Wednesday august2 edition

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The Oracle SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

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Today Today

Tension floods VOX POPULI SACRUM

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 2, 2017

ISSN: 2545-5869

VOL.2 No. 32. N200

Nigeria

All under water • Lagos • Port Harcourt • Asaba

F

LOODS, fairly spread across Nigeria, added new tensions to existing ones, among them agitations, long absence of the President, and the recurring matter of managing resources from oil and gas sources.

A little sense of humour attended these matters as top officials of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), travelled to London to lunch with the ailing President.

Nigerians call it “a lunch break”, as it all produced prattles about the health of the President, and ‘floods’ of spec-

• Onitsha

APGA puts 2 judges on trial

Page 2

From NATH OMAME, (Port Harcourt); CHUKS COLLINS (Awka); THEO RAYS (Onitsha), ed the Lagos islands and Lekki PenEMMA OGOIGBE, (Warri) and OGE ONYEANUSI (Nnewi), VICTOR NZE (Lagos).

ulations.

The floods were real--sweeping from Lagos, which was having local council elections, to Sapele, Warri, Asaba (both in Delta State), Onitsha (Anambra State) and Port Harcourt, which possibly had one of its worst

floods in decades.

It was so bad that Gov. Nyseom Wike waded through the waters, wondering, as residents did, what could have been responsible for these floods.

Rains two weeks earlier had affect-

insula. Saturday’s rains devastated parts of mainland, usually considered safe. Surulere was practically under water.

Commentators blamed refuse that clogged the drainage system, but it is known that the drainage has been inadequate and blocked in many places.

The bigger question remained what was affecting other parts of the country, after the 2012 floods, which were rated the country’s worst in 40 years?

Thirty of 36 States were affected, 2.1m people were displaced, 363 people died, 6,000 houses were destroyed in the 2012 disaster.

Some are trying to answer the question, pointing at new urban developments in Lagos.

“We have said it several times that adequate studies were not done

Cont’d on Page 2

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

NEWS

APGA puts two judges on trial From CHUKS COLLINS, Awka

T

• Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa (Chairman of ADF Business & Investment Promotions Committee; Prof Nath Aniekwu, ADF Secretary; Attorney Bobby Aniekwu (Chairman of Georgia ADF-USA Chapter). Others are Amy Roberts, the Tour Guide; Emeka Odenigbo; James Ujah; Dr Nnamdi Maduekwe and Barr Uzo Akpele.

Tension Floods Nigeria • Devastating floods increase social, political malcontent Continued from Pg 1 before the sand filling of the ocean for the Eko Atlantic City project,” a scientist at the Nigerian Institute for Oceanology & Marine Research said.

“The constructions have distorted the patterns and flows of water.”

“If you combine the size of that project with developments in other parts of coastal Lagos – Lekki, Ajah, Victoria Island – it is not surprising that the flood is on the increase, though there are global climate changes,” he added.

Officials of the project insist that adequate studies were done, and the project should serve as a buffer against flooding from the ocean.

Doubts persist. There are insinuations that what was done was to push the water away from the project site, without caring where it went.

This could leave an impact that could affect State as far as Akwa Ibom, the scientist said.

Announcements from the Federal Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Water Resources and the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET), suggest that worse floods could occur between now and November across more States.

The worst hit places so far are Jos (38 people died, 200 houses destroyed); Suleja (13 dead, 500 missing, 100 homes destroyed) and Kaita, Katsina (2,000 people displaced, 150 houses destroyed).

Poor urban planning, without rescue points for people in emergencies, emergency services that exist only in name, account for the losses. The responses to the emergences are at best few and far between.

Tensions from the flood, just like in 2012, when government interventions, including the launching of an appeal that businessman Aliko Dangote headed, failed to yield any results, included anticipated loss of agricultural products, with the attendant rise in food prices. Destructions of property are already affecting the property and insurance markets.

Rivers, especially in Port Harcourt, the capital city, and Obior/Akpor Local Council was so devastating that public health experts fear there could be an outbreak of cholera and other communicable diseases.

Dr. Samuel Emmanuel, a public health official told our Correspondent: “Those whose houses have been affected by the flood should temporarily relocate from their houses. They could be electrocuted which can lead to death or severe injuries.

People with open wounds or sores could be exposed to infections. Some of these waters are from unhygienic sources that may have been heavily infected.”

“Water contaminated by mosquitoes, insects, snakes and other reptiles, and even from sewage systems can contaminate their food. They may not have access to clean water to wash their hands. Therefore, all residents whose houses were affected by the flood should take precautionary actions against possible communicable diseases. But, it is advisable that they temporarily relocate from their homes or shops or places of businesses that have been affected by the flood,” he added.

Also speaking on the flood that ravaged many communities in the capital city, Port Harcourt, and Obio/ Akpor Local Council, the lawmaker representing Port Harcourt Constituency 1, Victoria Nyechie called on the State government and public-spirited organisations and individuals to assist victims with relief materials.

Nyechie, who was visibly shaken after she visited areas in her constituency affected by the flood, pleaded: “I think relief materials should be provided for those who cannot live in their houses for now. The government should provide temporary accommodation for those who have lost their homes.”

Delta Residents of Owhelogbo, Otor-Igho and Ozoro communities all in Isoko North Local Council of Delta State are not smiling at all as many of the resiRivers The Oracle Today’s Correspondent dents have been rendered homeless, in Rivers reports that the flooding in with properties worth millions of nai-

ra destroyed in the floods that have submerged over 100 houses in the aforementioned communities.

The Oracle Today gathered that the flood followed the heavy downpour witnessed in the communities over a period of one week.

To make matters worse, most of the waterchannels in those places have been blocked through indiscriminate dumping of refuse.

Speaking to our correspondent, Eniwho Emmanuel a student, whose house was flooded along Urude in Ozoro, said the downpour did not spare anywhere in the area.

“This is so surprising to me. I have been hearing of flood from rainfall but this is first time I am experiencing it. The reason the whole place is being flooded with water is that, the drains and water channels were blocked with refuse.

Since I packed into this house, they have never cleared the drains even for one day, even on an environmental day. You won’t see anyone to pack the drains,” he agonized.

Anambra Over 200 families were reportedly sacked by devastating floods at Oduke Layout, Obosi, Idemili North Local Council, Anambra State last weekend and over N100millions worth of property damaged.

A victim of the flood disaster, who is also the Chairman of the Oduke Obosi Community, Mr. Nicholas Okechukwu, narrated: “The flood submerged over 100 buildings, especially the bungalows in the dead of the night, which made it impossible for us to pick a pin as we were struggling with it for survival.”

A female resident of the commercial city of Onitsha, and her two-week old baby on Sunday narrowly escaped being swept away by flash-flood that wreaked havoc in the city and environs, following a heavy downpour late afternoon at the weekend.

The heavy rain, which lasted for about two hours, also pulled down people’s fences and destroyed important documents and property worth millions of naira.

Mrs. Ngozika Ibe, a victim who re-

WO judges are on trial on account of the roles they played in the long drawn factional dispute in the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA. Chief Martin Agbaso, National Chairman of APGA has petitioned the National Judicial Council, NJC), and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over alleged misconduct and abuse of court process by two Anambra judges (names withheld).

Speaking with journalists in Awka, Mr. McCool Nwosu, an APGA executive said the petition was sequel to “queer and contradictory” role the two judges played in a matter brought before them by the Chief Victor Oye-led faction of the party.

According to Mr. Nwosu, “The All Progressives Grand Alliance and three other interest groups have petitioned NJC, and EFCC over the roles of the two judges for facilitating a queer and contradictory order issued on 18 July 2017 at Nnewi”.

The order, he noted, restrained the national chairman of the party, Chief Agbaso from conducting congresses and APGA primary for the purpose of governorship election in the State until a motion on notice would be heard and determined.

He contended that the exparte order by one of the judges was in violation of the subsisting ruling of sides on Dumomodu Street, in Odoakpu area of the city, said she had to hand over her tender baby to her neighbours residing upstairs to enable her scoop the water, which had already flooded her apartment.

Elsewhere at the International Electronics Market, Onitsha, rampaging flood excavated corpses from unknown places and deposited them in open gutters near people’s shops.

Other examples abound—of the havoc that rainfalls and the floods therefrom have wreaked in cities across the country in the past one week, especially in the Southern belt, raising, in the process, the exisiting social and political tensions in the land a notch higher.

Yet, even more tensions lie ahead as the political agitations in the country continue. The agitations are also assuming a fairly national spread in location and locution.

While the agitations from the Middle Belt, through the South West to the Niger Delta in the wake of Arewa quit notice to the Igbo in the North are already well documented, the recent wave of agitations is coming again from the South South where the Ijaw have served notice that they will no longer tolerate what they described as the injustices meted out to them in Nigeria.

The Ijaw are angry that though they are “the fourth largest ethnic group” and possess the largest oil producing area in the country, not one of their own owns a single oil block.

Said the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC): “Other nagging issue is dialogue, we must sit and discuss the problems affecting this country. To evade dis-

the Court of Appeal Enugu Division which had earlier refused an application for stay of execution on the order of mandamus made by Justice Ozoemena of the Enugu State High Court which proclaimed Agbaso the National Chairman of the party.

He said the applicants’ lawyers were fully aware of the processes at the Enugu Division of the Court of Appeal, yet it took the matter to a lower court for adjudication.

Nwosu alleged that one of the judges “received the gift of a brand new Toyota Land Cruiser jeep over the matter; while the other judge was seen at the burial of Governor Obiano’s mother, adorning the burial uniform that friends and associates of the Obiano family wore.

He saw this act as “a direct confirmation of the affinity of the judge to an interested party; enough to deter him (the judge) from further continuing with the matter. It was on the strength of the sighting of the two dramatis personae severally in Aguleri, coupled with the alleged gift of a brand new Toyota Land Cruiser jeep to one of them that warranted the forwarding of a separate petition to the EFCC for proper investigation”.

Nwosu said APGA would report the conduct of the applicants’ lead counsel to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee for unprofessional behaviour, to serve as deterrent to others. cussion is to invite the inevitable and Rwanda crisis would be a child’s play because Nigeria would witness a macabre dance she has never experienced in all of her 57 years of nationhood.”

Pereotubo spoke against the continuing agitation in the South East for a referendum on Biafra and or restructuring.

Contending that religion and ethnicity are the “real problem that tears Nigeria apart,” President of Town Unions of Southeast and the President of Orlu Zurumee Socio-Cultural Organization, Chief Emeka Diwe argued that the current agitation is fuelled by “the marginalization of a people and Mr. Nnamdi Kanu only came up at a time when people of Igbo extraction and some of their neighbours became tired of the unjust treatment they continuously suffer in the hands of agents of constituted authorities in a country that they call their own.”

For his part, Mr. Innocent Orji, leader of Biafra National Guard (BNG), who spoke through the group’s PRO Mr. Reuben Okoro, said a more pragmatic option is for the Nigerian authorities to organise a referendum for the component parts in the country to decide where they want to belong.

“We want all Nigerians to understand that the call for a referendum and self-determination is not necessarily a call for war; rather it is our international rights as a people, according to African Union and United Nations Charters to that effect,” Orji declared, adding: “Nigerian government cannot beat a child and forbid from crying.”

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

NEWS ACROSS THE NATION Flooding: Lagos to demolish properties in Lekki, Ikoyi, others

By VICTOR NZE

L

agos State Government has ordered residents as well as landlords of properties erected on drainage channels and impeding the free-flow of water in parts of Lekki, Ajah, Ikoyi and others, to immediately vacate or risk being removed.

A statement issued, weekend, signed by the State Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, said the move was informed by the need to mitigate the incidence of flooding which wreaked havoc in the state in the last one month.

Adejare, who expressed dismay that the lawless activities of some people was constantly putting the lives and property of residents at risk, listed some of the areas where properties were erected on drainage channels to include Illubirin, Dolphin Estate, Osborne Foreshore Estate, Ikoyi, Osapa London, Ikota, Ogombo, Lekki, among others, noting that the massive investment of public fund into drainage clearing and de-silting had been compromised by structures hindering the free-flow of water.

The Commissioner said the State Government was seriously concerned that man-made causes,

particularly impediment of freeflow of storm water through indiscriminate erection of buildings on drainage alignments/ right of way and water courses, have played a major role in the recent experience of flooding in the State.

“Therefore, it is now of paramount importance that owners of buildings or structures impeding the free-flow of storm water, wherever they exist in the State, are advised to voluntarily quit forthwith in the overriding public interest or risk being removed by the State Government as no responsible government will allow the interest of a few to jeopardise

the wellness and wellbeing of the generality of its people.

“In view of the grievous consequences of compromising drainage right of way and alignment, Lagosians are hereby warned to henceforth refrain from this illegal act, report perpetrators and cooperate with the Lagos State Government in its bid to achieve a flood-free, clean and livable State,” Adejare said.

The Commissioner also disclosed that the State Government has resolved to reestablish the right of way of drainage infrastructure across the State also to stem the tide of flooding, adding that the

decision became necessary to enhance the ability of the drainage channels to effectively discharge storm water into the rivers, lagoon and other water bodies and relieve Lagosians of the incidence of flood.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Lagosians are once again reminded that the right of way for primary unlined (without concrete) channel is 25 meters and 15 meters for primary lined (with concrete) channel, while the right of way for secondary/connector channel is seven meters. The right of way for tertiary channel is three meters from the fence of the house.

“Primary channels such as canals are those emptying directly into the river, lagoons and other water bodies, while secondary/ connector channels connect water from channels in the frontage of the house (tertiary channels) to the primary channel,” the Commissioner said.

Why Reps opposed merging of CRK/IRK Kebbi Govt to review students feeding in boarding schools T in school curriculum -- Gbajabiamila L eader of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila has explained why his colleagues opposed the merging of Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) and Islamic Religious Studies (IRK) in school curriculum.

Gbajabiamila (APC-Surulere I) who told a gathering in his constituency in

• Gbajabiamila

Lagos, weekend, that such a merger lacked basis in the 1999 Constitution (as amended), said at a Town Hall meeting with the principals and parents that merging the two subjects infringed on the students’ right to choice.

Gbajabiamila who also used the occasion to distribute 500 free West African Senior School Certificate (WASSCE) forms to indigent students across the 23 schools in the area, said the Constitution guaranteed the right of all citizens to freedom of religion and choice, adding that merging the two religious subjects and making it compulsory for students was unfair.

According to him, religion is a very sensitive issue in the country which needs to be handled carefully at all times.

“The House of Representatives has taken a posi-

tion against the merging of CRK/IRS because it is not supported by the constitution. The Constitution, as a matter of fact, guarantees the freedom of everyone to choose and practise the religion of one’s choice.

“So, we think students should be given the freedom to choose to take either IRK/CRK based on his or her religious conviction or interest. So it should be optional. Also, students should be allowed to take either of the two subjects irrespective of their religion if they are interested,” he said.

Gbajabiamila commended the principals and teachers for the job they were doing to improve the lives of children put in their care, even as he appealed to parents to continue to support their children and wards in their educational careers so that they could excel.

‘No plan to shut down Radio Kwara’

K

wara State Government has described as completely untrue and an attempt to misinform the public, a story making the rounds on social media platforms about an alleged plan to shutdown Kwara Radio (A.M).

Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Communications, Dr Muideen Akorede in a statement, Monday, in Ilorin said that this was contrary to the ongoing reform in the state owned media houses.

He said that contrary to the fake news being peddled on social media, the government was actually planning to upgrade Radio Kwara and Midland FM. Akorede assured that “there is no truth whatsoever in the second leg of the said piece which alleged that the government is planning to sell the land on which the Radio Kwara transmitters are located.’’

“The Ahmed administra-

tion has never thought of shutting down Radio Kwara and it has no intention of selling the land on which the station’s transmitters are located,” he said.

Describing as most unfortunate the peddling of such falsehood, Akorede disclosed that Radio Kwara and Midland FM stations were receiving the necessary attention from the state government.

“We are actually in the process of digitising both Radio Kwara and Midland FM with ultra-modern equipment in keeping with modern trends in radio broadcasting all over the world,” he explained.

Akorede assured that plans were afoot to ensure that necessary upgrades and changes were implemented on the equipment of the two media outfits to enhance their effectiveness.

He said that the stateowned television station, KWTV had already received

ample attention with the purchase and installation of modern equipment to enhance the quality and reach of its signals, while its contents are also being turned around in readiness for the digital switch-over.

“As you know, we have a repositioning programme in place for the Herald, Kwara Television, and Radio Kwara.

The driving purpose is to make them function among the best in the country and be able provide to better serve to the people within their coverage areas.

“The Herald is making progress with its positioning as the newspaper of the critical North Central Nigeria with a strong digital footprint. We intend to make sure that very soon, it will have effective bureaus for its news and marketing operations in each of the North Central States and some key centres in the South-West,” Akorede said.

he Kebbi government is to review upward the release of funds for the feeding of students in boarding schools in the state.

Gov. Atiku Bagudu, who did not disclose the present rates, announced this while inspecting the Emir Abubakar Rasheed Government Secondary School in Gwadangaji, in the Birnin Kebbi local government area of the state

on Saturday. He expressed dissatisfaction with the feeding of students at the school and directed the Ministry of Education to submit a comprehensive package for the upward review of the feeding of students in boarding schools in the state.

Bagudu, who interacted freely with the students in matters affecting their welfare and learning conditions,

also directed the Ministry of Works to promptly rehabilitate dilapidated structures in the school.

He ordered that a new set of furniture should be provided for the students, stressing that his administration would not accept substandard structures from contractors handling school rehabilitation projects.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

NEWS ACROSS THE NATION

Abia Govt, FADAMA III to reactivate Igu Dam for rice production

A

bia State Government, through the state FADAMA III Coordination Office, has said it is planning to reactivate the popular Igu Dam for all-the-year rice production on the Bende rice belt.

The FADAMA III State Programme Coordinator (SPC), Dr Ezinne Otuka, who disclosed this, Sunday, said that the Igu Dam situated in Bende Local Government Area of Abia was a World Bank project completed and handed over to the old Imo State in 1979.

Otuka, however, said that it was sad that the project which was to encourage rice production in the country had been moribund for over 22 years, adding that the dam when functional could irrigate over 4,300 hectares of rice field all through the year.

Otuka said that with over 20,000 hectares of rice field across Bende Local Government Area, “we want to make a statement that Abia can produce enough rice to feed its people and beyond.

“We have well over 20,000 hectares of land in the rice belt of Bende Local Government Area of the state. We also have the Igu Dam which was a World Bank project to encourage rice production in the old Eastern State that we are trying to reactivate through the FADAMA III office.”

She said that the state government had already contacted the World Bank for work to start at the site and the financial institution did not object.

Otuka commended the state governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, for its

interest and assistance in ensuring that the state participated in the FADAMA III Additional Financing project, stressing that the state government under the current administration had brought back life to FADAMA activities through the payment of counterpart funds.

“It is because of the interest Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu has in agriculture that we are talking about FADAMA III Additional Financing in the state.

We are indebted to him for making things right and reactivating the production cluster of the state,” she said.

She said that the state was piloting two crops: rice and cassava, under the project.

“Today, FADAMA is promoting and trying to cultivate over 7,000 hectares of rice in the state to en-

sure we produce Made-in -Abia rice before the end of the year. Once we have been able to make the production of rice available, even the farmers will know that they are in business,” she said.

Otuka said that the state government through the FADAMA III office had installed rice de-stoners in Atani Abam and Ofeme in Arochukwu and Umuahia North Local Government Areas of the state, respectively.

“The problem we have always had with local rice is the sand but once you remove the stone and sort out the black eyes and others, you have real clean rice and that is what we have done,” she said.

Otuka appealed to Nigerians to patronise locally produced rice as it had inherent health benefits.

Shittu commends NBA for embracing ICT

By SAMSON AKINTARO

M

inister of Communications, Barrister Abdur-Raheem Adebayo Shittu has commended the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for striving to reform the practice of the legal profession leveraging on Information Communication Technology (ICT).

While welcoming members of the NBA led by its President, A.B. Mahmoud in his office, the minister was extremely delighted by the resolve of the Association to engage ICT in refining legal practice, saying advocacy and capacity building are veritable means to make Nigerian lawyers more effective and efficient.

Barrister Shittu promised the Association which came to seek his support for the coming 2017 NBA National Conference that he will use his good offices to actualize the objective of the conference by encouraging agencies under the supervision of his ministry such as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to give logistics support to NBA for the conference.

The minister who promised to attend the conference billed for Lagos between August 18 and 24, 2017, alongside lawyers in the ministry and agencies under him, said he is proud to be one of the 11 versatile lawyers that are current members of the 37 members Federal Executive Council.

Remarking, the NBA President, Mahmoud said the visit was an advocacy one aimed at seeking support and cooperation for the conference of the minster and agencies under the ministry, stressing further that NBA is out to gather necessary support for the success of the conference having contacted the Law Societies of England and South Africa.

This year’s conference, he said focuses on development of institutions of government, considering the various challenges the nation is facing.

•(L-R): Medical Director, General Hospital Gbagada, Dr. Tayo Lawal; Permanent Secretary, Health Service Commission, Dr. Jemilade Longe; his counterpart in the Ministry of Health, Dr. ‘Modele Osunkiyesi; Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris and the Chairman Health Service Commission, Dr. Bayo Aderiye at the Orientation Meeting for Medical Directors of General Hospitals in Lagos State over the weekend.

Oyo to spend 60% of N7.9bn Paris Club Refund on salaries

O

yo State Government says 60 per cent of the latest Paris Club refund of N7.9 billion will be spent on salaries, wages and pensions of workers in the state.

Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism of the state, Mr Toye Arulogun, who disclosed this in a statement, in Ibadan, quoted Mr Abimbola Adekanmbi, the State Commissioner for Finance and Budget, as saying this while featuring on a live programme in a private radio station in Ibadan on Saturday.

Adekanmbi said that Gov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State led- administration was very committed to the welfare of the entire people of the state.

He said that the earlier decision of the government to use 100 per cent of its federal allocations for workers’ welfare still stood.

“We all recall that President Muhammadu Buhari has told state governments to use at least 50 per cent of the refund for workers’ wages,

salaries and allowances. We are doing more than the 50 per cent in Oyo State. When we collected the first tranche of N7.2 billion, we used 60 per cent for workers’ salaries and wages.

“We also collected part two of the inflow of the sum of N5.003 billion and committed 100 per cent to salaries and salary related payments of workers in the state. We have paid two months salaries three times consecutively and the governor has not relented in his efforts to clear all the outstanding wages. “`We will all remember that Oyo State was initially excluded from the refund, but the governor’s tenacity and strong will ensured that we also got our share. It amazes me when people throw figures in the air without proper explanation or understanding.

“It is very disappointing when people who claim to be knowledgeable brandish figures for mischief with malicious intent for cheap po-

•Ajimobi litical gain. Our books are available for all to see and the leadership of the workers’ unions meet with us regularly,’’ he said.

Adekanmbi said that Oyo state government devoted 100 per cent of its federal allocations to workers’ salaries and salary related.

24 countries, 150 exhibitors to storm 2017 AFAC Expo – Runsewe

By VICTOR NZE The National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) has said it is expecting at least 25 countries and 150 exhibitors at the 10th African Arts and Crafts (AFAC) Expo scheduled to hold in Abuja from August 27 to September 17 Director-General, NCAC, Otunba Segun Runsewe, who made this known, Monday, in Abuja, said participants from these countries and the exhibitors were expected to showcase their unique cultural identities at the expo to.

He expressed commitment to justifying his appointment by using culture as the only tool to change the narratives of Nigeria.

“This time, we want to depart from having expo without media content so we need an overwhelming publicity for the event. The expo will be a market place for showcasing arts and crafts products such as fabrics, leather and souvenirs from Nigeria and other African countries.

“The expo is also apt as Nigeria needs to record remarkable achievements in developing the culture industry to enviable heights through festivals like AFAC,’’ he said.

Runsewe said that the expo, with the theme: “Nigerian Crafts: The Untapped Treasure” would be geared toward harnessing and developing arts and crafts and other creative industries in the country.

“It will be a unique opportunity for artists, craft dealers, manufacturers and other stakeholders to buy and sell their brands.’’

According to him, the expo will play a key role toward job creation and economic empowerment.

Ogun govt. inaugurates committee to curb prostitution

O

gun Government has inaugurated a committee to look into the menace of prostitution among under-aged youths in the state.

The committee members, drawn from the Ministry of Youth and Sports and that of Women Affairs, would sensitise, arrest and rehabilitate youths found engaging in such activities.

Speaking at the inauguration of the committee on Monday in Abeokuta, the Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Mr Afolabi Afuape, lamented the rampant nature of open prostitution in the state.

He said that sensitisation would start from all the four stadia across the state for a week, after which arrests could be made by security personnel.

“The ministry has always been an advocate against the act of open prostitution across the state, especially within the four stadia across the state.

“Yesterday, the committee swung into action by sensitising shop owners at MKO Abiola International Stadium. Our plan is that anybody arrested after the sensitisation would be enrolled into relevant programmes that will add value to her life,’’ Afuape said.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

NEWS

We support a corrupt free judiciary, says Wike

G

overnor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike has stated the readiness of his government to ensure that judges are not tempted to be corrupt while in active service on the bench.

Wike who spoke while Anglican Bishops of the Province of Delta North paid him a courtesy visit at Government House, Port Harcourt, explained that his government is building the Judges’ Quarters to reassure the judges of a comfortable home when they retire from active service.

He stressed: “The Judges’ Quarters is necessary as the State is working towards ensuring that the judiciary is well positioned to resist the temptation to be corrupt.”

“When judges retire, they will go with the houses. The state government is building these houses to ensure that they are comfortable to carry out their constitutional roles,” he said added.

The governor has also announced that Acting President

Yemi Osinbajo will visit the State on Thursday, July 27, 2017 to commission key projects executed by his administration.

He further added that the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onoghen would on Wednesday, July 26, 2017 lay the foundation stone for the construction of a Judges’ Quarters in the state.

Some of the projects to be commissioned are: ChokochoUmuechem-Ozuzu Road in Etche LGA, IgboEtche-Chokocho-Rumuokwurusi Interchange Road, Rukpokwu Market Junction to Aluu Road in Obio/Akpor LGA, Rumuokoro Market and Park in Obio/Akpor LGA and Ogbunabali Internal Roads in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area.

He thanked the bishops of the Anglican Church Province of the Niger Delta for their support.

He expressed happiness that he was meeting the bishops and their spouses collectively for the first time.

He said: “As far as God has giv-

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I formerly known as EZEAGU UZOAMAKA MODESTA now wish to be known as AROHSON PRECIOUS UZOAMAKA. All former documents remain valid, general public take note

I formerly known and addressed as FANNY NONYEREM ONYEKWELU now wish to be known and addressed as EZEUGWA FANNY NONYEREM. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note

I formerly known as DR AGBAKWURU GRACE ONYINYE now wish to be known as DR ONUOHA GRACE ONYINYE. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note

I formerly known as CHIKA NICODEMUS CHIMEZIE now wish to be known as CHIKA PEDRO NICHOLAS. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note

I formerly known as OBY EJIM now wish to be known as EJIM ABIGAIL OBY. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

I formerly known as EMEFO PATRICK EBUKA now wish to be known as EMEFO PATRICK ANENE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

I formerly known as MISS EZEBIALU ONYEKA GLORIA now wish to be known as MRS NDUAGUBA ONYEKA GLORIA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

I formerly known as OKOLO IGNATIUS TOCHUKWU now wish to be known as OKOLO TOCHUKWU TOCHI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

My name was wrongly written as KELECHI THANKGOD NWAOYE instead of NWORE KELECHI MICHEAL. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

I formerly known and addressed as OGBONNAYA IJEOMA now wish to be known as OGBONNAYA SUZZY IJEOMA. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note

I formerly known as MISS EZEAKOR NNEAMAKA FRANCISCA now wish to be known as MRS OKEKE NNEAMAKA FRANCISCA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

My name was wrongly written as ONOH PHILOMINA BLESSING instead of OWOH PHILOMINA NGOZI that the date of my birth which was also in my bvn as 17th day of june .1982 instead of 26th of july 1982 that my correct name in my bvn and date of birth are OWOH PHILOMINA NGOZI and 26th day of july 1982.former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

I Formerly known as AKIFE LYDIA CHINYERE now wish to be known as ANUKWATA LYDIA CHINYERE. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I Formerly known as miss OBIAKU STELLA CHINENYE now wish to be known as MRS EZEIGWE STELLA CHINENYE. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I formerly known as OKAFOR-EJIANYA CHUKWUJEKWU ERIC now wish to be known as OGBUAGU EJIMCHI ERIC. former documents remain valid. General public take note.

This is to certify that OKAH HENRY CHIBUEZE and OKAH HENRY EZENWA is one and the same person now wish to be known as OKAH HENRY CHIBUEZE. former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I formerly known as ODINAMBA CHIDIMMA MARYBENEDICT now wish to be known as ODINAMBA CHIDIMMA MARYBENEDETTE. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I formerly known as NKEM D. UKPABI now wish to be known as NKEM. D. OBIORAH former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I formerly known as GODWIN OKOYE OKAFOR now wish to be known as GODWIN CHUKWUEMEKA OKAFOR. Born on 26-041950. Former documents remain valid. General public take note

• Osinbajo to commission projects in Rivers State

•Bishops of the Anglican Province of the Niger Delta led by Archbishop Ignatius Kattey praying for Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike and Deputy Governor Ipalibo Harry Banigo on Monday at the Government House Port Harcourt after their visit to the governor.

en us the opportunity to serve God’s grace that we are here. the State, we must continue to We will do everything to suppartner with the Church. It is by port the Church.”

Archbishop of Anglican Niger Delta Province, Most Rev I formerly known as Ignatius Kattey said Governor UGWU CHARITY now Wike has laid the foundation wish to be known for the continuous developas UGWU CHARITY ment of Rivers State.

OLUCHI. All former He urged other Nigerian leaddocuments remain ers to come to Rivers State to witness the rapid development valid. General public taking place under the leadertake note

ship of Governor Wike.

He said that the fight against corruption can only be effective when it begins with those at its vanguard. The Archbishop regretted that Christians are always at the receiving end of religious conflicts in parts of the country.

The bishops also prayed for Governor Wike and his deputy, Dr Ipalibo Harry Banigo.

6

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

NEWS

Vote for me on Nov. 18, Obiano begs Anambra electorate •Warns IPOB against disruption or activities

By IBE NWACHUKWU

G

OVERNOR WILLIE OBIANO of Anambra State has appealed to the electorate to vote for him in the November 18, governorship election in the State for continuity of good governance.

He said while voters are free to vote candidates of their

choice, Anambrarians can now testify that the level of security in the State at present is so superb that people now sleep with their two eyes closed at night.

Obiano, who spoke during his visit to erosion site at Odume Layout, Obosi in Idemili North Local Council of the State, added: “Apart from security, civil servants receive their alerts eve-

ry month and besides, we are not one of the bailout states in the country.”

On the statement by the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu that there would be no election in the state in particular and in Southeast zone which he described as Biafra land, Obiano declared:

“There is going to be an election on that day as according to him, whoever says there will be no election is not carrying the interest of the people at heart.”

According to Obiano: “We will not repeat what happened during the national census period in the years back her in the state when those who called themselves MASSOB disrupted the exercise in Igbo land and the consequences of that disruption

Ebonyi govt to empower 1,710 widows From CHINEDU NWAFOR, Abakaliki

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bonyi State government has concluded plans to empower 1,710 drawn from the 13 local council in the State, with 10 each from the 171 wards that make up the State.

The Oracle Today’s inquiries revealed that screening and opening of bank accounts for the benefitting widows have since started. They are to receive N100,000 each from the state government through the accounts to set up small-scale businesses of their choice.

The Senior Special Assistant to Governor David Umahi on Religion and Welfare matters, Rev. Fr. Dr. Abraham Nwali who is in-charge of the programme said the 1,710 benefitting widows were different from 280 others paid N10,000 each monthly by the wife of the governor, Rachel.

Nwali said the screening and opening of accounts would precede training of the widows on judicious use of the empowerment fund.

He urged the widows to always put Governor Umahi and his wife in prayers so that they would succeed in their efforts to better the lots of the people of the state.

Meanwhile, controversy has trailed the selection of the benefitting widows as political stakeholders from various wards of the State have been trying to outsmart one another over whose nominees /list would scale through in the exercise.

The development has put the widows on the receiving end as some came to Abakaliki township stadium, venue of the screening, from their remote villages only to discover that their names had been removed and replaced with other persons.

Some hapless widows who came and discovered that they had been shortchanged have decried the inhuman treatment meted to them by their stakeholders.

It was also gathered that some highly placed politicians allegedly imported names from their own wards to other wards in their selfish efforts to ensure that all their nominees were accommodated, a situation that nearly marred the exercise if not for Fr. Nwali’s ingenuity and insistence on doing the right thing.

“My name is Ngozi Oharie. I am from Ndiokoroukwu ward in Ivo Local Council. We are 10 selected for the empowerment from my ward but only three names were seen on the list with Rev. Fr. Nwali. People from other wards were imported to fill our chances after we had paid N2000 each to one Pastor Chima from our area, who said he was going to open accounts for us.

• Ezinne Comfort Ikpegbu (middle) after her conferment of Ezinne title by Methodist bishop of Onitsha diocese, Rt. Rev B. L. Onuagha at St. Andrews Methodist Cathedral, Awada Obosi. Photo by Modestus Igudobi.

Buhari writes AU Chairman, Conde •Says “I am making good progress” From TONY AILEMEN, Abuja

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ILING President Muhammadu Buhari has again assured that he will soon return to his duties to continue to serve the Nigerian people who elected him and are daily praying for his recovery.

This is just as the President said he is prepared to take up his role as Head of the AU anti-corruption committee, for

2018.

These were contained in the letter written to the African Union AU, Chairman, and President of Guinea, President Alpha Conde.

In the letter, which was written to thank the Guinean President for organizing his countrymen to pray for the ailing Nigerian President, President Buhari commended Conde for the nationwide prayers held last week

by Guineans for his recovery and good

Cult group kills member

By OLIVER UDEOGU

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final-year student of the Federal Polytechnic Oko, identified simply as Junior, a native of Onitsha in Anambra State, has been sent to his early grave by members of his own cult group.

It was gathered that the deceased who was head of the cult group in the institution had squabbles with his colleagues over his refusal to hand over the baton of leadership. A student from the campus who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Oracle Today that Junior was lured by their members to a location on the outskirts of the institution, where he was gruesomely murdered. It was further gathered that after Junior was shot on the head and he died, pictures of his dead body were posted on the Web by his members who took the photo-

graph. ‘’I think he was stubborn to their cult group by refusing to hand over at the right time, which resulted in his death,” the source said.

At the family house of the deceased located along Ugwunabankpa Road, Inland Town Onitsha, sympathizers were visiting the family to console them over the loss of their son.

It was further gathered that the late Junior had several police cases out of which his mother usually bailed him.

He was somehow known as a rough guy in the neighborhood, another reliable source also confided in The Oracle Today. As at the time of filing this report, the deceased had not been buried as his family was said to be still doing some documentation, to enable the police release his corpse for burial.

health.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said aside the letter dated July 24, 2017, President Buhari had earlier made a phone call to Conde, who is the current Chairman of the Assemblies of Heads of State and Government of the African Union.

“I thank you for your kind and thoughtful action in organizing nationwide prayers for my good health.

It is a gesture that I will forever cherish and treasure.

“Your Excellency will be pleased to hear that I am making good progress, and as soon as doctors advise, I shall return to my duties and continue serving the Nigerian people who elected me and are daily praying for my recovery.”

Mr. Adesina said President Buhari had also accepted his nomination as leader of the “2018 AU Theme on the Fight Against Corruption”, which came from African leaders at the 29th Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on July 4, 2017, in a letter he wrote earlier to the AU Chairman.

“While thanking you for the kind words and for the nomination,” the President wrote to Conde, “I wish to express my readiness to accept this new important role and to reiterate my commitment to contribute towards our collective efforts to strengthen good governance and development on the continent. I, therefore, look forward to working closely with you in the realization of this objective.”

led to rating our population figure very low which is what we are still suffering today because we were counted less than we are.”

Contributing, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, Hon Emmanuel Ike Nwoboshi said: “The governor is really working and has been able to restore the lost glory of the people by sacking criminals out of this state.

“He has the interest of the people at heart and that made him order for work immediately on the erosion site that has caused three buildings at Odume Layout in Obosi to cave in.”

Also contributing, his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Chief John Nwokoye, said: “For the people to be sure of security, they should vote for the governor come Nov 18, this year.”

“He is a working governor and whoever that does not want us to return to what we were before the advent of Obiano should kindly vote for him in the interest of the State,” he added.

Why we released council polls funds – Enugu Govt.

From CHUKS EZE, Enugu

T

he Enugu State government has explained that it released funds to the State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) for the conduct of local council election to reiterate its earlier promise to conduct council polls later in the year, and to reassure those doubting government’s sincerity that the Ugwuanyi administration is a talkand-do government.

The state government had recently announced the release of N25 million to the Dr. Mike Ezegwu Ajogwu-led commission, in a move which the Commissioner for information, Dr. Godwin Udeughele had earlier described as part of the funds demanded by ENSIEC for the conduct of the council election in the state, to enable the commission to commence preparations for the exercise.

Udeughele, who made the clarifications to journalists in Enugu, also clarified that the fund was for the purchase of non-sensitive materials such as forms, papers, and identity cards among others.

He said that the ball is now in the Commission’s court to start putting up modalities that would enable it conduct a free, fair, transparent and acceptable council election in the State.

He said the State government has also approved the payment of 2017 accommodation and furniture allowances to ENSIEC staff, including the 2016/2017 accommodation allowances for three members of the commission that were appointed earlier.

He added that the State Executive Council has equally approved the sum of N20m to the School of Basic Midwifery at Awgu to reclaim its accreditation that was lost 11 years ago.

7

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

NEWS PDP rocks Anambra with “Return of the Umbrella” Stakeholders’ meeting

Uyo residents commend NDDC road repairs From ESSIEN ESEMA, Uyo

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projects and intervention efforts.

The Oracle Today correspondent, who monitored the progress of work in Uyo, observed that some streets such as Nsentip, Udo, Atakpo, Ukana offot and Nkemba, Udo Eduok, H-Line, Ewet Housing Estate, Uyo, and some sections of failed internal roads in Federal Housing, Uyo, among others, are now wearing a new look.

It was reliably gathered that the NDDC has completed 41 out of the 62 emergency repair works while 18 are ongoing.

Scores of residents who spoke

in an interview hailed the NDDC, saying the commission has fulfilled its core mandate for which it was established by the federal government 17 years ago.

Mrs. Imaobong Essien, a seamstress whose tailoring shop is located along Nkemba street, said, ‘’just like what is happening in other streets in Uyo, the NDDC has cleaned up our street without minding who lives here or not. We are very grateful.’’

Also an employee of the National Examination Council (NECO), who does not want his name mentioned in print, said the

kwa Ibom residents in Uyo, the state capital, have commended the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for carrying out • Vows to chase Obiano out extensive emergency road repairs of Govt House in the city, saying the intervention has alleviated their sufferings.

• Kicks off membership drive The inhabitants, who expressed their gratitude to the Commission From CHUKS COLLINS, Awka during an interaction with our correspondent in Uyo, said it is heartt was a tumultuous gathering of warming that the NDDC is cleanthe People’s Democratic Party ing up Uyo and other parts of the (PDP) faithful during the week in state through its people-oriented Awka when they had a well-attended stakeholders’ meeting, one of its kind in contemporary Anambra politics.

The meeting, which was attended by all executives of the state executives, 21 Councils executives as well as those of the 326 wards in the state, and addressed by the state chairman Prince Ken Emeakayi vowed to do everything legally necessary to unseat the incumbent All Progressives Grand Alliance-led administration of Willie Obiano in the Nov 18,2017 election.

They also resolved to forgive all their members accused or caught in anti-party activities before now, but would descend heavily on anyone who was found wanting henceforth, especially the executives.

Emeakayi who called on all to immediately embark on intensive membership drive gave out telephone numbers where to report any erring officer or member on a round-theclock basis.

• PapalPro Nuncio to Ireland Archbishop Jude Okolo, Nwachinemelu with Okechukwu Emecheta, He announced that all the wards Managing Director of Anambra State Signage Agency, at the burial of Ezinne Christiana Obiano, mother of would be provided with customized Governor Obiano of Anambra State. Emecheta and Okolo were class mates at All Hallows Seminary, Onitsha. membership register to document all their committed members hence- From COLLINS UGHALAA, Owerri forth. former member of the FedHe pointed out that no other poeral House of Representalitical party has ever defeated PDP tives, Hon Uche Onyeaguanywhere, but lamented that it was a cha has disagreed with Governor widely known fact that it was mem- Rochas Okorocha over the gover- alleged.

Imo State Commissioners’ Quarters, bers of the party (PDP) who were nor’s claim that he has performed The APC Chieftain accused the he just changed the roof and renooften used to defeat and embarrass so well in office that his successor governor of “deceiving” the people vated it; the State Secretariat was the party. The ugly trend, he insisted would be hard put to meet the high of Imo State, adding that it is time built by Chief Achike Udenwa, he expectations of Imo people whom for such deception to stop. must stop immediately. changed the roof when there was “What is this nonsense? He said no need for that. Today, there are Dr Alex Obiogbolu, one of the he (Okorocha) as governor, has ‘pampered’. he built this and that in the State. Is many leaky roofs at the secretariat,” frontline aspirants for the Nov 18 govOnyeagucha, a chieftain of the All ernorship election on the platform of Progressives Congress (APC) and it Concord Hotel, which he renovat- the former Reps Member fumed.

He continued: “Avutu poultry, the party, while addressing the gath- a senatorial candidate for Owerri ed? Ikemba Ojukwu Centre was built by Mbakwe and he renovated it; the which he renovated, has collapsed ering noted that the large turnout Senatorial Zone in the 2015, said that was a confirmation of his long-held rather than gloat over ‘a non-existbelief that the party is in tact despite ent’ performance, Governor Okorothe initial challenges which have now cha instead should be wary of the uncertain fate that awaits him when been surmounted.

The Bible Family Media invites qualifed persons to interview for the He said that those who left in the he would be called to account for his following positions: heat of the crises appear to have ‘non-performance’.

Onyeagucha’s warning came at been the actual problem the party the weekend in response to the gov*Pastors with special call to manage a growing church had over the years. *Education/Business Development Manager ernor’s claim recently in Abuja that He, therefore, urged the members his predecessor might be stoned by * Administrators/Accountants to come together and rebuild the par- Imo people if he did not perform, *Writers/Editors ty for success in all future elections. because of Okorocha’s extra-ordi*Media and public Relations officers Another aspirant and the imme- nary performance in office. *Educational Researchers/Educationists According to him, the claim that diate past Secretary to the State *Information Data-bank Managers Government(SSG), Mr Oseloka Henry Governor Okorocha has spoilt Imo *Reporters/Correspondents Obaze described PDP as one big fami- people with projects is false; rather *Information Technologists ly whose protective umbrella is so big what the governor has done “all *Graphics Designers these years is to litter the state with that it has capacity to accommodate hundreds of abandoned projects.” *Computer Instructors even more people. *Website Designers He accused the governor of “lootHe saw the coming Novemebr 18 ing Imo State”, warning him to be *English Language/Literature governorship election as going to be prepared for the “worst” after he *Linguists (language Translators) a test case for the party’s return after leaves office and no longer enjoys any immunity. the Edo and Ondo experiences.

N.B: Interested candidates should have a minimum qualification of “This is a person who has never He urged those who left earlier to Higher National Diploma. Visit our office at No. 49 Awka Road, Near gone on any commercial flight since return in the interest of all citizens.

Savoy Junction, Eziafakaego first floor, Onitsha.

More than 3000 party members he became governor. He has been Contact us on: 08099200077/09023999919 OR send SMS. travelling around on private jet at attended the meeting. the State’s expanse,” Onyeagucha

I

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Ukana Offot Street, off Abak road in Uyo city, was an eyesore not benefiting of an oil-rich State like Akwa Ibom.

According to him, Ukana Offot Street where the State office of NECO is located was terribly bad to the extent that it affected activities of the examination body especially during public examinations, which required the movement of examination materials to various schools and centres in the state.

“We have endured the very poor state of the road for over 4 years. The road at some point became completely impassable.

But, today we can conveniently drive through the road and other adjoining streets. We want to use this opportunity to thank the NDDC for remembering our street,’’ he said.

Residents of Udo Street, considered the nerve-centre of the newspaper industry in Uyo, and known for its boisterous commercial activities, have also commended the NDDC for fixing bad portions of the street, saying they are more comfortable transacting their businesses.

A resident of the area who identified himself simply as Ambrose said, “the Udo street you are seeing today was completely abandoned. Residents always sought alternative route to get to their homes. The repairs on the road by the NDDC has helped us overcome the trauma to go through finding alternative road. We thank the NDDC for taking away our burden and helping us boost our businesses.’’

Onyeagocha disagrees with Okorocha over performance

VACANCY! VACANCY! VACANCY!

under one year. At the appropriate time, Imo people will beam to the world, the many grisly misdeeds of this cruel administration.

“When we in APC went on campaign, we said we would build factories, industries, and create jobs.

That is what we promised, even on billboards then. When I told him he is a fraud, he removed them and changed the message. Show me one factory built by Rochas and I will apologise. No block industry, no toothpick industry, no sachet water industry--just to name the ones that could be built with little amount— nothing.”

While in Abuja recently, Governor had told State House Correspondents that whoever would take over from him as governor might be stoned by the people of Imo State if he fails to perform.

He said: “I am in this job not for the profit of it, but for the honour and glory of the job. So, I want to leave a legacy. I want Imo people to miss me and they will definitely miss me. Believe you me, they have not seen such developmental work before now and they will miss it.

“The only problem I have is that anybody that comes after me and does not perform will be stoned. Because you cannot come to Imo State now and say you want to abolish free education from primary to university, they will not accept that. I have spoilt Imo people, believe me.”

8

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

NEWS

Delta to partner with private sector to develop agricultural potentials From ONATHAN AWANYAI, Asaba

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elta State Government has reiterated its determination to partner with the private sector to develop the agricultural potentials of the state.

The State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Patrick Ukah stated this during an inspection of tomato harvest day of PeaceAlex Enterprises at the premises of the Delta State Urban Water Board, along Okpanam Road, Asaba.

Mr. Ukah, who was impressed with the private initiative of Mr. Alex Okunbor, the owner of the tomato farm, said the state government, under the watch of Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has taken agriculture

as its top priority to diversify the economy of the State, saying that agriculture is one of the key and fundamental aspects of the SMART agenda of Governor Okowa’s administration.

He noted that the consciousness of farming has been brought back through the various agricultural programmes introduced by the State government.

The Information Commissioner said he has been encouraged, as a public office holder, to go into tomato farming with what he has seen in the farm and enjoined Deltans to go into farming especially tomato cultivation as land is available everywhere in the State.

Also speaking during the visit, the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resourc-

es, Hon. Austin Chikezie said the State government would partner with Mr. Alex Okunbor to share in his wealth of experience in tomato cultivation, stressing that it is a sure way of empowering the youths.

Hon. Chikezie assured that PeaceAlex Enterprises would help in training staff of his min-

istry in the best process of hybrid tomato farming.

The owner of the tomato farm, Mr. Alex Okunbor, while expressing gratitude to the commissioners for their support, and for the state government’s plans to partner with him, disclosed that the tomato is hybrid and sourced from In-

German Ambassador commends Ugwuanyi on good governance •Says gov is outstanding From CHUKS EZE, Enugu

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he German Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Bernhard Schlagheck has described the Enugu State governor, Rt. Hon.

Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, as a leader who has displayed outstanding exemplary stewardship since assumption of office in 2015.

He praised the governor for recording milestones across different sectors of the state’s economy.

•3RD QUARTERLY MEETING OF NIGER DELTA AND IOC. From right: Minister of Niger Delta, Mr. Usani Uguru Usani, Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brigadier-General Paul Tarela Boroh (Rtd), Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board, Simbi Wabote.

Why Orba, Obolo-Afo, Eha-Amufu, others are out of power supply – EEDC From CHUKS EZE, Enugu

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he Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) has said that the current power outage being experienced by consumers in some communities in Enugu State was caused by attacks on its staff. The affected communities include Eha-Amufu, Ikem, Obolo-Afo, Orba and Enugu Ezike.

EEDC Head of Communication, Emeka Eze, who disclosed this to our reporter in a telephone interview, alleged that the company’s personnel have been unable to operate in the areas due to attack on their staff in the course of their official duty.

According to him, one of such cases occurred at Eha-Amufu community on June 8, 2017 when a mob of over 300 youths reportedly attacked EEDC staff and destroyed equipment, furniture, and other work tools at the company’s Service Centre in Eha-Amufu.

Eze, who wondered the reason for the Eha-Amufu attack, ex-

plained that the affected areas had enjoyed ‘good supply’ of power supply before the incident because the community was fortunate to be situated at the source of supply which radiates from Nkalagu.

But he said that due to the incident, other communities feeding from the same line have also been out of supply.

The EEDC spokesperson however disclosed that the company is making frantic efforts to resolve the matter. He said the company’s representatives have commenced deliberations with the Transition Chairman of Isi-Uzo Local Government Area, Benjamin Edeoga, some selected traditional rulers, President Generals, and other critical stakeholders of the affected communities with a view to restoring supply to customers.

“EEDC has made some demands during a recent meeting with the stakeholders, which include: an undertaking by the community, assuring EEDC of the safety of its personnel to enable them move

dia.

Mr. Okunbor said the hybrid tomato gestation period, which includes nursery, transplanting and harvesting, is 75 days. He encouraged Deltans to plant the hybrid variety of the tomato to make more money as it takes 19 days for the tomato, after harvesting, to go bad.

in and rectify the fault; that all the destroyed equipment be replaced; and that all the youths that were involved in perpetrating the act be produced for proper prosecution and punishment, where necessary,” he said.

Eze, advised customers who feel aggrieved with the operations of EEDC to always channel their grievances through established legal procedures to avoid incurring the wrath of the law. He assured of the

company’s commitment to providing efficient services to all her customers, adding that consumers were as well expected to pay for service rendered as and when due.

He condemned the development, which according to him, had caused EEDC several millions of Naira, but added that the issue was expected to be resolved soon and supply restored to the affected communities.

Schlagheck, who made the remarks when he paid a courtesy visit to the governor at the Government House, Enugu, also said that he was impressed with the feats recorded by the Ugwuanyi administration, not only in education and rural transformation but in prompt payment of salaries of workers which, according to him, is not common in Nigeria presently.

He commended the State government for setting a national standard in handling the disbursement of the Paris Club Refunds to the State and urged the governor not to relent in his people-oriented and transparent style of administration.

The Oracle Today gathered that Schlagheck was in Enugu with regard to efforts of the Ugwuanyi administration to engage new development partners and attract direct foreign investments to the State, and in furtherance of earlier interfaces between the governor and the Republic of Germany for cooperation and partnership in areas of rural development, among others.

According to the envoy, who described Enugu as peaceful and friendly, “the atmosphere here in Enugu is quite conducive as a result of the various achievements across different sectors of the state’s economy, especially in rural transformation, education, job creation and healthcare. I also learnt that workers get their salaries at the end of the month in this State, which is not common in Nigeria, I will like to add.”

“Enugu is also setting standards in setting up committee to ensure proper utilization of the Paris Club Refunds; that is a remarkable achievement,” he said.

Speaking on the issue of agitation for restructuring, the German Ambassador said the Federal Republic of Germany has worked to enhance the unity of governments and officials of the South-South and South East States to try to strengthen inter-regional cooperation, and called on all citizens to be peaceful and law-abiding at all times.

Obiano’s maiden lawn tennis championship kicks off at Onitsha Sports Club July 28

By IBE NWACHUKWU

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ll is now set for the kick-off of Governor Willie Obiano’s maiden edition of lawn tennis championship organized by Stakeholders for Obiano’s Second Tenure.

The tournament, which will be flagged off by Obiano himself at Onitsha Sports Club on Friday, July 28, is expected to end sometime in October, this year with award of prizes to the overall winner and the runners-up.

National Coordinator of the Stakeholders for Obiano’s Second Tenure,

Hon. Ekene Enefe who disclosed this to newsmen in Awka, yesterday said about 12 sports clubs in the state would participate in the tournament, which is expected to last for about 10 weeks.

Flanked by the National Organizing Secretary of the stakeholders, Sir Jeff Okeke and other executive members, including hon. Uche Chira, Chief Tochukwu Obiako and Hon. Ike Moedu, Enefe disclosed that at the end of the game which would feature lawn tennis singles and doubles, the overall winner would smile home with N1 million, while the second and third winners would go

with N500,000 and N300,000 each.

Enefe noted that major Anambra stakeholders such as Chief Sam Anyanwutaku, the Managing Director of Kiwi Industries Limited, producers of Kiwi polish; Chief Chidi Anyaegbu, Proprietor of Chisco Motors Limited; Chief Cletus Ibeto, Chief Executive Officer of Ibeto Group of Companies Limited are expected to grace the flag-off ceremony.

He noted that the championship was designed by the stakeholders to drum support for Obiano’s support second tenure project.

9

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

INTERNATIONAL NEWS Compiled by Roswitha Chukwuma (with Agency reports) Kenyan president fails to show for election debate

P

resident Uhuru Kenyatta on Kenya on Monday night failed to show up for a debate, leaving opposition presidential candidate Raila Odinga to fielded questions alone on stage.

Odinga, who is the flagbearer for the National Super Alliance coalition, said his top priorities if elected in the Aug. 8 general election would be to lower food prices and rent.

He also promised to tackle youth unemployment.

“First is the issue of putting food on the table, reducing the cost of liv-

ing for the people. This is our priority number one.

“We address the issues of flour, so that we can lower the prices of maize flour, sugar,” he said.

He said to lower rent he would enforce the existing rent restrictions act. “This law is meant to protect the poor from exploitation by the landlords,” Odinga said.

The office of Kenyatta, who is running for a second and final five-year term in office, gave no explanation for his absence.

On Sunday, he answered ques-

tions online and pledged to create 6.5 million jobs in the next five years if elected.

Odinga said his administration would continue to invest in infrastructure, education and training, small businesses and a high-tech economy.

Kenyans are also due to choose on Aug. 8 legislators and local representatives for the first time since 2013, when the elections passed peacefully after the opposition challenged the results in court.

The presidential television debate

is the second ever held in the country after a similar one in 2013.

A separate debate was held earlier in the evening among three other candidates and three more who did not show up.

The debate organisers said the earlier debate was for candidates who polled 5 percent or less in two national opinion polls.

According to polling firm IPSOS, Kenyatta and Odinga are likely to take about 90 per cent of the vote, while none of the six independent presidential candidates is polling

above one per cent.

Opinion polls show the gap between Odinga and Kenyatta has closed.

Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party has also promised to provide free, quality primary healthcare for all Kenyans; free secondary education; affordable housing and connect every citizen to the electricity grid by 2020.

The opposition coalition National Super Alliance manifesto also promises to reform the public sector, set up a universal health service fund and tackle corruption.

Migrants remit $429bn to developing countries in 2016

M

igrants from developing countries sent 429 billion dollars to their countries of origin in 2016, Ms Louise Arbour, UN Special Representative for International Migration, has said.

Arbour said this in her remarks to the session on the latest round of consultations on a two-day Global Compact for Migration at UN Headquarters in New York.

She said the 429 billion dollars remittances were some f the migrants’ most tangible contributions to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in developing countries.

She said the remittances were more than three times larger than official development assistance (ODA), and more stable than other forms of private capital flows.

According to her, such transfers to developing countries have lifted millions of families out of poverty, while stressing the need to lower the associated transaction costs to leverage remittances for development.

Migration also provides substantial development benefits to places of destination, for both developed and developing countries, particularly through the contribution of labour migrants of all skills levels, she argued.

The senior UN official regretted that although the net benefits of migration far outweighed its costs, the public perception was often the opposite.

Arbour said “such public perceptions and attitudes negatively influence sound migration policy choices.

“This must be reversed so that

policy is evidence-based and not perception-driven. Policies responding to false perceptions reinforce the apparent validity of these erroneous stereotypes and make recourse to proper policies that much harder”.

The consultation is the fourth in a series of six thematic consultations that will take place this year and feed into the drafting of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, expected to be adopted by UN Member States in 2018.

An outgrowth of the New York Declaration, adopted at a 2016 UN Summit on refugees and migrants, the Compact will be the first intergovernmental negotiated agreement, prepared under the auspices of the UN, to cover all dimensions of international migration in a comprehensive manner.

The current consultation, conducted by representatives of Member States, UN agencies, civil society, migrants and diaspora, examined the challenges and opportunities in leveraging the economic and social contributions of migrants to countries of origin and destination.

In his remarks, Director General of International Organization for Migration (IOM), Mr William Swing, emphasized the advantages of making sure migration is considered in development planning.

Swing cited the need to ensure that migration is seen as an issue affecting all aspects of human development, including human rights, and the importance of mainstreaming migration in the broader development strategy.

Brexit not about ‘turning away from the world,’ Johnson says

B

rexit “is not, was not and will not be about Britain turning away from the world,” British Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, said in New Zealand on Tuesday.

Johnson said this at a news conference in Wellington during his first visit to New Zealand.

“On the contrary, it is about us wanting to keep great relations with all our European friends and partners and do a great free trade deal with them,” Johnson.

Johnson, who is visiting the southwest Pacific nation for three days, met with Prime Minister, Bill English, and Foreign Minister, Gerry Brownlee and discussed topics including North Korea and the “nuclear adventurism of that regime” as well as the fight against terrorism.

On Tuesday in Wellington Johnson said the people who voted for Brex-

it weren’t hostile to immigrants, they just wanted to feel that the British government had a handle on migration.

“I have been the mayor of London where 40 per cent of the population were born abroad,” Johnson said.

“Being open to talent is a great thing, but in any society you have to manage it and you have to control it.

That is what Brexit was about,’’ he said.

He also said Brexit was also about rediscovering and intensifying friendships and partnerships around the world.

Johnson said Britain and New Zealand would continue to work on a range of issues of mutual interest, including opportunities that existed for citizens to live and work in each other’s countries, Johnson said.

• Rescue workers drag damaged cars out of debris and mud after a flood in Yongji, Jilin province, China

UNAIDS lauds Swaziland on achieving 73% HIV viral load suppression

T

he Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) has congratulated the Kingdom of Swaziland on achieving over 73 per cent viral load suppression among adults living with HIV and a major reduction in HIV incidence between 2011 and 2016 The UN HIV/AIDS agency said in a statement that new study showed the viral load suppression, congratulating U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for its unwavering commitment to the global AIDS response.

“UNAIDS congratulates the Kingdom of Swaziland on the findings of the Swaziland HIV Incidence Measurement Survey (SHIMS 2) announced

by Prime Minister Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini today in Mbabane, Swaziland that 73 per cent of the adult population aged 15 years and older are virally suppressed.”

UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé said “this figure is made up of 76 per cent of adult women and 68 per cent of adult men.

“The survey, part of the Public Health Impact Assessments (PHIA), was conducted with

funding from United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

“Swaziland has demonstrated to the world that shared responsibility and global solidarity produces results.

“Working together with PEPFAR and partners, Swaziland is saving lives and on track to control the epidemic.”

SHIMS 2 findings on viral load suppression among adults of 15 years and older of 73 per cent affirms UNAIDS estimates of 68 per cent.

Compared to the 2011 SHIMS1 survey which had a similar design, the survey results suggest that the rate of new HIV infections among adults (ages 18 to 49 years) has decreased by half from 2.5 per cent in 2011 to 1.4 per cent in 2016 (2.0 per cent for adult women and 0.9 per cent for adult men).

This is similar to the decline in incidence among adult ages 15 to 49 as published by UNAIDS, from 2.5 per cent in 2011 to 1.7 per cent in 2016, it said.

In 2016, UNAIDS estimated that 220,000 people were living with HIV in Swaziland, and that new HIV infections were reduced from 12,000 in 2011 to

8,800 in 2016.

Prevention of mother to child coverage in Swaziland has been between 90 and 100 per cent since 2011 and was estimated to be 95 per cent (81 per cent to less than 95 per cent) in 2016.

As a result, fewer than 1,000 children became infected with HIV in Swaziland in 2016, the UNAIDS chief said.

“UNAIDS welcomes the Swaziland PHIA results as further affirmation of the validity and accuracy of our modelling estimates,” Sidibé said.

In addition to the Swaziland survey, similar data from Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe were gathered through critical household surveys, in collaboration with local governmental and non-governmental partners in 2016.

PEPFAR works with more than 50 countries, to maintain access to life-saving treatment, provide services for orphans and vulnerable children, ensure that the most vulnerable and key populations have access to services to prevent and treat HIV and accelerate progress toward the end of the AIDS epidemic.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

Bold ‘n’ Blunt

In Bayelsa State, cultism, cultists threaten

From Yenagoa, CHRIS EZE writes that cultism has become a big headache that practically defied every solution sought by government and other stakeholders to its deleterious tendencies in Bayelsa State

• Arrested suspected cultists.

F

EAR-GOD OWEIPADE is a 13-year old JS two school boy. He was among 32 suspected cultists recently paraded by the commissioner of police in Bayelsa State, Mr. Asuquo Amba at the police headquarters in Yenagoa.

Fear-God told journalists that he was arrested while on operation with his group, the Greenlanders secret cult, adding that he was initiated into the group by his friend.

The police also reported the case of two minors, Abel Miracle ‘m’ 12 years and one David Agbagidi ‘m’ 14 years who allegedly stole the sum of N134, 400 from a trader at Swali market in Yenagoa.

The Spokesman of the State Police Command, Asinim Butswat, (DSP) said a Tricycle operator carrying the suspects alerted the police at the Berger junction in Yenagoa that he suspected the mission of his passengers.

Butswat said the children took to their heels and were chased and arrested by the Policemen, adding that they confessed to stealing the money from a bag belonging to an unknown person at Swali waterside.

The case of Fear-God and his fellow minors’ shows how endemic the menace of cultism has become in the State as even children in their impressionable ages are being recruited into the devilish groups.

The Commissioner of Police, Asuquo Amba, being very forthright in one of his assignments recently said while the police has been able to bring down cases of kidnapping which used to be very rampant in the state, tackling cultism has become rather challenging.

“Let me say that cultism has become

a prevalent crime in Bayelsa. Cultists are criminals because they carry guns, steal and kill innocent persons in their operations.

“These groups are threat to the society, but I promise that we will continue to fight the good fight to ensure that Bayelsa is much safer for living”, the police boss said.

According to Amba, secret cult groups which operate in the state include, Greenlanders, Icelanders, Bobos, Vikings ,Baggers, etc.

The cult groups operate both at night and in the day time, and they often engage in snatching phones, hand bags, cash and other valuable belongings from their victims. They also often engage in supremacy battle with rival groups which often leaves in its trail, deaths and terminal injuries.

The most recent incident of cult related attack in the state was the killing of Saviour Enoch, a former Cadet at the Nigerian Defense Academy, (NDA), Kaduna about two weeks ago.

Saviour, aged 20, was shot dead on a Saturday night at about 8 p.m. along Gwegwe/Naval Road in Ovom,Yenagoa Local Government Area. He was said to have lost his father, also a soldier two years ago while serving in the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri, Borno State.

“My son died by shooting and my husband also died by shooting; my husband was a Staff Sergeant in the Army, he died two years ago and now, my son,” Saviour’s mother had lamented while mourning her son.

Shortly before the incident, one Samuel Collins who hailed from Port Harcourt in neighbouring Rivers State and a gradu-

ate of Engineering from the University of Benin was killed along Melford Okilo Road, off INEC/Kpansia area of Yenagoa metropolis by gunmen suspected to be cultists.

It was gathered that Collins was accosted by the hoodlums at INEC Road junction on his way to the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board’s office on Isaac Boro Expressway, where he was undergoing training and requested him to surrender his phone and cash, but he reportedly resisted them and in the process, he was shot on the head. He bled to death before help could come his way.

The incident of cultism heightened in the state since many of the youths were demobilized from their engagement in militant activities following the Amnesty Program proclaimed by the Late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua administration.

In 2013 alone, a total of 11,000 cultists renounced membership of cult groups in Bayelsa and were granted pardon by the Dickson led administration who promised to engage them in a rehabilitation program.

The governor, who was speaking at an elaborate ceremony at the Banquet Hall in Yenagoa, said he had set aside N1 billion for the programs to ensure the excultists become self-reliant.

He had said, “If we do not help to build you all, then our future will not be assured. You are all aware of what our Restoration Government is doing, building schools, roads, hospitals, investing in security and making our state safe, talking to people to come here to invest so that we can create jobs for you.

“All of these will come to nothing, if

we don’t help to equip you with the skills that you need to partake in the economy to protect our future”.

Basking in the euphoria of the moment, the Governor promised that the exercise was just the beginning and that his team will conduct a meticulous verification exercise to select the 10,000 beneficiaries, local government by local government.

“When we are through with all of these, we are going to engage you in a special youth empowerment program. A total of 10,000 youths will be engaged”, Dickson said.

That was way back in 2013. Four years after, cultism has remained a very hydra headed monster in the state, snuffing lives from innocent people at will.

That also goes to show that the rehabilitation program promised by the governor was not effective, if it ever worked at all.

Some experts have advanced many reasons people belong to some of these clandestine organizations and groups where they unleash mayhem on humanity.

According to Prof. Saviour Nathan Agoro, Provost, Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro College of Education, Sagbama, Bayelsa, many young people do join cults for group feeling and companionship. He however said the need for companionship should not lure any individual to associate with wrong people.

“Wrong companionship is bad. Those who are in cult groups for the sake of companionship are urged to desist and seek for wholesome companion that would build them than the type that destroys”, he emphasized.

The Provost further said people join cults to possess power and use it to oppress others. But he warned that cultivating satanic power to use it to hurt people will be counter -productive in the long run, stressing that nothing good could be gotten from serving Satan.

Besides, he said the motive to join cults for some people is based on how to acquire cheap popularity among their peers, and the desire to posses some esoteric knowledge that will make them have protection and safety.

“Some see cults as a forum to be associated with high and mighty in the society. Hence, each cult group prides itself with the names of the high in the society whom it claims are secretly linked with it”, he added.

For those in campus, the Provost said that laziness is a factor that motivates them to join cult. “This is because some lazy students feel that they will join cults in order to intimidate feeble minded lecturers to award them higher grades at examination where they deserve to fail.

Some weak lecturers will just pass them to avoid any untoward consequences”, he stated.

For others, he said they join cult to extort favors from people. But he warned, “Don’t join cults because you want to belong to a forum in which you can steal and cheat people”.

He said some students have tendency to rob so they look for an outlet in which they will disguise their nefarious propensities to forcefully take what does not belong to them. “While others see in cult membership, a cheap means of intimidating female students in order to have sex with them, and for some, cults provide them the opportunity to bully others for their sadistic pleasures”.

According to Agoro, there is no acceptable reason why a decent person will de-

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

Bold ‘n’ Blunt

the very foundation of society

mean himself or herself to belong to a cult group that he or she will not be comfortable to tell others about. He noted needless deaths that have resulted from cult wars in the country and said stories abound of intimidation and the perpetual servitude wicked people have subjected their peers to in many occasions.

He therefore preached: “You don’t need to be ruled by wrong values. You are created to be people of worth. Don’t allow a negative self concept lure you into cults. You are created a wholesome person. If you are sick in your mind, seek help in Christ. In fact, it will not be wrong to say that cult members are a group of psychotic patients. Depending on their orientation, they should seek counseling in the church or in the hospitals”.

Some experts also posit that involvement in drugs is intricately linked to involvement in cultism as youths who engage in drug abuse and addiction are influenced to engage in anti social behaviours, including involvement in cultism.

Recently, the Bayelsa State Commander of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) Abdullahi Abdul disclosed that the command arrested 122 suspects, of which more than 80 percent are youths.

Abdul who advised parents to always monitor the peer groups their children and wards engage in equally urged them to pay more attention to the physical, emotional and psychological needs of the children and youths and create various channels for communication and self expression.

Some school of thought opines that the reward system in our society encourages or promotes criminality. Today in Bayelsa for instance, many of the repentant militants have mansions built in different parts of the state. Some have even set up flourishing businesses from the proceeds of militancy or agitation as they call it.

Some of them have been appointed into exalted positions just because they took up arms against the state, while those who have remained peaceful and refrained from any criminality are languishing in penury and can hardly make ends meet.

Some of the up- coming youths when they pass along the edifice or businesses set up by the ex-militants, would often nod their heads, and say ‘our time is coming’. The police escorts that accompany some of the ex-agitators and the kind of vehicles they flaunt are enough to present them as role models for the young lads.

Bayelsa is undoubtedly a small state, but the level of criminality that sometimes takes place in there is mindboggling –piracy, kidnapping cultism, armed robbery and recently, human trafficking.

Some analysts say Bayelsa people are pleasure loving, who can go at any length to get pleasure, even when the means to provide such pleasure are hardly available, and that fuels their penchant for violence and criminality.

Dr. Konrad Ekiyor Welson, lecturer at the Niger Delta University, NDU, Amassoma, Bayelsa, shares this view. He said, “The spirit in Bayelsa is that of violence, is that of idolatry, idol worship; you understand. So what is uppermost in their mind is pleasure. They are the most pleasurable people in the world. The Bayelsa people love pleasure. They make money by hook, by crook and spend it on pleasure and leisure. Bayelsa people can travel to any part of the world to sleep

• Gov. Seriake Dickson with a woman”.

Even so, observers say most of the people lack the self drive for personal accomplishment, particularly the youths.

“Now go round Yenagoa for instance, you can hardly find one Bayelsan as a Vulcanizer or as a mechanic; go to the Mechanic Village, you will confirm what

‘

criminals do not last long in criminality as they always leave trails that eventually give them out for arrest by law enforcement officials which he said includes the Police, amongst others

‘

am saying.

“The people you will find there are Igbo people, Yoruba people and other tribes. Our people here do not have the patience and discipline to stay for some time under somebody’s tutelage and learn those things. No, they are not interested in anything that will have a gestation period to mature. They want it now.

“Look at even the Keke(Tricycle) that are everywhere in the state. I doubt if there is one Bayelsan boy that is riding any of these Keke to earn a living. If you buy and give them, to make returns to you will become a problem. So why would they not find reason to engage in cultism?

“Even when you train them in skill acquisition and empower them with starter packs, many of them will sell the starter packs on leaving the venue of their commissioning and use the money for pleasure. And tomorrow, he will be the first to tell you he has no job.

“It is a pity that our people do not know that times have changed. The era when our fathers use to fold their arms and cross legs in the village and our mothers wake early in the morning and paddle canoe to fish, farm and come back to feed the family is gone. Our youths need to wake up to this stark reality.

“One of the things that is still blindfolding our youths is what I will call the ‘I dey Loyal Syndrome’ where they abandon their life pursuits and be running after politicians who normally use and

dump them. When that happens, many of them usually take to crime, especially cultism and armed robbery”.

The foregoing were the submissions of a concerned Bayelsan who spoke to The Oracle Today on the condition of anonymity. He said while government has a role to play to re-orientate the youths, parents have a greater role in raising minimal number of children they can manage and cater for.

He insisted that it is when children lack basic care in the family that they are forced to start fending for themselves too early in life, and in the process, they mix with wrong characters and go astray.

Interestingly, the state Governor, Seriake Dickson seems to have identified a single purpose solution to redirect the focus of the youths of Bayelsa, and that is education.

The governor has repeatedly said that the huge investments his administration is making in the educational sector in the state is aimed at reforming and reconditioning the minds of the people with a view to weeding out negative tendencies and infusing noble and progressive ideas for the future greatness of the state.

“Our investment of over 55billion naira on educational infrastructure alone is to commission your minds and free you from this terrible grip of ignorance that has pervaded our state for so long; and I believe that is the major cause of instability even in our country and the world because that is what fuels that iron chain, iron circle of poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, unemployability, criminality, militancy and all that”, the governor said recently at the commissioning of the Ijaw National Academy, Kaiama in Bayelsa.

Apparently towing a similar line of using education to positively change the mindset of the youths, the police command in the state has commenced advocacy campaign against cultism and other crimes to schools in the state.

Speaking while flagging off the program titled “Why young people must shun crime and cultism” at Billari International School, Tombia Imiringi road in the outskirts of Yenagoa, Assistant Commissioner of Police, (ACP) Bayelsa Command, Mr. Mike Vigara, urged young people to shun crime and cultism in the society.

The ACP implored the youth to be courageous in life, and shun any act which will put them into criminality to warrant their arrest.

He said the essence of living is to find solutions to the problems of humanity, adding that students are in school to get knowledge to solve the problems of mankind and make the earth a better place.

According to him, “Once a person goes into crime, it is always difficult to come out of it.

“Crime is evil and wicked; it does not pay anyone but destroys society and the future of the person committing it.

“Take the message home to your friends and families that crime can destroy. If the person is caught, he or she will be arrested by the police for prosecution,” he said.

Vigara, maintained that criminals do not last long in criminality as they always leave trails that eventually give them out for arrest by law enforcement officials which he said includes the Police, amongst others.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

POLITICS

Abia North never planned to block In this interview with BONIFACE OKORO, in Umuahia, immediate past Senior Special Assistant to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu on Trade and Investment, Mr. Jude Udeachara reviews the 2015 political dynamics that produced Ikpeazu as the first governor of Ngwa extraction and the role of Abia North Senatorial zone and opines that the challenge by Dr. Uche Ogah should not be seen as a collective plot by Abia North to block or remove the governor.

Excerpts:

H

AVING BEEN in politics for over two decades, what is your assessment of Abia politics

I must give it to Abia politicians that they like to peacefully engage in politics.

That is, our politics is devoid of much rancour, acrimony and assassinations.

Here, there is always that engagement on issues, visions, programmes and we keep it at that level. Occasionally, there are few incidents of thuggery, but it is never on a large scale. So, politics here is quite peaceful, I must say.

The only problem I notice sometimes is that the ordinary people are a bit apolitical. Most times, people don’t participate actively; they don’t have the emotion, passion to participate actively in politics; in things that concern the public.

In most cases, candidates that run for elections have to draw people out to register to obtain Voter Card, to vote, to attend rallies, in fact, to participate in politics.

More often than not, people complain about bad people who are politicians embezzling funds, not being sincere and we forget that if we allow only bad people or those not qualified to occupy positions of authority in government, the system can never get better.

That is why the Catholic Church advised her members to try to engage themselves in politics, to participate; that it is a civic duty to participate actively in politics, and, if possible, contest.

Don’t you think that the apathy you mentioned is a product of election outcomes which don’t reflect voting patterns The truth is that if the majority of the people say no to rigging, nobody can successfully rig any elections. I have been a victim of what I call “the majority” in 2003 when I ran for the Abia State House of Assembly under the National Democratic Party (NDP)in Isuikwuato. I tried as much as I could to “protect my votes” during the election.

The LGA party chairman in power then, which was PDP, for instance, and a couple of other members of the executive were brazenly telling me how they were going to rig me out because they persuaded me to be the PDP candidate but I refused because of Gen. Ike Nwachukwu who was running for Presidency also on the platform of NDP. I saw that also manifest during the election.

The truth is that people vote and go home. Then those who engage in this exercise, the politicians and their collaborating electoral staff, stuff boxes, do all sorts of manipulations and change results. At the end of the day, the will of the people don’t reflect in the final result. But if Nigerians can decide that there will be no rigging, definitely, there will be no rigging.

Like in my own case in 2003, riggers didn’t succeed because in areas where the electorate resisted them and said no

to rigging, the majority party did not succeed.

Even in the subsequent local government elections that followed the 2003 governorship and state Assembly elections, my party managed to get seven wards out of 20. So, it is just the apathy.

If people say no, and put their feet down, there will be no rigging.

It is said that things that happened in the build up to the 2015 general elections and, subsequently, the Uche Ogah case against Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, made politicians from Abia South to express doubts that Abia North was in support of power shift to that zone (Abia South).

What is your take on this Since the creation of Abia State in 1991, it is on record that this is the first time that a man of Ngwa extraction is being in charge as the Chief Executive of the State.

Earlier during the military regime, we had Ogbonnaya Onu from Afikpo block,

followed by Orji Uzor Kalu from Old Bende and then Chief T.A.Orji from Abia Central.

So, it was not out of greed that Abians from Abia South started clamouring to be given a chance to produce the Chief Executive of the state. I do remember that the then governor, Chief Theodore Orji, took this matter to various stakeholders meetings in Abia North, Abia Central and Abia South and made stakeholders to sign and make resolutions to rotate power, to let power get to Abia South for the first time; which was what eventually played out during the PDP primaries of 2014.

Then, a man from Abia South who had won the heart of Aba residents through the work he did with Abia State Environmental Protection Authority in the person of Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, emerged and he was the choice.

We took him round during the campaigns as the PDP flag bearer and he eventually won the elections.

My question is that they harbour that feeling that the North does not support their aspiration But I just said that we tried to correct that impression. They try to say that, giving all reasons that from the military era, no Ngwa person was deemed fit to be made an administrator or Chief Executive of Abia State.

So, that clamour to produce one had been there but eventually in 2014, the stakeholders now decided to let power go to the Abia South. It is like we acknowledged their complaints and their feelings and PDP as a party decided to right the wrong.

But someone has to be occupying that position at a point in time. So, if for whatever reasons, that position has moved from North to Abia Central and then, Abia South, it wasn’t a question of marginalization but a question of interplay of power, politics, forces and political jingoisms that have made it that power had to go from the North to Central, then to Abia South.

PDP has zoning in its constitution and PDP respects zoning arrangement and PDP thinks that through zoning arrangement, every part of the state and country will feel part and parcel of identity, and that it will engender peace in the long run than having persons from one particular senatorial zone emerging all the time to be the chief executive of a state or a president from a particular geo-political zone emerging as the president of Nigeria.

So PDP did well in enshrining in its constitution that positions should be zoned, even party administrators.

Despite the zoning to Abia South, Dr Uche Ogah from Abia North contested in the primary and still went court to challenge Ikpeazu’s emergence, even after Ikpeazu had assumed office as governor. This fuelled the fears of Abia South that the North doesn’t want the zone to have a taste of power The truth is that it will be very unfair if people from Abia South and Ukwa/ Ngwa in general feel that it is Abia North that tried to wrestle power back through the aspirations of Chief Uche Ogah because prior to the primaries, like I said, all the major stakeholders in Abia North –Ike Nwachukwu, Joe Irukwu, Mao Ohuabunwa, name them, they all signed that the ticket should be given to someone from Abia South, just like their counterparts in Abia Central and Abia South also signed or resolved.

Usually in PDP, like I said, I have been following PDP since 2003, they take their decisions, zone positions but because they believe in fundamental human rights of every Nigerian: freedom of aspiration, freedom of association; they still leave it open for other persons to go ahead, buy forms, canvass for votes and run in the primary for which they even foreclose the zone or the area where those positions are going.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

POLITICS

or remove Ikpeazu –Udeachara in the primaries.

But on the primary day, usually the party is the electors, the delegates are told this is the zone where we are picking our candidate and sometimes, they even narrow it down to say, amongst all these people, this is even a better choice but the delegates are still free to go in there and cast their votes, to say yes or no to the decisions of the stakeholders.

I am from Uturu. Ogah is from my town and some of us did confront him with this fact that the stakeholders have signed and even agreed to let power shift to Abia South and that this was going to play out against him during the primaries but he felt he could muster enough delegates to counter the stakeholders’ decisions. But unfortunately for him, he lost in that primaries and came second.

That is why I am saying that it is wrong for the Ukwa/Ngwa to say the entire North do not want them because if the Abia North delegates (Old Bende – Abia North and Abia Central) had voted for Uche Ogah, Uche Ogah would have also won. But it wasn’t so. Ikpeazu won with the votes from the three zones of Abia.

•Gov. Ikpeazu So, they always say if you want to run, everybody is free in PDP but as a party, the stakeholders have resolved where we want to pick our candidate because it is enshrined in out constitution to

zone positions.

But if you feel that you can wrestle that power from the larger body of stakeholders, go ahead; buy your forms, run your campaigns and then participate

Ikpeazu has been on the saddle for two years, how could you assess his performance so far?

Being somebody who is an academic and also somebody who has had a stint with public service, as General Manager of Abia State Passengers Integrated Manifest Scheme and Deputy General Manager, Abia State Environmental Protection Agency, I had no doubt that Ikpeazu was going to perform.

Aba used to be the dirtiest town. The Press variously reported it, from Orji Uzor Kalu’s time to Ochendo; but the

moment Ikpeazu was appointed Deputy General Manager, ASEPA, Aba zone, everybody in Aba till date, gave it to him that he performed excellently. So, I didn’t have any doubt that Ikpeazu was going to make a difference.

With what I call the shrunk resources, he has been able to at least engage the development of roads that Abia, especially Aba area, needed so much so that we can move around freely.

In Aba, a permanent solution has been found for the Brass – Faulks, where we call the notorious Ukwu Mango which causes perennial flooding that is witnessed in Aba. He conceived a programme that says if the traders and other commercial entrepreneurs in Aba are mostly the persons that pay these taxes and levies, the best thing for him will be to build roads that lead to their business areas so that it won’t take them much time to get to their business areas and then also to leave after close of work to get back to their homes; so they reduce down time on traffic and their effective man-hours are maximized and they can generate more funds so that they can happily pay the taxes and levies and that is what is playing out in Aba today.

He has also been able to reduce cost of governance. We have seen what I may call wastefulness and he is using the biometric system to fish out ghost workers in the payroll of the state.

He has been able to reduce what we call the political sycophancy that used to happen. It was like every now and then, people marched to Government House on sponsored solidarity visits, he has cut those things off. I mean he is like a working governor who doesn’t want to be distracted.

Ezu River saga: Rights group wants ex-Anambra SARS commanders probed

By IBE NWACHUKWU

I

NTERNATIONAL Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety), has called on the authorities concerned to probe former commanders of Special AntiRobbery Squad (SARS) in Anambra State to ascertain their level of involvement in the massacre of some criminal suspects in their custodies and dumping of their bodies inside Ezu River in Awka North Local Council of the State, some time in 2013.

Many corpses had been found floating inside the river and in a reaction, members of the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB accused SARS operatives in the state of killing the suspects in their custody extra-judicially and dumping their bodies in the river.

In a press statement issued yesterday in Onitsha, Anambra State, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, BoT of Intersociety, Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi said while the probe is on-going, the police high command should at the same time engage in computerization of the Nigeria Police Force and intensification of in-service and out-service trainings and workshops for its officers especially the personnel of its special or technical departments such as SARS, FCID and SCIDs. Specifically, the group called on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Kpotum Idris and his Nigeria Police Management Team and specifically the Force Criminal In-

vestigations and Force Operations Departments to critically and expertly study and analyse the four technical sections of this special/expert investigative report for the purpose of using them to revolutionalise, computerise and digitalise the Force manually, mentally and scientifically.

It further called on the National Assembly and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), as well as the State governors and their A-Gs and the State Houses of Assembly to revisit, overhaul and upgrade the Nigerian Federation’s criminal justice and associated human rights code laws (Acts and Laws) in line with international best practices including immediate adoption or ratification and domestication of outstanding regional and international rights and humanitarian treaties.

It contended that Section 33 (2) (a) of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution and the Police Order 237 of the Nigeria Police Act and Regulations of 2004 should specifically be expunged or streamlined in definition.

“We call on the above named authorities including the Nigeria Police authorities to take serious exception to and condemn strongly and practically at all times all forms of custodial torture, shootings and killings by their law enforcement officers and desist from their incurable habit of false denials, which have entrenched a culture of impunity and lawlessness among the authorities and officers of the Force and other

policing agencies in Nigeria,” Intersociety further said.

“We also call on the present government of Anambra State headed by Governor William Obiano and other State governors to “fight violent crimes” in their respective States with human face and conscience by respecting the sanctity of human lives and refraining from being complicit in torture and all forms of extra judicial and unlawful killings by their governments’ financed State Joint Security Taskforces particularly the murderous activities of the Special Anti-Robbery, Anti-Terrorism and Anti-Cult Squads of the Nigeria Police Force operating in their States,” the group further stated.

“We call on the present government and executive governor of Anambra State and other State governors to critically and expertly study the four technical sections of this special investigation/expert report especially sections three and four and use them to upgrade and transform their States’ SARS headquarters into a state-ofart criminal investigation procession facilities; fully equipped with modern crime labs and libraries with well-trained personnel and staff. They should also overhaul and operationalize their Coroner’s laws and their procedures.

“We call on the named State governors and their States’ Police Commissioners, SARS Commanders, politicians and the rich

class to stop and desist from flooding SARS formations and cells with the good, the bad and the ugly labeled as ‘violent crime suspects’ and restrict the operations of their SARS officers to violent crimes of armed robbery and abduction; with the cases of murder, terrorism and related others taking over by their States’ Criminal Investigations Departments or SCIDs. “We demand that the SARS commanders and the Nigeria Police authorities must release all detainees wrongly held in SARS cells and arrest and prosecute members of the public including politicians and rich or privileged class who framed them up or wrongly or vindictively labeled such citizens ‘armed robbers’, ‘terrorists’ and ‘kidnappers’ and got them detained and tortured alive or tortured to death in SARS custodies.

“We call for total abolition and prohibition both in theory and in practice of all forms of police corruption especially those highlighted above, and for a concrete step to be further taken to periodically investigate the illicit earnings or sources of out-service incomes of SARS commanders including those of CSP James Oshim Nwafor (the notorious OC/SARS in Anambra State between 2012 and 2015 and alleged chief operational and mastermind of the Ezu River SARS killings of 19th January 2013) whom critics have alleged to be far richer than his statutory remunerations as a serving Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP in Nigeria.”

14

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

POLITICS ‘After two years, Nigerians now beg APC to return nation to what it was in 2015’ CHIEF IGHOYOTA AMORI is a former Senator, former Commissioner for Education and Water Resources Development as well as Senior Political Adviser to both Chief James Ibori’s and Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan’s governments in Delta State. He is currently Special Adviser to the PDP National Chairman, former Governor Ahmed Makarfi’s Caretaker Committee. In this interview with OBIRE MEVAGEN, Amori speaks on APC, Nigerian democracy and a few other issues of national importance.

Excerpts:

P

RESENTLY, how do you see to the state of the nation? And in what ways can we re-ignite Nigeria’s spirit of greatness?

The state of the nation can be said to be one that is sitting on a keg of gunpowder waiting to explode. More worrisome is the recent rumour of an attempted coup by the Army. Presently, the nation has a President whose true health condition is being covered up by an alleged cabal controlling affairs of the government. A hungry man they say is an angry man. Majority of Nigerians are hungry and experiencing abject poverty with its attendant consequences. Lawlessness is becoming the order of the day with the APC-led federal government not accepting responsibility for the security of lives and property of its citizens.

The country as it is lacks cohesion because of the kind of leadership being given by the APC at the centre. The APC must realize that campaigns are over and should, therefore, focus on delivering its electioneering promises to Nigerians. What is very disturbing to most Nigerians is that the APC in just two years in office has destroyed the democratic gains of successive PDP administrations.

If Nigeria should be great again, there has to be true federalism. A situation where few States feed the majority States that make up the federation called Nigeria would continue to see the country going backward.

Most States are not tapping their potentials because of dependence on nation’s crude oil earnings. Next, should be the scrapping of quota system in the country. Nations that are succeeding today lay emphasis on merit.

How are PDP–to–APC defections affecting opposition politics in Delta State and the country at large?

Delta State is a peculiar PDP State. It is a State where the past governors, their deputies and the incumbent governor and his deputy are all still in the party. The defection of PDP members to APC has been very minimal and insignificant. It is interesting to note that in the last few months, some who defected to the APC have staged a comeback to the PDP. The return of the second civilian governor of the State, Chief James Ibori has further consolidated the strength of the party in the state.

Presently, the opposition APC in Delta State is voiceless. The party is only known on facebook and other social media platforms.

What is a party without followership? The Delta PDP particularly in Delta Central meets at least every month from one local government area to another. The APC cannot boast a gathering of its members at local government level in Delta State for the past two years. The key players in APC in the State are former members of PDP who with time will return to the party following on-going reconciliation effort by the leadership of the party in the State.

At the national level, most of the people defecting from PDP to APC were original members of PDP or are doing so for political patronage or fear of being persecuted.

Would you say APC has failed Nigerians two years down the line?

Two years into the APC-led administration of Nigeria, no Nigerian except those outside the shores of the country needs a soothsayer to tell him or her that the administration has failed woefully. Even the unborn child in its mother’s womb feels the hardship brought upon Nigerians by the APC. What the government has resorted to in the past two years is propaganda and blaming the past administration. But, they fail to realize that Nigerians are now wiser to tell the difference between a successful government and a failing one.

The situation in the country has gone so bad economically that majority of Nigerians are begging the APC government to return the nation to the state it was before it took over in 2015. Celebrating two years anniversary, the administration cannot boast of any area it has impacted positively on Nigerians.

It is so pathetic that one of the spokespersons to the President recently mentioned the rehabilitation of the Abuja Airport runaway, which floods whenever it rains as one of the achievements of the APC-led Federal Government.

Today, the exchange rate of the naira to the dollar, pound and other foreign currencies is outrageously high with its attendant high cost of imported goods and services.

Thousands of Nigerians particularly in the private sector have lost their jobs due largely to the retrogressive economic policies of the APC administration. Daily, the costs of even farm produce like Gari are on the increase and the government is helpless about what to do. On security, there are the incessant and wanton killings and destruction of lives and property all over the country especially in Southern Kaduna and Benue States. Added to this are the activities of Fulani herdsmen that have claimed many lives in Delta, Cross-River and Awka-Ibom States.

You once described Chief James Ibori as a man next to God politically; after God, Ibori is next. What do you really mean by this statement?

Chief James Ibori is a man with exemplary character and qualities. If you have ever had any dealings with him, you will understand that his kind is near impossible to find on planet earth. He has a large heart and is very concerned about the progress of people. As a governor, he strived to carry everybody along. His benevolence, generosity and kindheartedness are what make people still celebrate him today despite the political travails he has passed through.

I can liken him to a political genius whose mastery of the game brought many of us to the stage we are now on politically. If we have most leaders with the type of heart Ibori has, Nigeria would have been better for it.

Many have criticized Buhari on many issues, but many say his anti-corruption fight is yielding fruits. Won’t you at least give him credit in that regard?

I can only give credit to the anti-corruption crusade of the President when the approach is holistic and not selective as it is being carried out. In my assessment, the Buhari government is hiding under the guise of anticorruption fight to witch-hunt top members of the opposition PDP to weaken the party from providing the needed opposition to check the excesses of the administration.

The administration is quick to arrest and detain unlawfully members of the PDP at slightest allegation of fraud, while panels or committees are set up to carry out investigations whenever it involves APC members. In making objective assessment of the Buhari anti-corruption fight, it is important to ask how many convictions has the Economic and Financial Crimes commission EFCC recorded in the last two years?

Besides, the anti-corruption fight must be fought at all fronts of our national life to achieve the needed result. It will not succeed if it is targeted at perceived political enemies.

What are the important things that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has done over these two years?

First, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has over these two years stabilized the economy of Delta State considering the debt profile of the State when he took over in 2015. At a point, it was almost impossible to pay the salaries of the State workers. But, through prudent management of the state resources, no State worker is being owed salary.

Okowa’s policy of not embarking on project except when the fund is available to complete it has ensured that projects started by his administration are completed on record time. On infrastructural development, the governor deserves kudos in roads construction across the State. In the last two years, the administration has awarded 98 road contracts and of the 98 roads, 20 of them have been commissioned. While about 25 of the roads are expected to be commissioned in the course of this second year anniversary. The other 53 roads are on-going projects at various stages of execution with some at completion level.

Despite not being able to employ qualified Deltans into the State Civil Service, the

Okowa’s administration has done well in the area of youth empowerment programmes especially through agriculture. The administration has in the last two years through its Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurs Programme (YAGEP) and Skills Training and Entrepreneurship Programme (STEP) trained and equipped over 4,000 youths.

In the area of political appointments, the governor has kept his promise to the three senatorial districts of the State in terms of ensuring even distribution of appointments.

He is really a man that keeps his promise.

How would you conclude this interview?

Two years ago, most Nigerians did not appreciate the PDP government at the centre.

Today, the difference is clear. I am sure Nigerians have truly experienced the CHANGE they voted for and come 2019, they will be wiser to vote wisely. Beyond party politics, the APC government should face squarely the governance of the country. Both the rich and poor are feeling the hardship brought by the administration.

They must act fast before the country drifts into anarchy that may warrant another military incursion into the leadership of the nation. This will not portend well for the progress that has been recorded since 1999, when the nation’s nascent democracy came into being. Let us not easily forget the words of Obafemi Awolowo in 1983 that, “The worst civilian rule is better than the best military dictatorship.”

It is worthy of mention here that come 2019 as Nigerians go to the polls again to vote their candidates in the general elections, particularly for the presidential position, they should be very wary of voting for those persons with military background.

Comparatively, it is clearly evident today that both the Olusegun Obasanjo civilian rule from 1999 to 2003 and the current one

by Muhammadu Buhari have similarities especially in their dictatorial and draconian approaches to governance due largely to their military backgrounds. This was different in the administrations of Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, where remarkable progress was made in advancing the tenets of modern democracy in the country.

15

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

POLITICS

Obiano is most agric-friendly governor Anambra has ever known –Okpalaeke RECENTLY, PRINCE UGOCHUKWU FERDINAND OKPALAEKE, Founder/Managing Director, Eagle Food Processing Industries Nigeria Limited, located at Umuchu in Anambra State and Chairman Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) Anambra State chapter, played host to members of PAN South/East zone for a meeting to discuss the way forward for poultry business in the South/East. In this interview with THEO RAYS, Okpalaeke, easily the biggest large-scale farmer in Anambra State, what with several National Awards such as Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Best Farmer Award and National Productivity Order of Merit Award (NPOM), among others, speaks on the outcome of the meeting, the challenges facing mechanized farming, need for Ndigbo to bend down and invest in agriculture, Obiano’s impact on agriculture and his re-election chances in the November 18 Anambra governorship election.

Excerpts:

Y

favour of our economy, importation business is no longer lucrative because of high exchange rate. Local manufacturers are finding their business very difficult because of poor power supply, bad roads, high cost of labour and poor patronage all that, so we don’t need a prophet to tell us that we have to invest in agriculture. Governments don’t need a prophet to tell them that. And the earlier we realize that the better for us.

OU hosted Southeast members of PAN, what were the highlights of the meeting?

The meeting touched a number of issues.

First is to ensure unity among us so that we can speak with one voice on related national issues. Today, one of us from the South West who is aspiring for a national position came here during the meeting to solicit for our vote during the forthcoming election of national officers of PAN. We agreed that we are going to align force with other zones depending on who is ready to protect our interests and would agree with our terms and conditions.

Secondly, the meeting was a moral booster especially for the younger ones among us.

We share our experiences and burdens together and that gives the younger poultry farmers the opportunity to borrow experience from those who are much older in the business.

Take for instance, His Royal Highness Igwe Ayalogu from Ngwo who is the biggest poultry farmer in the whole of Southeast, was at the meeting and when he spoke others listened with rapt attention because he is an embodiment of experience in the business.

My humble self have over 35 years of experience in poultry farming. I have bagged several awards including one from Central Bank as the best farmer in Imo State in 2007 and National Order of Productivity Merit Award NPOM issued me by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2013. I can lend some experience to the younger ones.

Thirdly, we looked at the challenges we face in the system collectively and in the various States where we do our businesses. We have challenges of sourcing feeds because we don’t have enough feed mills in the Southeast. Again, we have the challenges of hatching day old chicks because we don’t have enough hatchery equipment in the Southeast. Following these challenges, we are yet do our best in the poultry business and that is very unfortunate to us because we are nowhere near our target as businessmen.

country simply because we don’t have the equipment and facilities to produce them.

They supply us low quality feeds and chicks and we don’t have options to reject them because we don’t have any other place where we can get better qualities and that is very bad for our business. So government has to assist us. In Anambra here, we are discussing with the Commissioner for Agriculture Hon. Afam Mbanefo. We have written a letter to Governor Willie Obiano through the Commissioner requesting financial aid and land facilities from the governor and we hope to What are your targets and the way to- receive a positive answer from our governor wards achieving them? on the letter. We want the governor to assist Our targets are to flood the markets in the us as he did rice and vegetable farmers in the Southeast and even beyond with live and fro- State. zen chickens at affordable prices and then delve into other business such as cultivation There is much noise about Obiano’s of maize, cassava, yam, piggery, fishery, veg- achievements in agricultural sector with etables among others on a larger scale. In Ea- reports that Anambra Rice is in the market gle Food, we have many departments, includ- and the State is earning foreign currency foling cattle rearing department but we cannot lowing export of vegetable and yam. Some do that to our full capacity because we are people say that there is no truth in those battling with the challenges of poultry, which reports. However, my question, how would is the biggest department in our farm. you describe Obiano’s administration impact On the way forward, I believe we are work- on poultry farmers in the State? ing towards receiving quality assistance from Well, there is nothing to argue about that. government quarters. We need money and You can go to the office of the Commissioner land facilities to cultivate maize and guinea to investigate and confirm the reports. Comcorn to enable us produce quality feeds on mon sense tells us that government cannot lie our own. We also need hatchery machines to the governed. If the reports are lies, newsto hatch quality chicks. It will not interest you papers, radio and television and the one you to know that Southeast is now a dumping people call social media would have widely site for low quality feeds and low quality day publicized them. The reports are true. And let old chicks by people from other parts of the me quickly inform you that we are breeding

Anambra cows at Eagle Food and by the time the cows come out, people will still doubt it.

The point is that we have an agric-friendly governor and a wonderful Commissioner that are making things work. I have been in this business since 1980 and I have not seen a sitting governor that is interested in the development of agriculture like Obiano. And that is why we were inspired to write him a letter for assistance. We are optimistic that he will respond to our letter. He has done well in rice and vegetable and we believe that he can also assist us.

In recent time, there is heightened campaign from people like you urging the people most especially the younger ones to embrace agriculture. The campaign is also calling on the government to use agriculture as an alternative means to develop and grow the economy; how is the campaign faring? Is it yielding good results?

I am not quite sure that the campaign is paying off to expectations because the cost of foodstuffs and other agricultural produce is on the high side. The high cost of foodstuffs and other things showcases the level of harvest from farms. If the harvest is massive, the price will reduce but if the harvest is poor, the price will remain high. So, I am not too sure that the campaign is effective, considering the high price of foodstuffs and all that.

Secondly, every reasonable person can tell you that agriculture is the last bus-stop when we talk about means on economic development alternatively. Oil price is not stable in

Recently, the Southeast Governor Forum set up an Economic Development Committee headed by Anya O Anya with a mandate to bring out a blue print on how to develop the economy of the Southeast using the instrumentalities of agriculture and other means. What advice do you have for the committee as an experienced farmer?

The governors did well by setting up that committee. The committee has to first and foremost identify with us on the campaign for people to embrace farming.

I can assure that Ndigbo can achieve food security and consequently stop importation of food and livestock from the North within five years if we massively embrace agriculture and go into mechanized farming. It is possible and we can achieve it. I wouldn’t say that the committee should consult me because I am sure they are tested and trusted hands. Nevertheless, let me say that, if you bring out a blue print on agriculture and there are no available hands to implement it, definitely you have failed on arrival. Secondly, the government has to be ready to assist farmers in providing the necessary facilities and equipment, including finance, to promote agricultural production.

If you bring out a blueprint, you have to back it up with necessary things for implementation. Like I mentioned earlier, Obiano helped boost rice and vegetable farming and today we have Anambra rice and Anambra vegetable in the global market. I am sure that the committee has all it takes to do a good job on paper, but the issue is not theories on paper, it is about practical implementation.

Do you believe that Obiano has done well enough to deserve a second term in office?

Yes I do. If you are in Anambra, you can agree with me that he has improved on a lot of things. From security to agriculture, attracting investors, prompt payment of workers’ salaries and communities making their choice projects in all the 179 communities in Anambra among other things, that he has done, Obiano certainly deserves a second term in office. More so, we have not seen anybody that has what it takes to do better than Obian. So, he deserves a second term and there is no argument about that.

16

The Oracle Today, Wednesday August 2, 2017

Crime

Man beats wife to death over adultery

By XAVIER NDAH

A

40 –year- old man Femi Adebowale has been arrested by men of the Ogun State Police Command for allegedly beating his 37–year –old wife Kuburat Adebowale to death over alleged infidelity.

The suspect, a resident of No.15 Campbell Street Agbado in Ifo local Govt area of Ogun State was arrested following a complaint from the younger brother of the deceased one Shakiru Alao who reported at Agbado Division on July 17,stating that his elder sister has been beaten to death by the husband over allegation of adultery.

Ogun State police Public Relations Officer Abimbola Oyeyemi told The Oracle Today that upon his complaint, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Agbado Chief superintendent of police (DSP) Sunday Omonijo led his men to the scene where the suspect was promptly arrested.

Oyeyemi said in his statement, the suspect alleged that the deceased has been involving in act of infidelity for quite some time to the extent that she was dating their next door neighbor.

He stated further that on the fateful day, the deceased asked him for money

which she will spend on her younger brother’s naming ceremony of which he gave her the sum of N10,000 but the deceased insisted that the money was not enough.

‘It was her adulterous practice that made me not to give her more money and this was the genesis of the fight that resulted to her death. She grabbed me and despite all pleadings to let me go she pounced on me and I give her some blows and she slumped and efforts to revived her proved abortive.

I rushed herto the hospital but to no avail and she was confirmed dead by the doctors’.

However,body of the deceased has been deposited at Ifo General Hospital mortuary for autopsy.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police (CP) Ahmed Iliyasu has ordered the case to be transferred to Homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for further investigation and possible prosecution of the suspect.

The CP warned that the Command will not tolerate any form of domestic violence, he also advised couples to desist from resulting to violence whenever they have disagreement in their home.

F

•Adebowale

Businessman jailed over N30m fraud

ustice J.E. Oyefeso of the Lagos State Jconvicted High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos has and sentenced a businessman,

Segun Oyekanmi, Managing Director, Loben Investment Co-operative Multipurpose Society Limited, to five years imprisonment for N30million fraud.

The convict alongside his company and one Ade Bosede ( still at large) had been arraigned on October 26, 2016 on a three-count charge bordering on stealing, conspiracy to steal and issuance of dishonoured cheques to the tune of N30 million.

The convict had collected the sum of N30m (Thirty Million Naira) from one Olufunke Dada, with an assurance that he wanted to give it to some traders as soft loans with interest.

Subsequently, the accused, who was said to have converted the money to his personal use, issued a cheque to Dada when she asked for repayment.

However, the cheque was dishonoured upon presentation at the bank.

One of the counts reads: “ That you, Segun Oyekanmi, Loben Investment Cooperative Multi-purpose Society Limited and Ade Bosede ( still at large) sometime between the month of May, 2011 and 1st August ,2011, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, with intent to defraud ,conspired to steal money, property

of Olufunke Gbolahun Dada and thereby committed an offense punishable under Section 390(9) of the Criminal Code, Cap C17, Vol. 2, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2003.”

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to him, thereby setting the stage for his trial. In the course of the trial, the prosecution counsel, Ola Sesan, called four witnesses and tendered evidence against the accused.

Delivering his judgment on Thursday, July 20 Justice Oyefeso ordered the convict to pay the sum of N30m in restitution to Dada and sentenced him to three years imprisonment each on counts of stealing and conspiracy to steal. The sentences are to run concurrently.

The convict was also sentenced to two years imprisonment on the count of issuance of dishonoured cheque.

The sentence is to run separately.

The company was ordered to wind up and pay the sum of N500,000 fine.

The scam was brought to the attention of the EFCC through a June 2, 2017 petition

by Mr. Oyewole wherein he informed the Commission that his son Tony was charged to court in Canada for engaging in internet fraud. He explained that sometime in 2016, he approached his bank in Nigeria when he wanted to pay his son’s school fees in Thompson Rivers University BC Canada but had difficulty due to foreign exchange scarcity and the stiff forex regulations at the time. In the midst of the challenge, he met a church member, one Mrs Ibidola, who also had children schooling abroad. She introduced him to a Bureau de Change operator that would help transfer the funds to his son.

Adebero said on 6th September 2016, Tony, informed him via telephone that the Canadian bank, TD Canada Trust Bank called him, requesting for the details of the person who made the transfer to his account. The information according to him was to be provided to the bank within 12 hours, as they suspected a fraudulent transaction. Adebero contacted the Bureau de Change to provide the details. The Bureau de Change operator, Kassim Ishola claimed the transaction was made by one Idris Oni who also pointed to Yusuf Balogun Alabi as the person who initiated the transfer. Yusuf later sent the name,

Bacon Jamie Cecil to him, but the name according to the bank authorities was false, which warranted Tony’s arrest in Canada.

Investigation by the commission led to the arrest of the prime suspect, Balogun Yusuf Alabi, a.k.a. Monica Donal, a 20 year old Nigerian, who resides in Lagos. The EFCC found that Balogun Yusuf, in an online transaction, contracted a caterer in Canada, Bruce Morris, while posing to be a lady by name Monica Donal, based in the United States of America. He thereafter initiated the fraud, by placing request for 100 boxes of Lunch for a family reunion to Bruce Morris, owner of Kaizen Catering Entertainment, Brantford Canada. They arrived at an estimated figure, while Bruce raised an invoice for payment.

Upon arrest, Yusuf told investigators he had several credit cards in his possession, which he kept trying, until one pulled through and about CAD $11000 was transferred to the catering company. He instructed Bruce to transfer the sum of Five Thousand Dollars (CAD $5400) to Tony Ifeoluwa Adebero’s account in Canada.

Tony’s father, Mr Oyewole Adebero, paid the Naira value of about N1.4 million to Kassim Ishola in Nigeria as equivalent of the sum of CAD $7400 being money tranfered to his son in two instalments of CAD $2000and CAD $5400 by the Bureau de Change.

•Oyefeso

Nigerian arrested for $5,400 CAD credit card fraud A

Nigerian based Canada student Yusuf Balogun Alabi, an alleged credit card fraudster, who allegedly masterminded the theft of $5,400 Canadian Dollars from a catering entertainment outfit in Brantford, Canada has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)..

The fraud came to light after a young Nigerian undergraduate of Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia,Tony Ifeoluwa Adebero was arrested in Toronto, Canada on charges of wire fraud.

The youngster who was expecting to receive his tuition from his dad, Mr Adebero Oyewole, did not suspect fraud when his account was credited by his bank. He however became worried when few days after, he got a call from his bank, TD Canada Trust Bank, asking for details of the person who made transfer to his account, within 12 hours.

He immediately called his father who in turn contacted a Bureau de Change operator, Kassim Ishola, who fingered one Idris Oni whom he gave the money to transfer, but Idris mentioned Yusuf Balogun as the man who made the transfer while Balogun supplied the name Bacon Jamie Cecil as the person that actually wired the funds to Tony in Canada. Unfortunately, Bacon Jamie Cecil was discovered to be a fake name prompting the arrest of Tony in Canada.

‘Badoo: Family of killed comedian pleads for justice amily of the deceased comedian comedian Chinedu Paul aka ‘Think Twice’ who was killed erroneously by some irate in protest over the wanton killings of members of the public in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State has called on the Lagos State government to wade into the matter and arrest the killers to enable justice to prevail.

This comes as the fiancé to the deceased Esther Demenongu had advised that getting to the root of the matter will finally exonerate the husband as he was killed erroneously by a vigilante group who mistook for a ‘Badoo’ member.

Demenongu said her fiancée was killed wrongly and the allegations against her man are all false and unfounded and now that he is no more all we want is justice to prevail and his name exonerated .

Speaking at a joint press briefing between UNIC foundation who awarded the deceased a scholarship for training at the Joint Professional Training and Support (JPTS) where he was a year 2 level Business Administration student and the family of Chinedu Paul at Igando Demenongu cleared the air on how her fiancée was killed.

The fiancée, and the sister of the deceased, Elizabeth Chinedu who were in tears while giving accounts of what transpired, insisted that Chinedu Paul was not a Badoo member.

Esther noted that the killing happened at 10.35pm and not 2a.m as widely published.

“Chinedu’s car broke down at Festac and in an attempt to tow the vehicle went with his friend, Sola and mechanic Sunday to get another vehicle CRV jeep, at his residence at Odogunyan in Ikorodu. On their way out of Ikorodu, two bus-stops from the house, they were accosted by some persons suspected to be vigilante who saw chains and engine oil in the vehicle boot the chain was to be used to tow the brokendown vehicle. They were mistaken for Badoo members, we suspect they were matcheted and burnt including the vehicle.All these happened while I was in his house waiting for him and we were communicating. When we went there we couldn’t see anything to pick, even the bones” this was corroborated by the sister.

Meanwhile, the founder of UNIC foundation a non-Governmental Organisation Christopher Imumolen has implored the federal government and security operatives to put an end to jungle justice by engaging the community and vigilantes to collaborate with security agencies to forestall further of similar occurrence.

Imumolen, stated that the deceased was a victim of jungle Justice and charged the federal government particularly the Lagos State government to nip jungle justice in the bud as the killing of Chinedu Paul by Vigilantes could have been anybody.

He said according to the deceased family Chinedu was in a CRV Jeep with a mechanic and friend to tow his own car that broke down at Festac. Unfortunately, he was mistaken for one of the Badoo Gang. He was macheted to death and burnt.

“Chinedu was an energetic and prospective man who was killed in his prime. He’s on scholarship by our foundation and could not have been a member of the Badoo group. It could have been anybody. We want the government and the Police force to put an end to this jungle justice.

•Chinedu-Paul and Esther his Fiancee

17

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

BU$IN£SS •Energy •Finance

•Stock

•Insurance

•Aviation

National Insurance confab: Setting the pace for insurance inclusion

By CHRIS EBONG

U

nlike the previous editions of the National Insurance Conference organized by the insurance industry under the aegis of Insurance Industry Consultative Council (IICC), the 2017 edition of the event has succeeded in galvanizing support of who is who across sectoral boundaries in the Nigerian economy.

At the just concluded 2017 edition of the National Insurance Conference held Abuja, the platform provided an opportunity for industry chieftains including the federal government through its representatives to pour out their thinking about the industry and at the same time proffering solutions to nagging challenges of the sector in particular and the economy in general.

Some of the burning issues were how the government should take the lead in ensuring that all its assets are adequately insured and premiums paid accordingly, the importance of operators honouring their claims obligations promptly, uplifting the image of the industry through deliberate action as well as improving insurance industry contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which currently stands at less than a percentage.

With theme; “Nigeria Open for Business”, various speakers had found the topic appropriate given the recessive circumstance the country is currently going through as they call on investors to look inwards and take advantage of investment potentials Nigeria can boast of in long term in spite the short term economic crisis.

Boosting the investors’ confidence in the insurance sector, the Federal Government expressed its readiness to adequately insure all its assets, stressing that it was necessary that the government plays its role in stimulating the course of insurance sector.

Analysts sees this utterance as living by example saying if the government respects the law (Insurance Act) it has put in place, there

Nigeria’s ICT university to take off in September –Minister

•Fumi Babington-Ashaye wouldn’t be any excuse by individual or group not to follow suit.

The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, who made the pledge said this become necessary giving the enormous interest shown by foreign investors in the industry positing that to sustain their confidence, the government need to play its part.

“Foreign investors have shown great interest in the Nigerian insurance sector by entering into the market and progress can be seen in the introduction of new insurance products in the growing mortgage and housing sector. The Federal Government will play its part to ensure that government assets are adequately insured”, she said.

Mrs. Adeosun, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mahmoud Isa-Dutse, also hinted that through the Voluntary Asset and Income Declaration Scheme, the Federal Government would train insurance brokers and underwriters whose in their role is supporting individuals

Central (NGN) Selling(NGN)

US DOLLAR 304.8 Pounds Sterling 396.0876 EURO 354.6958 SWISS FRANC 320.8759 YEN 2.7322 CFA 0.5145 WAUA 424.4824 YUAN/RENMINBI 45.0113 RIYAL 81.2713 S/African Rand 23.5211 DANISH KRONA 47.6943 SDR 427.2686

305.3 305.8 396.7374 397.3871 355.2776 355.8595 321.4023 321.9286 2.7366 2.7411 0.5245 0.5345 425.1788 425.8751 45.0856 45.1599 81.4047 81.538 23.5596 23.5982 47.7725 47.8508 427.9695 428.6704

Aviation

•Isioma Chukwuma to purchase insurance policies that hedge potential losses of wealth and assets.

Commending insurance industry for being dynamic and creating employment and entrepreneurship opportunities at all levels, she said the government would support the sector to continue to contribute effectively to sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

“We must be willing to expand the insurance market beyond the upper class and formally employed market, to the middle and lower income market. Doing this means that our distribution channels must be innovative, considering product features, cost, proximity and all other relevant factors,” Adeosun stated.

Taking the advantage of the platform, the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) on its part reiterated its commitment in protecting the interest of policy holders in the country.

According to the Commissioner for Insurance, Mr Mohammed Kari the Commission is also committed

to Ensuring Ease of Doing business within the sector in a manner that would engender growth to the sector and economy at large.

He said; “The commission has documented an A to Z on ease of doing business between NAICOM and the industry. The document was compiled from inputs made from the insurance market through NAICOM’s SERVICOM and it contains what is required of the operators and the regulators that will aid ease of doing business.

The NAICOM boss had warned the operators against unethical practices that would endanger the image of the industry, come together and work in harmony to resolve nagging issues, assuring that NAICOM would also play its role to resolve matters.

Kari expressed the resolve of the commission to intervene and bring an end to the problem of disrespect to market agreement by the operators.

“Over time, we have received Continues on P18

FG seeks ICAO support to integrate drone ops in airspace

Insurance NAICOM warns insurers on erroneous financial statement

Buying(NGN)

$40,000 NLNG science prize goes international e-Platform

CBN EXCHANGE RATES JULY 21, 2017 Currency

Energy

Stock Market Highlights As At 21 July, 2017

Summary

ASI 34,020.37 DEALS 4,516.00 VOLUME 378,187,544.00 VALUE 5,112,133,920.18 CAP 11,725,144,418,686.449 Most Traded S/N Coy (By Volume) Volume 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Value

5 Top Gainers Company Last Close Current Change WAPCO 54.6 60 5.4 DANGCEM 209 212 3 ZENITHBANK 22.05 22.95 0.9 TOTAL 256.11 256.99 0.88 PZ 21.25 22 0.75

Top Losers Company Last Close Current Change ACCESS 115,819,846 1,150,794,505.90 INESTLE 920 918 -2 ZENITHBANK 39,426,382 888,374,840.72 NB 160.35 159 -1.35 UBA 36,556,949 328,272,270.47 BERGER 7.12 6.77 -0.35 GUARANTY 27,622,284 1,034,328,103.39 PRESCO 61.32 61 -0.32 UBN 5.47 5.3 -0.17159 SKYEBANK 20,030,908 14,814,908.23

18

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

BUSINESS UK to invest in Nigeria’s pipeline infrastructure, gas, power

T

he British Government has expressed its readiness to invest in pipeline infrastructure, renewable energy, gas and power of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry.

British High Commissioner, His Excellency, Mr. Paul Arkwright, made this disclosure when the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, paid a courtesy visit to the Chancery of British High Commission in Abuja.

Arkwright noted that the British Government had genuine investment interest in the Downstream, Midstream and Upstream sectors, stressing that the British Department for International Trade was ready to liaise with the Federal Government to invest in the country.

The High Commissioner also urged the Federal Government and the NNPC to organize a road show in London to create awareness on the possible investment opportunities available in the Nigerian Oil and Gas sector.

Arkwright disclosed that so many British investors had funds which they were willing to invest in Nigeria, stressing, however, that the process of obtaining Nigerian visa in United Kingdom was cumbersome with three different levels of visa procurement fees as well as Nigeria’s postal order system.

GE, Lagos govt train students in advanced manufacturing

By VICTOR NZE

A

merican firm, GE, the world’s Digital Industrial Company has announced a skill development partnership programme involving its GE Lagos Garage, the Lagos State Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment and the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB) aimed at developing the skills of students in the state in advanced manufacturing.

The GE Garage Advanced Manufacturing programme will involve 20 final year students and five instructors from the five Government Technical Colleges in the State taking part in an intensive

one-week training that will hone their skills in advanced manufacturing.

The selected technical colleges, spread across the state and under the supervision of the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board are located in Ikotun, Ikorodu, Agidingbi, Ado-Soba and Epe. The programme takes place at the LASTVEB HQ School Complex, Ikeja GRA. The programme which commenced on Monday July 24, will end on Friday July 28.

During the programme, the students will be exposed to cuttingedge technology, experiencing GE’s Digital Industrial leadership in shaping modern manufacturing.

They will also learn how such read-

ily available technology can help their future businesses.

To facilitate this, GE has set up a temporary scaled version of its Garage at the venue. This comprises select equipment like 3D printers, CNC mills, among other equipment. As a guide, greater emphasis will be placed on Additive Manufacturing, 3-D printing, CAD designing, rapid prototype development, basic subtractive manufacturing using CNC mills to demonstrate mould making; and basic business knowledge. The program will be run by GE Garage engineers and instructors to enhance the students’ current capabilities whilst helping them develop new skill sets.

‘NNPC refineries now supply 60% of domestic kerosene ’

A

•Founder of Zenith Bank and Zenith Life, Mr. Jim Ovia (r) with Matt Lilley, Chief Executive of Prudential Africa, after Executive Secretary, Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), Sharon Ikeazor (r) receiving the House of Representative Committee on Pension members led by the Chairman, Hon. Adamu Hassan Shekarau at the PTAD Headquarters in Abuja for an executive briefing on the build up to the upcoming verification for the South West and North Central Civil Service Verification Exercise.

... Setting the pace for insurance inclusion

head of the 2019 target date for the cessation of petroleum products importation by the Federal Government, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has announced that its three refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna now supply 60 per cent of Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK), popularly known as kerosene, consumed in the country.

Speaking at a 2-day Investigative Public Hearing of the House of Representative Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, stated that the Corporation’s refineries were producing five million liters of kerosene daily representing more than 60 per cent of the national daily consumption requirement of eight million litres.

The GMD, who was represented by the Chief Operating Officer, Downstream, Mr Henry Ikem Obih, disclosed that the balance of three million litres of the product was being imported by private petroleum products marketers.

He noted that kerosene and other petroleum products supplied by the Corporation were of high quality and meet safety standards.

“The NNPC ensures that the entire refining output in Nigeria through its refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna and any products imported by it to make up for market supply-shortfalls meet the specifications of the Nigerian Institute of Standard (NIS) and Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON),” Dr Baru said.

He said NNPC would not compromise safety and quality in its products and processes, adding that all the depots in the country had laboratories for quality checks to ensure safety of consumers.

Speaking on the development, the Director, Communications & Public Affairs, GE Africa, Patricia Obozuwa said the initiative was aimed at promoting advanced manufacturing and technology in the modern work environment by extending the GE Lagos Garage entrepreneurship programme through LASTVEB to its colleges.

“We are committed to supporting skills development in Nigeria, and across Africa. We see ourselves as partners in building a sustainable future for Africa, and we believe that partnerships such as this are necessary if we are to overcome Africa’s economic challenges,” she said.

Speaking in the same vein, the Lagos State Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Mr. Babatunde DurosinmiEtti, commended GE Nigeria for its efforts in transferring such important skills to Lagosians, adding that the collaborative initiative is in line with the ministry’s mission to promote and sustain entrepreneurship and employment through effective use of wealth creation strategies and resources by collaborating with all stakeholders.

“It pursuit of this mandate to create employment, the ministry came up with similar initiatives like the ‘Graduate Internship Programme,’ a 3-month paid Internship Scheme for graduates who have been unemployed for a minimum of one year after National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). The Programme is designed to give candidates an opportunity to develop employability skills which are often vital in securing employment,” he said.

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB), Mrs. Omolara Erogbogbo highlighted the importance of vocational education to Nigeria’s socio-economic well-being, saying that the era when vocational education was believed to be undertaken by school dropouts and pushovers was over.

Continued from P17

confrontations and have responded accordingly. We have agreed that if you (operators) have an agreement, we can enforce it for you so you have to think harder”, “Kari said.

The Chairman, Nigeria Insurance Association, Mr Eddie Efekoha reiterated the association’s commitment towards resolving the challenge of disparity in rates of insurance policies. He urged the operators to ensure that they meet their primary obligations to policy holders, especially in the area of claims settlement, noting that in spite of the efforts by the regulator to resolve the issue of unsettled claims, some insurance companies were still defaulting in paying claims.

Efekoha said that the non-payment of claim was affecting the image of the industry and urged the regulator to further look into the matter. He said that if most of the issues in the sector were resolved, they would help increase insurance

penetration in the country.

The President, Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB), Mr Emmanuel Okunorem urged the regulators to ensure that it involved the brokers in its decision making.

He said that the brokers had a major role to play in the industry and should be carried along as collaboration of all players in the sector was vital.

The Chairman, Heirs Holdings Limited, an African proprietary investment company, Mr. Tony Elumelu who spoke on the theme of the conference charged the federal government to dismantle the bureaucratic bottlenecks to allow investment inflow from within and outside into the country.

Mr. Elumelu said the private sector can only thrive with the support and enabling environment created by government and its agencies.

“We need the public sector to be willing partners in establishing the

right, investment-worthy business environment we need in Nigeria.

This is the only way Nigeria can be truly open for business”.

He stressed that the government should re-orientate the minds and disposition of the executives charged with implementing its vision to begin to see themselves as business enablers and must realize the urgency of the moment, the need to quickly reposition the nation’s economy before disaster of monumental proportions befalls the people.

“They must be willing and committed apostles who share the vision of the masters – otherwise, there will only be motion without movement”, he counseled.

According to him, today’s advanced economies were not created overnight but by consistent and deliberate investments in building and maintaining strong, transparent institutions, an independent judiciary that ensures the objective en-

forcement of rule of law.

Mr. Elumelu called for the presence of an independent Judiciary in ensuring the objective enforcement of rule of law, guarantees the protection of properties and contracts, and assures investors of a neutral platform to settle unforeseen business disputes in a timely fashion, while the adjudication mechanism in Nigeria must be improved to support government’s efforts in getting Nigeria ready for business.

The founder of Tony Elumelu Foundation noted that legislature is a critical arm of governance, pointing out that as elected representatives of their constituencies, legislators must pass laws that are good for business, enable job creation, and encourage the inflow of investments, stressing that the only way legislators can put their people first is by focusing on designing a business climate that creates Jobs and promote bills that have the potential to transform entire industries.

19

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

BUSINESS

FG to establish Presidential Council for SDGs

By VICTOR NZE

F

Commissioner, Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation Agency (BAGAIA) and International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) representative, Mr. Caj Frostell, Commissioner, Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Engr. Akin Olateru, Singaporean government representative and trainer, Mr Michaal Toft, and Director of Operations, AIB, Capt. Dayyabu Danraka at the end of a training for AIB staff on the use of Flight Safety Laboratory located at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, recently.

ederal Government has disclosed plans to establish a Presidential Council for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to provide high-level policy guidance, leadership and direction for the realisation of SDG targets.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, made this known at the ongoing United Nations HighLevel Political Forum in New York, US. A statement by her Media Assistant, Mr Desmond Utomwen, in Abuja, Sunday, said that the presidential aide presented Nigeria’s Voluntary National Review on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals at the forum.

Orelope-Adefulire who said that the process for the establishment of the president council had been put in place, added that two standing committees on SDGs had been established in the Senate and the House of Representatives to enhance the legislative and oversight roles of the parliament in the scheme.

The Presidential aide told the forum that Nigeria remained undeterred in making the required progress in achieving the laudable goals of SDGs, noting further that the country would attain the height in spite of the challenges of an already ebbing recession, largely degraded crisis in the North-East, and resolution of militancy in the Niger Delta.

She revealed that some of Federal Government’s ongoing pro-poor and pro-development interventions had made impacts in the fight against

poverty, citing Social Investment Scheme targeted at the extremely poor and vulnerable among the interventions.

Others, according to the president’s aide, are Home Grown School Feeding Programme for public school children, Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme for unemployed youths and Women Economic Empowerment programme.

She also listed the N-Power programme for job creation for the youths and the Conditional Grant Transfer Scheme as part of the Federal Government’s efforts to ameliorate the condition of its citizenry.

“I wish to reaffirm that Nigeria has clearly defined her path to the 2030 Agenda. We count on the strong patriotism and goodwill of the citizenry, the commitment of the stakeholders as well as the support from the global fraternity of nations to ensure that no Nigerian is left behind,’’ she said.

Orelope-Adefulire said Nigeria had increased awareness on global goals and put in place mechanisms for identifying and targeting the poor through a “National Social Register’’ to ensure that “no one is left behind.”

She called on Global North to fulfill its commitment on Official Development Assistance in line with AddisAbaba Action Agenda to complement Nigeria’s effort at expanding its revenue base.

The UN High-Level Political Forum offers an opportunity for knowledge exchange and sharing of best practices in the implementation of the new global development agenda among countries.

Leadway Group, Nollywood sign MoU on health insurance, pension SON introduces energy efficiency

By CHRIS EBONG

L

eadway Assurance Company Limited; Leadway Pensure PFA and Pinewood Medicare have signed a partnership agreement with 13 recognised affiliates of the Nollywood Creative Sector Industry for the provision of an insurance scheme, tagged NollyHealth Insured, for their members.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which was signed on Thursday, July 13, 2017, at the NANs Media Centre, National Theatre Complex in Iganmu, Lagos, Nigeria would cover registered members of the Nigerian creative industry - Association of Motion Picture Entertainment Editors of Nigeria (AMPEEN); Creative Designers’ Guild of Nigeria (CDGN); Cinematographers’ Society of Nigeria (CSN); Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN); Film & Video Producers’ and Marketers’ Association of Nigeria (FVPMAN); Independent Television Producers Association (ITPAN).

Others include; Motion Picture Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MOPPAN); National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP); Screenwriters’ Guild of Nigeria (SWGN); Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Producers Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN) and United Movie Practitioners’ Association of Nigeria (UMPAN) will enjoy a unified General insurance, Healthcare, Pension coverage and other listed benefits.

Under the agreement, Leadway Assurance Company Limited will provide a Life/General Insurance policy while its subsidiary company Leadway Pensure PFA would cater for the pension funds of members. Pinewood Medicare HMO would serve as a healthcare service provider for the members of the aforementioned interest groups operating within the Nollywood ecosystem.

Speaking at the event, Executive Director, Leadway As-

surance Company Limited, Ms. Adetola Adegbayi, stated that: “Nollywood as at 2014 contributed to the tune of $6.6billion for the Nigerian GDP, and sadly there are situations where practitioners are forced out of how they make their living due to accidents and medical emergencies. We felt it was important that we provided reliable solutions to the problem and ensure we do our best to bridge the gaps that exist.

Speaking on the need to save for retirement, the Executive Director, Sales & Marketing Olusakin Labeodan stressed the need for the creative industry to key into the contributory pension scheme. He said there cannot be a better time to take on the scheme, especially considering how well the industry has done. He noted that the Nollyinsured initiative and MOU signing are a clear indication of good things to come Remarking, President, Directors’ Guild of Nigeria (DGN), Mr. Fred Amata, who spoke on behalf of the creative industry said: “This is the first collective effort of the crea-

tive sector to seize the opportunity of the persuasive power of unified numbers in negotiating an advantage for the benefit of the larger sector. NollyInsured is a progressively inclusive initiative.”

Also commenting, MD/CEO Pinewood Medicare, Dr. Olasimbo Davidson stated: “The Nolly-care program is designed firstly to end healthcare inequalities that pertain to income differences, and secondly to end preventable deaths which often stem from high healthcare costs. Lastly the Nolly-care Program aims to significantly reduce poor health outcomes which are typically linked to low access to high end specialists and sub- specialist”.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who was represented by the Managing Director, Nigerian Film Corporation, Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, assured Nollywood stakeholders of the Federal Government’s continual support towards the development of Nollywood insurance scheme which provides favourable healthcare conditions for practitioners.

label for electrical appliances

By SAMSON AKINTARO

S

tandards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has introduced a National Energy Efficiency Label for all electrical appliances in the country, which details accurate energy consumption of a product and help consumers take informed purchasing decisions on products.

Director General and Chief Executive of SON, Mr Osita Aboloma, who disclosed this during the Nigeria Energy Support Programme (NESP) meeting held in the nation’s capital Abuja, said that the label would also provide information on the level of efficiency of the product. “The more energy efficient a product is the less energy it consumes and the less money consumers spend paying electricity bills” he noted.

With the introduction of the label, SON said it would also begin NIS ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems certification. The certifica-

CLIQIT to replicate TINAPA in Abuja with ‘The Arena’

By VICTOR NZE hief Executive Officer of CLIQIT C and the arrow head of the promoters, Mr. Gerald Konwea, has

disclosed of plans by his group to build a N3.6 billion business and leisure development park to be known as ‘The Arena’ in Abuja.

Konwea who said the proposed facility would host about 10,000 vendor international trade fair, also disclosed that ‘The Arena’ was originally designed to be erected in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

According to Konwea, the proposed facility was moved to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for the benefit of local and international investors ‘after the promoters could

not find a common ground with the Cross River State government in terms of executing the trade event due every December despite signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with it in 2016.’

Konwea noted that the business and leisure park, which will seat on a 15-hectare land, will be kept busy all year round due to the carefully designed range of activities by the promoters, adding that they will key in to the Micro, Medium and Small Enterprises (MMSEs) initiatives of the federal government in order to tackle the high rate of unemployment.

“Besides the international trade fair that is expected to last 10 days while hosting thousands of attendees from around the world, the

Arena will feature a startup campus and hi-tech research facilities designed to play host to thousands of interns yearly, a golf course, a race track for actual racing, a hotel and a helipad. The Arena is strategically designed to host truly amazing events for at least 30 out of the 52 weekends in a year while the campus and research laboratories will run 24/7”, he said.

He also emphasized that the entire project development which is already backed by a host of local and foreign partners and financiers is phased over four years but the Arena will start operations hopefully by end of this year with most of its planned events taking place concurrently.

tion, according to SON, is acclaimed worldwide to have helped industrial facilities improve their energy performances and achieve energy cost reduction by 10 per cent within 18 months of compliance.

The DG noted that energy is a critical component of any home or organisation with a heavy cost centre depending on activities and usage, even though this can be controllable with a systemic and sustainable energy management system. He added that the NIS ISO 50001 standard can be used by industrial plants, commercial institutions or government facilities, large and small scale organizations both in public and private sector such as the manufacturing and services and private homes.

The DG also stated that SON would be providing training and third party certification on NIS ISO 50001 standard on Energy Management System that would help organizations to comply with regulatory and industry compliance on carbon emission reduction, reduce business costs, waste and defect reduction, improve competitiveness, business continuity, resilience, competiveness, attainment of business objectives and improve procurement procedures.

SON, he said, has developed 19 Minimum Energy Performance Standards for Air Conditioners (ACs) as well as the national energy efficiency label for electrical appliances and equipment. According to him, the first amongst these to be implemented is the Energy Efficiency label soon to be made mandatory for all air conditioner manufactured in Nigeria or imported into the country to have it affixed on products in conformity to the minimal requirements of the standard.

20

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

ENERGY

Stories by SOPURUCHI ONWUKA

A

frica’s biggest natural gas liquefaction and export company, Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited, has thrown open sponsored solution based scientific research and invention prize, the NLNG Prize for Science, to global contestants.

General Manager, External Relations, Dr. Kudo Eresia-Eke, declared at an event to hand over the body of scientific research works submitted by2016 contestants that the company would escalate participation in the competition to international scale in order to seek global solutions for local problems.

The decision followed observed decline in the quality of scientific research works submitted by contestants in 2016.

The development accompanies expression of commitment by the Lagos State Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LACCI) to drive policy advocacy for sponsoring development and commercialization of credible inventions resulting from NLNG Science Prize contests.

President of the Chamber, Chief Dr Mrs Nike Akande (CON), told The Oracle Today that LACCI would support the efforts of NLNG in finding lasting scientific solutions to problems that torment significant proportion of the country’s large population.

Until now, the company’s prizes for science and literature respectively are reserved for local con-

$40,000 NLNG science prize goes international testants but recently no winner has emerged following the opinion of judges that none of the works submitted for the prize in the past few years was credible enough for the prize.

Specifically, the 2016 edition of the contest which focused on research on combating malaria scourge in the country was inconclusive following determination by the selection panel that all the entries did not meet minimum credibility requirement for the prize.

Part of the objectives of the NLNG Prize for Science, Dr. Ereseia-Eke said, is to provide solution to problems that currently plague Nigeria through research and invention. He added that limiting the prize to local competitors would translate to narrowing scope for solution opportunities for the country.

He stated that NLNG and its eminent panel of academicians that for the selection panel have their integrity at stake in selecting the prize winners, adding that the goal of establishing the contest in the first instance remains emphatic in finding solution to Nigeria’s prob-

lems.

He made it clear that whereas the challenge has been thrown open to global contestants, the product of all researches for the prize must target at evolving solutions that make life better for Nigerians.

He said the board of panellists has chosen to retain the theme for 2016 prize researches for 2017 to sustain the pursuit of solutions to the high toll of malaria on the lives of women, children and vulnerable elders in Nigeria and Africa.

In giving outlook on the NLNG

Science Prize for 2017, Dr. EresiaEke hinted that 27 entries on Containing Malarial Pathogens in the World were received. The number is some 80 percent improvement in the level of participation in 2016. He pointed out.

In her remarks on how other stakeholders could plug into the NLNG Prize initiatives in translating research works to usable products, Dr Akande lauded the decision of the selection panel to retain the theme of the research contest.

She said malaria has remained

a big problem to the country, emphasizing that Nigeria carries the biggest burden of malarial scourge in the world.

Dr Akande added that effective policy initiatives with complements of research and development would form the high level of innovation required to defeat malaria and save the lives of thousands of lives lost to the scourge every year in Nigeria.

The winner of the NLNG Prize for Science is expected to emerge in October.

Producers pump down oil prices

T

he collaboration by some resource dependent oil producing countries to deliberately choke output and buoy up prices of the commodity might be a shadow chase following routine oversupply by members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

According to market sources followed by The Oracle Today, prices of crude oil took a plunge on Friday after preliminary reports showed that OPEC’s July output has increased once again while deeper cuts remain unlikely.

However, oil prices had posted more gains last week as the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the United States of America reported deeper inventory reductions with Brent briefly traded above $50 per barrel for the first time in nearly two months on Thursday.

U.S. oil production jumped again, putting output above 9.4 mb/d, which, along with fears of rising OPEC production, pushed oil down during early trading on Friday.

Meanwhile, while OPEC members meet to observe the effect of their market supply strategies on prices, analysts agree that deeper cuts would require more sacrifice and merely open up more market share for U.S. shale, while abandoning the collective output cuts would surely lead to another slide in prices.

There are indications that Saudi Arabia might take bigger responsibility in constraining market sup-

ply volumes by cutting down own exports by about a million barrels per day this summer but the sustainability of such a sacrifice places it on short term template.

Already, U.S. imports of Saudi crude plunged to just 524,000 bpd for the week ending on July 14, the lowest figure in seven years.

The prior four-week period saw Saudi crude oil exports to the U.S. average at 810,000 bpd. Saudi Arabia has intentionally sought to reduce exports to the U.S. in an effort to drain high levels of inventories.

The U.S. has some of the most transparent and clear data on crude stocks, which means it plays an outsized role on the oil prices.

By slashing exports to the U.S., Saudi Arabia hopes inventories will decline faster, creating a bullish mood in the oil market.

Also if If Saudi Arabia acts on unilaterally cutting volumes from export market, then exports might drop by 600,000 bpd this summer as domestic consumption ramps up, but Riyadh is considering cuts on the order of 1 mb/d.

While talks of cuts continue data from the market speaks differently. Petro-Logistics estimates OPEC production rising in July, further evidence of a weakening compliance rate for the group.

The consultancy forecasts production rising by 145,000 bpd this month, pushing combined output above 33 million barrels per day. The production gains come from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Nigeria. Oil prices fell on the news on Friday..

•Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, he Acting President Osinbajo, (L) with Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu and Executive Secretary, African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO), Mahaman Laouan Gaya, at the Opening Session of the Extraordinary Session of the ministers of the APPO in Abuja, Monday.

NNPC transfers hanging funds to TSA …Denies running secret accounts

N

igerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has declared moves to transfer some $231.8 million in the federal government’s Single Treasury Account (TSA), a pool where all government revenues are statutorily remitted.

In admitting that the corporation still has funds hanging in some commercial banks in the country,

the Group General Manager in charge of Public Affairs, Mr Ndu Ughamadu, said however that NNPC has withheld as much as $793.2 million as alleged in a whistle blowing scandal that rocked the state oil firm.

Providing further breakdown on the lodgments, the NNPC said the amount includes: $ $174.4m domi-

N

have activated plans to build 500 million standard cubic feet of gasper-day metering plant to serve the planned capacity expansion of Egbin Power Plant.

Out of the huge gas pump out, the average national daily gas supply to the nation’s power plants for the month of May was given at 729 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (mmscfd), some 63.74 per cent higher than the 446 mmscfd fed to the plants in May, 2016.

According to the report, the nation’s three refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna produced a minimum of 6m litres of petrol, some diesel and little other products.

... Gas output at record 242.7 Bcf igerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) declared that the country recorded daily gas production average of whopping 242.7 billion cubic feet per day (Bcfd), but industry wonders where the gas has been channelled.

The statement which is signed by the corporation’s spokesman, Mr Ndu Ughamadu, however contradicted itself in one sentence: “the average national daily gas production for May 2017 stood at 242.70billion cubic feet (BCF) or an average of 7,829.11mmscfd, representing a slight increase, compared with April gas production of 672mmscfd.

The corporation also claimed to

ciled at Diamond Bank, $40.7m in Skye Bank and $16.7m in Keystone Bank bringing the total to $231.8m.

The statement explained that in line with the directive of the Presidency, the apex bank is supervising the remittance of these funds to the CBN TSA Account and it has made great strides in this regard.

He refuted reports that NNPC colluded with some banks to prevent the remittance of $793.2m into the TSA scheme as directed by the government.

Mr Ughamadu said the Corporation had earlier taken steps to inform the Presidency, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, (AGF) and the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN) on the existence of the said accounts prior to the creation of the Federal Government Asset Recovery Account.

He explained that it would be totally out of place to move the funds to the FG Asset Recovery Account as reported noting that it is unreasonable and sheer waste of funds to pay any agent 5 percent, whistle blowing fee for the phantom recovery of genuine NNPC funds which had been disclosed to the Presidency, CBN and other relevant stakeholders.

21

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The Oracle Today

22

Wednesday August 2, 2017

e-Platform

ICT university to take off in September – Minister

Stories by SAMSON AKINTARO

A

ll is now set for the take off of Nigeria’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) University, which is billed for September this year, according to the Minister of Communications, Barr.

Adebayo Shittu. The Minister who disclosed this as he received the report of a Committee he set up in June this year to draw implementation plans for the university, said the report would be studied and within three weeks, a memo would be raised for the approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

He added that as soon as FEC gives approval, the University would take off by September, 2017 and he would recommend to the FEC some of the committee members to be considered as Foundation Staff of the Proposed University, adding that recommendation would also be sent to the FEC to appreciate members of the Committee by issuing letters of recognition for their contribution.

However, the minister said the choice of the Vice Chancellor would be based on professionalism, competence and entrepreneurial ship which he would extend his search globally, however, any member of the Committee that is well qualified would be given first right of refusal. On the funding of the Uni-

versity, the minister said that it would be funded by the private sector PPP arrangement, the government’s part was to make the infrastructure available.

Submitting the report, the Chairman of the Committee and the immediate past Executive Secretary of the Nigerian University Commission, Prof Julius Okojie said that his members were committed and did a painstaking job to meet up with the six weeks deadline given by the minister and that they all looked at it as a National Assignment.

He added that part of the recommendations was that the University would run a College System with 3 Colleges on its inception, namely Information Technology, Applied Technology and Society and Security Technology. Prof.

Okojie said part of the plan was that students could study from any part of the university without being restricted by walls.

Although industry analysts have continued to criticize the project, describing it as a misplaced priority given the current state of most Universities in the country, the Minister appeared determined to see it through with the involvement of private local and international companies, which may give the institution a higher leverage than other existing universities in the country. Earlier in June, the Minister had disclosed that the project had attracted the supports of multinational tech companies

such as CISCO, Facebook, Huawei, MTN, D-LINKS, Globacom, Lenovo, Samsung, Apple, Siemens -Nortel, INTEL, Motorola, Ericsson, DELL, HP, ZTE and IBM. According to the Minister, the government would be partnering with these globally-acknowledged ICT giants to run the ICT University of Nigeria on a public-private partnership basis. Shittu declared that the University would offer varieties of programmes aimed at providing specialist knowledge and expertise required for a professional career in the broad field of Information Communication Technology such as Telecommunications, Internet of Things, Cyber Security, Robotic embedded systems, Computer forensics,

The Zonal Controller told the audience that the CONSUMER CONVRRSATION is a central programme of the Year of the Telecom Consumer campaigns instituted by NCC to create awareness on the Commission’s main consumer engagement themes which include: Activation of the Do Not Disturb (2442) code to curb incidences of unsolicited Short Message Services (SMS). Amshi said NCC ensures the code is active in the Operators’ switch and it is monitored vigilantly to ensure compliance.

He also discussed other thematic foci of the Year of the Telecom Consumer campaign such as the escalation of unresolved complaints already lodged with the operators by call the 622 Toll Free Line dedicated to the consumer

by NCC for this purpose. He advised participants to explore these initiatives to address some of the challenges encountered as subscribers to telecommunications services. Amshi also advised participants to discontinuance the erroneous information bandied around about Electromagnetic fields (EMF) radiation as it relates to telecom infrastructure stating that research findings have not supported such claims because there are other activities people indulge in that expose them to more levels of radiation than would ordinarily come from telecom masts for instance. He requested the audience to participate actively in the Conversation and come up with suggestions that would assist NCC in its regulatory duties.

digital media and Entertainment technology. He added that the University would also be expected to offer skills development programmes in emerging and transformational technologies such as Cloud Computing and Big Data.

While noting that the establishment of a specialized ICT University is not peculiar to Nigeria alone, the Minister said, “such institutions located around the globe include the Multimedia University of Malaysia; IT University of Gutenberg, Sweden; IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark; the Informatics Institute in Singapore; University of Information Technology and Management, Poland; Jaypee University of Information

Technologies, India; Tashkent University of Information Technologies, Uzbekistan; Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications in China; and the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications”.

On the benefits of the project, Shittu said the university would meet the need for capacity of ICT education in Nigeria to be strengthened to provide the required skills. “It is also my hope that the seamless linkage which would be created between the academia and industry as a result of the establishment of the ICT University of Nigeria will not only lead to constant improvement of the curriculum, but also drive innovation through joint research and development programmes” he said.

NCC vows to improve consumer experience

T

he Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, has said NCC is committed to improving the quality of consumer experience across the country.

Danbatta said this at Gombe State University, Gombe where a Consumer Conversation programme organised by the Commission held. Represented by the Zonal Controller Kano Zonal Office of the Commission, Adamu Amshi, Danbatta told the audience that the declaration of 2017 as Year of the Nigerian Telecom Consumer on March 15, 2017 - World Consumer Rights Day - was consciously done to underscore the pre-eminence of the telecom consumer among the stakeholders of the telecom ecosystem.

The Oracle Today

23

Wednesday August 2, 2017

e-Platform Office closure: SON, Samsung disagree over infraction

T

•L-R: Vice President, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs, Ibrahim Dikko; Chief Executive Officer, Boye Olusanya; Chief Financial Officer, Funke Ighodaro and Vice President, Marketing, Adebisi Idowu, all of 9mobile at the launch of 9mobile’s new brand identity in Lagos.

9Mobile: We will sustain our values, says Olusanya

Stories by SAMSON AKINTARO

T

he Chief Executive Officer of 9Mobile, formerly known as Etisalat Nigeria, Boye Olusanya, has said that the change in brand name would not mean change in values for the telecom companies known for its innovative products and offerings. Olusanya, who stated this at the official unveiling of the company’s brand name and logo in Lagos, said the company would sustain and continuously provide innovative and value-adding propositions which it has delivered since inception 9 years ago.

According to him, the new brand identity reflects the bold and creative attributes which the organisation shares with its valued subscribers, adding that the vivacity of the brand would enable the company connect more with its subscribers especially the youth.

“In our 9 years of operations, we have remained at the forefront of innovation and take pride in consistently delivering superior experiences to our subscribers. We continue to establish meaningful partnerships with our customers and partners by providing platforms that support their goals and aspirations”, he said. The telco said that the new name and brand is a deliberate representation and confirmation of its Nigerian heritage, 9ja-centricity, and another phase of its evolution over 9 years of operations in Nigeria. Although its name and brand changes, it assured its customers that the values on which it operates remain the same.

According to Olusanya, the new logo represents resilience and continuity, and also expresses the brand’s thoughts about the future, particularly of digital technology and its continued impact on communication and human interactions. Being a number-themed logo, it reflects the network’s futuristic slant. The colour green, both its light and dark variants, reflects vibrancy, dynamism, life, and youth as well as the brand’s ‘Nigerianness’. The CEO explained further, “With the launch of

our new brand, our commitment to providing our subscribers with best-in-class telecommunications services continues.

We live in a digitalized world and 9mobile is positioned to deliver more platforms, products and services using the power of technology. The vivacity of our new brand is an affirmation of our creativity and the recent launch of a volley of value adding services, such as our BlazeOn and Kwikcash service, is testament to this”.

Over the years, the telco has built a strong network which better positions 9mobile to continue delivering innovative solutions which support businesses and people. The values of innovation, customer-centricity and Quality of Ser-

vice remain its guiding principles even as the new management focuses on driving efficiency and steering growth. Supporting the CEO’s statement, the Chief Finance Officer, 9mobile, Mrs. Funke Ighodaro, said that “the immediate focus of the business is to drive value for the benefit of its customers. The approach and timing of the rebranding is evidence of the agility and responsiveness of the business.” Rebranding has commenced at all of the company’s offices, Experience Centres, online and physical touch points, to facilitate seamless integration, as 9mobile guards its position as the most customer-centric and leading innovative telecoms company in Nigeria.

Embrace technology for electricity sufficiency, GE urges Africa G eorge Njenga, GM, Steam Power Systems for Sub Saharan Africa at GE, a global digital industrial company, has advised African governments to deploy available technology to create reliable, sustainable, localized and more efficient energy networks. Njenga gave this charge at the opening session of this year’s Power-Gen Africa and DistribuTech event in Johannesburg.

According to him, the electricity industry in Africa is undergoing massive transformation and the old linear model of conducting electricity affairs is being challenged and tested, as new models are emerging with far reaching impact. “Distributed generation, smarter & cleaner steam power, renewables, smart grids, storage, prosumers, innovative financing, evolving energy policies and new political imperatives mean that energy stakeholders need to embrace new capabilities and innovative business models for better outcomes and to bring more power to the population, faster and more sustainably than before,” said Njenga.

GE, he said, has been partnering with energy stakeholders to deploy innovative technologies tailored to respond to the needs of the region. “In South Africa, GE is deploying smarter, cleaner, steam

technology solutions at the Medupi and Kusile Power plants. This super-critical steam technology ensures efficiency at the power plant that will reduce operating costs over the lifetime of the plant, while reducing CO2 emissions by up to two percent.”

“In Angola, the government is using GE’s TM2500 mobile power plants and containerized balance of plant equipment to achieve its additional electric power generation targets of 2 gigawatts and bringing fast, efficient power to its citizens.

These units differentiate on speed, low emissions and fast start-up. In Ghana, GE’s high efficiency fuel-flexible-heavy-duty gas turbines are being deployed by the government to address the country’s growing energy needs. These rugged machines can burn more than 50 types of fuels giving Ghana great flexibility on available fuels.”

“GE is committed to helping countries meet their growing energy demands with its full spectrum of energy solutions that will help them increase their energy capacity, and improve the reliability of their networks,” Njenga said. “Many of the solutions we are demonstrating at this event have already been deployed and are making a difference today,” he added.

here has been disagreement between the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and Samsung West Africa over the latter’s office which was shut down by SON recently. Briefing journalists after it sealed up Samsung’s premises in Victoria Island, SON’s Head of Product Registration, Engr.

Enebi Onucheyo, said the company was shut for its failure to register some of the products being marketed in Nigeria.

According to Onucheyo, SON’s action was in line with the provisions of the SON Act 14, of 2015, which makes it compulsory that every product imported into Nigeria must be registered with SON for traceability and confirmation of quality status.

Engr. He said SON’s records show that many Samsung products in the Nigerian Markets are not registered while those registered are not up to date.

However, Samsung in a statement confirming SON’s action on its premises denied any wrong doing, saying the whole issue was as a result communication error. “We want to confirm that the office of Samsung Electronics West Africa in Lagos was besieged by the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON). SON’s action was apparently due to a miscommunication between both parties regarding the registration of products in Nigeria. Samsung is working in collaboration with SON to reach an amicable resolution of the matter. “Samsung also wishes to reiterate that it is a best practice company, with footprints in over 79 countries worldwide. As an ethical company, Samsung will not willfully disrespect the laws and regulations in countries where it operates” the company said in a statement.

But speaking on the next line of action, the SON Head of Product Registration stated that the facility would only reopened once the company takes steps to register all their products as required by law. “We are in the era of ensuring ease of doing business in Nigeria albeit within the laws of the land” he said.

Representatives of Samsung, according to SON, claimed ignorance of the need to register the products stating that they do not import nor sell products but only market them. Engr. Onucheyo however debunked the claim, stating that the company represents Samsung in Nigeria and has responsibility to register all their products marketed in Nigeria.

Telcos record 39,535 porting activities in May Latest statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has revealed that telecommunications operators carried out 39,535 Mobile Number Portability (MNP) activities in May. This was contained in the “Incoming and Outgoing Porting Activities of Mobile Network Operators Report’’ report posted on the regulator’s website.

It said in the report that 33,773 subscribers ported within the networks in April, showing an increase of 5,762 in May. NCC said that of the 39,535 porting activities in May; 19,816 were “Incoming Porting Activities”, while 19,719 were “Outgoing Porting Activities”.

The report revealed that in the outgoing table, 6,567 subscribers moved from MTN Nigeria to other networks through Mobile Number Portability (MNP) in May. The statistics also indicated that those that left MTN’s network increased by 1,645 as against 4,922 customers that dropped the network in April.

It said that 6,540 customers moved from Airtel Nigeria; showing an increase of 838 subscribers against 5,702 that left the service provider in April.

Also, 4,786 subscribers moved from Globacom Nigeria in May, representing an increase of 512 customers that left the network against 4,274 that left in April.

It showed that 1,826 customers of Etisalat Nigeria, now 9mobile, ported to other networks within the same period, giving a decrease of 111 that left, when compared with 1,937 users that left in April.

On the incoming table, Etisalat led by an additional 15,253 customers on its network in May. Airtel Nigeria came second on the gainers’ list with 2,597 subscribers, 1,245 subscribers moved to MTN Nigeria, while Globacom Nigeria got 721 customers.

Mobile Number Portability was introduced in 2103 by NCC to give telecom consumers free choice of moving from one network to the other without changing their number and to deepen competition in the industry.

24

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

ISSN: 2545-5869

VOX POPULI SACRUM

www.oraclenews.ng

EDITORIAL

Stop attacks on FRSC men R

ECORDS from the Federal Roads Safety Corps suggest that attacks on its men and women on duty are on the increase. The latest incidents have only accentuated a matter that had been overlooked as Nigeria grappled with more pressing issues. The one that hit the pressure point was the shooting of FRSC men by the police on 15 July in Abia State.

REACTIONS have followed and there was again the danger of localizing the issue until it lost sight of the fact that FRSC men were being attacked in other parts of the country, for different reasons. We do not support the attack, nor do we support some of the comments that have failed to address the issues.

WHY would policemen attached to the Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly shoot FRSC men? Why would the focus be on the Speaker, who was not involved, except that his wife was in the vehicle, as if he fired the shots? Why was there no emphasis on the imperative of adequate punishment for the policemen who shot the two FRSC men?

BOTH men could have bled to death, but for sympathetic passers-by who took them to hospital.

The police authorities say that the policemen involved were under-going order room trial.

We think they should be charged for attempted murder. The trial should be held in the open, so that armed security agents should learn a lesson from it.

THE Corps Marshal, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, stated after the Abia incident that, “many road users are abusing the civility of the unarmed personnel that are trained to be cautious while discharging their legitimate duties. In the past, many FRSC operatives had been abducted, killed, assaulted, run over, threatened and shot.”

ACCOUNTS of the incidents, which follow as the FRSC issued them, are interesting in the details of other such incidents: Aro Ngwa, Abia, 15 July 2017 OUR men were shot. While we commend the Abia State Police Commissioner for swiftly directing the arrest and orderly room trial of the Policemen who shot the FRSC staff at Aro Ngwa along Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway last Saturday, the Corps is deeply saddened by the shooting.

It is also greatly concerned that the policemen attached to the wife of the Speaker, Abia State House of Assembly who shot them, abandoned the two young men with their gunshot wounds.

These policemen who are also employees of government left them to die at the scene.

FCT – 12 July 2017 AN investigating panel revealed that a patrol team flagged down a driver for routine checks. When his car was to be impounded for running foul of traffic laws, a female staff was attached to the offender’s vehicle to accompany the vehicle to a nearby FRSC office for other necessary processes as contained in the operational procedure to be effected but the driver sped away with the female staff. A patrol team, concerned about the motive of the fleeing driver, had to apply force to rescue the female operative. They manipulated video, which the suspect released, afterwards only told one side of the story. The Corps is determined to follow through with the suspect’s prosecution as a deterrent.

JIGAWA – 14 July 2017 AN FRSC patrol team was carrying out its legitimate duties along the Kiyawa-Dutse Road in Jigawa State when a team of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), officials challenged the team for daring to check vehicles for excessive overloading and installation of the Speed Limiting Devices. They not only set the FRSC patrol vehicle ablaze but also badly damaged another vehicle. The rampaging NURTW officials also destroyed the FRSC office. The Jigawa incident resulted in fatality as one person was killed and several others injured.

OYO – 15 July 2017 IT will also be recalled that an FRSC personnel in Oluyole Unit Command, Oyo State was almost strangled to death by a driver who was accosted for contravening traffic laws. The Corps has turned down the plea for

out-of-court settlement by the now sober attacker.

DR. Oyeyemi said that all the attacks had been collated, well documented and would be brought to the attention of all the relevant arms of government for necessary action. There were more of the attacks after the statement.

ONE was again in Abuja, when a motorist who was stopped chased after the FRSC men with a machete. He was arrested.

PROSECUTION could help in punishing those involved in the attacks. It would also be important that the FRSC gets its staff to act in ways that could deter these attacks. Apart from allegations of extortions, there have been cases, where FRSC personnel acted beneath the elevated manners for which they were known in the early days.

SOME clearly put themselves in harm’s way by standing in the middle of the road to stop vehicles that may be at speeds that sudden stops would be challenging. Others are armed with sticks with which they hit vehicles of drivers who do not stop at their command. Their choice operations points are hidden, and cause accidents.

FRSC management has a duty to restore the falling standards of the conduct of its personnel. The growing calls for them to be armed would not be a solution to these incidents as have been proven again and again.

RIVALRY among security and para-military agencies has persisted even in cases where they are all armed. On 30 May this year, the Police and the Navy in Calabar engaged in a gun duel, leading to the death of three persons. That the two sides bore arms did not deter the aggression.

BETTER training, public enlightenment and diligent prosecution of attackers of FRSC staff have more chances of minimising the incidents than allowing the FRSC to bear arms. There are too many armbearing agencies already, and their effectiveness remains doubtful.

Our Vision TO BE among the top five newspapers in Nigeria and, in due course, the Numero Uno; to be a newspaper of records that effectively caters to the information needs of all segments and sections of the Nigerian society as well as all social classes and cultures. Essentially, we want to be a responsible corporate citizen, a commercially viable, properly organised media business, which meets its obligations to society, government and the workforce.

Mission WE INTEND to contribute to the development of an inclusive Nigerian society, with a view to getting rid of the dark sides of our national life (slothfulness, greed, corruption, nepotism, totalitarianism, etc); to continually engender and sustain national debates that would ultimately lead to the enthronement of healthy national values--hard-work, justice, equity and fairplay, transparency, good governance, resulting, in themselves, the egalitarian Nigerian society of our dream. We will give voice to the voiceless and at all times, strive to be balanced, objective, honest, truthful and fair to all sides; so that through The Oracle Today, our people, the Nigerian people can see a bright light at the end of what has been a very dark tunnel. And we shall do all this in absolute trust in God who blesses good intentions.

25

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

OPINION Edo guber: There’s end to litigation

By EHICHIOYA EZOMON

A

A SCENE playing out in Edo State depicts the adage of “the mourner crying more than the bereaved.” It has to do with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its state chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, continuing to litigate matters against Governor Godwin Obaseki of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The electorate in Edo, the Election Petitions Tribunal, and the Appeal and Supreme Courts had respectively given Obaseki a clean bill of health as the duly elected executive to superintend the state for four years.

Commendably, the candidate of the PDP in the election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, has accepted the choice of the Edo people, as affirmed by the courts.

According to him: “Today (July 10), the Supreme Court has, by its judgment, brought to an end our struggle for the office of the governor of Edo State, which began on 28 September, 2016.

“I accept, in good faith, this decision of the highest court of our country, which affirms Mr. Godwin Obaseki as the Governor of Edo State.

I therefore congratulate Mr. Godwin Obaseki and assure him of my goodwill.”

Senator Matthew Urhoghide (PDP, Edo South), chairman, Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism and the director-general of the Osagie Ize-Iyamu Campaign Organisation, also felicitated with Obaseki, and prayed that God grants him “the enablement to lead Edo State and its people to greater heights and success.”

Similarly, Senator Clifford Akhimienmona Ordia (PDP, Edo Central), vice chairman, Senate Committee on Works, during the committee’s oversight function on federal government projects in Edo, saluted Obaseki and wished “he would take the state to an enviable height.”

So, having run the gamut of balloting, with the Judiciary weighing in to authenticate the franchise, it would be unimaginable for the PDP to continue to look for loopholes to disqualify the chosen governor.

But that’s exactly what the party and Chief Orbih are doing: Continue to litigate the matter in different courts in hope of getting victory. In other words, embarking on what lawyers call “forum shopping” - a practice adopted by litigants to get their cases heard in a particular court that is likely to provide a favourable judgment.

One aspect of the Edo issue was the election itself, which the PDP, galvanised by Orbih, Pastor Ize-Iyamu and its teeming members - as an unfettered and a viable opposition - prosecuted with a scorch-earth approach.

Having been in power in the state for about nine and half years: Chief Lucky Igbinedion’s government (1999-2007) and Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor’s administration (2007-2008), and in the opposition for eight years under the government of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole (2008-2016), the PDP was versed in the political nuances of the state.

Thus, during the electioneering, its members toured the “nooks and crannies” of Edo, and tied Mr. Obaseki to Comrade Oshiomhole, whose administration’s policies and programmes, which they dubbed anti-people and a failure, were used to whip the APC candidate, even as they claimed that voting for Obaseki and the APC was voting for an Oshiomhole “third term.”

However, the Edo people did not buy the PDP obvious antics, as attested to by the pattern of victory of the APC that culminated in the election of Governor Obaseki.

Still, as the saying goes, it’s not yet Uhuru for Obaseki, as the PDP that reportedly congratulated the governor, and its state helms-

man, Chief Orbih, would not let go the failure at the poll and the Supreme Court final verdict on it.

Their case against candidate Obaseki (and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)), filed on September 1, 2016, just days before the governorship election, alleged false claims and information, on oath, about his educational qualifications submitted to the INEC. Therefore, the party prayed a Benin City High Court for “a declaration that Obaseki’s statement that he graduated from the University of Ibadan, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Classical Studies in 1976, made under oath in INEC form CF001 at Part B, paragraph C dated 11 July 2016, is false.”

It also asked for a declaration, disqualifying Obaseki from contesting Edo State governorship election on the grounds that “he submitted false information on oath to the INEC in Form CF001.”

Thereafter, Chief Orbih said the PDP was certain, beyond doubt, that the academic qualifications attested to by Obaseki in an affidavit he swore to in June 2016 “were false.”

Besides, he said Obaseki’s failure to declare if he was a member of any secret society “disqualifies him from contesting for the office of governor of Edo State.”

Following these claims, then campaign manager to Obaseki, Mr. Osarodion Ogie, said: “We will not dignify PDP with any reply. PDP is heading towards extinction in Edo and on this matter, we will meet them in court.”

Granted that political parties own the

Ikwum and ogomcracy in Imo government (2)

By PROTUS NATHAN UZORMA

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HO OWNS Lamonde Hotels?

Is it Imo State Government or the Okorocha-Family Ltd? Why is it very functional today as the Governor’s private-government hotel, while the public-government hotel- Concorde has collapsed? What was the pre-existing perimeter square of the vacant land there to accommodate the edifice? Who ab initio owns the acquired land- Imo State Government or Rochas?

Is it good governance to acquire government land with Executive acquisition fiat and then turn it to personal usage? Is this stride for government affairs or family business? Is it right to appropriate the Judiciary land for hostelling harlots and the inebriated, a piece of land for justice turned to sensual gratifications? Does Rochas have respect for law and the judiciary? Is the Judiciary in Imo State truly independent? If it is, then it is part of the sleeping giants in the State that slumber while taboos trespass the horizon of natural and civil laws? If it is not, then as a dependant and protégé of the Okorocha-Family Ltd, it is either a selfknown or unaware family-business partner.

Sometime past, the reveller than rescuer of Imo, Rochas Okorocha attempted in his usual instinctive fantasies to relocate the Imo State University to Okpoko, his hometown. Grandiose funds were also expended. When he was lampooned for such, he shrank like the wise land-tortoise. Today, is the erected edifice turned to an unpopular university still a State-owned land and property or his personal university? The International Maritime University at Osemoto (Oguta) that has two buildings for four years and is now proposed to be relocated to the Oru-Ward (Oguta II segment), who will own the acquired and used and

dumped land there? Is it the State or the Okorocha & Co Family Ltd, perhaps, his most nearest propitious family memberPrince Henry Okafor (of Osemoto, Oguta 1) or Prof Anthony Anwuka (of Egbuoma, Oguta 1)? Certainly one of them or a newer in-law to be acquired over time, will be best for the business?

Who owns Roche Construction Company that has silenced Enic and Haden, MCC, etc in the State? Certainly, Roche is the French form of Rochas. Who owns Lamonde Ltd? Certainly, Lamonde is a Sanskrit name for Rochas; just as the name Buhari in its religious Igbonisation means Okechukwu. Lamonde Prints at Umezurike Street by Royce Road Owerri that has replaced Imo State Government Press, who owns it? Is it the State Governor (Okorocha &Co Family Ltd) or the State Government (or collective property)?

Who is the contractor awarded the sewing of Imo students and pupils school uniforms? Who was contracted the school canvass? The roundabouts that popularised Gov Rochas, who are their contractors? When where the contracting opportunities made for public bid or tender?

Which indigenous companies applied before which committee before screening and award of the contracts? Who monitors the family contract than the ubiquitous grand Padre? Why put roundabouts around standing structures for flyovers?

Is it not to complete the number of promised roundabouts for the Okorocha-Family Ltd business?

There is a play in semantics here between the concept of the STATE GOVERNOR and STATE GOVERNMENT. The nuances in the duo make the pictures displayed and exhibited to the public (Imolites) a difficult artefact to appreciate,

and as such, our eyes as Robert Harris said begin to “feel meadows to be blue, the heavens green, the clouds sulphurYellow.” Is the State Governor as an individual person same as the State Government as legal personhood? Can every business established by the State Governor become government’s by virtue of his being the head of the Government?

Can he turn every State Government’s affairs into private family business- That is, can he (being the State Governor) turn that which hitherto used to be government’s to his own as he is the head of the State Government? These call for decisive rumination, cogitation and ratiocination since they are at the basis of the Okorocha-Family Ltd than Government in Imo today.

Without being biased, we have to rethink on the numerous governance and self-righteous images Governor Rochas Okorocha display continuously to Imolites. Because as Robert Harris said, “from the pictures sent in [to Imolites] for exhibition, it is clear that the eye of some men shows them things other than as they are- That there really are men who on principle feel meadows to be blue, the heavens green, the clouds sulphur- Yellow.” Why this rethink is urgent is as P.D. James puts it (in his Unnatural Causes) that “the words [from Gov Okorocha’s mouth], as sometimes happened, came simply and easily. He wrote them down without pausing to think too much or even to wonder whether he was being sincere.” We have to revolt as Harris suggests because “either these ‘artists’ [Okorocha & Co Family Ltd] do really see things in this way and believe in that which they represent… Or, they do not believe in the reality of such impressions but seek on other grounds to

votes in an election, and while not begrudging the PDP and Chief Orbih their “interest to contest the issues with a view to deepening our legal system and ensuring that they are brought to bear (on the election),” it’s respectfully submitted that, “there must be an end to litigation.” And as an Esan proverb says: “If it’s been long carrying a load, it should be put down.”

Since 1999, there has never been any uncontested governorship election in the courts by the losing party and its candidate.

The nearly decade-long chairmanship of Chief Orbih of Edo PDP also witnessed this scenario.

Really, there’s nothing more to prove by this pre-election case other than to sustain confusion and acrimony in the political atmosphere of Edo State. And the PDP may further be alienated from the electorate if it loses, yet again, this particular matter to Governor Obaseki.

In the words of Chief Orbih, the PDP is “anxious to take over the government of Edo State in 2019 (or 2020).” In that wise, let the next political battle be reserved for those elections rather than dissipate time, energy and scarce resources on a “backdoor” channel to power.

Most importantly, the PDP and Chief Orbih should respect Pastor Ize-Iyamu’s admission that the Supreme Court judgment had “brought to an end our struggle for the office of the governor of Edo State, which began on 28 September, 2016.”

Devoid of other interpretations, anything outside the Ize-Iyamu proclamation is selfserving!

• Mr. Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.

impose them upon the nation [Imo State].

If it is the first, Rochas is a grand deceiver.

If it is the second, then it is a matter for criminal court. But whichever it is, it implies visual deceit and obvious concealment of actual intentions from activities displayed for appreciation. Wonders shall never end.

This article published some years ago, is repeated under a new headline. According Prof Uzorma, the author, ‘although Imo government has since made some little adjustment, the philosophy of IKWUM AND OGOMCRACY has not changed. ENDED. • Prof. Uzorma, ‘Mayor of Imo Youths’, wrote in from Owerri.

THE GROUP

Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Ikeddy Isiguzo Editor Felix Oguejiofor Abugu Deputy Editor/Head, Lagos Bureau Sopuruchi Onwuka Abuja Bureau Chief Tony Ailemen Production Editor Henry Duru Advert Manager Andrew Udeh Head, Graphics & Designs Nnamdi Alex Chukwu Circulation Manager Felix Oti

The Oracle Today, August 2, 2017

Travel & Hospitality

26

Legendary musician Victor Olaiya backs FESTAC”77 @ 40

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egendary musician Victor Olaiya has given his support to plans by the Centre for Black Arts and African Civilisation (CBAAC) to commemorate 40 years after FESTAC”77 was hosted by Nigeria, even as tasked CBAAC to ensure full participation of African musicians in the forthcoming celebration.

Olaiya gave the support when the Director-General of CBAAC, Dr Ferdinand Anikwe, led his management staff on a courtesy visit to the musician at his Lagos residence on Thursday.

He said he was not happy that Nigerian musicians were not allowed to interact with other African musicians during FESTAC’’77.

Olaiya appealed to CBAAC, which is the organization planning to commemorate four decades of FESTAC”77 to ensure that all African musicians were given special opportunities to perform together to foster peace on the continent.

He said that CBAAC should endeavour to carry along in o its programme all African musicians that participated in f FESTAC”77 and are still alive in its planning and performance to make it a huge success.

“I am glad to hear that FESTAC is 40 years already, I wish you well in the planning and I want you to engage musicians that performed then like me and the younger ones. It was a memorable cultural event, my band featured prominently there and I made reasonable sales; but we were restricted from mingling with musicians from other countries.

“But the joy of it all was that our music was well appreciated by everyone, even up till now.

I worked tirelessly with other musicians then to make the event a memorable and successful one, we give glory to God that the memories still linger on and we will continue to talk about it,’’ he said.

Olaiya charged the budding Nigerian artists to come up with positive musical contents capable of ministering to the souls and passing across positive morals.

Sheraton Abuja Hotel celebrates Ladies night, World Lasagna Day

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heraton Abuja hotel has announced two major activities this July 2017; the World Lasagna Day, and the Ladies Night.

According to the hotel, the Food and Beverage team will stimulate the taste buds of food enthusiasts and patrons by celebrating the World Lasagna day.

“Our customers and in-house guests will enjoy a creamy blend of textures and flavours from our ever enriching Lasagna Menu at the Luigi’s Italian Restaurant. We will be offering three types of Lasagne specials; Melan Zane Al Forno (vegetable lasagne) Lasagne Al forno (Beef Lasagne) and Cannelloni Con Pollo e Spinaci,” said Director of Communications for the Sheraton, Four points and Le Meridien Brands in Nigeria, Ms Nanji Tyem.

Continuing, Nanji said: “ We have organized Saturday the 29th of July from 12:30 noon till 11:00 pm for this Celebration; we encourage all our weekend loving visitors to drop by and savour our delectable offering with has a competitive prize starting from just N4,000 only. The experience is sure to be tasteful.

In another bid to spark off the July summer vibe, Sheraton Abuja Hotel, will kick off its Ladies night every Wednesday event starting from the 26th of July 2017.

“Our Ladies night experience will bring undiluted fun and energy to our female enthusiasts, we have set up everything to motivate a ladies evening and encourage a relaxed friends meet up or hangout. Every Wednesday from 6pm all female visitors and guests dining at our Pool Bar and Restaurant will be offered a welcome glass of Prosecco wine from Italy.

The Sheraton Abuja also urged guests to spend up to N4, 000 at the Pool bar and Restaurant and get a 15 per cent discount voucher on an illuminating steam and sauna session at the Sheraton Fitness Centre.

•Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (third left) flanked by members of the delegation from Ford Foundation led by its President, Mr Darren Walker (second left) , during the meeting which held at Lagos House in Ikeja.

Lagos, Ford Foundation to transform Onikan into tourism hub Stories by VICTOR NZE

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he Lagos State Government has sealed a major partnership with the Ford Foundation on the total regeneration of Lagos Island and transformation of the Onikan axis to a major tourism hub in Africa.

Briefing Government House Correspondents after a strategic meeting held at Lagos House in Ikeja with an high-powered delegation from Ford Foundation led by its President, Mr Darren Walker, the State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode said the State Government was delighted to partner with the foundation on issues of mutual interest, saying that the initiative would go a long way in activating the tourism potentials of the State.

The Governor said already the State Government was putting finishing touches to the plan to construct a new

Museum in Onikan, while the new Lagos History Centre coming on board in the axis and the Presidential Lodge would be transformed to what would be known as Eko Park.

Going into details, Governor Ambode said: “We just received the President of Ford Foundation, Mr Darren Walker and his team and we are excited that they are willing to partner with us. We have always spoken about the regeneration of the Lagos Island axis. You are also aware that Lagos is planning to build a new Museum in Onikan and also to be able to use the Lagos History Centre and the Presidential Lodge where we want to turn into what we call Eko Park.

“Ford Foundation is the second largest private foundation that we have in the world. They are very credible and we believe strongly that they are lover of arts and having the foundation partner with us in the regeneration of the

Lagos Island axis which we want to use to promote arts and tourism, is something that is very good for Lagos and I am excited to receive them.”

Also speaking, Walker said the foundation warmly welcomes the partnership with the State Government, and that the team was optimistic about a great future in the State.

He also eulogized the leadership qualities of Governor Ambode, saying that the vision of the Governor for the State was inspiring.

“I have admired Governor Ambode from afar for some time and then inspired by his leadership and his vision along with my colleagues, we sought an audience today with him and it was an opportunity for us to learn about his vision for Lagos State and we leave this meeting inspired, motivated and very hopeful about the future here,” Walker said.

FTAN says will stimulate domestic tourism to boost revenue of Tourism Associaof Nigeria (FTAN) has assured TthathetionsisFederation poised to stimulate domestic tourism to create employment and boost internally generated revenue for government and host communities.

Newly elected president of the association, Alhaji Saleh Rabo, who said this, Thursday, in Abuja, noted further that tourism had the potentialities to generate huge revenue for the government and providing employment for the people.

“We must get it right with domestic tourism market before expecting foreign tourists to come in droves. We will do a research and the findings will help us identify Nigeria’s tourist market abroad. Our main tourist attraction is the diversity of our cultural heritage.

“In marketing Nigeria, we will ascertain countries interested in Africa and execute targeted marketing and promo-

tions at those countries.

“This will include road shows, exhibition and rigorous advertisement and social media marketing campaigns; we will emphasise giving tourists exactly the experience we promised them when marketing our tourism destinations,’’ Rabo said.

He said that the association’s determined goal was to richly grow the domestic tourism market in the country.

Rabo, who is also the Managing Director, All States Travel and Tour Ltd., said the association aimed at ensuring significant improvement in the hospitality services, enrich destinations and tourist facilities.

“We also want to see an increase in the number of recorded tourist arrivals at the country’s tourist sites and a significant increase in the contribution of tourism to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product and other internally generated revenues.

“Our other strategy is to systematically involve local host communities in the

day-to-day handling of tourism sites and the tourists. The host communities will contribute to tourism activities in their localities in terms of primary food chains supply, tour guides, security vigilante, souvenirs and handcraft sales, traditional entertainment and other direct tourism services.

“Nevertheless, we will proactively engage state governments’ apparatus to organise tourists for the host communities, collect taxes and other levies, which in turn shall be shared with the host communities,’’ Rabo said.

According to him, the aim is for the host communities to participate as stakeholders in the state government’s tourism ventures.

He said that the most effective way to get the communities to totally buy-in was for the state government to give some percentage of revenue generated at the tourist host communities back to them.

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The Oracle Today, Wednesday August 2, 2017

AVIATION

FG seeks ICAO support to integrate drone operations

Nigeria, 6 others to utilize AIB’s $5.8m laboratory in Abuja

Stories by VICTOR NZE

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ederal Government has said it is ready to forge close collaboration with stakeholders as it works towards the integration of safe operation of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) in its airspace.

Minister of State Aviation, Hadi Sirika who disclosed this, Monday, at the opening ceremony of the just-concluded ICAO RPAS symposium and workshop holding in Abuja, added that supporting the innovation of RPAs otherwise known as drones while maintaining safety is top priority at the Federal Ministry of Transportation (Aviation Sector).

Sirika told participants at the symposium which is being held in conjunction with representatives from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that each of them will have a role to play in the coming days, as they hear some of the pressing challenges facing the RPA industry in Africa and around the world, and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority’s (NCAA) integration efforts.

Attending the event also are aviation and technology industries around the world, law enforcement agencies, academia, Nigerian Stakeholders, the Federal Ministry of transportation and aviation agencies around Africa.

Sirika said “Nigeria the most complex and busiest airspace in west and central Africa, and it is NCAA’s responsibility to ensure its safety for public use. We need to incorporate Remotely Piloted Aircraft and their users into our culture of safety and responsibility.

But we need to do it in a way that doesn’t stifle the enthusiasm for this growing industry. The best way to accomplish this is to partner with a wide range of stakeholders, government, aviation regulators and manufacturers.

“While valuable inputs on regulations are being received from stakeholders and building concensus through public sensitization, the Government is making substantial progress in integrating RPAS into Nigerian Airspace structure.

“Consequently, the Government through Civil Aviation Authority is

establishing a Remotely Piloted Aircraft Safety Team that will include a wide variety of stakeholders in the aviation industry. This is similar to the highly successful NCAA Safety Surveillance Team. This group will analyze safety data developed, to identify emerging threats that RPAS may pose to aircraft, people, and property. They will also develop mitigation strategies to address these threats and prevent future accidents.

“The creation of the Remotely Piloted Aircraft Safety Team reflects the importance of this issue to the Government, and the value of collaboration with stakeholders.

“The Team will help to develop recommendations that will assist the government to create RPAS registration system in the shortest possible time. While the registration will help connect RPAS with its operator in cases where people are not complying with rules and guidelines, it also gives us a valuable opportunity to educate users on how to operate their Remotely Piloted Aircraft safely.

‘In addition to educating hob-

byists, NCAA’s Regulations Committee is putting a regulatory framework in place to address the commercial use of RPAS as well. I hope you engage with representatives from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and other Civil Aviation Authorities in Africa and bring your best questions and ideas to the fore.”

Speaking earlier, President of the ICAO Council, Dr. Olumuyiwa Aliu said the aviation industry is undergoing a fundamental change in light of the widespread introduction of unmanned aircraft.

Adding that the flipside of this dynamic growth in opportunity is the challenge of balancing safety and security with efficiency and sustainability, he emphasised that the onus of succeeding in this challenge falls on the shoulders of regulators “who must work to craft and establish a well-structured and appropriate regulatory framework”.

He expressed ICAO’s gratitude to the Federal Government of Nigeria for partnering it in hosting the symposium and the facilities presented

No flights delay by FIRS boss -- Air Peace N

igerian carrier, Air Peace has refuted a media report alleging that the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Babatunde Fowler was responsible for the delay of one of its flights recently.

A statement issued by the airline’s Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah, Thursday, described the report as an unwarranted attempt to tarnish the image of one of its most responsible guests.

The airline insisted that although it held all its guests in high esteem, it was not its practice to delay its flights because of anybody no matter how highly placed.

“Our attention has been drawn to a media report claiming that one of our Lagos-Abuja flights was recently delayed because of the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Babatunde Fowler. Although we would have ignored the report as a figment of the imagination of its author, we are compelled to clarify the issue

because of its negative impact on the good image of the FIRS boss, who happens to be one of our most responsible guests.

“While we empathise with our esteemed guests any time they arrive late for their flights, we definitely do not hold down our flights because of anyone no matter how highly placed. On several occasions, we have had to leave even the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace behind because of our strict observance of our ontime performance (OTP) policy.

“While we have had to occasionally delay some of our flights due to poor weather attributable to the rainy season, we have always ensured that measures are taken to mitigate the impact on our valued guests’ schedules and appointments. We assure our esteemed guests that we will continue to sustain our reputation for on-time departure and safe flight operations and treat everyone equally,” the statement said.

D

routes. This promo and many more initiatives to come are some of the benefits of the existing partnership that we have with the Imo state Government.’’

Speaking further, kingsley said, “as an airline committed to satisfying our guests, especially our Dana Miles Guests, this offer is also our way of encouraging people to fly more to the beautiful city of Owerri. This is definitely a good time for our Owerri passengers, as all they need to do to get their free ticket is to visit our website www.flydanaair.com or any

•International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) President, Dr Olumuyiwa Benard Aliyu, Hon. Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, Ms.Iyabo O. Sosina, Secretary General, African Civil Aviation Commission.

Dana Air takes ‘Buy Two, Get One Free’ promo to Owerri omestic carrier, Dana Air has announced a ‘Buy two, get one free’ promotions for passengers on its Lagos – Owerri- Lagos route, as part of the benefits of its existing partnership with the Imo State Government.

Communications Manager of Dana Air, Kingsley Ezenwa in a statement released today said, “we are delighted to have introduced the ‘Buy two, get one free’ promo; which is not only for the hospital people of Imo state, but for business and leisure travelers on our Lagos – Owerri- Lagos

of our outlets in Lagos or Owerri, pay for two tickets on our Lagos – Owerri- Lagos route, and send an email with their booking code to contact@flydanaair.com and its done. Free tickets can also be used on all our domestic route.’’

He urged members the airlines’ frequent flyer program, to take advantage of the promo and expect more value added services in the coming months.

Only recently, the airline launched a customer–centric initiative called ‘Pay with Dana

Miles’ which enables members of its frequent flyer program to use their miles as they desire to pay for excess baggage, upgrade from economy class to business class, exchange miles for tickets and lots more.

Dana Air recently partnered the Imo state government to launch Imo Air operated by Dana Air, as part of efforts by the state government to diversify the economy of the state, increase commercial activities, create employment and boost tourism in the state.

he International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has stated that Nigeria and six other countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will utilize the $5.8 million Safety Laboratory equipment belonging to the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) in Abuja.

The ICAO’s Commissioner for Banjul Accord Accident Investigation Agency (BAGAIA), Mr Caj Frostel, who disclosed this in Abuja, also listed the BAGAIA member states that would make use of the facility to include: The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Cape Verde and Sierra Leone.

Frostel who said the revitalised equipment would help boost safety not only in the sub-region, but Africa in general, noted that apart from those countries, other countries on the continent could also make use of the facility, which he described as“ a world class equipment”.

“Much of what we did during the week was that we needed to establish that the equipment works. We have a BAGAIA interest that the AIB facility in Abuja becomes the centre of excellence in reading out flight recorders for all the seven countries.

“With BAGAIA, we have the ambition to cover the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as well as countries in Central and Southern Africa.

There is no other flight-recorderread-out facility elsewhere in the sub-region as you have in Abuja.

“Central and Southern African countries are potentially international customers that we hope to bring in. In the future, we will arrange familiarisation training on how this equipment can be used in other countries.

“The Commissioner of AIB, Mr Akin Olateru, has foresight and initiative. He recently took over AIB and he quickly thought that the Abuja facility should get going.

He has the energy and capacity to make it happen.”

On his part, a director in the BAGAIA, in Singapore, Mr Michael Toft, stated that the equipment was now in the right shape to download and analyse information from black boxes in case of an accident, explaining that the same equipment is used in Singapore for data analysis, stressing that AIB’s engineers had been trained on how to handle the equipment for optimal usage.

“When I got here, I discovered that there were lots of commonality in equipment hardware and software. So, the first task in hand was to make an assessment of the laboratory, it was running fine with a nice accommodation.

“It has a good number of equipment and can read a large number of common flight recorder types that are installed on aircraft. The laboratory capability is equal if not better than that of Singapore. In terms of training, everything was nicely arranged and I completed my work quickly.

28

The Oracle Today Wednesday AUgust 2, 2017

INSURANCE & PENSION FG warns insurers on erroneous financial statement

Stories by CHRIS EBONG

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he National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has advised insurance companies to always cross check their financial statement to avoid obvious errors, saying it would not hesitate to refer any statement with errors to the Financial Reporting Council for disciplinary action.

The Commission added that henceforth it will hold chief execu-

tive officers and the chief financial officers accountable for their company’s financial statement.

The Commission disclosed this at the just concluded Insurance Industry Consultative Council 2017 conference held in Abuja urging them to check properly the financial statements that comes to the regulator.

The Deputy Commission Finance and Admin, Mr. George Onekhena who spoke on behalf of the com-

mission also called on the directors and auditors of companies to endure they go through their financial statement to check for obvious errors and do necessary correction.

According to him, most complaint from companies that the commission is delaying their account is as a result of the errors that are in the accounts.

He said further that in line with the principle of Ease Of Doing Business, the commission has decided

to approve all accounts sent to them excerpt for one account that was not approved due the fact that the company changed the figures that was approved for them in the previous year.

He stressed that the financial reporting council law provides that it is only the FRC that will determine the statement, noting that going forward the commission will approve all accounts of companies sent to them and will

•Chief Emeka Anyaoku nomic development, it is appropriate to ask: are the enterprises in Nigeria taking the optimal advantage of insurance to promote and protect their businesses?

“I believe that the general response is that while multinational companies, large scale indigenous commercial businesses, some

•Val Ojumah Federal and State Governments agencies embrace insurance, majority of the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises who need protection most are yet to proactively engage insurance to protect their resources and assets,” he noted.

Anyaoku said it is important that Small and Medium Scale Enter-

give them the go ahead to publish and after they have done so if there is any material errors in the statements published the company will be referred to the FRC to sort out itself.

He said the new process makes the business easy for companies and the regulator, adding that they want to extract accountability in the system to ensure that right things are done.

Anyaoku tasks NAICOM on enforcement of compulsory insurances T

he former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, has called on the government and insurance industry practitioners to ensure enforcement of compulsory insurance laws especially insurance of buildings under construction for overall interest of the public.

Chief Anyaoku who said this recently in Lagos noted that back ground of incessant collapse of buildings across the country there was need for the industry including the regulator to step up action to stem the tide.

According to him, the government in its wisdom, to protect members of the public and the economy from some forms of losses, enacted laws which make the procurement of certain insurances compulsory.

“I like to refer to two exam-

ples: Insurance of Buildings above two (2) Floors under Construction and Insurance of Public Buildings – Sections 64 and 65 of the Insurance Act 2003. We must ask the question, what is the level of compliance with these insurance procurement requirements? I understand that the general response is that not much is happening in this regard.

“I believe that both the insurance industry and the government need to do more on this in the overall interest of the public especially as we read in the media from time to time of collapses of buildings under construction,” he said.

He posited that the important role of insurance in promoting enterprise and development of any nation is not in contention, adding that at this stage of Nigeria’s eco-

PenCom ends 2017 pre - retirement workshop

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he National Pension Commission (PenCom) says it has successfully conducted the 2017 PreRetirement workshop for staffs of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that are due to retire between January and December 2018.

The workshop which was meant to educate participants on how to transit seamlessly from active employment to retirement under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), took place at 11 centers across the six geo-political zones of the Federation and the FCT. According to a statement from the Commission, the programme was structured to enlighten the prospective retirees on procedure for retirement under the Contributory Pension Scheme. Topics discussed, the agency said, included enrolment exercise and documentation required, annuity and pro-

grammed withdrawal as well as accessing retirement and terminal benefits scheme.

Other aspects of retirement information under the scheme which engaged the attention of the participants at the workshop included consolidation of benefits on retirement, modes of withdrawal of benefits on retirement, rights of retirees and roles of the Pension Fund Administrators and the PenCom regarding the retirement process.

The prospective retirees were also advised to enroll for retirement during the ongoing enrolment of prospective retirees by the Commission, as enrollment by proxy will not be entertained except on proven cases of medical incapacitation.

The Commission expects that the participants having been armed with the requisite information at the workshop will be in a better po-

prises in Nigeria which should be the drivers of the country’s economic growth and development should in their own interest practice enterprise risk management which includes risks transfer to traditional insurance companies with the advice of a professional insurance broker.

FBNInsurance celebrates agents

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•Former PenCom DG, Anohu-Amazu sition to make informed decisions that will make their retirement from active service a pleasant one. The workshop commenced on 28 June, 2017 and ended on 14 July, 2017.

he management of FBNInsurance recently celebrated her outstanding retail agents at a brief ceremony held in the company’s Ikeja branch office.

A statement by Ajibola Liyide of the firm’s corporate communications unit, said the overall best newly employed Financial Adviser (FA) for quarters one and two and the best performing Area Sales Managers and Senior Sales Managers were rewarded at the event.

Speaking at the event, Head, Retail Distribution, FBNInsurance, congratulated the winners and also charged them not to rest on their oars. “That you have been celebrated today is our way of appreciating your hard work towards growing the business. For those of you who just joined, now you know how things are done here.

I implore you to keep up the hard work so that by the year end, we will have one of you declared the

overall winner for the year.”

Winners in the Financial Advisor category for the first quarter include Bolarinwa Olubunmi who won the best newly employed FA. For quarter two, Agboola Ayotunde won the best newly employed FA while Omonzele James won in the Retail Sales Manager cadre. Both sets of winners were presented with letters of commendations, cash prizes and the overall winner carted home a tablet.

Operating out of Marina, Lagos, FBNInsurance is one of Nigeria’s leading life insurers. Incorporated seven years ago, the company has grown in bounds based on a robust retail presence across the entire geo-political zones in Nigeria. Recently, the company was awarded the prestigious Sanlam Emerging Markets Nation’s Cup for its outstanding performance in the year 2016.

29

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

INSURANCE & PENSION Expert lists insurance penetration hiccups

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• L-R: Managing Director/CEO, Continental Reinsurance, Dr. Olufemi Oyetunji; Chairman, Chief Ajibola Ogunsola and Company Secretary, Mrs. Abimbola Falana, during the company’s Annual General meeting in Lagos…on Thursday.

Osun pensioners demand payment from N6.3bn Paris loan Stories by CHRIS EBONG

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ensioners in Osun state under the aegis of 2011/2012 Pensioners Forum, on Wednesday morning, embarked on a peaceful protest demanding their pension payment from the N6.3billion Paris Club loan refund.

The group also denounced what they termed “wicked and inhuman attitude” of Governor Rauf Aregbesola over deliberate refusal to pay their one year pension arrears.

Report has it that as early as 8.00am, the pensioners numbering over 1,000 converged on the frontage of the Osun State Secretariat complex, taking over the roundabout in front of the main gate of the secretariat, thus preventing civil servants and other top government functionaries from entering their offices.

Chanting anti-government songs and displaying placards, with various inscriptions, they vowed to make Osun ungovernable should Aregbesola failed to pay their outstanding pension allowance from second tranche of Paris loan refund, which was released to the state government on Monday.

Speaking with journalists during the protest, which halted vehicular movement from the Owode end of Gbongan-Ibadan expressway, the chairman of the forum in the State, Comrade Omoniyi Ilesanmi, said “we are the people who worked diligently after the creation of Osun State. Aregbesola should use the N6.3billion Paris loan refund he just got to pay us our pension allowance; otherwise he would find this state ungovernable.”

Quoting from Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, Section 210, which he states that “anybody in the public service, either local, state or

federal, is entitled to his or her benefit in form of pension and gratuity after retirement,” he contended that “Aregbesola had failed in all ramifications.

Ilesanmi continued: “He has been paying us half pension allowance monthly since July 2015, which is contrary to the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 as amended. If you go to the market, prices all commodities have gone up. The full pension allowance is not even enough not to talk of half pension since July, 2015.

Right now, he owes us unpaid one year pension allowance.”

“We need to continue this agitation. Over 2,000 of our members have died. Just day before yesterday, we lost another pensioner in Ede and about 800 retirees are bedridden, while some are married to their wheelchairs. This is sheer wickedness. Where was Aregbesola when this state was created? We

laboured to ensure its survival and development only to be treated like this,” he lamented.

However, reacting to the protest, the director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy to Aregbesola, Mr Semiu Okanlawon, said “it is interesting to note that about a month ago, this same set of pensioners accused Governor Rauf Aregbesola of collecting and diverting the second tranche of Paris loan refund, which they claimed had been released to Osun State by the Federal Government.”

“As they have come out today, the elderly citizens should apologise not only to Aregbesola, but also to the good people of Osun State for misinforming, confusing and creating tension in the state through their false claim that the governor had received the second tranche of Paris loan refund about a month ago.

“Like I have said, Osun State government, with its commitment to transparency under the leadership of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, made the announcement yesterday (Tuesday) to confirm the receipt of N6.314billion as the second tranche of Paris loan refund from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

“The money was paid into the account of the state government on Monday and we duly made the announcement yesterday, informing the public that Osun has got the second tranche of Paris loan refund.

“In line with our government’s promise to utilise the resources of this state in the best interest of our people, we hereby restate our commitment to this promise as we begin shortly transparent deployment on our commitments to the concerned stakeholders,” he affirmed.

Senate committee to deliberate on flood insurance, risk transfer

O

ne of the bills calling for use of catastrophe bonds, collateralized reinsurance and other private market risk transfer tools to lower the risk held by the U.S. National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) will now be heard before a Senate committee. the House committee bills seeks to de-risk NFIP through the issuance of flood catastrophe bonds, or whatever private market risk transfer, saying that reinsurance is most affordable and practical at the time.

This bill, the National Flood Insurance Program Reauthori-

zation Act of 2017, aims to reauthorise and also reform the NFIP, which is set to expire at the end of September this year.

Brought before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs by its Chairman Mike Crapo and a ranking member Sherrod Brown, the bill is designed to serve as a baseline from which legislation can be created to extend the existing national flood insurance program authorisation for six years and reform areas of its operation including risk mitigation, mapping and program improvements, as

well as approve an increased use of risk transfer and a wider range of risk transfer structures that could be used.

On the topic of reinsurance and risk transfer, the bill says: “The Administrator may consider any form of risk transfer, including traditional reinsurance, catastrophe bonds, collateralized reinsurance, resilience bonds, and other insurance-linked securities, in order to “(A) maximize pricing competition and the diversity of sources of capital; and “(B) secure the best value for the flood insurance program.”

n insurance expert, Mr Paul Ibe, has said that the factors that hindered insurance penetration in the country are poverty and ignorance on the benefits of the scheme.

Mr. Ibe who is the Head of Technical, Unity Kapital Insurance Plc, made the assertion while addressing newsmen in Abuja recently, according to him; Nigerians are ignorant of the benefits of taking up insurance policies.

He noted that the prevalent level of poverty in the country also makes people prioritise their needs, hence striking insurance first whenever there is shortage.

“When there is prosperity and people have the basic necessities of life, they would consider buying insurance policies”, Mr. Ibe observed.

Ibe stated that insurance was very key and people need to be educated on its importance both to an individual and to the country’s economic growth, adding; “regulators and insurance operators need to do more awareness on insurance education by letting people know through communications, through electronic and print media about insurance.

NSITF pledges support for EFCC

T

he Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF, led by Barrister Adebayo Somefun has expressed its determination to identify with the anti-corruption drive of the EFCC. Barrister Somefun, who was on a visit to the Commission on Thursday, July 20, 2017 said that, “the new management of NSITF is solidly behind the EFCC in its bid to change the country for better, as change itself is inevitable”.

According to him, “In order for Nigeria to rise above the present gloomy economic times, Nigerians need to view problems as the optimistic who sees opportunities in difficulties in contrast to the pessimist who sees challenges as difficulties”.

“We are here to lend our support and pledge our support to EFCC so that by the time we are leaving we would have left a good footprint in the sands of time”, he added.

Magu, thanked the NSITF team for the visit and expressed EFCC’s readiness to partner with the organization noting that, the antigraft needed support in enlightening the masses on the ills of corruption.

The Anti-graft czar noted that other countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Pakistan have recorded successes in the corruption fight in their respective nations and called on Nigerians to take ownership of the fight against corruption.

“I believe that the victory in curbing corruption can be replicated in Nigeria as well. We consider as our primarily responsibility, the need to eradicate corruption and prepare a better future for Nigeri-

30

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

Export Platform

By CHINYEMIKE TORTI

Earn huge forex from cassava exports

• Cassava farming

• Cassava

T

HE presidential initiative to rake in $5 billion from cassava production and export was and is still an elegant acknowledgement of both the comparative and competitive advantage, Nigeria has always possessed on the product over and above any nation in the world.

In the past, the cash registers refuse to ring because of bureaucratic rigidities, recklessness, and a hostile operative environment. Years ago (in the nineties) exporters had their consignments, impounded by regulatory authorities at the seaports, who classified cassava chips and pellets as “food items” .In spite of clarification from the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, to the Customs and Excise “enforcers” the beleaguered exporters still got their fingers burnt.

Today,things are honky dory for exporters Cassava, (Manihot Esculenta Crantz) is a perennial woody shrub with an edible root, which grows in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. It is also called yucca, manioc, and mandoica . Cassava has the ability to grow on marginal lands where cereals and other crops do not grow well; It can tolerate drought and can grow in low nutrient soils. Because cassava roots can be stored in the ground for up to 24 months, and some variety for up to 36 months, harvest may be delayed until market, processing , or other conditions are favorable.

Cassava is the basis of many products, including food. In Africa and Latin America cassava is mostly used for human consumption, while in Asia and parts of Latin America it is also used commercially for the production of animal feed and starch based products.

In Africa, cassava provides a basic source of dietary energy. Roots are processed into a wide variety of granules, pastes, flours, etc or consumed freshly boiled or raw. In most of the cassava-growing countries in Africa the leaves are also consumed as a green vegetable, which provide proteins and vitamins A and B. In Southeast Asia and Latin America, cassava has taken on an economic role. Cassava starch is used as a binding agent, in the production of paper and textile, and as monosodium glutamate, an important flavoring agent in Asia cooking. In Africa cassava is beginning to be used in partial substitution

for wheat flour.

CULTIVATION The crop is mostly grown on small farms, usually intercropped with vegetables, plantation crops (such as coconut, oil palm, and coffee), yam, sweet potato, melon, maize, rice, groundnut, or other legumes. Roots can be harvested between 6 months and 3 years after planting.

PRODUCTION CONSTRAINT The major pests of cassava are the cassava green mite, the cassava mealybug, and the variegated grasshopper. The main disease affecting cassavas are cassava mosaic diseases, cassava anthracnose disease, and root rot. Pests and disease together with poor cultural practices, combine to cause yield losses that may be as high as 50%.

The production of cassava is dependent on a supply of good quality stem cutting. The multiplication rate of this vegetative planting material is very low compared to grain crops, which are propagated by true seeds. In addition, cassava stem cutting are bulk and highly perishable as they dry up within a few daysAs a root crop, cassava requires considerable labour to harvest. Because they are highly perishable, roots must be processed into a storable form soon after harvest.

Many cassava varieties contain cyanogenic glucosides, and inadequate processing can lead to chronic toxicity. Various processing methods, such as grating, sun drying, and fermenting are used to reduce the cyanide content.

Here in Nigeria, if there is any thing that can be called a natural crop, cassava is it.

It is grown, known and eaten from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri. Besides its natural spread in production and consumption, cassava is about the single commodity in which Nigeria has a lead over the rest of the world.

Nigeria is the largest producer of cassava in the world, with an average yield of 10.6 tonnes per hectare.

FOOD Primarily, cassava (and its derivatives) is

used as food. Over 90% of the world’s cassava is used up as food. Depending on the various levels to which it has been processed, cassava food is also called “fufu” or “garri” in Nigeria, “foutou” or “farina” in Francophone Africa and “farina de manioc” in tropical Americas.

FEED Next in order of importance is the use of cassava in the production of animal feed, which takes up about 5% of the world’s cassava output. It is valued for its carbohydrate contents, and is usually supplied in the form of pellets. When mixed with plant protein like soya beans and enriched with some minerals, it makes a proper feed for animals.

STARCH: The third important use of cassava is in the production of starch. Cassava starch is normally in two grades – in the food

grade, which goes into food processing, and the industrial grade, mainly used in the textile industry. This particular market takes up about 1.5% of the world’s cassava output.

Cassava is the most important tropical root crop widely grown in America, Africa and Asia. Of these continents, Africa has consistently been the greatest producer since the sixties. The Food and Agricultural Organization estimates that Africa production of the product attained 86.5million tones in 1998 out of a total world cassava production of 161.2 million tonnes. Over the same period Asia, cassava outputs are 29.5million (see table 1).

Nigeria has always been in the lead of the cassava league with Brazil coming second, and the Congo Democratic Republic, Indonesia and Thailand tying for the third position.

WORLD CASSAVA PRODUCTION (Table 1)

1996 1997 1998

(……………Million tones…………..)

WORLD 65.3 164.4 161.2 Africa 84.7 85.0 86.5 Congo Republic 16.8 16.8 16.0 Ghana 7.1 7.1 7.6 Madagascar 2.4 2.4 2.4 Mozambique 4.7 5.3 5.6 Nigeria 31.4 32.1 32.7 Tanzania 6.0 4.4 4.5 Uganda 2.2 2.3 2.6 Asia 48.8 47.6 45.6 China 3.6 3.6 3.4 India 6.0 6.0 4.8 Indonesia 17.0 15.1 16.1 Philippines 1.9 2.0 1.9 Thailand 17.4 18.1 16.0 Viet Nam 2.1 2.0 2.0 Latin America & Caribbean 31.6 31.7 29.5 Brazil 24.6 23.9 21.5 Colombia 1.8 1.8 1.8 Paraguay 2.6 3.1 3.3

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

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• Excellent location, 5 minutes to VGC Lekki Lagos • Excellent facilities and within development • Proximity to great Govt projects • Free from any Government acquisition ESTATE FEATURES: Good road network, street light, Gated & Secured environment, Sports Corridors, Landscaping, Shopping centres.

Lekki Phase 1 started just like this and a plot is currently selling for 150M today... You sure don’t want to miss this one.

For more details please contact PREMIUM PARTNERS +234 (803) 887 2988, +234 (803) 300 7069 25 Remi Fani Kayode Street G.R.A Ikeja, Lagos State

32

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

ARIUM ESTATE ABIJO Arium Estate is inspired by a Premium Real Estate Group. It is proposed to be a sophisticated and luxurious land space with fast and speedy developments that reflects that magical merging of inspiration and architecture.

LOCATION: Abijo GRA, Ajah, Lagos.

TITLE: C of O (Certificate of Occupancy) SIZE: 600sqm PRICE: NGN7,000,000 WHY ARIUM ESTATE The estate will appreciate by over 100% in 12 months Excellent facilities Good title Free from All forms of encumbrances NEIGHBOURHOOD Chois Gardens Abijo GRA Nicon Town II Crown Estate Fara Park The Lagos Business School, Sangotedo & Pan Atlantic University Emperor Estate, Sangotedo - One of the most expensive housing estates in Lagos Grenadines Estate, Sangotedo

For more details please contact PREMIUM PARTNERS +234 (803) 887 2988, +234 (803) 300 7069 25 Remi Fani Kayode Street G.R.A Ikeja, Lagos State

33

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

Love and Living

... With Ireto Temofeh

Oracle Girl of the Week

LOVE NEWS

Pregnant wife shoves chili peppers into mistress’s vagina

A

n angry pregnant wife has attacked her cheating husband’s mistress by allegedly forcing red-hot chili peppers into her vagina.

Vietnamese media reports Ly Chanel, 23, had noticed her husband had begun disappearing for hours on end.

They’d only been married seven months. And she was already bearing his first child.

Earlier this week, she followed Chien Keo, 24, to what turned out to be a motel rendezvous in the Thai Nguyen province in Vietnam.

Three-months pregnant Ly interrupted the pair and stuffed chilies into the mistress’s vagina while her three female friends held her down on a motel bed.

The pictures of the incident have shocked internet readers across Asia.

And their malevolent message backfired.

Furious followers wanted to know why she punished the mistress so severely but ignored her wayward husband. They accused Ly of being cruel.

Romantic Joke Thinking About Getting Married “Honey,” said this husband to his wife, “I invited a friend home for supper.”

“What? Are you crazy? The house is a mess, I didn’t go shopping, all the dishes are dirty, and I don’t feel like cooking fancy meal!”

Name: Grace.

Email: graceadewara@ymail.com

“I know all that.”

• Do you want to be our next Oracle Girl? Send your photos to ireto007@yahoo. com and call 07031028714.

ODD NEWS

Man ordered to pay $65K in child support for kid who isn’t his

A

Texas man is battling a court order that mandates he must pay tens of thousands in child support for a child that he did not biologically father and who he met only once.

In 2003, a child support court in Texas ruled that Gabriel Cornejo, 45, had to pay child support to his ex-girlfriend who had recently given birth because she vowed that there was no way he wasn’t the rightful dad.

Cornejo, who is currently raising three children of his own and two nephews, claimed that he was not made aware of this and only found out about the child support payments last year when a deputy served him court papers claiming

that the state of Texas lists him as having another child. He soon met the minor for the first and only time – describing her as a “wonderful girl” – but after taking a DNA test, learned she was not his after all.

Only Cornejo’s ex-girlfriend and the state still want the $65,000 in back payments.

“I never thought in my whole life I would have to defend myself of something that I am innocent of,” he said.

Texas’ family code, chapter 161, states that even if one is not the biological father, they still owe support payments that accrued before the paternity test proves otherwise. In Cornejo’s case, that amounts to some $65,000.

His ex-girlfriend’s attorney, Carel Stith, claimed that money was taken out of Cornejo’s paycheck several years ago and he didn’t contest it, and that in itself can satisfy a court argument that he should have handled the matter long ago.

“There can be consequences, even if you don’t do anything,” Stith told local news.

Cornejo and his attorney, Cheryl Coleman, must now persuade a judge to re-open the case – as the original court order cannot be amended. If that doesn’t happen, he must pay up or face time behind bars.

The case is due back in court next month.

“Then why did you invite a friend for supper?”

“Because the poor fool’s thinking about getting married.”

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

34

True Confession ‘I offered an applicant a job and fell in love with him’ When you undress, I see stars.

And when you kiss me, I drift away.

I

t all started years ago after I resigned from a high position in an oil company to establish my own business. I had saved enough money from my many years of service to the company. Besides my benefits came in millions of naira, so I was financially comfortable enough to venture into the project of starting my own business.

I advertised in the newspapers to recruit fresh graduates for my company.

Most applicants I had encountered in the past lacked confidence, while some found it difficult to defend their certificates.

Some so-called graduates seemed to know little or nothing about the courses they studied because Nigeria is a country that depends so much on paper qualification. That’s why many cut corners to earn their certificates.

But Marcus was a different kind of applicant who came for interview in my company. He appeared very confident and sure of himself. His face was calm and calculating and he looked like a real gentleman in his pretty black suit.

As the MD of my company, I was the Chairman of the interview panel and Marcus looked straight into my eyes as he answered every question we asked him.

He really performed well at the interview, and after the interview I asked him to wait to see me later after the other interviewees had left. I called Marcus into my office about thirty minutes to my closing time and asked him some personal questions about himself. I wanted to know his views on issues and ascertain the depth of his principles. Marcus told me all about himself and his struggles to succeed in a country like Nigeria.

He told me that he had fought hard to maintain his moral values in order not to give in to the pervasive corruption that reigns in the social and economic life of Nigerians. Marcus told me he wasn’t the type of man who would offer bribe to get a job. He said he was happy to have led an honest life and based everything he did on hardwork and merit.

Marcus made it clear to me that he didn’t want a job not based on merit.

He said many of his peers were reducing their ages and making false age declarations in court in order to get good jobs, but that he had sworn not to lie about his age.

I really saw a different kind of applicant when I met Marcus that day.

I was lucky to have met a different kind of applicant that day and I thanked God for that. I fell in love with Marcus that day and employed him in my company. Though he is 34 and I am middle-aged, his love is as mature as that of a 50yr-old man.

I remember one text message he sent me. It read: “Thelma, when the night is cold and you need a man by your side, call me. I’ll be there.”

No matter your position in life, love will always find a way.

According to my own weather forecast, the weather every night is cold without Marcus. And I need him to keep me warm with his touch. Now I’m pregnant and Marcus has proposed to me. He says my coming into his life has been his greatest blessing.

I offered an applicant a job and fell in love with him in the process. To some, it might sound strange marrying a younger man and an employee in your company. But I think our love is more mature than that. We’re going to get married later this year.

He really performed well at the interview, and after the interview I asked him to wait to see me later after the other interviewees had left. I called Marcus into my office about thirty minutes to my closing time and asked him some personal questions about himself.

I wanted to know his views on issues and ascertain the depth of his principles.

35

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2 , 2017

Relationships and Love Advice

Love Search ‘Help! I’m single and lonely’

Women seeking relationship/ marriage Roseline, 38, chocolate, from Cross River, living in Port Harcourt, needs a honest, mature, caring, god-fearing and well-to-do man of 40-50 years for marriage. 08180072310.

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Blessing, 33, from Imo, in Lagos, fat, busty, single mother, needs a matured man of 45years+ for marriage. 08025117116, 08053407885.

Blessing, 38, from Anambra, tall, slim, good-looking, needs a dark, slim, Genotype AA, responsible man of 40years+ for marriage. 08164325554.

Stella, 34, a graduate, needs a businessman for marriage or somebody who can help her get a job in Lagos or Abuja. 08132807532.

Chioma, 27, tall, homely, graduate, from Anambra, wants a hard working, understanding man of 28 years+ for a serious relationship. 08066521152.

Ayo, 29, gentle, sexy, needs a reliable and sexually active man of 30-45years for a lasting relationship.

08066642286.

Augusta, 33, tall, graduate, needs a well educated, working or businessman from Anambra or Enugu for marriage. 07080991716.

Dear Love Doctor, I’m a 20-year-old guy who has never kissed any girl on the lips; only on the cheek. I’m not very confident with myself when talking to girls because I overthink of situations all the time by predicting what’s going to happen and the things I should do, and when this happens I notice I become more nervous so I told myself I’ll stop thinking and just go with the flow but that way of thinking doesn’t remove my self anxiety. My real question is how do I become good with speaking to girls and find a girl who can be my next girlfriend?

I’m really becoming desperate now because all my friends have been in a relationship and I have not even once, in addition I’m in my 20’s now. I’m single and lonely. Please help me.

From Tunde.

Love Doctor’s Advice: Dear Tunde, Go with the flow is the right thing. The thing is you have to stay in the now. Fear is because you’re overthinking of the future and predicting the premature breakup of your relationship due of anxiety. So anxiety is caused by negative self talk and the worry.

Being 20 is still very young, so you have lots of time to find the right girl. Don’t be in a rush. Just enjoy making friendships with girls, and keep light. If it’s supposed to happen it will happen. You don’t have to force it, and don’t have to do anything special. You’ll know what to do when the time arrives, and you’ll be comfortable.

Do you have advice on this problem? Please share your thoughts. Call 07031028714 or 08131161840. Email: ireto007@yahoo.com Note: If you have fertility problems like childlessness, inability to conceive or get pregnant, miscarriages, fibroid, low sperm count, STDs, or need a male child or female? Call 07031028714, 08131161840. Love Doctor can help you succeed in your marriage/relationship.

Tolu, 33, nice, humble and principled, needs a gentle, mature man of 40-52years for a serious relationship. 08037435805.

Call Love Doctor: 07031028714, 08131161840, 08077821830 for Counseling, infertility & Direct Hookup.

Men seeking relationship/ marriage Onyeka, 38, from Imo, businessman in Lagos, fair, needs a lady of 28-36years for marriage.

07033467234.

Obi, from Anambra, tall, fair, needs a lady of 18-32 years with a very large bust, in Anambra, for marriage. 08066671433.

Ndubuisi, 38, fair, 5.8ft, from Imo, businessman in Lagos, needs a lady of 27-34years for marriage.

08140652557.

Uche needs a mature, working woman in Lagos as a confidante and for friendship. 08077821830.

Prince Kennedy, 31, 6ft, from Imo, in Lagos, needs a responsible woman of 25-35years with a good job that is ready to settle down. 08069162932.

Kunmi, 29, structural engineer, wants a sugar mummy in Abuja or Lagos. 08176088985.

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

36

It happened to me:

‘I vandalised my house to keep my man’s grandmother out’ M

y partner Nick’s grandmother had been sick for some time. The family had been taking turns to visit and look after her. She was staying in a respite home for a while, but she didn’t think she “belonged there with all the sick and poor people who have no families to go to and end up in a home like this.”

At first I was able to handle the occasional visits and caring for her needs. However, after a year of it, it began to take a toll on me and also my relationship with Nick.

Every time we visited her she would complain non-stop, moan about wanting to die and never be happy with the family’s attempts to make her happy. Nick called me cold-hearted and inconsiderate on many occasions because my patience was wearing thin.

I never intended to be inconsiderate, but it was just so hard for me to see his grandmother complain and throw all the help she was getting in their face. My own grandmother, who lived overseas, was chronically ill at the time also and I would have given anything to see her and care for her. And I knew that whatever help she was given she would have been grateful for.

So, I suppose this added to my frustrations of his grandmother getting attention form her whole family and still she had some issue to complain about.

So, on the day when Nick informed me that the family had decided on a long-term plan for their grandmother — involving her staying with Nick and I the guest room of our new house — I was livid to say the least. It was suggested by the family and Nick didn’t think I would mind. Of course, I would have had no qualms had his grandmother actually appreciated the idea. But no, she didn’t.

I expressed my concerns with Nick and he assured me it would all work out. The next day we visited her and, sure enough, she was already complaining about the idea.

The list of issues unravelled and, according to her, the self contained room was too small, the suburb we lived in wasn’t the safest, she didn’t want to be left alone in her little room with nothing to do and, finally, she felt guilty for taking up our spare room and compromising our social life once she moved in.

window and left a few noticeable marks on the screen. I didn’t want to damage my beautiful house, but I was desperate. Next, I armed myself with a can of spray paint and wrote some graffiti obscenities on our brick wall. This was conveniently getting rendered and painted on the weekend so I didn’t care about I had had it. I couldn’t bear to live the damage there. with such an ingrate. I knew she was not at her best health, but I Finally, I grabbed a rock and considered her lucky. She could still smashed the window of the room walk, breathe, eat and do a lot of that was to be our grandmother’s. things independently. And her fam- Then, I went inside and tried to ily was there to support her. She make it look like a robber had fumshould have been grateful. bled around the house for valuables.

So, left with no other choice, I came up with an idea that would I called Nick and ranted over the surely throw a spanner in the phone that I think we were robbed works. I came home early the next and the house vandalised. Nick day after work and began my plan. came home quickly and assessed the damage. We checked the house Firstly, I knocked over a couple of and confirmed nothing was taken. my pot plants out the front of my house to make it look like reckless “Obviously just a couple of young kids had attacked us. Of course, kids doing an amateur number on I knew I had to do more than de- our house,” I told him. stroy a couple pots of my lavender, so I went out the back and pushed This wasn’t uncommon in our over one of my huge vases that neighbourhood, so Nick believed Nick’s grandma gave us as a house- it. We didn’t bother calling the cops warming gift. I smashed it all over but I made sure of it that we called the porch. his family.

to lose my cool. Unless Nick and I increased the size of her room, came up with daily fun-filled activities for her, I quit my job to look after her full-time and then constantly assured her that looking after her was a dream come true, she was not going to quit her whining.

Then I grabbed a screwdriver from As predicted, his hypochondriac the shed and tried to jimmy inside a grandmother went into a state of It took a lot of strength for me not

panic. We both tried to assure her that our new security system was going to be installed shortly to prevent this in the future. But she wasn’t happy with that idea. What a surprise!

She wanted to live somewhere where a person would be home with her 24/7 to ensure she was safe and look after her. I told her that as much as we wanted this, it was not possible. Needless to say, her accommodation plan changed.

Nick’s grandmother now lives with his sister. His sister works part-time and looks after his grandmother three days a week. And Nick’s mother, who is retired, looks after her the other four days.

I do feel bad about the lengths I resorted to, to ensure she would not live with us. And also, I feel sorry for Nick’s sister — she is a very nice person and doesn’t deserve to be put through such torture. But, the way I see it, it’s her grandmother, not mine. If my grandmother was that ungrateful, I would have said something a long time ago. I respect my elders but I don’t appreciate people walking all over me or my loved ones — no matter who they are.

37

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

Love & Living

W

RITING about domestic violence over the past two weeks reminded me of a harrowing experience back in primary school. I was bullied by a male classmate!

I can only imagine how much of a brute he may have become given the level of emotional trauma he put me through then. Every day at break time, he with his friend would drag and keep me captive under the stairs of the school until the bell for recommencement of classes went. It was always dark and cold under the stairs and I would weep silently, very scared to even challenge them let alone tell someone. I couldn’t run away too as they always stood guard throughout. Never found out why they did that, not that I asked!

Bullying remains a global social challenge that has been largely condoned by family and state actors. Cases abound of suicide by minors who couldn’t take it anymore yet not much is been done to arrest this injustice. It is pertinent to call to mind that last US presidential election campaigns, a young girl who had been a victim of intense bullying had asked the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton to state what she would do to stop bullying if elected. That young lady is only one out of billions who are constantly harassed by contemporaries or superiors, many of whom may never tell because of dreadful consequences.

In my case, I never told. I kept mum because my bully severally threatened to hurt me if I ever did. I feared him because somehow the menacing look on his black face stuck in my head. I was worried and scared and feigned sick many times just to skip school. Thankfully, the constant nightmare under the stairs wasn’t enough to drown me; I was a fighter, not a very strong one though. It would have been almost unbelievable if I had confided in anyone. My parents or teachers couldn’t have suspected since I remained consistent academically, topping the class most times! I was talkative too, so how come I never mentioned what I was going through? Who would have guessed when I remained cheerful and quite assertive! More so, my bully would shove and hit me yet leave absolutely no trac-

Ify

ARONU

and

Life

ifyaronu@gmail.com

Remembering my childhood bully

es, so I had no marks to show for it. So, if I had told, it would have been merely my word against his. However, I was severely affected psychologically and it is still strange that no one saw through that façade of happiness I struggled to sustain. The dread that no one could help was stark. Even now, I still imagine the trauma and pain of going to school knowing I would end up captive.

Clearly, I was just one of billions other children who go through torment from bullies at home and in school. For some, it is even more grievous and many never fully recover.

Research shows that children who turn bullies are themselves first traumatised in some ways at home or elsewhere; they are children desperately needing to be powerful somehow, who then try to overpower and prey on smaller peers who they consider feeble.

It is easy to tell that someone is under bully attack, no matter how subtle, when they become strangely withdrawn, easily get panicky or lose academic concentration leading to poor grades. For persons like me, unless I told, only a keen guardian could have seen beneath the surface.

Sadly, but obviously, bullies are everywhere. At different stages of life you come across people that want to put you down,

control and malign, who won’t stop unless you stand up to them. In the adult stage of life, I like to consider such bullies as “coded bullies” because you “the bullied” may not even think for a moment that you are under bully attack. Women who have to put up with all kinds of domestic abuse are simply being bullied whether they know it or not. And because the act is condoned, it becomes regular.

While it might prove a tough one putting bullies in their right places and refusing to let them get to you, that might be your best bet.

Never give anyone the foothold to bully you right from the first attempt. If you let them do it once, it becomes normal and they won’t ever stop. That first instant they get at you to make you cower under their influence, tactfully resist and stand your ground. If you find that you are staggering, find a firm place to lean, that is, talk to someone and if they can’t help, talk to another and yet another, don’t stop until help comes.

Bullies are actually scared deep within. They scare you for strength and your silence sustains their act. Trust me, if they can’t gag you, they can’t bully you. In my case, I wore my gag painfully yet cowardly until the very end and that’s why my bully won! Don’t let yours!

Today I choose to write to rapists Maureen Alikor maureenalikor@gmail.com

Me & More Dear Rapist(s),

I

T has been eight months since you and your clique broke into my house and acted based upon your juvenile stupidity, naivety, confusion and immaturity, and wow, it has been a journey.

When I bid my friends and family a happy new year on the morning of 1 January 2016, I did not envisage such an incident would fizzle its way into my experiences, but you happened, I and all your other victims are left to wear the scar for ever – even though we heal completely, it has happened and happenings are not wiped off just like that.

I happened to dust off the experience and the pain that comes with it and made something worthwhile and lifesaving out of the debris – talk about making lemonade out of lemons, yeah, I did it. So, I can confidently tell my friends that they can become fruit juice vendors.

You! You are a part of a whole and that whole is damaged, as some say, beyond repairs, but I disagree.

As I described earlier, you may fall under any of the categories – young and stupid, naïve, confused, immature, but whichever it is, I have great compassion, albeit pity for you because you are ignorant of how much of a mess you have made yourself and you

may be oblivious of the gravity of the crime and harm you perpetuated.

You did and do not just harm the victim you got around to harm, but you marred the entire world, I am sure you are unaware of the truth that we are all connected in one way or the other. You remember you were carrying out your dastardly act and still asking for forgiveness – I mean who stabs you with a knife in the chest and asks that you forgive them while they do so, if not someone with a psychological imbalance and one screaming out for help, but of course, in a bad and rather shallow way.

I am not in any way making excuses for your actions, but I do not know any greater punishment than the curses of billions of people following and trailing your life.

In an interview I was asked, if I feel any atom of hate towards you. Truth is, I don’t.

I know so well that hate and love cannot and will never reside in one life and in one body. They are two extremes that can never meet face to face, except in a battle, of which love will always win. I do not hate you. But I do pray that you turn around and discover the extent to which your actions have ripped the world more apart and how much damage you have caused the world and intentionally desist from your ways of woe.

I pray that you and all other rapists would experience a factory reset that will put you back on the psychological stability you were on at birth where your thoughts will thoughts of good only and not of evil.

A damaged person will always seek out ways to damage other persons.

A hurting person will also seek ways to hurt other people – whether intentionally or unintentionally, but I HAVE A STRONG

CONVICTION THAT THERE IS A SHAKING IN THE SPIRIT, IN THE WORLD, and this shaking is resetting our minds and brains to our default brain wiring at birth, which I believe is one wired and laced will all the LOVE that ever existed and ever exists upon the face of the earth.

Maureen Alikor Survivor

38

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

The Law and You

With Barr. Ken Akpom 08162016410

Burglary and House-breaking M

ost people find it difficult in differentiating between these two felonies (or simply put offence for laymen). However, both attract severe punishments in Law. What at times we jokingly do can result into any of these offences. One may without the consent of one’s neighbor break into his room to collect a needed thing inside his room on the ground that he is his friend. When the friend returns and discovers his room door broken and an entry made by somebody, he makes a report to the police that his friend has committed a felony, either burglary or house-breaking depending on the time of committing the offence. Under Section 441 of the Criminal code, any person who breaks and enters a dwelling-house of another with intent to committee a felony therein, or having entered the dwelling-house of another with a like intent or having committed a felony in the dwelling-house of another, breaks out of the dwelling-house, is guilty of a felony. If the offence is committed in the daytime it is appropriately called house-breaking and if it is committed at night, it is called burglary.

Note that the punishment for house-breaking is 14 years imprisonment while that of burglary is life imprisonment.

To my own understanding on the variation of the prison terms on both is that in the day time the occupants of the dwelling-house may not be in for the thief to harm them while at night grievous harm may be inflicted on the occupants who may like to protect and defend themselves and their rights. Whatsoever is the case, it is my candid advice to all to stay away from crime no matter what. No condition is permanent especially if one has the determination to succeed honestly as well as is very prayerful and believe that God changes situations and can visit one in any situation.

ANALYSES OF THE CONTENTS OF THE SECTION 411 OF THE CODE BREAKING: In Section 441 of the code, breaking is one of the essential ingredients in this topic. Breaking may be actual or constructive. Actual aspect is involved when a person breaks any part, whether external or internal of a building or even opens by unlocking, pulling, pushing, lifting, or by any other means whatsoever, any door, window, shutter, or other thing. When a person opens a door with a key, lifts a latch, or pushes open a closed door or window, then there is a breaking. However, when the door or window is partly open, though not open enough to admit a person to push it open further, it is not breaking. Breaking is not only when a thief breaks the front door in a house which is external. It can be internal like when a servant in the house breaks the internal door of his master’s bedroom. Breaking by construction occurs when entrance into a dwelling-house is made through any threat or by collusion with any person in the building, etc. Note also, that if a man intending to commit a felony in a dwelling-house gains admittance into it by deceit and posing as a local government staff, his conduct amounts to breaking but if the owner of the dwelling-house was the one that led the person in and turns round to allege breaking, it is not breaking.

INTENT: Here the intent must be to commit a felony, not necessarily stealing. It may be arson, rape or murder but the usual intent here is to steal which is best proved by the commitment of the felony. The time of the commitment of the felony as well as merely a breaking and entering with the purpose to commit the offence is sufficient.

DWELLING-HOUSE: Dwelling-house is not tested on what the house is built for, but what it is used for. Section 1 of the code defined dwelling-house to include any building or structure or part of a building or structure, which is for the time being kept by the owner or occupier for the residence therein of himself, his family, or servants, or any of them, it is immaterial TIME: day and night in this topic differentiate these whether it is from time to time uninhabited. A building two cases - Burglary and House-Breaking. Here, Night is a dwelling house as long as some person habitually means the period between 6:30pm and 6:30am. This sleeps in it and uses it as his home irrespective of holimeans that Day is between 6:30am and 6:30pm. day period of staying away from the house.

PUNISHMENTS 1.

FOR ENTERING DWELLING HOUSE with intent to commit a felony:- If the offence Is committed in the day the punishment is 7 years imprisonment and if at night it is 14 years imprisonment 2.

OTHER BUILDINGS:-For school-house, shop, warehouse, office or even a building adjacent to a dwelling-house and occupied with it but not part of it.

The punishment is 7 years and 14 years depending on the particular felony.

3.

PLACE OF WORSHIP:-Some worshippers even go to churches with the intention to steal. Breaking a place of religious worship with intent to commit a felony is punishable with 7 years to 14 years imprisonment depending on the circumstances.

Finally, stay away from crime and do not even allow your friends or company to deceive or push you into it because the consequence is disgraceful to you and your loved ones.

• 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

39

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

Entertainment

With Douglas Omoyooma

Yes, I have found my missing rib – Acapela, comedian P

opular comedian and OAP, Acapela (Benneth Chinedu Daniel), has opened up on his kind of woman and declared that indeed, he has found his missing rib. The comedian who started out as a musician in 1999 as a member of the now defunct group christened Acapela before finding success as a comic in the early 2000s in a chat with Oracle Today disclosed the qualities of his ideal woman.

Hear him: “Neatness is a key word for me, I love women with great sense of humor and my woman must be a lover of God. I want a woman that will understand and support my career. Some women are just beautiful but are flat upstairs?

Beauty alone can not hold a man down; my woman must combine beauty and brains.”

So, has he found her? “I never declared her missing and I can assure you that she has been found. And those who know me very well know why they can’t see me and her in public and that is because I am a very private person. However, when the time is right, people will see us together, I don’t want people to end the relationship before it eves start,” the comedian said laughing.

For the rib cracker, promoting his relationship on social media is a no-no because it could spell the doom of that relationship. Acapela admonishes: “If you bring too much of your private life outside and its not well managed, quote me, that relationship or marriage is bound to crash! There is nothing bad in celebrating your partner but there should be a limit. I believe that if we learn to keep out private lives private, our marriage or relationship will be safe. Sometimes, we put too much of us out and even our enemies don’t need any herbalist to work on us, so we really need to be careful.”

Among Nigerian comedians, one thing that sets Acapela apart is the fact that his shows always hold in churches. Why churches?

“I still remember my roots,” Acapela begins, “I still remember where I started from. I always do not want to forget that God gave me my talent and made me who I am today. My mum taught me to always believe in God and never to forget where I started from. From the very beginning I have always intended to do something different from what every other person is doing. Like you know, we do have shows at Eko Hotel, Museum Centre with almost the same same set of comedians all the times and sometimes, with reputation we practically forget where we started from but that truth is that a lot of us started from the church. So doing it in the church is a way of saying God, I still remember where I started from. So it is always very good to go back to your roots.”

Has he made money from comedy? “Wow! comedy has paid me great, no need to lie or hide that or else I will sound ungrateful to God. Comedy is good business and because of comedy I don’t even know where my certificate is. Comedy has taken me around the nation, Africa, and even to the white man’s land, I have travelled and met great opportunities through comedy. Comedy is my love, my darling and I cannot afford to cheat on it.”

If he wasn’t doing comedy, what would you have been doing? “I would probably be a singer. I had wanted to do music at first but it did not work out. Maybe if I was not doing entertainment at all I would probably be a business man.”

Coping with fame From humble beginnings, Acapela has emerged very successful in comedy. His annual shqw, Comedy Goes to Church

• Olubadan and some NBC officials during the visit

H

• Duro Ikujenyo with Acapela draws thousands across the length and breath of Nigeria annualy. How is he coping with fame and stardom? “First of all, I don’t let it get to my head. Fame and comedy has really changed a lot about me. I used to be a very spontaneous person but because I am in the limelight now, I have learnt to be more of a listener. I take my time before I react to situations.

“Beyond that, fame has robbed me off my privacy. I can’t do the old things I used to do again. no matter what I am going through I must always put on a smile because of my fans and they could be so demanding. That is not to say I am regretting all this, no. Comedy made me but it has also taken somethings away from me but I have no regrets.”

Giving back Over the years, Acapela has emerged as one of the popular brands in Nigerian comedy. Is he giving back? “If you follow Acapella Live in Comedy Goes to Church very well, you will agree with me that we have a lot of young guys coming up. I usually balance the show in a way that when we have 10 comedians for instance, four will be established ones while the remaining six would be those you don’t know. We try as much as possible to grow young and fresh talent.

“We’ve had the likes of Chimara, Kenny Black, Still Ringing and Mimico among others. These are guys that came to the limelight on the platform of the Acapela brand and we believe that as we grow, other comedians will be discovered.

I promote originality and when I see young guys who are really talented, trust me, the platform will always be there for them.”

How veteran actor, Adebayo Faleti died

D

etails of how veteran actor, Adebayo Faleti died at the ripe of age of 86 are beginning to emerge.

Adebayo, who died at the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, the city in which he had spent most of his life. He is survived by three wives including Mrs. Moteniola and Olubunmi, his current wife and has about 15 children. Pa Faleti was a Yoruba translator, TV exponent and a pioneer staff of the first television station in Africa, Western Nigeria Television, WNTV. “he died after a protracted battle with illness. He had ben battling the condition for a while and his family had taken him from one hospital to the other before he finally passed on at UCH Ibadan last Sunday,” a Nollywood source revealed.

Recall that in the early hours of Sunday, July 23, the actor was announced dead by the members of his family. Late Adebayo was a respected actor who spoke both English and Yoruba fluently and and consequently was relevant in both yoruba and English sectors of Nollywood. Born in 1930, he was a Nigerian poet, Journalist, writer and author.

Faleti was also known as a yoruba translator and pioneer broadcaster. He is most remembered for his role in Tunde Kelani’s Saworo Ide and Thunder Bolt.

Royal blessings for Ariye Repete as royal father endorses platform

• The late Adebayo Faleti

is Royal Majesty, Oba Saliu Akanmu Olasupo Adetunji, the Olubadan of Ibadanland has pronounced his Royal blessings on Goldberg, a brand from the stables of Nigerian Breweries Plc for being a preserver of the Yoruba culture and tradition in the Southwest region.

The monarch made this proclamation when the team from Nigerian Breweries Plc paid a courtesy visit to the Oba in his palace on Friday, July 21, as part of activities for the grand finale of Ariya Repete, Goldberg’s talent hunt competition for indigenous Yoruba music, holding in the city on that day.

“Looking at Nigerian Breweries’ commitment to the cultural values of the Yoruba people with the activities of Goldberg in the Southwest, I am convinced that Goldberg is not just ours, but the cultural beer of repute that preserves and promotes indigenous Yoruba customs” the Oba affirmed. The King further acknowledged that Goldberg has been consistent over the years with their palace visitations to traditional rulers as well as championing cultural causes.

Oba Adetunji used the occasion to highlight the importance of preserving the Yoruba culture through music and commended Goldberg for Ariya Repete initiative that seeks to discover and promote indigenous Yoruba music (Fuji and Juju music) thereby helping to preserve the Yoruba musical heritage.

Tayo Adelaja, Public Affairs Manager, West/Mid-West, Nigerian Breweries Plc, expressed appreciation to the monarch for his proclamation and warm reception and revealed that Ibadan has always been a centre of cultural display and good music that must be respected.

“Kabiyesi is a lover of music and preserver of our traditions. So we cannot come to Ibadan with a big cultural musical concert without seeking Kabiyesi’s blessings,” Adelaja said.

He promised that Goldberg will continue to promote the culture of the people of South Western Nigeria, in line with the brand’s 3-point agenda of culture, respect and enjoyment.

Colombi singer, Cyprex drops Money

D

G Rcords act and fast rising Afro pop singer, Cyprex (Chukwuyem Onyemaka Romeo) is heating up the Nigerian music scene as he dropped yet another single from his yet to be released album which his management, led by Jegbefume Henry has boasted will rule the airwaves.

Entitled Money, it was released Tuesday, July 25 and is coming on the heels of the success of his previous single, Colombi, featuring Oritsefemi and Harrsyong.

Speaking to Oracle Today, his manager, one of the brains behind the success of Osinachi, singer, Humblesmith said: “Ever since he hit the music scene, the act known as Cyprex has been redefining the sound and heating up the airwave.

His last single, Colombi, featuring Oritsefemi and Harrying, two music heavy weights was a resounding success.

“Now he is poised to heat up the music scene again as he drops his latest single entitled Money. Fans should watch out for this act. He is the future of Nigerian music. Lovers of good music, keep a date with him as he unleashes his latest single on Tuesday, July 25,” Henry added stating that the single will be on music blogs across social media platforms for free downloads.

Born March 9 and discovered by Ozuem Chukwu Elema, the CEO, DG Records, the act is currently being managed by one of the hottest music managers in Nigeria, Jegbefume Henry. His first singles, My Time and Honey dropped in 2016 to wide acclaim. And the success was flowered by Colombi with a video directed by Mat Max. On the academic front, Cyprex is not found wanting. He went to Medical before studying Environmental Science at Delta State University.

40

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

Entertainment

Chidi Mokeme others slam APC I did not divert funds meant for IDPs-Tuface over foreign video shoot ban

E

ver since Minister of Information & Culture, Lai Mohammed, declared that henceforth videos shot outside the country would be banned, there has been an uproar in the industry as PSquare, Yemi Alade among a host of others has slammed the minister.

And the latest to join the frey is actor, Chidi Mokeme.

In an obvious move designed to mock the federal government, Chidi posted a hilarious video of African hunters trying to destroy a drone with arrows with the caption; “APC “Travel Ban” police when they see @peterpsquare and @donjazzy shooting music video for their collabo…. #ChidiSense.”

Meanwhile, the Minister of Information & Culture, Lai Mohammed has said that he was misquoted while clarifying comments earlier attributed to him on the proposed ban.

Speaking at the Creative Industry Financing Conference held at Eko Hotels with the theme: Financing the Film, Television and Music Industries he said; “At COSON, I said that I would work to amend the National Broadcasting Commission’s code to ensure that if a product is designated a Nigerian product, it must

be produced in Nigeria. I didn’t say that henceforth, all music and films would or must be produced in Nigeria. All I said was that if a programme is designated as a Nigerian content

programme, we will amend the code to ensure that it is produced in Nigeria. I didn’t say I’ll ban the production of Nigerian movies and videos overseas.”

S

inger, Tuface Idibia has cried out over allegations he diverted fund meant for rehabilitating of internally Displaced persons (IDPs) which were realised at a special fund raising concert tagged ‘Eargasm’ for his personal use.

Refuting the allegations, Tubaba as he is popularly known lamented: “My attention is focused more on the individuals and organizations concerned with providing support for IDPs; people who murmur about hidden agenda don’t matter. If they are pessimists and haters then they need to be saved from themselves.”

According to Tuface, since 2012, Eargasm, an annual music concert he founded to raise awareness about internally dispelled persons has been doing its bit to provide an avenue for people to donate to IDPs and help alleviate their suffering.

He said: “We launched the Million Voices For Peace project in 2012 and have a rich history of peace building initiatives. It’s primarily in the interest of peace that I called for the February 6th peaceful protest And for anyone who thinks my image needs redemption for my commitment to peace building, I have absolutely no comment,” Tuface added.

• Chidi Mokeme

Eddy Ugboma to honour Obasanjo, Remi Tinubu others

T

V veteran, Eddy Ugboma has wrapped up to honour deserving NIgerians.

Speaking with Oracle Today, Ugboma revealed that Senator Remi Tinubu, ex-presidet Oluse-

Excitement as Tatu premieres

F

ollowing the success go Taxi Driver (Oko Ashewo) and Wedding Party, Don Omoge’s latest epic adventure movie, Tatu, premiered Saturday, July 22.

A classic African epic adventure, Tatu is a fast-paced action drama which revolves around the conflict arising from a mother’s quest to have a child at all cost and the subsequent complications that follow.

Shot in Lagos, Omoge has this to say about Tatu: “Tatu is a well prepped movie and has all the hallmark to become another smashing success. It is my third collaboration with cinematographer, Akpe Ododoru and we spent a year developing this script from book to film.

“Among others it will also be a platform to celebrate the retirement of Dr. Abraham Nwankwo as he retires as Director General of the Debt Management Office. The suspense filled movie is adapted from a book written by the him.”

Produced by Bank Of Industry and Patriarch Technologies, in conjunction with FilmOne Production and FilmOne Distribution, Tatu stars Segun Arinze, Desmond Elliott, Toyin Aimakhun-Abraham, Gabriel Afolayan, Rahama Sadau, Sambaza Nzeribe, Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi, Hafiz Oyetoro (saka), Frank Dunga among a others.

gun Obasanjo and ex-president Jonathan will be inducted as Grand Patrons. Others to be inducted as fellows are Gov. Ambode of Lagos State, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, Raymond Dokpesi, Ben Bruce, Folorunso Alakija, and oil magnate, Michael Otedola.

Elaborating on why his platform chose to honour them, Ugboma revealed: “Most people dont know the history of motion picture in Nigeria. All

the above Inductees have in so many ways contributed to the growth of motion picture and entertainment and they must be recognised, appreciated and encourage so that they can do more. It has taken over 14 years to register the Halls of Fame with C.A.C and about N20m has been spent on the portraits and TV interviews of members that will be inducted on August 25 at the National Theatre, Lagos.”

Celebs take centre stage as Bro Bro wraps up plans for 50th anniversary celebrations

M

usic veteran, Steve Pelemo aka Bro Bro has wrapped up plans to mark his 50 years on stage. Today, Friday, July 28, all roads will lead to PEFTI Film Institute, Isolo, Lagos.

According to a source close to the artiste: “He is coming out with a larger than life event that will re-launch him to the industry that made him a superstar in the days of yore. Many programmes are slated for this event, and they are Bro bro 50 years on Stage, a birthday party and the inauguration of Bro Bro Foundation and NGO. “It promises to be fun and excitement as the likes of Evang. Joseph Adelakun Ayewa, Femi Opalemo, KSA, Akin Adebayo, Esther Igbekele, Timi Orokoya, Lanre Teriba, Segun Nabi, Busola Oke, Seyi Palemo, Nikki Spooner, Bisola Adegbenro, Moty Aduragbemi, Ajidara, Debo Ojubuyi, Apostle Remi Olabamiji and Lai Addis

will storm the event which will be anchored by Jide Alabi and Abimbola Otusanya. The event is powered

by Bro Bro Golden Jubilee Planning Committee.”

• Tuface

Okposo releases three news singles on The Minstrels App

G

ospel musician, Sammy Okposo is on the march again.

The gospel music crooner has wrapped up plans to unleash three hot new singles featuring America’s Jonathan Nelson, South Africa’s Ntokonzo Mbambo and Nigeria’s Tope Alabi and Kike Mudiaga The Wellu Wellu Master who took a little break from his onesong-per-month release countdown to his album (SWAG) is set to give the fans a triple dose of his soul stirring music.

Said an insider: “The Minstrels App by eTranzact will be releasing Sammie Okposo’s Oghene Doh featuring American A-list gospel music minister, Jonathan Nelson. Ome Mma featuring South Africa’s female gospel vocal powerhouse, Ntokonzo Mbambo and Oluwa E’tobi remix featuring Nigeria’s leading female gospel music icon, Tope Alabi and fast rising female gospel minister, Kike Mudiaga.

“This is really a triple dose of goodness that you don’t want to miss, so go to your app store and download the minstrel app and get these releases.”

41

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

NEWS

How we choose our awardees on annual basis- ONICCIMA

By IBE NWACHUKWU

T

he Onitsha Chamber of Commerce, Industry, mines and Agriculture (ONICCIMA), has explained the rationale and criteria behind choosing its awardees in each Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Out-going President of ONICCIMA, Pharm. Uchenna Apakama, FPSN, who disclosed this in his farewell address at its just concluded 29th AGM in Onitsha, while announcing the newly elected members of the executive, said the spirit behind these awards is to celebrate hard work, integrity in business/corporate affairs and consistency in the service to humanity for which the recipients are well known and appreciated.

Apakama further disclosed that one of the key factors that usually influence the nomination of any person for these ONICCIMA illustrious awards is diligent commitment to ethical standard, both in business practice and in other aspects of life-pursuits, adding that among the 10 awardees, some would be honoured with Honorary Life Vice-President, while some would be honoured with Long

• Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa (middle), former Ag. Governor, Prince Sam Obi (right) and Major General Lucky Irabor, Theatre Commander of Operation Lafia Dole, during the maiden edition of Ika Economic Summit at Ika Hall, Agbor.

Term Service Award, just as the rest would be given the Fellow of the Chamber on the Niger (FCON) Award.

He, therefore, urged them to remain focused and a pride, not only to the Chamber but to the

entire society, at all times, even as he heartily congratulated them for standing out to be counted through dint of hard work in various aspects.

The awardees were, among others, Prof. Paul Nwosu, a distin-

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AWKA 5 Isiagu Street, off Amikwo Awka Contact: Emeka Tel: 08068683434 NNEWI Ejiofor’ office, Round about Nnewi Contact: Joseph Tel: 07032619208 ISUOCHI Beside First bank Nkwoagu Isuochi Contact: Ichie Country Tel: 07033051990 BENIN CITY 1 Bless NUJ Press Centre Tel: 08025410869 UMUNZE Contact: Joy Tel: 08064810315

ORLU Contact: Florence Tel: 08134939656 UGA Contact: Mathon Tel: 07034198500 EKWULOBIA Ekwulobia Round about Contact: Sunday Tel: 08149543174 ONITSHA 57 Old Market Road Contact: Titus Ugwu Tel: 08033821071

Read The Oracle Today For fresh perspectives in news reporting.

guished surgeon; Sir Evarist Uba, an industrial guru; Sir Nathan Ofoma, a big-time distributor to Nigerian Breweries Plc.; Chief B. C. Eze, an engineer; Sir S.O.P. Okeke, a legal luminary; Chief Fidel Chinedu Nwankwo, a pharmacist; Dr. Gaius Chuka Onwuasoigwe, a gynaecologist; Mr. Christian Osita Chimezie, a rising star; Chief Theophilus Okechukwu Atueyi, administrator/ business mogul and Mr. Obinna Etele, a business guru.

Earlier in their citations read one after the other by the DirectorGeneral of ONICCIMA, Mr. Dominic Ajibo, Nwosu, a one-time Commissioner for Health during former Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju administration in Anambra State, a native of Achina community in Aguata Local Council of Anambra State, proprietor of New Era Specialist Hospital, Onitsha, a private hospital which he established in 1981 and a Knight of St. John International, KSJI in the Catholic Church, was bestowed with the Long Term Service Award of the Chamber.

After his own citation, Sir Evarist Uba, the 1st Vice-President of KSJI, Onitsha Commandery and a onetime Worthy President of KSJI, Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, Onitsha, National Vice-President, Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria, MAN and Chairman/CEO, C. Uba Group Enterprises Limited, Onitsha, producers of Polly Foam and other sundries, received the Fellow of the Chamber on the Niger, (FCON) Award from the chamber.

Dr. Onwuasoigwe, a native of Ezinifite community in Nnewi South Local Council of Anambra State and the proprietor of Bethsaida Specialist Hospital and Maternity, Onitsha, received the Honorary Life Vice-President Award from ONICCIMA. Chief Fidel Nwankwo, a pharmacist and native of Nkwelle-Ogidi in Idemili North Local Council of Anambra State, also received the Fellow of the Chamber on the Niger (FCON) Award from the chamber.

Chief Theophilus Atueyi, the incumbent Chairman of New Tyre International market, Nkpor, Idemili

North Local Council of Anambra State, also received the Fellow of the Chamber on the Niger (FCON) Award from the chamber.

Mr. Christian Chimezie, Assistant Director (Research), Nigerian Shippers’ Council and a native of Orodo community in Mbaitoli Local Council of Imo State, also received the Fellow of the Chamber on the Niger, (FCON) Award from the chamber.

Sir Nathan Ofoma, a native of Ezinifite community in Aguata Local Council of Anambra State and a distributor to NB Plc, Guinness Nig. Plc, Nigerian Bottling Company Limited and other beverage producers, received the Long Term Service Award from the chamber.

Obinna Etele, a dynamic young business leader and Executive Officer/Group managing Director of Eteleson Industries Limited, Onitsha, was also honoured with the Fellow of the Chamber on the Niger, (FCON) Award by the chamber.

Sir (Barrister) S. O. P. Okeke, a native of Umuoji in Idemili North Local Council of Anambra State, a legal practitioner based in Onitsha and incumbent Legal Adviser I to ONICCIMA, was equally honoured with the Long term Service Award of the Chamber.

Engr. B. C. Eze, a native of AwkaEtiti in Idemili South Local Council of Anambra State, proprietor of B.C. Complex West Africa limited, Onitsha and the first indigenous Nigerian engineer to construct Keke Tricycle in 1989, which was exhibited at Enugu International Trade Fair, was honoured with the Long term service Award by ONICCIMA. Meanwhile, ONICCIMA has elected Mr. Donatus Ebubeogu, a captain of industry and managing Director of Tiger Foods Limited, Onitsha, as its 12th President. Others elected as 1st deputy president and 2nd deputy president who are to be inaugurated next month are Sir Chris Ukachukwu, the managing director of Rexton Industries Limited and Sir Kevin Obieri, the managing partner of Ich Dien Audit (Chartered Accountants).

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

NEWS Okowa offers DELSU best student employment From JONATHAN AWANYAI, Asaba

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graduate of the Department of Mass Communication from the Delta State University (DELSU), Mr. Joshua Erubami has been granted automatic employment by the State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa.

Mr. Erubami who emerged as the best graduating student with CGPA of 4:85, was appointed as a graduate assistant lecturer in the Institution during the 11th convocation ceremony of the Delta State University, Abraka recently.

While congratulating the graduands for successfully completing their programmes, Governor Okowa urged all stakeholders including the students to maintain an atmosphere of peace, honest dialogue, mutual cooperation and respect for constituted authorities in tertiary institutions.

The governor immediately directed that the overall best graduating student, Mr. Joshua Erubami be given immediate employment as a graduate assistant in the institution and be encouraged to pursue his doctorate degree in the school.

Okowa commended the Governing Council, Management and Staff of the University for their commitment to building a reputable institution, assuring them of government’s support to transform the university into an elite institution that places a premium on excellence in teaching and learning.

The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Delta State University, Professor Sam Oyovbaire said Council has recorded remarkable achievements in the area of staff and student discipline, prudence in handling revenue and expenditure as well as protection of properties.

For his part, the Vice Chancellor Delta State University Professor Victor Peretomode disclosed that a total of eight thousand, four hundred and ninety-one (8,491) students graduated in the 2015/2016 academic session with thirty-one students having first class.

The ceremony featured the award of honorary doctorate degrees to the Ohworode of Olomu Kingdom, Ovie Richard Ogbon, the Asagba of Asaba, Obi Chike Edozien and the universally acclaimed master artist, Dr. Bruce Onobrakpaye.

Criminals force boat operators to shut services in Rivers State •Traders, passengers shun travelling through the waterways From NATH OMAME, P/Harcourt Speedboat operators plying the Andoni waterways, in Andoni Local Council, in Rivers State, have suspended their operations following frequent attacks on them and their passengers.

Criminal activities along the Andoni waterways revved up in the past four weeks, forcing the speedboat operators to abandon their operations.

Traders plying the route in the course of their commercial activities have suffered losses in money, goods and merchandise due to the activities of the criminals.

A trader in Andoni who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said frequent harassments by the criminals have forced speedboat operators to shut their opera-

tions, adding that the operators have refused to ply the Andoni waterways for upwards of four days, a situation that severely slowed commercial activities in the area.

“The situation is very sad, indeed. The security situation is very tense. The security men here are not enough to checkmate these criminals. The boat operators have refused to ply any of the routes.

The criminals are subjecting us to so much pain and stress,” he said.

The source added: “Two days ago, some of the boys attacked a boat operator, dispossessed him of his boat and used the boat to rob people around the neigbouring communities. The situation appears lawless for now. People are passing through hell. The gov-

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, received outgoing Ambassador of Spain, Alfonson B.S de Erice, which he gave a National farewell gift. 25th July 2017. Photos: NOVO ISIORO.

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he embattled National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Oye, has declared that anybody working against the ruling party in Anambra State is an enemy of Ndigbo and should be treated as such.

Speaking in Awka, the Anambra State Capital, Oye said no force can stop Governor Willie Obiano from winning the November 18, Gover-

them,” he said.

Hon. Abi stated: “This government will not tolerate any act of crime and criminality. We are on oath to protect lives and property.

Anyone caught perpetrating any act of criminality will be arrested and dealt with. We have appealed to the traditional rulers to address their youths on the dangers of going into crime.”

Reacting to the upsurge of crime in Andoni, the Chairman of the Rivers State Amnesty Programme, Sir, Ken Chinda, stated that any repentant cultist or criminal who is under government amnesty programme would be stripped of such privilege if found to be involved in the current unrest in Andoni Local Council.

“As a government, we condemn what is going on in Andoni. It is unfortunate. If they destroy their community they will have no other community to go to. Even if they go on exile, they will not live in exile all their lives. If we have evidence that those we granted amnesty are involved in the perpetration of violence in Andoni, of course, we will revoke it. And then, the law will take its course,” he warned.

Meantime, the Special Adviser to Governor Nyesom Wiike, on Industrial Waste Management, Mr. Fred Atem, has advised Andoni students to educate Andoni youths to shun violence. He urged the leadership of Andoni Students who paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Port Harcourt, to preach peace, love and unity amongst youths in Andoni.

“Social vices are everywhere in the world, not only in Rivers State.

So, it is important that we go to our communities and educate the young ones on the ills of crime and criminality. You should advise the youths that it does not pay to be a cultist, or engage in criminal activities,” he surmised.

A’Ibom 2019 Governorship: NDDC MD declines calls by kinsmen to contest • Umana hails Ekere’s performance From ESSIEN ESEMA, Uyo

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he Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Obong Nsima Ekere has declined calls by his kinsmen for him to contest the 2019 governorship election in Akwa Ibom State, saying he does not want to be distracted from his present assignment.

Ekere made his position known recently when his kinsmen under the aegis Mboho Mkaparawa Edemaya organized a grand reception for him at the Methodist Central School, Ekpenenin Ukan Edemaya, Ikot Abasi Local Council.

The NDDC boss was responding to calls from several speakers at the occasion including the president of Mboho Edemaya, Barrister Edidiong Ubeh who urged him

Anybody working against APGA is an enemy of Ndigbo –Oye

By THEO RAYS

ernment will need to deploy more security personnel to Andoni.”

Speaking on the development, the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Andoni Local Counci, Hon. Allen Abi said he is working with relevant security agencies to address the situation.

He disclosed that he had discussed the situation with the leadership of the boat operators in the area and that operations would soon resume.

“The issue of security cannot be discussed in public. The traditional institution and the relevant stakeholders held a meeting two days ago to deliberate on the security challenges in the area. I am calling on all criminals in Andoni to surrender their arms, if not, the arm of the law will catch up with

norship election to complete his eight-year tenure, stating: “I can bet with you, no force can stop Obiano from winning second term bid.

Anybody working against APGA will meet disastrous end.”

He said APGA has worked hard for the people of Anambra State, starting from the former governor, Mr. Peter Obi, who has now decamped to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Obiano has been working in supersonic speed.

Oye said APGA believes in the

unity of Nigeria as Nigeria cannot be divided on the basis of rhetoric but purely on the basis of dialogue.

“I saw Biafra war. No city in Igboland suffered starvation like Umuahia where I was a young boy as Biafran Army Over 500,000 people were killed through air raid. Our division must be through dialogue not internal rebellion. We must follow due process. I am not against Biafra because I am a Biafran but what we want is unity of Nigeria on the basis of equity and justice,” said Oye.

to contest the 2019 governorship election, assuring that they support him to displace the incumbent, Governor Udom Emmanuel of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Those who urged Ekere to run for the 2019 governorship seat, passed a vote of no confidence in Governor Emmanuel, saying that the NDDC MD’s performance in office as evident in the number of people-oriented projects and other humanistic interventions in the Niger Delta and Akwa Ibom in particular have made him the most qualified person to lead the State from 2019.

But, Ekere in his response said it was too early for politicking, maintaining that elected and appointed officials of government from the state should not be distracted with unnecessary calls for 2019 governorship campaigns.

“Other speakers came and they spoke about 2019. My appeal to Akwa Ibom people is that the time for elections and the politics of 2019 have not yet come. Allow me and other elected officers to concentrate to do the jobs they are do-

ing for you now.

“When the time for elections comes, then when you make that demand again, we will respond.

But for now, let me do the work in the NDDC,” he said.

Speaking earlier, the managing Director of the Oil and Gas Free Trade Zone Authority (OGFTZA), Obong Umana Okon Umana described Ekere as his brother, a star and performer whose track record of achievements at the NDDC has qualified him for higher responsibilities.

Umana lamented that ‘evil forces’ in the State had made himself and Ekere appear as if they were political enemies, but added that they now have a better understanding and relationship, which would help them move the state forward.

The grand reception was attended by a cross section of dignitaries including the Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, Senator N. Anyanwu, State chairman of the APC, Dr. Amadu Atai, Directors of the NDDC, among others.

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

Ezinne Christiana, Governor Willie Obiano’s mother, goes home in blaze of glory O

liver Udeogu writes that Aguleri, indeed, Anambra State stood still when the late Ezinne Christiana Obiano, mother of Anambra Stte governor, Chief Willie Obiano was laid to rest on Thursday, July 20, in the Obiano family ground in the ancient town of Aguleri in Anambra East Local Council.

The ancient kingdom of Aguleri in Anambra East Local Council on Thursday July 20, welcomed a roll call of dignitaries from across religious, ethnic and social divides, who gathered for the burial of Ezinne Christiana Chinelo Obiano, mother of Anambra State governor Chief Willie Obiano, who died at the age of 90 years.

All roads led to the riverine Aguleri community early in the morning on that day. From the council headquarters at Otuocha, you began to notice the presence of security personnel who were having a busy day, controlling traffic in the congested area. There was a platoon of soldiers at strategic places in the community mounting roadblocks while directing motorists on routes to ply, with policemen, members of the Civil Defence Corps and those of the State Security Service who were all over the community, on a serious civil assignment.

The remains of the governor’s mother was conveyed in a horse-drawn cart provided by the foremost funeral undertakers the Apams

funeral home and accompanied by an impressive entourage. Top politicians, the clergy and government functionaries among whom were serving Senators, members of the House of representatives, ministers, captains of Industry and first class royal fathers in Igbo land and beyond, were in the ancient Kingdom in their numbers to pay their last respect to the deceased. The sky looked clement with an aura of audacity pervading the land scape.

Businesses were practically shut down and there was a sea of human beings everywhere, in what looked like a mass return, which extended to neighboring Umuleri, Nando and to some extent Nsugbe, that is, the other towns that make up the Anambra East Local Council. Virtually every home in Aguleri community was so lively that day that it seemed the dead also resurrected in celebration, with people gathered on their premises, celebrating the life and times of the matriarch of the Obiano dynasty.

Birds in the sky and domestic animals around could sense the frenzy in the community, knowing an unusual event was taking place in the land. In what could best be described as a funeral carnival, village boys and girls in Aguleri community including the elderly, clustered in many vicinities, reminiscent of the old Christmas mass return in Igbo land.

Hovering in the skies all through the funeral proceedings, were Police helicopters and drones, which was a rare occurrence for the natives as well as visitors to the community, one they will never forget in a hurry. The St Joseph’s catholic field venue of the funeral mass, was filled to its brim with people, to say the least, during the colorful burial ceremony of the mother of the governor.

The Acting President Prof Yemi Osibanjo was represented at the event by the Interior Minister, Alhaji Abdulrahman Dambazau. Other dignitaries that attended the burial were former governors of Anambra State Mr. Peter Obi, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, and Dame Virgy Etiaba. Others were the Imo State Deputy Governor Prince Eze Madumere, wives of governors-- Deaconess Nkechi Ikpeazu- Abia State; Mrs Nneoma Okorocha-Imo State; Mrs Monica Ugwuanyi-Enugu State and Deaconess Florence Ajimobi, Oyo State.

Other dignitaries included Chief Nnia Nwodo, President-General Ohanaeze Ndigbo; Chief Mike Okiro, Chairman Police Service Commission; Senator Andy Uba; Senator Annie Okonkwo; Prof Charles Soludo; Senator Joy Emordi; Minister of Science and technology Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu; former Information Minister Labran Maku; Senator Ben Bruce; Senator Emma Anosike; Senator Adolphus

43

Igbeke; Amb Bianca Ojukwu; Mrs Josephine Anenih; Prof Uche Azikiwe; Hon Dozie Nwankwo; Hon Nkeiruka Onyejeocha; Chief Vincent Obianodo, CEO The Young Shall Grow Motors Ltd; Dr Obinna Uzor and Chief Chekwas Okorie.

Scores of clergymen from all Christian denomination were also at the funeral. They included Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province, Most Rev. (Dr.) Valeria Okeke who officiated at the funeral mass, the Methodist Bishop of Onitsha diocese Rt. Rev. B.L. Onuagha, Archbishop Emmanuel Chukwuma of the Anglican Archdiocese of Enugu; Papal Nuncio to Ireland, Most Rev (Dr) Jude Okolo while the Etsu Nupe was represented by Rev, James Adama (Kuayakan Nupe) and scores of traditional rulers.

In his emotional laden tribute, Governor Obiano said his mother was known by people in her business environment and in the Catholic community, saying she was generous to the less-privileged whom she gave money, food, clothes and gold trinkets. He added that her death was a big blow to him and the entire family even at a ripe age of 90 years.

• The remains being taken to her resting place

• Rep of the Acting President, Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau

• From left: Sen. Andy Uba, Prof. Uche Azikiwe & Amb. Bianca Ojukwu

• President General Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo with Prof Charles Soludo

• Arrival of Her Excellency wife of Abia State governor Deconess Nkechi Ikpeazu

• Gov Obiano performing the dust to dust rite

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

PASSAGES

By Sir J.B. C. Okonkwo GREAT, caring, disciplined, amicable, affable, God-fearing, humble, unassuming, industrious, tenacious, magnanimous and kind hearted gentleman, Hon Sylvester Ndibe Okonkwo, aka Sly was a man with vision, mission, courage and determination to succeed where others failed. Born on 28 June 1952 to Pa Clement and Beatrice Okonkwo of Umudike, Urunnebo, Enugwu-Ukwu, he was educated at St. Patrick’s Primary School, Abakaliki, St. Theresa’s College, Nsukka, University of Nigeria, Nsukka University College, Ibadan. He bagged BSc (Hons) in Geography.

He at Girls’ Secondary School, Abakaliki and in 1991, he relocated to Anambra State and was posted to Ezike Secondary School, Nibo.

He later rose to the position of Principal and transferred to Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission, ANSIEC, as a management Staff. He was appointed a member of the Anambra Pilgrim Board and was made a Commissioner in the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission, ANSIEC, from where he rose to the post of acting Chairman. He was the first ANSIEC Chairman to successfully conduct the local government elections and issued certificate of return to the successful chairmen and councilors.

Hon. Okonkwo manifested his political dexterity, honesty and strength of character during the first and only successful local government elections held in Anambra State in January 2014, when he re-

Tribute to Hon. Sylvester Ndibe Okonkwo

• Late Hon. Okonkwo sisted various political godfathers in the State who offered millions of Naira to rig the election to favour their chairmanship candidates.

Rather he chose the honest part of “ Eziafakaego” (good name is better than money), a family virtue bequeathed his family by his late father.

Despite that the elections took a toll on his health due to the sleepless nights he kept to ensure it was successfully held, he soldiered on undeterred to accomplish the arduous task, thought by most to be impossible, given the volatile and contentious nature of Anambra politics.

It was such that a doctor who visited him at his office in Awka during the election campaign in company of his kinsman warned him that he could drop dead. He was forced to the hospital where his blood pressure measured alarmingly high but the next morning he was on his desk working. These virtues, endeared to Anambra State Governors, irrespective of their party affiliations, to trust him with the State’s electoral process. Gov. Chinwoke Mbadinuju moved him from teaching to ANSIEC as a management staff. Gov. Chris Ngige appointed him Electoral Commissioner. Her served Gov. Pe-

In words and actions, he was a great advocate of St. Francis of Assisi prayers by sowing love where there is hatred, light where darkness existed, hope where despair existed, to console rather than be consoled, giving than receiving.

Hence no yearly feast, religious or traditional ever passed without people streaming into his residence for benevolence. What a keeper of his brother. What a philanthropist per excellence.

All in all, it will take a book to write down fully the life and times of this giant of a man, an epitome of milk of human kindness, a beacon of hope and relief for the poor, a self made political guru, a one time National Secretary of St Theresa’s College, Nsukka (STOBA) Old Boys Association, an ideal couple of St. Francis Parish, Enugwu-Ukwu, happily married to Justina Okonkwo (nee Onyekwelu), blessed with seven children, ardent believer that it is better to serve than to be served.

At long last, Hon .Sly had to bow to the will of his Creator hence for Hon. Sly; there is a time to be born on 28 June 1952 at 10am and a time to die 29 May 2017 (Democracy Day) at 10am and to be interred on 28 July 2017. God gave him to Okonkwo family and God took him back into the family of Saints, his real home.

May his soul rest “na uno ya di na enigwe”.

Adieu Honourable.

Adieu Ezedike.

Adieu Ifechukwu.

ter Obi, and Gov. Willie Obiano as acting Chairman of ANISEC. Hon. Sly was not all politics. He exhibited his God given talents and expertise. He was also an Iroko in education. He had implicit and explicit belief that education is the best genuine road to success in life hence he devoted the grater part of his resources to provide scholarships for indigent students. His unbridled donation in cash and materials to various educational institutions are too many to enumerate. During an event at Okutalukwe Secondary School, Enugwu-Ukwu, he promised to donate exercise books to all the students in a House allocated to him. What is more, he was a devoted teacher. He was a role model progressive educationist.

What is more, Hon Sly is a devout Christian, a true Catholic in principle and practices. His religiosity is included in his faith in God, padded with love, charity, good work and sustained financial and material support to his Parish Church and beyond. His roles as the Chairman of the Bazaar Committee for over a decade in St. Francis Parish, Enugwu-Ukwu was exceptional and worthy of emulation. He was also the prime mover of his zone, St Richard Umudike, which colonized the first position during the monthly project Sundays. His unquantified financial support to the various activities in the Catholic Diocese of Awka won him the chieftaincy title of Ifechuk- Sir J.B.C. Okonkwo, KSM, JP, is elder wu of the Catholic Diocese, Awka. brother of the deceased.

Mrs. Fidelia Uzoamaka Uzochukwu goes home

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AMILIES and friends gathered at the St. Jude’s Catholic Church, Okija, for the funeral mass for Mrs. Fidelia Uzoamaka Uzochukwu (nee Okolo), younger sister of the Papal Nuncio to Ireland, Archbishop Jude Okolo, Nwachinemelu, on 21 July 2017.

Mrs. Uzochukwu, a retired nurse, passed on in Lagos on 19 June 2017.

Her death at 55 spread much anguish through her native Eziora, Ozobulu and Okija, where she was married.

Tributes poured in about her kindnesses to relations and strangers. The outpour of testimonies ameliorated the mourning.

She is survived by Felix (widower), children Zibery Chika, Francis, Somy, and Kizito, and other relations.

• Archbishop Okolo with the family, first right is Francis, Mrs. Uzochukwu’s first son.

• Former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Gregory Obi, Okwute, at the funeral service.

• Prof. Kate Azuka Omenugha, Anambra State Commissioner for Education, who represented Gov. Willie Obiano at the funeral mass.

• Nigerian diplomat Charles Inonwan and his wife Patricia at the church service

• Archbishop Okolo with the family. From left - Kizito (son), Mrs. Somy Chukwukere (daughter), Zibery Chika (daughter), Mr. Felix Uzochukwu (widower), Dr. Joseph Chukwukere, son-in-law

SPORTS 45

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

SPORTS

•Gianni Infantino

Chukwu clears Rangers FC in Imama/FG face-off •‘LMC has turned itself into arbitration body’ Stories by MADUABUCHI KALU

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t is no longer news that Enugu Rangers Football Club Secretary, Elder Joseph Onwukwe was last Thursday charged with infractions by the Le Rangers International FC and the club Secretary, Elder Joseph Onwukwe has been charged with infractions of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Rules and Framework in the course of mediation proceedings in the dispute between the club and its former coach, Imama Amapakabo.

The League Management Company (LMC) have subsequently levied sanctions on the club and the official, with Rangers being fined N5m while the club secretary, Elder Onwukwe has been banned from all NPFL activities for a period of one year.

The LMC also directed Rangers to pay the sacked Coach various sums including N14,560,000 representing his salaries for April to October 2017 and compensation for wrongful termination, N1,600,000 representing his salary for November and December 2016, N600,000 which represents arrears of allowances and bonuses and $725 which is international travel allowance owed Amapakabo.

Onwukwe was charged for breaches of Appendix E1.5, Appendix E1.4 (Code of Conduct for Club Officials), C28 and C1 of the Framework and Rules.

However, the General manager of the club and former captain and coach of both the club and the national team, The Super Eagles, Christian Chukwu has faulted the position of the LMC wondering why the LMC should turn themselves into Arbitration by sanctioning the club when the club has no business with what transpired between Imama and the Enugu State Government.

According to him: “I don’t really understand what is going on, Rangers have no hand in what transpired between Imama and the Enugu State Government,” Chukwu began.

“This matter is between Enugu State Government and Imama and not between our former coach and us.

“What happened is that the coach of the club has been going to the Governor for a car to enable him be effective

i n the discharge of his responsibilities. The Governor called me and asked of the car the former coach (Imama) was given, I told him that he has not return the car. For six months after he was sacked by the club, Imama refused to return the car and the key to the house the state government assigned to him as the coach of Enugu Rangers.

“So, after waiting for six months for him to return the car and the key to his former apartment, the state government went to recover the car and the key to his former apartment. It was not Rangers that arrested Imama rather it was the Enugu State Government that arrested him in order to retrieve the car and the key to his former apartment since he has refused to return them.

“Both the car and the apartment belong to the Enugu State Government and refusing to return them after he was sacked from the club is wrong on his part. The car has the state government plate number ‘ENSG’. So, how does it Rangers problem.

“This is what I explained to those who called me and they

Iheanacho soon to join Leicester City

By MADUABCHI KALU with agency report

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espite seems to have come the way of Nigeria and Manchester City striker, Kelechi Iheanacho to leave Manchester City to Leicester City as his Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola appears to confirm that the deal taking Kelechi Iheanacho King Power Stadium could be done in 10 days according to Leicester Mercury.

This cheering news for Iheanacho was made public during a press conference ahead of their pre-season game against Manchester rivals United in the USA,

by no other person than Manchester City boss, Guardiola, who appeared to confirm Iheanacho’s exit from the Etihad.

The Spaniard also said a deal would involve a buy-back clause. Leicester have been linked with 20-year-old Nigeria international Iheanacho all summer, with reports last week saying a fee of £25 million had been agreed between the two clubs.

The only issue holding up the transfer was a legal dispute between Iheanacho’s current and former agents over image rights.

The striker was not on the plane bound for the USA on Monday when Man City flew out to begin

their pre-season schedule. But at Wednesday’s media briefing in Houston, Texas, ahead of Friday game against United, Guardiola dropped more than a hint that Iheanacho’s days in Manchester were numbered.

“Kelechi is close to a move, it should be done in 10 days,” said Guardiola.

“It is an honour to work with him.

It’s not easy for him as he didn’t get a lot of chances (in the team), but his behaviour was good.

“Kelechi’s a young player. He needs to play at that age and that’s why he, and the club decided, it was best for him (to leave).”

all said it was wrong for him to have withheld both the car and the key to his former apartment. I have no problems with Imama. He is my boy but things have to be done properly and I insist that Rangers has no hand in his arrest.

“It is just that I don’t want to have issues with the LMC. I don’t know why Rangers should be sanctioned over the issue that the club have no hand in,” Chukwu lamented.

Speaking further, Chukwu faulted the LMC’s decision to sanction Rangers and at the same time asked them to pay Imama money owed him. According to him, it was wrong for LMC to have taken the action they took because they were the same people who call for in-house resolution of the debt owed the coach, but we was shocked that LMC asked the Club to pay Imama when we have not resolved the matter as they advised.

He explained that LMC are not Arbitration body. He maintained that Rangers have not defaulted as the matter has not been settled.

“Imama is not the first coach to be owed in Nigeria.

As we speak, I am still being owed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). I didn’t seize anything, I have not gone to court and I am not talking to the press over that.

“It is not news that a coach is being owed in Nigeria even players are being owed. I am not saying it is the proper thing to do but going to the press is not the right thing to do either.

“It is equally wrong for Imama to have gone to the LMC instead of the Arbitration. LMC are not Arbitration body who supposed to weld into the matter and resolve it amicably.

“I believe that the proper thing to do is for us to sit down and discuss and find out how much is being owed the Imama and if there are what the coach is owing the club; then we will reconcile and not that we be ordered to pay Imama Amapakabo so, so, so amount.

“Nobody is denying the fact that he is being owed but it is something that should be resolved in a proper way,” Chukwu said.

46

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

SPORTS Stories by MADUABUCHI KALU

CAF’s radical changes get stakeholders’ backing

•CAF President, Ahmad Ahmad

A

frican Football stakeholders have thrown their weight behind the decision of the Executive Committee of the Confederation of African Football led

by Ahmad Ahmad of Madagascar to expand the number of teams in the continental football flagship competition, Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) starting in the next edition to be played host by Cameroon.

It is recalled that CAF on Thursday, July 20, 2017 in Rabat, Morocco expanded the number of participating teams to the Nations Cup to 24 from 16. According to the continental football body, the reason for the expansion is to accommodate more teams in the competition which will help in the development of the game on the continent and facilities in the various countries of Africa.

Another landmark decision by the continental football governing body is to move the competition from January/February to July in order to fit into other Federations’ calendar such as Europe where most of African players ply their football trade.

Reacting to the decision, former national team coach and a member of both CAF and FIFA technical committee, Adegboye Onigbinde, hailed the decision of the Ahmad Ahmad led Executive Committee of Caf but expressed fears over the decision to hold the Africa Nations Cup in July saying in Nigeria and Ghana; it is the peak of the raining season.

“Well my take is that the decision of the Executive Committee of Confederation of African Football (CAF) to expand the number of participating teams in the Africa Cup of Nations Competition is a welcome development,” Onigbinde began.

“With the decision of the executive committee of CAF to expand the participating teams in biennial football fiesta, I believe it will help to create more opportunities for other countries to be part of the championship and thereby help in developing the game. I think it is a

•As Onigbinde, Owolabi, others laud expansion

well thought out decision.

“However, I have my reservation and my reservation is centred on the change of time for the competition. The decision to move the competition from January/February to July is something I am not too comfortable with. This is because July is the peak of raining season in Nigeria and Ghana. I don’t really know how we are going to manage it,”

Paralympian vows to erase Bolt’s record D

ouble Paralympic champion, Liam Malone, has declared his intention to use technology to run faster than Olympic legend, Usain Bolt, within the next three years.

Jamaican sprinter Bolt, who will retire this summer as an eight-time Olympic gold medallist, set the 100m world record of 9.58 seconds in 2009. But the New Zealander has told BBC Radio 5 live that he is aiming to run 9.4 seconds within the next three years.

Hear him: “I’m aiming for 9.4 seconds,” Malone, 23, told BBC Radio 5 live.

Malone, who is not competing at the World Para-athletics Championships in London because of injury, believes technological improvements to the blades used by amputee runners will bring down times.

“In the next three years I’ll run faster than Usain Bolt over 100m,” said Malone, who was born without fibula bones and had his legs amputated below the knee when he was 18 months old.

“It won’t be done in the Paralympics, and I’ve no intention of ever racing Usain Bolt or able-bodied people, it’s about racing against their time outside of the rules and regulations that limit technology. That’s what I’m focused on at the moment.

“If you were me and you were bullied as a kid from five to 15, and you had this opportunity to use technology to do something that hasn’t been done before, you’d absolutely want

to do it and that’s what I’m doing.”

Malone, who clocked 11.02 as he finished second to Britain’s Jonnie Peacock in the 100m in Rio, believes that in “50 to 100 years’ time” Para-athletics will feature athletes who are “half-robotic, half-human”.

“The point is that artificial bodies improve at a faster rate than the biological body,” he said.

“Until about nine years old, my legs were basically like a pirate’s from the 16th century - wood, rubber, really basic.

“It’s only in the last five to 10 years I’ve had these new forms of technology come through.

“If blades are allowing blade runners to run as fast as able-bodied human beings at this point, what’s it going to look like in 20 years?

“It’s not just in Paralympic sport.

Artificial bodies is one of the biggest trends in the world - from dying your hair to using contact lenses to hearing aids to breast implants and fake teeth. It really is the future.

“Human beings love customising things and the human body is the pinnacle of something you can customise.”

Technology is governed by International Paralympic Committee rules - and changes are due to come into force in January that would outlaw the blades used by Malone.

“I’m not sure what the IPC are doing there,” he said. “It would be easier to give everyone access to the same technology.”

Onigbinde said.

Reacting also to the CAF decisions, the former goal tender of 3SC and the national team, Dr. Felix Owolabi (a.k.a Owo Blow) also commended the decision of the continental football body for their decision which he said was long overdue.

According to him: “There is nothing wrong in the decision of the executive committee of the NFF to change the time that the competition is held from January/February to July.

“The decision is right. We have to be in line with other confederations particularly Europe where the bulk of our players fly their football trade.

There is nothing wrong in moving the competition from January/February to July after all, are we not in July? Are we having any problem with the league because we are in July? I don’t think so.

“Even if the rains disturb a game; we can easily call it off and reschedule it. So, pointing at rains as reason why the game must be held in January/February is not cogent after all don’t we watch foreign leagues being played under the rains.

“I think we must be in line with the rest of the world particularly Europe where most of our stars earn their living. We have always had problems when the championship is played in January/February because it affects most of our players who come to represent their fatherland at the tournament.

“Many at time you find out that many of them lose their starting line-up due to fatigue and injuries. So, the change in time as far as I am concerned is a welcome development,” Owolabi explained.

• Onigbinde

Meskout to storm Port-Harcourt –Igali T

he President of the United World Wrestling –Africa, Fouad Meskout will arrive the City of Port Harcourt, the River State capital today (Wednesday) to inspect facilities for the 2018 Senior Africa Wrestling Championship.

According to the President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF), Hon. Daniel Igali in a release made available to The Oracle Today Sports, the visiting President of United World Wrestling –Africa, Fouad Meskout while in Port Harcourt for the inspection of facilities for the 2018 Senior Africa Wrestling CChampionship will call on the Governor and have a meeting

with the city officials and other critical stakeholders.

According to Hon. Igali, Mr. Meskout will on Thursday pay a courtesy call on the Sports and Youth Development Minister, Hon. Solomon Dalung and the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) President, Habu Gumel in Abuja.

Speaking further, Hon. Igali explained that if the facilities meet the required standards, the country will be given the hosting rights to the Senior AFRICA Wrestling Championship for the very first time in history. He further explained that Tunis, the Tunisian capital is another city that bided to be awarded the hosting rights.

47

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 2, 2017

SPORTS

Chelsea avenge Arsenal FA Cup defeat •Trash North London rivals 3-0 in pre-season friendly

• Onyekuru (right).

Onyekuru wins first trophy with Anderlecht

N

igerian strike sensation, Henry Onyekuru, has won his first trophy of the season with Anderlecht, a club he is loaned to after his move to Everton.

The Nigeria international enjoyed a bright start with the reigning league champions as they secured their first diadem in the new campaign, as Anderlecht edged past Zulte-Waregem with a 2-1 win in the Belgian Super Cup. Second half goals from Algeria

international, Sofiane Hanni and Adrien Trebel cancelled out Davy De Fauw’s third minute strike to give the Purple and White their first silverware in the 2017-18 season, Onyekuru who is on a season-long loan move from Everton was introduced as a 65th minute substitute for Nicolae Stanciu as compatriot Peter Olayinka, who is loan from Gent played for the entire duration for Zulte-Waregem.

Spieth: ‘Tiger Woods made winning look easy ... it’s not’

By MADUABUCHI KALU

C

helsea Football Club of England weekend avenged the 2-1 defeat they suffered in the hands of their London neighbor in the FA Cup final last season.

The West London club handed an emphatic 3-0 defeat to their North London rivals in a preseason match to set the tone for what to expect when the 2017/18 English Premier season starts next month.

Before the game, Arsenal Manager, Arsene Wenger was reported to have said that any game involving the two London club is beyond friendly which means that he must have instructed his charges to put in their best effort in the game but the result of the did not in any way suggest that his boys heeded his instruction.

Of course, Chelsea were bitter to have lost the FA Cup to their bitter rivals last season hence they really have revenge at the back of their mind when they filed out against Arsenal in their Preseason game on Saturday.

It was revenge they actually got to the dismay of Arsenal fans and supporters who had hoped that with the arrival of Lacazette and a few others, their club will square up against Chelsea but that was not what actually transpired at the end of the encounter.

Chelsea’s Premier League shield hero, Michy Batshuayi scored twice to ensure that the victory against Arsenal was solidified. The dreaded striker has given a serious warning to Premier League rivals with the two goals against Arsenal in the preseason friendly, that even without Diego Costa, Chelsea still possess a potent strike force that can deliver the goods when they are needed.

NPFL Table Team P W D L Pts GF GA +/1 2 3 4 5 - 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Plateau MFM FC Akwa Enyimba IfeanyiUbah Lobi Stars El-Kanemi Tornadoes Nasarawa Pillars Sunshine Katsina Abia Rivers Wikki Shooting Rangers ABS Gombe Remo

31 31 30 31 31 31 31 31 31 30 31 31 31 29 31 31 31 31 31 31

16 16 14 14 13 13 15 13 12 13 13 12 11 11 12 10 10 11 9 7

7 4 8 5 7 7 1 6 8 5 3 5 7 7 4 10 9 6 9 8

8 11 8 12 11 11 15 12 11 12 15 14 13 11 15 11 12 14 13 16

55 52 50 47 46 46 46 45 44 44 42 41 40 40 40 40 39 39 36 29

42 37 37 32 35 35 31 25 30 31 32 26 32 21 29 26 30 27 28 25

20 37 24 25 29 29 35 27 24 28 37 32 29 20 33 30 37 40 40 35

22 0 13 7 6 6 -4 -2 6 3 -5 -6 3 1 -4 -4 -7 -13 -12 -10

J

ordan Spieth has criticised former world No1, Tiger Woods, for making winning look easy, labeling his countryman’s exploits “almost unfair.”

Spieth made the criticism of Woods on after rollercoaster final day at the British Open. The newly-crowned champion, Spieth, knows how hard it can be to win a major golf tournament.

The 23-year-old had to scrap for his third major triumph, recovering from four bogeys on the front nine -- and a nightmare drive off the 13th tee that resulted in a 20-minute delay -- to get his challenge back on course.

Spieth hit a shot from near the practice green to within feet of the green, limiting the damage to just a bogey -- a “momentum shift,” his caddie Michael Greller called it.

What followed immediately after was a run of birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie that wrestled control back from playing partner Matt Kuchar, who had momentarily turned a three-shot deficit to Spieth into a one-shot lead.

“I’ve been on these roller coasters before, it’s just kind of how it works,” Spieth told CNN’s Alex Thomas after lifting the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale.

“We had one guy come in and make it look extremely easy and that’s Tiger Woods. I wouldn’t expect that from other people and it’s almost unfair that he made it look so easy, it’s almost unfair to us because it’s just not.”

Earlier this month 14-time major Woods, who spent 683 weeks as world No. 1, dropped out of the top 1,000 in golf’s official world rankings for the first time in his career.

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WEDNESDAY August 2, 2017

Where uncertainty is king

I

T TOOK us a long time to get here.

Maybe some of us did not notice.

We have moved from unbelief, as a national culture, to disbelief. We have also managed to regionalise and religionise belief and unbelief such that they have become entrenched in what we are as a people.

With religion as the epicentre of most of our belief systems, to the point that we swear by the Holy books and draw on the name of the Almighty to buttress the veracity of the claims we make, the roots of beliefs, which are smeared with propaganda, therefore taint us.

We blissfully participate in decimating our nation under the guise of serving it, saving it.

Instances of these proclivities abound: •Where is President Muhammadu Buhari? It used to be a question about the wellbeing of the President, or an attempt to know which part of the globe had enticed him. Everything has changed. Any such question now meets with a bazooka of curses, accusation of inadequate patriotism. They will not forget to add that corruption was fighting back through an innocuous question. Just a question about our President’s health?

I heard that it’s no longer our right— we never had any—for the President to speak to us. He would speak to whom he wants to speak to, where he wants to, and when he wants. He would address them in the language of his choice. He may decide not to speak to anyone at all. There is nothing that we are expected to do about it, having been blessed to have a messiah as President.

Any discussions about the health of the President polarises the country.

Nobody is left in doubt over the tentativeness that the country has reversed to following the long absence of the President. Speculations have become rife about when and if he would return.

Is there a nation that has spent as much time as we have in the past seven years debating the health of its Presidents – two Presidents in that short space. Remarkably, similar secrecy has enveloped their status, long absence is on the menu and regularly some testify that it is a matter of time for the President to come back.

There is little certainty about what the government would have done if the President were present. Early in his administration, before we got any firm clues about how ill the President was, he told some Nigerians, in South Africa, that one of his regrets was that he did not become President earlier. We thought it was all about age.

We were often reminded that he was human because throughout the campaign, the President was presented as super human, beyond the frailties that confront the rest of us. He was not definitely one to all the stains and

President Muhammadu Buhari strains of corruption to affect him.

Now we cannot talk about the President unless we agree that his health is his private matter. We admit that any of us can be ill, and could actually be ill; we confirm that he was excluded from orders that government officials should seek medical remedies abroad and that even if the presidential jet sat on the tarmac of a London airport for months, it costs only some barrels of oil daily to pay the parking charges, maintain the crew and remain the world that Nigeria’s President was still in London.

Sometimes they insinuate, by asking for more prayers, that we were not praying enough for the President.

Could it be that we were saying specious prayers because we knew not

what ached the President? Should we know under the Freedom of Information Act? If you cannot discuss these, would you venture into asking the man to resign? How dare you? What is the purpose? Have we exhausted the list of the elect, who have to make the London trips to explain to us that the President is well?

Left to the President, he would have been home to continue the good work he was doing. We have been reminded that his doctors are battling his steel determination to return to fight corruption to a stand still. A little before his current departure to London, corruption stood still, grinded to a halt, when more than $41.6m was found in an Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, apartment.

• We revert our attention then to the National Assembly. We wonder the purpose of the laws it makes. Our anger lies elsewhere. Figures jump over themselves about the earning of the legislators. We claim our laws are too expensive, another way of saying that the cost of maintaining the legislators is high. We agree and we are unlikely to do anything about it.

They make laws. They unmake laws.

One law they would never make is one that would reduce their privileges and perks of office. It takes complete dumbness (in these parts we would think it is a cursed individual) to explode a bomb in one’s bunker. Our legislators are smart; that it may not be for our sakes does not nullify the fact. I have heard muted complaints that their earnings do not match the arduous work they do. Obviously, that came from the legislators.

In pressing their rights to huge earnings, they plead the high cost of earning elected positions. As investments go, investors, those who wear the angel tag inclusive, have an eye on early returns on their investments. Where the investment is in politics, the returns have to come quickly because political tides are waves are more turbulent than elsewhere.

What type of laws should we expect?

Our legislators are under siege, from constituents who spend all their lives working the mathematics of how, if legislators gave up half of their pay, a certain number of graduates would get jobs. These calculations are made with0ut room for bank charges - VAT, stamp duty, card maintenance fee, account management fee and COT. It should be clear about now that no legislator earns those exact amounts on which our calculations are based.

There are like-minded constituents, in the majority, who reason that the best manner of representation would be to share the money across board, after Honourable had taken some to reflect the fact that he was the leader. It was better that everyone got his bit and decided what t0o do with it.

As these tendencies persist, we are reminded that elections are less than two years away. It is a warning for the elected to prepare for elections, which means that is the only work to do from now to 2019.

Finally…

WE run a risk of minimising the importance of religion in our lives if we query why foreign exchange would be sold at subsidised rates to pilgrims across the faiths. Until we establish that religions are businesses, we have no other option than to keep subsidising them. Anyone who wonders about the importance of our religions should imagine what we would have become without the pilgrimages.

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.