Wednesday December 12, 2018 Edition

What a dull campaign season!

T

he campaigns for the 2019 general election in Nigeria seem to have ended with the conclusion of party primaries across the country.

Apparently learning

The Oracle Today Comment

from past experiences, the politicians perhaps believe that parties rather than individual

The

VOX POPULI SACRUM

candidates win elections.

That’s why each fought tooth and nail to get selected as their party’s

candidate.

Like everyone else, however, we know there were no real primary elections:

in most states, lists of party candidates were compiled in government or party houses – party delegates or members (where direct primaries were presumably held) Cont’d on page 24

racle

WEDNESDAY December 12, 2018

www.oraclenews.ng

Today

ISSN: 2545-5869 VOL.3 No.49 N200

Group flays ‘campaign of calumny’ against Atiku, Buhari

•Says ‘it’s high time we stopped ridiculing ourselves’ •There are more serious issues to discuss –Jebose •Atiku’s visa status confidential–US •P2 Consulate •I’m no clone; I’m me–PMB

•Buhari

•Atiku

INEC, Police reports say Araraume not APGA guber candidate From AUSTIN ECHEFU, Owerri

T

he confusion trailing the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship primaries is far from over as there are indications that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) may have rejected the nomination of Senator Ifeanyi Araraume as the party’s governorship for Imo State.

Indeed, The Oracle Today

Page 23

…I remain APGA guber candidate – Araraume had last week exclusively reported that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had rejected the alleged nomination of Senator Ifeanyi Araraume as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance in Imo State for the 2019 governorship election on the grounds that the prima-

ry was not “properly conducted as provided for by the Electoral Act.” But, Senator Araraume, in a swift reaction, told The Oracle Today that he remained the governorship candidate of APGA in Imo State.

Documents from the electoral commission obtained by The Oracle To-

day indicate that a former Zenith Bank manager Mr. Amuchie Stanley, not Senator Araraume who has been running for the governorship position of the state since 2007, is the “authentic” APGA governorship candidate in Imo State.

According to the documents which The Oracle Today obtained, INEC in a

report titled “Report on the Imo State All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship primary election scheduled for Friday 5th October 2018” and signed by the Deputy Director Legal Services, S.O. Ibrahim Esq, had noted that APGA notified it that they would hold their governorship primary election nationwide

on Friday, October 5th 2018 by 8:30am, adding that on that day, it sent a “team of monitors”, which “visited the proposed venue of the exercise in Imo State, Aladimma Mall.”

The electoral commission in the report also stated that “the delegates were there but all through the

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More MTN executives lose jobs over Nigeria crisis

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

NEWS

Group flays ‘campaign of calumny’ against Atiku, Buhari From: EMMANUEL OGOIGBE, Warri

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S the campaigns for the 2019 election gather momentum, a group, Save Nigerian Integrity, has flayed what it described as ‘the campaign of calumny’ against Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate in the 2019 general election and his APC counterpart and President of the Federal Republic, Muhammadu Buhari.

In an exclusive interview with The Oracle Today in Warri, Delta State, the group’s spokesman in the South East, Mr. James Emeh Abubaugo said the “immoral” attempts to ridicule the nation’s leaders in the eyes of the international community are just what they are—immoral and uncon-

scionable and do not, in anyway, do either the campaigners or the rest of the country and citizens any good.

“The truth is that the relentless attempts to rubbish Alhaji Atiku Abubakar over alleged US visa problems and President Muhammadu Buhari over allegation of his being a clone only portray us in bad light as a nation of people who have no self-respect, as a self-destructive people who would not hesitate to pull down the roof over ourselves just to get at perceived enemies. And it is just a pity,” Abubaugo lamented in the chat with The Oracle Today. “The social media may have created access to information for more people than the traditional media could ever have done. It may have created room for people who have something to say

but could ordinarily not access traditional media platforms to air their views, to engage the public without much restraint, in what has come to be known as citizen journalism. But, in our part of the world, social media has been grossly misused, so much so that people routinely dish out falsehoods as if there were a top prize for doing so. But we are all hurting ourselves, not just Atiku or Buhari or any other person for that matter, but the country and the rest of us as well. We are all victims of this terrible abuse of the social media by Nigerians, even by those who should know better.”

Of recent, there has been a lot of talk about former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s alleged “American Visa difficulties” hinged on speculations that his

friendship with jailed American Congressman William Jefferson made him guilty of a crime.

Jefferson was an American Congressman and business promoter who lied that he had bribed the former Nigerian Vice President with $90,000 to help him get a deal in the Galaxy Backbone project in the Nigerian telecommunication industry under Obasanjo.

But the FBI, which investigated Jefferson found out that the Congressman had stuffed the said $90,000 in his refrigerator and was spending it piecemeal, meaning that he never gave Alhaji Abubakar the money he said he had given him.

The FBI also reportedly found on a side stool in Atiku’s house in Maryland the letter Jefferson purportedly wrote to Abubakar

•National Woman Leader Igboezue International Ochiora Ukamaka Okonkwo (Nee Mbeledogu) dancing during her father’s burial Pa Chukwubunna Mbeledogu at Ikenga Ogidi Idemmili North L.G.A Anambra State.

Photo Oliver Udeogu

... Araraume not APGA guber candidate Continued from Pg 1

day, nothing happened.”

The report added that “the next day, Saturday, 6th October, the APGA Imo State National Organizing Committee members for the primary election paid a courtesy call to the REC at about 11:00am and announced that they had rescheduled the election for same day at same venue. Again we were there with the team from our national headquarters Abuja but nothing happened.”

INEC also said the party’s guidelines for the conduct of the governorship primary election and the list of party delegates were not provided as required by the Commission and the Electoral Act. The Commission concluded that APGA did not hold its governorship primary election in Imo State on the two dates.

“From the late evening of Sun-

day 7th October 2018, the Head, Election and Political Party Monitoring received numerous calls from members of the national leadership of the party telling him that the gubernatorial primary election was about to hold at Kanu Nwankwo Sports Complex and requesting him to send staff to go and observe the process.

He politely declined and informed that he had no such directive from the REC. He was later to learn that the REC was similarly persuaded,” said INEC. In another report on October 8, 2018 titled “Report of the state congress and governorship election in Imo State on 7th of October 2018 for All Progressives Grand Alliance”, signed by Suleiman Tanko from the INEC headquarters Abuja, the electoral commission said: “On the 7th October 2018, a team of monitors was notified for the primaries which took place at the Concorde Hotel, Owerri.”

INEC added: “In like note, a call was received about another primary which took place afterwards with no presence of the monitoring team. The primary at the Concorde Hotel was peaceful. The delegates were present and committee members as well but only one gubernatorial candidate participated. Votes were being cast and they went according to the guidelines of congress and primaries of the commission.

“In conclusion, Mr. Amuchie Stanley Chiedozim emerged with a vote of 638 and returned as the governorship candidate”.

However, a report from the police dated October 19, 2018, said that “the governorship primary election of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Imo State was held on the 7th day of October, 2018, at Concorde Hotels, Owerri. After the primary election, members of the Special State Congress Electoral Commit-

tee, Imo State, of the party led by Engr. Charles Nwoye submitted the report of the election to our office”.

The police report, which was signed by DCP Rabiu Hassaini, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Department of Operations, State headquarters, Owerri, said that “from the said report, one Amuchie Stanley Chidozim emerged as the winner, having polled a total of 638 votes.”

The reports from the Police and INEC have created confusion in APGA in Imo State. Sources in the party told The Oracle Today on Monday that the state chairman of the party, Barr Peter Ezeobi said members of the state executive committee of the party should keep sealed lips on the matter and watch the development.

The sources also said although

Cont’d on page 44

requesting a favourable treatment in the Galaxy Backbone project, leading to the assumption that Atiku probably never even read the letter because it was not important to him.

The congressional hearing on the matter led to Jefferson’s indictment and subsequent imprisonment but Atiku was never indicted.

“The media campaigns against Atiku even by people at the highest level of government over an issue in which he has not been found guilty are despicable to say the least,” Abubaugo stated, adding that the controversy over Buhari’s clone or double “is equally despicable.”

Indeed, in what has been described as one of the most vicious conspiracy theories in Nigeria, the social media has been awash with speculations that the real President Muhammadu Buhari is long dead, that the person in Aso Rock is his double, a Sudanese called Jibril, what aso Rock prefers to call Buhari’s Clone.

Miffed by the intensity of the speculations, President Buhari, in far-away Krakow, Poland, denied that he was any other person than Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian President.

“It’s real me, I assure you. I will soon celebrate my 76th birthday and I will still go strong. A lot of people had hoped that l died during my ill health. I will soon celebrate my seventy sixth birthday, l am strong,” he said in answer to reporters’ questions in Poland where he had gone on an official visit.

Describing the sponsors of the rumours as “ignorant and irreligious,” the President said: “Yes, a lot of people had hoped that l died during my ill health. Some even reached out to the Vice President to consider them to be his deputy because they assumed I was dead. That embarrassed him a lot and of course, he visited me when l was convalescing…

It’s real me, l assure you.”

In their official reaction to the Atiku visa saga, the United States Consulate in Lagos said the issue of United States of American visa to anyone, irrespective of his/her standing in the society, is strictly a confidential matter, which the US Government does not discuss in public.

The Public Affairs Officer (PAO), US Consulate, Lagos, Brussel Brooks, who disclosed this in Ibadan at the end of an education forum organised for 150 teachers and students drawn from various public schools in Oyo State, declared: “We don’t discuss individual visa’s status of any person, whether it be a highly rated official, a presidential candidate or an average citizen…Anyone who applies for a visa should know that there will be some records that are confidential. It is classified as private document by the United States Government, and we never discuss them in public.”

Calling on candidates at all levels, especially presidential, governorship and National Assembly, to focus on issue-based campaigns and avoid distractions, Brooks added: “Often times unfortunately, campaigns are full of distractions, things that are not that important to the lives and

Cont’d on page 44

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

NEWS ACROSS THE NATION 2019: Benue voters will resist rigging, intimidation – Ortom

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ENUE State Governor, Samuel Ortom has said that the people of the state have resolved to “resist any form of intimidation and rigging during the 2019 general elections”.

Ortom stated this on Sunday in Jos, while answering questions from newsmen, shortly after a special Church service. ”We hear that people are scheming to win elections at all cost; some have openly boasted that they will use force to subvert the people’s wish. ”We are on ground and ready to confront anyone with such idea. As long as government is willing to conduct free and fair elections, we are there to support them. ”But if anyone attempts to do otherwise, the people will resist that. There is no doubt about it,” he said.

Ortom, however, appreciated the Federal Government for the prevailing peace in the state and prayed for its sustenance.

He said that his administration would not hesitate to appreciate the Federal Government when the right was done. ”The introduction of `Operation of Whirl Stroke’ has really solved our security challenges in Benue, especially the invasion and attacks by herdsmen. ”Some people are trying to change the narrative. They do not want the outside world to hear the truth. The situation gets more shocking when people, who know the truth, choose to say something different. ”At the moment, we are happy, but when things are not right, it is our duty to voice it

out. We shall continue to do that. ”Now, we have appreciated Mr President and the Federal Government for giving us adequate security in the state. If the situation changes tomorrow, we shall shout,” he said.

Ortom also said that the recent engagement of many youths into various ventures was to prepare them to take over leadership roles in Benue, pointing out that the current crop of leaders would not be there forever. ”No matter how lean our resources are, there is every need for us to continue to engage the youths. ”That is the motivating factor and I think that has inspired our youths into gainful ventures •President Muhammadu Buhari flanked by the Polish President Andrzej Duda (r) and United Nations Secretaryinstead of going into vices like General António Guterres (l) as world leaders arrive the International Conference Centre, Katowice, venue of the cultism, drugs and so on,” he COP24 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland. said.

2019: WANEP, AU launch online platform for early warning

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EST Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP), as part of measures to prevent violence and other threats to the 2019 General Elections, has launched the Online National Early Warning System (NEWS) Platform and the ArcGIS 360 mobile application.

This was done with the support of the African Union (AU) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to help Nigeria mitigate election violence.

The WANEP Executive Director, Dr. Chukwuemeka Eze, disclosed this in Abuja at the weekend, during the launch and training of 80 Election Conflict Monitors. Eze said that despite the widespread success of the 2015 General Elections, there were reports of over 60 violent incidences

Nigeria closer to achieving HIV epidemic control – U. S

U

NITED States on Monday said that Nigeria might be closer to achieving HIV epidemic control than previously thought.

Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Consulate General, Lagos, Mr Russell Brooks, said this at the HIV/ AIDS Awareness Walk organised by the Lagos State AIDS Control Agency (LSACA).

Citing data from the National AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey released recently, Brooks highlighted some of the progress made in the fight against HIV in the country.

He said the survey indicated that the majority of Nigerians who were on HIV treatment had suppressed their viral replication,

allowing them to thrive and not transmit the virus. ”The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), in partnership with the government and people of Nigeria has prevented millions of Nigerians from being infected by and dying from HIV. ‘”In Nigeria alone, we have invested more than $5 billion in the national HIV/AIDS response.

“In 2018, PEPFAR provided lifesaving HIV treatments to over 800,000 Nigerian men, women and children living with HIV. ”Approximately 7.4 million Nigerians have received HIV counseling and testing services.

“More than 1.6 million pregnant Nigerian women were tested for HIV and more than 1.2 million orphans and vulnerable children received care and support services,’’ he said.

Also speaking, Dr Sule Omolola, Advocacy Lead, LASACA, said the walk was to sensitise residents on the need to go for HIV testing and know their status. ”Nigeria has the second largest HIV epidemic in the world and we hope to intensify all efforts towards the fight against HIV/ AIDs,” she said.

resulting in 58 deaths and wanton destruction of properties.

This, according to him, necessitated the series of activities by the organisation partnering with ECOWAS, AU and others to ensure the peaceful and credible conduct of the election, especially that it is being seen by political analysts as a test for the nation’s democracy and stability.

He said: “This two days training for community monitors who are going to begin to from now onwards to monitor the electoral violence indicators that we developed in October, to monitor the Nigerian elections.

“This training is our own efforts on complementing the effort of the states both at the Nigerian level and then the intergovernmental organizations, ECOWAS and AU on their efforts at institutionalizing electoral processes and deepening democracy in Africa in line with the AU and ECOWAS protocol on democracy and good governance.”

Eze explained that the monitoring process is in three folds, involving looking at are the structural issues that could lead to electoral violence, thus the need to working with the state institutions, especially those who are involved in electoral process, the security, INEC, the Office if the National Security Adviser (NSA), the legislatures, the judiciary and others involved in electoral processes.

He listed the second level as the proximate causes of the electoral violence and the key accelerators.

“Within the aspect of key accelerators, we have key indicators that we are going to use before, during and after the election. Because we have also realized that post elections, even managing winning and losing election have become a critical issue,” he added.

When asked if the identified flashpoints changed as the election draws nearer or remained, he said that it was unfortunately that in the current electoral circle in Nigeria almost all the states have their own peculiar issues.

“You know one of the things that we have come to realize that is election is simply a trigger that now ignites deep seated conflicts that exists even before the elections. So, to that extent, it may not be election related anticipation crisis, but because there are existing crisis in those place for

example the entire north east because of the issue of Boko Haram. If you come down to the north central, the issue of herders conflict and also in the north-west, if you go down the East, it is the issue of IPOB and if you go down the south-south it the issues relating to the Niger Delta militant and all that.

“However, what we have done is to use just baseline on the basis of history of electoral violence on the country. The good thing about the system we are operating with, is that the flashpoints are not static, so from now onwards if these monitors, 80 of them selected from all the 36 states including FCT begin to monitor this electoral process, then whatever they input as data, because it also have an aspect of coping mechanism, our definition of risk is vulnerability and threats. Now, once they begin to make input, the system itself tells us where to focus our attention on and that becomes the hotspot even before the election,” Eze said.

On his part, the Programme Officer (GIS) and Mapping, Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Early Warning Directorate of ECOWAS commission, Mr. Ismaila Gueye, said ECOWAS is very concerned about election happenings in ECOWAS to promote peace security in the region that was why WANEP is their partner and that they know how WANEP is involved in building peace in the region.

Asked to comment on thinking that ECOWAS might have failed if democracy and elections are still being conducted amidst threats, violence and other malpractices, he said that, this cannot be called a failure on the part of the commission. According to him, democracy is a long process and that looking at the progress made in the region, everyone can be proud of what has been achieved compared to other regions in the continent.

“If you look at the last election in Ghana, Benin or any other country, you will see that there is a lot of progress,” he said. He also said the participants at the training are expected to add value with ‘the eyes’ component of the applications as the use paper in the field is being done away with for computerization.

Also, the Information Systems Officer, Continental Early Warning System, Peace and Security Department, African Union Commission, Taye Ab-

dulkadir, said the AU has a number of frameworks that have been designed through the years to provide good governance, election, democracy.

“The most common example is African charter on Governance, election and democracy. And it has been ratified by many of the member states, but in addition to that, the AU also dealing with operational conflict prevention as well as structural conflict prevention,” he said.

He added, “In the operational conflict prevention aspect, we have the continental warning system and mechanisms like that. And in the area of structural conflict prevention mechanism, we have issues such as supporting countries to handle elections properly and there are also other areas AU supports all. Therefore we believe the member state Is the one responsible for responding to issues, but as much as we can at the AU awe are trying to assist the member states to increase its capacity in responding to any kind of situation such as election.”

On her part, the Analyst for West Africa, Early Warning System, Peace and Security Department, African Union Commission, Mfrekeobong Ukpanah, said there are series of threats and there are series of signs and that was why they started the project in collaboration with ECOWAS and WANEP in October.

“We tried to map and identity concretely potential hotspots, either due to issue of election related violence in past elections or due to the current security dynamics in the country. And also, we have a checklist like a set of indicators which we developed with different Nigerian stakeholders cutting across four major thematic from issues of physical violence, physical assault to issues that have to do with ethics and compliance to the Electoral Act or Rule of Law which could threaten elections to issues of hate related speeches.

“So, there are series of things that we need to work towards and preventing electoral violence, I can specifically say this is it, but we’ve actually had a long checklist, 42 of them that we are monitoring on a regular basis and that is why we are providing this training for this monitors to be able to help us systematically and in a regular basis monitor those report and provide us with valid report that

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

NEWS ACROSS THE NATION

Ishaku flags-off EU Oxfam Prosell project

By VICTOR NZE

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OVERNOR Darius Ishaku has flagged-off the European Union Support for Nutrition and Resilience Project in Taraba.

While welcoming the EU ambassador, Mr. Ketil Karlsen and his team to the State, the Governor disclosed that the impact of the European Union’s support to Taraba is a sign that the State is making progress in the agricultural sector and added that it would have a direct bearing on the farmers and their families.

Governor Ishaku revealed that the Government would not rest on its oars in ensuring the goals of the European Union’s investment is strictly adhered to for most profit.

“This Prosell Project is a welcomed development for us in Taraba and I urge our farmers to seize this opportunity to increase their productivity base through the high yielding seedling that will be distributed to the designated areas earmarked for the take-off as the much anticipated opportunity to sell your products through a coordinated channel is ready

and available”.

He maintained that the gesture of the EU will further enhance cooperation between the State and the agency in economic growth, food security and environmental development.

The Head of Health Nutrition and Resilience section, Mrs. Montserrat Pantaleoni Giralt who is representing the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria, keenly observing the made-in Taraba palm oil.

The European Union ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Ketil Karlsen represented by the Head of Health Nutrition and Resilience section, Mrs. Montserrat Pantaleoni Giralt noted that the Union was attracted to Taraba having monitored the massive investment of the Government in the agricultural sector.

This she said was followed by deploying an assessment team to the State for proper evaluation of areas earmarked for the pilot scheme.

“The European Union through the OXFAM agency has been able to cover a lot of ground in ensuring food security and profit to

FG set to increase recruitment quota of PWDs to 10%

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S NIGERIA joins the rest of the world to mark the International Day with Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), the Federal Government has assured of an increase in the recruitment quota of PWDs to 10 per cent.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Disability Matters, Dr Samuel Ankeli, disclosed this in Abuja on Monday at the official inauguration of the Baseline Survey of PWDs. The event was under the theme: `Empowering Persons with Disabilities and Ensuring their Inclusiveness and Equality.’

Ankeli urged PWDs to come up with a memo, while assuring that relevant actions would be taken to improve the lives of the people.

“It has been observed that those who are educated enough for employment have not been given a fair share of the Federal Civil Service openings.

“It is a normal government procedure to improve policies where need be.

“It’s a policy decision and the Head of Service (HOS) with her team will prepare a document for the attention of the President to see how we can do things as urgently as possible.

“This will help us to improve the recruitment quota of PWDs from the negligible two per cent to 10 per cent and provide an allowance to cushion the expenses and extra stresses of PWDs. “ I am sure that with the proper document, which is a memo to the President, the relevant actions will be taken on it to improve the lives of PWDs,’’ he said.

Also, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, Head of Service of the Federation (HOSF), said the theme was apt as it spelt out the objectives of the baseline survey of PWDs employed in the Federal Civil Service.

Oyo-Ita noted that the survey would go a long way to reassure PWDs in the service that issues of their welfare are on the front burner.

She said the survey was meant to position the officers to integrate PWDs for national development.

The Head of Service added that the project, which is a pilot project, would be conducted in the office.

According to her, the project will subsequently be extended to other Ministries, Departments and Agencies and the states.

She said the time is ripe to begin effective planning for the future of PWDs in the service and the ultimate goal is the development of a comprehensive policy to address the challenges. “ The launch is expected to provide the aggregated data of PWDs in the civil service, in order to enable the service welfare to design a programme that tackles the challenges.

“To create more opportunities for PWDs to get into job and full range effective service, sustainable change will be realised when all concerned are empowered.

“The Federal Government is working to lessen inequality in the society, the office will also continue to provide PWDs with requirements to work effectively in a conducive environment,’’ she said.

Oyo-Ita promised to work with international partners to leverage and support the efforts of the Federal Government to meet the needs of the PWDs. In her remark, Mrs Didi WalsomJack, Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office, HOSF, stated that the office is set to promote a safe and convenient work environment and provide basic support for civil servants.

She said the use of the survey would help to improve inclusiveness, thereby helping to impact PWDs in the public service.

On his part, Mr Jake Epelle, President, Albino Foundation, commended the HOSF for conducting the survey, as it had been recognised on the floor of the European Union to scale up methods to effectively impact on the lives of PWDs. Epelle said the survey, targeted at all employees with disabilities in the federal civil service, would deploy both quantitative and qualitative processes, which would also be driven by technology.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the United Nations General Assembly in 1992 proclaimed Dec. 3 as the annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons.

farmers from large scale sales. The 10 million Euros set aside for the first phase of the project is available and the other 10 million will come in the long run”.

The project, according to the Union’s country program director Mr. Temitayo Omole, is targeting about fifty percent of women and thirty percent of the youths as they make up the most important

group who will be engaged in the pilot scheme.

He revealed that the project would also train about sixty thousand, five hundred extension workers for easy access to the farmers.

The Commissioner of Agriculture, Dr. David Ishaya who is the convener of the project earlier expressed huge optimism in the

project and affirmed that the Government would make sure the farmers get the best possible result from the support of the European Union to boost agricultural growth and increase their output from the quality seeds they would be receiving.

Dr. Ishaya commended the Governor for the investment the agricultural sector has enjoyed so far.

•(From left): Wife of Lagos State Governor, Bolanle Ambode with her husband, Akinwunmi Ambode; convener of the summit and wife of Oyo State Governor, Mrs. Florence Ajimobi, her husband, Senator Abiola Ajimobi during the closing ceremony of the 2018 National Women’s Summit of Oyo State Officials’ Wives Association (OYSOWA) which held at University of Ibadan Conference Centre, Friday.

Family Planning: Conference decries teen birth rates in Nigeria

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OMEN Pre-Conference of the fifth Nigeria Family Planning Conference (NFPC 2018) on Monday in Abuja says there is urgent need to stem high teen birth rates in Nigeria.

According to it, this will help to curb maternal deaths in the country as well as improve better health and economic indices in the country.

The News Agency if Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference has its theme as: “Investment, Innovation, Inclusiveness”.

MS Hauwa Shekarau, the Country Director, IPAS Nigeria, in a paper presentation: “Accessing Family Planning Commodities of Choice: Barriers and Perceptions’’, said the high rates have been attributed to a number of barriers to access contraception.

“According to Demographic and Health Survey (2014), an estimated 23 per cent of women aged 15-19 years have begun childbearing, of which 17 per cent have had their first child and five per cent are pregnant with their first child.

“Also 32 per cent of teenagers in rural areas have begun childbearing, as opposed to 10 per cent in the urban areas of Nigeria.

“This survey shows disparities

within the geopolitical zones as follows: Northwest 36 per cent, Northeast 32 per cent, North Central 19 per cent, South South 12 per cent, South East eight per cent and South West eight per cent.’’

According to the study, she says, the statistics reveal a direct relationship between the level of education and rate of early pregnancies.

“The northern part of Nigeria, with the lowest literacy rates has the highest rates of early pregnancies.

“The explanation given is that the higher the level of education, the higher the level of contraceptive use and awareness about risks and complications associated with early pregnancy.

“There is also correlation between poverty levels and early pregnancies,’’ she said.

Shekarau said that early pregnancies, frequent pregnancies, unplanned pregnancies as well as unsafe abortions can result in maternal deaths.

According to her, one of the most basic means of avoiding maternal deaths and unsafe abortion is by preventing pregnancy and Family Planning is one of the most cost-effective ways to prevent pregnancy.

Senate begins probe of N23bn failed road project

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ENATE Committee on Works has commenced investigation into the N23 billion failed Ibadan-Ilorin road project.

Chairman of the committee, Sen. Kabiru Gaya, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday.

Gaya said the committee got to know of the development during its oversight of roads across the country.

According to him, the committee discovered that the road, which is in bad shape, was completed in 2015.

Gaya noted that for the road, which was said to have been completed three years ago to have gone bad, it meant the project was not properly carried out.

He said that the committee would get to the root of the matter to ensure that the contractor and all those involved in the project were brought to book.

“We were told that the contractor had finished his job and three years after spending N23 billion the road has failed.

However, she said there are barriers to accessing FP commodities and services.

“According to UNFPA 2017, one of the major barriers to accessing FP commodities is gender relationships.

“Gender stereotypes are still prevalent in Nigeria, where social norms often reinforce a power structure in which men are seen as breadwinners and women mainly as caretakers.

“Such views can lead to genderbased violence, lack of access to sexual and reproductive healthcare for women and to fathers, limited involvement in contraceptive choices and child development.

“Other barriers to FP commodity include unnecessary costly examinations and laboratory test requirements as a precursor for accessing hormonal contraceptives; providers of biases and beliefs.’’

She said: “Also, lack of access to sexual and reproductive health services for women and youth friendly centres where youths can easily access these modern contraceptives remains a concern in Nigeria.

“Other barriers include the high cost of supplies and limited numbers of outlets from which to obtain contraceptive supplies.

“Lack of sexuality education programmes in schools (and poor quality of programmes where they do exist) and cultural norms that limit the use of contraception is also a barrier to accessing FP commodities,” she said.

Shekarau said that to overcome these barriers, there should be increased knowledge and sensitisation, adequate funding and release of funds, strengthening and equipping health facilities, ensuring contraceptive availability and ensuring availability of data.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

NEWS

Anambra CJ, judiciary, NBA move to review court rules

By IBE NWACHUKWU

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n a bid to ensure a quicker and accurate dispensation of justice in Anambra , the state Chief Judge, Justice Peter Umeadi and the judiciary have embarked upon the review of the state 2006 High Court Rules and 1991 Magistrate Court Rules.

The CJ and the judiciary are also using the opportunity to review the Rules establishing the state MultiDoor Court House.

At a two-day public summit jointly

organized by the CJ in conjunction with the state judiciary and attended by all the administrative judges of the various judicial divisions in the state, chief magistrates of all the magisterial districts in the state and the leadership of eight branches of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in the state, CJ Umeadi explained that the the essence of the review was to smoothen the hitches in the existing rules and at the same time update the outdated ones.

Umeadi who moderated the event

by himself, therefore charged judges, magistrates, lawyers and all the judicial staff in the state to fashion out way of ensuring quicker dispensation of justice in the state, rather than perverting justice, adding that by the time the high court and magistrate court rules are reviewed, the state judicial system would become the best in the country for other states to emulate.

He contended that as the state chief judge, who has reached the pinnacle of his career in the state, he

could not afford to allow the judicial system in the state to be trampled upon so that at the end of his service, he could beat his chest and say; “I carried out the functions to the best of my ability and to the satisfaction of the masses”, adding that his performance in the state could even turn out to book a place for him at the national level.

He therefore directed that henceforth, all petitions must first be sent to administrative judges before

Anambra task force rounds-up street urchins in Onitsha

Anambra Govt kicks-off massive road repair works

By Oge Onyeanusi, Nnewi

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By Oge Onyeanusi, Nnewi

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treet urchins terrorizing motorists and commuters of their phones and other valuables at Onitsha / Owerri Road axis of UpperIweka, Onitsha were, Sunday, arrested by men of the newly-inaugurated Anambra State Task Force on Due Process, Implementation and Enforcement Team.

The task force was recently set -up by the State Government after several complaints by citizens of the state who have fallen victims of the nefarious activities of the hoodlums at the Upper-Iweka area in Onitsha.

It was, however, gathered that tension heightened at the Owerri Road axis of the area when the wife of Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Garba Umar reportedly lost her expensive necklace and handbag which contained other valuables when some hoodlums in the area snatched her necklace while being driven in her car in the area.

The suspects who pleaded for mercy were beaten mercilessly after their arrest confessed to have taken part in dispossessing people of their valuables while in the vehicle.

When searched, some of them who wore amulets around their waists said it was for protection against bullets and other dangerous weapons.

One of the suspects confessed that they sometimes carry out their activities in the full glare of policemen stationed in the area which is controlled

by Okpoko Police Station.

When our reporter visited the area order was the order of the day along as busy parks which were a beehive of activities were almost deserted due to the raiding of the area by members of the Task Force as some of the suspects infiltrated and pretend as motor -park touts to carry out their illegal activities.

In an interview, the State Chairman of the Task Force, Prince Innocent Ofordile disclosed that the team which operates in major towns of the state has been mandated to respond to the implementation of government policies and programmes and to restore sanity to these towns which have been infiltrated by criminals.

Speaking to the press, the State Director and Commander of the team, Prince Emeka Emedom and Okosisi Ezeani vowed the readiness of the team to rid Upper-Iweka and Anambra state of criminals.

coming to him in the even that such petitions were not handled to the satisfaction of the petitioners.

Some of the participants included Justice Onochie Anyachebelu, the administrative judge of Nnewi Judicial Division, Justice Ijem Onwuamaegbu, adminstrative judge of Onitsha Judicial Division, Arthur Obi-Okafor SAN and Chairmen of Onitsha, Awka, Ihiala, Nnewi, Aguata, Otuocha, Idemili and Anaocha branches of NBA.

• (From left): APC Enugu party chieftain, Prince Lawrence Eze, APC Enugu state deputy governoship candidate, Mr Gilbert Chukwunta, APC Enugu State governorship candidate, Sen. Ayogu Eze, wife, Nkechi, APC Enugu state chairman, Dr. Ben Nwoye and APC House of Representatives Representative candidate, Mr Kentus Okechukwu Eze during the unveiling of The New Dawn, the manifesto for a better Enugu State

2019: Enugu APC upbeat as Eze unveils manifesto

By Theo Rays, Onitsha

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opes of All Progressives Congress (APC) dethroning the administration of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State come 2019 election heightened last weekend when the candidate of the party for the governorship election in the State, Senator Ayogu Eze unveiled his manifesto for a four-year tenure if elected.

The manifesto is tagged; The New Dawn. “A Manifesto for a Better Deal in Enugu State.”

Presenting the manifesto amid fanfare at his campaign office in Enugu, Senator Eze unleashed a comprehensive 12 Point Agenda that cut across Tourism, Security, Agriculture, Education, Infrastructure, Health care, Economic Blueprint, Housing/Development, Transportation, Independent Power Project, Industrialisation and Locality Administration noting that his administration is going to be driven by a vision to lift the people to high pedestal.

Moving with the 12 point Agenda, the APC candidate assured that if elected he will create as much as 100, 000 jobs or even more in his first year in office through tourism, Security, Education and Agriculture saying that his regime shall exploit the State’s topography history and assets in turning her into one of Africa’s tourism capitals with aggressive city renewal programs that will change the face of urban centres.

On security, he said that his regime will ensure a robust security network that will combine the complete digital mapping of Enugu State with high speed internet facilities, installation of security cameras with a functional vigilante/community policing model that will guarantee security of lives and property on a permanent and sustainable basis.

“Our target, is to make Enugu State in one or two years an innovative modern city where citizens can have

parcels and goods delivered to their doorsteps in their absence and not harbour a flicker of doubts that the deliveries will be intact when they get back” he added, he continued.

He said that his programs in Agriculture will focus on developing a model that will guarantee the farmers a ready market as well as adequate and fair pricing for his or her primary produce noting that he will respond to the challenges of rural roads which is the major obstacle that most farmers who operate in the rural areas face.

“We shall focus on building rural road networks across our communities and providing them access to the markets where they can sell farm produce at a very competitive price.

Enugu State produces the best quality rice from Uzouwani (Ada rice). We will revive Ada rice by supporting rice farmers to go into mechanised farming and modernise the irrigation infrastructure and make Enugu State a supplier of quality rice” he explained.

On Education he said that his major prank is to stop the inflow of artisan and craftsmen into Enugu State and the Southeast zone in the first instance and eventually Nigeria at large by bringing back technical colleges, establishing community colleges to promote vocational education with a bias for skilled man power in carpentry, tailoring, mansonry, automotive repair, electronic repair, plumbing, tilling and all craftsmanship currently outsourced to people from the neighbouring countries.

He went further to assure that he will pay the new minimum wage to workers in the State, as according to him the State can generate enough revenue to foot the new wage as being demanded by the Labour union.

In the same vein he said his administration will ensure prompt payment of pensions and other entitlements to senior citizens in the State noting that People’s pension will be ready and kept in escrow so that they can be paid pension as soon as they are

leaving service.

The APC governorship hopeful also hinted that his administration will improve on the issue of water supply in the State and make water available through the taps like never to the residents of the capital territory of Enugu, Ojiriver, Udi and Nsukka within the first year in office.

Commenting on the manifesto, ex Speaker Enugu State House of Assembly Rt Hon Eugene Odo noted that it was the first time since the era of former Governor of old Anambra State Chief Jim Nwobodo a governorship candidate is presenting a campaign manifesto to the electorates adding that with the manifesto Senator Eze has shown that he will lead Enugu State to high pedestal.

The former Speaker who is also the APC candidate for the race to Senate in Enugu North Senatorial District urged the members and supporters of APC and the candidates of the party to take the Manifesto to the people in the cities and villages across to sell the good news brought by Senator Eze to get the people vote for APC at the polls next year.

Also speaking, a renowned businessman and chieftain of APC in the State Chief Everest Nnaji alias Odengene assured the members and supporters of the party that the candidate of the party has enough resources to execute the electioneering project urging them not to be dismayed by the apparent lavish and fooling spending by the incumbent PDP administration.

In his own words another chieftain of the party Chief Anike Nwoga who is also the Coordinator Enugu State chapter of Buhari Support Organisation (BSO) assured that APC has all it takes to win the presidential election and also win some States in the Southeast including Enugu State calling on all members and supporters of the party to take the message to the wards to ensure that Enugu is not left out in the APC bandwagon in 2019.

he Anambra State Government has commenced massive rehabilitation of failed portions of roads and streets across the state to ease vehicular movement ahead of the Christmas and New Year festivals.

Managing Director, Anambra State Road Maintenance Agency (ARMA) Mr. Emeka Okoye, made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in Onitsha.

Okoye said the agency had so far fixed over 13,578.81 square meters of roads across the three senatorial districts of the state since the maintenance began four weeks ago.

He explained that the agency slowed down its operation of patching potholes due to rain and flood.

“We have recommenced patching of potholes in the past four weeks in the three senatorial zones.

“In Anambra South Senatorial zone, we have carried out some patching on Azia-Orsumoghu road, Aguluezigbo, Ekwulobia roundabout, Osumenyi-Ezinifite road, Ozubulu-Okija road, Ezeogidi, Oko and Okpuneze roads.

“In Anambra North Senatorial zone, we have done some roads along 3-3 axis, Upper Iweka to Ochanja, Limca and Awka roads; while in Anambra Central, we have worked at Abba, Nya street near Government House, Roban Stores road and Amawbia roundabout to Amawbia By-pass.

“Gov. Willie Obiano is keen to see that all the roads are fixed before Christmas and before the end of dry season,” Okoye said.

The managing director assured that the road maintenance agency would also fix failed portions of strategic and busy roads, including the Nnobi road, Ugwu Nwasike road and Kwata junction in Awka.

According to him, “In Anambra South, we are going to do more roads in Nnewi, including Obofia-NneobiIgwe Orizu Road; Old Onitsha-IbetoBank Road, Ezeogidi and Nwafor Iruagu Roads, among others.

He also said residents of the state should expect repair works in Ozubulu including Michael junction, Ugwu Orie junction, Ekwusigo- Secretariat-Roads, among others, before the Christmas.

He said also that the state government was collaborating with the Federal Government to ensure that the Enugu-Onitsha expressway was made motorable during the period.

“The governor is concerned with maintenance culture of our roads because we cannot just continue to spend so much on building roads without maintaining them.

“The governor has therefore, made sure that the agency is well equipped for the work.

“We want road users to have better experience, especially during the yuletide and we are poised and equipped to achieve that,” he stressed.

However, he appealed to residents to desist from dumping refuse into drainages and burning refuse on asphalt, noting that many roads get damaged from exposure of asphalt base to flood or fire.

7

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

NEWS

33 IPOB ‘members’ get unconditional freedom From Chuks Collins, Awka

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newi in Anambra State was earlier Sunday thrown into wild jubilations as the thirtyfour traders detained in the wake of the recent face-off between alleged Indigenous Peoples of Biafra(IPOB) and Police on November 23, regained freedom.

These detained traders who are mostly members of the popular motorcycle spare parts market Nkwo Nnewi were released at the state Police Command headquarters in Awka and taken to the Area Command Nnewi for documentation.

Information noted that it took about four hours before they were eventually allowed to go home in the early hours of yesterday.

The issue of the release of the traders from captivity was freely discussed in some church service in and around the town as well as entertainment spots.

One of the relative of the detained but released trader who pleaded for anonymity said his brother came back home around 1.00am Sunday morning and that he never believed that it not his ghost until he kept knocking on the door.

One of the traders who pleaded for anonymity tomorrow’s weekly prayer session would be a special one for the traders in appreciation of God for his mercies on their members who went to land of the dead and return.

According to him, the eventual release of the traders who were just doing their lawful business in the market when the IPOB members and police clashed has shown that police authorities are responsive and responsible.

But the chairman of the Fairly Used and New Motorcycle Dealers Association, FUNMDA, Chukwueloka Ubajekwe, told journalists that the 33 traders were released at the Nnewi Police Area command office late Saturday night at about 11.30pm.

The FUNMDA boss revealed that a special team of detectives from the office of the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Kpotun Idris, who was deployed to critically look into and ascertain the true picture of things about the case, set them free.

Before their release, our source noted, the police team brought them down to Nnewi at about 5:30 pm on Saturday, December 1; and as a final stage of their investigation conducted thorough search on them and in their respective shops for any incriminating material that could link any of them with the outlawed IPOB. But nothing was found and consequently they were taken down to the Nnewi Police Area Command where the necessary papers for their unconditional release was signed by the leadership of Nnewi markets and they regained their freedom at about 11.30pm.

The cheery news has been confirmed by the Nnewi Area Commander, ACP Nnanna Ama who acknowledged the traders were mistaken for IPOB members.

He requested them to report to the state Command headquarters Monday, December 3, to collect all their personal belongings, including money, motorcycles and clothings.

Ama said the IGP’s special team, who released the suspects tendered an unalloyed apology on behalf of the IGP and the Nigerian Police Force to the affected persons, their families, Nnewi and Anambra people, over the mistaken identity.

Ugwuanyi commits to revamping education in Enugu From CHUKS EZE, Enugu

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overnor of Enugu State and visitor to Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Enugu, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has reiterated his administration’s commitment towards the total revamping of the institution and the entire education sector in the state.

He spoke during the special convocation ceremony of IMT tagged “32nd to 42nd Consolidated Convocation Ceremony and 45th Anniversary/ Home Coming,” which took place at the Michael Okpara Square, Enugu, describing IMT as a great historic institution and one of the foremost centres for manpower technological development in Nigeria.

The governor assured that his administration would continue to place high premium on education in line with government’s resolve to take the sector to enviable height.

The last convocation of the school took place about twelve years ago, precisely on February 18, 2006, thereby creating a wide margin (from 20072018), which the current 10-batch special convocation ceremony has now cleared.

Represented by his deputy, Cecilia Ezeilo, Governor Ugwuanyi, noted that his administration has lived up to its promise at its inception, to revamp and return the academic establishment to its past glory of excellence and flagship in Nigeria and beyond.

“Early in the life of this administration in Enugu State, we had declared our intention to take IMT to a much higher level and to restore it to its status as a leading centre for qualitative education and technological innovations.

“To this end and to the very high premium that we place on education in Enugu state, we have endeavoured to provide and improve vital

infrastructures and facilities in the school; ensured the accreditation of its courses, secured industrial harmony and also set in motion the process and machinery for its upgrading to a degree-awarding institution.

“Apart from the interventions that we have made, and are still making, in the school, we will continue to work in consent with relevant ministries and agencies of government to continue to support the institution and to ensure that the IMT continues to fly its flag higher,” the governor said.

He called on well-meaning individuals and corporate organisations to support IMT management and the state government as they double efforts to ensure that IMT continues to grow from strength to strength, and lives up to its expectation as one of te nation’s leading academic institutions.

Earlier in her address, Chairman, governing council of the institution,

• Alex Otti flanked on his left by wife, Priscilla and deputy gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Mrs. Uche Eme Uche at the Mater Dei Catholic Church, Umuahia.

Obiano bemoans rising crime rate in Onitsha From Chuks Collins, Awka

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overnor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano has lamented over the rising rate of crime in Onit-

sha.

Obiano made the plea on the occasion of the 5-day 2018 Convention and the ordination of 140 new Pastors by the Grace of God Mission International (GGMI) in GRA, Onitsha, Sunday.

Obiano who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Solo Chukwulobelu while also appealing for support for his All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the coming general elections, urged for prayers for repentance for people of the Fegge area in Onitsha South Council as the zone had remained a major security challenge to the state due to daily crime wave.

He said Anambra is difficult to govern hence the need for prayers for his government and called for religious tolerance and freedom of worship in the country.

Presiding Bishop Paul Nwachukwu of the Grace of God Mission International (GGMI) assisted by other twelve Bishops at His Glory Cathedral, 3-3 Trans-Nkisi, GRA, Onitsha during the 5-day 2018 Convention ordained 140 new Pastors to help strengthen the spread of evangelism at this auspicious challenging times.

Selected from among the best from its many parishes around the world, especially Nigeria and were

dedicated, committed and devoted with impeccable records.

They, according to the Administrator of GGMI, Elder G.N. Afah who administered oath of canonical obedience on them, have been in the ministry for a minimum of ten years having been found worthy in learning and character to be ordained Reverends for higher responsibilities in the Lord’s vineyard.

The 2018 Convention had featured a medical outreach, teaching, workshops, Youth Empowerment and marriage symposium as well as prayer rally, including a special thanksgiving by the Diploma and Post Graduate Diploma graduates of the Grace of God Bible School among others.

Bishop Nwachukwu also presented a 97 years old Elder Osita Nwokeabia, who served the Church as an Executive council member, Trustee and first Auditor for 45 years with admirable records.

Elder Nwokeabia who hail from Achi in Oji River in Enugu state was given a special appreciation for dedicated service to the church all through his life time as funds were raised for him with Grace of God presenting N500,000 and Bishop Nwachukwu N100,000 while other guests and worshippers as well as groups donated to Pa Nwokeabia whose wife, Mama Monica, 85 years old was beaming with smiles for the unexpected glory of God to them.

He was reputed to be instrumental to the establishment of Grace of God

Mission in almost every community in Oji River axis even parts of Ufuma in Anambra state.

The Presiding Bishop while saying that time of wickedness is over as God has a special plan and purpose for Nigeria, insisted that the glory of the later house shall be greater than the former and it is going to be great and powerful that Christians will take centre of the road and as well will be the ones to reshape the nations.

He warned that the era of occult men occupying leadership positions is over even as he regretted the activities of fake pastors and men of God who entertain audience rather than preach repentance to Christians.

He lamented that the problem of God’s people is ignorance and inability to comprehend God’s purpose, even as he warned preachers of the gospel against undermining God’s intentions and purpose.

Bishop Nwachukwu Jnr said the resource persons included his father who is the Presiding Bishop of the first indigenous Pentecostal Church in Igboland with over 2000 Satellite churches across three continents, Bishop Abraham Chigbundu, Presiding Bishop of Voice of Freedom Ministries , Benin, Edo state; Pastor Mathew Ashimolowo , Senior Pastor of Kingsway International Christian Center (KICC), London; and Prophet Isa El-Buba, President of El-Buba Outreach Ministries International , Jos Plateau state.

Deaconess Ifeoma Nwobodo, hailed Governor Ugwuanyi for his profound commitment and dedication towards transforming the education sector into excellence.

She pointed out that upon their inception, the present governing council and management of IMT were irked by a huge backlog of graduands yet to be released by the institution, adding that they were faced with the challenge of clearing the backlog, which, according to her, was the reason for the consolidated convocation.

“We have today, achieved that through encouragement and motivation by our governor’s avowed and unparalleled efforts towards improvement and upgrading of teaching and learning facilities and infrastructures in the institute,” she said, pointing out that IMT had produced numerous citizens who had excelled in their chosen careers and making waves across the world.

On his part, the Rector of the institute, Professor Augustine Nweze, expressed delight at the success of the event and appreciated Governor Ugwuanyi, Deaconess Njeze and other members of the governing council, as well as staff, management and students of the institution for their respective roles towards the successful conduct of the consolidated convocation.

He expressed optimism that henceforth, with the “unparalleled support” of the state governor, that convocation ceremony would hold annually.

“We take great pleasure in seeing our graduates move on to successful careers because we are confident that our institution has one of the best employment records for graduates of any institution in Nigeria”.

While running through some of the feats recorded by his administration, since its inception on June 10, 2016, Professor Nweze, disclosed that IMT had, as first phase, commenced programmes in six academic departments in affiliation with the University of Nigeria (UNN) Nsukka, including Accountancy, Banking and Finance, Business Administration, Public Administration, marketing, and Statistics.

Several illustrious citizens and alumni of the institution were admitted into the IMT Fellowship tagged FIMT, while others were immortalized by naming some facilities in the school after them.

Those that received IMT fellowship (FIMT) include, business mogul and renowned philanthropist, Prince Engr. Arthur Eze; MD/CEO of Fidelity Bank, Nnamdi j. Okonkwo; Nollywood star actress, Evangelist Patience Ozokwor, who is IMT product; and Chairman/CEO of Businessday media Limited, Frank Aigbogun.

On the immortalization list were Prince Engr Arthur Eze, who was named after the expansive former EE/ Food Tech/Mech Engr/SLT, which has officially become ‘Chief Engr. Arthur Eze Building’; the fine and Applied Arts building, is now ‘Evang Patience Ozokwor Building’, where the thespian graduated from. Similarly, the FT Main Building was renamed after politician and President of Masters Energy, Dr Uche Ogar, to now bear ‘Dr Uche Ogar Building’.

The event was graced by other dignitaries including the Speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Edward Ubosi; Chairman of Enugu State Council of traditional Rulers, HRM, Amb. Lawrence Agubuzu; Vice Chancellor of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Professor Luke Anike, and former IMT Rector, Igwe Dr. Calistus Njeze, among others.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

NEWS Probe NIWA – Rights activists, protesters urge EFCC

By IBE NWACHUKWU

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erturbed by the activities of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), at Onitsha River Port premises, Anambra State, a combined team of traders resident along Niger Street, and members of a civil society group, Human Rights Defenders of Nigeria (HRDN), led by its Chairman, Dede Uzor A. Uzor, Monday, staged a peaceful protest in Onitsha condemning what they termed as land grabbing activities of NIWA. Some of the protesters numbering over 500, carried placards with the inscriptions: “EFCC probe NIWA now, Party house does not belong to NIWA, NIWA stop Collaborating with a businessman in Onitsha, Ngozi Okpagu, to extort residents and traders, NIWA as FG agency should use due process in its undertakings, Onitsha NIWA generates lot of money that is diverted to private purse, bring back 20 police officers ejected from party house and NIWA stop encroachment on private property.”

During the exercise, the protesters marched from the office of the rights group at Uga street, Fegge Onitsha, where they had converged early in the morning, through Uga street to the gate of Urban Girls Secondary School, Fegge and back to where they started from.

Addressing demonstrators, the HRDN chairman, Uzor, hinted that, “we, HRDN and traders along the Niger street, are protesting the invasion of Onitsha River Port by NIWA, using an Onitsha based businessman without due process or calling for a tender from the general public about a contract to be executed by NiWA. Consequently, we want Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe NIWA Onitsha Area Office to tell the world where billions of naira being generated that are supposed to be accrued to NIWA, is being diverted to, if not into private

purse.

NIWA in collaboration with the Onitsha business man, ejected over 20 policemen and their families from the Nationa Republican Convention (NRC) Political party office along Niger street, which was built during the administration of former Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, laying claim to ownership of the party house and we say no to that, that it is a federal Government property” “Such party buildings are being occupied in ‘33’ near Onitsha by Nationa Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), at Awkuzu by Special AntiRobbery Squad (SARS) and in Asaba, Delta state by the Immigration Service.

“They want to build a plaza on demolition of the party house and funny enough the business man has boasted that he is NIWA and as such, that our ranting is just a stir in a tea cup”, Uzor hinted further.

Earlier when contacted, the NIWA Onitsha Area Manager, Mrs Uche Amadi, told newsmen that Ngozi Okpagu has authority from NIWA for the project he is carrying out in the Onitsha NIWA premises.

Her words, “Ngozi Okpagu has his approval letter from NIWA to embark on the specific project he is embarking upon”, (brandishing the document to newsmen for perusal in support of her claim).

In his defence of Okpagu,The Managing Director of NIWA, Senator Olorunimbe Mamora, had in his official visit to the Onitsha River Port, warned that, “we will not close our eyes and allow anybody to take over NIWA land, adding, If anybody has right of ownership of the property let him come and show the documents in support of the claim”.

“I will not be bothered about the amount of blackmail and intimidation they use as long as what we are doing is in our own interest” he maintained.

• Wife of the Governor of Anambra State, and founder of the NGO, Caring Family Enhancement Initiative (CAFÉ), Dr. (Mrs) Ebelechukwu Obiano (Osodieme) cutting the tape to commission 2-Bedroon bungalow for a Widow, Mrs. Josephine Chiokwe supported by the Wife Deputy Governor, Mrs. Oby Okeke, Igwe Aguleri, Special Adviser to Governor on Indigenous Medicine, Dr. Onyeka Ibezim and APGA Candidate for Anambra East and West Federal Constituency, Hon Chinedu Obidigwe, Wednesday

Abia PDP denies sponsoring APC’s Emenike From BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia

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bia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has denied sponsoring High Chief Ikechi Emenike to run for the governorship of the state on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

A High Court in Abuja, last week, ruled that Chief Ikechi Emenike was the authentic governorship candidate of APC in Abia, thereby nullifying the candidacy of Dr Uche Ogah.

The duo emerged as factional candidates during the APC governorship primary election but Ogah who emerged from the Donatus Nwankpa faction was recognized by the APC National Working Committee.

However, Emenike who emerged from the camp of the Dr Emmanuel Ndukwe-led faction, recognized as the authentic state executive by an Isiala Ngwa North High Court order, headed for the court.

Emenike obtained a ruling nullifying Ogah’s candidacy and the PDP says Ogah’s media team has been ic and industrial growth of the state. peddling rumours that PDP was beThe chairman urged the gover- hind their principal’s ordeal following nor to enforce the ban on activities the court ruling, a charge the party of touts, who harassed traders and customers with unauthorized levies.

In his remarks, the governor said that his administration was determined to create wealth for the peo- From BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia ple through a sustained partnership with the organized private sector. ll Progressive Grand Alliance Obiano commended the three(APGA) Governorship candicity chambers of Awka, Onitsha and date in Abia State, Dr Alex Otti, Nnewi for coming together to hold has assured that he, alongside his the joint trade fair. supporters would ensure that results He said that the theme of the of the 2019 governorship contest in trade fair clearly confirmed that Abia released at the polling booths Agro-business was a great avenue tallied with the central results in orto achieving economic develop- der to guard against a repeat of his ment and stability for a sustained 2015 experience.

Otti who stated this at the Mafuture.

Earlier, the Commissioner for ter Dei Cathedral, Umuahia while Trade and Commerce, Mr Christian launching his governorship camMadubuko, had explained that the paign, however, noted that Abians theme of the Fair was selected to have to play a major role in enthroncapture the four pillars of Obiano’s ing a people-oriented government in the state, saying the state has been development strategy.

They are anchored on agriculture, in the hands of godfathers while actrade and commerce, industrializa- cusing the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of misusing the state’s tion and oil and gas.

Madubuko disclosed that the resources for the past 21 years.

Otti who christened his campaign state government was currently enumerating major markets in the “Enough is enough,” said his reason state with the aim of boosting inter- for coming to the church was for the blessing of his manifesto because of nally-generated revenue.

The trade fair which commenced his faith in God but ended up kicking on Wednesday will end on Decem- off his campaign there, noted that it was time for change in Abia to give ber 11.

ACCIMA commends Obiano for tax incentives

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ssociation of Anambra Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ACCIMA) has commended Gov. Willie Obiano for tax incentives and other positive offers to Organized Private Sector (OPS) in the state.

Chairman of the association, Mr Humphrey Ngonadi, gave the commendation at the launch of the 2018 Anambra Trade Fair in Onitsha on Saturday.

The Theme of the Fair is “Promoting Economic Development through Manufacturing, Trade and Agriculture.”

Ngonadi said that the incentives would help to cushion the effect of the current economic and industrial challenges facing the OPS. According to him, this singular step to the chamber is a strong indication that your administration is truly people-oriented.

Ngonadi, who was represented by a member of the chamber, Mr Uchenna Akpakama, howver, urged the governor to set up a committee to ensure the implementation of the policy.

He also appealed to the state government to assist the body to complete its permanent sites at Enugu Agidi, Nnewi and Onitsha.

He said that the projects would help to sustain the joint trade fair and accelerate the pace of econom-

has denied.

In a statement made available to newsmen in Umuahia, the PDP, through its Publicity Secretary, Sir Don Ubani, described the accusation as “cheap and most irresponsible falsehood.”

The statement read in part: “Without any role or involvement by the PDP in the State, it is widely reported that a Court of competent jurisdiction in Abuja has disqualified Chief Uche Ogah as the governorship candidate of APC in the State, giving way for the emergence of Chief Ikechi Emenike as the Party’s candidate in next year’s election.

“Ordinarily, the Peoples Democratic Party in the State would have nothing to do with such a development, as it is purely the internal affair of APC. “Funny enough and ridiculous too, the media team of Uche Ogah, instead of going into retrospect to tell itself the realities of her Principal’s circumstances, has cheaply resorted to attributing the woes of their master to the PDP in the State.

“The team has been brandishing outright lies from the pit of hell that the problem of Uche Ogah is the PDP

that, in its hallucination, is the sponsor of Chief Ikechi Emenike.

According the PDP Publicity Secretary, “PDP in Abia State has, sequel to the above unwarranted misconception, insinuation and devilish false propaganda, been intrinsically compelled to make it clear that whatever are the present problems of Uche Ogah or even APC in the State has no link with it.”

“It is not in the character of PDP to meddle into another Party’s internal affairs. Chief Ikechi Emenike is not a card-carrying member of PDP and, so, there is no basis for Uche Ogah or APC to associate PDP with the crisis rocking their Party.”

Ubani maintained that the excellent performances of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu in all sectors of governance have endeared PDP to the Abia electorate, adding that “for very many reasons, Abia people have made up their mind and anchored their choice on PDP.” Meanwhile, despite the Abuja court ruling, the National Working Committee of APC has insisted that Ogah remains its governorship candidate in Abia.

Otti flags-off ‘Enough is Enough’ campaign

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the people a new lease of life.

“I have presented the first copy of my manifesto to the church today, we want to develop the State. The theme of our campaign is Enough is enough, we are telling Abia People that enough is enough, “We have gone through a lot of rot in this State, it is time to bring the change and we must do that with our people and the time is now because we cannot continue like this.

We are the worst State in Nigeria in terms of infrastructural development. The roads are not there and we have money, it is about money not being used for the purpose for what is meant to be used for. My message is for Abia people to rise up and say enough is enough,” Otti told journalists during an interview.

He called on the electorate in Abia to be vigilant; urging them to come out and vote and equally protect their votes. According to him, the people would be the ultimate beneficiaries, saying he was to establish a government for the people, Otti said he believed that there would not be a repeat of his 2015 ex-

perience because people were wiser now.

“First of all, people are wiser now; secondly, what happened in 2015 would not happen again in 2019. We will make everything possible to ensure that the results released at the polling units are reflected in the central result.

He added that he has observed how elections were conducted in the last couple of years, assuring that “the process of writing results cannot happen anymore,” while urging the electorate to collectively protect their votes.

Earlier, in his sermon, the Cathedral administrator of Mater Dei Cathedral, Rev. Fr. David Aguneri, encouraged politicians to be honest in their campaign promises and advised electorate not to sell their votes.

While advocating for the spirit of sportsmanship and peaceful campaigns, Aguneri frowned that the society was gradually deteriorating and urged Otti to be wise as many people who claimed to be supporting him might be there to enrich their pockets.

POLITICS

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

Orashi flood victims: Shifting grounds of accusations, neglect, double standards

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2019: Enugu as key to APC’s reign in the S/East •Winning Enugu will speak volume about APC in the South East –analyst •It is a sign APC is for Ndigbo –observer In this report, THEO RAYS, The Oracle Today’s Anambra State Correspondent explains why winning in Enugu State would be more significant for the ruling (at the centre) All Progressives Congress (APC) than in any other State of the south East.

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rom all indications, the 2019 election in Enugu State is not going to be business as usual. It will certainly not be a walkover for the ruling PDP for which electoral victories in the South East, especially in Enugu and other PDP States, had become a faith accompli, what with the party simply easing past the opposition at will and coasting home to victory, often claiming, at the polls, all elective positions up for grabs, including the governorship, the three senatorial seats, eight Federal House seats and 24 State House of Assembly seats.

Indeed, since 2003, the PDP as the ruling party in the Coal City State with the backing of the centre has had a good run in elections, muzzling the opposition to the bench to run things at will like the Biblical King Nebukkadnezzer of the defunct kingdom of Babylon.

Unlike previous elections in 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015 however, the 2019 elections pose a serious challenge to the PDP in the Coal City State. And there are many factors likely to militate against the party at the polls this time around.

The first factor is that the PDP is no longer in charge at the centre. Secondly, the main opposition party in the State, the All Progressives Congress (APC) which formed the government at the centre has as its governorship flag-bearer top-ranking former Parliamentarian in the person of Senator Ayogu Eze, who, politically speaking, is a tough nut to crack. Analysts say the emergence of Senator Eze as APC governorship candidate in Enugu against all odds is an indication that APC is prepared to take over the Lion Building, Enugu State’s seat of power.

Another glaring factor that will massively militate against PDP in Enugu State is the poor performance of elective office holders in the State. The massive support being accorded to the APC in all parts of the State shows that the electorate voters in the State are not exactly satisfied with the level of services rendered by PDP folks in the State.

The resurrection of ex-governor Chimaroke Nnamani-led Ebeano family bloc of the PDP which was dismantled by ex-Governor Sullivan Chime is an indication that all is not well with the party in Enugu ahead of the 2019 race.

For PDP in Enugu, there is fire on the mountain, as APC is all out for a showdown not just over the Lion Building but also over several other elective positions. Although Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi who is seeking re-election on the platform of PDP is being praised for quality services on road construction in some parts of the State, prompt payments of workers, adequate motivation of Enugu Rangers Football club and peaceful coexistence of inhabitants of the State, voters in the State, it is obvious, are demanding for more.

Observers say the electorate in Enugu is demanding for more and may well have found Senator Eze and his team of APC candidates as the ones to take them to the Promised Land. This, again, explains the un-

•Ayogu precedented support that APC candidates are enjoying from the electorate in all parts of the State ahead of the elections. Senator Eze, the governorship candidate, however, is at the centre of all attractions. From his country home in Enugu-Ezike to the University town of Nsukka upward to Udi, Nkanu, Awgu, Oji-River axis, Ezeagu and so on, the song on the lips of everybody is Senator Eze for Lion Building.

Observers and analysts say with the acceptability of Eze, APC stands the chance of winning the governorship seat of Enugu State on a landslide.

A current affairs analyst, Dr Gabriel Ejiofor is of the view that APC should not joke with what is playing out in Enugu as, according to him, “the victory of APC in Enugu will speak volumes about the party in the entire South East geopolitical zone considering the strategic position of Enugu as the political Capital of the zone.”

Clearly, the victory of APC in Enugu State will make a bold statement that henceforth, the party is interested in moving along with Ndigbo just as Ndigbo are interested in moving along with the party.

An observer Professor Mike Ezebagu posits that the victory of APC in Enugu next year will prove that the party has come to move with Ndigbo in flesh and blood not in the oth-

er way round of having the hand of Essau and the voice of Jacob.

Professor Ezebagu rhetorically noted: “Real politics and leadership cannot work with the system of hand of Essau and voice of Jacob.

That is a double standard and outrightly not acceptable to the people. Let us call a spade a spade. APC should go along with the people and support the people’s interest in electing a governor on the platform of the party. APC as a political party has to come out boldly to show clear interest in the South East and then work for the candidates of the party to win elections. Good enough, the party parades credible candidates who are popular and acceptable to the electorate in various States of the South East.”

According to Professor Ezebagu, “from the look of things, APC is arguably parading credible governorship candidates capable of beating candidates of other political parties in the four States of the Southeast.”

“And if you ask me, APC has a better chance in the South East now than any other political party going into the 2019 polls. To me I won’t be surprised if APC wins as much as three States out of the four available States in Igbo land come 2019,” he said.

As rightly observed by Professor Ezebagu, parading credible candidates who are popular and acceptable to the people simply indi-

2019: Why Ugwuanyi can’t be defeated – Charlie Agbo

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cates that Igbo people are ready to go with APC in flesh and blood. In fact the movement of notable Igbo leaders from PDP to APC shortly after the 2015 election is an indication that Ndigbo have for long embraced the party in body and soul.

Former Senate President, Ken Nnamani along with four former governors, namely Jim Nwibodo and Sullivan of Enugu State, Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia State and former Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State, plus Senator Hope Uzodinma, Senator Andy Uba and Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu, among others, are all in APC. Indications are ripe that APC is surely going to derive more members of the National Assembly from South East consequent upon 2019 polls. Take Enugu for instance. The party is fielding candidates who are tested and trusted for the three Senatorial seats in the State. Former Speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly Rt Hon. Eugene Odo is standing for the party in Enugu North Senatorial District. Odo has a very bright chance of winning the election following the poor performance of incumbent Senator Chuka Utazi who is the candidate of PDP. In Enugu East Senatorial District, APC is fielding youthful millionaire businessman and philanthropist Prince Lawrence Eze who has stolen the heart of the electorate with his philanthropic gesture and youthful exuberance. Prince Eze moving with the youth and the support of former Senate President Ken Nnamani and former Governor Jim Nwibodo will hopefully trounce former Chimaroke Nnamani who is the candidate of PDP and founder of the out-dated Ebeano family of the PDP. In Enugu West Senatorial District, APC Mrs Juilet Ibekaku Nwagwu, Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Judicial Reforms, is challenging the candidate of PDP and Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu who is contesting for the fifth time for the Senate. Political watchers say the chances of APC to win at least two Senatorial seats in the Coal City State in February next year when the people will go to the poll to elect their Senators are not in doubt.

Another interesting factor that may play out in favour of APC in Enugu is the all-embracing development manifesto of Senator Eze, the governorship candidate of the party.

Key parts of Eze’s manifesto include massive development in tourism and agriculture through mechanized farming with attendant benefits of food security, job creation and enhancing the economy of Enugu State.

According to the APC candidate, he will use the instrumentalities of agriculture to create as many as 100,000 a year if given the mandate to occupy the Lion Building next year.

Highlighting on his manifesto Eze said: “We are going to grow a second-to-none agricultural scheme; there will be standard farms with grower schemes, farm incentives that will make them employers of labour.

“We have plans to employ 100,000 graduates every year through attracting big scale farmers from across the world. We are going to divide Enugu into produce zones where people will produce crops with comparative advantage. We also plan to make tourism one of the biggest revenue earners because the topography of Enugu and tourism assets support that.”

Enugu, according to Senate Eze, “is one of the States that if properly programmed and turned holistically, people will be coming to the State all the year round.”

“We have also mapped out festivals that will run on our calendar so that people will know when to be in Enugu and to make this feasible and attractive. We are going to make a robust security programme. I have the contacts for all these and I know that they are deliverables,” he assured.

The truth is that APC has Senator Ayogu Eze as a capable hand to lead Enugu State and there is no gain saying the fact that by the time Eze takes over the mantle of leadership of the Coal City State and impacts on the people with huge developmental projects, Ndigbo will definitely feel the aroma of the APC. And consequently, Ndigbo will be proud of APC and APC will equally be proud of Ndigbo.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

Bold ‘N’ Blunt T

hat the people of Orashi region in Rivers State are currently passing through harrowing times because of the heavy rains that came down in ceaseless beads of torrents for days in the months of August, September and October is public knowledge.

Houses, schools, health facilities, farmlands and scores of entire communities were thoroughly submerged by floodwater. Apart from being rendered homeless, some unfortunate persons died, too. A pregnant woman who had gone to her farm to harvest premature crops to feed her family was swept away by the furious velocity of the restless floodwater.

She wasn’t very familiar with the topography of the area; she stumbled on her way home into a ditch and fell into dark, murky foreboding floodwater and was swept away into the icy morbid valley of eternity. An old man, afflicted with the frailties of old age was also swallowed by the consuming current of floodwater as he picked his way home, gingerly. Another woman who tripped as she trudged through the floods, misstepped, and was whistled away by the consuming waves of the venomous flood.

Consequently, the people of Orashi region have been wailing for weeks and upwards of two months, appealing, pleading, and even hauling frustrating brickbats that a region that is renowned for farming, and contributes in good measure to the food basket of the state has been abandoned by the foremost power centres at the federal and the state.

Apart from agriculture, the Orashi region also has rich reserves of crude oil and natural gas. In this wise, International Oil Companies (OIC’s) and a regiment of foreign and indigenous oil serving companies operate in the region.

Before now, the Orashi region had gone through its own mournful and torturous archway of tragedy, too. The Orashi region comprises four local government areas: Abua/Odua; Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni; AhoadaEast and Ahoada-West.

In the weeks and months preceding the 2015 general elections, politically motivated violence rang rambunctiously through the region. And the echoes of violence and killings continued even during and after the general elections. Armed robbery, cultism and kidnapping became rife in the Orashi region and some other areas in the state.

Many banks closed their branches in some more cosmopolitan areas of the region for fear of attacks and to ensure the safety of their staff. So, Governor Nyesom Wike proclaimed his amnesty programme to diminish the escalating rate of crime and criminality, by creating a window of opportunity for criminals and cultists to repent, surrender their arms and ammunition and be re-integrated into the society.

The largest cache of arms and ammunition was submitted in the Orashi region. The state government’s amnesty programme led to a cherished lull in criminal activities in the area. Violent clashes between rival cult groups, robbery and kidnapping also reduced, considerably.

Good enough, peace and communal harmony returned to the region. The mopping of arms and ammunition carried out by the Rivers State amnesty programme, chaired

by Sir Kingsley Chinda in conjunction with the security agencies opened a new phase that ushered in peace, harmony and social order in Orashi region.

But shockingly, cult clashes later took on a frightening dimension in the region. Cult groups began killing and beheading members of rival cult gangs. To nip the rising wave of criminality in the bud, the Rivers State government empowered security agencies with operational patrol vehicles fitted with sophisticated communication equipment to track down the hoodlums. Governor Wike also provided financial and effective logistic support to lubricate the mobility of security personnel.

However, on New Year’s Day, January 1, the story turned utterly bloody. Johnson Igwedibia, otherwise known as “Don Waney” led his band of dreaded cultists and criminals to maul down innocent children, men and women who were returning to their homes after observing the Crossover night at their various Churches in Alikwo and Omoku, in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area. In all, about 16 people were shot dead

Orashi flood victims: accusations, neglect, •Our children are out of school, many hospitalised, say parents •Our people are living like amphibians in the water, lament residents

NATH OMAME Jr., in Port Harcourt, writes on the after-effects of Rivers State flood disaster, several months after.

in a premeditated orgy of satanic gusto without any form of provocation whatsoever.

The state was thrown into turmoil. Nigerians were enraged. The security agencies were brusquely taken aback. Governor Wike was roiled. He made a state-wide broadcast dangling a bounty of about N600 million for information that could lead to the arrest of the culprits. And it worked.

Some weeks later, Don Waney and two of his dreadful lieutenants were trailed to a sleepy neighbouring community in Enugu State by a combined team of the 6th Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, and operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS), River State sector and were killed as they attempted to scamper for safety through the back gate of the compound where they had ensconced themselves as a hideout in the wee hours of that fateful day.

The four local government areas of the Orashi region have been relatively peaceful since the death of Don Waney and some of his closest criminal associates. Some were tracked to other states by security operatives and apprehended through combined intelligence gathering and information-sharing by sister organisations. Indigenes and residents of the Orashi region warmed their way back to their normal routines, eking out a living through time-honoured legitimate endeavours.

Farmers who were scared of going to their farms for fear of being kidnapped returned to till and plough their farmlands. Hopes of bountiful harvest were Infectious and widespread, after seasons of anomie - trepidation, suspense and hunger - when women stayed away from their farmlands for fear of being raped and killed.

But hopes of a bountiful harvest dissipated when the heavens opened up and the rains came down in torrents in the months of August, September and October. To salvage whatever they can, farmers went to their farms to harvest premature crops. Their farmlands have been submerged by floodwater for upwards of two months. Consequently, there will be nothing to harvest in the coming months.

Expectedly, the Orashi people looked up to their local governments, state and federal government to come to their rescue. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp’s were

set up, but the numbers of people rendered homeless are far more than the temporary shelters can accommodate. The quantity of food needed to feed thousands of people who have been, forcefully, relocated from their homes by the rampaging flood water is also far more than the local governments have provided.

In the past two months that the floods had persisted, the chairmen of the four local governments of Abua/Odua; Ogba/Egbema/ Ndoni; Ahoada-East and Ahoada-West have rallied round their people, providing some basic necessaries such as food, medicines, mattresses, mats, blankets, cooking utensils, toiletries, among others.

With schools and health facilities shut for upwards of two months, the local government chairmen, indeed, have their limitations. Now, the people of Orashi region are clamouring for assistance from the state and federal government. The local government chairmen say they are doing the best they can with the financial resources that they have.

Vexed that Governor Nyesom Wike has not visited the Orashi region since the area was submerged by flood two months ago, the President of the Orashi Peoples’ Assembly, Abba Rufus, declared on October 11, that leaders of the region will lead their people to relocate and occupy government house in the coming weeks. And they will remain there until the governor comes to their aid.

To draw public attention to their plight, hundreds of flood victims, indigenes and residents of the Orashi region of Rivers State, on Monday, October 29, staged a peaceful protest to government house, in Port Harcourt, to register their disenchantment over what they referred to as “the nonchalant attitude of the Rivers State government to the consequences of the flood that is currently ravaging our communities and endangering the lives of our people.”

The protest which was held under the auspices of the Rivers State Civil Society Organisations,(RSCSO), was led by its Chairman, Enefa Georgewill. The protest also included the Orashi Peoples’ Assembly, led by its President, Abba Rufus and the Orashi People’s Congress, led by its Secretary, Bright Abali.

The protesters who converged at the Isaac

Bori Park, at Mile 1, Diobu, later marched to government house. The protesters carried various placards. Some of the placards read: “If it was electioneering campaign the governor would have visited Orashi region’; “Our people are dying”; “Floods have taken over our homes”; Floods have destroyed our farmlands and crops”; “We need alternative shelter for our families”; Our elders and children are suffering from various diseases;” “No food, no care;” among others.

Rufus, who spoke during the protest said they are prepared to sleep at government house until the state government gives them an assurance that the plight of the Orashi people will be immediately addressed.

He lamented: “Hundreds of communities in the four local government areas in Orashi region have been submerged by flood. Thousands of people have been displaced by the flood. The Internally Displaced Persons’ camps (IDP’s) cannot accommodate the numbers of people who have been rendered homeless by the flood.”

Secretary of Orashi Peoples’ Congress, Bright Abali, who also spoke during the protest march maintained that the people of the Orashi region of Rivers State cannot continue to live in flood waters and in IDP camps, which he pointed out “are not enough to accommodate those displaced by the flood waters.”

“We cannot afford to continue to live like this. The health situation of our children is too bad. Many have left school; many are hospitalised. Many are living like amphibians in the water; we are not happy; we are in pain,” he said.

Following the groundswell of media coverage of the flood that ravaged the Orashi region and the publicity that preceded the protest, many people were askance as to the sort of reception that the flood victims would get at government house. Some of the protesters carried travel bags; pots; kettles; plastic plates, plastic buckets and basins.

But their onward march to government house was aborted just after 200 meters from the Isaac Boro Park, Mile 1, Diobu, where they had assembled, by a heavy detachment of regular and Mobile Police men, at the UTC Bus-Stop, along Azikiwe Road.

The road to GRA Phase 1, and Azikiwe Road

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

Bold ‘N’ Blunt

Shifting grounds of double standards

were blocked at the roundabout by Police operational Toyota Hilux vehicles including Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC’s).

Enraged, Georgewill, changed course and addressed journalists and onlookers who had thronged the Abonnema axis, in Mile 1, Diobu, at the UTC roundabout.

“Orashi citizens have a right to protest peacefully. In any case, the RSCSO had dutifully written to the Police to inform and seek it’s permission for this protest. We begin to wonder why the flood-ravaged people of Orashi will be stopped from seeing their governor,” they said.

Coincidentally, while the people of Orashi were carrying out their protest march onward to government house, Agip Oil Company, which has large presence of oil and gas operations in Orashi, more so, in Omoku, the cosmopolitan flagship of the region, was donating relief materials to the flood victims of Orashi region at government house, Port Harcourt. The donation was made on behalf of its joint venture partners, Oando and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

So, why did Agip and its joint venture partners, Oando and the NNPC, wait until the day that hundreds of flood-ravaged victims of their host communities staged a protest march to relocate from the unwholesome vagaries of the flood to government house and seek for a more effective government intervention in ameliorating their worrisome situation? Indeed, why?

A representative of the Agip joint venture partners, Eneto Letham Sarowiyor, said the donation of relief materials is to alleviate the suffering of the flood victims. “We are here to donate this relief materials to support the efforts of the state government to alleviate the suffering of the victims in the communities that were devastated by flood disaster this year, especially in our core areas of operations in Ogba/Egbema; ibe-Ibisula, Ibiso, to mention a few.”

Chief of Staff, Government House, Chief Chukwuemeka Woke, who received the relief materials on behalf of the Rivers State government assured that the items would be judiciously distributed to the affected flood victims: “As a government, we have set up a team through the ministry of special duties in conjunction with the chairmen of the affected local governments.”

“The State government has done a lot in ameliorating the situation of the displaced persons. What you have done today is to complement the efforts of the state government. Let me assure you that no item here will be mismanaged because we have a very responsible government.”

Commissioner for Information and Communications, Emma Okah, however, introduced a new dimension to the clamour by the Orashi people for more government aid and assistance to ameliorate their sorry situation.

Okah who earlier issued a statement on the day of the protest that the state govern-

ment was working in conjunction with local council chairmen of the affected communities to provide relief materials for the flood victims said “the people of Rivers State should even wonder why the federal government is not showing sufficient attention to those who are impacted by the flood. It should worry every one of us.”

While flood victims of the Orashi region were clamouring for palliative support from the Rivers State and federal government, the Police Officers Wives Association (POWA), led by the wife of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Hajiya Asmau Ibrahim Idris, donated some relief materials to the flood victims at one of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP’s), camps at Akinima community in Ahoada-West Local Government Area, on Monday October 22.

Sadly enough, some people described as “bad boys” - hoodlums - looted 20 bags of rice out of the 200 bags among other items that were donated to the flood victims. The bags of rice were looted after the flood and emergency management committee had shared 13 bags to each of the 12 wards in Ahoada-West local government.

Chairman of the Akinima Flood Management Committee, Isibi Maurice, who confirmed the incident said the bags of rice were shared according to wards to make sure that everyone benefited since most of the communities in the local government area were affected by the flood.

Some relief materials such as mattresses, soap, detergents, cartons of Vaseline and plastic buckets were seen at the Akinima Police station. The items were said to have been taken there for safe-keeping by the Ahoada-West Flood Management Committee.

Some flood victims at one of the IDP camp at Akinima expressed dismay that only three bags of rice were given to the displaced persons in the IDP camp where 500 people were temporarily sheltered. They wondered why they were not given mattresses, soaps, detergents, plastic buckets, among other relief materials donated by POWA. The distressed flood victims asked, forlornly: “What will 500 people do with three bags of rice? The Police officers wives also donated mattresses, soaps and detergents, but we sleep on bare floor: we spread our wrappers on the floor to cushion the effect of the hard surface. Our children sleep on mats which are not enough.”

The wife of the IGP, Hajiya Asmau, leading other members of POWA, had donated the relief materials at an IDP camp because the flood victims were sheltered there. There are other IDP camps at Jankrama, Ubiama, among others. So, why did officials of the Ahoada-West Flood Management Committee choose to share the relief materials according to wards, rather than to the flood

victims at the IDP camps to whom the relief materials were meant for?

Why share the relief materials according to wards? In Nigeria, the nomenclature, ‘ward’, is increasingly associated with grassroots geo-political segmentation. And in an electioneering year, sharing relief materials meant for flood victims in IDP camps who have been dislodged from their homes by rampaging flood waters to people who still had the luxury of living in the comfort of their homes remains patently indefensible and unimaginable.

Unimpressed by the explanation emanating from officials of the Ahoada-West Flood Management Committee and those who oversee the Akinima IDP camps, the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Zaki, promptly, ordered an investigation into the missing bags of rice. Some people are still complaining that some wards got eight bags of rice and not 10 as claimed by Maurice who superintendents the IDP’s camp’s in Akinima community.

On Thursday, November 1, the Police invited the paramount ruler of Akinima, Afuachi Richard, to explain what he knows about the sharing of the bags of rice in his community.

Before honouring the invitation of the Police, Richard told Journalists that neither he nor leaders in his community were consulted by those who received the relief materials or those who shared them according to wards rather than sharing them directly to the IDP camps. He pointed out that those who received and shared the relief materials would be in pole position to explain what happened to the relief materials donated by the wives of Police officers.

He stated: “Since the relief materials were donated by Police officers wives, they should go to the community and find out what happened to the bags of rice that the women donated. I am sure the Police will find out what actually happened. But since the Police have invited me, I will honour the invitation and tell them the relief materials were handled by officials of the flood and management committee.”

Leaders of the community heard about the sharing of the relief materials through rumours. Our traditional ruler was also not even informed. I was not informed, either.

We heard that they shared the bags of rice on their way to our community.”

The items distributed include foodstuffs, clothing, medicine and household materials. The relief materials were distributed at the four IDP camps. Head of NEMA’s Emergency Operations Centre in Bayelsa and Rivers State, Yakubu Suleiman, stated that the agency had done a Rapid Post Flood Assessment to ensure that the victims means of livelihood will be restored after the flood.

An environmental activist in Rivers State, Meshack Oyi, has also aligned with the position of Okah that the federal government has not responded, frontally, to the natural disaster in the state. He claims that Rivers State is not among the states that will benefit from the federal government’s N3billion intervention fund on flooding.

He wondered why the Nigerian Hydrological Service Agency had excluded Rivers State in its May Annual Flood Outlook for 2018, from the states that will be affected by flooding. He pointed out that communities in the Orashi region are experiencing river flooding and not coastal flooding as earlier predicted by the hydrological agency.

Oyi appealed: “The fund released by the federal government would not be used to help ameliorate the suffering of people affected in Rivers State. I am calling on them to please look at their prediction again to understand that the river flooding they predicted is also affecting Rivers among other states they listed.”

“Orashi is a major tributary to the River Niger and the river has overflowed its banks.

Orashi has overflowed its banks, hence the flooding of some the communities along the Orashi River. If it continues like this, we could get to the 2012 impact,” he lamented.

In October 2012, the Orashi River overflowed its banks following days of heavy torrential rainfall that caused the Orashi River to overflow its banks. In October 2015, heavy rains, again, precipitated the Orashi River to overflow its banks. In September and October 2018, the rains came down, heavily again, and the Orashi River, consequently, overflowed its banks, submerging houses, farmlands, hospitals, schools and town halls, among others.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

INTERVIEW “When you talk about preparation, the governor is prepared, the party is prepared, the state is prepared and the campaign team is prepared. When you have a practically, PDP state since 1999, you are taking an advantage that your opponent will find very difficult to deal with. When you have a party that has not lost the ward election, councillorship election since 1919, it is a difficult task for whoever that is aspiring to unseat the governor in Lion Building”.

“There has been decisive decision to exclude the southeast. The scandal of the reality of the fact that in a conclave of Service Chiefs, in this country, there is no Igbo that features, not even in the Paramilitary establishments, speaks volumes of his disposition. I think he is essentially bigoted. He did it for effect: I have done this and there is nothing you can do about it”.

The Gburugburu 2019 campaign team has been described, in football lingo, as a ‘killer squad’; but does a popular governor like Ugwuanyi need such crack-team to prosecute his re-election campaign, considering a myriad of endorsements he has been receiving?

The governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi assembled very capable hands to prosecute various arms of the campaign; he is not taking anything for granted because this is politics and it is a game of the possible. That being the case, being a very, very meticulous administrator, he would not settle for less. You are not going to be expecting him to work with a team that is not an A-Team, so to speak. So, it is just a way of life, if I have to put it that way. He was essentially expressing himself. And that excellence perhaps, is the same you find in his cabinet, in his team, in local governments; in his choices in Parastatals and various other organisations in the state. He does not find any special need; his special need is the need for excellence in all aspects, both in governance and in politics.

Talking about excellence in governance, what are some of the areas that you feel impressed about the governor’s performance?

I think I am impressed with almost all the areas, but one of the most remarkable has been his capacity to wither through very difficult inclement financial circumstances; and been able to continue in situations where most states have been under distress. If you remember, this government was inaugurated at the peak of crises. The country dipped into recession – a situation where most states were unable to pay salaries, but he was able to continue to pay salaries and allowances, and able to pay pensioners, to pay gratuities and to keep up all other financial obligations of the state.

You must find that very, very impressive because it is at the centre of the meaning of governance. I believe that many politicians play politics with some fundamentals. A worker deserves his wage; it is the basic obligation of the state to ensure that those who worked for it are paid at the end of the month. There is a biblical injunction in this respect. So, I find it commendable that the governor is able to carry on in such a difficult situation. And even as the country gradually begins to crawl out of recession, you find that he is still expressing himself better than most other governors, by way of infrastructural developments that are dotting the state all over the place. These are all aspects of his style which I find quite commendable. He affects directly, all aspects of the lives of the people in Enugu State and ensures that they feel the impacts of governance and the government of Enugu State. These are parts of my happiness about the governor’s style of governance.

2019: Why Ugwuanyi can’t be defeated – Charlie Agbo

Head of strategy, Gburugburu 2019 re-election campaign committee, Charlie Agbo, has declared that Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi will record landslide victory at the 2019 polls because he has performed creditably. According to him, from all indices, “it is a logical expectation that is empirical on the strength of the basic permutations of science and politics, that governor Ugwuanyi is going to have an easy coast to victory, on the basis of track record”. The cerebral public affairs analyst, lawyer, graphic designer and politician, in this chat with CHUKS EZE, however, wrote off President Buhari’s assurances that he will complete all projects in the South East, questioning why he had to wait till the evening of his tenure to make such pronouncement.

In 2015, your candidate was largely adjudged the most acceptable governorship candidate in Nigeria; but does the current scenario in the state depict a sustained momentum?

Yes of course, as evidenced by all the achievements we have found. If he was able to pay salaries, allowances, gratuities and pensions at the peak of recession, and still was able to layout infrastructural developments here and there, you would naturally expect that as that recession eases, he is even equipped with greater capacity to do more and that is what you find in Enugu state. So, yes, the momentum has been sustained.

Just the other day, the Enugu Rangers International (football club) was able to break another jinx. These are very critical developments because sports – football particularly – is at the centre of our entertainment in Nigeria. It is almost like a religion and everyone is hooked onto it like opium. We have had denial of these trophies for over 30 years. Is it then a surprise that in this length of time, Enugu State was not able to attract either laurel but Governor Ugwuanyi has been able to achieve it? That is not happenstance but a product of planning and very meticulous administration that stretches from the choice of even those who manage this game and then the support that he gave; financial, material, psychological and spiritual support that he gave to Rangers International.

This is a pointer that whenever you have purposeful government that is guided by the fear of God, and has capacity to manage resources, these results will always show. He just won The Sun Award, the other day, and there have been series of endorsements all over the place.

These are not happenstances but products of people’s acceptance of his style of leadership, independent of physical manifestation by way of infrastructures on the ground.

Are there other landmarks that made you believe the governor stands out from his predecessors?

There are several others, and I think the most important has been in financial management part of which I had made references to. But even in entertainment – social entertainment – such as football which, like I said earlier, is central to the people’s recreation and entertainment.

Those achievements are not ordinary feats. You must see it as standing out that over a period running into decades, this football club (Rangers) that encapsulates the psychological and emotional, more or less, security of the Igbo, had

•Charlie Agbo

not been able to find its feet. But Governor Ugwuanyi has been able to energise it and it broke the jinx. That is one that you must find that very clearly, indisputably stands him out from his predecessors. There is no question about that. I had made references to the obligations that he owes the people as governor, which he has been carrying out, but one other major way which you can assess him is in the context of his relationship

with other political parties. It is very easy to accept the fact that for the first time, you have a leader who has been able, practically, to reduce the cleavages of politics. There is not much distinction among various political parties because he has deemphasized party and brought to the fore, the humanity that is associated with governance. The Government House is thrown open to everybody – Cont’d on page 14

13

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

POLITICS

BusinessDay publisher, Aigbogun, Ogar too

T

he governor of Enugu State and visitor to Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Enugu, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has reiterated his administration’s doggedness towards total revamp of the institution and the entire education sector in the state.

He spoke during the special convocation ceremony of IMT tagged “32nd to 42nd Consolidated Convocation Ceremony and 45th Anniversary/Home Coming,” which took place at the Michael Okpara Square, Enugu, describing IMT as a great historic institution and one of the foremost centres for manpower technological development in Nigeria.

The governor assured that his administration would continue to place high premium on education in line with government’s resolve to take the sector to enviable height.

The last convocation of the school took place about twelve years ago, precisely on February 18, 2006, thereby creating a wide margin (from 2007-2018), which the current 10-batch special convocation ceremony has now cleared.

Represented by his deputy, Cecilia Ezeilo, Governor Ugwuanyi, noted that his administration has lived up to its promise at its inception, to revamp and return the academic establishment to its past glory of excellence and flagship in Nigeria and beyond.

“Early in the life of this administration in Enugu State, we had declared our intention to take IMT to a much higher level and to restore it to its status as a leading centre for qualitative education and technological innovations.

“To this end and to the very high premium that we place on education in Enugu state, we have endeavoured to provide and improve vital infrastructures and facilities in the school; ensured the accreditation of its courses, secured industrial harmony and also set in motion the process and machinery for its upgrading to a degree-awarding institution.

“Apart from the interventions that we have made, and are still making, in the school, we will continue to work in consent with relevant ministries and agencies of government to continue to support the institution and to ensure that the IMT continues to fly its flag higher,” the governor said.

He called on well-meaning individuals and corporate organisations to support IMT management and the state government as they double efforts to ensure that IMT continues to grow from strength to strength, and lives up to its expectation as one of te nation’s leading academic institutions.

Earlier in her address, Chairman, governing council of the institution, Deaconess Ifeoma Nwobodo, hailed Governor Ugwuanyi for his profound commitment and dedication towards transforming the education sector into excellence.

She pointed out that upon their inception, the present governing council and management of IMT were irked by a huge backlog of graduands yet to be released by the institution, adding that they were faced with the challenge of clearing the backlog, which, according to her, was the reason for the consolidated convocation.

“We have today, achieved that through encouragement and motivation by our governor’s avowed and unparalleled efforts towards improvement and upgrading of teaching and learning facilities and infrastructures in the institute,” she said, pointing out that IMT had produced numerous citizens who had excelled in their chosen careers and making waves across the world.

On his part, the Rector of the institute, Professor Augustine Nweze, expressed delight at the success of the event and appreciated Governor Uwuanyi, Deaconess Njeze and other members of the govern-

Why we place high premium on education – Ugwuanyi • IMT honours ace philanthropist, Arthur Eze, Ozokwor, others at consolidated convocation

From Enugu, CHUKS EZE writes on the significance of last weekend’s convocation ceremonies at the Institute of Manangement and Technology (IMT), Enugu, the institution’s first in all of 10 years, explaining that one of the nation’s most notable technological institution of higher learning has just acquired a new status: a university

•Graduands during the academic procession

•The deputy Gov of Enugu State, Barr Mrs Cecilia Ezeilo (C), Speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Edward Ubosi (R) and the Rector of IMT, Prof Augustine Nweze at the event

ing council, as well as staff, management and students of the institution for their respective roles towards the successful conduct of the consolidated convocation.

He expressed optimism that henceforth, with the “unparalleled support” of the state governor, that convocation ceremony would hold annually.

“We take great pleasure in seeing our

graduates move on to successful careers because we are confident that our institution has one of the best employment records for graduates of any institution in Nigeria”.

While running through some of the feats recorded by his administration, since its inception on June 10, 2016, Professor Nweze, disclosed that IMT had, as first

phase, commenced programmes in six academic departments in affiliation with the University of Nigeria (UNN) Nsukka, including Accountancy, Banking and Finance, Business Administration, Public Administration, marketing, and Statistics.

Several illustrious citizens and alumni of the institution were admitted into the IMT Fellowship tagged FIMT, while others were immortalized by naming some facilities in the school after them.

Those that received IMT fellowship (FIMT) include, business mogul and renowned philanthropist, Prince Engr. Arthur Eze; MD/CEO of Fidelity Bank, Nnamdi j. Okonkwo; Nollywood star actress, Evangelist Patience Ozokwor, who is IMT product; and Chairman/CEO of Businessday media Limited, Frank Aigbogun.

On the immortalization list were Prince Engr Arthur Eze, who was named after the expansive former EE/Food Tech/Mech Engr/SLT, which has officially become ‘Chief Engr. Arthur Eze Building’; the fine and Applied Arts building, is now ‘Evang Patience Ozokwor Building’, where the thespian graduated from. Similarly, the FT Main Building was renamed after politician and President of Masters Energy, Dr Uche Ogar, to now bear ‘Dr Uche Ogar Building’.

The event was graced by other dignitaries including the Speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Edward Ubosi; Chairman of Enugu State Council of traditional Rulers, HRM, Amb. Lawrence Agubuzu; Vice Chancellor of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Professor Luke Anike, and former IMT Rector, Igwe Dr. Calistus Njeze, among others.

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

POLITICS ... Ugwuanyi can’t be defeated – Charlie Agbo Cont’d from page 12 people of all faiths and political divides – under a philosophy of political ecumenism. That is yet another distinction.

No other leader who had occupied the Lion Building has approached politics from that ecumenical perspective; and it is indisputable that we have lower political tension. His outreach has paid off in so many ways, proving that it is possible to still allow some measure of political independence between you and your opponent, while you tap the best of the individuals for the purposes of development of the state. That stands the governor out, independent of the rest of his achievements.

Do you expect easy or difficult ride in the field when governorship campaigns set in?

Politics is like any other game, and any serious team prepares. Like in football, you do not talk about minions any more, it speaks to lack of technical depth for a coach to make assumptions about a team, because you are running a game over a period of time, and just anything is possible. But then, in the field of politics there are levels of expectations, predictability that are within the range of reality. Now, it could be safe for the people of Enugu State, for instance, to say that they expect that governor Ifeanyi Ugwanyi would be returned on the bases of his track records that are there, self-evident, that people are seeing. So, when you talk about preparation, of course, the governor is prepared, the party is prepared, the state is prepared and the campaign team is prepared, with a very massive comparative advantage of size.

When you have a practically, PDP state since 1999, you are taking an advantage that really, your opponent will find very difficult to deal with. When you have a party that has not lost the ward election, counsellorship election since 1919, then of course, you have to know that you really have an uphill task coming to even commence as an opposition political party. It is a difficult task for whoever that is aspiring to unseat the governor in Lion Building, there is no question about that.

Are you saying there is no stiff opposition in sight?

What you call stiff is a probability, a function of contingency of the possibilities of politics. But then, there is likelihood of a consequence of records that are on the ground. So, what would make it stiff? Is it that you are going to upturn all of these facts that I have been referring to in terms of achievement. It is a logical expectation that is empirical on the strength of the basic permutations of science and politics, that governor Ugwuanyi is expected to win; he is going to have an easy coast to victory, on the basis of track record. When you look at the indices, and effectively utilizing the tools of the science of politics or both its science and art, you are not going to be looking for any extraordinary crystal ball to tell you that this governor is on his way back to the seat of power.

How equitable is the Ugwuanyi administration?

The governor has shown equity in the distribution of political offices and distribution of developmental opportunities or infrastructural developments. In education sector, for instance, there is now a state polytechnic at Iwollo, which was not there before, and you can imagine how much that was invested there.

There is a school of health technology, and the one at Nsukka, as well. These institutions did not have accreditation be-

•Charlie Agbo

fore the governor came in, but through his initiative, they have all been accredited. At a point, no health institution in the state was producing health workers, apart from Parklane General Hospital.

But the governor has spread out developments in all of those places. For the first time in 11 years, the IMT (state polytechnic), is organising convocation. That speaks of very massive neglect in certain areas that are very critical to educational development. How do you run an institution like IMT without convocation? Convocation activity is like the icing on cake, not just a matter of ceremony. It is the final cap in a sojourn that has taken several years, most of which is at least 5 years.

Why were those activities not taking place? Something definitely was wrong.

And so, why are these institutions now going through these processes? It has to do with some seriousness and purposeful, effective leadership.

Would you say the governor has lived up to high expectations that greeted his emergence in 2015?

The most critical part of the governor’s achievement is his capacity to have navigated the state away from crisis at the peak of recession. You are not going to be assessing a governor from the perspective of plenty but rather, from the perspective of difficulty. World leaders,

as a matter of fact, immerge in times of crisis. It is in times of crisis that you are able to identify those who have special attributes and are able to navigate their people away from danger into a stable stead, to be able to function as a people.

In a committee of states, you could have people from Enugu State, at all times, hold their heads high and able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder among the rest of states in whatever discipline that they are engaged in. So, it is a shining point that the governor has navigated the state away from crisis, from recession and kept the basic functions of the state running, even with that excruciating state of affairs. We have a lot of states whose receipts from the federation account are higher than that of Enugu state, with very great figures, yet they are unable to pay salaries. But Governor Ugwuanyi pays salaries on or before 23rd of every month. You cannot beat it!

President Buhari recently assured South East Governors that he would complete all projects in the zone; do you think that fulfilling that promise can influence the zone’s voting pattern in 2019?

It is a very difficult thing for a politician to be making promises when he has an opportunity to implement some earlier promises. I think that is the difficulty that

14

Buhari faces. He has had three and half years; what is the meaning of a promise that is delivered at the twilight? What has happened to all the prime time he has had to function as president? Look, there has been a much decisive decision on his part to exclude the south eastern part of this country. The scandal of the reality of the fact that in a conclave of Service Chiefs, in this country, there is no Igbo; not even in the Paramilitary establishments, speaks volumes of his disposition. I think he is essentially bigoted. This is not subject to argument. He did it for effect: Look, I have done this and there is nothing you can do about it! So, why is he coming around, at the point of election, to begin to make those promises?

They look so cheap; not convincing at all.

Is it not possible that he has chosen to turn a new leaf this time?

Why would you make promises that are contingent on politics? Why would promises be a function of politics? Why do you mix policy with politics? When you have a preponderance of politics as against policy, then you have a convoluted system. That is the problem, and that has been President Buhari’s bane – that he has taken politics too far. It is not about the way I feel about you, you are a citizen; you have a right not to vote for me and I have a right to tell you I do not want to vote for you. But you have basic rights that evolve, that flow from the political process, from government.

They are so fundamental that when they are denied they begin to acquire the dimension of crime, practically, against the constitution. And that becomes an impeachable offence, because the constitution is clear when it talks about balance. Balance is not for nothing, especially when we are looking at very important positions. The truth is that in this country, our resources are distributed through political offices. And as unfortunate as that fact is, it has remained what it is. And let us not pretend that we are going to be weighting all political offices the same; some political offices are weighted higher than others. And so, when you have a majority of the weightier political offices aligned to a particular part of the country to the detriment of others, then something that has to do with bigotry has to be identified in that.

And that is what is going on.

What do you make of recently released policy documents of candidates Muhammadu Buhari and Atiku Abubakar?

The first thing that strikes one is that there has been a document that had been tested for a period of three and half years and this country is not out of the doldrums. So, we only have an idea of what that candidate can do, independent of policy document. We have seen what Buhari can do and expectations are not high anymore. I think that expectations are more on the side of Atiku?

And I want to believe that he has a larger blend of more factors that we could say that predispose him to be in a position to grapple with the multifarious problems that we have in this country today. He is a private sector individual and somebody whose emotional disposition is not subject to elements of bigotry. Atiku has peculiar advantages in this regard. Even as a Muslim, if you look at the distribution of his spousal interest, you could see that it is like a national thing. He has wife from all the ethnic groupings in this country. It is not an accident and it is not because of politics, but a function of his disposition that is completely devoid of any element of bigotry.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

FOR THE RECORD

By CHRIS OKOYE

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et me begin by wishing everyone present here today a hearty compliment of the season, praying that the peace, joy, love and hope that this special time of the year represents be found in our national as well as our personal lives. Special commendations are in order for Prof Ben Osisioma’s beautifully rendered homily during the moving devotion. I believe I speak for everyone in saying that we are all enriched and inspired by his prayers and admonitions.

I would also like to extend a hearty welcome to all the members of the Governing Council to this inaugural meeting, and congratulations to all of you for your appointments as members of the Governing Council. Your membership to such an essential part of the University’s future growth is a product of thorough evaluation as evidenced by your varied expertise. One is therefore extremely confident that the members will both individually and collectively add tremendous value to the transactions of the 3rd Council.

It is important that we also recognise the 55 Dioceses East of the Niger, who own our beloved Paul University Awka, through the Board of Trustees (BOTs) and the Proprietor; and commend the BOTs and Most Revd Dr. Emmanuel Chukwuma for the privilege accorded to us to guide the next phase of the development of Paul University Awka.

I would next, like to acknowledge the Principal Officers of the University, represented by our distinguished Vice Chancellor—Ven. Prof Uche Charlie Isiugo-Abanihe. Their efforts as Institutional leaders in sustaining the growth of our University, all the mitigating factors notwithstanding, warrant a resounding congratulation. I would be remiss not to thank the Awka community, whose continued support for the University has made them part and parcel of this scholastic fellowship.

Finally, I would like to extend a very special felicitation to the Awka Diocese, through the Bishop-Rt Rev Dr. Alex Ibezim, for their steadfast contributions to the development of Paul University Awka, and particularly the unique efforts of the Immediate Past Bishop & Dean of the Church of Nigeria, Most Revd Maxwell Anikwenwa that gave birth to the University.

It is important to recapitulate the broad purpose and responsibility of the Governing Council, which is to: facilitate the general control and superintendence over the policy, finances and property of the University, including its public relations, among many other functions. The significance of the foregoing is illuminated when read against the motto of the university, which reads: Here I am, send me plucked from Isaiah 6:8; this biblical exhortation signifies the complete giving of oneself to serve a greater cause.

Given the Governing council’s responsibility to inspire confidence in the management of the institution, it is important that all members of the Governing Council should internalize the call to subordinate themselves for the collective goal of fostering institutional greatness as underlined by the School’s motto.

Beyond the Governing Council, the abnegation of the individual self for the communitarian good must also be the animating principle underlining the Universities’ mission to offer “access to university education to talented youths, and involve them in the discovery, generation, dissemination, and application of high quality knowledge. The University must strive to incarnate the motto in every facet of its operations. Her students must absorb and imbibe the message of selflessness for the right of Higher education resides not merely in the ability to enhance one’s purchasing power but also, and more importantly, nestles in the willingness to use one’s expertise to augment the public good.

Going forward, this Governing Council must endeavour to continuously sacrifice its individual member’s aims for the collective goal of marshalling the University into a globally recognized path of academic freedom and critical enquiry. While I strongly believe in our ability to arrive at such an illustrious juncture, we must focus on the key drivers of education excellence that will change the face

That Paul University may grow stronger

•Paul University undergraduates

•Engr. Chris Okoye, Pro-Chancellor/Chairman Governing Council

of the University. We must see to it, through the Senate that the curriculum informing all the faculties is thorough and impactful, leaving no gaps in the learning process. Allied to this, must stand a renowned, resourceful, and passionate faculty—each primed to cultivate future leaders of our Nation in every field.

Paul University Awka must also commit to becoming a pillar of scrupulous cleanliness and sanitation, from the entrance gate to the administrative block, classrooms, road/ walkways, lawns, toilets, offices, dormitories, and all public places. A clean learning environment begets a clear minded student, faculty, staff, etc. Special attention must also be accorded to the faculty of Theology, given our status as a Christian University, to ensure that it becomes world class in its field.

Moreover, the vision to elevate the University into a world class status should extend

to every facet of the school. We must strive to make every classroom an embodiment of the prime characteristics of a 21st century classroom; that is one that is Student-centric, outfitted with Computing devices, promotes Active and Adaptive learning, creates an Invitational environment, encourages Students to understand and follow the rules and procedures, advocates Mutual respect among students and professors, executes Performance-based assessments, and thrives on Collaborative learning.

Furthermore, we must ensure that our outstanding STEM disciplines and the attending infrastructure are robustly developed to yield future engineers, scientists, doctors etc. that will drive our technology based future economy. Key to this goal is establishing a well-articulated and engineered Master Plan that Awka & the Permanent Site at Oji, which will provide a platform to galvanise

the cross-pollination of ideas. Accordingly, our ICT capabilities/platforms must be reinvigorated to bring them up to international standards of functionality and innovation— which will allow our staff and students to remain immersed in our globally connected world.

Finally, we must see to it that we re-position ourselves as an Entrepreneurial University.

That is, one that not only engenders students with marketable skills for a competitive jobs market but also equips students with the ability to become Job creators. We must implement the infrastructure that will attract the right faculty members and guest professors that will inspire students to not ask what the country can do for her but to ask what she can do for the country.

Naturally, realizing the foregoing objectives necessitate sustainable funding/financing.

Hence, it is imperative that we re-assess our revenue generating mechanisms to determine how we can catalyse growth in a consistent and well-funded manner in order to produce the best graduates in Nigeria— fuelled by the call to genuine service.

To conclude, this inaugural meeting must serve as a reminder of the important role played by Christian Universities in Value Education in Nigeria; that is, the process by which we inculcate moral values to each other. More than merely furnishing a state of the art education that ensures her students are equipped with the skills needed to excel in the real economy; Paul University Awka must forever be driven by an appreciation of the affective dimension of education—to forge a richer and more fulfilling knowledgebased society.

Thank you and May the Lord guide our thoughts in this meeting.

God bless you all.

•Engr. (Sir) Chris Okoye, FIoD, FNIT, FNIA, F.ASCE FNIHTE, FNSE, is Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council, Paul University, Awka. He delivered this speech at the inaugural meeting of the Governing Council of the University in Awka, the Anambra State capital, recently.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

NEWS Okowa, Jonathan, Obi, Oshiomhole, others bid Anenih final farewell at Uromi

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elta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, former President Goodluck Jonathan, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Vice Presidential Candidate, Mr Peter Obi were in attendance, Sunday to bid renowned politician, Chief Tony Anenih, his final farewell.

Also at the funeral Mass celebrated by the Arch-Bishop of Benin Diocese of the Catholic Church, His Grace, Augustine Akubueze were Chief James Ibori, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, Governors Godwin Obaseki, Seriake Dickson, Comrade Adams Oshiomole, Senator Patrick Osakwe, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, among numerous personalities.

The Mass took place at St. Anthony Catholic Cathedra, Uromi where the Bishop in charge of the Diocese, Most Rev. Donatus Ogun urged Nigerian politicians to stop politics of mudslinging.

According to the Bishop, Nigerians are tired of dirty politics, stating that as the 2019 general elections approaches, politicians should tell Nigerians what they can do to make their lives better.

“Nigerians want hope, they want to be told what the candidates will do to make their lives better, they are tired of hearing rubbish from politicians,” he said.

He emphasised, “learn to go to church and have the fear of God; always know that there is a God who is ready to forgive when you come back to Him.” “Be generous, if you cannot spend what you can die and leave behind, how do you expect God to assist you? Heaven is real and we must work hard to enter heaven,” he said, noting that the late Tony Anenih was like a collosus.

The Bishop stated, “Chief Anenih who helped to give solutions to many people’s problems, he was a man of integrity, he gave people opportunities to live.”

Son hacks father to death in Enugu

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nugu State Police Command has commenced investigation into the alleged killing of a man identified as Osita Nwachukwu by his son, Chibuike Nwachukwu.

The command’s spokesman, Mr Ebere Amaraizu, a Superintendent of Police, made this known in a statement on Friday in Enugu.

Amaraizu said that the incident occurred at about 5.30 a.m. on Friday at Enugu-Agu village in Amuri community in Nkanu West Local Government Area.

“A son identified as Chibuike Nwachukwu, about 25 years old, has allegedly hacked his father, Mr Osita Nwachukwu, about 60 years old, to death with a matchete over a yet-to-be established issue.

“The alleged incident has thrown the entire Amuri community into mourning today,’’ he said.

Amaraizu stated that the suspect had been nabbed by the police and was already helping the command in investigation of the matter.

He said that the body of the deceased had been deposited in a hospital mortuary in the community for autopsy.

Police woman threatens to return to court over dismissal

By IBE NWACHUKWU

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annah Markson, who was dismissed from the Nigeria Police Force has vowed to issue Form 48 and Form 49 to the authorities if they fail to reinstate her into the force, as directed by an Industrial Court sitting in Enugu.

Markson was dismissed by the Inspector-General of Police and her dismissal ratified by the Police Service Commission and her mother’s Toyota Rav4 SUV impounded by the same police authorities But the Industrial Court, presided over by Hon. Justice I.J. Essien, had about five months ago, ordered the police authorities to reinstate her with immediate effect because her dismissal was wrongly done but the court order is yet to be obeyed up till date, prompting her to consider

returning to the court with Form 48 and Form 49, a contempt of court proceedings against the police authorities Speaking to newsmen in Onitsha over her travails, Markson lamented that “five months after a National Industrial court sitting in Enugu, Enugu state, Presided over

by Hon. Justice I. J. Essien, ordered the Police Service Commission (PSC), headed by Musliu Smith, a firmer and the incumbent Inspector General of Police, IGP, Mr Ibrahim Idris and the Enugu state Police Commissioner, CP, Mr Mohammed Danmallaih, to reinstate me return my mother’s Toyota Rav4 SUV Jeep, they confiscated and pay me the backlog of salaries with N2 million compensation for general damages and wrongful dismissal and my transfer from Enugu back

to Akwa Ibom state, where I was transferred from, the order is yet to be obeyed by the trio”.

However, Enugu state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr Ebere Amarizu, when contacted told newsmen that the Command was yet to receive a copy of the Judgment.

Crying for intervention through her counsel, B. C. Uzuegbu, for the court order to be obeyed, she recalled that she has been incarcerated in detention, rendered jobless, frustrated and sacked by the trio for an offence that was not established until now that the court has come to her rescue by discharging and acquitting her.

The claimant’s case is that she joined the police force in February 2001 with Force No. 024795 and as at June 2009 she was promoted to

the rank of a Corporal. On the 29th March 2011 at about 10pm, she was arrested in the house of her fiancee along Agbani road Enugu, by an Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP, Okeke and his team of policemen.

She was detained and later her family members were also arrested along with her mother and variously detained at Eket Police Command, Enugu and later the claimant was transferred to Force CID Abuja, where she was released by an order of the Federal High Court Abuja.

The Industrial court, Presided over by Hon Justice I. J. Essien (PHD) on making his order, granted all the prayers of the claimant (Plaintiff) except promotion to the rank of an Inspector.

Court reserves ruling on N30m debt against Indian firm From EMMANUEL OGOIGBE, Warri

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• Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi (kneeling) and wife as wife Chief (Mrs) Rachel Ogonna Umahi receiving prayers from Rev Fr. Ejike Mbaka, Founder of the Adoration Ministry, in Enugu State when the state chief executive attended a programme of the church, Sunday

Jonathan to liaise with Buhari over Rivers security impasse

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ormer President Goodluck Jonathan has declared that he will interface with President Muhammadu Buhari over the Rivers State Neighbourhood Safety Corps Agency to ensure the amicable resolution of the impasse between the Army and the Rivers State Government in the interest of the security of Rivers State.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan also commiserated with the government and people of Rivers State over the collapse of the 7-Storey building in Port Harcourt.

The former President who was accompanied by his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan, spoke at the site of the collapsed 7-storey building at Woji road in New GRA, Port Harcourt.

He said: “I will take it up with Mr President to see how we will resolve the matter amicably in the interest of our people.

“If you don’t have the cooperation of volunteers working with the security services, we will not be able to manage the security situation “.

Jonathan said that when a state government is setting up a volunteer service to manage the security situation, the police and Army within the state must give their maximum cooperation.

He said: “If a state is setting up a volunteer service to manage the se-

curity situation, we expect cooperation from the police and the Army within the state.

“If there are any issues that should be cleared, I expect the Commissioner of Police and the General Officer Commanding to meet with the Security Adviser to the Rivers State Governor to discuss these grey areas”.

He said managing security in the extremely riverine states require the contributions of locals in the form of volunteers.

“These are extremely riverine states. Apart from the Navy, 60 percent of the personnel of the other security services cannot swim.

Managing security in these states require the locals”, he said.

The Former President said that as Deputy Governor to Late DSP Alamiesegha, Bayelsa State had to set up the Bayelsa Volunteers to tackle piracy alongside the security agencies.

“When we set up the Bayelsa Volunteers, we worked with the Police to reduce piracy in the state. I have realised that without the locals, you cannot succeed in terms of managing security anywhere “, he said.

He stated that as a President he allowed the setting up of the Civilian Joint Task Force to work with the military to tackle Boko Haram insurgency, saying that the decision

helped so much.

Earlier, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike told the Former President that the State Government initiated the State Neighbourhood Safety Corps Agency for the purpose of enhancing the security of the state Governor Wike who was represented by the Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Sir Kenneth Kobani noted that the State has always supported the security agencies with finances and logistics.

The governor said: “To our shock while the Neighbourhood Safety Corps Agency was being trained, they were invaded by the Army.

“It is a concern for us because it does appear as if there is one rule for some states which have done the same thing and another rule for us who are just trying our best to assist the security agencies “, he said.

On the collapsed 7-storey building, Jonathan described the development as unfortunate and sad, even as he said that greater regulation is required to avert future occurrence .

Rivers State Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr John Bazia and Health Commissioner, Professor Chike Princewill briefed the former President on the rescue operations on the site of the collapsed building.

Federal High Court in OtorUdu, Delta State, has reserved ruling till 23rd January, 2019 in a motion filed by an Indian firm, Premium Steel & Mines Limited, asking the court to set aside its judgment in which it ordered the company to pay N37 million to Ese-Tech Nigeria Limited.

Justice R. D. Harriman had also granted an order garnisheing the accounts of the firm in 20 banks.

The Indian firm had allegedly refused to pay the amount owed the claimant after carrying out a power system revamping work for the Indians.

But in the motion, the defendant, denied being properly served with the court processes and, therefore, asked for stay of execution and to set aside the judgment.

The court has, however, discharged the garnishing order after both parties agreed to settle, part of which the defendant agreed to pay N7million to the claimant within seven day.

But at the resumed hearing, Counsel to the defendant, Emmanuel Agbaje proceeded to adopt his motion, indicating that the proposed settlement did not or was yet to take place, apart from the N7m.

Ebowe, counsel to the claimant, told the court that he has filed a written address in support of their counter-affidavit.

In the suit, the claimant through its counsel, GOK Ebowe said the Indians contracted her to carry out the power system revamping project on 9th May, 2017, but after completing the job, the defendants refused to pay for the services in spite of repeated demands for her to be paid.

The claimant said in the course of executing the contract, she borrowed monies from sources with the hope that she will receive payment from the defendant before the interest multiples.

She further said the refusal of the defendant to pay the debt was not due to lack of funds, but was based on the insensitivity of the defendant to her plight, as she is being constantly harassed by her creditors.

17

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

BU$IN£SS

•Energy •Finance

•Stock

•Insurance

•Aviation

•e-Platform

•Tourism

Tumbling oil prices, weak economic base quake 2019 budget Cookinggasprices:NLNG, Energy

By SOPURUCHI ONWUKA, Lagos and ANIEKAN ANIEKAN, Calabar

U

•Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udo Udom the export market.

Therefore the fate of the 2019 budget lies in the performance of the petroleum sector of the economy in the year when global forces of demand and supply are expected to weigh heavily on the supply side as stock inventories build in consumer nations while the export market begin to register glut signals.

The immediate response from the market is steep drop in prices which averaged $57/barrel Monday, down from over $81/barrel last month. Nigeria had proposed its 2019 budget on probable $60/ barrel according to the tradition of taking the cautious lower end of the price range.

Although the Brent crude grade on which Nigerian oil quality is benchmarked remains marginally at $61/barrel, market sentiments which currently take consideration of massive production and exports from North America, coupled with prevailing thin refining margins are expected to continue mounting downward pressure on crude prices in the short term.

The 13 member OPEC delegates will meet Thursday in Vienna to debate output policy, with the 10 non-OPEC allies, led by Russia, joining talks Friday to take collective

CBN Exchange Rates DECEMBER 12TH, 2018 Currency

Buying(NGN)

Central (NGN) Selling(NGN)

US DOLLAR 305.8 EURO 347.5417 POUNDS STERLING 390.1091 SWISS FRANC 306.2901 YEN 2.6933 CFA 0.5117 WAUA 422.3267 YUAN/RENMINBI 44.0168 RIYAL 81.5032 S/A RAND 22.2492

decision on how to control market supply. The attempt on supply cuts is to take down numbers and raise prices. If the plan fails, members might enter production race to capture market advantage with higher production numbers.

Oil dependent economies normally have two options at times of oil glut and low price: either pump more at low prices to meet revenue projections, or work together to cut output and earn more on per capita basis. But production cuts work against commercial investments in domestic production capacity development, leaving some countries incapable to running alone when cooperation fails.

For now, Nigeria has neither the production capacity to increase numbers nor robust local downstream petroleum industry activity to valorise its crude oil reserves; and the economy is over-reliant on the price outcomes as global market forces interact with the supply side.

Therefore, the prevailing price plunge raises concerns over the fate of the federal budget if the prices go lower in the new year.

Minister of state for petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu declared in Calabar, Cross River State, that falling oil prices portends serious concern

NNPC to ease supply bottlenecks P20 e-Platform

DSO: Pinnacle to unveil push video-on-demand service P22 Travel

Nigeria, others gain 5% on int’l arrivals Q3 2018 P26

Insurance

FG reintroduces insurance policy for 104 unity colleges

P28 Equity & Capital Market

Shareholders suffer N2.35 trillion loses in 11-months P30 Money Market

Nigeria saves $21bn on food import from CBN restrictions P31

•Cont’d on Pg 19

NCERTAINTY of commercial returns and investments in crude oil production maintenance throws an early challenge to the N8.73 trillion budget proposed by the federal government for 2019 fiscal year.

Already, the 2019 budget which is some N400 billion lower than the N9.15 trillion 2018 budget had cast a shadow of gloom for the year which will host an election with the highest number of strong and avowed contenders in the history of the nation’s political development.

Meanwhile, the decremental budget is being saddled with rising expenditure profiles that build from salary increases, rise in public sector and military spending as well as ever increasing debt servicing commitments.

Just as the budget proposal, which is based on oil price benchmark of $60 per barrel, is being collated, recurrent expenditure bill begins to mount from the ongoing salary increases in the public sector where monthly minimum wage is set to rise by 40 percent from current N18,000 to N30,000.

Also President Muhammadu Buhari approved Rank Salary Structure Adjustment for the Nigerian Police Force, paving way for salaries, allowances and pensions of policemen to be increased.

Nigeria’s external debt which has risen from less than $12 billion in 2015 to $22.83 billion in the second quarter of 2018 will require over $2.5 billion to service in the year.

However, the biggest concern among analysts is the flow current in the nation’s revenue channel from the international oil markets through the institutions in the petroleum sector to the national treasury.

Revenue from crude oil and gas exports accounts for over 90 percent of government’s total foreign exchange receipts, over 85 percent of total funding support to the country’s annual fiscal projections, and about 70 percent of total commodity export income.

Thus, predicting the Nigeria’s fiscal performance means mounting vigil on the trends in the global oil industry and price movements in

for Nigeria’s economy.

He pointed out that price drop would affect the fortunes of producing nation, consumer nations and investors; he said the market needed a stable price level that would sustain investments in stable supplies.

“The tumbling of oil prices from $82/barrel to about 61 over the past few weeks is the toughest we have faced. The price has tumbled by about 30 dollars in a short period of about 54 weeks.

“This portends danger because what it does is that for the first time we have been alarmed as one of the countries that rely almost solely on receipts from oil. There is the uncertainty of budgeting and meeting fiscal responsibilities.

“What this says to us is that ultimately, we have to find the world’s oil order in which prices are stable and investors can make the right decisions. Everyone has to work together including President Trump to protect consumers as well as producers because unless we have a steady and determinable price for oil, we are not going to have investments”, he said.

He said this has a major impact on our ability to fund budgets and countries that do not add value to oil resources will have difficulties.

“Countries that continue to depend on oil without adding value will have difficulties.”

Greater fears than those expressed by the minister are those expressed by peak oil proponents who point at imminent transition of energy choices as greater danger to oil economies. Peak oil means that global movement away from hydrocarbon fuel in preference to cleaner energy sources would ultimately spell doom for the petroleum industry by switching demand to alternatives.

Already, some 40 countries of the world have committed to transition from petroleum energy, and industries that consume hydrocarbon fuels are beginning to reposition their technology to adapt to clean sources.

Tesla, Volkswagen and several other global automobile producers have ceased investments in petrol and diesel fired vehicles but deploy huge investments in new manufacturing lines for electric cars. And

306.3 348.11 390.7469 306.7909 2.6977 0.5217 423.0173 44.0893 81.6365 22.2856

306.8 348.6782 391.3848 307.2917 2.7021 0.5317 423.7078 44.1617 81.7697 22.322

Stock Market Highlights As At 12TH DECEMBER, 2018

Summary

ASI DEALS VOLUME VALUE EQUITY CAP BOND CAP ETF CAP S/N

32,143.41 2,772.00 142,110,924.00 N1,556,344,511.64 N11,734,825,417,476.24 N10,063,889,334,086.60 N5,871,605,905.12

Coy (By Volume)

DIAMONDBNK GUARANTY UBA FBNH ZENITHBANK

Value(N)

5 Top Gainers

Symbols Last Close FLOURMILL N15.4 OANDO N4.65 ETI N15.55 FBNH N7.45 PZ N9

5 Top Losers

GUARANTY ZENITHBANK 32,238,108 N37,676,244.47 NEM 19,979,436 N738,137,188.45 16,057,330 N128,291,119.15 DIAMONDBNK 13,255,534 98,732,995.95 ABBEYBDS 11,738,654 N285,213,065.90

N37.15 N24.4 N2.8 N1.28 N1.17

Current Change %Change N16.5 1.1 7.14% N4.95 0.3 6.45% N15.7 0.15 0.96% N7.6 0.15 2.01% N9.15 0.15 1.67% N36.5 N24 N2.57 N1.16 N1.06

-0.65 -0.4 -0.23 -0.12 -0.11

-1.75% -1.64% -8.21% -9.38% -9.40%

18

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

BUSINESS

SEC launches Green Bonds Issuance Rules

•Takes e-dividend campaign to South East Stories by VICTOR NZE

S

ECURITIES and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Monday officially launched the Green Bonds Issuance Rules to support the development of a Non-Sovereign Green Bond market in Nigeria.

SEC Acting Director-General, Ms Mary Uduk, said in Lagos that the launch followed series of engagements with stakeholders and capital market operators on Green Bonds Rules released by the commission on October 12.

Green bonds were created to fund projects that have positive environmental and/or climate benefits.

Majority of the green bonds issued are green “use of proceeds” or asset-linked bonds. Proceeds from these bonds are earmarked for green projects, but are backed by the issuer’s entire balance sheet.

“As Nigeria strives to harness the resources of non-oil sectors to anchor the transition to a more resilient economy, there is urgent need to close the country’s infrastructure gap with investments in sustainable finance initiatives.

“The SEC’s release of the green bond rules is a significant step in furthering the complementary efforts of the government, regulators and the financial services industry to direct financial capital to more sustainable economic activity,” Uduk said.

Also commenting on the rules, Dr Evans Osano, the Director of Financial Markets at FSD Africa, commended SEC Nigeria for the professional and quick turnaround in the preparation of the guidelines.

Osano said that the new guidelines were prepared in line with leading international guidelines and standards providing confidence to domestic and international investors.

He said that the rules would provide certainty to issuers of green

bonds in Nigeria.

“FSD Africa is pleased to have supported this process which is a milestone for the Nigeria green bonds market”, Osano said.

Also, Mr Olumide Lala, Africa Markets Programme Manager, Climate Bonds Initiative, said that the launch of the rules would bring much needed clarity and guidance on the issuance of green bonds.

“Adopting the tenets of the Green Bond Principles and Climate Bonds Standard makes it easier to attract foreign investment where needed,” Lala said.

SEC has collaborated on several occasions on Market Development Programme, a programme supported by the Climate Bonds Initiative(CBI) and the FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange (“FMDQ”).

It was also supported by the Financial Sector Deepening Africa (FSD Africa) to support the development of a Non-Sovereign Green Bond market in Nigeria.

The programme provides training for regulators, investors and intermediaries on Green Bonds as part of its efforts to create an enabling environment for issuers and other stakeholders, to take advantage of the tremendous opportunities that Green Bonds offer.

Meanwhile, in a move to further enlighten investors and the general public on the process and benefits of e-Dividend, multiple subscription, e-processes and other contemporary issues in the Nigerian Capital Market, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Nigeria through its Port Harcourt Zonal Office will be holding a Town Hall meeting with stakeholders and the general public in Enugu.

The event which has as its Theme: “Current Initiatives by the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC Nigeria to Enhance Investor Value”, is expected to draw participants from various segments of the society.

The meeting is scheduled for Thursday December 6, 2018 at Ho-

•AIICO Insurance – Edwin Igbiti, His Majesty, Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Miss Titilope Adeshina, Executive Director, Technical, AIICO Insurance – Mr. Adewale Kadri, during the courtesy visit by the AIICO Management Team to the monarch in Ife, Osun State.

tel Sylvia, No. 66 Ezillo Avenue, Independence Layout, Enugu, Enugu State.

Registration of participants starts by 9:00am while the main event starts at 10:00am.

The event will create an avenue for the Apex capital market regulator to educate and enlighten the public on the above subject and also for operators, stakeholders and various investors to interact and discuss other issues surrounding the activities of the capital market.

Recall that the SEC in January 2015 commenced the e-dividend registration campaign in Abuja with a Road Show culminating in a Town Hall Meeting.

The event will also provide an opportunity to throw more highlights on investment opportunities available in Nigerian Capital market and how retail investors can benefit

Diamond Bank retools with new national banking license

A

S PART of its strategies to focus on Nigeria’s significant opportunities, Diamond Bank Plc has changed its banking licence from international to national.

This information was confirmed on Friday evening by the financial institution via a statement issued by its PR agency, Prize Communications Ltd. In the statement obtained by Business Post, the troubled Diamond Bank said it will seize to operate as an international bank as soon as it concludes the sale of its subsidiary in the United Kingdom. Before now, the lender had divested its branches in West Africa.

It was gathered that the financial institution received the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to now operate as a national bank.

“Diamond Bank Plc, Nigeria’s fastest growing retail bank, has received the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) following its application to operate as a National Bank with immediate effect (subject to conclusion of the sale of Diamond Bank UK- DB UK Plc). With this approval the bank will cease to operate as an International Bank,”

the statement said.

The statement said the re-licensing as a national bank supports Diamond Bank’s objective of streamlining its operations to focus resources on the significant opportunities in the Nigerian retail banking market, and economy as a whole.

“The change to national bank status also enables the bank to maintain a lower minimum capital requirement of 10% as against 15% required for international banks. This creates room for the bank to deploy more capital for stronger growth in the quarters ahead through additional investment in technology platforms, customer acquisition and expansion of loans to the critical sectors of the economy,” it added.

Diamond Bank stressed that this development does not affect its ability to offer services to its clients in international locations; rather, with focus on its domestic business being priority, the bank also intends to pay down in full, the Eurobond loan of $200 million at maturity in May 2019.

“There will be no refinancing of the loan as the intent to pay down with foreign exchange generated

from its internal operations, a reflection of the solidity of its operations and funds flow in the last few years “Top quality services to international customers will continue through its digital channels (Diamond Mobile, Internet Banking etc.) and network of correspondence banks,” the statement said.

Commenting, MD/CEO of Diamond Bank, Mr Uzoma Dozie, explained that, “The move to a national banking license marks a continuation of our strategy to focus on Nigeria’s significant fundamental trends, including a large underbanked population and Africa’s biggest economy.

“By focusing and optimizing our resources towards Nigeria and the priority area of retail banking, we will be better positioned for longer term growth and greater profitability.

“The reduction in minimum capital requirement also increases our capacity to expand the quantum of business and product services we can offer consumers, as well as representing a key step in strengthening our financial position.”

therein.

The Commission had announced that the e-dividend registration would continue seamlessly in spite of the expiration of free registration deadline and also enjoined investors yet to enroll, to continue with the registration at a cost of N150 only.

“Investors should continue to approach their banks or registrars, as usual, to seamlessly mandate their bank accounts for the collection of their dividends electronically, including unclaimed dividends, not exceeding 12 years of issue; as the N150 would not be demanded from them at the point of registration.

Also, the Commission recently extended the forbearance period for regularisation of multiple share subscription to another one year af-

ter the expiration on 31st December 2018.

Acting Director General of the Commission, Mary Uduk disclosed this in her address at the 3rd and final Capital Market Committee (CMC) meeting held for the year 2018 in Lagos.

“I am delighted to report that on the lingering issue of multiple subscriptions and forbearance for shareholders with multiple accounts, the CMC agreed that the forbearance window should be extended by another year from the December 31, 2018 deadline previously communicated”, she said.

The SEC boss called on investors to take advantage of this opportunity to claim their unclaimed dividends and bonuses before the expiration of forbearance period.

ICAO to inaugurate FAAN training centre Dec. 7

I

NTERNATIONAL Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) says it will inaugurate the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Training Centre at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos on Dec. 7.

General Manager, Corporate Affairs, FAAN, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, made this known at a news briefing on Monday in Lagos.

Yakubu said the inauguration and designation of the facility as an ICAO/Airports Council International (ACI) Global Training Centre would further enhance the training of technical personnel for the industry.

She explained that before the centre was approved, a team of inspectors from ICAO, had visited the facility regularly and discovered some open items which were closed by FAAN’s management before the final approval was given.

“Sometimes last year, during the ACI meeting in Mauritius, FAAN training school was designated as an ICAO training centre. On Dec. 7, ICAO will be coming to Nigeria for the inauguration of the facility.

“One of the advantages of the training centre is that it will make it easier for member countries to train their personnel in Nigeria.

“It will also be cheaper for them to come to Nigeria to be trained, rather than going to United King-

dom, United States and other countries around the world.

“Another advantage is that there will be more opportunity for those in the region to get trained.

“You know when cost is not really a factor; more people will be factored in for training.

“There is also accessibility for trainees and the weather conditions are favourable in Nigeria, while the learning facilities are fantastic and new.

“For ICAO to designate Nigeria as a training centre, you will know that everything that we needed to put in place have been put in place,” Yakubu added.

According to her, arrangements have been made to get ICAO trained inspectors from all over the world to handle training at the centre.

Yakubu commended the FAAN Managing Director, Mr Saleh Dunoma, who also doubles as the President of ACI-Africa, for upgrading the facilities to its present status.

She also disclosed that the FAAN management was working assiduously toward the certification of two more airports in the country next year.

Yakubu noted that the certification of the Abuja and Lagos airports in 2017 by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had given FAAN the impetus to push for the certification of more airports.

19

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

BUSINESS

Nigeria to unveil compendium of national festivals to boost tourism

Stories by VICTOR NZE

M

INISTER of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said his Ministry will soon produce a compendium of the festivals across the country as part of efforts to boost tourism and showcase the country’s diverse cultures.

The Minister disclosed this in Istanbul, Turkey, on Monday while speaking at the ongoing 3rd UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture, jointly organized by the two UN agencies.

He said with more than 365 festivals across Nigeria, the country can organize one festival per day all year round, thus boosting domestic and international tourism.

Alhaji Mohammed said Nigeria’s ethnic groups are rooted in their cultures, which they showcase through different festivals like Durbar, New Yam Festival, Eyo and Masquerades, just to mention a few.

He said governments at all levels in Nigeria are striving hard to encourage the festivals in their domains, while the federal government is providing the enabling environment to showcase the various festivals.

The Minister said the Abuja Carnival is particularly designed to enable the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory to showcase the country’s cultural diversity which he described as a source of unity among the country’s more than 250 ethnic groups.

He said festivals are not just for entertainment but major contributors to job creation and economic development.

The conference is aimed at exploring the interplay of tourism and culture with a view to enhancing sustainable tourism globally.

More than 30 Ministers of Culture and Tourism from around the world are attending the three-day conference.

Banking sector records N340trn transactions in Q3 2018

L

ATEST data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that in the third quarter of 2018, a total volume of 5,294,871,285 transactions valued at N340.15 trillion were recorded.

The stats office disclosed that the data, harvested from the Electronic Payment Channels in the Nigeria Banking Sector, also revealed that Automated Teller Machine (ATM) transactions dominated the volume of transactions recorded in the period under review, with 220,270,371 transactions worth N1.593 billion.

The data showed that a total volume of 2.1 million transactions worth N1.181 trillion were carried out via cheques, while 86 million transactions valued at N650.407 billion were done through the

POS. On the web, a total of 13.9 million transactions worth N69.072 billion were done, with money payments accounting for 23.9 million transactions worth N496.372 billion.

Also, in terms of credit to private sector, the total value of credit allocated by the bank stood at N15.59 trillion as at Q3 2018, with the oil & gas and manufacturing sectors receiving credit allocation of N3.59 trillion and N2.15 trillion to record the highest credit allocation as at the period under review.

On the issue of staffing, the NBS said as at Q3, 2018, the total number of banks’ staffs increased by 0.95 percent quarter-on-quarter from 101,861 in Q2 2018 to 102,821.

•Chairman of Board of Directors of Polaris Bank Limited, Mr Muhammad Ahmad (m) displays his plaque after his induction along with others as an honorary fell of the Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria (SCGN), as President of SCGN, Mr Pascal Dozie (second left) and Pat Utomi (r) watch during the 2018 President’s Dinner/Induction Ceremony of SCGN held in Lagos recently.

FCMB grows profit by 107% in 9 months T HE much-awaited financial statements of First Bank Monument Bank (FCMB) Plc for the first nine months of 2018 were finally released on Thursday, with the company shocking many observers with an impressive performance.

Many had thought the lender was buying time because of a negative performance, but when the financial scorecard was released to the Nige-

M

with increasing government debt levels and currency depreciation, could significantly harm African banks’ loan quality and access to foreign currency funding. These pressures will be offset by resilient earnings and high local currency liquidity.

Stricter regulation and improved supervision will also help address legacy governance issues and support banks’ financial stability. Improvements include increased minimum capital requirements in Ghana and Angola, new macro-prudential limits set in Egypt and the implementation of Basel II/III capital standards in the WAEMU.

went up to N132.875 billion in the period under review from N118.816 billion 12 months earlier, representing a growth of 11.83 percent.

Under the considered period, the firm’s net fee and commission income increased to N15.460 billion from N11.738 billion, while the net trading income closed at N4.581 billion against N1.726 billion in the same period of last year.

simulates a planned water landing and evaluates the airline’s ability to handle such emergency.

“An emergency evacuation demonstration is mostly required when an airline proposes operating a specific aircraft type and model entering into its service for the first time.

“Once the signal for it is given, the aircraft’s emergency evacuation equipment and 50 per cent of the required emergency exits and slides must be ready for use in a maximum of 15 seconds. “Although simulated, evacuation drills are a risky operation for crew and other participants — often leading to injury of varying degrees.”

According to him, Air Peace recently acquired four Boeing 777 for its long-haul operations to destinations including Dubai, Sharjah, London, Houston, Guangzhou-China, Mumbai and Johannesburg.

Iwarah noted that the airline made history as the first Nigerian carrier to acquire and register the Boeing 777 in the country.

“Being the first time the Boeing 777 was entering its service, Air Peace was mandated by aviation regulations to demonstrate its capacity to handle emergency evacuation and ditching under the close supervision of officials of the NCAA,” he said.

Iwarah said the exercise took place at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos from about 5pm to 10 pm and was supervised by the NCAA team led by Group Capt. E.C Agu. He said the airline’s emergency demonstrators, led by Capt. Simon Donoghue, were able to deploy the four slides of the eight-exit Boeing 777 aircraft within 10.5 seconds, which is 4.5 seconds ahead of the maximum time allowed.

Air Peace completes safety test for B777 operations

Moody: Outlook for African banks stable N

IGERIAN carrier, Air Peace, has successfully performed partial emergency evacuation and ditching demonstrations as part of the safety tests for the operation of its Boeing 777 aircraft.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Air Peace Corporate Communications Manager, Mr Chris Iwarah, confirmed the development to newsmen in Lagos on Monday.

Iwarah said the test, which was conducted by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Nov. 29, was a major regulatory hurdle on the airline’s path to begin international flight services.

He said: “Emergency aircraft evacuation refers to an exercise aimed at evacuating those on an aircraft when an emergency occurs on the ground, in water or mid-flight. The ditching demonstration, however,

Tumbling oil prices, weak economic base quake 2019 budget

OODY’S Investors Service has changed its outlook for African banks to stable from negative reflecting the prospects of an acceleration in economic growth and stricter regulation, that will broadly offset risks relating to tightening global financial conditions and geopolitical tensions.

Moody’s forecasts that economic growth will average 3.8 percent in the African countries it currently rates in 2019, compared with an estimated 3.1 percent this year and 2.7 percent in 2017.

Growth will be driven by strong domestic demand and relatively stable commodity prices, and be particularly robust in East Africa, Egypt and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU).

“Accelerating economic growth in Africa — though still below potential — will support credit growth, while stricter regulation and better supervision will support financial stability,” said Constantinos Kypreos, a senior Vice President at Moody’s. “However, risks are still tilted to the downside given rising global interest rates, political uncertainty and increasing trade tensions.”

Rising US interest rates that lead to capital outflows across emerging markets, in conjunction

rian Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday, it took many by surprise.

For example, the profit after tax posted by the bank appreciated by 107.38 percent to N11.341 billion from N5.469 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2017, while the profit before tax rose by 115.85 percent to N14.767 billion from N6.841 billion.

In a similar note, the gross earnings

Continued from P 17

the technology for electric car efficiency is speedily growing while accessories, infrastructure and facilities for powering the emission free vehicles spread rapidly across the globe.

Countries that run on petroleum income like Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Russia are also in the race for new energy choices, investing hundreds of billion dollars in renewable and low emission energy systems. Most of the coun-

tries still attend OPEC+ meetings with Nigeria on how the glean out more from their petroleum resources.

Managing Director of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited, Mr. Tony Attah, has at several policy platforms warned that the world is leaving Nigeria behind with her oil. He stressed the need for the country not only diversify her revenue sources away from oil dependence but also enter the race for new energy in order to flow with the shift in global

equipment specifications.

He pointed out that almost all European countries are committed to working together to stop use of petroleum fuelled cars by 2040. And by then, he warned, Nigeria might not be able to import electric cars if government fails to start now in investing in infrastructure that support emerging automobile technology.

Mrs Ibiyemi Asaolu of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCO) also warned at a conference in

Lagos that Nigeria’s petroleum resources might suffer the coal experience if government allows the resource to be overtaken by new technology.

Industry voices chorus the need for government to save the country’s economy from the vagaries of global price fluctuations by using the oil reserves and revenue to lay solid industrial base that rescues the economy from debt position, diversifies the economy and lays solid ground for sustainable growth.

20

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

ENERGY

Cooking gas prices: NLNG, NNPC to ease supply bottlenecks

Stories by SOPURUCHI ONWUKA

F

EDERAL Government has unveiled plans to arrest to the rising prices of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the country and displace use of firewood in Nigerian kitchens.

Part of the process is to dismantle impediments that build cost in the supply channels, inject moiré products into the market and also open up new sources of supply through additional capacity in raw gas harnessing and processing.

The process involves additional investments in strengthening and expanding the country’s LPG distribution infrastructure for enhanced offtake just as the country works with global investors to grow its midstream gas processing facilities.

The Oracle Today reports that the prices of LPG mainly used as domestic fuel kin the country has since increased by nearly 20 percent in the past six months as de-

mand pressure shifted from costly household kerosene to cooking gas.

The rise in kerosene prices from regulated N50 per liter to deregulated range between N250 to N300 per liter proliferated the LPG distribution and retails as marketers enter a new race for evolving transition from liquid to gaseous domestic fuel options.

However, the demand switch from kerosene has also come with demand induced spike in the retail price of LPG across the country as concerns continue to rise about the sustainability and security of supplies in view of low operations level at the nation’s three refineries.

The major source of supply in the country however remains the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited which intervened in the supply of cooking gas to the domestic market in 2007 when operating capacity at the local refineries went down.

The intervention with annual 350,000 tonnes of LPG into the Nigerian market under Sales and Purchase Agreements (SPAs) with about 27 off-takers significantly brought down the price of cooking gas from over N7,000 in 2007 to less than N3,500 per 12.5kg cylinder.

NLNG claims it supplied over 1.24 million tons per annum (mtpa) of LPG to the domestic market across 10 year, between 2007 and 2017. The intervention, it stated in its 2018 business report, spurred a steady rise in annual domestic consumption by over 1000% from less than 50,000 tons per annum (50ktpa) in 2007 to 600ktpa in 2017.

Deliveries are made through NLNG’s dedicated vessel chartered for the company’s domestic LPG Scheme to ensure steady supply of products.

There are expectations that NLNG would increase its supply of LPG to the domestic market as it

grows her gas liquefaction capacity from 22 mtpa to 30 mtpa with its Train-7 project.

Meanwhile, supply logistics from the export configured offtake facilities of the liquefaction company as well as low reception capacity at local jetties have continued to pose domestic supply challenges and build distribution costs.

Checks by The Oracle Today showed that LPG cargoes from NLNG cannot reach contiguous cities in the South South and South East regions of the country, and normally get stranded off the cost of Lagos, requiring offtakers to charter lightering vessels to reach reception jetties.

A number of indigenous companies are also taking advantage of the bottlenecks to also stake capital in facility development in the distribution chain.

Falcon Corporation, it was gathered is building a high capacity LPG plant in Rivers State to capture distribution enclaves but it is

NNPC to shut down underperforming units

•COOs sign performance bonds

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IGERIAN National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has declared that any if its business units that consistently posts low financial performance would be shut down if it defies interventions to return to viability.

Consequently, the corporation has committed the head of its business units to performance bonds as a way to measure their efficiency in delivering on their key business mandate Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, committed the Chief Operating Officers (COOs) to sign performance agreements to ensure that all the business units deliver on their mandates. He warned that while the group executive management would provide guidance and

other necessary interventions, units that prove irredeemable would be shut down.

“Through SEERCO meeting we are able to note the various businesses of the corporation that are doing well, so that we encourage them to be better; those that are not doing very well, to enable us devise means to salvage them; and those beyond salvaging, we take a hard decision to shut them down in the interest of the corporation” the GMD stated.

According to the arrangement, the COOs would now be guided by a set of key performance indicators contained in the agreements to serve as a management tool for performance measurement.

The performance contracts

were the highpoint of a two-day Management Steering Committee meeting to assess the health of the corporation and provide solutions to challenges.

While commending the management team and other participants for their maturity, Dr. Baru charged the COOs to replicate the review exercise at their various business units for efficient service delivery.

He noted that at 41, NNPC needed a change in its operational strategies, especially with the imminent passage of the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB), to remain relevant.

Group General Manager, Corporate Planning & Strategy Division, Mr. Bala Wunti, expressed satisfaction that the meeting was able to achieve its two key

objectives of appraising past performance and setting targets for the coming business year.

“Like you heard from the GMD, there are two broad objectives to appraise our performance for the fiscal year 2018 and to set targets for the 2019. We now have a performance contract against 2019 and also been able to have a scorecard of each of our business units properly appraised and documented”.

Meanwhile, the corporation has clarified that it has neither 70,000 staff in its employ nor embarking on a staff performance probe.

Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, explained that NNPC has never at a point in its history maintained 70,000 staff strength.

not yet clear how the company’s business plan captures the supply link.

A national committee led by the Vice President of the country was constituted to smoothen processes for deepening local demand of LPG in the country through infrastructural development but expectations from several gas policies and programmes are yet to be realized.

Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) which holds overriding mandates in the petroleum industry declared weekend that government would leverage rising capacity in the midstream gas industry to improve LPG supply for domestic and commercial application in the country while leveraging rising liquefaction capacity of the NLNG Limited to capture greater export income.

Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, stated in a presentation delivered for him at a conference in Abuja that government is committed to aggressively growing local consumption of LPG in the domestic market while targeting 10 percent of the global Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) supply.

He said the corporation was determined to invest in making LPG available to Nigerians to discourage the current trend of using firewood and other unsafe means for cooking, stressing that it was time to bring LPG closer to the people and at affordable price.

He said NNPC was driving expansion of operated LPG storage facility at Apapa from 4,000 metric tons to 8,000 metric tons in the first phase. He added that the corporation was also working on construction of pipelines to deliver LPG to plants in the hinterland and also develop of coastal supply facilities.

“We have also purchased two LPG vessels for export operations through the West African Gas Ltd (WAGL), a joint venture firm, and we have developed a growth strategy plan and gradually providing LPG skids across NNPC Retail outlets,” Dr. Baru stated.

21

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

ENERGY

Glut, high freight charges hit Nigerian crude prices Stories by SOPURUCHI ONWUKA

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EAKENING demand amid rising freight charges in the West African tanker routes mean that the prices premium on the prized Nigeria crude oil grades might lower.

Summary of weekend market reports monitored by The Oracle Today indicated that downward trend in the spread of distillate crack in Europe since mid-November might put pressure on two Nigerian crude oil grades produced

by Shell: Forcados and Bonga.

Traders told secondary sources that a slowdown in demand for distillate-rich grades will make it difficult for crude barrels from Nigeria to clear into Europe.

Nigerian January export loading programs for Forcados, Bonga and Erha are large, according to tanker tracking sources who also pointed at rising freight charges due to high demand from West Africa.

“With freight rates still expensive for WAF barrels to Europe and large volumes of crude available, I expect differentials on Nigerian grades to drop,” said a WAF market participant.

High volumes of crude from Nigeria circulating around Europe are beginning to lead to a weakening in demand for January loading cargoes, which will put further pressure on crude from the WAF region, sources said.

Across the December trading cycle, Nigerian light sweet grades Forcados and Bonga saw price differentials rise around 35

cents/b due to strengthening distillate crack spreads in Europe.

This saw the spread between Nigerian distillate-rich and gasoline-rich crude widen significantly, with the spread between Forcados and Qua Iboe reaching 25 cents/b by mid-November and the end of the December stem, the widest it has been since June 2015.

Since then the spread has remained largely flat, with S&P Global Platts assessing the spread at the same value Thursday, with Forcados and Qua Iboe unchanged on the day at Dated Brent plus $1.40/b and Dated Brent plus $1.15/b respectively. With demand for distillate-rich grades starting to become more subdued, traders said they were now expecting the spread between these grades to begin to narrow.

Meanwhile, market pundits reported weakening cash differentials across the board this week in the ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) complex, amid expectations of healthier availability of the product in the month due to open arbitrage routes from the Persian Gulf and the US Gulf Coast.

The alleviation of tightness in the European ULSD market also meant that the physical cracks for ULSD were narrowing. The physical crack of FOB ARA ULSD barges versus Dated Brent dropped $1.34/b to a one-month low of $17.42/b weekend and marked a sharp retreat from the five-year high of $24.46/b reached November 15.

Lower diesel prices also had a

•R-L: NNPC Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Isiaka Abdulrasaq; NNPC GMD, Dr. Maikanti Baru; Chief Operating Officer, Corporate Services, Mr. Isa Inuwa; representative of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Musa Umaru Dankaka; and Group General Manager, Supply Chain Management, Mr. Baba Miringa Isah, and a representative of Multiple Brand Trust Insurance Broker Ltd, Mr. Balogun Kehinde, confirming the seal on his company’s bid before opening… Thursday.

in the Mediterranean said. “0.1% needs to come off.”

Lower desulfurization demand added to a lackluster demand environment in the European gasoil complex. Demand for gasoil was still slow to pick up, one trader active in Switzerland said, “despite large falls in outright prices [for gasoil].”

Additionally, weather conditions were still not conducive to spur on widespread demand for 0.1% and 50 ppm gasoil which are

commonly used for heating in Europe, with traders saying that temperatures remained too mild to prompt buying activity.

This meant that physical cracks for gasoil, in tandem with ULSD cracks, were falling. The physical crack of FOB ARA 0.1% gasoil barges versus Dated Brent shed $1.44/b to a five-week low of $14.50/b weekend, while the physical crack of CIF Med 0.1% gasoil cargoes fell by 47 cents/b to a fresh one-month low of $16.48/b.

Yuletide: PPMC, MOMAN good on fuel supplies

PPMC has stocked-in products in the nine inland depots, including Enugu and Aba and would commence selling this December with a view to forestalling frequent shortages in the eastern part of the country.

Executive Secretary of MOMAN, Mr. Clement Isong, said the association’s members would cooperate with PPMC to ensure robust fuel supply across the country.

He encouraged PPMC management to sustain the tempo of petroleum products supply to MOMAN to ensure products availability at all times.

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EY stakeholders in the domestic fuel supply, the Pipeline and Petroleum Marketing Company (PPMC) and the Major Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) have agreed to ensure adequate fuel supply fir the Christmas and New Year season.

Whereas the PPMC is the unit of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) responsible for domestic fuel market supplies, MOMAN is the organized body of big petroleum products marketing companies in the country.

In a meeting in Lagos weekend, both parties agreed to work together to guarantee hitch-free movement of commuters in the

A

Yuletide by providing uninterrupted supply of different petroleum products across the country.

They also agreed on measures that ensure that subsidized fuel supply to the domestic market does to leak into neighboring countries where market incentives for smuggling are high.

Managing Director of the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), Mr. Umar Ajiya, told MOMAN members that cross border control was important to stem leakages and forestall shortages in the period.

He enjoined the association to regulate the volumes of petroleum products dispatched to their members’ affiliate stations close

knock-on effect on the gasoil market by reducing demand for desulfurization.

The desulfurization spread (the spread between 10 ppm diesel CIF Med cargoes and 0.1% gasoil CIF Med cargoes) narrowed to $4/mt weekend from $8.50/mt earlier Wednesday, having traded above $6.50/mt since July 2.

“At present the difference between 0.1% and 10 ppm is not big enough [to prompt desulfurization demand],” one trader active

to the country’s borders, pointing out that price arbitrage, the differential between regulated price in Nigeria and the high products prices in neighboring countries, encourages smuggling.

He also urged them to take fuel deliveries from PPMC’s depots and increase the respective storage in their depots and stations to avoid stock-out as the Yuletide approaches, assuring them of sufficient fuel stock.

He implored MOMAN to take advantage of the NNPC/PPMC stock sufficiency and request for products to always wet their stations across the country ``We have 2.2 billion litres of Petrol, 1.1 billion liters on land and 1.1 billion liters on marine, 800 million litres in PPMC depots in addition to 27-day sufficiency of AGO, 98-day sufficiency of ATK and 48day sufficiency of DPK,’’ the MD stated.

The MD stated that NNPC/

Total rebalance oil-water ratio in Akpo Production

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EST Africa’s deepwater champion, Total, is working to return peak oil production at operated Akpo field in oil mining lease (OML) 130

deep offshore Niger Delta.

The Deepwater Akpo field which came online some 10 years ago in 2009 saw intervention to recover condensate produc-

of the exporters’ group for almost 60 years, but it had very little influence on OPEC decisions.

Qatar produces about 600,000 bpd, which ranks it among the smaller OPEC producers.

While the minister said the decision to quit had no relation to a Saudi-led blockade by neighbors Qatar has been subjected to for a year and a half now, tense relations with the biggest producer in the region must have had an effect on the final decision. The group that initiated the blockade, which also includes Egypt, the UAE, and Bahrain, accused Qatar

of supporting terrorist groups and being too close to Iran. Qatar has denied the accusations and launched counter-accusations against the leader, Saudi Arabia, of trying for a regime change in the Gulf state.

Qatar has plans to boost its liquefied natural gas production to as much as 100 million tons annually, from a current rate of 77 million tons.

It exports gas at a daily rate of about 11 billion cu ft and accounts for almost a third of the global LNG market. The country’s proven gas reserves are estimated at 880 trillion cu ft.

Qatar quits OPEC January to face LNG

RABIAN gas factor with oil export portfolio, Qatar, has declared intention to quit it membership of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) from next month to concentrate its leadership in global natural gas supplies.

Qatari Minister of Energy is quoted on Monday to have informed representatives of 23 oil producing countries in Vienna, Austria, that the country would leave OPEC next month as part of a long-term strategy for growing its international presence on

energy markets with a focus on gas.

Qatar is the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, but it has Australia breathing down its neck as well as emerging competition from the United States and other, smaller, producers.

“Qatar has decided to withdraw its membership from OPEC effective January 2019 and this decision was communicated to OPEC this morning,” Saad al-Kaabi said at a news conference. He said the decision had been hard to make since Qatar had been a member

tion numbers by control slanting oil-water ratio to cut water production and restoring output to nameplate 175, 000 barrels per day.

However, the field with some 620 million barrels of reserves has been in production since 2009 and it would be difficult to restore production to nameplate capacity due to natural declines but the operator recorded impressive success arresting water and gas production and returned output to over 120, 000 barrels a day.

According to company sources, production encountered high gas and water production, prompting the operator to deploy well intervention services to cut water production to 30 percent and boost condensate production.

22

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

e-Platform

DSO: Pinnacle to unveil push video-on-demand service Stories by VICTOR NZE

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INNACLE Communications Limited, the single largest investor in Nigeria’s Digital Switch Over (DSO) from analogue to digital broadcasts, is set to move the industry to the next level with the launch of the first ever push video-on-demand service in the country from its digital signal distribution platforms.

This was disclosed by the Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Malam Ishaq Modibbo Kawu at a press briefing in Abuja where he enumerated Pinnacle Communications Limited’s record of compliance and pace-setting in the implementation of the Federal Government approved White Paper on DSO, from 2014 when it emerged successful bidder and paid for the only private signal distributorship license.

The push video-on-demand service, he explained, which will effectively cut out the menace of piracy and enable Nollywood and other content developers to get full value for their work,

is initially to be available through 10,000 special set-top boxes and launched on the Pinnacle signal distribution platforms in Abuja and Kaduna that have been on air continuously since 2016 and 2017 respectively when they were commissioned.

Pinnacle Communications is on the verge of completing its third broadcast centre in Gombe. The NBC DG said the Bank of Industry (BOI) was in partnership with Nollywood to support the launch of the push video-on-demand service that would link subscribers to a bouquet of new Nigerian videos which they could watch for 72 hours before it lapses, emphasizing that such videos would not be available anywhere else thereby eliminating opportunities for illegal dubbing and other acts of piracy.

Also under discussions are the development of a rate card and audience measurement mechanism under the DSO for the huge number of content developers expected to join the digital signal distribution system as implementation progresses.

•Ziad Debs, Executive Director, Skysat Technologies, Paul Thin, Business support manager Konica Minolta, David Nuttall, Senior Executive, Indirect Sales, Develop, Izzat Debs, Managing Director, Skysat Technologies and Chiaru Yamamaru, Deputy Trade Commission for Japan at the launch of Develop in Lagos…recently.

Facebook returns to TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 2018 in Lagos

Institute to train 10,000 youths annually in ICT skills

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DMINISTRATOR, Digital Bridge Institute, Dr Ike Adinde, on Thursday in Abuja, said that the institute will train 10,000 youths annually on skills development in ICT under its National Operational Skills System.

He told newsmen that the scheme was designed to educate youths in vocational skills.

Adinde, who decried the rate of unemployment in the country, attributed it to the lack of requisite digital skills needed to drive modern economy.

According to him, developing skills is not just bringing people to sit in a face-to-face classroom environment, but to also recognise that there are other avenues by which skills can be built.

“That is why the institute is taking the initiative to drive the national operational skills system

which will target vocational skills development in ICT,’’ Adinde said.

He said that people were unemployed not because they lacked education, “but because they don’t have the requisite skills that the industry needs.

“So, we can distinguish between unemployment as a result of jobs not being available and unemployment as a result of not having employable skills that industry demands.

“We need to begin to develop skills that the modern economy needs and those skills are mostly digital. Many of our young people do not have the requisite digital skills to play the modern economy.

“Get into the computer villages in the country, you will find that people are doing stuffs not nec-

essarily that they have degrees but because they have acquired skills.”

He added that many youths fix laptops, computers and phones even when they do not have formal degrees in ICT “and that is the kind of thing we think we should begin to encourage because there are job opportunities in that sector.

“Most of those youths can be on their own if they are prepared, and that is why we are hoping that we will develop those skills.

“People will acquire the skills and they don’t have to depend on government, they can set up their own businesses and do things on their own,’’ Adinde said.

He added that the institution was partnering with the National Board for Technical Education to effectively drive the scheme.

ful that capital market operators will work toward innovative financing solutions to lend further support to these two sectors.”

Osinbajo said that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) would soon issue licence for payment service banks, which would increase access to financial services, low income earners and the unbanked.

He noted that the partnership was also essentially to ensure that African champions continued to rise in a sustainable manner.

According to him, such partnership must be between government and private firms, as well as between businesses associations “and this is something we must pay a great deal of attention to.”

He explained that government was committed to ensuring macro-economic stability in an inclusive economy with a diversified production base.

“We also realised that a conducive and supportive environment is essential for business to thrive and we have accordingly invested heavily in infrastructure while working strenously to make it easier to do business in Nigeria.

“We also realised the importance of sustainable future and we become the first African country to float the green bond to promote the environmental objective of our Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).”

Osinbajo said that government must ensure that its rising population was protected, housed without further depleting or damaging resources.

He emphasised that African companies, essentially those listed on the exchanges and those that made up the association, must also be champions on the rise.

He said that companies must innovate and take advantage of the unique features of the African economy.

FG, AfDB mull $500m innovation fund for ICT

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ICE President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Monday, said the Federal Government is working with African Development Bank (AfDB) to establish a 500-million-dollar innovation fund for technological growth.

Osinbajo stated this at the opening ceremony of the 22nd African Securities Exchanges Association (ASEA) Annual General Meeting and Conference organised by Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in Lagos.

The vice president said that the fund was aimed at increasing the competitivenes of Nigeria’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry.

He added that “we are accordingly working with the AfDB to establish a 500-million-dollar innovation fund, this will support activities in the sector.

“Given the size of our economy and the potential of technology and creative segment, I am hope-

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ACEBOOK is returning as the headline sponsor of TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Africa 2018, holding in Lagos from December 6 The event will search for sub-Saharan Africa’s best innovators, makers and technical entrepreneurs.

TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Africa sees start-ups compete across three categories: social good; productivity and utility; and gaming and entertainment. It profiles the founders and entrepreneurs leading Africa’s next wave of technology innovation and highlights new ideas, businesses and applications with disruptive potential.

On December 11, TechCrunch Startup Battlefield supported by Facebook, will bring together the strongest start-ups from across SubSaharan Africa, where they will pitch to a live audience of 500 people ranging from VCs, investors, government officials and developers.

Facebook representatives from Africa and beyond will be on the ground to celebrate, where they will be connecting, listening and learning from various communities as well as taking part in an exciting series of workshops, networking sessions and talks between 6th and 11th December.

“Following the great success of the inaugural TechnCrunch Startup Battlefield event in 2017, we are delighted to return as the headline sponsor for this year’s event,” says Emeka Afigbo, Facebook’s Head of Developer Programs. “Given our passion for connecting people and helping developers and entrepreneurs to thrive, we can’t wait to see how this year’s entrants are using technology to engage and empower people across the continent.”

Events Facebook will host over the week include: Developer Circle Leads Summit (6-7 December): A two-day summit for more than 65 Developer Circles Leads across Sub-Saharan Africa, representing a growing community of over 42,800 members across 31 cities in 15 countries across SubSaharan Africa.

Instagram Inspire Action Lagos Women and Small Business Event (December 6): A workshop to inspire, educate and train 70-80 entrepreneurs and women working in

tech with a panel featuring special guests.

Startups and Developers Summit 2018 by Developer Circle Nigeria (December 8): Bringing together 600 attendees, and hosted by Facebook Developer Leads, the Summit will run trainings and workshop sessions on specialist deep-tech subjects, such as Messenger Bot Aspiring Entrepreneurs — Digital Pitch Competition (December 10): Winners from seven Nigerian states who participated in the Aspiring Entrepreneurs: Digital 2018 programme will pitch their businesses to a panel of judges for a chance to win support and prizes from Facebook and Fate Foundation.

NG_Hub Start-up Mixer (December 10): A social gathering bringing together Start-ups from across the ecosystem, including NG_Hub startups (Start-ups using Facebook’s Community Hub) and those taking part in the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield event.

Microsoft passes Apple as most valuable American company

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OR a while this Monday, Microsoft surpassed Apple as the most valuable United States-based company. The software company hit a valuation point of $813 billion today, which was just $1 billion ahead of Apple.

Considering that not long ago Apple (and Amazon not too long after) broke $1 trillion valuation, it has come a long way down since then, due in part to Apple’s latest (and most expensive) smartphones (XR, XS, XS Max) not selling as well as anticipated.

It isn’t to say that Microsoft hasn’t faced any challenges lately, but Apple has been just been barely able to get by with investors. Its smartphone business has slowed down due to a very complicated list of factors but has tried to compensate revenue by raising the retail price of iPhones every year while also focusing on selling subscription based services like iCloud and Apple Music.

23

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

e-Platform

More MTN executives lose jobs over Nigeria crisis Stories by VICTOR NZE

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ELECOMMUNICATIONS firm, MTN is set to lose another high-ranking executive over the next few months, according to people familiar with the matter, as Africa’s largest wireless carrier by sales fights more than $10bn of claims in its largest market of Nigeria.

Chief Innovation Officer, Herman Singh is expected to leave imminently, and will move on to start his own tech venture, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the information hasn’t been made public. The exit will come as Chief Technology Officer, Babak Fouladi prepares to join Dutch telecommunications firm KPN in a similar role next week.

MTN confirmed Fouladi’s departure, which was announced by Rotterdam-based KPN earlier this month. Singh declined to comment.

The executives are leaving after a three-year period of considerable turmoil at MTN. A shock $5.2bn fine in Nigeria in 2015 embroiled MTN in 10 months of negotiations and prompted a management overhaul. Then earlier this year, authorities in the West African nation announced another round of multibillion-dollar demands.

The stock has halved over the period, valuing the carrier at R169bn.

That’s even as demand for data services in Africa booms and MTN expands in fast-growing services such as mobile money.

The shares declined a further 2%

on Tuesday to R87.97 as of 12.10 in Johannesburg.

MTN Chief Executive Officer, Rob Shuter hired Fouladi two years ago from Vodafone in Spain as he assembled a new team in the wake of the first Nigeria penalty, which was eventually reduced to about $1bn.

Singh, formerly with MTN’s crosstown rival Vodacom [JSE:VOD], was appointed in 2015.

Another of Shuter’s appointments, Stephen Van Coller, left MTN at the end of August to take the helm of technology firm EOH Holdings.

Originally hired as head of mergers and acquisitions, the former banking executive was moved to run digital services before quitting less than two years into his tenure.

MTN’s latest dispute with Nigerian authorities is over an allegation the company illegally transferred $8.1bn out of the country and owes $2bn in back taxes.

While the transaction matter looks close to being wrapped up, with Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele saying he’s on “the verge” of announcing an amicable resolution, the taxation claim is still outstanding.

Other headaches for MTN include problems extracting cash from Iran, its third-biggest market, after US President Donald Trump reinstated sanctions against the country. The carrier has also come under pressure to list country units on local stock exchanges, with Uganda the latest to link a share sale to licence renewals.

No plans to shut down ‘Hangouts’ -- Google

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OLLOWING reports that Google will be shutting down Hangouts in 2020, Google Real Time Communications product lead Scott Johnston has moved to confirm on Twitter, that this is untrue.

According to Johnston, Google has made no decision to shut down Hangouts. Instead, Hangouts users will be transitioned to Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meet.

“Hey @hallstephenj, I run Hangouts and this is pretty shoddy reporting. No decisions made about when Hangouts will be shut down.

Hangouts users will be upgraded to Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meet. Your source is severely misinformed. You can do better.” — Scott Johnston (@happyinwater) December 1, 2018 Since then, 9to5Google has updated its original story with Johnston’s quote. However, they also checked with a second source, who also corroborated the original story that Google will indeed be shutting down Hangouts by 2020 and that the decision has already been made.

Only time will tell who among them is telling the truth but for now we choose to go with Johnston’s version.

However, even if we go by Johnston’s explanation of transitioning users to Chat and Meet, it still means Hangouts as we know it today will cease to exist. Also, Chat and Meet are both enterprise-focused services that require G Suite accounts. How regular Google account holders using Hangouts will be transitioned to Chat and Meet also remains to be seen.

But regardless of the process, it is for certain Hangouts as it currently exists won’t be around for much longer. None of the current users would care much for Chat and Meet functionalities and would rather have it keep working as it does now.

Google at this point has just gotten in the habit of shutting down services as soon as their popularity falls below the company’s expectations, regardless of the people still using it. Some other examples such as Inbox and Reader come to mind. The company has also abandoned Allo, which means it won’t have a messaging platform equal to Hangouts once it shuts down, unless they come up with yet another messaging platform, which knowing Google could happen any time.

I just wish the company settled on one particular service for messaging instead of starting from scratch every few years. Then again, at this point its probably too late, as people have already made their choice between Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, WeChat, Telegram or iMessage.

•Nokia Andromeda

Active lines reaches 165m in October – NCC

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CTIVE telephone lines in Nigeria increased from 162,058,918 in September to 165,239,443 in October 2018, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said.

The commission made this known in its Monthly Subscriber/ Operator Data published on its website on Thursday.

The regulatory body said that the lines increased by 3,180,525 from the 162,058,918 recorded in September.

It said that of the 165,239,443 active numbers, the Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) network recorded 164,865,417 in the month under review.

The GSM network had an in-

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112,132 active users in October.

It showed that there was an increase of 2,888 subscribers, compared with 109,244 users the VOIP service providers recorded in September.

It said that teledensity of the telecommunications industry in October was 118.03, giving an increase of 2.27 from the 115.76 recorded in September.

Teledensity is defined as the number of active telephone connections per one hundred (100) inhabitants living within an area.

The teledensity is calculated based on a national population of 140 million, according to the 2006 last Census Population figures.

LG patents phone with 16 cameras

G has filed a patent that describes potential features of future smartphones, including an array of 16 cameras. What’s interesting about them (other than the number) is that they will not lie flat on the back.

The company envisions a 4 x 4 array of cameras arranged at an angle (making the array concave or convex). This way each camera sees the scene from a different angle. A photo can then be stitched from the image taken by several cameras.

An example given in the patent is photographing people and replacing the face of each person in the frame with the angle that looks best. The software will even be able to use a face from a photo taken previously.

Since it would be a waste not to use this 16 camera array to take selfies, LG suggests placing a mirror near the camera, an old school solution. Alternatively, there may be a second display. A selfie camera will still be on board as it’s useful for things like video calls.

Shooting a scene from multiple angles and stitching a final image Shooting a scene from multiple

Microsoft’s foldable smartphone Andromeda out in 2019 T’S been a few months since we last heard about Microsoft’s foldable Andromeda smartphone but according to a book called “Beneath a Surface”, the tech company will surprise us with the innovative device in 2019. It gives out some interesting info regarding the hybrid’s functionality. The book tells a story about a tablet, which when folded acts as a smartphone. But Microsoft won’t be using the regular old Windows Phone

crease of 3,179,670 customers as against 161,685,747 recorded in September.

According to NCC, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) operators have 126,032 active subscribers in October, hence, having a decrease of 237 from the 126,269 customers in September.

It said that the Fixed Wireless Network retained the 26,865 subscribers it had in September.

NCC said that the Fixed Wired network had 108,997 active users in October, showing a decrease of 1,796 from the 110,793 subscribers recorded in September.

The telecommunications umpire said the Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) operators had

OS, which is dead for a while now.

Reportedly, it will offer a full-fledged Windows experience with some minor trimming at best.

The book also talks about other devices that Microsoft is planning through 2019. Expect a new Xbox One console, Surface laptops with AMD chips instead of Intel’s, re-designed Surface Studio and a direct iPad Pro 12.9 competitor with a USB-C charging port and rounded corners of the screen.

angles and stitching a final image Shooting a scene from multiple angles and stitching a final image Shooting a scene from multiple angles and stitching a final image

The patent suggests other ideas too, like a loudspeaker on the back.

Combined with a loudspeaker on the front, it will make for wide stereo sound.

•LG Camera

MTN Nigeria unveils 4th edition of ‘Season of Surprises’

M

TN Nigeria on Sunday in Lagos unveiled its 4th edition of ‘Season of Surprises’ in commemoration of the Christmas season.

The Human Resources Executive of MTN Nigeria, Mrs Esther Akinnukawe, said that the ‘Season of Surprises’ was part of MTN’s community development initiatives which would spread to other parts of the country.

According to her, the 4th edition of the programme started at Ikoyi community and its environ.

“Making the lives of our customers and community brighter is the major concern of MTN and that is the reason the Season of Surprises was instituted.

“The Ikoyi community and its environ is the starting point.

“We are doing this because we believe charity begins at home and other communities will eventually

partake in this initiative,” she said.

She also encouraged everyone in the family and communities in the Christmas season to show kindness to people around them.

Also, the Chairman of MTN Nigeria, Dr Paschal Dozie, while declaring the event open, said that the Christmas season was a time for giving and encouraged everyone to give to people around them.

“This is a time for giving and we are going to give to everyone irrespective of who they are; whether they are our subscribers or not, we are just happy to give out. “It is not only material items but also goodwill to the people of Nigeria,” he said.

Over 200 residents of Diwa Barack went home with different gift items such as rice, cartons of Indomie noodles and groundnut oil. Four people won generators from the raffle draw organised by the communications giant.

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

ISSN: 2545-5869

The

racle www.oraclenews.ng

Today

24

VOX POPULI SACRUM

EDITORIAL What a dull campaign season!

Cont’d front page 1

had no say in the choice of candidates that emerged eventually. Supposed voters were placated with raw cash shared in hotel rooms or election venues. Former aspirants who had bought forms with enormous funds felt used and dumped, as they were not given an opportunity to test their popularity.

Here we are in the middle of a campaign season and there is calm everywhere, except on digital platforms where inanities rule the roost. Even the campaign slogans of the leading parties are neither inspiring nor enlightening. “Vote for XYZ”, “Vote for effective representation”, “ABCD all the way” and the like printed on T-shirts, fez caps, posters and billboards have been conspicuous long before the approved campaign take-off days. But it’s as if the candidates don’t care much about the feelings of actual voters: come what may, they would win anyway by buying votes or manipulating results on Election Day! This state of affairs destroys, not just weakens, democracy. We are afraid that, after 20 years of politicking in this Fourth Republic, Nigeria democracy has been put in reverse gear. The governorship polls held in Ekiti and Osun states, this year, provided a foretaste of what to expect in February and March 2019: “cash-and-carry politics”.

makers peddle all manner of fake news and Alas, no one is doing anything to head off the deformed information. Mercifully, in Nigeria, looming danger. Threats issued by electoral posts on the social media have little influence umpire INEC or security agencies are little on voter behaviour. The traditional media – more than face-savers and are therefore radio, TV, print newspapers – are more credeasily ignored. After all, the election fraudible, though they still speak to the elite who sters caught in 1999 and 2003 are yet to constitute perhaps less than 10% of the voting be punished, and candidates who violated population. The majority of voters are waitcampaign spending limits have yet to receive ing in towns and villages, unconnected to the a reprimand. noises being made online.

What we consider as the cause of this dullness The two leading political parties have strucis the lack of cash nationwide. Most Nigeritures nationwide and could therefore get ans have been impoverished, and what matthe conversations humming. Although the ters most now is how to get the next meal. polls have been rigged already (at the level The political candidates have exhausted their of party primaries), The Oracle still urges the money on party primaries by paying millions electorate to examine the candidates closely. of naira for forms, bribing delegates or votParty manifestoes may no longer be relevant, ers, buying opponents off or oiling the hands for the contending candidates can no longer of godfathers. Though parties are expected be distinguishable based on party affiliato sponsor their candidates thereafter, it tion: each was once in either PDP or APC. A is not the case in reality. Individual candi“third force” has failed to materialise in many dates do borrow even from banks to finance states; we only hope it would be able to cause their campaigns. The economy having been upsets in the few states it emerged out of stripped to bare bones, few Nigerians have politicians’ discontent with the conduct of any money to throw around anymore. Is it party primaries. change in the air?

We do not advocate a tension-filled campaign We desire a vigorous campaign season, nevseason. But even if the politicians cannot ertheless. With over 90 parties and over 70 educate us on their qualifications for the jobs presidential candidates fighting the electhey are seeking, we expected them to storm tions, every nook and cranny of the councampaign grounds with bits of entertaintry ought to have come alive by now. The ment. Let us dance to campaign songs and two leading parties – APC and PDP – have jingles. Let us behold the faces of our current promised to run issue-based campaigns. We and future leaders once again; it is always believe the issues to be discussed at state difficult to see them while they are in office. and national levels should be clearer Let the drinks go round – no scrambling for to the electorate now. Let us listen food or drinks during meetings and rallies. On to engaging debates on radio and Election Day, however, the voters would do TV. Let us read thought-provoking well to vote their conscience rather than their interviews and viewpoints in newspockets or stomachs. papers and magazines.

At campaign rallies, the people should be able to ask probing quesOur Vision tions: Can a nation prosper without adequate and regular power supTO BE among the top five newspapers in Nigeply? How does the political candiria and, in due course, the Numero Uno; to be a date define “corruption”? What is newspaper of records that effectively caters to their attitude toward jumbo pay for the information needs of all segments and seclegislators? How can they end the tions of the Nigerian society as well as all social strike by university teachers withclasses and cultures. Essentially, we want to be a out making false promises? Are we responsible corporate citizen, a commercially vistill paying a subsidy on petroleum able, properly organised media business, which products? As a governor, would meets its obligations to society, government they seek bailout funds or exterand the workforce. nal loans? How would budgets be funded? How would they create Mission jobs for the Nigerian youth? Would banks be able to lend at less than WE INTEND to contribute to the development 10% interest rate? Do they admit of an inclusive Nigerian society, with a view to there is hunger in the land? What getting rid of the dark sides of our national life are their programmes for revamp(slothfulness, greed, corruption, nepotism, totaling the education system? And the itarianism, etc); to continually engender and sushealth system? Are they dedicated tain national debates that would ultimately lead to ending all forms of discriminato the enthronement of healthy national valuestion as provided by the constitu-hard-work, justice, equity and fairplay, transpartion? What steps would they take ency, good governance, resulting, in themselves, to restructure Nigeria? When they the egalitarian Nigerian society of our dream. We held another position in the past, will give voice to the voiceless and at all times, what were their achievements?

Have they declared their assets? strive to be balanced, objective, honest, truthful How did they make the money they and fair to all sides; so that through The Oracle have?

Today, our people, the Nigerian people can see a bright light at the end of what has been a very Such questions and more are dark tunnel. And we shall do all this in absolute barely scratched even on social trust in God who blesses good intentions. media platforms where mischief

25

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

OPINION

American Visa and Nigeria’s political nonsense

By AZUKA JEBOSE

T

hese times in Nigeria, political conversations have been anchored on mundane trivialities: the death and cloning of a 76-year-old Muhammad Buhari and the American visa crap with Abubakar Atiku.

Why have we become so subservient to America’s ways of existence that we think they should be guidelines for our future as an independent nation? We are so consumed by everything American. We have become volunteered slaves to America’s lifestyles, a freed colony unabashedly flirting to be colonised and dehumanised by the United States of America in this 21st Century. My people, what is wrong with us?

These conversations have exposed us as lesser humans, primitive, a people without pride and dignity. Wittingly or unwittingly, we have made ourselves fools still living in the dark ages, sheltered underneath caves in the overgrown forests of Nigeria’s democratic institutions. Otherwise, why would American visa and who America allows into her territory become a national conversation in this campaign period? Our politicians, their supporters, mainstream and social media think that being granted a visa coming to America is more important than our own very existence, our liberty,

our birthright and our nation/ Honestly, I feel humiliated. I am disappointed, indeed ashamed to be a Nigerian.

Sadly, the nation’s mainstream media and popular blogs give this childish and inconsequential stories life, prominence and credence. Dear Nigerians, where are our values as a free people?. What happened to our pride and that “Naija swagger?” Are we inferior humans?

Do you really think America gives a damn about the relevance of the conversations? America has standards, laws and regulations with regard to its Homeland security. She has never wavered or given any particular person special consideration for visa approval without following existing due process. This Atiku visagate should not be a priority this campaign period. It is disgraceful. This election is about our dear fatherland Nigeria. It is not about the United States Of America. Nigeria is littered with dysfunctional palava.

Buhari and Atiku have failed policies past and present. Let us hold them accountable. Let them engage us with how they are going to make our lives better with functional healthcare system, employment opportunities, security and safety, small business programmes, provision of free education at all levels, structured and

functional transportation system, roads, bridges, hospitals, rural and regional clinics and electrification, water, 24hr electricity, social security and welfare for elderly Nigerians. What are their deliverables and how will those impact our lives? indeed, there are many problems in Nigeria that need immediate resolution: the unemployment rate continues to triple for graduates and school cert holders; Crime rate is highest, inflation is flaming our land fiercely, Islamist terrorism continues to dare us with deaths of civilians and members of our Armed Forces; Nigerians have no access to affordable structured and functional hospitals, electricity is still light years away from being regular. And all we are being offered every day here are that Atiku had been denied entry or granted a U.S Visa, that Buhari died in January and his clone or double is in Aso Rock. Nigerians think.

Stop this nuisance about America, cloning and visa. Let us get serious. This election is about the lives of almost 200 million Nigerians including children, the aged, the rich and the poor. Don’t allow these politicians to fool you. Stay focused.

•JEBOSE, a former Vanguard newspaper entertainment reporter sent this piece from the United States.

This Atiku visa gate should not be a priority, this campaign period. It is disgraceful. This election is about our dear native land Nigeria. It is not about the United States Of America.

Nigeria is littered with dysfunctional palava.

Buhari and Atiku have failed policies past and present.

APC and countdown to 2019 polls (6)

By EICHIOYA EZOMON Muhammadu Buhari, nothis more honourable, and dignifying TthanoingtoPresident forego other engagements and pay

his last respects to the gallant officers of the Armed Forces, who paid the supreme price in the course of defending the territorial integrity of Nigeria.

On Sunday, November 18, 2018, scores of troops of the 157 Task Force Battalion at Metele, in Borno State, were killed by Boko Haram terrorists that reportedly camouflaged as friendly fighters of the Multinational Joint Task Force combating insurgency in Nigeria’s North-East and the border areas of neighbouring countries.

To honour the fallen heroes, Buhari postponed his visit, last Tuesday, November 27, to Edo State, to commission the Edo-Azura Power Plant, and attend the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Annual Conference (later moved to Maiduguri, the Borno capital city,

While his adhering to the INEC schedule for campaigns was perhaps to demonstrate leadership by example, the PDP and “Never Buhari” campaigners pounced on the president’s statement as a sign that he could throw in the towel before even shouting, “A-PEE-CEE” at a rally, his clenched fist shooting into the air.

“

to coincide with his tour of the troops at the battlefields).

He also cancelled his November 27 to December 2 five-day “casual leave” at his hometown of Daura, Katsina State, to enable him “to continue his ongoing meetings and consultations with relevant security and intelligence community aimed at addressing the nation’s security challenges.”

Subsequently, the president’s advanced teams, which had left Abuja for Katsina and Benin City, respectively, on Sunday, were asked to return to base.

When a tree falls on another, you’ve to cut the top trunk to get to the one under. That’s what Buhari has done: He shelved previous engagements in order to deal with the current and most pressing security issues that the Metele tragedy has engendered.

And that’s the right thing to do: Show leadership. Take responsibility for actions of subordinates, and tragic happenings on your watch, such as the killings of our brave soldiers. Express and/or extend timely concerns and commiserations. And in instances similar to the Metele massacre, take the battle to the enemies.

So, President Buhari deserves some plaudits for going to Borno, instead of Edo, when a higher duty called, to visit the “war zone” and assess the situation there, comfort the injured in hospitals, and address the troops, to boost their morale.

That said, this is the season for political campaigns, which many members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had hoped the president would “kick-start” in the process of commissioning the Edo-Azura power plant - a very critical infrastructural project his administration has striven to complete.

Twenty-four hours prior, a national daily summarized the visit from the perspective of the Edo people: Preparations were in top gear. Major establishments wore new looks.

Civil servants put finishing touches to lastminute arrangements. The residents were eager, and anxious to welcome the president. To them, he has performed really well.

He has shown to be very caring, especially to the poor. And they expected him to announce “something big,” like a Federal Government project, for the state.

Thus, the news of his journey to Benin

City was godsend (not God-sent) to the residents. But by a twist of fate, a different announcement came from the state government, postponing the trip. The tale bearer, Crusoe Osagie, Special Adviser (Media and Communication Strategy), to Governor Godwin Obaseki, merely said the visit would be rescheduled, without giving reasons for its adjournment.

The rationale was however given by the presidential aide on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, who, on his Twitter handle, said: “President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to declare the COAS Annual Conference on November 28, 2018 at the Conference Hall CGH in Maiduguri, Borno State.”

Obviously, an opportunity missed by Buhari to commence electioneering, which the INEC declared since Sunday, November 18, 2018, for the 2019 elections that will begin with the Presidential and National Assembly poll at 8 a.m. on Saturday, February 16 - that’s 74 days (two months and two weeks) from today, Monday, December 3, 2018!

President Buhari has been too religious in keeping with the INEC regulations regarding campaigns, such that after publicly declaring his intention to seek a second term in office, he issued a caveat to individuals, groups and bodies working for his reelection, to stop canvassing for votes on his behalf until the INEC blew the whistle, which the electoral body did over a fortnight.

Yet, it’s a “no-show” from Buhari, whose “no-campaigning-for-me-now” sent mixed messages to the public: What informed the postponement of canvassing on his behalf?

Has the president withdrawn from the race?

Or is he under pressure to withdraw?

While his adhering to the INEC schedule for campaigns was perhaps to demonstrate leadership by example, the PDP and “Never Buhari” campaigners pounced on the president’s statement as a sign that he could throw in the towel before even shouting, “APEE-CEE” at a rally, his clenched fist shooting into the air.

Certainly, that’s the standpoint, and expectation of the opposition: Buhari should not exercise his constitutional right to contest for a second term in office. But they misjudged, and misfired! The president is not only running for reelection, but has also con-

“

stituted campaign bodies, and galvanized millions of voters for the February 16 balloting.

Hence, I thought it’s a very welcoming piece of good news for him to “unofficially” flag-off his rallies in Edo State, presently the lone APC stronghold in the South-South zone of the country.

Apart from demonstrating how much he cherishes the people’s supports since the 2015 elections, his visit would have sent a powerful message to the PDP-dominated contiguous states that the APC was at the threshold of taking over their domains, as is the refrain, these days, by the party stalwarts from the zone, including the National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole.

But for now, President Buhari has to pay the price of leadership: Take responsibility for the Metele tragedy and allow others, sitting on the fence, to apportion blames, and use the misfortune to score political points against him. It won’t be long, though, to see him on the hustings, advancing the “Next Level” from 2019 to 2023!

•Mr. Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.

THE GROUP Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Ikeddy Isiguzo Editor Felix Oguejiofor Abugu Deputy Editor/Head, Lagos Bureau Sopuruchi Onwuka Head, Graphics & Designs Nnamdi Alex Chukwu Circulation Manager Felix Oti

26

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

Travel & Hospitality

Nigeria, others gain 5% on int’l arrivals Q3 2018 Stories by VICTOR NZE

T

HE latest figures on world tourism issued by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) show that international tourist arrivals grew 5 per cent year-on-year in the first nine months of 2018. This reflects continued strong demand in a favorable overall economic context All world regions enjoyed robust growth in international tourism in the first nine months of this year,

fuelled by solid demand from major source markets. Asia and the Pacific led growth (+7 per cent), followed by Europe and the Middle East (+6 per cent each), Africa (+5 per cent) and the Americas (+3 per cent).

Despite comparatively slower growth between July and September, UNWTO estimates that destinations worldwide received 1,083 million international arrivals through September, an additional 56 million when compared to the

same period of 2017.

2018 results to date are in line with UNWTO’s growth forecast of +4 per cent to +5 per cent for the year. The first nine months of the year usually account for about three quarters of total annual international arrivals, as they include the Northern Hemisphere high season months of July and August.

With few exceptions, preliminary data on international tourism receipts confirm the positive

trend seen in arrivals, with particularly strong results in Asian and European destinations.

According to the UNWTO data, preliminary data on tourism spending for the first nine months of 2018 reflect increasing demand from major source markets.

The Russian Federation (+15%) reported the largest increase in spending and continues to recover strongly after some years of decline. The United Kingdom reported 10% growth despite a

weak pound against the euro and US dollar, and tourism spending from France picked up 10% after some years of rather flat growth.

The United States, the world’s second largest source market, recorded a 7% increase in line with the performance of recent years while top source market China showed a minor decrease in spending in the first six months of 2018 as a result of the weaker Yuan.

Akran of Badagry honored as Marriott assesses impact of 4yr-long data breach at Starwood Hotels Royal Ambassador for Tourism M

T

RAVEL operator in the country, Flyboku.com, Thursday honoured the Akran of Badagry, De Aholu Menu-Toyi I, as the Flyboku Royal Ambassador for Tourism.

Management of Flyboku conferred the honoured on the paramount ruler of Badagrywhen its management team paid a courtesy visit to the palace of the monarch on the Lagos axis.

Managing Director, Flyboku. com, Mr Abiola Lawal, handed the plaque with the inscription ”Flyboku Royal Ambassador for Tourism” to the monarch.

Lawal informed the monarch of his company’s intention to establish a tourism resort along the coastal area of Badagry to attract more tourists to the ancient city.

Lawal said, “Badagry has a lot to offer the world in the areas of tourism and culture.

“I am here to seek the blessings of the Royal Father of Badagry to project Badagry to the outside world. We want to have a Flyboku resort and park in Badagry like the Disney world because I know how Disney world was created on a desolate land where the happiest place on earth was established.

“I wonder what people go to see in Disney land that we do not have in its natural state in the country. We all know that tourism is a developer of people and creates opportunities. When we have this, employment opportunities will be created here, it will also spur infrastructural develop-

ment,” he said.

Lawal said that consultations were ongoing with Disney world and some foreign investors to actualise this.

“I am deeply concerned about the growth of Nigeria’s tourism industry and we are the ones to develop our tourism potential and not those from the western world. I am a son of the soil and I have good intentions to project Badagry tourism potential to the outside world such that it will continue to attract tourists even after my death.

“We have a helicopter business already and we are looking at people traveling on the waterways from Dubai to Badagry. The future of our nation is not in oil and gas but tourism because it is inexhaustible,” he said.

Responding, the monarch said that several local and international investors had indicated interests in developing the tourism potential of the town but never returned to implement it, even as appreciated the honour accorded him by the Flyboku officials and consented to accruing a portion of land to the investor along the coastal area.

He called on his high chiefs to always attend to investors each time they needed any assistance.

“This is a beautiful proposal but it must be impleme=-nted and not abandoned like others did. When it happens, the world will enjoy it. I pray God helps you to actualise this because we will all enjoy it,” the monarch said.

Dana Air bags Proficiency Awards

D

ANA Air has shown clear leadership in crew professionalism among domestic airlines in Nigeria as its crew clinched the Excellent Crew Professionalism Award, and Cabin Crew Excellent Award at the Nigerian Aviation Business Exhibition 2018 and Cabin Crew fair 2018 held in Lagos recently.

The Aviation Business and Exhibition 2018 and the Cabin Crew Fair 2018 organised by Mamanaviworld and Mama J Aviation Consult respectively, are platforms designed for stakeholders to deliberate on industry best practices, hu-

man capacity development and way forward for Nigeria’s aviation industry.

Commenting on the double crew excellence awards, the Chief Operating Officer of Dana Air Mr Obi Mbanuzuo said, ‘Dana Air is proud of the level of professionalism that our crew have exhibited in the last 10 years of our operation. They have been highly trained and these awards are testament to the level of courtesy and professionalism they bring to bear in not just ensuring the comfort of our guests but as safety officers.’’

ARRIOTT International said on Friday hackers stole about 500 million records from its Starwood Hotels reservation system in an attack that began four years ago, exposing personal data of customers including some payment card numbers.

Shares of the company were down 4 percent at $117 in premarket trading.

Marriott following its acquisition of Starwood Hotels manages a host of hotel brands in Nigeria, including:

Sheraton Hotels in Lagos and Abuja; Four Points by Sheraton in Lagos and Ikot Ekpene; Le Meridien in Port Harcourt; Protea Hotels across the country, and others.

The list also includes the Ibom Resort which up until early this year was managed by the Marriott Hotels, but has been repossessed by the Akwa Ibom State Government.

The hack began in 2014, before Marriott offered to buy Starwood for $12.2 billion in

November 2015, acquiring brands including Sheraton, Ritz Carlton and the Autograph Collection to create the world’s largest hotel operator. The company closed the Starwood deal in September 2016.

Marriott said for 327 million guests, compromised data could include passport details, phone numbers and email addresses. For some others, it could include credit card information.

Marriott said it first found out about the breach after

an internal security tool sent an alert on September 8.

“We’ve opened an investigation into the Marriott data breach. Additionally, under New York law, Marriott was required to provide notification to our office upon discovering the breach; they have not done so as of yet,” said Amy Spitalnick, Communications Director and Senior Policy Advisor, Office of the New York Attorney General.

Marriott said it would inform affected guests about the breach, starting Friday, and that it had reported it to law enforcement and regulatory authorities.

Marriott also said on Friday that it was too early to estimate the financial impact of the breach and that it would not affect its long-term financial health.

The hotel chain said it was working with its insurance carriers to assess coverage.

Meanwhile, Murphy, Falcon & Murphy, with their co-counsel Morgan & Morgan, have filed a national class action lawsuit against Marriott International, Inc. on behalf of over 500 million consumers whose personal information, including their names, birthdates, addresses, locations, gender information, email addresses, payment card information, and passport information were stolen.

Marriott is one of the largest hotel chains in the world and its brands include W Hotels, St. Regis, Sheraton Hotels, and Westin Hotels.

In what is one of the largest data breaches to ever occur, cybercriminals broke into Marriott’s servers in 2014, obtaining the personal information of approximately 500 million Marriott customers. These nefarious actors then roamed freely throughout Marriott’s system, with unfettered and undetected access, for four years.

Marriott did not discover the breach until September 8, 2018. For some inexplicable reason, Marriott refused to notify its consumers until, last Friday, nearly three months after its dis-

27

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

AVIATION

National carrier: Aero, Arik merger untenable – Sirika

…Only 28 out of Nigeria’s BASAs with 83 countries active Stories by VICTOR NZE

M

INISTER of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has ruled out calls for the merger of indigenous carriers Arik Air and Aero Contractors to form the new national airline for Nigeria.

Aero and Arik Airlines have been under administration by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) since two years following their collapse over debts.

The calls became necessary as the federal Government grappled

with the prospects of setting up from scratch a new national carrier for the country, a move which was supposed to have kicked off with a previously scheduled December operational date, but has since been halted indefinitely by government.

Federal Government, it would be recalled, said in September, it was halting indefinitely the planned Nigeria Air project.

While insisting that there remains an urgent need for Nigeria to establish a national airline, the minister declared that the process

Africa too expensive for aviation business – IATA

I

NTERNATIONAL Air Transport Association (IATA) has urged governments in Africa to maximise the positive social and economic power of aviation by working together to promote safe, sustainable and efficient air connectivity.

Director General of IATA, Mr Alexandre de Juniac, gave the advice on Monday while speaking at the 50th Annual General Assembly (AGA) meeting of the African Airline Association (AFRAA) in Rabat, Morocco.

“African aviation supports $55.8 billion of economic activity and 6.2 million jobs. To enable aviation to be an even bigger driver of prosperity across the continent, we must work closely with governments,” de Juniac said The IATA boss highlighted safety as a positive example of progress through collaboration, noting that Africa had recorded no jet hull losses for two years running, and was two years free of any fatalities on any aircraft type.

“It is clear that progress is being made. But more needs to be done.

We urge governments to recognise the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) in their safety oversight programs.

“With IOSA carriers performing three times better than airlines not on the IOSA registry, we have a convincing argument. Similarly, states must push forward greater adoption of ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPS),” de Juniac said.

According to him, only 24 African states comply with at least 60 per cent of ICAO SARPS which is not good enough.

On closer cooperation with governments, the IATA boss called for an aviation agenda to focus on improving competitiveness, developing effective infrastructure, modernising the regulatory framework focusing on global standards and connectivity; and ensuring a well-trained and diverse workforce.

He said airlines in Africa, on average, lose $1.55 for every passenger carried, stressing that establishing competitive cost structures that enable growth and reducing blocked funds was essential to improving the competitiveness of African aviation.

“Africa is an expensive place for airlines to do business. There is no shortage of examples illustrating the heavy burden that governments extract from aviation. Jet fuel costs are 35 per cent higher than the rest of the world.

“User charges, as a percentage of airlines’ operating costs, are double the industry average. And taxes and charges are among the highest in the world. On top of that, $670 million of

airline funds are blocked. ”Too many African governments view aviation as a luxury rather than a necessity. We must change that perception,” de Juniac said.

He also noted that aviation infrastructure problems in Africa were in two extremes, maintaining that it was sometimes overbuilt and expensive or deficient, and cannot meet demand.

The IATA boss expressed strong support for the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) initiative.

“The low density of the African intra-continental network makes it impossible to realize the potential benefits of a connected African economy.

SAATM— if implemented — gives Africa the potential for economic transformation.

“History has shown that opening markets leads to rapid advances in connectivity. “To date, 27 African governments have committed to SAATM and IATA encourages the remaining 28 African Union member states to come on board quickly to enjoy the potential benefits of a connected African economy,” de Juniac said.

of establishing one would soon be completed, as, according to him, the planned take-off of the project was merely suspended and not stopped.

According to Sirika, no domestic airline has evolved to fill the vacuum left by Nigeria Airways since it ceased to operate more than 15 years ago due largely to wrong business models, low capitalization and poor governance structure . The minister added that Nigeria presently has Bilateral Air Services Agreements (BASAs), with 83 countries, many of which have been reviewed to create opportunities for domestic carriers.

However, they remain largely unutilized, as only 10 per cent

of these agreements have been used due to limited capacity.

The BASA with Qatar and Singapore were recently signed and ratified. Only 28 out of Nigeria’s BASAs with 83 countries are active.

He further said the new national carrier will give impetus to the emergence of Nigeria as hub for the West and Central Africa and will promote reliable air transport services within the region. He also said it will support the growth of the aviation industry and domestic airlines through infrastructure expansion, traffic/routes expansion and manpower development associated with the national carrier.

Aside creating employment for teaming Nigeria youths, the new national airline will compete with foreign airlines for a share of international routes through competitive pricing thereby reducing capital flight.

“While infrastructure is necessary for the emergence of a hub, the establishment of a national carrier will give impetus to the development of a hub in Nigeria. All hubs must have National or strong carriers”, he said Sirika added that “contrary to the fear that the National Carrier will suffocate existing domestic carriers, it will rather benefit them and the industry at large. It will assist in stimulating overall air passenger travel demand, develop new routes, enhance infrastructure and promote manpower development”.

•Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika during a meeting with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Secretary General, Dr. Fang Liu in her office at the ICAO Headquarters in Montreal, Canada.

Flight shortage: Dana, Air Peace move to boost fleet

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NDIGENOUS carriers, Air Peace and Dana Air have moved to address flight shortage presently challenging the Nigerian aviation sector, as the separately announced moves aimed at lifting the plight of air travellers who have been subjected to air fare increases on major routes in the country.

Flight shortages at the two Lagos airport domestic terminals; the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Terminal 2 and the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) forced untold hardship on travellers who were forced to pay over 50 per cent more for flight tickets on the Abuja-Lagos/ Abuja-Port Harcourt routes.

The airlines said the flight shortage may not be unconnected with the CChecks their aircraft are presently undergoing abroad.

Addressing newsmen on the completion of its re-certification exercise conducted by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dana Air revealed plans to acquire more aircraft in 2019 as part of a strategic route and fleet expansion programme.

The airline also assured its passengers and potentials of additional flights to ease the pain of travelers who have had to bear the high cost of tickets as a result of flight shortage across the country.

Media and Communications Manager, Kingsley Ezenwa, during a chat

with newsmen in Lagos said, ‘we have finally concluded our re-certification exercise with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

Re-certification in Nigeria’s aviation industry is a standard practice conducted every two years by the NCAA and during the period, an airline’s operation is totally reviewed from ground handling to quality assurance and particularly safety standards and we are glad to have scaled this rigorous process.

The Dana Air spokesman while thanking the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority for carrying out a thorough check on its operations before re-certifying the airline decried a negative report by an online platform during the course of the re-certification describing it as unnecessary.

‘For the records, Dana Air presently has 5 aircraft out of which 2 are undergoing mandatory maintenance which in aviation is called C-checks.

The safety and comfort of our guests comes first before any other consideration and we find such report really unnecessary. We advise the purveyors of such report to rather commend us, having served Nigeria for over 10 years and counting and showing massive commitment to changing the narrative about domestic airlines and Nigeria’s aviation industry as viable,’’ he said.

On its part, Air Peace assured that

it will be deploying more aircraft to service destinations currently experiencing air travel difficulties urging the flying public not to panic over the shortage of scheduled flights on domestic routes.

A statement issued by Air Peace Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah said the carrier was concerned about reports of shortage of scheduled flights across the country and was ready to do everything within its capacity to ease the pain of air travellers.

The airline confirmed that the nation had been facing air travel difficulties since it reviewed its flight schedule downward on account of five of its aircraft it pulled out of service and sent abroad for C-check.

“In the last few weeks, we have been inundated with demands for flights by members of the flying public who wish to travel but could not secure seats as almost all our flights on major domestic routes are fully booked. We are genuinely concerned about the plight of the travelling public and sincerely empathise with them.

“The situation became dire after we recently pulled out five of our aircraft from service for maintenance abroad and had to necessarily review our flight schedule downward to avoid delaying our valued customers. A check on our reservation platform indicates that almost all our flights are

fully booked till the end of the year.

“We, however, are aware of the role we play in ensuring seamless air travel in Nigeria and are not going to let down our dear country and members of the flying public now that they need us the most. We urge members of the flying public not to entertain any fear. Beginning from Sunday, most of our aircraft that went for Ccheck will start to return to join our operations. We are soon going to schedule more flights and deploy more aircraft across our domestic routes.

“We have also made plans to cater to the upsurge expected during the Yuletide. A lot of flights would be scheduled from around December 17, 2018 to seamlessly take those travelling for Christmas and the New Year to their destinations. As an airline that prioritises safety and places a premium on the lives of our valued guests and crew, we have undertaken comprehensive maintenance of most of our aircraft to ensure their readiness for our end-of-year operations. This is the least we can do for our esteemed customers and nation for their support for us. We will do everything within our capacity to rise to the challenge of air travel currently facing our nation and deliver exceptional service that is sure to leave the flying public truly comfortable, proud and satisfied,” Air Peace assured.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

INSURANCE & PENSION FG reintroduces insurance policy for 104 unity colleges

Stories by VICTOR NZE

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EDERAL Government has promised to undertake the services of some insurance companies and brokers for a comprehensive insurance policy to the 104 unity colleges in the country in a bid to increase school enrollment.

Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, who made this known on Sunday at a news conference in Abuja, said the insurance policy had become Federal Government’s Official policy.

Adamu said the insurance policy of the ministry had been on since 2014 with the payment of N5,000 by students of all unity colleges in the country but had experienced some hitches which had now been resolved.

He said with the policy, enrolment in all unity colleges would have increased by at least 20 per cent b 2020.

He said that a Student Welfare Insurance Schemes (SWIS) had been put in place for students of unity colleges where each student would pay N5,000 per session.

According to him, the idea of the SWIS is to ensure that once a child is admitted into any of our unity schools, that child will never drop out of school on account of loss of parents or guardians responsible for the payment of his or her school fees.

“In more specific terms, the policy provides that in the case of death of a student, the parents or sponsor will be given a one-off payment in the sum of N500,000. ”In the case of death of parents or sponsor, the student will be paid the sum of N500,000 per session for a maximum of N2.5 million.

Also, in the event of death of student, parent or sponsor, the sum of N50,000 will be provided for burial expenses. ”In other words, the insurance company takes over the payment of the child’s school fees from where the parents or guardian stopped.”

The minister added that a comprehensive fire and general peril cover for buildings was given to three insurance underwriters along with brokers, saying that each of the underwriters will cover schools in two geo-political zones.

He explained that the total premium to be paid to the three underwriters and brokers would amount to N198 million for the 104 unity colleges.

According to him, this will provide a total cover of N900 million only per school for building and N200 million per school for content.

Adamu also said a total premium of N70 million would be paid to the underwriters and brokers for a comprehensive insurance cover for the vehicles of the unity schools while the total number of vehicles to be covered would be 326 with a total value of N947,260,000.

The minister said that by 2020, the budget would factor in a carrying capacity expansion project in some of the unity schools that need to expand their carrying capacity.

He, therefore, called on parents to honour the obligation on a yearly basis in line with government policy as the N5,000 premium would be paid with the school fees.

Adamu also called on the insurance companies, Parents Teachers Association (PTA) and principals of unity schools to take out time to

•Mr. Daniel Braie, Ag. Managing Director /CEO, all of Linkage Assurance Plc, receiving Pearl Sectoral Leadership Award in Insurance Category from Adedapo Adekoje, president, Chartered Institute of Stock Brokers during the 2018 Pearl Nigeria Awards held in Lagos.

explain the policy to all parties concerned.

He, however, promised to ensure that all insurance companies involved in the scheme honour their obligations as and when due.

Similarly, Mrs Stella Marris-Omu, Principal, Federal Government Girls College, Bwari, said it was a very disheartening thing to find a child who was aspiring to greater heights not coming back to school because no one can pay the fees.

She said the policy would help cushion the burden of not being

PenCom to inaugurate micro pension scheme in 2019

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CTING Director-General, National Pension Commission (PenCom), Mrs Aisha DahirUmar, said that the Commission had released framework and guidelines for Micro-Pension Scheme to take off in first quarter of next year.

Dahir-Umar, who was represented

by Mr Datti Yola, Head of Surveillance Department, PenCom, said this at the Compliance Officers Forum held in Uyo on Monday.

She said that the micro-pension scheme was aimed at capturing the informal sector such as artisans, tailors and other self-employed to plan and save for their retirement.

“It is also important to mention that the commission recently released the framework and guidelines for the implementation of Micro-Pension Scheme, which is targeted at increased participation of employees in the informal sector.

“Multi fund structure and revised guidelines for Fund Accounting as well as revised Circular for Branch opening and Service for PFNs,” she said.

She said that to promote a stable and sustainable pension industry, the commission adopted zero tolerance for non-compliance and consultative supervisory philosophy in issuance of guidelines.

She advised operators of the National Pension Schemes to guard against any form of threat in an attempt to swindle those in the indus-

try.

She said to promote better risk management in licensed pension operators, the commission had moved to a more risk based approach to supervising pension operators by aligning its supervisory framework with that of the Financial Services Regulation Coordinating Committee (FSRCC).

She said that the monitoring and reporting of non-compliance with regards to the implementation of these guidelines and other existing regulations remained part of the responsibilities of the compliance officers.

“This forum will therefore focus on reviewing compliance and ethical culture, institutionalisation of Know

Your Customer (KYC) processes in the industry. “Matters of identity theft in data capturing; emerging risks and its mitigating factors as well as other general industry operational issues.

“It is my expectation that this forum will further enhance the capacity of each Compliance Officer towards the effective discharge of functions,” she said.

Dahir-Umar assured participants at the forum that the commission would continue with its consultative philosophy, transparency and good corporate governance in the implementation of the Contributory Pension Scheme in the country.

Participants were drawn from the 31 licensed operators of national pension scheme across the country.

able to pay school fees by some parents.

“The process of students welfare insurance scheme came on in 2014, and when I got to the first school where I was principal, I found that it was already a policy and parents were paying. But unfortunate some didn’t see the need to pay as they felt they do not need to insure their children because of religion and some felt they didn’t have that kind of money and some also felt it was a waste of funds. ”However, I have had students

Linkage Assurance bags Pearl Sectoral Leadership Award

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NDERWRITING firm, Linkage Assurance Plc has won the 2018 Pearl Sectoral Leadership Award in the insurance industry, on corporate excellence in the capital market.

Linkage came tops, having been nominated with NEM Insurance Plc and Continental Reinsurance Plc, at a prestigious event held in Lagos with key stakeholder in the country’s capital market in attendance.

According to the organizers, Linkage Assurance Plc alongside other sectoral winners were companies that despite challenges in the economy in the 2017 financial year weathered the storm, outperform others, and sustained leadership of the market.

CHI gets shareholders’ approval to raise fresh capital

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HAREHOLDERS of Consolidated Hallmark Insurance (CHI) Plc on Wednesday gave nod to the directors of the company to increase authorized shares of the company from the current 10,000,000,000 (ten billion) units of 50 Kobo par value per share to 15,000,000,000 (fifteen billion) through the creation of an additional 5,000,000,000 (five billion) units. The shareholders gave the approval at the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held today in Lagos.

With the approval the Share Capital of the company will thus be increased from N5,000,000,000 to N7,500,000,000.

Shareholders also at the meeting

approved for additional capital raise through private placement of one billion, one hundred and thirty million units at the price of 65 (sixty-five) Kobo per share.

This private placement would bring in an additional N734.5 million to the coffers of the company.

It is next in the series of proactive efforts of the Board and Management to boost the working capital of the company and adequately position it as a leading player in the underwriting of big ticket insurance transactions, having successfully raised N500 (five hundred million Naira) through the Rights Issue to existing shareholders of 1,000,000,000 units that was 108%

who had the need after their sponsors passed on to be catered for by the insurance company. But unfortunately, some students have not had the opportunity for the policy to be implemented when they lost any of the parent or sponsor.

“I also know some colleges had insurance when they had fire incidences, thunderstorms and the like being applied to their circumstances. With this insurance policy, I know that problems of out of school children will be solved,” she said.

subscribed during the last quarter of 2017 but concluded in the first quarter of 2018.

Managing Director of the company, who is also the current president of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN), Mr. Eddie Efekoha, expressed optimism over a successful meeting as, according to him, shareholders of the company have often been delighted with the regular dividend payments over the years.

Efekoha said future plans of the company include broadening its product offerings to take advantage of the on-going market development initiatives of the industry regulator and strengthening its technology.

President/CEOof Pearl Awards Nigeria, Tayo Orekoya, said the award has recognized and rewarded over 85 quoted companies for outstanding operational and stock performance since inception.

“While commending Linkage Assurance for standing tall amidst challenges undermining growth of insurance business in Nigeria, he Orekoya said “As partners in progress with capital market regulators, we shall continue to engender healthy rivalry among other initiatives aimed at deepening the vibrancy of the market.

Daniel Braie, Acting Managing Director/CEO of Linkage Assurance Plc who led top management of the Company to receive the award thanked the organizers for recognizing the efforts that the Board and management of the company were making to ensure value creation for shareholders.

Braie said, as a company “we are committed to sustaining the rules and regulations of the capital market, ensure regulatory compliance and good corporate governance practice” He noted that the company will continue to deploy strategies and measures to increase insurance penetration and grow the business such that its shareholders will continue to earn good returns on their investment.

According to Braie, the potential of the insurance industry is huge, calling on the general public to embrace insurance as the most effective and efficient means of managing their risks against unforeseen circumstances.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

INSURANCE & PENSION

Global property, mortality protection gap hits $500bn – Report

Stories by VICTOR NZE

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OUSEHOLDS and businesses face a $500 billion global property and mortality protection gap, according to Swiss Re’s latest sigma study.

The Swiss Re sigma study is titled; “Global Economic and Insurance Perspectives 2020.”

Swiss Re’s report said that the figure illustrates increasing risk vulnerabilities emerging around the world but also presents an opportunity for carriers.

“The gap represents the still elevated vulnerability to adverse events for many households and businesses across the world, and the very large opportunity for insurers to further contribute to improving resilience,” Swiss Re said.

To improve resilience, particularly 10 years after the global economic collapse, Swiss Re said that private capital market products could, in part, play a role. This would be balanced out by the public sector establishing financial market standards when possible or appropriate,

in areas such as sustainable and infrastructure investments.

Beyond that, however, insurance is a core element of resilience, and Swiss Re argues that public policy can help carriers expand their ability to both absorb risk and increase resilience in building projects and infrastructure.

The insurance sector has $30 trillion in total assets under management, according to statistics cited

by Swiss Re, which it said can be put into play as “a risk absorber.”

Another factor Swiss Re said can help narrow protection gaps is innovation. The reinsurer said that innovations such as parametric insurance could broaden what is insurable for natural catastrophe risks that have been previously hard to cover, thanks to technology advances.

Double-trigger indemnity structures, and data/modeling advances will also help insurers develop innovative coverage for exposures such as business interruption, cyber, product recall and weather/energy price risks, Swiss Re said.

•(From left): Rukevwe Falana, company secretary; Obinna Ekezie, chairman, and Edddie Efekoha, MD/CEO, all of Consolidated Hallmark Insurance (CHI) Plc, during the extra-ordinary general meeting of the company in Lagos.

Leadway Assurance wins ‘Best Insurance Firm in 2018’ award

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EADWAY Assurance has been named Insurance Company of the year at the 2018 BusinessDay Banking and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards, which held, in Lagos, weekend.

At the event, Divisional Director, Life Sales at Leadway Assurance Company Limited, Mr Oluwafemi Adebayo, noted that the honour was an acknowledgement of firm’s iconic position as a path-finder as well as an innovation driver in the insurance segment of the nation’s financial sector.

The BusinessDay Banking and Financial Institutions Awards is an annual event that celebrates the achievements of those who drive growth, development and financial Inclusion in Nigeria, drawing a large gathering of industry leaders from the various service sectors.

In his speech, Mr Adebayo said, “Since 1970 when Leadway came

on the scene as an indigenous insurance service provider, there has been a dramatic expansion of local service providers. Leadway has continued to evolve and be dynamic in order to remain in the forefront as Nigeria’s largest and an insurer of repute.”

He thanked the organizers and pledged that Leadway Assurance would continue to work hard as a value-driven operator in the Nigerian Insurance sector.

“The acknowledgements given by this award as well as the impeccable reputation enjoyed by Leadway as a trustworthy and value-adding partner to our customers have come through our consistent devotion to operational improvements to promote and maintain the competitive advantage. We will continue to work hard toward maintaining this business approach,” he submitted.

On his part, Executive Direc-

tor, Financial Services & Systems, Leadway Assurance, Mr Tunde Hassan-Odukale, described the award as a testament to Leadway’s position as Nigeria’s most dynamic insurance brand.

He said the company would continue to invest in best in class skills, tools and processes with the objective of delivering sustainable benefits to all stakeholders through the provision of innovative and comprehensive insurance solutions. This, he added, would aim to deepen Leadway’s position as a market trend-setter in retail insurance in the country “We are committed to building the biggest retail insurance company in Nigeria by developing alternative channels and delivering innovative products to the customer, thus making insurance products accessible across all market segments and distribution channels”, Mr Hassan-Odukale declared.

scheme being offered by the public is mainly to the public sector, especially formal sector where only civil servant is covered. This time around the scheme is being opened to everybody, regardless of where you come from; your position, whether you have or you don’t have, the scheme is looking at covering everybody. ‘‘We are rebranding ourselves and we are trying to look at all the challenges that may face us in an attempt to give this roll out to everybody in the FCT. With an average of about N15,000 for a whole year, you might be able to enjoy some reasonable health insurance,’’ he explained.

Remarking, General Manager, Hospitals Management Board, Dr Aminu Mai, said it was mandatory for all hospitals in the territory to ensure that all benefit package services were provided.

Mai said that this was part of the package to be benefitted by the individuals in the FCT, adding that they were only doing a 10 per cent

payment after getting the drugs for treatment. ‘‘Whatever service that your benefit package is supposed to provide the hospital should provide that service. We have made it mandatory for all our hospitals to ensure that even if the drugs are not in the pharmacies we should ask patients to wait a little bit to make arrangement to provide those drugs.

Earlier, the Secretary, Health and Human Services Secretariat (HHSS), Malam Adamu Bappah, said that everybody would be carried along, to have access to the scheme.

Bappah said deliberations were ongoing to resolve all grey areas in the implementation of the scheme.

He gave the assurance that the Federal Government and the FCT were fully committed to the Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

According to him, the HHSS was committed to this and all the efforts that will translate into improving the healthcare of the FCT residents.

FHIS to expand scope of operations in FCT

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ROGRAMME Manager, Federal Capital Territory (FCT’s) Health Insurance Scheme (FHIS), Dr Ahmed Danfulani, has said that the scheme will expand the scope of its operations within the territory.

Danfulani, who said this in Abuja on Monday at a one-day Stakeholders’ Meeting on FHIS, said non-civil servants would soon be beneficiaries of the scheme.

He declared that the slogan of the universal health coverage was for everyone to have access to affordable health scheme.

He said that a study would be carried out on the amount to be paid either quarterly or annually by non-civil servants, to have a mutual health understanding and association.

Danfulani, however, noted that the scheme covered caesarean sections, malaria, emergencies, fever, basic ante-natal services and other basic things within the hospitals under the territory. ‘‘All along the health insurance

C’Re Investments to buy Continental Reinsurance

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HE Board of Continental Reinsurance Plc announced, Monday, it has received an offer from CRe African Investments Limited, which intends to acquire all its outstanding and issued shares listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

According to the insurer, CRe Investments wants to acquire the company in order to make its much needed restructuring exercise a reality.

Continental Reinsurance plans to reposition itself as one of the top players in the insurance industry in the country and it said this acquisition will make this dream come true.

The board of the company explained in a statement that this acquisition would be carried out through a Scheme of Arrangement under Section 539 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act Cap C20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and other applicable rules and regulations.

“The company has received the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)’s No Objection to the Scheme. The Scheme is also subject to the approval of the shareholders at a Court-Ordered Meeting as well as the sanction of the Federal High Court.

“Further details will be communicated to the market upon relevant approvals from shareholders and regulators.

“Shareholders are advised to exercise caution when dealing in CRe Nigeria’s shares until a further announcement is made,” the statement stated.

Meanwhile, Thursday, December 20, 2018 has been fixed for a meeting ordered by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on the planned sale of Continental Reinsurance Plc.

It would be recalled that the board of the insurance company formally disclosed that it had received an offer from a firm known as CRe African Investments Limited for the purchase of all its outstanding and issued shares listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

It was explained that CRe Investments intends to acquire the company, through a scheme of arrangement, in order to make its much needed restructuring exercise a reality.

Continental Reinsurance said CRe Investments was offering N2.04k per share for the 10,372,744,314 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each or one ordinary shares of $1 each in the capital of CRe Investments for every 176 ordinary share of 50 kobo each held in Continental Reinsurance.

According to a statement by the insurer, this offer represents a 46.76 percent premium to the last traded share price of the Continental Reinsurance on October 5, 2018, being the last business day prior to the date the proposal was received from CRe Investments and a 36.00 percent premium on the trading price as at close of the last business day; November 19, 2018.

In another statement, Continental Reinsurance said on November 23, 2018, the court in Lagos directed the board to convey a meeting of shareholders for the “purpose of considering and if thought fit, approving (with or without modification) a scheme of arrangement between the company and the holders of its fully paid ordinary shares.”

In the statement, the firm said the meeting will take place at the Victoria Crown Plaza Hotel on Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island, Lagos at 10:00am.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

EQUITY & Capital Market Shareholders suffer N2.35 trillion loses in 11-months Stories by KAYODE OGUNWALE

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HAREHOLDERS investing in the Nigerian stock market have suffered a massive loss of N2.349 trillion between January and November, 2018.

The market value which open the year at N13.620 trillion dropped to N11.271 trillion at the end of November trading. The decline in the market represented N2.349 trillion or 17.25 percent of shareholders investment value.

However, trading activities finished the month of November 2018 on the negative trajectory with a record of N581 billion loss to close at N11.271 trillion in market capitalization as growing political tension takes toll on the equity market. Some market analysts believed investors should trade cautiously in the short to medium term, as selloffs are likely to persist, amidst the growing political and security tension ahead of the 2019 general elections. Statistics available to New Telegraph showed that activities on the exchange, which opened the trading month at N11.852 trillion in market capitalisation and 32.466.27 in index points at the beginning of trading on November 1, closed the month on November 30 at N11.271 trillion and 30,874.174 index points, hence has earned a month to date loss of about N581 billion or -4.90 percent. Further breakdown of the weekly transactions for the month showed that aside from the gain recorded in the second week of the month, the market recorded bearish activities during the rest of

weeks.

The All-Share Index dropped by 342.23 basis points or 1.05 percent to close at 32,124.94 index points on November 2nd as against 32.466.27 recorded at the close of trading on October 31, while the market capitalisation of equities depreciate by N124 billion. Trading activities during the second week ended November 9 revealed that the All-Share Index recorded the only gain of 75.27 basis points or 0.2 percent to close at 32,200.21 index points as against 32,124.94 recorded the previous week while market capitalisation of equities appreciated by N27 billion or 0.2 percent to close at N11.755 trillion compared to N11.728 trillion recorded the previous week.

In the third week ended November 16, the All-Share Index shed 141.93 basis points or 0.44 percent to close at 32,058.28 basis points as against 32,200.21 recorded the previous week while the market capitalisation of equities dropped by N52 billion or 0.44 per cent to close at N11.703 trillion from N11.755 trillion.

The stock market extended weekly losses as it finished at a loss of N138 billion during the fourth week ended November 23, while it finished the last trading week ended November 30 with a loss of N294 billion, the highest loss recorded in the month. The ASI shed 2.54 percent, the largest weekly drop since mid-September. Consequently, the month-to-date (MtD) and year-to-date (YtD) losses increased to 4.90 percent and 19.27 percent, respectively.

•Acting Commissioner Corporate Services SEC, Mr Henry Rowlands, Acting Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission, Ms Mary Uduk and President, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, Mr Adedapo Adekoje, during the SEC Journalist Academy 2018 held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

SEC Takes e-Dividend Campaign to South East

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N a move to further enlighten investors and the general public on the process and benefits of e-Dividend, multiple subscription, e-processes and other contemporary issues in the Nigerian Capital Market, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), through its Port Harcourt Zonal Office will be holding a Town Hall meeting with stakeholders and the

WFE, ASEA sign MOU to strengthen African capital market

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HE World Federation of Exchanges (WFE), the global industry group for exchanges and CCPs, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the African Securities Exchange Association (ASEA), aimed at supporting the development of the wider African capital market.

The goals of MOU are to support the development of market infrastructures in Africa and, through them, the development of the wider African capital market ecosystem; and to enable African market infrastructures to develop best practices based on global standards, while remaining appropriate to the needs of the region and nation in which they operate.

The WFE and ASEA have pledged to collaborate in developing and implementing programmes and projects, including finding ways to increase the amount of data published by the region, that deliver these two overarching objectives.

ASEA is an association of 28 securities exchanges in Africa; its exchanges are home to approximately 1,100 listed companies with a total equity market capitalisation of $1.5 trillion. ASEA’s main objective is to unlock the potential of African capital markets, and enhance the development and global competitiveness of member exchanges.

Commenting on the development, Chief Executive Officer, WFE, Nandini Sukumar said: “The WFE is delighted to announce this ground-breaking MOU with ASEA. The WFE’s market development mandate has always been a key pil-

lar of the federation, but this agreement crystallises our vision to support members in specific regions with targeted activity. We believe that exchanges in Africa will benefit from this focused approach, be it through our technical expertise, capacity building programme, or broader market development assistance to help them meet international standards and best practice.

We look forward to engaging more deeply on the topics that matter to African market infrastructures, and further growing our knowledge and relationships in this vibrant continent.” Commenting on the MOU, the former President of ASEA and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Oscar Onyema said: “ASEA and the WFE will work in tandem to promote quality market standards, advocate for enabling policies, and support the growth of member exchanges. As such, this partnership will inspire and support African exchanges to unlock greater levels of competitiveness through information sharing and the adoption of best practices. At the same time, we also expect that the partnership will offer WFE members a unique perspective on capital market issues and provide stakeholders in the global capital market with new prospects in the world’s ‘next frontier of growth’. We welcome this opportunity to enhance our value proposition to ASEA members’ and we encourage members of both associations to take advantage of emerging opportunities.” NSE became a full member of the WFE

in 2014. Bourse de Casablanca became a full member of the WFE in 2010. Speaking at the MOU signing ceremony, Karim Hajji, Chief Executive Officer of Bourse de Casablanca and incoming President of ASEA said: “Together with my fellow Executive Committee Members, we are very keen on implementing the agreed activities of our partnership with the WFE, and translating them into tangible results for the benefit of the two institutions.” The WFE’s priorities and work streams include ongoing work on SMEs, FinTech, cyber resilience, CCP resilience, financial literacy, and sustainability.

The WFE has a dedicated Emerging Markets Working Group which has focused on finding solutions for issues such as liquidity, enhancing retail participation, and attracting international investors.

general public in Enugu.

The event which has as its Theme: “Current Initiatives by the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC Nigeria to Enhance Investor Value”, is expected to draw participants from various segments of the society.

The meeting is scheduled for Thursday December 6, 2018 at Hotel Sylvia, No. 66 Ezillo Avenue, Independence Layout, Enugu, Enugu State.

Registration of participants starts by 9:00am while the main event starts at 10:00am.

The event will create an avenue for the Apex capital market regulator to educate and enlighten the public on the above subject and also for operators, stakeholders and various investors to interact and discuss other issues surrounding the activities of the capital market.

Recall that the SEC in January 2015 commenced the e-dividend registration campaign in Abuja with a Road Show culminating in a Town Hall Meeting.

The event will also provide an opportunity to throw more highlights on investment opportunities available in Nigerian Capital market and how retail investors can benefit therein.

The Commission had announced that the e-dividend registration would continue seamlessly in spite of the expiration of free registration

deadline and also enjoined investors yet to enroll, to continue with the registration at a cost of N150 only.

“Investors should continue to approach their banks or registrars, as usual, to seamlessly mandate their bank accounts for the collection of their dividends electronically, including unclaimed dividends, not exceeding 12 years of issue; as the N150 would not be demanded from them at the point of registration.

Also, the Commission recently extended the forbearance period for regularisation of multiple share subscription to another one year after the expiration on 31st December 2018.

Acting Director General of the Commission, Mary Uduk disclosed this in her address at the 3rd and final Capital Market Committee(CMC) meeting held for the year 2018 in Lagos.

“I am delighted to report that on the lingering issue of multiple subscriptions and forbearance for shareholders with multiple accounts, the CMC agreed that the forbearance window should be extended by another year from the December 31,2018 deadline previously communicated”, she said.

The SEC boss called on investors to take advantage of this opportunity to claim their unclaimed dividends and bonuses before the expiration of forbearance period.

plan.

Uduk noted that the market was highly concentrated and dominated by the banking sector which constituted 60 per cent of the market as at 2003 to 2007. According to her, 15 out of 20 most capitalized companies were banks, adding that risk management and corporate governance was not developed enough to support the fast growth thereby leading to inappropriate market behavior and abuse of margin lending.

She revealed that the Commission had focused on leading the market to recovery and part of the recovery plan was the development of the 10-

Year Nigerian Capital Market Master Plan (2015-2025)in collaboration with other stakeholders to map out strategies to improve key areas especially investor protection and education, among others.

She explained that SEC aims to expand capital market’s role in nation’s economy development in general.

Explaining so far on the success achieved, the acting DG said, “For instance, we have ensured that all share certificates are fully dematerialized. This is to say that physical share certificates are now fully converted into electronic form in Nigeria. This initiative has further enhanced the market efficiency and transparency.

SEC reiterates commitment to developing capital market

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HE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has reaffirmed that it remains committed to developing the capital market in line with the 10-Year Master Plan.

Disclosing this during the SEC Journalists Academy which held in Uyo yesterday, Acting Director-General, SEC, Mary Uduk who spoke on the theme, “Capital Market Master Plan: The Journey So Far”, noted that as a result of the market crash in 2008, investors have lost confidence and are yet to return to the market.

The acting DG pointed out that the Commission with 101 initiatives has the potential to expedite the implementation of the 10 year- master

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

MONEY Market

Nigeria saves $21bn on food import from CBN restrictions Stories by KAYODE OGUNWALE

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HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), said Nigeria has saved over $21 billion from its decision to bar importers of 41 items from accessing foreign exchange through the official window in the 57 months between January 2015 and October 2018.

According to Godwin Emefiele, Governor of the CBN, many entrepreneurs took advantage of the policy to venture into domestic production of the restricted items and have recorded remarkable successes, with great positive impact on employment generation within the period, resulting also in a dramatic drop in national import bill.

Expressing happiness with the accomplishment recorded so far, at the 2018 Annual Bankers’ Dinner, organized by the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), in Lagos, Emefiele said “from $665.4 million in January 2015 to $160.4 million as at October 2018; a cumulative fall of 75.9 percent and an implied savings of over $21 billion on food imports alone over that period.

Most evident were the 97.3 percent cumulative reduction in monthly rice import bills, 99.6 percent in fish, 81.3 percent in milk, 63.7 percent in sugar, and 60.5 percent in wheat.”

He assured that the policy would continue with vigor until the underlying imbalances within the Nigerian economy have been fully resolved, he noted that recommendations “being made to the CBN that the list of 41 items be expanded to include other additional items that can be locally

produced.”

Emefiele warned that “any attempt to reverse the course of this actions may have untold consequences on the growth trajectory of our economy particularly in our push to diversify and restructure our economy.

The CBN stressed that Nigeria’s overdependence on imports was to blame for the economic recession “triggered mainly by the drop in crude oil prices (which) only strengthened the case for the need to move from a nation wholly dependent on consumption, to a nation that produces a large proportion of what it needs, particularly in areas where the resources or inputs needed for production are widely available across the country.”

While some nay-sayers insist the policy has constrained productivity and growth in the Economy, the CBN Governor said research conducted at the apex bank shows the economic recovery “from the recession may have been much weaker or even negative, without the implementation of the restriction on 41 items.

“Our research supports the conclusion that the combination of the restriction on 41 items along with other measures imposed by the fiscal and monetary authorities has helped to promote the recovery,” he added.

As part of the its role as an agent of development finance aimed at ensuring self-sufficiency to reduce the country’s excessive dependence to reduce import dependence, Emefiele explained that the CBN has continues to support farmers, entrepreneurs

•(From left): Air Peace Human Resources Manager, Mrs. Olubunmi Akano, Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah and Cabin Services Manager, Ms. Florence Opia during the 2nd Cabin Crew Fair organised by MamaJ Aviation Consult Limited at the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority Annex, Lagos on Saturday.

as well as small and medium scale businesses. He listed some of the intervention programmes so far used to include: the Anchor Borrowers Program, Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) and the National Collateral Registry.

Another programme recently introduced, he added, is “the CBN recently introduced the Real Sector Support fund; a facility meant to provide cheap funding at no more than 9 percent to new projects in the Agric and Manufacturing sectors; aimed at boosting output and creating jobs.”

IMF puts global debt at $180 trillion

T

HE International Monetary Fund (IMF) has put the global debt at $180 trillion, warning highly indebted emerging-markets and lowincome countries against what it termed pro-cyclical fiscal policies.

IMF Managing Director, Christine Lagarde, in a statement issued at the conclusion of the Group of 20 (G-20) Summit in Buenos Aires, called for collaborative action by G-20 leaders as global growth moderates and risks increased.

Lagarde said that global growth remained strong, but that it was moderating and becoming more uneven.

According to her, pressures on emerging markets had been rising and trade tensions have begun to have a negative impact, increasing downside risks.

She says: “Another urgent issue is the excessive level of global debt about $182 trillion by the IMF’s estimate.

“It is important, particularly for highly indebted emergingmarket and low-income countries, to rebuild buffers and reverse pro-cyclical fiscal policies.

“Increasing debt transparency, such as on the volumes and terms of loans, by borrowers as

well as lenders, is as important as supporting debt sustainability,’’ Lagarde said.

She stressed that choosing the right policy is, therefore, critical for individual economies, the global economy, and for people everywhere.

“The choice is especially stark regarding trade. We estimate that if recently raised and threatened tariffs were to remain in place and announced tariffs were implemented, about three-quarters of one per cent of global GDP could be lost by 2020.

“If instead, trade restrictions in services were reduced by 15 per cent, global GDP could be higher by one-half of one per cent.

“The choice is clear: there is an urgent need to de-escalate trade tensions, reverse recent tariff increases, and modernise the rules-based multilateral trade system.’’

To meet the challenges facing the global economy, the IMF chief made several policy recommendations to the G-20 leaders.

“First, fix trade – this is priority number one to boost growth and jobs.

“Continue to normalise mon-

etary policy in a well-communicated, gradual, data-driven manner and with due regard to potential spill-over effects.

“Address financial risks, using micro and macro-prudential tools to tackle problems related to the leveraged ending, deteriorating credit quality and high exposure to foreign currency or foreign-owned debt.

“Use exchange rate flexibility to mitigate external pressures, avoiding tariffs and other policies that could weaken market confidence.

“Finally, eliminate legal obstacles to the participation of women in the economy which is key to tackling high and persistent inequality and would add to the growth potential of all G-20 countries,’’ Lagarde said.

She said she was encouraged by the G-20’s continued commitment to strengthening the global financial safety net, with a strong and adequately financed IMF at its centre.

“It is important that the G-20 leaders have pledged to conclude the 15th General Review of Quotas by our Spring Meetings and no later than the Annual Meetings in 2019’’, she stressed.

The Anchor Borrower Programme (ABP), he noted, for example, has ensured that Nigeria transformed “from being a net importer of rice to becoming a major producer of rice, supplying key markets in neighboring countries, as a result of which

862,069 farmers cultivating about 835,239 hectares, across 16 different commodities, have so far benefited, as at October 2018.”

In the process also, 2,502,675 jobs have been generated across the country, he stressed.

CBN plans to stabilize Naira as it depreciates to N368/$1

A

S part of the efforts to address the rising demand for the dollar, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced special intervention of foreign exchange sales to Bureau De Change (BDC) operators.

This is so as the Naira depreciated against the United States dollar by N6 on the parallel market on Thursday, as it closed at N368/$, its lowest level in more than a year, as a result of increased demand.

In a letter to the currency dealers dated November 29, the apex bank explained: “With the approach of the yuletide season and the resultant increase in demand for personal travel allowance, the CBN has in addition to the existing market days (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), introduced a special intervention day of every Thursday $15,000 per BDC commencing on Thursday, December 6, 2018.

“Consequently, all BDCs should note that the cut-off time for receiving naira deposits into their respective bank accounts for the Thursday’s special intervention shall be 10 a.m on the Thursday.

“All operators are hereby advised to ensure strict compliance with the provisions of the extant regulations on the disbursement of forex cash to their respective customers as any case of infraction will be appropriately sanctioned.”

It was reported last week that the combination of tightening global financing conditions, which has resulted to capital outflows in the country, the elevated global risk aversion, 2019 election uncertainties and high services payments were likely to put pressure on the naira.

Analysts at CSL Stockbrokers Limited and the Financial Deriv-

atives Company Limited (FDC), had stated this in two separate reports.

They had also pointed out that capital repatriation by foreign investors was also expected to heighten dollar demand.

To the CSL, Nigeria’s periodic currency crises are mainly due to policy makers’ inability to deal with the macroeconomic phenomena called the “impossible Trinity.”

It said, “The impossible trinity (also known as the trilemma) postulates that it is impossible to have all three of the following at the same time: a fixed foreign exchange rate, free movement of capital (absence of capital controls) and an independent monetary policy.

“We think pressure will appear in the foreign exchange market and a parallel market premium in the range of 10-20 per cent will return.

Given this view, we recommend that local fixed income investors shorten duration and remain focused on the short-end of the curve.”

On its part, the FDC, a research and financial advisory company anticipated, “increased forex demand in the next couple of months as manufacturers commence inventory build-up for festive sales.

This, in addition to increased election spending, could result in exchange rate depreciation. However, the CBN has iterated its preference for exchange rate stability over buoyant external reserves.

Hence, we expect the currency to remain relatively stable in 2018.”

The report pointed out that the depletion of Nigeria’s external reserves was expected to be sustained in subsequent months,” owing to forex demand pressures arising from election and festive spending.”

32

racleToday

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33

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

Love and Living

...With Ireto Temofeh

MODEL OF THE WEEK

LOVE NEWS

Female Yahoo executive sued for sexual harassment

A

Name: Joy Tel: +234 703 080 1774 • If you want to be our next ORACLE GIRL, e-mail or forward your photos/data to ireto007@yahoo.com. Call 07031028714.

high-level female executive at Yahoo Inc has been named in a lawsuit filed by a woman who worked under her, accusing her former boss of sexual harassment and wrongful termination.

Maria Zhang, a senior director of engineering at Yahoo Mobile, has been sued by Nan Shi, who was employed as a principal software engineer from February 2013, according to a complaint filed Tuesday in Santa Clara Superior Court in San Jose, California.

The complaint alleges that Zhang coerced Shi to have ‘oral and digital sex’ with her on multiple occasions in Sunnyvale and told her she would have a ‘bright future’ at Yahoo if she had relations with Zhang.

Shi is seeking monetary as well as punitive damages. The lawsuit also names Yahoo as a defendant.

Officials at the tech company have come to Zhang’s defense in response to the allegations outlined in Shi’s complaint.

‘There is absolutely no basis or truth to the allegations against Maria Zhang.

Maria is an exemplary Yahoo executive and we intend to fight vigorously to clear her name,’ a Yahoo representative said in an email.

Zhang founded her own mobile company, Alike, which was acquired

by Yahoo in 2013. She also worked at Microsoft and Zillow before joining Yahoo, according to her LinkedIn profile.

In the complaint, Shi accuses Zhang of unfairly downgrading her performance reviews for the second and third quarters of 2013.

According to court documents, the company’s human resources personnel refused to conduct an investigation

when Shi complained about her direct supervisor’s unwelcome advances.

Instead, according to the complaint, Shi was put on unpaid leave and eventually fired.

A native of Beijing, China, Shi graduated from Ohio University with a degree in computer science.

Shi’s complaint states she first crossed paths with Zhang when she went to work for her start-up in Seattle.

When Yahoo bought the company last year, both women moved to California. According to Shi, Zhang told her to stay in a temporary Yahoo housing unit in Sunnyvale.

The lawsuit cited by San Jose Mercury News goes on to say that Zhang ‘coerced’ her subordinate into having oral and digital sex with her and threatened to take away ‘her job, stocks and future’ if she rejected her advances.

Court documents allege the Yahoo executive forced her subordinate to work grueling hours and write work emails in her off-time, ‘sometimes right after sex.’

In an interview with Mercury News, Shi described how Zhang allegedly surprised her one morning as she slept on the coach in their shared apartment, crawled under the blanket without any clothes and began kissing and hugging her.

‘I woke up and got scared,’ the woman told the paper. ‘I was shocked.’

In April, Silicon Valley Business Journal celebrated Zhang as one of Women of Influence of 2014.

Her profile stated that ‘she is passionate about supporting women’, and ‘she actively mentors other women engineers.’

ODD NEWS

Millionaire helping pregnant women flee UK to avoid babies taken into care

A

multi-millionaire is helping pregnant women whose babies are deemed at risk to flee the UK. Ian Joseph has spent over £30,000 helping 200 to avoid having their newborns taken away by social services.

He pays for their fares to a new life and offers them free legal advice, even paying for lawyers in some cases.

Around 50 have fled to Ireland on his money while another 150 went to France, Spain and Italy.

Forced adoption opponent Mr Joseph, who runs a language business and has a law degree, has defended his decision to fund their escape, despite many already having children in care.

He said: “Social services have moved away from giving families support and are now too quick to take children away.

“I know what I do is controversial.

People ask how I know the people I’ve helped don’t go on to do something wicked, but my reply is that even killers are entitled to lawyers.

“These woman are entitled to a fair chance to keep their children if they have not been convicted of any crime of cruelty and aren’t on drink or drugs.”

ROMANTIC JOKE HAUNTED FROM THE GRAVE

The dad of seven set up a website and receives “around a thousand” calls a year from mothers.

Britain is the only EU country allowing forced adoption. Last year, 1,860 children were adopted without parental consent.

Mr Joseph, 82, featured in a documentary advising a woman called Mary with previous mental health issues who has two children in care and is expecting another.

Mary, who now raises her child in France, said: “The social services here are helpful and supportive, the opposite of the UK.”

Mr Joseph says he ploughs through piles of documents before agreeing to help.

He said: “Adoption shouldn’t go ahead if a mother is begging to get her child back. They should be given a fair chance.

“Social services used to only take children away if a parent was convicted of cruelty. Now social workers are feared and hated.

But one GP who works with social ¬services said: “People think they are right to help a mother but they do not have all the background to a case.

An old man and woman were married for years even though they hated each other. When they had a confrontation, screams and yelling could be heard deep into the night. A constant statement was heard by the neighbors who feared the man the most.

“When I die I will dig my way up and out of the grave to come back and haunt you for the rest of your life!”

They believed he practiced black magic and was responsible for missing cats and dogs, and strange sounds at all hours. He was feared and enjoyed the respect it garnished.

He died abruptly under strange circumstances and the funeral had a closed casket. After the burial, the wife went straight to the local bar and began to party as if there was no tomorrow.

The gaiety of her actions were becoming extreme while her neighbors approached in a group to ask these questions: Are you not afraid? Concerned? Worried? that this man who practiced black magic and stated when he died he would dig his way up and out of the grave to come back and haunt you for the rest of your life?

The wife put down her drink and said, “Let the jerk dig. I had him buried upside down.”

34

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

True Confession

I was sacked because I was a lesbian

M

y name is Jenny and I grew up in Lagos, Nigeria. I’m a graduate of the University of Lagos (UNILAG). I passed out with a Second Class Lower degree and after my youth service, last year, I secured employment with a private company run by a woman in Lagos.

My madam, the Managing Director (MD) of the company, was very good to me. And within a few months of my working with the company, I became good friends with my MD’s daughter, which made me visit her house regularly.

As my boss’s daughter and I became more intimate, I confided in her about my sexual preference and she understood perfectly when I told her I was a lesbian.

To my surprise, she said that she too had developed lesbian feelings with her school mother while she was in secondary school.

She was in the boarding house of one of the Federal Government colleges, which was where she first experienced the touch of another woman and lesbian romance.

She said she recalled those moments with nostalgia and wouldn’t mind if I touched her.

That was how my boss’s daughter and I became lovers. We had many

My boss was so angry when she heard it. She said that her suspicions had been confirmed and that I had come to corrupt her only daughter and lead her into sin and perversion. good times together and spent many weekends in secret places until her mother, my boss, started becoming suspicious.

At first, she summoned us and told us that our intimacy was becoming too cold for comfort. She said that we were acting like husband and wife. But we denied anything of the sort and insisted that we were just best of friends.

I didn’t know that my boss put a trail on us. She was watching us closely, and sent people to monitor our movements.

Unfortunately, one of the people

she sent saw us kissing in the garden, one night and reported it to madam.

My boss was so angry when she heard it. She said that her suspicions had been confirmed and that I had come to corrupt her only daughter and lead her into sin and perversion.

I tried to explain to her that lesbianism, as far as I was concerned, wasn’t as bad as people painted it. But my boss didn’t listen.

The following Monday, at the office, she called me privately into her office for a talk. She gave me a long talk on moral values and concluded by saying that she didn’t want a pervert in her

company.

She said I had to leave because I was leading her daughter astray, and handed me a sack letter. I wept and begged her to forgive me but she refused.

That was how I lost my last job, just because I’m a lesbian. I’ve heard before that a guy lost his job in Lagos because he is gay, but I never knew that such a thing could happen to me.

I don’t know why there is so much discrimination against homosexuals in Nigeria. Now I’m desperately in search of another job.

Your say: Call 07031028714.

35

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

Relationships and Love Advice

I can’t reach orgasm when he gives me oral sex

Love Search Women seeking relationship/ marriage Esther, 34, civil servant in Abuja, single mother, needs a man of 37 years and above for marriage.+234 8114226917.

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Dear Love Doctor,

I

recently met a new man in my life who really receiving oral sex from their partners. Why can’t loves me. But I find it hard to reach orgasm I come when he licks and sucks me? Am I abnorwhenever my man goes down between my mal? Please help. legs. The fact that I can’t climax when he eats me is making me feel so frustrated, because I know From Rita, that many women get multiple orgasms from Lagos.

Love Doctor’s Advice: Dear Rita,

T

here are several reasons why you may be finding it difficult to reach orgasm whenever your man gives you oral sex. The main reason might be that he is not stimulating you on the right spot down there. If he is not directly stimulating your clitoris with his tongue or mouth, you might not enjoy oral sex as much as you’re supposed to. Also, the technique

he is using may not be quite right for you. Again, if you’re circumcised, it may not really be your man’s fault, as your ability to get properly aroused or sexually stimulated might have been reduced by the very act of circumcision.

Again, you need to know that not all women reach orgasm during sex or during oral sex; so your case may not be different after all said

and done. However, in the final analysis, you can still get the best satisfaction from sex, including from oral sex, if you understand what works for you and teach your man to always do exactly what works for you. You can call me for more explanation and information. I wish you the best.

Do you have advice on this problem? Please share your thoughts. Call 07031028714 or 08131161840. Email: ireto007@yahoo.com Do you have a marriage/wedding, birthday, anniversary or club or town meeting announcement to make? Call 07031028714 now!

E-Mail: ireto007@yahoo.com Go to foodstuffs.com.ng. Call Love Doctor: 07031028714, 08131161840.

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36

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

It happened to me:

I married the man who was stalking me W hen I was 24 years old I had a good job and a beautiful little girl of 4 years old. Her father was not involved in her life. He was on drugs and living in another state. I had been living with my folks and finally struck out on my own again.

I got a cute little garage apartment and fixed it up to make a nice home for my little girl and me.

At this point in my life I was very naive. I was into running. I went running around the college track after work one day. My little girl was walking around the grassy areas as I ran. I noticed a random guy walking around.

When I was done running I went to do my stretches and the creeper came up to me and started talking to me. I was so naive I ended up telling him where I work.

He called me at work the next day and asked me out. I told him no but he kept insisting. I finally gave in. Eventually he would call me at work all the time, come to my house all the time. My boss was getting mad about his constantly calling me at work.

I didn’t understand that this was not normal behaviour.

We dated and then I said I just want to be friends. Sometimes I just said “get out of my life”. Then he would agree to just be friends and consume my time and weasel his way back in. After trying to get rid of him for some time he eventually weaseled his way back in and after us talking about getting married he would tell people that I was his fiance. He wore me down, I signed the papers and we were wed, no wedding just paper signing.

Before this there were plenty of red flags but I was unable to see them and was being manipulated by him. Guys like him will deny your reality, lie to keep you off balance. Essentially try to stop you from seeing what’s really happening. He called me from jail one night claiming that he got picked up on some old traffic ticket warrant. I picked him up. The details were sketchy and every time I asked him the details they would change.

He turned out to be a pathological liar.

Before we married I had gone out of town. i would not give him the key to my apartment. He calls my brother in law (I was at my sisters house) he says he wants to talk to me. My sister and I were out somewhere.

He becomes insistent that he must speak to me at once. My brother in law is like, “You can talk to her when she gets back.” At that point he lies, “Well, the window in her bedroom was broken out. I need to talk to her right away about it.” So, my brother in law gives him the number. He calls me at my other sisters house where I was. He tells me the lie. In reality he was just stalking me down.

I get back home. My window looks the same. There is not broken glass anywhere and the window looks like the same window I had left. It had some tell tale signs that I could tell it was never broken. It made no sense.

At other times I would come home and see my back door left open and food missing out of my fridge. I went outside and discovered my little girls favorite pizza snack wrappers on the porch of my neighbors. (we shared a patio). well, I believe he broke in, ate the food and planted it there.

He was very familiar with the little girl next door, overly familiar, and it turns out later that when I went over there I found my little girls toys over there. I put two and two together and decided that he was giving this little girl toys. I can only conjecture why he would be bribing a little girl.

Before I married him he said that he almost had his Masters Degree in Social Work. I knew nothing about how college or universities worked. I believed him.

After we were married I asked him when was he going to go back to school. He would always make some excuse. He had low wage jobs. When I met him he worked at a temp service. Finally, after years of marriage, when I pushed him again about finishing school so we didn’t have to be poor anymore he said, “I don’t want to go into that field.” I was like, “So what!, it’s a good

job.” He got angry and changed the subject.

Years later, after the divorce I investigated and found out that he only took one class at the University that he claimed to have attended. It all turned out to be a made up lie.

He doesn’t even have an Associates degree.

Back to the wedding night. Before we were married he had lied to me and said that he was tested and was sterile. He claimed that he was unable to have children. He was 34 years old. I believed him. So, we used no protection and I became pregnant immediately. He had to get me pregnant in order to control me with a child.

He kept his low paying job while I worked at my job. I had to get up a 4 am every morning to do my paper route before my job. He would force me to stay up late every night. The tireder I was the more control he had over me.

We finally moved into a bigger apartment with 2 bedrooms. I continued to work through my pregnancy. I cried because I was so tired and wanted to quit early. He refused to get more work. I had to keep working so my labor and delivery would be covered by the insurance from work.

His mom believed I was this lazy person because every time she saw me I would be on the couch exhausted. If she came over I would be on the couch, pregnant, resting after my long week of work. If we traveled to her house I would eventually lay down on her couch in exhaustion. She told him that I was lazy. LOL. She’s as psycho as him.

Eventually I had the baby and he had to become the sole breadwinner because I quit my job. He started giving me the creeps. I felt creeped out by him alot. I found out years later, after my divorce that he used the services of hookers. Creepo.

He tried to drive a wedge between me and my family. He was succseful to a point. My mom was too smart for him though. She would never put him down or argue with me even when he set it up.

He controlled my life. He controlled my little girl. He was verbally abusive. He lied, stole.

Oh, I forgot. Right after we were married he reveled to me that he was fresh out of prison. When I heard that I was already pregnant.

We were married for years. He would never pay the rent on time. Hardly pay the bills. We had our electricity turned off at least three times during the marriage. He eventually had a cleaning business. The people who would do cleaning jobs for him would always be calling and knocking at our door demanding their pay. The apartment managers would come knocking demanding rent. Sometimes we had those legal papers taped to the door.

I became pregnant again, with a little girl.

It was during this pregnancy that I began to “wake up” to what was going on. I started standing up for my daughter who was a teenager by now. I told him to leave her alone and he’s never allowed to tell her what to do. He was never to act as a father figure to her again. He did not deserve that privilege. He kept trying to manipulate me back into submission but it wouldn’t work.

My daughter was shocked when i did this she didn’t know what to make of it. She thought I had gone crazy because, as it turns out, he was always telling the kids that I was crazy or mentally unstable behind my back.

I discovered that he had taken out a credit card in my name and maxed it out. Never paid it and it had been accruing charges and interest. I confronted him on it. He denied it and tried to convince me that I knew about it all the time. I didn’t. I was stronger. This was after the birth of the little girl. I never let him alone with her. I didn’t trust him. He still creeped me out.

If we ever had any thing of value it would end up missing. He pawned anything and everything. One time my daughters father, who was on the wagon, had purchased her a brand new computer. Because of his criminal past my creepy husband was able to convince me that it was stolen goods. He made up this story about how he would take

it to his friends and they could run the serial numbers and find out. In reality he took it too a pawn shop and pocketed the cash. He stole from a child!

I started planning my escape. My eldest daughter and I would have meetings after he went to his pizza delivery job. We would plot things like: my daughter was going to start taking clothing and personal items to school and put them in her locker. One day I would go to take the kids to school and we would get the stuff out of the locker and then I would clean out the bank account and we would split, to my sisters. I was making secret plans with my family.

There are so many other details. In the end I got away from him with all three kids. It took more than one attempt and the day of the escape is a story in itself.

I decided that the justice system stunk so I used the system to my advantage. Neither of us had any money. I had a lawyer working on the divorce, he had no lawyer by this time. So I used that. I got him to agree to visitations as agreed between the parties for my little girl.

After he signed to that and the divorce was finally final I was so happy. But I still had to deal with him because I insisted on supervising the visits between him and the baby. I hated having to see the creeper. But I knew it was the only way to keep my little girl safe from him. I believe he agreed to it because it was a way for him to control me. Force me to be in his presence for a time each week.

I knew that on some level and used that. I was manipulating him while he thought he was manipulating me. It was the only way I figured I could control the situation.

I was afraid he would drag me back to court if I refused him any visits so I put up with this situation.

Eventually he found a woman who was just as sick and naive as I had been when I was 24. Actually sicker I believe. She agreed to marry the creeper. She has two beautiful daughters. I was sad for them but happy for my family and me. I figured that he would leave us alone more. He mainly did, until

he got this woman more under his control.

I guess he needed us as a side project to harrass.

One day I got a phone call from his current wife. It was about 2 weeks before their first wedding anniversary. She told me that a police officer had come to her office to tell her that her husband was stalking and trying to have sexual contact with a teenage girl in another town. It all turned out to be true.

There is a stalking injunction on file protecting the girl and her entire family from him.

This stalking took place while he was married to his current wife. The first words she said to me when she called about that incident were “Tell me about HIM.” Only she used his name.

I said, “What did he do?”

I proceeded to tell her the story of his psycho ways. We compared stories and found out all the lies he had been telling her about me and other interesting details.

She is still with this creeper, nine months later after the police officer had come to her office. She also knows about a police report that was filed against him. While he was delivering pizza’s he allegedly sexually assaulted a woman in her home. She called the police and a detailed police report was filled out that portrays the picture of a scary, sociopathic predator. She read the police report.

That’s her choice. He has called me a couple of times to threaten to take the kids from me. My son doesn’t want to see him at all.

He blames me. My little girl doesn’t know any better. I have offered for him to visit her with supervision. His reply to this offer was, “F you B!” I don’t swear but he used the real words. That was the last I heard from him.

He has called several times and done hang ups though. I know its him. I think his phone got turned off for awhile because the calls stopped. Every once in awhile I get them now.

• Do you have a story or comment about this confession? Call 07031028714, 08077821830, 08131161840.

37

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

The Law and You

With Barr. Ken Akpom 08162016410

Relationship between spouses

O

ne of the funniest aspects of marriage preparations and processes in Nigeria is the ignorance of the parts to understanding the purposes of marriage and what is takes to making it very interesting and durable. The relationship between husband and wife in marriage is very different from a boy friend and a girl friend relationship which touched on our last discussion on void and voidable marriage. It is my candid advice to couples in marriage or those proposing to get into this aspect of life to understand the obligations legally involved before venturing into it.

At common law, this relationship is seen as a contract which the doctrine of common law governs. In this doctrine, there are three rules of it at common law which are: firstly, it is believed that a man cannot contract with his wife during marriage because both are seen as one legal entity (person). Even our Holy Bible says it that a woman (wife) will leave her father’s house and join the man (the husband) and they be-

come one.

When spouses marry and become one, any contract made is seen as contracting with joint persons who are same. It is worth noting that at common law, that a married woman lacks contractual capacity.

Secondly, when marriage is established at common law it makes void any contract made between the spouses when they were boy friend and girl friend (i.e. single). Thirdly, in a law suit a husband cannot sue his wife, likewise a wife cannot sue her husband, with some exceptions which include divorce, etc; as the rule of procedure portrays.

The big question is: Does the average Nigerian man know his liabilities on his wife’s contract? It is now very essential and necessary to look into this question that people ask me all the time. It is a well-established law or rule of law in marriage per-se that a wife has the power to act as the agent of her husband so as to compel him to be liable for her contracts.

Case

I want to sue my wife for buying goods on credit without my consent Dear Lawyer,

I

have been married for over 10 years now to a housewife. However, my problem with her is that she keeps on buying goods on credit on my behalf and without my consent from dealers/traders who sell these goods to her in my absence. They grant her request because I usually offset the bills. I am tired of this her behavior and I’ve tried to stop her but she says I can’t starve her and the children. Can I sue her to refund all the money I’ve spent on the settlement of these her debts?

From Adebowale, Lagos.

CONDITIONS IN WHICH HUSBAND MAY BE LIABLE FOR WIFE’S CONTRACT: There are four known conditions in which this may happen.

(1) Express Authority of the husband: In most cases, husbands authorized their wives to perform certain transaction(s) with a particular person(s) or organization.

Here, the act of the wife is seen as merely her acting as an agent in law, hence, not liable for her contract.

Likeness, some women may in the absence of the husbands perform certain contracts without the express authorities of their husbands. The law is that once those husbands on their returns ratify the wives’ actions, they are binded by the contract.

(2) It is true that marriage in itself does not give authority to a wife to bind her husband in contract because they cohabit. However, because of the wife’s cohabitation and management of the husband’s household, there is a presumption of fact that she acts as the agent to the husband hence, has the authority to request for ‘credit purchases’ in all domestic matters which the husband entrusted to her.

(3) If a husband performs it as a duty to pay a third party cash for goods bought by his wife, the third party can infer that the wife has her husband’s authority to ask for credit where this happens, then, the husband is bound by the contract.

However, I wish to state here that the wife’s usual authority to pledge her husband’s credit is limited to the purchase of “necessaries”. By ‘necessaries’ I want to clarify that it is not limited to the bare necessaries of life like food, clothing, medicine and lodging but includes those goods and services which are suitable in kind and sufficient in quantity and necessary to the position in life of the husband.

TERMINATION OF WIFE’S AUTHORITY. In as much as the law gives privileges to wives however, most wives tend to abuse them which results in the need to terminate it. The question, then, is: In what ways can a husband terminates his wife’s authority to pledge credit on his behalf. There are three main ways namely: (1) Express prohibition (2) Husband’s insanity (3) Husband’s death (1) Express Prohibition: The husband can expressly revoke the wife’s acting on his behalf by informing those granting her credit to stop because he is not to be held liable for any such act.

(2) When a wife, an agent, knows that her husband suffers from insanity or lunacy but pledges credit on his behalf, the law holds that wife liable to such contracted act because her husband was not in a right frame of mind to have knowledge of his wife’s action.

(3) In the case of death: It is the decision in law that when a wife is authorized by the husband to contract on his behalf and if he dies without the knowledge of the debtors and wife in time, the wife is not held liable but contract terminates. However, there are criticism on this.

Lawyer’s Answer: Dear Adebowale,

F

irstly, the law allows for a relationship between spouses regarding contract. Likewise, in law of tort, the rule is that no act committed by one spouse against the other during marriage can amount to tort. It is also prohibitive at common law for a spouse to sue the other during marriage or to even bring up an action in a marriage. To this effect, you can’t sue your wife based on your narrative to me. What I shall advise

you is to tell those her dealers/traders not to grant her credit facilities above a fixed amount that you know you can afford, and that if any of them exceeds that maximum limit, you shall not be held liable. Also inform your wife of the maximum limit you set and try your best to fulfill your responsibilities toward her and your children. This is necessary because you can’t starve her and the children deliberately.

I wish to add that a wife who deserted or was turned out by her husband has the power to pledge his credit for necessaries. This means that the wife’s power extends only to the purchase of necessities.

• Do you have questions or seek legal clarification on issues concerning your marriage, probate, property, etc? Call or send a text message to Barr. Ken: 08162016410, 08075763840. Email: kenakpom@yahoo.com

38

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

ENTERTAINMENT

With Douglas Omoyooma

I was shocked I won MBGN 2018 – Anita Ukah Reigning MBGN Queen, ANITA UKAH emerged MBGN 2018 on Saturday, September 23 in Bayelsa State after a keen contest where she trounced 36 other girls to clinch the coveted crown. In this chat with The Oracle Today, the indigene of Imo State revealed that it was with shock she received news of her victory. She also opened up on growing up and her pet project.

Tell us about growing up?

I’m from a family of seven siblings. I will call it a very big family and it was amazing and great growing up because I have so many siblings I could always run to when I’m in need. It was quiet and comfortable growing up.

How does it feel like wearing the MBGN crown?

It’s been amazing and my life has undergone massive transformation to put it mildly. This is a wonderful platform that has ben offered me and I intend to make the best of it. I’m grateful to my family, friends and well wishers who gave me their unalloyed support. In fact, my parents were both very supportive but mom was much more supportive always asking have you gotten everything ready?

Have you done this? Have you don’t that? I have such wonderful parents.

You’ve been a queen for close to four months. What’s been your challenges?

It’s been fun and exciting like I said earlier but it’s also been quite challenging. Now I can’t do those things I used to do anymore because I am MBGN. However, there is a flip side to it and that includes the opportunity to serve. The platform has taken me places and opened many does for me; it’s a dream come true.

Tell us about your pet project?

We are currently working on kids that are on the streets especially those in slums that have no education and all that. Some of these kids once upon a time were in school but due certain reasons couldn’t continue. Our objective is to help them get back to the classroom in a sustainable way.

How do you intend to source funds for this project?

We are currently sending out letters for sponsorship. Like I said, I’ve been here for just a while so there’s a lot of work to be done. But we are not going to be waiting for sponsors.

With the little we have we can start.

What would happen is that we can start with 10 kids and when we get more funding we can just keep going on and on and before you know it we

I was in shock for some seconds. I didn’t even know it was me. I had to look up and see that I was being crowned before it dawned on me and I was like ‘oh my God this is really happening! would be impacting hundreds of kids.

What’s going to change about you now?

What’s going to change about me now is that I’m going to reach out to more people and touch more lives because the MBGN platform is awesome!

Did you believe you could win?

Yes, I didn’t want anything to bring my spirit down so right from the start I just had the mind set that I was going to win the crown.

What was your first reaction when you were announced winner?

I was in shock for some seconds.

I didn’t even know it was me. I had to look up and see that I was being crowned before it dawned on me

and I was like ‘oh my God this is really happening!

What’s your advice for young girls who want to take after you?

Dream, always dream and never stop dreaming and also, you need to back your dreams up with prayer and hardwork.

39

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

NEWS Extra 2019: Group tasks APC govs on peaceful campaign atmosphere

By Theo Rays, Onitsha

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head of the 2019 general elections, group known as Naturecracy for Atiku/Peter Obi Support Movement (NAPSUM) has tasked Governors of All Progressive Congress (APC) controlled to ensure that opposition political parties are not faced with actions that are not in consonance with the rules of democracy noting that reports reaching NAPSUM from APC States indicate that oppositions may face unfriendly atmosphere during campaigns.

Addressing journalists during their weekly general meeting in Onitsha, the founder and National President of the group Prince Chinedu Nsoffor said that NAPSUM as a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) like other well-meaning Nigerians will not tolerate a situation where people are not allowed to freely run campaigns in their respective jurisdictions and constituencies, urging that politicians mostly of the ruling party at the center should give room for free airing and issue based campaign.

Prince Nsoffor said “NAPSUM wish to use this opportunity to call on Governors of APC States to avoid actions that are capable of jeopardising the chances of peaceful process of elections in 2019, let’s us avoid campaign of calumny, violence and ensure that both the ruling and the opposition parties enjoy a free atmosphere of campaign where both are allowed to freely make use of the venue they want, use radio and television and other facilities they want, place billboards and posters where they like and avoid using thuggs to disrupt campaign rallies” In the same vein, the State Coordinator of NAPSUM in Anambra State, Chief Peter Okala has called on Governor Willie Obiano to in the spirit of Christmas fulfill the promise of making shuttle buses available to absorb those who lost their jobs following the ban of motorcycle transport popularly known as Okada which he made on the ban noting with dismay that six months after the Okada ban the shuttle buses are nowhere to be found.

Okala said “residents of Anambra State can vividly recall that while the news of the ban of Okada in Awka the State capital and in Onitsha the commercial nerve center of State was made, there was also the news that the State government will provide enough shuttle buses to absorb those who were likely to lose their jobs, but since July 1, 2018 when the bam of Okada was implemented, there are no traces of the shuttle buses from the State government.

“So NAPSUM is using this opportunity to call on Governor Obiano to respond to the promise as Christmas gets nearer to enable ex Okada riders who have been jobless all along since July 1 to make up for Christmas celebration with their families.”

C’River Govt moves to eradicate maternal neonatal tetanus From ANIEKAN ANIEKAN, Calabar

C

ross River State government has government has expressed its determination to completely eradicate the scourge of Maternal Neonatal Tetanus among pregnant women in the state.

This was disclosed by the wife of the wife of the Cross River State Governor, Dr. Mrs Lynda Ayade during the flag off of vaccination to eliminate the prevalence of the ailment in the state.

According to her, “it is our strong desire to eliminate tetanus from Cross River State, completely”.

“Every girl and woman of childbearing age, 15 – 49 years, must seize the opportunity to benefit from the exercise”, she said.

She added that the immunization exercise is the key to the prevention of Tetanus disease in Nigeria while raising awareness on the dangers of neonatal tetanus, warning that, “mothers could be infected during unsafe and unhygienic delivery of their babies.”

The wife of Governor who also flagged off the world breastfeeding week, encouraging mothers to “breastfeed exclusively for 6 months and then continuously for one to two years as it helps in proper development of the child’s brain and immune system. It also helps bonding and prevent breast cancer”.

Meanwhile, state government and its development partners have commenced a door to door testing and treatment of HIV/AIDS to contain the spread of the virus in the state.

This was disclosed by the state commissioner for health, Dr Mrs Inyang Asibong while marking the day in the state and also the official opening of the Christmas village in Calabar.

The commissioner disclosed that the state government is taking the message directly to the people in the grassroots and already some communities in the state like Calabar municipality has over 90% residents who know their status and have access to drugs.

“The HIV day is just one day but in cross river state, it is a continuous process.

“We have numerous partners supporting us in the HIV/AIDS activity. We have the community RT where we have health workers go into the community to people’s houses to get them tested because we want to make sure that everyone in cross river state knows their status which is the theme of this year’s event.

“90% of the people in Calabar municipality know their HIV status and this is very remarkable and commendable. We are working to ensure that those who are infected should actually be able to have their medications.

“The cross s river state government is working with partners in giving out free HIV medications. We are the first state in Nigeria to start a test and treat where the health worker comes to your house and you are tested and if infected, you begin taking your medications immediately.

“So with these measures, and

• Wife of the Cross State Governor, Dr Linda Ayade, State Commissioner for Health, Dr Mrs Inyang Asibong and Special Assistant to the Governor Ben Ayade on Events, Ken Aklah, with other dignitaries during the opening of the Christmas Village in Calabar Municipality on the occasion of the World AIDS Day in the state, Sunday

ACPN chieftain endorses Atiku/Obi ticket

By Oliver Udeogu

G

overnorship Candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) in the last November Governorship elections in Anambra State Comrade Akunwata Ejoh Ojiba has called on well-meaning Nigerians to rally round and support the Atiku Abubakar / Peter Obi Presidential aspiration in order to redeem the country from its present socio economic quagmire.

Speaking in an interview with news men in Onitsha, the retired Nigerian Customs Service officer noted with sadness the state of the Nigerian nation today occasioned by bad governance by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government.

Akunwata Ojiba expressed confidence in the PDP Presidential Candidate Atiku Abubakar whom he described as having the political wherewithal to get Nigeria working again.

He described Atiku’s running mate Mr Peter Obi as a sound econ-

omist who performed very well as governor of Anambra State saying the pair no doubt will take the country to the next level.

Ojiba who is the Chief Coordinator Atiku/Obi Voters Mobilization Forum in the South east, urged the people of the South east and indeed the entire Nigeria to vote en masse for the PDP Candidate and his running mate Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi in the February 2019 Presidential polls stressing that the PDP Presidential Candidate would bring succor to Nigerians by redeeming the battered image of Africa’s most populous nation. ‘’I can tell you that most Nigerians have lost hope in government and as such are disillusioned. That is why our group is sensitizing the masses to get their PVCs ready to vote for change and that is the real change we are talking about here not their own kind of change. Definitely we cannot continue this way as a nation’’.

He had called on Nigerians who

• Ejoh Ojiba were yet to get their PVC’s to do so as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is giving another opportunity for voters’ registration, in the second week of December.

with the awareness created, there is no reason for us to have any new incidence of HIV in cross river state.

“We want to bring down the incidence of new infections to zero and of course we want to maintain the prevalence rate as it is because we cannot reduce it.

“If we reduce it, we want our people to die so we want to ensure that everyone living with the disease lives positively”, she said.

In her remarks, the wife of the governor of the state, Dr Linda Ayade emphasized the importance of knowing one’s HIV status stressing that it is no longer a death sentence.

Dr Ayade who stood in for her husband, Professor Ayade said the government has provided the drugs free of charge so that the people of the state can live long.

“Know your status unlike before used to be a death sentence but that is not what obtains today.

Know your status is rather giving life because it helps one to plan his life further and our lives are in our hands.

“Everywhere you go, you have an opportunity to be tested, and when you are tested and are positive, the good news is that these drugs are provided free of charge.

“Every drug has been brought to the doorstep of cross Riverians to keep them alive, therefore, they have to seize the opportunity of life offered to them by the state government to get free medication.

This will ensure that they keep the viral load in check and so can never die of HIV”, she said.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Cross River State House of Assembly Committee on Health, Dr Ekpo Ekpo Bassey commended the government for sustaining the awareness, maintain that it will reduce the scourge to the barest minimum in the state.

He said the State House of Assembly will continue to support the state in the drive to contain the HIV/ AIDS scourge in the state.

“We pledge to come up with all the enabling laws that will help to guarantee the success of government programmes in this regard and also ensure that the house approves to guarantee the success of the drive to contain the scourge.

“Poverty is linked with the prevalence and we will also ensure that we collaborate with the government to mitigate the scourge of poverty as this will also help check the prevalence of the menace”, he said.

In a related development, Dr Ayade has officially opened the Cross River State Christmas Village in Calabar to herald the Xmas festivities in the state.

The governor’s wife was accompanied by the commissioners of information, tourism, women affairs and also the SA to the governor on events management.

Speaking while opening the village, Ken Aklah, said the village will avail residents as well as visitors a place to ease themselves and unwind during the festive season.

He said the village helps in reducing crime as residents take advantage of the business opportunities available. He added that this year, the government has provided water, electricity, security among others for the welfare of visitors to the village.

40

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

NEWS Extra Group commends UNICAL VC for pragmatic administration From ANIEKAN ANIEKAN, Calabar

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socio-cultural organization in Cross River State, Academics from the Northern Senatorial Zone have commended the current Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Professor Zana Akpagu for his pragmatic leadership style since assuming office as VC of the Institution.

In a statement jointly signed by Chairman of the group, Prof. Chris Iklaki and the Publicity Coordinator, Dr. Oshega Abang said that the Vice Chancellor has within the time span of his administration has initiated and implemented all the projects contained in the institution’s blueprint.

In a release made available to Oracle Today, the group listed some of the achievements of the VC to include, “the establishment of new faculties and departments, completion of some abandoned projects and the execution of new projects such as the new medical centre, the solar power projects and the synergy evolved between the university community with nation states such as Russia, Korea and China”.

The group further congratulated Professor Akpagu for facilitating and encouraging human capacity development and described as unprecedented the harvest of academics in terms of promotion to higher ranks as well as sponsorship to learned conferences.

Furthermore, the group noted with delight, “The height so far attained by the university under his watch, especially in the area of infrastructural development, visibility among his peers in the global academic community and the recognition of his administrative prowess in global ranking”.

While expressing satisfaction with Professor Akpagu’s pragmatic leadership, they called on members of the university community to join hands with the administration, to enable the Vice-Chancellor to translate his dreams and vision of the University of Calabar into reality.

Tribute as Engr.

Capt Mbeledogu is laid to rest in Ogidi

2019: Aniagwu drums support for Okowa From JONATHAN AWANYAI, Asaba

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head of the 2019 general elections, Mr Charles Aniagwu, Chief Press Secretary to Delta State Governor, has stated that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has recorded numerous achievements to secure a second term.

Speaking at the Maiden Edition of “Frontline” a media interaction and participatory programme organised by Delta Online Publishers Forum, DOPF in Asaba, the Governor’s spokesman, said: that Governor Okowa has achieved a lot in job creation, urban renewal, education and agricultural reforms as well as meaningful processes that has brought about harmony and peace in the state.

According to him, the numerous achievements recorded by the Okowa led administration will convince Deltans to vote for him again for a second term to consolidate on the gains so far recorded by his administration.

Mr. Aniagwu said that over 6,000 Deltans have already benefited from the job creation schemes outside the others that have been impacted indirectly, adding peace, has returned to the creeks and development was taking place in the riverine areas especially in Okerenkoko, Obotebe, Gbaramatu, Ogulagha, Sokebolou, Burutu, Ogidigben among others “Delta State is now a producer of rice and we are self-sufficient in fish production because of our investments in that direction. Besides, our reforms in agriculture has brought a lot of improvement in animal husbandry, poultry as well as crop production etc. Just imagine what would have happened with the devastating effects of flood that ravaged a good number of our farming communities, we would have had negative impact on food prices but because the state government invested heavily on agriculture the impact was minimised. Even chicken which hitherto used to be a food for the elite is now food for everyone in Delta as youths and other stakeholders in the state now engage in poultry farming.”, he said.

The chief press secretary stated

that Governor Okowa has awarded over 317 roads with most of them completed and commissioned.

He listed them to include the recently commissioned dualised Cable Point Road in Asaba, dualised Jesse Township Road, the Jesse Boboroku Road as well as the Abavo Circular Roads, Owerre-Olubor/ Ekwuoma Road. roads in riverine communities such as the Okerenkoko Road in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South-West, Sokebolou/ Obotobo Road in Ogulagha Kingdom, Burutu Township concrete road pavement and others, all within Burutu Local Government Area of the state, as well as, the recently commissioned Old Lagos Asaba Road Agbor and the Owa-Eke OwaAlero Road. The Amekpa/Afiesere/ Ofuoma road linking Ughelli North and Ethiope East, Old Ozoro Oleh Road linking Isoko North and Isoko South.

Aniagwu opined that the state government has constructed in collaboration with the UBEC Scheme over 3,700 classrooms across the state as well as opened more primary and secondary schools in areas of need.

“We have also ensured the accreditation of courses in all our higher institutions and revitalised technical education in the state with the rehabilitation and equipping of the 6 technical schools in the state.

He explained that Universal Health Coverage in the state has reached most deltans especially the vulnerable and poor just as the Delta State Contributory Health Insurance Scheme now has over 300,000 Deltans enrolled in the scheme Mr Aniagwu stated that government was carrying out market development in parts of the state to improve the socio-economic lives of the people. He listed the markets to include the Sapele Market, Orerokpe Modern Market, Owa Alero Market, Ozoro and Burutu markets and the second phase of Ogbeogonogo Market in Asaba etc.

The Governor’s spokesman also identified the prevailing peace in the state as another remarkable achievement of the Okowa led administration.

“The Governor’s peace initiatives have yielded the desired result and we are better for it. We can’t stop appreciating our ever vibrant youths, the traditional rulers for the very remarkable cooperation they have extended to our administration”. He added.

Earlier, Chairman of the group and Publisher of Ndokwa Reporters, Mr. Emmanuel Enebeli said the group set up the Frontline programme as a media interaction and participatory programme to highlight burning issues of concern to Deltans and Nigerians adding that the choice of Mr Aniagwu as the first guest was deliberate as a renowned Media Entrepreneur and Spokesman to the Governor of Delta State. He commended Aniagwu for his eloquent and didactic presentation at the session and called for more partnership between the government and the online media.

Meanwhile, Governor Okowa has called on those who are trying to foment crisis in the State using oil surveillance contract as a ploy to desist as such could cause economic challenges to the nation.

Governor Okowa made the call in Asaba when he addressed some aggrieved youths from host communities to OML 30 and some exagitators from phases one to three of the Federal Government amnesty programme.

According to the governor, “I want to advise that whosoever is plotting against the people, those who are benefiting and through the process of surveillance contracts are being empowered, should allow Delta state remain peaceful, because, in peace, we will be able to produce and export more crude oil and in that export the nation and the state gains,” “It is our hope that nobody especially as the oil prices are going down should take any action that will foil the quantity of oil that we are currently producing,” he stated while calling on the protesters to remain peaceful as his administration would take necessary actions to address their grievances.

The governor who came out from the state security council meeting to address the protesters continued, “I want to thank you and ap-

By Oliver Udeogu

T

he remains of late Engr Captain (Rtd) Samuel Sunday Chukwubunna Mbeledogu was committed to mother earth on Friday at his home town Ikenga Ogidi in the Idemmili North local government area of Anambra State.

The deceased was an Air Traffic Controller in the Nigerian Civil Aviation until the outbreak of the Nigerian civil war in 1966 after which he joined the Public Works Department of the Ministry of Works and Housing Enugu.

He was ordained Reverend at the Baptist Theology Seminary by the First Lithia Spring Baptist Church and is survived by Wife and Children.

In his funeral sermon, the Officiating Minister and Founder of The Rock Family Church Bishop Dr. Obi Onubogu described the late Octogenarian and elder Statesman Pa Mbeledogu as an upright Fellow and religious leader, who dedicated his life to the service of mankind.

The late Pa Mbeledogu died at a ripe age of Eighty years.

• (From right): Former President Goodluck Jonathan, his wife Dame Patience Jonathan with the Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Sir Kenneth Kobani, representing State Governor Nyesom Wike, at the site of the collapsed 7-storey building at Woji road in New GRA, Port Harcourt, when the ex-President toured the the debris, Monday

preciate you, our youths for the way you have put yourself together; secondly, I want to appreciate you for deciding to make the protest peaceful; that is the hallmark of Delta youths; we are knowledgeable and we know that what is right is what should be done.”

“This protest is happening on the day we are holding our security council meeting and the security agencies are here; the agencies have been working hard with the support of our people and our youths to keep the Trans Forcados line safe and we thank God that because of the safety of that pipeline the oil production of this nation has increased.”

He emphasized, “we have held series of meetings with stakeholders and we have long agreed to the fact that it is best to secure our pipelines when we are in charge by ourselves; you cannot come and watch over someone else’s backyard; the people who own the place know best how to protect their property and if since June 2017 that the Trans Forcados line has been open, it has been functional and our oil production and export has continued to increase and there has been no complain; I will find it very disturbing if a new contract is being awarded not to talk about awarding the said contract under a higher cost; that will definitely not be responsible and I believe that Mr. President will not accept this; I am very confident that he will not support such a cause and I do not believe that the Nigerian nation who realizes that as at today we still heavily depend on the proceeds from oil and if our oil production has improved to the level that we have some level of comfort as a nation and as a state, I do not think that an action that will lead to the disruption of our oil production and export is something that will be welcome.

“Our nation is doing well and anything that is being done that will cause the reversal of the progress that we are making in terms of oil production will be an economic sabotage and I believe that any action being taken now to re-award the surveillance job to a new company that will come to displace the locals will be an economic sabotage and I do not think that is what we will support as a state, so, we are asking you to please be patient since you have decided to follow the due process to protest peacefully; we thank and appreciate you for the information that you have passed to us; we will act as quickly as possible to ensure that there will be no disruption to the progress that we are making thus far.”

Mr Tennyson Oriunu had in an address on behalf of the aggrieved youths, stated: “on the 8th of this month, close to a thousand angry youths and ex-agitators from the 111 communities of Ijaw, Urhobo, Itsekiri and Isoko ethnic nationalities who are hosts to the OML 30 facilities, came to Asaba to peacefully complain about the directives of some companies to start another war in our communities and in Delta State by hijacking the surveillance contract of the Trans-Forcados Pipeline, in one of the most shady contract deals you may have heard about.”

The protesters called on Governor Okowa to intervene to avoid crisis in the state as a result of the re awarding of the surveillance contracts to people who are not familiar with the terrain.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

NEWS

Igbo culture won’t die – Ikonne

From BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia

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ice Chancellor of Abia State University, Uturu (ABSU), Prof. Uche Ikonne, has expressed optimism that Igbo culture would not die.

Ikonne expressed this view at the public presentation of the book “Five Hundred And Fifty Igbo Proverbs With Translations” authored

by Chief Simeon Ihemanma, the pioneer Sole Administrator of the defunct Nneochi local government area. The event held at Michael Okpara Auditorium, Umuahia, Abia State.

The ABSU VC, represented by the institution’s Dean, Faculty of Agriculture of ABSU, Prof. Christopher Emereole, Prof. Ikonne insisted that Igbo culture was not dying as widely held but undergoing transformation.

“Igbo culture is not dying, it is undergoing transformation and people are reinstituting the culture, so it will not die. This book is a bridge between the old and the present and between the present and the future.

“Anybody telling you that Igbo culture will die is a liar. Igbo is a very invaluable nation in the whole world and its culture has been documented from Things Fall Apart to the present day and all our culture has its roots and it is a living one,” Ikonne posited.”

He charged Igbo youths to be proud of their culture and language and speak it with all boldness as a living language.

Reviewing the 81-page book, at the Prof. Anthony Nwabughogu from Abia State University, Uturu (ABSU), described it as an important contribution to the study of Igbo language and culture through the medium of the proverb as it was “informative, precise, clear and adequately complements existing Igbo literature.

“Since the resurgence of interest in Igbo studies, following the attainment of independence by Nigeria in 1960, the concentration of scholars has been on writing books and articles on Igbo language and literature. Few works have been done on the Igbo proverb, said Nwabughiogu who identified the genre as a difficult aspect, and “a preserve of top class writers or those imbued with the talent.”

The author of the book said the book would be a great asset to teachers and students of Igbo language and culture from primary to tertiary institutions in Igbo land.

“There have been several calls from notable Igbo leaders, professionals, scholars and people of goodwill not to allow Igbo language to go into extinction,” Ihemanma said, and called on Southeast governments, particularly Abia State, not to allow Igbo language to go into extinction.

Alex Otti in church, says power belongs to God

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he All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate for Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, started his gubernatorial campaign Sunday, December 2, 2018, on a spiritual note, attending two church services in Umuahia, the Abia State capital.

Otti led a group of other APGA candidates for the National and State assemblies to worship at the Mater Dei Catholic Church and the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, Emmanuel Parish, both in Umuahia.

He told the congregations that he decided to begin his campaign in the church because he believes that power belongs to God and He gives it to whoever He wills. “The Bible says that all power belongs to God. The book of Psalms 62:11 says, ‘God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this, that power belongeth unto God’”, he quoted.

The gubernatorial hopeful said he

is not seeking power for himself, unlike “some people”, but so he can work for the people of Abia State. He said Abia State deserves better after close to 20 years of PDP hegemony which has not amounted to any kind of development or upliftment in the welfare and well-being of the citizens.

“I have not come here to talk politics. I know that this is church. I have only come here to worship and commit my campaign into God’s hand because I’m a child of God”, he told the congregation at the Presbyterian Church. He, however, asked the parishioners: “Will it be politics for me to say a worker is worthy of his wage, yet our civil servants are owed so many months in arrears? Will it be politics for me to say that it is inhuman for government not to pay workers’ their retirement benefits and pension after they have spent their lifetime working for the state?

Please tell me, will it be politics that I spent several hours on the road trying to navigate my way to this place because the roads were so bad and narrow”.

Otti, an economist and successful former bank chief executive, promised to build “a new Abia State” that the people would be proud of, if they vote for him in the March 2, 2019 governorship election. “I urge you to join hands with us and rescue our dearly beloved state; for our sake, for the sake of our children and for posterity”, he appealed.

The APGA governorship candidate in his speech greeted with ovation, promised to guarantee free and compulsory education for Abia citizens up to secondary school level; promote sports and culture as a vehicle to creating jobs and recreation for the youth; make the state safe and secure; establish the Abia Safety Net, a social welfare scheme designed

to cater for the aged, widows and the poor; establish and operate an accountable and transparent government that the people can trust; make payment of workers’ salaries a first item in the budget and generally transform Abia State.

“Our people, it is time we all rise up and say again, enough is enough”, he said. “We cannot continue to allow evil to thrive. Twenty years is enough time for a system to change.

For 20 years, PDP has ruled Abia State and for 20 years they have failed woefully. Enough is Enough”, he sounded off.

The Priests praised Dr. Otti for his decision to commit his election campaign into God’s hand and for seeking God’s face, favour and protection for himself and all those working for him. They prayed that God will grant his request.

Enugu Electricity Distribution Company decries damage to installations

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• Akwa Ibom State Governor Mr. Udom Emmanuel, His Deputy Mr. Moses Ekpo, Speaker, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. (Barr) Onofiok Luke, Hon. Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma among other dignitaries at the Funeral Service of Late Deaconess Elizabeth Tim Udom in Asuna, Etinan Local Government Area

Abia PDP chieftains end feud, reinstate chairman From BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia

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he crisis of confidence rocking the leadership of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State appears to have been a storm in a tea cup as it has been resolved amicably, according to the feuding parties.

Rising from a meeting of the executive committee late Monday, both the chairman and those who voted for his suspension declared that they have reached a truce.

Abia PDP chairman, Chief Johnson Onuigbo, was purportedly suspended last week by 19 aggrieved members of the party’s State Executive Committee who accused him of high-handedness, running the party like his private enterprise and refusing to call a meeting after the recent party primaries.

All three Zonal Vice Chairmen of the party including: Hon. Matthew Ibe (Abia North) ; Obinna Nwachukwu (Abia Central); and David Chigbu (Abia South) ; as well as the Organising Secretary, Moses Ogbonna; and Youth Leader, David Iro, were among the signatories that had earlier endorsed the suspension of Onuigbo.

Deputy Chairman of the party, Chief Princewill Onyegbu, was asked

to stand in for Onuigbo while he was suspended.

At the breakout of the news of the suspension, the governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, summoned an emergency meeting of the party executive in Government House last Friday and advised them to make peace and work in harmony, stressing that affairs of the Party are best treated internally within the PDP family.

Ikpeazu noted issues raised by both sides but urged all to put the collective interest of the Party first, especially now that the Party was preparing for elections.

The Governor reminded members of the State Executive Committee that PDP in Abia State has been the envy of other state chapters, in terms of internal peaceful coexistence and harmony, adding that every action has its suitable time and, therefore, cautioned that this electioneering period demands for unity, mutual understanding and cooperation.

At the end of the reconciliation meeting, Onuigbo, the Vice Chairman of the Party in Abia-North, Hon Mathew Ibe, an Ex-Officio member of the Party, Chief Chijioke Akanwa and the Publicity Secretary of the Party, Sir Don Ubani, thanked the Governor for his prompt interven-

tion and resolution of the matter and assured him that the Party will work harmoniously and dedicatedly to make sure the Governor and all candidates of the Party win their elections next year clearly and convincingly in the State.

Addressing a joint Press Briefing Monday after the closed door meeting, Onuigbo said the party has resolved “the little misunderstanding “but acknowledged that the enemy came to sow seed of discord.

He said he has been fully restored, adding that PDP was now better positioned to sweep the 2019 poll. “We are working in harmony,” he said.

Corroborating the party chairman’s account, one of the signatories to the communiqué sacking Onuigbo, Vice Chairman, Abia North, Matthew Ibe said the party has reconciled its differences.

“We are working together to ensure that all the positions that PDP is going to contest in the 2019 general elections, that we are going to win all of them. So, we hereby retract that communique suspending our chairman,” Ibe said.

He said Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu waded into the crisis and asked them to reconcile, adding that the party is now more united and formidable.

pokesman for Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), Emeka Ezeh, has decried increased damage to electrical installations in the South-East due to a reckless driving of some road users.

Ezeh said that the company received reports of these accidents involving commercial buses, private cars, trailers, tankers and tippers from its service centers on a daily basis.

According to him, the situation not only affects the revenue of the EECD, but also impacts on the quality of service delivery to electricity customers.

“This situation affects EEDC property such as transformers, feeder pillars, line accessories, high tension and low tension lines.

“The situation always subjects the organisation to so much pressure, as it struggles to replace the damaged equipment and restore supply to its customers in the affected areas,’’ EEDC spokesman said in a statement.

According to him, causes of these accidents are most times attributed to speeding, driving under the influence of substances and hazy weather.

“Other causes include overloading of trailers and trucks high above their capacities, to the extent that they cause obstruction and in some cases bridge the lines or even pull them down alongside the poles.

“Apart from the destruction of our installations, some of these accidents lead to loss of lives and property, mostly through electrocution and fire outbreaks,’’ he said.

Ezeh appealed to drivers to be more cautious, practice safe driving and avoid speeding while on the road.

“This will reduce the downtime attributed to these accidents and go a long way in saving lives and property.

“This will also enable EEDC channel its resources to other projects that will improve service delivery to its customers, rather than repairs, due to accidents,’’ he said.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

NEWS Delta gets new Commissioner of Police

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he police command in Delta on Monday received Mr Anthony Ogbizi as its new Commissioner of Police (CP), the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

The spokesperson of the command, DSP Andrew Aniamaka, in statement Monday said Ogbizi had already resumed duty in Asaba.

He disclosed that Ogbizi who had served at various capacities before his redeployment to Delta was the Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi Command.

“The new police boss is taking over from CP Muhammad Mustafa who has been redeployed to Ebonyi State for his primary assignment.

“An alumnus of the University of Calabar, CP Anthony Ogbizi hails from Obudu Local Government Area of Cross River State,” Aniamaka said.

According to him, the new CP enlisted into the Force in 1986 as Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and held various posts before his latest appointment.

“CP Ogbizi was also Deputy Commissioner of Police Administration, Force Headquarters Abuja and Commissioner of Police, former Special Fraud Unit, Abuja.

“He was also the CP Community Policing, Force Headquarters Abuja, CP Special Squad Unit Abuja, CP Railway Command, CP Abia State Command,” Aniamaka said.

NAN quotes Aniamaka as saying that Ogbizi, upon his resumption of duty had promised to build on the existing security mechanism in Delta.

Ogbizi appealed to members of the public to always cooperate with the police and other security agencies at all times.

In his farewell remark, the outgoing CP commended the rank and file of the command for their cooperation.

He specifically thanked the Delta Government and the people of the state for their cooperation with the police authorities.

Mustafa urged the government and the people to extend the same cooperation to his successor to enable him discharge his duties effectively.

Ex-President Jonathan mourns Faseun

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ormer President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has commiserated with the family of late Dr. Frederick Faseun, the Ondo State Government and the entire people of the South West over the death of the founder of Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Dr. Fredrick Faseun.

In a condolence message the former President described late Faseun as a nationalist and a hero of democracy.

He further described Faseun as “an exceptional leader and cultural enthusiast who had contributed so much to the growth and development of the country.”

He said: “As a committed patriot, his position on a robust cultural identity did not diminish his love for his nation. Dr. Faseun’s name will always be connected with the nation’s journey to democratic rule, especially in the light of his heroic fight against military dictatorship and the effort to consolidate civilian rule in our dear nation.”

Ohaneze youth wing factions call truce

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he warring factions of Ohaneze Ndigbo youth wing on Monday reconciled and promised to work with youths from other parts of the country for the unity of Nigeria.

The youth wing of the apex Igbo social-cultural organisation had been torn by factions, following a leadership tussle that lasted for eight months.

The crisis followed a rancorous election wherein two members, Mr Arthur Uchenna and Mr Tony Ezekwelu, separately laid claims to its leadership.

However, peace was restored following an intervention by some stakeholders led by a former Nation-

al Youth Leader, Mr Chika Nzelu.

Nzelu, who briefed newsmen on Monday in Enugu after a joint meeting of the contending factions, said that the two groups had agreed to work together under the leadership of Uchenna.

He said it was time for youths in the region to work as one, noting that they had long been divided by external interests.

The former youth chairman appealed to the parent body to swear in Uchenna, who was hitherto declared the winner of the election eight months ago.

“Tony Ezekwelu has surrendered for the interest of the youths in the

region and we want to appeal to our parent body to swear in Arthur Uchenna,” Nzelu said.

Also speaking, Ezekwelu explained that he decided to withdraw the petitions challenging the emergence of Uchenna in the interest of peace.

The former deputy chief whip of Anambra House of Assembly said that they had fought for too long and needed to work together as one family.

“We held an election but I was not satisfied with the outcome. This struggle has polarised Igbo youths and people have taken advantage of same.

“We do not want the future of Igbo

youths to continue to be in jeopardy and that is why I have decided to unconditionally withdraw my petition.

“I pledge my loyalty to Uchenna and appeal to our parent body to recognize him as duly elected,” he said.

Ezekwelu said that he was willing to work with the leadership of the youth wing to redeem the image of Igbo youth.

C’River communal clash claims three lives From ANIEKAN ANIEKAN, Calabar

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• Delta State State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa in a handshake with National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomole in the attendance at funeral service of renowned politician, Chief Tony Anenih, in Uromi, Edo State, Sunday

2019: Cross River farmers endorse Ayade

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armers in Cross River State have bestowed the State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade with an award as Best Performing Governor in Agriculture.

The farmers, under the aegis of Cross River Farmers’ Cooperatives Empowerment also threw their weight behind the Governor’s second term bid. The award and support they said was in appreciation of the Governor’s revolutionary strides in agriculture.

Speaking at a solidarity rally for Ayade, State Coordinator of the group, Sir Oliver Ntui hailed the Governor’s diversification into agricul-

ture.

He commended him for sending hundreds of farmers to Abuja to be trained by Isreali agricultural experts: “You have demostrated that agriculture is the engine room of growth in developing economies through your various farmers’ empowerment initiatives, agricultural development policies and programmes”, Ntui told the Governor.

He added further:” You have graciously approved the training of 1000 Rice Farmers in modern and cutting edge technologies in rice farming by a reputable agricultural research and technology transfer in-

stitute in Abuja...we pledge our total support for your re-election” Responding, Ayade said the era of manual tilling of the soil in the state was gone for good as he was committed to mechanising agriculture.

The Governor used the occasion to flag off the distribution of iPad to farmers in the State.

He told the farmers that the Ipads would go a long way in helping them embrace modern farming techniques.

He announced the State Government’s decision to buy off all bags of rice and cocoa produced by Cross River farmers.

NULGE faults Governors’ Forum on councils’ autonomy

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igeria Local Government Employees (NULGE) has faulted the Nigeria Governors’ Forum over non-realisation of local government autonomy in the country.

Comr. Ibrahim Khaleel, National President, NULGE made the accusation at the opening ceremony of the 40th anniversary of the union on Monday in Abuja.

He said in the last two years, the union had embarked on a coordinated nationwide campaign to achieve the aspiration of majority of Nigerians working within the 774 local government councils.

He said the main agitation of his members was to achieve financial and administrative autonomy for the

third tier of government.

He said: “This campaign was so popular and we were about accomplishing its goal when a powerful cabal symbolised by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum halted it.

“The forum halted the voting in the state houses of assembly after nine of twelve state houses had voted in favour of the two autonomy bills transmitted to the National Assembly.’’

He said that NULGE had weathered all storms of disunity and organisational stress and remained as one united family.

Khaleel said that the union in the last 40 years had engaged in sustained struggle to improve the living

and working conditions of its members.

He said that the workers at the grassroots level remained the most disadvantaged and vulnerable segment of the country.

“Our members bear the full brunt of the gross underdevelopment of our nation, marked by inadequate access to portable water, decent housing, quality education, healthcare, good roads among others,” he said.

He added that ongoing efforts at the federal level to address issues of underdevelopment at the grassroots were being consistently subverted by some state governments.

bout three lives have allegedly been lost and properties worth millions of naira destroyed as four communities in Biase Local Government Area took up arms against each other.

Abanwan, Orugbam, Afona and Ibini communities all in Biase have been up against each other and this has caused palpable fear in the communities as residents scampered for safety.

Oracle Today understands that the fight between Abanwan and Orugbam communities claimed three lives as the people of Abanwan reportedly launched an attack on Orugbam.

Similarly, Afona also attacked Ibini and some people were seriously injured, while many people in Ibini have relocated from their village for fear of further attack.

Speaking on today’s skirmish, a Lawyer from one of the warring communities who spoke on condition of anonymity attributes the cause of the crisis to land scrabble by the affected communities.

“The decision by Orugbam people to annex some land in other Erei communities”, he said.

“Orugbam people shot their way into Ipene community and destroyed houses. But when the Police arrested five of the ringleaders and put them in a cell to calm the situation, the Deputy Governor ordered for their release.

“Just last week, Orugbam people went to Ipene and burnt their rice farms because they felt that government was on their side. This attitude of Orugbam against all their neighbours, including Ebor, infuriated Abanwan people who, after exhausting all peaceful method known to Erei land, decided to attack Orugbam”, he disclosed.

On Ibini and Afono crisis, he said the crisis between Orugbam and neighbouring communities “created a problem of loyalty on who to support.

“While Ibini supports Abanwan, Afono is supporting Orugbam and when there is a problem between Abanwan and Orugbam, Ibini will take side with the former while Afono takes side with the latter.”

On casualties, he said three people were gunned down in Orugbam while one Ibini person was seriously injured.

However, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Irene Ugbo while confirming that crisis erupted in the four communities on Monday, said nobody died “but there are serious injuries.”

“Yes, there is a problem in those areas you have mentioned but what I can tell you now is that many people have been seriously injured but nobody has died. Our people are on the ground to contain the situation but so far, nobody has died.”

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

NEWS

AfDB to finance Nigeria’s rural electrification project with $200m

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oard of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has approved a US$150 million sovereign loan to the Federal Government of Nigeria to finance the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP). The financing will support rural electrification efforts in Nigeria by facilitating private sector development and rollout of off-grid solutions, as well as the installation of dedicated power systems for Federal Universities.

The Africa Growing Together Fund (AGTF), a US$2 billion facility sponsored by the People’s Bank of China and administered by the African Development Bank, has also approved a US$ 50 Million Loan to the Federal Government of Nigeria to co-finance the project.

The joint financing from the Bank and AGTF will support the Federal Government of Nigeria’s efforts to address critical energy access deficit in the country, and catalyze achievement of universal energy access by 2030 targets. The NEP, which will be implemented by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), presents an innovative approach to address the energy access deficit by channeling private sector investments into commercially viable mini grid and off-grid solutions.

The Bank’s Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate Change and Green Growth, Amadou Hott, welcomed the Board’s approval of NEP, underscoring the importance of projects that leverage private sector investment into energy access solutions. “Given the limited amount of public financing available, projects that catalyze private sector investment are critical in enabling the Bank and its Regional Member Countries meet their shared objective of electrifying the continent within the next decade.”

The NEP is aligned with the African Development Bank’s New Deal on Energy for Africa, the High 5 priorities, as well as with the Bank’s Climate Change Action Plan. The project is further aligned with the Federal Government of Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Strategy and Implementation Plan (RESIP), and the Power Sector Recovery Pro-

gramme whose objective is to increase private investments into the energy sector.

One of the key objectives of NEP is to de-risk and scale up private sector investment in the off-grid sector. The African Development Bank, operating both within the framework of NEP and in the context of its other initiatives in the country’s energy sector, will work with public and private sector stakeholders to encourage the development of an ecosystem that is conducive to facilitating the rapid, effective and commercially viable electrification of Nigeria’s off-grid communities.

Also at the Board, the Bank’s Nigeria Country office Director, Ebrima Faal, celebrated the approval in light of recent reforms undertaken by the Federal Government of Nigeria to facilitate private sector development of the off-grid sector: “Nigeria has already implemented one of the most comprehensive regulatory frameworks for off-grid development in Africa and has attracted preliminary interest from both large international companies and local firms. NEP will provide the spark that is needed to convert private sector interest into action.

NEP will also create jobs, and impact the Federal Government of Nigeria’s broader education sector goals by increasing access to affordable electricity at Federal Universities through hybrid power plants that reduce heavy reliance on diesel generators.

Speaking after the Board approval, the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency, Damilola Ogunbiyi, noted: “We are extremely pleased with the African Development Bank’s decision to support NEP. By supporting the electrification of unconnected and underserved communities, NEP will contribute materially to their economic development. Access to reliable, affordable and clean electricity will result in savings for households and businesses, which can be deployed to other uses. NEP will also train and employ thousands of Nigerians with particular focus on women and young people.”

550 organisations to storm Nsukka Trade Fair -- NCCIMA

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he Nsukka Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NCCIMA) in Enugu State, says over 550 organisations including traders will participate in the trade fair holding from Dec. 6 at Nsukka.

Mr Dan Ochi, the Director General, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Nsukka, on Monday.

He said that many manufacturers, companies and farmers, would be at the trade fair as made in Nigeria goods would be sold at cheaper prices.

Ochi said that the 11-day trade fair would hold between Dec. 6 and Dec. 17 at the Government Field, Nsukka, the venue of the fair.

“This year’s trader fair will be special as over 400 organisations comprising manufacturers and companies, as well as 150 traders have indicated interest to participate in the trade fair.

“The Nsukka 2018 trade fair will start on December 6 but will be officially declared open on Dec. 12 by the state governor, Mr Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

“It is an opportunity for Nsukka

people and Enugu State residents in general, to come and do their Christmas shopping at cheaper prices,” he said.

The DG said eight local governments out of 17 councils in the state had indicated interest to participate.

“Enugu State Farmers Association and Honey Breeders Association will be present at the fair.

“Participants will make bumper sales, as many people will like to come to the fair since there will be no gate fees.

“I urge the general public to use this opportunity to shop for their families and for the yuletide,” he said.

Ochi assured participants and customers of adequate security during the fair, as the police, civil defense and other security agencies would be present at the “There will be security patrol teams around the venue throughout the duration of the fair.

“We have made adequate security arrangement that will ensure peaceful and hitch-free 2018 Nsukka trade fair,” he said.

• Cross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade (l) being endorsed by farmers in Cross River State under the aegis of Cross River Farmers’ Cooperatives Empowerment at a solidarity rally hosted by State Coordinator of the group, Sir Oliver Ntui, in Calabar, Monday

C/River APC delays take-off of campaign to honour late Chairman

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ll Progressives Congress Governorship Campaign Organisation in Cross River says it will delay the kick-off of its campaign activities in honour its late state chairman, Dr Mathew Achigbe.

This was contained in a statement signed by Mr Maurice Effiwat, the Director General of the Campaign Organization on Monday in Calabar.

Effiwat said that the funeral obsequies for late Achigbe who died on Nov. 17, would hold from Dec. 3 to Dec. 7. `’In honour of the late state chairman of our party, Dr Achigbe, whose painful exit remains a shock

to us, our campaigns will rather kick off in full swing after his interment.

“Late Achigbe died in a ghastly motor accident last month along Afikpo road in Ebonyi state on his return trip from a journey outside the state.

“The Governorship Campaign Organization of the APC in Cross River, under the flagship of Sen. John Owan-Enoh with his running mate, Mr Ekpo Okon, had since been fired-up to lead a campaign of truth and unity.

“The campaign will be issuesbased to rally all our tribes, tongues and communities in the state, to unite for the purpose of rescuing,

repositioning and moving our beloved state to the next level.

“This will be our focus in the days and weeks ahead,” he said.

He maintained that the APC Governorship Campaign Organization was determined to win the state in 2019.

“More so, we will make everyone understand why Cross River should overwhelmingly vote for President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC candidates.

“The numerous political appointments and projects that the state had benefited from the President Buhari-led Federal Government is commendable,’’ he said.

Yuletide: Police assure new FRSC boss of robust partnership in Enugu

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ommissioner of Police in Enugu State, Mr Mohammed Danmallam, has assured the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) of robust partnership to ensure a secured state.

Danmallam gave the assurance on Friday while receiving Mr Ogbonnaya Kalu, the newly posted Sector Commander of the FRSC in the state who was on a courtesy visit to his office at the Police Head-

quarters in Enugu.

According to him, the relationship between FRSC and the police “ is like two sides of a coin which cannot do without each other.’’

“This command is assuring you and your principal officers of our readiness to support FRSC activities and duties when the need arises to enable the FRSC to achieve its set goals and mandate,’’ he said.

Earlier, Kalu had commended the existing partnership between the police and the FRSC. The FRSC boss further solicited for stronger synergy between the police and his organisation before, during and after the Yuletide.

“Sir, I will appeal to you to assist us and answer our call when we need your help during our Yuletide special operations,’’ he said.

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly known as ONUH ANGELA CHINENYENWA now wish to be known as CHIDUBEM ANGELA CHINENYENWA. All former documents remain valid.

Please Banks and General Public take note.

I, formerly know and addressed as OKORONKWO CHIDI JOHNBOSCO, now wish to be known and addressed as OKORONKWO CHUKWUDIKE JOHNBOSCO. All documents bearing my former names remain valid. This publication is for public information.

I formally known as ONYEKWELU ONYEKACHI now wish to be known as ONYEKWELU ONYEKACHI ELIZABETH. all former documents remain valid. Banks and general public take note.

I formerly known as INNOCENT UGBE ONYEKWELU now wish to be known as INNOCENT SILAS ONYEKWELUUGBE. former documents remain valid. Banks and General public take note

I formerly known as ADILI HENRY JIDEOFOR now wish to be known as PRINCE JIDEOFOR ADILI. Former documents remain valid.

Banks and General public take note

I formerly known as OKOYE CHISOM PEACE now wish to be known as MRS CHUKWU CHISOM PEACE. Former documents remain valid. Banks and General public take note

This is to confirm that ELUI JOSEPHINE CHINWE and ELUI JOSEPHINE CHINWENDU refer to one and same person. Now wish to be known and addressed ELUI JOSEPHINE CHINWENDU. All former documents remain valid. Banks and general public take note.

THIS SPACE IS FOR SALE

THIS SPACE IS FOR SALE

44

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 12, 2018

NEWS

Group flays ‘campaign of calumny’ against Cont’d from page 2

welfare of average Nigerians, especially the children that are with us today. What is important for them is to give them the opportunities to serve in order to thrive in today’s world.”

Writing in an opinion article for The Oracle Today, a US-baded Nigerian and former reporter in Lagos, Azuka Jebose said: “These times in Nigeria, political conversations have been anchored on mundane trivialities: the death and cloning of a 76-year-old Muhammad Buhari and the American visa crap with Abubakar Atiku. Why have we become so subservient to America’s ways of existence that we think they should be guidelines for our future as an independent nation? We are so consumed by

everything American. We have become volunteered slaves to America’s lifestyles, a freed colony unabashedly flirting to be colonised and dehumanised by the United States of America in this 21st Century. My people, what is wrong with us?

“These conversations have exposed us as lesser humans, primitive, a people without pride and dignity. Wittingly or unwittingly, we have made ourselves fools still living in the dark ages, sheltered underneath caves in the overgrown forests of Nigeria’s democratic institutions. Otherwise, why would American visa and who America allows into her territory become a national conversation in this campaign period? Our politicians, their supporters, mainstream and social media think that being granted

a visa coming to America is more important than our own very existence, our liberty, our birthright and our nation...?

“Sadly, the nation’s mainstream media and popular blogs give this childish and inconsequential stories life, prominence and credence. Dear Nigerians, where are our values as a free people? What happened to our pride and that ‘Naija swagger?’

Are we inferior humans?”

For his part, a PDP stalwart in Delta State, Hon Murphy Oleju enjoined Nigerians, especially politicians, to avoid rumour mongering and character- assassination as the electioneering campaigns intensify.

According to him, character-assassination is capable of destroying the nation’s nascent political system, adding that Nigerians

should practise politics devoid of rancour and bitterness.

Oleju who is the Delta State Youth leader, Atiku Abubakar Campaign Stream, gave the advice when he spoke to newsmen in Warri.

“We should not use our hands to destroy the nascent political system built over the years by our heroes past,” he warned.

The PDP chieftain further advised politicians against the use of offensive language capable of causing crisis and upheavals during and after the elections.

“Other black nations of the world look up to Nigeria as a leading democratic country among the comity of nations.

It is high time we disregard and abhor words, capable of making the beauty of democracy a child’s play,” he stressed.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu (m) flanked by other officials of the MInistry during the 3rd National Council Meeting on Hydrocarbons organised by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources in Calabar

... Araraume not APGA guber candidate Cont’d from page 2

Araraume had kicked off his campaigns on Sunday, there is palpable fear in his camp as he laments how he was ripped off by the national leadership of the party only to sell out on him.

It would be recalled that crisis erupted in the party APGA after it was alleged that Senator Araraume emerged the governorship candidate of the party in the state amidst what party members, leaders, 15 governorship aspirants, state and national assembly aspirants described as a charade, a kangaroo and a Ponzi scheme.

The said emergence of Araraume had split the party in the state, leading to the emergence of a faction of the party called the New APGA (N-APGA) with the Barr Ike Ibe as the national chairman.

Also, former Governor Ikedi Ohakim and 12 other governorship aspirants had dragged the party, Araraume and INEC to court, praying the court for a declaration that there was no governorship primary election, and that as a result the party does not have a governorship candidate.

About 12 of the aggrieved gov-

ernorship aspirants and several legislative seat aspirants who felt short-changed by the developments in the party have since joined other parties where they are now running for election.

Mr. Okey Ezeh who was one of the frontrunners for APGA governorship ticket has joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP) where he has emerged as its governorship candidate.

Also, Barr Humphery Anumudu who was running for APGA governorship ticket has joined the Zenith Labour Party and became its governorship candidate while Dr. Ikedi Ohakim has since joined the Accord party where he is now running for governorship, amongst others.

In a press release late October this year, Ohakim described APGA as a Ponzi scheme, saying: “The travesty that happened in APGA must not be tolerated because it is anathema to Igbo culture and idealism. This is why Igbo people feel ashamed that despite the Ponzi scheme APGA has become under Oye and Governor Obiano, the leadership of the party now wants to hide under any shade or hold on to any available straw just to stay afloat. Sadly, the party has drowned beyond rescuing.”

Ohakim said that “APGA died

the day the leadership carried out a coup against it on October 7 when without holding the governorship primary election they announced a winner. Though this matter is currently in court, Nigerians are assured that we are well armed with evidences to prove beyond reasonable doubt that there was no primary election.

We will go the whole length to see the end of this desecration of Igbo land by the same party Igbo people held as theirs, because the travesty that happened in APGA has exposed Igbo people to the fact that there are still cankerworms among us. This charade has also shown that all along, what APGA leadership was doing was a Ponzi scheme, a scam of the highest order to defraud fellow Igbo men and women of their hard-earned money.”

There are known procedures Meanwhile, in a telephone chat with The Oracle Today, embattled Senator Ifeanyi Araraume assured that he remained the governorship candidate of APGA in Imo State.

He spoke through his media aide, Mr. Agunwa Nzeribe, who told our Correspondent in Owerri: “Araraume remains the guber candidate of APGA in Imo State.

The document is not from the

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the police did not give such information.

The National Chairman of the party, Chief Victor Oye, duly submitted the name of Senator Ifeanyi Ararume to INEC and as we speak, Araraume has not declined from being the candidate of APGA and there is no court order stopping his candidature.”

He noted that there are processes for the emergence of a governorship candidate of any political party, noting that they include that the person must have been involved in the processes for the selection of the candidate, a committee set up by the national body of the party must have conducted election and submitted the name of the candidate to INEC. He assured that Araraume fulfilled all the requirements.

He also noted that another way a candidate could stop being candidate is by substitution, which he said could happen if the candidate dies before the date of the election, if he willingly withdraws or if there is a valid court order mandating the removal of the candidate. He stressed that up till now, Araraume has not withdrawn his candidature and there is no court order stopping him from running for the election.

60,000 farmers to benefit from $200m in 6 years under World Bank’s project ixty thousand farmers will Sdollars benefit from 200 million US in six years under the

World Bank-assisted projects in Nigeria called the Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support (APPEALS).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this was announced on Monday at the second Implementation Support Mission of the bank, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, held in Lagos.

Dr Amin Babandi, the National Project Coordinator, APPEALS, said that 10,000 smallholder farmers would be drawn from Cross River, Enugu, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi and Lagos States.

Represented by Dr Salisu Garba, National Operations Officer, APPEALS, Babandi said that the project would address five components.

“The project started in May. The implementation support mission is to address before hand, the bottlenecks that could be encountered in the course of the project.

“We are sensitising project officers on what they need to do.

This is the first stage of bringing all of them in one place to start by knowing what the project is about. The six-year project is in five components which include: production and Productivity Enhancement; Primary Processing Value Addition, Post-Harvest Management and Women and Youth Empowerment.

“Infrastructure Support to Agribusiness Clusters; Technical Assistance, Knowledge and Communication and Project Management and Coordination,’’ Babandi said.

According to him, the second component will gulp 92 million dollars from which the women and youths empowerment will also take 72 million dollars.

He also said that there was the possibility of increasing the said amount because there were plans to add three other states in the course of the project.

Dr Shehu Salau, the Task Team Leader of APPEALS, said that the project was initiated to increase productivity and improve value addition across the agricultural value chains.

Salau said that Nigerian farmers produced enough but not much was done in the area of value addition hence, the need to change the narrative.

“APPEALS is an attempt by the Federal Government to change the narrative around the productivity of our small holder farmers, to increase their productivity and to improve the level of value addition.

“Our performance in some value chain addition like cassava is poor. Nigeria is the highest producer of cassava globally but when you look at value added product exported from cassava, it is less than one per cent.

“While Thailand that produces 72,000 metric tons exports about 75 per cent or more of their value added cassava product. So, the objective of this project is to change that narrative and help to improve value addition for small and medium scale farmers.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday, December 12, 2018

SPORTS •Gianni Infantino

Mikel launches Football Foundation •Solicits Tinubu’s supports

Ndidi wins EPL best Super Eagles passer

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UPER Eagles midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi, has continued from where he left off last season in the English Premier League EPL. The Nigerian and Leicester City defensive midfielder has been ranked 20th best passer in the EPL according to the statistics page of the English Premier League which makes him the best Nigeria EPL passer as no other Nigerian is ranked better than him..

Ndidi has featured in all 13 EPL games for Leicester City this season and has made 715 successful passes so far this season. Arsenal forward, Alex Iwobi, who has scored once this season has made 258 successful passes so far in 11 EPL games to finish as the 206th best passer. Kelechi Iheanacho is ranked 256th having made 186 passes in 11 games playing for Leicester City.

Watford’s Isaac Success ranked 265th in the raking with 174 passes in 13 games this season.

Chelsea’s Victor Moses who has made only two appearances this season in the EPL made 13 passes to rank 394th.

Rohr denies having any issue with Onazi

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• President Muhammadu Buhari Stories by MADUABUCHUI KALU

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UPER Eagles’ and Tianjin TEDA of China Captain, John Obi Mikel, as a part of his vacation at the end of Chinese Super League, last week launched John Obi Mikel Foundation.

As a part of the launching ceremony, the Anambra State-born Super Eagles star, took time out to pay a visit to All Progressives Progress (APC) national leader, Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu at his residence Bourdillon in Ikoyi Lagos to solicit his support.

Mikel was led to Tinubu’s home by the first Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) who also double as the Lagos State FA Chairman, Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi.

According to Mike, the foundation is all about providing opportunity for young talented football players to realise their dream of being football players.

Mikel disclosed during the historic meeting to the strongman of Lagos politics that his foundation is talent hunt aimed at discovering ‘Africa’s Next Football Superstars’ by creating the enabling environment and opportunity to enable such players realise their dream of becoming football players at the global stage.

The former Chelsea midfielder, who achieved a lot while at the West London Club (Chelsea) won two EPL titles, three FA Cups, one Football League Cup as well as the UEFA Champions League and Europa League in his 11 years illustrious football career at the Stamford Bridge; was perhaps baffled when Senator Tinubu showed his deep knowledge of the round leather game.

While receiving Mikel and his entourage, Senator Tinubu expressed happiness to receive Mikel saying that he is a great fan of the round leather game even as he confessed that he is an unapologetic fan of Manchester United.

Tinubu described Mikel as a great talent saying despite the fact that he is not a fan of the Blues, he tried as much as possible to watch Chelsea games when Mikel was still at the Stamford

Bridge.

“I’m very proud and honoured to receive you (Mikel). I’m a great fan of football even though not much of a fan of your former club (Chelsea). I sincerely tried to watch Chelsea all the time you were there because you are a great talent,” Tinubu declared while receiving Mikel and his team.

“Chelsea is not my club but he (Mikel) is my club and we will support his project. I’m a Man United fan to the core,” the APC chieftain declared..

“Last weekend, I watched the Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea game with one eye because I’m always envious of Chelsea. II always wish we (Manchester United) beat them. I sym-

pathise with him (Mikel), his former club had to take a hit from Tottenham.

“When Mikel was there however, I watched Chelsea each time he was on the pitch with both eyes because he’s a great talent. It’s been a wonderful homecoming for him and we will do everything to support him.”

It is true that the former Lagos State governor may not be a Chelsea supporter or fan, he admitted his love for the Super Eagles’ captain which forced him to visit Stamford Bridge to watch the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner in action for the Blues.

“I’ve been to Chelsea to watch their games because of him (Mikel). I always want him to win, he’s a great mid-

fielder. He’s helped the club a lot, he’s brought the name of the club up, he has the team spirit which made Chelsea proud.”

When he was questioned about the dwindling fortunes of Manchester United, Senator Tinubu said: “Are we discussing only football today? Right now I’m going to play my own game, politics. Whatever is happening to Man United, no one club can stay up forever. They’ve set a great record already and we would be back on top. I think we are around number seven in the English Premier League table now. It’s too early in the season to write us off, we will never say die,” Tinubu emphatically declared.

Oshoala, exceptional player – Oduah

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ORMER member of the Nigeria Football Association and the only non-indigene to have served on the board of the Lagos State Football Association, Prince Isidoreh Oguejiofor Oduah, has poured praises on Super Falcon’s striker, Asisat Oshoala.

According the Ochuche Prince from Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, Oshoala is an exceptional player who gives her teammates confidence while on duty saying her contributions during Falcons semifinal game against their opponents, the Indomitable lioness of Cameroon who came to the party against the Nigerian women with revenge in mind.

He disclosed that the super Falcon’s semifinal encounter against the Indomitable Lioness of Cameroon afforded him a rare opportunity to watch Oshoala and came to the conclusion that despite being a sleek striker, she one player that made the Cameroonians cause to worry in the encounter.

“I would like to start by saying that I am highly delighted to have had the opportunity of watching Asisat Oshola closely in the semifinal encounter against Cameroon. I never knew that

Oshoala is that good,” Prince Oduah began.

“It is true that the Cameroonians out played us in every department of the game but I was impressed by the singular performance of Oshoala.

“Oshoala is a sleek striker and they Cameroonians know that hence they are always with her but even at that they were unable to pin her down because she knows how to meander her way out of trouble. She is one player who gives her teammates confidence when on duty. She is a team payer which makes her a complete player.

“I know that the Cameroonians out played us in that game but our women used experience to avoid defeat which is good. But in terms of play were no match to the Cameroonians.

“I am happy that at the end of the encounter the Super Falcons emerged victorious via penalty shootout. It was at the penalty shootout that our women out played the Cameroonians and that was made position via experience.

“I would also commend our goalkeeper. She was marvelous in the game and was able to save two kicks.

She is a very good goalkeeper and I

ERNOT Rohr, Super Eagles’ gaffer, has denied reports of a rift between himself and Trabzonspor of Turkey midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi.

Onazi withdrew from Nigeria’s squad for their back-to-back 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Libya in October with injury.

However, the 25-year-old then featured in Trabzonspor’s next Super Lig match once the international break was over, prompting critics to question the extent of his injury.

Onazi was then omitted from Nigeria’s squad for the AFCON qualifier against South Africa and a friendly with Uganda earlier this month.

His absence was a major surprise, with the Super Eagles shorn of both John Obi Mikel and the suspended Leicester City midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi.

impart of the Swede.

“Anything outside asking him to go when his contract expires will connote that there are some entrenched interest and not just to add value to the team.

“As far as I am concerned, we have a lot of coaches in the country that are sound than Dennerby. There have been some coaches who have been handling the team before his coming and these coaches have been able to win the trophy for us for eight times.

So, what is Dennerby bring to the Falcons? Oduah querried.

hope she continues like that,” Oduah enthused.

Speaking further, the founder of Red Carpet Adverting expressed dismay with the Super Falcons’ handler, Thomas Dennerby saying he does not deserve to be called the Super Eagles coach there is nothing to show that he is imparting anything to the women.

He, therefore, charged the NFF not to renew the Swedish contract when it expires because he has shown that he does not have the technical knowhow to handle the Nigerian women.

“Please, I would like to use this opportunity to call on the NFF to ensure that the Super Falcons’ coach, Thomas Dennerby contract is not renewed.

“I am saying this because having taken y time to watch the Super Falcons during Africa women Cup of Nations in Ghana I discovered that it was a very big mistake to have hired Dennerby as the Falcons coach.

“The semifinal match against the Indomitable Lioness of Cameroon exposed him as he had no answer to the rampaging Lioness. As a matter of fact, the Super Falcons got to the final because of determination and experience and not because of any technical •Super Falcon’s striker, Asisat Oshoala.

46

The Oracle Today Wednesday, December 12, 2018

SPORTS

Etoroma lauds Super Falcons on victory over S/A •Demands improvement on global stage

Okano, Viljugrein win Reggae Marathon crowns

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Stories by MADUABUCHI KALU

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MEMBER of the immediate past Delta State Sports Commission, Hon. Ejiro Etoroma, has commended the Super Falcons, who on Saturday made history in Ghana as they defeated the hard fighting Bayana Bayana of South Africa to win this year’s Africa Women Cup of Nations in Ghana.

The Nigerian women who took their pound of flesh from their South African counterparts on Saturday had at the group stage suffered a surprise 1-0 defeat from their more mobile South African women; however, Saturday presented a great opportunity for the Nigerian Women to avenge the defeat they suffered in group stage in the hands of the South Africans and they took it with both hands.

According to the experienced sports administrator, who spoke to The Oracle Today Sports moments after the 120 minutes encounter that saw both sides unable to find the back of the net, the Super Falcon have once again etched their names in the history books by conquering Africa for the record 9th time.

Hon. Etoroma, therefore, charged the Nigerian women to up their game on the global stage saying their football prowess should not be confined on the continent rather they should go into the global stage and show they are a force to reckon with. Etoroma, however, expressed optimism that the Super Falcons are going to show the stuff they are made off since they have a foreign coach who is versed with women football.

“We have won the Africa Women Cup of Nations again. We have won it for a record nine times. This is great and I am delighted,” Hon. Etoroma began.

“It was a grueling encounter. The South African ladies are no pushovers. They were better on the ball than our women and I believe it is because they seem to be younger than our women and that calls for younger players to be injected into the Super Falcons.

“Bayana Bayana were determined to cart away the trophy but trust our

women, they refused to yield to their pressure. The South African showed determination and hard work but the zeal to repay them in their own coin fired the Falcons on to resist everything that they threw at them and at the end of the day we emerged victorious.

“Now that the Super falcons have been able to win the continental highest football showpiece for a record nine times, it is time they show the stuff they are made on the global stage and the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) that will be taking place in France next year presents a great opportunity for them to register their maturity in the round leather game at the global stage.

“Of course they have done extremely well on the continent having dominated the continental football for a long time. They should up their game at the global stage; so that they will not be tagged “continental champions’ and global under-achievers,” Etoroma said.

“Having said that, I am optimistic that henceforth; they are going to

prove their worth at the global stage since their wish to have a foreign coach has been met by the Amaju Pinnick-led Board of the NFF through the appointment of Thomas Dennerby from Sweden.

“I believe with the experience of Thomas Dennerby in global women football, the Super Falcons are going to become a formidable women football force on the global stage,” Etoroma explained.

Speaking further, Etoroma commended Amaju Pinnick-led board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for the support they gave the women and the monetary incentive that motivated them to ensure they had their pound of flesh from the South Africans.

“I want to commend the Amaju Pinnick led board of the NFF for the support and encouragement they gave the Super Falcons this time round.

“I was delighted seeing Amaju dancing with the players during the trophy presentation. Of course Amaju can never carry last!

“The Board of the NFF have done

very well in ensuring that this particular team are motivated. For the very first time, they women were promised $10,000 which is about N4million each to win the trophy outside their normal allowances, which to me is a welcome development. I believe that that monetary incentive by the Amaju led board somehow motivated our women to take the decision to rather die on the pitch than to see the trophy slip off their hands. That is the spirit and I hope it will continue for a long time to come.

“I believe that this victory of the Super Falcons is special to Amaju Pinnick because this is the first continental competition since he was reelected as NFF’s present and it was won by our women. This means that Amaju in less than three months of returning as the President of the NFF has recorded a major achievement on the continent via the Super Falcons victory on Saturday in Accra, Ghana.

“It is my prayer that other successes will follow the Super Falcons historic 9th AWCON on Saturday,” Etoroma enthused.

in May to help pay for treatment, but died on Saturday. The Chinese Football Association said the game in the country was “deeply saddened”.

“Her superb skills won her the respect of the Chinese football community,” the CFA said in a statement. “We feel deeply sorry for the loss of such a football star. The CFA and Chinese football will deeply

cherish the memory of Zhang Ouying and her contribution to Chinese football.”

San Diego Soccer Club, where Zhang was fondly known as “Coach O”, mourned her as “a great person, friend and coach”.

“We are so honoured to have had her as a part of our soccer family,” the non-profit youth football organisation said.

China mourns former women’s World Cup star

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OOTBALL communities in the US and China were on Monday thrown into mourning when news filtered in over the death of former Chinese international, Zhang Ouying, who had been fighting cancer.

She was 43. Zhang Ouying Zhang came agonisingly close with China to winning the 1999 World Cup final, arguably the country’s greatest footballing moment. She scored during the penalty shootout won 5-4 by hosts, United States in front of 90,000 spectators.

Zhang played in two other World Cups and two Olympics. After retiring as a player she became a popular youth coach in San Diego, California, where she is survived by her American husband and two young children.

She was diagnosed earlier this year with cancer in both lungs and a crowd-funding page was set up

•Zhang Ouying

ESPITE the change of day from Saturday to Sunday for the Reggae Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K in Negril, the event still saw some 2,646 participants turn out for the 18th staging, with half the numbers coming in from overseas.

The Tottori Prefecture Marathon in Japan continues to show up big for Jamaica’s most prestigious road race, with their athlete Daichi Okano taking the men’s marathon in 2:47.17. Gregory McKenzie, 2:49:39, and Troy Pennington, 2:58:40, took second- and third-place honours, respectively.

Okano, 26, despite being autistic, has been running competitively since the age of 15. However, this is his third competitive marathon and his first win. He declared that he enjoys running here, although it got a bit hot near the end.

“My body felt light, I felt good this morning, so I was just able to keep my form and composure. It was my first time, but I had a really good run and I enjoyed it,” said Okano, who was speaking through interpreter Gregory St Pierre Gordon.

“It was hot, got pretty warm, but (It was) nothing too much out of the ordinary, so I was able to enjoy myself and have a good run,” he added.

Okano, who was running outside of Japan for the first time, said he is looking forward to competing in Jamaica again next year.

“Yes, I’m looking forward to running overseas again and hopefully it will be Jamaica again,” said Okano.

Norway’s Ann Viljugrein took the female marathon in 3:29:09, ahead of Celine Vandenbroucke, 3:38:54, and Victoria Old, 3:49:57.

G.C Foster College’s Oshane Archibald was the men’s half-marathon winner in 1:13:21, followed by Kemar Leslie, 1:18:03, and Ryon Chambers, 1:22:17.

Charlie Pipe took the female equivalent in 1:37:13 with Paulina Tautz, 1:38:57 and Arieya Martin rounding out the top three.

Garfield Gordon, also of G.C. Foster, continued his good run of form, taking the men’s 10K in a time of 31:42 ahead of Dwayne Graham, 33:20, and Tyrese Reid, 33:43.

Schoolgirl Samantha Pryce, 41:03, took the female 10K ahead of Aniesha Lawrence, 41:50, and Zoeyann Wint, 41:52.

Ortom congratulates Super Falcons

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OVERNOR Samuel Ortom of Benue State has congratulated the Super Falcons of Nigeria for winning their 9th Africa Women’s Cup of Nations title, after defeating their South African counterpart last Saturday.

In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, Governor Ortom commended the determination of the team which he said gave them victory in what was a difficult encounter.

Boko Haram: Northern elders fault Afenifere’s call for sack of Service Chiefs. He particularly c.ommended Benue-born Super Falcons’ striker Francesca Mlumun Ordega for winning Woman of the Match prize.

“Governor Ortom says the state is proud of Miss Ordega who has brought honour to her people on many occasions.

“He urged up and coming female footballers as well other athletes in the state to emulate Ordega,” the stated read in part.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday, December 12, 2018

SPORTS

Fury says ‘world knows real champion’ after Wilder draw

best comeback in boxing history’ Less than 12 hours after the contest, Fury sported cuts and bruises at a Los Angeles hotel for his news conference. He said he had managed to go to bed and watch snippets of the fight, adding he will “go home a hero”.

His remarkable rise from the canvas after a devastating combination from Wilder in the final round was a hot topic, with Fury stating he was “like a phoenix rising from the ashes”.

“It’s easy to beat me - nail me to

the canvas,” Fury added.

“Credit to him, he caught me flush. I got up and don’t know how. You can’t go swimming and not get wet. I got wet, drenched actually.

“When you’re on your back flat out, you don’t know what your legs will be like. I see it in boxing, they get up after a few seconds and the legs are gone.

“I gave myself the time. Fair play to the referee, fantastic, one of the best I have ever experienced.”

Fury ‘in a great place’ after mental health struggles Fury said his 26-year-old trainer Ben Davison, who was under scrutiny due to his inexperience, should be given the prestigious Ring Magazine Trainer of the Year award.

Davison has helped his fighter shed 10 stone in weight following a tumultuous 30-month spell away from boxing in the aftermath of his 2015 world-title success over Wladimir Klitschko, where he battled depression and accepted a backdated two-year UK Anti-Doping ban.

“Am I going to go AWOL again?

We are prepared this time,” Fury said. “Last time was nothing to do with media. I was suffering with mental health. When you give up the passion to live, you’re in a bad place. I was already depressed before the Klitschko fight, heavily.

Now I am in a great place.

“Look back at the videos; I was in an ill state. Now I am happy to be healthy. The most important thing is my health. Thank God I am alive and well. I go back chin up, chest out.”

Olympics: Tokyo 2020 organisers vow to guard against complacency

Rohr gives Mikel conditions for Eagles’ return

Stories by MADUABUCHI KALU

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YSON Fury says “the world knows who the real WBC champion is” and believes his draw with Deontay Wilder was “a gift decision” for the American.

Fury, 30, shared a thrilling battle in Los Angeles, with many former professionals saying he won the bout.

Promoter Frank Warren said he and the British Boxing Board of Control will write to the WBC demanding a rematch.

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OKYO 2020 organisers, Monday vowed no let-up in their drive to host a successful Summer Games as International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, once again heaped praise on the city’s preparations.

Bach, in his opening remarks ahead of a meeting between IOC and 2020 officials, repeated that Tokyo was the most prepared city for an Olympics he could remember.

While organisers were happy with the compliments, they said there was much work to be done.

“We have a saying in Japanese that says that loosening your tension is a big enemy,’’ Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori said.

“So we shouldn’t be too relaxed.

“We will work hard for the success of this big project and do hard work; even in its small things because those are the most important things,’’ Mori said.

With some 600 days to go until the start of the Games on July 24, 2020, organisers find themselves in a relatively comfortable position, with preparations back on track following some initial bumps in the road.

In 2015, Tokyo 2020 scrapped their initial Games logo due to allegations of plagiarism and the original design for a new Olympic stadium was also changed due to costs.

However, since budget cuts of $300 million were announced in

Speaking the day after the bout, Fury said: “To be honest, I’ve never seen a worse decision in my life.”

The Briton added: “I don’t know what fight they were watching.”

Fury was floored in the ninth and final rounds - meaning they were scored 10-8 in Wilder’s favour.

After the 12 rounds, the fight was scored 115-111 for Wilder, 114112 for Fury and 113-113 with Alejandro Rochin the judge who had the American as the winner.

“I don’t know what he was

December last year, organisers have had a relatively pain-free ride.

In spite of this, there is still work to be done, especially regarding transport, accommodation and counter-measures to the summer heat in Tokyo, which reached a record 41.1 degrees Celsius in July this year.

Bach said organisers had to guard against complacency as preparations enter the home stretch.

“I cannot give this Coordination Commission any major tasks here

watching,” added Fury. “It’s stuff like this that gives boxing a bad name. All the media will report bad stuff. Everyone in boxing saying a bad thing, time and again we see it. He needs banning from boxing forever.

“The world knows who the real WBC champion is. Wilder had a gift decision in his own country. He must be thanking his lucky stars he still has the green and gold belt as that belt belongs to me.”

‘I didn’t get wet, I got drenched’ Wilder v Fury: Fight was ‘the

but only the warning,’’ said Bach, who delivered a similar message following the IOC Executive Board meeting at the weekend.

“I know it is unnecessary, knowing the Japanese people but we should never get complacent.

“I know I don’t need to say this to Japanese people and I know I don’t need to say this to my friends and colleagues in the Coordination Commission,’’ he said.

Bach said preparations for 2020 were well in advance of those of previous Olympic hosts.

“In some of the (host) cities – even in most – we had to organise crisis meetings with the Executive Board a couple of months before the Games.

“Some of them, maybe three months before the Games, were maybe not where you are today already, ‘’ Bach said.

“So, you have really reached a very high level of preparation,’’ he said.

The next landmark for organisers will be the announcement of the next version of the budget later this month.

S

UPER Eagles’ Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr, has given national team and Tianjin TEDA Captain, John Obi Mikel conditions he must fulfill if he desires to return to the national team set-up.

According to Rohr, the former Chelsea of England defensive midfielder must return to fitness and prove that he is ready to compete with the group of younger players in the team for a starting shirt for him to be considered in the Super Eagles at the moment.

“Mikel is still our leader, he is the captain. We don’t have any problem with him. The truth is since after the World Cup, he has not return to full fitness.

“So, if he must return to the squad, he has to return to full fitness but at the moment he has issues with his fitness that I know.

“So, once that has been sorted out by him, the doors are wide open for him to return to the squad and compete with the other players for a starting shirt.

Like I said earlier, Mikel is the Captain of the team and that has not changed.

“He is our leader both on and off the pitch, so we don’t have any issues with except his fitness. He is one player who has serviced this country selflessly and I know that he plays with his heart all the time for the country.

“He knows himself better than anyone could imagine. He says his struggling with fitness and that could be seen in his club duties. He was not a regular before the Chinese Super League ended. That is the true position of things.

•

WEDNESDAY December 12, 2018

The

www.oraclenews.ng

I

mprovements in telecom services have appeared at the top of political campaign points in Nigeria since 2003. As has become customary, there will be no limit to the claims of politicians in the run-up to the 2019 general election: “We gave you GSM.” “From 400, 000 Nitel lines, we now have 160million subscribers.” “We brought cell phones into the country.”

“Discussions on this telecom thing started in my hotel room.”

Perhaps another government will claim credit for the network upgrade certain telcos are doing to avoid congestion during this yuletide season. Yet, beyond raking in billions of dollars and receiving free handsets and airtime from the telcos, the Nigerian government and politicians know nothing about the technological companies or inventors who have made our life more comfortable and kept us more connected. Even regulation of the telecom providers’ activities has proved a herculean task for the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

My Facebook friends know I’ve since elected to not comment, pro or contra, on the political candidates for the 2019 general election or their parties’ manifestoes. I’ve taken that stand because, like the average voter, I’ve been betrayed severally since 1999. Better sit on the fence and watch, I’ve advised myself. And the number of opinion moulders who think likewise could be counted in thousands!

So far, none of the top 10 or even top 20 telecom companies (telcos) in the world operates in Nigeria.

They may not seek to make inroads into this large market anytime soon, because it seems the top telecom providers in the country are not leaving anything to chance. After over 17 years of MTN and Econet (ancestor of the present Airtel), after over 15 years of Globacom, and many years of later entrants like Swift, 9Mobile, Spectranet, Smile, MainOne and nTel in the Nigerian telecom space, their customers rather than the companies or government ought to be speaking on their behalf.

I’m aware that none of the Nigerian providers has failed to receive missiles over poor service delivery, despite installing the best technology and lifestyle-changing products and services. At a workshop on “Driving Innovation and Growth”, last week in Lagos, Prof. Umar Danbatta, executive vice-chairman of NCC, said Nigeria’s telecom operators were already testing 5G services and that the network was likely to make its debut in the country by 2020. Is the infrastructure to support 5G available?

It’s not available for even 3G and 4G yet, but NCC‘s Danbatta said they were working hard on it.

By now call charges and internet data ought to be far cheaper than they currently are. But as I’ve commented before, these telecom providers are not immune to the Nigerian problem that drives the cost of doing business

48

racle Today

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Nigeria: Gearing up for telecom advancement GUEST COLUMNIST Aniebo

Nwamu

high. Only in Nigeria perhaps do they have to hire thousands of security men and women to guard masts or buy thousands of generators to provide power at base stations. These infrastructure-deficit costs likely are behind some noticeable infractions: charging for undelivered messages, high cost of internet data, unsolicited subscriptions, dropped calls, and more.

The bottom-line for every telecom operation is: improved services.

Subscribers desire better call completion ratio, lower call drop rates and call congestion as well as faster and more reliable upload and download of data. Every operator trying to achieve these must invest in new technology to give it an edge in the market.

At present the Nigerian telcos are racing against time. The Glo network – the one I’ve been using and which has rarely disappointed me for over a decade – arguably has been at the forefront of the next revolution. The biggest truly Nigerian telco, it was the only operator in Africa to launch its operations on the superior 2.5G network which enabled the convergence of voice, data and multimedia technologies.

This robust platform not only ensured unparalleled voice clarity and low dropped calls but also enabled the offering of value-added services unavailable on the 2G technology deployed by other operators in the industry then. These included vehicle tracking, mobile internet, mobile banking, multimedia messaging service (MMS), voice SMS, Magic Plus and Text2email.

When I spoke with a tech expert last week, he was glad to bore me with the several innovations his clients are now introducing. The 3G-Plus technology, he said, enables a much faster transmission of data, voice, broadband internet and multimedia services over a range of frequencies. It allows customers to do video call and video streaming as well

•Adebayo Shittu

as enjoy high-speed mobile internet, among others, from their 3G-enabled mobile handset.

Long Term Evolution (LTE) has continued to gain ground, as it enhances data transfer rates and delivers unmatched mobile broadband experience and highest data speeds and reliability. The prize for the first successful launch of the 4G LTE goes to Spectranet, but it was Glo that made it available nationwide, thus enabling millions of Nigerians to enjoy instant, efficient broadband internet at speeds far superior to the 3G network, and allowing them to download ultra-high-definition videos in seconds. Individuals who consume huge volumes of data, government agencies and corporate organizations such as banks, oil and gas companies, academic and health institutions that require seamless data transfer for their operations now benefit immensely from Glo’s data-intensive applications.

The telco claims to have the most extensive fibre optic backbone across Nigeria. Complemented by a microwave backbone serving as backup, the facility was built to further enhance voice and data transmission

for mobile and fixed telephone operations in the country. The fibreoptic cable helps ensure that calls on the network are crisp and clear, without suffering breaks and drops.

The 2G and 2.5G technologies are becoming obsolete, just as 3G also is.

It’s now 4G and higher! Again, Glo says it has the best 4G coverage in Nigeria at the moment, as it is being extended to several more cities. The operator’s 2G and 3G network components have been swapped with new and higher-capacity equipment to deliver improved data and voice service.

The submarine cable has also contributed to boosting international connectivity. Glo 1, for instance, connects Nigeria to the UK and US, passing through 14 African countries.

It was the first time a single company would implement such a massive undersea project in Africa. In addition to boosting the provision of services to telecom end-users, the facility is currently providing the much-needed connectivity to critical sectors of the economy such as oil and gas, manufacturing, banking, commerce, education and health.

Nigeria must take advantage of the next phase of its digital revolution, so that many more could benefit from ultra-fast mobile broadband. The telcos should improve their services by embarking on network upgrade: Glo in particular is currently modernising its infrastructure. “The project covers swapping, upgrade, and overhaul of network infrastructure, as well as building of new switches and construction of additional 4,000 km of optic fibre cable to complement the company’s existing fibre optic facility, which is among the most extensive private fibre networks in Africa,” the expert interviewed for this article said.

“The company’s existing 10,000km optic fibre network is also being expanded to provide capacity and route protection. It will also ensure constant (24/7) connectivity.”

A resilient brand like Glo promises to build the “best-in-class network” that all its subscribers will enjoy henceforth, in line with the vision of the company to be “the biggest and the best telecommunications company in Africa”. The current improvement being experienced on the network will continue over the coming months as the projects are ongoing, it says. Its dream is similar to the aspiration of every other telco in Nigeria.

•Nwamu is the CEO of Eyeway.ng. +234-8054100220 (SMS/WhatsApp only)

The Oracle Today is published by The Oracle Newspapers Limited. Head Office: 116 Awka Road, Onitsha. Lagos Office: 25 Remi Fani-Kayode Street, GRA Ikeja. Abuja Office: 1st Floor, Plateau House, Central Business District, Abuja, FCT. ISSN: 2545-5869 Email: oracletoday2016@yahoo.com, Twitter: @oraclenews.ng Facebook: oraclenews.ng@facebook.com Website: www.oraclenews.ng Advert hot lines: 09078310060, 09061836916. Editor: FELIX OGUEJIOFOR ABUGU.