government expenditure on infrastructure i.e. transport, roads, housing and power with a view to achieving a substantial increase in gross capital formation and; to fund the budget deficit and the negative trade balance in a cost effective and efficient manner, which will keep us within the acceptable debt sustainable ratio that is expected of most emerging economies.” The views of Lagarde and Adeosun, to a large extent, are in consonance on how to rescue the economy from recession. Both are agreed on the need to increase revenue collection, increase government expenditure in critical infrastructure to stimulate economic growth and the need to fight corruption. But while Lagarde is of the opinion that though the country’s debt is relatively low at about 12 per cent of GDP, this weighs heavily on the public purse and the government should, therefore, be careful about increasing its debt profile, Adeosun thinks borrowing could stimulate growth in the economy. Lagarde had premised her views on the

fact that 35 per cent of the nation’s income is currently spent on debt servicing, the continuation of which would make economic growth arduous. She said, “Already, about 35 kobo of every naira collected by the federal government is used to service outstanding public debt.” On the other hand, Adeosun said, “In 2008/09, our budget deficit expanded to 3.2per cent of GDP when the price of oil fell precipitously from approximately $130 to as low as $38pb. The deficit of 3.2 per cent of the GDP in 2008 was in spite of the huge buffers of $22bn in the excess crude account and $53bn of External Reserves. Therefore an expansionary fiscal policy was used effectively during the last global crisis. This time our buffers are much smaller but we are even more determined to ensure that the economy does not slip into a recession. “Our total borrowing expectations are now at N1.8trn. We hope to raise approximately $4.5 -5bn from multiple external sources. This includes multilateral agencies, export credit agencies and we are also planning to tap the Eurobond market. We are optimistic that we will receive the desired support after we adopt and implement a progressive economic reform agenda. “Our deficit will expand by N0.8trn to N3trn, which will be 3per cent of GDP. This is still within the comfort zone for the international rating agencies.” Commenting on the decision of the government to finance the deficit through borrowing, Professor Adeola Adenikinju, Director, Centre for Petroleum, Energy Economics and Law, University of Ibadan, opined that it is not a bad idea for the government to borrow to finance the budget. He said that given the size of the economy, what the government plans to borrow is still within the limits allowed. His words, “It is good that the foreign borrowing will be from multilateral agencies and not through the markets, which have higher interest rates. And I hope the domestic borrowing will not be done in a way that will increase further the interest rate of borrowing. I think that the focus on the infrastructure is good; road, housing and power. Infrastructure is taking a good share of the budget and that is good.” Speaking in a similar vein, Professor John Adeoti of the Nigerian Institute of Social and economic research, said, “Borrowing is necessary to finance the expansionary budget. What the government plans to do with this budget is to stimulate growth in the economy. That is quite commendable. Bor-

Our total borrowing expectations are now at N1.8trn. We hope to raise approximately $4.5 -5bn from multiple external sources. This includes multilateral agencies, export credit agencies. rowing is not bad if it is used for the right thing. Borrowing to finance infrastructure is good. If we borrow now and invest in infrastructure by the time oil rebounds, we will pay back conveniently. If we don’t do this expansionary expenditure, the economy will go into recession. If we don’t do this it will be tough for the country. We are fortunate that the people in charge now will use the money well to stimulate economic growth and not divert into other things. “I think the lesson for us as a country is that we should stop our reliance on oil and work more on increasing revenue from tax. Many individuals and companies are not paying tax currently, the government should devise a way of bringing everyone and every company that ought to pay tax into the tax net. “We should also introduce other taxes such as property and communication services tax. Luxury taxes should be increased and so also the VAT.” But Dr. John Hosea, Managing Director of Crystal Interlink Nig. Ltd, expressed concern over the danger of over-exposing the economy to external borrowing. He said, “As much as I believe that the government needs to stimulate economic growth through expansionary spending, I think we need to be circumspect so that we do not get too deep into debt. Going by what Lagarde said that about 35 per cent of government spending goes into debt financing, increasing our borrowing will lead to an increase in debt financing and

consequently a reduction in funds available for other needs. “I think the government is taking this route because of its convenience. The government should do just two things and I think we will be able to stem recession. The first is to block all the leakages. That is why I like the idea of the Treasury Single Account in spite of what anybody may say. The government must know where all its money is and must have access to it at any point in time. It is not good for the country for an agency to earn money on behalf of the federation and to spend same without recourse to the government. I have a feeling that not all agencies have totally complied with TSA directive. “The second thing is for the government to be creative about our tax collection. Over the years, the government has not taken tax collection seriously because of the free money we were getting from oil. But I think we need to take it seriously. The foundation of the nation was built on effective tax collection. Dr Nnamdi Azikwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, financed the regional government each of them was leading with money collected from taxes. Then, the companies were fewer and the population was smaller. Why can’t we do the same now that we have more people? Like I said, it is because of the convenience. It is easier to run to multilateral agencies to raise loan than to do the hard work of generating tax revenue.” However, in spite of her optimism that with revenue from taxes and levies as well as that from oil sales coupled with borrowing, the government will be able to fund the budget, Mrs Adeosun is not oblivious of the likelihood of the government’s target of generating enough funds to stimulate economic growth not being met. But there is a plan for that eventuality. She said, “Our fiscal strategy is vulnerable to certain risks, which are known to us. The most potent being an extended period of lower than expected oil prices. In the event that this occurs, we will bridge the revenue shortfall by sale of non-strategic assets and increasing the participation of the private sector in delivery of key projects.” She added, “By pulling together to implement this budget, we will be doing at US$38 dollars a barrel what we failed to do $114 and above. It is an ambitious strategy but it is attainable. We may well feel the current discomfort for a little longer than we would prefer, but the long-term effects are potentially transformational.”

Monday, 25 January, 2016

+ entrepreneurship quote

“Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” — Denis Waitley

Nigerian Tribune

anchor Ruth Olurounbi

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

motivation

How to maintain your vision —P24

3 reasons visualisation is important to entrepreneurs By Ruth Olurounbi

VERY entrepreneur has probably heard that vision is important to his/her success as an entrepreneur, as well as his/her personal life. Life coaches often say that in starting a venture, this time a business, one must be able to pinpoint one’s vision in order to effectively craft one’s mission statement. Julie Goldstein, a psychologist, in her article, Vision and Mission Statements, Why Are They Important for entrepreneurs?, wrote that pinpointing a vision statement and a mission statement requires not only a

deep connection to your work, but also creativity. According to her, one may “find a profound sense of purpose” in one’s new venture, but if one lacks the ability to articulate one’s goals or the ability to put one’s passion into practice, one’s business will likely have a difficult time getting off the ground. Billionaire John Assaraf, a serial entrepreneur, brain researcher, and CEO of PraxisNow, while writing on the power of having a vision, concluded that “without a clear and precise vision of exactly what it is you want, you’ll never reach it or have it.” One of Nigeria’s billionaire entrepreneurs, Tony Elumelu, while highlighting

his business successes in 2015 in his New Year message earlier this month, wrote that: “Heirs Holdings achieved nearly all the strategic ambitions we set for ourselves five years ago, and in that short time, our results have been remarkable.” These highlight the power of vision. Individual entrepreneur’s vision for their business varies and is dependent on their type of business such is setting up and/or why the business is being set up. But generally, as Goldstein suggested, to come up with visions for their company, entrepreneurs need to determine who their target audience are and how they anticipate them benefiting from

their service. “Now imagine what that looks like. This vision should be the goal off of which you base your mission statement,” she wrote. And this is where visualisation comes in. “One of the most important keys to success is the ability to get clear on your goals and visualise them as if they are a reality. And do more than just ‘see’ your goals, put all of your senses into it. Ask yourself more than just, ‘What does this look like?’ Ask yourself ‘What does it feel like – physically and emotionally?’ What does it smell like, sound like, taste like? How will you move, what will be your reactions, what will happen around you?” Loder suggested.

+ entrepreneurship

motivation

How to maintain your vision

of vision, you’ll be able to ease some n pla r you keep IT can be hard to the strain by prioritizing. This doesn’t just mean your r What do you have to do right now entrepreneurial enthusiasm for you y dail a business plan. You need es stag e som at alive n visio path and to reach your long-term vision? action plan to maximize your time ney. jour the of Once you have your list of have-to ely to your vision. clos stick and or bt dou al try delegating or outsourcing Feelings of occasion mon to feel overwhelmed tasks, com It’s e how It’s al. norm are discouragement the other items to get back som by your to-do list, and those feelings lm them whe past over e the mov back and h pus ess you proc time and can often give way to frustration and that matters most. you’re feeling. burnout. Here’s a tip on how to maintain By maximising a daily action plan Courtesy, entrepreneur.com your vision as an entrepreneur: aligns with your long-term that r you k wor k, wor r you Plan

SMEs

Stanbic IBTC deploys digital solutions to deliver on SME needs Chima Nwokoji - Lagos AS part of efforts to ensure a strong and viable Small and Medium scale enterprises (SMEs) sector, Stanbic IBTC Bank, a member of the Stanbic IBTC Holdings, has said it will continue to provide digital banking support for SMEs in the country. Acting Head, SME Banking, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Obinna Ukachukwu, said the SME BizDirect is a multi-channel virtual business centre that avails the SME operator a personalized channel through which to engage the bank when the need arises. “To help clients improve operations, we believe a migration to digital banking will reduce the challenges faced by customers and help them run more efficient businesses. “Instead of spending time travelling to visit our branches, we have created a platform called SME BizDirect for customers to fulfill their banking transactions by telephone and email,” Ukachukwu said. The bank said it has developed a unique value proposition to support SMEs with transactional products; savings and investment solutions; lending products; payment solutions and wealth protection solutions underpinned by an investment in technology, which is designed to make banking easier for its SME clients. Apart from deploying best-inclass SMEs payment solutions such as bulk payments, the bank recently launched an internet banking offering specifically for SMEs as well as SME BizDirect, a personalised digital banking platform. The SME BizDirect allows businesses in the country as well as from all over the world interact with the bank. The bank said the BizDirect, a virtual centre from which well-trained bankers interact

Monday, 25 January, 2016

with customers by telephone and email, is the first of its kind in Nigeria. According to him, “It is a testament to the bank’s focus on SMEs that it created a fully dedicated centre to handle enquiries, requests and all other banking needs for SMEs.” Head of Business Banking at Stanbic IBTC, Anya Duroha, says, “SME BizDirect will change how banks interact with their clients. The era of depending on physical branches to serve clients is disappearing, and technology will be the major driver of customer engagement in the future.” According to Duroha, “information is critical to business success. Through Stanbic IBTC SME BizDirect, operators are better informed on developments within their business environment, which enables them make effective planning.” As part of its support for SMEs, Stanbic IBTC regularly organizes seminars for SME operators.

How entrepreneurship can rescue the economy —Adeboye

Success

Elumelu rolls out company’s successes, highlights future projects

Penultimate week, Bola Adeboye, Vice President, Global Business Network, MD/CEO, Nigeria Police Mortgage Bank Plc and founder, Spark School of Entrepreneurship, spoke with OMOTAYO LEWIS and ABIODUN AWOLAJA on the role of entrepreneurship in reviving the Nigerian economy, among other issues, shortly after delivering the 4th Matriculation Lecture of the Mcpherson University, Ogun State. Excerpts:

Tony Elumelu, Chairman, Heirs Holding By Ruth Olurounbi

Sola David-Borha, MD, Stanbic IBTC Among other benefits, the seminars seek to equip SME operators with financial, marketing, and management skills that they can readily deploy to transform their businesses and grow their bottom lines.

Google partners tech hubs on monetisation workshops for African entrepreneurs GOOGLE is partnering tech hubs across Africa to train internet entrepreneurs how to generate revenue from product (or service) sales, subscriptions or paid advertising. The workshops will dwell on web and mobile app monetisation best practices and business strategies. The training sessions will focus on Google’s monetisation suite: AdSense, DoubleClick for Publishers, AdMob and Google Analytics, with the topics: How to improve your ad placements, optimal ad sizes, how to increase the coverage, latest BETAs such as matched content and Google consumer surveys and how to evolve with your mobile users. Workshop participants will also be trained on Google’s analytics solutions, a tool that collects data about customer behaviour and helps translate the data into an actionable plan for business. Co-Creation Hub, Nigeria; iHub, Kenya and M-Lab, Kenya are the tech hubs Google is partnering with.

BUILDING on the successes of 2015 and previous four years, Nigeria’s billionaire entrepreneur, Tony Elumelu has highlighted his company’s future projects. Elumelu, chairman of Heirs Holdings Plc and Founder, Tony Eluemelu Foundation (TEF), in a New Year message to shareholders, said the company has achieved nearly all the strategic ambitions it set out five years ago, adding that “in that short time, our results have been remarkable.” It will be recalled that on January 1, 2016 the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurs Programme (TEEP) application portal opened for the second season of Africa’s largest entrepreneurship programme. The five-year-old TEF launched the annual TEEP in 2014, of which the founder played host to 1,000 African

entrepreneurs from 51 countries to Lagos for an intensive “bootcamp” in 2015. The programme has shined a spotlight on Africa for its diversity and potential in developing itself through entrepreneurship. “We have a lot to be proud of, and even more to look forward to this year, incorporating the lessons we learned in the first year of the programme and we will continue to empower and mentor 1,000 Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurs annually through TEEP’s US$100 million/N17bn commitment to create 1 million new jobs and add US$10billion to Africa’s GDP by 2025,” Elumelu said. According to him, his group affiliate, Transcorp Plc, which signed a Production Sharing Contract for oil block OPL 281 with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has begun preliminary exploration activities under the

Money

Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Communications/PR Manager, Google Africa

oversight of NAPIMS, adding that “over the coming months, we will commence the execution of an integrated energy plan that includes a refinery, and a petrochemical and fertilizer manufacturing plant, furthering our goal to create local value addition from our national resources.” According to the Heirs Holding chairman, Teragro Commodities Ltd., the agribusiness subsidiary of Transcorp Plc, had its best year yet in 2015, supplying global beverage brand Coca-Cola’s new line of fruit juice “Five Alive Pulpy Orange”. Teragro is the sole local-concentrate sourcing partner for the product. He added that as part of ongoing renovations on the “award-winning and iconic Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja,” 220-unit luxury apartment facility would be added to it, saying that the brand “has also commenced the development of luxury hotels in Ikoyi, Lagos and commencing soon in Port Harcourt.” Boasting on his past successes, Elumelu said the United Bank for Africa (UBA), on which he serves as chairman, “continues to cement its role as one of Africa’s most prominent financial institutions, operating across nineteen countries on the continent and beyond,” posting 40 per cent increase in profits in 2015 financial half-year results. “United Capital closed the year with one of the largest investment banking transactions in Africa in 2015 by raising fresh capital of $250m for Orion Oil crude prepayment with the National Oil Company of the Government of Congo Brazzaville,” he added. Going forward, Elumelu said “as we expand our portfolio and aim to surpass our own high standards, we will strive to hold on to our determination to create value for you, our stakeholders, and combine our formidable strengths to change the economic narrative in Africa.”

ROM your CV, it seems that, in the last 15 years, you have been involved in the crusade for entrepreneurship as an economic solution in Nigeria. Now that the nation seems to be at the crossroads economically, why do you think we have not been able to latch unto it in Nigeria? The government has not been too serious. But now, I guess they have to take it serious because we have been warning that there is a need to diversify our economic base. No country in the world that has oil, depends on oil. America has been buying oil and putting it in reserve. Britain discovered oil, but they just left it there. United Arab Emirate got oil and converted it into other industries; they converted it into tourism. But in Nigeria, we were making money from the oil and it is being shared between the Federal Government and the state governments; it is wrong, it is an anomaly. In the process, we left our productive sector, we left agriculture, we left industries. Where are the rubber plantations? We have to go back to basics and it will encourage regional balance in development, it will solve economic and social problems, it will reduce crime rate, it will create employment for the up and coming ones. We have over thirty eight million Nigerians that are unemployed. It’s a concern, we have been shouting it but government has no choice now. Very soon, nobody will even buy our oil, and then we will have to look inwards for other things. And we are blessed with so many human resources, mineral resources. We have eight million graduates that are unemployed; they are untapped and they are undeveloped. In the past, government specifically put money into the textile industry… But they are dead, because we cannot compete with foreign countries. If you had the opportunity of being the coordinating minister of the economy like we used to have, what specifically will you do? Let me tell you certain things that I would do. One, I would advocate for gradual stoppage of oil revenue sharing. But that would cripple the states? It will not. You make the states more rational. Do you want to tell me that Ondo State does not have cocoa? Where are the cocoa research institutes, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture? Most of the research institutions are dead. We don’t invest in research. Malaysia came here, picked our palm seedlings and turned it into so many products. If we continue to say that the states should continue to be dependent on the Federal Government, we will continue to kill ourselves. The states

why I have my fears.

Mr Bola Adeboye should look inwards, identify the resources they have. We have countries that have exported even human resources. India did it when they were going through their own process. You would find Indians all over and the people were remitting foreign currencies back home. There is a need for Nigerianisation, there is a need for us to operate as a nation. There is a need for us to identify ourselves collectively. I am not saying the states should not be given money, but it should be targeted at the productive sectors. We might make it a condition: the Federal Government would tell the states: “We will give you your money, it’s your allocation. But you should channel it to productive sectors that can generate revenue.” Look at the budget we are having now, six trillion naira, but over four trillion is on recurrent expenditure. For capital expenditure, we want to go and borrow money, and that is

Look at the meeting summoned by the Minster of Education, Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau; teachers were not carried along. We are the major stakeholder in the education sector.

You mentioned in your lecture that entrepreneurs don’t necessarily have to have money, that it is ideas that rule the world. Would you like to elaborate on that, for our youths? Ideas rule the world, even in the most developed parts of the world. Dangote started with N500,000 borrowed money. It was not his money, Richard Branson started with records selling, Bill Gate wrote just Microsoft programmes, for his vacation fee; he sacrificed it. So, what we are saying is, you need little or no capital. Let me give you my book “How to start your business with little or no capital”. If you go through, you will see that most great business men started with little or nothing. I started with nothing, but the capital base of my bank now is N5.5 billion. What will germinate in you, what you need, what will stimulate you, what will continue to maintain you, what will propel you, is that idea. The Yoruba say “Owo ti omode ba koko pa, akara lo ma fi je.” (A child will typically waste the first money that he or she makes). What is the meaning of that, except you don’t respect the Yoruba culture? It is a tested and proven case that, for most people that started business, there is the tendency of failure, but when you don’t give up because, you will make it. You need to have resilience, the ability to go the extra mile, and tenacity. When the troubles are much, you have the tendency of giving up, but if you don’t give up, you will eventually make it. The universities have introduced entrepreneurship studies and your book, a recommended text, seems to be one of the very few available. Do you think lack of good books is one problem for the youths? They are not giving them enough, they are not supporting them enough. But even apart from the books, the schools should encourage their students to try their hands at something. Some may go into fashion, some may go into vocational skills. They are all in my paper. My wife started with brown paper, sewing of brown paper. Now she is into export-oriented fashion designing. What if there is no electricity to power it? You don’t need electricity to power brown paper. From there, she ventured into adire, and then she started going into textiles. Later, she started going abroad, sewing cloths for Africans. And then, she started bringing in clothing materials. We have to start somewhere, I have seen some adire fabrics, they are fantastic, but are we encouraging that industry? It is only in this country that you will find the government officials going with 17 cars on their entourage. I was in Britain, I saw the Prime Minister.

Monday, 25 January, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

corporatefocus Dangote Cement, Lafarge in keen contest for market share Olatunde Dodondawa - Lagos

NE of the major sectors of the Nigerian economy, the cement sector, is largely dominated by Dangote Cement and Lafarge Africa. Dangote Cement Plc is a publicly traded cement manufacturer headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. The company is engaged in the manufacture, preparation, import, packaging and distribution of cement and related products in Nigeria, West and Central Africa, and East and South Africa. Dangote Cement Plc was

formerly known as Obajana Cement Plc and changed its name to Dangote Cement Plc in July 2010. A French cement maker, Lafarge Africa is at the forefront of exploitation, production and marketing of cement in Nigeria. It recently celebrated 50th anniversary in Nigeria and it is ready to continue to create additional wealth for its shareholders. However, despite the fact that the two companies compete for more market share in the industry, there’s the need to use some ratios to analyse the performances of Dangote Cement and Lafarge

Africa as of October, 2015. The key financial ratios are profitability ratios, liquidity ratios, debt/equity ratio and earnings per share. From the analysis of the two firms, it was discovered that the management of Lafarge Africa was able to record return on equity of 14.95 per cent while the management of Dangote Cement Plc posted 5.8 per cent. Lafarge performed better with respect to the ROA which is the ratio of annual net income to average total assets of a firm during a financial year. Lafarge posted 9.29 per cent while Dangote recorded 3.29 per cent. Dangote recorded a 56.02 per cent gross margin which indicates that it was more profitable than its competition, Lafarge which posted 32.35 per cent gross margin which indicates how much it costs to pro-

duce these products. Dangote Plc also performed better in area of operating margin by recording 41.49 per cent while Lafarge recorded 21.34 per cent. The net profit margin is also another very important indicator and Dangote recorded 29.36 per cent while Lafarge posted 17.56 per cent. Both firms were fairly liquid when their liquidity ratios are taken into account. The management of both companies recorded a current ratio of 0.95 for Lafarge and 0.59 for Dangote Plc. The two companies had considerate gearing ratio with Dangote’s gearing ratio being 0.75 while Lafarge’s gearing ratio was 0.61. Investors are at liberty to choose either of the firms for long term and short term investment strategies because of their strong fundamentals.

Return on Equity (ROE) This is a ratio that measures the ability of a firm to generate profit from its shareholders investments in the company. It is calculated as Net Income/Shareholders’ Equity. Dangote Cement Plc 36,185,000,000/626,908,000,000=5.8%

Lafarge Africa Plc 29,518,000,000/197,325,000,000=14.95%

Return on Asset (ROA) This is the ratio of annual net income to average total assets of a firm during a financial year. It is calculated as Net Income/Total Assets Dangote Cement Plc Lafarge Africa Plc 36,185,000,000/1,097,008,000000=3.29% 29,518,000,000/317,532,000,000=9.29% Gross Margin This tells you about the profitability of the company’s products. It indicates how much it costs to produce these products. It is calculated as Gross Profit/Net Sales Dangote Cement Plc Lafarge Africa Plc 69,042,000,000/123,235,000,000=56.02% 54,395,000,000/168,145,000,000=32.35% Operating Margin This takes into account cost of producing the product that are unrelated to the direct production of products such as overhead and administrative expenses. This is calculated as Operating Profit/Net Sales Dangote Cement Plc Lafarge Africa Plc 51,130,000,000/123,235,000,000=41.49% 35,888,000,000/168,145,000,000=21.34% Net Profit Margin This looks at how much of company’s returns are kept as net income. This is calculated as Net Profit/Sales Revenue Dangote Cement Plc Lafarge Africa Plc 36,185,000,000/123,235,000,000=29.36% 29,518,000,000/168,145,000,000=17.56% Current Ratio This is the ability of the company to meet to short term obligations as they fall due. It s calculated as Current Assets/Current Liabilities Dangote Cement Plc 180,980,000,000/306,160,000,000=0.59

Lafarge Africa Plc 63,464,000,000/67,082,000,000=0.95

Debt/Equity ratio is a financial ratio that indicates the relative proportion of shareholders equity and debt used to finance the company’ assets. This is calculated as Debt/Equity. Aliko Dangote, President, Dangote Group

Peter Hoddinott, MD, Lafarge

Dangote Cement Plc 470,100,000,000/626,908,000,000=0.75

Lafarge Africa Plc 120,207,000,000/197,325,000,000=0.61

moneymarket

anchor Chima Nwokoji

m:08032637535 e:chimatitus@yahoo.com

weeklyreview

CBN set to refund BDC’s N35m mandatory caution deposit Introduces current account maintenance fee Stories by Chima Nwokoji

HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed all Bureau De Change operators in Nigeria to apply for a refund of their mandatory caution deposit of N35 million kept, while it retains the N1 million licensing fee. The bank made this known in a circular to all licensed operators in Nigeria titled, “refund of mandatory caution deposit” and signed by the Director, Financial Policy and regulation Department at CBN, Kevin N. Amugo. “Given the recent development in the operations of BDCs in the economy, the CBN has decided as follows: the refund of Mandatory Caution Deposit of N35 million to all BDC operators; the retention. Of N1million licensing fee “Therefore, all eligible BDCs. May wish to apply for refund of their caution deposits, attaching evidence of payment and bank details,” it stated.

This is even as the apex banking sector regulator has a current account maintenance Fee not above N1 per N1000 for debit transactions initiated by a customer. It also reminded all deposit money banks that that the 2016

zero Commission on Turnover (COT) has come into effect. In a separate circular to all banks titled: “introduction of negotiable current account maintenance fee not exceeding N1/Mille, the CBN said it noticed that

CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emiefele

while the gradual phase out was being observed, some banks continued to charge account maintenance fees in addition to the reduced COT rate, which in effect amounted to double coincidence of charges. It said the bank did not forget the impact of declining operation of Treasury Single Account, adding that other market turbulences on the viability and stability of the banking system. The circular thus read in part: “in furtherance of the mandate to promote and safeguard a sound financial system in Nigeria, banks are by this circular reminded that the 2016 zero COT regime as jointly agreed during the 311th Bankers Committee meeting of February 12, 2013 has come into effect. “In the interest of stability of the banking system, a negotiable current account maintenance Fee not exceeding N1.00 per mille may be charged in respect of all customer induced debit transactions.”

Pressure mounts on naira devaluation as MPC deliberates A growing number of analysts and institutions have added their voices to the call for devaluation of the Naira, an issue expected to dominate deliberations at the Monetary Policy Committee meeting starting today, Monday, January 25, 2016. Being the first this year, the meeting which ends tomorrow, is expected to deliberate on a number of issues, including whether or not to favour devalua-

tion of the local currency. Information gathered from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) revealed that although other issues like how to align policies with the 2016 budget, dwindling foreign reserves and real sector lending are slated for meeting, naira devaluation will be a top priority. A ratings agency, Standard & Poor’s, on Thursday said that Nigeria

would have to devalue its currency at some stage in 2016 and in gradual adjustments, a position that align with that of Afrinvest West Africa, an investment research company which also believes a devaluation of the local currency is only a matter of time. “Hence, we project at least a 25 per cent adjustment of the Naira to N265.50/US$1 during half year 2016,” the company stated in its outlook.

FGN Bonds Date of Auction Security Type Tenor Maturing On 1/22/2016 1/22/2016 2/13/2020 2/13/2020 2/13/2020 2/13/2020 3/14/2024 3/14/2024 Amount Offered (N mn) Subscriptions (N mn) Tot. Successful (N mn) Net Sales (N mn) Range of Bid Rates Successful Bid Rates Marginal Rate

Nigerian Tribune

Monday, 25 January, 2016

1/22/2026 FGN Bonds 204.7868 10 Year 180 5 Year 180 5 Year 82227 10 Year

1/20/2016 FGN Bonds 205.4112 170.7672 1.4001 0.3028 240.1376 26.7946 15000 4161

12/9/2015 FGN Bonds 206.0355 171.2862 1.4044 0.3128 240.8675 26.8765 5000 2740

1155 1155

17019 40 74.99 35.00

4161 40 74.44 40.00

2740 30 86.81 30.00

20 58.97 20.00

5.7856 - 15.0000 5.7856 - 12.5000 12.5

10.0000 - 15.5400 10.0000 - 12.2430 12.243

9.0000 - 15.5400 9.0000 - 10.9520 10.952

12/9/2015 FGN Bonds

The United States dollar has exchanged between N295 and N300 since the beginning of last week ahead of the rate-setting meeting, as the naira weakened to its lowest week before last after the CBNhalted dollar sales to Bureaux de change operators.

NIBOR January 22, 2016 Tenor

Rate (%)

Change(%)

O/N

4.2500

-0.33

8.7681

0.17

10.4040

0.19

11.7984

0.32

NIFEX Bid Spot($/N)

199.0000

offer

Foreign exchange market The Naira on Wednesday continued to depreciate on the parallel market amid mixed recent reactions to the Forex policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The Nigerian national currency lost N2 to exchange at N297 to the dollar, from N295 it traded at on Tuesday. The Naira remains fixed at N197 to the US Dollar at the official interbank window. Market traders said that the ongoing demand for the US Dollar by importers has continued to fuel the depreciation of the Naira on the parallel market. Meanwhile, some stakeholders involved in forex market operations have expressed divergent views on the impact of the recent forex policy of the CBN regarding the Naira. Notwithstanding this pricing in the parallel market, the CBN continued to exchange the local currency at N197.00/ US$1.00 while interbank rates equally stayed at N199.10/ US$1.00 on all trading days in the week. “This calls for a quick response of the monetary authority given the huge margin between the official and parallel market rates. With foreign reserves at lows of US$28.7bn and oil prices at US$29.47/b, a compelling argument to devalue the Naira at the next Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting cannot be jettisoned,” one dealer said.

CBN Rates as at 1/21/2016 Currency US DOLLAR POUNDS STERLING EURO SWISS FRANC YEN CFA WAUA YUAN/RENMINBI RIYAL DANISH KRONA SDR

Buying(NGN) 196 276.5168

Central(NGN) 196.5 277.2222

Selling(NGN) 197 277.9276

213.7968 194.8504 1.6779 0.3067 270.2744 29.7836

214.3422 195.3475 1.6822 0.3167 270.9639 29.86

214.8876 195.8445 1.6865 0.3267 271.6534 29.9365

52.1832 28.6386 270.7936

52.3163 28.7117 271.4844

52.4494 28.7848 272.1752

CBN Bills

Change (%)

199.1000

0.00

NITTY January 22, 2016

9.0000 - 14.5000 9.0000 - 11.0000 11

THE Treasury Bills (T-Bills) maturity that hit the system late last week and corresponding Open Market Operation (OMO) mop up, banking system credit balance was put at N220 billion ($1.11 billion) as at Wednesday, but with the sale of N85.8 billion in local currency denominated bonds on Thursday and fresh injection of cash through maturing treasury bills, market rates rose a little further on Friday. Nigerian overnight interbank lending rate rose sharply to five percent on Thursday, it’s highest since October, after the central bank drained Naira liquidity through sales of OMO treasury bills. There was no official comment on the sudden rate rise, just as the market closed at 3.5 percent for overnight borrowing among commercial lenders on Wednesday. The interbank rate had closed consistently at 1 percent in the last three months due to improved liquidity in the banking system. Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s reiterated on Thursday that Nigeria, will have to devalue its currency. Traders said the central bank sold about N161 billion ($810 million) in open market operations (OMO) bills on Wednesday, draining cash from the banking system. “There is an acute shortage of liquidity in the market and many banks were scrambling for cash to cover their positions, causing the cost of borrowing to shot up,” one dealer said.

Rate (%)

Change(%)

1.2285

0.20

2.1071

0.47

4.4278

0.02

7.3356

-0.17

7.7094

-0.54

12M

9.1764

0.02

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

5/15/2003 CBN Certificate 204.7868 91 180 180 180 26.7127 82227 37767

2/25/2002 CBN Certificate 205.4112 170.7672 1.4001 0.3028 240.1376 26.7946 15000 4161

11/26/2001 CBN Certificate 206.0355 171.2862 1.4044 0.3128 240.8675 26.8765 5000 2740

17019

4161

2740

20.5

9/24/2001 CBN Certificate

1155 1155

19.5

Monday, 25 January, 2016

capitalmarket

Nigerian Tribune

anchor Kehinde Akinseinde-Jayeoba

m:08057336640 e:kehinde_07@yahoo.com

Choice stock of the week 7UP BOTTLING COMPANY PLC made an impressive return last week as it closed the week at N186.70 kobo having gained

N20.45 kobo to N166.25 per share it opened the week with. This represented 12.3 per cent increase in the share value of

the quoted company The non-alcoholic beverage company during the five-day trade at the Nigerian

Stocks lift lull, post 1.33% gain Stories by Kehinde Akinseinde -Jayeoba

HE Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) ended last week on a positive note to break the year northward trend which had been on for a couple of months as the All Share Index (ASI) gained 1.33 per cent for the week. Also, Market Capitalisation closed at N8.202 trillion as against N8.087 trillion of the preceding week. Analyst observed that the lift in the lull was as a result of investors coming back to the market to take advantage of cheap valuations of stocks at the Nigerian Bourse as optimism of the volatility of the market remained. The banking and consumer Goods indices topped the gainers chart with 9.45 per cent and 1.98 per cent following increases in share price of Nigeria’s top tier lender, Zenith Bank Plc and brewer, Nigerian Breweries Plc both climbing up by 19.70 per cent and 11.43 per cent respectively. On the contrary, the oil & gas and industrial goods indices were pushed lower by 5.19 per cent and 3.52 per cent respectively following declines in the shares of first listed Nigerian oil and gas upstream firm, Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc by 11.44 per cent and cement manufacturer, Lafarge Cement WAPCO Nigeria Plc by 5.48 per cent. In the same vein, the insurance index dipped by 0.23 per cent closing marginally lower as insurer,

Custodian & Allied Insurance Plc shed 1.18 per cent. At the end of the week’s trading on the Nigerian bourse, market breadth posted a positive outlook with 33 gainers and 32 losers. Volume traded at the close of the week increased by 49.13 per cent to 2.18 billion shares worth N10.75 billion in 21,471 deals compared to the turnover of 1.456 billion shares worth N14.165 billion made in 15,164 deals in the preceding week. Equity Assurance Plc traded

Tomi Somefun, Unity Bank MD/CEO

764.30 million shares, First City Monument Bank Plc staked 193.24 million shares and Zenith Bank Plc, 168.80 million, accounting for 22.67 per cent of shares traded during the week. Also, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Zenith Bank Plc and Nigerian Breweries Plc were responsible for 72.83 per cent of shares traded during the week, being the top traded stocks by value having traded N1.96 billion, N1.75 billion and N1.19 billion respectively

Stock Exchange (NSE) made 119 deals trading 1,893,465 shares worth N315.3 million.

Foreign transaction decreased by 33.9% in 2015 — Report TOTAL foreign transactions at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) decreased by 33.39 per cent from N1,538.92 billion recorded at the end of 2014 to N1,025.07 billion at the end of 2015, while total domestic transactions decreased by 22.53 per cent from N1,136.63 billion recorded at the end of 2014to N880.56 billion recorded at the end of 2015.

Oscar Onyema, NSE CEO

Allan Gray Fund recommends $4.2 dividend to shareholders ALLAN Gray International Proprietary Limited, a privately owned investment manager in Africa has proposed to offer investors $4.2344 per share dividend to shareholders. According to the company’s corporate action filed with the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) recently, Directors of the Fund for the time-being said the Fund, duly organised and existing under the laws of Bermuda, acted by written consent without a meeting consent to pay a cash dividend of $4.2344 per share to shareholders of record at the opening of business on 4 January, 2016. “And whereas the directors

carefully considers the proposal and noted confirmation received from the investment manager that there were no agreements or other arrangements binding on the Fund which may restrict the Fund’s ability to pay the dividend,” the investment managers said. They resolved that the dividend was declared payable to the holders of the Funds shares on record at the close of business on December 31, 2015. Allan Gray said the dividend be declared payable on January 8, 2016 with an ex-dividend date January 7, 2016. “Any officer or director of the Fund be authorised to execute, under the Fund seal if appropri-

ate, and deliver such other document and take such other action as he may consider necessary or desirable in respect of the forgoing resolution,” the investment manager added.

Allan Gray is a privately owned investment manager in Africa and manages $35 billion in client assets in a range of equity, fixed interest and multi-asset mandates across Africa.

This was revealed in the Domestic and Foreign Portfolio Investment report of NSE for the year end 2015 made available on the website, as the exchange, on monthly basis, polls trading figures from major custodians and market operators on their foreign portfolio investments (FPI). Analysis of the report showed that total transactions at the nation’s bourse decreased by 41.72 per cent from N189.72 billion recorded in January to N110.56 billion in December 2015. This represented a decrease of 13.49 per cent from N127.8 billion recorded in November. The total domestic transactions increased by 7.26 per cent from N55.2 billion in November to N59.21 billion in December 2015. In comparison to December 2014, total domestic transactions decreased from N133.6 billion to N59.21 billion. The report said institutional composition of the domestic market which was about 47.17 per cent in November increased to 67.86 per cent at the end of December, whilst the retail composition decreased from 52.83 per cent to 32.14 per cent in the same period. However, in comparison to December 2014, institutional composition decreased from 72.99 per cent to 67.86 per cent, while the retail composition increased from 27.01 per cent to 32.14 per cent in the same period. It recalled that in 2013, there was a major rebound in the domestic component which led to an almost equal split in foreign versus domestic transactions. This dropped in 2014 where FPI outperformed domestic transactions. In 2015 FPI dropped compared to 2014. However, it slightly outperformed domestic transactions in the same period.

Forte Oil shareholders to get bonuses in March THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued oil marketing firm, Forte Oil Plc until March 2016 to issue bonuses its shareholders the one bonus share for every five held which the company promised at the end of 2014 audited year end. Forte Oil in a letter to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) had updated the exchange on issuance

of the bonus issue. “We have been working with the SEC on resolving the outstanding issues raised in our application for approval and have assured the SEC that this will be resolved before the end of the first quarter 2016 to apply the bonus issue. The company would like to assure its shareholders that the bonus issue will be applied in March 2016 and

apologise for the delay in applying same,” Forte said. Forte Oil, on December 15, 2015 applied to SEC issue 218.43 billion units of its shares as bonus to its shareholders. The company has proposed a dividend of N2.40 compared to N4.00 paid in year 2013 end, while offering shareholders one bonus share for every five held.

Monday, 25 January, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

labour

Gov shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t succumb to pressure in anti-corruption fight â&#x20AC;&#x201D;NLC president Wabba

The President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, in this interview, speaks with SOJI-EZE FAGBEMI, on issues bordering on the anti-labour activities in some of the states, oil pipeline vandalisation, corruption and the demand for new national minimum wage.

HAT was the outcome of the recent rally you organised in Imo State to fight for the right of the workers? My experience is that when people are determined, there is no force that can actually deter them from achieving their goal. I saw a lot of determination, commitment and I saw that the workers are really suffering from some of those ill policies. It will interest you to know that when we arrived Imo, our first point of call was to the workers and the leadership of the workers and we were surprised with the crowd we saw. Over 30,000 workers turned out to receive us and to also hear from us. For me, that was the people that were determined. This meant that the workers were really sensitised to fight for their rights, which will not be easy for any government to deny such workers their rights and entitlements. What were the issues deliberated on? One of the major issues was that, I think, Imo State is one of the worst states when you speak of payment of pensions and gratuity. For the core civil service, from 2001 to date, no retired worker has been able to get his benefits. In the local government, the teachers and the local government workers, I think are from 1992 to date. No retired worker from

service got their entitlement. In the core civil service, it is 2001 to date and for me that is so worrisome, which means all the services people have rendered for over 30 or 60 years

The only groups that got their pension regularly were those earning N10,000 or below. Any pensioner that earns above N10,000 is owed arrears between 15 and 18 months.

of age will not be rewarded; and therefore, if we are to fight corruption, we must address some of these challenges because workers will need their terminal benefits when they are weak and when they have no resources to take care of their retirement. So, one clear issue that stood out was nonpayment of benefits. The second issue was the payment of pensioners. Pensioners are owed between eight and 18 months arrears of monthly pension, including permanent secretaries. At the rally, I saw permanent secretaries that have not been able to get their monthly pension. The only groups that got their pension regularly were those earning N10,000 or below. Any pensioner that earns above N10,000 is owed arrears between 15 and 18 months. This is authoritative and therefore, you can imagine the number of people that are involved, the number of families that have been deprived. You know that those are very senior citizens that would require the best of health care at their age, they need also to feed themselves and they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have energy to go and do any other business because they have given in their best in the service of the state. This situation is very pathetic to me and that is why when I proposed Continues pg30

labour

Monday, 25 January, 2016

‘Not paying workers for 18 months pathetic’ issue associated to it is that he is also trying to undermine the NLC structure going to obtain a black market pronouncement of court. But all of these, we are handling them and the Central Working Committee (CWC) have already approved that we should visit Imo and Ebonyi states and we have visited Imo and ready to visit Ebonyi because it was the decision of the CWC after taken reports of activities from all the states of the federation. They thought we should be able to visit them and see how we can be able to assist them.

Continued from pg29

a day visit, I had to spend three days because of the pathetic nature of what I saw there. The other categories of workers that were also affected were workers in the parastatal. Workers in the parastatal are owed between 15 to 18 months salary arrears. In fact, there was actually a pronouncement the governor made over the local media that workers in those 19 parastatal have been suspended for not being productive. As I am talking to you, no circular has been issued to any worker, no letter has been issued to any worker, but he went on the local media to make pronouncement that with effect from January 4, 2016, all those workers were placed on suspension with no pay. One, this is against the rule of engagement, it is against public service rule, it is against due process and those are things we cannot allow to continue in our system. The other issue which I think is also very pathetic and which prompted us to visit the state was the threat to the entire workers. The governor said any worker that attains the age of 45 years and above should deem himself as to have been retired from service and we wondered under what law provision is that possible? I am sure that the governor is also a public servant and, therefore, if he is making such pronouncement, such law should also apply to him and other key officials of government. He argued that he made this statement but it was not official. He said it was at an unofficial ceremony that he made the statement. But all of us know that as the chief executive of a state, whatever policy discussion or pronouncement that comes out of your mouth, certainly workers will consider it as something that would obviously be implemented. He also argued that he has not issued any letter to any worker to advance that argument, but it is true that he made such pronouncement. The other issue which he did not also denied was the issue of cutting down workers salaries by 30 per cent and cutting down pensioners pay by also 30 per cent. He said that he merely made a pronouncement to the effect that he is reducing workers pay and pensioners pay by 30 per cent. On our visit, he argued that it’s still on the table for discussion and we told him that workers should not been seen as the problem, instead workers should be seen as solution. We asked that he looks inward to try to address these issues. Generation of the Internally Generated Revenue and the utilisation of bailout fund were also discussed, because the record we have is that, out of the N27 billion bailout fund, only N12 billion has been paid out and that the balance is still in the custody of the state government. So those were the key issues that necessitated our visit to Imo State. What makes the case of Imo State different from other states? In other states, they will tell you that we have these liabilities and we are working and ensure that salary is paid but in his case, what he wants to do is do away with the workers without paying their entitlements and we told him clearly, that even if he wants to terminate employments, workers are entitled to be paid full benefits, including my gratuity and pensions. And I say from the premise on default of payment of gratuity for over 15 years, certainly there is no future for every workers in that state. If for 15 years, no worker has been paid his gratuity or even pension, certainly that is a very bad case and bad situstion. That is why we will do everything posible to try to support these workers and ensure that the right thing is done. Do you have cases from other states? Yes, we have cases in state like Kogi. In the case of Kogi, what happened was that the bailout has not been released to them. The information we had was that because of the election that took place, they didn’t want to release the money before the election because it may be used for other purposes other than the payment of workers. So, the case become worse because the bailout has not been released, but through a formal communication with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, we were assured that the bailout will be released and we are sure the issue will then be addressed. Those are the two cases, In Kogi. We have primary school teachers not being paid for about 14 months, the same apply to local governments, where they have arrears running between four to 22 months and the core civil service and they have arrears of four months. The irony of it is that for

What are you doing on the position of the textile union’s demand of a new minimum wage? They don’t even need to do that because at the level of the CWC, it was already agreed that we only need to tidy up a process with the TUC and make a formal presentation. Our document is ready, but we wanted to get the TUC on board to be able to do that. That was already a decision of the CWC and I think textile union was also part of that meeting, so I don’t think it is something they needed to urge us to do. It is the process we need to make sure that we carry them along. Within this week, we are trying to have a meeting with them to see how we can agree on what we present and I think that was a forgone issue because all the parameters that needed to be taken into consideration to make that presentation had already been considered. NLC has its own document which we are going to share with them because we have also slated the meeting of national executive council to come up in Lagos, so that document will also be presented as our own version, but we needed also the impute of other partners, specifically the TUC before we do that. Wabba

The record we have is that, out of the N27 billion bailout fund, only N12 billion has been paid out and that the balance is still in the custody of the state government. the past four months (October, November, December and January,), the state collected the monthly allocation but they couldn’t even pay any of the salaries. We were told that because the state was indebted, the banks also withheld all those allocations for those period. So it is a very pathetic situation in Kogi. We are also responding to it, as I speak to you, our workers in Kogi are currently on strike and have shut down everywhere and want firm commitment before they resume. What of Osun and Oyo State? Well, Osun is better. You remember we went there to negotiate the payment of the bailout. Even after the bailout, the governor has keep fate with continue payment of salary and transparently put on the table whatever comes in. They have also worked on how to improve the IGR, including setting up a committee that is being chaired by Hassan Sunmonu. So we can say progressively, the issue is under control. There is actually cooperation between the union and the government towards addressing the issue. I think that is quite different from the issue of Imo State. Imo State is not even carrying the workers along; everything is being done by himself, even the payment of the bailout. It has not been transparently done to ensure that everybody is on the same page. Oyo State also has the same case with Osun, they are also assiduously working with our people. They have arrears, but they are working and making the issue transparent to address it. The other one is Ebonyi State, which we are also planning to visit. He is paying regularly, but he also went ahead to also deduct some percentage from the salary of workers, which cannot be justified and which is not accepted to us. The only challenge is that you cannot also deduct workers salaries without their consent because the salary was negotiated, there is a table and therefore unilaterally, you can’t also go ahead to deduct from workers salary without their consent. The other

Will that come before May Day? Certainly before May Day we will do that, I told you we have an organ meeting of the NEC that is the highest organ. We wanted to do the due diligence of consulting the TUC before doing that, so that we don’t present divergence figures, we should agree on one common figure to present. What is your opinion and how can the government of the day address the pipeline vandalisation in the Niger Delta region? For me, it is highly condemnable because I don’t think that in every civilised society, that will be allowed to happen. One, it affect them directly because it will pollute the environment. Two, the soul of the country in terms of the revenue base of the country will be affected and, therefore, it is of national security importance and therefore such issue should not be taking lightly. As an organisation, we condemn it because everywhere in the world, the best way to address challenges is to come to the round table, try to advance issues and get them resolved. Nowhere in the world can such an approach lead to something meaningful. At the end of the day, I think it is taking us back to where we are coming from; I think the amnesty programme should still serve as a means of addressing some of these challenges. There is another school of thought that is also not unconnected with the on-going probe on how our resources have been carted away and you know that the position of NLC is that, we are totally committed to the fight against corruption and therefore our call is to appreciate what the security agents have been able to do in terms of protecting those pipeline. We will also give our support to ensure that whatever is needed to be done to protect these important installations which are also part of our commonwealth should also be done. It is something that is condemnable, in every civilised society that should not be allowed. It is also being said that when you fight corruption, there is the tendency that corruption will fight back. I think this is one evidence that corruption is fighting back, but our call is that government should not be deter by whatever it is to actually succumb to pressure because if we miss it this time around, it will be difficult for Nigeria as a country to find its bearing because corruption which has been very monumental has been part of the reasons, we are at this very sorry stage where we cannot manufacture, we continue to depend on importation, where even the threat of disintegration is there. All of these are by-products of corruption and therefore I think it is important for government to remain focus and fight against corruption frontally. That is what is expected and in every civilised society where countries have been able to develop and also serve the interest of the larger majority, the issue of corruption has been central to building such economies. My stake is that government should try to effectively respond to those pressing issues and that Nigerians are solidly behind them to fight against corruption.

Monday, 25 January, 2016 Group Politics Editor Taiwo Adisa - 08072000046 tai_adis@yahoo.com

Has PDP dumped Ekweremadu’s committee report? As the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) steps up arrangements to elect new officers at all levels, KUNLE ODEREMI and DARE ADEKANMBI examine the move vis-a-vis the report of its post-election review committee.

he behemoth called the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was hurriedly put together in August 1998, following the announcement of a transition programme by the Abdulsalam Abubakar military administration. An amalgam of political associations, namely the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), the G-34 and others coalesced into the Leviathan that the PDP became. The G-34 was a group of 34 northern and southern politicians, while the PDM was a political group founded by the late politician, Major-General Shehu Musa Yar-Adua (retd). For 16 years, the PDP was literally on the commanding Olympian height, calling the shot in the country. Its dominance on the political scene was unhidden, as it held sway at the Presidency and majority of the 36 states across the country as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. Then, its leaders had fantasized that the party would govern the largest black nation for 60 unbroken years. But that desire was cut short by the outcome the 2015 elections. Since then, things seem to have fallen apart in the ‘biggest’ political party in Africa. The party appears to have moved from one challenge to another, with some of the leaders engaging in cacophonies. While some of its faithful were still sulking following the poor outing of the party in the last polls, the national leadership moved swiftly to breathe life into the PDP. It set up a post-election Review committee, headed by the deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu as chairman the committee was among other things to restore confidence in the party after the inability of the executive committee, led by Adamu Mu’Azu could not lead the party to victory at the 2015 poll. The immediate deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives was the deputy chairman. Honourable Emeka Ihedioha. The terms of reference of the committee were broad, but essentially, its work was meant to chart the path through which the PDP could rediscover itself as the hitherto vibrant political machinery, with a huge winning capacity and capability. So, the terms of reference the review committee set up by the PDP National Working Committee included to: identify the remote and immediate causes of the poor performance of party in the 2015 elections; trace the origin and process of the decline of the party in its electoral performance; take a critical look at the preparations and build-up of the PDP to the polls and determine its adequacy and lapses. Others were to review and determine the adequacy of the structures for the elections and how those structures actually

functioned; ascertain the degree of anti-party activities, compromises and outright sabotage that may have contributed to the misfortune of the party at the elec-

tions; identif y groups in the party who were to play critical roles before and during the elections and determine their effectiveness or otherwise; to examine any other matter that may be considered necessary and in the interest of the party; propose a roadmap for the party to recover its past glory. The committee, which was given three weeks to carry out the assignment, therefore called for memoranda from state organs of the party and other critical stakeholders, candidates/aspirants to reach the Committee Secretary within 14 days. After holding its sittings across the six geopolitical zones of the country, where it collected heaps of memoranda from mostly aggrieved stakeholders, the committee produced a comprehensive report on the way forward for the PDP. The interim leadership of the party under Chief Uche Secondus, while receiving the report, promised to implement the recommendations of the committee, especially in the areas of internal democracy and the party’s restructuring. However, as the party steps up arrangements for its national convention next March, the leaders are confront-

ed by some daunting challenges, one of which is the gale of defections. Some of its major gladiators have dumped it for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the characteristic manner o f

most Nigerian politicians to belong to governing party at the national level. A number of its key actors in Lagos State are on the verge of defecting to the APC. Uche Ekwunife, whose election was upturned by the Supreme Court, has left the PDP for APC to seek a fresh mandate through a re-run election in Anambra State. In Cross River State, a Senator in the last dispensation, Ita Inang, has moved to the APC from PDP, while a lot of its hitherto leaders in Plateau are now card-carrying members of the APC. While the battle for the headship of the PDP in an interim capacity has been a subject of litigation, elders statesmen that constitute its Board of Trustees, seem to have adopted a wait-and-see posture as the party grapples with obfuscating challenges. Late last year, a couple of PDP founding fathers turned down invitation to attend a summit meant to rebuild the party, just as the party appeared to have jettisoned reports of other high-level committees such as the Dr Alex Ekwueme and Ike Nwachukwu committees on far-reaching reforms in PDP. But while the embattled national publicity secretary of the party, Chief Olisa metuh once said all the party organs at the national level remained active, many

other party members believed it has been all motion and no movement, months after the Ekweremadu committee turned in its report. More importantly, most of the key recommendations of the committee are yet to implemented. Many of them border on for the PDP to carry out holistic reforms in the architecture of the PDP. A number of the issues are related to the Constitution o the party, membership registration and funding, as the existing structure is skewed in favour of the few but powerful and influential members. The issue of presidential slot for 2016 seems to have overshadowed other critical matters. This is because of the belief in some circles within the party that its decision to retain the ticket in the South was the albatross of the PDP in the last election.

Submission of report But, while submitting the report, Ekweremadu said his committee recommended that the party should pick its presidential candidate in the 2019 election from the North and adopt direct primary in the election of all candidates for future polls. He explained that the zoning of the presidential ticket to the North based on the general views of PDP members during the work of the committee. He said millions of PDP members across the country and other Nigerians “want us to put our house in order ahead of 2019,” and.” The time to begin is now.” He said: “It is also recommended to the party to strictly apply the zoning principle at all levels. In particular, since the last President of PDP extraction came from the southern part of Nigeria, it is recommended that PDP’s presidential candidate in the 2019 general elections should come from the northern part of the country. This is in accordance with the popular views expressed in the submissions to the Committee. This will also assuage any ill feelings in the North over any perceived breach of the party’s zoning principle.” The recommendations of the committee also covered the mode of choosing candidates for elections, as it said the use of delegates was usually grossly compromised and abused. “Furthermore, it is recommended that the party adopt direct primary as the sole means of electing PDP candidates for any election at all levels. The use of delegates has been grossly compromised and abused, and should therefore be discontinued forthwith to return true ownership of the party to the people,” the chairman stated. Another major recommendation was for the PDP to carry out a biometric membership registration to align the party records with modern technology and further boost the integrity of its membership records as a precursor to other reforms recommended designed as a seeming roadmap towards the continues from pg32

politics&policy

Monday, 25 January, 2016

The attempt to re-build continues from pg31

2019 elections. His words: “We have made extensive recommendations, the core of which is to end impunity, uphold justice, entrench internal democracy, enhance party administration, promote transparency and accountability, and return the party to its true owners- the people- in accordance with our Party slogan and founding principles.” On the whole, the committee looked at critical areas and issues such as party structure and administration, party finance, legal framework, primary elections, party’s candidates, conflict resolution, campaign organisations, campaign finance, Election Day activities, post-election management, third party groups/support groups, among others. Ekweremadu said it also took time ascertain how each of these factors had impacted PDP electoral fortunes and the party’s general wellbeing over the years, particularly in the last elections. Among some PDP stakeholders, so far, the party leadership appears to have left untouched most critical aspects of the recommendations. Rather, only five items have been considered by the top party brass and faithful, as they noted for example that the issue of alleged highhandedness of members of the State Working Committee had not been comprehensively tackled. The panel had observed that the delegate selection processes were most times hijacked or manipulated by party leaders to achieve preordained outcomes. The need to address the issue becomes imperative as the party moves close to the conduct of congresses that will throw up new set of officers from ward to the state level. Also of major concern is the influence of party’s NWC in the nomination process at the state level, because the organ often NWC unduly influenced the nomination of candidates and delegates in some states, thus undermining the imperative of internal democracy. Coupled with this is the interference by governors as state party leader. In the affairs of the party, undoubtedly, all these nagging issues contributed in the defections and anti-party activities by some party members, which culminated in the PDP losing a significant number of governorship, National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly seats, especially in the northern part of the country during the 2015 polls. These issues were highlighted by the committee, which cited some in-

Ekweremadu

Secondus

stances where they throw spanner into the works of the PDP.

stronger because Nigerians now know better. The party said that APC having realized that it lacked what it takes to deliver its numerous bogus campaign promises to Nigerians has ignobly resorted to intimidation and harassment of the opposition through its set-out witch-hunt policy. Speaking through a statement by the national secretary, Professor Adewale Oladipo, the PDP accused the APC administration of devoting all its energy on seeking imaginary PDP

Ray of hope In spite of these difficulties besetting the PDP, the party’s national leadership is optimistic that the party will rise again. It declared that not even what it perceived as the heinous and draconian agenda of the APC administration to decimate the PDP would succeed as the party was coming up

faults. It stated: “In all democracies, viable opposition is recommended for stability and growth of society, but the APC in is seeking to decimate opposition so foist its dictatorial agenda of installing one-party state…The PDP, however, reiterates its support for the fight against corruption but insists that its conduct must have integrity, must be fair, credible, just and must follow due process and rule of law.” Many party faithful are worried that some internal contradictions have continued to emerge within the PDP and slowing down the implementation of the key recommendations of the Ekweremadu committee. But that notwithstanding, Professor Oladipo in the statement said the process of re-engineering the PDP was fully on track. He promised the benefits of the holistic repackaging by the party would manifest shortly. He said: “Finally, the PDP assures its numerous supporters across the country of the dividends of the on-going rebuilding and re-engineering process in the party to re-position the party for the electoral challenges ahead especially as it has become clear that APC lacks the capacity to handle governance and provide economic direction for the country, but has only succeeded in injecting bad blood and division among Nigerians….”

The major recommendations Below are some of the other key recommendations of the review committee on the way forward for the umbrella party. Aware that most organs of the party were ill-constituted, the committee recommended that the Board of Trustees (BOT), the National Executive Committee (NEC), the National Working Committee (NWC), the Zonal Working Committee, the State Working Committee (SWC) should be properly constituted and in accordance with the party’s constitution. Doing this, the committee believes will address the grievances of those who left the party over the malfunctioning of the party’s organs. The committee canvasses a return to the structure of having two deputy national chairmen with specific roles and duties for each as contained in its 2011 Constitution. In the event of the national chairman unable to complete his term, the deputy national chairman from his zone will fill the

vacancy and complete the tenure. The body calls for the reinforcement and enhancement of the capacity of the various departments under the party organs

at state and national levels, with particular reference to the research, policy and publicity units. continues pg33

Tables sourced from the Report

politics&policy

Monday, 25 January, 2016

The pending recommendations

Gov Fayose

David Mark

Akpabio

Party (SDP) when he was played out ahead of the primaries, last weekend attended the

state congress of the SDP where officers were elected for the party.

Gov Mimiko continues from pg32

It advocates the establishment of a competency-based appraisal system for all elected officers/office holders of the party. This mechanism, the Committee reasons, will assist the party to objectively assess the performance of party leaders and elected officials for the purposes of re-election or future patronage. Capacity building programmes should be developed for the training of party officials and career staff at all levels, especially at the state level. The party must effect ethical changes in all party channels/departments and the workforce. On funding, it is recommended that the party prioritise the mobilisation of membership dues, fees and levies as a major source of part finance. It is also recommended that a financial system that promotes accountability, transparency and prudent management of party finance be put in place. The Committee also stresses the need to review the constitution of the party to resolve issues of conflict of roles and ensure the supremacy of party organs over and above elected and appointed office holders. It calls for the review constitution to be ready for adoption at the next national convention, while calling for the review of provisions on waivers to prevent abuse. It also calls for the discontinuation of the role of ‘leader of the party’, which it describes as unconstitutional, while canvassing adherence to the zoning principle which it says has been the strength of the party. To reduce intra-party dispute and tension, the Committee recommends that candidates should emerge through direct primaries. It calls for the discouragement of imposition of candidate for any election, stressing the emergence of candidates with strong grass root base. Candidates standing for election should be allowed to nominate 50 per cent of the membership of campaign organisation, just as the party should be encouraged to incorporate strong, popular and loyal members.

Based on these recommendations, the only thing the PDP appears to have done in principle so far is the setting up of a 46-member Constitution Review Committee, which terms of reference include looking at the Ekweremadu Committee recommendations and incorporating same in the new constitution. But whether the committee will be able to do a thorough job ahead of the party’s national convention slated for March remains to be seen. The process that will culminate in the convention is billed to start in February, next month, with ward, local government and state congresses. If the dictates recommendations are adopted, the configuration of the party’s structure may reflect some changes all levels. But one item which analysts believe is crucial is reconciliation with aggrieved members whose interest should be taken care of in the refurbished PDP. Another albatross on the PDP is the string of unresolved crises in many state chapters, particularly in Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo and many other states. In Oyo State for instance, Mr Seyi Makinde, who dumped the umbrella party for the Social Democratic

Another albatross on the PDP is the string of unresolved crises in many state chapters, particularly in Oyo, Ogun, Osun and many other states.

Table sourced from the Report

politics& policy

Monday, 25 January, 2016

What Dickson ought to do now —Sylva’s campaign group The All Progressives Congress (APC) Sylva/Igiri Campaign Media Director General, Chief Nathan Egba, says the APC is committed to peace in Bayelsa State, due process among other things as opposed to heating up the polity. He speaks with AUSTIN EBIPADE.

he election has come and gone; is it not time to do everything possible for peace to return to in the state? The APC is not averse to peace and the need for the state to move forward. That is why the party is doing everything within the ambit of the law, as against heating up the polity. However, at the press conference organised by the party’s governorship candidate and former governor, Chief Timipre Sylva, he said the outcome of the election was not acceptable to APC; and that he would seek redress in court, and I am sure the APC lawyers are putting the necessary documents to commence the process. The day the election was announced, Chief Sylva said the PDP did not win fair and squarely; and that the result was doctored in favour of the PDP by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the relevant officials, therefore the party is going to court and that is the position. What do you think is the way forward, or to bring lasting peace to the state after the bitterness that characterized the poll? For us, rather than resort to self help which of course is a situation that is not desirable in a democracy. So, the right thing to do is go to court, and the APC is doing the right thing and people of goodwill should encourage the party. Frankly, I want to say that the APC is committed to bringing peace in the state, and that is why we decided to pursue our issues democratically, in line with stipulated laws. We have never incited our people (supporters) before, during and after the election. I also want to state that in a situation where justice is not delivered; and someone has been denied what he rightly deserves like in this case, the APC won the governorship election but the electoral officials colluded and denied the APC in Ekeremor, Sag-

bama, Nembe and Southern Ijaw LGA, as all votes cast for the party was cancelled, while the PDP votes were accepted by INEC. On this note the only choice open to the party is to go to the tribunal and as such, the APC should be commended for approaching the matter in a peaceful and democratic manner. During the election, Bayelsans were sharply divided along party lines, as some were ardent supporters of APC, while others were for the PDP. Don’t you think the action of the APC could further sustain the division and feud among supporters of both parties? Everything depends on the governor. If he was a man of magnanimous heart, he should embrace all actors in the election from all political parties, including APC even if the party has gone to court. I want to say that the governor has not taken any practical step to embrace all parties in the election; and it is his nature not to extend olive branch to fellow compatriots in the state. The governor ought to open up his system to embrace all factions as a means to unite supporters of the different parties that contested the governorship election. But, instead of doing that, he is busy engaging in radio programmes and television interviews with unpalatable messages, and that has continued to divide the people of the state along party lines. He should ensure that frayed nerves are calmed and being in office, he should ensure that people that are bitter are made to come on board to serve in the government. But with the way he is going, it will be difficult for Bayelsans (supporters of the different parties) to unite and see themselves as one. Permit me to recall, it was the same vindictive nature he displayed when he came to office for the first tenure

Egba as governor, by relocating the College of Education established at Okpoama in Brass Local Government by his predecessor to his local government, Sagbama. That singular act heralded the kind of person he is and the government he was going to establish in the state. It is disheartening that Governor Dickson denied some immediate past commissioners their statutory severance allowance, that supported Sylva’s second term bid in 2012. Dickson only paid those that were neutral and those that defected and supported his election in 2012. He also retrieved houses (commissioner’s quarters) duly paid for that was allotted to us by Sylva when he was the governor of the state, yet he did not refund monies paid for the houses. However, Governor Dickson should have built his own quarters; he did not. Rather, he evicted us and re-allocated the houses to his commissioners.

How to ensure true reconciliation —Dickson’s spokesman went out to exercise their franchise. I want to say that justice is the beginning of a lasting peace that would move Bayelsans forward, but I don’t think there would be lasting peace; rather we may have pseudo peace. However, I am convinced that the state government would do everything humanly possible to ensure that peace attained before the election is restored, as situation where Bayelsans go about their normal economic activities with fear of molestation.

The PDP Bayelsa Restoration Campaign Media Director General, Honourable Jonathan Obuebite, speaks on the issue of reconciliation and lasting peace after the recent governorship poll in the state. AUSTIN EBIPADE brings some excerpts of the interview: The governorship election in Bayelsa State has come and gone, but during the exercise, Bayelsans were harshly divided along party lines (APC/ PDP). What is government doing in terms of reconciliation and peace to ensure that the state moves forward? It is true that the election has come and gone and now; there is a clear winner because the people of the state have spoken same way. They did on the December 5, 2015, if not for the federal might that the APC candidate, Chief Timipreye Sylva and the party promised, which they actually brought to bear in the three different days of the election, otherwise Bayelsa would have had a very peaceful election that the winner would have celebrated and embraced the loser. But as it stands, the party will obey the rule of law because we are all Bayelsans. I know my governor has extended a hand of fellowship to the opposition. However, I want to say we cannot move forward without justice. You cannot attain peace without justice, and as such for peace reign, a lot has to be done, as it is a known fact that persons were killed; some in critical condition; some will end deformed and disfigured as a result of the violence unleashed on PDP members during the election. Of course as a party, we believe the Federal Government and security agencies have a role play for us to have the needed peace to move forward, and in doing that, there must be justice because there cannot be lasting peace without justice. The Federal Government must show that the Presidency does not condone impunity, because corruption is not just stealing. After the election, people should be told that killing and maiming act is against the law, the rule of law was violat-

Obuebite ed, the people’s (electorate) right to freedom was violated, some lost their breadwinners and so culprits must be held responsible. Everyone that is involved in the killing, attacks and burning of properties must he held responsible. The Federal Government must show that the authority at the centre is not corrupt in impunity, because impunity is another form of corruption, and I dare to say that using government agencies against the citizenry is corruption. We are calling on the Federal Government to start the process of bringing culprits to book, so that those who have lost their loved ones and breadwinners will have the comfort to move forward. Governor Dickson, who won, said he was not celebrating his victory because of those that lost their lives and dedicated the victory to them and Bayelsans, but the opposite was the case, in the APC when some families are still weeping in their various homes over the maiming and killings of their relatives; fathers and brothers who

What effort is being made now to check the scale of violent crimes in the state because the period of the election witness proliferation of arms in the state? Once again, it is the Federal Government that will kickstart the process of bringing people to answer to their action and not the state government; and if that is not done it would be disastrous because they still have the guns and dangerous weapons with them and when they are hungry, they would resort to stealing and robbery to make ends meet. I want to say that some people provided the arms and funded them and they must be called to question so that the mopping process will be successful when the Federal Government get involved, because when the arms are dropped, the state government will not receive it but the police and the military will receive them on behalf of the Federal Government. Also, some of the thugs were recruited from neighbouring states. Therefore to leave those arms in the hands of thugs will spell doom for the Niger Delta, not forgetting the unresolved security challenge posed by Boko Haram and the uprising of Biafra in the SouthEast. Therefore, it’s imperative that the culprits are held responsible. I want to say that the feat attained by Governor Dickson that made Bayelsa one of the most peaceful state in the federation prior to the election would commence again. But with weapons in wrong hands, the governor will need the Federal Government support to pull through successfully. Then, we can use Bayelsa as a case study to ensure that perpetrators of electoral violence are not allowed to go scot free in the country.

Monday, 25 January, 2016

features

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

Students in one of the classrooms.

Oba Abolarin School:

Here, the indigent find hope The school, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, is indeed one of its kind. Its uniqueness lies not only in the fact that the school is open to the less privileged, it provides quality education to both indigenes and non-indigenes of Osun State. WALE OJO-LANRE reports his findings after being conducted on a tour of Oba Abolarin School.

S part of efforts to contribute towards national development, in line with the accepted fact that education is a stepping stone to greatness, a first class traditional ruler, His Royal Majesty, Oba Adedokun Omoniyi Abolarin, Aroyinkeye II, Orangun of Oke-Ila, Ifedayo Local Government, Osun State, has set the standard for sustainable development, by establishing the Oba Abolarin School, located at Bamikole Dada way, off Oduduwa Road, Sapakin Area. The school, which is best described as one of its kind in terms of structure, quality of education offered, and the unique attribute of providing education for the less privileged, targets street children, motorcycle operators, as well as those financially handicapped to access quality education. Oba Abolarin School is a free boarding school, equipped with state of the art facilities, and at present, has 28 boys and

27 girls drawn from different towns such as Igbajo, Ororuwo, Aagba, Ada, Igbaye, in Osun State, as well as wards from other states, but whose parents reside in Osun State. To Oba Abolarin, every child counts, and paucity of funds should not hinder an individual from accessing proper education. The setting up of the institution was announced to all by the monarch, during his enthronement, as part of his mission statement which focused on offering hope to children who roam the streets. Some unique things about the school are its location, ambiance and structure. While one may assume that a school expected to cater to the less privileged would be quite simple, the school boasts of state-of-the-art facilities domiciled in a conducive environment. ‘Before now, accessing education was a distant dream’

Odeniyi Quawan, a student of the school, in an interview with Nigerian Tribune, speaking on the benefits the school has provided for him, noted that “I thought I was created by God and dumped on this earth to suffer, to slave and to die in penury. I thought I was branded to hawk for eternity or till Jesus comes back without having any opportunity to attend any educational institution in my life. “It was tormenting then, when I saw my mates attending school, and I could not join them. I never thought that I, Quawan, a street hawker, would, one day, be a proud student of a luxuriously equipped school. I want to thank Oba Abolarin who raised and offered me hope, which in the not-toodistant past, was a dream.” Miss Blessing Anefiok Kaizer , a native of Akwa Ibom, Continues pg36

features Why I offer free participatory education —Oba Abolarin 36

Monday, 25 January, 2016

The school compound Continued from pg35

whose parents are based in Oke-Ila, states that “The first time I set my feet on this school premises, I could not believe my eyes. I felt like I was in paradise. In fact, it’s more than paradise when you compare this environment with where I am coming from, and because of the fact that there is no private or public school that can boast of having such structure and facilities as found in Oba Abolarin College. It was like a dream. However, it dawned on me that it was not a dream when I passed the first night in a double-bunked bed with electricity being supplied by two powerful generators. I’m still so amazed that such an environment is actually made for the children of the poor.” The school hall, best described as a hall of photo history, hosts historical pictures that tell and teach the students stories of politics and national life, as well as international entities who have contributed to global development. Students of the school are a wonderful lot and will dazzle any visitor as they welcome people in fluent English. There are also performances as well as recitations in near-perfect French language. ‘We are training a globally acceptable set of students’ Speaking on the setting up of the school, Oba Abolarin stated that “We are training a globally acceptable set of students. UNESCO has declared English, French and Spanish as the three internationally recognised languages. Thus, we are preparing them to tap into the benefits of the world.” Though the emphasis at the school is excellent education, made available by qualified and seasoned staff, proficient in educational principles and courses with copious access to instructional materials and facilities, Oba Abolarin School has not compromised in standards in any way. Conducting Nigerian Tribune on a tour of the school, Oba Abolarin revealed that “It is a total educational package. We strive for the best in teaching and learning. We go for the best in nutritional provision and engage them in vocational, recreational and cultural – tourism – activities.” And to attest to this, the reporter asked the class “Can anyone of you exhibit any cultural idea?” Immediately, the class chorused the praise chant of Oba Adedokun Abolarin in traditional dialect, as well as that of the Ooni of Ife, which was also rendered beautifully. “Here at Abolarin School, we are injecting abundant liveliness into supposedly lifeless expectation. It is all-round total education. It’s like producing gold and silver from mud. If you expect to see gaunt-looking, mean or hungry faces on the students, you’ll be shocked,” Oba Abolarin stated. “We were not like this when some of us

The lobby

came here. Almost all of us, in fact, all of us you see as handsome and beautiful now were stone-faced, badly fed, hunger-stricken lads when we resumed here. I was a hawker of banana, and Kabiyesi will testify to the fact that it was in this school that I first tasted corn flakes and that day I vomited. But now, it’s my favourite. All thanks to Oba Abolarin School,” one of the students related. As he narrated his first encounter with corn flakes, other students were happy to tell their first encounter and experience with meals like fried rice, noodles, oats, custard, toast

I thank God for the day Kabiyesi Abolarin was born. I got the form free and everything I enjoy in this school including the uniform, slippers, personal computer is free. If they are not free, how can we the children of the poor enjoy such educational treatment, the best of its kind in Osun State?

Store where foodstuffs are kept

bread, fried egg, and the use of cutleries. “I can never conjure it in my deepest dream that, one day, I will eat with a set of cutlery in my life, not to talk of drinking tea, bread, custard, fried and poached eggs on regular basis. In fact, we cannot eat without our sets of cutlery any longer. The so called classy meals meant for the super rich are now our regulars, thanks to Abolarin School,” Ajinba Dolapo, one of the students enthusiastically revealed while the others nodded. Students exhibit discipline, orderliness The level of discipline and orderliness which the students of the school have imbibed was displayed during lunch time when everyone congregated at the Ooni Sijuade dining hall. Each of them approached the kitchen, collected their food and ate with their cutleries, not hands.” The astounding part was not the quantity of the wrap of eba, which one may qualify as an adult portion, as the writer was unable to finish his own, the expertise displayed with the use of cutleries by the hitherto street hawkers as if they were born with it, was equally amazing. Afterwards, obviously a habit formed by strict training, each student packed and washed the plates, cleaned the tables and help in cleaning the kitchen. “Here it is participatory education. All of them are good at cooking. Also, all of them are engaged in vocational training. Some of them have been making money from confectioneries during holidays; we are just helping to translate their dreams to realities,” Oba Abolarin stated. Adewale Ronke, who has a dream of be-

coming a lawyer, stated that “I am sure I will become a lawyer. I am being tailored here to pursue a career, and I’m being monitored in Guidance and Counselling as well. I thank God for the day Kabiyesi Abolarin was born. I got the form free and everything I enjoy in this school including the uniform, slippers, personal computer is free. If they are not free, how we can the children of the poor enjoy five star educational treatment, the best of its kind in Osun State?” Oba Abolarin revealed that “It is the spirit of God that is at work with this vision. All that is happening here is not only by my power but that of God and eminent and distinguished Nigerians who have seen the good in this project and have been there to assist and support. Most of these facilities are donations – the two generators, the PCs – and one of the children has been adopted for sponsorship by a friend. These are just some of the benefits enjoyed by the students.” Continuing, he pointed out that “I have determined to build my own vision in these children instead of gallivanting or showing off at events and parties. I have the onerous responsibility to build a future with my little resources and the help of my dearest friends in these wonderful children of mine so that our society can enjoy freedom from liabilities, crime and waywardness. It is a worthwhile project which I implore every one of us to partner with and become agents of engendering a brighter future for hopeless souls. I count on every one to support me in this task of ensuring that every child counts. Join hands with me in the efforts at ensuring that the future starts now.”

37 news

Monday, 25 January, 2016

National minimum wage: NLC NEC meets Thursday, to present new demand March Soji-Eze Fagbemi - Abuja

HE new national minimm wage of N18,000 per month is grossly inadequate in the face of the present eonomic reality and the organised Labour is to present a new demand to the government in February. President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, who gave this indication in an interview with Nigerian Tribune, said the issue of the new minimum wage would be definitely resolved before the May Day. Comrade Wabba said the document on the new minimum wage demanded was ready, but being delayed because the congress wanted to seek the view of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), finalise the figure, so that the organised Labour would not present divergent view and figure to the government. According to the NLC president, the highest organ of the congress; the National Executive Council (NEC), would meet next Thursday and ratify the document. He added, however, that the NLC and the TUC would meet first to look at the figure before its presentation to the government. He refused to mention the figure being proposed by the NLC because the process had not been concluded. Comrade Wabba said: “At the level of the Central Working Committee (CWC), it was already agreed, we only need to tidy up a process with the TUC and make a formal presentation; our document is ready, but we want to get the TUC on board to be able to do that.

“It is the process, we need to make sure that we carry

them along. Within this week, we are trying to have

a meeting with them to see how we agree on what we

present and I think that was a forgone issue, because all

From left, Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra; Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; Auxiliary Bishop of Onitsha Catholic Archdiocese, Most Reverend Denis Isizoh; Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige and Senator Osita Isunaso at the thanksgiving mass for father of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Late Pa Pius Ngige, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Alor, Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, on Sunday. PHOTO: NAN

Tribunal to rule on motion to stop Bello’s inauguration today Yinka Oladoyinbo - Lokoja THE Kogi State Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Lokoja, the state capital, has fixed for today, ruling on two separate motions that sought to stop the inauguration of the governor-elect, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, on January 27. The two motions on notice seeking an order of the tribunal to stop the inauguration were filed by the counsels for Governor Idris Wada and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Chris Uche and that of the Labour Party (LP),

Reuben Egwuaba. The chairman of the tribunal, Justice Halima Mohammed, had after listening to submissions and adoption of written addresses of the counsels at its last sitting on Friday, fixed the day for the ruling. Uche, in his Motion on Notice dated January 12 and filed on 13, was supported by a 44-paragraph affidavit, had presented 10 grounds upon which the inauguration should be stopped. In the same vein, Egwuaba, in his motion on notice, had averred that Bello was not qualified to participate

in the supplementary election when he did. He said apart from his failure to participate in all the electoral processes preparatory to the governorship election, Bello breached the Electoral Act, as he contested the supplementary election without a valid running mate. “Consequent upon nomination of Alhaji Yahaya Bello as replacement for Abubakar Audu, Honourable James Faleke, who was Audu’s running mate, withdrew and dissociated himself from participating in supplementary election as Bello’s running mate.

However, counsel for the governor-elect, Joseph Saudi, opposed the motion in his submission backed by a 31-paragraph counteraffidavit. He urged the tribunal to dismiss motion on the ground that the tribunal was not constitutionally empowered to stop the inauguration a governorelect. Counsels for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Dr Alex Izinyon and the All Progressives Congress (APC), Charles Edosomwan, also opposed the motion in their submissions.

Residency card now condition for WAEC, NECO in Ondo —Govt THE Ondo State government has made the presentation of parent’s Residency Card, popularly known as ‘Kaadi Igbeayo’ a condition for registration and participation of students in both internal and external examinations. This was as it said such were entrance examination into public and unity secondary schools, junior secondary school certificate examination, as well as NECO and WAEC examinations in the state. The state’s Commissioner for Information, Kayode

the parameters that needed to be taken into consideration to make that presentation has already been considered. “NLC has its own document which we are going to share with them because we have also slated the meeting of National Executive Council to come up in Lagos, precisely from 28, so that document will also be presented as our own version but we needed also the impute of other partners, specifically the TUC before we do that. We don’t need to over-labour that issue because there is a decision of the organs, including CWC.” He assured that the issue would be resolved before the May Day; adding that “certainly before May Day, we will do that. I told you we have an organ meeting of the NEC, that is the highest organ. We wanted just to do the due diligence of consulting the TUC before doing that, so that we don’t present divergence figures, we should agree on one common figure to present.”

Akinmade, announced this in Akure, the state capital, on Sunday, while speaking with newsmen. He said government took the decision to ensure the fulfilment of its desire to have a workable data of residents in the state to enable planning, adequate and even distribution of its services to the people. According to him, principals of schools in the state had been briefed of the decision of government regarding the development. The state’s Commissioner for Education, Mr

Jide Adejuyigbe, had in a meeting with all principals of the 304 public secondary schools in the state, conveyed government’s decision and demanded strict compliance, at the meeting, which held at St James Caring Heart Mega Primary School, Akure, last Thursday, among other issues. Adejuyigbe expressed his displeasure that up till now, some schools have not complied with the state government’s directive that students should present the photocopies of

their parents or guardians’ residency cards for documentation and submission to the Ministry of Education. The commissioner, therefore, directed that compliance with the directive would henceforth be the condition for registration and participation of students in both internal and external examinations. Also speaking at the meeting, chairman of the state Teaching Service Commission, Professor Francis Igbasan, explained the rationale behind the

recent posting of teachers to schools, saying it was to improve the standard of education, enhance efficiency and higher productivity of the teachers. He said in a bid to comply with the 21st century method of record keeping, the commission had commenced collection of data from all the teachers in the state, in order to have a computerised database for its workforce, thereby calling on principals to properly inform their teachers and prepare them for the success of the exercise.

Meanwhile, the chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Kogi State chapter, Alhaji Haddy Ametuo, on Sunday warned members of the party against any act that could disrupt the inauguration of Alhaji Yahaya Bello, as the governor of the state. He also assured the people of the state of a hitchfree inauguration slated for January 27. Ametuo, in a statement, said the party supporters should be wary of any act of lawlessness, saying masquerade of any type was not welcome at the venue of the inauguration. Ametuo assured that adequate arrangements had been put in place to make the inauguration hitch-free and peaceful, stressing that whoever took he law into his or her hand on the day of the inauguration would be made to face the full wrath of the law. He said: “We don’t expect any masquerade around the venue that day. The celebration can go on as you all go back to your various destinations and this should be done within the ambit of the law. “Our governor-elect needs the support and cooperation of all and sundry for him to deliver this divine message to Kogi people.”

news

Monday, 25 January, 2016

Oshiomhole commissioning FG projects in state varsity —Edo PDP •It’s not true —Varsity spokesman Banji Aluko-Benin City

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State has declared that projects recently commissioned by the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, in the state-owned Ambrose Alli University (AAUA), Ekpoma, were not those executed by the state government. The party said commissioned projects in the university were executed through a CBN intervention fund, TETFUND and the Christ Embassy Church, adding that the Oshiomhole administration has never started and completed any project in the university. The state chairman of the party, Dan Orbih, who said this in Benin, at the party’s annual Widow Empowerment Programme, where bags of rice were given to hundreds of widows, also accused Governor Oshiomhole of showing intolerance to religious groups,

due to some of his recent actions. He said, “is it not shameful that a governor, who has refused to complete the AAUA’s Administrative Block building that was started by the Lucky Igbinedion administration many years ago went to the same school to commission projects that were facilitated by others. “Medical students, who hitherto paid N21, 000 now pay N160, 000. This is apart from acceptance fee of N95, 000. He has completely neglected the school and he is now con-

centrating on the Iyamho University that he is using Edo State resources to build for himself.” Orbih displayed to the crowd at the event a list containing 86 churches he said have been marked for demolition by the state government, alleging that the governor also recently withdrew an approval granted a Muslim group to use a venue. In a reaction, Donald Inwalomhe, who is research assistant to the vice chancellor of AAUA, Professor Cordelia Agbebaku, said the projects commis-

sioned in the institution on November, 2015 were those sponsored and completed by the state government. He said, “the governor in 2014 and 2015 released a grant of N250 million and N500 million respectively to the institution. The funds were used to complete the projects. The TETFUND and CBN projects are there. Some have been completed while some are still ongoing, but they were never commissioned by the governor.” Speaking on the planned demolition of churches,

Senior Special Assistant to Governor Adams Oshiomhole on Media Affairs, John Mayaki, said the state government was not particularly targeting churches, but trying to implement the original masterplan for parts of Benin, especially, the Government Reservation Area (GRA). He said, “irrespective of whether it is a church or any other structure, the government is only ensuring that the original master plan as it affects mapping of certain areas especially the GRA is duly followed.”

Stop inciting ethno-religious sentiments, Kaduna govt warns Muhammad Sabiu-Kaduna

Kaduna State government has warned groups or persons that engage in conduct likely to incite ethno-religious to desist from such act or will be prosecuted. This was contained in a statement issued by the media aide to the governor, Mr Samuel Aruwan, on Sunday. The statement noted that the warning was necessary because “the Kaduna State Security Council has observed that utterances of certain individuals are capable of creating social unrest. The statement read in part: “The attention of the Kaduna State Security Council has been drawn to illegal activities going on in some institutions of higher learning, places of worship and in social gatherings aimed at inciting people against each other along religious and ethnic lines. “The Council said it has noted the regrettable circulation of posters and leaflets containing hate speech.” While condemning this sort of behaviour, the council warned those involved to desist or face the full weight of the law.

From left, Chairman, Methodist Boys High School, Lagos Old Boys’ Association, Odeinde Gbolahan; Vice Chairman Coker Akinola; Principal, Methodist Boys High School, Lagos, Very Reverend David Oluseye Oyebade and a former governor of Ogun State and member of the association, Chief Olusegun Osoba, at a ceremony of the association, in Lagos, on Saturday. Photo: Sylvester Okoruwa.

‘MKO Abiola airport will be one of the best in Nigeria’ Oluwole Ige-Osogbo

Against the background of opposition’s criticisms of the MKO Abiola International Airport, Ido Osun in Osun, the Consultant Engineer to the state government on the project, Engineer Wemimo Adebajo, over the weekend revealed that the airport when completed will rank among airports with the longest runway in Nigeria. Adebajo, who spoke during an inspection tour of facilities at the airport with journalists, stated that the present site of the MKO Abiola International Airport was the first place where aviation activities took place in the whole of West Africa. Commenting on the percentage of work done at the airport, he observed that government, having spent N2.7 billion out of the revised total cost of N11 billion for the project, work could be said to have reached 25 per cent. Adebajo added that the West African Frontier Force was lifted from the

Ido-Osun aerodrome, the present site of the MKO international Airport project, during the World War II, hence the conscious effort by the state to make it the best in Nigeria, if not in Africa. According to him, the runway of the airport waiting to be laid with 500 mm asphalt is 3.5 kilometre in length, 12.3 metres excavation and re-filling with laterite,” adding that both sides of the runway were equipped with water pipes

which will be the first of its kind in Nigeria. Adebajo further explained that with such features, the airport will also be equipped with facilities that will make emergency fire fighting readily available near the runway in case of any emergency landing or fire outbreaks. He pointed out that though the runway had not been completed, but in case of an emergency, the runway at its present state

can be used by any pilot to land an aircraft at the MKO International Airport. Adebajo stated, “the runway is going to take about 60 per cent of the cost of any airport project, a lot of work has been done on the runway, there are about eight streams in the path of the runway. It therefore became necessary to excavate and build box culverts so that the water in the stream will flow unhindered under the runway.

Govs turning ADCs to errand boys, Tsav laments Johnson Babajide-Makurdi

ONE time commissioner of police, Lagos State, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav has raised the alarm over the situation whereby governors turn their Aide De Camp (ADC) to errand boys just as he called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Solomon Arase to organise trainings for security aides to political officers in the country. Tsav, a socio crusad-

er who used his home state, Benue, as case study said, “it is extremely important for IG to ensure the training of all officers newly posted as ADC to governors. Some of these officers are blank, inexperienced, over excited and do not seem to know their duties and responsibilities as ADC.” He also frowned at the situation where political

office holders, particularly, state executives have to surround themselves with security agents from their local government areas of origin, saying, “it is detrimental to security performance and discipline.” While commending the new trend of declaration of assets by other segments of society, the Tivborn, retired police officer, noted that such step would curb corruption in the country.

FCT minister orders all staff to declare assets Christian Okeke-Abuja

MINISTER of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Muhammad Bello, has directed all members of staff of the FCT Administration to declare their assets. Those mandated to declare their assets include staff working with agencies and departments under the administration. The directive for the exercise was contained in a circular issued through the office of the director in charge of establishment and training. The minister noted that the directive became necessary so as to ensure that all civil servants comply with the requirements of Paragraph 11, 5th schedule of the Constitution. According to the circular, the law provides that all public officers should declare their assets and liabilities on assumption of office, at the end of term of office, at interval of four years for public officers on continuous employment of government and at such intervals as may be determined from time to time.

Rehabilitation commences on LASU roads as new VC assumes office Some bad roads within the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo had been repaired barely two weeks after the assumption of its new Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olarenwaju Fagbohun. According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), trucks were seen off-loading sand and granites to cover up the various bad portions on the roads in the campus. Engineers from the university’s works and physical planning unit were seen supervising the workers at the weekend as they put finishing touches to the road rehabilitation. NAN reports that Professor Fagbohun on assumption of office on January 11 had said that one of his missions was to improve on the university’s infrastructure. NAN also reports that the former Vice-Chancellor, Professor John Obafunwa, speaking with some newsmen last year had attributed the bad roads to the ongoing construction within the campus. He said then that transportation of building materials by heavy-duty vehicles and trucks had contributed to the damaging of the roads.

news Corruption: Civil servants under watch —ICPC boss 39

hairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Mr Ekpo Nta, has said the ongoing fight against corruption will not be limited to the political class alone, but will also beam searchlight on corrupt civil servants across the nation.

Monday, 25 January, 2016

The ICPC chairman stated this at the weekend, while featuring on FRANK TALK, a RAVE 91.7 FM OSOGBO current affairs programme. According to him, corrupt civil servants aid the political class in wrecking havoc on the nation’s treasury and are often beneficiaries of corruption. He said such corrupt civil ser-

vants will soon be brought to justice. The ICPC chairman who noted that, leadership has a major role to play in the fight against corruption said his agency is dedicating itself to evolving a preventive mechanism that will help stem the tide of corruption in Nigeria. In the views of Mr Nta, it is imperative that Nige-

ria builds a culture of anti corruption and inculcate the virtues of high morals in young Nigerians through a concerted educational policy that will stand the test of time. He said the society as a whole has critical role to play in the fight against corruption, urging Nigerians to start blowing whistles on suspected cases of

corruption and when they notice abuse of offices. Mr Nta, in response to questions from listeners of RAVE 91.7 FM OSOGBO said his agency is not in competition with EFCC on the fight against corruption, stressing that the two agencies are complimentary and not competitive as stipulated in the enabling law of the agencies. Meanwhile, callers on the programme charged the Nigerian judiciary to join in the fight against corruption through fair hearing and quick dispense of justice.

More than 60% government officials request bribe —Survey Tola Adenubi - Lagos

From left, Minister of State for Health, Dr Osagie Ehanite; his wife, Eleanor and the Patron, Government College Old Boys Association (GCOBA), Dr Olalekan Are, at the GCOBA 50th anniversary dinner of Class 61-67, in Ibadan, on Saturday. PHOTO: NAN.

Benue South rerun: PDP expresses worry over fake soldiers, police Ahead of the February 2016 senatorial election for Benue South, the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised the alarm over the plot by some politicians to unleash fake soldiers and police on the area to manipulate the election. The state chairman of the PDP, Dr Emmanuel Agbo, alerted on Sunday, that the politicians who are afraid of defeat had started recruiting armed thugs who would disguise as soldiers or policemen to cover the election. Agbo stated that vigilante groups are being asked to forward their measurements for the proposed army and police uniforms and size of shoes which they would adorn on Election Day. According to Agbo, “We have it on good authority about the moves by the opposition in Benue State to infiltrate the vigilante group, sew army and police uniforms and arm them for the election. “But let it be noted that Benue South, otherwise called Idoma nation, cannot be intimidated. We are forthright and resilient people. No amount of intimida-

tion or ammunition can defeat the resolve of a people. Idoma people belong to this class. “This is democracy and the will of the people must of a necessity be respected. We must have the right to

choose. On this rerun election, only the Benue South people would decide who represent them. No external force would determine the outcome of this election.” Agbo maintained that as federal agencies charged

with the responsibility of maintaining law and order, he trusted that the army and the police authorities would not tolerate the evil plot. He therefore urged them to do the needful and nip the plot in the bud.

FG to build 30,000 health centres nationwide —Minister ed that the launch of the By Victor Ogunyinka

THE Minister of State for Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, has revealed that about 30,000 health centres are needed nationwide, with one expected to be built in each ward of the country to meet the growing health demands. Dr Ehanire made this submission while presenting his speech as the guest speaker during the 50th anniversary reunion dinner party of the Government College, Ibadan Old Boys Association (GCIOBA), at the Kakanfo Inn and Conference Centre, Ibadan. While speaking on his strategies and challenges to improve health in Nigeria, Dr Ehanire highlighted preventive, promotional, curative and rehabilitation healthcares as his focus, stressing that the more

aware people are about their health, the less they get into health problems. “Poor hygiene, sanitation and water supply account for the huge cause of health in Nigeria. Healthcare can be promoted by making jingles, awareness and giving health education. Curative healthcare has been the sole focus for too long and it is by far the most expensive part of medicine. “We need to focus on primary healthcare and build a health centre in every ward that is about 30,000 primary health centres nationwide. We might need to identify some existing ones, renovate and equip them, there will also be need to employ personnel and the plan is to use the local community without which primary healthcare wouldn’t work.” The minister also hint-

primary healthcare programme may begin with one in every senatorial district. He also berated the decision of people leaving the country to seek medical attention despite the availability of equipment and competent manpower. “A lot of people have complained about the attitude of health workers even from the point of registration; we have been talking to chief medical directors to harness ways we can build a patient-centred healthcare structure. “The National Health Insurance Scheme will play a very important role in having a healthy environment. First, we have to make it compulsory; it is going to be a cornerstone of healthcare delivery and it is going to be better than what we are seeing at the moment,” Dr Ehanire hinted.

THE Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) has disclosed that a survey conducted recently, indicated that most officials of government agencies in the ports request for ‘facilitation payments’ from port users. This was disclosed by the Director of Consumer Affairs Department of the NSC, Ms Azuka Ogoh, at a workshop held in Lagos, on corruption risk assessment and implementation of integrity plan in the port sector. Ogoh, who represented the Council’s Executive Secretary; Mr Hassan Bello at the event, confirmed that the survey was participated in by officials of government agencies in the ports. Ms Ogoh however commended the agencies for their active participation in the port steering committee survey, adding that there has been an improved standard of service delivery at the ports. Reiterating its commitment to vigorously reducing corrupt practices in the nation’s ports, the NSC also assured stakeholders that it would reduce cost of transportation and the cost of doing business at the ports. “The Nigerian Shippers Council, as the economic regulator for the nation’s ports has taken note of the outcome of the survey which shows that a large number of government officials request facilitation payments in the ports; this however varies from port to port,” Ogoh told the gathering.

Nigerian Tribune

Anti-graft: Kwara lawmaker urges Nigerians to support Buhari Biola Azeez - Ilorin THE anti-graft war of the present government will be won when Nigerians support efforts by President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration at tackling the menace. Speaking with journalists in Ilorin, at the weekend, a former lawmaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Honourable Ayodele Shittu, described corruption as the greatest challenge facing the country’s growth and development. Hon Shittu, who said that President Buhari has demonstrated to Nigerians that he has the will to deal with the problem, appealed to Nigerians to support the President to enable him wage and win the war successfully. The former lawmaker, however, advised the federal government not to be selective in dealing with corrupt people nor spare anyone involved, saying that all spheres of life must be touched to achieve desired objective. Talking on the single account being operated by the Federal Government, Hon Shittu said the system had saved the country over one trillion Naira and blocked loopholes where corrupt officials siphoned public funds.

Dwindling economy: Niger govt to re-establish Grains Board Adelowo Oladipo - Minna Against the backdrop of the dwindling economy bedevilling the country, the Niger State government has said it will re-establish a Grains Board (GB) to help farmers in the state reduce poverty and create more jobs for the teeming youths. The state Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism, Mr Jonathan Vatsa, said so on Sunday, in a press statement made available to newsmen in Minna, adding that the Board will help to checkmate people who act as middle men and are in the habit of exploiting farmers in the state. The statement, while calling on the people of the state, especially farmers, to embrace the board, stated that government has given agriculture one of the topmost priorities in the incumbent administration following the fall of oil price at the International market.

news Save UBEC from collapsing, group urges FG 40

Sunday Ejike - Abuja

n anti-corruption group, the Third Eye has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to take a look at what it called the ongoing titanic battle between the leadership of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and some powerful forces within the commission.

Acute psychological distress, symptom of erectile dysfunction —Expert

By Gabriel Oshokha The immediate and extreme symptoms of erectile dysfunction (ED) include complete loss of erection and often acute psychological distress and gradual loss of desire for sexual activity, just as smoking and excessive drinking are both known to have significant adverse impact on erectile dysfunction. This disclosure was recently made by a senior consultant Urologist, at Indraprastha, Apollo Hospitals, Delhi in India, Dr Narasimhan Subramanian. According to Dr Subramanian, the inability to achieve and maintain a normal erection adequate for penetration implies erectile dysfunction, adding that a delay in achieving erection or inability to maintain erection will also imply erectile dysfunction. Dr Subramanian stated further that erectile dysfunction may occur under various circumstances ranging from spinal injuries, neurological to psychological dysfunctions without any identifiable cause, adding that the effect on the nerves and consequently on blood vessels leading to poor blood flow, seems to be the primary reason. The Urologist asserted that erectile dysfunction is far more frequently seen in diabetics, and to some extent in those with cardio vascular diseases, hypertension and peripheral vascular disease, saying that the root cause of erectile dysfunction is inadequate flow of blood or derangement of mechanisms which enables the blood to be held in the specified area of the penis. Dr Subramanian, therefore, advised people suffering from erectile dysfunction to undergo blood sugar and cardio vascular assessment, measurement of hormones like testosterone and prolactin, saying that a psychological evaluation will often benefit those who suffer performance anxiety. He said further that depression is often seen as an accompanying factor of erectile dysfunction in many people.

Monday, 25 January, 2016

The group, in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, on Sunday, said the President’s urgent intervention has become necessary, so as to put an end to the corrupt activities of the so-called “powerful forces” among the UBEC staff. The Third Eye said, while the executive secretary of the commission, Dr Dikko Suleiman wants to root out corruption in the commission, forces which are among the management staff of the commission, are working against the executive secretary to maintain the culture of corruption,

which according to the group, they allegedly benefit from at the expense of the future of Nigerian children. The statement read in part: “In 2014, these powerful forces used N8 billion to equip 14 schools with science equipment and everybody smiled to the bank. “Now they think the executive secretary wants to spoil things for them by using the same N8 million to equip 1, 200 schools with even better science equipment. “These powerful people believe that if he is allowed to execute the project, the

President may summon them to come and account for the huge difference between 104 and 1,200 schools,” it stated. It added that the forces decided that the only way to stop the UBEC executive secretary is to replace the supply of the science equipment project with the much discredited free textbook supply, which it was gathered, would serve the interest of the immediate past executive secretary of the commission. The group specifically canvassed the probe of the activities of the top management of UBEC and ef-

fective radical change and transformation of the institution so that the nation’s collapsing primary and post-primary educational system would be more effectively rescued. It will be recalled that the Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) had challenged former President Goodluck Jonathan to beam searchlight on UBEC, when Dr Modibbo Mohammed was the executive secretary. Efforts to contact UBEC’s spokesman, Ossom Ossom proved abortive as calls made to his mobile phone could not go through.

NCS impounds N11.66m contraband The Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone ‘A’ of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted contraband valued at N11.66 million. The Controller of the unit, Comptroller Mohammed Umar, said this in a statement he made available to newsmen on Sunday, in Lagos, through the unit’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Uche Ejesieme. The statement said the seizures were recorded on January 14 and 16, respectively, by the Controller after his assumption of office on January 12, 2016. It stated that the first seizure of 158 bales of secondhand clothes was effected by the Lagos Monitoring Unit, through intelligence information at Iju area of Lagos State. The statement said the Controller’s Surveillance Team at Idiroko Axis, while acting on a tip off, also intercepted a truckload of 500 bags of smuggled 50 kilogrammes of rice each.

Police arrest man selling govt’s tools AlphonsusAgborh-Asaba

From left, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye; Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike and his wife, Suzzette, during the Holy Ghost Rally in Port Harcourt, on Sunday.

FG develops implementation guidelines for education quality assurance policy Clement Idoko -Abuja The Federal Government has commenced the process of developing a Guideline on National Education Quality Assurance Policy to further strengthen quality education delivery in the country. Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr Folasade Yemi- Esan, who made this disclosure, described as unacceptable the poor quality of teaching and learning at the basic level of education in Nigeria. She noted that “the present outcome in terms of learner’s performance as evidenced in public examination results below tertiary level still leaves much to be desired, as it does not justify government’s huge investment in education.” Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, Mrs Priscilla Ihuoma, and made available to newsmen on Sunday in Abuja, revealed that stakeholders had been assembled for a workshop at Nasarawa State, by the Department of Education Quality Assurance Services, Federal Ministry of Education in col-

laboration with Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria (ESSPIN) and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC). The Permanent Secretary, speaking at the workshop, said there was no better time than now, for all stakeholders to come together

for the production of implementation guidelines on the National Education Quality Assurance policy. She added that the guidelines would also ensure a unified and informed approach to education quality assurance practices across the country.

Represented by the Director of Tertiary Education Department, Mrs. Hindatu Abdullahi, the Permanent Secretary said that the 60th National Council on Education, held in Abeokuta in 2014, had approved the development of the policy implementation guidelines.

RCCG’s Holy Ghost rally has brought peace, development to Rivers —Wike Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike said the successful hosting of the Holy Ghost Rally of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG,) in Port Harcourt, implies peace and development have come to stay in the state. This was contained in a statement issued by the special assistant to the governor on electronic media, Mr Simeon Nwakaudu, a copy of which was made available to the Nigerian Tribune. Addressing the Holy Ghost Rally of the RCCG in Port Harcourt, on Sunday, where the General Overseer of the Church, Pastor

Enoch Adeboye ministered, Governor Wike said: “I know with the Holy Ghost Rally peace has returned to Rivers State. “Peace and development will continue to be in this state as a result of the Holy Ghost Rally,” Governor said, and prayed God to always protect and preserve Pastor Adeboye to continue to serve humanity with God’s words. Governor Wike assured the RCCG members that the traffic situation around the stadium would improve in 2017, as according to him, alternative routes would have been constructed. Preaching on the topic ‘the

power in the right hand of God’, Pastor Adeboye stated that God has the capacity to do the impossible and transform any situation. He said the Port Harcourt Holy Ghost Rally was the first time the programme would be holding in the morning, which translates to unique visitation of God to the area. Pastor Adeboye prayed God to always bless Rivers State and ensure that the will of God is done for the state. The programme attracted thousands of RCCG worshippers to the Adokiye Amasiemaka Stadium in Port Harcourt.

A young entrepreneur, at the weekend, who attempted to sell the tools presented to him by the Delta State government, in its drive to create employment for youths, has been arrested by police in the state. The suspect, Austin Igbaran, was nabbed after collecting the sum of N50,000 for his plastic chairs and tables from another youth who posed as a buyer, at the venue of distribution of the items in Asaba, the state capital. Igbaran was trained in the event management and decoration category. According to him: “I sold the items so I could have money to boost the decoration aspect of the business.” Nigerian Tribune at the venue, reported that a driver attached to a state commissioner, had posed as the potential buyer of the items and after negotiation, paid the sum before he was arrested. Earlier, a total of 322 young entrepreneurs received their starter packs and working capital for various skills. The beneficiaries were trained in event management and decoration, hair dressing, barbing, tiling and interlocking/landscape. According to the state chief job creation officer, Professor Eric Eboh, a number of measures had been put in place to enable the artisans to succeed.

Monday, 25 January, 2016 41 news ASUU gets new DPO killed as Fulani herdsmen attack Adamawa villages UI exco •29 others feared killed Kabeer Gwangwazo - Yola

UNMEN suspected to be Fulani herdsmen invaded four towns in Girei Local Government Area of Adamawa State, killing 30 people, including the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Vunokilang police station in the council. Several others were also said to sustain various injuries in an attack on Sunday morning. Nigerian Tribune gathered that more than 200 suspected Fulani herdsmen raided four towns, Demsare, Wunamokoh, Dikajam and Taboungo and some part of Fawore. The DPO, Okozie Okereofor, who was just two months in the command, as he was recently transferred from Okigwe in Imo State, reportedly lost his life in the attack. An eyewitness said the DPO was ambushed along with his team as they moved into the communities to quell the crisis in the villages. A community leader, P. P. Elisha, said Okozie was leading his men to the disputed area before the eventual attack on his team who surrounded the truck conveying them. The remains of the slain police chief and others attacked by the herdsmen were said to have been deposited at the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre, Yola.

Confirming the killings, spokesman of the state police command, Othman Abubakar, said the DPO and his team were attacked while on official duty in the affected towns, where he was killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen. Abubakar added that report at his disposal indicat-

ed that the attackers looted, seized food stuff and livestock of the villagers before setting the villages ablaze. “The suspected Fulani herdsmen raided four villages in Girei Local Government area on Sunday, around 5.30 a.m., killing scores, including the DPO,” Abubakar stressed.

OlayinkaOlukoya-Abeokuta

GOCOP to Nigerians: Disregard charlatans, blackmailers posing as online publishers The Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), on Sunday, described as unfortunate and ridiculous a statement

credited to members of the Online Publishers Association of Nigeria (OPAN), regarding the meeting held on Friday between

optimism at the anti-graft of President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government, urged Catholic faithful and Nigerians to join forces in the fight against corruption. According to him, “I have always believed and I know that what President Buhari is saying is a clarion call. When Jesus came, what did He call for? He said repent and believe the good news.

“That is calling for change of mind, attitude, mentality and so, I believe that if all Christians, not only Catholics, who are involved in the governance of this country decided to repent and change, corruption will disappear in this country. “But once Catholic Christians and Nigerians are not prepared, I think we are still far fetched from what we want to get”.

Scholars to chart new course for democracy in Ibadan Bothered by how government at the federal, state and local governments can effectively work to ensure that the people benefit in a democracy, scholars from all walks of life will gather at a conference in Ibadan, Oyo State, next week. Under the aegis of Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy, the organisers of the conference said they hope to “reconnect effectively with the people again as it used to in the decade before and after independence as facilitator of development beyond the ‘ritual’ of policy declarations.” According to a release is-

Bridgade, Yola, Colonel A.B.A. Poopola, also confirmed the attack, stressing that the Fulani herdsmen had prolonged crisis with the affected areas. He said everything was under control, as he had deployed his men to the areas, in order to maintain law and order.

From left, Director, Community and Rural Development, Niger Delta Development Commission (Nddc), Mr Toye Abosede; Director, Administration, Nddc, Mr Nosa Aigbongiasede; acting Managing Director, Mrs Ibim Semenitari and the national chairman, Traditional Rulers of Oil Minerals Producing Communities and paramount ruler of Mgbirichi/Abarkuruland of Imo State, Eze Akuwueze Ikegwuruka, at a consultative meeting in Port Harcourt, on Sunday. PHOTO: Nan.

Corruption: Politicians need change of attitude The bishop, Catholic Diocese of Abeokuta, Most Reverend Peter Odetoyinbo, has said that corruption will end in Nigeria if political leaders could change their ways. Odetoyinbo said this while speaking with newsmen after the dedication service of Saint Peter and Paul Catholic Cathedral , Abeokuta , Ogun State, at the weekend. The cleric, who expressed

When newsmen visited Federal Medical Centre, Yola, some of the injured victims were receiving treatment, but the nurse on duty said the management of the hospital had issued a directive that no journalist should be allowed into the ward. The Acting Brigade Commander of the 23 Armoured

sued by the school’s Director of Strategy, Mr Christopher Edeimu, the conference will hold from February 1 to 2 at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan. Edeimu said the conference will also seek to discuss how government can bond with the people. “Is it not time to go back to the basics of government and see how government can be made to effectively bond with and tap from the energies, resources, commitment and needs of its citizens to govern all of its peoples again? These concerns touch on aspects of the notion of governmentality,” he said.

The conference will also, according to the release, initiate moves away from rhetoric and false starts toward concrete, cumulative and comprehensive public policy thrusts for change. Some of the issues to be addressed at the conference include ‘The Economy: What is to be done?’, ‘Infrastructure, National Asset Management and National Productivity, Education, Health, Human Capital and Social Policy’, ‘Taxation, Governance, Democracy and Development’, ‘Intergenerational Discourse on Getting Government to Work for Development and Democracy in Nigeria.’

the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and Online Publishers, in Lagos. Besides, GOCOP decried a deliberate attempt by OPAN to distort facts relating to its formation. It further expressed shock at the orchestrated campaign aimed at dragging the name of the President's Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, a thoroughbred professional, in the mud by a group it described as charlatans, who have taken their deceit of being professional journalists too far. GOCOP made its position known in a statement by its acting president, Musikilu Mojeed; General Secretary, Dotun Oladipo and the Publicity Secretary, Olumide Iyanda. It said not all members of OPAN can be described as professional journalists. Rather, it said many of those who made up the organisation are people who worked on the fringes in media houses and have taken to online journalism principally as tool for blackmail and extortion of money. GOCOP said the statement credited to OPAN was clearly attention seeking and part of the carefully planned strategies to embarrass the current government and blackmail it into giving it undeserved

recognition. "These are people who did not work for a single day as professional journalists but as marketers, personal assistants and cameramen in media houses." Recalling the early days of the formation of GOCOP, the statement said the leadership of the online organisation, made up of seasoned journalists, with many boasting of over 25 years working experience and rising to become editors and Desk Heads of renowned newspapers, became aware of the "existence" of OPAN after it made moves to register with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). The statement by Mojeed, Oladipo and Iyanda said most members of GOCOP belong to the elite group of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, while none of those in OPAN qualifies to belong to any journalism association in the country, including the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ). There is no one who does not know that Mr Adesina is a thoroughbred professional, who will not stand by impostors and neverdo-goods. "And for the records, Adesina, being a concerned stakeholder and then President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, had been a strong pillar of support for GOCOP right from its formative stage.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Ibadan branch, has elected Dr Ayodeji Omole as its new chairman. Omole, who was the secretary in the immediate past executive, polled a total of 485 votes to defeat his opponent, Dr Steven Oluwole. Oluwole, a former President of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), polled 288 votes. The chairman of the electoral committee, Professor Afeez Oladosu, said on Saturday night that Dr Peter Olapegba of the Department of Psychology polled, 519 votes to emerge secretary. He said Oladosu defeated Dr Olisa Muojama of the Department of History, who scored 235 votes. According to the chairman, Dr Adedapo Adewole, the new vice-chairperson, scored 469 votes to defeat Dr Adenike Ogunshe, who scored 293 votes. Other elected members were Dr Monika Odinko, Welfare Secretary, Dr Olusola Olawoye, financial secretary and Dr Isaac Olufemi, Investment secretary. Also elected were Dr Olufemi Ayoola, treasurer; Dr Frederick Oshiname, internal auditor; Dr Akewula Adams, assistant secretary; while Dr Adebayo Komolafe, emerged the spokesman of the union.

Burial Mr Gabriel Olusanya Adeyosoye Akinbinuade, who died on Thursday, December 31, 2015, will be buried on Friday, February 5. He was aged 66. Christian wake-keep will hold on Thursday, January 28, at St Michael Cathedral Church, Taiwo Road, Kaduna by 4:00pm while commendation service will hold on Saturday, yat the same venue by 7:00am. Service of songs will also hold on Thursday, February 4, at C3, Araromi Street, Ipetu Ijesa, Osun State, by 4:00pm. while burial service will hold on Friday, February 5, at St Paul’s Anglican Church Cathedral, Ipetu Ijesa, Osun State, by 11:00am. Until his death, he was the Executive Chairman, Gabollet Nigeria Limited; Ray Onward Hotel; Chairman, Sal Delkins Engineering Limited; Chairman, Talimog International Limited and Director, Alimos Covenant Group of Schools.

Gabriel Akinbinuade

communitynews

Monday, 25 January, 2016

Bukuma community lauds ex-lawmaker over relief materials DapoFalade-PortHarcourt

THE immediate past lawmaker representing Degema Constituency in the Rivers State House of Assembly, Honourable Farah Dagogo, has been lauded by the people of Bukuma Community in Degema Local Government Area for his timely intervention in the crisis that engulfed the community recently. The people of the community commended the former lawmaker for what they described as his largeheartedness by giving them relief materials, including food items such as rice, gari and beans as well as other basic needs, last weekend. Dagogo, a lawmaker elected in the March 2015 election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), seeks re-election in the yet-to-be scheduled national and state assemblies election in the state, being one of the legislators whose elections were nullified by the Court of Appeal Tribunal, last October. The traditional ruler of the community, His Majesty Stephens Jeremiah Tobins, who was on hand to receive the relief materials on behalf of his people, said the kind gesture of Honourable Dagogo was not a surprise, owing to his antecedents and track record as a selfless and benevolent community leader. The monarch expressed the appreciation of the people of Bukuma Community to the former state lawmaker, assuring that the relief materials would be distributed equally. One of the beneficiaries, Ms Adokiye Inimim, could not hide her joy at the kind gesture of the former lawmaker, as she thanked him and prayed that God would meet him at his point of need. Speaking after handing over the relief materials, the former lawmaker enjoined the people to act responsibly and maintain peace at all times. He pointed out that the gesture had no political undertone, noting that the materials were meant for all persons affected by the crisis in the community, irrespective of their political affiliations. “At this period of our lives, what we must focus on is a united front that would bring the needed development that we are all yearning for. A situation such as this unending communal squabbles, will only continue to drag us back”, he said. He, however, solicited the support of the people for the developmental objectives of

Governor NyesomWike, assuring them that their trust would not be undermined, either by the governor or the PDP. Also speaking at the event, Rivers State Commissioner for Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, Damiete Herbert-Miller, urged other individuals and the private sector to follow the steps of Honourable Dagogo and not leave everything to government. “Recently, there was communal unrest in Bukuma Community and our brother and son, Honourable Dagogo, went with us to give to the people some relief materials in fulfillment of the promise by the PDP government to help every community that is in need and wants assistance,” he said.

Dr (Mrs) Jytte Oladapo (right) and others during the inauguration of the library at Maiyegun Primary School in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State. PHOTO: TUNDE ADEGBOLA

Don’t scrap maritime varsity, monarch tells FG EbenezerAdurokiya-Warri

he traditional ruler of Ogbe-Ijoh in Warri Kingdom, His Royal Majesty Couple Mackson Oromoni Monbene lll, has urged the Federal Government to rescind its deci-

sion to scrap the maritime university at Okerenkoko in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State. The monarch made his views known to journalists on Wednesday in Warri. He stated that the scrapping of the institution

would not help the state of underdevelopment in the Niger Delta, adding that the university is synonymous with peace and development of the region. “Our children will go there to school. We say the region is not developed and someone brought the

institution to develop the area, now they are saying it is going to be scrapped. This is unacceptable to our people,” the Ama-Kosu of Ogbe Ijoh noted, Denouncing the statement of the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, to that effect, the

Royal father tasks FG on development of border communities The Eselu of Iselu kingdom, Oba Ebenezer Akinyemi, has advised the Federal Government to develop border communities in the country. The monarch gave the charge during his 10th coronation anniversary in Iselu,Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State. According to him: “I want to appeal to the Federal Government to develop the border areas. There is no government presence in most border communities and this has prompted most of our subjects to take to smuggling. If government wants them to stop the act, they should develop the borders so as to engender development which will in turn provide jobs.” Oba Akinyemi, who pointed out that Iselu is blessed with abundant deposit of limestone and other mineral resources which are yet to be explored, called on investors to take

advantage of this and the prevailing peace in the area to establish industries in the community. “Iselu is essentially an agrarian community which has been in existence for centuries, contributing its own modest quota to the development of the coun-

try. Farms here service the markets around and beyond. My people are peaceful, diligent, kind, resourceful and accommodating,” the monarch said. While noting that the land is characterised by rich vegetation and excellent weather conditions

which enable different kinds of crops to thrive among which is cocoa, he maintained that the community is endowed with expansive area of land for investors who may be interested in both arable farming and animal husbandry.

monarch said: “I believe Amaechi is not speaking for Mr President. I don’t believe Buhari said the university should be scrapped. Nevertheless, I appeal to Mr President to keep the institution going because it is a good initiative.” According to him, “Amaechi said no one will go there to school . But I will like to ask if there are no security challenges where the minister comes from. With all the security challenges in Port Harcourt, has that stopped people from schooling there?, the monarch queried. He urged President Buhari to set up a committee to investigate the alleged wasteful spendings in the institution instead of throwing the baby away with the bath water.

Christiana foundation donates library to school in Eti-Osa By Tunde Adegbola AS part of efforts to make learning easy and give back to the society, a non-government organisation, Christiana Foundation, founded by Barrister (Mrs) Omonike Akinjide, recently donated a well-equipped library to Maiyegun Primary School in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State. Speaking at the inauguration of the library, the founder, who was

represented by one of the members of the board of trustees, Dr (Mrs) Jytte Oladapo, said the foundation was established in 2012 with the aim of assisting underprivileged children by providing basic equipment and teaching aids in public schools in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states. She reiterated the commitment of the foundation to improve the standard of teaching in the region, having recognised that schools in the region lacked basic

amenities with some children sitting on bare floor while the teachers lacked necessary teaching equipment. Also speaking, the headmistress of the school, Mrs Florence Oyeyipo, expressed gratitude to the founder for her commitment to the educational development of the pupils, adding that the school authorities would ensure the library is well maintained and functional. Education Secretary of

Eti-Osa Local Government, Mr Lukman Taiwo, also expressed appreciation to Barrister Akinjide for making it possible for the school to have a functional library. He also urged the school authorities to be more proactive in the running of the school to create room for improvement. One of the pupils of the school, Miss Deborah Afato, thanked the founder on behalf of other pupils for counting their school worthy of the gesture.

communitynews

Monday, 25 January, 2016

Monarch cautions subjects against land disputes as farming season approaches

he Eze-elect of Arommiriukwu Autonomous Community in Isuikwuato Local Govern-

ment Area of Abia State, Eze Nelson Ikechukwu Okezie, has appealed to the people of the community to resist land disputes and police cases.

He equally appealed to youths in the community to embrace peace and love and shun all forms of vices just as he charged them to engage in meaningful

ventures that would better their lot and that of the society. Eze Okezie, who made the appeal shortly after meeting with community elders

at his Uturu country home, said the call became imperative in view of the forthcoming farming season as well as the need to draw the attention of youths to the global economic meltdown of which Nigeria is not exempted. According to him, there is the need for the people, especially youths in the area, to look inwards for self-sustenance as the era of manna from heaven is over, hence all hands must be on deck to confront the present challenges. On his recent nomination as Eze-elect, the royal father described it as an act of

God, considering the massive support he got from the people of his community. He said the overwhelming support of the people encouraged him to accept the offer, promising that he would rule the community with the fear of God, and ensure everyone is carried along in the administration of the community. Identifying the challenges facing the community, the Eze-elect said they include epileptic power supply, shortage of potable water, bad roads and lack of farm inputs/ machinery.

Council boss provides free medical service in Taraba Sylvanus Viashima-Jalingo

A refuse heap waiting for evacuation on UI/Ojoo Road in Ibadan. PHOTO: DAMILOLA OJETIMI

Karu residents demand general hospital Residents of Karu Local Government Area of the FCT, recently called on the FCT Minister, Mallam Muhammad Bello, to provide them with a general hospital. The Sarkin Hausawa of Karu, Alhaji Suleiman Musa, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. Musa explained that

a tertiary medical facility was initiated by former FCT minister, Nasir ElRufai, for the community but suffered neglect by his successors. According to him, the structure put in place by El-Rufai was eventually handed over to an Indian firm under a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) arrangement. “But the high cost of ser-

Ahmed charges community associations on development Biola Azeez-Ilorin Kwara State governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, has urged community associations to always set agenda for sustainable development and promote peace and unity in their respective communities. Governor Ahmed gave the charge in Ilorin when he received the newly inaugurated national executive council of “Omo Ibile Igbomina” led by its national president, Engineer Timothy Adebayo. The governor urged the association and other sociocultural associations in the state to transmit the right cultural values to the coming generations through writing to avoid information

distortion. Governor Ahmed, who assured the group of his government’s readiness to complete all ongoing projects, said the sum of N5 million would soon be disbursed to each ward for Community Development Projects. He called for tolerance and peaceful coexistence among the various communities in order to bring accelerated development to the state. Also speaking, the national president said their visit was to familiarise the newly inaugurated national executive with the governor. He called on the state government to develop tourist sites in Igbominaland through the provision of infrastructure.

vices rendered by the Indians are beyond our means and as such most residents do not patronise the hospital. “If the project was actually designed for the benefit of the poor in Karu community, the APC change government should urgently address the issue,’’ the traditional ruler said. Musa explained that the original design of the hospital was meant to be superior to the facilities in

Asokoro and Maitama districts because “ this area is densely populated.’’ An investigation by NAN, however, revealed that the hospital, now owned by the FCT Administration, which was originally billed to provide general medical and healthcare services to the rural populace, now offers only behavioural (Psychiatry) medical services. Patients with psychiatry cases were seen being attended to.

THE Caretaker Chairman of Kurmi Local Government Area of Taraba State, Honourable Stephen Agya, on Wednesday, kicked off free surgical and medical care for the people of his local government area. Performing the kick-off ceremony, Agya said despite the lean financial resources of the local government, his administration embarked on the programme to save lives and put smile on the faces of the people. He added that the programme was conceived five years ago when he contested for the chairmanship position of the local government. “We are embarking on this free medical programme, with the realisation that ‘health is wealth. Kurmi is blessed with a lot of potentialities and only healthy people can harness them. “This programme is to-

Traditional ruler tasks Yoruba race on cultural values The Adokun of IganOkoto in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, Oba Mukaila Salako, has enjoined Yoruba people to work for the protection of Yoruba cultures and traditions. Oba Salako, who gave the advice in his palace while interacting with newsmen, said: “The cultures of the Yoruba people are rich and are the best in the world. They teach good morals and the best ways of life. Our children must be encouraged to speak Yoruba language at all times rather than the borrowed English language.” The monarch, who recommended the resuscitation of the old-time

tradition when cultural activities were in full swing in palaces in Yorubaland, pleaded with the government to do the needful by assisting traditional rulers towards preserving the nation’s cultures and traditions, especially local languages. Speaking about the town, Oba Salako said though Igan-Okoto is not well known, it is peaceful and blessed with enough land for all kinds of investments. He, therefore, called on investors to take advantage of the conducive environment with the assurance that their investments would be fruitful. While pleading with the state and federal

governments to come to the aid of the town in respect of the deplorable state of roads in the area, he specifically called for the reconstruction and dualisation of AyetoroIgan-Okoto and Igbogila roads. “Our roads are really bad. Though we are aware of the economic meltdown, government can still assist with the little that is available. The reconstruction and dualisation of Ayetoro-IganOkoto and Igbogila roads is essential, so also is the resuscitation of the abandoned farm settlement in Sawonjo, to reduce unemployment and provide food for the nation,” Oba Salako said.

tally free and will last for one week. We shall carry on with the programme until everyone with a health challenge but without resources to access medical service, especially those in the hinterlands, benefit from the service. “We must liberate our people. Kurmi is a pace setter in Taraba and its name must be heard in Nigeria as a pace setter local government,” he told the gathering. Earlier, the Chief of Kurmi, Maiwuya Samaila, had expressed delight over the free medical service of the caretaker chairman and urged the people to support the chairman. He, however, decried the bad state of the MarrabanBaissa- Abong-Cameroon road, connecting the local government headquarters (Baissa) with the rest of the world which had not received attention since the colonial days. Samaila, who informed that the road was a Federal Government road, appealed to the Federal Government to open up the road to enable investors come to the local government to harness the abundant resources in the area such as cocoa, rubber, kola, palm oil among others. Dr Danga I. Danga, one of the seven doctors participating in the exercise, told Community News that the programme was designed to accommodate 300 to 400 patients in the first week and commended Honourable Agya for ensuring that all the medical requirements for the exercise were in place. “We are prepared for any emergency in the weeklong programme, but primarily, we are treating cases like hepatitis, appendicitis, peptic ulcer, malaria, typhoid, HIV/ AIDS testing and counselling among others,” he said.

communitynews

Monday, 25 January, 2016

Bukuma community lauds ex-lawmaker over relief materials DapoFalade-PortHarcourt

Dr (Mrs) Jytte Oladapo (right) and others during the inauguration of the library at Maiyegun Primary School in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State. PHOTO: TUNDE ADEGBOLA

Don’t scrap maritime varsity, monarch tells FG EbenezerAdurokiya-Warri

he traditional ruler of Ogbe-Ijoh in Warri Kingdom, His Royal Majesty Couple Mackson Oromoni Monbene lll, has urged the Federal Government to rescind its deci-

Monday, 25 January, 2016

foreig naffairs 081169

withseyigesinde foreignn54632 ewseditor@gmail.com

otherNEWS

Record-breaking snow hits US, 19 killed, 12,000 flights stopped

Bomb scare diverts Turkish Airlines flight

The flight landed at Shannon airport at about 11.20am local time. Photo: AP

A Turkish Airlines flight from Houston to Istanbul was diverted to Shannon Airport in Ireland because of a “bomb alert,” the airline said on Sunday. According to CNN, the Boeing 777 landed safely and all passengers and crew disembarked. The bomb threat is being investigated, Turkish Airlines said. A woman decorates a snowman in Times Square as all cars but emergency vehicles were banned from driving on the road at the weekend in New York. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES.

he East Coast of America was getting ready to dig its way out of recordbreaking snowfall Sunday morning after historic storm Jonas battered the nation on Saturday. Glengary, West Virginia, topped the charts for the East Coast blizzard with an astonishing 40 inches of snowfall, but 67 locations, mostly in West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland, reported at least two feet of snow. Mail on Sunday said Baltimore alone saw recordbreaking snowfall of 29 inches, Dulles International Airport outside of Washington was just behind at 23.5 inches of snow, which puts it third all time for that location with another eight hours or so of snow

7.1-magnitude earthquake hits Alaska A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Alaska early on Sunday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey. According to CNN, the quake’s epicenter hit near Cook Inlet, 162 miles southwest of Anchorage. It was about 50 miles deep. Joshua Veldstra, a professional photographer who lives in Homer, said the earthquake lasted about 30 seconds. Anchorage police tweeted that there were no reports of major damage or injury following the earthquake.

forecast, while New York City saw 26.8 inches just 0.1 inches short of the 2006 record. Ten states declared emergencies, with more than 12,000 flights canceled across the country over the weekend. Coastal flooding was reported in New Jersey, motorists in Kentucky and Pennsylvania were stranded for more than 24 hours, while the

storm’s death toll reached 19. Thirteen people were killed in weather-related car crashes in Arkansas, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia. One person died in Maryland and three in New York City while shoveling snow. And two people died of hypothermia in Virginia. The New York Police Department’s Chief of Department Jim O’Neill told

Zika virus reaches UK

Three British travellers have been infected with the Zika virus, British health officials have said. “As of January 2016, three cases associated with travel to Colombia, Suriname and Guyana have been diagnosed in United Kingdom travellers,” Public Health England said on its website. The government agency did not provide further details about the cases but added that the virus “does not occur naturally in the UK.” Zika “is not spread directly from person to person,” it said. CNN said the announcement came on the heels of last week’s travel alert from the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommending pregnant women postpone travel to Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela and

Puerto Rico. On Friday, the CDC expanded its travel warning to include Barbados, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, Guyana, Cape Verde and Samoa. The recommendations also call for women who have travelled to these places during their pregnancy be screened and monitored for the virus if their visit took place while the virus was present in the country they visited. Pregnancy risks Zika virus is a mosquito borne disease. An individual becomes infected by the bite of an infected mosquito. Symptoms of

Zika virus poses risks in pregnancy.

reporters on Saturday one person on Staten Island and two people in Queens died. He released no further details on the deaths. Spokeswoman Corinne Geller says the Office of the Virginia Chief Medical Examiner has confirmed that two deaths are the result of hypothermia. Those deaths occurred in Hampton and Wise County, in southwest Virginia.

the virus include fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes and can last from a few days to about a week. But 80% of individuals infected have no symptoms. The virus has been linked to an increase in cases of a rare neurological condition called microcephaly in babies. Microcephaly results in babies being born with abnormally small heads, and often serious, and sometimes deadly, developmental delays. No treatment There is no prevention or treatment. Travelers to dangerous areas are urged to prevent mosquito bites by using mosquito repellant and covering exposed skin. The aedis aegyptia mosquito, which transmits the disease, bites all day long, so individuals need to reapply that repellant and not let their guard down.

Flight TK34 was carrying 207 passengers and two infants, the airline said. Shannon Airport serves the west coast of Ireland and is about 25 kilometres (15 miles) from the city of Limerick. The passengers have been moved to a secure area of the airport, officials there said in a statement. A sweep of the plane will follow.

Mugabe back home after death rumours Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe has returned from his annual month-long holiday and returned to work, state media said, following rumours that he had collapsed and died in Asia. Mugabe, who turns 92 next month, met Equatorial Guinea’s President Theodore Obiang Nguema for over three hours on Saturday in the Zimbabwean capital Harare, state-run newspaper, The Herald said. “President Mugabe and the First Lady Grace Mugabe arrived home last night (Friday), quashing false media reports that (he) had suffered a heart attack while on his annual

leave in the Far East,” The Herald said. Harare last week denied rumours that Mugabe, the world’s oldest national leader who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, had collapsed and died while on holiday.

Robert Mugabe

Kerry heads to Asia with focus on China United States Secretary of State John Kerry left the U.S. for Asia on Sunday, making stops in Laos, Cambodia and China. His first stop will be a two-day stay in Laos, the current head of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN. The group’s members have concerns about China’s growing assertiveness over competing claims in the South China Sea where China is constructing manmade islands, VOA said. U.S. President Barack Obama will host ASEAN members in California next month. Kerry is expected in his trip to Laos to stress the importance of the bloc presenting a united front in

response to China’s claims. The U.S. and governments with rival claims in the South China Sea say China’s action threaten regional stability. Kerry heads to Cambodia Monday night where he with meet with Hun Sen, Asia’s longest serving prime minister.

John Kerry. PHOTO: AP.

foreig naffairs

Monday, 25 January, 2016

Strange baby with no head born in India

baby girl has been born in India without a head that has left her with shockingly protruding eyes. Savita Rani, 32, from Amroha district of Uttar Pradesh, in northern India, gave birth to her “miracle baby” on Tuesday after a natural birth, Mail on Sunday said. But soon after the birth she became the talk of the town due to her shocking features. A large number of people started to even gather outside the Sai Nursing Home clinic in the hope of seeing the “miracle child.” Two days later, however, the baby girl tragically died of heart failure. Dr Kusum Lata, 30, a gynaecologist at Sai Nursing Home, said: ‘These complications occur due to incorrect and irregular eating habits of the mother during pregnancy. “This is why we as doctors

keep emphasising on regular check ups of the women during pregnancy so we can try to guide the mother and hope to avoid such birth abnormalities. “The baby’s eyes were so large that she was born with them already open because her head had not formed properly. “She didn’t have normal movements like other babies when they are born - she wasn’t crying or moving.” The mother, who already has three very healthy children, faced extreme difficulties during labour and lost a lot of fluid and blood. He explained that the baby girl’s brain had not formed properly in the womb and her heart had kept her alive. The mother has now been discharged from hospital and is trying to come to terms with her loss. Dr Lata added it was a miracle both mother and child survived as long as they did.

MH370: Thai, Malaysian

officials to investigate newly found debris

The baby, born at Sai Nursing Home clinic, did not have a fully developed head and died shortly after birth. PHOTO: ASIA PRESS.

Michael Bloomberg

and Hillary Clinton, the Republican and Democratic frontrunners. No third-party candidate has ever won a U.S. presidential election. But Bloomberg, who has close Wall Street ties and liberal social views, sees an opening for his candidacy if Republicans nominate Trump or Texas Senator Ted Cruz and the Democrats nominate Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, the source said.

Donald Trump Donald Trump boasted Saturday that support for his presidential campaign would not decline even if he shot someone in the middle of a crowded street. “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters,” Trump said at

a campaign rally here. After the event, Trump declined to answer when asked by CNN to clarify his comments. The GOP front-runner has repeatedly pointed to the loyalty of his supporters, many of whom tell reporters and pollsters that

almost nothing could make them change their mind about voting for Trump in the presidential race. The 2016 race, Obama’s legacy, congressional gridlock — get the most important political news delivered to your inbox. By subscribing, you agree to our privacy policy. Trump’s comments come as the debate about gun violence in America has taken center stage in American political discourse amid several highly publicized mass shootings. Trump has repeatedly

otherNEWS Italy approaches defining vote on same-sex unions

Same sex couple protesting in Italy. PHOTO: CORBIS.

Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators joined demonstrations across Italy over the weekend in support of gay rights, amid mounting concern that a proposal to legalise civil unions between same-sex couples could falter in the final hour.

The Guardian said Italian senate is due to begin debating the historic legislation on Thursday, and it is far from clear whether prime minister Matteo Renzi’s left of centre government has enough support to pass the measure in the upper chamber,

where it will be voted on in a secret ballot. Italy is the only country in western Europe that does not recognise civil unions or gay marriage. “We hope it will pass, but we don’t know,” said Fabrizio Marrazzo, a top gay rights activist with the

Saudi-Iranian proxy war over Syria spreads to Davos Senior Saudi and Iranian figures clashed behind closed doors at a private meeting convened by the World Economic Forum in Davos this week to try to promote peace in Syria, participants said. The barbed exchange between Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal and Irani-

Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said it’s too early to speculate whether the debris was from MH370 and urged media not to jump to conclusions, as it may worry or upset victims’ families, Bernama reported. MH370 vanished on March 8, 2014. It was flying from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing, when it disappeared from radar. Almost two years later, families of the 239 people on board still don’t know what happened to their loved ones. But last year, they received some sobering news: Malaysian and French officials said a piece of debris that washed up on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion came from MH370.

US election: I could shoot somebody and won’t lose voters, Trump boasts

Bloomberg may launch independent US presidential bid Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York City, has told his aides to draw up plans for an independent campaign for the United States presidency, according to a source familiar with the situation. Reuters said Bloomberg has advised friends and associates that he would be willing to spend at least $1 billion of his own money on a campaign for the November 2016 election, according to the source, who spoke on condition on anonymity to discuss the former mayor’s thinking. News of Bloomberg mulling a presidential run was first reported Saturday by the New York Times. Bloomberg, 73, has given himself an early March deadline for entering the race, the source said, after commissioning a poll in December to see how he would fare against Donald Trump

Thai and Malaysian officials will investigate whether a large piece of curved metal found on the southern Thai coast could be from missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, CNN reported. But analysts are already at odds about whether the debris likely came from a plane. The debris was found Friday by a fisherman on the coast of Nakhon Si Thammarat province, Malaysia’s official Bernama news agency reported Sunday. The Thai Civil Aviation Department will dispatch air accident investigators to the site Monday, Deputy Director General Umphawan Wannago told CNN. There, they will meet Malaysian aviation investigators, she said.

an Foreign Minister Javad Zarif at an invitation-only meeting on Wednesday underlined the hostility between the two Gulf rivals, who are waging proxy wars in Syria, Yemen and Iraq. Reuters said Riyadh broke off diplomatic relations and cut off trade and

transport ties with Tehran two weeks ago after protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Iran. The protests erupted following the Saudi execution of a leading Shi’ite cleric that outraged predominantly Shi’ite Iranians. The standoff highlights some of the reasons U.S.-

Russian-backed peace talks on Syria may not open as planned in Geneva next week. There is no agreement on who should represent opponents of the Syrian government, and Riyadh-backed rebels are demanding that Russia first stop air strikes in Syria.

touted his strong support for the Second Amendment and slammed President Barack Obama’s recent use of executive orders to expand the reach of background checks needed to purchase a gun. The brash billionaire’s comments also come less than two months after two ISIS-inspired terrorists killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California, and ISIS-linked attacks killed 130 in Paris. In response, Trump has called for fewer gun restrictions and a harder stance on terrorism.

campaign group Arcigay in Rome. “We hope the politicians see that this is not a law just for LGBT people, but for all Italians, for civil rights in Italy.” He added: “We don’t have more time. In other parts of Europe they did this 10 years ago.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif

Monday, 25 January, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Editor: Ganiyu Salman tribunesporteditor@yahoo.com 08053789060

Wenger blames Costa for Mertesacker’s red card

RSENAL manager Arsene Wenger claimed Chelsea’s Diego Costa was at fault for Per Mertesacker’s sending off in their 1-0 defeat on Sunday, despite the seemingly clear-cut nature of the foul. Costa had been sent clear through by Willian’s pass in the

Wenger

18th minute, with Mertesacker chopping the striker down as the Spaniard sped towards goal. Still, Wenger took issue with what appeared to be an easy decision for referee Mark Clattenburg. “He got him sent off - you cannot say it’s not true,” Wenger told Sky Sports. “Costa has had two of our players sent off in two games... so he is clever. “In the first game he got Gabriel sent off, today he got Mertesacker off. Was the tackle irregular or not? Did he touch him? I’ll have to watch it again - but a fact is a fact. “I am not accusing him (Costa) of anything - it’s just what happened.” Mere minutes after the sending off, Costa got on the end of Branislav Ivanovic’s cross at the front post, finishing first time to score what would be the only goal of the match in a feisty encounter.

Dalung reconstitutes Nigeria ‘hospitality’ house project committee THE Nigeria ‘Hospitality’ House Project Committee for the 2016 Olympic Games in RIO has been re- constituted. The 15-man committee earlier inaugurated by the Director General of the National Sports Commission Alhassan Yakmut on November 05, 2015 has now been reduced to 7. The re-constituted committee has Alhaji Mohammed B. Abdullahi as Chairman and project coordinator while the Nigeria Olympic Committee will be represented by Hon. Bappa A. Missau. Other members of the committee include Shamma Makpa, a Sports Officer at the National Sports Commission, Okechukwu Nebo, Head of Chancery, Nigerian Embassy in Brazil and three ministerial nominees, Alhaji Bala Usman, Tar Ukoh and Mrs Adeshola Ndu. The Nigeria ‘Hospitality’ House Project Committee which will be inaugurated tomorrow ( Tuesday) by the Hon Minister for Youth and Sports Barrister Solomon Dalung is to promote and showcase the country’s culture at the Rio Olympic Games in August this year.

DE-Royals to represent Nigeria at World tournament in Thailand CHAN 2016 action between Mali and Zimbabwe . Mali beats Zimbabwe 1-0

Ibadan Polo Club annual tourney begins tomorrow By Nurudeen Alimi POLO players will storm Ibadan Polo club for this year’s edition of its annual polo tournament which begins tomorrow at the club’s playing ground, Eleyele, Ibadan. According to the club’s Captain, Konyinsola Owoeye: ‘‘The tournament will feature three polo clubs namely: Kano Polo club, Lagos Polo club and the host, Ibadan Polo club. ‘‘Over 16 teams will battle for three major Trophies which are Ibadan Cup ( Handicap +8 to +12), Brig. General Rotimi Cup ( Handicap +3 to +7) and Ade Alakija Memorial Cup (-2 to +2). In the special selected category , five trophies will aslo be contested for and these include: Senator Ajimobi Cup, Prof. Jide Owoeye Cup, HST Cup and Shoreline Cup.’’ Owoeye, however, expressed

confidence that this year’s tournament will be a tough contest among Nigerian polo players with highly rated handicaps like Ahmed Umar (+3), Hamisu Buba (+3), Bashir Bashiru Dantata (+3),Jubril Ali (+2) and Isa Kwame (+3) partaking in the competition. Some of the teams featuring in the Ibadan polo annual tournament include: Ibadan Lead City

Group, Lagos Caverton, Kano Susplan, Lagos Lekki and Ibadan Leobiga-heirs. Ibadan Polo club President, Shina Adegunle noted that this year’s tournament will be a special one as the game of Polo popularly known as ‘‘ the game of kings and the king of games ’’ will attract outstanding individuals from all walks of life to the ancient city of Ibadan.

NIGERIA’S Premier National Football Fives Tournament Ended yesterday at the Campos Mini Stadium, Lagos Island. Over 1000 teams from across Nigeria were registered to compete in the six geo-political zones of the country and from the regional qualifiers, 16 teams qualified to compete in Lagos for the title of National Champion and with the Honour of representing Nigeria at the 2016 F5WC holding in Bangkok, Thailand. Defending Champions DERoyal Fc of Lagos Island successfully retained the title they won last year after a nail-bitting final game against Ago Fc of Ogun

Lagos Marathon Expo starts today By Niyi Alebiosu THOUGH the main act, the 2016 Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, will not flag off until February 6, the main lead up activities to the first full international marathon in Nigeria in 30 years, Lagos City Marathon Expo, start on Monday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium. First of its kind in Nigeria,

Marathon Expos are integral of big marathon races worldwide with major marathons like New York, Dubai, London, Boston, Chicago, Tokyo, Berlin drawing thousands of vendors and exhibitors annually. The theme of the Lagos City Marathon is Hospitality, Wellness and Wellbeing. Over the weekend, some of the exhibitors were seen mounting their stands in readi-

ness for Monday, the day one of the Expo. Corporate organizations and government bodies expected at the Expo include Access Bank the title sponsor of Lagos City Marathon, ask, Ladel’s Baby Centre, Airtel, another sponsor of the marathon, Food Clique, Oniru Family, Eko Hotel, Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, SuperSport and a host of others.

State. De-Royal were stunned early on in the first half when Ago Fc opened scoring against the run of play, De Royal levelled up the score a few minutes before the end of first half. The second half was a delight for the neutrals as both teams gave it their all, but it eventually ended 1-1 and it was down to the luxury of penalties which was won by the DE-Royals Fc. Kabiru Nasiru of De-Royal Fc was voted the Most Valuable player as his 7 goals at the National Finals were enough to also see him win the Golden Boot award. The Olympic Milk sponsored event witnessed a huge turn-out of fans who were treated to scintillating football displays by the various teams mixed with musical performances, Free-styling, Olympic branded giveaways. Mr Bayo Akande of FiveSports, Organisers of the event said: “we would like to thank our Sponsors Olympic Milk for their immense support we really appreciate the fact that the brand has come to identify with Nigerian Sports through their various sponsorship of Sporting events.”

Monday, 25 January, 2016

schoolsport

Nigerian Tribune

Anchor: Nurudeen Alimi oladimejialimi@yahoo.co.in 08111847089

Government must compel corporate bodies to sponsor school sport â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Waheed Ekun Waheed Ekun,a former table tennis champion and immediate past Special Adviser to the Governor of Oyo State,Senator Abiola Ajimobi on sport in this interview with NURUDEEN ALIMI shares his experience as a product of school sport, He suggests way forward for the development of school sport. Excerpts:

hat was school sport like during your days as a student as well as an athlete? School sport in those days was very very vital. It was school sport that was used to prepare sportsmen and women for national and state teams. It was an avenue to discover talents in those days, for instance, I was the school champion in 1972/73. That was when I was invited to the state camp followed by an invitation to the national camp. In those days, they do not joke with school sport. I remember the likes of Keshi, Siasia, Haruna Ilerika were all products of school sport. So, school sport was very vital back then as far as the development of sport is concerned. It is unfortunate now that it is taking a low trend but I think it will be better if school sport can be revived because it will go a long way in discovering talents and making sure we nuture them so that they can become national and international stars. What do you think can be done to make school sport in Nigeria as it was in those days? Primarily, it is a function of the government to fund school sport because they are the one controlling schools as well as the curricular of the schools. I think what the government needs to do is to marry the curricular to match sporting activities generally. What I mean by this is that the school curriculum should be in such a way that tournaments and other form of competitions should be held at a time schools are on vacation. Competitions must not be held when the schools are in session because as students then, we suffered a lot because when our classmates were in school while we were out there representing the school somewhere in Port Harcourt, Kaduna and other parts of the country. And what we have missed in terms of academics at that point in time have been missed for life, it can not be recovered. So, it takes a lot of trouble for those of us who are sportsmen to come back and start reading what they have taught them while we were away. I think at the long run they discovered that sport should be done at a time that everybody is free. Therefore, I want to advise the government to draw a schedule that will allow sporting activities to be held at a time when the schools

are not in session so that academics and sport will not hinder each other. Government should always make available some slots for school sport to flourish. There is no much support for school sport and that is why people think school sport is not existing. It should exist and should be given prominence. Sport journalists also have a role to play in this, school sport must be given prominence as far as publicity is concerned. School is the only stage you can develop, as a sportman or women if you missed that stage, you will be good but you can not be excellent, but if you are discovered at the right time and at the right age when you can nuture to become international champion then it means things have been done the way it should be. These are the things I think should happen, then if it happens that means Nigeria will be good in sport once again. Can you recollect your most memorable moment as an athlete while you were in school? Well, that time itself was the most memorable, time you can think of because

I want to advise the government to draw a schedule that will allow sporting activities to be held at a time when the schools are not in session so that academics and sport will not hinder each other.

Waheed Ekun

when you are a student athlete is when you have the most famous time you can think of. Those times you do not think about money though it is important anyway. They give us stipends they normally give to appreciate our efforts and the publicity as well as the fame were second to none. Everywhere you go, you will be easily identified and appreciated by people. All these happened through the efforts of the sport writers we have then, they give adequate publicity unlike now when all the pages of newspapers are filled with foreign sport news. Even if there is any local news in the paper, you may not notice it because the foreign ones have dominated all the pages so people do not actually know that there is school sport and that there are students who are taking part in sport. All these things should change. I remember I was in secondary school then when I went for the National Sports Festival in 1973 which was the first ever in Lagos. I was there as a student, incidentally I won the singles. When I came back to Ibadan, the Nigerian Tribune and other newspapers reported it lavishly, the news was all over the places. I was so excited about it, so everything was going on fine, there was nothing disturbing you except your academics. That was why I said sport should be done during vacation so that you will have much to lose as against

when you have competitions during school session. Honestly, I had a fantastic school days sport experience. Do you think corporate bodies should be involved in the promotion of school sport? Government alone can not do it. There has to be a partnership with the government. Corporate bodies are not forthcoming sponsoring sport these days, those that are forthcoming are always concentrating on football. Why canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t they change and look other way?. There is overdependence and sponsorship drive on football, everybody will want to do football and I think the major contributing factor to this is that sport writers report more of football than any other sport. It is only football that they give adequate coverage, by the time they give every other sport more attention like they give to football I believe corporate bodies will have interest in other areas of sport aside football. I want to also implore corporate bodies to please come and sponsor sport. I think it is time for government to have it as a policy that all the corporate bodies should leave certain percentage of their profit for sport development. Government would have to make corporate bodies to be corporately responsible for sport in this country until then, I think we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go nowhere because government can not fully sponsor sport.

SIDELINES

NO 16,421

MONDAY, 25 JANUARY, 2016

OR many Nigerians, the present happenings in the land cannot but be happenings that will ever astonish and astound them until the end of their lives. The diurnal revelations of members of the immediate past central government’s alleged pillage of our commonwealth will remain very imposing in their supreme consciousness. History, of yesterday and of the future, will forever lurk in the hearts of especially those among the many who are patriotic enough to think of our country as an extraordinarily rich, wealthy country that the extraordinary greed and appetites of a few gluttonous group and class of individuals want to assassinate to nothingness. If the present is truly as real as the current central political regime wishes us to believe it, how can we reach our time and space in the universe of modern and post-modern civilisation? And how many Nigerians of the current time can trace their history beyond the period of their present poverty induced by the stupendous and imposing greed and thievery of the political people of only yesterday? Of course, the thievishness of the political class is as old as the doctrine of our thieving and thievish political overlords who at one time or the other in the past thievishly employed their political thimblerigs to do us in. But the art and act of thimblerigging of the immediate past political over-lords and their cohorts of Satanic exploitation of our commonweal will continually commove our patriotic sanity and spirit to a ceaseless state of discomfort. With President Muhammudu Buhari’s revelations on daily basis of the plots and corns that were cooked in the alleged exceptional thieves’ kitchen of the preceding centralists, our ghetto lives may witness physical and moral improvement. But this wish ultimately may end up as a mere wish – nothing more or nothing else maybe. And we say this because the stipendiary corruptionists who painted the scenario in the grand manner in which they painted it are still, yes, are still very much in our amidst and in the midst and vicinity of Buhari’s political household and surroundings. Political controllers of our lives who day by day allegedly live

N150

With effect from February 1, a new tariff electricity regime, which will see consumers paying more, will come on stream. If this would result in improved electricity supply, Nigerians would have applauded it. But what is the point in paying more for less when the electricity distribution companies cannot guarantee that the hike would result in improved supply?

in&out with Tony Afejuku

08055213059

End of Nigeria’s stipendiary corruptionists? on corruption’s stipends are everywhere about our president. They know now real fear after seeing so far what our president, who wants to kill corruption before corruption kills us, is doing. They know that our president means business and real business. They cannot and will never be happy at Buhari’s prudence. If this is not obvious to us nothing else will be obvious to us. Buhari is the enemy of the people who are his people. They are not at all happy with him and his patriotic prudence. What am I trying to say which I am at pains to say? It is this: Buhari is alone in his onslaught against corruption. He must despise himself if he does not know or understand this. In fact, if what I am saying is not obvious to him nothing else will be obvious to him. Let us not be squeamish about this. The man is alone in this. He has no comrades-in-arms battling against the enemy: corruption – that possesses an army of stipendiary corruptionists – in and outside our armed forces, police,, presidency, parliament, judiciary, civil service, customs, ports authority, immigration, press, churches and mosques, civil aviation - the list is endless. And what of the many un-Godly things that need change, many un-holy things, which happen now and then in the states run by merciless governors who at best are hypocrites whose hypocrisies are uglier than the ugliest hippopotamus? We must ask this question loud and clear. In our well known parlance, we

How prepared are we for the grenade corruption will soon hurl at us? Perhaps this question should be sent squarely to our president

must urge our president to “shine” his eyes and sentiments. And several of the holy hypocrite-governors, are they not in his great party as well? President, please shine your eyes and your sentiments. As I am writing this, two thoughts stream into my evangelic emotions. The first originates from our Wole Soyinka, our William Shakespeare’s poetic consciousness: “When you fight corruption, corruption strikes back.” How prepared are we for the grenade corruption will soon hurl at us? Perhaps this question should be sent squarely to our president – how seriously prepared is he for the bullets and grenades corruption will soon send his way? Is he reconnoitring

for corruption’s coup de main? Believe it or not, the stipendiary corruptionists are not merely going to fight or strike back, they are ready, fully ready to kill Buhari’s presidency. (Presently, they are biting their fingers and lips for letting him smell our powerful presidency. Had they truly known.....and truly believed....). Now, the “new” “resistance”, for instance, from the Niger Delta must be seen from this perspective. For now, let me padlock my mouth of trumpeting prophecy. Yet I must bellow thus to John the Baptist: Be bold and fearless be. Your time isn’t in the present and is to come. But prepare your coup de maitre. What of the second of the streaming thoughts? It departs and leaves me in a state of visionary isagogics, or isagogic visionariness, so to say, I cannot recall and relate now after the preceding revelation. But Buhari’s government’s tale of 55 Nigerians who stole N1.35 trillion in 7 years (as reported in Nigerian Tribune and other dailies of Tuesday, 19 January, 2016), is unnerving indeed. If it is not, then we must cook up another meaning for the word. In any case, the reported tale as related to Nigerians by the federal government through our vibrant press must put our president on guard and further guard in readiness for bearers of corrupt thought and tactical action. They are worse than poisonous paddocks not to be toyed with. They are also worse than lassa fever. Now I must padlock my mouth for good. Save us Lord, save us.

Arsenal’s EPL title hope in jeopardy

•As Costa’s goal sinks 10-man Gunners at Emirates Stadium

THE hope of Arsenal Football Club of England to win the 2015/2016 English Premier League title seems to be in jeopardy as Diego Costa’s first-half strike earned Chelsea victory and a league double over title-chasers who had Per Mertesacker sent off in the first half. Arsenal were reduced to 10 men in the 18th minute when the German brought down

Costa, who was through on goal. Five minutes later the Spain striker put the Blues ahead when he tucked home Branislav Ivanovic’s low cross. Costa also forced a good save from Petr Cech, and Ivanovic’s header was cleared off the line by Nacho Monreal. The home’s side’s best chance fell to Mathieu

Flamini who fired over from close range when he attempted to convert Aaron Ramsey’s through-ball with a kung-fu kick. Victory sees the Blues move up to 28 points and 13th position - their highest placing since 26 October. Defeat for the Gunners leaves them in third, three points behind Leicester who have 47 points.

RESULTS English Premier League Evarton 1 Arsenal 0

Vs Vs

Swansea 2 Chelsea 1

Printed and Published by the African Newspapers of Nigeria PLC, Imalefalafia Street, Oke-Ado, Ibadan. Telephone: 08165728976; 08073598322. E mail: editornigeriantribune@yahoo.com Website: www.tribune.com.ng 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. 25/1/2016.