Wednesday December 26, 2018 Edition

Shareholders to approve Diamond Bank, Access Bank merger

BY KAYODE OGUNWALE

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ll shareholders and depositors of Diamond Bank Plc are expected to switch to Access Bank before the end of first quarter 2019 following very strong indications that shareholders of the bank will approve the ongoing

•Transaction to be completed in first half of 2019 merger talks between the two banks.

The shareholders who spoke with our correspondents expressed worry over the development in Diamond bank, saying they

preferred Access Bank to take over the troubled Tier 2 lender than to allow it go the way of Skye Bank and other abridged banks.

Speaking with The Oracle Today, shareholders’ lead-

The

VOX POPULI SACRUM

er, Mr. Boniface Okezie stated that the merger talks will receive shareholders’ nod whenever the bank calls for shareholders’ approval.

He said: “It is better for shareholders, especially

minority shareholders of Diamond Bank, to belong to Access Bank.”

He expressed the belief that the deal, when successfully concluded,would lead to consolidation of the

two banks into one strong Access Bank that would become one of the largest banks in the country.

“It will excite us to join Access Bank because of its track record in the industry; it acquired Intercontinental Bank and it remains

racle

WEDNESDAY December 26, 2018

www.oraclenews.ng

Cont’d on page 2

Today

ISSN: 2545-5869 VOL.3 No.51 N200

Ayade: Transfer of Bakassi, Nigeria’s injustice against self From ANIEKAN ANIEKAN, Calabar

•Action fuelled militancy, says Professor Ayade •Ceding of Bakassi to Cameroon in bad faith •No nation cedes its territory to another

N Shell, Eni culpable in oil block graft --Judge igeria’s transfer of the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon, has again been described as an inexplicable

Cont’d on page 2

•Hopes of $12b Zabazaba development project sink

By SOPURUCHI ONWUKA

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n Italian judge has found European oil giants, Shell and Eni, operating big oil and gas assets in Nigeria, guilty of deliberately getting involved in deals to acquire a

Merry Christmas

The Oracle Today off the Streets until January 9, 2019

Page 42

deep-water oil block in the country knowing that the process was corrupt.

The two companies, which bought the 6 billion barrel oil block off local independent oil firm, Malabu Oil, were accused by the judge of turning ‘a blind eye’ to indications that the payments would enrich some Nigerian government officials that offered to broker the lingering deal.

The Italian judge said

Cont’d on page 44

•Wife of PDP presidential candidate, Her Excellency Barr (Mrs) Jemima Atiku Abubakar, flanked by Mrs Uche Secondus wife of PDP National Chairman (right), Hon Linda Ikpeazu, Member representing Onitsha North/ Onitsha South Federal Constituency (2nd right), Mrs Margret Peter Obi, wife of former governor of Anambra State (3rd right) and other PDP women leaders during her visit to the Palace of the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe

Photo: Oliver Udeogu

Badeh, former Chief of Defence Staff shot dead P41

PDP: Appeal court dashes Buruji’s Ogun guber hope

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

NEWS Continued from Pg 1 act of injustice against the country by its leaders at the time.

Cross River State governor, Professor Ben Ayade made this observation while Speaking at Ikang at a ceremony to grant amnesty to thousands of repentant militants.

He maintained that the injustice associated with the transfer of Bakassi to Cameroon fuelled militancy in the area, describing the handover processes and agreements as unfair.

The oil-rich peninsula was finally transferred to Cameroon

Ayade: Transfer of Bakassi, Nigeria’s injustice in 2008 by the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Administration, in accordance with a 2002 International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling which stipulated that sovereignty over the disputed region lay with Cameroon. In his remarks at the the symbolic ceremony on Thursday, August 2008, the then Minister of Justice Michael Aondoakaa said the handover marked ‘a great milestone in the history of the two countries’.

“We are saddled with the painful, but most important task of handing over Bakassi to Cameroon,” Aondoakaa said. “We have a commitment to the international community to promote peace and brotherliness between our countries.”

In 1994 Cameroon brought a case before the ICJ to rule on the border dispute between the two countries.

In its judgement of October 2002, the ICJ ruled that sovereignty over the region lay with Cameroon, according to borders established by an agreement between colonial powers Germany and Britain in 1913. The ICJ requested Nigeria to withdraw its administration and military forces from the Bakassi Peninsula.

The handover came after years

•Gov Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State presenting his 2019 budget proposals to the State House of Assembly

... Diamond Bank, Access Bank merger Continued from Pg 1 strong,” he stated.

In his own view, another shareholders leader, Mallam Shehu Mikail Malaml, applauded the deal, saying it is better for Access Bank to take over Diamond Bank than for shareholders to lose their stakes in the bank.

He also expressed the hope that both the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) would give regulatory approval to the merger deal in the interest of shareholders and depositors respectively.

Meanwhile, the Board of Diamond Bank Plc on Monday announced that it has selected Access Bank Plc as the preferred bidder with respect to a potential merger of the two banks that will create Nigeria and Africa’s largest retail bank by customers.

The board stated that the decision followed a strategic review leading to a competitive process.

Diamond Bank’s board expressed the belief that the merger would be in the best interest of all stakeholders, including employees, customers, depositors and shareholders, adding that it had agreed to recommend the offer

to Diamond Bank’s shareholders.

“Completion of the merger is subject to certain shareholder and regulatory approvals,” the board stated.

The proposed merger would involve Access Bank acquiring the entire issued share capital of Diamond Bank in exchange for a combination of cash and shares in Access Bank via a Scheme of Merger.

Based on the agreement reached by the Boards of the two financial institutions, Diamond Bank shareholders will receive a consideration of N3.13 per share, comprising N1.00 per share in cash and the allotment of two New Access Bank ordinary shares for every 7 Diamond Bank ordinary shares held as at the implementation date.

The offer represents a premium of 260 per cent to the closing market price of N0.87 per share of Diamond Bank on the Nigerian Stock Exchange as of December 13, 2018, the date of the final binding offer.

According to the statement from Diamond Bank, “immediately following completion of the merger, Diamond Bank would be absorbed into Access Bank and it will cease to exist under Nigerian law. The current listing of Di-

amond Bank’s shares on the NSE and the listing of Diamond Bank’s global depository receipts on the London Stock Exchange will be cancelled, upon the merger becoming effective.”

Diamond Bank expects the transaction to be completed in the first half of 2019.

Uzoma Dozie, the Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Bank, said: “The proposed combination with Access Bank will create one of Africa’s leading financial institutions.

“There is clear strategic rationale for the proposed merger and strong complementarities between the two institutions. While Diamond Bank has pioneered Nigeria’s largest technology-led retail banking platform, Access Bank is one of Nigeria’s leading full-service commercial banks.

Consolidation in the Nigerian banking industry is an inevitable, natural progression in a sector where the gap between Tier 1 and Tier 2 banks has been widening and scale has become critical; where technology will disrupt the traditional business model while enabling broader financial inclusion,” Dozie stressed.

“The board of Diamond Bank believes that the proposed combination of the two operations

provides an exciting prospect for all stakeholders in both businesses and will create a financial institution with the scale, strength and expertise to capitalize on the significant opportunities in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa more broadly.”

Herbert Wigwe, CEO of Access Bank, said: “Access Bank has a strong track record of acquisition and integration and has a clear growth strategy. Access Bank and Diamond Bank have complementary operations and similar values, and a merger with Diamond Bank, with its leadership in digital and mobile-led retail banking, could accelerate our strategy as a significant corporate and retail bank in Nigeria and a Pan-African financial services champion. Access Bank has a strong financial profile with attractive returns and a robust capital position with 20.1 per cent CAR as at 30 September 2018. We believe that this platform, together with the two banks’ shared focus on innovation, financial inclusion and sustainability, can bring benefits to Access Bank and Diamond Bank customers, staff and shareholders.”

Exotix Capital acted as international financial advisor to Diamond Bank, and Templars acted as Nigerian legal counsel.

of negotiations over how to implement the 2002 decision.

On 12 June 2006, the two parties concluded the “Green Tree Agreement” negotiated by the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission, established by the UN. Despite concerns over security and a court order delaying the handover, Nigeria peacefully marked the handover on Thursday, August 14, 2008, before senior UN officials and diplomats from numerous countries.

The Bakassi Peninsula neighbours the Gulf of Guinea, which is believed to be rich in oil and gas.

The region was the cause of frequent violent attacks between Nigeria and Cameroon, a situation the transition process, it was hoped, would mark an end to.

Many Nigerians believe that Nigeria lost the Peninsula to Cameroon owing to lack of diligent prosecution of the case at the International Court at the Hague.

Some even went as far as accusing two former heads of State, Generals Yakubu Gowon and Olusegun of bargaining away Bakassi to Cameroon, a Nigerian territory by occupation, in their bid to win the war against defunct Biafra.

The decision to pursue the matter at the International Court at the Hague in 2002, leading to the handover in 2008, happened under Obasanjo as a democratically elected President.

In an interview with a national newspaper sometime in 2012, acclaimed scholar and pioneer chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Professor Anya O Anya, espoused three reasons why the handover of Bakassi was a national disaster, namely, history, international law and the concept of patriotism.

Historically, Anya noted: “The Efiks are a major tribe in Nigeria and historically have been on the Atlantic Coast. Bakassi has always been part of the Efiks without a war. In 1884, the British entered into a treaty with the Efiks, which included Bakassi.

There would not have been a treaty if there was no ownership.”

Relating the event to international law, Anya insisted that “it does not make sense to cede any part of Nigeria.”

Said Anya: “Arnold Smith, former Commonwealth secretary general is alleged to have said in his memoirs that he was surprised at the ease with which General Yakubu Gowon appeared ready to handover Bakassi to Cameroon.

He was alleged to have raised the matter with Gowon, who told him that he wanted to make sure that Biafrans are denied access to the sea in case of a future war.

That shows how serious he was about ending the war and reconciling Nigerians. Gowon is said to have said it wasn’t true. Anyway, Gowon could have wished to cede Bakassi to Cameroon but he could not have effected it and he did not effect it for two reasons.

“One, the matter of delineation of boundaries and ceding of territory must be bound by an agreement and a treaty. A treaty cannot be valid or binding on a nation unless it is approved or ratified by the sovereign authority, which in most cases is the Parliament.

Under Gowon, no treaty was pre-

Cont’d on page 43

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

NEWS ACROSS THE NATION

PDP mocks Buhari over excuse on cabinet delay

•Says it was early display of incompetence

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OLLOWING the accusation leveled against the former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, by the special assistant to president Muhammadu Buhari on media and publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Monday mocked the current administration, noting that their incompetence is on play as they attempt to blame the former President for Buhari’s delay in forming his cabinet.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan and President Muhammadu Buhari In a statement disclosed by the National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party opined that it is unfortunate that the Buhari Presidency will always resort to peddling falsehood as a cover for its failures.

It is a settled matter that President Buhari could not form a cabinet for over five months after his inauguration, primarily due to sheer incompetence, lack of preparedness and the fact that he was overwhelmed by the complexity of the office of the President of Nigeria.

PDP condemns EFCC invasion of

Atiku’s sons’ residence In accusing the Jonathan administration of frustrating early formation of President Buhari’s cabinet, by allegedly delaying the submission of his handover notes to the Transition Committee, the Buhari Presidency forgot that the head of the Transition Committee, Ahmed Joda, had since May, 2015 publicly dispelled such as false and diversionary, noting that the committee got all the cooperation it needed from the Jonathan’s administration.

Nigerians can also recall how President Buhari refused to hasten the formation of his cabinet following his widely condemned view, in September 2015, that ministers were mere “noise makers”.

President Buhari had expressed his personal unwillingness to ap- •Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in handshakes with the VC of Leed City University, Ogun State during their point ministers when, in an inter- Convocation Lecture. view with France 24 TV, in France, “As for the cabinet, I said we will President Jonathan for President handle an economy as complex as he said that the absence of minis- have one by the end of the month, Buhari’s confessed failure.

Nigeria’s. ters was not affecting governance and time flies. The end of the The PDP counsels the Buhari PresThe only thing left for President in Nigeria. Certainty of increasing month is coming too quickly for idency to note that peddling false- Buhari to do is to start preparing poverty under Buhari According my liking”. It is therefore ludicrous hood and blaming the previous ad- to accept defeat in 2019, as Nigeto President Buhari “the ministers and the height of hypocrisy for ministration for its failures will not rians are now rallying behind our are there, I think, to make a lot of the Buhari Presidency to now turn help it in 2019. candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who noise”. around after three years to blame President Buhari has not only has the solutions and blueprint that shown, but also personally con- guarantee a better future for our fessed that he lacks capacity to nation.

FRC charges NTDC, FAAN, others prompt remittance of operating surplus

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CTING Chairman, Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC), Mr. Victor Muruako, has charged some Federal Government agencies to promptly remit operating surplus into the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF).

A statement issued by Mr Bede Anyanwu, Acting Head, Strategic Communication Directorate, FRC on Monday in Abuja said Muruako gave the charge at a stakeholders’ meeting with the managements of the said agencies.

The concerned agencies are the Nigerian Tourism Development Commission (NTDC), Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA).

According to Muruako, the listed agencies have not been submitting their annual audited accounts, receipts of their remittances, budgets and Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), thereby hampering prompt and accurate determination of operating surplus liabilities.

He added that the independent revenue drive of the Federal Government was not encouraging.

According to him, NTDC, FAAN, NERC and NOSDRA have not been complying fully with the provisions of Section 21, 22 and 23 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA), 2007.

The statement also quoted Mr Ola Tijani, the Head, Monitoring and Evaluation of FRC as saying “the aforementioned agencies may have been doing some things right to ensure compliance’’.

But however, said that there must be proof of prudence, accountability and transparency in financial reporting to be in line with the FRA. “Compliance entails that the

agencies prepare and publish their audited financial statements not later than 90 days after the financial year.

“Without audited financial statements, there is no way the commission can determine appropriate liabilities.

“There is therefore the need for agencies to reposition their operations to comply with the provisions of the Act.’’ Tijanni said that the commission was ready to offer capacity building on the provisions of the FRA, particularly on the preparation of MTEF and the correct application of FRC Operating Surplus Template.

According to the statement, Mr Adegbesan Abiodun, Director, Fi-

Osinbajo to attend UNILAG’s convocation lecture

nance and Accounts, FAAN, pleaded for time to enable them make all the necessary documentations that will henceforth make it possible for them to pay operating surplus.

He also said there was the need for the preparation of improved estimation of MTEF with efficient narratives to highlight the activities of the agencies.

According to him, the figures submitted in MTEF are not adequate to satisfy the need for prudence, transparency and accountability.

He, however, assured the commission that FAAN was ready to collaborate with the FRC in its efforts to improve the independent revenue generation drive of the Federal Government.

V

pleaded with the court to suspend the sentence and negotiated for a plea bargain but Justice Onyetenu declined, saying “the rampant cases of students harassment by lecturers should be stopped.”

The judge, who affirmed that plea bargain is not absolute, said it was at the discretion of the court.

She said: “This kind of issue is too rampant in our tertiary institutions. We send children to school, they come home telling us that lecturers want to sleep with them. We cannot continue like this. Somebody has to be used as a scale goat. Even primary schools pupils are complaining.

“Telling me to suspend sentence does not arise. Plea bargain does not arise. May be the case continue to occur and reoccur because someone has not been used as example. It is time for the court to start upholding the right of the children, especially female students. The case is endemic.”

The defence counsel further informed the court that Akindele

had lost his job and learnt his lesson, adding that the university had also discovered an error in the victim’s examination paper’s marking and had concluded plans to compensate her.

The counsel further told the court that the OAU management is planing to make offices of the lecturers open by building the front side with glasses to discourage immorality.

But the judge turned prayer of the counsel down and simply said, “do you think they do it in the office? They go to hotel.”

Counsel to the Independent Corrupt Paractices and Other Offenses (ICPC), Mr. Shogunle Adenekan, earlier urged the court to confiscate the mobile phone of the defendant and make him forfeit it to the federal government.

He told the court that sensitive materials were discovered in the cell phone during forensic investigation but advised that the mobile phone of the victim be released to her.

ICE-PRESIDENT Yemi Osinbajo is to deliver the next convocation lecture of the University of Lagos scheduled for Jan. 21, 2019.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the lecture would be part of activities for the 2017/2018 convocation of the 56-year-old institution.

He said that the topic of the lecture would soon be made known as preparations for the ceremony had almost been concluded.

“The Vice-President of the Gambia, Ousainou Darboe, who is an alumnus of the university, will chair the long service award ceremony on Jan. 25.

“There is something new that we want to introduce: that is, all the

OAU sex-for-marks lecturer bags 6yrs imprisonment

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HE Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, the Osun State capital has sentenced the former senior lecturer of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof. Richard Akindele, to six years for demanding sex to pass her student, Miss Monica Osagie.

The presiding judge, Justice Maurine Onyetenu, passed the judgement after the former lecturer had changed his earlier plea from “not guilty” to “guilty” in anticipation that he could be pardoned.

Akindele on a four count charge was sentenced to 24 months on count one, 24 months on count two, one year on count three and another one year on count four.

However, the judge, who ruled that the jail term should run concurrently, also ordered that the Samsung X4 of the victim should be returned to her and the Samsung X8 of the defendant should be forfeited to the Federal Government.

After the judgement, the defence counsel, Francis Omotoso,

faculties, a day before their convocation, will do what they call the hood celebration.

“People who are going to graduate will go to their faculties, get seated, and the dean, with the faculty officer, will put the hood on them.

“We should give them that university culture for them to know they are recognised and given that honour; then, the following day, they will come for the ceremony (convocation),” he said.

Ogundipe, the 12th Vice-Chancellor of the university, identified funds constraint as a major challenge to the institution.

According to him, funds constraint made the institution’s management to look for more ways to generate funds.

He said that the university’s monthly spending was high.

“For example, for electricity supply, our expenses every month from the national grid is about N60 million. This does not include diesel.

“On diesel, we spend about N15 million monthly, and this does not include that of College of Medicine in Idi-Araba.

“That of Idi-Araba campus, from the brief they gave me, is about N20 million in the average per month; so, we are talking of about N100 million for power supply every month.

“We do not allow local generators on campus. The university runs about 20 hours of power supply every day.

“The bill we pick up is a lot; that is why we want government’s intervention in funding university education, especially in Lagos.

“Our terrain is very hostile because it is a wet land. To put up a solid highrise structure in the university, we will be talking of about N3 billion because we will need to sandfill,’’ Ogundipe said.

According to him, the institution is going through a lot because of the terrain and location.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

NEWS ACROSS THE NATION

Ogun guber aspirant to Oshiomhole, you subverted people’s will Stories by MADUABUCHI KALU

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HE Ogun State governorship candidate of the Allied People’s Movement (APM), Abdul Kabir Adekunle Akinlade, has once again knocked the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, accusing him of subverting the people’s will.

He said Oshiomhole connived with some people to shortchange Ogun State APC members who freely gave him their mandate to be the party governorship flag bearer.

He, however, told his supporters that he would win next year’s gubernatorial contest.

Akinlade, the preferred candidate of Governor Ibikunle Amosun and other loyalists of the governor, had in October defected from APC to APM, with the state governor declaring his total support for his candidature.

Addressing newsmen and APM supporters Monday, Akinlade said since his decision to pursue his governorship ambition on APC’s platform was visited with injustice by some people with personal agenda, he had no choice but to seek alternative platform in search of justice, internal democracy and the sustenance of the mission to rebuild the state.

According to him, APC primaries held across the states in the country were characterised by brazen disregard for decency and best practices, noting that the exercise was fraught with fake results and declared at fake venues.

“In a brazen falsification of the will of the people of Ogun State and the open disregard for internal democracy, the Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC) came out with predetermined results awarding victory to their adopted aspirants in various elective offices.

“All genuine efforts by various stakeholders across the nation to make them see reason and accept the people’s choice have fallen on deaf ears. The same brazen disre-

gard for decency and best practices was displayed in many state chapters of APC across the country.

“The imposition of candidates and the open hostility to the dulyelected party leadership in the state have therefore compelled us to look for an alternative platform in search of justice, internal democracy and sustenance of the mission to rebuild Ogun State. The larger interest of Ogun State must therefore not be sacrificed on the altar of a self-seeking minority”.

Akinlade stated.

He, therefore, said that APM had come to stay in Ogun, adding that vigorous campaign would be pursued by the party to ensure victory at the 2019 poll.

Akinlade expressed confidence that he would emerge the next governor of the state come 2019.

Akinlade, who also boasted that the APM would defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in other elective positions next year, said he would sustain the principle and tempo of the rebuilding mission of the incumbent governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, if elected as governor.

The APM governorship candidate gave the declaration at the inaugural press conference of the party, held at its secretariat in Leme, Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.

In his remark, the Director General of Abdul-Kabir Adekunle Akinkade Campaign Organisation, Sarafa Tunji Ishola, explained that he decided to team up with APM to redress the injustice meted out to Akinlade and by extension Ogun West senatorial district by the APC. Ishola, a former Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and Minister of Mines and Steel Development, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to APC in April this year, said APM would not only mobilise and vote for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari, but would also ensure that Governor Amosun won his senatorial contest on APC’s platform.

Okowa congratulates Team Delta on victory at 19th NSF

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ELTA State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has congratulated the victorious Team Delta in the just concluded 19th National Sports Festival Abuja 2018.

Okowa who personally attended the closing ceremony of the games at the National Stadium Abuja on Sunday was elated that Team Delta set more games record on their way to successfully defending the National Sports Festival trophy won at the Eko 2012 games in Lagos with a total medal haul of 352, comprising of 163 gold medals, 88 silver medals and 101 bronze medals.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Charles Aniagwu on Monday in Asaba, the Governor thanked the Delta State Sports Commission, all team members, coaching crew and supporters for their hardwork and dedication which culminated in the victory of Team Delta.

While congratulating the Federal Ministry of Sports for organising the festival, Governor Okowa stated, “there is no doubt that sports development is very important in our nation; with all the energy in our youths, they need

to be guided in the right direction; for us as a state government, we believe that the youths must be engaged continually in sports activities.” adding “Sports is a unifying factor for us particularly in Delta State that is multi-ethnic; it also helps the youths to be disciplined,” he stated.

The Governor urged parents and stakeholders to encourage their children and wards to engage in sporting activities “we must also, begin to encourage our children to engage in sporting activities because of the economic factor involved; if we are able to get the young ones not just to win laurels for our nation Nigeria but, help themselves and others who are close to them; it is important to put a lot of money into sports development because of the benefits and am glad we encouraged the athletes to win more laurels with various cash gifts we promised them.

“Our administration is inspired to invest in sports development by the achievements recorded by previous administrations in the state as well as that of General Samuel Ogbemudia when he was the Governor of the defunct Bendel State,” he added

•The 1000 Bakassi militants pardoned by Governor Ayade of Cross River State.

Ayade grants amnesty to 1,000 militants in C/River

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ROSS River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade Monday granted amnesty to over 1,000 members of the Bakassi Strike Force (BSF) who have been operating at the creeks of Bakassi and Akpabuyo Local Government Areas of the state.

The group, led by its leader, Benjamin Ene, popularly called `G1’, surrendered over 47 guns ranging from AK47, General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), rifles, pistols, live cartridges and others.

Speaking, Ayade expressed sadness that it took his administration a long time to bring the militants out of the creeks, adding that he would continue to ensure the provision of security for residents.

He said that the group felt the ceding of the Bakassi Peninsula as unjust and unfair which did not follow due process nor the ratification of the National Assembly.

“As a governor, my responsibility is to ensure the security of the state and as a father, my duty is to protect all the residents in the state.

“It is not acceptable for any citizen to take up arms irrespective of the value of the action. We want to thank the federal government and the Operation Delta Safe for this great achievement.

“I am aware of your crimes and challenges. The process of reintegrating you back into the society is quite complex. We have to take you through a process of training and we are going to admit you into amnesty through a ceremonial programme.

“While the ceding took place, the wellbeing of the people of Bakassi was not captured. There was a social disconnect between the people of Bakassi for proper resettlement and the need for federal government to ensure peace.

“This disagreement and lack of will to address these problems generated into this level of arms rebellion. As I welcome you home into the society, I pledge to keep to the content of the Memorandum of Understanding that we have reached,’’ he said.

The State Security Adviser, Mr Ani Esin, said that the group has over the years been protesting against what they regarded as injustice, neglect and marginalisation of the Bakassi people by the government.

He explained that during the course of the protest and agitation, the group was penetrated by people with questionable intentions whose motives were contrary to the philosophy of the BSF.

“The strike force became more or less like an organisation that was fighting against the state government.

“Fortunately, the state government in collaboration with Operation Delta Safe, initiated the idea of dialogue as a means of resolving all issues concerning the group.

“With the amnesty, they will be free citizens who will be reintegrate into the society, hence contribute their quota to the development of the state,” he said.

He said that the amnesty programme would engender peace and safety in Bakassi, not only along the waterways, but also in the entire Gulf of Guinea where piracy and other maritime crimes usually take place.

The Commander of Operation Delta Safe, Rear Adm. Apochi Suleiman, said that he was happy to be part of the amnesty exercise, adding that the programme was an unconditional surrender.

“I am happy that you have come out today to embrace amnesty. We advise you to shun all forms of criminality henceforth.

“We are apolitical. We are out to protect the economic resources of

the country for the good of all.

“We are going to use the leader of the group to mop other persons still hiding in the creeks. If anyone of you goes back to creeks, we will pursue you and get you.

“I want to advise the state government to implement the Memorandum of Understanding reached with the group to foster peace,” he said.

The leader of the BSF, Ene, said that the group has laid down their arms with a promise never to return to arm struggle again.

He explained that the group viewed the ceding of Bakassi to Cameroon as a betrayal by the Nigerian state without the consent of the people.

“We had remained in the creeks fighting daily and dying for our cause, although our struggle is borne out of the failure of the past Nigerian Government and International Community to demonstrate the minimum level of responsibility and other obligation spelt out in the Green Tree Agreement.

“Our experience in the creeks over the years shall also help whenever we are needed. We have today resolved to give peace a chance,” he said.

Lack of funds delaying appointments in Ekiti – Fayemi

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KITI State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has explained why he has yet to appoint political office holders more than two months after being sworn-in.

Report has it that only the Secretary to Government (SSG), Chief of Staff (COS), Acting Head of Service (HOS), Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, as well as Special Assistant to the Deputy Governor, among few others had been appointed.

The state is yet to have a list of Commissioners and Special Advisers which the governor would have to send to the State House of Assembly for consideration and approval.

However, while addressing a news conference in Ado Ekiti Monday, Fayemi attributed the sorry state of finances on ground on assuming of office on Oct. 16 to the delay.

“I decided to delay appointment of politicians to government to enable me pay workers’ salaries.

“I don’t want to do media trial for anyone, so I have hired the services of a renowned audit firm to look into our finances, and the forensic state’s accounts will then be published during our 100 days in office in Jan.

2019,” he said.

The governor lamented how his predecessor, former Gov. Ayo Fayose, allegedly wasted N18b Paris Club Refund to Ekiti. Fayemi expressed worries over how Fayose, who owed between four and eight months salary and pension arrears at the time he left office, could not defray the backlog of workers’ benefit with the refund.

The governor said he had not reneged on his commitment to offset all the outstanding salary and pension before marking his first year in office. On the increasing wave of kidnapping and killings in the state, the governor disclosed that incentives was being given to security outfits in the state to ensure safety of lives and property.

He added that there was collaboration between the state and all security chiefs for a unique security architecture for residents to be safe and secured during the yuletide.

The governor debunked insinuation that the state collected a N11.5b Paris Club from the Federal Government, barely two months after his assumption of office.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

NEWS

Nzeribe, Iwuanyanwu, others bag Merit Award from Imo State government From COLLINS UGHALAA, of the foregoing that the Owerri Imo State Government under law number 18 of the overnor Rochas Okoro- Imo State House of Assemcha has given merit bly had passed a law to honawards to some Nigeri- our our own and those who ans, including some leaders have in one form or the othin the State. er impacted on the lives of Those who got the awards the people of this State and included Chief Arthur Nzeri- beyond”. be, Chief Emmanuel IwuanThe governor added that yanwu, “the Imo State Committee Governor Abdullahi Gan- on the Merit Award nominaduje, posthumous awards tion had carefully selected to the late Alhaji Maitama and eventually came up with Sule, former Governor of the list of Awardees which the State, Chief Sam Mbak- we have decided to honour we and the late Igbo leader, tonight”.

Ikemba Odimegwu Ojukwu, In his response, Chief E.C. Dr. Paul Unongo and Chief Iwuanyanwu said that he John Nnia Nwodo, President was elated by the Award and General of Ohanaeze Ndig- confessed his indifference to bo. the Rescue Mission GovernOthers awardees are Chief ment despite the kind overGary Igariwey, Lt. General tures of the administration Azubuike Ihejirika (rtd), the to him, stating that he has late Dick Tiger Ihetu, the late received accolades from loChief C.C. Onoh, the late Eze cal and international quarDr. Akanu Ibiam, Chief Jim ters but that this particular Nwobodo, Chief Ndubuisi Award is what he cherishes Kanu and Ayo Adebanjo. most.

The awards were part of President-General of Ohanthe activities marking the eze, Chief John Nnia Nwo2018 Igbo Day Celebration in do poured encomiums on Owerri.

Governor Okorocha, noting The Awards ranged from that the Award would only Grand Commander of the prompt him to continue to Order of Imo (GCOI) to push further to the frontiers Grand Chancellor of the in the furtherance of Igbo State of Imo (GCSI). development.

Speaking before the conHe added: “I know that ferment of the awards on someday, someone somethe recipients at the Ikemba where will recognize these Ojukwu Heroes Square, Gov- efforts just like Owelle has ernor Rochas Okorocha said done this glorious night. I the problem is that Nigeri- pray for the coming togethans are not good with his- er of all Igbos so that we tory, adding that the state will all come to the drawing had chosen to honour some board to see and correct Nigerians who have distin- where we have missed it and guished themselves both in to take our rightful place in conduct and in service. the comity of this entity NiHe said: “This night is a geria and the world at large. night specially mapped out I commend Owelle Rochas to honour our great leaders Okorocha for this Award and from this State and other for single-handedly building parts of the Country and a befitting headquarters for beyond who have distin- Ohaneze Ndigbo in Enugu.” guished themselves excelIn his comment, Governor lently both in Conduct and in Ganduje said: “I hold this service and in the overall de- Award very precious to my velopment of our dear State heart. I am not surprised and nation. at the Award knowing that “We have discovered that Owelle is one of the best the problem with our people detribalized Nigerians that is that we are not good with have the heart for the genhistory and the fact that we eral good of this nation. I don’t easily remember the commend the contributions worthwhile developmental of Ndigbo in Kano State strides of our heroes past; and the foundation of the we are at a loss in the short- Imo State Governor, Rochas est possible time and tend to Foundation Colleges that forget these great nationals have impacted positively on that have brought about our the lives of numerous Nigegreatness. rian children from the length “It is therefore as a result and breadth of this Country”.

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•Chief Iwuanyanwu receiving his award from Okorocha

•Chief Nnia Nwodo receiving his award from Okorocha

•Gov. Ganduje receiving his award from Okorocha

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

NEWS Woman sets mother, two children on fire

By Oliver Udeogu

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ASUU Strike: Lecturers walk out of meeting with govt delegation

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n what has been described as ‘an epresentatives of the Aca- Biodun Ogunyemi, led the union’s would be paid to three critical will try to have an agreement with unmistakable’ Christmas tragdemic Staff Union of Univer- delegation to Monday’s meeting. demands, which are salary short- the lecturers before Christmas so edy, an unidentified woman has sities (ASUU) on Monday The ASUU delegation arrived at fall, university revitalisation and as to allow affected university stuset a woman and her two children staged a walkout from a meeting the ministry at exactly 5:00 p.m. earned allowances of lecturers. dents return to school in January. ablaze in the Mbanagu village of with a federal government del- but no member of the federal govAfter the walkout by the lecturReacting to the walk out by Otolo Nnewi, Anambra State. egation. The Minister of Labour ernment delegation was around ers, they did not brief journalists ASUU’s representatives, Mr Ngige No motive had been established and Employment, Chris Ngige led as at this time. The government on what caused their action. Mr said the lecturers were only dissatfor the incident as at press time the government delegation. De- delegation led by Mr Ngige arrived Ogunyemi, who led ASUU’s del- isfied with the decision reached. egation to Monday’s meeting, re- “There is no walk out because we but a reliable source it must have spite the walkout, Mr Ngige ex- at exactly 6:00 p.m.

The minister of education, Ad- fused to make any comment. Mr even broke into a session that is been a case of jealousy on the pressed optimism that the strike part of the attacker who allegedly would soon be called off. The uni- amu Adamu, was absent at the Ngige, who briefed journalists af- on camera. We can say they were suspected that her victim was versity lecturers embarked on an time the meeting started. Before ter the walkout, did not also state dissatisfied because he is a union indefinite strike on November 4, the walkout and at the start of the what the grievances of the lectur- leader so if he doesn’t get 100 sleeping with her husband.

It was gathered that the sus- demanding improved funding of meeting, Mr Ngige told the lectur- ers were. He, however, expressed per cent he might not be smiling. pect sprayed the mother and her universities and implementation ers that he hopes a consensus on optimism that the strike would be ss“Note that any meeting you two children with a liquid sub- of previous agreements with the most of the issues is reached at called off soon. He said negotia- have and people come out smilthe end of the meeting. He as- tions are still ongoing with ASUU ing, that means somebody has stance suspected to be a mixture government.

The National President of ASUU, sured the union that attention and that the federal government cheated the other,” he said. of acid and fuel, and set them on fire.

It was further learnt that, follwing the attack, the victim raised an alarm which attracted a very large crowd, who made efforts to save her and her children but it was already too late for the two kids, who gave up the ghost due to high degree burns, while their mother, identified as Mrs Nwoye Ginika was reportedly unconscious when she was rushed to Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, before she was later taken to the Iyienu Hospital in Ogidi, Idemili North LGA, Mrs Ginika was said to have been returning from business with her two little children on the faithful day with no premonition, unaware that danger lay ahead her that night as someone lay in ambush with intent to attack her.

A reliable source had confirmed to The Oracle Today that the family of the victim is devastated over the loss of their two male children, and the bad condition of their wife.

The identity of the assailant could not be established as at press time but a source close to the victim said that a lady, who •Senator Ayogu Eze, APC governorship candidate for Enugu State (in white) flanked by the State chairman of the party , Dr. Ben Nwoye (right), former Minister of exchanged a very serious verbal Aviation Mrs. Cecelia Njeze (second left) and Mrs. Nkechi Ayogu Eze (left) when Senator Eze and his entourage paid the Njeze family in Udi, Udi Local Government Area attack with the victim the previ- of the State, a condolence visit.

Photo: Clinton Umeh. ous day is being suspected as the mastermind of the heinous crime.

The source said the lady accused the mother of two of having a secret relationship with her ollowing the four-day strike ac- December 18, raised an eyebrow on among other issues.

Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, husband. tion embarked upon by workers the inability of Senator Bukola SaThey prevented lawmakers from to do the needful by attending to The attack victim, it was gath- of the National Assembly, the All raki and Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, entering, a development that an- the demands of the Parliamentary ered, has been referred to the Na- Progressives Congress (APC) has to intervene on the strike. gered the legislators, who called on workers.” tional Orthopedic Hospital Enugu, accused principal officers and leadIt was gathered that on Monday, security operatives to prevent possiOnilu blamed the development for further medical treatment. ership of the legislative arm of mas- December 17, National Assembly ble hindrance to their duties. on the defection of the principal terminding the strike . workers, led by Clerk Sanni OmolReacting to the protest, Onilu officers, adding that such unfortuLanre Issa-Onilu, the National ori, stormed the complex in protest said: “The APC calls on the Senate nate incidents of non-payment of spokesperson of the party, in a to demand payment of their due President, Senator Bukola Saraki salaries were recorded during the statement released on Tuesday, allowances, deserved promotion, and the Speaker of the House of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 16-year reign.

He said: “The PDP’s 16-year rule was characterized by such incidences of unpaid salaries, ghost From JONATHAN AWANYAI, commencement of the event that we understand that we workers and a shocking disdain for Asaba that took place at the Govern- have to celebrate, we have to workers’ welfare.

“While the minority PDP usurpment House Chapel, Asaba. worship and invite the Lord into ers, who parade themselves as elta State governor, Senator According to Ven. Osemenem, our lives.”

Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, his wife, the coming of Jesus Christ as the “We must seek His presence; the National Assembly leadership promptly paid themselves Dame Edith led members of the Saviour of the world was so im- He is the one that we need; if we have their allowances, National Assemstate executive council to the portant that the three Wise Men open our hearts, our lives will be bly workers, under the umbrella of Festival of Nine Lessons and left everything they were doing transformed,” he emphasised.

Parliamentary Staff Association of Carols of Government House to look for the newborn.

Choir groups from different Nigeria (PASAN), are owed their Chapel, where Ven. Charles Ose“The message of Christmas is churches rendered different duly earned 28 % increase in their menem stated that the message Emmanuel, God is with us, that Christmas hymns with the con- salaries since 2010.” of Christmas is Emmanuel which is important to us; His presence gregation joining in some of the The APC spokesperson called on means, God is with us. is all that we need because, His hymns. Wife of the governor Saraki and Dogara to address the Governor Okowa took the first presence made difficult things was among those who took les- issue in order to prevent circumlesson at the Festival from Gen- easy,” the Venerable said. sons at the event, which lasted 3 stances that could hinder legislative duties. esis 22: 15-17, which signaled the He continued: “It is important hours.

APC blames Saraki, Dogara for protest by NASS workers

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Okowa, others attend Nine Lessons And Carols

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

NEWS

Delta govt. committed to peace for development –Otuaro

NYCN installs patrons, patronesses in Idemili North

By OGE ONYEANUSI

From EMMANUEL OGOIGBE, Warri

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eputy governor of Delta State, Deacon Kingsley Burutu Otuaro has said that the Senator Ifeanyi Okowa-led Administration is unwavering in its commitment to maintaining peace towards developing all parts of the state.

Otuaro, who is also Chairman of Delta State Advocacy Committee Against Vandalism of Oil and Gas Facilities, gave the assurance while addressing newsmen shortly after a tripartite meeting of the state government’s representatives, Ogulagha/Forcados communities/area and the Shell Petroleum Development Company Ltd (SPDC), during the week.

The deputy governor, who described the engagement as one of periodic meetings geared towards reviewing the security situation in the area, expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting.

“It is a tripartite meeting for peace building among representatives of communities in Ogulagha/Forcados area, SPDC and the Delta State Government. It is normal, natural and desirable that periodically, we come together to take an overview of the security situation in the area as development can only thrive in a conducive and peaceful atmosphere,” Otuaro said.

Stressing that the Senator Okowa-led Administration would leave no stone unturned in its effort to build peace across all communities in the state, Otuaro said the relative peace achieved has enhanced the infrastructural development of the state and other giant strides of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.

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he National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Idemili North LGA Charter, Anambra State has installed its first ever patrons and patronesses.

The ceremony held at the Idemili North Local Government headquarters, Ogidi, attracted politicians, business men and women, clergies, youth organizations, and people from all walks of life.

Some of those installed as patrons and patronesses include Ikechukwu Okosa, Sylvester Orie, S.O Egbunike, Vera Ezeaku, Vera

Okonkwo, Ifeanyi Udochukwu, Chibuzor Okeke, Uche Oduche, Chinwe Obimma, Okay Maduekwe, Jerry Ubah, Solo Chukwulobelu, Chiekwu Ifeanyi Arthur, Charity Ezeji, among many others.

In his address at the event, the Idemili North Local Government Coordinator of NYCN, His Youthfulness, Comr. Echegwo Godwin Chibunna, thanked the youth council at the state and national levels represented by Hon. Nwabufoh Nwankwo, and Comr. Innocent Nduanya, respectively for seeing to it that Idemili Chapter of the council was inaugurated.

He also thanked those installed as patrons and patronesses for accepting to be part of them, promising that the NYCN in Idemili North will not betray the trust reposed in them.

He said that the essence of the installation was to raise men and women of proven integrity and character, who would mentor, advise and assist them in times of need, adding that with proper encouragement and support, the NYCN in the area would make the local government area proud.

The youth group also seized the opportunity of the installation to

raise funds for the procurement of a brand new bus to enhance its mobility.

The group had also, prior to the installation, held talks and presentation of papers from eminent personalities from the council area and beyond.

Earlier, the chairman of the occasion, Hon. Nwabufoh Nwankwo, commended the youths of Idemili North for organizing a very successful ceremony.

Nwankwo, who is the leader of the NYCN in Anambra, promised that he would continue to support the youth council in the area.

• Second from right the Group Managing Director Mainland Oil & Gas Ltd Prince Chris Odinaka Igwe (Okosisi Abia) being flanked by the PDP Candidate for Umunneochi/Isuikwuato federal constituency Hon Udeachara third from right while second from left is Chief Arthur Mbanefo the PDP Chairman Umunneochi local government area at a function recently in Umuahia Photo Oliver Udeogu

2019: ASATU organises town hall meeting for politicians in Anambra

By OGE ONYEANUSI

s part of preparations for the 2019 general election in the A country, the Aguata branch of

the Anambra State Association of Town Unions (ASATU), has organized a town hall meeting for politicians from the area seeking various political offices in the forthcoming dispensation.

The event, held recently at the premises of the Aguata Local Government Secretariat in Ekwulobia, drew candidates of various political parties seeking elective positions, from the Senate, House of Representatives to the State House of Assembly.

Also at the event were executives and members of ASATU, traditional rulers from Aguata and many other stakeholders.

In his address at the event, Chairman of ASATU in Aguata, Dr. S.A Akaneme said the meeting was fashioned as an interactive forum for elected representatives and those aspiring to elective offices from the area as well as other stakeholders in Aguata to meet and review acquaintances, progress and challenges of the area and lay a solid foundation for sustainable development.

According to him, the interface with elected representatives would create an opportunity for elected representatives to present their scorecards as well as the challenges in their respective offices, adding that those seeking elective positions would also share their aspirations and plans to deliver the local government from its present state of developmental decay.

In a keynote address, Prof. Romanus Ezeokonkwo, the President General of Mkpologwu Town Union said the meeting was timely because of the election season in the country.

He called on the electorate and the people of Aguata to do the needful and ensure that only credible candidates, who can protect the interest of Aguata indigenes and residents alike are elected at all levels, irrespective of political affiliations.

He noted that those who will be representing Aguata at different levels of political offices will be expected to address different challenges confronting the people of the area, including those of infrastructure, youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, security and peace building.

At the event, those seeking various political offices took turns to address the gathering on their plans for the people if elected.

Incumbent member of the House of Representatives for Aguata Federal Constituency, Rt. Hon. Eucharia Azodo (PDP), said she would like to go back to the National Assembly for the third time to consolidate on her achievements.

She expressed the hope that PDP would take over power at the centre, noting that when that is done, she would be in a position, as a ranking legislator, to tackle most challenges confronting her constituency and also attract dividends of democracy that would develop and transform Aguata Federal Constituency.

Another politician, Okeke Chika Jerry (ADC), who is aspiring to represent Aguata State Constituency II in the State House of Assembly, said if elected, he would focus on revamping the education system, provide portable water and also work towards improving power supply in his constituency.

Hon. Linus Izundu (ADC), who is aspiring to represent Aguata Federal Constituency in the

House of Representatives said Aguata needs a reliable politician like himself to take the federal constituency to the next level.

He promised that if elected, his primary focus would be to attract federal presence to the constituency in the areas of healthcare, steady power supply, potable water supply and economic prosperity.

Afamefuna Ezenwafor (APC), who also aspires to represent Aguata II State Constituency, said if elected, his focus as a legislator would be to attract e-library and School of Nursing to the constituency, urging the people to vote him as he would not disappoint.

Comrade Emma Ezeokafor (YPP), who also aspires to represent Aguata II State Constituency, said if elected, he would introduce representation by consultation as well as representation by inclusion.

In doing this, according to him, he would provide a platform where constituency members would gather quarterly to evaluate his scorecard and proffer suggestions as to how to get the best for the constituency.

Ezeokafor, a Laboratory Technologist with Nnamdi Azikiwe

University, Awka, also said he would sponsor bills that would help check ecological problems in his constituency.

For his his part, Nze Chidi Duru (APC), a two-time member of the House of Representatives, who also said he won Best Federal Legislator Award (1999-2003) and (2003-2007), said his focus if elected, would be to sponsor bills that would enhance ease of doing business in Nigeria, and for promotion of Private Sector-led economy.

Hon. Chukwudi Echezona Ezeobika (United Patriot - UP) said his aspiration is to represent Anambra South in the senate.

Ezeobika, a lawyer, said if elected into the red chambers, he would take advantage of his youthful age to fight for the development of Anambra South in the area of provision of motorable roads, empowerment of youths, provision of potable water, among other democracy dividends.

Barr Ezeokafor, who is also the Acting National Chairman of the United Patriot, urged the electorate to stop recycling corrupt, old and incompetent politicians.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

NEWS

Gov. Ugwuanyi presents N109.199bn G 2019 budget estimates overnor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has presented a budget proposal of N109, 199 billion for the 2019 fiscal year to the State House of Assembly for consideration and passage.

Presenting the 2019 budget proposal tagged: ‘‘Budget of peace, equity and prosperity’’, Gov. Ugwuanyi disclosed that the appropriation bill was 5.44% higher than the 2018 budget of N103, 563 billion.

The governor added that the increase was in keeping with his administration’s promise last year

•Targets improved infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture, education, others to expand its expenditure vis-àvis projects and programmes of the state as the economy of the nation improves “to ensure that every citizen and residents of Enugu State will reap the full benefits of the dividends of democracy”.

Gov. Ugwuanyi who stated that his administration has implement-

ed the previous budgets to N85%, explained that “out of the total budget proposal of N109.199 billion, the sum of N65.7 billion, representing 60.17%, is for recurrent expenditure. He noted that “this is higher than the 2018 figure of N60.7 billion by 8.22%.

He disclosed that capital ex-

Edwin Ilah drops new single

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fter years of making an impact on the music scene in Nigeria, Edwin Ilah, boss of Edilah Ventures Ltd and JTribe-Crew, musical arm of Judah’s House Christian Center, has returned with a new single titled, ‘You Are God.’ The artiste cum music producer, who launched his ‘Awesome God’ album in 2015, whilst promising a new one soon, said already a new track titled ‘This God’ is ready for release.

Performing live in Lagos backed up by his crew at a programme that also had in attendance musical acts like Babbie Mercy, Phemmy Tujoye, Benycoz, Dolapo, Apostle John Ebegbuna among other distinguished persons, the minister said the song is divinely-

I formerly known as Odo ikechukwu ogbonna now wish to be known as ikeigbo ogbonna chinagorom. former documents remain valid. Banks and general public take note

inspired.

“The song is God-inspired and took me less than 30 minutes to come up with. It’s very inspirational,” he said, describing the genre as gospel blues.

“You haven’t seen anything yet.

By the special grace of God, I’ll be hitting Nigerians with the main tracker titled ‘This God’ soonest.”

The fair-complexioned gospel artiste, who began singing at an early age, explained that his music and life is all about winning souls for Christ.

Ilah is the PFN president in Agbelekale zone and hosts his own monthly entertainment programmes/love feast which he uses to take the gospel message to the world.

penditure stood at N43.493 billion representing 39.3% of the budget size, which is also higher by 1.5% than the 2018 figure of 42.846 billion. The governor revealed that works and infrastructure would gulp the highest amount of N16.5 billion because of the premium the state government placed on infrastructural development of the state.

He maintained that the government intends to complete all ongoing road projects and construct new ones across the 17 local government areas of the state as well as provide other critical infrastructure that will stimulate economic growth and job creation.

Gov. Ugwuanyi added that the health sector was allocated the sum of N2.37 billion, stating that the sector received a boost in its financing to enable his administration fully equip the already completed Enugu State Medical Diagnostic Centre to commence operation in 2019. The governor pointed out that the state government also intends to sustain and improve on the services being provided through free maternal and child healthcare programme.

“We want to ensure that our children, pregnant and nursing

mothers do not die from preventable ailments, thus we have set aside the sum total of N2.37 billion to all the ministries, departments and agencies under the health sector in the 2019 fiscal year”.

According to him, agriculture received an allocation of N633.5m to consolidate the efforts of his administration towards commercialization of the sector to achieve food security in the state, while N5.522b went to the education sector to sustain the tempo of government in the ongoing compulsory free education from primary to junior secondary schools; renovation, construction and equipping of schools at all levels, among others.

The governor equally announced that the sum of N742m was budgeted for the expansion of Enugu and Nsukka urban water scheme, boosting of small town water supply project and the state rural supply project and the State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (ENRUWASA) with the aim of “making potable water available to our people irrespective of whether they live in a rural or urban area”.

•Edwin I. ILah

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly known as ukagwu edith nneoma now wish to be known as kalu edith nneoma daniel. former documents remain valid.

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MAWUH GLOBAL SOLUTIONS

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The general public is hereby notified that the above name has applied for registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission under part “C” of the company and Allied Matters Act 1990.

Trustees are: 1.

ESTHER BAKUME C.E.O/FOUNDER 2.

DR. SAMA SYLVEINUS PRESIDENT 3.

JOELLA AYAH

VICE PRESIDENT 4.

DR. MARY EYONG SECRETARY 5.

MR. NKONGHO EMMEANUEL

OJONG - EXECUTIVE SECRETARY 6.

AKOACHERE VIVIAN

ARREY

- PROJECT CO-ORDINATOR 7.

MARY JACKSON FINANCIAL SECRETARY 8.

TRUDY TOH-NGAKO PROJECT DIRECTOR Aims and Objectives: - To reduce extreme poverty in the refugees and vulnerable communities in Africa.

- To empower women and the youths with skills and tools that will help them to generate income and create opportunities for themselves, their families, their communities and countries.

-To focus on humanitarian and development activities in the domain of Health and Sanitation, Mental health, Nutrition, food security, Education, Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurial Innovations.

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the Registrar general, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed by: Dr. Sama Sylveinus President

POLITICS

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

•Andy Uba

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here are 14 National Assembly seats available for grab in the State among which includes 3 seats in the Senate and 11 in the Federal House of Representatives. There are many political parties that are fielding candidates for the 14 available seats but notable among them are the ruling party in the State being the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the ruling party at the national level being All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition party at the national level, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

On the field of play, there are candidates to watch from the three parties.

In APGA, all eyes are on Senator Victor, the incumbent member representing Anambra Central Senatorial District in the Senate. Other candidates in APGA are Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu alias Ikukuoma, who is contending to unseat Senator Andy Uba from the seat of Anambra South Senatorial District in the Senate and Ferdinand Dozie Nwankwo who is currently representing Njikoka/ Anaocha/Dunukofia in the Federal House of Representatives. APGA also parades the likes of former Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly Rt. Hon Anayo Nebe who is seeking a second term on the seat of Awka North/ South Federal Constituency in House of Representatives. The party is also unleashing a popular market leader in the State in the person of Chief Okwudili Ezenwankwo who is the candidate of the party for the seat of Orumba North/ South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.

In APC Senator Andy Uba currently representing Anambra South Senatorial District in the Senate is leading an array of APC candidates in the race for Senate and Federal House of Representatives. Notable among them are Senator Margery Okadigbo who is the candidate of APC running for the seat of Anambra North Senatorial District. APC is also fielding Mr Sylvester Okonkwo

•Uche Ekwuinife

Aguleri are not descendants of Eri, says Aniegboka

Pg 10

•Victor Umeh

I have no reason to fight Obiano –Agbodike Pg 11

•Chris Uba

2019: APGA, APC, PDP test strength in Anambra • Politicians battle for NASS seats

As the 2019 election draws nearer, the attention of people in Anambra State is focused mainly on the National Assembly election during which the people will elect those who will represent them in the two chambers of the National Assembly, namely the Senate and Federal House of Representatives. THEO RAYS reports... who is the flag-bearer of the party for the Anambra Central Senatorial District.

For the House of Representatives, APC has an ex-Member of the House Hon. Charles Odedo who is holding the ace as leading contender for Idemili North/ South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. Hon Odedo who has been on the seat on two occasions is apparently the most popular APC candidate for federal House of Representatives in Anambra State.

In PDP, Senator Stella Odua who is currently representing Anambra North Senatorial District is leading the team of PDP candidates into the National Assembly race. Joining Odua in the team are Senator Uche Ekwunife who is the flag-bearer of the party in Anambra Central and erstwhile godfather of Anambra politics, Chief Chris Uba (Eselu Uga) who is the candidate of the main national opposition party in Anambra South Senatorial District. In the House of Representatives, PDP is unleashing some sitting members of the Federal House against other political parties. They are Hon Chris Azubuogu who is holding the ace as the

leading contender for the seat of Nnewi North/South/Ekwusigo Federal Constituency, Hon Lynda Ikpeazu who seeking another term in the House for the seat of Onitsha North/South Federal Constituency, Hon Chukwuka Onyema who is representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency and is seeking a third missionary journey in the House, Hon Obinna Chidoka who is also in the race for another term for the seat of Idemili North/South Constituency and Hon Gabriel Onyenweife representing Oyi/Ayamelum Federal Constituency who decamped from APGA to PDP in a bid to retain the seat.

Analysts predict that there is no easy ride for the candidates in the polls.

However, there are flash points where the battle will have more attention of political watchers. For examples, the fight between incumbent Senator Victor Umeh and Uche Ekwunife along side Sylvester Okonkwo in Anambra Central is not going to be a tea party. According to observers, what makes the fight for the soul of Anambra Central in the Senate much stronger than others is that key political gladiators in the State

are involved in the fight. While Senator Umeh will no doubt enjoy the support of the State government and its structures in the District, Ekwunife on her part will have the backing of the Vice Presidential candidate of PDP and former Governor Peter Obi who is from the District. Analysts say Obi would like to deliver his Senatorial District to his party.

Another notable gladiator who will lend Ekwunife support is former Road Safety Chief Osita Chidoka. Chidoka, also former Minister of Aviation who has an eye on the Government House in Awka, will like to build for the future with the 2019 polls.

For Okonkwo, the APC candidate, there is hope of strong support from the current Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige who on a good day would give any political party a good fight most especially in the densely populated areas of Idemili North and South where he did marvelously well in road construction during his days as governor of Anambra State. As the candidate of Cont’d on page 12

10

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

POLITICS

Aguleri are not descendants of Eri, says Aniegboka •They are Igala migrants •Came to subdue Umueri but failed to conquer

The war of attrition between Aguleri and Umueri in Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State is far from over. As Correspondent RAYMOND OZOJI discovered, the war may have shifted to history, where both sides making claims and counter claims about the origins of the communities.

N

ot too long ago, at the investiture of Patrons of Eri Kingdom at Amaeze Aguleri, to be precise, the traditional ruler of Aguleri community, Eze Christopher Nwabunwanne Idigo, Ogalagidi ll, Eze Aguleri, had mentioned Aguleri, Igbariam, Nsugbe, Nteje, Nri and Oraeri as descendants of Eri Kingdom. The traditional ruler and some other persons who spoke to journalists unanimously concurred that Aguleri is the head and cradle of the Igbo nation and that every Igbo person has its roots in Aguleri whence they multiplied and spread to other clans and communities They maintained that the history and evolution of the Igbo in Nigeria could not be told without the pivotal role Aguleri played in being the historical settlement of Eri Kingdom now the present day Ndigbo. What that means, in essence, is that Ndigbo, wherever they maybe on planet earth, have their origin from Aguleri.

But Elder Mike Edozieuno Ndive Aniegboka who told our correspondent in his house in Umueri that he is a direct descendant of the High Priest that led the Igbo nation, that is Eri, from the East of Jordan to the place presently called Umueri on Anambra River valley where every Igbo man started from, explained that as at the time Umueri settled on the Omambala River bank, Aguleri was not in existence. Aniegboka said that is why they are called Umueri Oke-ebo meaning that they are ubiquitous.

He said : “Those people that launched

themselves as descendants of Eri are strangers to us.”

He said Igbariam, Nteje, Nsugbe and Aguleri are all aliens in Umueri heritage. He further disclosed that Nteje means Ntiji in Igala language and the first village in Nteje is called Umueji, which he said migrated from Igala. Igbariam according to him, is made up of two groups namely Onogu and Igbo adding that it was after the war that the Ada people invaded them and they came together, got amalgamated and became the present day Igbariam community.

Aniegboka also said that Nsugbe means Nsugba. He said Nsugbe people were migrants from different places like Igala, Asaba, Igbo who after sometime became Nsugba now known in the present day as Nsugbe community. Elder Aniegboka, however, stated that the people known as Aguleri were called Agu-eri and they migrated from Ibaji Igala in Kogi State. He said: “We had war with Igala people and after the war, there was peace. That was how Igala people started coming to us in the guise of communion and fellowship. So, the Aguleri people migrated to our land in the sixteenth century. They came to Umueri as fishermen.

Some came as native doctors and what have you. Aguleri people are not Igbo. They are from Igala! It is now that the strangers that came are claiming Eri heritage.”

The Nri people of Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State, according to him, are from Umueri. He said “the Adama

clan in Nri do what we do in Umueri.” He said Nri kingdom has Adama and Umudiani. Umueri also has Adama and Umudiani. He said in Enugwu-Ukwu Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State, they have Umuatolu and Umuatolu also exists in Umueri community. In Nawfia, according to him, they have Umunri-Amu and in Umueri, they also have Umunri-Amu. In other words, Nri people are from Umueri but they know how they left through the Ezu River and settled with Achala people in Awka-North Local Government Area of Anambra State. He, however, maintained that the four communities claiming Eri heritage are all Igala migrants!

Aniegboka said that the Idigo dynasty are the founders of modern Aguleri because the Aguleris enlarged their numbers through oath-taking after a period of residence in the community, stressing that the state governor is not a native of Aguleri but a native of Igbariam descendants of the Igala community, reiterating the fact that Aguleri are mainly strangers to Eri Kingdom.

He recalled that Aguleri were fortunate to have received the catholic missionaries when they arrived early while Umueri received the Anglican missionaries, explaining that it was the Catholic missionaries that helped to publicize Aguleri and they gained prominence.

To buttress his claim, Aniegboka disclosed that when Nnamdi Kanu visited the area at the height of his IPOB pro-Biafra campaigns, the first place he visited was the cradle of the

•Obiano Igbo race which is Umueri kingdom, pointing out that what Aguleri people are doing is what strangers do in every place they come: try to subdue the aborigines.

“It is not new. They want to conquer Umueri but they cannot because they have nothing to show for it,” Aniegboka said.

He said the bitter memories of the war between Aguleri and Umueri still linger because, currently, he cannot remember any Umueri person that is a government appointee of the present administration in Anambra state .

OGAN to host cultural festival, competitions

By THEO RAYS

P

reparations by Odenigbo General Assembly, Nsukka, (OGAN) to host a cultural festival and competitions are in full spate.

President of the socio- cultural and advocacy body, Mr. Charles Ikechukwu Anekwe made this known to a section of the press at EL –RINA guest house, Nsukka, recently during a gathering to unfold the Assembly’s pout-pourri of activities as the year 2018 tapers to an end.

He stated that the festival, which is slated to take place at the expansive Government Field, Nsukka, on Saturday, December 29, 2018 by 12noon is aimed at“ encouraging the upholding of our cultural values, creating entertainment, harmony and sense of oneness among the people,” pointing out that it was in that spirit that the Assembly held her 2017 end – of- year event to recognise, celebrate and inspire some deserving persons.

According to him, His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Enugu State, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (GBURUGBURU) has agreed to be the Special Guest of Honour while the President General, Ohaneze – Ndigbo worldwide, Barr.

Chief John Nnia Nwodo is to be the Special Guest Speaker with the Executive Chairman of Nsukka LGA, Hon. Chief Patrick Kenechukwu Omeje (Ikenga – Adada) as the Chairman/ Chief host of the occasion and his LGA counterparts in the cultural zone as Co-Chief hosts.

Continuing, Anekwe said participants are Nsukka residents from the South – Eastern States of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo and sprinkles of other States that are geographically contiguous to the South – Eastern States.

He added that the National Museum andMonuments of

•Charles Ikechukwu Anekwe Unity, Enugu, Info Outreach Centre for Research and Documentation, Nsukka, and Scholars from far and near who are interested in Igbo cultural survival and have been carrying out research in Igbo studies, will also participate in the allimportant festival.

Anekwe, a veteran Public relations practitioner said: “At the event, there shall be showcasing of the cultural variables of the various inhabitants of Nsukka in their cultural dance, dirge, music, masquerade, wrestling, cultural kitchen, traditional beauty pageant, vintage palmwine, plus children’s fluency in native dialect and Igbo bible recitation.”

“Diverse as the residents of Nsukka are from their divergent cultures, these shows and exhibitions promise to capture each people’s unique cultural practices and patterns,” the OGAN President noted, assuring that the event “promises to be colourful, insightful and thought- provoking; we are hoping that it will add value to the yuletide celebrations.”

He then advised individual and group performers who wish to participate in the competitions to listen to Radio/TV announcements and see newspapers / posters for details and register on time as fabulous prizes would be won.

Concluding,he appealed to all governments and good spirited individuals and organisations to give assistance to the Assembly to make the festival a huge success.

It would be recalled that, Odenigbo General Assembly, Nsukka, is an umbrella body of residents of Odenigbo, Nsukka neighbourhood. Odenigbo neighbourhood is the largest concentration of people in Nsukka metropolis and indeed in Enugu North senatorial zone of Enugu State. The area has dense concentration of residential houses, businesses and commercial activities and the attendant human traffic in areas of such activities.

Overtime, the Assembly has grown steadily in the direction its founders envisioned for it to transcend the territorial boundaries of Odenigbo neighbourhood and become a concept of sort-- “an idea (movement) whose time has come,” with membership drawn from and open to all detribalised Nigerians who have clean and credible records.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

INTERVIEW

I have no reason to fight Obiano –Agbodike

•Says whenever a legislator wants to fight, it must be a good and justifiable fight

Hon. Paschal Agbodike, Ph.D, is the lawmaker representing Ihiala 2 State Constituency in the 6th Anambra State House of Assembly. He is also the Deputy Majority Leader and Chairman House of Assembly Committee on Youth Enterpreneurship and Creative Economy. In this interview with RAYMOND OZOJI in Awka, the lawmaker explains why he has no reason whatsoever to fight Governor Willie Obiano but rather to support his innovations and propensity for massive infrastructural development. Agbodike also x-rayed his conquest at the primary elections and why the people of Ihiala 2 state constituency should rally round him in the 2019 general election. Excerpts: How did primary elections go in your constituency?

Well my primary election was successful. Prior to the primary elections, I granted you an interview where you inquired about the primary elections and I told you that my constituents came together and had a meeting that I should return to the House of Assembly unopposed. But you know there are other political parties in the state and my constituency too.

I am an APGA member and majority of my constituents are APGA. Now, people from other political parties also endorsed me for a second term of office and that was the reason nobody challenged me in the field of the election proper. One of the people who picked form to challenge me was advised not to challenge me because they had unanimously agreed that I should go for a second term. And before voting commenced, he announced his withdrawal from the contest and declared total support for me.

My constituents promised that they will do it again the same way they did in 2015. I polled about 80,000 votes and the PDP candidate that challenged me didn’t get up to 10% of the votes cast.

Upon my victory in 2015, I promised my constituents a lot, which, in their own assessment, I have virtually fulfilled—virtually all my election campaign promises during 2015 general elections I have fulfilled. I told them that my priority was education; to empower my people through quality education. This is why Mmiri Oma Education Foundation resonates everywhere.

Of course, you know that the three major functions of a legislator are legislation, representation and oversights. In terms of representation, I have given my people quality representation, making sure that whenever budget is being passed, I ensure that the needs of my people are captured in the budget of Anambra State Government. There is massive road construction going on in my constituency as we speak as well as other infrastructural development. I have also made several motions intended to address the needs of my constituency and the state at large. I always support good bills as generated by my colleagues, especially bills that tend to engender good governance in Anambra State.

I can never be seen on the side of trouble in the Anambra State House of Assembly; rather I will always be on the side of any decision that can promote the wellbeing of Anambra State; that is where you see me in the House of Assembly. In the area of oversight functions, it was the oversight functions to government ministries, departments, agencies and parastatals that opened my eyes to request for projects to be sited in my constituency.

Mind you, the oversight function of a legislator is very important because it helps you interact with the heads of ministries and organisations.

I have also sunk several functional boreholes, built some markets as well as executed some other developmental cum lifechanging constituency projects together with projects that my constituents have been yearning for, for so long a time--I have been able to achieve them.

It is pertinent that I have to say this that it is not the job of the legislator to construct roads but he or she can attract road construction to his constituency through cordial relations with the executive arm. It is no longer news that when some politicians are voted into power, you won’t see them again until another election year and people are not happy with such category of politicians. Ihiala town has 10 communities and out of these 10 communities, I am representing seven communities in the State Assembly. However, leaders of my constituency have unanimously said that I don’t have much task; that I have been campaigning since 2015 and my works speak for me. So, what I owe them is nothing but quality representation at the Anambra State House of Assembly even though I am not the best but my constituents chose me again!

Why do you think the people of Ihiala 2 state constituency found you worthy of another term of office?

My constituents said they want continuity in office; that continuity in their own context means that the work I am doing is good and that’s why they said I should continue with my education foundation: scholarships to indigent students of my constituency, attracting infrastructural development; respect for leaders and people of my constituency as well as support for the executive arm of government, amongst other numerous things my constituents expect in 2019, if re-elected.

Would you say your relationship with the state government has really impacted positively in Ihiala 2 state constituency?

My good relationship with His Excellency the working governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano has brought a lot of succour to my constituency because the governor cannot do it alone;

he needs the support and cooperation of the legislative arm. Be that as it may, my personal support for the governor added a lot of advantage because the governor looks at me with love and the same love extended to my constituency. My good working relationship with him has in so many ways paved way for lots of infrastructural development for my people in Ihiala 2 State constituency.

It is good for a legislator to be positive-minded as well as support the good deeds of a working governor instead of being an opposition to a governor that means well for the people. Such antagonistic tendencies may indirectly affect the constituency. Whenever a legislator wants to fight, it must be a good and justifiable fight. For me, I have no reason to fight Governor Willie Obiano because he has done nothing wrong to deserve any form of antagonism and animosity, instead I will support his policies and programmes because they are people-oriented. Why should I quarrel with the governor instead of giving him accolades for his giant strides and support him with good motions and bills to enable him maintain and sustain the tempo of his developmental strides in Anambra State?

But why do you have to bring the issue of opposition in this discourse?

You know wherever two or more assemble, there are bound to be discordant tunes and divergent views. In the Anambra State House of Assembly, we have opposition. All the members are not APGA members. The opposition parties have their manifestoes different from APGA manifesto and agenda. So for this reason, I have to work hard to protect APGA manifesto from the wiles and antics of the opposition elements because APGA’s manifesto is our working instrument towards making Anambra State better. But people with different manifestoes may try to oppose that of APGA to the disadvantage and detriment of the entire state. This is why I call them opposition!

What committee or committees do you chair in the House?

I am Chairman of the House Committee on Youth Entrepreneurship and Creative Economy.

It is a very important committee of the State House of Assembly that oversees the affairs of the state ministry of youth entrepreneurship and creative economy. The ministry is poised to minimize the rate of unemployment amongst the teeming population of unemployed youths in Anambra State. I am supporting the ministry through motions and bills making sure that youths are gainfully employed. Governor Willie Obiano has equally embarked on a lot of youth empowerment programmes and schemes especially through agriculture. Obiano is one of the governors in Nigeria that appointed a youth as commissioner meaning that he believes so much in what youths can do to drive the economy of the state. It is a thing of joy and the governor should be appreciated, celebrated and encouraged.

Finally, what is your advice to the Independent National Electoral Commission for the conduct of free, fair, credible and transparent elections next year?

INEC knows the consequences of incredible elections. I don’t think any INEC official will agree to be induced by the flimsy promises of politicians to get involved in electoral misconduct.

Though Anambra is a peaceful state where elections are conducted like kindred meetings. So, there is absolutely no cause for alarm! We envisage very peaceful elections in 2019. I am also canvassing for all APGA candidates to emerge victorious in the February 16th and March 2nd general elections respectively.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

POLITICS 2019: APGA, APC, PDP test strength in Anambra Cont’d from page 9 the national ruling party, the Ojoto-born politician is in a better position to gain favour from above. In other words, a combination of the popularity of Ngige and favour from above could aid Okonkwo to the ‘Promised Land’. In Anambra South, Andy Uba and Eselu his brother will face each alongside Ikukuoma. Andy is seeking a third missionary journey to the Senate and two things are likely to work in his favour. First is his experience in election contest and second the favour from above. The Uga-born Senator knows how to use the power from above to outsmart his opponents in elections. His brother Eselu is equally smart and with the support of other PDP chieftains in the District like Godwin Ezeemo, Ken Emeakai and Obinna Uzor, the PDP has the chance of coasting home to victory.

On his part Ukachukwu is likely to also enjoy the support of the government structure. More so, a reliable source confided to The Oracle Today that the APGA candidate for the February 2019 Senatorial polls is also going to receive favour from the voting strength of Nnewi traders headed by the President of Nnewi Traders Association (NTA) Chief Edward Muozom. According to the source, the traders are going to extend the support given to APGA during the 2017 governorship election in Anambra to the National Assembly and State Assembly polls. If reports of traders’ support to APGA are anything to go by, then Senator Umeh will hopefully retain his seat as, according to political observers, the votes of the traders in the markets across Anambra Central such as Eke Awka, New Parts Nkpor, New Tyre Nkpor, Mgbuka Obosi, Building Material Ogidi, Bakery Material Ogidi, Electrical Obosi and Mgbuka Nkpor among others are enough to give him victory. A prominent market leader in Anambra Central Chief Jude Nwankwo who is the President of Building Material International Ogidi told The Oracle Today that for traders, it is APGA all the way.

In Anambra North, Senator Odua may be banking on her grassroots empowerment drive to retain her seat. She is also said to be putting much hope on the Catholic Church as, according to a reliable source, a popular Catholic Priest is mobilizing support for her from various Parishes in the District. The Priest, according to the source, was largely instrumental to her victory in the election of 2015. Odua’s opponents Senator Okdigbo of APC and the candidate of APGA Dr Chinedu Emeka, a former deputy governor in Anambra will have her popularity in Catholic Church and grassroots to contend with. For Margery, the legacies of her late husband Chuba Okadigbo remain her weapon of war in the polls. She is said to have strong support from the country’s First Lady Her Excellency Aisha Buhari. She is also banking on her yeoman performance during her first missionary journey to the Senator upon which she rolled out the empowerment materials such as vehicles, motorcycles, sowing machines, grinding machines, hair-dressing equipment and cash, among other things, which she disbursed to her constituents.

For Emeka, the APGA flag-bearer, he is also hoping on the support of government structure and of course the votes

•Sylvester Okonkwo

of the traders. And if the traders in the big markets in the land of Anambra North such as Onitsha Main Market, Ose Market, Ogbaru Main Market, Ochanja Market and Bridge Head Market cast their votes in favour of the Prince of Anam and ex-deputy governor, then Odua and Okadigbo are in trouble. The Prince of Anam is also said to have received the blessing of Proprietor of Osisioma Foundation Dr Chike Obidigbo but effort made to confirm this proved abortive as Obidigbo couldn’t respond to his phone calls.

Narrowing down to the battle for the House of Representatives more attention will likely go to Onitsha Federal Constituency where the incumbent Lynda Ikpeazu of the PDP is facing an acid test from the candidate of APGA Chief Patrick Nwachi Obianwu. Ikpeazu is banking on his wonderful performance that includes facilitating road projects across the constituency plus youth and women empowerment. The PDP candidate is said to have done so well that the constituents cannot afford to replace her.

Nwachi, however, is making a strong case for the seat on the ground that Ikpeazu has had a fair share of the seat, having been there since 1999. Like other APGA candidates, Nwachi is hoping on the State government might to oust Ikpeazu. He is said to have the full support of the council Chairmen of Onitsha North and South namely Patrick Agha Mba and Emeka Asoanya who have all assured him of victory in their respective

•Nicholas Ukachukwu.

domains. And if traders in the markets around town do him a favour, he is likely to coast home to victory.

Another Federal Constituency that will draw the attention of political watchers in Anambra is that of Idemili North/ South where four strong contenders are in battle for the seat in the Green Chamber of the National Assembly. The contenders include the incumbent member representing the Constituency Hon Obinna Chidoka who is the candidate of PDP, Hon Charles Odedo of APC, Ifeanyi Ibezi of APGA and Uche Aniie Okonwko who is the candidate of Social Democratic Party (SDP). Uche is the first son of billionaire businessman Senator Annie Okonkwo and the fear of his financial powers is the beginning of wisdom among other contenders.

In Ogbaru, the fight between the former Speaker of Anambra House of Assembly Chinwe Nwebili who is the candidate of APGA and Hon Onyema who is the incumbent and PDP flag-bearer is going to be a fierce one because Nwebili is said to have the full support of Governor Willie Obiano because of the support that Nwebili accorded the Governor during her days as Speaker. Onyema however is banking on his performance and popularity across the circle of youth in Okpoko the most populated area in Ogbaru. in Nnewi North/South/Ekwusigo Constituency, the candidate of APGA Tony Iju Nwabunike is poised to halt the third term ambition of Azubogu of the PDP.

Nwabunike is making a strong case that it is the turn of Ozubulu to produce the member into the Constituency but he is facing an uphill task from the people of Nnewi and other parts of the constituency who have the impression that Azubogu has done very well and doesn’t have to be replaced.

In Aguata Federal Constituency, the aspiration of the PDP candidate and incumbent member representing the Constituency Hon Eucharia Azodo to occupy the seat for a third term is facing a litmus test from the candidate of APGA Hon Chuma Umeoji. Umuoji is seeking a second missionary journey having been there in the lower chamber of the National Assembly for one term—from 2007 - 2011.

In Oyi/Ayamelum, the incumbent member representing the Constituency Hon Onynweife will throw everything within his power to ensure that Ekene Enefe, the APGA candidate who defeated him for the APGA ticket doesn’t defeat him in the main election and that makes the fight for the seat of the Constituency a serious one.

In summary, analysts say the battle for the National Assembly seats on February 16, 2019 in Anambra State is going to shape the future of the politics of the Light of the Nation as both the political parties and the gladiators are going to use the elections for Senate and House of Representatives to test their strengths.

13

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

POLITICS

Groups write Southeast governors, federal legislators on Igbo issues • Mr. William M. Obiano Executive Governor of Anambra State • Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, PhD Executive Governor of Abia State • Mr. Rochas Anayo Okorocha Executive Governor of Imo State • Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi Executive Governor of Enugu State • Engineer Dave Umahi Executive Governor of Ebonyi State • Barr Ike Ekweremadu Deputy Senate President of Nigeria •Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe Chairman of the Southeast Senate Caucus •Mr. Chukwuka Onyema Chairman of the House of Reps Southeast Caucus •Fifteen Members of the Southeast Caucus in the Senate •Forty-three Members of the House of Reps Southeast Caucus Sirs, Appointment Of Next Igbo IGP And Public Declaration On The Position Of Igbo Nation In The 2019 Gen Elections, Etc Mandatory For Determination Of Your Political Present & Future In Igbo Land (Onitsha, Southeast Nigeria: 16th December 2018) The Southeast-based Coalition of Human Rights & Democracy Organizations (SBCHROs) had in its meeting with other stakeholders in Onitsha on 8th and 9th December 2018 critically analyzed the unfolding developments in the country in general and Southeast or Igbo Nation in particular. Key among issues looked into was the position of Igbo Nation in the present political dispensation including the composition of the country’s political and security establishments. The role of Igbo or Southeast public office holders particularly the Governors and the federal legislators from the Region was also looked into and critically examined.

From robust contributions made by leaders of the coalition and others invited from various fields of socio-political groupings, it was discovered and concluded that all is not well with the Igbo Nation and their people in the present political dispensation and security arrangements in Nigeria. Apart from robust contributions made in the meeting by thinkable CSO leaders present and other invited expert-activists, the coalition strikingly received and studied the latest Special Report of Intersociety on Military Massacre Operations in Eastern Nigeria and their Economic Costs.

The 81-page Report not only presented a detailed chronology of the massacre with casualty and injured figures; dates, time, locations and names of the perpetrators; but also contained the lists of present Commissioners of Police, Directors of SSS and Commanders of military formations in the Southeast Region or Igbo Land.

•Okezie Ikpeazu

•Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi

In the said lists, 99% of the Commissioners of Police in the Southeast and Delta State are Northern Muslim officers with only exception being Abia State where retiring CP Chris Okey Ezike was recently posted as Commissioner of Police, Abia State Police Command.

In the area of State Directors of SSS posted to the Southeast Region and Delta State, four are from the North, one

•Willie Obiano

•Rochas Okorocha

from Southwest and one (Delta) is Igbo daughter married in Edo State. In the area of Commanders of military formations in the Southeast Region including those manning the 82 Division and its sub formations as well as Onitsha/Ogbaru and Abia Naval Posts, none is commanded by an Igbo officer. They are 95% Northern control while the remaining 5% are in control of other non Igbo senior military of-

•David Umahi

ficers.

In another recent detailed investigation conducted by Intersociety into the composition of the command or senior police officers’ list, Intersociety made a shocking discovery that senior police officers of the Igbo background are quietly and unceremoniously being weeded out of the NPF into retirement without commensurate promotions and postings to fill the gaps or vacancies unjustly created.

Dozens of Igbo or Southeast senior police officers have left the Force in droves between 2016 and 2018 due to long years in one rank without statutory promotions and timely promotion of others to fill the gaps or vacancies unjustly.

For instance, Intersociety had finds that serving CPs Chris Okey Ezike and Damian Agba Chukwu will be leaving the Force on 31stApril and 19th March 2019 respectively, while AIG Godwin C. Nwobodo is due to be retired on 12th August 2019.

Intersociety also cited the case of retiring CP Ezike and now retired DIG Peter Yisa Gana (Niger State) to buttress its point of how Igbo senior police officers are maltreated in the NPF. While both joined the NPF same day on 31st December 1984, DIG Peter Gana was promoted to DIG on 21st February 2012 while CP Chris got promoted as “Deputy Commissioner of Police” on 1st August 2012.

By the investigative account of Intersociety, too, those Igbo senior police officers who retired in droves as “ACP or DCP or CP” between 2016 and 2018 included Paul C. Okafor (Anambra-retired 1st April 2017), Nwodibo Ekechukwu (Imo-retired 19th February 2017), Ogbusua Aja Oleh (Abia-retired on 26thMay 2016), Emmanuel C. Ojukwu (Anambra-retired on 28th October 2016), Chidi Nwulu (Abia-retired on 1st August 20

14

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

POLITICS

Buhari attacks int’l agencies over criticisms

By SOPURUCHI ONWUKA

F

ederal government which is currently struggling to rescue its reputation at many fronts appears to be losing patience against international humanitarian and civil rights activists in the country as they continuously roll out gloomy pictures and gory figures of persistent carnage that mark out the past four years of the present administration.

In the past one week, the All Progressive Congress (APC) led government has been severely critical of the United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) and the global human rights whistleblower, Amnesty International (AI) over their pronouncements on the impact of the nation’s worsening security situation on the people.

Interestingly, the government’s response to the position of the international aid groups appear to have carried severe threats, given that the military commands are involved in expressing displeasure at the voluntary bodies whose workers have fallen victim while assisting Nigerian citizens imperiled by internal war conditions.

Last Friday, the military banned UNICEF from operating in the country, accusing the organizarion some of whose workers were recently abducted and killed by Boko Haram terror group of training “spies” in support of the terrorists.

In announcing suspension of UNICEF operations for three months in the country, the military said it has credible information that some representatives of the United Nations children’s agency were training and deploying spies who support Boko Haram insurgents and their sympathizers.

However, in the face of a spate of public outcry and international criticisms as well as in consideration of imminent elections, government had also through the military lifted the ban on UNICEF. A military statement said the lifting of the ban was not the intention of the government but a product of intervention by well meaning and concerned Nigerians.

Later same day, the military held a high profile meeting between officers and representatives of the aid agency.

Army spokesman Onyema Nwachukwu said military officials laid conditions for the humanitarian agency to continue helping women and children trapped in the raging battles between soldiers and the terrorists.

Some of the conditions, it was gathered, are for UNICEF to stop activities that hurt national security and that undermine the fight against terrorism; and that UNICEF representatives to ensure they share information with relevant authorities whenever induction or training of new staff is being conducted in the theater.

“Consequently, after extensive deliberations on the need to seek modalities to work harmoniously with the security agencies in the theatre of operation, the Theatre Command has henceforth lifted the three months suspension earlier imposed on UNICEF activities in North Eastern Nigeria,” a military statement added.

Obviously, the military which has suffered multiple losses to brazen Boko Haram attacks might not have got sufficient information about the activities and operations of the humanitarian agency, leading to suspicions over staff induction activities of UNICEF. Many analysts who spoke to The Oracle

Today wondered why UNICEF would have offered assistance to a terror group that still hounds its workers and other aid groups in the region where voluntary organizations remain the only hope of the victims of war.

UNICEF had lost one of its workers, Alice Loksha, who was abducted by Boko Haram terrorists among other female aid workers.

The Oracle Today reports that three female health workers were kidnapped on March 1 during a Boko Haram raid on the remote town of Rann, in Borno state. The terror group had killed three other aid workers and eight Nigerian soldiers during the raid.

Two of the kidnapped women, Hauwa Liman and Saifura Khorsa, worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), while the third, Alice Loksha, worked for the UN children’s agency, UNICEF. The Boko Haram terrorists later killed Saifura Khorsa and Hauwa Liman of the ICRC, and threatened to kill Alice Loksha of the UNICEF. Boko Haram had then threatened to kill Liman and Loksha, as well as a 15-year-old Christian schoolgirl Leah Sharibu who was kidnapped from the town of Dapchi, in Yobe state, in February.

Amnesty International had condemned the abduction of the aid workers and subsequent killing of some of them, calling the act a war crime.

“Under international humanitarian law, all aid workers must be protected from attack,” AI had stated.

Amnesty International also strongly condemned government’s brief ban of UNICEF in Nigeria, saying it was “part of a wider drive to intimidate international humanitarian and human rights organizations who are working to save lives in this devastating conflict.”

It later released casualty figure of herdsmen attacks in the country, saying the clashes have killed more than 3,600 people since 2016, most of them this year.

“The Nigerian authorities’ failure to investigate communal clashes and bring perpetrators to justice has fuelled a bloody escalation in the conflict between farmers and herders across the country, resulting in at least 3,641 deaths in the past three years and the displacement of thousands more,” Amnesty said in a statement.

Of the 310 attacks recorded between January 2016 and October 2018, 57 percent were in 2018, the group said.

Nigerian Director of Amnesty International, Osai Ojigho, said: “These attacks were well planned and coordinated, with the use of weapons like machine guns and AK-47 rifles,” lamenting that “little has been done by the authorities in terms of prevention, arrests and prosecutions, even when information about the suspected perpetrators was available.”

Earlier in July, the International Crisis Group had declared that the farmer-herder conflict killed six times more people than the war with the Boko Haram insurgency in the first half of 2018.

“In some places, because of the failures of the security forces, competition over resources is used as a pretext to kill and maim along ethnic or religious lines,” Ojigho said, adding that “the conflict has also been dangerously politicized by some state government officials who have inflamed tensions by embarking on a blame game along political party lines.”

Regrettably, the government also replied Amnesty International with hostility, saying the human rights group was inflaming ten-

•Buhari

•Burutai sion in the country. Both presidential and military spokesmen criticized Amnesty International in passionate terms but no ban had been placed on the group yet.

Senior presidential spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, said “the federal government is increasingly concerned about the role that Amnesty International is playing in the war against terror in Nigeria.”

“It often appears as if the Nigerian government is fighting two wars on terror: against Boko Haram and against Amnesty International,” he added.

The statement comes on the same day that the Nigerian military threatened the “closure” of the global rights watchdog in a statement posted on Facebook.

Director in charge of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Sani Usman, also accused Amnesty International of working to destabilize Nigeria through the “fabrication of fictitious allegations of alleged human rights abuses” and “clandestine sponsorship of dissident groups to protest.”

It was difficult for our correspondents to gain accurate figure of fatalities in the Nigerian harvest of death since the present administration of the federal government took over reign of power in 2015.

Whereas Amnesty International puts deaths associated with herdsmen invasion

at over 3,641 in two years, it added that herdsmen attacks in Southern Kaduna, Jos, Benue, Enugu and Abia States have claimed more lives than the Boko Haram attacks which Voice of America says have claimed over 30,000 lives.

The Catholic Church stated the Southern Kaduna killings of 2017 alone accounted for over 800 deaths in one incident.

Operation Python Dance in Abia State, according to a coalition of civil society groups that monitored the event, claimed over 250 southeastern youths.

Other poorly documented attacks mainly in the northwestern parts of the country attributed to armed banditry, when calculated, would also sum into hundreds of lives as well.

Just on Sunday, 14 people were shot dead and another 21 seriously injured when gunmen stormed a wedding in Southern Kaduna state and opened fire on the gathering.

From state sponsored killings during Operation Python Dance I and II as well as Operation Crocodile Smile, in the Southeast; through Boko Haram attacks in the North East, Southern Kaduna Killings and rising banditry in the Northwest, incessant Jos killings to herdsmen attacks in the Middle Belt, it has been continuous flow of blood in the last four years.

15

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

NEWS

Independent oil companies turn attention to Angola

National Sports Festival: Okowa congratulates Team Delta on •2019 licensing round, marginal fields drive explorers’ interest victory A From JONATHAN AWANYAI,Asaba

Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has congratulated the victorious Team Delta in the just concluded 19th National Sports Festival Abuja 2018.

Okowa who personally attended the closing ceremony of the games at the National Stadium Abuja was elated that Team Delta set more games record on their way to successfully defending the National Sports Festival trophy won at the Eko 2012 games in Lagos with a total medal haul of 352, comprising 163 gold medals, 88 silver medals and 101 bronze medals.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Charles Aniagwu in Asaba, the Governor thanked the Delta State Sports Commission, all team members, coaching crew and supporters for their hard-work and dedication which culminated in the victory of Team Delta.

While congratulating the Federal Ministry of Sports for organising the festival, Governor Okowa stated: “There is no doubt that sports development is very important in our nation; with all the energy in our youths, they need to be guided in the right direction. For us as a state government, we believe that the youths must be engaged continually in sports activities. Sports is a unifying factor for us particularly in Delta State that is multi-ethnic; it also helps the youths to be disciplined.”

The governor urged parents and stakeholders to encourage their children and wards to engage in sporting activities.

“We must also begin to encourage our children to engage in sporting activities because of the economic factor involved; if we are to get the young ones not just to win laurels for our nation Nigeria but also help themselves and others who are close to them, we must put a lot of money into sports development because of the benefits and am glad we encouraged the athletes to win more laurels with various cash gifts we promised them.

“Our administration is inspired to invest in sports development by the achievements recorded by previous administrations in the state as well as that of General Samuel Ogbemudia when he was the governor of the defunct Bendel State,” Okowa added

ngola has developed a strategic plan to attract new players to its established oil and gas sector, promoting a licensing round at Angola Oil & Gas in June 2019 and opening up marginal fields based on new 2018 legislation.

The measures will encourage new participation and investment from Angolan, African and international independents in the country’s oil and gas sector.

H.E. Diamantino Azevedo, Minister of Mineral Resources and Petroleum, is keen to bring new life to Angola’s oil sector, which has seen a decline in discovered oil reserves and the maturing of producing fields.

The 2019 licensing round, which will include onshore and offshore

fields are characterized by at least one of many factors, including recoverable resources of less than 300 million barrels, water depth exceeding 800 meters and/or income to the state less than $10.5 per barrel.

The law also provides different tax structures for marginal fields.

“There is an antiquated perception that Angola as an oil and gas market is only for the big boys,” Guillaume Doane, CEO of Africa Oil & Power, organizer of Angola Oil & Gas 2019 said. “Through marginal fields, Angola is attracting a greater diversity of exploration and production players that can operate smaller onshore and shallow water resource plays.”

“In the next decade Angola can achieve historic developments

through marginal fields similar to what Nigeria accomplished in recent years,” he added.

Africa Oil & Gas 2019, held June 4-6 in Luanda, is officially endorsed by the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Petroleum of the Republic of Angola, and will bring together the top-level executives, government officials and experts for an elite, three-day conference on Angola’s oil and gas market.

Featuring moderated panel discussions, keynote presentations and exhibitions, the conference will tackle the issues of restructuring of Angola’s upstream sector, introduction of marginal fields, focus on local content development and opportunities for downstream diversification.

Jubilation as Charity Home distributes wheelchairs, crutches to PLWDs in Oraifite

By OGE ONYEANUSI

I

• Wife of PDP Presidential Candidate Her Excellency Barr Mrs Jemima Jennifer Atiku Abubakar kneeling before the Obi of Onitsha Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe (Agbogidi) during her visit to the Obi’s palace in Onitsha as his wife her Majesty looks on

Photo Oliver Udeogu

Nine Nigerian youngsters for Turkish clubs

•Udala Talent Hunt at Rojenny Stadium yields dividends

By SAB OSUJI

N

•Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa

blocks in the Congo, Namibe and Cunene basins, will boost exploration potential with the ultimate aim to increase production from the country’s current levels of 1.49 million barrels of oil per day.

“If we do not conduct the exploration works and finds new reserves, we will not be able to maintain the current levels of production,” said Azevedo during the week. “We have to work on the perspective of finding new oilfields to sustain the desired production, based on the goals set by the government.”

In line with Angola’s decision to promote access to marginal fields, the government has established guidelines for marginal operators by presidential decree.

According to the law, marginal

o fewer than nine young players will begin their football careers in different Turkish clubs in the coming weeks, The Oracle Today Sports can exclusively report.

This followed their exceptional show of quality, brilliance and skill during a week-long talent hunt at Rojenny Tourist/Games Village, Oba, near Onitsha, Anambra State.

The exercise was sponsored by Chief Philip Nonso, Udala Ukeh and was conducted by football scouts from A. A Sports Management, Turkey.

The scouting team was headed

by Aykut Guldan who expressed delight at the rare show of talent

by the many players that took part in the exercise.

“I want to start by saying that we are delighted to be in Nigeria.

We’ve seen too many good players, which confirmed the fact that Nigeria has too many football talents.

“We’ve come, we’ve seen, we believe.

“However, we’re grateful to Chief Udala Philip Monsoon for making this possible,”Aykut said through an interpreter.

On his part, Chief Udala told The Oracle Today Sports that he was driven by the desire to open up a channel through which youths can realise their potentials through football in order to make a decent future.

“By this exercise, I believe that the youths are taken off the streets and given a better future.

“Besides, rather than seeing players boarding available flights to Europe for trials, wasting scarce funds and sometimes ending up in disappointment, I thought it wise to bring the scouts here so that they can see the players under the local environment and atmosphere.

“It will not be a one-off thing.

This exercise will hold every four months.

“The paper work is in progress for this first set of nine players to travel to Turkey, where they will be placed in different clubs,” Chief Udala explained.

t was jubilation galore on Sunday, December 16 as a charity organization based in Orifite, Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State, gave out 500 wheelchairs, crutches and walking frames to challenged persons in the State.

The Charity Home, Jesus Abandoned Charity Organization, founded by an Orifite-born Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Anthony Ananwa, also distributed clothing, rice, toiletries and food items to the challenged persons in the spirit of Christmas.

The event held at the Home located in the heart of Orifite community, was preceded by a Holy Mass presided over by Rev. Father Ananwa. In his homily during the Eucharistic celebration, Fr. Ananwa thanked God for giving him the vision and the opportunity to embark on such a charity work.

He said he summoned the people to celebrate with them, to fête them, and to help them understand that they are not abandoned, explaining that there are, indeed, conditions in which people will find themselves, and they will think they have been forgotten.

“We, therefore, wish to wipe their tears, console them and give them hope,” he added.

He expressed gratitude to some organizations and spirited individuals, who have continued to support the charity work through monetary assistance and material donations; even as he solicited for more support to help the Home procure a bus to enhance its mobility, saying that both the Charity Home and the primary/secondary schools owned by the organization have no vehicle.

Those that benefited from the largess included the old, the tramp, the deaf and dumb, the blind, the crippled, widows and the poorest of the poor.

One of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Onyedika Chikodili, who received a wheel chair, rice and some toiletries, commended the Home for its work of charity thanking God for who putting such vision and spirit inside Fr. Ananwa.

16

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

NEWS Enugu workers receive 13th month salary •Appreciate Gov. Ugwuanyi’s magnanimity, love

W

orkers of Enugu State confirmed receipt of the 13th month salary as 2018 Christmas bonus from Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s administration to celebrate the season with their loved ones.

Confirming the news, the Chairman of Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, Enugu State Council, Comrade Igbokwe Chukwuma Igbokwe disclosed that “some workers started calling me that they have received alert for the 13th month salary”.

The elated labour leader had in a letter issued to Gov. Ugwuanyi, which was co-signed by his secretary, Comrade Benneth Asogwa, appreciated the governor’s “magnanimity for the approval and payment of the 13th month salary (Christmas bonus) to the civil servants and workers of the state-owned parastatals in Enugu State”.

They stated that the Congress was delighted that “for the first time the state-owned parastatals will be paid 13th month salary alongside their colleagues in the civil service”.

The Congress noted that the governor’s kind gesture towards the civil/public servants of the state has “demonstrated your continuous love for the workers of Enugu State by putting smiles on their faces in this Christmas season”.

They therefore, pledged their unflinching support for the success of his administration.

Vanguard names Okowa “2018 Governor Of The Year”

From JONATHAN AWANYAI, Asaba

D

elta State Governor, Senator DR Ifeanyi Okowa has been nominated as Vanguard Newspapers’ Governor Of The Year 2018 by The Board of Editors, Vanguard Media Limited for his sterling contributions to the infrastructural and human capital development of the state.

Presenting the letter of nomination to Gov. Okowa at the Government House, Asaba, Mr. Gbenga Adefaye, Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of Vanguard Newspapers Limited, stated that the selection committee took the decision based on the “the pragmatism, commitment and courage” exhibited by the governor’ through his SMART Agenda, and for dutifully implementing broad programmes to actualise the 5-point SMART Agenda.

“The Board of Editors of Vanguard Media Limited writes to notify you that you have been voted as Vanguard’s Governor of the year 2018, for your sterling contributions to the upliftment of the people of Delta State.

Apart from completing more than 296 road projects covering hundreds of kilometers; you raised the ante in the Agriculture sector through acquisition of 3,850 hectares of farmland and encouraged the establishment of rice processing mills to support rice cultivation, adding “we also notes your effort to develop human capital, which has transformed no fewer than 40,000 youths into owners of businesses and employers of labour,” the letter signed by Mr. Adefaye said “In the area of healthcare, Delta, under you, became the first state in the federation to launch the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme.

As at September 30, 2018, the total number of enrolees stood at 316,301.

It is for these, and more, that we confer on you this well-deserved award with great honours.”

A’Ibom govt. plans to establish pharmaceutical company From INI BILLIE, Uyo

T

he Akwa Ibom State government has said it will soon establish a Pharmaceutical company in the state.

Plans for the company which is already ongoing is billed to begin in 2019, and will be located in Nsit Ubium local government area.

Speaking on Tuesday in Nsit Ubium LGA during a visit to the Paramount Ruler and Oku Ibom Ibiono, His Eminence, Edidem Solomon Etuk, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Onofiok Luke said the company is part of the industrialization plans of the state governor.

He noted that Governor Udom Emmanuel is not just committed to infrastructural development but to the creation of a long lasting economy where people would be able to get

jobs.

He stated that he was committed to Governor Udom Emmanuel because of what the governor represents and stands for, adding that the industrialization ideology of the State governor was geared towards job creation for all.

He mentioned that the state government was still expecting the land it requested from the council area for the citing of the company and called on the people and leaders of the area to respond accordingly.

He added that as the number three citizen of the state, the pharmaceutical company is what he is attracting to the council area which he hails from and called for the people’s support at the polls towards his election as the House of Representatives member for Etinan Federal Constituency in the National Assembly.

“My commitment to Governor Udom Emmanuel is because of who and what he represents in Akwa Ibom. He has a heart for the development of the state, not just infrastructural development but to create a long lasting economy so that our children can have jobs.

“That is why he is coming with the ideology of industrialization. I can promise you that by next year, we are going to have one major industry here in Nsit Ubium local government area, the governor has given me that commitment.

“He caused me to go to Mexico to meet with some certain persons and coming back, I was supposed to go to India to meet with certain persons to bring a pharmaceutical company here. We are still talking with other persons to be able to create that

pharmaceutical company and any other company that investors will be able to invest.

“The governor had asked for a land for that purpose when he came here for his reception and government is still waiting for that land. I can tell you that the next industry is going to be cited in Nsit Ubium LGA. “I have given myself a commitment that I will make any sacrifice possible to stand with Governor Udom Emmanuel because standing with him now is standing with the interest of Akwa Ibom people; making that sacrifice for Gov. Emmanuel as governor is making sacrifice for Akwa Ibom state,” he said.

Okowa urges Nigerians to live impactful life From JONATHAN AWANYAI, Asaba

D

• Ondo State Governor Akeredolu in a churche service. With him (from left) is Speaker of House of the Senate, Dogora’ former Governor of Ogun State Segun Osoba and his wife, Betty.

Anambra town union leadership crisis deepens as abducted father of 3 is found dead inside bush

By IBE NWACHUKWU

B

arely 48 hours after Anambra police command launched a manhunt for the abductors of a 48-year old father of three, Angus Okoye, a native of Isuaniocha community in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra state, his lifeless body has been found dead by the villagers inside a bush at a boundary between Isuaniocha and Nawgu in Dunukofia Local Government Area of the state.

Sources close to the villagers said his abduction and eventual killing might not be unconnected with the deepening town union leadership crisis in his Isuaniocha town, which he was allegedly involved as an active opposition as a youth leader in the area.

The deceased Okoye, according to the source, was allegedly abducted from his residence at Isu village, Isuaniocha at about 11.30 p.m. last Saturday and by Sunday the state police command launched a man-

Sisters association founder condemns stigmatization of widows

By IBE NWACHUKWU

F

ounder of Godly Sisters Association, All African Continent, Spain, Sister Blessing Ogbonna has condemned what she termed stigmatization of widows when their husbands die, under an erroneous impression that they were responsible for the death of their husbands.

She however urged the widows to take solace under our Lord Jesus Christ who died and risen from the dead and to look upon Him as their husband and to avoid having the sense of lacking and abandonment throughout the duration of their life time on earth.

Speaking in her homily during the inauguration of the Anambra state branch of the Godly Sisters Association, All African Continent, held at Ogidi, Idemili North local Government Area, Sister Ogbonna

argued that sane women could not be responsible for the death of their husbands in order to put themselves into a mourning condition.

She therefore urged over 400 widows who came for empowerment to pray fervently for God to come to their rescue stating that the people of the world would instead of assisting them, stigmatize them as outcasts, for the offence they did not commit.

“They did not kill their husbands, why stigmatize them. That is why we are here to empower them so that they will not depend on the world” Highlight of the occasion included the empowerment of the widows and down trodden with food items such as rice, detergent, money andforms to register as members of the NGO.

hunt for his abductors but unfortunately, by Monday, evening, his lifeless body was spotted inside the bush and when it was picked up, it was discovered that he was shot on the head and neck by his assailants, after his abduction.

A resident of the community who pleaded anonymity, disclosed that the death of the deceased, a youth leader in the community, popularly called “Igwe”, could be traced to the recent crisis in the community which proved that the deceased was strongly opposed to the embattled President-General of the town Union, Mr. Anthony Onyeagolu, whose leadership was recently dissolved by the state government and replaced with a Caretaker Committee.

According to the source, “About six hefty men stormed Angus’ house in his village at about 11.30 p.m.in a Shuttle bus, abducted him, after tying him up like a log of wood, hauled him into their waiting bus and zoomed off to an unknown destination”.

Confirming the incident, Anambra State Police spokesperson, Haruna Mohammed, a Superintendent of Police, SP, noted that the corpse of the deceased had been deposited at the Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital morgue, Awka for autopsy, adding that while more manhunt had been launched for his killers, the command had equally commenced investigations to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident.

elta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has urged Nigerians to live a life of service to God so as to impact positively on the society.

Governor Okowa stated this at the requiem mass in honour of the late Chief Mrs Lizzy Emuobowho Umukoro, wife of the Chief Judge of Delta State Justice Marshal Umukoro at Emmanuel The Saviour Catholic Church, Asaba.

The governor who was accompanied by his wife, Dame Edith Okowa, former Governor James Ibori, former deputy Governor Prof Aigbe Utuama and his wife, former NBA President Chief Austin Alegeh, and top government functionaries said the late Mrs Umukoro lived an impactful life and would be long remembered for her role as a sickle cell counsellor and in helping to establish 11 sickle cell clinics across the state.

“The death of Mrs Lizzy Umukoro is a big blow not just to her immediate family but to entire Deltans, she meant more than that to us as a state because she put in a lot of her time assisting my wife in a particular programme that touched the lives of those who are usually neglected in this nation-those suffering from sickle-cell,” he said “Through her honest advice, hard work and efforts, my wife was able to establish eleven functional Sicklecell clinics in eleven General hospitals across the state and the last being Umunede General Hospital in my local government area where His Royal Majesty, the King of Umunede testified to her good works as she spent four days away from home making sure that the clinic was ready for commissioning,” the governor added, stressing: “We will continue to miss her, but we have hope because we are christians, that she has gone to meet with her God but the question today is about those of us still who living, when we depart what we will be said about us, where will we be going to, what will we be leaving behind? it is truly important we ponder on this.”

He advised parents to bring up their children in the love and fear of God, pointing out that “as fathers and mothers, we must be able to bring up our children in the right way; we must reach out to people and ensure that we impact on the lives of people around us.”

He condoled with the Umukoro family and urged those present to do a self-appraisal and use their Godgiven talent to impact on lives just as Mrs Lizzy Umukoro did Bishop of Issele-Uku Diocese, Most Rev. Dr Michael Elue in his homily urged Christians to live for Christ and serve humanity just as the late Mrs Umukoro did.

17

BU$IN£SS The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

•Energy •Finance

•Stock

•Insurance

•Aviation

•e-Platform

FG working to hasten petroleum linkage to economy

By SOPURUCHI ONWUKA

G

OVERNMENT’S agencies in the petroleum industry are collaborating to establish a solid link between the huge operations budget of the sector and the rest of the economy just as the government is frantic with vain moves to arrest the country’s rapid slide back into recession.

Chief Operating Officer in charge of upstream at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mallam Rabiu Bello, told The Oracle Today in Lagos that strategies are being streamlined to ensure a solid linkage between the deep pocket petroleum industry and the rest of the economy.

He noted that despite its huge revenue value to annual national budgets, the petroleum industry has never contributed significantly to the nation’s productivity as measured by the percentage of the sector contribution to gross national domestic product.

The Oracle Today reports that the petroleum industry accounts for over 90 percent of the government’s total revenue receipts, some 95 percent of total national foreign exchange income, over 80 percent to total national commodity export but less than 40 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product.

Previous administrations of the government had evolved several

strategies to dismantle the enclave structure of the upstream petroleum industry by introducing a local content policy which formed the basis for the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act (NOGICD) Act in 2010and subsequent establishment of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to drive implementation of local industry job delivery as a way of using industry budget to patronize local goods and services.

While the NCDMB has been driving policy implementation building local capacity and trapping billions of dollars for in-country spending, the downstream petroleum industry has lost total capacity and now depends in foreign refineries for processing and supply of petroleum products to fire the domestic economy.

Thus, despite the gains of years of cash savings from the huge upstream petroleum industry budget, the government has failed to enhance factors of production in the domestic economy due to porous downstream petroleum industry that relies on importation as primary fuel supply means.

It was not surprising therefore that the nation’s oil dependent economy had plunged straight into recession when oil prices slumped from about $100 per barrel in 20011 to less than $40 per barrel in 2016,

CBN Exchange Rates DECEMBER 17TH, 2018 Currency

Buying(NGN)

Central (NGN) Selling(NGN)

US DOLLAR 305.9 POUNDS STERLING 384.3939 EURO 345.4529 SWISS FRANC 306.6359 YEN 2.693 CFA 0.5111 WAUA 422.7155 YUAN/RENMINBI 44.3247 RIYAL 81.5429 S/A RAND 21.2658

306.4 385.0222 346.0175 307.1371 2.6974 0.5211 423.4065 44.3976 81.6762 21.3006

306.9 385.6505 346.5822 307.6383 2.7018 0.5311 424.0974 44.4705 81.8095 21.3353

exposing an urgent need to curb imports and diversify revenue base through enhanced productivity.

It was also observed that massive fuel importation was not only taking huge volumes of cash out of the national treasury, it was also fueling official corruption and bringing strong foreign exchange demand pressure on the nation’s lean external reserves.

The massive economic liability of massive fuel importation becomes clearly visible in the full context of the nation’s short term economic outlook where projections for fueling fast growing economy and booming population threaten to take over 50 percent of total national revenue in the next 10 years if import dependence is not stopped as primary means of fuel supply.

Mallam Bello said reliance on import of petroleum products was not only draining the country’s lean resources but also expanding the distance between the local economy and the petroleum industry. He stated that the lost economic growth opportunity was worse than the current wasteful fuel importation.

He explained that while government was saving money by reducing the cost of crude oil production in the upstream end of the industry, total loss of downstream capacity, absence of job opportunities in ancillary downstream businesses and negative balance of payments

associated with importations of petroleum products drain all savings recorded in upstream operations.

The major focus of the Upstream Autonomous Business Unit of the NNPC was to drive down the cost of crude oil production and link the oil and gas industry with the economy.

According to him, bringing down the cost of production would lead to cheaper energy cost which would in turn boost industrial and economic growth.

He said security and funding that used to be the bane of upstream operations have been largely addressed by the corporation through practical engagement with stakeholders in the Niger Delta region and the cash-call exit program.

The COO said that as part of efforts to drive down cost, the NNPC was looking at extending the Escravos-Warri crude oil evacuation pipeline surveillance contract model to downstream pipelines to guarantee efficient crude supply to the refineries which are scheduled for rehabilitation under a concession arrangement.

“Before now, it was not possible to get crude to Warri and Kaduna refineries. But with the kind of security contract in place for the WarriEscravos Pipeline, we now have 99% crude oil recovery rate. The balance is paid for by the contractor. That is why we have replicated that model for the Trans-Forcados Pipeline to guarantee security,” Mallam Rabiu explained.

The security measures he said were part of the arrangements to totally rehabilitate the downstream segment of the petroleum industry in order to link the sector end-to-end with the domestic economy.

According to him, the downstream petroleum industry would be difficult to revive if the pipelines that provide crude oil feedstock and product evacuation channels are not restored and secured, adding that time has come for the country to deploy oil revenue in growing the economy and increasing export of both crude oil and petroleum products from vibrant domestic production hubs.

In reiterating that the pipelines and refineries must work to link the industry to the economy, Mallam Bello declared that efforts were being made to seal the partnership concession deal on the plants by the end of the year, adding that it has become urgent to link the economy with petroleum and catalyze national industrial development.

•Tourism

Energy

Angola pulls investment attention off Nigeria P20 e-Platform

NCC says Nigeria loses $60bn annually to call masking P22

Travel

Onyeama decries passengers’ reaction to flight incidents P26

Insurance

NAICOM receives five applications for Microinsurance operations

P28 Equity & Capital Market

More Green Bond participation, panacea to nfrastructure deficit – Experts P30 Money Market

Nigeria’s records $4.542bn deficit balance of payments in Q3 2018

P31

Stock Market Highlights As At 17TH DECEMBER, 2018

Summary

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

30,609.06 2,975.00 214,961,742.00 N1,732,277,871.87 N11,180,525,890,646.87 N10,132,984,308,445.60 N5,682,601,196.89

Coy (By Volume)

DIAMONDBNK MANSARD FBNH ACCESS TRANSCORP

Value(N)

5 Top Gainers

Symbols Last Close CCNN N15.7 ACCESS N7.45 INTBREW N30 FLOURMILL N20.55 FIDSON N4.6

5 Top Losers

FO CAP 70,984,600 N72,643,106.08 GUARANTY 20,028,551 N40,056,550.62 16,524,566 N120,186,082.40 UNILEVER 13,615,589 N108,550,653.75 WAPCO 12,289,502 N14,180,036.05

N24.1 N37.25 N35 N38.9 N12.45

Current Change N17.15 N8.15 N30.5 N21 N4.95

%Change 1.45 9.24% 0.7 9.40% 0.5 1.67% 0.45 2.19% 0.35 7.61%

N21.7 N34.85 N34.05 N38.05 N11.95

-9.96% -6.44% -2.71% -2.19% -4.02%

-2.4 -2.4 -0.95 -0.85 -0.5

18

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

BUSINESS

Obasanjo urges quick ratification of AfCFTA Stories by KAYODE OGUNWALE

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ORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged all African countries to ensure the quick ratification of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) and to implement policies that facilitate and support intraAfrican trade.

Chief Obasanjo, who is the Chairman of the Advisory Council of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF 2018), was speaking in a conversation session on the sixth day of the trade fair, which is organised by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC), and hosted by the Government of Egypt.

He described the AfCFTA as an instrument of tremendous transformation which would change the structure of Africa and said that the IATF would help towards the achievement of its ratification.

With the AfCFTA, Africa would be saying that it no longer accepted the structure given by its colonisers, he said. “One of the things I hope we will be able to get as quickly as possible is availability of visas-on-arrival or a common visa for a number of countries.

It hurts that those who want to trade within Africa need to have so many visas.”

He also highlighted the challenge posed by differing trade regulations in different African countries, noting, “When you want to import

or export, there are many different regulations from country to country, and we need to get away from that. What we are doing now will help us get away from that as soon as possible.

Chief Obasanjo described 2018 as one of the most significant years for Africa with the signing of the AfCFTA in Kigali in March and the inauguration of the first IATF’. He argued that it was time to move beyond rhetoric and take concrete actions to tackle the challenges impeding intra-African trade.

He rejected the notion that Africa lacked the resources to finance its development, saying, “I believe the resources are here in Africa. It’s a matter of how Africa accesses the available financial resources.

Money is cowardly it only goes where it feels safe and wanted”.

Chief Obasanjo commended Afreximbank for its effectiveness in moving forward the intra-African trade agenda and attributed that success to the culture of continuity in the Bank where all the past Presidents have continued to work with and support the current President in pursuit of the development of intra-African trade.

He expressed regret that Nigeria had yet to ratify the AfCFTA, even though the final negotiations for the agreement were led by Nigeria and the final agreement was taken to the country’s executive council and it was passed.

“It is my sincere wish that Nigeria will be at the table before the

•Afreximbank President Prof. Benedict Oramah (2nd left), Segun Awolowo, Chief Executive Officer of NEPC (1st left), and Abubakar Bello, Managing Director of NEXIM (3rd left), joined by Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment of Nigeria, during the exchange of documents following the signing of the NATIPP agreement in Cairo.

We will sustain Lagos State Employment Trust Fund – Hamzat

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EPUTY Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat has said that the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration, if elected, will sustain and expand the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund’s initiative put in place by the current administration.

Hamzat also reiterate that the Security Trust Fund initiative will form part of the focal areas of preference if the APC is given the mandate to continue by next dispensation in Lagos State.

This was disclosed by Dr. Hamzat, during a live programme on Television Continental (TVC), in response to questions and comments by callers

during the programme.

While emphasising the importance attached to infrastructural development by his party, he said if the party wins next election, security, employment, provision of social amenities will be top on the agenda of the government. ‘”Coincidentally, our candidate and I understand the enormity of challenges ahead of us, and providentially, both of us have the experience and understanding of what will make our slogan ‘For a Greater Lagos’ a reality.

“In view of the fact that private sector drives the economy of any serious nation, including the small scales enterprise, it becomes imperative to

NOVA Merchant Bank gets Anya Duroha as substantive MD/CEO

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HE Board of NOVA Merchant Bank has confirmed the appointment of Mr. Anya Duroha as the substantive Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer The Board’s confirmation made at its meeting of Thursday, December 6, 2018, is subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Commenting on the appointment, Phillips Oduoza, Chairman of NOVA Merchant Bank said “The Board believes that Anya has the necessary attributes to successfully lead the team of young professionals and execute on the Bank’s strategy. He is a well rounded Banker with requisite experience and knowledge in key areas of banking having started his career in operations and systems. It is expected that he will bring his over twenty-five years relationship management experience and performance driven focus to achieve the vision of the Bank”.

Anya Duroha, the CEO, commented “I am honored to be appointed the CEO of an organization that is designed to deliver high quality services

and innovative financial solutions to clients. I will do my best to develop our young talents into world class leaders and drive innovations in the industry”.

Anya has previously served as the Executive Director, Wholesale Banking, responsible for development and management of the Bank’s corporate banking relationships. He has also held senior executive positions at various banks in the industry.

He holds a M.Sc. in Banking & Finance from the University of Benin and a B.Eng. in Civil Engineering from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He is an alumnus of Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania and Lagos Business School.

NOVA is a newly licensed merchant bank focused on providing wholesale and investment banking services. It commenced business in 2017 and recently implemented a state of the art digital core banking application platform. Its vision is to provide financial solutions to clients across different market segments.

NASCON launches New Dangote Classic Seasoning Cubes

AfCFTA comes into effect,” he said. “I went around the (IATF) pavilions and the Nigerian pavilion was large. How can you be talking ANAGEMENT of the NASabout the IATF when you are not CON Allied Industries Plc, a part of the AfCFTA? You cannot subsidiary of the Dangote absent yourself from what is the Industries Limited has pledged its way for the rest of Africa”. commitment towards a healthy living by the people by producing products that meet the physical and mental needs of the people.

Executive Director, Commercial NASCON Allied Plc, Fatima Aliko ensure the security of lives and prop- Dangote gave this pledge in Kano erties, and by extension, make funds during the unveiling of new Classic accessible to the artisans, traders Seasoning Cube in addition to its and other genuine business men and array of food seasonings already in women in those categories. We will the market. therefore strengthen the State EmThe new product which the NASployment Trust Fund to give access CON boss described as a product of to credit to many more people in La- thorough and painstaking research gos. The fund in 3 years has disburded funds to 8000 people out of over into the preference of the people 40,000 people that applied. We will in the seasoning sub sector of the expand the capacity of LSETF to do food industry came in the wake of more. The impact is real and we will a similar launch recently, of new Curry Powder and Stew Mix from make it better”, said Hamzat.

On the issue of education, health the stable of NASCON. Fatima Aliko Dangote said she and employment, he assured the residents that plans are underway to had no doubt in her mind that the upscale quality of education, employ- new product would be an instant ment opportunities and provision of hit given its unique taste, flavor and social amenities like water supply, aroma noting that the new clasamong others. sic seasoning cubes and stew mix Responding to the insinuations were created with a special blend made by the governorship candidate of herbs and spices to give meals of the Peoples Democratic Party that unique taste and great aroma.

(PDP,), Mr.Jimmy Agbaje that his parShe described the new classic ty was out to deliver Lagos from bond- seasoning as a new innovation age, Hamzat described the statement birthed after years of consumer as ” not only unfortunate, but borne led research and development, out of ignorance”.

“Please, where were these people and urged distributors, marketers, when Ashiwaju Bola Tinubu was fight- eateries and consumers to immediing for special status for Lagos state, ately key into it.

Lacing her remarks with the the campaign Senator Oluremi Tinubu and our other Senators including our Hausa local dialet, while explaining House of Representatives Members the strengths of the product, she described the seasoning as Karshen took to the National Assembly ?

“What was the contribution of PDP Magana meaning the real deal and leaders in Lagos state, when former that it is second to none in the marpresident Olusegun Obasanjo seized ket throughout the country.

Lagos fund for years? Did they talk?

According to her, the manageWhen we want to start the Eko At- ment of NASCON decided to go lantic project, it took us six years to into the research for the new prodget approval before President Umaru uct bearing in mind that wellbeing Yar’Adua of the blessed memory gave is reduced by poor diet yet it is exthe approval. So, its not surprising that pensive to be unhealthy. its only when elections come that the Good nutrition, she stated mainlikes of Mr. Agbaje always remember tained immune system and delays that Lagos is in their imaginary bond- the effect of aging because it reage.”

M

duces the risk of chronic disease while poor diet reduces physical and mental health. She therefore urged women to try the new seasoning cubes, stew mix and curry powder, as they would ensure meal moments are great moments.

Fatima Aliko Dangote assured that the products would be launched in other parts of the country very soon, adding that despite the high innovative quality, they are affordable and available with various promotional items to be given out to the distributors and consumers.

In his remark, the Group Managing Director of NASCON Allied Plc Mr. Paul Farrer assured that the new product is a high margin product that would help ensure distributors and customers remain profitable, describing the new product as premium but affordable to the consumers.

The Company used the occasion to introduce its Brand Ambassador to the customers, in the person of renowned Kannywood multi-talented actress Hadiza Gabon, who described the Dangote Seasoning cubes as a seasoning with great flavor, and good taste while recommending it to all women in Nigeria.

Speaking to media men in an interview at the event, NASCON key distributor, Alhaji Hamisu Rabiu of Hamis Investment in Kano described NASCON products as fast moving and of good quality. He urged other distributors and retailers across the country to immediately key into the new classic cube, Dangote stew mix and Dangote curry powder.

At the launch Wednesday about 300 distributors, wholesalers and retailers were excited and most express optimism that it will up the market of NASCON. Head of Marketing of NASCON Allied Industries Plc, Mr. Olusegun Ajala expressed optimism that the “innovative brand will up the company’s market share exponentially because of its unique taste and aroma.

19

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

BUSINESS

African Development Bank’s to raise $7.2bn from capital market for 2019 program

Stories by KAYODE OGUNWALE

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HE board of the African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved the institution’s 2019 borrowing program to the tune of $7.24 billion to be raised from the capital markets.

The African Development Bank accesses a wide array of capital markets with the majority of its borrowing in US dollars and Euros as well as issuances in other public markets such as Australian dollars and Pound sterling.

The Bank maintains an active presence in the socially responsible investment arena and continues to be a regular issue of Green and Social Bonds. These products serve to satisfy increasing demand for impact investment but also allow the Bank to highlight its development mandate and promote sustainable and in-

clusive growth.

The Institution has also used its ‘High 5’ operational priorities as a platform to continue the issuance of theme bonds, including an inaugural ‘Integrate Africa’ bond, a ‘Feed Africa’ bond awarded Asia Pacific Deal of the Year by mtn-i, more than forty ‘Improve the Quality of the Life for the People of Africa’ bonds, and two taps of its ‘Light Up and Power Africa’ bond.

The Bank is keen to innovate to diversify its product range and, as the financial markets continue to look to a future after Libor, was able to combine innovation with its social responsibility program and issue the first ever Green SOFR-linked bond, in November.

The African Development Bank will continue to promote the development of African Capital

markets with the issue of local currency denominated debt to facilitate the financing of its local currency operations, alongside other initiatives.

“We continue to raise our profile in the capital markets to pro-

vide cost-effective resources to finance projects and programs on the African continent. We have a strong track record, a diversified funding profile, investors across the world and the benefits of a AAA rating to strongly support the African Development Bank

mandate,” the Bank’s Treasurer, Hassatou N’Sele said.

The African Development Bank is rated triple-A by all the major international rating agencies and enjoys several solid ESG (Environmental Social and Govern-

Unity Bank wins CBN ‘Sustainable Transaction of the Year in Agric’ award

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NITY Bank Plc has won the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) 2018 sustainable banking award, clenching the award for ‘Sustainable Transaction of the Year in Agriculture’.

The Bank won the coveted award for its compliance with the Sustainable Banking Principles as it relates to the management of Environmental and Social Risk set out by the CBN for adoption by Nigerian Banks, Discount Houses and Development Banks.

While presenting the award to Unity Bank at the just concluded Bankers’ Committee held in Lagos, the apex bank commended the efforts of the lender in promoting the Anchor Borrowers Program (ABP), Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) project, adding that the bank deserves the award because of the role it played in actualization and management of this audacious project.

The active involvement of the Bank in various financing schemes has resulted in creating huge social and economic impact on the income of households involving over 270,000 participating small holder farmers thereby boosting not only the gross domestic product but also helping to achieve selfsufficiency in food production.

Commenting on the development, the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of Unity Bank Plc, Mrs. Tomi Somefun dedicated the award to all farmers and businesses in agriculture value

chain, stressing that: “We have successfully on-boarded over 90,000 hitherto financially excluded farmers and generated bank verification number for them to facilitate financial and banking transaction.

Capacities of about 60 agro input suppliers were expanded through provision of facilities and financial advisory services’’.

“Unity Bank’s Environmental and social Management Program covers comprehensive business operations that minimizes adverse impact on the environment in the scope of its business activities.”

“The Code of Corporate Governance requires companies to act in an environmentally and socially responsible manner and Unity Bank has domesticated the principles in its commitment to save the environment from degradation or pollution.”

Speaking further, Somefun disclosed that the Bank’s environmental management policies and strategies comprehensively covers priority areas that encourages biodiversity, green initiatives, recycling of waste, reduction of carbon emission geared towards promoting sustainability, conservation and environmental protection.

Unity Bank Plc is a niche player in Agricultural financing in Nigeria, with active participation in most government intervention schemes and support for key policy initiatives. These are aimed at driving growth and transformation of Nigeria’s Agricultural economy.

Finance Houses can access N220bn MSME cash

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HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said Finance Houses can now access N220 billion Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund (MSMEDF).

Speaking at the Finance Houses 2018 biennial finance and investment conference held in Lagos, CBN Director, Development Finance Department, Mudashiru Olaitan said that finance houses are eligible to access the wholesale segment of the fund provided they meet the stipulated conditions. He however, said operators are yet to apply for the facility.

Olaitan, who spoke on the theme: ‘Operationalising the MSME Development Fund: Framework, Constraints, Possibilities’ said the MSMEDF was designed to channel affordable credit to the MSME sub-

sector, especially women entrepreneurs so as to create jobs and enhance productivity.

The scheme prescribes 50:50 onlending to micro-enterprises and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and comes as Wholesale component (90 percent) and Development component (10 per cent).

He explained that the 60 per cent of wholesale component is for women entrepreneurs while the remaining 40 percent go to other entrepreneurs.

According to Olaitan, the fund enhances financial access by MSMEs and increases productivity and output of micro-enterprises. It is also expected to increase employment, create wealth and engender inclusive growth.

•Osita Ede, Head, Consumer and Liability products, Diamond bank Plc; Eleogu Alphonsus, Past Season 10 DiamondXtra Winner; Chris Ofikulu, Head, Lagos Directorate, Diamond Bank Plc; and Stella Adibe, Independent Reviewer KPMG during the DiamondXtra Season 10 Third Quarterly Draw held in Mobolaji Bank Anthony way, Ikeja, Lagos, recently.

Diamond, Access Bank shares soar by merger announcements

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HE share price of Diamond Bank jumped by 9.47 percent on Monday as investors reacted positively to its planned acquisition by rival Access Bank Plc, after weeks of speculations and spirited denials by both parties.

In a notice to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on Monday morning, Access Bank said it will acquire the entire issued share capital of Diamond bank in exchange for a combination of cash and shares in Access Bank via a Scheme of Merger that will see the latter’s shareholders receiving N3.13 per share, representing 260 percent of its closing price on Friday, December 15, 2018.

The share price of Diamond Bank opened at 95 kobo, after hitting a high of N1.04, as investors exchange 70.984m units worth N72.643 million in 129 deals.

Access Bank was however not left out, as its share price soared by 9.4 percent, with traders crossing 13.616 million shares valued at

N108.55 million in 254 deals, closing at N8.15 each, the day’s peak, after gaining 70 kobo from its N7.45 opening price.

In the notifications signed by their Company Secretaries, both bank said they have sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) regarding a potential merger.

In the letter by Sunday Ekwocha of Access Bank, the potential merger followed “its selection as preferred bidder after a competitive process undertaken by the board of Diamond Bank… will create Nigeria’s and Africa’s largest retail bank by customers.”

In Monday’s edition of the daily market report, analysts at Arthur Stevens Asset Management Limited, noted that the rise in share price of both banks came on a day the benchmark All-Share Index lost 0.21 percent.

However, the impressive performance recorded in the shares of Access Bank and Diamond Bank failed

to save market from downturn.

At the end of the trading on Monday, the equities market shed 21 basis points to settle at 30,609.06 due to losses in Guaranty Trust Bank, FBN Holdings and Unilever Nigeria.

Consequently, market capitalization declined N26.5 billion to settle at N11.2 trillion while year till date loss weakened to -20.0 percent. In line with the bearish performance, activity level worsened as volume traded depreciated 38.4 percent to 215.0 million units and value traded declined 24.9 percent to N1.7 billion.

The top traded stocks by volume were Diamond Bank with 71.0 million units as investors reacted to the announcement of the bank’s merger with Access bank Plc. AXAMansad traded 20.0 million units and FBN Holdings 16.5 million units while Guaranty Trust Bank traded N363.4 million, Nigerian Breweries with N291.6 million and Unilever Nigeria with N169.4 million led the top traded stocks by value.

Heirs Holdings Signs $600 million facility deal with Afrexim Bank

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S a further demonstration of the African Export-Import Bank’s (Afrexim) mandate to facilitate the growth of intra-Africa trade and support the development of African businesses, Afrexim, signed financing facilities totalling $600 million with the Heirs Holdings Group, a pan-African proprietary investment holding company. Heirs Holdings has significant investments across Africa, in the financial services, resources, real estate and hospitality and power sectors.

The facilities will further support theGroup’s power, oil and gas strategy, as it positions itself as an African leader in integrated natural resources. The signing ceremony took place at the Afrexim Intra-Africa Trade

Conference taking place in Cairo, Egypt.

The proceeds of the facilities will assist the Heirs Holdings Group vision of creating a dynamic resource based division, focused on ensuring value creation occurs on the African continent and that value chains are developed, that directly benefit the broader African economy and consumer.

Commenting at the ceremony, Dr. Benedict Oramah, President of Afrexim who signed on behalf of the Bank, stated that the investment by Heirs Holdingswould play a key role in addressing some of the fundamental challenges that have affected the power and energy sectors in Africa. He stated that

“A world class energy sector is fundamental to the sustainable growth of businesses in Africa.

If we do not deal with these basic matters, growth of trade and exports will always be limited”.

Mr. Tony Elumelu, the Chairman of Heirs Holdings, commented that “We are delighted to be partnering with Afrexim.

The Bank continues to play a critical role in the economic and social development of the continent. Together, we illustrate that Africa can create world class institutions, which are capable of successfully making the long-term investments necessary for Africa’s economic transformation and catalyse the enabling environment that will unleash Africa’s potential”.

20

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

ENERGY

Angola pulls investment attention off Nigeria Stories by SOPURUCHI ONWUKA

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ITH investment opportunity in African petroleum industry thinning down amidst rising competition for investible funds, traditional players in Nigeria are shifting attention from Nigeria where they are locked in dispute with government over fiscal terms to Angola where government is opening up the industry for more participation by all grade of investors.

Since 2008 when the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which contains fiscal changes stridently opposed by petroleum players in the country, exploration and development activities have dropped in the country, leaving over 1.2 million barrels per day of potential new production stranded in the deepwater.

Besides, no new bidding round for exploration blocks has been held since 2007 while promises of new marginal field round have only been kept alive with regular postponements and speculations as the low margin operators scramble for costly and vulnerable brownfield onshore assets regularly divested by disenchanted multinational players.

While the investment impasse lingered in Nigeria, Africa’s second largest producer, Angola, appears to be selling fast, attracting global investors most of whom are disgruntled in Nigeria with deals that are fast translating to exploration successes, development projects and new production streams.

Angola which is preparing an oil and gas conference in 2019 also plans to host a road show for its next licensing round and marginal fields awards in what the country’s government says would chart new strategic direction and open Angola’s oil and gas business.

The government stated that Angola has developed a strategic plan to attract new players to its established oil and gas sector, promoting a licensing round at Angola Oil & Gas in June 2019 and opening up marginal fields based on new 2018 legislation.

The measures, it said, would encourage new participation and investment from Angolan, African and international independents in the country’s oil and gas sector.

Minister of Mineral Resources and Petroleum, Mr. Diamantino Azevedo, stated weekend that the 2019 licensing round, which would include onshore and offshore blocks in the Congo, Namibe and Cunene basins, would boost exploration potential with the ultimate aim to increase production from the country’s current levels of 1.49 million barrels of oil per day.

“If we do not conduct the exploration works and finds new reserves, we will not be able to maintain the current levels of production. We have to work on the perspective of finding new oilfields to sustain the desired production, based on the goals set by the government.”

The government has also established guidelines for marginal operators by presidential decree in line with Angola’s decision to promote access to marginal fields.

According to the law, marginal fields are characterized by at

least one of many factors. These include: recoverable resources of less than 300 million barrels; water depth exceeding 800 meters; and/ or income to the state less than $10.5 per barrel. The law also provides different tax structures for marginal fields.

“There is an antiquated perception that Angola as an oil and gas market is only for the big boys,” said Guillaume Doane, CEO of Africa Oil & Power, organizer of Angola Oil & Gas 2019. “Through marginal fields, Angola is attracting a greater diversity of exploration and production players that can operate smaller onshore and shallow water resource plays. In the next decade Angola can achieve historic developments through marginal fields similar to what Nigeria accomplished in recent years.”

Already, key multinational players who have displayed investment apathy in Nigeria following fiscal disagreements and disputed deals are recording exploration and development successes in Angola.

Italian explorer ENI, which is currently running battles with its deepwater asset acquisition deal in Nigeria, reported new oil discovery offshore Angola.

The discovery, in the Afoxé exploration prospect located in Block 15/06, is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million barrels of light oil in place, the company declared.

“Afoxé-1 NFW proved a 20 meters net oil pay of high quality oil (37° API) contained in Upper Miocene sandstones with excellent petrophysical properties”, the company stated, adding though that “The well has not been tested but an intensive data collection has been carried out that indicates a production capacity in excess of 5,000 barrels of oil per day. The new nearby discoveries of Kalimba and Afoxé are now accounting together a potential of 400 – 500MMBOE of high quality oil in place and represent a new cluster that can be exploited jointly in a

•Onward Together: Senator Bassey Albert, Chairman Senate Committee on Gas in a chat with Mr. Isiaka Abdulrazaq, Chief financial Officer (CFO) of the NNPC at the resumed hearing of the Senate Committee on Application of $1.05bn Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) dividend while Senator Mathew Urhoghide watches with interest.

new development concept.”

The recent discovery is a result of significant rig activity in major exploration blocks in Angola where government is working to return vibrancy to the upstream petroleum industry.

Besides Italian Eni, another multinational investor with traditional partnership with Nigerian government, ExxonMobil, is stamping a solid footprint in Angola in what analyst interpret as major investment interest away from Nigeria.

The move by the global giant is believed to drag along a huge investment purse and offshore industry technology that could rewrite production numbers for the country which is smarting from the devastation of civil war.

Earlier in November, head of the state hydrocarbon firm Sonangol, Carlos Saturnino, indicated that ExxonMobil had shown interest in some blocks in the Namib basin, in

Australia overtakes Qatar as global LNG factor

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USTRALIA overtakes Qatar as global LNG factor Australia has become the biggest global exporter of LNG overtaking Qatar by shipping 6.5 million tons of the superchilled fuel abroad in November.

To compare, Qatar’s export shipments came in at about 6.2 million tons during the month. This is yet another seismic shift in global energy after the United States emerged as the biggest crude oil producer globally this year, overtaking Saudi Arabia and Russia.

Australia staked its claim as leader of the global LNG industry earlier this decade, with total investments in this strategy coming in at about $200 billion so far. The country now boasts several of the largest LNG projects in the world, including Chevron’s Gorgon and Wheatstone, Inpex’s Ichthys, which started producing earlier this year, and Shell’s Prelude, due to come online before this year’s end.

The total LNG production capacity of all existing projects is about 88 million tons annually. However, the sharp increase in LNG exports has squeezed domestic supply in some parts of the country. Last year, gas prices on the eastern coast of the country spiked because most of the gas produced locally was shipped abroad, so the government had to step in and impose restrictions.

Now, Western Australia is threatened by a gas shortage in the medium term, again because of rising exports.

Qatar is also eyeing an increase in production capacity from 77 million tons annually to 110 million tons annually by 2024, which might help it regain the top spot.

However, LNG demand projections for the next decade or so are so robust, there will likely be enough buyers for all the LNG coming out of Australia and Qatar, whoever comes on top as the world’s biggest supplier.

the country’s deep South, “while advanced discussions are being held with BP, Equinor and ENI for the rights to the ultra-deep offshore blocks 46 and 47.

Angola’s biggest producer, Total, also plans to take the challenge of risking the world’s deepest exploration well “beneath 3,630 metres of water on block 48.”

Not left out, Shell is also working to acquire a working interest in Angola’s exploration acreages in Blocks 21/09 and 20/11 in the deepwater Kwanza Basin.

Meanwhile, most of the investors taking greater interest in Angola are already firm footed in the country with ExxonMobil operating Block 15 and TOTAL having a good time in Block 17; the two companies operate the two most successful leases in the country.

When contacted on the opportunities Nigeria is losing in the African exploration investment

scramble, the Chief Operating Officer in charge of upstream at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mallam Rabiu Bello, told The Oracle Today that government was already aware of the mistakes of the past and was working with the investors on early resolution of the fiscal disputes that hinder fresh investments in the country.

When reminded of the fiscal segment of the PIB, the Petroleum Industry Fiscal Bill (PIFB) was yet to be passed, Mallam Bello assured our correspondent that measures are being introduced to allow NNPC and partners reach early agreement on fiscal content of the bill to allow the industry move forward.

He did not, however, give details of the tax templates that would result in position closure between revenue seeking government and profit seeking investors.

OML 18 Drilling to Start

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AN Leon Energy reported that the rig mobilized to OML 18 onshore Nigeria by Eroton, the operator of the license, is now fully positioned on the well site. The rig will drill a well on the Akaso field, the first on the concession under the operatorship of Eroton.

The OSMU-1 well is expected to commence drilling in the next few days. It is expected to take up to 60 days to drill to around 11,900 ft measured depth and complete. The well is targeting the E4500 and E3000 formations and is then expected to be

connected to the OML 18 production system.

Oisin Fanning, CEO, commented, “Drilling the first new well of Eroton’s operatorship marks the start of a new chapter in the development of OML 18. Increasing oil production at the wellhead is an important step in increasing cash flow from the asset, and I look forward to providing shareholders with an update on the performance of this new well in due course, in addition to providing further information on further development activities.”

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floor” beneath oil prices.

IEA stated in its latest Oil Market Report that non-OPEC supply could still outgrow demand next year, expanding by 1.5 mb/d while demand may only soak up 1.4 mb/d of that additional supply.

“As such, OPEC+ might be forced to maintain the cuts through the end of the year. However, there are plenty of uncertainties, including the extent of losses from Iran and Venezuela, while additional outages could come from Libya or elsewhere.”

OPEC+ may fail to boost oil price fforts by the coalition of world’s oil producing nations to stimulate rise in crude oil prices may not yield the desired result but will succeed only in arresting further decline in the value of the commodity.

According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the United States of America, the deal by members of the Organization of Petroleum Countries and another 10 producing nations (OPEC+) to cut global oil supply by 1.2 million barrels per day would only put “a

21

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

ENERGY

NNPC: Senate not after missing $1.05bn NLNG Dividend Stories by SOPURUCHI ONWUKA

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HE investigation by the National Assembly into withdrawals from government’s dividend account with the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited does not connote that the withdrawn funds were missing, the committee leading the inquiry has declared.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Gas, Senator Bassey Albert, stated in Abuja weekend that the ongoing investigation is to ascertain whether by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is authorized by law to withdraw the $1.05 billion from the NLNG dividend account to support importation of petroleum products.

The Oracle Today reports that NNPC has in recent times been engrossed in vigorous efforts to absolve itself from allegations of backstage financial support to the ruling political party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) to which the management leadership of the corporation is thankful for appointment.

From allegations of bloated domestic fuel consumption estimates, N1.4 trillion annual subsidy claims, refinery operations losses to recent illegal tampering with government’s financial receivables from the NLNG, NNPC has faced several committees to account for its management of the nation’s revenue channels.

The NLNG is an incorporated joint venture for gas liquefaction and export in which the corporation holds overriding 49 percent interest on behalf of the country and thus receives nearly half of profit shared among all investors includ-

ing Shell, Total and Eni. Revelation that the corporation had dipped into the dedicated dividend account to offset its fuel supply businesses to the tune of $1.05 billion or N378 billion had sparked a spate of public outcry that prompted the National Assembly to pry into the management of the account.

The latest outrage followed other scandals in the petroleum industry including the allegations of corrupt acquisition of deepwater oil block

by Shell and Eni in an arrangement that cheated the country of several billions of dollars.

In response, NNPC has been frantic with efforts to save its reputation from damning media reports that have reverberated across the globe and scared investors that are in partnership with the corporation which represents government in deals with all the oil companies that operate in the country.

Chief Financial Officer of NNPC, Mr. Isiaka Abdulrazaq, had explained to media executives in Lagos that the constant media reports about investigations into the financial management in the corporation were disturbing to investors and partners to the corporation.

Weekend, the Senate Committee leading the investigation into the withdrawals from the NLNG dividend account also stated that its job has nothing to do with any missing funds since, he said, no such money was missing in the first place.

Senator Albert, who doubles as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Application of the NLNG Dividend, explained that the mandate of the Committee was to determine the instrument under

•Senator Bassey Albert, Chairman Senate Committee on Gas with Mr. Isiaka Abdulrazaq, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the NNPC at the resumed hearing of the Senate Committee on Application of $1.05bn Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) dividend.

which NNPC relied upon to make the said withdrawal and subsequent application of the NLNG dividend in fuel supply.

He noted that the committee relies on NNPC to provide informed perspective on the issues, adding that the engagement with NNPC was to understand the rudiments of the account flow and also to discover how the committee, working in harmony with NNPC, could make the NLNG dividend more effective and beneficial to the nation.

Mr. Isiaka Abdulrazaq affirmed the rights of NNPC to make withdrawals from NLNG dividends,

Nigeria leads global oilfield fatality – Drillers

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EADING activities in a continent that records the second highest level of oilfield fatalities means that Nigeria may be leading the world with incident-toactivity ratio, including fatalities in the field of work.

According to a paid post from Nigeria Chapter of International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) sighted by The Oracle Today in the website run by the Africa Oil and Gas Reports, drilling companies in the country have been low on consciousness on health, safety and environment (HSE), the global benchmark for responsible operations.

The post which is actually a part of the report emerging from the Annual General Meeting of the group holds that Africa accounts for the second highest amount of fatalities in the global drilling space. The report also noted that Nigeria is a major African player, inferring strongly that the country could proportionately take larger number of oilfield fatalities.

The year’s overall performance review said to have been presented by the Vice-Chairman of the driller group, Mr Chuks Enwereji, is tagged the most crucial set of metrics in the drilling industry.

In the review, Mr. Enwereji pointed out that “Drilling activities

man-hours done in Africa accounts for the third highest amount in the world-wide drilling space. Conversely the continent accounts for the second highest amount of fatalities. Nigeria is a major African player.”

He chided members of the group for their low interest in HSE, pointing out that “In spite of its importance, members’ participation in the HSE review is low. For three years running, 2016-2018, only seven out of the 25 corporate members have participated in the HSE Review.”

In spite of its importance, mem-

bers’ participation in the HSE review is low. For three years running, 2016-2018, only seven out of the 25 corporate members have participated in the HSE Review.

In pleading for increased interest in HSE among members, Mr Enwereji pointed out that “Reducing Total Recordable Incidence Rate (TRIR) is an IADC targeted mandate.”

Enwereji announced that the 2020 IADC African Drilling Conference, though championed by Nigeria, would be held in Ghana following the security challenges bedeviling Nigeria.

saying that relevant documents have been supplied to the panel to enable it understand NNPC’s perspective in the management of the NLNG dividend account.

He said that there was nothing illegitimate about the withdrawals made from the account so far.

In a separate meeting with journalists, Mr. Isiaka clarified that the Senate’s probe was not about missing money but an investigation into whether NNPC acted legally in withdrawing the sum of $1.05bn from the NLNG Dividend Account to support fuel importation.

While granting the statutory right of the legislators to carryout oversight functions, he cited the Appropriation Act 2018 as defining revenue from NNPC as net of cost, indicating that NNPC has the right to defray the cost of its operations from earnings.

He also cited the NLNG Act which explicitly provides that NNPC could defray its cost from the dividends, as one of the legal grounds relied upon for the expenditure without recourse to appropriation by the National Assembly.

He also cited the case instituted by some state governments in 1999 seeking the interpretation of revenue on account of their contention that all accruals from oil and gas operations amount to revenue and should be swept into the Federation Account.

Savannah’s deal on Seven Energy in limbo

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OVES by Savannah Petroleum to take over Seven Energy have left companies in the ancillary business chain tapped in anxiety as the deal continues linger beyond one full year, according to information gleaned from Africa Oil and Gas Reports.

Seven Energy which operates big ticket gas supply deals in the Niger Delta, after acquiring Oando’s Eastern Horizon Gas Company Limited, had suddenly notified its business partners of its intention to sell its portfolio to Savannah Petroleum.

The decision implies a lot of more separate deals between Savannah

and other players in the business chain, including gas suppliers and other business interests Seven Energy held in non operated assets in the industry.

After signing off on the deals regarding the gas for oil swap with Frontier Oil Limited and the buyout of minority shareholders in Universal Energy Resources Limited, it was gathered, Savanah is yet to close out the entire transaction.

Frontier Oil is the holder of the Uquo field, whose gas reserves underpinned Seven Energy’s main gas supply business in the domestic market. Universal Energy, a

producer of a marginal oil field in eastern Nigeria, was partly owned

by Seven Energy.

Savannah claims it is “seeking certain further amendments to the terms of the Transaction, which the Board considers to be in Savannah’s immediate commercial interests and are expected to significantly enhance the Company’s competitive position in Nigeria.”

The transaction, initiated 13 months ago, has thus dragged out for much longer than initially contemplated, leaving all parties to the deal in full anxiety.

The ruling on that case by the Supreme Court in 2002, according to him, was in tandem with NNPC’s position that revenue is accruals net of cost.

“We have provided the legal authority on which we rely to use funds from the NLNG Dividend Account to the Senate. We believe they will reason with us. But if need be, we will seek legal opinion on it,” he said.

On the general impression that NNPC and indeed the entire Oil and Gas Industry is opaque, Mr. Abdulrazaq contended that improvements have been made towards transparency in the operations of the company.

“NNPC is very open and transparent. We publish our NNPC Monthly Financial and Operations reports in the media. No one does monthly reporting, not even the international oil companies or the publicly quoted companies. The best they do is quarterly reports. But we do monthly reports of revenue (profit and loss for the entire corporation, including the subsidiaries). We do operations report on how much oil and gas was produced, sold and the monetary value; how much products the refineries processed and how much was imported and sold by PPMC. We do all these to defuse the perception of opacity.

Yet some people still say we are opaque, and I think that is not fair,” he aexplained.

Abdulrazak disclosed that as part of the stewardship accounting designed to make NNPC’s operations transparent to the public, the inherited six-year unaudited accounts of the corporation have been audited up to date, stressing that the account for 2017 has been fully audited, approved and forwarded to relevant authorities.

On fuel supply and efforts to ensure zero-scarcity throughout the end of year festivities and beyond, the CFO disclosed that NNPC has 2.6 billion litres of premium motor spirit (petrol) in offshore and onshore storage that could last for 52 days at 50 million litres per day consumption.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

e-Platform

NCC says Nigeria loses $60bn annually to call masking Stories by KAYODE OGUNWALE

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HE Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), said the Nigerian telecom industry loses about $60 billion dollars annually to call masking. Call masking is a process where international calls are terminated as local calls.

This NCC said has posed serious threat to the telecom industry but noted that the Commission has proffered solution to the problem.

Prof Umar Danbatta, executive vice chairman of NCC, dropped the hint on Thursday at the 86th Edition of Telecom Consumer Parliament (TCP), entitled: “Overcoming Challenges of Call Masking/Refiling: Task Ahead for the Telecom Industry, on Thursday in Abuja.

Danbatta, who spoke through the Executive Commissioner Stakeholders management, Sunday Dare, noted that globally $54-$60 is lost to call masking but added that the Commission is taking proactive measures to curb the menace.

He said: “We don’t have the exact figures for Nigeria but globally $54-$60 is lost to call masking. This shows that it is a global menace which is not specific to Nigeria and it is possible because of innovative technology that is available.

“We talk about the VIOP which is Voice Over Internet Protocol, we talk about the OTT; Over The Top platforms where you do WhatsApp and all other video calls.

These are innovations and technologies that allows for some of this to happen.”

“But we are happy to say for the last eight months, the NCC took very proactive measures, through investigations, we worked with our taskforce to have been able to reduce the incidence of sim boxing in this country by 34 percent.

“When you look at the roadmap so far, 2016, it started, in 2017, we started investigations. We moved from reducing it to 24 percent to 34 percent. I think the most critical point is; we have tried to look for a technological solution to solve what is a slight technical problem.

“As I speak, we have found a solution after the prove of concept.

That solution has been tried in Lagos South West and about nine people have been arrested in the basement of a house and a few cars in which you have the boxes in their booths.

“We have tried that concept, it is working and we hope to launch it in January. If it is launched in January; I can assure Nigerians that before the end of 2019, we would have had 80 percent reduction in call masking,” he explained.

The EVC then called on the public not to hesitate to report cases of call masking to NCC, promising that appropriate measures would be taken against such persons.

Earlier in her welcome address, the Director Consumer Affairs Bureau, Mrs Felicia Onwuegbuchulam, stated that the forum allows for face to face encounter with the public and Stakeholders in the telecom industry and the theme is aimed at ensuring national security and a level playing ground for all telecom licensees.

•Abolaji Oyebo, Head, Technology, The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE); Tinuade Awe, Executive Director, Regulation, NSE; Bola Adeeko, Head, Shared Services Division, NSE; Oscar Onyema, Chief Executive Officer, NSE; Michele Carlsson, Managing Director, Middle East & Africa, Nasdaq; Meyer Sandy Frucher, Vice Chairman, Nasdaq and James Martin, General Manager, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Market Technology, Nasdaq during the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between The Nigerian Stock Exchange and Nasdaq on technology at ASEA Conference in Lagos.

Nigeria’s OneFi secures first ever credit rating for an African Fintech

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NE Finance Limited (OneFi) has announced that is has been assigned a “BB” rating with a Stable outlook, from Global Credit Rating Co. The company behind Paylater, Nigeria’s leading digital financial services platform that specialises in consumer lending, becomes Africa’s first fintech company to secure such a rating, as it looks to increase transparency

NCC to order Telcos to refund illegal deductions from Subscribers

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IGERIAN Communications Commission (NCC), said it may soon order telecommunication operators to refund illegal deductions from subscribers.

Prof Umar Danbatta, executive vice chairman, EVC, NC, said the illegal deductions were made in five months.

He said 58,965,478 total Active Broadband Subscription on 3G and 4G platforms was recorded as at November 2018.

Danbatta explained that Internet subscription grew from 107,547,723 in October 2018, to 108,897,679 in November 2018, while Active Voice Subscriber base grew from 165,239,443 in October 2018 to 169,104,830 in November 2018.

The commission also disclosed that Nigeria has exceeded 30 per cent broadband penetration target, as it the record stood at 30.9 per cent in November 2018.

Danbatta who was represented

by Sunday Dare, executive commissioner, Stakeholders Management, said Nigeria would achieve close to 50 per cent broadband penetration by 2019.

According to him, contributions of Telecommunications and Information Services to GDP from Q1 to Q3 2018 were N4.7 trillion, according to figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

In the last quarter (Q3, 2018), the amount stood at N1.5 trillion, according to Q3 figures reported

by the NBS. Danbatta said that Telecommunications and Information Services Sector grew by 14.7 per cent from Q1, 2017 to Q3, 2018.

The NCC has also promised to reduce call masking across the nation by 80 per cent before 2020, noting that about N6 billion is lost yearly to call masking.

The executive vice chairman disclosed that tracking technology has made the commission to reduce call masking by 21per cent as at August 2018, even as nine offenders have been arrested.

He said the commission had

A

in the last six months, took proactive measures through investigation and efforts to reduce incidents of SIM boxing in the country by 32 per cent.

According to Dambatta, call masking/refilling occurs when an international call is terminated in Nigeria as a local number.

He stressed that perpetrators have ulterior motive of profiting from price differentials between international and local calls termination rates.

He added that a SIM box has the capacity to receive and transmit calls undetected.

around its credit and lending service.

Global Credit Rating Co. is Africa’s leading ratings agency, accounting for the majority of all ratings accorded on the African continent. The report analysed key financial and operational factors including risk management, liquidity positioning, borrowings and capital under management. In arriving at this rating of “BB” with a Stable outlook, Global Credit Rating Co’s analysis found that OneFi is well capitalised vis-a-vis its current risk level, and also highlighted the fact that the company currently has a low liquidity risk.

Commenting on the news, Chijioke Dozie, OneFi CEO says, “The entire process of securing this rating from Global Credit Rating has been rigorous, testing, but ultimately, hugely beneficial for the company. It has allowed us to scrutinise our finance and business models, as well as provide full transparency not only to our stakeholders, but to Paylater’s tens of thousands of customers across Nigeria.

“The work does not stop here.

Apple plan to build 1$bn campus in Texas

PPLE announced on Thursday it will build a $1 billion campus in Texas as part of a nationwide expansion.

The facility will be less than a mile from the tech giant’s existing facility in Austin and initially accommodate 5,000 additional employees, with room to grow to 15,000.

As it stands, 6,200 people now work for Apple in the Texan capital the largest cluster outside its headquarters in Cupertino, California.

Employees at the new campus will work in fields including engineering, R&D, operations, finance, sales and customer support, Apple said in a state-

ment.

“Apple is proud to bring new investment, jobs and opportunity to cities across the United States and to significantly deepen our quarter-century partnership with the city and people of Austin,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said.

“Talent, creativity and tomorrow’s breakthrough ideas aren’t limited by region or zip code, and, with this new expansion, we’re redoubling our commitment to cultivating the hightech sector and workforce nationwide.”

Apple also said it plans to boost its employee base in regions across the United States over the next three years.

It will expand to over 1,000 employees each at new sites in Seattle, San Diego and Culver City, California, and add hundreds of jobs in Pittsburgh, New York, Boulder, Colorado, Boston and Portland.

Apple said it plans to invest $10 billion in US data centers over the next five years, including $4.5 billion this year and next.

Earlier this month online retail giant Amazon also announced a major expansion, saying it will build a new headquarters divided between Long Island City in New York and Crystal City, across the Potomac River from Washington, DC. It says this $5 billion investment will create 50,000 jobs.

We are a young company, and the very first African fintech platform to be awarded with a credit score, and whilst we are pleased with our “BB” rating and Stable Outlook, which we believe fairly reflects our current standing, we are now focussed on expanding our product offering, improving our asset quality, driving up customer loan applications and looking at ways in which we can bring our innovative approach to finance management to additional markets”.

Paylater, launched in 2016 by Nigerian finance entrepreneurs Chijioke and Ngozi Dozie, provides hassle-free loans without need for human intervention or bias in decision making. Loans are disbursed to applicants account within 5 minutes of approval. The credit-as-aservice company aims to be a onestop-shop where all the financial needs of the Nigerian consumer can be met through one platform.

To-date, the Paylater app has been downloaded over 1 million times with over 1,575 loans approved daily. The average disbursement time is 12 seconds and the average loan borrowed is $80 with a 3 month loan tenor. As part of its ongoing commitment to transparency, the lending platform has, since September, provided each Paylater loan applicant with a free credit bureau report, irrespective of decision, with 100 percent reporting of positive and negative data.To date, the company has shared over 60,000 reports with customers.

Chijioke Dozie concludes, “With the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) currently revising the Licensing Regime for finance providers and fintech platforms in Nigeria, and with more formality and regulation surrounding the sector, this was the right time for OneFi to undertake the positive step of securing a credit rating score, as we work to build a legitimate, trusted lending brand.

We are now held to the same levels of transparency and scrutiny as other leading financial institutions in Nigeria”

23

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

e-Platform

FG launches 5 Mobile Radio frequency monitoring equipment

Stories by KAYODE OGUNWALE

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HE minister, who said that the equipment was worth nine million dollars, added that it would guarantee effective spectrum management in the country.

He said that the project would not only stem irregular and illegal use of radio frequency but would ensure that users complied with the guiding laws and regulations.

According to Shittu, the project will ensure that radio frequencies are protected and used according to the guiding laws.

He said: “The project was embarked upon to enable the ministry to stem irregular and illegal use of the scarce radio frequency spectrum resource for judicious, efficient and equitable utilisation by competing radio communication services.”

He promised that the ministry would do its best to utilise the equipment to improve spectrum monitoring activities and frequency management functions to minimise incidences of harmful interferences.

He said: “With these facilities in place, the ministry has the capacity and capability to detect, identify and locate the source of transmission and is therefore able to determine if a frequency user is duly licenced or not.”

Shittu added that radio spectrum needed to be managed well for its efficient, judicious and equitable

use by radio communication services to drive socio-economic development of the country.

He said: “The services include aeronautical, broadcasting, maritime, mobile communication, radio navigation, satellite and space research.

“The radio frequency spectrum has diverse applications in agriculture, artificial intelligence, education, health, banking, commerce, manufacturing, robotics and many other human endeavours.”

Radio frequency monitoring is a means of investigating the use of the radio frequency spectrum. It is also used in detecting and identifying the direction and source of electromagnetic emissions and possible location of a radio communication station and equipment.

The minister, therefore, explained that the national spectrum management system would be used to create database of all licensed users and platform for carrying out spectrum management functions which included engineering analysis and monitoring control activities.

He said that the project also included two Denial of Service equipment to serve as one of the enforcement tools that may be applied to deny services to noncompliant users of the frequency spectrum.

Shittu urged Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as private individuals and organisations that use the frequency spectrum to enhance communica-

•ThinQ-LG

• AI SEOUL

tion and transmission of data within their organisation.

He advised them to ensure they first obtain the requisite authorisation from the ministry to use the radio frequency spectrum before they procure and operate any radio communication equipment.

In addition, those presently using the frequency spectrum without due authorisation should formalise their status of operation or face sanctions, he advised.

Onawo Ogoshi, chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Information Communication Tech-

nology, said that the importance of the project cannot be overemphasised.

He commended the ministry for achieving the feat and urged the minister to ensure that the project was put to best use.

In the guideline made available to Nigeria Communicationsweek, CBN stated that: “In recent times, cybersecurity threats have increased in number and sophistication as DMBs and PSPs, use information technology to expedite the flow of funds among entities.

“In this regard, threats such as ransomware, targeted phishing attacks and Advanced Persistent Threats (APT), have become prevalent; demanding that DMBs and PSPs remain resilient and take proactive steps to secure their critical information assets including customer information that are accessible from the cyberspace.

“DMBs/PSPs should note that

for a cybersecurity programme to be successful, it must be fully integrated into their business goals and objectives, and must be an integral part of the overall risk management processes.”

Ahmed Adesanya, IT Security and Connectivity Consultant, commended CBN for rising to the occasion of protecting the country’s economy with this regulatory framework.

He said that the risk-based cyber security framework and guideline have lifted the responsibility of cyber security from the IT departments of banks to board and top management issues.

“This framework will increase banks cyber security readiness in the event of any cyber-attack or electronic fraud and stakeholders in the highest authority of banks and payment service providers are now involved in addressing cyber security issues. This is a move in the right direction by CBN to protect customers of Deposit Money Banks and PSP,” he noted.

Engr. Ike Nnamani, chief executive officer, Demadiur Systems – a cybersecurity firm, said that the involvement of senior management in cyber security policies in organizations as contained in the CBN framework was listed in the 2017 Nigeria Cyber Security Report published by Demadiur Systems Limited.

“This became necessary because in the survey done in 2017 and even 2016 it was discovered that over 95 percent of the Nigerian business do not have a specific budget for confronting cyber treats. Only when there is a problem that the IT team makes request for cyber security solutions and often it is not approved based on the fact that it not in the annual budget. This has led to a situation where most organizations suffer cyber security losses that are avoidable if given priority.

“The decision by the CBN is therefore a welcomed development that will create a more secured cyber space for the country. It is recommended that other agencies and organizations adopt this policy also,” he said.

Banks, PSPs race to comply with CBN risk-based cyber security framework

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ENTRAL Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has released a risk-based cybersecurity framework and guidelines for Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) and Payment Service Providers (PSPs) which they must comply with by January 1, 2019.

This is in line with its new licensing regime as well as in compliance with Nigeria Cyber security act of 2015.

In a circular to the concerned organisations which accompanied the framework and guideline, CBN noted that the framework represents the minimum requirements to be put in place by all DMBs in their respective cybersecurity programmes.

LG: Taking smart technology to the next level with AI

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ITHOUT any iota of doubt, 2018 has been an exciting year for the technology sector. The fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence (AI) have been put into place, robots can now help around the house and televisions are now so thin they could be mistaken for windows or paintings in the living room.

According to Forbes, 80 percent of enterprises are investing in AI today and 30 percent of enterprises are planning on expanding their AI investments over the next 36 months. This trend presents both opportunities and challenges for all of us.

Opportunities include innovation in deep learning products that could change our world for the better, and challenges include how far we should go with this ground-breaking technology.

As customers across the world seek more efficient and productive smart technology, LG has been able to place itself as a leader in AI incorporated electronics and continues to provide the best-in-market ThinQ range

that exceeds consumer expectations.

To Mr Jiung Park, General Manager, Home Appliances Division at LG Electronics West Africa, as a futuristic brand, LG’s innovative product line up is using AI to directly connect with its consumers and make their lives more convenient.

“The truth is, we won’t see AI’s true potential for years if not decades but 2019 is the year that AI will take a big step into the mainstream”, he said. “AI is finding its way into TVs, washing machines, refrigerators as well as audio solutions such as speakers under LG’s ThinQ platform. A product that is with you most of the day learning your behaviour has much greater potential than something used only occasionally.”

Mr Park cited the power of OLED technology demonstrated at this year’s Customer Electronic Show (CES 2018) by LG as an example of the smart technology the company has been able to create.

The walled path of the entrance to the company’s booth

at the biggest electronic gathering was created with OLED panels arranged on both sides replicating the appearance of a winding canyon. It proved to be the talk of the show.

“The potential of this unique technology is vast. Its application in marketing techniques cannot be ignored by potential locations including convention centres, shopping malls, city centres and shop fronts. Its novel appearance will certainly turn heads, with the ability to curve around any environment. This technology creates the perfect platform for different kinds of product signages and makes it stand out from the crowd”, he said.

In the upcoming year, we may witness products with flexible viewing surfaces such as TVs, phones or tablets. While industry experts have been predicting the availability of such products for years, the fact is that no major manufacturer to date has introduced a serious consumer device that features a flexible display. Potential issues surrounding the durability of the screen and price will

have to be addressed, as well as whether there is actual consumer demand for such a product.

With all of the excitement and enthusiasm surrounding the coming year, LG is already gearing up for the 5G tech era and how it will incorporate 5G into LG products and technology as well as the daily lives of consumers.

LG has produced and released some amazing products this year and as time goes by the products have only got better with the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and futuristic technology. Feature stories should capture LG products that have proven success this year and a sneak peek into what to expect in the coming year.

The future looks bright with LG leading the way in consumer electronics through its various cuttingedge technologies. A new year brings a fresh approach to old concepts, something needed no matter which field you work in.

Most LG customers can’t wait to see the next level of innovation to be unleashed by the company as the New Year begin in the next few weeks.

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

ISSN: 2545-5869

The

racle www.oraclenews.ng

Today

24

VOX POPULI SACRUM

EDITORIAL EFCC must guard its reputation Cont’d front page 1 was not known to have EFCC issues until after his emergence as presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar’s running mate. If the stopping of transactions on all accounts belonging to Obi, his family members and his businesses, just two months to a decisive poll, is not political witchhunt, what else is? Apparently, the intention is to weaken the opposition party in the run-up to the general election. EFCC has, however, denied that it froze Obi’s accounts.

Now, consider the Akwa Ibom State where Obong Godswill Akpabio, former PDP governor who joined the ruling APC this year, has been working with agents of the federal government to change Akwa Ibom to an APC State. Currently—and this one has not been denied--Mr Paul Usoro, President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), is wrestling with the EFCC over his alleged complicity in the illegal diversion of about N1.4billion belonging to the Akwa Ibom State government.

EFCC alleges that Usoro and Akwa Ibom State governor Udom Emmanuel converted and laundered funds from the coffers of the state under the pretence that the money was payment for legal services.

Without prejudice to the “case” against the NBA president, what is known about Usoro, or what may be his offence, is that he has been Akwa Ibom State lawyer since the days of Obong Victor Attah through Obong Akpabio to incumbent governor Udom Emmanuel. Whatever money

laundering offences the Senior Advoctate of Nigeof a government using state agencies to subdue ria may have committed in the course of rendering opposition candidates. Where then is the change, if to his home state legal services, for which he is “some are more equal than others”? reportedly owed over N5billion in outstanding legal In a statement in June this year, the EFCC described fees, the EFCC will have to prove in court. But it is itself as “apolitical, blind to the political colours and instructive that Usoro has earned the ire of EFCC affiliations of crime suspects”. Using the convicobviously for the simple reason that he refused to tion of Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame, former PDP “port” to the ruling party with former Governor governors who later crossed over to the APC, to ilAkpabio. lustrate its non-partiality, the agency said, “It will be There is also the case of Ayo Fayose, immediate past foolhardy for any politically exposed person under governor of Ekiti State. A known critic of Buhari, prosecution to think that mere change of political Fayose apparently incurred the wrath of the antiaffiliation will guarantee immunity from prosecugraft agency for his vocal opposition to what he tion.” But how else would partisanship be better consistently called (and calls) Buhari’s mis-governdescribed than EFCC chairman Ibrahim Magu openly ance. Even before he stepped down as governor, wearing a Buhari re-election lapel pin? Service chiefs after completing his tenure of office, EFCC had sent who should never have, or be seen to have, political word to Immigration, Customs, Interpol and all othleaning were seated at an APC campaign rally! er border security agencies that Fayose must not We appreciate the little efforts the EFCC has made to at be allowed to “escape” from the country because least put fear in the minds of potential looters, even he had a case to answer at the EFCC. Such drama in though it doesn’t have enough funds to investigate pursuit of a public officer who had as yet no proven cases properly. But it should not let those in power case of financial misdemeanour against him by a or those close to the ruling party be seen as saints or supposedly impartial anti-corruption agency of the untouchables. If the Electoral Law, for instance, forFederal Republic of Nigeria! bids huge campaign funding, the EFCC should strive Last weekend, EFCC agents in Lagos were uninvited to find culprits across all parties. Politicians who colguests in the home of Doyin Okupe, a PDP chieftain lude with civil servants at the end of every fiscal year and critic of the Buhari administration. The EFCC (such as this period) to share billions and then cover operatives had no arrest warrant or letter of invitaup with non-existent projects could be found in the tion but wanted Okupe to follow them. He refused. ruling party as well as in the opposition party. At the When he reported to the agency’s office this Monfederal level, there is monumental corruption. But day, however, he learned he was being investigated the thieves at the state and local government levels for violating the Cyber Crime Act, which includes seem to have overwhelmed the EFCC, ICPC and all hate speech. Okupe wonders what he has done other agencies. wrong because, for all we know, hate The expectation is that agents of an anti-corruption speech is not within the purview of the agency must live above board. Let no one pretend EFCC to investigate! to be fighting corruption when they are fighting These recent cases have put EFCC in political enemies. Discrimination itself is a form of the dock. If they were not politically corruption, as is any act by a public agency to enmotivated, why hasn’t the agency acted courage election fraud under any guise. The EFCC’s swiftly in more damaging cases involvslogan – “Nobody is above the law” – is a guide. ing “loyal” friends of the party in power?

We need not go far back. Only recently, Our Vision Kano State governor Abdullahi Ganduje TO BE among the top five newspapers in Nigewas caught in a web of scandal involvria and, in due course, the Numero Uno; to be a ing $5million bribe. The noise triggered newspaper of records that effectively caters to by the widely-circulated video clips has the information needs of all segments and secyet to subside, even as a Kano State high tions of the Nigerian society as well as all social court has stopped the state House of classes and cultures. Essentially, we want to be a Assembly from investigating the bribery responsible corporate citizen, a commercially viallegation against the governor. Where able, properly organised media business, which were the corruption fighters? Maybe it’s meets its obligations to society, government because Ganduje, APC, is a sitting goverand the workforce. nor who enjoys immunity from prosecution. But the same cannot be said about a second recent case: the ruling party’s Mission national chairman Adams Oshiomhole WE INTEND to contribute to the development has not received a query from President of an inclusive Nigerian society, with a view to Buhari or EFCC over claims that he [Osgetting rid of the dark sides of our national life hiomhole] received millions of dollars (slothfulness, greed, corruption, nepotism, totalas bribes during the party’s primaries. itarianism, etc); to continually engender and susRather than arrest the accused bribe tain national debates that would ultimately lead taker, the EFCC invited Malam Daudu Lato the enthronement of healthy national valueswal, a governorship aspirant in Zamfara -hard-work, justice, equity and fairplay, transparState, who allegedly gave 17m US dollars ency, good governance, resulting, in themselves, to Oshiomhole.

So long as such cases are ignored, so the egalitarian Nigerian society of our dream. We long will the EFCC and the political party will give voice to the voiceless and at all times, it supports lack the moral authority to strive to be balanced, objective, honest, truthful fight corruption. We challenge the presi- and fair to all sides; so that through The Oracle dent who in his inaugural speech promToday, our people, the Nigerian people can see ised to “belong to everybody and belong a bright light at the end of what has been a very to nobody” to walk the talk. Before he dark tunnel. And we shall do all this in absolute emerged victorious on the mantra of trust in God who blesses good intentions. “change”, he too was perhaps a victim

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

OPINION

Garba Shehu goofs again!

By IKECHUKWU EZE

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ur attention has been drawn to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu in which he blamed the failure of President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint ministers until six months after taking over office on the administration of former President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

Speaking on a Channels television programme on Monday December 17, Shehu had claimed that it took President Buhari who was sworn in on May 29, 2015 until November 11, 2015 to appoint his ministers because the “President was given handover notes 48 hours to the handover of power.”

As strange as that particular assertion may sound, it still beggars belief that a spokesman of a President who is seeking re-election would still be looking for a scapegoat for the administration’s failure, at a time he should be showcasing his scorecard. That amounts to merely clutching at straws.

One thing is as clear as daylight: The Jonathan administration has absolutely nothing to do with the failure of this government to appoint ministers early enough to inspire confidence in investors because it is obvious that handover notes from a predecessor does not contain the list of ministers for the incoming administration.

However, that is even making light of Garba Shehu’s unending embarrassing gaffes. It is expected that a man who has been around the corridors of power for that long, beginning from when he served as a media adviser under President Obasanjo for years, should under-

stand Government’s basic functions and procedures. Handover notes, being transitioning documents, are usually received by an incoming President from his predecessor at the time of change of government.

It is not a document that guides a President to appoint his ministers. Under normal circumstances, a newly inaugurated President needs the support of his ministers, who would handle different departments of Government, to study and understand his handover notes for effective performance of his initial duties.

Those who think like Shehu that a government would not function properly if it does not receive handover notes in time, should be reminded that there is no law establishing the process. It is simply a matter of convenience for an outgoing President to develop handover notes to guide his successor understand key issues and hit the ground running.

In his own case, former president Jonathan magnanimously set up a transition

team that produced the handover document which President Buhari received ahead of his inauguration.

Anyone who uses handover notes to justify a President’s indiscretion of not appointing ministers until after spending six months in power is either being mischievous or does not really understand governance processes.

Sometimes, when Mr. Shehu speaks, he comes across as someone who is unaware of the fact that, under our laws, an administration is elected for a tenure of four years within which it is expected to have fulfilled its campaign promises, before returning to the electorate for a fresh mandate. In case he does not know, Shehu should be reminded that blaming others for one’s failures is not a proof of performance.

Assuming, without out conceding, that the last administration was as bad as they want Nigerians to believe, is it not a fact of governance that it is the duty of every responsible administration to

”

Those who think like Shehu that a government would not function properly if it does not receive handover notes in time, should be reminded that there is no law establishing the process.

seek to make better the situation it met on ground? Anything less than that is a proof of incompetence for which a failed administration has no moral justification to ask for a fresh mandate.

While members of the current administration continue to blame President Jonathan for their failure to deliver on their mandate, they should be reminded that there are many African success stories that proved that a progress-minded administration has no business focusing only on the past.

From a past of the worst genocide in recent history, Rwandan President Paul Kagame did not blame anybody when he took charge. He simply hit the ground running and, today, we all know where Rwanda stands in Africa’s growth and development index. The story is similar in Cote d’Ivoire where President Alassane Ouattara was able to turn around the Ivorian economy within two years after it had virtually collapsed following the negative impact of the country’s worst political crisis.

As the Buhari Government nears its end, the minders of the administration should please tell Nigerians what new projects, programmes and institutions for good governance they have added to those established by the various administrations of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), since they took office on May 29, 2015.

The truth is that this unhelpful blame game must stop if we have to move forward as a nation.

•Eze is Media Adviser to Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

” Peter Obi: The quintessential walking encyclopedia, embodiment of ideas

By Chidiebere Nwobodo

Greatness is nothing but repeated excellence. The vice presidential debate might have come and gone, but it engraved an indelible impression on my mind and that of so many Nigerians. The fiercest and strategic battle of 21st century, is not that of weapons and physical strength, but contestation of ideas. The major takeaway from the debate is that: The richest person on earth is not one whose material worth is in the hundreds of billions of dollars, but an enigmatic out-of-box thinker, with proven ocean of innovative ideas and myriad of tested practical solutions. Peter Obi is the bomb! If presidential election will be held today—strictly using performance at the debate as a yardstick, Peter Obi has already won the election for Atiku, because propaganda will always collapse in the face of truth, while facts will trounce conjectures and fallacies. Opinion is common but proven facts are scared. The lifespan of a propaganda is shorter than falsehood.

Competence is like a light of candle in the dark tunnel of cluelessness and insufferable failures. It can be likened to mature pregnancy that cannot be hidden. That was the message at the debate.

Former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi has demystified governance. He

inadvertently told any Nigerian yearning for quality and visionary leadership that running government effectively and efficiently, is not rocket science—that even hitherto sophisticated rocket science has been unwind by technological advancement in recent years. Obi was able to demonstrate; in practical terms, that he is not contesting election to grab raw power, but to use it for the common good of all.

He towered above and outshined every other vice presidential candidates on the podium including Prof Osinbajo. Peter Obi exposed Osinbajo’s policy formulation shallowness, and elevated himself as a practical economist, at the expense and chagrin of rabble-rousing theorist, who was caught in his own web of staled and worn-out narratives.

Throughout the debate, Peter Obi maintained the same tempo he started with it. He was calm, confident and firmly in control of his body language. He never for once overshoot his time, unlike Osinbajo who had to be stopped by the moderator on several occasions. Obi displayed high level of emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills. He was decent, directto-the-point, focused as a bullet. He was consistent with his solution-professing message. He never digress—not even once. He did not fall to the temptation

of mudslinging as leading opposition vice presidential candidate. He countered the fallacies of the regime with statistics and figures. He essentially reduced the debate to a lecture room, where he was giving the APC administration a crash course on hownot-to-run-an-economy. Obi talked like an apolitical renowned economist from the private sector, Osinbajo got stuck with the blame game.

When Osinbajo slipped into “PDP 16 years of loot” propaganda, Obi stayed on the issues. He left Nigerians to puncture the overused phrase of excuses. While Osinbajo was fixating on the “locust years of the PDP”; as if Nigeria gained her independence in 1999 and not 1960, he lost focus and became clueless on the stage like the APC government he serves. He got to the dead-end of grandstanding; propaganda failed him. The cluelessness of the government, especially on economy, was laid bare before Nigerians to see. Peter seized the moment and took him to the cleaners. He effortlessly upgraded the intellectual discourse, to the extent that Osinbajo looked mercilessly beaten like a chick abandoned by its mother hen in a stormy rain.

When Osinbajo regressed into the past, Obi stayed on tomorrow. Progressivism is not just a word. Obi is the real progres-

sive-minded leader the nation yearns for.

Waziri Atiku Abubakar has an asset as running mate. Peter Obi is like a deep sea of great ideas—he has the vision, roadmap on how to #GetNigeriaWorkingAgain. He is only asking for the electoral mandate to transform Nigeria, because vision without mandate is hallucination.

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

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

Travel & Hospitality

26

Onyeama decries passengers’ reaction to flight incidents Stories by MADUABUCHI KALU

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HAIRMAN of Air Peace, Mr. Allen Onyema Saturday condemned the overreaction of passengers when flight incidents involve Nigerian airlines consequent upon the depressurisation incident that happened on Lagos-Enugu flight on Friday.

Onyema condemned the public reaction to the incident during a telephone conversation with THISDAY, noting that some passengers described the incident as if it was a fatality.

He said such incidents as change in aircraft pressure “is envisaged to occur sometimes and that is why during passengers briefing before flight take off, they are instructed on what actions to take if such incident happened.

“It is sad and disheartening the manner and ways some Nigerians exaggerate situations that occur before, during or after flights. It is as if the country is praying for some extremely bad situations to occur in air travel but when this fails to happen, they resort to sensational falsehood and reports.

“Last month, our aircraft on a flight from Lagos to Owerri made an air return, a safety precaution encouraged in aviation worldwide, but before the aircraft could taxi to a stop after landing back in Lagos, a lady had sent out a screaming report on how she ‘survived air crash’ “Was she praying for accident to happen? Survival of a crash connotes that there would have been indeed a crash to which the author of that devilish falsehood came out alive. However, there was none and

by God’s grace, there will never be any.

“The situation of that flight was nowhere near threatening but the ugly stories went viral while the authors went jubilating that they must have become some emergency celebrities on the platform of social media,” Onyema said.

He recalled that on Friday, Air Peace flight to Enugu had a change in cabin pressure, an incident, according to hind, is common worldwide, yet some passengers exaggerated the story as if a crash had taken place in the social media.

“Once there is a change in cabin pressure, all the pilot needs to do is descend to a comfortable altitude (height) where less pressure is needed. The aircraft could even go round the country as long as it’s fuel can carry it without problems.

“In the present case, the pilot brought it down to that level with oxygen masks fully deployed and they landed safely. The fact that the masks deployed once the change in cabin pressure occurred, was a testimony of the impressive airworthiness of our plane,” he said.

While the aircraft was landing, Onyeama said some passengers started filming the situation so as “to create videos. Of course, some people would definitely be scared out of their wits seeing the masks drop from the panels above their heads.

“Some, even during no incident at all, jolt from their seats even at the slightest turbulence or even at change in engine sound and resort to prayer. If the aircraft was crashing, God forbid, as they posted, how were they able to produce the videos? Nigerians get over excited and over dramatic at the slightest tickle.”

Onyema said if it were a foreign flight that such incident happened,

•Belmond-Cipriani Hotel, US.

no one would hear about it because the passengers would not complain because they believe more in foreign airlines and become terrified while flying locally.

He said, “The way we deploy everything in our arsenal to destroy our own in this country is devilish and ungodly, angry Onyema said. A

E

Extell purchased several neighboring buildings as well as air rights for a grand total of $85 million, with plans to build a hotel with several hundred guestrooms.

The hospitality industry turns to IHIF International Hotel Investment News as the must-read source for investment and development coverage worldwide. Sign up today to get inside the deal with the latest transactions, openings, financing, and more delivered to your inbox and read on the go. Development on the hotel is expected to begin in mid-2019, linking West 48th Street to West 47th Street.

This development is taking place in conjunction with the construction of the $4 billion Central Park Tower, an ongoing project of Barnett’s.

Odessa Marriott Hotel and Conference Center plans summer opening in West Texas

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DESSA, Texas, is a small city with a big future. So promises Dallas-based developer Gatehouse Capital, which is preparing to unveil a game-changing development in downtown Odessa: the brand-new Odessa Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. Scheduled to open in summer 2019, the property began construction in spring 2017 and celebrated its topping out this past August. Totaling 328,000 gross square feet, it will include a 217-room Marriott hotel, a 79,000-square-foot conference center -- the largest in the region -- and a 22,500-square-foot plaza.

Featuring an interior design inspired by Odessa’s rich oil and mineral history -- natural wood and stone will figure prominently in honor of

the local landscape -- the hotel will include a club-level lounge, a Southwestern-themed steak house, an outdoor resort-style swimming pool, a high-tech business center, a 24-hour fitness center and a full-service onsite Starbucks.

The conference center will offer 33,374 square feet of flexible meeting and event space. Highlights will include an 18,636-square-foot grand ballroom for groups of up to 1,500 people, a 7,452-square-foot junior ballroom for up to 600, over 5,000 square feet of breakout space and two 525-square-foot boardrooms, not to mention an event garden for special events and access to the historic Ector Theater, which was built in 1951 and is currently being refurbished with seating for up to 800 guests.

venting worse situations that never happened when God, in fact, never allowed that to happen?

“Why should anyone on that flight publish that we lost two engines when God never allowed that to happen? If anyone is praying for a crash, by the special grace of God, no one will never ever get it from Air Peace, amen,” he said.

LVHM to acquire Belmond for $3.2b

I Extell Development to build hotel in New York’s Diamond District XTELL Development paid $62.5 million to acquire 572 Fifth Ave. in New York City as part of a plan to expand in the city’s Diamond District with a new hotel development project.

Braha Industries was the seller in the transaction. The property is a sixstory building with roughly 12,000 square feet of space.

Extell Development is led by president and founder, Gary Barnett, who previously had dealings in the diamond business, and therefore has ties to the area. This past November it was revealed that Barnett has been working on developing a hotel in the area, beginning with the $40-million purchase of a building located at 32 West 48th Street.

woman published that the aircraft lost two engines and wondered how she was able to come out of the aircraft alive.

“The aircraft would have disintegrated into pieces if such happened.

Why are we, by our actions, denying God the glory and honour due Him? Why would passengers be in-

N a strong sign of the enduring power of luxury travel, Parisbased LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton today entered into a definitive agreement to acquire London-based Belmond Ltd., whose portfolio includes luxury hotel, restaurant, train and river-cruise properties.

LVMH will pay $25 per Class-A Belmond share in cash, a 42 percent premium over its closing price in the U.S. on Thursday. The deal represents an equity value of $2.6 billion in a transaction with an enterprise value of $3.2 billion. LVMH’s shares fell as much as 3.1 percent early Friday.

The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2019 subject to the approval of Belmond’s shareholders and clearance by the relevant competition authorities.

The hospitality industry turns to IHIF International Hotel Investment News as the must-read source for investment and development coverage worldwide. Sign up today to get inside the deal with the latest transactions, openings, financing, and more delivered to your inbox and read on the go.

“Following a strategic review that attracted broad and deep interest from a wide range of real estate and lodging companies, sovereign wealth institutions and other financial buyers around the world, the board has concluded that this transaction with LVMH provides compelling and certain value for our shareholders, as well as an exciting path forward with a group that appreciates Belmond’s irreplaceable assets and strong management team,” said Roland Hernandez, chairman

of the board of directors of Belmond Ltd., in a statement.

Luxury Hospitality Belmond’s appeal for a buyer is understandable. In the 12 months ended September 30, Belmond recorded total revenues of $572 million and adjusted EBITDA of $140 million.

“Belmond’s acquisition by LVMH is credit positive as Belmond’s luxury assets, including iconic properties such as Hotel Cipriani in Venice and the Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro, will be a good fit in LVMH’s luxury-brand portfolio,” said Moody’s lodging analyst Pete Trombetta. “Over the past year, the luxury segment of the lodging industry has outperformed other segments in terms of revenue per available room (RevPAR) as consumers, especially the younger generations, have placed more value on unique experiences over buying goods.”

Belmond was formerly known as Orient-Express hotels, but rebranded in 2014. The company was established more than 40 years ago with the acquisition of Hotel Cipriani in Venice. The company now owns and operates a portfolio of 46 hotel, restaurant, rail and rivercruise experiences in 24 countries.

Its lodging portfolio includes Hotel Splendido in Portofino, Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire, Grand Hotel Europe in St. Petersburg, Maroma Resort & Spa in Mexico, Hotel das Cataratas in the Iguassu National Park in Brazil, and Cap Juluca in Anguilla. It also operates the Venice Simplon-OrientExpress and Belmond Royal Scots-

man rail lines, as well as cruises.

While Belmond may have a stronger presence in the overall hospitality sector, LVMH is no neophyte. The company has a hotelmanagement group that includes properties under the Cheval Blanc name, including the Courchevel ski resort in the French Alps. It also has six hotels open under the Bvlgari brand and is poised to open hotels in Moscow, Paris and Tokyo over the next four years.

But LVMH is best known for its luxury products, including fashion and leather, watches and jewelry, perfumes and cosmetics, wines and spirits and accessories, among others. But luxury goods versus luxury travel may tilt more toward the latter in the near term. As Reuters notes, for example, concerns over the health of China’s economy and potential damage from Washington’s protracted trade spat with Beijing may drive down Chinese demand for high-end items. This acquisition, then, could be seen by observers as a good way for the company to hedge its bets after spending $7 billion last year to take full control of fashion house Christian Dior.

“Belmond delivers unique experiences to discerning travelers and owns a number of exceptional assets in the most-desirable destinations,” said Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of LVMH. “Its entrepreneurship resonates well with the values of the Group and is complementary to our own Cheval Blanc maisons and the Bvlgari hotels activities. This acquisition will significantly increase LVMH’s presence in the ultimate hospitality world.”

27

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

AVIATION

‘Aircraft involved in Enugu never crashed’ – Air Peace Stories by KAYODE OGUNWALE

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OLLOWING last Friday’s unfortunate change in cabin pressure which led to wide panic on its Enugu flight, Air Peace has come out to clarify the true position of the aircraft in question explaining that it only recently secured a renewal of its certificate of air worthiness but has never missed it comprehensive checks.

This information is coming following reports that have alleged that one of its (AirPeace’s) aircraft almost crashed on the Lagos-Enugu route on Friday, claims the airline described as an unfortunate misrepresentation of facts.

The airline also assured its passengers that it puts a high premium on their safety and would in no way jeopardize that for any reason.

Corporate Communications Manager of the airline, Mr. Chris Iwarah in a statement issued on Monday said the aircraft experienced a change in cabin pressure en-route to Enugu and its flight crew had to do the normal technical manoeuvre by descending to a level comfortable enough for passengers on board.

The statement debunked insinuations that the aircraft involved in the incident might not have been properly maintained, explaining that the aircraft secured a renewal of its certificate of air worthiness (C of A) on December 10.

The aircraft, the airline added, also went for its mandatory comprehensive maintenance checks (C-checks) abroad and got its certificate of release to service (CRS) in September 2017.

C-checks are normally done on aircraft every 18 months. At the end of the checks, a CRS is issued to confirm the maintenance done.

Air Peace insisted that its aircraft were not only maintained at some of the best facilities in the world, because of the premium it placed on the lives of its customers and crew.

The carrier said in line with its strict maintenance and safety

standards, it had retained the services of BCT Aviation of the United Kingdom for its routine maintenance programme on ground its base in Lagos 24 hours of the day throughout the year.

The airline described change in cabin pressure as a common occurrence in aviation across the world, including Europe and America.

“On Friday, December 14, 2018, our Lagos-Enugu flight experienced a change in cabin pressure.

Where there is a change in cabin pressure, the oxygen masks will automatically drop from the panel for use by passengers on board the aircraft. This exactly was what happened on Friday. During safety briefings, passengers are advised to pull on the mask to trigger the flow of oxygen. The flow of oxygen is expected to last about 12 minutes within which the flight crew would descend to a comfortable altitude (usually below 10000 feet above sea level). Change in cabin pressure is a common occurrence in aviation across the world, including the UK and America.

“Once there was a change in cabin pressure, the oxygen masks on the aircraft automatically deployed. And in line with standard safety procedure, our flight crew performed a technical manoeuvre by descending to a level comfortable enough for passengers on board. We, however, observed cases of some passengers who did not properly fit their oxygen masks. A few others, perhaps out of panic, pulled too hard on the oxygen masks, causing the equipment to snap. This led to the unfortunate claims that there was no flow of oxygen from the masks. For the avoidance of doubt, the oxygen generators are part of the items of interest during C-checks. So, it could not have been right that there was no flow of oxygen.

“While it is quite expected and understandable that passengers would panic on occurrence of incidents such as a change in cabin pressure, the claims of a near-crash were a regrettable misrepresenta-

Court summons NCAA, FAAN, others over disputed ownership of two bombardier jets

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Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has summoned the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Aero Contractors, among others, over contempt of court in the disputed ownership of two Bombardier jets at Lagos airport.

Also held in contempt are the Director-General of the NCAA, Captain Muktar Usman; Aero Contractors’ Managing Director, Captain Ado Sanusi and a pilot in the Presidential Fleet, Captain Baba Mohammed.

Justice Hassan, at the hearing of contempt proceedings, mandated all to appear before the court on January 15, 2019.

The airplanes with registration numbers 5N-TBB and 5N-TBC have been the focus of a legal tussle between the lessor, Seagold Investment Limited, and Topbrass Aviation Services.

Some interested parties in the sector, however, allegedly acquired the aircraft and relocated same contrary to the orders of the Federal High Court that none of the parties should access the asset.

The planes were removed from their lots at the General Aviation Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA) and stationed at the Aero Contractors’ Maintenance and Overhaul (AMO) hanger but with their registration numbers already wiped off, prompting Topbrass to file for contempt.

Justice Hassan, at the hearing recently, ruled that the lawyer representing FAAN, Captain Baba Mohammed, Aero Contractors and Sanusi, should sign an undertaking to present the persons in court, citing that the matter is a quasicriminal case or he would issue a bench warrant to bring all parties to court on January 15, 2019.

tion of facts which really should not be. The aircraft was ferried from Enugu back to Lagos in less than an hour of safely landing at destination. Certainly, no crew would fly an aircraft that is not airworthy.

The aircraft involved in the incident had its certificate of air worthiness renewed on Monday, December 10, 2018.

The aircraft also went for its mandatory comprehensive maintenance checks (C-checks) abroad and got its certificate of release to

service (CRS) in September 2017. Cchecks are usually done on aircraft every 18 months. At the end of the checks, a CRS is issued as evidence of the maintenance done. In line with our strict maintenance and safety standards, we retain the services of BCT Aviation of the United Kingdom for our routine maintenance programme on ground our base in Lagos 24 hours of the day throughout the year.

“We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused our loyal custom-

ers as a result of the incident and wish to reassure them that we place huge premium on the lives of our esteemed guests and crew and will never do anything to put them in harm’s way. We have had four years of accident-free flight operations and we are very determined to sustain our reputation and record. We thank members of the public for their generous show of love and trust in us to continue to deliver exceptional, safe and comfortable flight services to them,” Air Peace said.

Airports record 10.9m passengers, 163,646 aircrafts in 9 months – FAAN

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HE Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) says a total of 10.9 million passengers passed through Nigerian airports in 163,646 aircraft movements between January and September.

Statistics made available by FAAN in Abuja on Thursday, revealed that the figure was an increase of 1.7 million passengers from 9.2 million passengers recorded during the same period in 2017, representing 15.5 per cent increase.

There was also an increase of 23,094 from the 140,552 aircraft movement recorded during the same period in 2017, representing 16.4 per cent increase.

It also revealed that 7.8 million domestic and 3.1 international passengers passed through the airports during the period.

The data also showed that 130,996 domestic and 32,650 international flights were operated across the nation’s 22 airports during the period under review.

The total cargo movement during the period, according to FAAN, stands at 178.5 million tons per kilogramme.

The statistics indicated that 131.46 million tons per kilogramme arrived in the country through the airports, while 47.17 million tons departed during the period.

A look at the four major airports in the country shows that Murtala Muhammed Airports, Lagos, (Domestic and International Wing) recorded the highest passengers and aircraft movement during the period.

The data indicated that Lagos airport recorded 4.8 million passengers, with 2.8 million passengers on domestic routes and 2.05 million on the international routes.

The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, recorded 3.36 million passengers, comprising 2.67 million passengers on domestic routes, while the international routes recorded 689,386 passengers during the period.

FAAN also disclosed that Port Harcourt International Airport recorded 812,479 passengers, comprising 745,082 domestic passengers and 67,397international passengers.

Ma’am Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, according to the report, recorded 407,830 passengers during the period, comprising 271,570 domestic and 136,260 international passengers.

The monthly breakdown showed that 1.1 million passengers comprising 572,006 arrivals and 583,779 departures in 17,112 aircraft movements were recorded in January.

In February, 1.05 million pas-

sengers, comprising 524,257 arrivals and 533,161 departures in 18,224 aircraft movements were recorded.

The statistics also showed that 1.2 million passengers comprising 594,532 arrivals and 625,449 departures in 19,694 aircraft movements were recorded in March.

It further revealed that 1.28 million passengers comprising 639,265 arrivals and 650, 068 departures in 17,791 aircraft movements were recorded in April.

The month of May saw 1.22 million passengers comprising 602,637 arrivals and 618,508 departures in 17,398 aircraft movements, while 1.16 million passengers, comprising 585,023 arrivals and 580,686 departures were recorded in June.

The statistics indicated that there were 15,229 aircraft movements in June, while 1.29 million passengers comprising 655,370 arrivals and 639,469 departures were recorded in July in 19,177 movements.

It further showed that in August, 1.35 million passengers comprising 657,705 arrivals and 694,582 departures in 19,014 aircraft movements.

In September, the authority recorded 1.30 million passengers comprising 657,497 arrivals and 644,711 departures in 20,006 aircraft movements.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

INSURANCE & PENSION NAICOM receives five applications for Microinsurance operations Stories by KAYODE OGUNWALE

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WO microinsurance companies will soon commence operation as they were on the verge of securing regulatory approval to do so, in a bid to insure about 80 million low income earners in the country.

The two microinsurers, when they start operation, would become the pioneer microinsurance outfits in the insurance sector of the economy.

Confirming the development at the 2018 End of the Year workshop organised by the National Association of Insurance and Pension Correspondents(NAIPCO) in Lagos at the weekend, the Deputy Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Sunday Thomas, who represented the Commissioner for Insurance, Alhaji Mohammed Kari, said the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) had applications from five companies of which two of them are at the verge of being licensed.

The firms he said, will be the first two set of companies that meet the microinsurance requirements.

According to him, “We had applications from like five companies and two of them are at the verge of being given license. Those will be the first two set of companies that meet the requirements.”

He stated that some years back, when micro insurance started, it went through a lot of discussion in the market, but insurance operators were not taking advantage of it as only few companies shown interest.

“The requirements then was to establish a unit recognised for that purpose, properly man with products that address the needs of the people at the lower level of the pyramid. We didn’t have much of that,” he pointed out.

That, he said, necessitated the review of the existing microinsurance guideline to what it is today.

According to him, We then said, let micro insurance stand alone.

Those who will have it as their business, should do that alone, and then we reverse the guidelines.

We had applications from like five companies and two of them are at the verge of being given license.”

NAICOM had, earlier in the year, lowered the capital base of microinsurance outfits to make it easier for many investors to come in.

The revised guideline also classified Microinsurance operation into Unit, State and National License.

For a National Insurer, such composite microinsurance operator is expected to be capitalised to the tune of N600 million, while N400 million minimum capital base is needed from a General microinsurance operators and N200 million for a Life microinsurer. According to the guideline, national operators are allowed to have presence in at least six states within the three geopolitical zones of the federation.

For a State Microinsurer, the minimum capital base is pegged at NI00 million, while a Unit Microinsurer investor must be capitalised to the tune of N40 million, with operation in one location within a local community.

•CEO of David Wej, Adedayo David Eweje; Divisional Head, Corporate Communications, Heritage Bank, Fela Ibidapo; Divisional Head, Commercial Banking, Osepiribo Ben-Willie; Winner of 42nd Miss Nigeria 2018 Chidinma Aaron; Divisional Head, Strategy and Corporate Transformation, Heritage Bank, Olusegun Akanji and CEO, Mena Allure, Grace Uredi, at the Finale 2018 Miss Nigeria Pageant in Lagos.

Nigeria records 30% increase in insurance claims in Q3 2018

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HE National Insurance Commission ( NAICOM), at the weekend disclosed that the industry’s gross claim figure for third quarter (Q3) 2018 rose to N143 billion when compared with N110 billion reported for the same period in 2017; indicating an increase of 30 per cent.

The Commissioner for insurance

Mohammed Kari who gave the figures during a workshop with insurance and pension journalists in Lagos, stated that they anticipate the final figures for 2018 to be significant.

The commissioner, represented

by Deputy Commissioner Technical, Mr. Sunday Thomas, said gross premium as at the third quarter was

SUNU appoints Samuel Ogbodu acting MD/CEO

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HE management of SUNU Assurances Nigeria Plc has announced Mr. Samuel Ogbodu as the acting Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer following the resignation of its former MD/CEO. This is in accordance with the Code of Corporate Governance stipulated by the National Insurance Commission, a period of 90 days’ notice must be observed before the official appointment of a substantive MD/CEO and the Board of Directors has deemed it fit for Mr. Samuel Ogbodu to act in this capacity.

Mr. Samuel Ogbodu is a Chartered Insurer and a member of the Society of Fellows of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria. A highly seasoned professional with a track record of success for surpassing revenue, cost, profit and business growth objectives with extensive experience in management of Insurance Company.

He started his career at Nigerian Life and Pension Consultants and later joined Law Union and Rock Insurance Plc in 1987 as Senior Manager, Head of Special risk department.

Mr. Samuel Ogbodu was part of the team that set up Sovereign Trust Plc’s operation in 1994.

He contributed immensely to the growth and development of the company and by dint of hard

work, commitment and resilience, rose to the position of ED/COO. Mr. Samuel Ogbodu had in the past chaired various management project committees like the product development committee, revamping committee and Assets and liability Committee etc.

Mr. Ogbodu has special skills in Turnaround Management and projects with 100 percent success rate. He is an alumnus of Lagos State University, Lagos Business School, and University of Lagos, Akoka. He is a member of the prestigious Ikoyi Club 1938, IBB Golf and Country Club, Abuja and institute of Directors (IOD).

SUNU Assurances Nigeria Plc. is a member of SUNU Group http:// sunu-group.com/en/home and it has the vision to be a leading African Insurance Company. It is on a mission to be an insurance company recognized for excellent client services, using cutting edge technology, motivated workforce and good business ethics to meet stakeholders’ expectations. This is being driven by innovative service delivery, products development, cost management, customers experience and ensuring proper balance in all dealings.

SUNU Assurances Nigeria Plc was incorporated as Equity Assurance Nigeria on December 13, 1984 and was licensed to underwrite all classes of general business. The

company operates with a recently increased authorized share capital and shareholders fund. The company is a corporate member of the West African Insurance Company Association (WAICA) and the Nigeria Insurers’ Association (NIA), the official umbrella of registered insurance companies in Nigeria, as well as The Africa Insurance Organisation (AIO). SUNU Assurances Nigeria Plc is the parent company of SUNU Assurances Limited, a Ghanaian subsidiary that started operations in Ghana in 2008.

The company changed its name from Equity Assurance Plc to SUNU Assurances Nigeria Plc with due approval from the shareholders and its regulator, National Insurance Commission (NAICOM).

The approval was dated 29th March, 2018 and a new license was issued by NAICOM. The name change was necessitated as a result of SUNU Group’s (a foremost Pan-African Insurance Group), recent acquisition of majority stake in Equity Assurance Plc., With operations in 14 African countries and 23 office locations spanning West and Central Africa, this acquisition positions SUNU Assurances Nigeria Plc., to leverage SUNU Group’s vast network of knowledge capital, financial strength and technical resources in our quest to differentiate our

offerings and service standards in the Nigerian marketplace.

In addition to strengthening the company’s balance sheet, this strategic investment and name change also provides SUNU Assurances Nigeria Plc. with critical organizational capabilities & competencies which will be harnessed to create and deliver value to our esteemed brokers and clients.

This new name reflects its pan African presence as a full-fledged member of the SUNU Group. The company will continue to operate in its current structure, and our phone contacts remain unchanged. Other than the name change, there is no change in management and we will be providing tailored made products and better service on which SUNU Group has built its reputation across Africa.

Recently, SUNU Assurances Nigeria Plc announced the launch of its innovative mobile (USSD) Insurance solution. It is a simple, ‘first of its kind’ self-service solution which enables car owners / users to purchase authentic 3rd party Auto Insurance with the use of their mobile phones in less than 5minutes. This mobile (USSD) application also serves as a platform for customer engagement, claims payment and other after-purchase services. ‘

N315 billion, a 22 percent increase over the N258billion for 2017 in the same period.

Speaking further on the industry performance, he said: “The outlook may not be as rosy as we all would have liked but NAICOM sees the silver lining and is fully committed to making the most of it.

He said: “We have set for ourselves a clear, unambiguous task: to improve the aggregate numbers by enabling individual operators to optimally serve a much larger customer pool with a more varied basket of products. “The end game for us is to increase the insurance uptake ratio among the Nigeria populace.”

He listed financial Inclusion, micro insurance and expansion of Channels of distribution among others as a number of initiatives that have been put in place towards achieving set targets.

He added that financial inclusion is one of the tools the commission envisage to help improve market penetration.

The initiative he noted is premised on the fact that getting the mass of the financially excluded to embrace insurance in one form or another will have a positive impact. “insurance companies are being encouraged to have a buyin into our microinsurance initiatives for the Nigerian market. The Takaful market is still grossly under accessed by the public, there is therefore theneed for aggressive promotion in aid of financial inclusion.

“In addition, efforts are being made to expand the distribution channels for insurance products because the traditional channels are becoming too restrictiveand suboptimal. Whereas Bancassurance has receivedthe most attention, there are other initiatives to reach out to the public.”

He assured that the achievements of the goal that they have set for themselves are predicated on the market’s ability to attract business and customers need to have confidence in operators.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

INSURANCE & PENSION Stories by KAYODE OGUNWALE

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HE Council of the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) which has its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has admitted the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) as a full member of the board.

The NDIC joins the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as the other Nigerian institution on the Board of the IFSB. The approval for the membership of the NDIC was conveyed to the Corporation via mail dated Tuesday, 6th December, 2018 which was subsequently posted on the website of the IFSB. The decision to admit the NDIC was taken at the 33rd meeting of the IFSB Council, hosted by the Islamic Development Bank Group (ISDB), on 6 December 2018 in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Council Meeting was chaired

by H.E. Dr. Mohammad Y. Al Hashel, the Governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait and Chairman of the IFSB for 2018, attended by the President of the ISDB, H.E. Dr. Bandar Mohammed Hajjar, 12 central bank Governors and Commissioners of regulatory and supervisory authorities, and 10 senior representatives from among the Council and Full members of the IFSB, representing 19 countries.

IFSB is an International Standard-setting organization for the Islamic Financial Services Industry that promotes the soundness and stability of the global industry, by issuing global prudential standards and guiding principles for Islamic Banking, Islamic Capital

Islamic Financial Services Board Admits NDIC Markets and Takaful (Insurance) Sectors.

According to IFSB, members of the institution are classified into three categories, namely Full Member, Associate Member and those classified as observers. As a full member of the Board, the NDIC has voting rights – a status which is only available to the financial sector supervisory authorities of its member countries.

The work of the IFSB complements that of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS), International Organization of Securities Commission (IOSCO) and International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS), by introducing new, or adapting existing international prudential standards consistent with Islamic Shari’ah principles and recommending same for adoption by the relevant Regulatory Authorities.

The IFSB had in March, 2018 invited the NDIC to its membership.

The institution is currently developing work plans on standards for the Supervisory Review Process of multiple Islamic Banking products that could further strengthen the capacity of the NDIC to continue the robust supervision and provision of guidelines to operators of Non Interest Banks such as Jaiz Bank; Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) with and Micro-Finance Banks (MFBs) with Non Interest Banking windows.

•Mr. Oscar Onyema, Chief Executive Officer, The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) presenting a replica of the closing gong to Mrs. Eno Atoyebi, Executive Director, CIO, ValuAlliance Asset Management during ValuAlliance Value Fund Facts Behind the Figures presentation to capital market stakeholders at the Exchange in Lagos recently.

Africa Re foundation to takeoff January 2019

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FRICA’S top reinsurance firm, Africa Re on Monday has announced the establishment of Africa Re foundation.

The foundation which will become operational in January 2019 has established for efficient and transpar-

Two micro-insurance outfits to commence operations soon

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HE National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) on Monday said that two micro-insurance companies would soon commence operations in the country, as they are on the verge of securing regulatory approval.

The Deputy Commissioner, Technical, National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), Mr Sunday Thomas, made the disclosure in an interview in Lagos.

Thomas said that this approval was in a bid to increase insurance

penetration and acceptance in the country, saying that it would also complement the commission’s efforts on insurance penetration.

“Though it is not yet confirmed which licence will be obtained by the two outfits; whether unit, state or national licence.

“However, one of the firms is expected to target Lagos and South West markets in a bid to increase insurance penetration and acceptance in the country,’’ the NAICOM boss said.

He advised insurance companies to obtain micro-insurance operating licence.

“NAICOM received only five applications from five companies to float micro-insurance firms.

“However, out of the five applications, only two are on the verge of being granted licence.

“They will be the first to meet the micro-insurance requirements.

“The existence of more microinsurance outfits is pivotal to insuring 80 million low-income earners in the country,’’ Thomas said.

Skye Bank: Court grants ex-Chairman, MD N50m bail each, adjourns case to Feb 13

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Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, admitted Tunde Ayeni, former Chairman of the defunct Skye Bank Plc, now Polaris Bank and Timothy Oguntayo, former Managing Director of the bank, to bail in the sum of N50 million each.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), charged Ayeni and Oguntayo with money laundering, involving N4.75 billion and $5 million. The case was adjourned until Feb. 13 and 14 for commencement of trial.

The trial Judge, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, who admitted Ayeni and Oguntayo to bail, also ordered them to produce two sureties each in like sum.

Dimgba ordered that if the two failed to perfect their bail conditions within 36 hours, they would be remanded in Kuje Prison.

He also ordered that the if surety is a civil servant, he/she must be on G15 and if a private citizen, the person must own landed property in Abuja or Lagos.

Justice Dimgba ruled that the sureties must deposit their international passport with the registry of the court.

Earlier, following the not guilty plea, the prosecuting counsel, Mr

Abba Mohammed prayed the court for a date to commence trial.

He also urged the court to remand the defendants in prison custody pending commencement of trial.

Mr Dele Adesina (SAN), counsel to Ayeni, and Mr Tola Oshodi (SAN), counsel to Oguntayo, however told the court that there were pending bail applications filed on behalf of their clients which had already been served on the prosecution.

The EFCC alleged that the offence allegedly took place between 2014 and 2015.

They both pleaded not guilty to the eight-count charges preferred against them by the anti-graft agency.

The charge against the duo was that: “You, Mr Tunde Ayeni whilst being the Chairman Board of Directors of Skye Bank Plc and Timothy Oguntayo whilst being the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Skye Bank between 2014 and 2015 conspired at different times to do on illegal act.

According the charge, Ayeni received the delivery of the sums of money totalling N4.75 billion and $5 million belonging to Skye Bank Plc contrary to the provisions of

Section 1(a) of Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as Amended) read together with section 18(a) of Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as Amended) and punishable under Section 16(2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as Amended).

ent management of corporate social responsibility in the communities of its stakeholders.

The foundation has a governing council, which comprises of reputable insurance professionals with decades of experience, chosen from all the regions of the continent to ensure fair representation.

The first meeting of the council was held on December 4, 2018 in Mauritius.

As part of its activities, Africa Re foundation will provide grants for capacity development and risk management solution in member countries; raise awareness on major risk; support innovation and research in insurance, risk prevention and protection; partner with academic institutions in member countries to develop risk mapping and modeling; support training and development of young insurance professionals in Africa; contribute to the research and development of risk management scheme and development; promote excellence among the African insurance industry players and stakeholders; support any other initiative which contributes to the development of the African insurance industry.

Africa Re has already injected an initial endowment into the foundation.

Speaking at the first meeting of the council, the group managing Direc-

African Alliance unveils interactive website

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HE African Alliance Insurance Plc has launched an interactive website that personalises life insurance products, with features that enable ease of transactions.

The website is hosted on the former web link and boasts of a feature that allows visitors to the site to instantly calculate their premium and adjust the value to suit their goals.

Among other notable features is a link for customers to view their life insurance policies on a single page, an instant connection to pay for premiums in seconds and a simple question and answer feature that advises customers on the right premium to suit the current lifestyle.

Speaking on the initiative, the Chief Executive Officer, African Alliance, Mrs. Funmi Omo, said: “This is one of the ways we are committed to protecting the lives of every Nigerian as

our purpose outlines.“We believe everyone deserves the best quality of life and this begins with the choice they make in everything they do, especially in the choice of the life insurance policy they decide to take.

As more people embrace technology, we are also upgrading all processes to deliver an omni channel to delight customer experience”.She said following rigorous strategy sessions, the company has begun to roll out new initiatives ahead of its 2019 plan to strengthen its position as one focused on advancement and delivering exceptional value to all stakeholders.

According to her, the company recently announced the relocation of its headquarters from its former Marina location to Ikoyi, adding that the move was predicated on the need to guarantee easy access to the company’s headquarters.

tor/ CEO of Africa Re, Mr. Corneille Karekezi expressed strong confidence that the council members will deliver on their mission and thereby made the whole African insurance industry proud of Africa Re Foundation.

In 2014, the general Assembly of African Reinsurance Corporation (Africa Re) set up a trust fund to contribute to the social responsibility of the corporation. Accordingly, Africa Re has established Africa Re foundation for efficient and transparent management of corporate social responsibility in the communities of its stakeholders.

Africa Re foundation is located on the 6th floor of Tower A, 1 Cybercity, Ebene, Mauritius in Africa.

STACO Insurance Pays N1.243 Billion As Claims In Q3

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TACO Insurance Plc, has paid out a total claim of N1.243 billion at the end of third quarter 2018.

According to a statement by Head, Corporate Communications, Tunde Odeyemi, of the company the claims paid, were basically in all the classes of business of its general business portfolio ranging from fire, motor, general accident, marine, oil and gas, engineering, bond as well as aviation.

“The highest claims paid was N409.10 million on fire insurance representing 32.91% of the total claims paid. This is closely followed by motor insurance with the payment of N324.87 million representing 26.13 per cent of the total claims paid in the third quarter. Others are oil and gas where the sum of N231.62 million claims were paid which represents 18.63 per cent of the total claims paid in the third quarter of 2018, N146.52 million was paid on general accident and a total of N131.18 million was paid on marine, engineering, bond and aviation.

“Over the years, the Company has proven to be an epitome of excellence insurance service delivery in various portfolio classes. Driven by dedication, commitment and passion for high standards, STACO seeks to retain and enhance its clients’ base, expand the ability to cross sell and add real and genuine value to its customers’ needs.”

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

EQUITY & Capital Market More Green Bond participation, panacea to nfrastructure deficit – Experts Stories by JEROME USHAKANG

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APITAL market experts have called for more domestic participation in ‘Green Bond investments as proceeds can easily be used to fix infrastructure deficit in power, energy, transportation as well as eliminating environmental degradation, among others.

Speaking at the 2018 Capital Market Correspondents Association of Nigeria (CAMCAN) Annual workshop held in Lagos recently,Acting Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mary Uduk, said the issuance of the first N10 billion tranche of the Green Bond received an excellent A+ rating from Moody stressing that SEC’s drive to the Green Bond programme is unprecedented because it touches human lives.

She said,”The objectives of the bond issuance by the sovereign authority include the provision of funds for important projects towards protecting the environment and reversing the harmful effects of climate change, signal the commitment of the Government to protect the environment and lead citizens to take climate change seriously, and create a benchmark for subsequent issuances by state governments and corporates for financing environmental projects.”

According to her, whilst all of this is laudable, the biggest opportunity, which green bond issuances will present, is the potential to solve Nigeria’s infrastructural deficits, improve agriculture and alleviate poverty while also protecting the environment. – a multi-faceted strategy.

The effects of climate change, for instance, have also been felt in our nation – desertification in the north, migrations of population down south, deforestation in the south, erosion in the south east, flooding of food vegetation, rising sea levels in the coastal areas, oil pollution in the Niger Delta, and many more examples; all pointing to the fact that our infrastructural projects must now take into account

the impact on environment, going forward.

Uduk stated that fortunately, the layout of the country, with respect to economic zones, has given a backdrop against which socially responsible projects must now be considered.

The infrastructure deficit is expected to hit $878billion by 2040, depending on what statistics you subscribe to.

She noted that the future holds opportunities for renewable energy, energy efficiency, infrastructure, food, agriculture and land use, the task ahead now is to ensure that funds are channeled to green projects with multiple social merits. The benefits are clear for all to see – to the issuer(s), to the reputational and economic gains of Nigeria, to the investor(s), and certainly to the growth of our financial markets.

The SEC boss reassured the investing publics that on its part the Commission will continue to promote an active enabling environment for the issuance of these instruments by qualified entities. “The Commission is committed to providing enabling processes that meets international best practice in Green Bond issuance in Nigeria. We are already building capacity in collaboration with CBI and other experts among Staff and the Market towards ensuring the sustenance of quality in both issuance and regulation” .She added.Uduk was represented at the event by Mr. Emomotimi Agama, Head, Registration and Market Infrastructure Department, at the Commission.

Also speaking at the CAMCAN annual workshop whose theme was: “Exploring Green Bond Market for Economic Growth” Guest Speaker, who is the current Chief Executive Officer, FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange, Mr. Bola Onadele, disclosed that $155 billion has been generated from the green bonds issuance, thereby gaining attention of investors.

He said that the country’s resources are not growing in tandem with the rising population while adding that the reason for Nigeria’s woeful per-

SEC: E-dividend registration will raise liquidity

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HE Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC has enjoined more Nigerians to take advantage of the on-going e-dividend registration in a bid to reduce the unclaimed dividends profile as well as increase liquidity in the capital market and the economy.

This submission was made by the Acting Director General of the SEC, Mary Uduk, at an ‘Enlightenment programme’ on e-Dividend and contemporary issues in the Nigerian Capital Market held recently in Enugu, The event with a Theme: “Current Initiatives by the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC Nigeria to Enhance Investor Value” drew participants from various segments of the society.

Represented by the Head, Port Harcourt Zonal office of the SEC, Mr. Obi Adindu, Uduk disclosed that the Commission is currently leading the entire capital market industry in an effort to migrate all shareholders to an E –Dividend regime.

According to her, “The essence of the E-Dividend Mandate Management System is to eradicate or reduce to the barest minimum the incidence of unclaimed dividend. Unclaimed dividend is an undesirable feature of the Nigerian capital market which denies investors/shareholders the gains of participating in the capital market.

It denies the economy access to the

huge amount of money which should have accrued to shareholders and would have gone into circulation to oil the wheel of the economy.

“It is a consequence of the bottlenecks which are inherent in the erstwhile paper dividend warrant regime such as postal system inefficiency, change in investors’ addresses, poor fidelity and human fallibility in dividend payment processes, amongst others.

She stated that the E–Dividend regime bypasses these limitations by ensuring that dividends which do not exceed 12 years of issue are credited directly to an investors account after declaration by the paying company and within a stipulated payment period through simple interbank transfer.

The E-Dividend registration exercise started on November 23, 2016.

Each successful registration cost N150, however, between that time and March 31, 2018, the Commission underwrote the registration cost for all investors that mandated.”

It is my pleasure to let us know, that a total of 2.4million accounts had been mandated.

“May I therefore implore you all to key into the E-Dividend registration exercise by visiting the nearest bank branch or registrar. In addition to migrating to the E–Dividend regime yourselves, kindly tell everybody you know to do same in their best interest.

formance in the power and energy sector is due to inability tap into energy utilization from the sun like other European countries.

Onadele emphasized that the challenges affecting Green Bonds include low level of local participation in green bond verifiers, lack of investible projects, cost of verification and lack of understanding on the part of key investors.

However, the Chief Executive hinted that the benefits are more to be derived than the challenges but advised that public private partnership is the is the way the go. Citing as an example he said, “Green bond investors enjoy waivers relating to tax and in the next 15 years, we will require $7 trillion in investments connecting sustainable finance to capital markets.”

He revealed that the FMDQ has set a sustainable finance committee to

engage private and public sector and will engage in training with partnership with FSD Africa and Climate Bond Initiative (CBI). Onadele was represented by Mr. Emmanuel Etaderhi, Senior Vice President, Economic Development Division at the FMDQ Exchange.

In his assessment, Director, Climate Finance Advisor, CBI, Dr Jubril Adeojo, stated that Green Bond is made for Africa and with the deficits seen in major sectors of the economy, there is opportunity to focus more on renewable energy, hybrids to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels.

Adeojo said, “There is so much money to be made from green bonds and there is a way to eliminate exposure to foreign exchange which is sticking to local currency debt instruments.

Once the real sector moves, things will change drastically and I believe

that more people have to be encouraged to invest in the bonds”.

In December of 2017, Nigeria joined Poland, France and Fiji in issuing a sovereign green bond, making it the first in Africa and the fourth in the world.

The proceeds of the bond are to be used to provide green electricity to rural communities that had been in darkness, energize education, and support a government afforestation initiative.

DNV GL Norway, a global verification and sustainability group, reviewed the green credentials of each initiative before endorsing the use of bond proceeds for the projects, which come under the Ministries of Power and Environment.

The London-based Climate Bonds Initiative also granted certification, confirming its alignment with the twodegree global warming limit in the Paris Agreement.

• L – R shows Mr. Tony Ibeziako, Acting Head, Listing Business Division, The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE); Mr. Oscar N. Onyema, OON, Chief Executive Officer, NSE; Mrs. Eno Atoyebi, Executive Director, CIO, ValuAlliance Asset Management; Mr. Sam Oniovosa, Alternate Director, ValuAlliance Asset Management and Mr. Femi Akinsanya, Independent Member, Investment Committee, Value Fund during ValuAlliance Value Fund Facts Behind the Figures presentation to capital market stakeholders at the Exchange today in Lagos.

NSE staff, firms clench 2018 CEO Awards

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IVE employees of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) were among the winners of 2018 NSE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Awards at a ceremony held on Wednesday, at the Stock Exchange House in Lagos.

Employees who emerged winners this year are from Shared Services, Regulation, Listings Business, Trading Business and Office of the CEO, covering the five divisions of the NSE were awarded the most distinguished employees for their exemplary performance during the year under review.

This year, The NSE, enhanced the award categories from three to ten to reflect the dynamic nature of the market. As a result, Firms, Fund Managers and Issuing Houses won the CEO Awards for attaining higher levels of corporate governance, compliance and performance that reinforce investor confidence in the Nigerian capital market.

The categories for this year include Most Digital Broker of the Year (which was presented earlier in the year to Meristem Stockbrokers Limited) at The Exchange’s Market Data Conference held on Friday, 19 October 2018); Best Dealing Member Firm in terms of Volume; Best Dealing Member Firm in terms of Value; Most Compliant Dealing Member Firm; Most Compliant Listed Company; Listed Company with Highest Number of Disclosures; Issuing House with the Largest Value in a Single Deal; Issuing House with the Highest Number of Primary Market Transactions (Equi-

ty); Issuing House with the Highest Number of Debt Issuance (Corporate Bonds); and Fund Manager with the Largest Listed Fund Size.

Pilot Securities Limited was named the Most Compliant Dealing Member Firm for 2018, having demonstrated the highest degree of compliance with the rules and regulations Governing Dealing Members of the Exchange in 2018. Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers Limited won two awards for Dealing Member Firm with the highest volume and Dealing Member Firm with the highest value of trades.

Stanbic IBTC Capital Limited, Vetiva Capital Management Limited and Cordros Capital Limited were joint winners of the award for Issuing Houses with the Highest Number of Primary Market Transactions (Equity). FBNQuest Merchant Bank Limited, ARM Securities Limited and Stanbic IBTC Capital Limited were adjudged winners of the award for Issuing Houses with the Highest Number of Debt Issuance (Corporate Bonds).

This is based on the value of new transactions approved and listed on the Exchange.

The award for Issuing Houses with the Largest Value in a Single Deal went to Stanbic IBTC Capital Limited and Union Capital Market Limited, for facilitating the highest value of deals on the Exchange. First City Asset Management Limited won the award for Fund Manager with the Largest Listed Fund Size. This award takes

into cognizance the cumulative size of new funds listed on the Exchange in 2018.

Seplat Development Company Plc. emerged winner of the award for Issuer with the highest number of Disclosures, for issuing the highest number of non-structured disclosures during the year under review.

Nigerian Breweries Plc. was named the Most Compliant Listed Company, for being an early filer of financial statements; complying with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Code of Corporate Governance; with zero sanctions received during the year under review. The company is also Corporate Governance Rating System (CGRS) certified.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer of The Exchange, Mr. Oscar N. Onyema, commended this year’s winners for their hard work, dedication and contributions to the development of the Nigerian capital market.

“I congratulate and honour all the winners of The NSE CEO Awards.

These companies have demonstrated capabilities and commitment towards quality development and exceptional performance; high ethical standards; compliance with the Rules and Regulations of The Exchange, and other applicable laws and regulations that leave no room for any penalties; while acting as key drivers in strengthening the Nigerian capital market”.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

MONEY Market

Nigeria’s records $4.542bn deficit balance of payments in Q3 2018 Stories by KAYODE OGUNWALE

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HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says the nation’s estimated balance of payment turned negative at $4.542 billion in the third quarter of 2018 ended September 30, 2018, compared to a $503.97 million surplus in the preceding quarter, and $2.787 billion in the corresponding period of 2017.

In a publication: “A brief on balance of payment statistics,” by the Balance of Payments Statistics Office, External Sector Statistics Division of its Statistics Department, the apex also noted that current account balance (CAB) for the period “worsened from a surplus of $4.452 billion in Q2 2018 to a deficit of $3.105 billion in Q3 2018.

The financial account balance, it continued, indicated “an increased net incurrence of financial liabilities of $10.724 billion in the review

period, as against $2.575 billion recorded in the preceding period.

The negative current account balance for the period, the report noted, “was largely attributable to the increased payments for imports,” even as surplus in the Goods Account decreased significantly to $2.125 billion in Q3 2018, from surpluses of $75.10 billion in the preceding quarter and $3.416 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2017.

Export earnings rose 2.8 percent to $16.21 billion from the Q2 level and 35.3 percent above the corresponding period of 2017, dominated by revenue from crude oil at $15.301 billion, which accounted for 94.4 percent of total.

Non-oil earnings and electricity exports fell by 49.3 percent to $909.04 million in Q3 2018, when compared with the preceding quarter.

Payments for import of goods

(fob) to the economy in the review period, on the other hand, increased by 70.5 percent to $14.085 billion above the level recorded in the preceding quarter, due largely to the 79.7 percent rise in the imports of non-oil products “Net out-payments for services during the review period increased significantly by 35.4 percent to a deficit of $7,024.57 million when compared with the level recorded in Q2 2018.

When compared with the cor-

responding period of 2017, it indicated a much higher increase of about 65 percent, the report added, stressing that deficit in the income account (net) increased by 6.7 percent to $4.161 billion, from a deficit of $3.898 billion recorded in the preceding quarter.

Compared with the level in the corresponding period of 2017, it represented an increase of about 39.5 percent, with surplus in the current transfers (net) decreasing by 1.2 percent to $5.955 billion in

Q3 2018 when compared with the preceding quarter. However, the level of surplus was 2.7 percent higher than the level recorded in the corresponding period of 2017.

Foreign direct Investments inflow increased by 0.7 percent to $438.84 million, when compared with the preceding quarter of 2018, representing a decline of 45 percent however, when compared to the corresponding period of 2017.

Yuletide: Ecobank Rapidtransfer Eases Homebound Remittances – MD

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ANAGING Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Patrick Akinwuntan has called on Nigerians living abroad who wish to send money to their loved ones in the country particularly this yuletide season to do so through the Bank’s Rapidtransfer app.

Ecobank charges zero fees for all transfers done through the Rapidtransfer app up until 31st January, 2019. “The Rapidtransfer removes all the bottlenecks, burden and inefficiencies usually associated with remittances. The app provides simple and secure digital onboarding where users can choose how and when funds are delivered to the intended beneficiary, with transparent foreign exchange rates prior to each transaction”, he stated.

Further, the bank managing director says : “I wish to encourage our brothers and sisters living abroad who wish to send money to their relatives this season to do so through our Rapidtransfer app. This is a game changer in the way Nigerians can send money to their loved ones.

They do not have to physically visit an agent. Rapidtransfer removes all of these issues and its standout affordability as we do not charge any fee for now. I wish to encourage them to sign up on this app and enjoy our seamless and cheap remittance service.”

Mr. Akinwuntan who was speak-

ing in Lagos urged Nigerians to pass the message across to their relatives abroad to take advantage of the new and innovative means of remitting hard earned monies home, noting that the service is open to Ecobank and non-Ecobank customers.

The Rapidtransfer app is regarded as a game changer for remittances to Africa as it is designed to enhance remittances to Africa by drastically reducing cost, while also tackling the long, burdensome and inefficient processes Africans abroad face when sending money to their home countries.

Through the app users are able to Send money instantly to and across 33 African countries. For Nigerians in diaspora the app will enable them easily and instantly send money to any bank account in Nigeria; receivers also have the option of picking up cash at any Ecobank branch. The exchange rates are very attractive.

The features of the app include easy navigation and multi-lingual capabilities. It is available in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese languages. Users can choose how and when funds are delivered to the intended beneficiary, with transparent foreign exchange rates prior to each transaction.

The Rapidtransfer mobile app can be downloaded from the Play Store and App Store.

•NASCON allied industries plc group Managing Director, Paul Farer, NASCON allied industries plc, Dangote season’s Brand Ambassador, Hadiza Gabon, NASCON allied industries plc, Executive director commercial, Fatima Aliko-Dangote, Dangote Industries limited, Executive Director, Halima Aliko-Dangote, at the unveiling of the New Dangote Seasoning Classic Cube, in Kano, Kano State on 12th December 2018 .

Analysts predicts uptick in December inflation rate

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FINANCIAL analyst, Mr. Jolomi Odongharo has predicted increase in December inflationary rate.

Odongharo who is a Senior Associate Investment Research of Afrinvest believed that the harvest season witnessing since last few months has positive impact on the country’s inflation rate.

According to him, we expect the end part of festive period to increase demand and expect inflation rate to unstick till December.

Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Consumer Price Index showing that inflation during the month of November grew at 11.28 percent Year-on-Year, marginally up from 11.26 percent in October.

Food inflation for the period also climbed by same margin from 13.28

Afreximbank launches $1bn programme to promote Nigeria-Africa Trade

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HE African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has signed an agreement with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council and the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), launching a $1-billion Nigeria-Africa Trade and Investment Promotion Programme (NATIPP) aimed at promoting and expanding trade and investments between Nigeria and the rest of Africa.

In a second signing ceremony, Afreximbank entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Nigerian Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment to jointly develop industrial parks and special economic zones worth $1.235 billion in Nigeria.

The signing ceremonies, which took place during the Nigeria Day at the just concluded inaugural Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF), was witnessed by the Nigerian Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who led

the Nigerian delegation to the trade fair.

Prof. Benedict Oramah, President of Afreximbank, signed the NATIPP agreement on behalf of the Bank while Segun Awolowo, Chief Executive Officer of NEPC and Abubakar Bello, Managing Director of NEXIM, signed on behalf of their two organisations.

Under the terms of the programme, Afreximbank will work NEPC and NEXIM to identify, prepare and appraise trade transactions and projects; explore co-financing and risk-sharing opportunities; and share knowledge, with particular emphasis on intra-African trade matters, through technical cooperation, staff exchange, research and joint events.

Kanayo Awani, Managing Director of the Intra-African Trade Initiative at Afreximbank, signed the memorandum of understanding on behalf

of the Bank while Femi Edun, Special Adviser to the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, signed on behalf of the Ministry.

Both NATIPP and the memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and investment are being implemented in pursuance of Afreximbank’s strategy, IMPACT 2021: AFRICA TRANSFORMED, which prioritizes intra-African trade, industrialization and export manufacturing.

The IATF, which opened on Tuesday, is organized by Afreximbank, in collaboration with the African Union, and hosted by the Government of Egypt. It will last until 17 December and is expected to attract about 70,000 visitors.

Transactions worth about $25 billion are expected to be concluded at the IATF which has almost 1,100 registered exhibitors from 42 countries.

percent in prior month, to 13.30 percent; while Core Inflation (All items less farm produce) at 9.80 percent in Nov 2018 fell from 9.90 percent in October 2018.

“The percentage change in the average composite CPI for the twelve months period ending November 2018 over the average of the CPI for the previous 12 months period was 12.41 percent, showing 0.37 percent point decline from 12.78 percent recorded in October 2018,” the NBS added.

Urban inflation rate rose by 11.61 percent (year-on-year) in November 2018 from 11.64 percent recorded in October 2018, while the rural inflation rate increased by 10.99 percent in November 2018 from 10.93 percent in October 2018.

Meanwhile, the rise in the food inflation was caused by increases in prices of Bread and cereals, Milk, cheese and egg, Fish, Vegetables, Fruits, Oil and fats, Potatoes, yam and other tubers.

The average annual rate of change of the Food sub-index for the twelvemonth period ending November 2018 over the previous 12-month average was 14.8 percent 0.56 percent points lower from the average annual rate of change recorded in October (15.36 percent).

The Core inflation, which excludes the prices of volatile agricultural products stood at 9.8 percent in November 2018, down by 0.1 percent from the rate recorded in October 2018 (9.95 percent), driven by increases in prices of “major household appliances, fuels and lubricants for personal transport equipment, repair of household appliances, dental services, Domestic services and household services, medical services, hospital services, vehicle spare

parts, shoes and other footwear, and cleaning, repair and hire of clothing.

“The average 12-month annual rate of change of the index was 10.7 percent for the 12-month period ending November 2018; this is 0.2 percent points lower than 10.9 percent recorded in October 2018.

Inflation during the period was at its peak in oil-rich Rivers where it closed at 13.09 percent; ahead of Taraba in the North East at 12.99 percent; and Ekiti, 12.70 percent; while Cross River recorded 8.72 percent, the slowest rise for the period followed by Kwara, 8.74 percent; and Ogun, 9.52 percent.

On a month-on-month basis, all items inflation was at its highest level however of 2.18 percent in Edo State, ahead of Nasarawa’s 1.46 percent; and Kwara, 1.39 percent; just as the slowest growth occurred in Jigawa, 0.02 percent; Abia, 0.28 percent; and Yobe, 0.29 percent.

During the month, Kogi however recorded a negative inflation or price deflation (general decrease in the general price level of goods and services or a negative inflation rate) in November 2018.

Year-on-Year, food inflation was highest in Edo where it soared 16.52 percent; Imo, 15.40 percent and Bayelsa, 15.36 percent; just as Oyo at 10.84 percent recorded the slowest rise in food inflation; ahead of Abia, 11.24 percent; and Kogi 11.50 percent.

Food inflation was highest (monthon-month) in Nasarawa, 2.16 percent; Kwara, 2.67 percent; Edo, 2.68 percent and at its floor in Bayelsa, Delta, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Kogi, Taraba and Yobe, all of which recorded food price deflation or negative inflation (general decrease in the general price level of goods and services or a negative inflation rate) in November 2018.

32

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

News

Your incompetence cause of your failures, Jonathan tells Buhari

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HE Presidency has blamed former President Goodluck Jonathan for President Muhammadu Buhari’s five months delay in forming a federal cabinet.

Presidential spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, levelled the allegation during an appearance on Channels Television’s morning breakfast show, Sunrise, upon charges that the president was slow.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in a sharp response said the delay and the excuse were indicative of the incompetence manifesting in the present administration.

President Goodluck Jonathan and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari Meanwhile, reacting to Shehu’s comment, PDP in a statement by its spokesman, Kola Ologondiyan, said the admission was a clear display of incompetence, adding: “It is unfortunate that the Presidency will always resort to peddling falsehood as a cover for its failures.

“It is a settled matter that President Buhari could not form a cabinet for over five months after his inauguration, primarily due to sheer incompetence, lack of preparedness and the fact that he was overwhelmed by the complexity of the office of the President of Nigeria.”

Reacting also, Dr. Jonathan through his media adviser, Ikechukwu Eze, expressed concern over what he claimed as the unending habit of the Buhari administration even near election to blame the past administration for its per-

ceived failures.

He said: “Assuming, without conceding, that the last administration was as bad as they want Nigerians to believe, is it not a fact of governance that it is the duty of every responsible administration to seek to make better the situation it met on ground? Anything less than that is a proof of incompetence for which a failed administration has no moral justification to ask for a fresh mandate.

“While members of the current administration continue to blame President Jonathan for their failure to deliver on their mandate, they should be reminded that there are many African success stories that proved that a progress-minded administration has no business focusing only on the past.”

Garba spoke upon the claim by Phrank Shuaibu, a spokesman of the Atiku Abubakar campaign that Buhari’s delay in constituting a cabinet contributed to the factors that pushed the country into recession following Buhari’s assumption of power.

Responding, Shehu said the former administration kept Buhari in the dark until two days to the inauguration.

He said: “The claims made by my dear friend here that President Buhari spent 166 days without forming a cabinet, that absolutely is untrue. It took him time to form a cabinet because the outgoing administration in 2015 did not cooper-

ECOWAS to assist member states address forest resources challenges

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HE Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Tuesday restated its commitment to support Nigeria and other member states in their efforts to sustain management of forest resources in the sub region.

The ECOWAS Director of Environment, Dr Johnson Boanuh said this at the National Consultation Workshop on the Technical and Financial Partners of the Nigerian Forest Investment Programme in Abuja.

“The ECOWAS Commission and its partners will spare no efforts to assist member states in finding solution to the problem of sustainable management of forest resources in our sub region,” Boanuh said.

The director said that the workshop was to support Nigeria in advocating and mobilising resources for the effective implementation of its National Forest Investment Plan.

According to him, this is therefore a decisive and critical period in the member states efforts for creating an enabling environment for the sustainable management of forests and wildlife in our sub region.

Dr Adeshola Adepoju, the Director-General, Forest Research Institute of Nigeria, urged relevant stakeholders in the forest sector to invest in forests plantation to enable

the country to achieve 25 per cent forests cover as recommended by Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Adepoju, who disclosed that the country had only five per cent forests cover, said that President Muhammadu Buhari administration was able to plant over two millions seedlings compared with four millions trees planted by the previous administrations.

“Before this administration came in, four millions trees were planted within the nation’s five per cent cover but going by the green bond arrangement by this administration, over two millions seedlings were planted in 843.6 hectares land.

“For us to have a safe environment, we need 20 hectares of land to meet the 25 per cent forest cover,” the director-general said.

He said that the workshop was imperative for all relevant stakeholders to have a robust policy on forest Investment.

According to him, it will also enhance the implementation of the National Forest Investment Plan.

Adepoju stressed the need for relevant stakeholders to provide clean cooking stoves while implementing the National Forest Investment Plan.

ate with the transition committee.

“The President was given handover notes 48 hours to the handover of power and for whatever reason, the President at that time

T

three passenger vehicles Saturday evening in Nyamagabe, near the border with Burundi, killing two and injuring eight, the army had said late Saturday.

The death toll has risen to four after two died from injuries, the Rwandan army said on Monday in a statement, adding that they pursued the assailants and killed three while the rest escaped into Burundi.

The army also said the area is now

“And he came out to all his ministers and permanent secretaries not to cooperate with Buhari that this country will not have two governments running at the same.”

• Ebonyi State APC rally.

SSANU-ABU protest non-payment of N8bn earned allowance •Joins 3-day warning strike

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HE Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria branch on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest demanding the immediate release of N8 billion earned allowance.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the branch joined the national body in a threeday warming strike to press home its demands from the Federal Government.

The Acting branch Chairman, Mr Shuaibu Halilu who led the protest within the university, said the action was in compliance to the directive by the national body to proceed on a warning strike.

He said the members were aggrieved over the non-payment of their earned allowance which had already been approved since May 13.

“SSANU, Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) had in a joint resolution at its 35th Regular National

Executive Council meeting at Enugu State University of Science and Technology resolved to embark on a three-day warning strike.

“The strike is meant to press government to abide by the judgement of the National Industrial Court.

“The Federal Government has not released the N8 billion earned allowance promised to the unions by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige at a reconciliation meeting on March 13, 2018.

“Several months after, the money is yet to be released,” he noted.

He said it appeared that the letters being sent to the unions were delay-ploy by the federal government because it was needless.

The acting chairman said the unions had always made their positions known since the irregular disbursement of N23 billion to ASUU in 2017.

He said: “This non-payment of

the earned allowance has become a source of discomfort and agitation by members of the three unions.

“We also accused the federal government of disobeying Court Judgments of the National Industrial Court (NIC) which in the last two years asked that teachers in university staff schools sacked by government be reinstated.

“The federal government through the minister had informed the chairman of the joint action committee (JAC) of NASU, SSANU and NAAT via a letter dated Aug. 9, that approval had been given.

“The letter indicated that approval for the release of N8b being payment of earned allowance for the Non-teaching staff in universities and requested for template of payment to the unions.”

The chairman lamented that despite the industrial court ruling of Dec. 5, 2016 on technical dismissal of members in university staff school, the status of the workers remained the same.

ticipation in the Electoral Process in the Nigerian Media.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training was jointly organised by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Media Action and YIAGA AFRICA to rally media support for youth candidacy as the signing of the Not-Too-Young-ToRule bill into law had ushered in a lot of youths candidates.

According to Attoh, who is a facilitator at the programme, said this is the campaign period where politicians reel out policies, adding that it is up to the media to relate such to the masses to enable them to make informed judgments.

He said that the democratic prerequisite behoved reporters to know about the electoral process and create content around it because without informed content, there would be no democracy.

“Media contents influence thoughts, informs, educates, enter-

tains and can change attitude; so, as Journalists, you need to set the agenda for youth participation in politics.

“As media, your responsibility is the surveillance of the electoral environment and groups to give voices to all range of interests.

“You also need to have strong journalism and Media organisations and know the laws on media freedom.

“The media need to have good content to enlighten people on the need to support young people in politics,” he said.

The facilitator also urged the media to do their job right to stop the irregularities in the society and also focus on rallying support for youths.

He said that the media needed to promote good governance by holding public institutions accountable and insist on transparency.

He also urged them to engage the public in sustained civil education to strengthen the electoral process.

Earlier, Ms Ruth Olurounbi, Me-

2019: Media executive urges Nigerian media to promote youths candidacy

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XECUTIVE Director, West Africa Democracy Radio, Dakar, Senegal, Mr Jika Attoh Tuesday called on the Nigerian media to make it a policy to promote youth candidacy ahead of the 2019 general elections in Nigeria.

Attoh made the call at a training for journalists on “Mainstreaming Issues of Youth Candidacy and Youth Par-

Rwandan army rescues 74 civilians abducted by attackers HE Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) rescued 74 civilians, who were abducted during Saturday’s attack in Nyamagabe district in Southern Rwanda, it said on Tuesday.

The mission started immediately after the attack and there are no more Rwandans missing, defence and military spokesperson, Innocent Munyengango said.

Unidentified attackers torched

determined that, the question that President Buhari was asking, for details of this and that, amounting to running a second government in office.

secure.

Rwandan Special Forces operators have entered Nyungwe Forest on the border with Burundi to pursue armed militants who attacked and killed two Rwandans on Saturday night.

The attack came just a day after President Paul Kagame warned of stiff military resistance against state enemies after rebels from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) killed two soldiers.

33

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

Love and Living MODEL OF THE WEEK

...With Ireto Temofeh LOVE NEWS

Want to live longer? Have a blazing row with your spouse! Couples who argue have a lower risk of ill health and dying premaIt might not seem like it at the time, but having a blazing row with your partner could be good for you.

Those who argue with one another have a lower risk of ill health and dying prematurely, scientists have found.

However, this only applies to couples who row with equal intensity.

If one contains their anger while the other gives full vent to their feelings, it could almost double their risk of an early death.

The US study, in the Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine, studied responses from 192 couples over 32 years to see whether how they argued affected their lifespan.

Psychology Kyle Bourassa, of the University of Arizona, said: ‘The greater the mismatch between spouses’ anger-coping response style, the greater the risk of early death.

‘If spouses’ responses to conflict differ, this could translate into more daily conflict over time.

‘One may want more heated disagreements, whereas another partner might not, leaving both partners dissatisfied with how their conflicts are handled.

‘This could result in more daily stress that would damage people’s health over the long-term. Couples whose interpersonal styles better match might have less conflict and maintain better health as a result.’

The US study, in the Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine, studied responses from 192 couples over 32 years to see whether how they argued affected their lifespan.

Psychology Kyle Bourassa, of the University of Arizona, said: ‘The greater the mismatch between spouses’ anger-coping response style, the greater the risk of early death.

‘If spouses’ responses to conflict differ, this could translate into more daily conflict over time.

‘One may want more heated disagreements, whereas another partner might not, leaving both partners dissatisfied with how their conflicts are handled.

‘This could result in more daily stress that would damage people’s health over the long-term. Couples whose interpersonal styles better match might have less conflict and maintain better health as a result.’

Name: Florence Mobile: +234 08177193564.

• If you want to be our next ORACLE GIRL, e-mail or forward your photos/data to ireto007@yahoo.com. Call 07031028714.

ODD NEWS

Gender-neutral pronoun ‘ze’ to be accepted in English version of Scrabble for the first time alongside 2,800 new words such as ‘bae’ and ‘yowza’

evotees of Scrabble are always lookD ing for an opportunity to use the highest-scoring letter Z.

So news that the gender neutral pronoun ‘ze’ will be included in the game’s official dictionary is likely to be popular.

The traditional board game is moving with the times to include a handful of words from social media.

The new words are being allowed as the world’s most popular word game, invented

by American architect Alfred Butts, celebrates its 70th anniversary.

Ze can be used as an alternative to ‘he’ or ‘she’ when a person chooses not to identify

with either gender.

Elie Dangoor, chairman of the World Eng-

lish Language Scrabble Players Association (Wespa), told the Sunday Telegraph: ‘It will be used more than other new words because it will score highly. I will try it whenever I can.’

The new Scrabble dictionary is due to be published next May. Around 2,800 words will be added. Other potentially popular new short words include ‘bae’ which means boyfriend or girlfriend (an acronym for ‘before anyone else’).

The word zen – previously excluded as a proper noun – is now allowed. This is thanks to its inclusion in September, as an adjective, in the American Merriam-Web-

ster dictionary, which – with the Collins English Dictionary – defines acceptable Scrabble words.

The changes also allow pluto to be played.

It will be acceptable as a verb meaning to lose importance.

Its definition stems from Pluto’s loss of status when it was demoted from a planet to a dwarf planet.

New entry yowza is one of the words popular on social media, meaning to express approval, excitement or enthusiasm.

Scrabble is sold in 121 countries, available in 29 languages and more than 150million sets have been sold worldwide.

34

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

True Confession

‘I refused to donate my kidney to save my husband’s life’

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he going was good when Tunde and I met in Abuja several years ago. We had so much in common that we thought our love was made in heaven.

We met when Tunde was doing his youth service with a very profitable company in the federal capital territory and I was a final year student at the University of Abuja.

Tunde was a fun loving person and liked to take me out regularly. We attended many parties together and danced together all through the night on several occasions. We were not ashamed, nor were we afraid to kiss in public.

Tunde set my body and soul on fire.

Whenever I heard the sound of his voice, I would be turned on and my nipples would stand. Even at night whenever I lay down in bed, the mere remembrance of his touch roused me and made hunger for his embrace.

We were in love and love made us do things that could ordinarily be regarded as stupid.

We made love in the car, the garage, the garden, and in every darned place where we found ourselves alone.

It was the madness of love that made us do it.

I couldn’t quarrel with Tunde throughout the period of our courtship.

And he too couldn’t quarrel with me.

We were just too much in love to quarrel or fight each other. Tunde didn’t even need to propose to me.

We naturally found ourselves planning our marriage with our relatives, and eventually, our marriage ceremony turned out as a very grand affair.

As the years progressed however, my husband and I grew richer and acquired more and more possessions. And as we grew richer, my husband began to womanize.

He acquired more and more mistresses and before I knew it, I started hearing rumours of children born for my husband by his various mistresses.

I confirmed the rumours myself and found out that my husband had at least three children from other women outside.

My husband has been diagnosed of a kidney ailment. He needs to have a kidney transplant, else he would die. And I have been called upon to either donate my kidney or get someone who will.

I still love my husband. But that won’t make me donate my kidney to him, especially when I know the kind of womanizer he is.

Donating my kidney to Tunde would only make him live longer to cheat on me and have more children out of wedlock. I won’t donate my kidney to my husband to prolong his life on earth for economic reasons.

Why I’m saying so is because I worked very hard with him to achieve the wealth we have today. And I’m not ready to lose all that wealth to Tunde’s concubines and illegitimate children.

So, if my husband peacefully dies now from his kidney disease, he won’t have time to have more concubines and illegitimate children that would challenge me and my children in future over the fami-

I will climb the highest mountain And swim the deepest ocean.

ly’s wealth.

As for now, I will continue to secretly prevent any willing donor from donating a kidney to my husband. I won’t donate my kidney and I won’t let anyone else donate a kidney.

I know that people reading my story might think I’m being devilish, but I’m

not. I’m only considering the future of my children.

It is said that in any relationship it is better for the woman to love the man more. But it’s dangerous for the man to love the woman more, since the woman can take advantage to do whatever she likes to him.

But what if the woman loves him more and the man takes advantage?

Tunde is killing me with his womanizing and illegitimate kids. I think my decision is good.Your say: •Call 07031028714.

ROMANTIC JOKE Abusive Husband

A woman got married, but her husband was abusive. She got remarried and that husband ran out on her. She got married again and that husband failed in bed. Finally, she put an ad in the paper: “Looking for a man who won’t abuse me, won’t leave me, and won’t fail me in bed.” The next day, the doorbell rings. There is a man with no arms and no legs. “Hello, I saw your ad in the paper,” he says. “Tell me a little about you.” “Well, I have no arms, so I can’t hit you. I have no legs, so I can’t run out on you,” he replies. “How do I know you’re good in bed?” she asks. He says, “I rang the doorbell, didn’t I?”

35

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

Relationships and Love Advice

‘I’m in love with two men at the same time’

Love Search Women seeking relationship/ marriage

Chinyere, 35, dark, single mum, humble, works, seeks a hardworking man from 38 years and above for marriage.

09038028331.

Viky, 52, widow, working, Igbo, chocolate, average height, wants to get connected to a man of 53-60 years (not a divorcee) from any tribe.

08036309809.

Humble, 40, needs a sponsor in her theology school. 09026452405.

Rose, in Lagos, just rented a shop, needs someone to support her in starting a business. 08107458039.

Funke, 44, needs a man (widower or divorcée) of 50-55 years for a serious relationship. 08185083988.

Dear Love Doctor, My name is Ada. The fact is that me and my boyfriend have never been very serious. We want different things in life, we have different perspectives and not very much in common, yet we like each other a lot and love spending time with each other. From the start I felt I’m in love with him but I wouldn’t agree to marry him or have children with him. Our relationship

looks like a temporary thing!

Now I recently met another guy and I’ve also fallen in love with him, even though I still love my boyfriend.

So, what do I do now that I’m in love with two guys?

I’m crazy about both guys at the same time. Please tell me what to do.

From Ada.

Love Doctor’s Advice: Dear Ada, Falling in love with two men at the same time sounds immature.

It is likely that you are emotionally immature and what you feel for either of both men might not actually be love but infatuation or a crush.

You need to know somebody well before you can be sure of your feelings for that person. At this stage, you are not yet sure of your feelings, which means anything can happen. So you may well fall out of love the

same way you were fell in love.

Love stands the test of time.

But any such feeling that doesn’t stand the test of time is not love.

Your relationship with your boyfriend doesn’t appear to be serious or based on commitment. If your relationship is not based on commitment, and if you and your boyfriend are not committed to each other, then what you feel can’t really be said to be love.

Furthermore, you may be emo-

tionally weak or insecure, and your weak, insecure feelings may be leading you astray. So why don’t you work on fixing those issues before you go into a relationship or commit yourself to any man?

You would have to grow up and cultivate a greater sense of maturity in order to decide what is best for you. Being in a ‘temporary’ relationship with a guy with whom you see no future together is simply not good enough.

•Are you a woman who is facing this same problem? Or do you have advice on this issue? Please share your thoughts. Call/WhatsApp 07031028714 or call 08077821830. Email: ireto007@yahoo.com Do you have a marriage/wedding, birthday, anniversary or club or town meeting announcement to make? Call 07031028714 now!

Lora, graduate, works, HIV Positive, based in Jos, wants a HIV positive man of 35-40 years for marriage.

08090925014.

E-Mail: ireto007@yahoo.com Go to foodstuffs.com.ng. Call Love Doctor: 07031028714, 08131161840.

Men seeking relationship/ marriage Diamond Prince, 28, living in Lagos, needs a sugar mummy. 07069498904.

Godspower, 33, tall, from Kogi, based in Abuja, wants a sugar mummy from 40 years and above based in Abuja, to satisfy her very well. 0810069625, 07018735547.

Divine, 36, wants a beautiful, highly educated, tall, fair, working class lady from 25-30 years for marriage. 09054199030.

Uche in Lagos wants a mature working woman or widow living in Festac Town or Ikeja, Lagos for companionship or a romantic relationship. 08077821830.

Emeka, 54, in Lagos, needs an educated woman between 32-35 years for a wife.

08118482541.

36

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

It happened to me: My best friend Julia and I lived together for almost eight years before she met her “one-and-only”, Richard, and got engaged. I felt nothing but happiness for her and gladly accepted the privilege of being her maid of honour.

The wedding was five months away but Julia spoke of nothing else. Every time she’d open her mouth it would be about how many tiers the cake would have or how stressed she was about losing the sufficient pounds to fit into her wedding gown. Most people around her quickly grew tired of all the wedding banter, but not me.

We were best friends and I was almost as excited as Julia was.

That was until one Friday night when we went out for a couple of drinks at our favourite city drinking hole. Julia ordered a bottle of sparkling and we toasted her and Richard repeatedly. I have to say, there was a bit of craziness about Julia that night as she repeated “I’m getting married!” over and over again, not only to me but to any passer-by who’d listen.

She then decided that she would expound the benefits of being married, to me — now her only single girlfriend — and tell me how sad she was for me as I hadn’t had a boyfriend in over two years. She then proceeded to advise me on how I could “pretty myself up” so as to be more alluring to the opposite sex and how Richard insisted she only wear certain brands of make-up that brought out the best in her lovely skin tone. There was much more to this diatribe but I blocked it out as I fumed inside.

I said little to Julia over the next few days. Although it is hard to avoid someone you’re living with, I did my absolute best.

It was when Julia came home almost in tears one day after catching a glimpse of her growing bottom in a shop window, the little devil on my shoulder gave me a great idea.

“I’ll help you lose weight”, I announced.

“Would you? That would mean the world to me!” was Julia’s reply.

I was working as a part time chef at a cafe at the time and did much of the cooking at home as well, as Julia was hopeless in the kitchen.

Night after night I produced meals that looked low-fat on the surface: fish dishes with vegetables, soups and salads. Julia was thrilled with the thought that she would soon be shedding the kilos as the wedding was months away and there would be plenty of time. I was waking early to make Julia breakfast and packing her a lunch as well, “to make sure all the meals are calorie-controlled,” I told her. She was so happy that her low-fat meals tasted so good and that she “wouldn’t have picked that they were low-fat if she didn’t know better”. Luckily she didn’t. I had been putting fairly generous quantities of olive oil and butter into every meal I cooked for her. I was also using double cream in some dishes (lying that I’d used

“I fattened up my best friend for revenge” low-cal condensed milk).

It was after a few weeks that Julia lamented about how she hadn’t seemed to have lost a single kilo — in fact she thought she had gained some weight. I had to work extremely hard to mask my pleasure in this as I provided a much needed shoulder to cry on.

I told her that maybe she needed to exercise more (knowing full-well that Julia was very nearly allergic to exercise using the excuse that she never had the time.) I told her it was probably just her metabolism re-adjusting to her new diet and that soon it would even out. She bought into my reasoning and I continued to fatten her up.

A month later and Julia saw that her ‘metabolic adjustment’ hadn’t happened yet. In fact she had weighed herself at a friend’s house — something she was generally

scared of doing — and she was certain she had put on at least five kilos. I reassured her and made up a few new excuses. I told her I would double my efforts (“Yeah, double the fat content,” I thought) and make sure that she won the battle of the bulge before her big day. I said I’d also exercise with her if she was willing and she seemed placated.

We started doing some very low-impact “pilates” (ie: a bit of stretching that I ad-libbed) and I actually increased the amount of butter and other high-calorie ingredients I was using in her food.

A month before the wedding Julia threw a hissy-fit of nuclear proportions. She screamed that nothing was working and that she was going to a well-known weight loss establishment to help her. When they told her that the amount of

weight she wanted to lose to fit into her “already-purchased” and “obscenely expensive” size-10 wedding gown would not be viable or safe, she broke down.

Julia cancelled the wedding and broke it off with Richard.

Their relationship only got going again almost a year later and for that I feel guilty. I had let my own personal hurt turn me into a monster and in turn hurt the friend who had always been there for me.

Revenge isn’t always as sweet as it’s made out to be.

Your say: Did this friend go too far for revenge? Have your say about this true confession below...

•Do you have a story or comment about this confession?

Call 07031028714, 08077821830, 08131161840.

37

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

The Law and You

With Barr. Ken Akpom 08162016410

Warning on defamation!

Generally speaking, many people do not realize the implication of what they say or write. They do not know that such words are tantamount to a crime or an offence which is punishable by law. They believe with their position in the society, they have right to say or write anything they deem fit without recourse to the law of this country. Don’t forget that constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria says no one is above the law. It was on this note that I decided to discuss this topic.

Defamation is a tort which protects a person from lossof reputation by prohibiting the production of information likely to attract negative attention for others. The publication of defamatory matter is both civil injury and criminal offence but it is usually ranked amongst criminal offences since it has the tendency to arouse angry passion, provoke revenge and likely to cause the breach of public peace. However, it is not necessary for the prosecution to show a breach of peace was likely to result from or is calculated to lead it as in R. v. Holbrook (1878) 4 QB. 42 at 46.

Defamation is defined in section 373 of the code as matter likely to injure the reputation of any person by exposing him to hatred, contempt, or ridicule or likely to damage any person in his lawful profession or lawful trade by an injury to his reputation.

Furthermore, defamation is the publication of an untrue statement of another person which reflects on that person’s reputation and tends to lower him in the estimation of right thinking members of the society generally or tends to make them shun and avoid him. Defamation may be expressed in spoken words which are usually very difficult to proof or in any audible words or by any sign or object signifying such matter and may be expressed either directly or by insinuation or irony.

There are two distinct types of defamation namely; •Slander and •Libel The difference between these two can be explained thus; i. LIBEL: In libel, the statement must be in a permanent form. It is usually refers to by a written statement but can include television broadcast, cable programme and theatre, etc. see Metro Godwin Meyers Ltd (1934) 50 TMR 581. Here, the court held that the defamation statements contained in a talking cinematograph film was a libel in the words of the court. Libel is actionable per se which means that it is the conduct which is wrong irrespective of whether or not any harm is caused in the claimant as a result. ii. SLANDER: The statement must in the respect of defamation be in a non-permanent form that is transitory – which generally involved spoken words but could not if they are broadcasted falls within libel. A gesture may suffice. Slander requires special damage. The claimant must establish loss(es) or harm(s) that is quantifiable in financial terms. Such as loss of a job or damage to business interest. In NTHEND v. Alade (1974) 2 ES CRP 109, the court held that “in an action for libel, the plaintiff need not proof malice in Law and need not proof any actual damage as the result of the publication, but malice and damage are resumed from the publication itself in the absence of lawful excuse……..once a publication has been found to be a libel, the law presumes damages.”

Slander is actionable per se in the following situation i. Any imputation that a claimant has committed a serious criminal offence. ii. That the claimant is unchaste or has committed adultery (female claimant only). iii. That the claimant has a contagious and infectious disease that prevents others from associating with him. iiii. That the claimant is unfit, dishonest or incompetent in relation to his trade, profession or business.

Note that, libel may be criminal but slander is only civil

injury. See section 374 and 375 of the Criminal Code. Further to this is that the imputation or obscene conduct to a person is defamatory of that person. To allege that a person is a thief, an Armed Robber, a Kidnapper, or even a criminal or to impute him the commission of any offence which is found out to be false is also defamatory.

See, Monson v. Tussands Ltd (1894) 1 Q.B. 671; Webb v.

Reavan (1883) 11 Q.B.D. 609.

One interesting any of defamation is that it seems that merely to publish of another that he owes money is not defamatory but if an inability to repay is implied it becomes defamatory. See Arayi v. Ojubu (19955-56) WRNLR 145. In this case, the magistrate found that the Olu of Warri has said nothing of the kind and that words were defamatory. But an appeal, the High court held that the words spoken were, without an innuendo, not defamatory of the Olu for they could not reasonably be said to expose him to hatred, ridicule or contempt, etc.

Vulgar abuse Mere vulgar abuse does not constitute actionable slander. Whether an utterance constitutes a vulgar abuse or not depends on the circumstances of the case. In Bakare v. Ishola, 1959, 106 where in the heat of anger that led to a fight, the defendant in the on-looker said in Yoruba “ole ni ooo iwo to sesede lati ewonyi”meaning (you are a thief, ex-convict), Jibowu C.J.held that the words were vulgar abuse as they were spoken while the parties were exchanging words which led to blows. “It is a matter o common knowledge of which this Court takes judicial notice that people commonly abuse each other as a prelude to a fight, and call each other “ole elewon” which abuse no one takes seriously as they are words of heat and anger.” See also Ajala v. Oyimade Adeladun (2979) 123 CCHCAJ 263. However, in Ibeanu v. UBA (1972) 2 ECSLR, 194Egbuna J. held that the words “Josiah, omgi kpo mdi ori bia zulu ewu…….. etc.” meaning (you brought the thieves with whom you stole my goat and now you’ve come to ask) were not mere vulgar abuse as it was clear from the evidence that there was no quarrel between the parties.

twins” is innocent in itself but it carries a libelousinnuendo if published to persons who knows the extrinsic has been married only a few weeks ago. InAkintola v. Anyim (1962) ALL NLR, an apparently harmless publication about the P in a booklet that he was a “son of a Chief Sawe of Ilesha and Alice” was held defamatory because the publication was capable of conveying the imputation that the plaintiff was a liar to the people who knows that the P claimed to be an Ogbomosho man. In Sketch Press Ltd v. Ajagbemokeferi (1989)1 NWLR pt. 100, 683, it was held that publication deals not only with what was said or written but also what is passed on to some other person. Thus, no action will lie for defamation unless the matter has been published. It is important to state that there are other forms of defamation apart from those I have discussed above. I shall list few and briefly discuss thus; a. Defamation of the dead: Dead person can be defamed in a way that if the intent is to injure the family if proved that a living member of the family’s reputation may have been injured by the publication. However, it should be noted that in this case no prosecution can be instituted without the consent of the Attorney-General of the Federation. See section 373. b. Defamation of a class: Class here includes any company association or body of persons, corporate or unincorporated. Here, these classes of persons as in section 18(1) of the Interpretation Act can be the object of defamation. c. Publication: This is defined in section 374 as follows i. In the case of spoken words or audible sounds, the speaking of such words or the making of such sounds in the hearing of the person defamed or any other person; ii. In other cases, the exhibiting it in public, or causing to be read or seen or showing or delivered, with intent that it may be read or seen by the person defamed or by any other person.

It is clear therefore that from the above definitions that publication to the person defamed or a mere exhibition in public of the defamatory matter is deemed defamatory.

INNUENDO In Morrison v. Riteline (1902) 393 COTLB 432, the Court stated that a statement that X “has given birth to

Note also that the Law stipulates punishments for these offences, so, avoid committing them.

• 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 26, 2018

ENTERTAINMENT

With Douglas Omoyooma

Why I dumped hip hop for gospel music-Nkiru Emmanuel, gospel singer Growing up, gospel singer, Nkiru Emmanuel desired to be a hip-hop artist but today, the indigene of Enugu State has released seven gospel albums and still counting and she has no plans of returning to secular music anytime soon. In this chat with Entertainer, the light complexioned and happily married mother of five who recently dropped a brand new album, More Than A Millionaire, opened up on growing up, her challenges and of course, her dreams. EXCEPT Douglas Omoyooma What was growing up like?

I was a rough kid while growing up. I wanted to be a hip hop artist and not gospel artiste. I was always happy singing any type of music especially hip hop music but I didn’t sing Gospel music because it was not my focus. Back then I did more of hip hop like Tuface and P Square. I liked their songs so much so I thought I was going to sing like them, In fact, I don’t how God switched me from secular to Gospel music. It’s so bad that right now, I can’t sing hip hop.

How did you start music?

It’s been a kind of evolution. I’ve been getting inspiration since I was very young. I noticed that even in my prayer life, I couldn’t do without ministering through songs. This galvanised me to go fully into music. I believe that God has blessed me with a message which I must share with mankind. I want to reach out to as many people as possible through my music. I’m also an evangelist.

Did people try to discourage you from doing music initially?

That was at the initial stage and it was people around me. My husband was not in support, he was mad at me. He said that all female gospel artistes are not faithful to their husbands and I said ‘no, everybody cannot be the same.’ I have a different motive for being a gospel musician. Maybe, those that stray had alterior motives. I must confess, it wasn’t easy for me but at some point, he had to let go and today the rest is history. Today he’s my biggest fan and just can’t stop listening to my music.

What is your source of inspiration?

It’s inexplicable. I could be on my own and out of the blue I will be hearing songs from above. It could be in the bus, the bathroom or anywhere. When this happens I quickly write it down or record it with my phone and then later, I work on it.

Tell us about your latest album More Than A Millionaire?

More Than A Millionaire is one album close to my heart. It means I’m worth more than millions of naira because first of all, my life is a miracle. You cannot buy life even if you have all the money in the world. The album is basically proclaiming the message that I’m worth more than what people say I am. The Bible says ‘He that is in me is greater than he that is in the world.’ That gives me assurance that I’m worth more than millionaire. Sometimes, when I listen to the album I ask myself ‘when did I compose this song?’ When did I say this or that? It’s more of inspiration coming from my darling Jesus. At Tejuosho Market the other day, we found out that some people were dancing and they video taped and it went viral after they shared it and my friends were forwarding the video to me. It was mind blowing! My fans are very happy about this album. People are calling from all over to appreciate the album.

You have seven albums to your credit, which would you say is your favourite?

I think Wonderful God is one of my best.

But the new album More Than A Millionaire,

has a great message which is heavenly inspired.

I’m currently promoting More Than A Millionairebecause it’s going to impact lives.

What challenges are you facing in terms of growing your career?

It’s is all about financial support. Sometimes you want to shoot a video but you don’t have the recourses so you have to take it gradually which might take a year or more.

But if there is money or you have people that support you, everything’ll go fine because music needs promotion. Without promotion, your music won’t make any impact.

Which of the big name in the Gospel industry would you like to feature Wow! If God permits, I’d like to work with Chinyere Udoma; she’s so talented and awesome!

Where will you be five years from now?

Five years from now? Hmmm…my music will take me to America, Canada and London; you name it and I would have conquered the gospel music scene in Nigeria God willing.

Are you making money from gospel music?

God has been so wonderful in my life. I never even believed I can make it in my own little way God has been so kind. I am living fine for now.

Tell us the greatest thing a fan has done to you?

Someone I met some years ago listened to my album and sent me money from Ghana; I was completely blown away.

A man also called me from Liberia. He said that he bought one of my albums entitled Help Me Lord.

He said ‘I can’t thank you enough, this album has changed my life. He said that he got healing through that album so he demanded to see me and I went. I am always overwhelmed when people appreciate what I;m doing musically.

•Nkiru Emmanuel

39

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

LIFE

Testimonies as singles meet life-partners at Communio Sanctorum Pre-marriage prayer session

T

he Monday Fr. Tansi Pre-Marriage prayer session is now known as Ambassadors of Jesus and Mary for Singles To Be Married. This was revealed by the Leader of the group, Mrs. Ann Obichukwu after this reporter witnessed testimonies during the programme.

According to Obichukwu, apart from the 5,000 who have enjoyed marital bliss courtesy of intercessions t the Prayer Ministry, hundreds of other singles have had breakthroughs in many dimensions including securing scholarships and jobs abroad, jobs locally, progress at work, homes of their own, prosperity in business, businesses of their own, connections, to mention but a few.

She informed that from her records, in a particular year, over 200 hundred singles got married through the Monday prayer intercessions even as they teach singles how to be better husbands to their wives and better wives to their husbands and other morals and family issues for a better society.

Mrs Obichukwu encouraged all singles to ensure they don’t miss the Monday Fr Tansi pre-marriage prayer session to get spiritual and emotional power to withstand the dynamics of the day bedevilling singles in order to get their breakthrough.

Meanwhile, the Communio Sanctorum International Ministry, Awka, Anambra State celebration of the Feast of All Saints and All Souls Day recently ended in Awka with admonition on Christians by the clergy to be truly Christ-like in their actions.

Earlier in a vote of thanks, the founder of Communio Sanctorum Ministry, Very Rev Fr. (Prof) Bonachristus Umeogu, while commending clergy and laity alike, noted that God has called all to be Saints, tasking the congregation to do good and put the homily to practice if they desired to make Heaven.

Speaking on the colloquium ‘The Great Gesundheit Health Care Renaissance’, the founder maintained that family health manager supplement was the answer to asthma, diabetes, infection, hypertension, hepatitis, cancer, paralysis and so on.

Fr. Umeogu said family health, which, according to him, is the state of complete physical, mental, social, economic, cultural and spiritual wellbeing of the members of a family, remains sacrosanct.

The popular clergyman said that Gesundheit family health care was provided by the ministry as a platform for systematic heath productions, applications and activities to prevent, cure or control family health problems to promote good health in families.

“Gesundheit family healthcare uses family history to prevent, cure or control to prevent, cure or control families of such ailments like asthma, diabetes, infection, hypertension, hepatitis, cancer, paralysis, that more or less through the family genetic blood lines menace the family health status,” he stated.

In his homily, the officiating priest, Rev. Fr. (Prof). Mosignor Theophilus Okere, said everyone living a good life is qualified to be a Saint, noting that the day offered opportunity to celebrate those who have lived well.

Fr. Okere, who stressed that it is those who have endured great temptations, trials and sufferings of this life that can go to Heaven, also emphasised that a Christian need not to be martyred before he or she can become a saint.

Highlighting some of the challenges that a Christian has to contend with, the clergyman remarked that Christians should see sufferings as a spectacle of Christianity, pointing out that it only those that persevered to the end that would be saved.

“To be a Christian is to suffer persecutions and temptations. It is the hallmark of Christianity as followers of Christ. Through the beatitudes, Christ has told us what to do and the promises attached in doing them,” he said.

Over 5,000 singles were recently hooked for life to their dream partners at the Monday Father Tansi Pre-marriage prayer session of Communio Sanctotum Ministries International, Awka, with Rev Fr. (Prof) BonaChristus Umeogu as the Spiritual Director, writes OGE ONYEANUSI

• Rev Fr. (Prof) Umeogu(4th from left), other priests and members of the laity at Communio Sanctotum Ministries International, Awka “To be a saint means to be holy; God is holy; Christ is God and our supreme model.

Holiness means to be good and to be far away from evil. We sometimes narrow saints to those who have been canonised by the church alone, but it is not only them. You too can become a saint once you live a holy life.

“To be Christian means to be destined to be holy, to be perfect as God our Father. Just as Christ went about doing good, do same, go about doing good and you will be a saint in the end. It is possible because there is no impossibility in Christianity.”

Delivering a lecture on hypertension, a Consultant Physician and Cardiologist, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, and Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Prof. (Mrs). Gladys Ifesinachi Ahaneku said high blood pressure is one of the medical conditions believed in the past to be prevalent among blacks, noting that it was a wrong assumption.

Mrs. Ahaneku, who decried that people usually attribute such condition ‘too much’ thinking, stressed that the true cause of hypertension is not known the world over, even as she pointed out that age, gender, menopause, family history, high salt intake, among others, could increase the risk factors associated with hypertension.

Her words: “The older you become, the more likely that you will develop hypertension; the condition is much more common in males and by the time a woman passes reproductive stage or enters menopause, the chances of her having it narrow to those of man and that is why it is somehow estimated that female hormones is more protective.

“Again, someone whose family members have it are more likely to have it than people who do not have the family history. People who eat salt have a greater chance because salt is not healthy, so also people who are fat as well as those who do not exercise. It is possible that stress can be added to the list of the factors associated with hypertension.”

According to the renowned cardiologist, once someone is hypertensive, he should go for check up, lack of which affects some target organs like the eyes, brain, heart, kidney, blood vessels. She, however, pointed out that someone could have high blood pres-

sure and be oblivious of some of the complications until it strikes him or her down.

Describing hypertension as a silent killer, Ahaneku, who is also the current Head of Department of Internal Medicine, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Anambra state said lack of proper care by patients could lead to complications as stroke, heart failure and other major diseases.

Asked about the best treatment for high blood pressure, she said: “The patients have to be on drugs and keep going for checkups; this is why once someone comes to the hospital, their blood pressure is checked. Patients should not rely only on edibles such as garbage, garlic, for treatment. There are so many good drugs for managing it, which can only be administered after the doctor has examined the patient.”

She advised that people ensure they go for hypertensive check-up every three months, emphasising the importance of monitoring one’s high blood pressure especially when they approached between 35 to 40 years.

On the significant of All Saints Commemoration by the church, she added: “As Catholics, we believe in communion of saints, who have died in Christ and we hope they intercede for us. It is a day for us to reflect on our lives and prepare ourselves so that one day we will be there with them.”

Speaking on the side-lines of the event, a lecturer at UNIZIK, Awka, Rev. Fr. (Dr). Chika Okpalike, said the solemnity in the church was a celebration of hope, noting that the church is in three parts, the church triumphant, the church militant and the church suffering.

“It is the celebration of the whole church; those who have gone past and have triumphed through; those who are still struggling and those who have struggled, gone past but have not yet triumphed, they are suffering, hoping that one day everything shall culminate in heaven,” he explained.

Okpalike, who is also the Special Adviser on Academics to UNIZIK Vice Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ahaneku, charged all to live out the faith they profess, remarking that Christians should not be nominal but should be Christians in faith and practice.

Reacting to the allegations that the celebration of All Saints by Catholics is a form of idolatry, the clergyman said: “The church does not worship any other thing except God himself, every other thing is allied to the worship of God. “As a matter of fact, the essence of religion is the communion between the living and dead. Religion is not an empty prayer, singing or a psychological feeling, but a reality that brings together two independent worlds, two worlds of different essences, that is of the living and of the dead. What the church does is the symbolisation of this communion in so many ways for which All Saints Day celebration is one of them.

“If we are struggling as Christians and religious people in this world without having the hope that one day we shall transform into spirit, then, it makes no sense and if there are people who have died and have transformed into spirits, and have become what we are aspiring to be, so, celebrating them makes a lot of sense but not worshiping them.

“Again, whatever language we speak of God is an anthropomorphic; there is no human language or human expression that says exactly what God is or how He operates. So, why condemn the Church? If you take God totally in His dimension, that is, away from humanity, you will see that our human language cannot describe God, neither can our human activities serve God adequately. So, it is in this anthropomorphic expression that we are saying that there are people who have triumphed through that need be celebrated.”

Also speaking, the Chaplain, St. Joseph The Worker Catholic Chaplaincy, UNIZIK, Awka, Rev. Fr. Remigius Ezeokonkwo, described the celebration as ‘wonderful’, adding that “it also reminds us that we can be saints if we live our life well. Every Christian is encouraged today to move on with their spiritual journey to attain Heaven.”

Fr. Ezeokonkwo, who said those criticising the celebrations lacked the knowledge of Christian theology, added that there were great relationships among the three parts of the church, namely, the church triumphant, the militant church and the suffering church.

40

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

NEWS

Nwafor Orizu Education College graduates 800 teachers at19th convocation

N

o fewer than 800 graduates of Nwafor Orizu College of Education Nsugbe (NOCEN) were conferred with the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) and Professional Diploma in Education (PDE) at the 19th convocation ceremony of the institution.

In her convocation address, the Provost of the college, Dr Ifeyinwa Osegbo said 704 graduates received NCE and 96 others were awarded teaching certificates.

Osegbo urged the graduates to see their convocation as call to duty and a mark to the end of dependence on their families, adding that they should use the knowledge acquired as weapon of survival and excellence in their various fields of human endeavours.

She commended Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra state for his commitment to the welfare of the staff and students of the college, especially for the construction of internal roads within the institution. and appealed to him to construct hostels to reduce accommodation hardship faced by students and to convert the college into a University of Education, to help boost the strength of the institution, staff and students, as well as increase the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR of the college.

In his address, Gov. Obiano represented by the state Commissioner for Tertiary and Science Education, Prof. Theresa Obiekezie assured that his administration was committed to providing equal educational opportunity for all, adding that education remains a pillar and an enabler in his administration to ensure that all citizens receive equal opportunity in education.

The governor disclosed that more roads construction within the institution have been awarded while perimeter fencing would soon commence to further provide security to the college.

While commending the staff and students of the college for their dedication to lecture and studies, Obiano pledged to provide scholarships to indigent students in the college.

Highlight of the event was the award of college prizes to six deserving graduates, just as Miss Marycynthia Mmaduchebe, a graduate of Biology/Chemistry emerged the overall best student for 2018 academic session.

•Dr Ifeyinwa Osegbo

Call Anambra Commissioner to order, Ogbaru main market traders tell Obiano

Stories by IBE NWACHUKWU

G

overnor Willie Obiano of Anambra state has been urged to direct his Commissioner for Commerce,Industry, Market and Wealth Creation, Dr. Christian Madubuko, to stop further criminal activities in Ogbaru Main Market.

In a petition to the Governor, the market traders, under the auspices of Concerned Traders for the Survival of Ogbaru Market (CTSOMM), said if Dr. Madubuko fails to stop his destabilization activities in the market, they would have no other option than to have a show down with him.

In the petition signed by Chief Ikenna Okoye on behalf of said the traders in the market were still shocked over the Commissioner’s continued

activities aimed at destroying the market, adding that after allegedly collecting about N10.5million from the Market through one Chinedu Ijezie, (alias Onye Ntule), including all other levies he has been collecting in the market, the Commissioner still removed the same Ijezie when the odds were against him in the pretext that it was Governor Obiano who removed Ijezie.

Madubuko, they further alleged, replaced Ijezie with Mr.Buknor Agu even after allegedly collecting N2m from Ijezie before he was appointed.

When Buknor took over the leadership of the market, the traders said, the Commissioner insisted that he (Buknor), should be making returns to him in his office at Awka every Friday but Buknor refused and

insisted on proper accountability of the finances of the market to the appropriate government revenue channel This, said the traders, infuriated the Commissioner who appointed one Ndubuisi Ochiogu, after allegedly collecting N2million from him but the traders resisted the foisting of another Caretaker Committee in the Market, bringing it to four chairmen within four weeks.

The same Commissioner, said Nwokoye, again wrote to Patrons of the market to install Ochiogu as the chairman of the Market to take over from Buknor with immediate effect even when the traders have defiantly rejected Ochiogu, adding that the Commissioner obviously gave this illegal directive because Buknor refused to channel the traders’ money

•A cross section of matriculating students of the Gregory University Uturu Abia State

Photo: Oliver Udeogu

to him.

By this directive, said the traders, the Commissioner wants to create crisis in the market because there is no where in the constitution of the market patrons were given powers to exclusively appoint leaders in the Market, adding, “There is also no provision for Caretaker Committee of any type in our constitution”.

“It is no longer news that Madubuko’s aim is to create confusion at Ogbaru Main Market, so that he will continue to cart away money there.

That is the only reason he wants Chief Victor Nwawuzie, (Akirika Ukpor) out of the market at all cost by suspending him illegally, without following due process, the constitution of the market and has bluntly refused him to resume his seat”said Nwokoye.

He said the Commissioner has equally leveled frivolous and unsubstantiated allegations against Chief Nwawuzie just to take over the vault of the market and milk it dry through those he wants to impose on the traders.

A PDP chieftain, Chief Sam Mendu and APC stalwart, said Nwokoye were the people the Commissioner was using to foist Caretaker Committee at all cost, but that negates the constitution of the Market.

“Madubuko by trying to impose a Caretaker Committee on the traders which is unconstitutional wants to create crisis in the market and frustrate their Yuletide sales this year.

“If there is crisis and blood bath in Ogbaru Main market, Madubuko should be held responsible’” the traders warned.

They said Ochiogu who is yet to explain to the traders of Ogbaru Main Market what happened to the former chairman of the Market who died along Abuja road when two of them were traveling to Abuja.

The spokesman said the Ogbaru traders have vowed to take on the Commissioner headlong if he further dabbles into the internal affairs of the market.

Bishop predicts birth of Biafra

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eneral Overseer of Mount Zion Faith Global Liberation Ministries, Incorporated, a.k.a, By Fire By Fire, Nnewi of Anambra State, Bishop Abraham Chris Udeh has prophesied that world powers would soon append their signatures for the restoration of Biafra.

He said God showed him in a vision that most of the world powers had already appended their signatures, waiting for about three or four others to do same to bring the Biafra restoration into fruition.

Bishop Udeh who spoke after his 40-day fasting and prayer session with members of his congregation, said Aso Rock is currently panicking because they knew that Biafra will come to stay, warning that with God already determined to restore Biafra, any one trying to constitute obstacle must be cast out of the way by God Himself.

He therefore urged those who want Biafra to pray fervently for his prophesy to materialize in no distant future, possibly before the February 2019 general election or before the May 29 handover date According to him, “What Ndigbo

•Says ‘I saw world powers appending their signatures for Biafra’ should do now is to channel their efforts towards actualizing Biafra. I want the whole Easterners to back the Biafra agitation both big and small. Those of them elected or appointed into several positions in the country should resign and join in the agitation”.

“This is the time to pursue our destiny but not by violence. It has to be done based on the United Nations standards. And it is only when we show seriousness that the world body would listen to us.

This action will include boycotting the 2019 general elections in Nigeria which we know will never be credible,” the Bishop said.

He warned Ndigbo in the North and any other part of the country not to make the mistake of being carried away by promises of safety by their host communities. He said they should do themselves favour and return home with their families before the elections start, “if the elections will actually hold.”

On the 2019 election, Bishop Udeh prophesied that the ruling

power in Aso Rock had perfected plans to rig the elections, adding that he saw desperation in President Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC) government fighting for a second tenure with everything available “aided and abated by all the security agencies under the control of the presidency”.

The clergy noted that the only thing that could save the situation would be to set up an interim government to conduct the 2019 elections on a neutral ground, without the ruling party being in control, insisting that if that is not done, even if the elections are conducted 100 times, the APC would win 100 times.

Bishop Udeh said he spotted the APC government in the spiritual realm buying voters’ cards as one of the avenues to rig the elections in addition to other manipulations to continue in power.

He called on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the major contestant in the forthcoming elec-

tions, all the other political parties and every Nigerian to insist on an interim government to conduct the 2019 polls “otherwise the best thing is for all the stakeholders to boycott the elections and pass vote of no confidence in the APC administration”.

As for Ndigbo who he said the APC government was dangling a bait that they would produce the next President in 2023 after supporting Buhari for a second tenure, he described it as hoping against hope and unachievable.

He said that Ndigbo should forget what the likes of Minister for Labour, Senator Chris Ngige and Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State are telling them about supporting APC and President Buhari for a second tenure. He described the duo as “drummer boys” in the hands of the Buhari administration.

He noted that any Igbo man who hoped that the Igbo would be allowed to produce a Nigerian president just like that in 2023, might be having a day dream.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

News

Marriott reports 500m customer information breach

By SOPURUCHI ONWUKA

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LOBAL hospitality group, Marriott, has declared breach of its customer information database by hackers who seek sensitive information of high networth personalities across the world. The incident led to unauthorized access to personal information affecting over 500 million customers of the hotel group.

According to messages sent to customers who have stayed any of the hotels managed by the group, the hackers stole customers’ information including combination of name, mailing address, phone number, email address, passport number, Starwood Preferred Guest (“SPG”) account information, date of birth, gender, arrival and departure information, reservation date, and communication preferences.

The conglomerate which runs chains of Marriott and Starwood hotel groups stated that the data security incident involved the Starwood guest reservation segment of its database.

Starwood brands include: W Hotels, St. Regis, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, Westin Hotels & Resorts, Element Hotels, Aloft Hotels, The Luxury Collection, Tribute Portfolio, Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts, Four Points by Sheraton and Design Hotels.

The statement stated that Starwood branded timeshare properties including Sheraton Vacation Club, Westin Vacation Club, The Luxury Collection Residence Club, St. Regis Residence Club, and

Vistana are also included.

In the statement, the high profile hotel chain declared that it suffered unauthorized access to the database, which contained guest information relating to reservations at Starwood properties “on or before September 10, 2018.”

“Marriottt learned during the investigation that there had been unauthorized access to the Starwood network since 2014. Marriottt recently discovered that an unauthorized party had copied and encrypted information, and took steps towards removing it. On November 19, 2018, Marriottt was able to decrypt the information and determined that the contents were from the Starwood guest reservation database.

“Marriottt has not finished identifying duplicate information in the database, but believes it contains information on up to approximately 500 million guests who made a reservation at a Starwood property.

“For approximately 327 million of these guests, the information includes some combination of name, mailing address, phone number, •Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu exchanages views with NNPC MD/CEO Dr. Markanti Baru duremail address, passport number, ing an event.. recently.

Starwood Preferred Guest (“SPG”) account information, date of birth, “There are two components to law enforcement and continues about the incident, while providing gender, arrival and departure infor- needed to decrypt the payment to support their investigation. The guests the opportunity to enroll in mation, reservation date, and com- card numbers, and at this point, company is also notifying regula- WebWatcher free of charge for one year. munication preferences.

Marriottt has not been able to rule tory authorities,” the mail reads.

WebWatcher monitors internet “For some, the information also out the possibility that both were Marriottt stated that it is workincludes payment card numbers taken. For the remaining guests, ing hard to provide guests with an- sites where personal information and payment card expiration dates, the information was limited to swers to questions about their per- is shared and generates an alert but the payment card numbers name and sometimes other data sonal information with a dedicated to the consumer if evidence of the were encrypted using Advanced such as mailing address, email ad- website and call center, adding that consumer’s personal information is found. Due to regulatory and Encryption Standard encryption dress, or other information.” it is also devoting the resources other reasons, WebWatcher or simi(AES-128).

“Marriottt reported this incident necessary to phase out Starwood lar products are not available in all systems and accelerate the ongo- countries. ing security enhancements to its Marriottt said guests from the network.

United States who complete the The group said it has also estab- WebWatcher enrollment process confronting the sector.

“We will continue providing specif- lished a dedicated call center availa- will also be provided fraud consul“We are not unmindful of the fund- ic infrastructure through annual ap- ble in multiple languages to answer tation services and reimbursement ing challenge faced by the education propriation and other interventions questions customers may have coverage for free. sector, occasioned by dwindling such as the Tertiary Education Trust resources and other competing na- (TET) Fund, NEEDS assessment, among others. tional needs.

“Universities have critical roles to “We will, however, continue doing the needful to improve the nation’s play in nation building as they must educational sector within available, justify their establishment through RS. May Agbamuche-Mbu, leadership was the pro-archial culexcellent, production-based relimited resources,” he said.

National Commissioner of ture in the political system.

The President said that his admin- search activities, innovative ideas, the Independent National “Some of the position in governistration realised the importance empowerment of youths among Electoral Commission (INEC), has ance and platforms does not favour of education in nation building and others,” he said. tasked women on improving their women’s growth in politics, leaderHe congratulated the Alake of Eg- engagement and participation in ship and development. pledged its continued support and provision to the sector. baland, HRH Michael Gbadebo and the political process ahead of the “Another impediment of womProf. Ihechukwu Madubuike, former 2019 elections. en in leadership is the capacity of Minister of Education and Health for Agbamuche-Mbu, gave the ad- women in decision making platthe conferment of honourary doc- vice in Abuja during a workshop on form, women should be ready are toral degrees on them by the institu- Convention on the Elimination of to task up the task on how to hantion. all Forms of Discrimination Against dle issues in leadership” she said.

“The conferment is in recognition Women (CEDAW) prisms: perspecAnother speaker, a UN CEDAW of their immense contributions to series to promote transforma- Committee member, Mrs Esther of Defence Staff over this irrepara- the development of the nation’s uni- tives tive gender equality and Women’s Eghobamien-Mshelia, said women ble loss. We pray that the Almighty versity system. advancement in Nigeria. lacked awareness on some of their “I congratulate AE-FUNAI for the God grants his soul eternal rest”.

The theme of the workshop is ” rights. successful organisation of its third Changing the Narrative of women’s Eghobamien-Mshelia said many convocation ceremony and urge the leadership good governance”. women had suffered direct and ingraduands to utilise the opportunity Agbamuche-Mbu, who is also direct discrimination in one way or and excel in their chosen careers,” head of Legal Services, INEC, said the other. he said. although women work twice as She said the workshop was orProf. Chinedum Nwajiuba, the uni- hard than men, adding that women ganised to identify and address versity’s Vice Chancellor noted that need to change the way and man- some of the challenges women unthe institution decided to honour its ner they advocate for what they dergo in leadership positions.

Chancellor, Gbadebo and Madubike want.

Eghobamien-Mshelia said CEDAW for their immense contributions to “It takes a lot of courage to go was one of the core international the education sector of the country. into politics as women,there is human rights treaties of the UN “355 graduands are being cele- need to have laws that suit us. In and it requires states, parties to brated presently as against 247 dur- Kenya and Rwanda, there are good undertake legal obligations to reing our second convocation in 2017 percentage of women in govern- spect, protect and fulfil women’s and 124 in 2016. ance in which Nigeria should emu- rights.

“The 355 graduands are being late,” Agbamuche-Mbu said.

The News Agency of Nigeria awarded bachelors degrees as folAlso speaking, a board member (NAN) reports that CEDAW is an inlows: Faculty of Basic Management of a nonprofit organisation, Strong ternational treaty adopted in 1979 Sciences 62; Humanities 44; Manage- Enough Girls Empowerment Initia- by the UN General Assembly. ment and Social Sciences 148; and tive, Mrs Abiodun Essiet said one Described as an international bill •Badeh Sciences 101,” he said. of the factors impeding women in of rights for women, it was insti-

Buhari urges ASUU to suspend strike in national interest

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RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has urged the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to suspend its on-going industrial action in the interest of the country.

The President gave the charge on Tuesday during the 3rd Convocation Ceremony of the Alex EkwuemeFederal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo (AE-FUNAI) Ebonyi.

Buhari, who was represented by Mr Victor Onuoha, Deputy Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) said government was aware of the challenges

Former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh assassinated F

ormer Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, is dead.

He was assassinated on Tuesday along Abuja-Keffi Road.

A statement by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, reads: “It is with a heavy heart that I regretfully announce the unfortunate demise of former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, who died today, 18 December 2018, from gunshot wounds sustained when his vehicle was attacked while returning from his farm along Abuja-Keffi Road.

“On behalf officers, airmen and airwomen of the Nigerian Air Force, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Abubakar, commiserates with the family of the late former Chief

INEC commissioner tasks women on improving participation in governance

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42

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

News

FG to restore citizens’ faith in FOI Act

Stories by MADUABUCHI KALU

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CTING Director General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Mr. Dasuki Arabi, has disclosed plans to restore the faith of Nigerians in the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act to promote open governance.

Arabi stated this at the Validation Workshop of the Report on the Study of the Administrative Burden on the Implementation of FOI Act in Four Federal Government Agencies on Tuesday in Abuja.

The one day workshop was organised in collaboration with Right to Know, an NGO, and the MacArthur Foundation.

He said that the FOI was vital for democracy and responsible governance, stating that it would curb executive, judicial and legislative recklessness.

Arabi said that after eight years of signing the FOI Act, the Bureau had observed little credible evidence that a number of MDAs were complying with its dictates.

He added that a number of people have not being proactive in the use of the law to demand for information even though there had been sporadic request by advocacy groups.

“The denial of access to information and attendant widespread ignorance in the society does more harm than any harm that could possibly arise from granting access of information to members of the public.

“The benefits far exceeds the cost, the effective implementation of FOI in Nigeria brings openness,

transparency and good governance thereby complementing governments avowed commitment to stamp out corruption.

“The FOI law facilitates open governance because even if certain information in a document qualifies for an exemption to FOI law the rest must be disclosed.”

He added that the bureau has carried out a study on the Ministry of Finance, Justice, Code of Conduct Bureau and Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.

He said this was to implement the law that BPSR in Partnership with Right to Know and the MacArthur Foundation used to assess the extent of implementation of the act in these agencies.

He said the outcome of the study would assist the Federal Government to design strategies toward addressing critical areas in the implementation of the Act. The Acting DG said that the workshop was to introduce stakeholders to the key findings of the report and elicit their input.

Arabi said that the bureau had also developed scorecard for ranking websites of government institutions to mitigate challenges of access to information and enhance service delivery.

Also in her remarks, Ene Nwankpa, National Coordinator, Right to Know said that from their findings the implementation of the FOI act in Nigeria is very slow.

She added that the slow process was expected since the country was just coming out of an era of official secrecy, when many documents are classified as confidential.

Al-Makura orders payment of Dec. salary to LG workers b4 Xtmas

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OVERNOR Umaru Al-Makura of Nasarawa State has directed the full payment of December salaries to the staff of local government councils across the state before Christmas.

Mr Haruna Osegba, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, announced this on Tuesday at the state’s Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) meeting in Lafia.

Osegba, who was represented

by Mr Bala Sani, Permanent Secretary of the ministry, said that the directive was aimed at ensuring that workers were able to satisfy their family demands in the Yuletide.

He pledged that the government would continue to prioritise the payment of salaries and allowances to its workers in order to promote their welfare as the drivers of the economy.

Osegba also assured the workers that the government would

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portal for FOI is really comforting and shows the country was promoting openness and eradicating official secrecy.

“Other ministries have taken a

cue from BPSR and have included it in their budget to create a portal for the FOI and this will enhance the fight against corruption in the country,” she said.

•Abuja Youth rally.

Experts charge Diamond, Access banks to brief shareholders urgently

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OME financial experts on Tuesday urged Diamond Bank and Access Bank, which merged recently to urgently to hold a meeting with their shareholders, to update them.

They made the suggestion in interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Tuesday in Lagos.

Mr Muda Yusuf, Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) also said the merger would boost stability and investors’ confidence in the banking system.

Yusuf reiterated that the merger was a welcome development, which might have averted possible crisis in the future.

“The merger has salvaged that situation and ensured that depositors’ funds are protected from undue risk, and also removes the issue of systemic failure in the financial system,” he said.

Yusuf noted that some of the

continue to pay them full salaries as at when due, even if there were shortfalls or delays in allocations from the Federation Account.

Also speaking, Mohammed Addis, Executive Chairman, Nasarawa State Primary Healthcare and Development Agency (NAPHDA), threatened to sanction the directors of health of various local government councils for sabotaging efforts to fill vacant positions in their respective councils.

He said that the governor had given approval for the replacement of health workers who had died, retired, resigned or transferred their services.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting, which was attended by the chairmen of 13 Local Government Areas and he hope of Senator Buruji Kasha18 Development Areas, agreed to mu to represent the Peoples compel the health directors to for- Democratic Party (PDP), as the guward the required information to bernatorial candidate for the 2019 NAPHDA for action. election dimmed Tuesday following a judgment by the Appeal Court that set aside the lower court judgment which had recognized him as “The peace accord is for peace- the party’s candidate. ful conduct of the 2019 poll under According to the judgment which the leadership of the Adamawa was delivered by the appellate court Commissioner of Police,” Gaidam in Ibadan, Sen. Buruji Kashamu and other candidates in the Adebayo said.

On the security situation in the Dayo-led faction of the Ogun State northern parts of the state and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Madagali Local Government Area may not fly the party’s ticket unless in particular, he said the com- a superior court nullifies the latest mission had recently conducted judgment.

The judgment has given hope to registration of Permanent Voter Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu and others Cards and it was hitch free.

He called on eligible voters, who who won in the party’s primaries.

The three-man panel also ordered were recently captured in the regthat the case be reassigned to anistration to go to their Local Government INEC offices and collect other judge noting that Justice Abubakar Shittu, who delivered the their PVCs. earlier judgment failed to look into

INEC to hold Adamawa guber peace accord on Dec. 20 HE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Adamawa, has fixed Thursday Dec. 20 for governorship candidates peace accord in the state.

Mr. Kasim Gaidam, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, made this disclosure to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Yola.

He said the signing of the peace accord was part of the commission’s preparation for credible and acceptable 2019 general elections.

“Governorship candidates in the state will sign the peace accord on Dec. 20, 2018.

Nwankpa however commended BPSR for creating an online portal for the FOI Act on their website for easy access to the public.

“For a given institution to have a

challenges confronting the financial system were due weak corporate governance system.

He, therefore, urged shareholders to rise to their oversight responsibility to ensure effective banking management.

He also urged regulatory authorities to ensure that corporate governance issues were upheld and not breached by the management of any financial institution.

Also, Shehu Mallam-Mikail, President, Constance Shareholders Association of Nigeria, said the two financial institutions should ensure that there was no infraction in their dealings that would affect shareholders.

He urged them to hold a meeting with their shareholders shortly to update them on the modalities and issues surrounding the merger.

Prof. Segun Ajibola, former President of the Chartered Institute of

Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), said the merger between the two banks was a different picture from that of Skye Bank.

According to him, the decision is a proactive step when compared to that of Skye Bank because the investors in the Diamond Access banks’ merger are known when compared to that of Skye Bank.

“Whether it is merger or acquisition between the two banks, the fact is one big bank is better than two weak banks.

“With this development, one expects a strong, virile and capable institution in the future that will equally protect the interest of the investors.

It has been reported that Diamond Bank affirmed its merger with the Access Bank on December 17. It said that the aim of the merger was to create Nigeria’s and Africa’s largest retail bank by customer-base.

some issues.

According to Justice A. B. Bada, who led N. Okoronkwo and Justice H. S. Samani, the PDP and other appellants were right when they argued that they were not properly served in the case.

The court held that: “From the above analysis, I have no doubt that the process was not properly served. It is settled in law that where there is no service or proper service, the claimed service is a nullity and any decision based on that is a nullity.”

“This puts the appellants in a situation where their fundamental human right for fair hearing is breached.”

Consequently, he declared the lower court’s decision a nullity.”

Also, Justice Samani who held a similar view with his colleague stated, “It is an exact thing that must be undertaken.

The bailiff must prove that he has

found the exact person the service is meant for, who, in this case, the court stipulated must not be lower in rank than Secretary of the party”.

In its prayers to the appellate court, the PDP prayed the court to set aside the judgment on the grounds that they were not properly served the processes of the court.

The court reasoned that the appellant not lower than the rank of Secretary should have been served.

But in this case the party’s National Chairman or Secretary was not served before the judgment was delivered.

The appellate court said the issue of proper service is a fundamental requirement in the judicial process and cannot be overlooked. The panel added that it would have been a different matter if the bailiff had proved that it tried to serve the appellants but that they evaded service.

Appeal court sets aside lower court judgment on Kashamu

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

NEWS

...Bakassi, Nigeria’s injustice against self Continued from Pg 2

sented to the Supreme Military Council, SMC, which wielded executive and parliamentary powers at the time. So, there was nothing that could have been effected.

“Then came President Olusegun Obasanjo, who signed the Bakassi Green Tree Agreement, GTA. His case was worse because it was during a civilian era and the National Assembly was in place. A Head of State can reach an agreement with a foreign power but that agreement has to be approved by the National Assembly, which has the sovereign authority. Beyond that, subjecting yourself to the authority

of the ICJ is by choice, it is not mandatory. That is why the US does not recognise the ICJ on any matter of national interest. So, why did Obasanjo agree to go to the ICJ? It was not necessary and mandatory.” …“You don’t give away your territory. Turkey came and seized part of Cyprus because it has not been recognised by anybody.

The world cannot allow it or else the world would be an unstable place. Another dimension to the treaty of 1884 between the Kings of Calabar and Great Britain is that it was concluded between two sovereign people and it pre-dated the Vienna Convention of 1885. So, the 1913 agreement

with Germany has to return to the source, 1884, which does not support it. In international law, laws follow earlier laws, which set precedent. So Bakassi has always been administered as part of Nigeria. The people of Bakassi took part in all election before and after independence. They were not treated as part of Cameroon as the 1913 agreement claimed. Even if it was in the trusteeship agreement, there is a clause that says you cannot change the trusteeship agreement without going to the people through a plebiscite or referendum to determine where they want to go. The right to self-determination still exists. You must consult the people of Bakas-

si and that has not happened. You can’t just remove them from their ancestral land and settle them elsewhere as if they are stones.”

On lack of compassion , Anya said: “There is a surprising dimension to the whole issue. The dimension is that those of us, who claim to be Christians like Gowon and Obasanjo, should have compassion, an important character of a Christian is compassion. If you have compassion, you will ask: have been compassionate towards our brothers and sisters in Bakassi? The answer is no. It is not only Gowon and Obasanjo, even the press and other Nigerians are guilty because they have treated the matter as if it is not a matter

•Right Igwe Igboezue Worldwide Igwe John Ofodum with Eze Amara the second, HRH Eze Amadi Azuogu Traditional Ruler Ntigha Mbano Owo Ahafo Community Obingwa local government area Abia State at Igwe Ofodum’s coronation ceremony at Oraukwu in Idemmili North LGA Anambra State Photo : Oliver Udeogu

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he Nigerian Army has called for the closure of the Amnesty International offices in Nigeria, alleging there is credible evidence the organisation is working hard to destabilise the country.

The army spokesman, Brig.-Gen. Sani Usman said in a statement on Monday that the organisation’s attempt to destabilise the nation was noted through fabrication of fictitious allegations of alleged human rights abuses against the Nigerian security forces.

Usman also alleged the AI had engaged in clandestine sponsorship of dissident groups to protest, as well as unfounded allegations against the leadership of the Nigerian military.

A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, Enough is Enough, and BudgIT) have recently called for the probing of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) over the funding of the war against terrorism and other crimes in the country.

The CSOs alleged the army had not made commensurate achievement in the fight in line with the huge fund the federal government allocated to the fight.

The COAS, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, had however explained that some of the allocated funds has

Army calls for closure of Amnesty International offices in Nigeria yet to be cash backed and that it had not reached the army.

Usman said the Nigerian branch of AI that has hitherto been well respected has deviated from the core values, principles and objectives of the original parent body in the United Kingdom.

“They have tried over the years

using Boko Haram terrorists conflicts, Islamic Movement in Nigeria, some activists and now herders/farmers conflicts.

“The NGO is at the verge of releasing yet another concocted report against the military, ostensibly against the Nigerian Army.

“Consequently, Nigerians

should be wary of Amnesty International (Nigeria) because it’s goals are to destabilise Nigeria and to dismember it.

“The Nigerian Army has no option than to call for the closure of Amnesty International offices in Nigeria, if such recklessness continues. (NAN).

Celebrities rock Northern Nigerian fashion at ‘Up North’ premiere

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igerian celebrities displayed eccentric northern-inspired fashion pieces at the grand premiere of Tope Oshin’s new film, ‘Up North’.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that seeing as the film explores the beauty of Northern Nigeria, the premiere, held on Sunday night, was themed ‘Grand Durban’ with dress code, ‘Show me your North’.

The event was well attended by several dignitaries within and outside the entertainment industry including the Mohammed Abubakar, the Governor of Bau-

chi State where the movie was shot.

Mykel Parish, the director of Nollywood Travel Film Festival (NTFF), media mogul, Mo Abudu and celebrity fashion designer, Mai Atafo were also seen wearing northern-themed outfits at the premiere.

Tope Oshin, the film’s director, and several female guests had full henna tattoo designed on their fingers and hands as part of their costumes.

The movie stars, Banky W and Ibrahim Suleiman, who played youth corps members, showed

up in Babariga-inspired outfits leading the outfit trend on the blue carpet.

of great interest. That shows we have not learnt lessons from the civil war and because we have not recognised those lessons we are repeating them. We treat problems affecting other parts of the country as ‘it is their problem, it is not our problem.’ We cannot continue treating problems like that if we want remain as a united country. In a united country, a problem affecting one part is treated as a collective problem. The press has not shown much interest. In the effort to evict Bakassi people from their ancestral home, Nigerians have not asked themselves what they would do if they were in Bakassi’s shoes.”

Ayade maintained that the people of Bakassi were almost “remorselessly” displaced, none of all the mechanisms put in place to safeguard the welfare of the people, like the Green Tree Agreement has been implemented and the transfer of the territory was done without parliamentary approval.

Prof. Ayade said although the activities of the militants were unacceptable to the government, the militants fought because “they watched as the graves of their ancestors were ceded to Cameroon.”

According to the governor, the feeling of the loss of Bakassi, coupled with the non-implementation of the Green Tree Agreement, may have degenerated into arms conflict, noting however that the decision to take up arms against the federal government was counter-productive.

“Bakassi Strike Force came about because they watched the graves of their ancestors, their livelihoods and their land ceded to Cameroun. They felt the loss of Bakassi was unfair, the implementation of the Green Tree Agreement was not followed and it degenerated into arms conflict”.

Professor Ayade noted that the decision of the people to take up arms did more harm than good and promised to fully admit them into amnesty despite their atrocities.

He said he would ensure that the welfare of the militants was taken seriously and solicited the assistance of the federal government for the successful implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the state government and the militants.

Commander of Operation Delta Safe, Rear Admiral Apochi Suleiman, warned the militants not to venture back into the creeks, “because we will come after you.”

He appealed to the governor ensure that all the issues in the Memorandum of Understanding were implemented, “if the governor does not fulfil his promise to them, don’t invite me to pursue them.”

One of the kingpins of the militants, Benjamin Ene, aka G1, said they went into the creeks because of injustice done to the Bakassi people, explaining that the ceding of the territory was in bad faith.

He, however, appealed to government and security agencies to see their actions as history and promised that with the implementation of the MOU, they will not return to the creeks.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

NEWS

Shell, Eni culpable in oil block graft --Judge Continued from Pg 1

during the week there was evidence showing oil groups Eni and Royal Dutch Shell were aware that their 2011 purchase of the oil block hosted in oil prospecting leas (OPL) 245 area would result in corrupt payments to Nigerian politicians and officials.

Italy’s Eni and Shell bought the OPL 245 offshore field for about $1.3 billion.

The Milan judge made the comment in handing down her reasons for the September conviction of Nigerian Emeka Obi and Italian Gianluca Di Nardo, who played middlemen in the OPL 245 deal, for corruption in one of the oil industry’s biggest graft scandals.

Messrs Obi and Di Nardo, have been tried separately from Eni and Shell, which also face corruption allegations over the same deal in a hearing that has yet to be concluded and is expected to drag on for months.

Meanwhile Nigeria has filed a $1.1 billion legal claim against Royal Dutch Shell and Eni over the 2011 oil license deal, even as Eni’s top brass face corruption inquiries in Italy.

The Oracle Today learnt from media sources that Nigeria has in a claim in a London court alleged that the two oil companies, among others, “participated in a fraudulent and corrupt scheme.”

Solicitor representing the feder-

al government in the case, Tom Hibbert, said the claim reflects the “determination and ongoing efforts” of Nigeria to “recover the very significant sums lost to corruption and the unlawful activity of Shell and Eni in this transaction.”

However a spokesman for Shell expectedly denied that the company is liable to any offence, arguing in a media statement that Shell related with credible representatives of partners in the deal.

“We maintain that the 2011 settlement of long-standing legal disputes related to OPL 245 was a fully legal transaction with Eni and the federal government of Nigeria, represented by the most senior officials of the relevant ministries,” the Shell spokesman said.

“Since this matter is before the tribunal of Milan, it would not be appropriate for us to comment in detail on the new claims that have been made by the federal republic of Nigeria,” he added.

The Oracle Today had reported on September 28, 2018 that the ongoing investigations over the OPL 245 acquisition deals would likely stall the development of the oil fields in the block despite approvals by Nigerian regulatory authorities.

It became clear that final investment decision from two European multinational oil companies,

Shell and Eni, on the development of Nigeria’s ultradeep offshore oilfield may have been pushed back by early outcomes from Italian courts over allegations of shady deals in acquisition of the oil block after a court in Milan, Italy, jailed Messrs Emeka Obi, Nigerian, and Gianluca Di Nardo, Italian, for four years each in consequence of their respective roles in assisting Malabu Oil and Gas auction awarded prospecting acreage lease area hosted in oil prospecting licence (OPL) 245 in the deepwater offshore Niger Delta.

Both men were alleged to have played meddle men in helping Malabu Oil and Gas Limited owned by former Minister of Petroleum, Mr. Dan Etete, sell the oil block in which huge discovery was made to partners Shell and Eni. According to sources monitoring the proceedings, Mr. Obi had unwittingly revealed the affair in 2013 when he sued Dan Etete in a London court to claim his commission for setting up the deal. He won that case, received $114 million and paid Di Nardo $24 million for linking him up with Eni executives in Milan.

Their success in the London case laid basis for the main case by Nigeria against Eni and Shell. Italian prosecutors say those alleged payments constituted illegal kickbacks.

An Italian judge ordered $98.4

•Catholic faithful receiving blessing at the Father Tansi Communio Sanctotum Ministries International, Awka

Atiku’s wife, Jemima visits Obi of Onitsha

By OLIVER UDEOGU

s part of the PDP presidential campaign tours, wife of A the party’s presidential candi-

date Her Excellency Barr (Mrs.) Jemima Atiku Abubakar has paid homage to the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe to solicit support for her husband Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

At the event, wife of the former Vice President appealed to Onitsha people to vote for her husband in the forth-coming February 2019 presidential polls, saying that such gesture would put the nation back on the part of economic recovery.

A native of the ancient king-

dom, Mrs. Abubakar used the visit to get together with her kith and kin when she drummed support for her husband.

On hand to welcome her were Ndi Agbalanze Onitsha, Ndi Odu, Ndi Ichie and Ndi Diokpa.

There were also at the event several Atiku support groups and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from across the 21 one local government areas in the State.

Mrs. Abubakar was accompanied to the event by wife of former governor of Anambra State, Mrs. Margret Peter Obi, wife of PDP National Chairman Mrs. Secondus and Hon Lynda Ikpeazu, Member representing

Onitsha North/ Onitsha South federal constituency.

In his remark, Igwe Achebe described Mrs. Abubakar as a worthy daughter of Onitsha in whom the people were well pleased.

The traditional ruler commended her good gesture of coming to her roots, as charity begins at home while pledging that the people of the kingdom had heard her request and would not disappoint her.

The highlight of the event was the Obi of Onitsha’s blessings on members of the entourage who knelt before the royal father one after another, to receive his blessings.

million seized from Obi; and 21 million Swiss francs, $21.8 million, or 18.6 million Euros seized from Di Nardo as part of their penalties.

Eni and Shell also stand accused in the main case running at separate court in Italy. They have insisted right from the beginning that they followed ethical processes in acquiring the petroleum assets.

While the cases which followed protracted investigations raged overseas, Nigerian government officials worked closely with the two companies on the development of the giant oil reserves discovered in the controversial oil block.

Experts say that with over 9.0 billion barrels of oil reserves in place, the Zabazaba deepwater oilfield would be the nation’s biggest source of new production and development might envisage the longest deepwater production life ever in the West African waters.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, had in February boasted that government would attract some $12 billion in foreign direct investment from the two oil companies when the investment decisions for the field development would be reached.

Dr. Kachikwu had at an industry forum in Abuja declared that Zabazaba and other field development projects represented the next tranche of foreign direct investments expected to reinject vibrancy in the nation’s upstream petroleum industry operations where activity lull in the past 10 years have dealt commercial blow on oilfield service sector and dampened hopes of meeting the key targets of the Nigerian Content Policy.

Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, who was responding to concerns about the low level of activity and consequent labour crisis in the service segments of the industry, said over $40 billion has been secured to keep up activity in the sector while efforts were on to boost investment in the upstream industry to $100 billion.

The minister counted the $12 billion Zabazaba deepwater field development to be operated

by Eni’s Agip Energy Resources (AER) as key investment prospect and source of new oil for the country.

Zabazaba, when commissioned, comes with nameplate production capacity for 250,000 barrels of light sweet crude oil per day. But industry observers are worried that the unexplained delay in approval processes that would lead Eni to FID on the project might be linked to the corruption trials which might bring the two companies under sanctions and pressure to forfeit the asset.

The Oracle Today reports that the project has scaled all regulatory approvals including the Nigerian Content job package audit as well as technical and quality audits by Department of Petroleum Resources which regulates the industry. It only remains approval from the ministry for investors to sign FID on the project.

The Chief Executive Officer of Eni, Mr. Claudio Descalzi , and Dr. Kachikwu had earlier in Rome reached agreement on the company’s continuing investment in

Nigeria despite lingering investigations over the company’s acquisition of the Zabazaba field with Shell.

Dr. Kachikwu had reached plans with Eni to intensify upstream oil and gas production operations with an increased focus on development and exploration in their offshore and ultra-deepwater operated areas.

However, whereas Zabazaba flaunts huge investment funds for Nigeria, the asset transfer deals involving Shell and Eni remain subject of investigation and court appearances. Top executives of both Shell and Eni have been standing trials since early this year over the roles in processes leading to acquisition of OPL 245.

Investigations are wound around $1.3 billion acquisition fee brokered by the government, and prosecutors in Italy contend that the two firms paid nearly $1.1 billion into an escrow account for the government, from which $800 million was later transferred to a company connected to a former dictator to be distributed as payoffs.

The sentence of Messrs Emeka Obi and Gianluca Di Nardo rekindled fire in the parallel case involving Eni and Shell; and analysts say that the convictions post a signal to the direction of the main cases involving Shell and Eni. The ruling would provide Shell and Eni the sign post for the likely outcome of the main case which involves Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi and four former Shell managers including one-time Shell Foundation Chairman Malcolm Brinded.

According to a source familiar with legal issues of commercial nature, the recent ruling would not tie the hands of the court but rather post prejudgement signal.

With the prevailing investment apathy in the country and government’s efforts to persuade the oil companies with untapped reserves in the country to invest in field development, OPL 245 has constantly featured as one of the greatest allures for foreign direct investment in the near term.

Whereas Dr. Kachikwu had counted it as one of the new project on the table, industry observers fear that board and shareholders of the publicly quoted European companies might not approve funding for field development investment because of the ongoing dispute.

In the main trial against Eni and Shell some 13 people including Etete, Eni boss Claudio Descalzi and his predecessor, Paolo Scaroni face charges in the scandal.

And if found guilty in the case, the company officials that stand trial risk possible jail terms for bribery, while the corporate entities would be liable to pay huge fines.

No matter the outcome, an industry analyst told The Oracle Today, there is every likelihood that FID on Zabazaba field development would have to wait for the outcome of the main case. The main case is calculated by Italian legal experts to last for several months.

Thus, the highly anticipated $12 billion development project on OPL 245 and tapping of production from Nigeria’s biggest oil reserves may have fallen of the table.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

SPORTS

It’s not yet Uhuru for Nigerian Sports – Oduah •Slams administrators for dwindling fortunes

Stories by MADUABUCHI KALU

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ORMER member of Nigeria Football Association (NFA), Prince Isidoreh Oguejiofor Oduah, has scored Nigerian Sports low saying it is far below where it supposed to be.

Prince Oduah stated this in exclusive interview with Oracle Today Sports at his Ikeja, Lagos residence while assessing the performance of the Nigerian Sports for 2018.

According to the veteran sports administrator, the dwindling fortunes of Nigerian Sports should be put on the doorsteps of administrators who he said lack the competence and had no other motivation than how to line their pocket hence they care little about the development and development of the industry in the country.

“Without looking far for the reason Nigerian sports has been in the doldrums, I want to state without fear or contradiction that the problems of Nigerian sports are the administrators,” Prince Oduah began.

“I am a sports administrator myself. So I know what I am talking about. I have done no other work all my life than the administrations of sports with bias in football administration, so went I talk people should listen,” Oduah declared.

“The reason I said the problem of Nigerian Sports lies in the hands of the administrators is that from every indication, it is obvious that the people who are administrating sports at the moment are either incompetent or they are propelled by greed.

“I want to state categorically that during our time as sports administrators, our motivation for the job was to see our athletes do well and bring honour and glory to fatherland. We always put the country and the athletes first in everything were doing and we were able to achieve result.

“I can beat my chest that during our era as sports administrators was the golden era of sports administration in this country and I stand to challenge people to dispute this assertion.

“While our motivation was result I want to state that from what I am seeing now, what motivates sports administrators nowadays is nothing but how to line their pockets with illicit money.

“That is why money budgeted for the welfare of athletes develops wings without traces, hence athletes complain to no avail. It is not done! It is immoral. And I bet you, such ill-gotten wealth or money will certainly ruin those who are involved,” Oduah declared.

Speaking further, the Ochuche, Ogbaru Anambra State-born Prince Oduah, who is founder of ‘Red Carpet Advertising’ said the only way to salvage Nigerian Sports is to ensure that honest and God fearing individuals who have passion for sports are made to be the ones who administer sports for it to move forward.

He equally advocated for the recruitment of former athletes to run the affairs of some aspect of the industry saying his reason for this call is because they know the in and out of sports having played a key run before now.

How Delta won National Sports Festival in style

D

• Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung “I am also of the opinion that there is every need to bring in ex-internationals in the administrator of the sports in the country. I am saying this because there is an adage which says ‘he who wears the shoe knows where it pinches’.

“Since these categories of people have played a key role in our sports in one time or the other, they should be given a chance to come in to administer sports in the country because over the years, they have garnered more than enough experience both local and international.

“These are people who devoted their youthful age in rendering selfless services to fatherland and in the process gathered huge experiences.

“They are the ones who should be calling the shorts because having seen how it is done in decent climes, they would like to make a difference than the current situation where all that mattered for most of the administrators is how to pocket what belongs to others simply because they are the ones calling the short.

“They intimidate the athletes and when they raise their voices. They threaten to sanction them in one way or the other which is very wrong.

These things never happened during our time rather we do everything humanly possible to ensure that our athletes lacks nothing that will hinder their focus on the task before them,” Prince Oduah explained.

ELTA State was on Sunday officially declared the winner of the 19th edition of the biennial National Sports Festival (NSF) after the ‘Finger of God’ as the state prefers to be called carting away most of the medals at stake, thereby defending the trophy they won in the last edition that held in Lagos in 2012 tagged ‘Eko 2012’.

The Governor Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa athletes otherwise called Team Delta garnered an astonishing 163 gold medals, 88 silver and 101 bronze medals to beat the other participating teams to the number one position after almost two weeks of sporting hostilities in the Federal Capital Territory.

While this is the sixth time Delta will be coming first at the National Sports Festival, this is their best showing going by the number of medals they won in total.

Interestingly, Delta State first won the festival when Abuja hosted the biennial games in 2004.

At this year’s festival, Rivers State finished a distant second with 69 gold, 58 silver and 57 bronze medals.

Edo State finished third with 47 gold, 41 silver and 53 bronze medals.

After a very excruciating 10 days of competitions in the 19th National Sports Festival, Abuja 2018, Team Lagos led by the Chairman Lagos Sports Commission, Kweku Tandoh, finished in fourth position.

Team Lagos got a total 146 medals with a breakdown showing 36 gold,

37 silver and 73 bronze medals.

Tandoh, who was in Abuja throughout the competition, expressed satisfaction with the performance of the Lagos athletes and officials. He said the state stuck to its principle of using homegrown athletes who developed under the tutelage of the state’s grassroots development programme over the years.

“It feels good to know that Team Lagos presented the youngest athlete at Abuja 2018, and also created the biggest upset in the entire festival achieved in the women’s table tennis event.

“We take consolation in the fact that the states that emerged on the overall medals’ ahead of Team Lagos were aided by foreign-based professionals who exploited the opportunities of the sports ministry declaring the festival open to all classes of participants.

“We stuck to our guns following strictly the original tenets of the National Sports Festival which is basically to discover and develop hidden talents for the country. We are satisfied that Team Lagos has done that for Nigeria at Abuja 2018.

Delta winning of the 19th edition of the National Sports should not come to anybody as a surprise because they are just reaping their investments in sports over the years. Delta accord sports a pride of place in the scheme of things in the state unlike what obtains in other states. It is where one sows that one reaps. Bravo Delta!

Nigeria Golf Federation adopt new constitution

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HE Nigeria Golf Federation (NGF) last Tuesday adopted a new constitution to effectively run and develop the sport in the country.

The President of the Federation and former Governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, made this known while briefing the congress in Abuja on Tuesday saying that the adoption of the constitution was a sign of new things to come in golf.

“NGF Congress have decided to adopt a new constitution that would guide the operation and execution of its activities to promote golf in Nigeria.

“We had a constitution 14 years ago, but that constitution is no longer in tandem with development of golf in the world.

“We needed to redraft a new constitution that would serve the

programmes of the federation to develop golf, and with this new constitution, the NGF will be properly organised to carry out its activities,” Oyinlola declared.

Speaking further, he said the new constitution would create awareness about golf in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions in the country.

He said the federation would not condone indiscipline, adding that golf was associated with integrity which the federation must uphold.

Oyinlola equally said that adequate sanctions would be meted on all offenders to ensure sanity in the sport. The new constitution which contains guidelines for Nigeria’s golf community; came into effect after members of the federation’s congress endorsed it in Abuja.

The NGF boss said the new constitution would address “everything” that concerned the governance of golf in Nigeria, including elections, competitions and a code of conduct for athletes.

Omoshola Williams, a board member of the NGF, told reporters that the new constitution would go a long way to develop the sport in Nigeria.

She said that the constitution would ensure grassroots development of the sport as well as proper guidelines for golf in Nigeria.

Williams said the adoption of the constitution would make the federation a legal entity and would also help it while dealing with corporate bodies.

“This new constitution will help to expose Nigeria to the international •Former Governor of Osun State, golf community,” she said.

Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

46

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

SPORTS

Senegal wins WAFU U-20 Cup

F

LYING Eagles of Nigeria lost to Senegal in the final of the WAFU Under-20 football championship in Lome, Togo Sunday night.

Two second half goals Senegal’s Amadou Sagna and Yousouf Badjihanded Paul Aigbogun’s side their first defeat of the tournament.

After beating Mali 5-4 on penalties in the semi-final, the Flying Eagles failed to lift their game in the final as they struggled to create many scoring opportunities, especially in the second half.

However, it was a good learning curve for the team as they are playing their first competitive tournament since coming together as a team.

Next for team is 2019 CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations where they have been grouped against hosts Niger, South Africa and Burundi in Group A. The 2019 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations kicks off from February 2 to 7 in Niger and would serve the as the continent‘s qualifier for the2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland.

Dalung to open inquest into Falcons unpaid bonuses 2 yrs after Stories by MADUABUCHI KALU

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INISTER of Sports and Youth Development, Hon. Solomon Dalung has declared that he is going to open an inquest over Super Falcons unpaid bonuses two years after they defeated Senegal 2-0 to qualify for the 2016 edition of Africa Women Cup of Nations in Cameroon which the Nigerian women eventually won.

It is recalled that the Super Falcons at that time was coached by former international Florence

Omagbemi and was assisted by other former internationals like Ann Echiejina and Perpetual Nkwocha.

This situation the Oracle Today Sports reliably gathered is giving the Plateau State politician migraine hence his decision to investigate what really happened at the time with a view to bring perpetrators to book.

It is recalled that even after the Super Falcons defeated Cameroon to lift the trophy for the eight times, it became an international scandal when they girls were

abandoned in a hotel in Abuja by the Amaju Melvin Pinnick-led board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). It is noted that the Super Falcons and their handlers were asked to go home and that their allowances will be paid later but they refused having learnt from experience that the promise will not be kept by administrators.

The situation it is recalled degenerated to the extent that they players were ejected from their hotel and when they had nowhere to go to, they had to pro-

Chukwueze sets eyes on African Player of Year Award

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UPER Eagles’ new boy and Villarreal of Spain rave of the moment, Samuel Chukwueze has set his eyes on winning African Players of the Year Award in the nearest future.

According to the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) Under-17 World Cup winner, with Coach Emmanuel Amuneke in 2015, his target to winning the coveted individual gong stems from the drought the drought that Nigeria has endured when it comes to lifting the award for the best player on the African continent popularly called the African Player of the Year award.

This according him is giving him sleepless night hence, he has set his eyes on winning it at least to end the drought and to prove that the country still have all it take to cart away the prestigious individual award.

It is recalled that the country last won the award in 1999 via Nwankwo Kanu and since that time till date, no other Nigerian player has won the award. The current holder of the award is Liverpool and Egypt forward, Mohammed Salah.

The 19 year-old who has already made his international debut for the Super Eagles revealed his plans towards lifting the award in

the nearest future.

“I am happy with my football at Villarreal. The La Liga is a very difficult league and I am happy to be playing among the best. It makes you to work hard and to improve your game, but my personal ambi-

tion is to win African Footballer of the Year.” Chukwueze said.

“To play for the Super Eagles is ‘a dream come true’; but the main dream, is to become a regular player in the team and help Nigeria to win many games in the future,” Chukwueze said.

Erico slams administrators for Nigeria’s football crisis

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ORMER national team goalkeeper trainer, Joe Erico otherwise known as ‘Jogo Bonito Exponent’ has slammed Nigerian football administrators for current crisis rocking Nigerian Football. According to the former international goalkeeper, the current crisis rocking Nigerian league is because of the insincerity of the administrators of the game in the country.

In his view the problem is with the football administrators in the country because they lack sincerity in their dealings as it concerns the administration of the beautiful game in the country saying it is the reason the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) is in the cooler for now, that is why there is a big crisis in the Nigeria National League (NNL) and a very big problem in Nigeria Football.

This is because when the local league is not doing well, no matter what the national teams are doing, it will peel to insignificance.

The down to earth former goal-

keeper trainer “That is a very big one anyway, but that notwithstanding we have to keep on battling until we get it right. Someday somewhere we are going to get it right.

“But for now let us not be beating about the bush. It all boils down to lack of sincerity or rather insincerity as the case may be on the part of the administrators.

“We know what really we supposed to do but we are no really wants to do it. The administrators are not bracing up with what is happening outside today.

“They are not sincere enough to themselves and to the people. So, unfortunately it is really the players are going to suffer the consequences of their actions. It is the upcoming players that are going to suffer the brunt of what they are doing.

“But then, it is just a question of time. I am a strong believer that whatever is happening today will sort itself out with time,” Erico declared.

Balogun accepts responsibility for Brighton’s defeat to Chelsea

test on the streets of Abuja and ended up at the National Assembly where they were addressed by the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki just as he called on the Federal Government to safe the country of such monumental embarrassment.

As if the Federal government was waiting for the situation degenerate to such an embarrassment, President Mohammadu Buhari approved funds and ordered the then Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun to pay the women all their entitlements and that was what brought the national embarrassment to an end.

It is disheartening to state that this is the type of treatment that our sports administrators normally meted to the female national teams. They are not remunerated well and they are usually owed unlike their male counterparts, the Super Eagles.

These days, one hardly hears of the Super Eagles being owed by the NFF but the same cannot be said of the Super Falcons. The Super Eagles are well taken care but for the Super Falcons, their affairs as far as the NFF are concerned are secondary.

That is why they had the boldness to tell the world that they did not make provision for their victory in Cameroon hence there was no money to pay their allowances and bonuses. What a shame!

S

UPER Eagles’ defender, Leon Balogun, has shown class after accepting the blame for his side’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea on Sunday afternoon in the English Premier League.

The 30-year-old defender was indirectly blamed for the second goal conceded by Brighton & Hove in their 2-1 loss to Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

Speaking to reporters postmatch, Seagulls manager, Chris Hughton said the goal in the 33rd minute was avoidable and knocked the team.

Reacting to his performance against The Blues, Balogun blamed himself for the goal which proved the difference at the end of the contest at the Amex Stadium.

The Nigeria international had put himself in the spotlight in the build-up to the game by revealing that he has masterminded a method of limiting Eden Hazard’s influence but it was the Belgium World Cup star that had the last laugh.

UFC: Conor McGregor called out by Al Iaquinta

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L IAQUINTA says Conor McGregor will have to fight him before a possible rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Ireland’s McGregor tapped out in the fourth round in October as Nurmagomedov retained his lightweight title.

Iaquinta beat fellow American Kevin Lee on points after five rounds in their rematch at a UFC event on Sunday.

“If Conor thinks he’s getting a rematch [with Nurmagomedov] before me I think that is nonsense,” said Iaquinta, who lost to the Russian in April. “I’m the guy he has to get through if he wants to get a rematch.

“No immediate rematch for him, he tapped out.”

McGregor fought Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in Las Vegas when he made his return to the octagon after a 693-day absence.

47

The Oracle Today Wednesday December 26, 2018

SPORTS Stories by MADUABUCHI KALU

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HERE is no gain saying that the outcome of the 2018 National Sports Festival does not surprise keen watcher of Nigerian sports because the result of the biennial national sports meets couldn’t have been different. It is only those who are not sincere to themselves would have expected a different outcome because Delta State as it were remains the hob of Nigerian sports because of the priority the state government accord that sector of our national life.

So, it did not come to some of us as a surprise when after two good weeks of sporting hostilities in the Federal Capital Territory, Delta emerged victorious after garnering 163gold, 88 silver and 101 bronze bring their total medals haul to 352. With the defence of their NSF title, it means that no state has won the NSF as much as Delta as it has taken total sixth.

Meanwhile, Edo State has been handed the hosting right of the next edition of the sports festival which is going to hold in the next two years in Benin City.

Edo was one of the states that applied to play host to the biennial sports festival just like Cross River who was awarded the hosting right of the 19th edition in 2012 after the 18th edition hosted by Lagos tagged ‘Eko 2012’ but failed woefully to deliver.

So, it is surprising to see that Cross River were among the states that applied to host the next edition when they were unable to play host to last edition citing lack of funds as reason for their inability stage the sports festival.

It is important to note that Delta is just reaping the huge investment it has made in the industry in terms of human capital and infrastructure. So, nobody should begrudge them because they deserve their victory.

To buttress the importance that the state government placed on sports, despite the athletes that represented the state being placed on salary, the state governor while hosting them at a din-

Edo to host 2020 NSF ner pledged to reward athletes that won gold with a million Naira while silver medalists are to smile home with the sum of seven hundred thousand Naira while bronze medalists are to go home with half a million Naira.

This is the type of motivation that spurs the athletes to even go the extra miles in order to do the state proud which they did.

So, Delta remains the sports capital of Nigeria and any state dreaming of dethroning Delta will have to do something better and different from what Delta is currently doing. Otherwise, they will continue to dominate the industry for a very long time to come.

As the cotton was drawn on Sunday for the 19th National Sports Festival, it was Rivers, Edo and Lagos that came close to Team Delta as they placed second, third and fourth respectively.

Rivers won 69gold, 58silver and 67bronze medals while Edo State picked 47gold, 41 silver and 53bronze medal and Lagos garnered 36gold, 37silver and 73bronze medals.

Delta, it is recalled won at Bauchi 2000, Abuja 2004, Gateway 2006, Kada 2009 and Eko 2012 to remain the leading sports inclined state in the country.

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A •Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki

Nigeria’s Ekundayo retains IBF title

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IGERIAN Boxer Larry Ekundayo successfully defended his International Boxing Federation (IBF) European title against Louise Green at York Hall, London last weekend.

Ekundayo handed Louis Greene his first defeat by a unanimous decision with the judges’ decisions at 100-89, 98-91, and 99-90 in favor of the Nigerian.

Ekundayo, however, thanked his fans for the support and love they shown towards him.

“Gratitude is my attitude! I want

CAF beach soccer: Senegal destroy Nigeria in Egypt

IGERIA’S Super Sand Eagles on Friday failed to break the jinx held on them by their Senegalese counterparts as they lost again to their West African opponents in the final of this year’s continental beach soccer showpiece.

The Super Sand Eagles had earlier lost to their more illustrious Senegalese opponents in the group stage of the competition before destiny brought them together again in the final and yet, the Super Sand Eagles were unable to avenge their earlier defeat rather they were handed yet another defeat.

However, it is important to note that the Super Sand Eagles will take consolation in having already qualified for the 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Paraguay, and will join Senegal in representing the continent at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in the South American country next year.

Despite the fact that both Senegal and Nigeria will be flying the continent’s flag at Paraguay 2019, however, it is the French speaking West African country that haven bragging rights on

NSF: FCT athletes protest over non-payment of allowances

the Eagles, having also beaten them in the 2016 final played in Lagos.

In the final match, the Senegalese were more vicious and despite the second period ending at a respectable 2-1, they went all fangs out in the third and final period to win 6-1.

Abu Azeez, who scored four in the 7-6 defeat of hosts Egypt in the first semi-final on Wednesday, took his tally to 104 by hitting the Eagles’ only goal of the match, as he finished the tournament with eight goals.

to say a huge thank you to everyone that came out to support me last night, that tuned in on Boxnation, online and all the well wishes. Special thanks to my team.

Big thank you to all my sponsors, massive love for the amazing support last night.”

Louis Greene, on his part, said he will be back challenging once

NSF: I felt nervous competing after 2 yrs – Lauritta Onye

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AURITTA Onye, a 2016 Paralympics shotput gold medallist, who competes in the F40/F41 class says she felt nervous competing at the 19th National Sports Festival (NSF) after a long time of attending competitions.

Onye told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos that she was grateful for winning a gold medal at the NSF in spite of not attending any competition for two years.

“I was feeling nervous at the NSF because since Lagos State held the last festival, no state has hosted.

“In addition, since I competed last in Rio de’Janeiro 2016 Paralympics in Brazil, I haven’t experienced any competition except this Abuja National Sports Festival.

“Although I was nervous at first,

UEFA Champions League last 16 fixtures

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IVERPOOL have been drawn with German giants, Bayern Munich in the Champions League last 16, while Manchester United face Paris St-Germain.

Premier League champions, Manchester City and Tottenham also face Bundesliga sides, with City meeting Schalke and Spurs facing leaders Borussia Dortmund.

The first legs will take place on February 12-13 and 19-20, with the return legs on March 5-6 and 12-13.

Group winners are away in the first legs and at home in the return

more in the future.

“Everyone who watched I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the support it wasn’t my night, I’ll be back, all the best to Larry, what agent with a real heartwarming story behind his career, thanks again for all the support now to rest with my wife and children love you all.”

matches, according to the BBC. Teams could not be drawn against sides from the same country in the last 16, nor against teams who they played in the group stages.

Full draw: Schalke v Manchester City Atletico Madrid v Juventus Manchester United V Paris St-Germain Tottenham v Borussia Dortmund Lyon v Barcelona Roma v Porto Ajax v Real Madrid

I am happy that I competed and won a gold medal,” she said.

NAN reports that Onye, who represented Delta threw a mark of 21m ahead of Abigael Menu of Lagos State and Muyinat Babalola of Olowokere.

She said that she wished that there would be more national and international competitions to keep improving athletes standard.

“My wish is to continue powering my training and also, let there be competitions here in Nigeria and abroad,” she said.

She also advised upcoming athletes that to succeed in sports, they should have patience and perseverance.

“My advice to them and what they have to know is that there are five major characteristics of a successful man. “They are patience, endurance, prayer, encouragement and strength,” she said.

THLETES from the Federal Capital Territory took to the streets in the early hours of Sunday to protest the delay in payment of their daily allowances during the just-concluded National Sports Festival (NSF). Solomon Chibuike, a bronze medallist for FCT in boxing event, who spoke to journalists lamented the non-payment of their allowances plus poor treatment meted out to the FCT representatives at the sporting fiesta.

In his words: “It is bad and callous on the part of the FCT administrators to treat us this way; we were not paid our camping allowances, not well fed and abandoned. I came from Lagos and they said they wanted to pay us N15, 000 how can one cope with that after receiving heavy punches from opponents?”

Our correspondent learnt that FCT athletes were to be paid N15,000 by the Social Development Secretary officials.

This infuriated the athletes who took to the street on Sunday to display their grievances before they were told to calm down. The angry athletes marched from Old Parade ground camp to Cyprian Ekwensi Art and Culture center, Social and Development Secretary Office where their monies are being held up.

Onazi tasks Eagles on 4th AFCON title

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UPER Eagles and Trabzonspor midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi has challenged his teammates on winning their fourth Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) trophy next year.

The Benue State-born Trabzonspor of Turkey player said the Eagles should work hard to enable them win the trophy six years since they last featured in the continental premier football showpiece.

“After what happened in Russia, it was important for all the players to ensure a return to the African Cup of Nations,” Onazi began.

Continuing he said: “It’s an exciting feeling to achieve that and we can only hope that collectively, we can all bring our good club form to the national team.

“The last time I played in the tournament we won it and we as players have to go back again with the mentality to win it, and if we can’t, we shouldn’t be there.”

The former Lazio of Italy player reiterated his commitment to the national team, the Super Eagles and even as he declared that he is always happy to play for his country.

Onazi, 25, missed the last three matches with injury as Nigeria returned to their first Africa Cup of Nations since winning the tournament in 2013.

His performance in his last appearance away to Seychelles after the World Cup raised question marks over his form and fitness, but the midfielder insists he is back to his best form at Trabzonspor.

“It was a tough time I must admit, but despite all the criticisms I remain committed to playing for my country,” Onazi told BBC Sport.

WEDNESDAY December 26, 2018

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Peace in earth’s bosom: the Ikedife example

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experienced the first culture shock not in America or England but in Bauchi, Nigeria, sometime in 1990. A colleague had walked into our office at the Federal Secretariat, one morning, to announce that his mother had died the day before. He first spoke in Hausa, and because at that time I could understand the language only “kanda kanda”, he interpreted what he had said.

“Your mom! What have you come here to do then?” I exclaimed, almost in disbelief.

“Work na. We buried her yesterday,” he replied.

Before then, I had heard that it’s the culture of Muslims to bury the dead within 24 hours, but I had not imagined how a bereaved person from my own community would cope if they were not surrounded by mourners at least for a few days. And how much more when I later heard another worker explaining to his boss that “I didn’t come to work yesterday because I lost my wife”!

During private conversations in Lagos, Umuahia, Port Harcourt and elsewhere, few friends have disagreed with me whenever I say that Muslims are the ones who truly understand the meaning of human life. The culture of burying the dead within one day existed in my village while I was growing up in the 1970s, and even Christianity prescribes a similar rule. It has since been abandoned and many Christians, especially in southeastern Nigeria, now tend to lean towards archaic or abnormal practices. Not stopping there, some invent other traditions that encourage ostentatious living or display of wealth.

The people of the southwest are perhaps more modest, except that some spend a fortune on obituary advertisements in newspapers, even though they could be lacking in care for their “beloved father and grandfather” while he lived. In certain obituaries I’ve read well before the body has been buried, some people advise their departed relation to “rest in the bosom of the Lord” until they “meet again on the Last Day”.

For the past 21 years, the Catholic Church in my area has been striving to help people reduce expenses during burials and funerals. Many have been disobeying new rules, but the economic quagmire of the past decade has been quite useful. Little by little, the church authorities in several dioceses have been making things lighter for adherents: burial within three weeks, no funeral after one month, no more than one cow to be slaughtered, less

48

GUEST COLUMNIST Aniebo

Nwamu

•Ikedife

food and drinks….

But the poor for whom the rules are being made don’t seem ready to help themselves. About 20 years ago, only one hospital had a mortuary in an entire senatorial district in my state, and it was always almost empty. These days there are no fewer than 20 in the same district, each almost always filled up. Failure to put a corpse in a mortuary has become a sign of lack.

The body, the thinking goes, must be preserved until a time it would be accompanied back home in a motorcade with sirens, videographers and photographers. A wake must be observed and a Christian Mass must take place. Friends and relations must

taxed for uniforms, cows, pigs, goats, chickens, special dishes, beers, hot and soft drinks, decoration, hiring of furniture and other expenses. Many do borrow money; some who are unable to pay back their loans follow their loved one to the grave, if an invasive disease strikes!

Since the poor respects wealth a lot, it will take a wealthy person to change such retrogressive culture in a community. In my village, for instance, a professor buried both parents within 24 hours in their family compound. The poor have yet to comply! Perhaps more enlightened and wealthy folks should follow in the professor’s footsteps so everyone would fall in line, I have

advised.

It’s in this light that I wish to pay tribute to a great Nigerian I consider as a trailblazer in the campaign to restore our lost values. The “big fish” is Dr Dozie Ikedife who breathed his last on December 11. When the former president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo died, his family respected his wishes by breaking all the “rules” invented by some misguided Ndigbo.

Dr Ikedife, a surgeon who trained in the UK in the 1950s, holder of many chieftaincy titles and chairman of several Igbo groups, former commissioner in both the old EastCentral State and Anambra State, a Rotarian par excellence, father of seven prosperous professionals, and spouse of one, bade the world goodbye at age 86. In obedience to his wishes, the family buried him within 24 hours.

They have yet to announce a date for friends and well-wishers to come for merrymaking in Nnewi!

The reason the Ikedifes acted as they did is contained not in the late doctor’s will but in the pages of the Daily Trust edition of June 24, 2018. A quote from an interview he granted the paper – it must have been his last interview with a major newspaper – has been making the rounds in the social media since he departed. I too have shared it a few times: “Once I am dead, put me in the grave and go away. Don’t come on condolence visit. Don’t come for funeral ceremony. I don’t want it; after all, is it of any use to me, a dead person? You are just wasting your time and giving yourself trouble. Even if you invite the whole Nigeria it doesn’t mean anything to me. If you invite 10 people it doesn’t mean anything to me. If you fire 100 gunshots, it means nothing to me. You see, people waste a lot of energy and sometimes money.

Sometimes they borrow or sell things to give somebody what they call a befitting burial. So, I don’t need it.

For me, a befitting burial is that you are sure I’m dead and you dig six-feet deep, wrap me in a mat, put me in the ground and cover it. After that, you may publish in the newspapers that ‘Dr. Dozie Ikedife has died and has been buried. By his direction and request, no condolence visits; no funeral ceremony.’ The reason for publishing it is that if you and I had an appointment, you would know that it could no longer hold. If you are owing me, bring the money and pay my family. If I am owing you, come and demand payment from my family. That’s it.”

That’s it! Those were the sage’s words. The Igbo and the non-Igbo have useful lessons to pick from the former president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

And I wish Christian leaders too would learn from their Muslim counterparts: how to honour the dead, how to avoid unnecessary expenditure, and how to truly let souls rest in peace.

•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.