Wednesday August 15, 2018 Edition

O

FTEN, it is challenging to know what goes wrong with the best ideas about the future of Nigeria, particularly when the defects set in. Almost a year after Southern Senators met on the “political re-engineering” of Nigeria, a long silence has endured. Other groups also deliberated on their various versions of the re-structuring of Nigeria.

THESE meetings have produced nothing. Earlier in the year, the Al Progressives Congress (APC), had a committee report supported to the APC national Chairman on re-struc-

When will restructuring start?

The Oracle Today Comment

turing. Promises of results within weeks have remained unfulfilled.

OPPOSITION to suggestions that Nigeria requires some adjustments in its administrative and political strictures, if it would survive, is

The

VOX POPULI SACRUM

often stiff. The reasons are obvious. There are beneficiaries of the skewed structures on which Nigeria runs. They are scared of losing their control of the various centres of power that would emerge from

decentralisation.

ALL the concerns about the survival of Nigeria are secondary to power-mongering. Many legislators, while rightly claiming they are the ones to legislate on restructur-

ing, have done nothing. They, too, are concerned, about how much of their powers, especially the appurtenances of their offices, woul be affected.

CALLS to restructure Nigeria have been deemed the cry of the opposition. Some who want to obfuscate the issues say they

racle

WEDNESDAY August 15, 2018

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www.oraclenews.ng

ISSN: 2545-5869

Today

VOL.3 No.32 N200

How defections swept Daura, DSS boss, away

•Daura goes or I go – Osinbajo tells PMB •Ohanaeze Youth applaud sack •Nigerians be watchful – Atiku •Akpabio can’t deliver 15 senators •Plot to sack Saraki, Dogara fails

By CHIDI UGWU, Abuja

T

HE defections from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are believed to have generated the currents that swept away the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Musa Daura, from his job.

There was more, sources at the Presidential Vila told The Oracle Today on Tuesday.

In a series of meeting to halt the APC slide, various suggestions had been made to reconvene the National Assembly for reasons ranging from approval of the supplementary budget, to possible change in the leadership of the National Assembly. There were no agreements on the issues.

“At one of the meetings at the Villa,” said a source, “Daura shouted at the Acting President. He offered no apologies when that would have shown his remorse.”

The source refused to disclose what the contentious issue was.

Osinbajo was embarrassed. He

Cont’d on page 2

•Boma Goodhead, Member House of Representatives standing up to DSS operatives at the gate of the National Assembly, Tuesday

Buhari may be under pressure to ‘step aside’ A

From BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia; CHUKS EZE, Enugu, and THEO RAYS, Onitsha

Page 16

s manoeuvres for next year’s general elections intensify, authoritative sourc-

es have told The Oracle Today of intense pressure on President Mohammed Buhari to drop his sec-

ond-term and go home and rest.

Hints to this effect emerged from the President himself when

the Presidency recently ordered all pro-Buhari campaign groups to

Cont’d on page 2

Zenith Bank’s H1 loans drop to N1.9t

2

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15, 2018

NEWS

... swept DSS boss Daura away

Continued from Pg 1 acted decisively after the meeting.

“He called President Buhari, related what transpired and threatened to leave if Daura stays. He got the approval,” according to the source. “What was not clear was when the Acting President would strike.”

Tuesday morning, calls started hitting the Villa, with concerns that DSS operatives had blocked the gates of the National Assembly. Osinbajo had no idea what caused the invasion as he did not authorise it.

At a meeting with Daura and Inspector-General of Police, Osinbajo asked about the operations at the National Assembly, which Daura admitted that he authorised.

The meeting was still on when the

press statement from the Office of the Acting President announced the sack of Daura.

The former DSS boss was reportedly arrested and detained by a combined team of the Police and the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) for “breaching national security.”

Matthew Seyiefa has been announced as his replacement.

Senior Special Assistant to the President, Office of the Acting President, Laolu Akande, said in the statement: “Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has described the unauthorised takeover of the

National Assembly Complex earlier today as a gross violation of constitutional order, rule of law and all acceptable notions of law and order.

“According to him, the unlawful act which was done without the knowledge of the Presidency is condemnable and completely unacceptable.

“By this statement, Professor Osinbajo is consequently assuring Nigerians that all persons within the law enforcement apparatus who participated in this travesty will be identified and subjected to appropriate disciplinary action.”

PDP wants invaders prosecuted While some Nigerians, including former Vice President Abubakar Atiku had applauded the actions of Osinbajo, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary Kola Ologbondiyan said the invasion of the National Assembly was with the “absolute knowledge and approval of President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Osinbajo and the All Progressives Congress (APC)”, noting that Daura’s sack was an “afterthought, diversionary and deceitful.”

Ologbondiyan said: “The action of security agents that blocked

•National Assembly gate locked on Tuesday

Buhari may be under pressure to ‘step aside’ Cont’d from Pg 1

hold their fire for now.

Sources further told The Oracle Today that prominent personalities both in Nigeria and overseas are advising President Buhari, who is currently on a 10-day holiday trip to London, to step aside, in large part, for what has been described as massive disaffection with his leadership both in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and in the society generally, leading to a gale of defections from the APC to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

It would be recalled that no fewer than three sitting governors and 15 Senators along with some members of the Federal House of Representatives have in the past two weeks dumped APC for the PDP. Sources added that the arrowhead of both local and international Buhari-should-step-aside campaigns is “a leader” who believes that Buhari should honourably step aside on the grounds that “his chances of getting a second term are very slim.”

Our sources further noted that “some people from Nigeria including retired generals and others from outside the country are of the opinion that going by the growing popularity of PDP, President Buhari is unlikely to win the presidential election, so it is better for him to step down and allow

APC to field another “more capable” candidate to save himself from campaign stress and all that.”

Defections engender uncertainty in the polity The Oracle Today’s sources spoke against the backdrop of fears that the gale of defections by members of the National Assembly may alter the balance of power in a way that may threaten the very foundation of the nation’s fledgling democracy.

Many have expressed fears that if the unfolding events in the country are not checked, the nation’s democracy may be driven into a wedge, hinging their fears on the ugly trend of incessant political violence, intimidation, killings and alleged harassment of opposition politicians by the government in power.

These defections took root from the crises in the APC, which forced members of New PDP (nPDP) to break away from the party on July 4, 2018 and renamed themselves the Reformed APC (rAPC).

Members of the nPDP had in 2014 broken ranks with PDP, a move many believe was responsible for the routing of the ruling party at the 2015 polls.

Chairman of the rAPC faction, Engr. Buba Galadima, told newsmen in Abuja that APC had breached agreements it reached with the nPDP when both parties merged in 2015.

But, for the Publicity Secretary of

the PDP in Abia State, Sir Don Ubani, the fear is that democracy may be derailed going by the way the APC and the federal government are reacting to the defections.

“In the first instance, I want to express deep concern over what is happening. You can see today, the National Assembly is under siege and whosever that is a lover of democracy would know that the legislature is the true symbol of democracy, the world over,” he said in a phone interview. “So, when you cause a siege on that arm of government, it is a very simple but unfortunate way of saying that I want to make sure that democracy is truncated. Those of us who knew General Muhammadu Buhari in 1983 would easily recollect that the man did not in any way hid his dislike for democracy. And of course, he truncated democracy in 1983, December 31.

“It is unfortunate that many years after his dictatorial outing in the military, the man has refused to change, even as a civilian president.”

Sharing the sentiments expressed by Ubani, Prof Obasi Igwe of the Political Science Department of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, noted that the APC-led federal government has been exhibiting anti-democratic tendencies since it came to power.

“The Buhari administration is merely a military government disguised as democracy. That is what

we have had since he came on board. By every characteristic, he cannot govern democratically because he has an anti-democratic agenda, which cannot be implemented by democratic means,” he said. “Sadly, the problem is that Nigerians never understood Buhari’s motives from the onset. I had cred out several times that Mr. President cannot fight corruption. How can somebody who is politically corrupt, financially and economically corrupt fight against corruption? Nigerians have seen it; I have been vindicated and I hope they are now wiser.”

Igwe described what is happening in the National Assembly as “coup D’état by instalment.”

“The Presidency is trying to forestall possible commencement of impeachment process of the executive and they are fighting with every available means to have their way. Nigerians should not allow such to happen else the country and her democracy would be doomed,” the political Science teacher said.

On the effects of defections, Igwe said: “My objective view is that carpet crossing, whether in 1962, 2014 or 2018, remains one of the major factors destroying the evolution of true nationhood in Nigeria. It abruptly alters the original intentions of the people.

Cont’d on page 47

the National Assembly is treasonable and must attract appropriate sanctions under our law. It is not enough to take populist approach of easing Daura out of office. Our party demands an immediate investigation by an independent panel of inquiry headed by a retired Chief Justice of Nigeria to examine the remote and immediate causes of the invasion.

“Moreover, Section 16 of the Legislative House (Powers and Privileges) Act, 2017, provides that any person, who by any act, obstructs members of the National Assembly from performing their legislative duties, is liable and punishable by imprisonment.

“Nigerians observed that the invasion was not only by the DSS, but also had the involvement of the Police, whose high command has not received any sanction or been reprimand by the Presidency for its serial acts of impunity.”

PDP, however, commended “federal lawmakers, Nigerians, the media as well as the international community who rose in defence of our democracy, even as we remind all not to let down their guards.”

APC absolves self APC absolved itself of any role on the siege to the National Assembly. A statement from Mr. Yekini Nabena, its Acting National Publicity Secretary read: “Our attention has been drawn to mischievous attempts in some partisan quarters to link Tuesday’s developments in the National Assembly to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

“While the Party is monitoring the developments in the National Assembly like every other concerned Nigerian and stakeholder, there is absolutely no basis for all the false allegations and attempt to blame the APC National Chairman for the development there. It is strictly a legislative matter.”

RAPC calls it ‘gory scar on democracy’ The Reformed APC, the splinter group that has divided APC, in a statement from Kassim Afeguba, its spokesman noted: “At what point did we descend to this level of unruly behaviour and sheer political hooliganism? At what point did we miss the compass that should ordinarily take us away from this Pharaoh era, where wickedness, primitiveness and prebendalism appear to be the only thematic focus of a privileged few, trying in their greed and self-aggrandizement, to perpetually ridicule our collective sufferance?

“We weep for our dear country. We shed tears of anguish and sorrow. We are pained by the gunpoint democracy that President Muhammadu Buhari has introduced to our body politic.

“We condemn the continued partisanship of the security agencies against the interest of Nigerians. We wish to insist that these categories of persons be denied visas or have their visas revoked on account of their anti-democratic conducts which have consistently threatened the very foundation of our fledgling democracy.

“This action of the APC against the Senate President, and its desperate plot to unseat him has permanently left a gory scar on our democracy. APC has literally changed its name to All Political Coupists, or better still All Progressives Coupists.

“Conveying masked operatives

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15, 2018

•Sunday Okpe (m) Dede Uzor A. Uzor (r) & Barr Onwuemekai during the event ,

By Oge Onyeanusi Group, Human Rights Defenders of Nigeria, has honoured the Anambra State Commander of

the Federal Special Anti Robbery Squad (FSARS), Mr. Sunday Okpe, a Superintendent of Police (SP) for his giant strides in policing.

The ceremony, which took place

at Awkuzu, the Anambra State Headquarters of the Federal Special Anti Robbery Squad (FSARS) attracted members of the human rights group led by its national

The Oracle Today

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Wednesday August 15, 2018

NEWS ACROSS THE NATION NASS blockage: Osinbajo sacks DG DSS, says action ‘completely unacceptable’ •Police not involved – IG •As Atiku, Misau condemn siege

A

CTING President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has directed the termination of appointment of the Director General, Department of State Service (DSS), Lawal Daura, with immediate effect.

This is also the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, exonerated the Nigeria Police Force from Tuesday’s blockage of the National Assembly (NASS) by security operatives.

The Acting President’s directive for the sacking of Daura was contained in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Laolu Akande in Abuja, Tuesday.

Daura, who was summoned to the Presidential Villa by the Acting President few minutes before his sack, was directed to hand over to the most senior officer of the DSS until further notice.

“The Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has directed the termination of the appointment of the Director General, State Security Service, Lawal Musa Daura, with immediate effect.

“Mr Daura has been directed to hand over to the most senior officer of the State Security Service until further notice,’’ the statement read.

Although no reason was given for the sack, observers believe it might not be unconnected with the surprise lockdown of the National Assembly entrance by operatives of the DSS which prevented only some members of the Assembly from convening, Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, providing details on the decision to sack the DSS chief, Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, said the blockade of the National Assembly, Tuesday, by operatives of the Department of State Services was unauthorized, just as he condemned it as a gross violation of constitutional order, rule of law and all accepted notions of law and order.

He said that the unlawful act which was done without the knowledge of the Presidency was condemnable and completely unacceptable.

A statement by Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Tuesday in Abuja, said Osinbajo assured Nigerians that anybody involved in the act would be punished.

“All persons within the law enforcement apparatus who participated in this travesty will be identified and subjected to appropriate disciplinary action,’’ the statement said.

The dismissed 64-yr old Daura has since been asked to handover to the most senior person in the secret service.

Meanwhile, Inspector-General absolved the police of any blame after a closed-door meeting with the acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said that the standoff at the NASS complex reached him as a surprise, adding that the police would soon issue a statement in relation to the impasse.

“Obviously, like I said, I have not got a detailed brief on that. In fact we are going to issue a (press) release (on that),’’ he said.

The acting President had on Aug. 7 sacked the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura with immediate effect, over Tuesday’s invasion of the premises of the National Assembly

by security operatives.

Osinbajo condemned the unauthorized standoff at the National Assembly complex, describing it as “a gross violation of constitutional order, rule of law and all acceptable notions of law and order’’.

He said, the “unlawful act, which was done without the knowledge of the Presidency, is condemnable and completely unacceptable.’’

The acting President, therefore, assured Nigerians that all persons within the law enforcement apparatus, who participated in “this travesty’’ would be identified and subjected to appropriate disciplinary action.

The sacked DSS boss had, along with the IGP and the Chief of Staff to the President, Malam Abba Kyari, earlier met behind closed doors with the acting President.

Security operatives have since vacated the National Assembly (NASS) after about 10 hours of blockade of the complex.

The operatives who vacated the premises at exactly 2.46 p.m, opened the entrance to the National Assembly and left few hours after the news of the sack of Mr Lawal Daura, Director-General of the Department of State Security Service (DSS) filtered in.

The atmosphere at the National Assembly earlier on Tuesday was charged as security operatives refused some lawmakers, newsmen and staff of the National Assembly entry into the complex.

The operatives, in their numbers, barricaded the entrance to the complex as early as 7 a.m. when workers were resuming work.

Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the blockade early Tuesday of the National Assembly gates by security operatives, describing the action as “illegal and undemocratic’’.

In a statement issued by his media aide, Mr Paul Ibe, in Abuja, Tuesday, Abubakar said that the purpose of the blockade was to force a change in the leadership of the Senate.

The security personnel, who barricaded the entrance to the National Assembly complex as early as 7 a.m., barred some lawmakers of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from entering the premises.

He condemned “completely, this atrocity and called on all those involved to put Nigeria first and abandon this madness.

“The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, guarantees both the independence of the legislature and Separation of Powers. Nigeria is a democracy not a military dictatorship and we, the people will never return to tyranny.”

The former vice president also urged President Muhammadu Buhari and Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to uphold the Constitution and law and order, which they swore to uphold on May 29, 2015.

“We warned that if what occurred in Benue last week was not checked on time, it would escalate to the federal level. Today we are seeing that warning in play. The Acting President, being himself, a professor of law, ought to know that setting such a precedent is an invitation to anarchy.’’

He said that there were better uses of the security forces at this time than to block the country’s legislature.

“Our people are languishing in the

•Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers, including Sen. Shittu Ubale(PDP-Jigawa), Sen. Ben Bruce(PDPBayelsa) and Sen. Rafiu Ibrahim(PDP-Kwara), Sen. Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP-Delta), and others celebrating their victory after gaining entry into the National Assembly, Tuesday. midst of unprecedented insecurity and nationwide killings. To, therefore, deploy our security forces in this present manner while Nigerians face these challenges is an abdication of responsibility, to say the least.”

Similarly, member of the Senate, Sen. Isa Misau, said the siege at the National Assembly on Tuesday by Department of State Service (DSS) operatives was a “bad example to other African democracies’’.

Misau, who represents Bauchi Central Senatorial District, said that barricading the gate of the assembly complex and denying some legislators access into their offices was a gross illegality and affront on democracy.

Misau is one of the senators who recently defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the People Democratic Party (PDP).

He told newsmen while stranded at the entrance of the assembly complex that legislators were representatives of the people and were also elected to protect the principles of

democracy.

According to him, it is unimaginable for a government that promised change, integrity and good governance to descend so low, barricading the entrance to the parliament, the symbol of democracy.

Condemning it, Misau said that such development had never been recorded in Nigeria’s history, not even during the military regimes.

“It has never been heard that security agents will prevent some lawmakers from going into their offices and allow a few to go in without explanation. Nigerians are watching and the world is watching. This is an embarrassment to the nation and it is bad for it to be coming from Nigeria.’’

He wondered why some legislators were joining the presidency in the call for the assembly to reconvene, saying they were part of the votes and proceedings when the assembly announced the recess “and they did object to it’’.

“Instead of the DSS to concentrate

on gathering intelligence to address the killings in the country, they are concentrating on politicians, politics and intimidating poor civilians.

“From Abuja to Kaduna, Abuja to Jos, you cannot go by road; you have to go with prayers and extra security.

In Sokoto, Zamfara, Benue, killings are going on every day; we are pleading with this government not to descend so low to commit such atrocities,” he said.

Also speaking to newsmen, Bruce said it was an affront on democracy, as he called on relevant authorities to call those responsible to order.

Sen. Rafiu Adebayo (PDP-Kwara) who was also one of the early comers at the complex was refused entry.

The lawmaker expressed his frustration over the siege, saying it was dangerous for democracy.

While asking the security operatives who gave them instruction to do so, he said,” has the military taken over the National Assembly now.”

what also happened at the Benue State House of Assembly, where 6 lawmakers of the 30-members assembly sneaked into the chambers to impeach the State Governor, Samuel Ortom, last month .

Some members of the National Assembly, including Senator Ben Bruce, succeeded in gaining entry into the legislative complex, even as security agents blocked access to the complex.

“Outside the National Assembly chambers with other defenders of democracy; Senators and House of Reps members. A few of us finally got our way in, but the media have been blocked from entry. However, we have our phones & will make sure injustice doesn’t prevail. #SaveOurDemocracy. “We will forever defend this hard fought democracy. Illegality will never stand! We are now in the complex but are yet to get access to the chambers as staff of the National Assembly in charge of this have been blocked from entering,” said Bruce via his Twitter handle, @benmurraybruce.

Meanwhile, following the end of the siege, President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki and Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, have announced indefinite postpone-

ment of meeting of National Assembly principal officers earlier scheduled for Tuesday.

The presiding officers, who made this known in a statement jointly signed by them in Abuja on Tuesday, said unpleasant development at the assembly complex accounted for the postponement “until further notice’’.

They said “following this unpleasant development, the joint leadership meeting slated for this afternoon has been postponed till further notice because it cannot hold under the prevailing circumstances. We cannot guarantee the safety of the 20 members from both chambers expected at the meeting.”

The officers condemned the barricade of the National Assembly by security operatives, describing as “a coup against democracy.’’

“The heavy presence of armed security men who unnecessarily militarised the legislative complex and harassed legislators and workers in the complex could not be justified in a democracy. Today is a sad day for democracy. “Very early in the morning, we got reports backed by video and pictures, from members of staff of the National Assembly, our colleagues from both chambers and other individuals, about the heavy presence of the security personnel.

DSS blockade was to effect coup at NASS –Misau

S

ENATOR representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Isa Misau, said, Tuesday, that the siege to the National Assembly gates by operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) was meant to facility a coup at the Senate.

Misau said the security operatives were deployed by some persons in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to provide cover for the party’s 30 members to effect a change of leadership at the senate.

Misau who disclosed that there was rumour of a plot to impeach the leadership of the Senate with only 30 members, however, pointed out that two-third majority of the senate membership was what was required by law for the impeachment of President of the Senate, even as he described the plot as “illegality” which would not stand.

“Yes, we have heard of the rumour by these people to change the leadership of the senate by impeaching the senate president Saraki, but then they are only 30 in number and they cannot do that,” said Misau.

However, it was alleged that some PDP members of the senate also got wind of the plot and decided to invade the complex, in order to prevent

The Oracle Today

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Wednesday August 15, 2018

NEWS ACROSS THE NATION

Kaduna PDP never promised automatic ticket to Sani – Chairman

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ADUNA State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it has not promised an automatic ticket to Sen. Shehu Sani (APC/Kaduna Central), in order to woo him to its fold.

“My phones have been inundated with calls people from people seeking to clarify alleged claims by Sen. Shehu Sani that the PDP has promised him an automatic ticket for re-election, if he defected to its fold.

“I want to make it clear that we have not promised the Kaduna Central senatorial ticket to anyone, including Sen. Shehu Sani,’’ Mr Hassan Hyat, state chairman of the party, said, Tuesday, in Jos, the Plateau State capital.

“It is only my office that can make that promise to him and we

have not done that. The PDP has not, and will not give an automatic to anyone, either new or old.

“I do not know who promised him (Sen. Sani) the ticket; certainly not me. And no one can do it on my behalf,’’ Hyat declared, adding: “But while we welcome him, if he chooses to come, we must add that he is coming to join others to fight for the ticket.’’

Meanwhile, the state Chapter of PDP, Monday, received Sen. Suleiman Hunkuyi and his supporters in Kaduna.

Hunkuyi, who represents Kaduna North in the Senate, was among the 13 APC senators who recently defected to the PDP and other political parties.

Hunkuyi was received by the State Chairman of the PDP, Mr Felix Hassan Hyet and other execu-

tive members of the party at the Trade Fair Complex, Kaduna.

Hyet urged them to work with the party to take power from the APC in the state come 2019, claiming that Hunkuyi brought APC to power in the state. ”I believe he has realised his mistake and would work hard towards correcting that by helping to send

him (the governor) packing from Sir Kashim Ibrahim House,”Hyet said.

Hunkuyi who arrived the venue of the event with other defectors was received by a crowd of supporters.

He said that PDP is fully back, rebranded and ready to take over power from the ruling party.

However, he claimed he made an error bringing el-Rufai on board in 2015. He begged for forgiveness over the role he played in bringing the APC to power in Kaduna.

“We came to join hands with our friends to liberate our state from the bondage of APC in Kaduna State. Let’s join hands with our great party PDP and change things.

Lagos-Badagry Expressway now deathtrap – Motorists, commuters lament

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OTORISTS, passengers and road transport union have expressed dissatisfaction over the state of the Lagos-Badagry International Expressway, describing it as a deathtrap.

Vice-Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Mr Oloyede Edun, said many lives had been lost to accidents because of the road which had been under construction for about 30 years.

He said in Badagry on Tuesday that armed robbers have now taken advantage of the pothole-ridden road to attack innocent motorists and passengers, dispossessing them of their valuables.

“Some passengers and motorists have lost their lives during robberies; when they slowed down because of the potholes, robbers shoot at the tyre of their cars causing accidents.

“This is an international road and it is sad that a journey of 45 minutes from Lagos to Badagry now lasts four hours. The axis from Trade Fair Complex to LASU Gate, Ijanikin and Agbara is so bad to the extent that motorists spend close to about three hours in the gridlock.

“Passengers and motorists cannot predict when to reach their destinations while plying the road.

People are being forced to wake up as early as 4.00 am to be on the road in order to get to Badagry and this is too risky,” Edun said.

He added: “We are appealing to the federal government to find a lasting solution to the deplorable state of the road.”

The NURTW vice-chairman called on government to possibly re-award the contract to another construction company.

Catholic Archbishop calls for unity among Nigerians

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•Former Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio being received by supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on arrival at the Uyo International Airport, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Tuesday.

95% of NYSC deaths due to road accident – DG N ATIONAL Youth Service Corp (NYSC) says 95 per cent of deaths recorded by serving Corps members is due to road accidents.

Director General of NYSC, Brig.

Gen. Suleiman Kazaure, said this while addressing corps members observing their orientation camp course in Katsina, Monday.

“Several serving corps members have been embarking on unnecessary journeys that led to their death.

“From the records before the Directorate, several corps members have lost their lives, while on fruitless journeys. Several serving corps members had been involved in road accidents due to the poor nature of Nigerian roads.

“For several years, Nigerian

ATHOLIC Archbishop of Jos, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, has urged Nigerians to unite with one another in order to attract even growth and development in the country.

Kaigama gave the advice, Tuesday at the opening mass of the 16th General Assembly of the archdiocese in Jos. The assembly was tagged: “Revival of the Catholic Traditions and Etiquettes in Contemporary Nigerian Church: Catholic Archdiocese of Jos in Focus.’’

According to Kaigama, tribalism, ethnic jingoism, religious bigotry and other divisive tendencies have over time constituted a serious bane in the developmental stride of the nation.

“It’s unfortunate that in Nigeria, we tend to harp more on things that divide us over those that unite us. I often hear people talk more about ethnic, political and religious divisions, rather than merit, hard work and togetherness.

“I don’t get to see people behave in that manner when I was abroad, but here at home, it’s a common practice. So, I want to urge all of us to talk more of things that bind us together rather than what divides us for only through that can we make meaningful progress as a naOVERNOR Abdullahi Ganduje tion,’’ he said. of Kano State on Monday said his former deputy, Prof. Hafiz He also called on the wealthy in the society to assist the indigent, Abubakar, resigned from his posisaying there was the need to tion for fear of being impeached.

Abubakar had on Sunday, August bridge the wide poverty gap in the 5, tendered his resignation letter to society.

By VICTOR NZE

tor General was long expected, following the manner Mr Daura ran the Service.

Ortom, therefore, urged the Presidency to also look into operations of other security agencies to save the country from the current wave of impunity.

Governor Ortom had earlier, Tuesday, similarly, condemned the invasion of the National Assembly by men of the Nigerian Police Force and DSS.

G

B

Governor Ganduje.

State Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, in statement issued to newsmen in Kano, quoted Ganduje as saying Abubakar’s resignation was sequel to a decision by 30 out of 40 legislators in the Kano State House of Assembly to commence impeachment proceeding against him.

He said that impeachment proceeding planned against the former deputy governor was based on “false, unfounded allegations and undermining the state government.’’

Garba said that the deputy gov-

had called on the NYSC management to provide more vehicles to Katsina State office.

Sanda said that so far, 2, 076 corps members had registered for their orientation in the state and advised them to participate actively in all the orientation programmes.

She commended the Katsina Government for proving lots of assistance to the state NYSC.

FG investigates alleged security breach at Sokoto airport

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EDERAL Government through its agency, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has commenced investigation into the alleged security breach at the Sultan Abubakar

My deputy resigned for fear of impeachment – Kano Gov.

Daura’s sack, welcome development – Ortom ENUE State Governor, Samuel Ortom has described the sack of Director General of Department for State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura as ‘a step in the right direction.’

A statement by Ortom’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Terver Akase, Tuesday, quoted the governor as saying the sack of the DSS Direc-

roads are death traps and corps members should only embark on necessary journeys. I am calling on serving corps members that have concrete reason to travel to always seek the permission of NYSC officials,’’ he said.

Kazaure called on serving corps members to always patronise government hospitals if they were sick.

Earlier, the Katsina State NYSC Coordinator, Hajiya Ramatu Sanda,

ernor was also accused of making unguarded comments capable of causing disaffection particularly in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the state in general.

According to him, the former deputy governor, “publicly forsake the Ganduje’s Administration and swore allegiance to his political mentor, Sen. Rabi’u Kwankwaso.’’

The governor also debunked allegation over threat to Abubakar’s life and that of members of his immediate family.

He said that the allegation was regarded as unbecoming considering his position as number two citizen, with a provision for statutory security detail.

Garba said that the former deputy governor spent over N150 million on foreign and local trips against his claims that the governor had not been paying his allowances.

Sadiq III Airport, Sokoto, by loyalists of a politician on August 3.

NCAA’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr Sam Adurogboye, the said this in a statement in Lagos, Tuesday.

Adurogboye said the authority was in receipt of reports of that a crowd breached security and gained access to critical areas of the airport.

The general manager said NCAA would not tolerate reoccurrence of such safety and security violations at any of the nation’s airports.

Adurogboye, however, advised members of the public to desist from unlawful acts, saying the authority would impose severe sanctions on any person, group of persons found culpable.

The general manager said the regulatory authority would continue to safeguard civil aviation against acts of unlawful interference at the nation’s airports.

He said NCAA, FAAN, Nigeria Police and other security agencies would continue to work together and ensure all airports were safe.

6

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15 2018

NEWS

Lassa fever: Don’t panic – Enugu Govt urges residents

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nugu State Government, Tuesday, urged residents not to panic or entertain any fear due to the confirmed case of Lassa fever death.

This is as the Ministry of Health, Monday, confirmed that one patient died in a government hospital in the state.

Permanent Secretary, the state Ministry of Health, Dr Ifeanyi Agujiobi, said in Enugu that “there is no cause for alarm’’.

Agujiobi revealed that the state had no other suspected or confirmed case of Lassa fever presently.

He said that the ministry had identified the high and low risk individuals, who came in contact with the deceased through contact-tracing, adding that they had been attended to medically on time; “since timely treatment checks the virus’’.

He also said that the government had contacted the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Abuja on the latest development and how the centre could come in and assist the state.

The permanent secretary noted that the state had already commenced a massive sensitisation against the disease in local radio and television houses, using native languages.

Already, the State Government has started deploying experts in epidemiology and health professionals to begin contact-tracing of doctors, health workers, family members, friends and food vendors patronised by the deceased.

It was learnt that the victim died in one of the Federal Government health facilities (name withheld) within the Enugu metropolis.

Agujiobi also said the health providers at the health facility tried to manage the patient but lost him.

Agujiobi revealed that the ministry’s epidemiology officials had commenced massive contact-tracing of those people that had contact with the patient.

He said that it was only one person, whose case was confirmed by Lassa fever test centre that died in the state.

He said the state has had no other suspected or confirmed case of Lassa fever.

The permanent secretary said that the ministry has deployed a team of health epidemiology officials to commence massive contact-tracing even up to the customers where the deceased patient sources his food.

“We have already done massive deployment of experts in epidemiology and other health professionals to start contact-tracing of the doctors, nurses and other health workers in the hospital that attended to the patient.

“The ministry will take the contacttracing to the family members and friends as well as even the food vendors patronised by the deceased.’’ he said.

Agujiobi noted that the state would also commence a massive sensitisation against the disease in local media using native languages.

Ohaneze Ndigbo, IPOB meeting peaceful – Nwabueze

By Theo Rays, Onitsha

T

he Ohaneze Ndigbo and the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Monday, held a meeting to consolidate on the cease fire agreement reached in June The meeting was brokered and hosted by constitutional lawyer, Prof Ben Nwabueze at his Atani residence in Ogbaru local government area of Anambra state.

Barr Alloy Ejimakor led the delegation of IPOB, while Dr Nnia Nwodo, the President General, Ohaneze Ndigbo, led his team to the meeting.

The host who spoke with journalists at the end of the closed-door meeting said that the friendliness and that occasioned the meeting was commendable, adding that the meeting agreed that all hands must be on deck to ensure that IPOB is delisted as a terrorist group.

He noted that there anything whatsoever to support the claim and listing of IPOB as a terrorist group by the federal government.

Prof Nwabueze solicited the support of all Ndigbo to the peace and reconciliatory moves noting that the Igbo cannot afford to continue to sing with discordant tunes.

Prof Nwabueze flanked by the Nwodo and Archbishop Emeritus of Anglican Communion, Rev Maxwell Anikpenwa while commenting on

the state of the nation said Nigeria has suddenly become so unpredictable and that anything can happen anytime without warning.

He said the Igbo is very much interested in the restructuring of the country than the Igbo presidency noting that Nigeria as presently constituted cannot work, adding that an enlarged meeting of IPOB, Ohaneze Ndigbo and the South East governors would soon convene.

W’Bank grants N70m to Enugu communities for development

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• Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (2nd left); Chairman, Conference of Speakers & Speaker, Kebbi State, Hon. Ismalia Kamba (left); Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa (3rd right); Speaker, Ogun State, Hon. Suraj Ishola Adekunbi (2nd right) and Speaker, Delta State, Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori (right) during a dinner in honour of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures at the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.z

Enrollees, councils trade blames over agric N-Power

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rospective enrollees into NPower agricultural programme in Anambra have complained of rejection by some local government authorities in the state.

The enrollees, who spoke in separate interviews with NAN correspondent on Monday in Awka, said some heads of departments of agriculture had refused to issue acceptance letters to them.

They named Awka South, Awka North and Anaocha Local Government Areas of Anambra among the council areas that had refused to issue the acceptance letters to several prospective enrollees.

The acceptance letter is a pre-condition which an enrollee must attach before he or she is finally enrolled into the Federal Government Agricultural Scheme, aimed at reducing poverty and unemployment.

A prospective enrollee told NAN, on condition of anonymity, that she selected Awka South Local Government Area for the N-Power Agriculture programme, but had yet to obtain an acceptance letter from the council. ‘‘I went to Amawbia, the headquarters of Awka South Local Government for my acceptance letter, the head of department of agriculture, said that the council was not issuing such letters. ‘‘I tried to explain to the official that we must get the letter in order to be enrolled into the scheme and that the deadline for us to submit the

acceptance letter is August 8, 2018,’’ she said.

Another prospective enrollee, who simply gave his name as Ugochukwu, said he had gone for his acceptance letter at Anaocha Local Government Area more than three times without getting the letter.

Ugochukwu claimed that the head, department of agriculture in Anaocha, told him that there was no logistics for the council to print such number of letters to persons seeking to enroll into N-Power Agricultural Scheme.

Reacting, Mr Chukwudi Orjiako, a Coordinator, Youths for Agriculture, Anambra, said it was an anathema for some council authorities to frustrate the efforts of youths in the state to enroll into the N-Power scheme. ‘‘Apart from the monthly stipend of N30,000 that the enrollees would be getting, the N-Power Agriculture programme will scale up food production in the state,’’ he said.

Orjiako appealed to Gov. Willie Obiano of the state to intervene in the matter with a view to ensuring that every interested youth in the area successfully enrolled into the programme.

Mr Ikeobi Ejiofor, the Transition Committee Chairman, Anaocha Local Government Area, debunked the claim that the council was turning prospective N-Power enrollees back. ‘‘We issued about 40 acceptance letters to them on Wednesday last week and have issued up to another

30 letters this morning to make sure that they meet the August 8 deadline,’’ he said.

On his part, Mr Leo Nwuba, the Transition Committee Chairman of Awka South Local Government Area said that his council initially issued acceptance letters to about 30 persons for the N-Power Agriculture Programme. ‘‘After issuing the acceptance letters to about 30 persons on Tuesday, July 31, later, another 100 other persons came demanding the same letters, I told them to wait for my office to properly clear with the N-Power Focal Person in the state. ‘‘When my HOD on agriculture contacted the N-Power focal person, I now directed that letters be issued to only genuine applicants and as well get their data for follow up action. ‘‘We have to do that because we will make sure that all those who chose Awka South for the programme must work because we have vast land for agricultural activities and we must monitor whatever they are doing,’’ he said.

Nwuba said that information available to his office showed that more than 400 persons selected his council for the N-Power agriculture programme.

Also commenting, Mrs C. Uzoka, the Focal Person of N-Power Agriculture Programme, said she was not aware that prospective applicants were having challenges in getting their acceptance letters in the state.

eneral Manager, Community and Social Development Project (CSDP), Enugu State, Dr Maximus Asogwa, says the World Bank has given seven communities in the state N10 million each for developmental projects.

Asogwa made this known on Monday in Enugu at the presentation of the first tranche (30 per cent) of the total fund to leaders of each of the benefiting communities.

Asogwa said the projects included extension of electricity, rehabilitation of roads/bridges, construction of classroom/principal office blocks, boreholes, market and civic centres, among others.

The CSDP boss reiterated the need for judicious use of the funds, stressing that accountability remained the watch word of the state government under Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

“We are happy that the World Bank in conjunction with the Enugu State Government has come to your rescue.

“The funds are ready in our office.

When you utilise the first tranche of 30 per cent as expected, the second tranche of 50 per cent will be disbursed to you.

“The third tranche of 20 per cent will be given for the completion of the project. Nobody is expected to divert the money for private use.

There should be transparency,’’ he added.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the benefiting communities are: Ameke-Oduma and Amanasato-Oduma communities both in Aninri Local Government Area and Emeora and Mbuluowo communities in Enugu-East Local Government Area.

Others are Etiti-Ozalla community in Nkanu-West Local Government Area and Amagu and Okachamma communities in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of the State.

Representatives of the communities lauded the World Bank, State government and CSDP for their timely intervention, saying the projects had rekindled their confidence in the government.

Each of the seven communities will get N10 million worth of project totaling N70 million with the projects scheduled to be delivered within six months.

It will be recalled that the World Bank, in conjunction with Enugu state government, had recently presented N40 million for developmental projects to four rural communities in the state.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15 2018

NEWS Anyaoku underscores importance of good governance in development

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former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, has said that good governance is an important element for socio-economic development and improving the quality of life.

Anyaoku said this, Monday in Umuahia during the public presentation of a book titled “A Scholar in Governance: A Kaleidoscope of Okezie Victor Ikpeazu” written in honour of Abia Governor.

He commended the state government for its efforts in ensuring that the principles of good governance were enthroned in its policies and programmes.

Anyaoku said that the state government had recorded significant achievements in areas such as road construction, education as well as promotion of locally made products.

“Gov. Ikpeazu is reputedly called, for obvious reasons, the performing governor. The governor is doing his best to raise to a new level, the image of governance in this state.

“I would like to add that a number of the testimonies described in chapter 12 of the book under the title of ‘Vox Populi’ buttressed it.

“I re-echo that same testimonial that I have no doubt that he has vin-

dicated his mandate, thereby earning the appellation of a performing governor.”

In his remarks, Prof. Blessing Didia, the Book Reviewer and Vice-Chancellor, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, described the book as a well-researched and lucidly written biography of Ikpeazu.

“It is an eloquent statement of determination and hard work to reach one’s realisation one’s dream, especially in a case like this where the dream is for public good.

“The content of the book indicates that hope is not lost and Nigeria stands a good chance of being redeemed by the likes of Dr Ikpeazu,” Didia said.

Responding, Ikpeazu said that his administration would not relent in implementing fair and effective governance in its programmes and policies.

Ikpeazu said that the state government would continue evolving programmes that would improve the welfare of the people of Abia.

Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and other dignitaries graced the occasion and the 13-chapter book was •Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State in the company of the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim written by five authors led by Prof. Kpotun Idris, when Emmanuel paid a courtesy visit on the Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris in Zaria.

Gozie Okpara.

NIGERCEM: Our IPA law will protect your investments -- Umahi assures Ibeto, American group

By CHINEDU NWAFOR, Abakaliki

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overnor David Umahi of Ebonyi state, Monday, assured the Ibeto Group Ltd, and its American Financier, Dream Team, of adequate security of their investments as plans to revive the NIGERCEM reaches advance stage.

Umahi who gave the assurance when the Ibeto Group and the Dream Team group paid a courtesy call on the governor, explained that the state has a law called “Investors Protection Act” that offers an irrevocable standing payment order with special agreement which insulates the investors from government interference and any change of government.

“In practical terms, it means that such investor with any interference by government will recover his investment from all funds accruing to the state government by the federal government”, Umahi added.

He praised the chairman of Ibeto Group, Chief Cletus Ibeto for his sincerity and respect for hard work, quality and unyielding entrepreneurial spirit.

“The Government and people of Ebonyi State are elated by the efforts being made by Ibeto Cement Company Limited, the core investor in NIGERCEM in establishing a new 6,000TPD dry process cement plant and 45 megawatt capacity power plant as first phase of the project at Nkalagu, Ebonyi State.

“No doubt, the brand name; Ibeto is a renowned household name in Nigeria and beyond that epitomizes quality which has been tested and trusted. It is also a name which is synonymous with success in all its business endeavours. We have no doubt whatsoever that his plans to build a new cement plant in Nkalagu will also be successful. I therefore enjoin the delegation to be rest assured of the fact that Ibeto will deliver on its promise and the quality of the NIGERCEM cement brand will no doubt surpass all other brands.

“Dr. Cletus Ibeto is a seasoned businessman who has had an enduring presence in the Nigerian business sphere which is unparalled with re-

spect to hard work, quality and unyielding entrepreneurial spirit.

“I hereby assure you of our total and unalloyed support to Ibeto Cement Company Limited to realize this NIGERCEM Cement Project and to assure you that the project is located in Ebonyi State, one of the safest states in Nigeria wherein your security and security of your investments and funds are assured which will translate to almost hundred percent return on your invested funds.

“Pursuant to the above, I and my Government at the onset of this administration assured Dr. Cletus M. Ibeto, the Chairman of Ibeto Cement Company Limited of the provision of infrastructural facilities to facilitate the realization of the Nkalagu Cement Plant Project.

“We have also made contact with the neighboring State of Enugu who has also extended the road into Northern part of Enugu State via Eha-Amufu which is an easy access to the Middle-Belt and Northern region of Nigeria respectively. We are not done yet, and we will provide all other necessary infrastructural needs, incidentals and security for the project and invested funds which our government is expected to provide.

“I use this opportunity in line with your global reach through the investing world stock holders particularly in the United States of America to invite you all to partake in the abundant investment opportunities in Ebonyi State in the areas of ore, salt, lead, coal, agriculture, amongst others, and we will provide enabling environment to nurture such investments as we have done and will continue to do for Ibeto Cement Company,” Umahi said.

Earlier, Chief Ibeto had in his speech said he deemed it necessary to bring the financing team on a courtesy call to the governor and people of Ebonyi state for familiarization sake as they are set to commence work soon.

Leader of Dream Team, Amanda Wester, assured government of Ebonyi state of their readiness to invest in the state even as she said they were happy about what they saw on ground.

PVCs: Get registered before August 17 deadline, Group urges Ebonyians From CHINEDU NWAFOR, Abakaliki

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non-governmental organization, Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI), has urged eligible voters in Ebonyi state who have not registered to do so before the closure date of the exercise.

The Oracle Today reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had announced that it would suspend voters registration on August 17, 2018.

The group made the appeal during the voters sensitization and awareness road walk/rally organized in collaboration with INEC in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital.

The road walk which took off at the state’s INEC head office along urban planning road Abakaliki witnessed large turn-out of people who matched along the major streets of the state capital calling on people to go and do voters registration.

The Chief of Staff to Ebonyi State Government and Principal of GDI, Dr Offor Okorie, who led the rally said the group would remain committed

to their radical mobilization and sensitization of women, men and the youths to get their PVCs and why Ebonyians at all levels irrespective of Political party must identify with good Governance.

He further disclosed the collective resolve of the group to support the reelection of Governor David Umahi.

“We have critically, examined the huge developmental strides of His Excellency, Engr Chief David Nweze Umahi in all sectors and at the same time in the 13 LGAs and found out that through his unprecedented strides, the governor has been able to justify the trust and vote Ebonyians gave to him during 2015 governorship election.

“This reason, among many others, coupled with our objective of identifying with good Governance, was why we matched in solidarity for the governor to ensure that come 2019, the present good Governance Ebonyians are witnessing and enjoying today will be authoritatively be sustained through our PVC and vote of continuity for Governor David Nweze

Umahi,” Okorie said.

Okorie also appreciated the support of the GDI Youth Wing towards Governor Umahi’s re-election bid and encouraged them to continue to do their sensitization against all odds to ensure smooth re-election of Umahi come 2019.

Chairman of Grassroots Development Initiative, GDI, Hon. Francis Ene, while addressing the participants at the end of the rally enjoined them to carry the campaign to all the nooks and crannies of the state to ensure every eligible Ebonyian get registered before the closure date.

The Chairman explained that Umahi’s administration has brought about infrastructure and human capital development that have empowered the youths, women, widows and the less privileged citizens of the state.

Ene said GDI believed that the only way the people could reciprocate the good governance being enjoyed in the state courtesy of governor Umahi was to get their voter’s cards in readiness to reelect the governor come 2019 general elections.

to Oba constitution.

During a keenly contested election conducted by the leadership of Oba Patriotic Union (OPU), for the royal cabinet members, Prince Ezenwa who defeated one Ichie Anichebe, one of the prominent royal cabinet members, is to act as the regent pending his late father’s last Ofala cultural festivals scheduled for December 3 to 9, this year.

In his post-election speech, Prince Ezenwa who regretted the demise of his father at this stage, however assured the royal cabinet members that his election as the regent would further cement the existing peaceful atmosphere in the community, which his late father worked hard to earn and maintained throughout his years of reign as the royal father.

Insisting that his late father’s spirit would be resting in peace with the peaceful way which he was elected the regent, as the first major activities taking place shortly after his demise, the regent disclosed that December 3 would mark his late father’s wake keep, while December 4 would be his burial date with the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Nicholas Oko officiating the funeral church service.

He further disclosed that December 5, 6 and 7 would be reserved for condolence visits, while December 8 would be the last Ofala cultural festival proper, adding that the entire festivities would be rounded off on Sunday, December 9 with an outing church service in the Anglican Church.

Anambra community elects late Igwe’s son as regent

By IBE NWACHUKWU

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ollowing the demise of the traditional ruler of Oba community in Idemili South Local government Area of Anambra state, Igwe Peter Ezenwa (Eze Okpoko I of Oba), at the age of 92, the Oba royal cabinet has elected his first son, Prince Noel Ezenwa as the community’s regent.

The late Igwe Ezenwa, one of the oldest and longest reigning monarchs in Igbo land, had joined his ancestors on May 16, this year in one of the Teaching Hospitals in Anambra state, thus creating a vacuum within the Oba royal cabinet, which prompted the cabinet to elect a regent to lead them till the last Ofala, before the process of selecting a new monarch could be established, according

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15 2018

NEWS Ebonyi senatorial aspirant promises youth employment if elected

By CHINEDU NWAFOR, Abakaliki

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n aspirant for the Ebonyi South Senatorial seat, Dr. Okoro Uchenna, Tuesday, promised to ensure employment of youths and provision of other dividends of democracy to the people of his constituents, if elected to represent the zone in the 2019 general elections.

Uchenna also said he would achieve this by engaging in an intensive and maximum lobbying that will bring the needed democracy dividends to his constituents.

The aspirant who disclosed this in a chat with journalists in Abakaliki linked the poor performance of some National Assembly members from the state particularly the present senator representing the zone,

Sonni Ogbuoji, to their inability to engage in maximum lobbying which was why a lot of democracy dividends have been eluding the people of the constituents.

“The act of legislation is all about lobbying. I will advocate for a maximum lobbying because there are a lot of things that are supposed to be given to our people which are not given to them. There are a lot of institutions that are supposed to be sited in Ebonyi state, but they are not being sited. There are a lot of positions that are meant for people from this state but we don’t get them because they look down on people from this state,” he said.

He vowed that if elected to the red chambers, he would ensure that Ebonyi people are not underrated and

equally use his connections within and outside the country to better the lots of his people.

“We are going there to let them know that we are equal with any people they can bring out. And therefore, whatever that belongs to our people. We will make sure it reaches out people. We will make sure that our youths are employed. There are a lot of employment opportunities at the federal level and even in the Foreign Service. There are a lot of Embassies that are looking for people but our people do not have access to these places but with our connections both within and outside the country. We will open leeway to make sure we help our Governor to attract foreign investments into this state,” he said.

Okoro noted he would use his position as a senator to complement the efforts of the Governor whose desire he said was to make Ebonyi the most economic viable state in the country.

“Foreign investments such as Industries to complement his efforts so that our people will be employed.

A situation where we have five industries per zones, you will see that all our people and our teeming youths will be gainfully employed and the economy of the state will be what his Excellency wants it to be, the best performing economy in this country”.

Asked why decided to abandon his medical profession for politics, he said politics was the only way one could get into governance to better the lots of the people, saying as a

Igboeze North community gets Eze-elect

Tributes as Ughanze, ex-federal legislator goes home in style

By IBE NWACHUKWU

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By Theo Rays, Onitsha

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muogwu clan in Amachalla community, in Igboeze North local government area of Enugu State has elected Chief Silas Uche Nzute as its traditional ruler in anticipation of government approval of the proposed autonomous community.

The government of Enugu is creating new autonomous communities but government sources say potential communities have to peacefully select or elect a traditional ruler before securing the approval as autonomous community from the office the governor via the Ministry of Chieftaincy Matters.

Chief Nzute, an ex-teacher and banker polled 93 votes to defeat two candidates to emerge as the Igwe elect of Umuogwu in a keenly contested election held under a transparent democratic process of Option A4 at the village square.

Chief Ifeanyi Anthony Nwodo got 79 votes as runners-up while the third candidate Ihesinachi Mamah polled 61votes.

In his victory speech Chief Nzute, a graduate of English from the University of Nigeria Nsukka noted that the people have spoken adding that he is impressed with the fact that the people accepted to toe the path of democracy and in the vein allowed peace to prevail on the electioneering process.

He assured the youth who massively supported him of better days ahead promising them that he will use his vast experience in teaching and banking as guiding post to help them help themselves.

“I will always be available for you, I am not resident at Enugu, Onitsha or Nnewi, I am here with you, call upon me anytime, any day I will answer you to expose you, recommend you and sign documents for approval where ever you applied for jobs,” he added In his words the eldest man in the Clan, Chief Ezeja Enwe onbehalf of the entire Clan thanked the people for giving peace a chance all through the Igweship election process and appealed to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to approve Umuogwu as an autonomous community ‘because they have fulfilled all righteousness by peacefully electing a Nzute as their ruler.’

medical Doctor, he was going to ensure laws that would improve health sector were made.

Okoro also disclosed that he would serve only one term if elected for the purposes of equity and justice since it would be the turn of OHANIVO to produce a Senator of the zone come 2023.

“I believe that by 2023, OHANIVO should take a shot at the Senate.

Because, if not that the governor is from OHANIVO now, it should have been their turn. Why some of us wants to go there is to ensure that justice and equity reigns”.

He also promised to stand against any form of injustice and marginalization of any part of the country if elected a Senator come 2019.

• Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi state (r) with Chairman of Ibeto Cement Company Limited, Dr. Cletus M. Ibeto, when a delegation from the company and its partner, Dream Team, an American Financier, paid a courtesy call to the Government House.

2019: ANN promises to provide credible leadership in Ebonyi

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lliance for New Nigeria (ANN), says it will provide credible leadership in Ebonyi if elected into power in 2019.

The party also said that Ebonyi would become preferred destination for investment within the first four years in office.

Delivering a valedictory speech, Dr Laz Eze, the immediate past state chairman of the party, said that ANN, which was registered in 2017, had recorded numerous achievements, especially in Ebonyi.

He commended party faithful for their commitment and dedication to the party and stressed that ANN has been fully re-positioned to capture political power in 2019 in Ebonyi.

“There are indications that our party is making remarkable progress, especially in Ebonyi, and shall take over governance in our state in the nearest future.

“Today is a historic day in the history of the state and I make bold to declare that a new Ebonyi beckons; our people shall cry no more for better days are ahead.

“I choose not to bore you with data indicating abysmal poor development indices including high maternal and infant mortality, high unem-

ployment rate, low literacy rate and low quality of life in general.

“Rather, I prefer to let you know that we shall ensure that every citizen in Ebonyi counts; we shall localise the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and use it as a frame work for the overall development of our beloved state.

“We believe that human beings, particularly young people, are our biggest assets, hence we shall develop programmes that will assist people to unleash their potential, ” Eze said.

Eze added that ANN would give human capacity development through qualitative education and skills, improvement in the quality of lives of Ebonyi people through sustainable and curative health care delivery service a boost.

He further said that sustainable economic development through capacity building and grants to small scale businesses and industrialists would be given priority under the administration of ANN. “We will change the sad political realities of our state and put Ebonyi on the path of sustainable development and growth if we are elected into power in 2019”.

He said that ANN was a child of necessity which has come to provide credible alternative to the people and bring them out of misery and years of misrule.

He urged the newly elected state executives of the party to work hard to sustain the achievements of the past executive in order to ensure that the party emerges victorious in the 2019 general elections in Ebonyi.

The congress elected 11-member state executive to pilot the activities of the party.

Members of the executive were elected by 50 delegates drawn from nine of the 13 local government areas of Ebonyi through affirmation in line with the party’s constitution and congress guidelines.

Mr Ifeanyichukwu Nweli was elected chairman, while Mr Austine Irem and Ifeanyichukwu Ude were elected vice chairman and secretary, respectively.

Nweli, who spoke on behalf of the other executive members, urged party faithful and loyalists to shun acts that could bring disunity and work towards strengthening the party.

He promised that the new executive would take the party to a new height.

t was a mixture of tributes and wailing by the political class in Oyi/Ayamelum Federal Constituency and indeed entire Anambra state as the remains of a two-term member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Celestince Ughanze was buried at his home town, Umunya in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra state.

The funeral ceremonies which commenced with a Valedictory session conducted for him by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Onitsha at the Onitsha High Court premises, was preceded by a funeral church service held at the St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Umunya.

The funeral ceremonies brought together members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) where he belonged, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) where his brothers and friends belong and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) where his relations are stakeholders.

Ughanze, a lawyer who died few months ago in a ghastly motor accident along Edo/Kogi states road, on his way from Lagos to Abuja where he was based, represented Oyi/ Ayamelum federal constituency between 2003 and 2011 at the national assembly.

Speaking a the ceremony, one of his closest relations from the same Ajakpani village, Umunya, Chief Christopher Anadumaka Chinweze, said he grew up together with the late Ughanze whom he described as a talented person and well-bred politician and a one-time Welfare Officer to Umunya Welfare Union.

Chinweze hinted that the Ughanze family would remain ever grateful if Oyi/Ayamelum constituency could find it worthy to immortalize him because he gave all he had to develop all the communities within the constituency when he was representing them at the national assembly.

Also speaking, the Anambra state Treasurer of APGA, Hon. Tony Nwakile, described Ughanze as an astute politician, accomplished lawyer and confirmed legislator and prayed God to ‘grant his soul an eternal rest in the bossom of the Lord.’

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15, 2018

POLITICS

I do not think we lost the election – Obaze

By Ify ARONU

How has it been living in Nigeria under the Buhari administration?

It is a mixed bag, we are gratified that we have democracy and the President was popularly elected; he had been a previous military Head of State and we were full of hope that the promise of change would manifest fully. The good part of it is that we still have a democracy, the downside of it is that the promised change has not come about fully and the dividends of democracy have not trickled down to the masses. We do therefore confront a paradox because in a democratic setting where people are supposed to benefit fully haven given their mandate and trust to a leadership, they have not received the political campaign promises and you begin to ask yourself, why?

The government have sent and continued to send mixed messages in terms of combating corruption and other challenges of the society but be that as it may, it is for the electorate to decide in 2019 if the government has done sufficiently well to merit a return to power for 2nd term or if they need to be voted out. As a citizen I have only one vote, I do not belong to the ruling party, I belong to the opposition and I have enormous respect for the office of the presidency and as an individual, I think that the president is a man of integrity.

As a leader with people working for him, there are certain areas that have left a lot to be desired. As the President, the buck stops at his desk. Therefore, in a circumstance in the country where we continue to manifests gross insecurity and bloodletting, I think that is unacceptable. In a country where the political opposition are being hunted using the apparatus of government to intimidate them is unacceptable and quite undemocratic. But by and large, it is a mixed bag but we keep praying that things get better.

You were a diplomat at the United Nations for over two decades before returning to Nigeria in 2012 to serve in government. While at the UN, you were engaged in Preventive Diplomacy and post conflict peace building. We have your kind in Nigeria yet we are neck deep in all kinds of conflicts. Is it that you do not have the space to act?

There is a cliché that a tree does not make a forest. What you need is to have a group of like-minded people coming together, rallying to a consensus to build the necessary atmosphere that allows the population to flourish. There are certain confidence-building measures that you must have in place. The greatest of all aspect of democracy is freedom; people must have a sense of freedom to know that your rise to the ordered liberties, freedom, expression, religion and others are not in any way tampered with. The essence of leadership to be up there and to ask questions, what can we do to improve the life and the lot of the people that we lead. Do they have confidence in us? And the policies that are put in place are they purposeful enough to serve common interest?

Do we have enough purposeful leadership in Anambra presently?

Because I ran for the governorship of this State, I have always restrained myself from commenting because any comment I make will be seen as criticism or a sour grape so I will pass on that question. But let me just say that Anambra as a State, we are not bereft of people of talent, people of vision, people of leadership. The question is, do we have them in government?

That is a question that is open ended and I will not respond to.

•Mr. Oseloka Obaze’s grants his first official interview after contesting in the November 2017 governorship election…

•Mrs. Aronu at the interview with Mr. Oseloka Obaze

Being a frontline member of the PDP, what are your thoughts regarding the return of former members of the APC to your party? Why are not we feeling the heat of defections in Anambra?

There are three major parties in government in Nigeria. The ruling party APC, the major opposition party PDP and the only other party that is in government in Nigeria is APGA in Anambra. Anambra is not feeling the heat because the governorship election has been held but there are still National Assembly elections, I think that tendency will manifest itself in full force.

Politics is about numbers and it is full of clichés. All politics is local and politics is about interests. What you are seeing are manifestations of political alignments and re-alignments, alliances that are built informally. It would ideally be acceptable were we to have the various parties coming together to form a coalition. We have had a grand alliance with the PDP and 39 other parties. I wish that those who are part of that alliance will stay in their parties and not cross over and negotiate the alliance and the benefits thereafter. But because the ruling party cannot go into alliance with the opposition, those in the ruling party, the reformed APC who no longer feel that they are sheltered in the party or that they share fully in the vision of the leadership, want to move. Cross carpeting is what they are doing. I think that in the circumstance we find ourselves, that is the only natural thing to do but it is just the thought lines that have manifested; alignments before the elections. Do not forget that some of these people left from the PDP to APC, they are only returning to the fold where they have always been com-

fortable.

Is it a good thing?

In a democracy, yes! Dynamism in a democracy is a good thing so long as it does not manifest in violence of any sort. It means that we still have the freedom to choose where to belong. Cross carpeting in the past has had this dubious connotation, that is no longer so in the context of our politics. In the civilized democracies, you do not see people leaving their parties to go elsewhere, they work hard to make sure that those who are making the aspirations of their party untenable are either forced to leave or change course. So that within a party, you have people who are extreme left wing of the party, extreme right wing and those who are centrists.

I would have loved to see that manifest, where people who are centrist will say, we stand here, those who are extreme right will be at the line and those who are left wing will say we are in this party but we will vote with the opposition until you get your attitude right. And that would force the leadership of the party to begin to change.

Politics in Nigeria has been considered more of a game of interest. Is that your brand of politics?

As a person, I do not have a brand of politics; that would be presumptuous. But I do have core values and principles that are applicable to my style of politics. I believe in politics without bitterness so in that regard you can say I am an apostle of the late Waziri Ibrahim who always urged us to practise politics without bitterness. I get along with anybody who is a politician regardless of your party. I do not see politics

as being synonymous with enmity or being adversarial. I see politics as being a difference in opinion in terms of what we are saying, a difference of values, a difference of articulation of direction for the government, a difference of understanding of the needs of our people. Beyond that, I am your normal politician that would seek to serve and ask people to vote for me not necessarily because I am better than the other person or superior but because I feel that I am more responsive to the needs of the people. That I understand far better how to address some of the challenges that we experience and that I am more sensitive to the needs of the people at the grassroots in terms of sustainable development, unmet needs and hierarchy of needs and challenges that confront our people on a daily basis.

Some say that you are not the ideal grassroots politician because you are a global personality. How do you begin to address that perception?

One thing I found being involved in local politics is that everybody claims to be a stakeholder and the reality is that most people who claim to be stakeholders are “statetakers”. They approach you as a politician to work for you and the first thing they say is that “you have to mobilise us”.

No! Where I studied and lived in America, if I like your politics, I like your brand, I like your message, I will come to you and saying that I want to volunteer, I want to make a donation towards your campaign, I will print flags for you and be involved. The reverse is the case here, people come to work for you and they want you to fund

Cont’d on page 11

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15, 2018

POLITICS

My mission is to restore Abia – Azubuike

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fter x-raying the myriads of problems facing Abia State - economic and political - Martins Azubuike, declared on Monday July 30: “It is in the light of the above that I seek the nomination of our Great Party, All Progressives Congress (APC), to run for the office of the Governor of Abia State in the 2019 General Elections, for a term of four years.”

Azubuike, a distinguished lawmaker who was a Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly for 18 months, said he would use only one term to lay a solid foundation for sustainable development of Abia. He said the angling for a second term was the albatross of many incumbents.

“You know when you say you want to run for office for a single term, people will think you are playing politics. But I mean it in every sense of that word. I don’t want to look at anybody’s face before doing the right things. One of the challenges I have found out why many chief executives of the States make mistakes, leave what they ought to do today for second term, is because of the need to win another election,” he said.

He also pointed out the period would be enough to prove to the world that an Ukwa/Ngwa can perform well when trusted with such responsibility. To him, the incumbent administration in the State being piloted by his fellow Ukwa/Ngwa was not doing well.

“The period (four years) will also afford me the opportunity redeem the image of the Ukwu Ngwa people who have been derided by the abysmal performance of the incumbent government, if that is the best that can come from the Ukwa Ngwa people after all the decades of agitation to govern the State,” he said.

His evaluation is that after 20 years of uninterrupted democracy, Abia has not fared well in terms of development. In the economic sector, industries have disappeared.

“After 20 years of democracy, where are the ceramics, Golden Guinea, International Glass industries, the Abia Palm, the Metallurgical Complex, the Abia Golden Chicken? Where are the multinationals that lined up the famous Factory Road at Aba?,” he queried.

This development has left Abia a “99% Federal Allocations dependent,” despite her natural endowments, the governorship aspirant noted.

According to him, past leaderships of the state which hitherto blamed military interregnum in the state for such a misfortune, failed, themselves, to harness “the blessings of tourism that Ohafia can engender, the blessings on top and underneath the soil in Umunneochi,” and left “weak institutions and strong individuals.”

Abia has schools everywhere, he said, but less education, health here and there but no healthcare,” coupled with non-implementation of “fiscal responsibility land act in the state.”

He said that his legislative duties have exposed him to the “secrets” of Abia as he has interfaced with every important sector of this state.

As Chairman House Committee on Appropriation, Azubuike claims he was part of the team that introduced and developed International Public Sector Accounting Standard (IPSAS) in Abia’s budgeting process; and was Chairman, House Ad-hoc Committee on verification and Legalization of Autonomous Communities, which solved the problem of illegal communities.

He also disclosed that he was a member of the Committee on verification of shops in Ariaria International Market, which generated reports that could solve the Perennial problems of the market but regretted

Martins Azubuike, representing Isiala Ngwa North State Constituency in Abia State House of Assembly, is one of the most ranking lawmakers of the state legislature. Articulate, eloquent and seen as a leading light of the Assembly, Azubuike upped his game on Monday, July 30, 2018 when he threw his hat into the ring for the 2019 Abia State governorship contest. He told his teeming supporters and party leaders that he is an apostle of transformation because his vision is predicated on restoration of Abia. The lawmaker said his sojourn at the Abia State House of Assembly has equipped him to take on the responsibilities of the executive, having worked closely with that arm of government. BONIFACE OKORO who witnessed Azubuike’s declaration at the All Peoples Congress (APC) Secretariat in Umuahia, reports…

•Azubuike

After 20 years of democracy, where are the ceramics, Golden Guinea, International Glass industries, the Abia Palm, the Metallurgical Complex, the Abia Golden Chicken? Where are the multinationals that lined up the famous Factory Road at Aba?

“

that administrations in the State have not mustered the political will to implement that report which has the potentials of turning the fortunes of the market around.

He said he knows the problems of civil servants like the back of his palms, adding that as Speaker of the 6th Assembly, “I defended and still defend workers’ welfare/ wellbeing.

“I have seen why we are the way we are as a State and I want to report to this house that if I fly the ticket of this party and win elections, the things we need to do to turn around this State, I already

know them,” he said.

Azubuike said he would run an eightpoint agenda through which Abia would be developed.

They are Agriculture, Commercial and industrial Development, Education, quality and affordable healthcare, Civil and Public Service Reform.

“The professional civil servant, technocrats that we pay every month are redundant,” he remarked. “All their jobs have been outsourced and they stay in the office sleeping, whereas they ought to generate ideas and implement them for the

betterment of the State. We are going to rewrite all that history.

Other parts of the agenda include Youth and Woman Development, Infrastructural Development and Judicial and Justice sector reform.

“With the above foundation in place, coupled with the enablers such as peace and security, social justice and democratic freedom, we believe that Abia will then be placed on sustainable path to socio-Economic Growth and Development.

“It is important to emphasize that giving attention to the eight-point agenda does not imply neglecting other important sectors of the Abia economy,” he stressed.

“Abia is faced with the tragic consequences of poverty and under-development across all sectors and localities in the State, our mission is to qualitatively transform the Abia State economy and society,” he said, while unveiling his mission.

“We shall work tirelessly to create a dynamic State economy designed to serve the people’s interest, and in which all citizens, through market forces, are combined with the forces of partnership, solidarity and cooperation, to create and produce goods and provide services for all; “We will establish a free and democratic society in which the powers and actions of Government are lawful, and where those in authority are held accountable to the people,” he added, stressing that accountability was equally lacking in the Abia polity of today. “We want a State where, when the Commissioners of Finance and Accountant General return from FAAC every month, you publish FAAC records for the State to see what proceeds you received. That, for me, is accountability.” He also promised to “build a fair and just society, which provides basic needs, ensures equal opportunities for self-development through education and gainful employment.”

In addition, Azubuike also promised to “run an administration that defends the dignity of the human person, judges its strength by the condition of the weak, provides security against fear, and delivers the masses from the tyranny of poverty, oppression and abuse of power.”

On his restoration agenda, Azubuike said his administration would take Abia “to its rightful place as an enviable commercial and industrial destination, particularly amongst her sister States in South East and Nigeria at large” in order to create a veritable foundation upon which many other development initiatives would thrive.

“One beautiful challenge today in our State is the absence of foundation. We do not have foundation for good governance in this State. And that is what I want to provide as a Governor; lay a solid foundation so that successive governments can build on it. ”We will lay a sustainable foundation for good governance upon which our administration and future administrations shall dispense governance with a sense of humility, honesty, transparency, and commitment to the overall welfare of Abia citizens

Cont’d on page 11

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15, 2018

POLITICS

My mission is to restore Abia – Azubuike Cont’d from page 10 and residents.

He noted that the absence of any written document has been the bane of Abia’s development. ”But in the absence of any written document for the development of the State, people do what they like. The Governor wakes up in the morning, one aide will come smiling and say, let us give wheel barrows and we begin to give out wheel barrows; let us call people today to come and eat at Banquet Hall and we invite people to come and eat in Banquet Hall. That is because there is no foundation; no document for development.

“The restoration agenda therefore shall be committed to the principles of participatory democracy that lays emphasis on the welfare of our people. And salvage the people form their current suffering.

He listed other things his administration will do if given the mandate of the people.

“We will enthrone the principles of public accountability in order to restore confidence in the institutions of government, promote discipline and leadership by example as basis of public life and personal integrity as an important moral value in the conduct of public affairs.

“We will enthrone the principles of social justice and the equality of opportunities for all Abia citizens.

“We shall ensure that those put in positions of authority and power, including the Governor, will regard themselves as holding such authority and power on trust for the people.”

He said he would rejig Abia revenue gen-

eration machineries and systems such that money meant for government would go into government coffers and not into private pockets.

“When you are prudent, when you do the right things first, they will engender money to do the other things. But when you entrench frivolity, and play to the gallery and waste the little funds at your disposal, everybody will be worse off for it,” he observed.

He promised to promote inclusive governance. “Our governmental shall promote and support adequate political education so that all Abians would enjoy the non-negotiable opportunity to participate in decision-making,” he said, adding that he would stamp out sycophancy in the system.

Azubuike has discharged himself creditably as a lawmaker. Many thought he would aim at the National Assembly but were surprised that he decided to take a shot at the governorship of the State.

He is the second person to officially declare his interest in the governorship contest come 2019, coming after Dr Alex Otti who is staging a return match on the All Progressives Grand Alliance platform.

The third is Chief Friday Nwosu, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s kinsman who contested the Peoples Democratic Party governorship primary in December 2014 with the Governor and had to drag him to the Supreme Court to challenge Ikpeazu’s candidacy. Nwosu is also running on the platform of the APC. How far Azubuike would go would be determined by the outcome of the Abia APC governorship primaries.

•Azubuike

I do not think we lost the election – Obaze Cont’d on page 9

everything that they are doing. In that regard, I am not a fan of that kind of politics at the grassroots. The other part of it is that a lot of our people who are involved in grassroots politics are fundamentally unemployed, people without means. So for them, politics is a game of seeing what they can benefit from one candidate or the other that is why people jump from left to right and that is why people insist that in politics in Nigeria, you must have a structure. No, I do not have to have a structure. Structures are expensive to maintain.

Structures are in some way very adversarial, either you are with me or against me.

Structures are very polarising and divisive.

I would rather say this is who I am, these are my values, if you buy into them, come out and work for me; if I win, be assured that you will benefit not just as an individual but a member of the society at large. I think that is the only difference between me…and of course exposure compels you to see things differently. I have travelled to 65 countries, I have studied politics, I have been to countries that are fully totalitarian and I have lived in the best of democracies so my approach to it is to bring the added value of my exposure to politics and not to be reduced to the level of politics of stomach infrastructure where everything is reduced to what you can get or what you can give.

Do you think that as one man you can change the practice in Nigeria? Could that be the reason why you lost the governorship election last year?

Well, I do not want to be drawn into the

election and why we did not win or why we lost. I have said it; I do not think we lost the election. If we lost, we lost to vote buying which INEC failed to monitor, we lost to tampering with the card reader, which INEC did not admit. What happened in Anambra has manifested itself in Ekiti and I am glad that an INEC official admitted that what happened in Anambra happened in Ekiti. INEC did not live up to expectations and dubious elements within the INEC using electronic fiat, card readers and tabulations continue to upend the popular will in terms of elections. We’ll leave it at that but haven said that as an individual, one must accept that the process of evolution is a continuum. Politics is a continuum. Governance is a continuum. So, If I can add value in what I do, then it is up to people who are like-minded to come together and say let us see how we can rally our people, our processes, our political considerations to work in the better interest of our people.

us will come into the fray and you would have to force the rest of us out. That haven been the case, we have the governor from Anambra North Senatorial District and he is going to serve out his full eight terms, I am contented that that has happened. For me to come back in 2021 and say I want to run for governor means that I am not a principled person and It will throw up the challenge to the South and the Central and I think this time it is the turn of the South, so I will look to find somebody from the South whom I can support, who I think can promote the interest of Anambra State. For running for public office now, I do not see that in the brim of the political stratosphere but they tell you that in politics, you never say never. If circumstances become extenuating, and change that will compel that without basically ridiculing my stand as a principled person but that is a bridge too far and we can only deal with that when we get there.

So will you be back in the governorship race in 2021?

No! As I speak to you, I am not running for any office. In 2021, governorship, as a matter of principle the answer is no because I campaigned for the governorship to come to Anambra North. I fought for it and when we got it, it went to the incumbent governor and I supported him. One of the reasons why I ran for governorship in 2017 was because some people tried to torpedo the arrangement to chase out the governor from the North because they said he was not doing well. My position was that we had a contract that would allow the North to rule for eight years and if you are going to force him out, the rest of

In your own assessment, has the present government in Anambra from Anambra North extraction, done well?

You are dragging me into an aspect of politics that I do not want to get into. I told you, if I said anything it would be considered as either a criticism of the government. Like I said, this is the first formal interview I am granting since the election.

Let us leave it to the electorate to judge in the fullness of time. Those who voted for this government had a choice of either the incumbent governor, myself and Tony Nwoye, all from the North. They presumably voted the incumbent governor. Four years will pass in a hurry and they can evaluate if this is actually what they voted for.

Your book, Regarscent Past, A Collection of 74 Poems, that much volume! How did you come about that and what have you achieved with it?

It is interesting; life is poetry. I started writing poems in secondary school. I had actually written the first volume of my poems back then, I sent it to a publisher in Ibadan and somehow, it got lost in the mail. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find the transcript and let it go. I write poems as I go along and at a point I thought I should publish my collection of poems and that is how Regarscent Past came in to being. It is worthwhile; it is a reflection of places I have been, things I have experienced, people and events around me adapted into those 74 poems. I am actually working on a second collection. My poems are written as I go, as I experience things and as the spirit moves me. As you know, the word “Regarscent” did not exist until I created it, just to say what is in this poem is something captured and I am sharing it with you from my own perspective. I am amazed and in certain ways gratified that people find them interesting and intriguing.

What is the place of family in all you do?

I live for my family. That’ is the photograph of my family (motions behind him).

My wife and I are blessed that we are able to have and raise five children. They have all done well. Interestingly, none of them has ventured into the path of politics and diplomacy like the dad. They inspire me.

They tell me that mum and I have set the bar too high and every time they try to catch up, we raise the bar.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15, 2018

FEATURE

Ozubulu remembers slain worshippers, demands justice

From JONATHAN AWANYAI, Ozubulu

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YEAR ago, Ozubulu, in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State had a sour taste of massacre when 13 people lost their lives as assassins attacked St. Philip’s Catholic Church, shattered the peace of the early morning mass of 6 August. A memorial service was held Monday in remembrance of the dead.

The mass, which was held at St. Philip’s Catholic Church, venue of the shooting that remains unresolved, attracted the presence of Ozubulu indigenes and their friends.

Tears flowed freely.

Rev. Fr. Jude Onwuaso, who was the officiating priest on the day of the attack, conducted the memorial service. In his sermon, the parish priest recounted the ugly incident, saying that God had shown the people love since then.

“We were reciting ‘I believe in one God’, which the congregation chorused amen and immediately I introduced the prayer of the faithful, some huge sounds like volcanic eruption filled the church. Initially, there was total silence and confusion, but suddenly, pandemonium set in,” he recalled.

“At first I thought I was in a dream, but it was real. There were sporadic shootings inside the church and people started running in different directions.

In fact, satanic agents and enemies of Christ entered the church for the purpose of killing innocent children of God. What were left behind were pools of blood of fellow human beings inside the church.

“For months, our parish became a hot zone as people from all parts of the world came to see the atrocity committed in our community.

“I am deeply touched by God’s care and love this one year, as He has shown us love through the diocese and beyond the shores of Nigeria.”

He commended the parishioners for putting the incident behind them, noting that it never discouraged them from attending masses and worshipping God. While calling on people to love one another and pray that what happened last year should not repeat itself, he commended the police and voluntary agencies that came to the aid of the wounded and the dead by conveying them to hospital and the mortuaries until the burial service that later took place.

He also thanked the Anambra State Government and society at large for sympathising with the people in their time of grief and consoled the families that lost their loved ones and the injured.

Among those in attendance at the memorial was South African-based businessman, Chief Aloysius Ikegwuonu, the suspected target of the attackers. His father was among those shot. He died a day after in hospital. Nollywood personalities Chief Pete Edochie, Chinyere Wilfred, Bob Manuel Udokwu,

Rita Edochie, also attended.

Some indigenes of the community who spoke to The Oracle Today regretted that one year after the incident nobody has been convicted for the incident.

Vin Onyekwelu, an ex British police officer who spoke to The Oracle Today said August 6, 2017 would remain a black day in

the annals of Ozubulu. “As we mourn our brothers and sisters that passed on, it is regrettable that justice has not been delivered. Today love, peace and unity remain with us because we won’t allow anyone to take that away from us but it pertinent for justice to take place so as to stop deter others”

While speaking on Aloysius Ikegwuonu, he described him as a man loved by his people with no criminal records. He said that it is regrettable that certain people have tried to cast negative aspersions on certain individuals, making successful people to have question marks.

“Some people have been arrested as regards this issue and we will continue to insist on prosecution and penalties to be dished out. Not just because of the lives that were cut short in the most gruesome manner inside a sacred place of worship by merciless killers, but also because, on that fateful day, the sleepy farming community was conspicuously placed on the world map for a very wrong reason.”

Another indigene, Leo Onyeka said that for years to come, at the mention of Ozubulu, images of the blood stained floor of Saint Philip’s Catholic Church would immediately come to mind. We demand justice for them and security agencies must rise up to ensure justice in this case.”

Chinedu Akpunonu (44), Vincent Ike (57), Chukwudi Ugwu (30) and Onyebuchi Mbanefo (46), are on trial for the Ozubulu incident on 37-count charge bordering on conspiracy and murder. Three other suspects are still at large.

However, the case took a new dimension, as the matter was later administratively transferred from Nnewi High Court to Awka High Court following heightened tension over security and the increasing number of people who turned out during court sittings on the matter.

The Oracle Today

News

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Wednesday August 15, 2018

INEC discovers 19 illegal polling units in Akwa Ibom

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NDEPENDENT National Electoral Commission (INEC), said, Monday, it has discovered 19 illegal polling units in Akwa Ibom State.

Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr Mike Igini, who made the disclosure at Enlarged Stakeholders’ Forum in Uyo, Monday, said that the illegal polling units were in Obot Akara and Uyo Local Government Areas, adding that that some of the polling units were located in hotels, church, mosques among others.

He said that INEC found that the polling units concerned were located in violation of its guidelines; therefore there was the need to relocate and rename some polling units in the state.

Igini, however, urged the people not to see the relocation of the polling units as a creation of new polling units, stressing that that no new polling units had been created.

He said the essence of the forum was “to enable us see face to face and interact freely. “ “We are here to present the commission electoral plan and strategic implementation plan, hear from you and carefully consider the concerns and ideas of everyone on how we can serve you better,” he said.

The REC cautioned politicians who might have plans to rig the 2019 general elections to desist because INEC of today has evolved beyond rigging.

Igini said INEC had “advanced to a level where everything is tracked.“ “We must conduct an election that will be accepted by the people without recourse to the tribunals. We have done it elsewhere and we will do it here. You are going to have little or minimal petitions. Election is a time where the independence and integrity of institutions like INEC, security agencies and judiciary are tested.”

He also said the forum was organ-

I have not resigned – A’Ibom deputy governor

From INI BILLIE, Uyo

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EPUTY Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr Moses Ekpo, Monday, refuted reports that he has resigned from his position and quit the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In a release made available to journalists in Uyo, Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor, Mr Ekikere Umoh said the reports which were widely circulated by the online community in the state was not true.

He said the deputy governor has not defected from the PDP but was currently representing Governor Udom Emmanuel at the 2018 International Convention of Ati Annang in New York, United States of America.

Noting that Ekpo was yet to return to the state, the statement called on the people of Akwa Ibom state to continue support Governor Udom Emmanuel and the PDP, so that the state can move to the next level.

“The attention of the Office of the Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State has been drawn to certain rumours and misrepresentations in a section of the media to the effect that the Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Moses F. Ekpo, MFR, has resigned from office.

“The reports particularly from the online community further make allusions to the effect that the Deputy Governor has also defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“There is no iota of truth in the story making the rounds. The purported report is therefore nothing but a poorly concocted piece of a malicious hatchet job and a pack of lies, and should be appropriately ignored.”

ised as an opportunity to engage stakeholders of all political persuasions and have a robust engagement.

The REC advised leaders of political parties in the state to talk to their party members the need for them conduct ensuring strict adherence to the code of conduct of the electoral acts.

He stressed the need for political parties to commence the process of identifying committed party members to serve as agents during the general elections.

Igini assured that the forthcoming election would not tolerate or accommodate thuggery in the state.

“Campaign messages should encapsulate the principles of accommodation, decency and with strict adherence to the rule of law.

He emphasised that the best way to win the forthcoming general elections was to mobilise supporters to get their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

Igini, however, noted that collection of PVCs in the state was 50 per cent, a development he described as very low.

The theme of the forum is “Broad outline of 2019 Election in Akwa Ibom, The Road Map. “

•Governor Ben Ayade recently attended the maiden edition of the National Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise - MSME Awards 2018, at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja where Cross River State won the Youngest Entrepreneur of the Year award.

2019: Dickson reads riot act to political appointees From CLEM ONYEMAECHi, Yenagoa

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HEAD of the 2019 general elections, there appears to be some disquiet in the Bayelsa State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), going by what transpired at the recent Consultative meeting of stakeholders of the party with the state Governor, Seriake Dickson.

The meeting which took place in Government House, Yenagoa had all the leaders of the party in the state in attendance, and Governor Dickson speaking in an unusual mien.

The Governor had made it clear to the party faithful that only popular candidates will fly the PDP’s flag in the 2019 general elections and underscored the need for members of the party to work together in building a cohesive and united PDP, rather than engaging in anti-party activities that could undermine the party’s fortunes ahead of next year’s general election.

He stressed that, if the PDP must win all elective positions from the state to the national levels, members must learn to build consensus with the party’s leadership in the state.

Describing the meeting as a family affair, Governor Dickson maintained that the party remains supreme and called on all to place the party’s interest above personal ambitions to enable them succeed in the forthcoming elections.

The Governor, who also pointed out that they needed to take great care in selecting candidates that could win elections at all levels, however, acknowledged ‘only God chooses leaders.’

“In the last two and half years, things have not been the way we have known them to be. In 2015, your party and your state have been in opposition, with the kind of government that you all know is at the centre. Yet, we have all managed to do what we have done in very trying circumstances and in an uncharted territory.

“There is no other governor of this state that has that experience of leading a party to a battle when you are in opposition and managing stability in the party, state and the

government.

“I thank you all for the support and the prayers of all of you that have enabled me to lead the government of our party and also thank the state PDP chairman and Executive members for the stability in the party co-ordinated by experienced party leaders that have kept our party alive.

“For the first time since inception, our party is in opposition and that means that within the party, our way of politicking has to change to reflect the fact that you are in the opposition. And we need to know that our party’s chances of success or failure depend on your actions and comments publicly about your government back home. In the end, it is not you that is bigger than a system or government so you should proudly own the achievements of your government.

“You want to spoil your own government even more than the opposition. That kind of evil politics has to stop. What they don’t know, is that, whatever they want to be and when we meet at the primary level, it is the strength of the party and government here led by me that you are going to battle with. That’s the reality.

“So it is amateurish for you to start politicking by attacking your own government and a government that everyone is celebrating. In what area have we not tried our best?

You can’t solve all the problems of a people and of a state or a nation in 8 years though.

“In the last two and half years, we have been concentrating on working even when they bring issues, we brush it aside and concentrate on the work and that’s why you have these showings in all sectors. At the end of the day, people will judge us not by what other people didn’t do but what we have done. We are now getting to the stage of politicking where from the other side; they will see that there is a government and a party that is ready for them.

“From now on, I will be interacting on how to build consensus in the local government areas for the various elective offices. I want you to take charge of the processes. I prefer the situation where the people themselves take ownership of

our candidates. I frown against personal sentiments that will rob us of good candidates; we will overrule and override that. We want to support people that can win elections freely and fairly and such candidates should be able to understand and respond to challenges”, he roared.

Earlier, the State Chairman of the Party, Mr Moses Cleopas expressed optimism about PDP’s victory in the 2019 general elections and urged political appointees, who are prospective aspirants to resign on or before August 15, 2018.

According to Mr. Cleopas, 4th to 24th August is slated for the sale of forms for state and national assembly elections, while screening of aspirants would hold on the 27th of this month.

The PDP Chairman, who called on would-be aspirants to exhibit the spirit of sportsmanship before, during and after the elections, announced the 15th and 19thof September this year as dates for the primaries for the state and National Assembly elections.

Meanwhile, Governor Dickson has asked his appointees, who want to contest for any political office to resign their appointments on or before the 15th of this month.

Governor Dickson, who gave the directive during an interactive meeting with all political appointees at the Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha Memorial Banquet Hall, Yenagoa, said it was in line with the guidelines of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the forthcoming elections.

According to the Governor, the meeting was convened as one of the proactive steps of preparing the minds of the appointees towards the elections He specifically directed all affected appointees to apply themselves to the standard practice of rendering their resignation letters to the Office of the Secretary to the State Government for proper acknowledgement and documentation.

The Governor, who re-emphasized the need for prospective aspirants to fervently pray and consult all critical stakeholders, insisted that, the PDP would only yield its platform to only those, who have the pedigree to win elections in their various con-

stituencies.

According to the Governor, the PDP would once again demonstrate its dominance in the politics of Bayelsa by winning all the state and national assembly seats, because of the laudable successes recorded by the Restoration Government in the State.

“For those who want to contest, who have the ambition to contest, you are in politics because you are ambitious. It is not a bad thing that you want to contest an election, to offer yourself for service. Pray well because by faith all power comes from God. Consult well too because in this game, the tools are human and we are in the business of serving human beings.

“Consult the people that are important to the decision that you are about to make. There are so many leaders of the party including myself.

Make sure you consult from bottom to top.

“For those of you who have prayed well and consulted well, because of the guidelines, you will now have to tender your resignation. It must be sent to the office of the Secretary to the State Government. Many of you do not know this, so take note.

“You know what we went through in the last governorship election in the state, that’s what you should expect from the opposition. We only went through and won because of experience and because we took measures to stop them and that’s what all our candidates should be doing. “You have to go home regularly to meet and interact with your people, leaders and voters, those that can help you win. After this meeting, from next week we will begin the process of consulting the leadership.

Nobody will sit down in Government House to choose candidates.

Earlier Special Adviser on Political Matters, Hon. Fyneman Wilson, said the meeting was convened at the instance of the Governor to sensitize the appointees on the requirements of the party and to avoid litigations during and after the elections.

According to Hon. Wilson the state PDP has commenced the deployment of its registers, cards and other vital materials to all the 105 wards in the state to ensure a successful registration exercise.

The Oracle Today

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Wednesday August 15, 2018

News

Don’t disrupt 2019 polls – INEC cautions politicians

From INI BILLIE, Uyo

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KWA Ibom State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Mike Igini, has cautioned politicians against disrupting the 2019 elections in the state, noting that plans to rig the 2019 elections in Akwa Ibom State will fail.

Speaking on Monday in Uyo during a stakeholders engagement on the theme, “Broad outline of the 2019 elections in Akwa Ibom State: The road map,” organised by the National Electoral Commission, Igini said such schemes will not work as the Commission has a strategy to track all INEC materials.

Noting that only the will of the people will count in the elections, the REC said with the deployment of modern techniques in the 2019 elections, the use of political thugs for ballot snatching, result falsification, among other electoral vices, will be out of place.

Advising politicians making preparations to receive defectors or to defect, to do so with the people in mind, he said, “It is our hope that politicking across the country will centre on the people. Because in this state, under my watch, it is the will of the people that will count. It is the votes from the units that will count. It is the political parties that will submit names of candidates to the commission.

“In this state, we shall conduct free, fair and credible elections.

The rules of the process will be observed first by the umpire that must demonstrate that it must be trusted to conduct election, and the trust must be earned by our actions and inactions, the things we do or fail to do.

“We must conduct an election that will be accepted by the people without recourse to the tribunals.

We have done it elsewhere and we will do it here. You are going

to have little or minimal petitions.

Election is a time where the independence and integrity of institutions like INEC, security agencies and judiciary are tested.”

Igini who stated that the forum was organised to engage stakeholders of all political persuasions, to have a robust engagement, assured that the security agencies he will be working with will provide a level playing field for all political parties to thrive.

The INEC REC used to occasion to advise leaders of political parties to talk to their party members to understand the need to conduct themselves well by ensuring strict adherence to the code of conduct and section 130 of the electoral acts.

On Voter’s Permanent Card, Igini decried that about 15 per cent have got their PVCs in the state. He asked political parties to mobilise supporters to get their PVCs so that they may be able to vote during the elections.

He revealed that 19 polling units which had been located in bush; hotels, churches, and people personal houses, had been shut and new ones opened in public places.

Akwa Ibom State governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, who also spoke in the forum, praised Igini for the assurance of integrity at the forthcoming elections, and expressed the wish that INEC at the centre would make and stand by a similar pledge.

The governor disagreed with the claims of a credible election in Ekiti State, noting that even international observers faulted the outcome of the election. Emmanuel appealed to INEC to use subsequent elections building up to 2019 to restore the people’s confidence in the institutions.

“Akwa Ibom has a face and it stands for integrity. We appreciate the REC for his assurance of integ-

Okowa bags NOC Merit Award

G

OVERNOR of Delta State, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa has bagged Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) Merit Award for his outstanding roles in the development of sports in the country.

In a colourful award ceremony held in Asaba Saturday night, President of NOC, Engr Habu Gumel personally presented the award to the governor at the ceremony which also, saw such notables personalities as Rt. Hon. Sir Adetokumbo Ademola, Sir Awotire Eleyae, late Alhaji Babayo Shehu, Chief Falilat Ogunkoya-Omotayo, Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteguonor, Sir Isaac Uwadialelkhuoria, among others receiving awards at the ceremony.

Governor Okowa thanked God for using him as an instrument for the development of sports and urged government at all levels to be committed to the development of sports.

“I must truly thank the President of NOC for the award given to me, it will spur me to talk about sports and encourage the development of sports. We should get more committed to our athletes and sports development and I believe that government can drag the private sector to support the development of sports because, with the support of government and the private sector, our sports men and women can do more.

“I thank the organizers of this award, it is very instructive and very heartwarming to get the award done because there is no one who does not like to be appre-

ciated for his good deeds, I believe with this awards, we have encouraged our sports men and women or encouraged their children to continue with strides; we should have a space to continue to appreciate those who have won laurels for us both locally and internationally,” Okowa said.

The governor used the occasion to also appreciate those who have contributed to the success story of the African Athletics Championship.

He noted that, “this championship has greatly touched the economy of this city and our state, but beyond that, sports is a unifying factor and many of our young ones will be encouraged to go into sports and use sports to better their lives; there is nothing you spend in sports that is a waste.”

Minister of Sports and Youths Development, Barr. Solomon Dalung, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr Adesola Olusade said Governor Okowa has distinguished himself as a patriotic Nigeria by making it possible for Asaba to host the Senior Athletics Championships and commended the NOC for recognising talents that have contributed to the development of sports in the country.

Engr. Gumel commended the committee that selected the award recipients recognising men and women who have won gold for the country and congratulated Governor Okowa for the successful hosting of the Asaba 2018.

rity, and hope that INEC at the national headquarters would speak same way,” he said.

Emmanuel who expressed optimism that many questions and fears surrounding the 2019 elections would have been answered and allayed if the president had assented to the electoral bill, asked that the president should do so, to give Nigerians hope of a free, fair and credible elections.

He called on security agencies to organised similar stakeholder’s meetings and trainings to prepare their men on roles and expecta-

tions during the exercise to avert playing a counter-productive role against INEC. Addressing the stakeholders engagement also, the Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom State command, Mr. Adeyemi Ogunjemilusi, said that the police would maintain neutrality and impartiality to ensure that all forms of intimidations on the electorates are eliminated.

He announced the intention to train security personnel on what is required of them before, during and after the elections. Ogun-

jemilusi warned against any form of intimidation or harm against corps members deployed to the polling units.

“No youth corps members will be molested, harmed or killed in Akwa Ibom State. We are going to view any embarrassment on corps members more seriously than any other offences in the state. If you foment problem you go in for it, we are going to prosecute all electoral offenders. We must have peace and security and we must not allow any clash of events,” he said.

•(From left to right): Governor of Delta State, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa receiving the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) Merit Award from President of the committee, Engr Habu Gumel.

Bayelsa Govt. to set up 3rd state-owned varsity From CLEM ONYEMAECHI, Yenagoa

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HE Bayelsa State Government will soon add another university to the existing two solely owned by the state, Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson has said.

Iworiso-Markson said in a statement that the State Governor, the Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson, has already forwarded a bill to the Bayelsa State House of Assembly for the establishment of the Bayelsa Medical University, Yenagoa.

The other two existing universities are, the Niger Delta University, NDU, Wilberforce Island, Amassoma, and the University of Africa, Toru-Orua, all owned by the state government.

According to the Information Commissioner, the specialized university designed to have multiple campuses, will be strategically established in the five hundred-bed hospital facility in Yenagoa, to train medical professionals in the state.

The Government Spokesman added that the Bayelsa Medical University is expected to specialize in primary healthcare and tropical medicine and would also serve as a teaching hospital for specialist training in the state.

According to the Commissioner, the university will be affiliated to reputable medical institutions abroad, such as the Apollo Medical Hospital in India and other reputable world class medical institutions abroad.

“A bill for the establishment of the Bayelsa Medical University for the training of medical professionals in the state has been sent to the State House of Assembly for necessary action. The university expect-

ed to take off in the five hundredbed facility in Yenagoa, is designed to be a multiple campus institution.

“Already a lot of work has gone into this crucial project. The university is a good way of putting that facility in use. The Bayelsa Medical Facility will have links to top flight institutions abroad such as Apollo Medical Hospital in India and other reputable world class medical institutions abroad.

“The Specialized institution will also be a teaching hospital for specialist training in primary healthcare and tropical medicine in the state,” the commissioner said.

Iworiso-Markson said that, the university was a masterstroke of the Restoration Government, deliberately put in place to address the critical issue of the dearth of medical professionals in the state.

Kano: Mass resignation hits Ganuduje’s office, as 10 aides resign

T

EN aides of Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State have tendered their resignation letters, barely two days after the former Deputy Governor of the state, Prof.

Hafiz Abubakar resigned.

One of the former aides, Dr Abdullahi Zubairu Chula, disclosed this while briefing newsmen in Kano on Tuesday.

Chula, who spoke to newsmen on behalf of his aggrieved colleagues, said their decision was informed by their desire to join their leader and former deputy governor of the state, Prof Hafiz Abubakar.

“We decided to resign because our leader, the former Deputy Governor, Prof Hafiz Abubakar has also left the government,” he said.

“We felt it necessary to leave this government because we cannot continue to stay in a government where our leaders felt threatened.

Chula, the Special Adviser on NonGovernmental organisation, said among those who also resigned are: Shamsu Aliyu Samanja (Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs) and

Alhaji Hafizu Bichi (Special Adviser attached to Deputy Governor’s office).

Others are: Dr Bakari Ado Hussaina (Special Adviser on Education), Alhaji Namoda-Birnin (Special Adviser on Grave yard), Habibu Abubakar (Senior Special Assistant) and Idris Salisu Rogo (SSA attached to Deputy Governor’s office).

The rest are: Usman Kassim Bichi (Special Assistant to Deputy Governor on Education), Hafizu Alkali Jingau (PA at Deputy Governor’s office), Shamsu Kura (Special Adviser Media) and Rukayya Jibrin (Senior Special Assistant on Drug) He said all the 10 aides had since forwarded their resignation letters to the Secretary to the State Government (SSG).

The Oracle Today

15

Wednesday August 15, 2018

News

Akpabio’s defection, a relief – A’Ibom PDP

•APC conspiracy against Oro nation – Group From INI BILLIE, Uyo

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HE reported defection of the former Senate Minority leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has been described as a relieve from dictatorship.

Speaking, Tuesday in Uyo on the issue, Chieftain of the PDP in Akwa Ibom state, Chief Sylvester Akaiso, said the exit of Senator Godswill Akpabio from the PDP is a relieve to the party and the people of the state.

Akaiso, who was a member of Godswill Akpabio Campaign Organisation in 2007 and 2011 said the news of Akpabio’s defection was received with joy across the state, especially by the Oro people.

Akaiso who noted that the PDP is now completely relieved of dictatorship, said Akpabio’s exit has liberated the Oro people from suppression, adding that as governor, Akpabio did not do anything for the Oro ethnic group.

He revealed that many All Progressive Congress members in Oro ethnic nationality have declared their intentions to leave the party if Akpabio is admitted into APC, adding that PDP members have also said they will not follow Akpabio to APC because he was joining the party for selfish reasons.

He commended Governor Udom Emmanuel for being a listening governor that has managed the state well and brought balance and equity in his administration.

He called on the governor to consolidate his hold on the government by spreading his indus-

trialization programme across the state.

“The Akwa Ibom State PDP is now completely relieved of dictatorship. Majority of the people have resolved that they will not follow Akpabio to APC because they quickly noted that his movement to the APC was purely for selfish or personal reasons.

“We in Oro ethnic nationality feel liberated in the PDP from Akpabio’s exit because the era of suppressing Oro’s interests is gone forever. The era of sabotaging Oro deserved status, especially her 4 local government areas of Oron; Okobo; Urue Offong Oruko and Udung Uko being recognised as core Oil Producing Area is also gone forever.

“The feeling in Oro now is that we will swim or sink with Governor Udom Emmanuel who will receive bloc votes from Oro come 2019,” he said.

Meanwhile, a group, Oro Reclamation Movement, said only the zoning of the governorship seat to Oro nation by the APC will bring about true unity, peace and development of Akwa Ibom State as envisaged by the states founding fathers.

In a statement signed by the International President of the group, Mr. Anietie Isong, it said it watched with disgust and dismay the ongoing intrigues surrounding the purported defection of Akpabio meant to among others truncate the Oro 2019 aspiration.

The group regretted that under the political deal between Akpabio and the EFCC ahead of his defection, the senator has agreed to defect to APC, support the party to win the 2019 governorship election by supporting the

Shell targets ‘thousands’ in medical outreach in Rivers communities

S

HELL Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) is targeting thousands of men, women and children in Rivers State in its free medical outreach aimed at preventing, detecting and treating various ailments in Rivers.

SPDC’s General Manager, External Relations, Mr Igo Weli, launched the programme in Obite in Rivers, Monday for six communities in Assa-Obite pipeline right of way.

Weli, represented by SPDC’s External Relations Manager, Land East, Dr Chibuzo Anyim, said that thousands of Nigerians have benefitted from the Shell Community Care Programme since its launch a decade ago.

“In the last eight years, over 610,000 persons have benefitted from the programme including commercial road transport and tanker drivers in the Niger Delta.

“What distinguishes this programme and makes it so popular and accepted is that doctors come to the doorsteps of the recipients with promotional, preventive to curative health services.

“As a company, we are passionate about health and safety as well as committed to the people in the communities we operate. We uphold a maxim of ‘we care’ in our business.

Weli said that beneficiaries would be screened for cervical and breast cancer, dental and eye care and cardio-vascular issues while testing, counselling and treatment

would be performed for minor chronic ailments.

Weli identified communities to benefit from the medical outreach as Egita, Obite, Akpata, Ohiaugo, Egbeda and Ikiri, all in Emohua and Ogba-Egbema Local Government Areas of Rivers.

He said the exercise was part of the company’s commitment to advance relations and sustain its corporate social responsibility with its host communities.

“Also, it is not uncommon to see people turn to unproven alternative treatments or wait for their conditions to degenerate into serious medical conditions before seeking help.

“So, with the presence of our doctors in the benefitting communities, we expect everyone to take advantage of the opportunity by presenting themselves for screening and treatment.

“To this end, our presence today in Rivers State is part of a broader care agenda to our major stakeholders in project communities.

Weli said that Assa-Obite pipeline was an integral part of Assa North-Ohaji South Development Project that marks a major expansion of Nigeria’s gas production.

The general manager said the move was part of a strategy to support the Federal Government’s natural gas master plan aspirations through the development of reservoirs in the Assa-Ohaji fields in Imo.

Managing Director of the NDDC and his former deputy whom he tried to impeach out of office, Obong Nsima Ekere from Ikot Abasi of Ibibio extraction while he was governor of the state.

In all of these political calculations, betrayal and sell-out, the group wondered where the interest of Oro ethnic nationality lies in the political calculation of the APC, in the unfolding political dynamics ahead of the 2019 Akwa Ibom governorship election.

“It is saddening that since the

creation of the state, Oro ethnic nationality has continued to be marginalised in the scheme of things despite her many sacrifices and contribution to the growth and development of Akwa Ibom.

“No one can deny that Oro nation alone generates over 60 per cent of oil revenue accruing to Akwa Ibom yet the area has little or nothing to show for in terms of infrastructural development or political appointment.

“The on-going APC conspiracy against Oro nation seems to further affirm the perception that some greedy forces and cabal wants the Oro nation to remain

in perpetual servitude and political slavery.

“The APC marginalisation of Oro nation just as it was under the PDP started with the deprivation of the region of the NDDC MDship which should have gone to the zone.

“The on-going defection drama of Senator Akpabio which seeks to prop Nsima Ekere for Governorship and the Deputy Governorship zoned to either Uyo or Ikot Ekpene Senatorial district with the Oro nation once more marginalised and left out of the political calculation is one marginalisation and deprivation too many that the Oro nation will never accept,” he said.

Maj.-Gen. Musa Yussuf, the outgone GOC handover to his successor,Maj.-Gen. Jamil Sarham, as the new General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Monday.

Spate of defections may push Nigeria into anarchy – Presbyterian Church Prelate

From ANIEKAN ANIEKAN, Calabar

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RELATE/MODERATOR of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria has said that the rate of political defections may push the country into the state of anarchy His Eminence Most Reverend Nzie Nsi Eke maintained that if this should happen, God and prosperity would hold them responsible for crumbling the coun-

try’s hard earned democracy.

He made this statement at the Hope Waddell Parish, Calabar while briefing newsmen on the forth coming 23rd General Assembly meeting to mark the 172-years of effective ministry of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria.

According to the clergy, “as a church we are aware that politicians have of late embarked on defections from one political party to the other, it is our hope that

New GOC assumes duty at 6 Division in Rivers

M

AJ.-GEN. Jamil Sarham, Monday assumed duty as the new General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Maj.-Gen. Musa Yussuf, the outgone GOC of the division presented his successor, Sarham, at a formal handing over ceremony at the division’s headquarters in Port Harcourt.

Yusuf said the the new GOC would continue to promote professionalism which had remained the main focus of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai.

“The division has attained an acceptable standard of regimentation and professionalism through the introduction of different training activities which appeared alien to some.

“I have no doubt that my successor, Sarham, being a visionary person, will improve on the already

existing achievements in the division for the benefit of the Nigerian Army.

Musa said the division had in the past six months held several trainings to improve the proficiency of officers and soldiers under the division.

“The training was conceptualised to re-awaken all towards ensuring that the formation’s direction is in accordance with the COAS vision of having a professionally responsive Nigerian Army.

“I am fulfilled that most of you have now taken more interest to enhance your professionalism and regimentation since the introduction of the training activities,” he said.

Musa has been posted as GOC to 81 Division, Lagos.

He urged troops under 6 division to remain focused and extend same cooperation and loyalty to his successor.

those defections will not push the country into a state of anarchy by disrupting the political process and crumbling our hard earned democracy. Should this happen, God and posterity will hold the political class responsible”.

He condemned in its entirety the wanton destruction of lives and property in different parts of the country saying that as a church the situation calls for worry calling on the president of the country to expedite action and halt the killings.

The prelate chastised the traditional and religious leaders of thoughts and government at all levels for not doing enough to address the killings and unemployment situation which he identified as be responsible for the spate of insecurity in the country urged the opinion leaders to rise to the challenge so as to put an end to the problems so that Nigeria can become better.

“I am worried about the wanton destruction of lives and property across the nation. Not only the killings by herdsmen, but also the high rate of communal clashes gives me much concern”.

He called for the revamping of the nation’s security architecture adding that as a onetime soldier whom God has blessed to become the chief of staff and commander in chief of the arm forces President Buhari can still do something remarkable to address the situation.

16

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15, 2018

NEWS

Zenith Bank’s H1 loans drop to N1.9t

By KAYODE OGUNWALE

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oans and advances disbursed by leading commercial bank, Zenith Bank Plc, showed significant drop in the first six months of the year, indicating tightening liquidity in the domestic money market.

The squeeze in the volume of funds available to borrowers comes even as the bank’s commercial returns surged in the period, wiping away fears of shareholders over the viability of the bank to deliver dividends.

According to the company’s half-year report available to our correspondent, Zenith Bank reduced loans and advances granted to its customers during the first half of the year.

...Declares N9.42b interim dividend for shareholders

Loans and advances dropped from N2.100 trillion in December 2017 to N1.873 trillion in the period under review.

The lender customers’ deposit also dropped from N3.438 trillion to N3.166 trillion at the end of the current half-year.

Reasons for drop in loan disbursements were not immediately clear but analysts fear that the development might be directly connected to the cash drought in the economy where government has pulled massive cash from commercial banks into the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

However, the drop in the volume of disbursed loans had little

impact on earnings’ growth as the board of directors declared Monday an interim dividend of N9.42 billion at 30 kobo per share from the retained earnings account as at June 30, 2018.

According to the bank’s halfyear results also available at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), the interim dividend is above 25 kobo that was declared same period in 2017.

Closure date is August 20, while payment date is August 24, 2018.

Further analysis of the financial statement shows that gross earnings were down by 15.3 percent, from N380,440 billion in 2017 to N322,201 billion in 2018.

Profit before tax was up by 16.5 percent, from N92,183 billion in 2017 to N107,358 billion in 2018.

Profit after tax grew by 8.5 percent, from N75,317 billion in 2017 to N81,737 billion in 2018.

Interest income was down by 12.8 percent, from 262,257 billion in 2017 to N228,670 billion in 2018 while cost to income ratio stood at 49.0 percent in 2018 and 45.2 percent in 2017.

Its earnings per share rose by 20 kobo, from 240 kobo reported in half-year 2017 to 260 kobo at the end of the review period.

Zenith Bank Plc had reported profit after tax of N177.93 billion in full year 2017 from N129 billion

How defections swept Daura, DSS boss, away Cont’d from Pg 2

of the DSS to the hallowed ground of the national assembly to subvert the will of the people against an arm of government is the most ridiculous conduct by trained secret service agents. In fact, the DSS has become more or less the armed wing of the APC. “Let us for once instill some sanity in our democratic practices. Let us assume our role as the giant of Africa both in deeds and practice.”

Goodhead resists siege, Bruce accuses Akpabio Legislators, staff, guests, and journalists who arrived at the National Assembly were refused entrance by masked DSS operatives who said they were acting “on orders from above”. They gave no other details.

Among the legislators that resisted was Boma Goodhead, a Member of the House of Representatives, who dared the operatives to shoot her.

Senator Ben Bruce was at another corner granting interviews on actions that must be taken against the operatives and Senator Godswill Akpabio whom he said was one of those behind the siege to the National Assembly.

No more orders from above – Uwazurike “One consequence of the reported sack of the DG, DSS, is that the Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, has made it clear that the siege to the National Assembly today was without his approval.

The phrase ORDERS FROM ABOVE did not mean that he authorised the siege,” Chief Goddy Uwazurike, lawyer and former President of Aka Ikenga said. “As a pastor and a law professor as well as a Senior Advocate, he knows that he must wash his hands on this matter. But, the real issue will come when PMB must choose between the Acting President and the DG of DSS. The cabal is very well entrenched in the kitchen cabinet of PMB.” Atiku commends Osinbajo Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar commended Osinbajo, for listening to the clarion call of Nigerians and taking action to halt the “illegal and anti-democratic blockage’’ of the National Assembly by operatives of the DSS. He said by sacking Daura, Osinbajo had given meaning to the cries of Nigerians that they would not tolerate such anti democratic ac-

•Seiyefa : IN

tions. “The former Vice President gives his utmost support to this action,’’ a statement by his media aide Paul Ibe said.

“These are delicate times for Nigeria and all lovers of democracy and the rule of law must be extra watchful lest anti-democratic forces take advantage of all we have worked hard to build,” Abubakar said.

NASS invasion, threat to our democracy - Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youths In a statement, Ohanaeze Youths said: “We totally condemned the National assembly siege by they DSS, Police and other security agencies. We notes with serious concern the growing attack on constitutionalism in Nigeria and brazen acts of impunity by elected officials. In the last one month, a magistrate court was sacked, disobedience of court orders was justified by the Attorney General and there are growing cases of high handedness by security officials. These events point to a despotic democracy and a gradual decline of the Nigeria state to Anarchy the Igbo youths con-

• Daura : OUT

demned it as despicable and a serious threat to Nigeria’s democracy, the actions of the Department of State Security (DSS), Nigeria Police and security forces, in barricading the gates of the National Assembly and preventing the functioning of an independent arm of government. These actions are unconstitutional and negate Nigeria’s democratic development putting almost 20 years of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic in great crisis and danger.

Nigeria’s Constitution and laws and the National Assembly Rules define clear procedures for removal of presiding officers. Seeking to forcibly and violently interfere with the leadership of the National Assembly, points to dictatorship. Nigerians fought very hard against the military dictatorship that seized all of us in December, 1983 in a coup led by General Muhammadu Buhari and enthroned democracy in 1999. It is our concern that today’s barricade of the National Assembly represents a series of undemocratic actions by the executive arm of government that poses major questions about Nigeria’s practice of democracy.

This falls into a growing list of de-

liberate attempt to undermine the constitutional order by this government. We note with appreciation the decisive step taken by the Acting President to sack the DG DSS. While we commend this action, we see an urgent need for the Acting President Yemi Osibanjo to direct all security agencies in Nigeria to pull back and remain permanently out of the premises of the National Assembly.

Security forces should respect the institutions of democracy and claw back from the atmosphere of fear and dictatorship that has now entered our democratic space we warned.”

Dr Kingsley Dozie, the Acting National Leader, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youths, signed the statement.

Akpabio’s role Those who claim that Senator Akpabio, former Senate Minority Leader was party to the invasion, said that the plan was for the Senate to reconvene, so that Akpabio could have the 15 Senators he claimed he would defect with to APC, do so on the floor of the Senate. Thereafter, the numbers

Cont’d on page 47

declared in 2016 audited results, representing a growth of 37.2 percent.

The bank’s revenue also spiked from N507 billion in 2016 to N745 billion in 2017, representing 46.6 percent.

Expectedly, the bank’s share price surged by 5.71 percent during the half year 2018, from N23.65 kobo it opened the year with to close at N25 kobo per share.

Ojoto women to float tricycle/ shuttle transport

By UZO UGWUME

T

he Ojoto Akanasato Women Association in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra has revealed its plan to float a tricycle transport to aid movement between Ojoto Uno and Ojoto Obofia communities.

Meanwhile, Ojoto women have been charged to raise their children in the fear of God to enable them shun social vices like cultism that could ruin both their future and the entire community.

Speaking recently at Ndi Abo Hall, Ojoto Obofia, OAWA President General, Mrs Obiageli Okwujiofor said the tricycle transportation would also foster relationship between the women and people of the two sister communities.

Mrs Okwujiofor said although the Ojoto communities have the same ancestors, they live in different divides saying that it is not every time they see each other.

She said that their Annual Women August meeting provides them with the opportunity to see one another from both Obofia and Uno, home and abroad, Christians and non-Christians alike.

“Our motto is idi n’otu amaka-togetherness is good. The entire women of Ojoto Akanasato from both sides, home and abroad, Christian and pagans use this August meeting to sit together, relate and pray together as brethren,” Okwujiofor said.

“With the banning of Okada, we have an agenda to establish a keke or shuttle transport company to be plying this Mmili-John route that connects Ojoto Obofia and Ojoto Uno. Although that depends on the money we realize.”

She said Ojoto Uno women have bought a piece of land while Ojoto Obofia built canopies, chairs for rentals adding that both sides want to come together and establish a tricycle transportation outfit.

Vice President, Mrs. Augustina Anyichie and Secretary, Mrs Akunna Cecilia in their separate speeches enjoined the women to build godly homes that would bring about development in the community.

The women were told to monitor the kinds of friends their children associate with to avoid them engaging in sexual pervasion, cultism and other social vices inimical to development.

Highlights of the event includeed health seminars, prayers for the land, award presentation to the immediate past executives like Mrs Nneka Obunadike, Lady Elizabeth Ilonze, etc.

17

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15, 2018

BU$IN£SS

•Energy •Finance

•Stock

•Insurance

•Aviation

•e-Platform

Half Year Report: Diamond, FBN, others earn over N1t

…Lend N7.2 trillion to customers

By KAYODE OGUNWALE

N

•CBN Governor, Dr. Godwin Emefiele According to results breakdown, Sterling Bank reported a 63.4 percent surge in net profit for the first half ended 30th June 2018. The lender reported a profit after tax of N6.2 billion on gross earnings of N77.6 billion as against profit after tax of N3.8 billion on gross earnings of N57.1 billion during the corresponding period of 2017.

Commenting on the result, Chief Executive Officer of the Bank, Mr. Abubakar Suleiman, attributed the growth in key financial indices to largely driven by a 25.1 percent growth in interest income and a 56.5 percent growth in transaction banking revenues, emphasizing the bank commitment to the retail drive.

Suleiman disclosed that net operating income was up 29.1 percent, on the back of a 54.8 percent reduction in impair-

CBN EXCHANGE RATES AUGUST 7 2018 Currency

Buying(NGN)

Central (NGN) Selling(NGN)

US DOLLAR 304.75 POUNDS STERLING 406.7803 EURO 359.3307 SWISS FRANC 308.4202 YEN 2.7587 CFA 0.5255 WAUA 428.7237 YUAN/RENMINBI 46.0631 RIYAL 81.258 S/A RAND 22.8843

305.25 407.4477 359.9203 308.9262 2.7632 0.5355 429.4271 46.1391 81.3913 22.9218

305.75 408.1151 360.5098 309.4322 2.7677 0.5455 430.1305 46.2151 81.5246 22.9594

ment charges. “Sterling Bank experienced significant improvement in asset quality as cost of risk declined further by 86 basis points to 0.8 percent from 1.6 percent in June 2017, reflecting the strength of our risk management framework. Overall, profit after tax rose by 64.8 percent to N6.2billion resulting in a 370-basis point increase in return on average equity to 12.2 percent.

On the prospect of the bank for the second half of the year, Abubakar Suleiman said Sterling Bank would continue to explore and exploit opportunities already identified across the growth sectors of the economy while actively supporting special intervention and social investment programmes.

On his part, the Acting Managing Director/Chief Executive

Energy

Chevron claims lead in flare gas valorisation P20

Officer, Wema Bank, Ademola Adebise, while commenting on the results, said the performance of the bank in the first half of the year was largely in line with the expectations of the management.

He stated that deposit grew by 39 percent to N354.88 billion on the back of continued acceptance of the Wema Bank brand and the sustained success of its flagship digital bank, ALAT. Adebise said, “We also improved our earnings capacity; gross earnings increased by 5.12 percent from N30.37 billion in the first half of 2017 to N31.93 billion in the first half of 2018, while profit before tax closed 27.44 percent higher at N1.83 billion.

“The bank continues to execute its five-year retail strategy with a clear mandate to improve performance by leveraging innovation. The emphasis for us is not just to digitise our product offerings to customers but also to build a technology driven backend infrastructure to further improve on turnaround time and efficiency.

Ecobank Group CEO, Ade Ayeyemi, said, “These results show the considerable achievements we are already making in the execution phase of our strategy.

For the first half of the year the firm generated profit before tax of $213 million, an increase of 41 percent from the same period a year ago, and a return on tangible total shareholders’ equity of 20.9 percent.

“We were encouraged with the levels of client activity we saw in most of our businesses and precisely in our deposit-generating franchise. As a result, customer deposits grew 12 percent in constant currency, improving the firm’s liquidity and ability to lend to customers. The enormous efforts we have made to improve asset quality is also paying off.

We have started to see improvements in our credit portfolio, re

IGERIA’S Seven (7) out of the sixteen (16) commercial banks have announced N1.053 trillion gross earnings in their unaudited half year ended September 30, 2018.

According to the half year reports released so far by Diamond Bank, FBN Holdings, Wema Bank, Ecobank, Union Bank, FCMB and Sterling Bank, their gross earnings grew by 4.15 percent against N1.011 trillion during the same period of 2017.

The available data shows that Sterling Bank recorded highest gain of N20.54 billion and 35.96 percent in value and percentage terms.

Union Bank, FCMB, Wema Bank, FBN Holdings and Diamond Bank increased their earning by 15.64 percent, 8.28 percent, 5.47 percent, 1.56 percent and 0.62 percent respectively during the month, while Ecobank declined by 0.58 percent during the period.

However, the seven money lenders granted N7.175 trillion as loans and advances to their customers during the first six month of 2018, though lower than N7.627 trillion lent to them in 2017.

Only Sterling Bank and Wema Bank increase their lending to the customers when compared what they lent in half year 2018 to that of 2017. Sterling Bank increases its lending by five percent while Wema Bank also increased its lending by 8.61 percent during the half year 2018.

Meanwhile, FCMB lending to customers dropped by 9.82 percent, while Union Bank, Ecobank, FBN Holdings and Diamond Bank reduce their lending to customers by 9.10 percent, 7.52 percent, 7.15 percent and 3.68 percent respectively.

Nevertheless, six of the seven banks reported increment in their profit after tax aside from Diamond Bank.

•Tourism

Cont’d on Page 19

e-Platform

Warning signs for investors: Cybercrime costs to hit $2 trillion by 2019 P22 Travel

Sheraton Hotel Lagos unveils food, drinks collection for August P26

Insurance

Lagos releases N466.855m to 187 retirees in July, pays N2bn in 3 months

P28 Equity & Capital Market

MRS Oil raises share capital to N161.2m P30 Money Market

CBN plans to end lower currency denominations’ scarcity P31

Stock Market Highlights As At 7th AUGUST, 2018

Summary

ASI DEALS VOLUME VALUE EQUITY CAP BOND CAP ETF CAP

S/N

37,422.84 4,043.00 213,201,909.00 N3,760,652,829.17 N13,555,778,611,164.63 N10,028,322,581,910.30 N6,842,743,580.90

Coy (By Volume) Volume

ZENITHBANK FBNH TRANSCORP GUARANTY SOVRENINS

Value(N)

39,933,066 N965,088,427.20 21,693,450 N227,222,761.20 21,608,154 N26,966,325.73 15,812,967 N650,655,645.05 13,743,000 N3,437,810.00

5 Top Gainers

Symbols Last Close Current Change %Change FO N27.15 N29.85 2.7 9.94% CUSTODIAN N5.21 N5.7 0.49 9.40% ETI N20.4 N20.6 0.2 0.98% UNILEVER N51.55 N51.7 0.15 0.29% ACCESS N10.4 N10.5 0.1 0.96%

Five Tope Losers

SEPLAT TOTAL WAPCO GUARANTY NB

N650 N210 N38 N41.5 N111.1

N635 N200 N35.75 N40.1 N110

-15 -10 -2.25 -1.4 -1.1

-2.31% -4.76% -5.92% -3.37% -0.99%

18

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15, 2018

BUSINESS

WhatsApp Business Account users to pay Fee-Facebook

F

ACEBOOK says all mobile users that register Business Accounts willl now pay a fee on WhatsApp Messaging platform Isaiah Onwuanumba Facebook has announced recently that all WhatsApp users who register Business accounts will a fee for sending marketing and customer service messages.

It added that the messages will be charged at a fixed rate for confirmed delivery, ranging from 0.5 cents to 9 cents per message depending on the country, WhatsApp said.

Facebook has been looking at ways to monetize its WhatsApp service in the face of rising costs as it spends heavily to improve privacy safeguards and tackles concerns about social media addiction.

WhatsApp, which has around 1.5 billion users, said starting on Wednesday businesses can use its WhatsApp Business API to send notifications such as shipping confirmations, appointment reminders and event tickets.

WhatsApp acknowledged that it is charging a premium compared to SMS rates.

Wireless carriers typically charge businesses well below a penny per SMS, and the price is still close to a penny when including fees collected by intermediaries between carriers and businesses.

WhatsApp had announced in January it would start allowing small business accounts to communicate through the WhatsApp Business application, which has over three million active users.

Chief operating officer, Matt Idema, said at the time that the WhatsApp intends to charge businesses in the future.

Facebook also said on Wednesday that users on its namesake app and Instagram can now see the amount of time they spend on the app each day and receive notifications when they exceed a self-prescribed threshold.

Users also can mute notifications from the apps for up to eight hours. •From left: Head of Coporate planning at NITDA, Dr Collins Agu; DG NITDA, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami; Director,

Bayelsa Cargo Airport to commence operations - Report

T

HE Bayelsa International Cargo Airport will commence operations this month to develop and boost the economic activities of the region.

Managing Director (MD) of the Bayelsa Airlines Limited, Capt. Henry Ungbuku, made this known at the recent Airport Business Summit and Expo in Abuja, saying the project was at its final stage of completion and will be commissioned by the end of August, according to Guardian.

Ungbuku said the airport was being constructed to guarantee security for the people of the state, including the oil workers.

He said airports are not built for passengers’ facilitation alone, but also for the movement of cargo in order to attract new businesses.

While he blamed the collapse of some state-owned airports on lack of continuity, the MD assured that the current administration had put measures in place to ensure the project outlived the government.

He said the government considered long-term investment with the acquisition of 2,250 hectares of land from the outset of the project.

The airport will accommodate Boeing747 aircraft, with the benefit of category II land facilities to ensure that there is no flight disruption during bad weather.

He added that the potential of the airport is enormous; not only for job creation but also for the provision of critical facilities such as hangar.

Ungbuku was optimistic that the state having a hangar will bring succor to airlines in the country to carry out their C-checks and save millions of naira.

He, however, urged investors to come to the state as enabling environment will be provided for their business to thrive.

Ungbuku revealed that no fewer than 40 per cent of air travellers using the Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA) are from Bayelsa State, stressing that the state has the customer base in terms of passengers.

While thanking the state government for the opportunity to serve, Ungbuku expressed optimism that the President Muhammadu Buhari will be present to commission the airport on August 27.

By JEROME USHAKANG

listed companies, dealing member firms, non-commercial organizations such as Federal, State and Local Governments, Quasi-Governmental Organizations, Educational Institutions and Non-Governmental Organisations; as well as celebrities and other notable Nigerians to support the fight against cancer. Interested participants are encouraged to register online at www.nse.com/corporatechallenge Cancer epidemic in Nigeria is huge and is set to rise if urgent actions are not taken to raise awareness about the disease and to develop practical strategies to address the increasing cancer burden.

Data from the ‘Rapid Assessment of the Prevention and Control of Cancer in Nigeria’ report by the Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA), show that cancer is responsible for 72,000 deaths in Nigeria every year, with an estimated 102,000 new cases annually.

Reaffirming the commitment of The Nigerian Stock Exchange to

eGovernment Development and Regulation Department at NITDA, Dr Vincent Olatunji during the Maiden Edition of National MSME Awards 2018 held at the Banquet Hall, State House, Aso Rock, Abuja.

SEC to holds 2nd CMC Meeting

By JEROME USHAKANG HE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced that the Second Capital Market Committee (CMC) meeting 2018 is scheduled to hold from Thursday August 9th to Friday August 10th 2018 at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The Commission said while the key stakeholders in the capital market will meet on August 9th, members of the media would be briefed on Friday on outcome of the CMC meeting.

However, SEC has advised that admission into the venue would be upon presentation of the CMC Identity Card and strictly by invitation.

According to the SEC, “Attendance to both events is strictly by invitation. Invited participants are expected to come with their identity cards to be admitted into the venue and all invited participants are expected to be seated by 9.45am,” The CMC was mainly established to serve as a medium for exchange of ideas among market stakeholders as well as for feedback to SEC

on how to continuously improve the market activities and regulation.

It is an industry-wide committee comprising members of the commission, representatives of capital market operators and trade groups and other stakeholders. The CMC meets every quarter to deliberate on various issues affecting the market and other policy matters.

During the meeting, issues bordering on implementation of the Ten Year Capital Market Master Plan as well as other relating to the capital market and the economy would be discussed and the outcome made known to the media.

The ten-year master plan for the Nigerian capital market which is expected to refocus the market and help double its size over time and grow the economy was unveiled November 2014.

Recall that the Commission has vigorously implemented some initiatives in the Master Plan with the aim of attracting more investors to the market.

Some of the initiatives include direct cash settlement, dematerialization and e-Dividend Registration, as

fighting cancer, Head, Shared Services Division NSE, Mr. Bola Adeeko, said, “The Exchange has been at the forefront of cancer awareness and advocacy for the provision of screening and treatment facilities. Our commitment is unwavering, as we will continue to use the NSE Corporate Challenge platform to create awareness and raise funds to win the race to erase cancer. This deliberate intervention is imperative because of the statistics of life claimed by cancer and the fact that one third of these cancers are actually treatable”.

By leveraging our access to a vast network of employees and clients of our listed companies, dealing members and other stakeholders, we believe we can work together in scaling up access to cancer screening services for early detection of cancer and provision of treatment and palliative care services to diagnosed patients” “From past editions of the NSE Corporate Challenge, we have been able to raise N57,362,624 million which is geared towards the pur-

chase of MCCs. For the 2018 edition, we have received support from our list of growing sponsors, such as Dangote Group, StanbicIBTC, FCMB and Chellarams. No one should fight cancer alone, I therefore call on other institutions and individuals to support this cause with the goal of multiplying efforts to prevent avoidable deaths. Together, we truly can make cancer a distant memory for future generations”. Adeeko said.

The NSE Corporate Challenge which is now in its fifth year, has been highly successful, recording more than 2,035 runners from over 306 institutions, comprising c-suite level executives, top government officials and celebrities. Celebrities such as Ali Baba, MI Abaga, Burna Boy, Seyi Shay, Dolapo Oni-Sijuwade, Gideon Okeke, Debola Williams, Tina Mba, Simisola and Yung6ix amongst others, have at some point thrown their weight behind the NSE Corporate Challenge. The race has also enjoyed huge publicity from both our traditional and digital media partners.

T

NSE set for 5km race to fight cancer

T

HE Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has announced that the fifth edition of the annual NSE Corporate Challenge is scheduled to take place in Lagos at 7:00am on Saturday, September 15, 2018, at the Muri Okunola Park-Victoria Island.

The NSE in a statement said the Corporate Challenge which started in 2014 is open for registration. Dangote Group, Stanbic IBTC, FCMB, Chellarams Plc join as sponsors.

It added that it is a one-day competitive and fun-filled five kilometre walk, jog and run event, primarily designed to raise awareness on the early detection and funds to support the fight against cancer in Nigeria.

The day’s activities will also include dance, aerobics, music and entertainment. Winners in the various race categories will be recognized as part of an awards ceremony at the end of the race.

This year’s event will bring together participants from listed and non-

they promote transparency, protect and enhance investors’ confidence in the capital market.

The SEC therefore enjoins all shareholders to take advantage of the initiatives introduced in the capital market aimed, primarily, at strengthening the market and accelerating economic development.

This, SEC said is in consonance with the present administration’s economic strategy focused on deepening the capital market as a vehicle for encouraging a private sector-led economy with enhanced productivity.

Those who have been invited to attend the expanded session are Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of all registered capital market firms (i.e Broker Dealer, Capital Market Solicitors, Custodians, Fund Managers, Issuing Houses, Rating Agencies, Registrars, Reporting Accountants, Trustees, and Consultants, among others.

Others are Chief Executive Officers of The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), The Financial Markets Dealers Quotations (FMDQ), Africa Exchange Holdings (AFEX), Nigeria Commodity Exchange (NCX), Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS), Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS); as well as representatives of relevant Financial Services’ Agencies, among othershe CMC was mainly established to serve as a medium for exchange of ideas among market stakeholders as well as for feedback to SEC on how to continuously improve the market activities and regulation.

It is an industry-wide committee comprising members of the commission, representatives of capital market operators and trade groups and other stakeholders. The CMC meets every quarter to deliberate on various issues affecting the market and other policy matters.

During the meeting, issues bordering on implementation of the Ten Year Capital Market Master Plan as well as other relating to the capital market and the economy would be discussed and the outcome made known to the media.

The ten-year master plan for the Nigerian capital market which is expected to refocus the market and help double its size over time and grow the economy was unveiled November 2014.

19

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15, 2018

BUSINESS

NSE Launches X-Pay to promote cashless economy

By JEROME USHAKANG

T

HE Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) last Friday launched XPay, the e-payment platform for the Exchange, that will enable users to conveniently make payments for products, services, events and trainings offered by the bourse.

X-Pay, located at https://xpay.nse. com.ng, can be accessed on PCs, tablets, smartphones and other mobile devices. With features like invoice payments, intuitive products display, dynamic search functionality, X-Pay is a value-added service that accepts VISA, Master-

Card Verve and UnionPay credit and debit cards.

The platform aims to deliver a faster and safer payment method which is protected by best in class IT and card security features, in line with global best practices.

Speaking on the development, Head Shared Services Division, NSE, Mr. Bola Adeeko, said, “we are thrilled to launch X-Pay, a solution that builds on our customer centric focus and our efforts to transform the Nigerian capital market into a more efficient model.

X-Pay reinstates our commitment to move towards cashless transactions and build a sustainable cash-

less ecosystem, while satisfying users’ preferences for self-serve bill payment options that is convenient and secure”.

According to Mr. Adeeko, NSE is leveraging the power of innovation and digital technology to improve its efficiency and reduce the cost of transactions. “With X-Pay, our stakeholders will now enjoy easy access to a wider catalog of our products and services, be able to select and purchase from anywhere, at any time.

Not only will X-Pay be convenient, it will also provide huge opportunity for NSE to maximize its capacity and

realize increased efficiency through automated processes and better data integration”, he added. The Nigerian Stock Exchange continues to take huge strides in the digitization journey and position itself as a world class Exchange with best-inclass technology.

In 2013, NSE launched X-GEN which is the fastest trading platform in Africa with low latency capabilities.

The bourse implemented TradeSmart to assist its Dealing Member firms in achieving a broader reach, leveraging mobile phone penetration in the country.

NSE has also deepened its regulatory capabilities and facilitated the achievement of better compliance and monitoring by both issuers and operators by implementing platforms such as X-ISSUER and XBOSS. The Exchange also lunched the X-Smart which brings an unprecedented level of surveillance technology into the market.

Last year, NSE launched a stateof-the art Data Centre as part of its tradition of pioneering far-reaching innovations within the Nigerian capital market.

AfDB President Adesina calls for technology transfer to farmers

By KAYODE OGUNWALE

A

FRICA should be the breadbasket of the world, has no reason spending US$ 35 billion a year importing food, Adesina tells Agriculture conference in U.S. The President of the African Development Bank Group, Akinwumi Adesina, has made an urgent call to give farmers across the continent new technologies with the potential to transform agricultural production.

Adesina said the technology transfer was needed immediately and that evidence from countries like Nigeria demonstrated that technology plus strong government backing was already yielding positive results. ”Technologies to achieve Africa’s green revolution exist, but are mostly just sitting on the shelves. The challenge is a lack of supportive policies to ensure that they are scaled up to reach millions of farmers,” Adesina said during a keynote speech delivered at the 2018 Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Annual Meeting held in Washington, D.C August 5, 2018.

Adesina cited the case of Nigeria, where policy under the country’s Minister of Agriculture, had resulted in a rice production revolution in three years.

“All it took was sheer political will, supported by science, technology and pragmatic policies...Just like in the case of rice, the same can be said of a myriad of technologies, including high-yielding water efficient maize, high-yielding cassava varieties, animal and fisheries technologies,” Adesina said.

The African Development Bank is pointing the way to how this can be done, and is currently working with the World Bank, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to mobilize US$ 1 billion to scale up agricultural technologies across Africa under a new initiative called Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT).

TAAT is taking bold steps to bring down some of the barriers preventing farmers from accessing latest seed varieties and technologies to improve their productivity.

“With the rapid pace of growth of the use of drones, automated tractors, artificial intelligence, robotics and block chains, agriculture as we know it today will change,” the President said. “It is more likely that the future farmers will be sitting in their homes with computer applications using drone to determine the size of their farms, monitor and guide the applications of farm inputs, and with driverless combine harvesters bringing in the harvest.”

Adesina used the opportunity to advocate for African universities to adapt their curriculum to enable technology-driven farmers and to focus on agribusiness entrepreneurship for young people, emphasizing the need to rise beyond theories to application.

Through its innovative Enable Youth initiative, the African Development Bank has in the past two years committed close to US$ 300 million to develop the next generation of agribusiness and commercial farmers for Africa.

From right: Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Nigerian Communications Commission, Mr. Sunday Dare; Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC),Professor Umar Garba Danbatta; SA, technical to EVC, NCC, Dr Suleiman Garba; Acting Director General, National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), Lanre Gbajabiamila; and Director, Regulation & Monitoring Department, Sajo Mohammed, NLRC AT; Signing of MoU for Telcos to Host Lottery Services in Abuja

NCC, NLRC sign MoU for Telcos to host lottery services

By ISAIAH ONWUANUMBA

T

HE Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on regulation of lottery activities on telecommunications platforms.

The two commissions reviewed the existing MoU to accommodate trends in the industry to streamline the strategies needed to ensure the implementation of the MoU.

It was revised that the NCC would withdraw their approval whenever NLRC withdraws its permit from service providers for lottery, considering the fact that NCC gives approval only when permit has been obtained from NLRC. The Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission, Professor Umar Garba Danbatta said that lotteries all over the world are electronically driven, and there is no better infrastructure

Half Year Report: Diamond, FBN, others earn over N1t

Continued from P 17

sulting in lower impairment losses for the period.”

For Diamond Bank, non-interest income of the Bank went up 6.4 percent to N18.8 billion on higher fees from retail transactions on mobile platform while customers loan volume decreased by 3.6 percent to N728.7 billion as maturities exceeded new loans during the period but investments in fixed income securities increased 8.0 percent to N241.7 billion over the same period, according to the report.

Although the Bank’s net interest income reduced year-on-year by 14.4 percent to N46.2 billion due to lower interest income from loans and investments, and higher interest expense on deposits; impairment charges declined 2.9 percent to N18.39 billion.

Commenting on the result, Chief Executive Officer, Uzoma Dozie said: “At a macro level the Nigerian economy continued to record improvements because of stable, higher than anticipated oil prices. We have witnessed 15 months of expansion reflected in monthly PMI data, but investor sentiment has remained mixed caused in part by the election season factor. We have capitalised on the positive macro environment to sustain interest income in the short run with positive prospects for growth and have made progress in growing non-interest income.

Commenting on the results, Union Bank CEO, Emeka Emuwa, said, “In the first half of the year, we have continued to see positive results from our efficiency and productivity drive. Across all our business lines, we witnessed strong underlying performance,

translating into improved earnings. We continue to focus on the recovery of non-performing loans. With the resolution in second quarter 2018 of the large real estate exposure which was impaired in December 2017, the Group non performing loan ratio is down to 10.8 percent from 14.9 percent at 31 March 2018 and 19.8 percent at 31 December 2017. The Group continues to demonstrate its ability to deliver strong results notwithstanding a competitive and challenging operating environment.

Gross earnings rose by 16 percent to N83.3 billion from N72 billion in half year 2017, underpinned by improved Net Interest Margins (NIM), robust treasury trading income, recoveries and alternate channel revenues, on the back of increased customer adoption. Our profit before tax grew by 23 percent compared to

half year in 2017.

In the second half of the year, we will continue to focus on productivity, leveraging our enhanced platform to deliver bestin-class services to our customers and taking advantage of targeted opportunities across business lines and geographies.”

Speaking on the half year 2018 numbers, Chief Financial Officer of Union Bank, Oyinkan Adewale said, “With low-cost deposits now accounting for 70 percent of total deposits, up from 67 percent as at December 2017, our cost of funds fell in half year 2018.

Consequently, the Group NIM has improved from 7.9 percent in half year 2017 to 8.2 percent in the period. Our foreign currency deposits are up 66 percent, compared with December 2017; and up 40 percent compared with March 2018, as we continued to optimize our balance sheet”, he said.

that is amenable to the conduct of lotteries in Nigeria than the telecommunications infrastructure.

Professor Danbatta said that “Bringing any additional service on the infrastructure adds additional burden to the networks, therefore, the Commission is concerned that any additional service added to the networks could or may degrade quality of service.

“That is why the NCC has to be involved to ensure that telecom operators who will be participating in hosting the lottery services have the capacity to do so whereas the National Lottery Regulatory Commission will ensure the credibility of the process by making sure that whatever prices promised those who will participate in the lotteries are given to them.”

He reiterated that proceeds of lotteries would go to the price winners and some would go to charity and there will also be tax benefits to government as well as to NLRC and NCC. The Acting Director General of the NLRC, Lanre Gbajabiamila stated that the NLRC needed to sign the MoU since the lottery and gaming industry is merged with the telecommunications industry.

Gbajabiamila said, “lotteries have been in retail shops, but now, it has advanced to telecommunications platforms whereby Value Added Services (VAS) providers and telecoms service providers use the telecommunications platforms to do lotteries and gaming, hence we needed to have this collaboration and MoU signed”

20

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15, 2018

ENERGY

Chevron claims lead in flare gas valorisation

•Cuts flare by 90% in 10 years

•Escravos Gas to Liquid Plant

By SOPURUCHI ONWUKA

G

gerian gas resources by provid- application through various are treated as oil investments ing supply conduit from the Niger monetization programmes. The and the resulting capital allowDelta to industrial customers in measures designed to encourage ances are deducted from petroBenin, Togo and, Ghana. investments in flare gas mon- leum profit tax (PPT) at a marThe company stated that it pro- etization come with flipsides of ginal rate of 85%. The incentives duced an average of 223 mscfd investment incentives and penal also apply to some downstream of natural gas and 6,000 bar- measures respectively. investments. rels of liquefied petroleum gas Some of the positive outcomes Also upstream producers are (LPG) in 2017, this taking position of the policy intervention include exempted from payment of royin addressing domestic fuel cri- evolution of the Associated alty and PPT on any gas that is sis in the country by displacing Gas Fiscal Arrangement (AGFA) transferred to a downstream high cost kerosene with cleaner, which laid out package of com- project. cheaper and more available LPG mercial incentives that led to the Investors in LNG projects refor domestic application. oil companies in the country to ceive a 10-year tax break, and The company which plays in commit funds into pushing gas the LNG project is also exempted various terrains of the Nigerian investment plans into projects. from withholding tax on interpetroleum industry stated that There was also the Non Asso- est and dividends paid to nonit takes responsibility for supply ciated Gas Fiscal and Regulatory residents and from income tax of about 40 percent of the total Act (NAGFRA) which provided on work or services provided by gas fuel support to the domestic incentives for export projects non-residents. economy and also leads reduc- including Liquefied Natural Gas There is an additional investtion of the volume of gas flared (LNG), export pipelines, gas-to- ment allowance of 20% for upat oil production sites in the coun- liquid projects, natural gas liquid stream projects, 35% for NGL try.

(NGL) projects and lease conden- extraction and gas-to-liquid faChairman/Managing Director, sate developments. cilities, and 15% for downstream Mr. Jeff Ewing, stated at industry There was also the Nigerian projects. In addition, downforums in Abuja that his company Gas Masterplan (NGMP) which stream investments receive achas continued to tell the success laid the format for commercial in- celerated capital allowances of story of its investment leadership vestments in national gas reticu- 90% of cost of plant and machinin Nigeria’s gas development, lation grid network conceived to ery expenditure in the first year bragging that Chevron Nigeria create industrial development with 10% retention.

Limited contributed the high- corridors that would be based on Downstream gas projects est volume of gas to the domes- sustainable gas energy. which received a 3-year tax holitic and regional markets across More recently was the Gas day/break that begins on the first years.

Revolution programme designed day of production, is renewed for The Oracle Today reports that to position government as lead a further 2 years, and the government struggles with poli- investor in creation of gas based accumulated capital allowances cies and programmes that would industrial parks that would host can be carried forward until the spur greater investment in cap- manufacturing concerns that rely end of the holiday. Qualifying divturing huge volumes of associ- on adequate energy supply that idend distribution during the tax ated gas from flare booms and is founded on gas. holiday is tax-free. converting same to marketable On the fiscal side, government Downstream gas projects are products with the target to re- provides a package of incentives also allowed to fully deduct interduce resources waste, spur pro- that ensures that all capital costs est on project-financing for corductivity in the local economy, of upstream gas investments up porate income tax purposes. curb greenhouse gas emission to the custody transfer points, On penal disincentives, govand earn addiernment had tional revenue enacted new Chevron has a long commitment to Nigeria. regulations that for stakeholders. new oilThe company has been making significant permit Thus, governfield developinvestments in the country for over 50 years ment approvment has since 1990’s floated and it expects to do so for many more years to als only on the a string of polbasis that the icy measures come. With the right policies, the enormous po- projects must to harness as- tential of Nigeria’s oil and gas sector can yield carry associated sociated gas investments in even greater benefits for economic gas utilization

‘

,

projects that would harness associated gas for monetization.

Besides, the existing penal fine for flaring 1000 scf increased from 10 kobo to N10 in 1979 is now limited to flares below 1000 scf; and in a move to stop routine flaring by 2020, government has also increased penal sanctions on gas flaring to $2.0 or N720 per 1000 scf.

Despite all the policies, measures and programmes, Nigeria still has about 139 gas flare locations in onshore and offshore oil fields across the Niger Delta, and flared volume still constitutes about 11 per cent of the total gas produced.

According to Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) Nigeria’s gas flaring level is dropping, but the quantity of gas flared in 2017 is still as high as 324 billion standard cubic feet (scf), or some 50 million barrels of crude oil equivalent (boe)> the volume of flared gas, DPR says, is enough to feed two-three liquefied natural gas (LNG) trains, produce 600,000 metric tons of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or cooking gas per year, or fuel generation of 2.5 gigawatts (GW) of electricity which is sufficient to meet electricity demand from entire Sub-Saharan Africa.

In pollution value, gas flare in Nigeria pumps out massive 22 million tons of carbon dioxide into the environment. And in revenue terms, it amounts to loss of over $350 million or N126 billion annually.

According to DPR, about 888 million standard feet per day (scfd) was flared in 2017 despite Nigeria’s efforts at increasing utilization and commercialization of associated gas over the years.

And government is seeking investors that would take advantage of new set of incentives floated under the National Gas Flare Commercialization Programme (NGFCP) to deploy technology and expertise in monetizing assoContinued on P 21

OVERNMENT has left no one in doubt about the policy shift from targeting on oil revenue to optimising the catalytic effect of the industry operations in building development linkages across all sectors of the economy. And Chevron Nigeria Limited is stepping forward with investment profiles to claim leadership in translating policy to projects.

The American multinational oil major beats its chest for taking leadership of gas valorisation in Nigeria, pointing at huge investments and innovation it has deployed in capturing gas resources from wasteful flare booms to supply channels that meet industrial and commercial demands in the domestic energy market.

The Oracle Today reports that Chevron is involved in natural gas projects in the western Niger Delta and Escravos areas, including the Escravos Gas Plant (EGP), the Escravos Gas-to-Liquids (EGTL) facility, the Sonam Field Development Project and the West African Gas Project (WAGP).

The EGP has a total capacity of 680 million cubic feet per day of natural gas and LPG and a condensate export capacity of 58,000 barrels per day. The company also operates the EGTL facility, a 33,000-barrel-per-day gasto-liquids plant.

The Sonam Field Development Project is conceived to use the EGP facilities to deliver 215 million cubic feet of natural gas per day to the domestic gas market and produce a total of 30,000 barrels of liquids per day. Production at Sonam began in June 2017 and is expected to continue ramping up in the year.

Chevron is also the largest shareholder with 36.7 percent interest in the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAGPCO) Limited which operates the 678 kilometre WAGP. The 170 mscfd capacity pipeline monetizes Ni-

•CNL MD, Jeff Ewing

21

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15, 2018

ENERGY

FG drops 30 year target for 40 mtpa for NLNG

By SOPURUCHI ONWUKA

F

EDERAL government has given the green light to investment partners in the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited to press ahead with expansion programme towards a 12 train liquefaction complex as initially conceived.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, who gave the charge at the company’s operations base in Bonny, Rivers State, tasked the management of drive capacity growth programme from current 222 million tons per annum (mtpa) to 40 mtpa in the next 30 years.

The company is currently working towards Final Investment Decision (FID) for its planned Train-7. It has already awarded separate contracts to two consortia for front end engineering designs (FEEDs) ahead of the engineering, procurement and construction (EPIC) contract the outcome of which will shape the FID. Dr Kachikwu, who led a delegation of regulators and ministry of officials to the company’s liquefaction complex in Bonny Island said government would support rapid expansion of the company’s processing capacity.

The minister challenged the company to push its expansion programme beyond Train-7 in order to catch up with competing LNG sources in the global market where the fight for market share has become intense.

He said enhanced capacity at the liquefaction company would also translate to larger volumes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supply in the domestic market to meet commercial and household fuel demand in line with the company’s vision to help build a better Nigeria.

According to the minister, the construction of new processing plants will lift the country’s LNG output by 35 percent from 22 Million Tonnes Per Annum (mtpa) to 30 mtpa.

Dr. Kachikwu who inspected the six-train plant complex and the site for planned Train 7, said “Train 7 doesn’t have a good history in terms of operations. President Muhammadu Buhari will tell you when they started this project, they targeted 12 trains. Through no fault of yours, Train 12 hasn’t happened, but Train 7 is coming.

Now, you have Train 7 largely ready

to go. What excites me is that this Train will be bigger than the other individual trains but in your 30 years outlook, you have to begin to look at Train 8. We need to catch up.

“The transition to cleaner energy is going to happen faster than you think. As we reconstruct our refineries, we are going to be looking at how to make them more green friendly, but every indicator of our studies shows that the fastest move we are going to make to green energy is on gas. Although your market today is focussed on externalisation, you will soon see government policies drive you towards internalisation very rapidly. So you need to grow those volumes for the teeming population we have. I challenge you to look at this and grow from the 30 MTPA you are talking of now to about 40 MTPA over the next 30 years,” he charged.

“One of the things we say every time to people is that they should look at the Nigeria LNG model. The model has stood the test of time.

It has worked, it is efficient, non-interventionist and very transparent.

To all of you who are leaders here, you need a lot of praise and support for the consistency to which you have delivered. This country can be better if we manage it well.

What NLNG and a lot of the Joint Ventures bring to the table is that there are a lot of Nigerians with the capabilities of great management.”

While briefing the Minister on NLNG’s operations, the Managing Director, Mr. Tony Attah, said it was time for Nigeria to use gas as a catalyst for industrial and economic transformation.

“With the support of NNPC, our ambition remains to grow through Train 7. We built six trains fast because every 18 months we were adding a train, but from 2007 to date, we have not been able to move. But with your support and that of the Federal Government, we have the full backing of all critical stakeholders. The stars have lined up in support for our expansion project and we are at a point of no return. So, for us, it is about the future and more importantly, the licence to grow which is about dealing with today’s realities and peculiarities. The starting point for us is safety. We work in a complex and intricate environment and safety is everything for us in keeping our people safe and assets safe to

•GMD NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru declares open the 42nd Nigerian Annual International Conference & Exhibition (NAICE), organised by The Society Of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), in Lagos, Monday.

deliver value to our shareholders,” he said.

Expressing appreciation to the Federal Government for the support for Train 7, NLNG Deputy MD, Mai-Bornu, said the Minister’s visit to Bonny was a boosttoward the Final Investment Decision (FID).

“In the long run, the benefit of a bigger market share in that space will translate into more revenue for our nation through taxes and shareholding for the Federal Government through the NNPC which

currently holds 49 percent shares in NLNG. “Additionally, this country will witness more transformational CSR initiatives sponsored by Nigeria LNG, as we have demonstrated keen and concerted resolve in fulfilment of our commitment towards helping to build a better Nigeria,” he added.

The Minister’s visit is coming on the heels of the milestone events in preparation for Train 7 construction, which include the award of contracts for the Front End Engi-

neering Design (FEED) by NLNG and the repayment of $5.45 billion Shareholder loan for its existing trains, signifying readiness to seek funding for the new project.

NLNG will be seeking funding in the financial market for the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) of Train 7and investment in the upstream gas sector in Nigeria that will ensure the sustainability of feedgas supply to its existing trains (Trains 1 to 6) and the new train .

By SOPURUCHI ONWUKA

dollars.

NCP sets out work scopes that would be executed in-country and guides project execution and monitoring. He promised to direct the company’s personnel on the primacy of Nigerian Content guidelines to project execution.

He promised to comply with the provisions of the Nigerian and Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act and other guidelines ofthe Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).

He said the company would not be seeking waivers from the Board for its projects, rather it would abide by the provisions of the Act, especially as it relates to carrying out competitive bidding andutiliz-

ing Nigerian oil and gas service companies and locally manufactured goods and services.

Mr. Matashi also solicited the Board’s support to develop and institutionalize Nigerian Content systems and processes within the NPDC to ensure compliance.

Part of the support his company would need, he noted, includes workshop or training for staff of NPDC on Nigerian Content requirements and processes.

In his comments, Mr. Wabote charged NPDC to be a role model for Nigerian Content compliance, considering especially that the NNPC played leading roles in the development and enforcement of the Nigerian Content policy and establishment of the NCDMB.

NPDC seeks NCP approval for projects

N

IGERIAN Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) Limited has indicated commitment to full compliance to the Nigerian Content Act implementation, saying it would seek approval for its work plans from the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).

The Managing Director, Mr. Yusuf Matashi, who hosted the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, in a meeting in Abuja Monday, said the company would approach the board to obtain Nigerian Content Plan (NCP) approval as required by the NOGICD Act for all its future projects in excess of one million

Chevron claims lead in flare gas valorisation

Continued from P 2o

ciated gas in Nigeria.

In several presentations at industry events, Chevron declared that it is taking lead in responding to the call with investment portfolios and technology innovations for flare gas valorisation.

The company which received an award as the greatest contributor of domestic gas in Nigeria during the Nigerian International Petroleum Summit (NIPS) in Abuja stated that it has reduced routine flaring by over 90% from 2008 to 2017 in its joint venture operations. At the summit, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, had commended Chevron’s efforts in

supporting government’s gas development objectives.

Chevron said its strategy involves ending routine gas flaring, boosting domestic supply, diversifying and commercializing gas resources through conversion processes like the Escravos Gasto-Liquid (EGTL) Plant and others.

Mr. Jeff Ewing explained that CNL has contributed immensely to realization of the Nigerian gas master plan through investments in various projects for capturing and processing of associated gas.

He said the investments translated to reduction in routine flaring by over 90% between 2008 and 2017 in CNL’s operations. He also explained that “amidst the growing global trend in gas pro-

duction and utilization, the expectations for the gas sector in Nigeria remain high and provide opportunities for investment in the sector.”

The company’s investments, according to him, are targeted at realizing government’s aspirations of transitioning the nation from an oil based economy to a more integrated oil and gas economy through monetization of flare gas. The second investment target, he said, is to deliberately drive exploration for non-associated gas to support realization of government’s economic growth objectives.

Mr. Ewig explained that the focus on non-associated gas is to draw value from the high liquid

yield of rich Niger Delta gas and also optimize the project economics of gas development. He stated that the investments surf on increasing gas demand from the industrial sector as well as enhanced commercial returns associated with price correction in the domestic market.

Mr. Ewig narrated Chevron’s gas story from different phases of the Escravos Gas Project (EGP), adding that the EGP placed the company in the position to lead practical and economic solutions for gas flaring in Nigerian.

“The gas gathering, and processing projects involved stripping liquids from rich gas and creating a new revenue stream for the nation from the sale of the

liquids”, he stated.

According to him, Chevron’s gas strategy is conceived to build a profitable gas business through a portfolio of domestic, regional and export supply projects. The strategy, he said, amplifies the company’s commitment to Nigeria’s medium to long term aspirations in the petroleum industry.

“Chevron has a long commitment to Nigeria. The company has been making significant investments in the country for over 50 years and it expects to do so for many more years to come.

With the right policies, the enormous potential of Nigeria’s oil and gas sector can yield even greater benefits,” he said.

22

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15, 2018

e-Platform

Warning signs for investors: Cybercrime costs to hit $2 trillion by 2019

•Why Nigeria is vulnerable Stories By ISAIAH ONWUANUMBA

G

LOBAL cybercrime costs are now projected at $2 trillion by 2019 and investors across the world would loss several billions of dollars to cyberattacks, and is a concern for Nigeria and other African countries that are most vulnerable online, according to Report.

CNBC and Forbes stateed that massive cyberattacks could cost worldwide IT companies over $1 trillion.They added that the time is now investors pay attention to the warning signs and step up their efforts in ensuring companies adopt comprehensive cybersecurity programs and deployments. And that cyberattacks cost companies 20 percent of their revenues in 2016.

The Reporet also lamented that “despite the flurry of global cyberattacks and incessant security incidents targeting organizations of various capacities in revenue, workforce, and international presence, some global firms continue to act in denial of the crushing impact of cyber attacks.”

Ouir Correspondent gathered that hackers are working around the clock trying to figure out how to crack your password, get inside your demilitarized zone, and tear apart your firewall, all while many companies spend months or years without a cogent decision on their cybersecurity program. This leaves them, and their shareholders, at the mercy of hackers.

Companies, the Reported added, “must invest in comprehensive cybersecurity programs that ensure a defence-in-depth of infrastructure,

protecting the “lifeline” of their enterprise.”

This is of particular concern for Nigeria whoes law are not stiff enough to nail online criminals For example, Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) has said the cybercrime law that was passed in 2015 is outdated in a space of less than four years.

CSEAN President, Remi Afon said cyber crime is dynamic and changes from time to time.

“When the cyber crime law was passed a few years ago, there was no mention of cryptocurrency. A lot of cyber criminal were not in the dark web. So there is a need for cybercrime laws to keep changing to keep pace with the activities in cyberspace.”

The president said for this reason Nigeria truly vulnerable in the cyberspace.

“Yes! Nigeria is vulnerable. A lot of our information is online these days.

Even the government has started connecting their system online. The only way we can tackle this problem is to have a strong legislation, which will make organizations to be compelled to make sure their assets are secured, and whenever there is a breach, there also is a notification.

Many cyber crime activities are taking place in Nigeria on a daily basis, but because they are not reported, nobody notices them. “ As regards the Cyber Secure Nigeria 2018 conference, Afon said the event is the annual conference of Cyber Security Expert Association of Nigeria, adding, this is the fourth edition of the conference since inception. “This is also the first time

•L-R: General Manager, MDXI Data Centre, Gbenga Adegbiji, receiving the Tier III Constructed Facility Certification (TCCF) foil for its Lekki Data Centre from Chief Revenue Officer, Uptime Institute, Phil Collerton during the Data Centre Dynamics Africa Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa. we are holding the conference in Lagos. The theme is mitigating cyber threats in the digital age. The objective of the conference is to sensitize the masses about the dangers of cyber crime, especially in the digital age when everybody is committed to the Internet.”

Afon explained that the message I was trying to pass is that in 2015, election in the country was almost compromised. “People were influenced using the alleged Cambridge Analytical campaign, where the then All progressive Congress (APC)’s Presidential aspirant, Muhammedu Buhari’s

email was said to have been hacked.

A lot of fake news and malicious campaign were going on, just to discredit the President at that time. As we move to 2019, these campaigns are not going to stop. A lot of politicians will use unemployed youths to help them spread malicious information. Hacking of email and exposure of several classified information will happen. This is the new trend and it is not going to abate.”

CSEAN, he said, laments the current state of things as government is doing about data protection law.

“It is quite unfortunate that the

government is so slow about the data protection law. They are not doing anything about it at the moment.

There is a need to have a data protection law as a matter of urgency. Otherwise, it is not going to be a crime for anybody to compromise other people’s data. We have cybercrime laws, but there is a need to make sure organizations are held accountable if data in their possession are compromised. It is the responsibility of government to have the law in place. Our own responsibility is to sensitize the citizens,” he said.

UNDP, UNIDO, NITDA, NCC, DFID to brainstorm at Nigeria innovation summit

• NIS partners South Africa (SA) Innovation Summit to promote cross-border innovation between Nigeria and South Africa

T

HE organisers of the Nigeria Innovation Summit recently announced its first line up of speakers for the 2018 summit which will take place on September 25-26,2018 at the ventures Park, Abuja and also at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre Abuja respectively with the theme: Building a Culture of Innovation in Nigeria for Sustainable Economic Growth.

While speaking on this, the CEO, Emerging Media, Mr Kenneth Omeruo, said” We are excited to announce our first line up of speakers for this year’s summit in Abuja, these distinguished speakers are drawn from local and international organisations who are fostering economic development and playing key role in the global innovation ecosystem around the world and in Nigeria.

“The quality of speakers we have for this year simple defines how important it is for Nigeria to step up her game in building a culture of innovation”.

He also explained that following the call for speakers made earlier in the year, the organizers received several interests mainly from organizations and institutions in many parts of the world to be part of the Nigeria Innovation Summit.

“This is an insight to how the world is seeing what Nigeria can become with Innovation if the

right steps are taken,” Omeruo added.

The line-up of speakers announced for the summit include; Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami DG/ CEO,National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA);Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, EVC, Nigeria Communications Commission; Samuel Bwalya, Country Director, UNDP Nigeria; Jean Bakole,Regional Director,(UNIDO) Nigeria;Bobby Moroe, Acting South African High Commissioner to Nigeria; Dr. Audrey Verhaeghe Chairman, SA Innovation Summit; Richard Ough, Economic Development Team Leader & Senior Economic Adviser, DFID Nigeria; Antoinia Norman, CEO, Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship, South Africa; Stella Bida, Founder, Senior Managing Partner at Innovation. Strategy. Results. -Belgium; Kola Aina CEO/Founder, Ventures Platform; Rubin Rose International Account Manager, World Telecom Labs; Bankole Oloruntoba, Founder, NiNe. Mr Omeruo also mentioned that Nigeria Innovation Summit is partnering with the South Africa Innovation summit to promote innovation, economic and trade opportunities between the two countries who are some of the biggest economies in Africa.

Dr. Audrey Verhaeghe Chairman, SA Innovation Summit said” we are excited to partner with the Ni-

geria Innovation Summit, we want to make use of this opportunity to promote cross-border innovation between Nigeria and South Africa, this can be achieved this by nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit and strengthening collaboration between Nigeria and South Africa, to benefit entrepreneurs in our countries respectively. We believe that this cooperation will open up opportunities for cross border trade, sharing of skills and knowledge and ultimately benefit both countries immensely” The Director of Programs for the Nigeria Innovation Summit(www. innovationsummit.ng), Mr Tony Ajah explained that businesses, organizations, institutions are already indicating their interest to

participate in both the Nigeria Innovation Summit and also to leverage the South Africa Innovation Summit to promote their products and services. And therefore encouraged a lot more to participate.

This year Emerging Platforms Abuja,the owners of Ventures Park are the Summit partners and host of Day 1 of the Nigeria Innovation Summit where Collaborations to drive innovation through the Nigeria Start-up Ecosystem will be discussed.

The Nigeria Innovation Summit in its 3rd year is an annual event that focuses on the need for the country, businesses, organisations, entrepreneurs in Nigeria to become more innovative and use innovation to drive sustainable development.

This Summit helps Nigeria embrace innovation and move in the direction of digital transformation through the use of Emerging Tech-

nologies and Trends, Research, Development, Commercialization, Entrepreneurship and Investments as the key drivers of an innovation ecosystem.

The Nigeria Innovation Summit in its 3rd year is an annual event that focuses on the need for the country, businesses, organisations, entrepreneurs in Nigeria to become more innovative and use innovation to drive sustainable development.This Summit helps Nigeria embrace innovation and move in the direction of digital transformation through the use of Emerging Technologies and Trends, Research, Development, Commercialization, Entrepreneurship and Investments as the key drivers of an innovation ecosystem.This platform creates awareness on the need for Open Innovation in Nigeria, and challenges Nigeria to leverage innovation to become more competitive in the global economy.

access to all its call centres across Nigeria with increased manpower in order to enhance and sustain faster connectivity to all our help lines and therefore ensure quick resolutions of queries, requests and complaints raised by our valuable customers.”

“These steps would add value to the experience of our esteemed customers on the network as they will spend less time on the Interactive Voice Response, IVR, before a human customer care representative picks the call and resolves the

issue or issues being raised by the customer,” the statement said.

To achieve the above, the grandmasters of data disclosed that a lot of human and material resources had been deployed at its customer care contact centres located across the country.

Additionally, the company also said that it had increased the capacity of its social media help desk to handle social media customer interaction through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, YouTube, Online Web Chat and other platforms.

Complaints resolution: Globacom excites subscribers, improves call centre access

G

LOBACOM announced it has improved access to its call centres with an increased manpower deployment in all its customer care contact centres across the country.

In a statement issued from its Mike Adenuga Towers, Victoria Island, Lagos, head office, Globacom said that the increased manpower at the call centres had led to a faster connectivity to all its help lines.

The company said: “in conformity with global practices in customer care, Globacom has reassured its teeming customers of improved

23

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15, 2018

e-Platform

Herdmen Killings: Osun to deploy drones, call centres to tackle menace

•Over 2000 lives and properties worth morethan $16 billion have been lossed due to clashes between cattle herders and farmers in Nigeria. Osun State is set to take matters in owns hands by the deployment of monitoring unmanned aircraftt technology and information centres Stories by ISAIAH ONWUANUMBA

T

HE Government of Osun State in South Western Nigeria has announed that it is set to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones technology that will help tackle the lingering crisis between herders and farmers in its farming communuities and prevent loss of lives.

Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, State of Osun, Engr. Oluremi Omowaiye revealed this at the just concluded ICTEL expo 2018 in Lagos.

“The State, will in the coming week, launch unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drone as a monitor tool to track movement of live stocks in the State,” he added.

He added that to make this possible, the State has built a call centre and obtained a Short Code from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) which farmers and other residents can use to track the movement of live stocks in the environs.

Our Correspondent gathered that the ongoing conflict between farmers and cattle herders is costing Nigeria at least $16 billion in potential revenues annually. ... Farmers have accused the Fulani herdsmen of failing to control their cattle and of damaging crops. In turn, the Fulani accuse farmers of stealing their cattle. With an estimated death toll of approximately 2,000 to 3000 between 2016 to date, the clashes are becoming as potentially dangerous as the Boko Haram insurgency in the north-east. Yet till date, responses to the crisis both at the federal and state levels has been poor.

The GPS technology will result in significant advances in the ease and flexibility of studying animal movement patterns, yet removing the barriers remain to identification as each live-stock shall become trackable.

The State of Osun developed low-

cost and logistically simple approach solution shall be deployed among small and inexpensive GPS units to monitor cattle movements and habitat use and to assess the impact of cattle grazing on farmlands, he said So, we commend NCC for living up to expectations, he said, adding, “when we started putting up an inquiry and call centre the need a short code arose; so that it will be easy for people to call. We approached NCC for a 3-digit short code which we are going to make a toll free line. NCC supported us. We are going to commission it next week”.

He also hinted on the State’s Industrial park, thus, “We are looking at building an industrial park. So that we won’t have some of these infrastructure scattered all over the State.

We are discussing with some Chinese investors on the part. When that is in place you will have ICT centres and other infrastructure in there”, Engneer Omowaiye said.

Engr. Omowaiye, also spoke on the impact of NCC’s short code on the project, adding, “we are launching some unmanned aerial vehicle that will interface with our call centre.

Through that platform, we want to ensure that all live-stocks will have an ID. So, when the live-stock comes to your farm, all you need to do is text the first three digits to the short code; once you do that you get a response from the call centre on who owns the live-stock. From the call centre, the owner will also be called.

“Apart from that, we are also going to use it for other services like ambulance services, because in the call centre you have linkage to the Army, the Police, and the security operatives”.

He said that the infrastructure to support the initiative has been developed by the State Government in partnership with other the private sector.

“We have done a lot; we have the infrastructure. We are working in the area of power; of course, the major challenge IT has in Nigeria is power.

Paylater hits 1 million downloads I N Nigeria, a country of nearly 200 million people, 61% of the adult population is un- or underbanked.

Fintech companies like Paylater represent a tremendous opportunity to get formal banking services in the hands of Nigerian consumers to provide much needed liquidity for entrepreneurial investment, personal development, or unexpected expenses.

Consumer credit is nearly nonexistent in Nigeria. But, Paylater is issuing loans to Nigerians completely digitally, without seeing or speaking to customers. Customers can receive funds in their account in as little as 5 minutes, with no need for paperwork, collateral or guarantors. Digital financial services platforms have been well received by consumers and it appears that fintech platforms like Paylater are here to stay.

The evidence is in the numbers.

With over 800,000 registered users, across every Nigerian state, Paylater has loaned over $17M USD to Nigerian consumers in 2018 so far. The technology platform has supplemented that loan growth with very strong early adoption of its bill payments and investments features as well.

“We are very excited by the mar-

ket adoption of Paylater and we believe there is still a significant growth opportunity ahead for digital financial services” – Co-founder and CEO Chijioke Dozie Before Paylater, only commercial banks — with physical branches nationwide and extremely large capital bases — had the reach, stability and customer trust to offer financial services to a variety of people.

So, we are working on power generation in the State”, the Commissioner said.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was reported to have said that President Muhammadu Buhari speaks from both sides of his mouth as regards death of many Nigerians in the hands cattle herders.

Tribune quoted Obasanjo as saying that Buhari had consistently dodged the issue of Fulani Herdsmen who were responsible for the death of

thousands of Nigerians.

The former President stressed that Buhari’s body language towards the activities of herdsmen was making the job of security agencies difficult.

Obasanjo was quoted as saying, “He (Buhari) often speaks from both sides of the mouth on the issue of armed herdsmen killing of innocent citizens. At times, he would say the herdsmen are not Nigerians; that they are from Niger, Mali, Chad and

•L-R-: Head of Research and Development Unit, Dr Femi Adeluyi (NITDA); head of Coporate planning Ague Collins, Dr Collins Agu (NITDA); DG NITDA, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami;NCS President, Prof. Adesola Aderounmu; From Office of Nigerian Content In ICT, Dr falilat Jimoh; and Technical Assistant to NITDA DG, Mr. kashifu Inuwa at 27th National Conference organised by Nigeria Computer Society.

Telecoms Association names Glo, Adenuga transformation agents N IGERIA’S fully integrated telecommunications company, Globacom, has been listed as one of the agents of the revolution that transformed the Nigerian telecoms sector.

Globacom and its chairman, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr. were given unique prominence in a list of 100 heroes of Nigeria’s telecom in a new publication by the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON).

The book was formally unveiled in Lagos on Friday at the Oriental Hotel, Lekki.

The launch of the publication which was chaired by Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, former Executive Vice

Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), also has in attendance Chief Adebayo Shittu, Minister of Communications Technology, who was the Special Guest of Honour.

The publication noted that Globacom had pioneered a series of innovations that have helped to transform the nation’s telecommunications sector extensively, adding that one of the most impactful feats performed by Globacom was the introduction of per second billing (PSB) in Nigeria at inception.

PSB made it possible for Nigerians to get unprecedented value

entation on the topic ‘Deploying at the Edge - Bringing content closer to West African eyeballs”, during the just concluded Data Centre Dynamics Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, Mr. Adegbiji challenged the continent’s leading content and application providers to take advantage of the growing edge data centre ecosystem to exchange traffic on the continent, noting that this would significantly lower costs, improve performance of the existing content ecosystem and enable new technology use cases in Africa such as Electronic Gaming, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and Big Data.

According to him, Africa boasts some of the biggest opportunities; a population of 1.3billion people, the

fastest growing digital consumer market, estimated to reach 600 million within the next seven years and 6-7% GDP growth by 2020. He emphasized that most of the typical concerns about Africa have been resolved; local data centres have leapfrogged power supply issues by bypassing traditional transmission and distribution bottlenecks with direct grid connections; local colocation facilities are being built to meet hyperscale requirements and a few indigenous data centres sport industry awards and global recognitions such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI-DSS), Uptime Institute’s Tier III Constructed Facility certification (TCCF,) as well as ISO 9001 and 27001 certifications.

Data centre key to improve consumers online experience – MDXi Chief

W

EST Africa’s leading data centre company, MDXi has reiterated the importance of edge data centres to enable African consumers enjoy improved online experiences with much reduced latency, while significantly reducing transit costs.

The company’s General Manager responsible for its West African expansion, Gbenga Adegbiji quotes an ACG Research (a Telecoms analyst and consulting firm) report that estimates that caching content locally in a metro with a population of about 1 million can lead to a 50 percent cost reduction over the long-haul transport method, within a five-year span.

Speaking during his plenary pres-

other neighbouring countries.

“In the same breath, the president would say we should learn to live and cope with our neighbours, talking of the Middle Belt groups and that the crisis is an internal matter.

“At another time while in the United States, he said it was the fighters from Libya that were behind the killings. So, if the Nigerian military were to act, it will be against the position of the president. Therefore, the military had to be careful.”

for money by paying only for the exact time spent on calls.

It also added that Globacom facilitated telephone penetration nationwide through hundred percent reduction of GSM SIM price from N20,000 to N200 and crashing of call tariff from N50 to 5kobo.

In addition, the publication also listed several products pioneered by Globacom. They included Blackberry, vehicle tracking, mobile internet, mobile banking, multimedia messaging service (MMS), in-flight roaming services, voice SMS, Magic Plus and Text2email.

Also noted was Globacom‘s Glo 1,the first wholly-owned submarine cable, a high capacity optic fibre cable which brings direct connectivity between West Africa, the UK and the rest of the world. The 9,800 km-long cable which provides excess bandwidth to all the cities connected to it ensures the availability of bandwidth to enterprise customers in West Africa and beyond.

In continuation of Globacom’s giant strides in the nation’s telecoms industry, it recently laid foundation of Glo 2 sub marine cable, another landmark which on completion will be the first submarine cable in Nigeria to terminate outside Lagos, thus providing enough bandwidth to communities in the southern part of the country, especially the oil platforms.

24

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15, 2018

ISSN: 2545-5869

EDITORIAL

www.oraclenews.ng

VOX POPULI SACRUM

When will restructuring Nigeria start?

Cont’d front page 1

were the cries of those who lost the 2015 elections. They know the befuddlement lacked substance, or they were at best outright lies.

MOST of the debates at the 2014 National Conference – when there were no winners or losers, as they are seen today – were on restructuring Nigeria. It did not matter the part, party or the politics of those involved.

The main difference was on the method of the restructuring.

THERE is no unanimity on what restructuring Nigeria means. There may never be. The point is simply that different parts of Nigeria hurt from different things. Interpretations of a restructured Nigeria merely reflect the perspectives of the different parts of Nigeria in their pains.

IT is important that the different pains are diagnosed and not dismissed as tends to be the reaction of some parts of Nigeria to other parts. There also appears to be a misunderstanding of the fact that structural defects in the systems Nigeria runs are capable of perpetually bugging the country down by the differences that they generate.

EXAMPLES abound, but we would concentrate on the abuses that Education sector represents. The common ownership of administration of education by the Federal Government has resulted in maladministration and numerous constitutional abuses. They are all

overlooked. The Federal Government through its agencies determines admissions into all government-owed higher institutions, including those that belong to the States. Federal government colleges are also in this category.

IN line with policies that enunciate federal character, a quota system is applied to gain access to these institutions. Admission spaces are seemed as national assets that should be apportioned to all the States, including those with unqualified candidates.

WE think that the practice ensures those States would not develop rapidly. The entitlement that the practice ensures means that candidates from some States only need to show up, and they have places reserved for them, for efforts that in some cases would produce less than 10 per cent of the marks demanded from other students.

A restructured Nigeria would not tolerate such practice. There would be better ways of getting those candidates into higher institutions without denying more qualified candidates places, a practice that violates the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

These practices violate Section 42 of the Constitution.

SECTION 42. (1) states, “A citizen of Nigeria of a particular community, ethnic group, place of origin, sex, religion or political opinion shall not, by reason only that he is such a person:(a) be subjected either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any executive or administrative action of the government, to disabilities or restrictions to which citizens of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religions or political opinions are not made subject; or (b) be accorded either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any such executive or administrative action, any privilege or advantage that is not accorded to citizens of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religions or political opinions.”

IF these are not enough, Section 42 (2) re-emphasised discrimination through origin thus, “No citizen of Nigeria shall be subjected to any disability or deprivation merely by reason of the circumstances of his birth.” The deprivation and disability that Nigerians from certain parts of the country suffer through the administrative policies on admission to federally managed educational institution abnegate the constitutional provisions.

WHEN people discuss restructuring, the attention instantly goes to material and mineral resources, which evince the immediate greed of most of those concerned. Restructuring would throw up more resources in the management of the economy.

SOME of the wastes that the size of a centrally administered Nigeria en-

tails would be saved. There would be no need for a National Assembly of the size that we have. It would also be necessary for the various components to operate according to their needs, and not necessarily the compulsion of replicating the bureaucracies of the Federal Government.

FEARS about losing power persist. Those who believe that the current structure gives them the best opportunities to access power have little concerns about what type of Nigeria they would govern. Membership of group counts everyone from the councillorship aspirant to the presidential hopeful. For each of them, restructuring could delay or deny them trophies that are within sight.

THE Senate rejected restructuring in 2017. Some of its members re-considering it, indicates the tensions that the earlier decision generated. It could also be a later realisation that restructuring was critical to any of them holding their relevance, something politicians can give an arm for, in the near future.

INDIVIDUAL interests of legislators should not be imposed on us as substitute to the common interest. The journey to restructuring Nigeria would take more meetings, some not as placid as the one just concluded in Calabar, to make a head way. The important thing is to start.

ISSUES about Nigeria’s future are so imminent that they afford no further latitudes for the indulgences of meaningless meetings. The 2014 National Conference and other national engagements have documented the concerns of Nigerians about Nigeria.

THEY can be dusted up in months to restructure Nigeria along lines that reflect the urgency of its survival. Restructuring is now a race against time. We ignore it at the risk of more peril.

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 15, 2018

OPINION Tower meeting was meant to get dirt on Clinton

By Michael D. Shear and Michael S. Schmidt

P

resident Donald Trump tweeted: Fake News reporting, a complete fabrication, that I am concerned about the meeting my wonderful son, Donald, had in Trump Tower. This was a meeting to get information on an opponent, totally legal and done all the time in politics - and it went nowhere. I did not know about it!

1:35 PM - Aug 5, 2018 President Trump said on Sunday (August 5) that a Trump Tower meeting between top campaign aides and a Kremlin-connected lawyer was designed to “get information on an opponent” — the starkest acknowledgment yet that a statement he dictated last year about the encounter was misleading.

Mr. Trump made the comment in a tweet on Sunday morning that was intended to be a defense of the June 2016 meeting and the role his son Donald Trump Jr. played in hosting it. The president claimed that it was “totally legal” and of the sort “done all the time in politics.”

But the tweet also served as an admission that the Trump team had not been forthright when Donald Trump Jr. issued a statement in July 2017 saying that the meeting had been primarily about the adoption of Russian children. That statement is being scrutinized by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, who is examining a broad array of Mr. Trump’s tweets and public statements to determine whether he made them as part of an effort to deceive investigators.

People close to the president believe that he may be increasing his legal jeopardy by continuing to speak publicly about sensitive matters even as his campaign is under investigation for possible collusion with Russia and he himself is under scrutiny for possible obstruction of justice. Just last week, Mr. Trump

said in a tweet that Attorney General Jeff Sessions should shut down the special counsel investigation.

While the president tried again on Sunday to portray the Trump Tower meeting as routine, it is being examined as part of Mr. Mueller’s investigation into whether Mr. Trump’s campaign conspired with the Russians to undermine Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

It is illegal for a campaign to accept help from a foreign individual or government. The president and his son have maintained that the campaign did not ultimately receive any damaging materials about Mrs. Clinton as a result of the meeting. But some legal experts contend that by simply sitting for the meeting, Donald Trump Jr. broke the law.

In his tweet on Sunday, the president denied a report in The Washington Post that he was worried about the legal exposure for Donald Trump Jr. While the president said that the meeting was legal, he also distanced himself from it, repeating his assertion that he knew nothing about it at the time.

Donald Trump Jr. issued his statement in July 2017 after The New York Times revealed the existence of the meeting. The meeting’s true purpose was exposed a few days later when The Times published emails between Donald Trump Jr. and Rob Goldstone, a British-born former tabloid reporter and entertainment publicist who helped arrange it.

Mr. Goldstone said he had “something very interesting” — sensitive information that “is part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump.”

After the meeting was revealed, Mr. Trump posted a tweet similar to the one he wrote on Sunday morning: “Most politicians would have gone to a meeting like the one Don jr attended in order to get info on an opponent.

That’s politics!” But his administration at the time was sticking to the adoption story line,

with his press secretary, Sean Spicer, saying later that day that there was no evidence that anything but that topic had been discussed during the meeting.

Numerous White House aides and lawyers for the president aggressively denied at the time that the president had been involved in drafting the misleading statement. Jay Sekulow, one of the president’s lawyers, said in 2017 that “the president was not involved in the drafting of that statement.” Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the current press secretary, insisted that the president “certainly didn’t dictate” the statement.

Donald Trump Jr. had been promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton before agreeing to hold the Trump Tower meeting.CreditCraig Ruttle/Associated Press But The Post reported in July 2017 that Mr. Trump had in fact done so. And earlier this year, Mr. Trump’s lawyers acknowledged in a memo to Mr. Mueller that the president had dictated the statement.

On Sunday, Mr. Sekulow admitted that his earlier statement had been erroneous, saying on ABC News’s “This Week” that “I had bad information at that time and made a mistake in my statement.”

In the interview, Mr. Sekulow said that it was not clear what laws the president’s son and the other campaign officials at the Trump Tower meeting might have violated when they met with the Kremlin-connected lawyer.

“Well, the question is: How would it be illegal?” Mr. Sekulow said. “What law, statute or rule or regulation’s been violated? Nobody’s pointed to one.” Mr. Trump’s tweet on Sunday was one in a series in which he renewed his attacks on Mr. Mueller, saying his inquiry was riddled with “lies and corruption.”

It came as Mr. Trump’s lawyers are continuing to try to come to terms on a presidential interview with the special counsel. While his

lawyers — who believe that an interview would be a perjury trap — have argued against granting one, Mr. Trump wants to answer questions, and he has pushed his lawyers in recent days to continue negotiating the parameters of an interview.

Mr. Mueller’s investigators have told Mr. Trump’s lawyers that they want to ask him what he knew about the Trump Tower meeting at the time. The president believes that by answering the investigators’ questions, he can explain to Mr. Mueller that he and his campaign did nothing wrong, and bring an end to the investigation.

But the president and his legal advisers have in recent weeks ratcheted up their attacks on Mr. Mueller personally. In other tweets on Sunday, Mr. Trump again called the inquiry a “Rigged Witch Hunt” and singled out Mr. Mueller by name — a step he had avoided until recently.

“Why aren’t Mueller and the 17 Angry Democrats looking at the meetings concerning the Fake Dossier and all of the lying that went on in the FBI and DOJ?” Mr. Trump said, once again attacking his own law enforcement agencies.

“This is the most one sided Witch Hunt in the history of our country. Fortunately, the facts are all coming out, and fast!” he added.

Mr. Sekulow echoed the president in the interview on Sunday. Asked about the Trump Tower meeting, he repeatedly steered his answers back to attacks on Mr. Mueller’s investigation.

“Let’s be honest with the American people, there are irregularities in this investigation the likes of which we have not seen,” Mr. Sekulow said, mimicking one of the president’s favorite phrases.

Michael D. Shear and Michael S. Schmidt wrote this article originally for New York Times online.

All hail Galadima the ‘kingmaker’

By Ehichioya Ezomon

B

efore the New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) resurrected in the All Progressives Congress (APC), and transformed into the Reformed All Progressives Congress (R-APC), it’s doubtful if 99.99 per cent of politically-active and enlightened Nigerians had heard about Buba Galadima, “the new kid on the block.”

Elder statesman and the acclaimed “Mr. Fix It” of Nigerian politics, Chief Anthony Anenih, will envy the way Galadima boasts of having the power to unmake President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 elections.

A politically savvy, sagacious and calculative Anenih would rather vow to make governors and presidents, by issuing his famous “there’s no vacancy” either in a particular state Government House or Aso Rock in Abuja. He made such declarations for the re-elections of Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, respectively.

But not so for Mr. Galadima, who, even as secretary of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the platform that Buhari used for the 2011 elections, was not publicly considered as synonymous with the political life of the former Head of State.

Lately, Galadima touts himself as not only the tactician that brought Buhari into politics, and responsible for the cult-like following he has garnered since he first threw his hat into the arena in 2003, but that without him, Buhari wouldn’t be president today.

In his “larger-than-life political image,” Galadima brags about “controlling” over 75 per cent of members of the APC, and that having the ear of the National Assembly members, he could, if provoked, ask them to impeach President Buhari, and pronto, the retired General would be sent packing.

Such is the encompassing and awesome

powers Galadima ascribed to himself that he predicted the death of the APC through a seismic defection of R-APC members in a matter of weeks. He surely hit the bull’s eye!

Three state governors, a deputy governor and over 100 members of National and State Assemblies, have exited the APC to the main opposition PDP, from which they decamped prior to the 2015 elections. The jewel among the defectors is Dr. Bukola Saraki, the Senate President and Number Three in the hierarchy of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

As more defections are envisaged in the countdown to the party primaries from mid August, Mr. Galadima, as his recent “revelations” indicate, has adopted a strategy of remaining in the news by raking up issues with the potential to stoke further division in the APC, and de-market Buhari before the critical voting public.

Polity watchers were fed with the notion that the APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, sold the idea of a merger of political parties to Buhari, who bought into it as capable of redeeming his failed attempts at the presidency in 2003, 2007 and 2011.

However, Galadima claims that but for his insistence, Buhari was against, and would have jettisoned an alliance with Tinubu, and the choice of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as his running mate in 2015.

Galadima’s words: “Buhari was the one who was against the alliance with Tinubu and I don’t want to say anything. Let Buhari deny what I have said. I was for it and I organized it and I wrote a memo and even produced a candidate for the vice-presidency, this same Osinbajo.

“We were a committee of three: Osinbajo, Sule Hamma and me. Sule Hamma promoted the alliance more than anybody else. It was Buhari that refused. Let him deny before us and we will show him. Whenever you see him, ask him why Buba Galadima said he wouldn’t

sign INEC’s form with Tunde Bakare’s name. I don’t want to say much. Buhari cannot challenge all these things we are saying.”

We can’t hold brief for Buhari, Tinubu, Osinbajo, Hamma and Bakare on these hot-potato matters addressed by Galadima. But still, three issues stand out in his session with the Abujabased, ‘The Interview’ monthly magazine.

One, Buhari’s alleged “refusal” to align with Tinubu for the merger that birthed the APC. Two, the nomination of Osinbajo, as running mate to Buhari, which the public had “erroneously” attributed to Tinubu. Three, the stoppage of Pastor Bakare from clinching the vice presidential slot for the second time in 2015, having first ran with Buhari in 2011.

Meaning that Galadima was “responsible,” and not Buhari, for the CPC’s merger with the former Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to form the APC; he, and not Tinubu, should claim credit for Osinbajo’s vice presidential nomination, and the shutting out of Bakare from that position again.

If Galadima were this powerful, as a votecatcher and political “kingmaker” since 2003, he could, as he parrots, determine, and dispense with President Buhari’s electoral fate in 2019.

All said, it’s safe to emphasis that before Galadima sprang out of the blue, discerning Nigerians knew that the romance of strange bedfellows in the APC would not last till 2019, considering the manner of its formation, the acrimonious election of principal officers of the National Assembly, and the mutual mistrust therefrom between the executive and the legislature.

In their resistance to the APC and Buhari administration’s efforts to “right the wrongs,” the APC-dominated two chambers of the Assembly accusingly turned an “opposition” to the government. Thus, the current omens

were a matter of time!

Conclusively, the exodus from the APC to the PDP is in spite of Galadima’s own-hyped political wizardry, which can only be measured if he’s able to “halt”, particularly in his (Galadima’s) northern turf, President Buhari’s re-election, and prevent the APC from forming the next government. Otherwise, it’s time he curtailed his swaggering persona.

•Mr. Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.

THE GROUP Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Ikeddy Isiguzo Editor Felix Oguejiofor Abugu Deputy Editor/Head, Lagos Bureau Sopuruchi Onwuka Abuja Bureau Chief Tony Ailemen Head, Graphics & Designs Nnamdi Alex Chukwu Business Manager Esther Balogun Circulation Manager Felix Oti

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15, 2018

Travel & Hospitality

26

Sheraton Hotel Lagos unveils food, drinks collection for August Stories by VICTOR NZE

S

HERATON Lagos Hotel has announced a collection of compelling food initiatives and exciting offers for diners and patrons visiting all through this month of August.

The Ikeja, Lagos-based hotel said it has now activated its offerings in view of the International Beer Day celebrations, which opened last Friday, at all its bars.

“We will activate our offerings from the 3rd of August 2018 with the celebration of International Beer day at all our bars which includes; Goodies pub, the Lobby bar and Pool Bar. Interestingly, we are the only current sellers of craft beer in Lagos and so cannot wait for our guests to taste and relish this unique tasting beverage on that day.

“Craft beers usually consist of better flavors and quality than the

regular beers including those made by big brands. The craft beer we will offer comes all the way from South Africa and will be sold for N1,300 only while sausage rolls and pretzels will be served with every glass of beer for the added pleasure of our patrons.

“The best part is that day equally coincides with our famous Wazobia night Fridays at the hotel which makes it a double treat as there is always the happy hour from 7-8pm where you get 10 per cent off each purchase”.

“Our second innovative food celebration for the 3rd of August 2018 is Watermelon day where we encourage our diners and guests to savor the taste of watermelon pizza in celebration of that day at our pool bar”.

“A known fact about watermelons is that not only are they a refreshing summer snack but they are also naturally healthy and load-

ed with vitamins.

“To commemorate this amazing fruit, our creative Chef Johan De Prins has come up with three special watermelon pizzas; Watermelon salad topped with feta cheese + fresh mint, Marinated watermelon in balsamic + honey reduction and Parma ham and Watermelon pizza topped with strawberry, kiwi + white chocolate.

“All three will be sold for just N6,800 each and when you buy 2 you get one free.

“We are equally happy to indulge our guests on Chocolate Chip Cookie day this coming 4th of August 2018,” said Deputy General Manager of the hotel, Damian Cooper.

Continuing, Cooper said: “You can also purchase half a kilo of cookies for N3, 800 only and get our secret chocolate chip recipe complimentary then go home and make some cookies for your loved ones whenever you want. Our Sheraton Lagos teams are geared up to ensure that every bite is a delicious memory.

“At Sheraton Lagos Hotel, we go beyond in being innovative when it comes to food and it delights us to offer something to our loyal customers which is eclectic and not currently in the market.These offers will be available all day and we are sure that our guests will love it.”

Meanwhile, the Food & Beverage teams at the Lekki-based Four Points by Sheraton Lagos have recently aligned efforts to excite and inspire all loyal patrons and guests with another eventful celebration; the international beer day which held last Friday.

The hotel lived up to its tradition of continually delivering uncomplicated bar experiences using the Four Points Best Brews Brand programme to raise the spirits of valued customers.

The hotel also offered 50 per cent discount on all beer sold that day, recalled the General Manager of the hotel, Mr. Marc Wozniak.

Dubai maintains sustained tourism volumes

D

UBAI, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) welcomed a record 8.10 million international overnight tourists during the first six months of 2018, representing a consistent increase on the same period last year.

Figures released by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), Monday, have confirmed the continued success of the emirate’s tourism sector, which at the end of 2017 was worth AED109 billion a year.

A destination of choice for a number of global markets, Dubai is on track for projected growth into the second half of 2018.

Top source markets continued to witness stable year-onyear performances in the first half of 2018, with India, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom retaining their top three positions when compared to the same period last year.

The first half of 2018 also witnessed increased contributions from the USA and Germany, standing strong at seventh and eighth positions with 327,000 and 302,000 visitors respectively. This affirmed the successful delivery of a diversified market strategy, activating multi-pronged efforts to prioritise maintenance of continued strong appeal to travellers from key source geographies, and increasing advocacy by focusing on targeted improvements to the tourism pillars that appeal most to these audiences.

“The first six months of 2018 have both generated and sustained a steady performance, supporting strong growth across our global feeder markets. Attracting 8.10 million visitors during the first half of 2018 stands us in good stead as we accelerate momentum towards our visionary aspiration of becoming the most visited city in the world.

“The varied offering of

Dubai’s tourism proposition has steadily evolved, prudently yet actively responding to market demand, and increasing the emirate’s attractiveness among target visitor segments across our key markets.

“As such, we have strategically deployed partnerships to ensure we continue to stay relevant and front of mind to both first-time and repeat visitors, while simultaneously creating a steady stream of Dubai ambassadors. Organically expanding the outreach and impact of this authentic advocacy for the city, our integrated networks across digital, social and mobile-led platforms reflect the futurecentric mandate of the 10X initiative introduced in 2017 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai to embrace innovation and ensure Dubai stays 10 years ahead of any global city,” said Director General, Dubai Tourism, Helal Saeed Almarri.

With Dubai now attracting even more diverse audiences, Dubai Tourism is continuing to innovate and customise marketing-promotions delivery backed by strong insights-driven analytics and most ‘time and audience’ relevant touchpoints within the travel decision ecosystem.

Similarly, Dubai’s hotel room inventory, spread across a total of 700 establishments, stood at 111,317 at the end of June 2018, up seven per cent compared to the same time last year.

With an increase in demand for mid-market hotels operating in Dubai, the number of four star properties has increased from 114 to 138 representing 25 per cent of the rooms inventory. Occupied room nights were also up year on year with a total of 14.97 million compared to 14.53 million during the same period in 2017, outlining the ongoing diversity and popularity of Dubai’s hospitality sector.

•Regional Manager, South African Airways (SAA), Mr. Ohis Ehimiaghe (l) with the National Sales Manager, SAA, Mrs. Kemi Leke-Bamtefe and winning students at the grand finale of the 2nd South African Airways Essay Competition which held in conjunction with the Travel and Business News in Lagos.

Ondo Govt partners Oshodi gallery to boost tourism O NDO State Governor, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has disclosed that his government’s partnership with Oshodi Arts and Gallery will put the state in the limelight and make it one of the best tourism destinations in Nigeria.

Akeredolu said this when the Chief Executive Officer of Oshodi Arts and Gallery, Mr Sheyi Oshodi, paid a courtesy visit to the governor in Akure, Wednesday.

The governor, represented by his Deputy, Mr Agboola Ajayi, said that the government was ready and committed to the project as it would boost the state’s internally generated revenue.

He said that the partnership was coming at a time when government was committed to keeping proper records of events, activities and all important achievements.

He said that the state government was emulating Cross River in the area of art and culture to ensure that Ondo State was put to prominence.

“This partnership is good to help bring back our lost heritage; it has been there for long; we need to showcase it,” he said.

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr Ismaila Olurimisi, said the partnership was at no cost to government.

Olurimisi said it would be the maiden edition of Arts and Culture festival, as it would boost the economy of the state.

The commissioner said the date had not been fixed but that arrangements had been concluded to make it a worthwhile event.

Earlier, Oshodi said the partnership would absorb no fewer than

5,000 youths.

He said the project would showcase different talents that youths in the state possessed, ranging from music, dancing, design, sculptural designs and painting, among others.

He added that the partnership would go a long way to boost the economic base of the state.

Africa remains strategic priority – Global hotel CEOs

W

HEN the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF) takes place in Nairobi in October, it will host the strongest line up of global hotel industry CEOs in its history.

“Whilst AHIF is known as the top gathering of the hospitality industry in Africa, there has to be more to it than this, as it’s the first time so many CEOs of the world’s biggest brands have appeared in Africa at the same time”, says Matthew Weihs, Managing Director of Bench Events, which organises AHIF. Weihs added: “The presence of so many of the world’s top hoteliers sends a signal that Africa is open for business and is viewed as a strategic growth market for the industry.

There is a great deal of evidence to support that opinion.

Daniel Silke, Director of the Political Futures Consultancy and

AHIF keynote speaker, said: “In the coming decade, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few African countries, potentially Ethiopia, Cote D’Ivoire and Ghana, in the top ten list of the world’s fastest growing economies.”

He also pointed to a compelling list of attractive features of Africa for the hotel investment community, which according to him, include: “Several rapidly-expanding major cities; increasing interest from international tourists; a low number of hotel rooms per head of population, compared to the more developed parts of the world; a huge surge of inward investment, particularly from China; and an increasingly businessfriendly political and economic climate, characterised by a new generation of political leaders, who are more open to public-private partnership and see hotels as crucial infrastructure to facilitate growth.”

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15, 2018

AVIATION

Air Peace commences Kaduna operations, August 13 Stories by VICTOR NZE

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IR PEACE is set to commence daily flights from Lagos to Kaduna from August 13 as part of its no-city-left-behind project.

The airline had earlier announced commencement of its four weekly flights from Lagos, Abuja and Accra to Monrovia with effect from August 6.

A statement issued by the airline’s Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah said the carrier was pleased to connect and unite the South and North of Nigeria by air.

Air Peace, which recently secured the renewal of its International Air Transport Association Operation Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate, said broadening its route network in the North of Nigeria aligned with its determination to democratise flying experience, give hope to unserved and underserved destinations as well as positively impact the economies of

destinations where it operates.

The carrier assured that many more domestic routes, including Makurdi, Warri and Port Harcourt NAF Base, would soon join its network under its no-city-left-behind project. Air Peace also confirmed that it would shortly reopen its Asaba and Sokoto operations.

“We are delighted to announce that Kaduna will reflect on our route map starting from Monday, August 13, 2018, just exactly a week after commencement of our four weekly flights from Lagos, Abuja and Accra to Monrovia. The launch of our daily flights from Lagos to Kaduna is a pleasing consolidation of our pledge to connect and unite Nigeria by air.

We are convinced beyond any shadow of doubt that Nigeria stands to gain socially and economically if the North and South are seamlessly connected by air.

“Our flights to Kaduna will afford air travellers, especially in the North,

an opportunity to experience the excellent services Air Peace has been reputed for since we commenced scheduled operations almost four years ago. The new route will perfectly fit into our strategy to end the travel difficulties of the North of Nigeria with our flights to Abuja, Yola,

Kano, Sokoto, Benue, among other cities in the area.

“We are determined to replicate the success of our intervention in the travel difficulties experienced on the Kano and Yola routes, which we inaugurated on February 12 and 15, 2018 respectively, as a way of appreciating

the huge support we have continued to enjoy from the North of Nigeria.

We solicit the continued support and patronage of the flying public in our determination to deliver the best in air travel in Nigeria and beyond,” Air Peace said.

Overland Airways begins flight services from Lagos–Cotonou, Lome Aug. 12

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VERLAND Airways is set to commence flight services from Lagos to Cotonou in Republic of Benin, Lome in Togo from August 12.

The airline has concluded arrangements to deploy an ATR 42 and 72 aircraft on the route.

Speaking during a press briefing at its office in Lagos, the chief operating officer of Overland Airways, Mrs Aanu Benson said the commencement of the regional flight services marks the take-off of Overland Airways drive to participate actively in regional socio economic activities and integration.

Benson said the airline will continue to work on its fleet maximisation as the need arises.

“West Africa is our territory and 12th August marks the beginning of domestic West Africa operations,” she said, adding that the airline’s cur-

rent and new customers will enjoy their premium services as it continue to improve on its services.

“Overland Airways operations to Cotonou and Lome are to offer choices to customers as our contribution to regional integration in West Africa.

We want Air travellers on the region to team up and discover each other while enjoying the excellent services we offer. It is an expression of Nigeria’s aviation renaissance in West Africa.

“One of the most important missing factors facing sustainable economic transformation in West Africa is smooth inter-connectivity. Over the coming years, Overland Airways will facilitate a new environment for business, leisure, travellers, families, students and more essentially bolster that bonding amongst the peoples and groupings in the region. There is need to reinforce unity and prosperity at the regional level,” Benson.

FAAN condemns invasion of Sokoto Airport

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EDERAL Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has condemned invasion of the runway of Sultan Abubakar III International Airport, Sokoto by crowd of political loyalists, Friday.

FAAN’s General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, who made the condemnation in a statement in Lagos, last weekend, alleged that the loyalists broke through the airport fence and invaded the airport in a bid to receive their political masters.

The general manager described the incident as a gross violation of the security and safety arrangements at the airport.

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“However, our team of aviation security officers were able to curtail the situation and normalcy was restored at the airport.

“The airport environment is a highly regulated environment and should be seen as such,” she said.

Yakubu said as the 2019 general elections was drawing closer, FAAN would like to advise the general public, especially politicians and their supporters to ensure compliance with all rules and regulations at the airports.

She added that the authority would not compromise security and safety at our airports for any reason.

•(From left): Head, Corporate Communications, Mr. Roland Ohaeri; Cabin Safety Officer, Ms. OreOluwa Adegunwa; Manager, Corporate Services, Mrs. Aderonke Emmanuel-James; Chief Operating Officer, Mrs. Aanu Benson; Executive Director, Mrs. Aduke Atiba; Cabin Safety Officer, Ms. Grace Asojo; Network Development Supervisor, Ms. Yvonne Morfaw, all of Overland Airways Limited at the media conference on the launch of the airline’s flights to Cotonou, Republic of Benin and Lome, Republic of Togo.

SAA urges Nigerian youths to take up career in aviation T HE South African Airways (SAA) has urged students in the secondary and tertiary institutions in Nigeria to take careers in the aviation industry as the potential therein is humongous.

Describing the industry as untapped, the Regional Manager, SAA, Mr. Ohis Ehimiaghe said a lot of opportunities abounds in the sector and the students can chose any area they want to be.

“So you can be anything you chose to be in this industry as well, why everybody is looking at other industries and sectors, this is an untapped industry, this is an industry that has great potential for every one of you, so am encouraging you to key into it, tap into it and make the best of it”.

Speaking at the grand finale of

the past four years.

“African airline losses have shrunk as commodity prices rose and load factors improved. However, their breakeven load factors are relatively low, as yields are a little higher than average despite the lower costs. However, few of the airlines are able to achieve adequate load factors, which average the lowest globally at 61.5 per cent in the first six months of 2018,” IATA said.

travel and tourism industry? The potential is there, so what we are saying in essence is that this little essay that you have written have exposed you to the fact that there is an industry called aviation which is wide and huge, the opportunities in aviation industry is humongous”.

National Sales Manager, SAA, Mrs. Kemi Leke-Bamtefe said South African Airways is proud to be associated with the Travel and Business news as the chief sponsor of the essay on a yearly basis because the airline believes in youth empowerment and development as this is what drives them as an airline. ”We have been in existence for 84 years, in December this year, SAA will be 20 years in Nigeria, if you are a part of this already you are a winner,” said Leke-Bamtefe.

Delta record 18.3m customers in July 2018

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ELTA Air Lines has reported operating performance for July 2018 which showed company carrying 18.3 million customers across its broad global network, which it said is a record for the airline.

African airlines seeking Gulf alliances

FRICAN airlines are seeking partnerships and alliances as they try to remain afloat, with the Middle East carriers becoming the likely suitors as they seek to turn around their fortunes while improving cost efficiencies.

This comes as the latest International Air Transport Association (IATA) report released last month showed that Africa continues to be the weakest region in aviation, a trend that has persistent over

the 2nd South African Airways Essay Competition in conjunction with Travel and Business News in Lagos, the SAA Regional Manager noted that the aviation industry is not only complex but also very interesting, adding that all those who have participated in writing and emerged as finalists to defend their write-ups have been exposed to the industry called Aviation.

“Part of your history is that there is something called aviation, it’s a huge industry and very complex industry and extremely interesting industry, you want to be a medical doctor in the future, we have medical doctors working in the aviation sector, you want to be engineers?who do you think makes those aircraft, they are engineers, you want to work in the

On average, African airlines are projected to make a loss of $100 million, as they did last year, with per passenger loss narrowing to $1.5 million from $4.6 million two years ago. On the other hand, the Gulf carriers are expected to make a profit of $1.3 billion this year, up from an average of $1 billion they registered in 2017, while their passenger revenue will grow to $5.89, up from $4.81 last year making them attractive partners for the African airlines.

Delta Air Lines also disclosed that is signing a definitive agreement with WestJet that, after regulatory approval, will create a trans-border joint venture serving more than 30 cities, covering over 95 percent of United States-Canadian demand, and providing enhanced offerings and more choice for customers.

“Declaring our fifth annual dividend increase beginning in the September quarter, demonstrating our conviction in the durability and sustainability of the Delta business model. The September quarter dividend of $0.35 per share, an increase of 15 percent over previous levels, will be payable on August 16, 2018 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on July 26, 2018.

The airline also announced five more trans-Pacific routes to feature Delta One suites and Delta

Premium Select seating beginning with Minneapolis to Tokyo in November, bringing more luxury, comfort, and choice to customers transiting the U.S., Japan, and Australia.

Delta was recently named to Fortune’s top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the seventh time in eight years.

Additionally, Delta has ranked No.1 in the Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for an unprecedented seven consecutive years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 323 destinations in 56 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs more than 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 800 aircraft.

28

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15, 2018

INSURANCE & PENSION Lagos releases N466.855m to 187 retirees in July, pays N2b in 3 months Stories by VICTOR NZE

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AGOS State Government has again credited N466.855m to the Retirement Savings Accounts of 187 of its retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme for the month of July. More retirees from the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) benefitted from this batch of payment.

The Presentation took place last Monday at the Office Complex in Alausa, Ikeja.

Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Dr. Akintola Benson Oke stated that despite the scarcity of funds, the state governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode still holds the pensioners in high esteem by making sure he releases funds every month for the payment of their entitlements. He said that 9,401 retirees have been paid under the present administration a huge amount of money which is approximately N38.5 billion.

Director-General, Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC), Mrs. Folasade Onanuga in her welcome address said that the Lagos State Government will continue to play the Mother-hen role.

She also used the medium to ad-

vice retirees amongst others on the importance of putting their houses in order for any eventuality by making sure they write their Wills whilst they are still active.

In addition, she said that they should be active in retirement, because the more they move around, the better for their health.

In appreciation, two of the retirees, Mr. Orisayomi Olafemi and Mrs. Adewole C.B commended the effort of the Governor in accelerating the process of payment of retiree entitlements, which they said could not be compared with what obtained in other States.

Meanwhile, the state Government says it has so far released over N2 billion to off-set its pensioners’ obligation under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) in the last three months.

Director-General, Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC), Mrs Folashade Onanuga, said that the figure represented pension monies released for the months of May, June and July.

According to her, N859 million was released for the retirees in May, N716.951 million in June and N466.85 million in July, totalling N2.042.86 billion.

The director-general said that

Premium Pension grows AUM to over N570bn

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REMIUM Pension Limited has assured of commitment towards a better relationship with its clients as the pension fund administrator’s current Assets under Management (AUM) rose in excess of N570 billion.

The board of the company disclosed this, last weekend during its 59th meeting held at its ultramodern Lagos Island regional office, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi recently.

Speaking at the event Chief Executive Officer Mr. Umar Sanda Mairami, said holding its meeting in Lagos Island is part of its commitment towards recognizing

with its numerous clients residing and working on and around the Island.

His said: “We are bringing relationship closer to our clients and providing environment for them to experience our premium services.

“There is no gainsaying the fact that the business of pension fund administration is delicate and tasking especially with regard to the required technical input.

But our capacity and level of preparedness and alertness is not in question,” said the Chief Executive Officer Mr. Umar Sanda Mairami.

Continental Reinsurance’s gross premium up by 27%

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ONTINENTAL Reinsurance Plc has disclosed that its consolidated gross premium rose by 27 per cent, from N15.19 billion in the second quarter of 2017, to N19.26 billion in the corresponding period of 2018.

According to a statement from the group, the good momentum in volume growth was a reflection of a supportive market environment.

“Despite a competitive pricing environment, higher frictional costs and a higher claims ratio, 2017 underwriting performance, although 36 per cent lower, remains strong due to tighter portfolio management.

Claims incurred amounted to N6.76 billion compared to N3.52 billion, with the incurred loss ratio deteriorating from 36 per cent to 46 per cent,” the statement noted.

The company’s negative technical performance factors were partially offset by positive performance on investments at N1.23 billion, lower by six per cent due to cost savings and efficiency.

It added that the company

continued to enjoy a highly favourable 91 per cent combined ratio, while profit before tax of N3.24 billion, representing a four per cent modest year-on-year growth, was 31 per cent higher than the budget.

Shareholders’ fund improved by 24 per cent to N25.77 billion, from N 20.77 billion during the same period in 2017.

Group Managing Director, Dr. Femi Oyetunji, stated: “We are pleased with our value creation evolution in the first half of 2018.

Claims settlement excellence remains our key value proposition.

We will continue with our efforts to increase our internal capacity and implement quality assurance measures that underpin the superior client experience we are known for.”

With a diverse and dedicated workforce, Continental Re stated that it was committed to implementing its 2020 strategy that complemented Africa’s aspirations for higher insurance penetration and enhanced value for its shareholders.

N38 billion had so far been released to 9,214 retirees as at June this year since Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode assumed office in 2015.

Onanuga said in a statement that over N40 million was also paid out as insurance benefits to 15 beneficiaries of deceased employees.

She, however, said that the state employees were expected to open

a Retirement Saving Account (RSA) with one of the state’s approved 13 Pension Fund Administrators.

“Governor Ambode is fully committed to retirees’ welfare and he is working towards clearing accrued pension backlogs the administration inherited under the old pension scheme, known as De-

fined Benefit Scheme (DBS).

“Retirees that retired solely under Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) for one reason or the other collected their gratuities upon retirement with steady monthly pension payments, because the pension funds under CPS is intact,’’ Onanuga said.

•(From left): Abideen Musa; Chioma Sideso; Ituah Ighodalo; Udo Okeke; Jean Kacou Diagou and Ebele Nwachukwu, all Directors of NSIA Insurance, during the presentation of NSIA Insurance ISO Certificate by Standard Organisation of Nigeria in Lagos.

NSIA Insurance hails NAICOM on measures to grow industry B OARD of NSIA Insurance Limited has commended the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) on its efforts to develop and deepen the Insurance Market with the introduction of Tier-Based Minimum Solvency Requirement (TBMSR) model.

A statement by the foremost underwriter stated that the Board believes this initiative will encourage more effective deployment of Capital and Specialisation amongst insurers.

Tier-based minimum solvency capital structure is a complimentary measure to the ongoing implementation of the risk-based supervision programme by NAICOM and is

aimed at supporting the nature, scale and complexity of the business conducted by insurers.

It is a three-level model that specifies the capital requirement for each tier based on risk classification for each tier.

The Board also approved the appointment of additional Directors, both in Executive and Non-Executive capacity as the company prepares to play a dominant role in the Insurance Industry in Nigeria and across Africa.

These Directors have been forwarded to the regulator for approval.

According to the statement, the goal is to create market niches to deepen penetration particularly in the retail sector, to increase the

amount of capital available with a corresponding increase in capacity and technology and generally to create better efficiency all of which is extremely welcome.

Under the new capitalisation structure, life insurance firms need a minimum capital level of N6 billion for Tier 1; N3 billion for Tier 2 and N2 billion for Tier 3: For non-life business, the requirement is a minimum of N9 billion for Tier 1; N4.5 billion for Tier 2 and N3 billion for Tier 3. While for composite companies (combination of life and general business), the new capital requirement is a minimum of N15 billion for Tier 1; N7.5 billion for Tier 2 and N5 billion for Tier 3.

contributions to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.

The Leadway Assurance chief, who doubles as Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Publicity and Communication of the industry’s Insurers’ Committee, said the introduction of the solvency requirement for insurers in Nigeria commencing January 1, 2019, will help to restructure the market in a way that insurers can choose which part of the consumer segment (retail, commercial or industrial) is best served based on the capital fund that it holds or is able to deploy.

“The news of NAICOM’s introduction of TBMSR is a positive one. I am confident that it is an initiative with potential upside for the industry to grow and take its rightful position as a formidable contributor to our national economic activities, growth and development as it is in developed economies.

“It is high time we moved beyond the 0.3 per cent contribution to GDP and improve our ranking within the comity of African insurers (heavily dominated by South Africa) as measured by the African Insurance Barometer.

“Overall, we should expect an improvement in the capacity and reputation of the industry on the back of unwavering market discipline, improved claims settlement, stronger local retention, increased prudence and promotion of appropriate pricing,” he submitted.

Speaking on how the TBMSR will affect the solvency margin of Nigerian Insurers, Mr Hassan-Odukale added, “It is important to note that all insurance companies already fall within each restructured tier therefore, no company needs to raise additional capital unless they have existing capital deficiency or prefer to play within a tier above its current capital level.

Leadway Assurance boss lauds new NAICOM requirement

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ANAGING Director of Leadway Assurance Company Limited, Mr Oye HassanOdukale, has commended the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) for introducing the TierBased Minimum Solvency Requirement (TBMSR), saying it was long overdue.

According to the insurance expert, with this restructuring, insurers do not have to be compelled to increase capital to underwrite risks that stress their capital without delivering commensurate returns to capital providers/shareholders.

Mr Hassan-Odukale believes that the restriction will foster the emergence of players with capacity to become retail specialists or become specialist underwriters of big-ticket risks in critical sectors of the economy, such as the aviation and oil & gas, whilst accelerating the growth of the industry and its

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15, 2018

INSURANCE & PENSION

PTAD payrolls 284 pensioners of insurance firm

Stories by VICTOR NZE

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HE Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) has added 248 pensioners of the Nigeria Insurance to its monthly payroll, with N8.31 million paid to the new enrollees for the month of July, this year.

Executive Secretary of PTAD, Sharon Ikeazor, who described the development as ‘a promise kept,’ assured that outstanding arrears will be cleared as funds are made available.

“No pensioner or retiree, after serving their fatherland should

ever be forced into the indignity and painful uncertainty of delayed pensions. Today, Nigeria Insurance pensioners verified by PTAD Nigeria have been placed on monthly pension payroll. It is indeed a promise kept.”

She thanked the PTAD team for their dedication to fulfill the mandate of the Directorate and reiterated the present administration’s commitment to pensioners’ welfare.

Ikeazor also assured the pensioners that the backlog of outstanding pension arrears will be cleared as funds are allocated and released.

PenCom commences enrolment of 2,700 FG retirees from Niger, FCT

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ATIONAL Pension Commission (PenCom) has said that no fewer than 2,700 Federal employees from Niger State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) due to retire in 2019 have commenced their verification and enrollment in its Abuja centre.

PenCom Head of Corporate Communications, Mr Peter Aghahowa, who said in Abuja, Monday, that the Abuja centre was part of phase II of the nationwide verification and enrollment programme, stated the phase II of the enrollment was ongoing in two other centres of Lagos and Ibadan.

Aghahowa who disclosed that phase one had been concluded in 12 other centres across the nation, said the exercise in Abuja has been on since July 30 and will end on August 17, and is meant for Federal Government employees due to retire between January and December 2019.

Their retirement is hinged on attainment of 60 years of age or 35 years in service whichever is earlier or 65 years by age for employees of tertiary institutions or 70 years of age for professors.

According to Aghahowa, the verification and enrollment are designed to facilitate payment of retirement benefits of the potential retirees.

He said the physical enrollment also covered those who had already retired, but were yet to be enrolled. Aghahowa said affected employees were requested to attend with originals and copies of letter of appointment, evidence of transfer of service and acceptance letter where applicable.

Other documents are birth cer-

tificate or declaration of age, promotion letters, payslip indicating grade level and step as at June 2004.

Others are: “Promotion letter and payslip indicating grade level and step as at January, 2007, promotion letter and payslip indicating grade level and step as at July, 2010.

“Promotion letter and payslip indicating grade level and step as at December 2013, Letter of introduction from the MDAs, staff identity card, letter or evidence of retirement where applicable, letter of indemnity from the MDA,” the PenCom spokesperson said.

He said prospective retirees were also requested to come with evidence of registration with a Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) indicating Retirement Savings Accounts (RSA) and Personal Identification Number (PIN).

Aghahowa said the MDAs were expected to send their Pension Desk Officers to identify potential retirees and confirm authenticity of the documents presented by the employees.

He, however, said that potential retirees who were medically unfit were exempted from the exercise.

Aghahowa said PenCom had earlier advised PDOs of medically unfit employees to present their documents and letters from qualified physician certifying that the affected employees were not capable of attending the exercise.

According to him, the commission advises all prospective Federal Government retirees to take part in the exercise as it is a precondition for payment of their retirement benefits.

•(Sitting from left): MD/CEO Mr. Umar Sanda Mairami, Executive Director Business Development North & Investment Mr. Kabir Ahmed Tijjani, Executive Director Business Development South & Strategy Mrs. Kemi Oluwashina, Memebers of the Board Mr. Ibrahim Babayo, Mr. Nelson Nweke, Mr. Lamido Yuguda and Company Secretary Mr. Nasiru Shall.

LASACO introduces rescue solution for motorists

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AGOS State-owned-LASACO Assurance Plc has introduced an instant rescue solution, which provides free towing service for vehicles with severe damage, particularly for vehicle owners insured by the company and generally, for motorists operating within major parts in Lagos State.

Besides, as a strategy of boosting its customer satisfaction, it has evolved a speedy and more responsive claims settlement solution that would make policyholders get compensation under their Motor Insurance policies faster.

The claims settlement solution, tagged “LASACO Blue Response,” targeted at automobile insurance operations, would enable the company solve the most critical aspect of claims assessment and settle minor Automobile insurance claims immediately upon notification.

The solution, first in the industry in Nigeria, would reduce the timeframe between accident and claims settlement and encourage more interaction between insurance operators and their clients.

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Agency said, “the natural disaster risk insurance ecosystem is evolving rapidly with more diversified products and services being introduced to the market by many players. Africa’s resilience is best assured by fielding its best team; and this is what has been done by seeking out the most fertile and respected minds in the industry to ensure that disaster risks are transferred in the most cost-effective manner.”

Expressing strong faith that these appointments will be a game-changer for the work of the African Risk Capacity, the CEO of ARC Ltd, Ms Dolika Banda, stated: “The high-level of combined international development experience, commercial insurance, savviness in

building strategic global relationships, proven expertise in natural disaster financing, management and response systems, and a commitment to Africa that the new members are bringing on board will provide the requisite catalyst to the work of African Risk Capacity in providing customised solutions to Africa’s sovereigns for food security and economic growth.”

Mr Babade heartily welcomed Mr Abdoulie Janneh, Ms Delphine Traoré Maïdou, and Dr FrannieLeautier as Non-ExecutiveDirectors, as well as Dr Michel Jarraud,whowill serve as Special Advisor to the Board The appointments take effect from Wednesday, August 1.

Covering minor accidents, the solution would only be available to policyholders in Lagos, excluding Epe, Imota and Badagry for now, who, in the event of an accident, would be required to call the company on 07000LASACO and the trained claims assessor would reach the location of accident within 30 minutes.

It operates with fully kitted and

FBN Insurance to operate in Tier-1 risk-based capital model

HE FBN Insurance Group has declared that it will operate as a tier- 1 insurance group in the industry.

Managing Director/ CEO FBNInsurance Limited, Val Ojumah further disclosed, Friday, during a media briefing held in Lagos that the insurance group is bringing to the market better services as one of the top insurance group to reckon with in the industry.

He said the firm has the financial muscle to play effectively in the tier1 category. The FBN Insurance boss further said that with its plans to play in the tier-1 model the general

African Risk Capacity strengthens with appointment of top NEDs

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HE African Risk Capacity Limited (the ARC Ltd) has appointed three new Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) and a Special Advisor to join its Board of Directors to bring independent strategic guidance and oversight to its operations.

The ARC Ltd is a financial affiliate of the African Risk Capacity (ARC), which is a Specialised Agency of the African Union established to assist member states in tackling the impact of natural disasters on vulnerable people. ARC transfers the burden of weather and other natural disaster risks away from governments, enabling them to build resilience and better plan, prepare, and respond to extreme events.

Working alongside the Board Chairman, Mr Dele Babade, the Non-Executive Directors will join a team that is making concrete strides in empowering African sovereigns to build resilience against the catastrophic effects of climate and other natural disasters.

Mr Babade highlighted that “the new Non-Executive Directors are bringing on board deep expertise, versatile experience, tested knowledge, and expansive networks to chart new paths that will continue to place ARC Ltd as a leader in innovative natural disaster risk financing and management.”

Speaking on the timeliness of the appointments of the new NEDs, Mohamed Beavogui, the DirectorGeneral of African Risk Capacity

“ready-to-go” motorbike riders, who will always swing into action, whenever there is instant notification of a claim.

The riders, according to the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the company, Segun Balogun, would inspect the vehicle at the scene of the accident, adjust the claims and offer an on-the-spot settlement.

insurance oil and gas portfolio will increase because they are injecting more fund into the business.

“Our aviation business which we started recently, will also increase because we are adding more money into the business and in other areas of our business. ”Our annuity portfolio is growing at astronomical rate and it will continue while our retail insurance penetration is equally growing” he said On its expansion plan, he said with the latest Risk Based capital model, FBN Insurance group will be seen across the country.

According to him, they are already in 46 locations in Nigeria, but assuring that within the next 16 months it will add 20 new locations to the existing ones.

He also applauded the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) for the new RB capital model, noting that the development will help to reposition the industry financially. ”The new regulation will encourage insurance companies to work together to increase their financial strength and capabilities and be able to absorb more risk.

“It will also reduce the number of weak players and we will be able to retain more risk in Nigeria. I want to let you know that the regulator did not increase capital base. The minimum capital for general insurance still stands at N3billion and N2billion for life insurance. But the new RB capital model supervision is to ensure that operators cover those Risk that their financial strength can cover,” he added.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15, 2018

EQUITY & Capital Market

MRS Oil raises share capital to N161.2m • Pays Bonus issue of 1:5 Stories By JEROME USHAKANG

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EMBERS of MRS Oil Nigeria Plc, in a unanimous resolution taken at the 49th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Lagos on Thursday increased the authorized share capital of the company from N135.9million to N161.3million.

Addressing the shareholders, the chairman of the company, Mr. Patrice Alberti said, to achieve the desired share capital, MRS Oil would create a total of 50.8 million Ordinary shares of 50kobo each whose value will be the same with the existing shares of the company.

Alberti explained that in pursuance to the Company’s Articles of Association and the recommendation of the Directors, the sum of N25.4million would be transferred from the balance of retained prof-

its to the share capital account. He emphasized that the transferred amount shall represent the value of 50.8million Ordinary shares as fully paid up amongst members whose names are registered in the company’s Register of members as at July 6, 2018 in the proportion of one new share of 50 kobo each for every five existing shares of 50kobo each held by them (1.5).

The Chairman said the Bonus Issue is in response to the shareholders request in the previous meeting (2016), stressing that the company did it in appreciation of their support, contributions and confidence reposed in the company.

The Chairman told shareholders that as part of MRS Oil corporate values to promote excellence, the company seeks to engage its shareholders and employees to achieve the highest levels of scholastic ex-

cellence for their children with a rewarding scholarship scheme.

He stated that the goal of the scheme is to financially support academically outstanding children of shareholders and employees of the company.The scholarship will be awarded to senior secondary students-SS1 through SS3 who attend a government or recognized and accredited private higher secondary

school in Nigeria. The scholarship will also be awarded to undergraduates who have been offered admission into government or recognized and accredited private university/ polytechnic who have maintained the specified Grade Point Average (GPA) for the duration of their course.

On health issues, Alberti said, “We take premium in healthy workforce

NSE places embargoe on Conoil shares

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HE Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on Monday August 6, suspended trading in the shares of Conoil Plc. The Exchange in a statement said the action was taken because of the failure of the company to submit its audited financial statements as at when due.

As a result of the suspension, the shares of the company will remain suspended until its required results is submitted. At the moment, Conoil is yet to submit its financial statements for the first quarter ended March 2018.

The implication of the full suspension is that trading activities on the shares of Conoil is now halted and there will be no change in price movement. The company will also be fined for the late submission of the results.

According to the statement, the

company is one of those firms that are repeat offenders when it comes to late submission of financial statements. Audited results for the 2017 financial year were submitted on June 1, 2018 nearly six months after the financial year end of December.

As at Friday, August 3, 2018 Conoil share price closed trading session at N24.30 kobo the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). Year to date, the stock is down by 13.21 percent.

Notore lists 1.62bn shares on NSE

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OTORE Chemical Industries Plc (Notore) has joined a league of quoted companies as it listed a total of 1.612 billion Ordinary shares at N62.50 per share

UBA’s Leo on WhatsApp, opens to customers in September

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NITED Bank for Africa (UBA) otherwise known as Africa’s global bank has launched its chat banker, Leo in a pilot mode on WhatsApp. The Bank in a statement said the service will be fully available to customers from September 1st, 2018. It added that with Leo now on WhatsApp, customers who are lovers of the app will be able to open new accounts, check their balances on the go and carry out basic banking services.

The bank which has been asserting itself in recent times as a pace setter, recently clinched the Euromoney awards as the Best Digital Bank in Africa.

Speaking at the launch of Leo on WhatsApp, Group Managing Director, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, said: “Our customers are at the heart of our business and we as a bank, are never relenting in matching our words with equal action. In today’s fast paced world with demands for quick responses, our aim is to make banking seamless and effortless for our millions of existing and potential customers.”

Also speaking on the launch of Leo on WhatsApp, Group Head of UBA’s Online Banking, Mr Austine Abolusoro, stated that United Bank for Africa is a technology-driven institution with vast knowledge in the business that we do and Leo, being

•Chairman MRS PLC, Patrice Alberti

a tested dependable and intelligent personality, will replicate on WhatsApp, the success it has experienced on the Facebook Messenger platform.

It is a solution that is from the customer’s standpoint, easy to use by anyone regardless of your demography.’ ‘Leo is ready and waiting to help with any form of banking services’ Abolusoro stressed.

“WhatsApp has been in existence for over nine years, reaching more than 1.5 billion people in over 180 countries. The premium private chat platform has assured that there will be no spam messages as the development is to enable businesses serve their customers with useful and helpful information.

Leo is already present in over 12 African subsidiaries, including Nigeria, and is available in three languages. It will be fully rolled out to customers on WhatsApp in September 2018 with all its regular features and extended attributes for WhatsApp. Meanwhile, UBA is one of Africa’s leading banks with operations in 20 African countries and in London and New York, with presence in Paris.

Adjudged to be at the forefront of innovation and convenient banking, UBA is one of the first financial services institutions on the continent to deploy Finacle 10x, a new information technology platform that boosts its services and electronic banking channels.

on the main Board of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on Thursday August 2, 2018.

The company listed the entire issued and paid up capital valued at N100.754 billion by way of introduction and gained N1.50 kobo to close transactions at N68.00 per share.

Speaking at ‘Facts Behind the Listing Presentation’ shortly after the listing ceremony, Group Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of Notore, Mr. Onajite Paul Okoloko said, “ We at Notore Chemical Industries have decided to list on the NSE, in order to support the Nigerian Government efforts to deepen the capital market , improve the liquidity and tradability of the company’s shares”.

Okoloko stated that it will also increase the company’s visibility and credibility in the Nigerian market and beyond, increase access to capital in order to fund the company’s future growth initiatives and grant Nigerians the opportunity to participate in Notore’s growth story.

He explained that the principal business of Notore is the production and sale of fertilizer products which is traded locally within Nigeria and exported to West Africa, Southern Africa and Europe.

It is a vertically integrated agroallied, chemical and power group based in Onne, Rivers State and has five subsidiaries including Notore Supply & Trading Mauritius Limited, Notore Power Limited, Notore Seeds Limited, Notore Foods Limited and Notore Industrial City Limited.

Highlighting key investments, Okoloko said Notores strength lies in its potentials to diversify its revenue due to its favourable location

a prolific gas hub and access to a jetty for easy export of any product manufactured in the facility.

The Group Managing Director called on the investing public to invest in Notore as it’s not indebted to anyone. It acquired $152million assets of defunct National Fertilizer Company of Nigeria (NAFCON) Onne in Port Harcourt Rivers State.

It was sold under liquidation process and government settled workers entitlements, he added.

Analysis of Notore’ s financial performance history showed that its turnover grew from N21.285 billion in 2013 to N35.985 billion in 2017 while profit after tax rose from N1.694 billion in 2013 to N8.652 billion in 2017.

Also speaking, the Chairman of Notore Chemical Industries Plc, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd) said the listing of the company on the Exchange was a step in the right direction as this will make the company to be stronger. According to him, the listing will provide an avenue for growth and provide liquidity for the business.

Earlier in his opening remarks, Chief Executive Officer of the NSE, Mr. Oscar N. Onyema said,” I commend Notore Chemicals Industries Plc for this bold and strategic step.

On behalf of the National Council, Management and Staff of The Nigerian Stock Exchange, I congratulate the Board and Management of Notore Chemicals Industries Plc on its successful listing on the Main Board of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

This listing has added N100.75bn (N100, 754,137,500) to the market capitalization of The Exchange, further deepening the Nigerian Capital Market.

and environment; high safety standards and procedures for all operations are instituted and communicated to all employees, partners and contractors. In keeping with this objective, we manage the design, construction, operation, maintenance and decommissioning of assets in a manner that is protective of people, property and the environment. All employees are involved in the promotion of a safe and healthy work environment and the company provides recognition for superior safe work performance”.

Meanwhile, the financial results of the company for the year ended December 31, 2017 showed that Total comprehensive income for the year dropped slightly from N1.5billion in 2016 to N1.4billion in 2017, representing six percent decrease. In the same vein, Earnings per share depreciated by six percent from N5.77 kobo in 2016 to N5.45 kobo.

Also, the overall sales for 2017 declined marginally to N107. 1billionin 2017 from N109.6billion, achieved in 2016, representing a drop of 2.32 percent.

However, Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK) recorded the highest rate of increase, from N8.6billion in 2016 to N14.0billion in 2017, an increase of 63percent.

In his overview, Alberti said investment is likely to parked until the quelling of election uncertainty and added that the year under review was a challenging one for macroeconomic factors that were not within the company’s control.

However, the company achieved many milestones in all its business segments.

It will also increase the visibility of Notore Chemicals Industries Plc; solidify its brand as a pre-eminent agro-allied company in Nigeria.

This listing shows the confidence Notore Chemicals Industries Plc has on our platform, which has a total market capitalization of N23.34trillion ($76.32billion) across all of our asset classes.

He stated that the listing was a promising development in the country’s agro-allied and petrochemical sector and the NSE encourage more local players to explore the different opportunities in the capital markets for raising long term capital.

“We believe that increased participation of indigenous companies in the capital markets will increase investors’ confidence, both local and international and entrench good corporate governance, transparency and sustainability in the sector. We encourage other companies within the Agriculture and Agro-Allied Sector to join your firm by listing their shares on the NSE”. Onyema said.

Also, We are pleased that Notore Chemicals Industries Plc has taken this strategic step to join the Main Board of the Exchange and in so doing, the prestigious club of quoted companies in Nigeria.

He stated that the step indicates the firm’s belief that our platform remains a veritable avenue for raising capital and enabling sustainable national growth. I commend Notore Chemicals Industries Plc for this bold and strategic step.

In his own words, he said, “Your listing on the NSE today will not only showcase Notore as an established player in the agriculture and agroallied sector, but will enable the firm better position itself towards the actualization of its strategic vision of becoming a significant contributor to the development of Africa.”

31

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15, 2018

MONEY Market

CBN plans to end lower currency denominations’ scarcity Stories by KAYODE OGUNWALE

T

HE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has launched a move that is aimed at ending the scarcity of lower currency denominations across the country.

The Assistant Director, Currency Operations of the apex Bank, Benedict Madagwu while speaking at CBN’s FAIR programme titled: ‘Promoting Financial Stability and Economic Development’, Madagwu disclosed that the bank has begun the process of making lower currency denominations available to Nigerians.

According to the Assistant Director, the apex bank had commenced the direct disbursement of N200, N100, N50, N20, N10 and N5 denominations in exchange for the higher denominations to traders, merchants, shopping malls, stores, supermarkets, market men, and women.

Madagwu said the disbursement had started in Abuja and had been extended to Lagos, Kano, Enugu, Onitsha, Ibadan, Yola, Gombe, Katisna and Jos. Recall that in February, 2018, CBN had begun the disbursement of smaller naira notes to traders in order to improve circulation of N5, N10, N20, and N50 in the market.

The acting Director, Currency Operations Department, CBN, Priscilia Eleje made the disclosure at a pub-

licity campaign on “Disbursement of Lower Denominations of the Naira’’ in Wuse Market, Abuja.

The campaign, according to Eleje, was targeted at the informal sector, especially traders in markets with the aim of increasing the circulation of the smaller units of the naira to make doing business easier. The new Naira notes was distributed to traders within Wuse and Garki Markets and others through their associations.

In July, 2018, the apex bank approved the disbursement of lower banknotes denomination to market associations, merchants, shopping malls among other business outlets to address the inadequate in circulation and the difficulties encountered by economic agents.

While making the disclosure of the disbursement, CBN blamed the scarcity of lower naira denominations on hoarding and sale by unscrupulous people.

In a related development, CBN has revised the clearing system rules for Deposit Money Banks.

The Director, Banking and Payments System Department, CBN, Dipo Fatokun, in a circular issued to banks, mobile money operators and payment service providers, said the revision of the Nigeria Bankers’ Clearing System Rules was in furtherance of its mandate for the development of electronic payments system in the country.

He said the revision would take effect from September 1, 2018 According to the revised rules, electronic payment instruments will be presented to the clearing system in the next applicable session if instruction is received from customers less than two hours before closure of session available for the financial instrument, unless the relevant service agreement dictates otherwise.

The apex bank said, “A member bank will be suspended from participating in any clearing session if an amount of clearing collateral that has been utilised to fund an account is not replaced within two business days, or if a collateral so discounted is insufficient, or if a bank overdraws its settlement account maintained with the CBN for three consecutive working days.

“A member bank can also be suspended if it persistently overdraws its account with its settlement bank and the settlement bank communicates its intention to stop settling for such a non-settlement bank to the CBN and Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc, or if a bank fails to provide the requisite infrastructure to enable electronic exchange of eligible payment instrument, or fails to maintain adequate collateral with either the CBN (in the case of a settlement bank) or its settlement bank (in the case of a nonsettlement bank) in accordance to section six of these rules.”

According to the revised rules, the return period of cheques, which used to be the same day, has been extended to 5pm of the next day.

“All clearing instruments re-

turned unpaid shall now bear the appropriate returned reason code,” the CBN addeed.

A comparison of the sanctions grid in the May 2018 revised edition of the NBCS rules with that of December 2016 revealed that the fine for transmission of data not in agreement with images and representment of already paid cheque would each be N1,000 per item instead of N250 per item.

It also showed that the transmission of more than 100 cheques in the special clearing session by a bank would attract a fine of N50,000 instead of N100,000.

“In addition, the failure of a member to indicate the correct reason for returning a payment instrument would attract a fine of N250 per instrument,” the CBN added.

GTBank set to launch banking services on WhatsApp

F

OREMOST African financial institution, Guaranty Trust Bank plc, is leveraging the WhatsApp Business Solution to offer Nigerians an additional channel to connect with the Bank for enquiries, service requests and access to other basic banking services. This is in line with the Bank’s continued efforts to enhance service delivery and offer superior banking experiences to customers.

Over the years, GTBank has been at the forefront of establishing a wide range of value-adding touchpoints through which customers can access banking services and interact with the bank on all accountrelated enquiries at any time of the day. The Bank was the first financial institution in Nigeria to set up a fully interactive contact center in 2006 and has, since then, led the finance sector in driving customer interaction across online and social media platforms.

Following the launch of the Whatsapp Business Solution, GTBank is leveraging the platform to bring financial services closer to customers, whilst offering them more channels to bank, make enquiries and have their service requests treated promptly. Once fully operational, the Bank’s WhatsApp service will enable customers chat with GTBank on their mobile phones and request for basic banking services using the advised prompts. All service requests will be treated instantly, depending on the internet connection of the user.

Commenting on the Bank’s service channel on WhatsApp, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank plc, Segun Agbaje, said; “At GTBank, we are passionate about driving constant interaction with our customers to learn more about how we can serve them better as well as to provide them with the financial

solutions that can add real value to their lives. By leveraging the WhatsApp Business Solution, we are continuing to expand our service channels as part of our commitment to making banking, cheaper, faster and readily accessible to customers wherever and whenever they choose to bank.

GTBank is regarded by industry watchers as one of the best run African financial institutions across its subsidiary countries and serves as a role model within the financial service industry due to its bias for world class corporate governance standards, excellent service quality and innovation. The Bank has continued to report the best financial ratios for a Financial Institution in the industry as revealed by its return on equity (ROE) of 35.4 percent and cost to income ratio of 38.1 percent evidencing the efficient management of assets and operational efficiency.

In recognition of its innovation and hard work, the Bank received over 20 international awards in 2017.

Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri, Managing Director/CEO, Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc; Mr. Oscar N. Onyema OON, Chief Executive Officer, The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE); General (Dr.) Yakubu Gowon GCFR (rtd), Chairman, Notore Chemical Industries Plc and Mr. Onajite Paul Okoloko, Group Managing Director/GCEO, Notore Chemical Industries Plc during the Facts Behind the Listing of Notore Chemical Industries Plc at the Exchange today.

Heritage Bank achieves PCI DSS Version 3.2 recertification

H

ERITAGE Bank Plc has successfully attained recertification of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) version 3.2, having achieved the International Organisation for Standardisation ISO 27001:2013 recertification recently.

With its legacy of innovation, the recertification reaffirms the bank’s leading position in the payment card industry in Nigeria, as first to issue a transparent Mastercard debit

FirstBank launches chat banking on Whatsapp

F

IRST Bank has announced the launch of chat banking on WhatsApp. FirstBank customers can leverage the real-time messaging capabilities of the WhatsApp Business solution to check their account balances as well as perform simple banking queries.

The launch which took place in Lagos is in its pilot phase and is available to a select group of customers, after which it will be made available to all customers. Additional details on the solution would be provided in the coming weeks as customers are encouraged to keep interacting with the Bank on its various social media channels for updates.

“Customers’ expectations are

constantly changing and it’s our duty as a customer focused bank to ensure that our customers are provided with the means to carry out banking services through any channel they desire,” said Mr. Chuma Ezirim, Group Head, E-Business, First Bank of Nigeria Limited. “We are constantly seeking new ways and opportunities to meet customers at their preferred touch points and we understand our customers are actively engaged on WhatsApp.” With FirstBank chatbanking on WhatsApp, it is not just about staying connected with friends and loved ones, but also keeping in touch with your bank anytime and anywhere you are.

card in Sub-Saharan Africa and pioneered the mPOS in response to the CBN Cash-less initiative.

A statement signed by the Divisional Head, Corporate Communications of the bank, Fela Ibidapo explained that the PCI DSS is a proprietary information security standard for organizations that process, store, transmit or access cardholder information for major debit, credit, prepaid, e-purse, ATM and POS cards. The standard’s framework originated from the five global payment brand programmes (VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and JCB) and was designed to increase cardholder data (CHD) controls to reduce credit card fraud.

Any enterprise that falls within the scope of the standard must implement the standard and seek compliance.

The PCI DSS helps enterprises dramatically reduce credit card fraud and brings significant additional benefits, including: increased bank/ consumer credibility; reduced/optimised business impact and risk; and fewer breaches/increased security awareness.

Speaking on the award of the PCI DSS’ certification, MD/CEO of the bank, Ifie Sekibo it was a strong indicator that Heritage Bank consistently has its customers’ interest at the core of its business operations, is committed to appropriately protect customers’ information as well

as maintaining a safe and secure environment for customer transactions.

He noted that banking is a business of risks management, from assets to data, adding that it is fundamental that whatever a customer keeps in a bank is in safe custody.

According to “We are a service company providing banking service; and we are the best in the class of security of our information systems. It means funds kept with us are safe. This award is a validation of our mission to promote high ethical standards, integrity, and good business practices,” Sekibo stated.

The certification is said to be in recognition of the bank’s commitment to effective and secured financial system which has conferred internationally-recognized standard on its operations. This will also enable Heritage Bank to protect the funds of its customers and frustrate efforts by fraudsters to access their information and assets.

Also, the ISO 27001: 2013 recertification attained recently is part of the ISO 27000 family of standards which helps organisations keep information assets secure. The certification was achieved on the heels of the bank’s drive to revolutionalise the banking sector digital experience with Octopus, by putting in place a systematic approach to managing sensitive organisational information.

32

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33

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15 2018

Love and Living

...With Ireto Temofeh

MODEL OF THE WEEK

LOVE NEWS

Beyonce reveals she weighed 218lbs when she had emergency C-section with twins

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eyoncé has revealed she underwent an emergency Caesarean section when she welcomed her twins in June 2017.

The 36-year-old Grammy winner wrote a personal essay for the September issue of where she opens up about her two pregnancies, her relationship with husband Jay Z, learning to love her body and exploring her ancestry.

‘I was 218 pounds the day I gave birth to Rumi and Sir. I was swollen from toxemia and had been on bed rest for over a month. My health and my babies’ health were in danger, so I had an emergency C-section,’ she wrote.

Her twins spent ‘many weeks’ in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) and Beyonce says she gained new respect for her Jay Z during that difficult time.

‘My husband was a soldier and such a strong support system for me,’ she says.

‘I am proud to have been a witness to his strength and evolution as a man, a best friend, and a father.

I was in survival mode and did not grasp it all until months later.’

Beyonce is also mother to Blue Ivy, six, with hip hop heavyweight Jay, 48, and revealed she felt pressure to snap back into shape within three months after her daughter was born which, looking back, she now feels was ‘crazy’.

After her twins, the songstress went about things very differently.

‘I gave myself self-love and selfcare, and I embraced being curvier.

I accepted what my body wanted to be. After six months, I started preparing for Coachella. I became vegan temporarily, gave up coffee,

alcohol, and all fruit drinks. But I was patient with myself and enjoyed my fuller curves. My kids and husband did, too,’ she revealed.

Beyonce ‘stripped away the makeup, wigs and hair extensions’ for her Vogue shoot and wrote that ‘it’s important for women and men to see and appreciate the beauty in their natural bodies’.

‘To this day my arms, shoulders, breasts, and thighs are fuller. I have a little mommy pouch, and I’m in no rush to get rid of it. I think it’s real,’ she confessed.

For now Beyonce says she’s happy with herself but knows what she needs to do when the time comes to transform her body.

‘Whenever I’m ready to get a sixpack, I will go into beast zone and work my ass off until I have it. But right now, my little FUPA (fat upper pubic area) and I feel like we are meant to be.’

The mother-of-three also touches on her relationship to the rapper - who she celebrated 10 years of marriage with this year - writing that she’s been to ‘hell and back’.

Jay, born Shawn Corey Carter, publicly admitted he had been unfaithful to Beyonce in an interview with the New York Times’ last year, years after cheating rumors circulated.

Beyonce wrote, ‘There are many shades on every journey. Nothing is black or white. I’ve been through hell and back, and I’m grateful for every scar. I have experienced betrayals and heartbreaks in many forms.

‘I have had disappointments in business partnerships as well as perContinued on page 34

ROMANTIC JOKE THE MESSAGE Name: Uche Tel: +234 814 395 2220 • If you want to be our next ORACLE GIRL, e-mail or forward your photos/data to ireto007@yahoo.com. Call 07031028714.

A wife sending a short message to her husband: It was just said on the news that they found a hideous corpse with a hollow head, a cigar among ugly rotten teeth and a bottle of liquor in his hand. I’m worried about you!. Please, give me a ring...

ODD NEWS

Roundup is accused of causing cancer in America and is being banned across Europe

W

e eat it in our food and spray it on our gardens and allotments. It is all over our parks and farmers’ crops.

Roundup is the UK’s most widely used weedkiller and globally the most popular in history.

When the U.S. company Monsanto launched the product in 1974, its marketing men proclaimed it to be a technological breakthrough that killed almost every weed without harming humans or the environment.

But since the Nineties, the safety of Roundup — and its active ingredient glyphosate — has been challenged by studies that suggest that the weedkiller is linked to serious conditions including liver and kidney disease, infertility, birth abnormalities and cancer.

Nevertheless, its use in UK farm-

ing has increased by an astonishing 400 per cent in the past 20 years, government figures show.

One-third of Britain’s crop-growing land is now treated with glyphosate (Monsanto’s patent for Roundup has expired, but while there are now more than 20 suppliers of glyphosate in Europe, Roundup remains the market leader, earning it some £1.5 billion a year worldwide).

Now its use is effectively being challenged in a landmark legal case in America.

In San Francisco, DeWayne Johnson, 46, a father of three and former school groundsman, is taking Monsanto to court.

He has a form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer of the white blood cells that caused cancerous lesions to form over most of his body. Doctors say he may have only

months to live.

Johnson says he developed symptoms after he was twice accidentally drenched in Roundup while spraying schoolyards at work. He also had the chemical waft regularly into his face.

His lawyers have claimed in court that Monsanto has known for decades that Roundup is carcinogenic but didn’t disclose it.

There is sparse clinical research to support Johnson’s claims about a specific link between Roundup and his non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

In 2014, a meta-analysis of previous studies, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, found only a ‘handful’ of papers that reported associations between glyphosate and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

COUNTRIES THAT HAVE BANNED HERBICIDE The analysts, from the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, said that much more research is needed to establish whether an actual cause-andeffect link exists between the herbicide and this type of cancer.

However, in courts across the U.S. more than 400 other people are suing the chemical giant in a class-action lawsuit which says that they or their deceased family members contracted non-Hodgkin lymphoma caused by contact with Roundup.

The cases are the culmination of years of litigation and weeks of court hearings about the controversial science surrounding the safety of glyphosate.

Monsanto is fighting the claims

vigorously, saying that there is no evidence for a cancer link.

But should we be sufficiently worried by Roundup and other glyphosate weedkillers to avoid using them in our gardens?

Some European countries are deeply concerned about the chemical’s possible effects on humans and the environment. In January, Germany’s government agreed to begin the process of banning glyphosate over safety fears — and in April its agriculture minister said she was finalising a resolution to end its use in household gardens, parks and sports facilities, with further plans to set ‘massive’ limits for its use in agriculture. Last year the Belgian government banned domestic gardeners from using it.

Continued on page 34

34

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15 2018

True Confession His experience with another I woman made him see me as an asset wonder why some men like learning the hard way. When I first met my husband, what made me first take interest in him was the similarity in our names. My husband’s name is Augustine while I’m Augustina.

However, 20 years into our marriage, my husband took a second wife. It was as though she had charmed him, because he drove me and the children out of the house for her to come in.

But within a year of their illegitimate union, my husband fell seriously ill and had to travel overseas where he spent up to six months recuperating. My husband’s second wifeleft with many of my husband’s valuables before his return.

She left with the documents of my husband’s houseslocated in Enugu and Abuja, and other landed properties.

She sold most of my husband’s properties and ran with her boyfriend to Canada where she is now enjoying the money. The only house she did not sell was the family house in Lagos.

On hearing the news that his beloved second wife had sold his properties and escaped to North America with her boyfriend, my husband collapsed and had to be revived in the hospital. It was more painful for him knowing that shehad been cheating on him for long.

After he was discharged from the hospital, relations, including his doctor, counseled him, saying that although it seemed like he had lost almost everything because of a woman, that wasn’t the end of the world. They encourage him to take heart and try and get closer to God. So, my husband started going to church again, something he stopped doing years ago. The pastor told me to continue to show him love so that he would notice the difference between me and his so-called second wife.

God opened my husband’s eyes at last, to see that the rejected stone has become the head of the corner. He now came to beg me for forgiveness.

He begged me to forgive him for all the wrongs he had done to me and

my children. I told him I had forgiven him but that he should go and ask for forgiveness from my parents.

I also told him to beg our four children whom he had offended so much by not paying their school fees and by driving them out of his house.

I told him that it was an abomination for a father to drive his wife and children out of his house and that he had

to make restitution.

My husband begged my parents and his children to forgive. He also asked us to move back into the family house and start living together again like a happy family, as we did before.

We moved back into the family house, and my husband became a new creature.

male relationships, abuse of power, and mistrust. Only when I saw that clearly was I able to resolve those conflicts in my own relationship.

‘I researched my ancestry recently and learned that I come from a slave owner who fell in love with and married a slave,’ she wrote.

‘I had to process that revelation over time.

I questioned what it meant and tried to put it into perspective. I now believe it’s why God blessed me with my twins. Male and female energy was able to coexist and grow in my blood for the first time.

‘I pray that I am able to break the generational curses in my family and that my children will have less complicated lives.’

The singer, who is the cover star of US Vogue Magazine’s iconic September issue, appears dressed in an elaborate floral headpiece as she strikes a fierce pose under the cover line ‘Everyone’s voice counts, Beyonce in her own words.’

As well as the cover, Beyonce has been given total control of the magazine’s biggest and most influential edition of the year by editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.

In her role at the helm of the publication, the singer decided to include a feature on ‘the case for 18+ models’ which calls for more regulation in the fashion industry.

She also put a spotlight on rising talent with ‘Fall goes global: The looks, designers and stars redrawing fashion’s map.’

Legendary editor Anna has relinquished control over what is always the year’s most talked about magazine cover - instead putting in charge.

The surprise move is out of character for the infamously hands on editor, but is said to have been negotiated as a key part of Beyonce’s contract, according to a report.

And the singer has used her power to give a career boost to 23-year-old black photogra-

He had learnt his lesson the hard way, and he now came to appreciate me and the children. My husband, who was wicked in the past, is now a loving, caring and responsible husband and father.

He now realizes the importance of family. Thanks to his runaway second wife who dealt with him mercilessly.

Beyonce reveals she weighed 218lbs...

Continued from page 33

sonal ones, and they all left me feeling neglected, lost, and vulnerable. Through it all I have learned to laugh and cry and grow.’

Growing up the 7/11 hitmaker has learned that she no longer needs to try to make everyone happy.

‘I look at the woman I was in my 20s and I see a young lady growing into confidence but intent on pleasing everyone around her. I now feel so much more beautiful, so much sexier, so much more interesting. And so much more powerful.’

The singer also delved into her ancestry recently and the Run The World hitmaker revealed that she found out she’s descended from a slave owner who married a slave. The discovery has shaped the way she wants to raise her children.

‘I come from a lineage of broken male-fe-

Roundup is accused of causing cancer...

Continued from page 33 Portugal prohibited glyphosate’s use in all public spaces two years ago. Last November, President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would ban it outright within three years.

Such laws have been prompted by evidence such as a study in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology in 2013, which warned that glyphosate can, in lab studies, cause human breast cancer cells to proliferate up to 13 times faster than normal.

Glyphosate seems to act as a synthetic form

of the female hormone oestrogen, according to the oncologists at Bangkok’s Environmental Toxicology Program who led the study.

They suggested that this can accelerate the growth of forms of breast cancer that are fuelled by oestrogen.

Nevertheless, in Britain, the National Farmers’ Union is lobbying for glyphosate to be retained.

pher Tyler Mitchell, recruiting him to take her picture.

He is the first photographer of color to shoot a Vogue cover. The magazine is 126 years old and first featured color photos on it’s cover in 1932.

Along with controlling the magazine cover, Beyonce’s contract also states that she is to select the photos of her inside the magazine. She is also writing her own captions in long form, according to the Huff Post.

Mother-of-three Beyonce, 36, has appeared on Vogue’s September issue cover once before, shot by Mario Testino in 2015.

The Crazy In Love singer and her husband are currently on their On The Run II tour, having turned the European leg of the concert into a family vacation.

Between gigs they relaxed in a series of incredible locations with Blue Ivy, six, and 12-month-old Rumi and Sir, sharing pics on Beyonce’s website.

In one picture, Beyonce held her twins in her arms while Rumi smiled broadly and Sir looked down, but both tots faces could be seen clearly.

The picture gallery - which was captioned ‘Thank You Europe’ - also included a number of shots featuring the couple’s oldest daughter.

Courtesy: Daily Mail

35

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15 2018

Relationships and Love Advice

He wants me to stop schooling and get married

Love Search Women seeking relationship/ marriage Blessing, 26, fair, fat, in Anambra, needs a responsible, God-fearing and buoyant man of 40-55 years that can take good care of her.

08038198746.

Mojisola, 43, works in Lagos, needs a Yoruba man of 45-50 years for marriage. 08091027827.

Chidinma, 28, single mother, HIV positive, needs a HIV positive man of 35-50 years for marriage.

08160430231.

Uchechi, 36, a graduate, tall, fair, needs a tall, fair, graduate, Igbo evangelist, pastor or God fearing Igbo man for marriage. 08052366993.

Wunmi, works in Lagos, needs a working Yoruba man from 32-45 years who attends Cherubim & Seraphim for marriage. 09075839386.

Joy, 30, graduate, tall, light in complexion, from Kogi, living in Kaduna, wants a responsible graduate, Christian man within 35-42 years for marriage. 08127651483.

Lora, graduate, works, HIV Positive, based in Jos, wants a HIV positive man of 35-40 years for marriage. 08090925014.

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.

Blessing, 33, from Imo, in Lagos, fat, busty, single mother, needs a matured man of 45years+ for marriage. 08025117116, 08053407885.

Dear Love Doctor, My name is Jennifer. I am 20 years old and a second year nursing student in Imo state university.

I’m from Ikeduru in Imo state, but I lived in Owerri with my parents until 18th May 2013 (a date that I will never forget) being Saturday. My parents went to Port Harcourt for a wedding and on their way back had an accident in which both of them died, leaving only me and my kid brother.

My daddy’s only brother sold everything my daddy had and sent I and my brother to the village, where we have been surviving only by begging other people. The worst thing about it is that my uncle wants me to stop schooling and get married. But I don’t want to stop schooling because education is the best thing that has ever happened to me. What do I do now? Please help me before I become a dropout.

From Jennifer.

Love Doctor’s Advice: Dear Jennifer,

I do feel your pain and know what you must be passing through at this moment. However, you must not lose hope. If you uncle no longer wants to sponsor your education, the practical thing for you to do now is to get somebody that he respects to talk to him to rescind his decision. If that fails, you can explore other avenues for the funding of your education. Look for other extended family members who can help. You can also

discuss your predicament with your school authorities and your priest, pastor or spiritual director to see if or how they could help.

You could also get a job that would help you finance your education. If all efforts fail, you could approach an NGO which assists and offers needy young girls scholarship to complete their education. I wish you all the best in your endeavors.

Announcements AUGUST CELEBRANTS! If your birthday is in the month of August, send your beautiful birthday pictures and let’s celebrate you! Send your birthday pictures now to ireto007 @yahoo.com

Do you have advice on this problem? Please share your thoughts. Call 07031028714 or 08131161840.

Email: ireto007@yahoo.com Do you have a marriage/wedding, birthday, anniversary or club or town meeting announcement to make? Call 07031028714 now!

E-Mail: ireto007@yahoo.com Go to foodstuffs. com.ng. Call Love Doctor: 07031028714, 08131161840.

Men seeking relationship/ marriage Mr Jacob needs a romantic woman for marriage.

08096492553.

A 36-year-old man wants a very fair, beautiful, working class graduate lady between 23-30 years for marriage. 09035867445.

Amara needs a mature woman who can help him. 08142372211.

Lanre, self-employed, needs a very fair girl who is ready to have a baby and start a family. She should either be Yoruba or a Northerner. 07030595988.

Emmy, tall, handsome, works in Lagos, wants a mature, sexy, nurse or working lady from 23-35 years in Lagos for a relationship leading to marriage. 08077821830.

Uche needs a tall, busty, working lady in Lagos between 20-40 years. 08131161840.

Chigozie, 37, from Ebonyi, fair, 5.6ft, works in Lagos, needs a God-fearing, working class lady for a relationship leading to marriage. 08164630953.

John, 52, a widower with two kids, from Edo, in Lagos, needs a fair, plump, Christian woman.

08025313929.

36

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15 2018

It happened to me:

I became a prostitute to make ends meet

I

started working as a prostitute when I was 19. I was in my second year of college and struggling to make ends meet. Then, I had a boyfriend who was sponsoring my education because my parents were too poor to afford my school fee.

All my love was for Henry, my banker boyfriend. He was working in a new generation bank and earning lot of money. So he was comfortable and able to help me pay for my studies.

I looked forward to marrying Henry after graduation but he broke my heart when I was only in my second year at the university by getting married to another girl without even telling me.

I lost contact with Henry after he suddenly relocated without letting me know his new address. I was heartbroken and I didn’t know how I was going to survive through my remaining two years in the university. The only option I had was to go into prostitution.

Becoming a prostitute turned out to be pretty easy work for me, because I only needed to see clients one or two days a week to cover my expenses at school.

In my first few months of working as a prostitute, I was met with enough raised eyebrows, grimaces of disgust, and looks of pity to last a lifetime. Sometimes I received lectures about how I was promoting hatred and violence against women by choosing to be a sex worker.

I was derided and called selfish for choosing a line of work that encourages sexism against women, and I was accused of being a traitor to the feminist cause.

On many occasions, I was asked intrusive questions like “has a client ever hit you?” and “what’s the most disgusting thing you’ve ever had to do for a client?”

One friend – or someone I thought was a friend, at the time – told everyone in my social circle that there must be something psychologically wrong with me, because nobody in her right mind would ever choose to be a prostitute.

She said she had read that people in the sex industry are only there because they’ve been forced into it, or because they were sexually abused as children and then make warped decisions about their sexuality as adults.

Soon the rumour in my extended group of friends was that I had been sexually abused as a child and that I was mentally unstable.

People pitied me. I was humiliated.

The reality is that I had a happy childhood that was completely devoid of abuse of any kind. I grew up in a very ordinary middle class family. My parents cooked dinner for me every night, helped me with my homework, and told me they loved me every single day.

My older sister lent me her clothes and let me hang out with her and her friends. I believe I had an incredibly fortunate upbringing. I was just about the best any child could possibly hope for.

But everyone in my social circle came to think of me as deranged and messed up. I eventually grew apart from those friends.

As I met new people, I kept my work a secret. I had become uneasy around strangers.

I didn’t trust them. Experience had taught me that people would judge, pity, or lecture me if I was open and honest about my life, and after years of enduring these reactions, I didn’t have the energy to cope with them anymore.

So I withdrew.

Today, people are shocked when I tell them I used to be an extrovert. In secondary school and my first year of university, I was always the life of the party and the center of attention. I was the person who introduced people to other people.

I cracked jokes and goofed around. I sang out loud, laughed raucously, and danced wildly. I was outwardly happy and I felt free to express myself. I was never self-conscious.

Now, I go out of my way not to draw attention to myself. I try to blend in, fade into the background. I don’t want to have to explain myself. I don’t want people to know who I am, to find out my secrets.

These days, people describe me with adjectives like “quiet” and “shy.” I keep to myself a lot. In my isolation, I am bombarded with negative images about sex work in the

media, and that only makes me feel worse.

Sometimes I can choose to forget or shrug a lot of this off. It’s not like I’m depressed all the time. I have three really supportive friends in my life who know what I do and accept me the way I am. I also have a handful of work friends that can empathize with my struggles and offer helpful advice.

I can go months at a time without being depressed about any of these things. But lately, I’ve really been struggling with the stigma, and I’ve been feeling hopeless and uncertain about my future in life.

I think I’ve absorbed and internalized the societal hatred of sex workers. I am embarrassed to be a sex worker, even though I like my job, I’m good at it, and I think I’ve made exceptional progress in my career over the past few years.

Despite all my accomplishments, I feel like a loser. Sometimes I jokingly refer to myself as a “whore” or a “hooker” to try to re-claim these derogatory terms, but I often find myself thinking of myself as “just a whore.”

After almost a decade of doing this work and hearing all the negative messages about sex workers and getting bad reactions from people, I sometimes wonder if there is something wrong with me. Maybe everyone is right. Maybe I am deranged.

The terrible irony is that I am a graduate of Sociology. I, of all people, should know better than to think like this. I spent years of my life learning about how socialization works.

I am intimately familiar with how social norms develop and change over time, and how and why discrimination occurs against various groups of people.

I guess it just goes to show how intense social conditioning really is. All the book-learning in the world is not enough to combat the weight of social norms.

I wish I could feel proud of who I am and what I do. I’m tired of feeling embarrassed and ashamed. I wish other people could see

me for everything that I am, and not focus so much on this one aspect of my identity.

There are so many things that make me who I am. I love animals, horror movies, and going on road trips. I’m passionate about gender equality and LGBTQ rights. I’m interested in politics and current events.

I do yoga, I read a lot, and I stay in close touch with my family. But these traits are overshadowed by the fact that I am a prostitute. I don’t feel like anybody cares about any of these characteristics – all they would see is a whore.

Lately, I’ve been wondering how I could ever date someone again. It’s been three years since my last relationship. My ex-boyfriend knew me before I became a prostitute and my work was never an issue with him.

Now, I’m afraid to tell potential partners about what I do, because I’m nervous that they will make all kinds of awful assumptions about me. I worry that they will think I’m some kind of hyper-sexual nympho (I’m not), that I’ll sleep with them on the first date (I prefer to take it slow), or that I’m damaged and need to be treated like I’m fragile (which would be terribly patronizing and unpleasant).

I also wonder what any potential boyfriend would say to his friends and family about his relationship with me. How would the conversation go?

“I’m dating this girl I just met. She’s pretty great.”

“Oh, cool. How did you meet?”

“Mutual friends.”

“Nice. And what does she do?”

“Oh, you know. She’s a prostitute.”

I know I don’t have to come out as a sex worker. I do have a mainstream part-time job. I use it as a cover, so that I don’t have to reveal my occupation as a prostitute unless I feel comfortable doing so.

The job is loosely related to my academic field of study. But the fact that I pretend this

part-time job is my full-time job makes me feel like a liar. I hate lying. I’m a very honest person by nature, and I desperately want to connect with people in a genuine and authentic way.

When I do muster up enough courage to tell people about my work, I notice myself glossing over it very quickly and hurriedly steering the topic of conversation toward my graduate degree instead. I hype it up and draw attention to it, as if to say, “yes, I’m a whore, but I’m also smart and normal, really, I promise!”

I find it pretentious and annoying when other people talk excessively about their university education, and I hate it that I have become one of those people. However, I feel an urgent need to communicate that I am more than “just a whore.”

In my darkest moments I am desperately overwhelmed with feelings of despair, and fear that I have made myself unlovable.

Sometimes I think the only way out of this mess it to stop working as a prostitute and leave the sex industry behind. It would be hard to quit, though, because the work is relatively easy, my schedule is flexible, and I make twice as much money doing sex work as I could doing any other job I’m qualified for.

Besides, I can never take back what I’ve done. I will always have a history as a prostitute. I will always be seen as damaged goods, whether I am a current sex worker or a former one. So I might as well just keep going, right?

I don’t feel strong enough to cope with society’s condemnation, but there’s nothing I can do about it now. I wish I’d known what I was getting myself into before I jumped into this line of work. But most of all, I wish I’d never become a prostitute in the first place.

• Do you have a story or comment about this confession? Call 07031028714.

37

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15 2018

The Law and You

With Barr. Ken Akpom 08162016410

Vote buying in elections – the beginning of corruption in a democracy

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n 2015 when a new government of change was ushered in by the general masses of this great country, the citizens were promised changes in every sphere of endeavors in the country including the much talked about anti-corruption crusade of the present government. Many people were arrested, detained and charged in various courts for corrupt practices. The government even through the judiciary created special courts to quicken the trial of those accused of corrupt practices. I appreciate the efforts of government in this regard but I wonder about the sincerity of government in curbing this cankerworm (corruption) that has eaten deep into the system of most individual members of our society in positions of authorities or aspiring to positions of authority in this great country, Nigeria. The anti-corruption war was only taken to those who have committed the offence while the prevention of the commitment of such offences is not nipped in the bud but left to grow.

Most politicians believe that they must win elections by all means with money. It is now a system of the highest donor wins the party nomination and the highest givers of money to the electorates and electoral officials is declared winner while voting in an election is a mere process. The era of integrity and competence is no longer invoked. It appears to me that even those in power who want to retain their positions irrespective of whether they are acceptable to the masses/ citizens or not must ensure they amass public funds to ensure this aspect of corruption – vote buying – in a corruption filled election even when it is glaring and widely known that they committed an offence and are not the people’s choice. The offence of corruption in a political and civil democratic setup usually starts from this point. The source of the millions/billions of naira given to voters to buy their votes is not even investigated for them to be charged appropriately and as a deterrent to others, instead they are seen and taken in the society as very strong and prominent party stalwarts and national personalities. They are seen as “King Makers”. In most cases, just as we were recently made to understand by some politicians in press interviews that law enforcement agents ought to arrest, detain, investigate and charge those offenders for committing a crime. So what is the anti-corruption campaign of the government anchored on? Doesn’t it occur to government that those who spend such huge sums of money to win in elections which they are unpopular and not the right choice of the electorates will like to recover those huge amounts of money spent and even add more to prepare for another tenure or turn to ‘godfathers’ and ‘king makers’? The noble idea of ‘not too young to rule’ of the government will be defeated by this act.

The young persons can never be allowed to run or even win in an election where ‘money bags’ are encouraged, supported, covered and praised by those who ought to condemn, expose and disgrace them. The only way under the present ‘vote buying’ system of government that any young upcoming person can win in any election of such is through sponsorship by these ‘money bags’ and ‘godfathers’. Even in this condition they are bound to pay certain amounts of money weekly, monthly or annually to their sponsors or be impeached. I see this offence of ‘vote buying’ as the beginning of corruption in a political democracy as ours. It is now left to the legislative organs and the judiciary to make and inflict very stiff penalty/sentence on offenders. In fact, if I have my way as a judge, I shall frustrate and stop this genesis of corruption in this country by nullifying in its entirety any election where ‘vote buying’ is reported and proved and even punish any law enforcement agent on duty on the day the election is held for negligent of duty. If there is no legislature on this, I am appealing for an immediate enactment on it before the 2019 General Elections and praying the courts to assist this democracy in installing sanity and decent behaviors to take care of this very dangerous act in our democracy.

The supreme court and the judiciary should in its undoubted and justice building nature cancel in its entirety the process of any election marred by this electoral offence since it usually involves the other two organs of government. The judiciary should use the powers within its jurisdiction adequately according to law and in its wisdom in ensuring firm judgement not minding the authorities in power at those moments, so as to bring in the principle of checks and balances on the other organs as well, in the interest of justice which it stands for in maintaining peace, justice, equity and fairness to the less privileged members in the society and bring in the needed unity in the country.

I trust the wisdom and capability of my respected court

judges but I am only putting in my personal opinion as a solution to stopping the foundational problem of corruption in our country.

It is true that the political parties are expected to raise genuine funds for party maintenance and campaigns but does the law permit the expenditure of such funds during voting day?

On the 14th day of July, 2018, there was an election held in Ekiti State. This particular election was one of the most widely published elections in the history of Nigeria. A large number of police personnel within the range of 30,000 were mobilized to ensure a free and fair conduct of the election. A lot of security conscious displays including the early stopping of electioneering campaigns even before the stipulated time frame for such, as well as infringing on the power of a sitting governor as the chief security officer of his state exhibited by the police to show the readiness and preparedness for a free and fair election. In addition to this thirty thousand police personnel – the military, the DSS, Civil Defence Corp, etc. were at hand but when I watched through the AIT footage of the event, I saw where an elderly man and others were on that very election day and in the presence of some probable security personnel and even a European observer was shouting at another man among others who approached him to sell his vote. The man simply told them to go away. A police van even drove past the spot but never cared to stop to know what the problem was all about. Also, from TV and other media reports, we were told that vote buying was visibly observed as a fact by all, yet no single arrest was made. The question I do ponder in my mind is, was the large security buildup that day meant as a cover to perfect crime?

As it stands now, it is certainly very clear that what we are practicing is not democracy as defined as government of the people, by the people and for the good of the people. It seems that the political democracy in Nigeria is in problem and both the executive organs of government and the legislative organs are to a high percentage politicians who in one way or the other may be products of this discussed corruption – vote buying – and may not be eager to quickly and honestly put a stiffer penalty on any politician or party they belong to, so as to put an end to this. The law should be amended to be on the party the individual belongs and not on the individual per say. This is because these politicians always believe that once you decamp from their party to another, the decamped member ought to resign from his position because it was on the platform of the party that he was put into office. If this argument of the political party is taken to be correct, then the

political party should suffer and be punished for the crime of vote buying by any individual in an election.

The police and the security agencies should be helpful in this matter by being transparent, honest and unbiased in apprehending and arraigning the suspect in court properly for the honest and transparent judiciary who are not politicians but professionally trained judges for adjucating on such matters promptly. The police should not take sides with any political party whether in power or not but they should make themselves friends of the people as they are known for. However, the problem will be that most of these politicians know fully well that they are unpopular. Can the legislature which is in the best position to stop this act by enacting better laws with stiffer punishments like jail terms and the proscription of such political party for a period of not less than eight years (two tenures of a regime) ready to sacrifice this for the nation?

Also, where there are more than one individual and parties involved in this corruption of ‘vote buying’, the entire election for that period should be nullified or cancelled by the court while a seasoned and honest/sincere civil or public officer be appointed to administer the state until a proper and free and fair election is conducted. Also, the aspect of the executive organ using its ‘Federal might’ namely the security outfits within its control to suppress and intimidate opponents on election day as well as in some cases aiding and abetting crime should be urgently legislated upon by the legislature before the 2019 General Election commences. The idea of change in the elections timetable by the legislature is a very welcome idea which is intended to remove this aspect of corruption and dependence on Federal Might. It gives room for politicians to test their individual popularities. The proposal for a state police is also a welcome idea so long as proviso is made to remove what went wrong in the Federal control such as intimidation, trumped-up charges, ethnicity and excessive powers to the executive heads to control the security agencies. From this my analysis, one can see the importance of the judiciary as a very prominent organ of government for resolving cases of this nature. The judiciary must be completely independent of the executive organs in every aspect so as not to be intimidated to give judgement in its favour. Finally, it is now very clear that the judiciary is the only organ that is not soiled by this cankerworm of corruption and is the last hope of the common man in this country to save our democracy. This is the time for the judiciary to effectively and without fear of being black-mailed, use its hammers on whosoever is wrong not minding his position or influence in the society.

• Do you have questions or seek legal clarification on issues concerning your marriage, probate, property, etc? Call or send a text message to Barr. Ken: 08162016410, 08075763840. Email: kenakpom@yahoo.com

38

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15 2018

ENTERTAINMENT

With Douglas Omoyooma

I never said I don’t mind asking men for sex – Omalicha Elom

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ctress turned movie producer, Omalicha Elom has declared that she never stated that she doesn’t mind asking men for sex as was reported in the media a while ago.

In this interview with Oracle Today, the Ebonyi State born actress who has been in the Nigerian movie industry since 2011 and has featured in over 20 movies declared that the reports were untrue.

She said: “I never said such, the reporter quoted me out of context.

How can I boldly ask a guy out or even ask for sex when I am an African and it’s not part of our culture?

What I said was that I have only dated two guys my entire life and I am presently single and not in any relationship. I don’t know where the reporter got the rest from.

“If I really like a guy, I can only imagine him in my head as my boyfriend, but I can’t walk up to him to ask for sex. No way! I’m a very romantic type but not crazy.”

Marriage Police Last year, the upwardly mobile actress released her debut movie effort entitled Marriage Police. She opens up on the project: “Marriage Police was a bomb! The response was awesome It was my first. It is the story of what is going on in different homes in our present world; domestic violence and abusive marriages among a host of others.

I just picked one of the causes of marriage breakups, which is over protectiveness, jealousy and nagging. Every man wants a peaceful home.

“After seeing my movie, people are going to applaud me, it’s lesson-filled. A tragic comedy and quite interesting.

“I encountered something similar in my first relationship. However, it has become the norm. I have only dated two guys in my life. My first boyfriend was so jealous and obsessive.

Nobody could say ‘hi’ to me then.

He chased away all my friends male and female. He caused more harm to me than good. Fortunately, the relationship didn’t last; we had to part ways. Breaking up was a serious issue then, but with prayer and fasting, I overcame him and his

troubles.”

Can she forgive a cheating partner?

“Never ever! Because once I’m in a relationship, I stay very loyal and faithful. So, I would not even look back when the person cheats on me be it my husband or boyfriend.

Once, you have me, let it be me forever until we part ways. Don’t even try to cheat on me.

They say men are polygamous in nature, but its not right. Before a woman would cheat, something deep must have happened.”

It seems female producers are rapidly taking over the movie industry, what’s really going on?

“I think its becoming a woman’s world. The women are out there to take over and make more money. For the upcoming actresses that also venture into movie productions, I think they do it because they are tired of constant sexual harassments by the producers.

Producers are always asking for sex or money from up and coming actresses.”

39

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 8 2018

NEWS 2019: Buhari under pressure to step aside - Source

Ozubulu saga: Police appeal for calm

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A

By Theo Rays, Onitsha

head of the 2019 general election, a competent source has confided to The Oracle Today that President Muhammadu Buhari is under pressure to quash his interest to seek re-election for a second tenure and step aside.

The source said that prominent personalities both in the Nigeria and overseas are advicing President Buhari who is currently on a 10 day holiday trip to London to step aside based on the massive defection of members of thw ruling All Progressive Congressionally (APC) to the opposition People Democratic Party (PDP) among other issues bothering on the interest of the nation.

It will be recalled that now fewer than three sitting governors and 15 senators along with some members of the Federal House of Representatives dumped the ruling party APC and joined PDP. According to the source, President Bihari’s recent call on his supporters to suspend campaign for his reelection until further notice is not unconnected with pressure being mounted on him to step down from seeking reelection in 2019.

The source went further to add that “a retired general and expresident who has vowed to work against Buhari’s re-election is mobilisng his allies both within and outside the country to persuade Buhari to step aside on the grounds that his chances of getting the mandate for a second term is not possible for him”.

The source said “some people from Nigeria including retired generals and others from outside the country are of the opinion that going by the growing popularity of the PDP, President Buhari is unlikely to win the presidential election, so it is better for him to step down and allow APC to field another candidate more to save himself from campaign stress and all that”

Osinbajo appoints Matthew Seiyefa Ag. DG DSS

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cting President Yemi Osinbajo has appointed Mr Matthew Seiyefa as the Acting DirectorGeneral, Department of State Services (DSS), following the sack of the former Director-General Lawal Daura on Tuesday.

Seiyefa, who hails from Bayelsa State, was before his new appointment the most senior director in the DSS. Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Acting President, Mr Laolu Akande, confirmed the appointment to State House correspondents.

Seiyefa was also the Director, Institute of Security Studies, Abuja.

With about 34 years of experience, Seiyefa had served in different capacities, including State Director in Osun, Akwa Ibom, and Lagos states.

Seiyefa is also a member of the National Institute.

Osinbajo had earlier directed Daura to hand over to the most senior director in the agency.

Seiyefa was shortly after Daura’s sack, spotted in the Presidential Villa, where he had a meeting with Osinbajo.

The Acting President, in the statement, condemned the action of the DSS as “a gross violation of constitutional order, rule of law and all accepted notions of law and order’’.

He said that the unlawful act perpetrated without the knowledge of the Presidency, was condemnable, completely unacceptable and unauthorised.

From Chuks Collins, Awka

nambra State Police Command has called for calm for developments in last year’s massacre of worshippers of the St Phillip’s Catholic parish Amakwa Ozubulu, Ekwusigo council of the state.

The police command was reacting to the reported development in Ozubulu, Ekwusigo local government area of the state, in which the youth leaders’ were arrested and charged to court for dragging all the stakeholders in the matter including Chief Aloysius Ikegwuonu (aka Bishop), the President General -Pe-

ter Uzokwe and the traditional ruler of the community, Igwe Nnamdi Oruche to a local deity.

Police Public Relations officer (PPRO), of Anambra Police Command, Haruna Mohammed said that since the matter was now before a court of law, everyone including the journalists should wait and see the outcome.

Investigations disclosed that the youth leaders were apprehended by the police and charged to court on a trumped up charge of defamation of character because they had gone to Ndekwulu deity seeking its intervention in exacting justice and revenge on all those directly and re-

motely behind the continued killing of Ozubulu indigenes at home and abroad.

The youths had according to sources approached the leaders of the community including the ‘Bishop’ to device a permanent solution to the unfortunate heart rending situation, but got no plausible response.

They allegedly chose the part of tabling the nagging issue before the dreaded deity for it as god of justice to take over. That it was then that the community’s leaders felt threatened and uneasy by the move and instantly got the police to arrest them and consequently charge

them to Ozubulu magistrate court.

However, the police spokesman, Mohammed pointed out that whenever anyone feels threatened he is free to approach the police for intervention.

“So everyone should be patient for the final determination of the matter.

“I urge even the journalists to eschew listening to street corner comments, but to follow it from the angle of the court proceedings. The court is not unmindful of the sentiments and other insinuations going on there in public...”

Fulfill your promise or forget 2019 -- A’Ibom Elders tell Emmanuel From Ini Billie, Uyo

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• Boma Goodhead, member House of Representatives from Rivers State challenging the DSS blocking of the National Assembly, Tuesday.

Failed promises: Idemili group promises payback for politicians in 2019

By IBE NWACHUKWU

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political pressure group from Idemili North/South Federal Constituency of Anambra state, under the aegis of the Idemili Consultative Assembly (ICA) has cautioned elected political office holders from the area against reneging on their campaign promises while in office.

ICA said it would identify those who have so far reneged since after their election in the past and pay them back in their own coins during the forthcoming general elections, while those who fulfilled their campaign promises would be rewarded with outright endorsement and popular votes.

Chairman of Board of Trustees of ICA, Mr. Epundu Uzor who disclosed this yesterday at the inaugural ceremony of their Wards and Local Government Ambassadors at Nkpor, said they have now started shopping for credible candidates for elective positions in forthcoming 2019 election in the area who will make good representation, attract infrastructural development with transparency and competence.

Epundu who also disclosed that the zoning arrangement already mapped out in the area would be sustained for equity and justice as well as carry along the smaller communities in elective and appointive positions, innsisted that the group is posited to ensure that candidates elected in the area should follow their campaign promises and manifestos to the last

and should be called to order when derailing for proper representation.

“It is a political watchdog we are setting up in Idemili Federal Constituency. We have two local government areas, Idemili North and South. For some time now, all the aspirants and those who won elections in the LGA always go their way, you won’t see them again until election period like now. Some of them are even moving around soliciting for votes and support for one position or another.

They always show us their manifestos on what they will do if voted and elected into the office but when they get in there you won’t see the, again.

“We are coming together to ensure that we have a say in the system. After launching this our wards and local government ambassadors, they will go in turn to create what we call polling booths ambassadors and get a man and a woman in a particular polling booth which would be called booth ambassadors they will now reach out to the voters, So that when we now feel that you are competent based on what you have on ground to convince us then we ask our members to vote for you.

“That will not end there immediately after voting for you and you told us what you will do within six months and after the six months and you did not do it, we will come to you to ask you what is happening to know the problem. Idemili is the second or third revenue base of the state and we deserve adequate development in our area. It was when our brother, Dr.

Chris Ngige was the governor that we witnessed serious developments in our area but today it is no longer like that.

“Our business is to ensure that what aspirants promised us before election is being achieved after winning the election. So if he doesn’t deliver on his campaign promises we are now the people to present the scorecard of the elected leaders not them operating on their own. We are looking at a way to sustain zoning in Idemili There are communities that are very small and if we don’t sustain zoning they cannot have any position or get anything in government,” Uzor stated.

In his remarks, the former chairman of Idemili North local government area and Chairman at the event, Dr. Uche Ezeliora stated that the group was determined to change the attitude of the elected officers and to enthrone development in the area through good governance.

“This Assembly wasn’t born today, it was born in 2014 with the vision and mission towards the dignity of Idemili as a whole and we have done a lot of things within that period of 2014. We have expanded it into the grassroots. So we have brought back our founding fathers vision and mission towards development. Formerly three local government area in political arena, anybody that is contesting election or doing something in three LGA determines Anambra election which is Idemili North and South and Anyamelum,” said Ezeliora.

kwa Ibom Elders, under the aegis of Ikot Ekpene Political Elders Forum, have told the State governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel to fulfill his promise to them or forgo their support in the 2019 elections.

The group said in Ikot Ekpene on Tuesday after an assessment of construction work at the Ikot Ekpene/ Uyo road, that they were displeased at the slow pace of work on the road.

Speaking through a release signed

by Prof. Akpan Akpan, the group said the governor had promised to complete the road, yet work on the site had been stopped, adding that the government’s decision not to continue with the fly-over it started at the famous control post in the area was dissapointing.

“Ikot Ekpene Political Elders Forum is worried over the slow pace of work at the Ikot Ekpene/Uyo road for the past 3 years. We had to come to this place for on the spot assessment of åthis all important road.

“The road at the famous Control Post had been blocked for years by the present administration without any serious work done except for empty assurances.

“What is more worrisome is the fact that the present Government has decided not to continue with the earlier design of the road which provided for a Fly-over at the Control Post. Preliminary work for the Fly-over project in Ikot Ekpene had been done almost four years ago with billions of naira sunk into it.

“The government’s decision not to go ahead with the Fly-over is disappointing and a betrayal of the support Ikot Ekpene people gave the government.

“Consequently, Ikot Ekpene Political Elders Forum wish to clearly state that if the Akwa Ibom State Government is not ready to build the Fly-over in Ikot Ekpene as promised, it should not construct a round about either.

“We pray and hope that another government will do it to redeem the image of Ikot Ekpene and to justify the historic and strategic importance of the CONTROL POST in the history of Ikot Ekpene and indeed Nigeria,” the statement read.

I formerly known as ANEKE VIRGINIA CHINYERE now wish to be known and addressed as CHUKWUMA VIRGINIA CHINYERE. All former documents remain valid. General Public and First Bank take note.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 8 2018

NEWS Extra Lagos to establish 2019: Ex- NPA director begins intensive 3 new emergency response centres sensitization in Anambra South for senate

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agos State Government says it will soon establish three additional emergency response centres in Ikorodu, Epe and Badagry divisions of the state.

The Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr Oluseye Oladejo, made this known on Tuesday during the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) 2018 Quarterly Stakeholders’ Meeting.

The theme of the meeting is “Coordination: An Integral Tool in Emergency/Disaster Response’’.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr Jemilade Longe, the commissioner said that the new emergency response centres would cover Badagry/Temu Junction, Itoikin/Epe-Ijebu Ode and Ikorodu/Agbowa axis.

According to him, the government will also establish a conventional LASEMA Response Unit (LRU) at Costain to cover Apapa axis and its environs.

“The significance of these centres is towards continued protection of community asset and cultural heritage.

“It is also towards a safer environment, as well as increase in investment infrastructure of the state’s economy.

He said that the present administration in Lagos State had built a formidable and resilient disaster reduction and emergency management plan backed by good leadership.

Oladejo said that the government’s strong resilience base gave room for decentralised competencies, optimal use of resources and maintenance of scientific technology.

He said that government’s resilience gave room for less diversion of state resources to disaster response and recovery.

The commissioner said that government had upgraded the technology of the facility of Call Centre on the emergency toll free line 767/112.

He said that government had improved attention to and transfer of distress calls and transfer to appropriate agencies that would respond to emergency situation on 24-hours basis.

According to him, this has in no small measure enhanced in achieving of golden hours in response to most emergencies.

“The establishment of the Monitoring and Surveillance Unit of LASEMA toward prevention and mitigation of hazards, risk and vulnerabilities as a strategy for reducing disaster risks is also a major innovative idea.

“Presently, there is evidence of protection of lives and properties; dramatic reduction in fatalities and injuries from emergency/disaster situations.

“This is as a result of the decentralisation of emergency/disaster management from one Response Unit in Alausa before the advent of this present administration, now to three centres,” he said.

Oladejo said that the three centres were the LASEMA Response Unit (LRU), Cappa Oshodi, LASEMA Response Unit, Lekki and LASEMA Response Unit, Onipanu.

“Our collective aspiration is a Lagos mega city, where incidents of disaster are brought to the barest minimum and cases of emergency responded to with promptitude and world class methods,” the commissioner said.

By Oge Onyeanusi, Nnewi

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ormer Director of Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) in charge of South Eastern zone, Dr Okey Chidolue has commenced sensitisation activities in Anambra South Senatorial District as he kicked off campaigns to contest poll for a seat in the Red Chambers come 2019.

Chidolue who is contesting under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) platform with his team, Tuesday, visited Orumba South, Orumba North and Aguata Local Government Areas which are three out of seven Council Areas that made up the Senatorial District.

The aspirant told the locals who trooped out in their numbers to re-

ceive him at various meeting points that his coming out to represent them in the National Assembly was born out of the desire to end what he called insensitive and lack of quality representation the area had suffered over the years.

Chidolue, a forensic accountant and maritime lawyer with many years of public service in the United States of America and Nigeria said that his focus in the Senate would be anchored on BEST as an acronym which he interpreted to mean Business, Education, Security and Technology.

He assured that in the next ten years under his watch as a member of the Senate, Anambra would become a major agric-hub and must

have a fertilizer plant which would require a functional jetty in Onitsha. He said that this would require a legislative framework and an experienced maritime lawyer to drive the process.

He noted that people of the zone, Anambra State and Nigeria generally must adapt to new world trend without reinventing the wheel in education system which he said was fast becoming obsolete.

Chidolue said the electorate needed to direct their attention to information technology which he described as not just a way of the future but the future itself.

He promised to set up a self-sustaining ICT Incubation Center in each of the seven Council Areas of Anambra South within his first two years

in office. He noted that the action would reduce unemployment that fueled criminal activities.

“It was very difficult for qualified people to get elected in Igboland simply because we idolize people that manage criminal enterprises.

But that era is gone,” Dr Chidolue said.

Chairman of the APGA in Orumba South, Chief Okafor Oliver Tambo, his Orumba North counterpart, Barr Obinna Ikwueto and that of Aguata Council Area, Chief O.C.J. Ezechukwu who came out with hundreds of their supporters at Umunze, Ajali and Ekwulobia said in unison that they would support Dr Chidolue for an effective change based on his pedigree and antecedents.

2019: CD wants S’East, S’South leaders to forge political bloc

By Oge Onyeanusi Nnewi

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• (From right): Director general of the National Council of Art and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Segun Runsewe presenting a souvenir to the South African Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Bobby Moroe during a courtesy call to the diplomat in Abuja.

DSS DG not sacked over NASS invasion – Wike

By VICTOR NZE

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ivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has stated that he does not believe that the Department of State Security (DSS) Director General, Mr Lawal Daura, was removed from office because of the invasion of the National Assembly complex by his personnel.

This is just as the Rivers governor declared that the nation’s democracy is under threat as result of the military-terrorist style of the present administration.

Speaking on the invasion of the National Assembly by the Department of State Services, Governor Wike said that democracy revolves around diplomacy and lobbying.

“I have said it before and I will continue to say it. There is a threat to democracy. When they started with Judiciary, I raised alarm that this thing will happen to all arms of government. Now it has spread to the legislative arm.

“If well-meaning Nigerians don’t speak up, our democracy will be truncated. Just one week ago, they laid siege and locked the Benue State House of Assembly. To the chagrin of all Nigerians, they invaded the beacon of democracy at the

Federal Level “.

He stated that the APC Federal Government believes in intimidation and coercion of opponents, rather than following the principles of democracy.

The governor said: “I thought that politics is diplomacy and lobbying. Not this military terrorist style to go and invade an institution like the National Assembly.

“And you think that people will continue to leave you to have your way. It is no longer possible . People are tired of garrison democracy.

They are tired of the APC Federal Government using the EFCC to intimidate people “.

He said that no right-thinking Nigerian will kick against the reconvening of the National Assembly.

He, however, stated that due process must be followed to reconvene the National Assembly.

He said: “Nobody is talking about the fact that the President is yet to sign the Electoral Act. If the budget is important, what about the Electoral Act?” The governor said that the APC Federal Government takes undue advantage of national divisions, but Nigerians disappointed them by resisting impunity.

“Today, they are disappointed that Nigerians are saying that enough is enough. Nobody dies two times. This intimidation will not continue.

“I congratulate members of the National Assembly, particularly the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives for providing leadership. I encourage them to remain resolute because more difficult times will come. They have to save Nigerian Democracy “, he said.

On the sack of the Director General of DSS, Governor Wike said he is unaware of the reason behind his sack.

“I don’t believe he was sacked due to the invasion, because the Inspector General of Police did same thing at the Benue State House of Assembly, but nothing has happened to the Inspector General of Police “, he said.

He wondered why the APC Federal Government is bent on impeaching Saraki and Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu when they don’t have the number.

“These people forget history.

Tambuwal was elected Speaker in PDP but he defected to the APC and did not resign”, the governor said.

s the 2019 general election draws closer, the Campaign for Democracy (CD) has urged the leaders of South East and South to immediately organise a political summit which will give birth to a formidable alliance between the two zones.

The national publicity secretary of the group, Dede Uzor A. Uzor, who spoke to newsmen shortly after their general meeting in Enugu, the capital of Enugu State said they agreed that there was compelling need for the two zones to come together and form a formidable political alliance, since they were the most persecuted zones in this administration.

They said “it had become necessary for them to come together, agree and adopt a political platform to cater for their interest.

We call on all the opinion leaders, stakeholders, elder statesman, elites, social -political organizations, pro-democracy and civil society groups to come together and hold the submit on or before the end of September, 2018”.

CD said the submit will help to address “the lopsided and sectional appointments by this administration, harsh economic policies, high level of unemployment, non -respect for human rights and rule of law, incessant violation and flagrant disobedience to Court order, infrastructural decay in the two regions as well as other socio-political and economic challenges bedeviling the zones” The group called on Chief Edwin Clarke of PANDEF and the President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, to initiate this summit where these issues mentioned would be dispassionately looked into and solutions proffered.

The Oracle Today

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Wednesday August 15, 2018

News

Ayade receives Bakassi deep seaport concept design from Chinese firm A

HEAD of the full commencement of construction work on the proposed Bakassi Deep Seaport, Cross River State governor, Senator Ben Ayade, Monday, received the concept design from a Chinese Firm, China Harbour Engineering Company.

During a 3-D presentation by a team of Chinese engineers led by Mr. Jason Wang, Governor Ayade announced that full scale construction work will begin as soon as the rains subside.

“Today presents us the great opportunity in the history of our state as we forge ahead in the process of the actualization of the Bakassi Deep Seaport, the governor assured,” Continuing he said: “The port is viable, the characteristics are hydraulics and all the studies, even the barometric and geotechnical is completed, design complex is finalized and once government gives approval, all the detailed designs will be ready in no distant time and construction will start on the onset of the next dry season.”

Highlighting some of the special features of the port, Ayade stated: “The special advantage of our Bakassi deep seaport is its access to a wide amalgam of great opportunity via the 275 kilometers evacuation corridor and therefore I will call on the patience of the people of Cross River State, the commitment, will and the prayers of everyone to ensure that this noble project comes to its realization.

“Obviously, this special deep seaport has its own privileges. The key privilege is that it has a huge

potential for our bank cargo which is lacking in other ports in Africa today. The huge vast agricultural land mass of over 231,000 square kilometers allows for massive cultivation and export of cash crops, including agricultural products and produce thereby becoming very clear that it is going to be vital.”

He further explained: “The massive deposit of solid minerals in the northern part of Nigeria which has remained landlocked and unexploited occasioned by the difficulty of getting into a maritime corridor will be resolved with this project.

This project naturally means that the government and people of Cross River State are taking their Atlantic coast to northern Nigerian by taking the Atlantic Ocean 275 kilometers into the hinterland of Nigeria, bringing it to the very corridor of Nassarawa State.”

While lauding the Chinese firm for delivering on a world class design for the project Ayade said: “Working closely with China Harbour, we have come to the understanding that they are a great team, a perfect team, a world class, number one company in harbor designs and construction, currently handling similar projects in Nigeria and some parts of Africa.

“As a leading construction company when it comes to harbour designs and construction, Cross River State is therefore bringing to you the very best to deliver on this life changing project that will transform the economic landscape of the state as we commence construction of the first phase of the project,” he stressed.

Justifying government’s involvement in the business aspect of the port, Ayade said: “The Chinese Harbour where government is fully involved in running its businesses has become very evident that that is the way forward which is why our government and indeed the people of Cross River State are focused on creating an alternative income by decoupling ourselves from over

dependence on federal government allocation. It is against that background, that the Bakassi deep seaport with an evacuation corridor is done.

“We will soon be going for initial public placement, where we will be asking for subscriptions when we go through the security and exchange commission to allow every Cross Riverian to be equity owner

of this Bakassi deep seaport according to their carrying capacity,” Ayade hinted.

Earlier, the Managing Director, China Harbour Engineering Company, Mr. Jason Wang who described the port as very viable, given its location, promised to deploy their expertise to Calabar to deliver on the project.

(From right): Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, with the Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, during a courtesy call to the Governor, at his Oke-Mosan office, Abeokuta, Monday.

Creative arts, panacea for unity in Nigeria – Udoka Okowa eulogizes Ibori @ 60 From ANIEKAN ANIEKAN, Calabar

From JONATHAN AWANYAI, Asaba Your life symbolises the assured reward for single-minded comELTA State Governor, Dr mitment to the ideals of diligence, Ifeanyi Okowa, has congratu- humility, perseverance, focus and lated former Governor of dedicated service”. the state, Chief James Ibori, as he “Your uncommon leadership turned 60 years on Saturday, Au- qualities, courage, and evident faith gust 4, 2018. in the peace, unity, progress, and Gov. Okowa in a statement on prosperity of our dear nation have Friday by his Chief Press Secretary, seen you remain one of Nigeria’s Charles Aniagwu, extolled the en- most highly respected political igmatic political prowess of his icons over the years”. former boss, describing him as a po“Deltans and Nigerians cannot litical colossus, astute administrator forget in a hurry how you laboured and an enthusiastic leader of impec- to build the most virile, potent and cable disposition. unassailable political family in Delta While noting the sterling and leg- State and beyond even as your legaendary contributions of Chief Ibori cies still dot the nooks and crannies to the political development of of the state”.

Delta State and Nigeria, the Gov“As you clock 60 years today, It ernor added that the Ibori political is our prayer that God will continue philosophy which has endeared him to protect you and grant you good to Deltans and beyond will remain health to render more services to a subject of research by contempo- mankind.” He said rary political watchers.

The Governor paid glowing tribute to Chief Ibori for championing the fight for Resource Control and From JONATHAN AWANYAI, Asaba Fiscal Federalism in Nigeria.

Okowa said: “My distinguished OME leaders and stakeholders leader, that Oil producing states of the All Progressives Congress of the Niger Delta are enjoying 13% (APC), in Delta State, have rejected Derivation today is unarguably due Prophet Jones Erue as the chairman to your indefatigable role as a cham- of the party in the state, describing pion of Resource Control and Fiscal his swearing-in by the APC national Federalism. chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, as “On behalf of the government ‘illegal and unconstitutional.’

Rising from a meeting in Asaba, and people of Delta State, I felicitate with a leader par excellence, the APC stakeholders frowned at Chief James Ibori, on the occasion the harmonisation of the State executive committee by Oshiomhole. of his 60th birthday.

“The immeasurable and invalua- In a communiqué read by Alex ble contributions you have made to Onwuadiamu, they urged the nanational development is indelible in tional chairman to work with the the minds of Deltans and Nigerians. Cyril Ogodo-led state executive,

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HEATRE and other forms of creative arts hace been identified as a panacea capable of entrenching unity in Nigeria.

This was disclosed by a university don and former national choreographer during a maiden get-together of UNTA – the University of Calabar Theatre Arts Association.

The maiden get-together of the association which is the first of its kind brought together all chapters of the association which is spread around all states of the federation as well as some countries including Ghana, Cameroon, United States as well as Europe.

Dr. Udoka who produced and staged a play titled “Nigeriana” as part of activities to mark the festivity stressed that the battles the nation faces is in the mind and these issues can be addressed through the instrumentality of theatre.

According to the University Don, “the problems of Nigeria cannot be solved on the pages of newspapers, the battle is in the mind and theatre addresses issues of the mind.

“Theatre has access to the mind and emotively, we can re-arrange this country and re-orientate ourselves towards a common goal”.

He said creative arts has grown phenomenally over the past years and we should be looking forward to the theatre contributing to the nation’s GDP and raising the bar in terms of import and export of our arts.

“To help achieve this, a theory called creativitology is being developed at the department where we use creativity to raise the economy of the country. Through this we will no longer remain a mono-economy but we support Nollywood to raise the economy of the country. This is our goal at the Theatre Arts Department of the University”, he said.

Delta APC stakeholders reject Oshiomhole’s constituted executive

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who they said participated at the national convention among other delegates from other states of the federation to elect him as national chairman of the party.

They said: “Erue was not a product of the party’s congress,” insisting that his swearing-in was on July 16 is “repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscience.”

According to the communiqué: “The purported moves by Jones Ode Erue pretending to reconcile aggrieved members and a group of people who never contested elections, parading as State executives is a smokescreen preparatory to his working for the state ruling party,

PDP as he has also done in time past.

“The state congress of 21st May 2018 which elected Chief Cyril Ogodo remains valid and not subject of any litigation and or consent judgment howsoever. Chief Cyril Abeye Ogodo remains the chairman of APC, Delta state who had earlier been sworn-in by then national chairman, Chief Odigie Oyegun on 4th June.

“The ward and local government executives elected on the 5th and 12th of May, 2018 respectively, remain the authentic executives at the ward and local government levels as authenticated by the National Working Committee.”

“In Nigeria, we are present in all the states where we have chapters.

Outside Nigeria, we have Canada, US, UK, Cameroon, Ghana, Germany, Belgium, Ireland and that is where it stops for now.

“We are the first alumni association of unical that has registered with the CAC and one of the first that has opened and operated an account in a Nigerian Bank”.

Also speaking, a member of the association and Commissioner for Tourism in Cross River State, Eric Anderson said the creation of the association is a welcome development and will advance the creative industry in the state.

He advised upcoming artists to stay in the creative industry and see how they can create more content for the state’s tourism programmes and then see how we can export it to the local and international audience.

He said the state government through the ministry of tourism is involved with the development of upcoming artists because it is the duty of government to create the enabling environment and support what the artists are doing.

Also speaking the Special Advise to the governor on electronic media and alumni of the department Beatrice Akpala said the association has bigger plans going forward.

She said the association hopes to grant scholarship to some upcoming artists who are students in the department.

Besides this, the SA who also observed as chairman of media and publicity sub-committee of the maiden edition said a production is underway where every graduate of the school will put all what that have learnt into practice.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15, 2018

Crime

London-based woman hires assassins to eliminate sister P

Man arrested for killings friend

Stories by XAVIER NDAH

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olice in Lagos have arrested two men over an alleged botched assassination of a 60years –old woman Gladys Osaigbovo-Omon an indigene of Benin City, Edo State.

Two of the hired killers are already telling the police more on the failed bid.

One of the arrested suspect Osaro Okonobom 44 -years who was arrested along one is a relative of the target.He was arrested along one Lucky Oboh.

Osaro, said one of his sister Augusta based in London had called him to mobilise and kill her elder sister living in Benin of which he declined.

He said the woman insisted asking him to look for someone else who will do the job if he can’t and he then contacted Oboh who in turn approached one Igbinedion.

It was gathered that Igbinedion then demanded to see the target at Benin after they had agreed on a price and in the process of executing the job the bubble burst.

Commissioner of Police, Lagos command Edgal Imohimi said the assassins were rounded up on July 26, by the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Igando Police Station and his team.

Imohimi said “The crux of the matter was a case of human trafficking gone awry. To make it clearer, Gladys Osaigbovo-Omon and Augusta Osaigbovo are siblings, the eldest in the family being the Benin based 60-year old woman Gladys.

“However, a time came when Gladys Osaigbovo-Omon begged her younger sister, Augusta Osaigbovo to take her daughter, Mercy

•Gladys Osaigbovo-Omon

Omon overseas for better life. She obliged and took Mercy to the UK. “While at the UK, it dawned on her that her Aunty, Augusta, is a leader of a prostitution ring and indeed, had recruited her into prostitution in London.

“She refused to submit herself for the illicit trade prompting Augusta to give her up to police authorities in the UK. Somehow, Mercy Omon wriggled out of the trouble and convinced the UK police that her travail was caused by Augusta who brought her to London with job promises unknown to her that she had ulterior motives. The police now turned against Augusta and jailed her.

“When Augusta Osaigbovo finished her jail term, she complained to her sister Gladys, that her daughter, Mercy, whom she brought from the village to help, has ruined her.

Feeling that her sister was support-

ing her daughter she decided to procure assassins to eliminate her in revenge. “ When the DPO, Igando, Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP, Taiwo Kasumu, got a whiff of the plans to kill Gladys, he planted two agents provocateurs namely, Igbinedion Ogbevon and Success Ehiosun to play along with the hired assassins.

“The gang assembled and was paid the sum of N500, 000 by Augusta Osaigbovo as a mobilization for the job.

“Together they went to Benin-City in Edo State and identified their target, Gladys Osaigbovo, after which they returned to Lagos and requested Augusta to give them the balance of N4, 000,000. It was at this stage that they were rounded up. The case is under investigation and the suspects will be charged to court soonest.” Imohimi explained.

Speaking to The Oracle, son of

Gladys son Engineer Ehis Osaigbovo-Omon linked the cause of the trouble to the inability of Augusta to refund the money she used in securing Mercy her working permit in UK which even turned to be fake.

He said the matter generated to a controversy between the two sisters but wondered how that could have led to their sister Augusta to want to take the life of her other sister but God intervened.

Igbinedion, the supposed hired assassin who let the cat out of the bag said he was moved for sympathy because “The woman treated us like her children, when we got there she cooked for us and bought drinks for us. When we were living I asked Osaro but why do you want to kill this nice woman? and he replied just do what you are asked to do and forget about asking questions. I am happy that I saved the woman’s life” he explained.

olice in Ogun state has arrested one Julius Oliseh, 32 for allegedly stabbing his 23-year-old friend one Isikilu Shittu to death during a burial ceremony.

Oliseh was arrested following a report made at the Mowe police station by the brother of the deceased one Akeem Shittu who reported that he was at a burial party with his brother in Ogunru village via Mowe when an argument ensues between the suspect said to be drunk and his late brother over an undisclosed minor matter.

He said consequence upon which the suspect broke a bottle and stabbed the victim on the neck and he died on the spot.

It was gathered that based on the report, the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Mowe division, Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP, Francis Ebhuoma led his men to the scene where the suspect who has been struggling to escape was promptly arrested and took to the station for interrogation.

The corpse of the victim has been deposited at the general hospital morgue for autopsy.

Meanwhile, the commissioner of police CP Ahmed Iliyasu has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspect to the homicide section of the state criminal investigation and intelligence department for proper investigation and prosecution.

He also warned that the command will not tolerate any act of thuggery or hooliganism capable of sending innocent people to untimely death because human life is sacred.

The CP, therefore, assured the general public that the suspect, in this case, will face the full wrath of the law so as to serve as a deterrent to others in his shoe.

Lagos task force arrests 210 hoodlums T ...demolishes 100 shanties ears flow freely in Lagos as hundreds of people living in shanties lost their homes around the new Oko-Oba in Agege area of the state.

Sources said 210 suspected street urchins were arrested while 100 shanties were demolished and 125 motorcycles were impounded in and around the area by the State’s Task Force on environment.

The Oracle gathered that the operation was carried out by the Lagos State Task Force after complaints by different communities.

Chairman of the agency, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi, who led the enforcement team, disclosed that 210 miscreants were those recently dislodged by the agency along the railway behind the abattoir in Agege.

According to him,the action became necessary as there were complaints of illicit behaviours by street urchins terrorising members of the communities by robbing them of valuables such as phones, wallets and jewellery which were received on a daily basis.

“The dislodged miscreants and street urchins were freely smoking and selling Indian hemp around residential premises, where we have underage children.

“Ninety-eight demolished illegal shanties and shops within the abattoir and adjourning streets, apart from harbouring criminals, also

•The suspects

contribute to the undergrowth of health, environment and safety issues in and around the area,” he said. Egbeyemi commended the state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, for the upgrade of abattoirs across the state with needed facilities, particularly the Agege abattoir.

He confirmed that over 125 motorcycles plying the restricted routes around the communities were impounded by the agency during enforcement operations.

He said that 210 suspects were immediately charged to court after the exercise on the directive of the

state commissioner of police, Imohimi Edgal, who directed that they must continue surveillance in the area to prevent those who escaped during the raid from regrouping.

Egbeyemi hinted that such areas included Pipeline-way, Agric Road, Olaofe Road and Mofoladayo Drive. •Julius Oliseh

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 8, 2018

Crime

Woman plans to defraud husband of N15m Stories by XAVIER NDAH

I

t was an embarrassing scene at the police Lagos state command headquarters when a wife who had planned her kidnap came face to face with the husband.

The man we gathered had been in trauma for days thinking how to release his wife from kidnappers den but he was shocked when he came to the reality that the wife hid in the boyfriend’s abode planning how to swindle him of N15million.

The man was looking dumbfounded shaking his head in disbelief intermittently It was gathered that the husband to the woman one Alhaji Kabir Muraino , 55, a resident of Governor’s Road, Ikotun had reported at the Ikotun police station that he received a telephone call that his wife Hadijat Kabir aged 45-years and daughter Hamidat Kemi 18, were kidnapped the same date on their way to the Psychiatric Hospital, Oshodi, Lagos.

The man told the police that the kidnappers were demanding for the sum of N15million before they would be released.

Based on the information, sources said policemen attached to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad were able to track the suspects where the woman and baby and other suspects were arrested.

It was gathered that Police tracking investigations had revealed that the kidnappers were making their demands from a community

•The suspects

in Ogun State, called Ado-Odo, Ado –Odo Ota Local Government Area where the operatives of the squad mobilized to the area and busted the camp of the kidnappers.

Police said the hostages were rescued which led to the arrest of one Ahmed Kudos , 29, and Hadijat Rufai’ 39 –year- old all of Ado-Odo,

Ogun State, while the rest fled the scene. It was gathered that the woman had confessed that she planned her kidnap with the suspects arrested to defraud her husband. She named Wasiu Rufai a.k. a Ojulyawodon (Her native doctor) who is alleged to be her boyfriend and one Luqmon AhmedJossy (sur-

Four arrested for diverting air- conditioners worth millions

•The suspects

F

ive persons have been arrested by the police for allegedly diverting air conditioners worth millions from the Apapa wharf.

The suspects Igwe Nchoeu, 48,Moses Eghaghe, 51,Suleman Aremu, 65, Obinna Abiodun,40 and Samuel Ogujiofor,34 years were arrested on July, 25, following police intelligence report that an unspecified number of air-conditioners believed to be stolen from its owner, were being off loaded in a warehouse at Iyana-Ira area of Lagos State.

The Intelligence gathered was subsequently passed to FSARS Operatives for action. They went to Iyana-Ira, located the warehouse

and arrested the following persons: It was gathered that the warehouse where the air-conditioners were kept was immediately searched and a total of two 238 pieces of Royal Air-Conditioner products were recovered.

Lagos State image maker Chike Oti said during interrogation, they confessed that they were stolen goods and mentioned one Mr Francis as their ring leader and the owner of the truck used in conveying the stolen items.

Oti said,in the course of investigation, the operatives went to Sango Otta and recovered the said vehicle, a Mack truck, unregistered, where it was parked for sale.

He said investigation is ongoing with a view to apprehending other suspects at large for prosecution.

“At this juncture, I wish to call on anybody or company with legitimate claim to the goods to come forward with proof of ownership”.

Driver of the truck one Abiodun explained that he knew nothing about the stolen goods.

According to him, he was hired by their boss who has disappeared into thin air to convey the goods to Iyana-Ira for a fee of N150,000 and the “most painful thing now is that I have not known this man before, he has escaped. I never knew there were stolen items” he explained.

name unknown) who are on the run to be part of the kidnap syndicate.

Commissioner of Police, CP, Lagos Edgal Imohimi said the case is under investigation with a view to arresting the fleeing suspects adding that the suspects will be charged to court after interrogation.

In a chat with The Oracle Today

the woman who said she is an indigene of Ibadan said: “Nobody kidnapped me I kidnapped myself, I kept myself at Ado. I did it to collect money from my husband. I asked him to give me N500,000 and he refused. I have married him for 27 years and we got all those things together but he has not done anything for my family, he has 12 houses in Lagos and has a company nothing for my family and nothing for me because of that my pikin no well. I have four children for him, I am a tailor and he has two wives. I am the first wife but nothing for me so I kidnap myself to collect money from him” she said.

Ahmed Kudos one of the suspects and brother to the native doctor who is on the run reveals that she knew the woman. He said she has been patronizing the native doctor who also doubles as her boyfriend.

I was involved because I was also called upon to speak with the husband on the telephone.

He explained that even when the husband had agreed to pay them (kidnappers) N1million naira, the woman told them not to accept the offer but he must pay at least N4 million naira” he explained.

Husband to the woman who was in deep shock said he has done what any husband should do for the wife but she refused to settle down rather jumping from one place to the other “Please all I want is for her to be released so I can send her to the family. I have been highly embarrassed” he said.

How Police IRT arrested 8 deadly Abuja kidnappers T

he Inspector General of Police Intelligence Respons Team (IRT) have arrested eight suspected kidnap gang believed in being responsible for the recent killings, kidnappings and armed robberies on Kaduna–AbujaKano roads.

It was gathered that suspects were also responsible to the killing of a former commissioner in Katsina State, Professor Halimatu Sadia Idris a few days ago.

The gang was also alleged to be responsible for armed robbery attack on Prof. Mohammed Khalid Othman, who is the Director of National Agricultural Research Extensions and Liaison Services, ABU, Zaria and also kidnap of a nursing mother with her seven months old baby.

According to sources, Police Mobile Force (PMF) units of the squadrons in MOPOL 1 Kaduna, MOPOL 47, Zaria and MOPOL 61, Kafanchan on special duties outside the state had been ordered by the Inspector General of police to return back to Kaduna State following security concerns in the area which made their arrests possible.

According to him, the deadly gang is led by one Lawal Tukur a.k.a Sawaita, 40.

Other principal suspects are Sulaiman Sani a.k.a Maude 27, who confessed to having Killed Four persons, Abubakar Ahmad a.k.a Buzu 30, Abubakar Adamu a.k.a Gurgu 33, who also confessed to having killed four persons, Yahaya Musa, 33, Kabiru Bala, who specialized in the kidnap of women and children. He commanded the Kidnap of Rahinatu Shehu, 51, Aisha Sani, 23, and her Seven months old baby at their residence in Mararaba Guga town, Giwa LGA along Kaduna-Zaria road.

“Other suspects are Rufai Tukur,

26, who runs errands for the notorious gang and Shehu Audi, 32” he explained.

He said items recovered from the hoodlums are Two AK47 Rifles, 3 pairs of suspected fake military uniforms, Cutlasses, Motorbike, Shedda Cloth and other properties belonging to some of the victims.

Spokesman of the police, Jimoh Moshood who paraded the suspects said: “The Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim K. Idris, concerned with the recent security situation on the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway and the killing of a former commissioner in Katsina State, Prof. Halimatu Sadia Idris on 22nd July, 2018, the armed robbery attack on Prof.

Mohammed Khalid Othman, Director National Agricultural Research Extensions and Liaison Services, Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria, and many other atrocities directed a discreet investigation into the incidents and the arrest of perpetrators to bring them to justice.

“As part of measures to restore safety and normalcy on the AbujaKaduna, and Kaduna-Kano Highways, the IGP ordered additional deployments of Police personnel and vehicular patrol teams to re-gird Operation Absolute Sanity to rid the routes of these bandits and hoodlums.

“Secondly, all Police Mobile Force (PMF) Units of the PMF Squadrons in MOPOL 1 Kaduna, MOPOL 47 Zaria and MOPOL 61 Kafanchan on special duties outside the State have been ordered by the IGP to return back to Kaduna State to beef-up security in the State, particularly on KadunaAbuja highway, Kaduna-Zaria-Kano, Kaduna-BirninGwari-Zamfara-FuntuaZamfara highway and other flash points in the state.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15 2018

NEWS

Rivers youth leader appeals to Total Nigeria on Egina Oil Project

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resident, Andoni Youth Coalition (AYC), Mr Nkpon Ijonama, has urged oil exploration firm, Total Nigeria Plc, to include Andoni and Eastern Obolo Local Government Areas as major impacted communities in its ongoing Egina Oil project.

AYC is an arm of the Ijaw Youth Congress (IYC) for the Obolo group domiciled in Rivers and Akwa-Ibom states.

Ijonama who made the call in Tuesday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, said that since December 2014, when the company started drilling, impacted communities in Andoni and Eastern Obolo extractions had yet to benefit from the huge project with capacity up to 200,000 barrels per day.

He urged the companies operating in the areas and relevant authorities to address the alleged marginalisation of the people to curb youth unemployment and restiveness.

“The level of marginalisation in terms of youth unemployment and the non-payment of royalties to impacted communities is worrisome.

“We are not ignorant of the Federal Government’s onshore-offshor

laws but we request that we be captured as impacted communities to enable us to benefit the same way as others by the Egina project,” he said.

Ijonama, who is also an aspirant of Andoni Constituency in the Rivers State Assembly in the All Progressives Congress (APC), said that anticultism laws were key to sustainable peace in Andoni.

He said that cult activities which in recent times had ravaged parts of Andoni and its environs calls for urgent legislative attention.

Ijonama said that there was need for operational laws in the state to instill discipline and restore peace to the area.

“The level of insecurity and cult activities around coastal communities is alarming in spite of interventions by the security operatives.

“I believe that we need a stringent law to tackle cultism, there is need to criminalise cultism to restore peace to our communities,” he said.

Egina Oil project is operated by Total, which has a 24% stake, in partnership with NNPC, CNOOC, Sapetro and Petrobras.

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• (From left): Head, Investment Supervision Department, National Pension Commission {PenCom}, Mr Ehimeme Ohioma, Acting Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission Ms Mary Uduk, Head Compliance and Enforcement Department Pencom Mr Mohammed Umar and Acting, Executive Commissioner Operations, SEC, Mr. Isyaku Tilde during a Meeting between SEC and Pencom in Abuja

Save Nigeria’s democracy, PDP tells NASS

T

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the National Assembly to save Nigeria’s democracy from imminent collapse following Tuesday’s blockade of the complex.

PDP made the call in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, on Tuesday in Abuja.

It said that sending armed security men to invade the National Assembly and blocking lawmakers from accessing the legislative chambers was condemnable.

It said that the development had placed Nigeria’s democracy in jeopardy, setting the nation on the path of anarchy.

The party said that the invasion of the highest legislative institution by security agents, few months after the Senate’s mace was brazenly

carted away by armed hoodlums, was reprehensible, unpardonable and completely unacceptable.

“With this blockade, barely a week after presiding officers of the Senate were held hostage at their residences, it has become clear that All Progressives Congress (APC) intends to overrun and shutdown the highest law-making organ of government.

“It is clear that they want to pave the way for the total suspension of constitutional rule in the country.

“The PDP notes this administration’s quest to foist a fascist regime on our country.

“The APC-led government has taken several steps and actions tending towards the suspension of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), including direct usurpations of the duties and powers of the National Assem-

bly and the judiciary in governance.’’

It called on the British government and other members of the international community to immediately condemn and totally reject the ugly developments in Nigeria.

The PDP also called on the lawmakers to immediately pull the full weight of all legislative instruments against opposition on them.

“The National Assembly, as representatives of the people, must eschew all partisan interests and save the nation by immediately deploying all legislative instruments against the presidency before it is too late.’’

The party commended Nigerians, who marched out in their numbers to resist the brigandage against the nation.

“We urge them to remain alert as eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.’’

in a statement he made available to newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday.

However, it is expected that the blockade of the NASS by the security operatives and the postponement of the emergency meeting of principal officers of both chambers might feature in his address.

Saraki had on Monday convened the emergency meeting for Tues-

day but the NASS blockade by security operatives forced it to be postponed indefinitely.

In a joint statement by Saraki and Speaker, House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara, they said that the unpleasant development at the assembly complex accounted for the postponement “until further notice’’.

Saraki to address World Press Conference

S

enate President, Bukola Saraki will address a World Press Conference at the foyer of the National Assembly, Wednesday, according to a statement released, Tuesday, by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, says Mr Yusuph Olaniyonu.

Olaniyonu did not indicate issues to be addressed at the conference

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly known as MISS OHAM BIBIAN AZUKA now wish to be known and addressed as MRS KATE A OHAM UMEJIAKU. All former documents remain valid. Banks and general public take note

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45

The Oracle Today Wednesday AUGUST 15, 2018

SPORTS Rohr gives reason for sticking with Eagles I

Cricket receive big boost in Anambra

•As church donates equipment to schools N a bid to encourage sports in Anambra State, the Anglican Church (Diocese on the Niger) has shown great resolve to develop the game of cricket through the Church’s Directorate of Sports.

Speaking during the presentation of Cricket Equipment to one of the pilot schools in the diocese, St. Christopher’s Seminary 3-3, Onitsha, the Director of Sports for the Diocese, Mazi Victor Ikechukwu Nwangwu, expressed his happiness and enthusiasm that the diocese is about to replicate what he and other veteran cricketers did in Bishop Crowther Seminary Awka about 17 years ago - that saw to the restoration of the game in Anambra state.

He showed the readiness of his office to provide the enabling environment for the game to thrive stating categorically that “the grounds are being watered for cricket to be planted in schools”.

Receiving the equipment with gratitude, the principal of the Seminary, Canon Izuchukwu Obiekwe said his school is ready to pilot the growth and development of the elitist game of Cricket and ensure that the school becomes a notable name in the sports in the years to come.

•Says “team’s prospect too tempting to dump” Stories by MADUABUCHI KALU

S

UPER Eagles Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr, has given reason why he refused to toe the path Eagles’ former foreign managers who dumped the three time African champions after leading to World Cup outings in the past.

According to the Franco-German football tactician, he does not have any plan of quitting his job as the man at the helm of affairs of the country’s flagship national football team, the Super Eagles despite his charges not living up to expectation at the last World Cup in Russia.

The former Bayern Munich defender who was linked to with the Desert Foxes of Algeria immediately Eagles exited the Mundial in Russia explained that the array of emerging stars waiting to turn the Super Eagles into a formidable force is too tempting to ignore.

It is on good note that Gernot Rohr has never hidden the fact that he considers Nigeria the best team he has coached since he took his coaching skills to the continent and to abandon a project that promises so much success, to him, is too foolish a thought to be contemplated.

In his words: “When you have a team playing this good, beating Iceland who are ranked 20 in the world, while we are 49, a team that had Argentina who are No6 in the world

close to a knockout.

“Who would think of resigning from this team? You would need to question your own work. No, it’s out of the question for me right now.

“I don’t believe there is problem in NFF, all I can see is nothing, the most important thing for me to do is to focus and believe in my job.

“I have to do my best to make sure we play in AFCON next year. I need to start watching players in their various clubs and know those to be invited.

“Our project is also focused on the 2018 AFCON as well as the next World Cup. These are targets; we have players aged 19, 21 and 22 who are all first XI and we can be positive and believe that they will improve in the future.”

Eagles are expected to resume their bid to qualify for the Cameroon 2019 Nations Cup in September when they travel to Seychelles for the second game in the qualifying series. It is recalled that the Super Eagles lost their first game in the series to South Africa in Uyo and the gaffer believes his charges are condemned to win the remaining matches to qualify.

Speaking further, he disclosed that he has already started preparing for the match, adding that he is monitoring the pre-season matches involving various European clubs to know the players fit for the game since the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) is on break even as it is expected to resume next week all things be- •Super Eagles Coach, Gernot Rohr ing equal.

Nigeria to bid for 2025 IAAF World Championships

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IGERIA has joined four other African countries to bid for the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Championship which take place in 2025 following the successful hosting of Confederation of Africa Athletics Championship in Asaba, Delta State.

This much was disclosed by no other person than the President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Engr. Ibrahim Shehu Gusau.

According to Gusau the decision by Nigeria to bid for the hosting of the 2025 World Athletics Championship is as a result of the decision of the global body to allow an African city stage the championship in in 2025.

He explained that the President of the world athletics governing body, Sebastian Coe said the global athletics body should allowed an African city stage the World Athletics Championship in 2025 since no African city has ever staged the event. Gidar disclosed this while fielding questions from sports journalist after the end of the Asaba 2018 African Athletics championship which ended Sunday.

“As you can see, the 2018 Confederation of Africa Athletics Championship (CAA) tagged “Asaba 2018” which has just ended is a huge success,” Gidar began.

“The championship lived up to expectation with many records set and some up-sets here and there but the bottom line is that this championship is a huge success in all ramifications.

“You know this is the first time that this championship has been staged in Nigeria. I must commend Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, the government and good people Delta State for all that they put in place for us to

have a successful event.

“One of the key things that this championship has achieved for Nigeria and Africa is the cheering news that the world athletics governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) has given the continent the opportunity to stage the 2015 edition of the World Athletics Championship.

“This has never happened before but with the staging of this continental athletics championship, the world body has deemed it fit that an African city should be given the opportunity to stage the biggest athletics event in 2025.

“There can never be a greater achievement by this championship than this,” Gidar declared.

Speaking further, Gidar explained that due this window of opportunity given to Africa by the world athletics governing body to for an African city to stage the event, Nigeria has thrown her hart into the ring to bid for the hosting of the championship in Abuja having staged a successful continental event in African Athletics Championship.

But the quest is will Nigeria be able to host the event in 2025 if given the opportunity knowing that a lot of things have to be put in place for a successful staging of such a global event.

“Therefore, following this window of opportunity given to Africa, we a have joined about four other African countries to bid for the hosting of the 2025 edition of the World Athletics Championship.

“This is a great privilege I must tell you. As you are aware, there is no country or city in Africa that has

played host to the World Athletics Championship. So, we are bidding to host the championship in Abuja come 2015,” Gidar explained.

.Hon. Ibrahim Gusau

Oracle Sports pledge to honour ex-internationals

O

RGANISERS of the Oracle Sports Football Tournament have concluded plans to celebrate ex-Nigerian football stars when the 10th edition holds between August 10 and September 9, 2018 at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

The Under-16 football fiesta with accompanying N500,000 for winners is aimed at discovering and nurturing of talented young football stars. Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O) of Oracle Sports, Donald Onwuka said it would be a unique platform to appreciate ex-Nigeria stars like Monday Odiaka, Waidi Akanni, Yisa Shofoluwe, Lawrence

Ahmed Musa welcomes baby boy with 2nd wife, Juliet

S

UPER Eagles pacy forward, Ahmed Musa has announced the arrival of his new baby boy via his social media handle on Thursday night.

Musa ’s second wife, Juliet, was taken delivery of the bouncing baby boy on Thursday, July 26, and the Leicester City man who’s currently on pre-season tour with the Foxes took to Instagram to share the good news.

I would like to announce to you all that moments ago, Allah blessed me with a beautiful baby boy! Words cannot describe this feeling!

A post shared by Ahmed Musa MON (@ahmedmusa718) on Jul 26, 2018 at 2:00pm PDT The Leicester City forward earlier on Thursday afternoon took to his

•President Nigeria Rugby Federation (NRF), Ikechukwu Mbagwu.

Social Media page to thank his fans for their love and appreciate their efforts at Voting.

“I just want to thank you all for voting. This goal is bigger than me it has shown the world that Nigeria has quality on the world stage and we look to improve in the future.

Orairo, Franklyn Howard, Peter Nieketien, Mike Onyemachara, Tajudeen Disu amongst others.

“Our vision at Oracle Sports is to inspire both old and new talents.

The ex-Nigerian stars played a great role in Nigerian football development and they deserve to be celebrated,” began Onwuka.

“This 10th Oracle Sports Football Tournament would be a big carnival. There would be quality football at both the Hockey pitch and Legacy pitch of the National Stadium. We shall honour the exinternationals because they have laid the right foundation.

“I hope the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) would realise the need to take them along. We also believe that their presence would inspire the young stars,” declared Onwuka, who disclosed that top music stars like Orise Femi, Mr. Raw, and Kels amongst others would perform at opening and closing ceremonies of the tournament.

46

The Oracle Today Wednesday AUGUST 15, 2018

SPORTS

Udeze hails Musa’s Saudi move •Says “retirement is his focus” Stories by MADUABUCHI KALU

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ORMER Super Eagles defender, Ifeanyi Udeze has thrown his weight behind Eagles World Cup hero, Ahmed Musa’s recent move to Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia in a multi-billion Naira deal that will see him spend four years in the Oil rich country.

According to Udeze, Musa made the right decision by moving to AlNassr of Suadi Arabia because at 25, what should be paramount in his mind is nothing but retirement and as a result the movement to AlNassr in a multi-billion Naira deal is a welcome development because he has to take care of his retirement.

It is reported that Musa’s transfer deal to Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia is worth 25 million pounds which is about N9.340 billion. It is recalled that Musa moved to Leicester City in 2016/17 League season in the club transfer record of 17.5 million Pounds and with this deal, Leicester have made about 7.5million profit from the Nigerian’s deal which a good business.

“I commend Ahmed Musa for the decision he has taken to move to Suadi Arabia in a multi-billion Naira

deal that will keep in the Oil rich country for four year. As far as I am concerned there can never a better decision than that,” Udeze declared.

“I am fully aware that what propelled him in making that move is the monetary involvement which is good for him.

“Look, at this stage of Musa’s career and life, what should be paramount Musa in his mind is retirement because he has to take care of himself and family when he retires from the game.

“Yes, he is 25 but what he needs now is good money that will sustain and take care of his needs when he retires from the game. So, as far as I am concerned, the move to Saudi Arabia is a good move no matter how anybody looks at it.

Told that Musa is still young to move to a country like Suadi Arabia which is not known to strong football playing nation, Udeze explained that at this stage Musa’s concern should be about his future and that of his family because he has played at the highest stage of the round leather game having played even at the World Cup which is the dream of every football player.

“You see, forget about whether

Jubilation as Thai cave boys return to school

T

HERE was jubilation at Mae Sai Prasitsart School in Chiang Rai province of Tailand as the 12 boys recently rescued from a cave in northern part of the country returned to school.

At Mae Sai Prasitsart School in Chiang Rai province where six of the boys attend school, all of the 12 boys were given a warm welcome back to school even as the welcome ceremony was also marked with Buddhist prayers, according to Chiang Rai officials.

Dressed in their respective school uniforms, the boys were also given team shirts of Germany’s Bayern Munich football club by a club representative.

A dramatic 19-day search and rescue mission for the group, a local youth football team, has gained much attention, sympathy and admiration from around the world.

Many international football clubs have invited the group to come and see matches abroad following their dramatic rescue.

The group visited Tham LuangKhun Nam Nang Non Cave, 1,000 kilometres north of Bangkok, on June 23.

They were trapped inside for more than two weeks after a flash flood blocked their only exit, leading to Thailand’s biggest-ever rescue operation which involved thousands of people from many countries.

After a successful rescue of all members of the group on July 10, the boys aged 11-16 recuperated at a nearby hospital for a week and then at home for another week.

Eleven boys, with an exception of 14-year-old Adul Sam-on who is a Christian, entered a nine-day monkhood as an act of gratitude for their rescue. They left the monastery on Saturday.

Their coach, 25-year-old Ekapol Chantawong, the only adult in the group trapped in the cave, is expected to remain a monk for three more months. A museum is being constructed near the cave to commemorate the rescue.

•Thai cave boys celebrated at school after resumption.

at the World Cup and he has four World Cup goals to his credit and no Nigerian has done that,” Udeze explained.

Meanwhile, Super Eagles’ gaffer, Gernot Rohr has applauded Musa’s to Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia saying it is good for him to go to a club where he will be playing than to a club where he will be condemned to the bench.

“I am very happy for Musa,” Rohr told KweséESPN. “It’s good for him to go to a club where he is playing than to a club where he is not playing.

“The assistant coach at Leicester (Jacky Bonnevay) is someone I know, and he is sad that Musa has to go,” the German coach continued. “He saw him training and he was very happy.”

“I do not say that (Musa’s international career will be jeopardised by his move to Saudi Arabia),” Rohr concluded.

•Ahmed Musa rounded Iceland goalkeeper to score Super Eagles’ 2nd goal during the recent World Cup in Russia.

Saudi Arabia is a football playing nation or not. What does he wants to prove again? Musa has played to the highest level of the game. He has been at the World Cup twice, what

else does he want to prove.

“Of course, Nigerians will not forget him in a hurry because of his record. He remains the only Nigerian to have scored two goals each

•Ifeanyi Udeze

Chukwu to bury only brother Friday

C

HRISTIAN CHUKWu, the immediate past general manager of Enugu Rangers will Friday, August 10, bury his only brother, Dr. Obiora Chukwu at their family compound at Umu Ike Owo Community, OBE, Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State.

It is recalled that the late Obiora Chukwu died in June in Enugu even as his elder brother, the former Enugu and national team captain, Christian Chukwu exclusively told The Oracle Today Sports that he was unaware that he was sick only for him to be told that he was dead.

He explained that the sudden death of his only brother was a rude shock to him and the entire family because the late academic was never known to be sick.

He, however, told The Oracle

Today Sports in exclusive chat that Doctors later told him that his younger brother died as a result of ‘Low Blood Pressure and Diabetes’ which he said doctors told him is deadly. He said he never knew that his brother had such a case.

“I and my siblings are still in shock about the sudden death of my only brother. It was a rude shock to me because he was not sick as far as I know.

“He was my only brother. He was my younger brother and only brother for that matter. As I speak, I am yet to come to terms with the reality of his demise because like I told you, he was not known to be sick in the first place, that was why when I was called that he was dead, it was like a joke taken too far but it is a reality.

Seedorf, Kluivert take over Indomitable Lions

A

FTER many months of speculation over who becomes the Head coach of six time African champions, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, the mantle has finally fallen on former AC Milan and

Chelsea legend Clarence Seedorf to be assisted by former Dutch international, Patrick Kluivert ahead of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nation (AFCON) which Cameroon plan to host.

The former Dutch international was announced as the man to take charge of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon Saturday. His appointment of Seedorf was announced by the country’s Ministry of Sports made the announcement on Saturday and Seedorf will be assisted by his former Dutch teammate, Patrick Kluivert, according to per Africanews.

The appointment of the former AC Milan Manager ends a long controversy over the succession of Hugo Broos, who led Cameroon to the continental title at the 2017 CAN tournament in Gabon.

Seedorf, 42, also managed Chinese division one side, Shenzhen FC before he was appointed Manager of La Liga club, Deportivo La Coruna.

His assistant, Patrick Kluivert was Louis van Gaal’s assistant at the 2014 World Cup with the Netherlands.

“When I rushed to the hospital after hearing the sad new, I met with the doctors and I was told that he died as a result of Low Blood Pressure and Diabetes. It was there that they told me that low blood pressure kills without delay.

“They told me that it is far better to have high blood pressure than to have low blood pressure coupled with diabetes. I never knew that he had such a case and nobody in my family was aware that he had such a case. It is most unfortunate,” Chukwu lamented.

Obiorah, The Oracle Today Sports was made to understand lived in United States of America all his adult life but returned to the country about three years ago and took up appointment with the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) as a lecturer until his sudden death.

Chukwu told the Oracle that despite relocating to Nigeria, his brother’s family still resides in the United States of America even as he revealed that his late Obiora’s wife will be returning for the burial of the husband.

The Oracle Today Sports joins thousands of sympathizers to mourn the untimely death of Obiora Chukwu even as we pray that God will grant Christian Chukwu and the entire Chukwu family the fortitude to bear the irreparable lost and may the soul of Obiora Chukwu and the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace…Amen.

•Dr. Obiora Chukwu

47

The Oracle Today Wednesday August 15, 2018

NEWS Continued from Pg16 require the change the leadership of the Senate could have been mustered.

Akpabio had met with APC chieftains, including President Buhari in London, and Alhaji Bola Tinubu in Abuja.

Presidency wants NASS to reconvene

By Monday, the Presidency was pressing the need for the National Assembly to reconvene quickly.

Some budget matters were pending according to the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang, who met with Osinbajo, and Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan.

He argued that details were contained in the recent requests submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari to the National Assembly before it proceeded on vacation, adding that the approval was necessary now to enable the government put the machinery in place to secure such loans, otherwise it could shut down.

“We are still appealing to the National Assembly to reconvene. You remember that we passed the budget with understanding that the greater amount of it would be gotten by foreign loans,” Enang said.

“Although this was approved that there would be loans, the amount was not approved. The Fiscal Responsibility Act requires that the President should specifically state the amount the government wants to get from foreign loans and present it before the Na-

... swept DSS boss Daura away tional Assembly.

“That letter has been presented to the National Assembly and the National Assembly has to pass that amount before the money could be obtained from foreign financing institutions. This is what we are asking and if it didn’t happen in the next few months, we may have a complete government shutdown.

“What we are receiving from the Federation Accounts as the federal government share of the capital component is not enough to sustain even the 15 or 20 per cent of the budget. So, there may be a complete government shutdown and I know that Nigerians are not going to like it. That is why we are still appealing.”

and that will be in a big ceremony on Wednesday, August 8 in Akwa Ibom State,” Enang told the media after the Monday meeting.

“So, the head of the PDP who holds all the documents of the PDP, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, is coming over with a great team and other minorities will join the APC family and we are good and strong.”

Lawan said: “You know that the budget for 2018 the capital aspect will be largely funded by foreign facilities, loans. Now we need to approve that. We also need to approve other important and essential requests especially that of INEC and other security agencies for our security to be improved.

“It is, therefore, very essential that we reconvene immediately to look into those issues because our government is almost stalled and I believe that if we are able to pass the supplementary budget and virement request from Mr. President, this will enable our administration to provide the various infrastructure that we have planned to provide for Nigerians and also all the other aspects of national development.

“Certainly, in the case of INEC for example, INEC could pick some items on the shelves but there are so many important and essential items that INEC will have to place

Another reason for reconvening NASS? Others say that the Monday meeting was about the reception to be accorded Akpabio and his group; it was getting the Senate to reconvene on Tuesday, by force, if necessary. There were no confirmations.

“Now the leader of the Senate has said that they are 53, but I want to assure him that the APC has harvested more people from the PDP and other political parties.

The head of the PDP in the Senate is formally joining the APC family

order that could take about two to three months.

“So, it is very imperative that we do the needful, we should convene the National Assembly immediately and as legislators, as representatives of Nigerians, we will do what is best in the national interest.”

Lawan challenged the PDP to publish the number of its senators, insisting that the APC remains in control of the majority in the Senate with 53. Asked to confirm the allegation that APC senators were plotting to force their way into the parliament to execute their hidden plot, Lawan denied it, saying the information was strange to him.

The NASS leadership was to meet Tuesday at noon in Senate Room 301 to consider the possibility of reconvening. The meeting was all the principal officers of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The NASS leadership was also to meet the management team of INEC led by its Chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu.

President Buhari’s letter of 17 July 2018 sought approval of N242 billion for the p 2019 election, and virement of some projects in the 2018 budget.

Lawmakers Conditions for reconvening Hon. Timothy Golu of the House of Representatives, said legislators

Buhari may be under pressure to ‘step aside’ Continued from Pg2 However, since 2014, it seems to have become an accepted convention, depending on who gains or who loses.”

According to him, “what Nigerians desire today are economic prosperity, cultural development and political emancipation, which can only be attained through a credible restructuring of the polity. So, neither the corrupt APC, the PDP nor any of the known parties, have the patriotism, clear ideological orientation, intellectual capacity or moral authority to accomplish this restructuring.”

“Therefore, the way out is that for Nigeria, there has to be reconstitution of a Sovereign National Conference to reconstitute the polity on a new basis, which must have four elements, namely; the reordering of the units of political administration on ethnic nationalities or groups bases; resource control by units in their own territories; military, security reorganization, with only one component of State Police; and total, clear and undisguised circularity of the Nigerian state. That is the only way Nigeria can survive, and that is what should be done and not all the talks about 2019 election,” he declared Similarly, a public affairs commentator, Chief Chris Nwokocha said “the gale of defections was, I think, expected. Any good political follower in our country will know that it will come one day because for every effect, there is a cause.”

“We are all living witnesses that for the past three years, the APC government has squandered the goodwill of Nigerians who voted for the party. Apparently, what people did not realize was that these people were not prepared

•National Assembly gate locked on Tuesday

for governance.” Nwokocha added “I think they were all bent on change of government in which ever way it came, without even knowing what to do with governance. Power came to them because they sold a dummy to Nigerians, riding on the crest of anti-corruption fight and provision of security, using Buhari as their rallying point because then, everybody saw him as a man without blemish but today, we all know whether he is what we all took him for.”

For his part, the General Overseer of Christ Foundation Miracle International Chapel, Lagos, Prophet Chukwuma Onuoha, prophesied that 2019 may not be, after all.

“Many people are already under all sorts of oath, embarking on defections and counter-defections.

Many politicians and their allies are already killing themselves and targeting who to eliminate ahead of 2019 general elections.

“But, mark my words: all that may end up as efforts in futility.

Whether it is defections, impeachment or police siege, there may be no 2019 after all. I am not out to scare anybody, but I do not see any 2019 spiritually. There is no 2019 election in the spiritual realm as we speak. So, people should thread carefully and avoid wasting lives or their hard-earned resources.

Everything is hanging. In fact, 2019 is absent, spiritually for now. So, politicians beware!” he declared,

adding: “The present administration is spiritually decimated. I had advised Mr. President to avoid fighting corruption via vengeance, tribalism, or partiality but in all sincerity and patriotism, to avoid ending up as the worst Nigerian President ever. From what I see spiritually, it is only God that can save Nigeria.”

The Man of God commended the swift, brave executive action of the Vice President against the (now former) Director-General of DSS, Lawal Daura, after the agency in conjunction with the Police, exposed the nation to local and international embarrassment by laying siege to the National Assembly.

would reconvene under certain conditions. “Our leaders are meeting to brief us on the appeal by the Presidency for us to reconvene.

There must be assurance that no illegality will be attempted to be done against any of our leaders.

“We are worried by the statements from some anti-Saraki Senators like Adamu Abdullahi and Ali Ndume to the fact that the Senate president must be changed “Talks are ongoing and as long as there is no threat to our democratic peace, we can reconvene to attend to issues. We want peace and stability for our democracy to grow and produce more good fruits and if among ourselves we are found guilty of any form of sabotage for personal reasons, then we are not fair to the people,” he had said before Tuesday’s incident.

Fayose wanted Daura sacked in 2016 On 3 September 2016, DSS operatives stormed Government House, Uyo, and searched it. Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose issued this statement: “It is unfortunate that this is happening under President Buhari’s watch, and painful that Alhaji Lawal Daura is drawing Nigeria back to the military era.

Yesterday, the Akwa Ibom State Government House in Uyo was invaded by armed men from the Special Squad of the DSS. They invaded the Presidential Wing of the Government House in a commando-liked manner, ransacked it, intimidated and harassed the occupants, claiming that they were searching for bomb and documents!

“One wonders when the Government House of Akwa-Ibom State turned to a factory where bombs are made. Also, we wonder why men of the DSS were overzealously looking for bomb in Akwa Ibom State Government House, instead of the Boko Haram ravaged North Eastern part of Nigeria. “From the barbaric act of the DSS yesterday and other actions of Security Service under Alhaji Lawal Daura in the last few weeks, one can conclude that Daura is taking Nigeria back to the 1984 era of General Muhammadu Buhari and this is unfortunate. “No doubt, the Director General (DG) DSS, Lawal Daura is acting out a sinister script of taking over Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) controlled States in the South-South and South East by whatever means.

“His actions as the DG DSS are regrettable, unfortunate, condemnable and unacceptable because he has come to symbolise dictatorship, which democracy abhors. Alhaji Lawal Daura should know that he is holding the office of DG DSS that he presently occupies in trust for all Nigerians and such office is not one that can be turned into instrument of political witch-hunt.

“If Alhaji Daura continues with his use of the DSS to harass, intimidate and assault the constitution of Nigeria, President Buhari may have to show to Nigerians that he is not a party to the use of the security agency to witch-hunt his political opponents by sacking the DG DSS,” Fayose concluded.

Nigerians are waiting to see how the sack of Daura would change the conduct of security agencies throughout the country.

WEDNESDAY August 15, 2018

The

www.oraclenews.ng

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racle Today

VOX POPULI SACRUM

ISSN: 2545-5869

Chickens have come home to roost

I

knew that Muhammadu Buhari didn’t represent any sort of change with the tiniest chance of improving the lot of Nigerians.

I knew also that people of my education and perspective knew that to have a man with scant redeeming qualities at the helm of Nigerian affairs would represent a tragic setback for the entity. It didn’t surprise me, though, that during 2015 a legion of informed Nigerians ate up incredible media space promoting as sterling what they knew or ought to have known was meretricious. It was all Buhari blah, blah; Buhari blah, blah, blah; Buhari blah, blah, blah, blah.

Well, the chickens since came home to roost. There had been an American flank to the nauseating valorization of mediocrity. We all always knew that once a Nigerian got educated in the United States or claimed to have gotten educated in the United States, he or she automatically became all-knowing – against the backdrop of all the nonentities they left behind in Nigeria for the trans-Atlantic flight that invariably transformed every sojourner into a genius. On and on, week in and week out, these infallible characters kept churning out tomes of anti-Jonathan diatribe and fabulous episodes on their messiah.

As things have turned out, their vaunted messiah has recklessly careened the ship of state to the edge of the precipice. One more gratuitous step and the Plummet button would have been pressed for the unstoppable descent into utter chaos. But, guess what. The loud-speaking and intolerant Diaspora experts and their homegrown counterparts have all but fallen silent, their vocal cords lacerated and their tongues of chicanery incinerated. Shame, if they ever had that human emotion, never allowed them a moment to apologie for their contribution to the national swindle that showed up in the form of a middling ex-soldier from the North West geopolitical zone.

How come that folks dressed in military fatigues massacres over 300 human beings (Shiite only refers to the peculiarity of their Islam) without Nigerian voices rising as one to proclaim the inhumanity beyond toleration? That was enough impetus to lay into unarmed Biafran agitators and turn them into cannon fodder. And then the farce

GUEST COLUMNIST

Chuks

Iloegbunam

•President Buhari of their fight against corruption became acutely brazen. Those of them with forged credentials received the green light to keep flaunting them. Mountainous allegations of corruption against their party chairman, corroborated with affidavits, elicited less than the stir of the little finger. Judicial injunctions homed straight into trash cans.

So far – that is more than three years after he mounted the saddle of power – the man has held the monthly live TV Meet the Press programme only once. Thus, his

questionable actions and ineluctable gaffes are never interrogated. The citizenry has never been let into the details of the mysterious health condition that detained him last year in the United Kingdom for more than 100 days.

More, the country is considered unworthy of learning the number of billions from the national coffers that financed the hospitalisation in Europe of this man who, as presidential candidate, pronounced anathema on flying bigwigs abroad for medical attention.

He belongs to all. And he belongs to none. Sounds like dilettantish attempt at penning doggerel. Yet, he incessantly demonstrates a predilection of partiality to those that “elected” him. He has promoted nepotism way above the giddy sky-highness of impunity. He has created an atmosphere that enables the heaviness of coercive force on franchise and independence seekers. It’s almost as though it’s never occurred to their Let’s Pretend Circle that uniform, whether of the military or the Police, has its day, which must pass – just like the acrid stench of malodorous fart, and that even the trigger, despite the resounding report and attendant devastation that follows its pulling, belongs but to a date beyond which it is detached from reckoning. The man simply plods on, his puppeteers permanently in negation of the intruding thought that they could someday stand in line to memorably welcome the insistent visitor often baldly referred to as Comeuppance.

Thus, for endless months running into endless years, heavily-armed Fulani herdsmen and their ilk roar from countryside to countryside, serving the innocent and the vulnerable a changeless diet of looting, burning, massacring and land annexation, while the C-in-C emits the absurdity that the only panacea to their encircling genocide is prayers! When people condone this atrocity for whatever reason, do they remain people or do they become non-people? While an answer is thought up for this question, there are just two more thoughts: (1) While Pinochet draped Chile in tyranny, a Spanish lawyer assiduously took notes in Madrid. When, long after uniform and bullets, Pinochet strayed into London, the long arms of the law enveloped him in a legal embrace. Saddam Hussein fared far worse. (2) Shortly after the IRA started its guerilla warfare of the Northern Ireland Troubles, other such forces sprouted that spelt pinewood-for-pinewood (euphemism for coffins) through the next 25 years – until a Tony Blair, assisted by a Bill Clinton and a few others brokered a peace deal.

• Iloegbunam, a commentator on national issues, sent this viewpoint through iloegbunam@hotmail.com

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.