Wednesday November 28, 2018 Edition by oracle

A reflection on the party manifestos

inally, the campaigns–the presFwith–have idential campaigns to start begun. The presidential candidates have rolled out their manifestos, challenging us to look at them with a view to making our choice as to whom to pitch our tents with. For the purpose of this com-

The Oracle Today Comment

ment, we shall look at the APC and PDP manifestos or what the PDP has called the POLICY DOCUMENT of its presidential candidate and APC, NEXT LEVEL.

The

VOX POPULI SACRUM

NEXT LEVEL is essentially a renewal of APC’s vows when it sought and clinched power in 2015. From jobs in agriculture, jobs in industrialisation, jobs in technolo-

gy and the creative industry, jobs in school feeding, infrastructure, power, among others, NEXT LEVEL makes a basic assumption, namely, that APC has done well in the past

three and half years and is geared to take Nigeria to the next level, running on the template it has already established, if elected into power again. In the forward to NEXT LEVEL, APC MANIFESTO (ABRIDGED),

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WEDNESDAY November 28, 2018

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Today

ISSN: 2545-5869 VOL.3 No.47 N200

How Buhari, Atiku plan to reshape Nigeria •We have done well, will move country to next level – APC •You have under-performed, brought untold hardships –Atiku •Election between status quo and restructuring From EMMANUEL OGOIGBE, Warri

ampaigns for the 2019 presidential election have kicked off with

the major presidential candidates pushing their agenda into the public space with their policy documents, which contain their visions for a new Nigeria.

In a forward to its abridged manifesto christened NEXT LEVEL, the All Progressives Congress (APC), the ruling party at the centre wrote: “Four years ago, we promised

Nigerians real change – in what we do and how we do it. Nigerians sent a clear message in the last election, and our platform offered a new, ambitious plan for a secure, prosper-

ous and corruption-free country. We have worked hard to fulfill our promises - and while the road may have been difficult, over the last three and a half years, we have laid

the foundations for a strong, stable and prosperous country for the majority of our people. “Foundational work

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Corruption in Africa exaggerated --Tanzania’s ex-president •Saraki advocates sincere anti-corruption war From CHUKS COLLINS, Awka

•Buhari

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•Atiku

uest lecturer at this year’s Zik’s Memorial Lecture Series and former President of Tanzania, Benjamin Mkapa has described the issue of corruption in Africa as exaggerated by Western countries for “selfish reasons.” Presenting a paper entitled “Taming the Monster of Corruption in Africa”, Mkapa noted that although the rate of corruption in Africa is very high, the malaise is exaggerated about Africa, especially by the

western countries where, he said, the incidence of corruption, is even higher. But, he called for more efforts by African countries in the fight against corruption and other vices that retard development. Bemoaning the level of corruption on the continent, he said African countries would remain in a vicious cycle of non-development for so long until the monster of corruption is tackled head-on. He therefore called on public office holders to bri-

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A’Ibom House of Assembly declares five seats vacant

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

NEWS

... Buhari, Atiku plan to reshape Nigeria Continued from Pg 1 is not often visible, neither is it glamorous - but it is vital to achieving the kind of country we desire. Judging by the prior depth of decay, deterioration and disrepair that Nigeria had sunken into, we are certain that these past few years have put us in good stead to trudge on the NEXT LEVEL of building an even stronger nation for our people.” Reviewing its activities in the past three and half years, the APC further noted: “We liberated 17 Local Government Areas from the grip of insurgency; we brokered sustainable peace in the Niger Delta, which has been crucial to stabilizing the polity,” adding that despite the difficult circumstances presented by weak oil prices and reduced oil production, we delivered

on our commitment to make public investments to spur economic growth, job creation, and broad-based prosperity.” To that extent, the party further said, “agriculture continues to expand our economic base as do our investments in our deficient infrastructure across the length and breadth of this nation.” The party said the APC-led federal government took “an unprecedented step towards creating a fairer and more equitable society by implementing Africa’s biggest social investment programme.” “Through the National Social Investments Programme, we are providing direct support to over 12 million Nigerians who need it by giving relief and assistance to unemployed youth, our children, the weak and vulnera-

ble as well as small and medium businesses.” In the light of the foregoing and many other issues, the APC noted that the choice lay in Nigerians voting for the party’s presidential candidate to continue the good work he started in 2015. “The next four years will be quite significant for our country,” APC declared. “Nigeria is faced with a choice to keep building a new Nigeria- making a break from its tainted past, which favoured an opportunistic few. Our choices will shape us - our economic security and our future prosperity. Nigeria, more than ever before, needs a stable and people-focused government to move the agenda for our country forward.” However, the PDP presidential candidate, former Vice

•Cross section of newly inaugurated membres of igboezue cultural organization onitsha north chapter.

President Atiku Abubakar in his POLICY DOCUMENT titled LET’S GET NIGERIA WORKING AGAIN, took an exact opposite position to the sense of optimism prevalent in the APC manifesto. The Atiku Document eviscerated the grounds on which APC based its very optimistic outlook on Nigeria, saying the unity, security and prosperity that the ruling party spoke so glowingly about as some of its achievements in the past three and half years do not, in fact, exist. The Atiku camp, therefore, noted that its mission is, indeed, anchored on three planks, namely: 1) Reinforcing Nigeria’s unity by promoting the spirit of cooperation and consensus, especially in a that is as complex and as heterogeneous as Nigeria; 2) Establishing a strong

Photo Oliver Udeogu

Corruption in Africa exaggerated --Tanzania’s ex-president Continued from Pg 1 dle their excesses, chiding past African leaders that have either been tried or convicted of corruption. He also advocated modesty in handling of public offices, calling for bottom-top institutional reform to ensure that fairness prevails, just as he urged establishment of a common standard of morality and integrity, which would help wipe out corruption. While admitting that “corruption cannot be completely wiped but can be tamed, he noted that the fight against corruption must start from the federal government “because it has all the capacity to do.” The ex-president commended Nigeria’s efforts at fighting corruption, pointing out that the malaise is exaggerated about Africa,

especially by the western countries who were even more corrupt than African countries. Going down memory lane, Mkapa reiterated how he fought corruption in his country, describing the social malaise as the brainchild of greed and inordinate ambition. Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who was chairman of the occasion, which also coincided with the 114th posthumous birthday anniversary of the late first President of Nigeria, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe held at the at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, said Nigeria can only grow and achieve its true destiny when the nation’s present system of governance is rid of corruption. He, therefore, charged citizens and governments at all levels to recommit the vision of the nation’s founding fathers by eschewing

selfish tendencies and eradicate corruption. Saraki noted that the Great Zik of Africa was not only an astute politician and statesman, but a man who thought deeply about Nigeria as a united country and Africa and Africans as one. He said: “He thought deeply about the direction Nigeria was going, and he did his very best to steer her on the right path. We need more thinkers in our national life, and it is my expectation that today’s lecture will go some way towards nudging those of us in this audience in that direction.” He added: “Without wishing to pre-empt the subject of today’s lecture by His Excellency Benjamin Mkapa, former President of Tanzania, which is titled, ‘Taming the Monster of Corruption in Africa’, we should ask ourselves what Dr.

Azikiwe would have made of the political landscape of today, particularly with regard to the problem of corruption. Let us think upon the example he laid down, the ideals he stood for, and from which he never wavered. “As we listen to this 7th Zik Lecture, let us meditate upon the legacy of Azikiwe, one of the greatest Africans of the 20th Century. As founder of the historic West African Pilot newspaper, Azikiwe was for freedom of the press. He was for accountability and transparency . . . He believed in, and fought for Nigeria’s unity. “When I think about his legacy, I am indeed humbled; and it is a thing of pride to be chairing this event today. As we listen to the 7th Zik Lecture delivered by the

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and effective democratic government that secures citizens and provides opportunities for them to realise their full potentials, allows GREATER AUTONOMY for the federating units and gives each region of the country a sense of belonging and 3) Building a strong, resilient and prosperous economy. Emphasising the imperative of restructuring, the major philosophy of the Atiku Challenge, the former Vice President noted that Nigeria’s “under-performance”, which he accused the APC government of, “is attributable to the many economic and political structural fault-lines that limit its ability to sustain growth, create jobs and achieve real poverty reduction. Harping on the need for continued Nigerian unity, Atiku said Nigeria, however, needs “a unity that is transparently and COLLECTIVELY NEGOTIATED AND AGREED UPON,” adding that “we need to restructure our polity.” In the light of the foregoing, Atiku disclosed that the economy that Nigerians dream about is one, which he envisages as “a modern economy that works for its people and capable of taking its rightful place among the top 20 economies of the world.” “My economic policy will be job-centred, especially for our teeming population,” Alhaji Abubakar surmised. The two policy documents reflect the two diametrically opposed positions of the two major party presidential candidates on the nature of Nigerian federalism. While for a long time now Alhaji Abubakar has spoken eloquently on the need for restructuring of the country to give the federating units more autonomy, President Buhari is opposed to restructuring, saying the country’s problem is not its structure but bad governance. “The restructuring that I have been calling for involves changes to the allocation of powers, responsibilities and resources among the states or zones and between them and the federal government,” the former Vice President said in a speech at Ileife, Osun State last year. For his part, Buhari had this to say: “When all the aggregates of nationwide opinions are considered, my firm view is that our problems are more to do with process than structure,” the President said in his New Year address this year, his first to the nation since August 21, last year. “So, the choice for Nigerians in the forthcoming election is clear,” says a PDP chieftain in Enugu who would want his name in print. “It is whether Nigerians want to restructure and reform or run the current system with such overarching power of the centre that practically stultifies growth at every level of governance in the country.”

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

NEWS ACROSS THE NATION Buhari meets governors over proposed N30, 000 minimum wage

RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Monday met behind closed doors with representatives of Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) over the disagreement between the organised labour and state governors on the proposed N30,000 minimum wage. The Amal Pepple Tripartite Committee on the Review of National Minimum Wage, had on November 6, submitted its report to Buhari where it recommended N30,000 as the new national minimum wage. While receiving the report, the president expressed his commitment to ensuring the implementation of a new national minimum wage and pledged to transmit an Executive bill (on National Minimum Wage) to the National Assembly for its passage within the shortest possible time. He expressed delight that the committee had successfully completed its assignment in a peaceful and non-controversial manner. Buhari said that the Federal Gov-

ernment would soon transmit an Executive bill (on National Minimum Wage) to the National Assembly for its passage within the shortest possible time. However, the 36 state governors had since expressed reservations over the proposed N30,000 new minimum wage by the Amal Pepple committee, saying the state governments were not in a stable financial position to pay the new minimum wage. Chairman of the Governors’ Forum and Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Abdul’aziz Yari, had on November 15, told newsmen at the end of an emergency meeting of the governors in Abuja that payment of N30, 000 wage was impracticable. Representatives of the Governors’ forum, who met with the president over the issue, included Governors of Zamfara, Lagos, Ka- •President Muhammadu Buhari meeting with (from left) Governors of Enugu State, Chief Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; Keduna and Enugu, while the Minister bbi State, Atiku Bagudu; Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode; and Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, over the minimum of Labour and Employment, Chris wage at the State House, Abuja, Monday. Ngige was also in attendance.

2019: Groups urge CAN to be neutral

ONCERNED Christians Forum on Monday advised the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to maintain a neutral position as the 2019 general elections campaigns kick off. National Coordinator of the group, Elder James Amedu, also urged CAN to refrain from making political statements. Amedu said in Lagos that any attempt to politicise Christendom in the days leading to the 2019 elections should be resisted by the Christian body. According to him, CAN should neither delve into politics nor utter statements that run contrary to the Christian faith. “CAN must not be seen as working for any party. Some of the CAN leaders have desecrated their pulpits by campaigning for certain

candidates, under the pretext that they are relaying God’s voice,’’ he said. Amedu recalled that four years ago, in the build up to the 2015 General Elections, the Christian faith was ridiculed repeatedly because CAN was seen to be supporting the then ruling PDP. According to him, the then CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, allegedly reduced the association to the outsourced PR firm of the PDP. He said many Nigerians were burdened that Christendom was being politicised in the country again. “This is most unfortunate as CAN is rapidly being dragged back to the Oritsejafor era with all the damages likely to be done to the Christian Faith,’’ he said.

2019: PDP’s chances of victory high – Senate Dep’ Minority Leader

ENATE Deputy Minority Leader, Sen. Emmanuel Bwacha (PDP-Taraba South), has expressed optimism that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would win the forthcoming 2019 Presidential election. Bwacha maintained, Sunday in Abuja, that PDP had 70 per cent chances of winning elections in most parts of the country. “The PDP has a greater chance of winning the Presidential Election in 2019 if it is a free and fair election. “The matter is beyond President Muhammadu Buhari as an individual because the electorate will vote people on the basis of who they are and their performance in office,’’ Bwacha said. He said the chances of any elected official to be returned depended largely on how the electorate feel sabout them, saying that

elected officials were supposed to be the messengers of the people. Bwacha said that there was no secret between him and the people of Taraba South Senatorial District, saying “that is my staying power and I have become a phenomenon in my district. “For instance, I have a scholarship scheme that has been running since 2003 and of course the youth empowerment scheme that I run to strengthen youths who have interest in farming. This I do through the provision of farm implements. “I have made available some tractors to them and it is yielding result because prior to the party nomination, a number of them actually contributed money to purchase my primary nomination form. “This is outside of other areas like the health sector, construc-

tion and employment opportunities. Basically we are doing our best to ensure that we leave our footprints on the sands and to the glory of God we are touching the lives of our people.“ He said that as part of efforts to boost agricultural activities in Taraba State, he sponsored a bill for the establishment of the National Institute for Soil Science in the state. The lawmaker said that the institute had since been established and it was contributing immensely to agricultural development in the state. “Similarly, the Federal University we have in Taraba has gone through some couple of challenges. The legislation that brought it in place suffered some set back and I had to bring back the bill to ensure that I get it going,’’ he said.

“We completed it but two things are remarkable—we borrowed 500 million dollars to start that project at the time oil was selling at 114 dollars per barrel. We should not have borrowed; you mean this country could not have afforded 500 million dollars? “I will show that we can; when I wrote a memo to the president and to the cabinet requesting that he should allow me borrow 500 million dollars from China to buy locomotives and coaches for Lagos-Ibadan, the cabinet under the directive of the president refused. “He (the president) said 500 million dollars; we can get from here and we are funding it from here; so we did and completed Kaduna to Abuja quickly. “We spend N56million per month and we get N16 million; so we are augmenting for both rich and poor—N40 million per month under the directive of the president because he fears that the poor might not be able to afford it. So, everybody is using it.’’ According to him, Lagos to Ibadan railway is almost complete—a distance of 156kms. The minister said that application

had also been made to construct Kano to Kaduna railway as approval for funds is being awaited. “We are about to award the central line from Abuja to Niger to Baru from Baru to Itakpe to Warri; the president had approved a new seaport in Warri. We are negotiating with a Chinese company which will build it. “Do not forget that N2.7 billion dollars is N1 trillion. So, we are looking for money to commence already awarded work on the coastal rail. “The coastal rail starts from Lagos, from Lagos; it passes through Ogun State, Ondo, Benin, Asaba, and Onitsha. From Benin again, it passes through Warri, Sapele, Ughelli, to Bayelsa, in fact, it goes to Utuoke. From Otuoke, it goes to Port Harcourt. “Then from Port Harcourt, it goes to Aba, Uyo, and ends up in Cross River State. We are almost ready to award Port Harcourt to Maidugiri. The difference between us and the last award is that the last award was 1500km but under the directive of Mr President, it was extended to 2000 km. “The last award was Port Harcourt straight to Maidugiri but in

order to satisfy everybody at the directive of the President, we must get to every state capital,’’ he said. On his part, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, said that it would require a long journey into Nigeria’s history to recall when last it had massive investment in infrastructure. “It is no coincidence that we look to the 1970s and the 1980s when we built new airports, new seaports, new refineries, new highways and bridges. “The closest you will have to that era is the 1990s when petrol-money was also being applied to upgrade infrastructure under the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF ) incidentally chaired by Buhari. “We lost an enormous opportunity when recently oil money rose to $114 dollar per barrel and stayed there for almost a decade and we have no new airport, refinery, bridges, petrochemical plants, no new seaports to show accountability to how all the money went,’’ he said. The event also witnessed the unveiling of ‘Buhari-Osinbajo 2019—A Basic Guide-The Campaign Manual in Brief.’

APC built train stations in villages of PDP chieftains – Amaechi

INISTER of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, on Sunday said that in the course of executing the Warri-Itakpe Rail line, stations were built in the villages of Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP)’s chieftains. Amaechi disclosed this at the `Next Level Presentation’ at Presidential Villa Banquet Hall to signal the commencement of the campaign of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2019 general elections. The minister who made a presentation titled; `What We are Building’ said that President Muhammadu Buhari, upon assumption of office, directed that old and abandoned projects be completed. “The truth is that the country is compelled to make a choice between good and bad. When I was appointed the Minister for Transportation, the president warned– do not start new contracts, go and complete old ones. “We met Itakpe –Warri Rail line which had been in existence for 34 years uncompleted; it would have been the first Standard Guage line in Africa if it was completed. Based on the president’s instruction, I did

a memo; I thought we will borrow money from China; but the president refused. He said we should use our internal funds to execute the project. “People saw me on social media on Train service from Warri to Itakpe. I got to Warri 8pm because I was going from one station to the other—almost all the villages and most prominent members of PDP made sure that train stations were in their villages. “So, I am compelled to do those stations in villages of members of PDP; it is okay; it is the instruction of the president that you must go and finish the old work.’’ He said that the tradition in the past was that once one was elected, one left the old things for the old people and awarded new contracts. According to Amaechi, the ministry will start commercial service from Itakpe to Warri. On PDP’s argument that it started the projects, Amaechi said that Buhari made it clear on commissioning the Abuja –Kaduna rail project that the project was started by the former government of President Goodluck Jonathan.

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

NEWS ACROSS THE NATION

2019 election: Southwest will vote for Atiku – Group By ROLAND OGBONNAYA

ESPITE that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo is from the southwest, a group under the aegis of the Friends for Wazirin Adamawa, Lagos has assured that the zone will vote for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the next year’s presidential election. Speaking after a meeting in Surulere in Lagos, Mr. Oba Olufela, the State Director of the group said that the South west will vote for Atiku because he’s the best candidate for now and he’s a detribalised Nigerian and loved by all. “I have been going around the southwest--Oyo, Osun Ekiti, Ondo

and Ogun states and you also know that Gbenga Daniel is from there, there has been groundswell of support for Atiku. “In Lagos where we have plenty non-indigenes and their love for Jimi Agbaje and Atiku are enormous. Southwest is for Atiku, It’s not about people and tribe, but quality of candidate and we have that in Atiku. He is Fulani as Buhari, but Atiku has quality because we have tried Buhari and he has been a colossal failure. Nigerians should come out and vote, we should not take things for granted; we should all be concerned, we should not allow anybody to enslave us anymore,” Olufela told The Oracle Today. He further explained the other qualities of Atiku that stand him

out as the best choice for the presidency: “ Atiku is not tribalistic and despotic; all Nigerians love him, He’s a tasted businessman and the best candidate for now despite all the corruption allegations and criticisms. No Nigeria or foreign court has convicted him, proving that the allegations are unsubstantiated.” Olufela, who was former director of technology, Jimmy Agbaje Campaign 2014, discarded the allegation that the PDP was dead in Lagos state, adding that the party will deliver the vote for Agbaje and Atiku at the polls. According to Olufela, to claim that PDP is dead in Lagos is a wishful

thinking by the opposition. “Every party has its challenge, and in Lagos you have a lot of power brokers with their self-interest and therefore it becomes difficult for the party to be organised at some point. The challenge we had was about selfishness and self-interest and not about age. We need the young and the old to move on the party, PDP is not dead.” He said a lot of structures are being put in place by some of our leaders, especially by “the governorship candidate, Jimmy Agbaje, Alhaji Olowokoniran and others. We hope that all these structures will collapse into one for the 2019

election. “In general term, we are going to go from house to house for our campaign, to sell our candidates and we already have over one million volunteers and in the next one week you will see us in the neighbourhood because this election is peculiar. We will counter the APC propaganda with quality campaign based on issues. “In Lagos its Atiku Abubakar and Jimmy Atiku we know and shall support. You cannot compare Agbaje with Sanwo-Olu; they are no match despite the godfather behind him. We are not troubled at all,” Olufela emphasised.

Buhari salutes Jonathan @ 61

RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated former President Goodluck Jonathan who clocked 61, Tuesday. The president, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, in Abuja on Monday, joined Nigerians in sending warm greetings to the former President. According to the president, the life journey of the former president remains an inspiration to every young Nigerian of the possibilities that await anyone willing to learn, work hard and participate in making the country great. President Buhari congratulated the former president on the publishing of his memoir, “My Transition Hours”, which would be launched as part of ceremonies marking his birthday. He, therefore, encouraged Nigerians to follow same example

of sharing their experiences in writing. The president prayed that the almighty God would strengthen the president, grant him longer life and bless his family. Jonathan is expected to formally launch his new book on Tuesday. The event will feature dignitaries from across Africa, with President Buhari invited as special guest of honor. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, chairman of the event, with guests of honour to include former Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama and Ibrahim Babangida. Presidents Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire, Faure Gnassingbe of Togo, Uhuru Kenyatta of •Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (fourth from left) flanked by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama Kenya and Adama Barrow of The when the Federal Government team met with the Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Gambia are also expected as spe- Organisation (UNIDO), Mr. Li Yong, and other delegates of the organisation, at the State House, Abuja, Monday. cial guests.

Gridlock paralyses Lagos, as truck drivers stage protest

OMMERCIAL activities came to a total halt at Iganmu, Costain Roundabout, Ijora, Funsho Williams Avenue and other areas on the Lagos Mainland as trucks blocked highways, forcing commercial vehicle operators to increase fares by a record hundred per cent. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that it was bedlam, especially at Iganmu on Monday as articulated vehicles and other motorists drove against traffic, causing logjam on various roads. Analysts have blamed the situation on what they describe as poor governance in a mega city dotted by poor roads and bubbling with human activities. Speaking to NAN on the gridlock, some commuters lamented the inability of the Lagos State Government to find a lasting solution to the problem. Commercial motorist Olakunle Ajayi, described his driving from Costain to Orile as a nightmare because of motorists driving against traffic. “I’m sick and tired of Lagos. Do we still have government in this state?’’, he asked as hoodlums, known popularly as “area boys’’ extorted money from to allow him passage. I don’t like driving against traffic because sometimes it can be fatal but with no other road to my destination, l’m forced to do one-way,” Ajayi said. Another motorist, lsmaila Ah-

madu, who plies the Ojuelegba to ljora highway, said that the gridlock had ruined the business of many commercial motorists because their daily trips had been reduced. “My tricycle is on hire purchase. I have to pay off to own it but with this gridlock, l don’t know what to do. I am tired of this hardship.” A trader, Mrs Angela Abumeri, said that she endured a long wait at Fadeyi Bus Stop in her bid to get a bus going to Orile. “I woke up around 4 a.m. to buy fruits from Ketu. Going home is now difficult because transporters are breaking the journey to collect double fare,’’ Abumeri said. A truck driver, who simply gave his name as Danjuma told NAN that truck drivers resorted to blocking the roads because traffic managers were forcing them out of Lagos bridges. “Traffic managers have gone tough on us. They chased us from parking on the bridges and since we have no alternative, we have to park on the middle of the roads. Reacting to the development, the Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr Chris Olakpe, restated that LASTMA was on top of the situation. He said that the agency had been working hard to tackle the gridlock.

Atiku launches policy, promises to attract investments, support 50m SMEs

EOPLES Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has promised to attract investments and support 50 million Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises, if elected president in 2019. Abubakar, while unveiling his Policy Launch through live Facebook address in Yola, Adamawa State, said the purpose was to double the size of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP) to 900 billion dollars by 2025. He said that the investments would create a minimum of 2. 5 million jobs annually and lift at least 50 million people from poverty in the first two years. He said that his team would also help to create jobs by innovating flagship programmes such as the national open apprenticeship programme through the capacity of master-craftsmen and women to train one-million new apprentices every year would be enhanced. “Our national innovation fund and SME venture capital fund initiatives will provide stable and sustainable long-term support to aspiring entrepreneurs,’’ the PDP flagbearer said. He said that his plan to restructure Nigeria would lead to a vast increase in the internally generated revenue, both for the federal government and the states. The former Vice President said that would be done via the matching grants that we would be provided to State Governments that increased their own revenue.

“Let me be clear, no state will receive less funding than they get today – in fact all will receive more and the harder a state works the more they will get,’’ he said, adding they were not just his plan, but that of Nigerians. He also pledged to offer an inclusive leadership, saying “Atiku Abubakar is 100 per cent for 100 per cent of Nigerians, 100 per cent of the time. ‘’ The PDP presidential candidate said that he was not out to make promises without plan as being witnessed in the past, adding that it is one thing to promise and another thing to deliver. “I am not one for making grandiose promises. Rather than promises, I believe in policies. A promise is an indication to do a future action. A policy is a plan to achieve future goals. I believe in setting goals and coming up with realistic plans and policies to achieving those goals.To me, leadership is having the discipline to commit to one’s goals until they are a reality. “I have succeeded in running my private enterprises which now employ 50,000 Nigerians because I believe in policies and I have the discipline to stay with them until they become reality. “It is my desire to run for the office of the president of the federal republic of Nigeria, not because I have a bag full of promises, but because I am prepared to lead, ‘’ he said. Abubakar said that in the last 18

months, he had worked with the best experts Nigeria had to offer to come up with policies and plans that when implemented would get Nigeria going in the right direction again. He recalled that when he was Vice President from 1999 to 2007, “I chaired the national economic council that gave Nigeria her highest and most consistent GDP growth of over 6 per cent per annum. He said that in spite of the fact that crude oil prices at that time were much lower than they were today, under the dynamic leadership of President Obasanjo, Nigeria paid off its entire foreign debt. “We also introduced the GSM revolution that saw Nigeria go from 100,000 phone- lines to over 100 million today. We were able to achieve these, and much more, because we had a plan called the national economic empowerment and development strategy. “That plan worked, and today I have the pleasure of unveiling our policies and strategies, not promises, to take Nigeria from where she is right now, to where she needs to be. This is my plan to get Nigeria working again. A plan that will give Nigerian workers a living wage. A plan that will give Nigeria’s youth a world-class education. “A plan that will empower Nigerian women, reduce maternal mortality and increase their financial stability. A plan that will cater for the elderly, so our people are not afraid of growing old. A plan that will invest in our failing infrastructure.’’

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

NEWS

Ogbaru market traders protest removal of leader

2019: Lawyers demand transparency in electoral process

By Theo Rays, Onitsha

raders in Ogbaru Main market popularly known as Relief market have decried the continued removal of the former President of the market, Chief Victor C. Nwawuzie by the Anambra State government on alleged grounds of financial misappropriation. The protesting traders were seen picketing the market holding placards bearing inscriptions like ‘Government give us Akirika back, we need him“, “Detractors leave Akirika for us”, ‘The man we Know is Victor Chiwuzie, The undisputed President of Ogbaru main market”, saying that the forceful removal of the market leader and the purported plan to impose a caretaker committee has disrupted peace enjoyed in the market. Enumerating the achievements of the embattled leader within the past two years and six months, the traders who included market association patrons, market line executives and women leaders said that the menace of flood that usually ravage their goods was controlled during Nwawuzie’s regime. One of the protesters, a market patron, Chief Goddy Obi said that way back before the inception of the market exco that traders and customers used to live in fear because of the gun battles by different factions struggling to control the market. ‘’I have been in this market for about 33years, at different instances traders and customers have been killed in this market either intentionally or by stray bullet. Reason was because when traders select their leaders, government will bring their own. So both parties storm the market with weapons in order to wrestle or control power. “This continued until government started allowing us to choose who we want through option A4 open ballot. This last election was won overwhelmingly by Chief Nwawuzie [Akirika] and peace and progress returned to the market before his removal, said Goddy Obi.’ Similarly another protester, Jesus Reign Line secretary, Mr Emeka Okonkwo said that majority of the traders want the government to restore their Market Association President Chief Nwawuzie to continue his developmental projects. “Akirika’s reign is good to us and unprecedented. He roofed the place traders converge to pray, made it comfortable for us both under rain or sunshine. He evacuated the drainages at Obodoukwu road filled with dirt and sand thereby controlling water from flooding the market to carry our goods as was usually the case”, said Okonkwo . Moreover, the Secretary, Udoka line Sunday Edeh said that Nwawuzie regime embarked on flooring all the intra market/ lines roads and constructing drainages inside the market to cheek flood menace and allow traders and customers walk through market without their footwear’s being soaked. The duo of the market women leader and her assistant, Mrs Ijeoma Egwim and Mrs Chiamaka Egemonu respectively said that all the market women and other traders do not want caretaker committee but want government to return Chief Nwawuzie. ‘Akirika’s reign brought peace and calmness in the market but since he left office everywhere is rowdy and hot. Sometimes there is panic in the market. We don’t believe he embezzled money. All these are mere propaganda to stop progress in this market”, Mrs Egwim said.

By Theo Rays, Onitsha, Oge Onyeanusi, Nnewi

head of the 2019 general elections, lawyers under the aegis of the Nigerian Bar Association, (NBA), Idemili Branch, Anambra State, have demanded greater transparency in Nigeria’s electoral process. The group which called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to live above board by showing greater transparency, credibility and accountability in the various elections it handles in Nigeria, as it further posited that elections in Nigeria are neither transparent nor credible. In a keynote address at the 2019 Bar Week concluded at the weekend in Ogidi, with the theme: “Restoring Credibility and Transparency to Elections and Electoral Processes in Nigeria”, Guest speaker, Prof. Ilochi Okafor, SAN, regretted the fraudulent way most elected representatives emerge at different levels of electioneering, and attributed the problem to what he called “biased electoral institutions” and prevalence of “uninformed or illiterate voter.”

According to him, “for there to be free and fair election, there must be an electorate in which the average voter, in a political sense, is educated. Secondly, there must be credible institutions capable of conducting free, fair and unbiased elections. Prof. Okafor, former Vice Chancellor of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, said some of the rot in the electoral process could be attributed to the behavior of the average illiterate voter; stating that as long as good majority of the electorate are starkly uneducated, true democracy will be a mirage; adding that “an average voter in the village is given financial inducement and his vote will go to the highest bidder; so that when he is going to the polling center, his mind is made up not to vote for this candidate or this party that will deliver solutions to societal problems, but to vote the one that offers him the highest amount of money.” He continued: “Again, to a large extent, Nigeria is operating a bastardized electoral system imported to us without taking into account the divergences in the electoral bodies of

advanced western countries and our African countries...” He added: “The essence of democracy is that it presents a choice to enable the majority to freely and voluntarily pick a candidate of their choice... Unfortunately, emergence of candidates, as previous elections would prove, is based on primordial interests like religion and ethnicity, which has never done the county any good.” He called on concerned stakeholders to work out modalities on how to check the shortcomings with a view to providing free, fair and credible elections in future. In his remarks, Chairman of NBA in the branch, Mr. Pere Anthony Oseme, said the branch came up with the theme, “Restoring Credibility and Transparency to Elections and Electoral Processes in Nigeria”, because of their desire to see that an average Nigerian electorate is aware of his civic responsibility of the right to vote or be voted for. “We want to emphasize on the need to discourage vote buying, election thuggery and violence. We want to let INEC and members of the so-

ciety know that collectively, we can make our electoral process credible. When we have credible elections, it will be difficult to have avalanche of post election litigation; and it is necessary to sell this idea to members of the public so that Nigeria could have something better in 2019. We believe that 2019 election will mark a turning point in Nigeria if the coming elections are handled credibly. “The role of the Bar is to ensure that justice is done to all and sundry. As defenders of the the constitution, and having in mind that 2019 elections are around the corner, we thought it wise to come up with this kind of package”, he said. Speaking also, the Chief Judge of Anambra Stage, Justice Peter Umadi, said the present effort by the Bar is to make sure that Nigeria respects democracy and the ballot; adding that Nigerians should join hands to nurture the country’s democratic norms and values, since democracy is the building block for development in all facets.

Declare emergency on revenue collection system – APGA chieftain tells Obiano By Theo Rays, Onitsha

• Group photograph of the Chief Judge of Anambra State, Justice Peter Umadi with some lawyers in the Idemili Branch during the Bar Week …Photo Oge Onyeanusi

SCP: Community spends N2m on self-help projects From BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia

he Umuola Okpulor Autonomous Community in Aba North Local Government Area in Abia State has spent about N2 million to renovate its dilapidated town hall and moribund transformer. The projects, which were part of the four identified pressing needs of the community, were executed under the Sustainable Citizenship Participation (SCP) project. SCP provides a platform for communities to engage governments and individuals on sustainable basis such that the community people could identify their problems, source for funds or sponsor and participate actively in the execution or implementation of the selected projects or programmes prioritized in order of their needs. SCP, a project tailored towards bringing sustainable development to the nine states of the Niger Delta region, is being implemented in Nigeria by Afrihealth Optonet Association comprising civil society organisations with funding from United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF). The Community Secretary, Pas-

tor Rowland Okpulor, who is also a member of the Community Consultative Committee (CCC) disclosed that that the community has spent about N1.9 million on the repair and reconnection of their transformer and renovation of the Community Hall executed through self-help efforts. According to Okpulor, chairs and tables, as well as toilet facilities have been provided in the hall which is now fully in use. He said that the community has been enjoying regular power supply since their transformer was fixed, adding that the community was providing security to check any acts of vandalism. The Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Ekpe Offia, the Duty Bearer of the Sub-Implementing Partner of SCP in Umuola Okpulor, the Home For Sick and Needy Foundation (HSNF), said the four projects were identified at a well-attended town hall meeting during which a 20-man Community Consultative Committee was set up last September. Offia said it was the CCC that drew up a Plan of Action for the realization of the projects, pointing out within one year, two of the identi-

fied projects have been completed. “We have been able to convince the people of Umuola Okpulor that their collective efforts can achieve a lot for themselves and we score them highly, up to 70%, for their efforts in completing two significant projects within one year in their community,” Offia added. He commended leaders and stakeholders of the community for their commitment to the development of their area without external help, saying that HSNF’s sensitization and advocacy visits to them, requesting them to embrace SCP to enable drive the development process of their community have yielded good dividends. Traditional Ruler of Umuola Okpulor, His Royal Highness, Eze Samuel Azuka Ogbonna, who has been part of the process for the beginning, expressed happiness that SCP has assisted the people to take their destiny in their own hands. He was full of gratitude to Afrihealth for choosing his community for the SCP project and commended his subjects for their commitment, cooperation and support.

ember of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the ruling All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA)in Anambra State, Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka, has called on the state Governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano to as a matter of urgency declare a state of emergency on the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) system in the state and put measures on ground to checkmate the activities of touts with a view to sanitizing the mechanism. The call which was contained in a statement he issued from the United States via email tasked Obiano to publish all revenues gazetted by law in the State so as to educate the general public on what tickets, emblems, levies, taxes, tolls or fees they are supposed to pay for and places to pay them as traders, bus drivers, Keke drivers, truck pushers, vulcanizers and others adding that such publication is needed to protect the people from falling victims of touts who parade all sorts of tickets and collect tolls and fees without checks at various places in the State. Chief Ezeonwuka said reports reaching him from Upper Iweka and other parts of Onitsha indicate that revenue touts parading all sorts of tickets are having good time extorting money from members of the public at Bridge Head and Coca Cola along Onitsha Asaba expressway down to Upper Iweka, Onitsha - Owerri road axis of Upper Iweka, Ochanja Market, Main Market, Ose Market Obosi and Nkpor axis and other places without anybody questioning them. He expressed the optimism that Obaino, who according to him, accorded befitting burial rites to Biafran fallen heroes, flushed out kidnapers and armed robbers and also pushed Okada riders out of Onitsha and Awka the State capital is capable of dealing with the touts no matter the strength of the cabal behind them. Acording to him, there are cabals mostly Onitsha markets traders who are using the touts to milk the revenue of the state. “These cabals have continued to drain the revenue of the State for many years now using the money meant to develop the State to acquire land and build Housing Estate, Plazas, Hotels and Petrol Filling Stations. This must stop. People should stop diverting what is meant for the State for personal use. As the Spiritual leader of the Igbo nation I have to stand against it.”

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

NEWS Anambra truck drivers threaten strike over multiple levies By Oge Onyeanusi, Nnewi

o fewer than 200 members of the Truck Drivers Welfare Association, Anambra State Branch, have threatened to go on a two-day warning strike this week after which they would embark on a protest that would shut down the movement of goods and services across the state. National President of the group, Mr. Louis Alakwe who lamented the incessant harassments, intimidations and exploitation of their members while on their legitimate duties on major roads in the state, further frowned at the difficult challenges his colleagues experience at the hands of government revenue collectors in several parts of Onitsha, Nkpor, Obosi, Oba, Amansea and Uga Junction in Onitsha. He stated that along Obodokwu Road, Onitsha /Owerri Road, government revenue agents have often beaten up their colleagues while demanding monies ranging between N500 and N3500 as revenue for tickets from the state Ministry of Trade, Commerce and Wealth Creation. He further explained that ASWAMA Receipts, Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and Consolidated or Unified Local Government Tickets were among those demanded by the violent Government Revenue collectors. While adding their voices to the members’ plight, the National Secretary of the Association and his Assistant, Chief Umeh Nnanna narrated

how their members are forced to pay the sum ofN30, 000 demanded by a group, Onitsha Ado Youth Council for under ‘’loading and off-loading permit’’. The duo stated that when the union pressed to know the source of the permit, members of Onitsha Ado Youth Council affirmed that the levy was approved by the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe. They regretted that all petitions written to the Anambra State Government through their lawyer on the matter were yet to be responded to at the time of filing this report. The group, however, pleaded with the State Government to reduce each revenue paid to government to N100 as the high rate of revenue payable to government was having negative effect on their businesses as their customers have resorted to other areas which guarantee them favourable business climate. The group which also accused another body, the Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria [RTEAN]of compounding their problems by acting as an agency of government in-charge of revenue collection from commercial drivers on the roads. He added that members of the union were finding it difficult to survive under the present exploitative condition by numerous government revenue collection agencies who hardly consider their plight as road users, but what to make out of commercial semi-truck drivers in the state.

2019: Go for ideology, not party, UDP candidate urges voters From Chuks Collins, Awka

he electorates has been charged to seek out candidates with ideology that appeal to the citizenry, and to ignore high sounding ‘big’ political parties that have no interest of the masses at heart. The message was conveyed in a press statement from the stable of the presidential candidate of the United Democratic Party (UDP), Mr Ishola Balogun. According to him, “democracy is not absolute. No one can expect one hundred percent of the votes. “Hence, if only the unemployed citizens desperately seeking for job vote for us, we will win. Because there are more unemployed people than the membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) combined. “If only the people owed backlog of pension and salaries nationwide vote for us, we will win. It isn’t a difficult way to win. It’s only a matter of people hearing our agenda. And our agenda is very transformational. You will not believe what is not possible in this country. I know, because I have

been on the road round the remotest areas of this country since March. “I have covered and visited every corner quietly. The first time I made an announcement that am going to do this, we had some political thugs come and mess it up. But that is okay. I saw it as part of the nation’s political atmosphere”, Balogun emphasized. On the issue of restructuring, he said there was no structure at all, let alone something to restructure. “I have said it repeatedly that there is no structure to restructure. You cannot rebuild a house that is not in existence. You have to start from the foundation. That is why I said that we (UDP) are the face of a new Nigeria. “When you try the government that takes care of everybody and it doesn’t work; then you talk of restructuring. Let’s first of all have a structured government. There is nothing in restructuring, let me tell you that right away”. He accused those talking about restructuring as using it as diversionary. That ‘it was just to give the people something to argue about while they run away with our money.’

• Delta State Commissioner for Information, Ogbueshi Patrick Ukah in company of a delegation comprising Management of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Asaba which paid a courtesy visit to his office in the state capital, led by General Manager, Mr. Richard Yaboh, Friday

Calabar-Itu road: FG will only pay compensation on 1976/77 structures From Ini Billie, Uyo

ederal Government has said it will pay compensation on the CalabarItu road but only on structures that existed in 1976/77 when the road was initially constructed. Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate) Sen. Ita Enang, who made the declaration, frowned at the new structures springing up owing to the dualization of the road, adding that the Federal government would not pay compensation on new structures that were built after 1976/77. Speaking on Monday in Uyo after the inspection of work by Julius Berger construction firm in Itam axis of the road, Enang said he was in the state to take a prospective contractor, Arab Contractors Nig. Ltd. on tour of 18km road project to be awarded by the federal government. He said compensation would be paid to real owners of structures that have approved building plan who were given approval before building. He warned those building to stay clear of the shoulder of the road, drains and areas kept for setback to avoid the wrath of the federal government. He noted that the federal government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, is committed to the construction and completion of Calabar-Itu-Ikot Ekpene road. Enang stated that Julius Berger would start work from kilometers 60 in Itam to Ayadehe bridge in Itu local government area while another contractor would handle from that point to Ibiakpan junction by Uyo-Ikot Ekpene road. He added that funds were already available in the 2018 budget for the

18km road project. “Let me also say that what I have observed on the Calabar-Itu road particularly from the areas of Oku Iboku, Ikot Ukap Itam and Mbak Obio Item is that people have just started building many huts and kiosks along the road. “I want to tell them that Government will not pay for it because before the contract was awarded and project announced there was a recognizance that showed the property that were to be compensated. “So, if you see the company coming and then you went to build something that was not taken account of at the time the cost of the project was determined before it was awarded. “People should know that before you are paid any of this compensation, you have to have building plan approval, an approval that showed that you have the right to build in that place. “That approval to build shows that you owned the land. It is not because you erect the structure and you are entitled for compensation. “You must be the person that own the land and it must been part of the area that was acquired during the 1976/77 construction of that road. “If you see the road, Julius Berger is just constructing at the area that was mapped out to be dualized because it was mapped out since1976/77 but they constructed only one lane and they are now constructing the other lane. “If the area that was mapped out for shoulder and drains and you build on it, you are on your own because you are building on a federal government road,” he said. Also speaking, Mr Nkereuwem Ukpong, Controller Federal Ministry of Works in Akwa Ibom, said apart from the Calabar-Itu road project, the fed-

eral government has also awarded Abak- Ekparakwa -Ette road. “We have other projects that are still under construction in the state by the Federal Government you cannot measure in kilometers because they are bridge projects. From Idedep to Ibiakpan Junction is about 18km. “Already there is N11bn in this project in the 2018 budget, it has not been used yet. So there is money for the construction of this road in this year’s budget. “We came for recognizance with the contractor that is going to execute the work. After that, we do the measurement and carry out the design, the procurement process will follow,” he said. Also speaking, prospective contractor, Mr Ahmed Hussein, Deputy Project Manager, Arab Contractors Nig. Ltd. said he was on site seeing for recognizance, adding that the company has capacity to execute the contract if he succeeds in the bidding. “I am here by the invitation of the Senator, we came for recognizance to see the project and know exactly what it is and what is expected. “We came for initial measurement, so we can prepare our design and bill of quantities so that we can show it to the federal ministry and see how we can get the contract. “This is stage one and I am sure we will come back soon for the next stage. Arab Contractors is working in over nine states of the federation, we are working in Lagos state, Abuja, Abia and even in Abia we have been working for five years now. “We are working on Enugu-Port Harcourt dual carriageway, a major project, it is like N50 billion, so we have the capacity to construct IdidepIbiakpan road satisfactorily,” he stated.

2019: PDP is on rescue mission in Nigeria From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar

s the campaign for next year’s general elections takes off, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus has emphasized is determined to rescue the country from insecurity, saying the present government of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was incapable of ruling Nigeria. Secondus gave this promise on Thursday in Calabar when he received former members of the APC who returned back to the party after an uneventful sojourn in the APC.

Nigeria, he maintained, has never witnessed the type of insecurity that has bedevilled the country since the APC assumed power in 2015, noting that it for this reason that the PDP has re-launched itself to recover the country and bring back sanity. “PDP is on a rescue mission and we will rescue the country from the present insecurity that has bedevilled the country. We will rescue Nigeria from starvation, poverty, insecurity, nepotism and marginalization. “By world indices, we are told that the Nigerian economy has practically broken down. If you go to Apapa port in Lagos, you cannot come out

from there in a month’s time. And you can see from this that country is in disarray,” he observed. On those who decamped from the APC, Secondus said: “These men who have come back today, went to the APC thinking it was a party but rather it was a collection of wicked, greedy, heartless and vengeance taking people who meted out hunger in the land. “I can tell you that these people have seen it all in the APC. On behalf of our presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, as well as the National Working Committee of our party, let me tell you that we on a mission to

rescue Nigeria,” he noted. Speaking on the projects embarked upon by the PDP administration in the state, Prince Secondus commended the governor for his giant strides describing his projects as landmark achievements. Secondus said: “I think it is a major landmark achievement not only for Cross River but for the entire nation because, if all the states adopt this strategy, we can see Nigeria moving towards industrialization.” He noted that “it is not an easy task but you can see that Ayade has started very well, laying a good foundation and in a couple of years

to come, people will begin to see this as a destination for both tourism and industrialization. “It is not an easy task but you can see that Ayade has started very well, laying a good foundation and in a couple of years to come, people will begin to see this as a destination for both tourism and industrialization.” Those who returned to the PDP after their sojourn in the APC include the former Nigerian Ambassador to Mali, Chief Soni Abang, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, Chief Earnest Irek as well as Senator Patrick Ani, among others.

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

NEWS

Igboezue inaugurates Onitsha North chapter By OLIVER UDEOGU

orldwide pan-Igbo sociocultural group Igboezue, has inaugurated its Onitsha North executive committee. At the colorful ceremony which held at the premises of the Onitsha North local government area, National President of the group worldwide, Elder Pius Okoye took the opportunity of the occasion to throw light on the aims and objectives of the group.

According to Elder Okoye, a founding father of the group, there were rigorous processes he and other founding members of the group embarked on in identifying reputable Igbo men and women who were consulted before the organization took off. Elder Okoye noted with disdain the near extinct of the Igbo language which made the group launch an effective lobby at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in faraway United Kingdom.

“Today there is the BBC Igbo service on the air waves of the International radio station courtesy of Igboezue.” He further pleaded for all hands to be on deck to ensure the people’s lost values are restored for them to remain relevant in the scheme of things in Nigeria. Remarking, Anambra State Chairman of the group, Hon A.C Okonkwo stated that the Igboezue is not a political group but rather a socio-cultural platform.

‘’Ours is to identify the good ones in our midst wherever they may be, then prevail on them to represent us in high offices, and sell them to the electorate’’. He also added that the state chapter had similarly inaugurated executives in other local government areas of the state, while urging the newlyinaugurated members for Onitsha North local government area to do the good values which the group was known with globally. Honorary patron’s award were

given at the event to distinguished personalities which include; Hon Linda Ikpeazu, Member representing Onitsha North/ Onitsha South federal constituency, Engr Obiora Udenka, Chief Benjamin Nwachukwu, Nnabuenyi Patrick Mbanefo, Chief Sir Kelvin Chukwumegwu Ceo Apams funeral home, Dr BBC Agbala, Sir Anthony Igbokwe, Hon Romanus Eze, Dr Patrick Okolo, Hon Idu Emeka, HRH Eze Malachy Chigbo and Hon Patrick Aghamba Chairman Onitsha North local government area.

A’Ibom governor tells corps members to contribute quota to 2019 elections

Eid-el-Maulud: Okowa urges sober reflection, seeks prayers for peaceful elections

From JONATHAN AWANYAI, Asaba

From Ini Billie, Uyo

overnor Udom Emmanuel has urged Corp members of the 2018 Batch C Stream 11 posted to the state to contribute to the success of the 2019 general elections. Emmanuel said on Monday during the official opening/swearing in ceremony for the 1,973 corps members at the National Youth Service Corps orientation camp, Ikot Itie Udung in Nsit Atai local government area, that they were mobilized at a critical period in the nation’s history. The governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Youth and Sport, Mr Monday Uko, stated that nation building required the contribution of all Nigerians. He said the state government was committed to the provision of adequate infrastructure facilities in the orientation camp for the comfort of corps members, and encouraged them to participate actively in the three weeks orientation exercise. “Your mobilization falls within a critical period in our quest to consolidate on our democratic experience. You will be required to participate in the 2019 general elections. “I implore you to contribute your quota towards ensuring that the elections are not only credible but free and fair,” Emmanuel said. Also speaking, the NYSC State Coordinator, Mr Julius Amusan, revealed that the 2018 Batch C Stream 11 corps members were made up of 965 males and 1, 008 females. He urged the corps members to apply themselves to all camp activities and not to be selective but take the trainings seriously. He commended the governor for the state government’s contribution and support to corps members and the scheme. “The orientation course will not be different. Corps members will be engaged in various activities intended to bring out the best in them. These include but not limited to lectures, drills Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurial Development as well as Social/Sports activities,” he said.

• All Progressives Congresss national Chairman, Adams Oshiomhoole, President Muhammadu Buhari receiving a delegation of South East leaders including: Engr. Emeka Okwuosa and National Chairman of United Peoples Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie (l) as well as Hon. Azuka Okwuosa, Sadeeq Massala, Dr Stanley Uzochukwu and others, at the Aso Villa, Friday

Okowa challenges police to curb kidnapping From JONATHAN AWANYAI, Asaba

elta State Governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa has challenged the Police to curb kidnapping and other criminal activities in the country. The governor spoke when the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 5, Mr Alkali Usman paid him a courtesy visit in Asaba. “There is no doubt that Delta State is relatively peaceful, but, kidnapping has become a national issue and it is very unfortunate,” Governor Okowa said, adding, “most of the kidnappings that takes place happen in the highways and that is a cause for worry. “Road users who travel receive a lot of attacks and that has become very worrisome; it is getting scary and soon, we will not be able to travel without seeking some form of help from the security agencies and I know that there is not enough man power to be able to provide protection for all travellers. “We heard recently that Reverend Fathers were attacked, I have talked with the Commissioner of Police and a lot is being done but, I believe that there is the need to involve our neighbouring Commands like Edo, Bayelsa and even Anambra States for us to be able to find solutions to this particu-

lar crime; we need to gather a lot of intelligence as I strongly believe that these criminals are mobile as they move from one location to another,” he observed. Governor Okowa who congratulated Usman for his appointment as the AIG, expressed confidence that his good knowledge of the terrain would be an asset in making ease, the task of crime control in the zone, noting that as Nigerians prepare for the 2019 general elections, it was important for the Police to be proactive in crime control. He added that politicians too should play by the rules and avoid overheating the polity. Earlier, Mr Usman who was in Asaba with top officers of the Zone, informed the governor that he was on familiarization tour of Police formation in the zone and used the occasion to thank Governor Okowa’s administration for contributing to the success stories of the Police in crime control. Meanwhile, Okowa has charged all political appointees to key into the developmental framework of his administration. According to the governor, “the thrusts of our policies and programmes are clear and focused; that is, empowerment, job and wealth creation; we are committed to build-

ing infrastructure that can support economic growth and an economically integrated State.” Governor Okowa gave the charge, Thursday, during the swearing-in of Chief Joseph Utomi as Commissioner, Chief {Mrs.} Mercy Almona-Isei and Chief Emuobo Kenneth Gbagi, as Special Advisers in Asaba.. While noting that his administration was committed to transparency and accountability, Governor Okowa emphasized, “Delta State is blessed with many brilliant people out of which you have been selected.” He congratulated the appointees and used the occasion to call on Deltans to avoid falsehood, sensationalism but, “concentrate on values that will usher in positive development for our common good.” “Let it be known loud and clear that service to the people is the best opportunity to serve God,” he asserted, reiterating that the development progammes of his administration would get to every community in the state. Chief Utomi who responded on behalf of the appointees, thanked Governor Okowa for finding them fit to serve in his administration assuring that they will serve the government and the people of the state selflessly and to the best of their abilities.

beyond just few days later. Chukwudolue, according to details from the family signed by his son -Okey Chukwudolue, mounted the throne of the community in 1964, which made him among the longest reigning monarch in Anambra state. A 3-day burial rite during which both of them would be committed to mother earth same day in depiction and memory of the love they shared and exhibited while alive, has been lined up, the family disclosed. The release disclosed, “....one of

the longest serving traditional rulers in Igbo land, Chief James Agukwu Chukwudolue and his wife, Lolo Janet Chukwudolue will be committed to mother earth the same day. “Chief Chukwudolue was for 55 years the traditional ruler of Umuezawala, Ihiala in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra state. “Ogbuehi Chukwudolue died at the age of 89 after a brief illness; his wife, Janet, who apparently could not bear the pains of the separation followed a few days after.

Anambra’s longest serving traditional monarch, wife die From Chuks Collins, Awka

he longest serving traditional rulers in Anambra State, Ogbuefi James Chukwudolue of Umuezawala community in the Ihiala local Government Area has joined his ancestors. However, in a shocking and dramatic fashion which many citizens described as clear indication of the undying love and closeness he enjoyed in his lifetime with his wife-Lolo Janet, she has joined him to the great

s Muslims all over the world celebrate Eid-el-Maulud, to mark the birth of Prophet Mohammed, Delta State Governor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa has congratulated all faithful with a call on them to offer prayers for peaceful conduct of the 2019 general elections. In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, in Asaba on Monday, the governor enjoined Nigerians, and Deltans especially Muslims to use the celebration as a period of sober reflection and pray for the peace and unity of the country especially as we are entering an election year. The Governor also advised Muslims to use the period to reflect on the challenges bedeviling our country and share with one another, to spread the virtues of peace, love and charity which the Holy Prophet represents. He enjoined Muslims to follow the exemplary leadership of the Holy Prophet Mohammed by promoting and ensuring peaceful co-existence within the society. While urging Nigerians to eschew ethnic, political and religious tendencies in all their dealings, he urged them to work towards building a secured and prosperous nation. Okowa said the commemoration of the birth of the holy Prophet should regenerate the faith and bond of unity among Nigerians as one people and one nation irrespective of diversity. “On the occasion of the celebration of the birth of the holy Prophet, it is incumbent on adherents of the Islamic faith to rededicate themselves to upholding the admonitions of the Holy Qur’an in their personal life and in their relationship with others”. “It is therefore a call on all adherents of Islam and indeed all Nigerians to use the opportunity of the celebration of the Prophet’s birthday to reflect on the teachings of the Prophet, who lived a life of piety, prayer, honesty, selflessness, charity, tolerance, good neighbourliness, justice, equity, fairness and service to God and humanity which are indispensable in our quest for meaningful development and the profitable management of our diversity. “My administration will continue to promote the welfare of all citizens while ensuring the protection of lives and property in the State. We remain fully committed to delivering on our promise of prosperity for all Deltans through the SMART Agenda”. “I assure all Deltans of better years ahead as we work tirelessly to bring the desired development and better living conditions for our people. I wish all Deltans, particularly our Muslim brothers and sisters, joyful celebrations during the holiday as I also pray for the warmth of Allah’s love to fill every home,” he said.

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

NEWS Delta Govt assures corps members adequate welfare, security

elta State Government on Monday assured the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members that it placed priority on their welfare and security. State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa made the assertion during the swearing-in of the Batch C Stream II corps members in Issele-Uku. Okowa, represented by the Commissioner for Higher Education, Mr Jude Sinebe, said that adequate security arrangements were on ground in the nooks and crannies of the state. He said that this was put in place to enable them go about their their lawful duties and that they should only recognise and respect the cultures and traditions of their host communities. Okowa said that one of the national assignments they were expected to undertake was the 2019 general elections. He noted the NYSC over the years made a name for itself through its contribution to the successful conduct of elections in the country. He said joining in the scheme would afford them the opportunity to be part of the success stories recorded. Earlier, the state NYSC Cordinator, Mr Benjamin Omotade, said that 1,430 corps members comprising 780 females and 650 males were duly registered. Omotade reminded them that the task of building a united, prosperous and strong egalitarian society as they swore to uphold required commitment and hard work. He therefore, called on the corps members to roll-up their sleeves and get to work. He advised them to keep to all the instructions and training that they would be given on camp.

Police nab suspected cop killers in Bayelsa

ayelsa Police Command on Monday said it had arrested four suspected killers of a police officer attached to Anti-terrorism Unit in the state. The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Joseph Mukan, told newsmen in Yenagoa that a 24-year-old suspect was arrested in connection with armed robbery and murder of Corporal Sammy Saturday who was killed at Tombia roundabout, Yenagoa in October. He said: “The suspect led police to arrest other members of the gang who confessed how the police officer was killed. “They confessed to be members of Greenland Confraternity, investigation is ongoing,” he said. The police commissioner said that the command had also arrested two men suspected to have allegedly killed a 16-year-old undergraduate in Bayelsa, Miss Seiyefa Fred. He said that most of the crimes were cult and illicit drug-related. Makan called on the residents to cooperate and assist the command in its efforts at ensuring peace, security and safety of lives and property in the state.

A’Ibom Assembly sacks 5 legislators From Ini Billie, Uyo

kwa Ibom State House of Assembly has removed five legislators from their seat by declaring them vacant. They affected lawmakers include; Mr. Idongesit Ituen representing Itu, Mr Gabriel Toby representing Etim Ekpo/Ika, Mr. Victor Udofia representing Ikono, Mr. Otobong Ndem representing Mkpat Enin and Mr. Nse Ntuen representing Essien Udim state constituencies. Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr Onofiok Luke declared the seats vacant on Monday in Uyo under tight security following the invasion of the house by supporters of some of the affected legislators. The supporters alleged to be youths from the All Progressive Congress (APC) party had blocked

the entrance to the Assembly complex, chanting songs and displaying placards against the decision of the Speaker to withdraw recognition of the affected lawmakers as representatives of their constituencies. The House also passed a resolution urging Governor Udom Emmanuel to name the Akwa Ibom International Airport or Akwa Ibom State University after Obong Victor Attah, to mark his 80th birthday being the first governor of the state after the return to democratic rule in 1999. Luke said the action of the House was in line with section 109 sub. 1g of the 1999 constitution as amended. Also speaking, the Commissioner of Police, Bassey Abang who was in the Assembly complex to assess the security situation assured the

lawmakers of safety in the course of carrying out their duties. The Peoples Democratic Party in the state had earlier issued a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Ini Ememobong alerting the people of the state of a planned attack on the House of Assembly. The statement alleged that the APC have concluded plans to use thugs to invade the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, to prevent the lawmakers from carrying out their legitimate business. “We are in receipt of credible intelligence highlighting plans by the opposition APC to use thugs to invade the Akwa Ibom state House of Assembly and prevent the House from carrying out its legitimate business of law making. “The thugs we have been reliably informed are camped in Ikot Ek-

pene and will be conveyed in buses to Uyo, on arrival at Uyo, they will be dropped at different locations (Abak road by secretariat junction, Itam junction, Uyo village road by Ikpa road) from where they are expected to board tricycles in pairs and head towards the assembly. “Another set of thugs are expected to accompany the ousted lawmaker, Mr. Idongesit Ituen to attempt to force his way into the assembly. “The motive of this invasion is to prevent the Speaker from declaring vacant the seat of the sacked legislator. This invasion has as its adjunct function, the creation of tension as a feeder to the desired invitation of ‘Federal might’ to close the assembly,” the statement read.

I did not bribe Oshiomhole – Okorocha By Collins Ughalaa

• (From left): Director, Airworthiness Standard, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Engineer Ita Awak; Director-General, NCAA, Captain Muhtar Usman, and Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Professor Muhammed Haruna during a courtesy visit to the DG, NCAA at Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos on Wednesday

Abia First lady urges protection of girl-child From BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia

ife of the Abia State Governor, Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu, has charged Ladies of St. John International to ensure the promotion and protection of welfare of the girl child in the society. She said it would beneficial to society in general if the right of the girl child was protected, particularly in education. Mrs Ikpeazu spoke during the maiden award ceremony of Ladies Auxillary Knight of St. John International of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs LAUX 396, Umuahia, held at Mater Dei Cathedral, The Abia First Lady who was represented at the occasion by the wife of the Deputy Governor, Lady Vivian Ude Okochukwu, described women as home builders, adding that the importance of women in the society cannot be quantified in all ramifications. She therefore charged them to brace up to the upbringing of the girl child by ensuring that they were exposed to modern education to save them from being victims of undesirable elements in the society. She emphasized that without education the future of the girlchild would remain bleak and commended the Ladies for being proac-

tive, while calling on them to remain pacesetters in the society. Welcoming guests, the Respected President LAUX Commandery 369, Ugoeze Lady Elizabeth Chukwu, said the programme was organized for the Order to raise fund for the procurement of evangelism Coaster Bus, which, according to her, would be used to spread the gospel of God. She also said that the idea of acquiring the coastal bus was to facilitate their work of charity such as visitations to hospitals, motherless babies’ homes, prisons, physically challenged persons and the aged. Lady Chukwu who applauded the ladies of the Order for their supportive roles, warned them against patronizing miracle centers and new generation churches, which, she said, has done more harm than good in the society. Chairman of the Planning Committee, Chief Lady Elizabeth Nwagwu, explained that their members undergo a lot of stress during visitations, necessitating their call for assistance to procure the evangelism bus. Recipients of the Pillar of Support and Great Achievers Icon of Catholic faith award, Sir JohnPedro Irokansi, Sir Enyinnaya Ogbulafor, Sir Anselm Agommuoh, Sir Dr. George Anchor, Engr. Sir Emma Okafor and Sir Am-

• Mrs. Nkechi Ikpeazu

brose Nwachukwu, among others, applauded the ladies for their foresight and humanitarian services in the society, urging them not to relent. Majority leader of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Engr. Chinedum Orji, who was honoured with the Royal Achiever award, enjoined the Ladies not only to participate fully, but also pray for a successful 2019 general election in the country.

overnor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has denied offering $500,000 bribe to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, over the governorship primary election of the party in the state, saying that he had no reason to do so since he was the winning party. The Governor maintained that the report is not true and should be disregarded. In a press release signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sam Onwuemeodo, the Governor said that “SaharaReporters must have lifted this claim of $500,000 bribe by Governor Okorocha from Adams Oshiomhole who made that frivolous allegation last Sunday (November 11, 2018). And he came up with that claim almost one month after he had told his audience that he settled for Hope Uzodinma as the APC guber candidate in Imo State to stop Governor Rochas Okorocha from building political dynasty in the State”. According to SaharaReporters, the governorship candidate of the party in Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, also offered $3million to the National Chairman which he was alleged to have collected and rejected that offered by Governor Okorocha. “Governor Okorocha would not have had any reason to bribe Oshiomhole because Uche Nwosu won the governorship primary election of October 2, 2018 which was cancelled and that of October 6, 2018. A victorious Candidate would not have bribed anybody. Only a failed aspirant like Hope Uzodinma would have bribed Oshiomhole”, said Onwuemeodo, noting that “Even the Appeal Panel set up by Oshiomhole and headed by Prof. Osunbor also declared Uche Nwosu the candidate of APC in Imo”, he said. Governor Okorocha challenged “anybody with any iota of proof in the contrary to make it public. Governor Okorocha is not the kind of person that spends money bribing people. The report is not true and should be disregarded”.

POLITICS

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

Nigerian youth are the determinants of where the pendulum of victory will swing in the 2019 polls, so submits Asuoha Kingsley, an Engineer and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Zonal Youth leader in Abia Central Senatorial Zone, in this interview with BONIFACE OKORO. Engr. Asuoha who hails from Nsirimo in Umuahia South local Government Area and has, at various times, been the Organizing secretary of PDP, Director of Protocol, Chief of Staff and Secretary of the local government also quips that though the Not Too Young to Run law was good for the youth, its positive effects fizzled out in the face of heavy monetization of politics. He says that youth empowerment without certification could not equip the youth for competition and describes as bad politics, the emasculation of the local government system. Excerpts: As a zonal youth leader, what has been your experience As an individual, what I expected collectively in terms of the youth-based representation, I think, is not coming on board the way I expected it. For me, I believe that the youth are no longer the leaders of tomorrow, they are leaders of today. I subscribe to the youth being part of government and governance. Let me give kudos to our governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu. I think there are a whole lot of youth in his government; it is a youth-based government. But being a youth-based government, I think if you are empowering the youth, you should give the youth the empowerment that should affect them and their colleagues who do not have the opportunity to benefit from such empowerments positively. What I am trying to say in essence, I think for now, the youth are just coming up and they need to be encouraged more. In your opinion, has the Not Too Young To Run law enhanced the participation of youths in politics, vis-a-viz the just concluded primaries of the political parties. Yes, the Not Too Young To Run law was a very fine law indeed to encourage the youths. But I tell you this, in as much as there was reduction in ages, but what about the pockets? You and I know that you need a huge budget to pursue elections in different levels of governance in this our clime. In the last dispensation, I will tell you that the law per se encouraged a lot of youth to come into the field and they did their best too. Candidates that emerged on the platform of the PDP in Umuahia North and who are currently members of the Abia State House of Assembly are all youth. and Umuahia South are all youth. where they have three state constituencies, all the whole House of Assembly members,

Stifling of local governments is bad politics – Asuoha

he will not vote for you. He is not even voting based on principle. He is voting based on your pocket, how much are you giving him. No, no, no. I will like us to de-empathize this, it is not good for us, it is not encouraging and it is affecting us most in our area. We are few months away from the 2019 general elections. Do you feel that your party, the PDP, will do well in these elections Honestly, it is said that every politics is local and I want to use Abia State as a case study. For me, PDP will come out tops. As far as I am concerned, there is no opposition. I don’t want to mention party names. PDP will do extremely well because that is the party where there is unity, that is the party where there is unity of purpose; they know where they are coming from, they know where they are getting to. For other parties, I don’t know what they are doing; it is from one problem to the other. At the national level, I am still very much optimistic that PDP will clinch the presidential seat come 2019 because the government of this day, if you check the indices, all is not well. The change they said they are giving us, we are nowhere to seeing that change. Everything is upside down. It is all from one argument to a lie, to another lie. Any structure not found on a good foundation is bound to fall. And that is what is happening to the party controlling the centre; their foundation is too poor. It is a conglomeration of strange bedfellows of higher interest. Each and every one of them has an interest, so, they cannot come together and stay strong.

•Asuoha they are all youths. They are the Majority leader, Hon. Chinedum Orji (Umuahia Central), Kelechi Onuzuruike (Umuahia North) and Ikechukwu Apugo (Umuahia East). Also, the PDP candidate for Umuahia South State Constituency, Chief Barr. Jerry Uzorsike, is a youth, just like The member representing Osisiom,Obingwa/ Ugwunagbo in the House of Representatives, Solomon Adaelu and Uko Nkole representing Arochukwu/Ohafia federal constituency. I am proud of these people in the course of their leadership as in their representation and I think they are setting the pace for other youth to understand what actual representation is supposed to be. You said the youth lack adequate cash to finance their political aspirations while the kind of empowerment they are given could hardly provide such cash. What is the way out to enhancing youth participation in politics When you talk of youth empowerment, most times, I look at it as skills acquisition. In skill acquisition, may be you are learning welding, fine. After engaging the youth in the practical, there is something called certification. If after learning that person is certified in that aspect

of welding, he or she is engaged in, my brother, the sky is the person’s limit. If after training me in welding and I am not certified, I might not face the stiffer competition because every day, innovations are coming up. So, how do I get myself in tune with realities of the time? Certification is purely professional and it is nothing but trying to prove that you are an expert in the field in which you have been trained and could be assigned do to any job in that area. So, I am of the view that skills acquisition should end with certification. International organisations are there to do it. On the other hand, with the Not Too Young To Run law, like I said, I think in this last primaries, I was opportune to participate fully in the sense that I was the Director-General of the campaign organization of an aspirant, a very young man from Ikwuano. He spent millions but couldn’t clinch the ticket. But what I am saying on that side is that in as much as age has been reduced, Electoral Act has stipulated spending limits, but the party, party faithful, individuals are not adhering to these provisions. We monetize politics in this our own area. If you don’t give delegate money,

What is your charge to the youth with regard to the forthcoming 2019 polls so that Nigeria will remain peaceful and united before, during and after the polls The youth of today is not the same as the youth of yesterday. The rate of awareness of present day youth is so high, they know what they want. We now have purposeful youth. In short, they remain the game changer in 2019, I assure you. On that note, 2019 will be peaceful. Any government that allows the youth to slip away, I don’t know what will happen. The outcome of the election will be determined by the youth. As a an administrator of the local government level, are you impressed by the performance of the local government system in the country Honestly, I weep for that third tier of government. There is the constitutional provision for the third tier of government. But across the 774 local governments, they are not healthy. Then are you not baffled that they refused to vote for financial autonomy of the local government system They have this body called National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), which craved for that autonomy. They tried to push it; it was still the same executive arms of the states that used their power to influence their different Houses of Assembly to shoot the local government autonomy bill. So, you can imagine that kind of politics. For me, I call it bad politics, they (executive) don’t mean well for that third tier of government.

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

Bold ‘N’ Blunt

PDP to APC: Okorocha, Nwosu are total failures COLLINS Ughalaa, in Owerri, writes on the continued verbal pugilism between APC and PDP in Imo State. In this report, PDP replies to a missile from the APC.

•Emeka Ihedioha he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State has responded to a comment by the Imo State chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) the latter said that the governorship candidate of the PDP in the state, Rt. Hon Emeka Ihedioha, only displaced his ignorance of the issues in the state on his Sun Rise Daily breakfast show on Channels TV few days ago. The PDP said that Governor Okorocha and his son in-law, Uche are total failures and therefore looking for a life raft. In a press release signed by the party’s Publicity Secretary in the state, Mr. Damian Opara, the party said that “there is no single project started by Rochas Okorocha since 2011 that has been commissioned. Sadly, he will be leaving abandoned sub-standard (China) projects on May 29, 2019 when he will be booed out of office by Imo people who will fortunately heave a huge sigh of relief over the good riddance to the bad rubbish that Rochas Okorocha turned himself into in Imo State and in Nigeria”, describing the Governor and Uche Nwosu as “nothing but total failures as far as government and governance in Imo State and Nigeria are concerned”. According to the press release, the PDP took exception to the abuses rained on its governorship candidate, Rt. Hon Emeka Ihedioha, saying: “We find full of abominable and unacceptable the misguided abuses on our great party and our candidate, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha. We will repeat our earlier solemn warning that it is now dangerous for anybody to go all out to launch abuses and insults against the person and reputation of Rt. Hon Emeka Ihedioha CON”. The party noted that its governorship, Ihedioha, “has always been a visible resident of Imo State even when he was a presiding officer at the National Assembly. Ihedioha

•Rochas Okorocha knows Imo State better than Rochas Okorocha, who abandoned the people and looted their money. Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha on the said Channels Television interview only pointed what even Rochas Okorocha himself had said earlier. We are yet to hear why Rochas Okorocha said acidic rains are destroying roads in Imo. But we know it is because roads in Imo State have been washed away and turned into death traps for the innocent members of the society. No good roads in Imo State”. In an earlier press statement by the State Publicity Secretary of the Imo APC, Onwuasoanya FCC Jones, the party had noted that “the contentious governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party was a guest on Channel TV’s Sunrise Daily, where, like always, he laid bare his ignorance of the most basic principles of governance and as well betrayed his haughty attitude once more for the world to see”. The APC had described Ihedioha as one bereft of any manifesto to present to the Imo electorate. “Bereft of any manifesto to present to Imolites as someone seeking, for the second time, to govern them, Chief Ihedioha wasted precious airtime launching bland mendacity against the APC led administration in the State. A number of Imo people who tuned in, had to switch channels, while some others had to completely switch off their television sets as they felt insulted by the lies of the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, especially, as they concern the rating of governance in Imo State for the past seven years. “We do not take any umbrage at Rt. Hon. Ihedioha’s misinformation, but we rather sympathize with him, because he is mostly a visitor to Imo State, hence, his arrant disconnection with people’s sentiments about his person and the project he pursues. Also, his

• Uche Nwosu understanding of public service is elitist and quirky. … If Chief Ihedioha is not as detached from realities of politics in Imo State as he is, he would have understood that majority of Imolites will only pay attention to any governorship candidate who campaigns on the basis of continuing the many people oriented programs and policies of the Rescue Mission administration”. Taking exception to the APC umbrage of Ihedioha, the Imo State PDP lampooned the Governor, saying his eight years of bad governance will go down in history as the worst period in the state. “Imo people and even Nigerians know that Rochas Okorocha’s near eight years of misrule and maladministration will go down in history as the worst period in Imo State in her 42 years history. It is most embarrassing that at the State and National quarters Rochas Okorocha is notorious for lack of any tangible achievements and notorious for insensibly boasting all over about his non-existing achievements”, said the PDP. The party recalled that for close to eight of his administration, Governor Okorocha has not commissioned any project but has been shaming the state instead and doing the wrong things, saying that “Whereas other governors are doing themselves and their States proud by flagging off, completing and commissioning projects, Rochas Okorocha brings himself and Imo State shame and disgrace for the gross paucity of projects in 8 years, doing everything wrong, shaming and disgracing the State and Imo people in the process”. According to the PDP, the Publicity Secretary of the APC in the state is a “come and chop” journalist, even as the party mocked the Governor for failing to install a successor, noting that the Governor and his son in-law and failed to mortgage the progress of the state.

“We stand on the expression that we all can’t be wrong in Imo State to declare here that the majority of Imo people are convinced that Rochas Okorocha and his son-inlaw, Uche Nwosu, have utterly failed in their sinister plans to continue mortgaging the progress of the State and the people. We know that no normal person supports the fallacious claims by Onwuasoanya FCC Jones that Rochas Okorocha has performed well in his 8 years misappropriation and mismanagement of Imo State and Imo people. “Rochas Okorocha does not have any verifiable achievements. He ruined Imo State in all sectors ranging from education, healthcare, water supply, electricity supply, civil service, pensions, transport, roads, urban renewal, market demolitions and destruction, insecurity, exclusion, non-inclusiveness and indeed virtually all sectors of the Imo economy”, the party added. Continuing, the main opposing party in Imo State said that “There is not a single one of the things Onwuasoanya FCC Jones itemized as Rochas Okorocha’s achievements that is true”, stressing that “There is no ‘free and qualitative education’, freedom of the majority of Imo people, prosperity of the majority, youth empowerment, increased women involvement in government, prompt payment of civil servants’ salaries, urban renewal, and better educational infrastructure, improved security through community, political tolerance, and modernization of markets”. They are all comprehensive lies told by a failed governor and his aides. “There is absolute poverty in Imo State. The governor, Rochas Okorocha, thrived in deceiving the Imo masses with all sorts of lies upon lies. Imo people are yet to see the factory, factory, factory, industry, industry, industry, jobs, jobs, jobs, employment, employment, employment. Rochas Okorocha

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

Bold ‘N’ Blunt

•Hope Uzodinma is a notorious liar! “Imo people are yet to enjoy the 27 general hospitals Rochas Okorocha started since 2011. Not one has been completed. Not one has been commissioned. Where is Air Imo? Where is Imo State Library? Where are the General Hospitals that Rochas Okorocha inherited? Where is the Water Corporation and where is public water supply? Where is Adapalm? Where are IROMA heavy duty machines? Where are Imo Urban Transit Buses?

• Atiku Abubakar “Many Imo people are still regretting the Rochas Okorocha rogue regime over the confiscation of people’s land and dribbling them endlessly with unfulfilled promises of compensation and/or relocation. Rochas Okorocha owes Imo State a lot of explanations on what happened to the Trillions that has accrued to Imo State since 2011. Rochas Okorocha will soon explain what happened to the bailout fund and Paris club refunds. Rochas Okorocha will soon explain how Imo State incurred debt of about N200

• Muhammadu Buhari. billion as confirmed by the Debt Management Office (DMO) and National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). “Rochas Okorocha, his wife and children, his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu and his close associates will explain the source of the money used in developing Spibat Estate, Akachi Estate, hotels, private schools, and various other projects that everybody in Imo State have concluded are erected from Imo money stolen by Rochas Okorocha and his immediate and extended family”.

...APC: 2019 will dwell on facts, not tantrums The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State has said that it will engage in facts and achievements of the governorship candidates of the parties during the campaigns for the 2019 general elections, saying that the governorship candidate of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rt. Hon Emeka Ihedioha, has become helpless “in entering a debate with us on the basis of records on public service achievement”. In a press release by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Onwuasoanya FCC Jones, the party said “that the 2019 electioneering campaigns shall be driven by fact based questions and credible issues that touch mostly on human capital development and characters of those who seek to lead or represent us at various levels”. The APC noted that Ihedioha may be a ‘professional’ and very fortunate politician, stressing that he owes everything he owns to politics. The party also noted that “There could be very few Nigerian politician of his age who has been luckier than him in occupying one political office after another, consecutively. This is why we insist that our engagements with him shall be mostly focused on how people and communities benefited from his periods in public offices than anything else”. According to the press release which was obtained by The Oracle Today in Owerri, the party which has been in a media war with the PDP listed constituency projects it said were initiated by Ihedioha when he was in the Federal House of Reps, noting that many of them have been abandoned. “From 2003 when he was first elected to the House of Representatives, Chief Ihedioha was fortunate to be appointed into the Committee on Marine Transport as Chairman. At that period, house members were given funds for the execution of their constituency projects. Ihedioha proposed for the building of a jetty at the Imo River. More than a decade after, this jetty is yet to be completed. It

has long been abandoned. “In 2007, Ihedioha was the Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, and more than any other Chief Whip before him, enjoyed all the perks and privileges accruing to that office. Apart from riding in long and annoyingly ostentatious motorcade, the people of Aboh-Mbaise/Ngor-Okpala whom he primarily represented, Imo people and the entire Southeast whose quota in the House he enjoyed, hardly felt the impact of his representation and his huge influence in the House of Representatives. The few constituency projects, which he managed to commence work on, are till this moment at various stages of abandonment”, the party said. The Imo APC has nevertheless been embroiled in internal crisis as the party still battles with its governorship candidate for the 2019 governorship election in the state. But the party said: “In 2011, Chief Ihedioha’s political profile continued to take the upwards climb as he emerged the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. That office became so powerful that the office of the Speaker was almost dwarfed by the massive attention and patronage the Deputy Speaker courted and enjoyed for himself. One of the things, Imo people will not forget in haste is the sight of that free styling cyclist in his convoy. Nothing else can be counted as a legacy of his so much vaunted influence in the country, except of course, a slew of abandoned projects.” They assured that they will publish pictures of the abandoned projects, saying: “In due time, we shall publish pictures of these abandoned projects to inform Imolites of the condition of these projects, which include roads, schools, etc. We have inspected the sites of all these projects and to our dismay, there is none of these projects, that Chief Ihedioha was able to fully execute in the twelve years he was in the House of Representatives”. They also accused the PDP of having done

nothing that is tangible in the 12 years it was in power. “The People’s Democratic Party on whose platform Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha seeks to govern Imo State had ruled the State for twelve years before 2011 without any tangible achievement correspondent to the many years they stayed in power. Ihedioha as a person was part of the PDP administration for 12 years in the State and for 16 years at the Federal level, with no direct benefit to the people and the communities. “It is therefore safe to say that the vehicle on which Ihedioha seeks to actualize his governorship ambition is rickety and himself, who drives this vehicle is blind and deaf at the same time. He will not only crash that vehicle, but will inflict politically threatening injuries on the few passengers who are still riding with him”. On the hand, the APC claimed that “In less than eight years of the APC led Rescue Mission administration, more than 800 new school buildings have been completed, more than 800 kilometers of rural roads and another 500 kilometers of urban roads have been rehabilitated, maintained or freshly constructed. More than 30,000 new lockup shops have been fully constructed across the State”. “About four brand new tertiary institutions have been constructed from scratch to finishing, the Umuguma General Hospital was upgraded to a Specialist Hospital, with stateof-the-art equipment and better staff, a new car Mart at Avu, the Owerri Mall, 27 new general hospitals, a new High Court Complex, a new Police Headquarters, new prisons, new secretariats for the Nigerian Union of Journalists, new Complex for the Christian Association of Nigeria, Ochiedike Diagnostic and Dialysis Center, Imo Foundation Complex, a brand new NYSC orientation camp, and more than 5000 other projects that have been fully executed by this administration”.

...As Okorocha denies bribing Oshiomhole Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has denied offering $500,000 bribe to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, over the governorship primary election of the party in the state, saying that he had no reason to do so since he was the winning party. The Governor maintained that the report is not true and should be disregarded. In a press release signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sam Onwuemeodo, the Governor said that “SaharaReporters must have lifted this claim of $500,000 bribe by Governor Okorocha from Adams Oshiomhole who made that frivolous allegation last Sunday (November 11, 2018). And he came up with that claim almost one month after he had told his audience that he settled for Hope Uzodinma as the APC guber candidate in Imo State to stop Governor Rochas Okorocha from building political dynasty in the State”. According to SaharaReporters, the governorship candidate of the party in Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, also offered $3million to the National Chairman which he was alleged to have collected and rejected that offered by Governor Okorocha. “Governor Okorocha would not have had any reason to bribe Oshiomhole because Uche Nwosu won the governorship primary election of October 2, 2018 which was cancelled and that of October 6, 2018. A victorious Candidate would not have bribed anybody. Only a failed aspirant like Hope Uzodinma would have bribed Oshiomhole”, said Onwuemeodo, noting that “Even the Appeal Panel set up by Oshiomhole and headed by Prof. Osunbor also declared Uche Nwosu the candidate of APC in Imo”, he said. Governor Okorocha challenged “anybody with any iota of proof in the contrary to make it public. Governor Okorocha is not the kind of person that spends money bribing people. The report is not true and should be disregarded”.

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

POLITICS

•The GO of KDC, Rev Chris Madu (C) Barr Igwe (4th R) Pst Mrs Madu (3rd L) Bishop Dr G Madu, Chair PFN, Enugu (3rd R) with wife and Bishop Obi Onubogu, GO, Rock Family Church (4th L) among others From CUKS EZE, Enugu

t was a colorful outing, laced with copious encomiums, music and dance, at the Kingdom Dominion Church (KDC) Incorporated, Enugu, where the Chairman of Chrisnak Group, Prince Odinaka Igwe, Executive Chairman of Umunneochi Local Council Area, Barr Okey Igwe and pastor Mrs Indiana Nwokike were honoured. The three-pronged event was organized to mark the 15th anniversary of KDC, official unveiling and dedication of ultramodern church building and conferment of meritorious honours to select Nigerians. While Prince Igwe received the “Most Successful Entrepreneur and Philanthropist Extraordinaire 2018” award, Barr Igwe was honoured with “Most performing Local Government Chairman in Abia State, 2018” award, while pastor Mrs Nwokike bagged the “Great Woman of Valour, 2018” award. One unique thing about the awardees is that apart from being auccessful entrepreneurs, they are all distinguished philanthropists, as well. A galaxy of other dignitaries at the august event were the Enugu Chairman of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Dr Godwin Madu and wife; G.O of Rock Family Church, Bishop Obi Onubogu; Former Secretary General of Grace of God Mission International, Rtd. Bishop Dr. Joseph Onochukwu; Rev. Emmanuel Ogidiolu of Triumphant Christian Ministries; Secretary of Christian Association of Nigeria, Enugu Chapter, Apostle Dr joe Ajujungwa, and Chairman of PFN in Enugu East LGA, Rev Peter Oragwuncha, among others. A Special Adviser to the Abia State Governor and First Executive Chairman of Umunneochi LGA, Hon. Billy Achara, represented Prince Odinaka Igwe. In his address, General Overseer (GO) of the church, Rev Chris Madu, explained that KDC was celebrating the awardees, who he said were painstakingly selected, to appreciate them for touching the lives of the less privileged in special ways and to encourage them to do more. He praised Barr Igwe for his transformation agenda and for leading good governance as Umunneochi Council Chairman. He added that the honour being conferred on him was to as well, appreciate his amazing philanthropic gestures towards the less privileged, especially indigent widows. Reverend Madu pointed out that Barr Igwe had not taken any salary since he assumed office but that he had been using the money to empower indigent widows across Umunneochi council area, in batches. Describing Barr Igwe as a man after God’s heart, Rev Madu also noted that apart from ensuring regular, timely payment of salaries, initiation and completion of people-oriented projects and restoration of electricity in Umunneochi after several years of total blackout prior to his advent. According to him, the most endearing of all was the lifting of indigent widows off hopeless situations

Excellence is in the family

From Enugu, CHUKS EZE reports that when penultimate week in the Coal-City State capital, Chrisnak Group boss, Prince Odinaka Igwe, Okosisi Abia, bagged Most Successful Entrepreneur, Philanthropist Award and his younger brother, Barrister Okey Igwe that of Best Abia Council Chair Award, what came out clearly was this: excellence, indeed, runs in the Igwe family of Isuochi, Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State.

•Barr Okey Igwe (R) recieving the Best LG Chair award from the GO of Kingdom Dominion Church Inc., Rev. Chris Madu and putting smile on their faces. The GO congratulated the awardees, thanked all the personages at the event and as well appreciated all that had contributed both in cash and kind to the growth of KDC in the last 15 years, and contributors to the success of the anniversary celebrations, as well. “The journey has not been rosy; anything that I do is by faith and God has been helping us. God has been raising men and women here and there to make provisions for the church. That was how we were able to garner the resources to put up this ultramodern edifice, to the glory of God,” he said. For the GO’s wife, Pastor Mrs Madu, the event was very successful by all standards. According to her, “I feel glad, relieved and humbled by God’s awesomeness. We have

been on this together, in the last fifteen years, and God has been helping us. We have no power of our own, everything that we do or achieve are by His grace”. The guest preacher, Bishop Dr Godwin Madu, who spoke on the theme, “Moving in the Speed of Light by Grace through Christ,”, congratulated the awardees and urged them to keep up their good words assuring them of immeasurable divine rewards both on earth and in heaven. To Barr Igwe, Bishop Madu said: “Thank you for the great legacies of your life, you will go places. Nobody has ever taken care of the poor without entering the record of God and humanity. “With what I have heard that you have done and what you have displayed here to-

day, it means that you still have a distance to go. Your efforts will never be in vein. We hope to see you, on the other side of 2019, at the Abia State House of Assembly” He encouraged the Council Chairman to keep up his good job, pointing out that “the society is getting decay and people like you are needed to transform it; people like you, who are disciplined in training, in mind and all way round”. Bishop Madu who had earlier conducted the church dedication prayers as well as anointing of the altar, was later joined by other senior ministers in attendance to pray for Barr Igwe and as well, impart 2019 victory anointing upon him. Responding on behalf of the awardees, Barr Igwe thanked the church for honouring him, and for recognizing his little efforts. According to him, he was naturally averse to awards, adding that he had refused several honours in the past but had to accept KDC’s because it was a church. “I am not someone that is easily given to rhetorical flourishing. This is the only award that I decided to take, and I decided to accept it because it came from the house of God and given in the presence of God. I really cherish it so much, it means a lot to me, and it will feature prominently in me achieve,” he said. Describing himself as a public servant, Igwe noted that he had never seen himself as a politician, pointing out that leadership was all about service to humanity. He disclosed that it was due to his notion about leadership, that it was easy for him to record some of his achievements for which the church was celebrated, when he became local government chairmen. He wished KDC well and urged ministers in the church to preach messages of love and truth at all times. He noted that the greatest of all commandments was love, pointing out that with a myriad of problems facing people, the society needed a lot love to cushion effects of such development. “If we have love, our problems will be drastically reduced. My prayer for KDC today is that the love of God may fill the hearts of all that step into this temple being dedicated today, in Jesus name,” Igwe declared.

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

POLITICS

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has proved over time that he is a master of pre-emptive political strategy. And he has demonstrated that, time and time, again. Wike, who referred to himself as a local politician because he had his primary, secondary and tertiary education in the state has often described himself as “a grassroots politician.” He will cap it off by saying: “There is no heavyweight grassroots politician in the 319 wards and 23 local governments in Rivers State that I don’t know, personally.” And he often demonstrated his encyclopaedic knowledge of local politics while speaking during his circuitous campaign tours. Well...he was a two-year chairman of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area. So, that experience, too, has turned out to be a plus for him. And there have been copious instances since Wike signified his interest to become the elected governor of Rivers State, in April 2014, while serving as a minister of state for education in the immediate past administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, that shows he has always, always ambushed the All Progressives Congress (APC) in political strategy, essentially, when it comes to endearing himself to the populace. As they say, there is a whiff of goodness in every adversity! Governor Wike visited the Fruit and Garden Market by Kaduna Street, beside the railway line, in D-LINE, Port Harcourt, in the night of Thursday, September 27. Wike was saddened by the damage caused by the inferno, when he visited the burnt market with some members of the State Executive Council (SEC) later that night to inspect the burnt market. Properties worth millions of Naira were lost to the fire. There were reports that personnel from the state fire service did not respond to emergency calls on time, which caused the fire to spread throughout the market, burning all shops and wares. The governor expressed dismay that some youths in the area attacked personnel of the Rivers State Fire Service who had come to put out the fire. The youths who were angry that the Fire Service officers came late pelted the them with stones and in the process damaged the windscreen of the fire fighting vehicle. The state’s fire service personnel were said to have fled from the scene for fear of being viciously attacked. Governor Wike admonished: “Nobody is happy. I am not happy. You people should not have pursued those who came to see what they can remedy. As if to say: “You people didn’t do your work. It is not proper. Now, you see what you action have caused. You don’t use anger to solve problems.” “Traders who have not done anything wrong have lost their businesses. It is a lost to the state. We will look at the immediate and remote causes to ascertain what happened. And see how we can support the traders who have lost their shops and wares and rebuild the market immediately.” Director of the Rivers State Fire Service, John Chukumachi, denied insinuations that his men didn’t respond on time after they received distress calls from the affected traders because they had all gone home in compliance with the seven days warning strike embarked upon by the organised labour to press home it’s demand for a new enhanced national minimum wage. He stated that they responded as soon as they were contacted, but regretted that an angry mob pelted them with stones when they arrived at the market and damaged the windscreen of their truck. The Commissioner for Special Duties, Emeka Onowu, who was in the governors entourage had also condemned

Burnt vegetable market: Out of bounds to politics How Governor Nyesom Wike ensured rebuilding burnt fruit and vegetables was not politicised. To start with, he paid the contractor 60% contract sum to start construction, offered N400, 000 to traders with shops, N300, 000 to traders on attachments. Meanwhile, the new market is to be completed in three months. Meanwhile, APC guber candidate, Cole, for his part, gave traders N15m to re-start their businesses From Port Harcourt, NATH OMAME, Jr. reports.

•Wike

•Cole the attack on the personnel of the fire service who had arrived at the Fruit Garden Market to put off the fire. “We apologise to the traders. We sympathise with them. We all know that there is strike called by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC. It’s a nationwide

strike. The fire fighters are under the civil service union.” He stated: “Although, they are not supposed to go on strike because they are involved in essential services, I think some of them took advantage of the strike and were not around. But 15 min-

utes later, they arrived the venue of the fire incident.” Onowu lamented: “They should have allowed them to salvage whatever they could. The damage would not have been this much. But they were lynched when they arrived. They damaged the truck; smashed the windscreen; and they had to escape from the scene to save their lives.” So, Wike left the traders after inspecting the scene of the fire with a pledge that the market would be rebuilt, immediately. So, what is the goodness in this costly adversity? The former Governor of Rivers State and Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, visited the market, the next day, Friday, September 28. The APC governorship candidate, Tonye Dele Cole, accompanied him during the visit and promised the traders that the market would be rebuilt if elected into office as the governor of the state in the 2019 general elections. Presently, the Rivers State chapter of the APC is embroiled in a ferocious skirmish on who will be the governorship candidate of the party in 2019. The fight for supremacy between the pro-Amaechi’s group and the pro-Abe’s faction has catapulted both warring factions unto the hallowed chambers of the three hierarchy courts of records in Nigeria: the high court; the Court of Appeal; and the Supreme Court. Until Amaechi pronounced Cole as is anointed governorship candidate of the APC, he was not known within political circles in the state. Apart from being a billionaire oil dealer, Cole is unknown to the electorates in Rivers State. So, Cole, saw the inferno that gutted the Fruit and Vegetables Market as an opportunity to walk his way into the troubled heart of the traders who lost their wares, shops and money. So, there lies the goodness to the APC and Cole. On Thursday, October 18, Cole visited the traders at the burnt Fruit and Vegetables Market. He was accompanied by the Director-General of his campaign, former Majority Leader of the 7th Rivers State House of Assembly, Dr. Chidi Julius Lloyd, who represented Emohua State Constituency; Victoria Nyechie, representing Rivers State Constituency 1; and other chieftains of the APC. Cole presented a donation of N15m to the traders, with a promise to build a fireproof ultra modern market if he is voted in as governor in 2019. Lloyd, intimated the traders that “Cole is a harbinger of good things to come to the state from May 29, 2019”, adding that “the state has gone comatose in the last three and half years arising from sustained systemic maladministration and therefore needs a man whose words are his bond to transform the fortunes of the state” Nyeche, while addressing the crowd, noted that Cole came back to redeem his promise because he is a man with integrity. “Arc. Tonye Cole is a man who makes a promise and fulfils the promise,” Nyeche said.

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

INTERVIEW

UPP/APC accord will change the Igbo narrative – Chekwas Okorie National Chairman of United Progressive Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie, believes that the party will spring surprises in the South East in2019, especially in Imo State, where he is emphatic about governorship victory. He also tells CHUKS EZE, in this interview that the party’s proposed alliance with All Progressive Congress (APC) is in the best interest of Ndigbo, adding that UPP chose not to field a presidential candidate for 2019, to respect an “unwritten convention” and as well avoid “swimming against the tide”. What are your expectations about the fastapproaching 2019 general election? I am an optimist naturally, and so, I expect the 2019 general election to be very successful. I believe that INEC is fit enough and have been given adequate support to plan, work and deliver a successful exercise, especially, with increased deployment of technology for both the election process and transmission of results. So, the exercise is expected to be smoother than what we have had in the past. Do you have any worry about the process, so far? No, I do not. I had, in the past four years, vehemently canvassed for the use of electronic voting system. And it feels good that a law to that effect has finally been passed by the National Assembly and is awaiting Presidential assent. And although INEC has said it cannot fully implement the electronic voting aspect of the law, but they have agreed to strictly use the card reader, as well as the transmission of election results from polling units to the central server, in all the elections. That is also an improvement. I am confident that we shall have near transparent election; even if it is not 100 per cent free. Your exploits in APGA will always be there for scholars and posterity; but what are your optimisms for UPP ahead of 2019? UPP will definitely spring surprises in 2019. In 2015, we were barely two years old and not strong enough structurally; in the 2017 Anambra governorship election, out of 37 parties that fielded candidates, UPP was among the top four, in spite of all that transpired in that election. We are sure of harvest of victories in 2019. Why does the party not have Presidential candidate for 2019 polls? After carefully reviewing political developments in the country, ahead of 2019, the party leadership came to the obvious conclusion that there is an unwritten rotational agreement that has become a convention – that the Presidential position has been rotating between North and South, since President Obasanjo’s era, in 1999. And less than six months after losing the 2015 general election, PDP zoned its 2019 presidential slot to the North, thereby maintaining the unwritten convention. UPP has a policy of producing a presidential candidate from the South-East, the same vision we had while founding APGA, an agenda that that made it possible for late Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu to become presidential candidate. So, we reasoned that if we should go ahead to field a presidential candidate for 2019, we would be swimming against the tide. Therefore, we agreed to rather consolidate on other positions. We are fielding candidates in all other positions, except presidency, and we have very credible candidates across board. Can you confirm that PDP and APC have been wooing UPP for alliance? Yes, that is true, but it is APC that is on board now. PDP had approached us first, within the period they were approaching so many other groups that later entered into

•Chekwas Okorie CUPP with them. But we did not think we should belong to a crowd of political parties. For us, if we must go into any alliance with anybody or group, we must sit down and discuss our core values and how that will be accommodated under such alliance. So, we are in talks with APC and almost close to reaching an understanding. Once the leadership of both parties come up with an MoU, we will go public and take it from there. As it is now, it is either we align with APC or we continue the way we are.

presidential candidate, as some of its Igbo members have been promoting, you can be sure that UPP will collaborate, because it is my utmost wish and prayer to see an Igbo man become Nigeria’s President, in my life time. But should the arrangement go the other way, after Buhari’s tenure (If APC picks a Yoruba as presidential candidate in 2023), as the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola has hinted, then, you can be sure that UPP will field a presidential candidate in 2023, and hit the field.

What is your view about President Buhari’s candidature and re-election bid? My personal view is hinged on my Igbo interest. Everybody knows that I have always been a core Igboright crusader for over four decades now. There is hardly anything I say or pursue that has no Igbo content. My personal view, first of all, is constrained by the constitution, which stipulates a four-year tenure. Based on the rotational arrangement that I was talking about, after Buhari’s second tenure, Presidency would return to the south. And if APC choses to select Igbo as its

You do not factor PDP in your permutations? What I factor is that if PDP loses the 2019 Presidential election, the party would become a shadow of itself because there would be a run off the party. That is the political reality that is facing the party and that is why, for them, the forthcoming general election is almost a matter of do or die. Now that PDP has Igbo content in their 2019 Presidential agenda, in the person of Mr. Peter Obi, do you not see his selection as

a great opportunity towards realizing your dream of seeing a Nigerian President of Igbo extraction in your lifetime? That is not what I meant by Igbo content. We have had Dr. Alex Ekwueme as the Vice President of Nigeria, not just as a VP candidate, and you would agree with me that even then, Dr. Ekwueme had more clout, more maturity, more education, among others, than our young Peter Obi, and you saw what happened. When it became almost obvious that Ekwueme was about the consensus candidate to succeed Shagari, a coup occurred, and you saw how Umaru Dikko later admitted that that the coup was designed to stop an Igbo from becoming President. And, I can go further to tell you that no vice president in the history of Nigeria has gone on to become the President of the country, check your records. Even that of Jonathan, he had to become an Acting President for two years before he used that leverage to move higher. So, VP position is not a guarantee that we will get Presidential position. And you know that even under that arrangement, we would be looking at the next eight years, because if you tell me that Atiku will serve

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

INTERVIEW for four years, even if he wins, just because he said so, I will tell you that Obasanjo had made such promise; Goodluck Jonathan was alleged to have said so too, and so on. So, it is not news for anybody going for that office to claim that he is going to do one term. So, I don’t see an Igbo content in a political party that was in power for sixteen years and nobody can really say exactly what was started and completed in the entire Igboland within that period. I don’t see any Igbo content in a party that has an unwritten policy that an Igbo man will not be President in Nigeria for the next 150 years. That is what Obasanjo told me personally, so it is not a speculation! And by the way, you were making references to the international community, tell me how the international community will regard Nigeria if by 2019, somebody who is at large in America for (alleged) economic crime, for whose associates are serving prison terms, becomes the Nigerian President? How will the international community look at Nigeria? Somebody whose visit to America is limited to the United Nations office, in New York, how can we have a president with such constraints, and still walk around proud?

If you were in the same platform with Peter Obi, say UPP or during your good days in APGA, would you not hold different view about his emergence; would you feel he is not the messiah that Ndigbo need as VP or Nigerian President of Igbo extraction, as the case may be? I want to state that I do not have any personal issue with the person of Peter Obi We had made up over what happened in APGA over two years ago and we have been friends and in constant touch. The issues I am raising now are purely party issues as they affect Ndigbo and Nigeria. Even Atiku who talk about restructuring, I am not impressed with his sermon because there is no single line about restructuring in PDP’s manifesto, and he is not a sole candidate. PDP had ample time to accommodate those things that concern Ndigbo in that official document. Do you know that the Akanu Ibiam International airport is the only international airport in Nigeria and probably in the world that has no runway tracks that a plane can land in the night, and they are still giving it that glorified title of international airport? What about the airport in Owerri, which was built with community money, under old Imo State – through donations and taxes – and handed over to government. It is a cargo airport designed to accommodate big body aircrafts. All that government needed do was to put the runway lights to enable cargoes to start landing there and the entire southeast and beyond would be landing their cargoes there. And with that, business would be cheaper and less stressful for people than several months of demurrage that our people pay at Apapa Wharf. We have had four ministers of aviation, from Igboland, and

”

You know that the former President has a penchant for firing back at his critics …? I have always maintained my stand and he has never denied that he had such one-onone conversation with me, which lasted for over four hours. The conversation took place in the Presidential Villa, in his study, on his invitation, on April, 2003. He told me, pointedly, that I had committed a political sin, by allowing Ojukwu to become the presidential candidate of APGA. He said that Ojukwu had wanted to dismember Nigeria, that he knew Ojukwu more than us, and that he would resume trouble once he gained strong footing in the party. He reminded me of America where it took 150 years after the American civil war before a person from the southern part of the country could become president of America. Of course, I know that history and he was referring to Jimmy Carter. That is the kind of unwritten policy that PDP has for Ndigbo. What about the Ekwueme saga and how Igbo people were conned ahead of the 2009 presidential election, under the Abdulsalami Abubakar regime, after we delivered 100 per cent of our votes to PDP? Till date, Ndigbo have been waiting for their turn, and if Atiku should assume power, we will have to wait for another 8 years. To the extent, the greatest political 419 ever done to Ndigbo was by PDP in 1999.

We had Dr. Alex Ekwueme as the Nigeria’s VP… and even then, he had more clout, more maturity, more education and a lot more than our young Peter Obi, and you saw what happened. When it became almost obvious that Ekwueme was about the consensus candidate to succeed Shagari, a coup occurred, and you saw how Umaru Dikko later admitted that that coup was designed to stop an Igbo man from becoming President.

”

none of them could install ordinary light to those facilities. What position have we not had in this country? SSG is almost like a prime minister in a presidential system of government and yet, there is not a single thing you can say is federal government presence, which young Igbo people can work in upon graduation from university. And they all migrate to Lagos and the North.

for those things that will accommodate our people and make the ordinary man fill the impact of government.

You do not believe that Stella Oduah made remarkable flashes before she got embroiled in …? (Cuts in) I just talked about ordinary runway light! Please, do not tell me about contracts with some Chinese and projects that APC is now completing. I am talking about runway light to enable aircraft land at night in Enugu so we can have a proper international airport; ordinary runway light that would enable cargo aircrafts to land in Owerri and all our businessmen would be clearing their goods there, with enormous ease and safely. Are those building dry duct in Kaduna not citizens?

You appear to be privy to certain realities that many people in Igboland do not see or know about; is that the case? It has always been like that. When I saw APGA, many people did not see it, and today, they are telling me that they are seeing what I had seen over fifteen years ago. When I saw APGA, they called me names; many called me a spoiler. Some people called me 419 and all sorts of names. They said I did not have reasonable means of livelihood, that I was looking for who to extort money from, yet I was doing very well as a contractor and Chairman of Chel Water Nig. Limited. And after APGA was founded, they now saw it as a cash cow and employed every available means to take it from me. I have always seen things ahead of others, and I never shy away whenever I see one. I am certain that I am seeing what others cannot see now, and in 2023, they would still wake up to behold it.

What gives you such belief that the proposed UPP/APC deal has the potentials to change the narrative for the South-east? I am certain about that I have never occupied any government position before, and you would never hear that Chekwas Okorie is a minister, for instance, till the end of my life. Whatever that had come, I gave to those that are inclined to such. I want to be free to continue to speak for my people until I finish my life syllabus. I will continue to push

Are you still embittered over your ordeals in APGA; you were quoted at some point to have forgiven and put behind you all that had transpired in that platform? Yes, I have. What have I not done to show I have forgiven them? But final forgiveness is by God, after all, I pulled out to form yet another political party. But those are individuals who cannot even enter the INEC. Of the 91 political parties in Nigeria today, 25 of them have Igbo as Chairmen but, where are

they and Igbo agenda they have to sell to their parties? Most of them, about 99%, have gone to seek shelter under PDP’s umbrella. Your candidates would face strong incumbent governors in the South-East; how far do you think UPP can go in the zone? UPP is doing very well in the entire zone, especially in Imo State. One thing you must realise is that in politics, 24 hours is a pretty long period. We have a very popular young man, Tony Nwolu, in Imo State, who joined UPP from the National Assembly. In fact, right now, UPP has a seat in the house of representative without even firing a shot, and he is well favoured to eventually emerge as the next governor of Imo State. What is your expectation for Enugu, where you are fielding a youth against an incumbent that is said to be on the lips of all residents – indigenes and non-indigenes alike? The truth is that the challenges of facing incumbents are usually enormous, but not insurmountable. The UPP governorship candidate in Enugu, Ekene Uzodinma, is a vibrant, well-educated and well-articulated youth. I am pleased and satisfied with the impact he is making. As I said, 24 hours could be too long, in politics. Even if he does not have the financial capacity to match that of an incumbent, but he has clear agenda and ideas about what can be done to make Enugu better. One wonders how you intend to convince Ndigbo to buy into your alliance with APC, if it finally clicks? That is not a big deal. We are already receiving enormous solidarity even without consummating the alliance. We are not intending to do anything new. In the past, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe made NCNC, a predominantly Igbo platform form a coalition with the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC), and the benefits are there for everybody to see. The Same Dr Azikiwe made NPP to enter an accord with NCNC. I am in a position to compare situations and determine the one that soothes our people better this period. What are some of the things that you would tell Ndigbo that they have earned from the Buhari administration? There is so much to tell them, when the time comes – things that we can point at, things that are already on ground, a lot to open our people’s eyes to.

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

POLITICS

APGA’s disgraceful race to extinction By CASMIR IGBOKWE Prince Ifeanyi Ezeabasili’s confidence was infectious. His ambition was to represent Oshodi-Isolo Federal Constituency II, Lagos, in the House of Representatives. He went on road shows and did some other things to mobilise his constituents to get their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). To him, no party would beat the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in that constituency in the 2019 election. His calculation was based on the fact that the area is populated mainly by the Igbo. However, the primaries in Lagos developed some hiccups. Ezeabasili believed he won and the state party chairman reportedly agreed with him. But when it got to Abuja, the story changed. The national body gave the party ticket to another fellow. Since then, Ezeabasili has been counting his losses and naming them one by one. And it has surprised him what the party has done. Miraculously, Dr. Okey Okoye escaped a similar experience. He had won the APGA primaries for Aguata 2 state constituency in Anambra State and had got certificate of return to that effect. But surprisingly, another candidate emerged with same certificate of return some days after. Dr. Okoye battled his nemesis and eventually got back his mandate. The experience of Bianca Ojukwu, the widow of the revered Igbo leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, was particularly interesting. Bianca wanted to represent Anambra South in the Senate. Ifeanyi Uba and Nicholas Ukachukwu also had the same ambition. And so, they came for primaries at Ekwulobia in Aguata Local Government Area. Firstly, the party disqualified Uba who joined not long ago from the PDP for not obtaining a waiver to contest the election. Secondly, gunmen invaded the Ekwulobia Township Stadium, venue of the primaries. People ran helter-skelter as sounds of gunshots boomed. Bianca also ran. Hardly had she got back to Awka when the news filtered in that Ukachukwu had won the primaries. Ojukwu’s widow thundered, “As a member of this party’s Board of Trustees, I am deeply concerned that mercenaries appear to have hijacked the operations of our party machinery. APGA is today facing an existential threat and the overall image of our party is in tatters.” Sorry madam! You may take solace in the fact that in Imo State, about 15 aspirants emerged with one tall ambition: to oust Governor Rochas Okorocha and his inlaws from government house, Owerri. But from nowhere, the party granted waiver to Ifeanyi Araraume who just joined the party and he miraculously became its standard-

•Gov. Obiano bearer for the 2019 governorship election in Imo. I’m not too sure why the party granted this waiver to Araraume but denied same to Ifeanyi Uba. Nevertheless, APGA has always stood on the pedestal of Igbo nationalism. The mantra is, “Nkea bu nke anyi”, meaning this one is our own. The great performance of the party in the last governorship election in Anambra State is a testament. Unfortunately, the party has greatly derailed. And greed is part of the problem. According to a former governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim, the travesty in APGA shows that what the party leadership was doing all along “was a ponzi scheme, a scam of the highest order, to defraud fellow Igbo men and women of their hard earned money… APGA which had less than N5 million in its account before primaries, now hires private jet for the use of the National Chairman.” Ohakim accused the leadership of APGA of demanding and collecting various sums of money from members, delegates and aspirants which ran into billions of naira. This is in addition to the abhorrent “abuse of many female aspirants in our own hotels and yet

•Victor Oye denied the tickets.” He said betrayal had always been part and parcel of APGA, and described both Governors Willie Obiano of Anambra State and Rochas Okorocha who rode to power on the back of APGA as agents of monumental betrayal of Ndigbo. As he put it, APGA has failed and must die. But did Obiano actually betray or intend to betray APGA as alleged? Two months ago, about eight governors accompanied President Buhari to China. All, except Obiano, are members of the APC. Last Friday, he again accompanied Buhari together with two other APC governors – Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and Aminu Masari of Katsina – to Paris, France, for a peace forum. Could this just be a mere coincidence? Or is it that the President has found in Obiano a son in whom he is well pleased? Only the Anambra Governor, who is the national leader of APGA, can answer this. In any case, the shenanigan in APGA is not peculiar to it. Other parties, especially the two dominant ones, have their fair share of the perfidy called party politics in Nigeria. For instance, the ruling party, APC, is still

reeling from the recent primaries held across the country. In Ogun, Imo, Zamfara and many other states, it is crisis galore. Currently, Governors Okorocha and Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State are at loggerheads with the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole. They want him removed. As for APGA, the die is cast. I hear a certain Major General John Gbor (retd) is the presidential candidate of the party. APGA National Chairman, Victor Oye, had boasted that the party would produce eight governors in the 2019 elections and that the party would soon take over from the APC and the PDP. “APGA is well repositioned to spring surprises in the future elections,” Oye spewed. I laugh. Of course, part of the surprises is what we are seeing with the party now. So far, the best Oye has done to pacify his aggrieved members is to offer a tepid apology. But mere apology will not suffice here. The anger is deep. The national chairman in consultation with the national leader of the party should compensate people who spent so much for the party’s abracadabra called primaries. Otherwise, nkea aburozikwa nke anyi o (this one is no more our own o!)

I am fighting for future generation – Okorocha By Collins Ughalaa

overnor Rochas Okorocha has assured his supporters that his stance for imposition of candidates in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State is not for his personal benefits, saying that he is fighting for the future generation. The Governor disclosed this on Monday during his meeting with ward chairmen, LGA chairmen and the State Executive Committee members of APC in Imo State held at the Nick’s Banquet Hall, Government House, Owerri, assuring also that Nigerian will be better for it if President Muhammadu Buhari is re-elected in 2019. He called on the members of his party and his supporters to remain calm and “steadfast in their support for the re-election bid of President Muhammadu Buhari. He described the President as “a tolerant father and thorough bred democrat who is com-

mitted to moving Nigeria forward”, even as absolved the President of any form of blame in incidents that led to the crisis over the governorship candidate of the party in the state. He said: “As APC members, we are fortunate to have President Muhammadu Buhari as our presidential candidate, because he has done well in the past three and half years and Nigerians love him. We must be steadfast in our support for him. Do not allow the actions of some people within and outside the Party to water down your support for the President. The President was not consulted by those who brazenly robbed you of your mandate, he is not in support of them, and he will never be in support of them. “We have to work hard to give the President our total support during the elections, so that he can continue the good works he has already started. We need a better Nige-

ria and that is what the President is committed to.” Addressing the concerns raised by some members of the party over the crisis rocking the party in the state, the Governor assured that he will continue to fight to ensure that the people’s wishes are not thwarted by any group of people, no matter how highly placed. “It is political corruption, it is fraudulent and rascally but I am fighting that. I am not fighting for myself but for all of you. It would have been easier for me to negotiate with those men at the top and come back home to relax, but I will not. I will fight to ensure that your mandate to our Party members is not robbed. I am fighting for the sustenance of democracy and I am fighting for the freedom of future generation of Nigerians. “If I keep quiet, if all of us keep quiet, then, it won’t be long before this becomes the norm in our system. Someone cannot spend

his hard earned money, invest his time and ideas and win an election and some people, would sit down in an air conditioned office and fix whatever names they want as candidates. Such people so fixed will be taught the efficacy of people’s power.” He declared”, he said. Also speaking during the meeting, the State Chairman of the Party, Daniel Madueke Nwafor, thanked the Governor for his support to the party in the state and assured him that party members will always hearken to his voice when he calls them. He also assured party members that the constitution of the party is supreme and not the whims of some persons or groups within the party. He said: “We are products of the party’s constitution and the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and in whatever we do, the contents of these sacred documents remain sacrosanct.”

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

BU$IN£SS

•Energy •Finance

•Stock

•Insurance

Operators plan 1.15 mbd deepwater production

SOPURUCHI ONWUKA

ommercial investors in the Nigerian petroleum industry will from next year decide on proposals that would commit them to staking tens of billion dollars in new deepwater oilfield development projects capable of yielding the country additional 1.15 million barrels of oil per day. If the projects receive investment decisions in next two years, Nigeria’s cumulative crude oil production from the deepwater could rise astronomically from current 800, 000 barrels per day to about 2,0 million barrels per day when production from smaller fields satellite to main fields are factored in. According to project analysis by The Oracle Today, projects that currently lay on the table include development of major discoveries in the nation’s deepwater where major multinational oil majors now concentrate activities as they drift from the vulnerable onshore environments to deep offshore locations. According to a document available to The Oracle Today which details deepwater development proposals, about ten projects await investment decisions. And partners and government regulators are working out details of cost templates that would determine viability profiles in view of the price outlooks in the export market. According to the document, most of the deepwater projects hold a string of partnerships that connects a large number of multinational players, making its almost difficult for one company to delay or stall progress. Whereas the huge budget development budgets promise commercial return for multinational oil firms that invested in exploration programmes, government targets double benefit of not just drawing tax and royalty revenue but also trapping job opportunities to boost local content capacity and expand energy infrastructure. On the flip side, government and

the operators share the common interest in cutting cost by optimizing available infrastructure and facilities in reducing cost and shoring up margins in a volatile price environment. According to project distribution among the operators in the country, the document shows that ExxonMobil ranks highest in prospect for new production with its billion barrel Owowo deepwater field, the Bosi and Uge fields also in the deepwater. Collectively the fields in the hands of ExxonMobil hold potential to yield over 400, 000 barrels per day of new production if government and the company could agree on terms that would govern commercial investments in development and production operations. Another American multinational player, Chevron, also holds potential to add 100,000 barrels per day to the nation’s total output from operated deepwater Nsiko field if investment decision is reached to enable funding outlay. Total which is currently driving development of operated Egina deepwater field has a guarantee of adding peak production of 225, 000 barrels per day from the field via the Egina floating production, storage and offtake (FPSO) vessel currently undergoing onsite installation. Proposals also exist that Total would also drive a tie-back development project that would enable proximate Porowei deepwater field pump-in some 70,000 barrels per day into the Egina FPSO when the investment decision is achieved with government. The French major which is about to establish a record with its hat trick deepwater development projects including Akpo, Usan and Egina is also working to add another 45,000 barrels per day from Ikike field, using a tie-back model that allows production tom flow into nearby Ofon conventional offshore facilities. Total is also investment factor in the ExxonMobil operated Owowo

CBN Exchange Rates NOVEMBER 19TH, 2018 Currency

Buying(NGN)

Central (NGN) Selling(NGN)

US DOLLAR 305.7 POUNDS STERLING 393.2219 EURO 347.7032 SWISS FRANC 304.1791 YEN 2.7065 CFA 0.5077 WAUA 421.688 YUAN/RENMINBI 43.9961 RIYAL 81.47 S/A RAND 21.6195

306.2 393.8651 348.2719 304.6766 2.7109 0.5177 422.3777 44.0685 81.6033 21.6549

306.7 394.5082 348.8406 305.1741 2.7154 0.5277 423.0674 44.1409 81.7365 21.6902

•Aviation

deepwater field and Eni operated Zabazaba deepwater field. Taking on the big ticket projects, the document showed that Owowo deepwater field would contribute about 180,000 barrels per day if the investment decision is reached upon terms of commercial operations between ExxonMobil and partners on the one hand, and government on the other hand. Also workable agreement between government and ExxonMobil would enable the America multinational to stake huge funds in development of Bosi, Uge and satellite fields to collectively inject about 320,000 barrels per day from offshore terrains. Eni is also listed in the document with development of its massive Zabazaba deepwater field where Shell and Total also hold stakes. Zabazaba promises to add about 150,000 barrels per day to Nigeria’s cumulative crude oil output if the operator would disentangle itself from allegations of corrupt asset acquisition and reach investment decision with partners and government. Of course, Shell is in the list with its lingering Boga fields. The Anglo-Dutch major has an endless programme to develop operated Bonga Southwest/Aparo (BSWA) fields and its Bonga North deepwater field to yield cumulative 250,000 barrels per day when the investment decision is reached with partners and government. The 600,000 million barrels Bonga Southwest/Aparo deepwater field is projected to pump at 150,000 barrels per day while the Bonga North will pump at 100,000 barrels per day. Minor additions are also expected from project proposals by First E&P on operated Anyanla/Madu fields, as well as from Addax operated Adanga field. Investment budgets on the proposed development projects are to remain sketchy until final investment decisions are reached from 2019. On the project timelines, The

•e-Platform

•GMD-NNPC-Maikanti-Baru Oracle Today gathered that final investment decision on the Bonga developments might be achieved in 2020 with separate development models. Whereas BSWA is proposed for standalone development with an FPSO, the Bonga North development is designed to tieback to 13 year old Bonga Main FPSO. First oil from BSWA is scheduled for 2021 at a technical cost of less than $20 per barrel. Total targets first oil from Egina FPSO by the end of the year. The Egina FPSO vessel is set to host production from other discoveries when capacity is available with the first of these set to be Preowei which could be sanctioned in 2020 and come on stream in 2022 at rates up to 70,000 boepd and at a technical cost of $20 to $25 per boe. ExxonMobil’s huge Owowo discovery which houses about 1 billion boe of resources could be sanctioned in 2020 with first oil deadlined for 2024 at 160,000 boepd and at a technical cost of less than $15 per boe by “leveraging existing facilities”. Total’s 45,000 boepd Ikike project in OML 99 via ﬁve wells feeding to its Amenam facilities in shallow water, with Eben, in OML 102 could be launched by the end of 2019. Budget for the projects have

•Tourism

been a source of template reviews as oil multinationals entrench a culture of cost disciple after a low price cycle unleashed a shock in the industry between 2-014 and 2017. Analysts agree that spending too much would defy the newfound commitment to financial discipline, while spending too little could choke new supplies and raise crude prices. Higher prices, in turn, may brighten the appeal of green technologies that would hasten the industry’s demise. Head of upstream at Total, Mr Arnaud Breuillac, stated in a presentation at a conference that new developments would seek to leverage cost savings afforded by existing and proximate facilities. The cost effiocent model, he said, rules proposed development of Porowei and Ikike fields in Nigeria. “We are trying to make maximum use of existing infrastructure to lower technical costs, improve proﬁtability and lower the breakeven of these projects,” he said. The Oracle Today reports that oil companies need to develop the equivalent of 670 billion barrels of reserves by 2040 largely to offset dwindling output from older fields. The International Energy Agency which dropped the figure also stated that the task also carries enormous financial costs.

Stock Market Highlights As At 19TH NOVEMBER, 2018

Summary

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

32,222.24 2,853.00 148,101,533.00 N1,796,075,043.84 N11,763,605,772,956.01 N10,063,859,320,993.50 N6,178,783,877.68

Coy (By Volume)

OANDO DIAMONDBNK UBA FIDELITYBK GUARANTY

30,303,655 16,351,940 12,852,482 11,473,087 9,159,852

Value(N) N154,235,482.10 N14,471,666.21 N100,191,759.70 N22,697,173.75 N338,576,202.55

5 Top Gainers

Symbols Last Close Current Change NESTLE N1480 N1500 NB N82.8 N85 GLAXOSMITH N12.05 N13.25 FLOURMILL N17.2 N18 TOTAL N199.1 N199.5

%Change 20 1.35% 2.2 2.66% 1.2 9.96% 0.8 4.65% 0.4 0.20%

Five Tope Losers GUARANTY ZENITHBANK NEM DIAMONDBNK ABBEYBDS

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

N36.5 N24 N2.57 N1.16 N1.06

-0.65 -0.4 -0.23 -0.12 -0.11

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

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

BUSINESS Stories by VICTOR NZE

EDERAL Government, states of the federation shared the total of N2.2 trillion for the third quarter of this year, as the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) Revenue disbursements by the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) to the three tiers of government witnessed a steady increase in three consecutive quarters of this year with N2.28 trillion shared in Q3 of 2018. A breakdown shows that the Federal government received the highest sum of N904.8 billion, followed by states, which received N718.5 billion and Local Government Councils (LGCs) receiving the lowest disbursements of N432.1 billion. This information is contained in the latest edition of the NEITI Quarterly Review published, Sunday. From the NEITI Review, “Total FAAC disbursements in the third quarter of 2018 amounted to N2.28 trillion representing a 17.6% increase over the N1.938 trillion disbursed in the first quarter of 2018 and 13.5% higher than the N2.008 trillion disbursed in the second quarter.’’ The NEITI Quarterly Review notes that “It is interesting that with the exception of July, the lowest amount disbursed so far in 2018 is higher than disbursements in all other months in 2016 and 2017”. A breakdown of the disbursed sums for 2016, 2017 & 2018 shows that the disbursements in the third quarter of 2018 (N2.28 trillion) were 31% & 18% higher than disbursements in the third quarters of the last two years. NEITI also reports that the last time total disbursements exceeded the N2.5trillion mark was in the second quarter of 2014 (N2.510 trillion). Further analysis of the increases as reported by the NEITI Quarterly Review shows that the federal government’s receipt of N904.8 billion in the third quarter of 2018, was 11.3% and 7.8% higher than the amounts received in the first (N812.8 billion) and second (N839.5 billion) quarters of 2018 respectively. “The amount disbursed to states represented an increase of 5.1% over the N683.5 billion disbursed in the

CBN moves MPC meeting to Wednesday

ENTRAL Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has shifted the dates for its last Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting for 2018 to another period. The crucial meeting was supposed to commence on Monday, November 19, and end on Tuesday, November 20, 2018. However, as a result of the public holiday declared by the federal government for Tuesday, November 20, the apex bank has now postponed the gathering. According to a statement issued on Saturday by CBN spokesman, Mr Isaac Okorafor, the MPC meeting will now take place on Wednesday, November 21 and end on Thursday, November 22, 2018. “The November 2018 meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been rescheduled from Monday and Tuesday, 19th & 20th November to Wednesday and Thursday, 21st and 22nd November, 2018, as a result of the declaration of Tuesday, 20th November, 2018, as a public holiday by the Federal Government. “The CBN regrets any inconvenience this change may have caused its stakeholders and the general public,” Okorafor said in the statement. During the MPC meeting, observers will be watching if the central bank will want to adjust the benchmark interest rate this time from 14 percent, especially with the rising inflation rate in the country.

FG, states share N2.2tr in Q3 2018

first quarter, and an increase of 3.8% over the N692.1 billion disbursed in the second quarter. For LGCs, the amount received was 9.8% and 7.5% higher than the respective amounts of N393.4 billion and N402.1 billion received in the first and second quarters,” the NEITI Quarterly Review disclosed. On a year-by-year analysis, NEITI reveals that the increase to third quarter disbursements to states in 2018 were the highest when compared to 2016 and 2017 figures disbursed to other federating units. A breakdown of the figures showing the level of growth indicates that “Total disbursements to states in the third quarter of 2018 came to N718.5 billion, representing a growth of 40.1% and 22.5% over disbursements in the third quarters of 2016 (N512.7 billion) and 2017 (N586.6 billion) respectively” NEITI observes . The NEITI Quarterly Review continues, “For the LGCs, disbursements in 2018 Q3 totaled N432.1 billion. This figure was 33.2% higher than the N324.3 billion disbursed in 2016 Q3, and 18.7% higher than the N324.3 billion disbursed in 2017 Q3. Total disbursements to the FGN in the third quarters of 2016, 2017 and 2018 were respectively, N697.9 billion, N752.7 billion, and N904.8 billion indicating that in 2018 Q3, the FGN received 29.7% higher disbursements than 2016 Q3, and 20.2% higher disbursements than 2017 Q3”. The review further disclosed that total net FAAC disbursements to states in the first nine months of 2018 ranged between N16.41 and N150.59 billion, with Osun and Delta states receiving the lowest and highest amounts respectively. A comparison of the stateby-state net disbursement shows a stark disparity in the amounts received. For instance, the net disbursement received by Delta State in January alone sums up to the total net disbursements to Osun State from January to September 2018. This clearly indicates that disbursements to Delta State were higher than the one to

•Head, Financial Inclusion, Diamond Bank, Iheanyi Ononiwu (left); Founder, Amazing Amazon Initiative, Mercy Makinde; Group Head, Agency and Merchant Services, Diamond Bank, Uche Ben-Uzoebo; Commissioner of Women Affairs, Kaduna State, Hajiya Hafsat Mohammed Baba; Area Manager, Kaduna Kachia, Diamond Bank, Kuburat Amodu-Ode; Branch Manager, Isa Kaita, Fatimah Pollit, during BETA WOMAN BETA NAIJA launch by the bank, in Kaduna. Osun by over 800%. The NEITI Quarterly Review also shows that average monthly net disbursements to states in the first nine months of 2018 ranged between N1.82 billion and N16.73 billion with Osun receiving the least monthly sum and Delta, the highest. As observed in previous reviews, states that received the highest allocations of N100billion and above are all in the Niger Delta region and this is on account of the 13% derivation. Furthermore, a comparison of state-by-state debt deductions in the first nine months of 2018 revealed that Lagos State had the highest deduction of N26.84 billion while Yobe State had the lowest deduction of

N1.12 billion (a percentage difference of 2,300%). The state with the lowest ratio of deductions to net disbursements was Anambra with 2.85%, while Osun had the highest deduction to net disbursements ratio of 132.85%, signaling that deductions exceeded disbursements to Osun State. The review however explained that the wide disparities in disbursements to states were as a result of differences in disbursements arising from the revenue sharing formula, deductions from states due to external debts, contractual obligations, among others. The NEITI review advised that the increase in disbursements is a ground for cautious optimism in the fiscal

positions of all tiers of government, noting that the upswings and downswings pattern is reflective of the volatile nature of revenue resulting from reliance on primary commodity exports The publication also observed that while increase in revenue will reflect positively on the fiscal situation of the federating units, states will still have to struggle to finance their budgets considering their poor Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). “There is virtually none of the states that can adequately finance their budgets from IGR and FAAC disbursements. States will have to resort to different levels of borrowing”, the NEITI review noted.

FAAN’s proposed PSC increase gets unions’ backing

WO labour unions in the aviation industry, the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP) and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), have expressed support for the proposed increment in the Passenger Service Charge (PSC) by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). The unions which made their positions known to newsmen, Sunday, in Lagos, said the new charge would enable FAAN to carry out its responsibility of maintaining the airports considering that the last increment was effected over a decade ago. PSC which is collected by the airlines upon purchase of tickets and paid to FAAN after completion of the flight, are used to cover the cost of maintaining common areas in the passenger terminals, providing passenger information, maintaining security and ensuring that customers use the airport in comfort. PSC was last increased in 2011 when the local currency was more than twice the current value and cost of operation was far lesser than what obtains currently. National Secretary of ANAP, Mr Abdulrasaq Saidu, said that the increment would enable FAAN to meet up with its responsibility of providing qualitative services to

passengers. Saidu said the increment was justified after eight years since the last review, stressing that factors such as inflation and naira devaluation had made it a necessity. Airlines and other airport users have reviewed their charges severally within this period. “We have four new terminals built to international standards; the PSC tariff fixed eight years ago will not be suitable for these new terminals owing to new technology, maintenance and other related

costs,” Saidu said. According to him, passenger traffic has also grown by more than 65 per cent between 2011 and 2018. Saidu said the effect of this increased traffic on the airport facilities needed to be taken into consideration. He, however, cautioned that the increase should be moderate in order not to inflict more burden on passengers as some airlines might be forced to also increase their air fares. In the same vein, National Presi-

dent, NUATE, Mr Ben Nnabue, said that the cost of maintaining safety and efficiency was high, hence FAAN needed to adjust its charges to meet the current realities. “Safety and efficiency are expensive. For FAAN to maintain airport facilities to world class standard, there is need to increase their charges. Since the last increment eight years ago, the value of foreign currencies has increased while the costs of electricity generation and diesel have also risen,’’ he said.

West Africa, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Asset Management Limited, Mrs Bunmi Dayo-Olagunju, assumes a new role as Deputy Head, Operations, Stanbic IBTC Bank. “These appointments are expected to strengthen our executive management by enhancing efficiency and competitiveness, as we continue the process of building Nigeria’s foremost end-to-end financial solutions provider with distinctive edge across the various market segments,” stated Mr. Yinka Sanni, Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, adding: “The new appointees bring a deep blend of expertise, experi-

ence and enthusiasm, which will be instrumental in driving further growth in the medium and long terms,” he added. Similarly, Mrs Binta Max-Gbinije has been named Head, Commercial Banking and Public Sector Group, Stanbic IBTC Bank; Mr Babatunde Akindele as Zonal Head, Lagos Island, Stanbic IBTC Bank: Mrs Nike Bajomo was appointed to Executive Director, Business Development, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Limited, while Ms Olusola Carrena and Mrs Oyinda Akinyemi were appointed Executive Directors of Stanbic IBTC Capital. Regulatory approvals have been secured for all the appointment.

Stanbic IBTC announces new appointments

TANBIC IBTC Holdings Plc, a member of Standard Bank Group, has announced appointments and changes in some senior management positions in some of its subsidiaries, as part of strategic positioning to sustain its growth trajectory through skills rotation. Mr Wole Adeniyi, who until recently was the Executive Director, Operations, Stanbic IBTC Bank, has been appointed Executive Director, Personal and Business Banking, Stanbic IBTC Bank, following the appointment of Mr. Babatunde Macaulay, the erstwhile Executive Director, as Regional Head, Personal and Business Banking for Standard Bank

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

BUSINESS

Afreximbank launches facility to raise viability of African projects

By KAYODE OGUNWALE

HE African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has launched a project preparation facility aimed at increasing the availability of viable well-prepared projects in Africa and at making such projects bankable and attractive to investors. The Afreximbank Project Preparation Facility (APPF) will provide technical and financial support to early stage companies in the preparation and development of projects from conceptual stage to bankability stage, the point at which such projects can attract interest from equity investors and debt financiers. Afreximbank has set up the APPF with an initial seed capital investment of up to $15 million. Speaking during the launch, Afreximbank President Prof. Benedict Oramah said that the facility would support transactions that sought to implement logistical platforms that supported export growth and diversification, or facilitated the assimilation of African commodities into global value chains, or increased the

volume and flow of tradeable goods and services along Africa’s trade corridors. According to President Oramah, the facility supports the Afreximbank’s mandate and strategy which seeks to promote intra-African trade, and industrialization and export development activities in the continent. Also speaking, Tshepo Mahloele, Chief Executive Officer of Harith General Partners, a leading pan-African infrastructure developer, lauded the APPF as “a bold step in the right direction to assist Africa to unleash its full potential through de-risking of investments early on in the project preparation cycle”. Mahloele, who noted that the project preparation step was often overlooked in the pursuit of quick returns, said that Harith had ensured efficient and professional preparation of infrastructure projects. According to him, Africa has long been at the mercy of poor planning, leading to infrastructure project backlogs that has limited GDP growth by at least 2 per cent per anum.

•Head Commercial Bank, Ecobank Nigeria, Rotimi Morohunfola; School Support Services, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Ade Abatan; Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Patrick Akinwuntan; Head Teacher, Modupe Cole Memorial Child Care and Treatment Home, Mrs. Sherefat Abike Rabiu and some students and Unwana ESANG, Ecobank Result Delivery Office during to visit of Ecobank Team to Modupe Cole Memorial Child Care and Treatment Home being part of activities to mark 2018 Ecobank Day in Lagos.

Ecobank Day lifts orphanages in Lagos, Ibadan, Enugu, Abuja Nigeria, others to get $40m infrastructure lifeline from AfDB

COBANK Nigeria’s employees and management have again displayed their social conscience, care and commitment to their local communities by giving up their free time in aid of orphanages in Lagos, Ibadan, Enugu and Abuja. Their activities, on Ecobank’s ‘Support for Orphanages in Africa’ Day resulted in giving out of food and household items to select orphanages. The staff also spent good time with the children of the Homes. Ecobank Day was celebrated simultaneously over the weekend in all of the 33 African countries where Ecobank is present. This year’s event, the 6th in the series of the annual Ecobank Day had an internal initiative where the bank’s employees were encouraged to turn their attentions from just servicing customer needs towards their local community. The theme for event is “Supporting Young Lives - it’s your day to make a difference” Ecobank Nigeria’s Managing Director, Patrick Akinwuntan, spoke of how important it is for businesses and their staff to give back to their local communities: “There were 52 million African orphans aged under 18 in 2017 according to UNICEF, and I am so pleased that we at Ecobank

Nigeria demonstrated our compassion for orphans. I was particularly delighted that we were able to “directly touch the children life with the provision were took along, spent time with them and actually be part of their lives within the short time we were with them”. Akinwunatan, who was guest at the Modupe Cole Memorial Child Care and Treatment Home said the bank decided to support the school because of their “several accomplishments, year on year catering for deprived people, to make them more useful to the society. We thank them for the good work. And it was for that reason we choose to mark our 6th Ecobank Day with them”. “I applaud the staff who “have given up their time to be here to support these activities. I’m sure you will agree this shows how strongly we all feel about giving back to our local communities. It makes me very proud of both the Bank I represent and the lifeblood – our staff”. Last year Ecobank Day was devoted to ‘Safe Water, Healthy Living’ and Ecobank Nigeria’s activities resulted in the provision of portable water and sanitation material for select schools across the six geopolitical zone of the country.

HE African Development Bank (AfDB) has outlined a new $40 million lifeline for infrastructure funding for Nigeria and the rest of the continent’s economies, under the Africa Infrastructure Investment Fund (AIIF3). The funding which is the third in a series of equity investments, is a closed-ended pan-African infrastructure fund managed by South Africa-based Africa Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM). AIIM is one of Africa’s most experienced infrastructure fund managers and focused on acquiring positions of significant influence in roads, airports, rail links, bridges, ports, logistics, power generation, utility distribution, as well as telecommunication assets. According to AfDB, AIIF is Africabased and features five regional offices in South Africa, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, and Kenya, translating to on-the-ground knowledge and strong relationships to source infrastructure investment opportunities. AfDB’s Group’s Director of Infrastructure and Urban Development, Amadou Oumarou, said in terms of development outcomes, AIIF3 will create a quantifiable and measura-

ernment for implementing economic policies that had made Nigerians to “cut their coats according to their cloth”, adding that: “Nigerians since this government came into office are no longer living in pretenses. The economy has cut us to size the way people spend money has been reduced, the fight against corruption

has reduced us to size.” The director general disclosed that proprietors of 10 small-scale enterprises in Niger State had recently returned from a trade mission abroad where they were able to attract some foreign enterprises to the state in the areas of supply of plastic making, feed mill and food processing machineries.

agribusiness sectors. As part of the terms of the partnership, in addition to the stated areas of support, WSBI will provide technical oversight supervision on a regular basis to ensure the achievement of mutually agreed goals set by both institutions. According to the memorandum, the project involves FCMB rolling out an integrated savings account – named ‘Kampe Account’ – to offer financial services under phase one of its plan to 150,000 unbanked and under-banked farmers across

five states through agricultural agents operating under the bank’s agency banking proposition. The first set of states to benefit in this first phase are Kaduna, Kano, Nasarawa, Ogun and Oyo. The plan is to reach 2 million farmers across the entire nation by year 2023. In addition to the financial support to farmers, FCMB plans to deploy its state-of-the art technology and mobile banking solutions to drive the project mainly in the rural and sub-urban farm settlements where most farmers are based.

FCMB, WSBI partner to boost financial inclusion, savings in Nigeria By VICTOR NZE

The proposal represents the AfDB’s third investment with this fund manager, following a 1996 investment in SAIF and a 2010 investment in AIIF2, while with current plans, the multinational lender stands to have positive additional role, given that the fundraising market continues to be very challenging, leaving an important role to be played by Development Financial Institutions (DFIs). It has also expressed optimism that commercial and institutional investors are likely to view its investment as a positive demonstration effect, while it will also ensure that the highest environmental and social standards are applied to AIIF3.This Equity Investment is fully aligned with the bank’s operational priorities and its “High 5s,”- Industrialize Africa, Light up and Power Africa, and Integrate Africa, expected to sustain the development of Africa’s infrastructure market.

Multiple taxation: FFEDAN threatens nationwide boycott of food evacuation EDERATED Foodstuff Dealers Association of Nigeria (FFEDAN) has warned of a looming food scarcity if the activities of `official and unofficial touts’ along Nigerian roads are not checked by appropriate authorities. The National President of FFEDAN, Prince Christian Afiaunwu, told newsmen in Enugu on Sunday that the association would stop its members from evacuating food and farm produce nationwide. Afiaunwu said that the move had become necessary in order to draw Federal Government’s attention to touts blocking its members and extorting monies from them; as well

Nigeria’s economy in disappointing slow growth – NACCIMA IGERIAN Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has said the economy of the country is not moving as fast as expected. Director General of NACCIMA in Niger State, Alhaji Adamu Salihu, said on Monday that the federal and state governments should do more to revitalise the economy so that the average person could reap the benefits of a buoyant economy. Salihu, who fielded questions from newsmen, said the only thing that had kept the economy going was the ability of some state governments “including Niger State to regularly pay workers’ salaries allowances and pensions”. He suggested that to galvanise the economy, governments should patronise local businessmen and women, insisting that patronage of “offshore firms is only contributing to capital flight”. Salihu however praised the gov-

ble social and environmental impact by supporting energy and transport infrastructure access across SubSaharan Africa. The Fund will support the creation of over 1,500 jobs at the project level and enhance capacity building and skills-transfer. “The recent downturn in global commodity prices and a reorientation away from private equity in Africa by a few DFIs have lowered fundraising expectations across the board. This is negatively affecting the availability of equity capital for Africa’s infrastructure space. In this sense, the Bank would play a counter-cyclical role through this investment,” he said. AIIF3 boasts an extensive pipeline of bankable or near-bankable infrastructure projects, having already reviewed hundreds of potential investments and narrowed down approximately $500 million, including key projects cutting across African economies.

as threatening their lives on Federal Highways. He noted that association had already announced its decision to cut the evacuation of all farm produce and other food items from Benue until issues of illegal levies and harassment of members by touts in the state were settled. “In Benue State, the kind of levies imposed on our members is so much that we cannot bear it any longer. In 2013, we had an understanding with the state government that the amount we have to pay as levy for a lorry load of goods is N17, 500. “It was also agreed that this money should be paid at the point of loading the goods. Unfortunately since 2015, this agreement was flouted and now even if you buy the goods from another state, you must pay N62,500 once you get to the first boundary in the state,’’ he said. Afiaunwu recalled that series of complaints from the association caused the Federal Government to mandate all states to build a functional control post where veterinary and other checks are carried out. He, however, regretted that in Benue, there were more than 40 official and unofficial points where levies are collected.

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

ENERGY

FG shifts refinery revamp deadline again •Industry deplores cost intensive fuel import deals

•Minister for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu

By SOPURUCHI ONWUKA

XPECTATIONS that the Nigeria will end the wasteful importation of petroleum products by next year have been dashed following revelations that the refinery rehabilitation programme promised by government is running behind schedule. The development comes with additional revelation that the country’s three existing refineries currently suffer plant availability losses that plunge total capacity utilization to less than 3.5 percent. The low capacity utilization, it was gathered, might not be entirely on account of the state of the refinery plants but primarily on government’s preference to export crude oil for dollar income as traditional in months ahead of election periods in the country. The shift in delivery deadlines followed inability of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and preferred bidders in proposed concession deals to close funding arrangements early enough for actual site activities to kick off. According to statements credited to the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, government is pushing the refinery reactivation deadline from 2019 to 2020 following glitches in funding arrangements with joint venture partners in the new concession model. According to reports by secondary sources, the revival deadline for the refineries has been extended one later after financing talks took longer than projected. “It’s not likely to happen by the end of 2019 because the financing talks for the joint ventures took longer than expected,” Dr. Kachikwu was in an interview during the just concluded Africa Oil Week in Cape Town, Sloth Africa. He said funding is expected to be secured December, with two years required to bring the plants closer to their full combined capacity of 445,000 barrels a day. Dr. Kachikwu had told The Oracle Today during the Nigerian Petroleum Investment Summit (NIPS) in Abuja last February that 2019 remains

the authentic deadline for the restreaming of the local refineries the rehabilitation of which has remained unrelenting promise of every administration of the federal government since 1999. Dr. Kachikwu had vowed at assumption of office that the refineries would start work by December 2015, ordering the management of the refineries to be efficient in operating the plants or get sacked. He also declared that any of the three refineries that failed to come up by the end of 2015 would be sold. He was however overridden by President Muhammadu Buhari who ruled out outright sale of the refineries as an option. The president is also the Minister of Petroleum Resources while the Group Managing Director of NNPC which owns the refineries, Dr. Maikanti Baru, hardly agrees with Dr. Kachikwu on key business models. The joint venture model which was later adopted to attract private funding in rehabilitation and operations of the refineries would concede management to a consortium of private players that would emerge in a competitive bid process that Chief Operating Officer of the upstream business of NNPC, Mr. Rabiu Bello, said is being concluded. The preferred investors in the refineries, according to Mr. Bello, would emerge by the end of the year to provide a clearer picture on the rehabilitation time frame. It is not clear which set of investors with whom Dr. Kachikwu is quoted to be discussing funding, but indications

are clear that bid processing has been concluded and the consortium that would emerge as joint venture partners to NNPC on the refineries are already visible and available to government. A consortium comprising international traders and local marketers have earlier been tipped as likely partners given their deep pocket to fund the project and vast retail outlets to ensure efficient distribution with use of existing supply logistics . The news of the shift in the reactivation of the refineries came as disappointment to panellists at a conference in Lagos on Monday where speakers point at the emerging energy options Nigeria must adopt in meeting its domestic fuel and electricity needs. According to Mrs Ibiyemi Asaolu of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO) who made reference to the foot dragging and inefficiency in govern-

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ment’s operations in the industry, the three refineries located in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna currently operate below 3.5 percent capacity despite the massive hype about their rehabilitation. Shell has its operations hubs in Port Harcourt and Warri where two of the biggest refineries are located. And workers from the refineries and other oil industries in the region interact under the aegis of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN). In pointing at the dangers of footdragging, Mrs Asaolu warned that energy and technology transition are moving at very faster pace than Nigeria’s programme implementation for harnessing and utilizing her petroleum resources for economic development. She was speaking on energy diversification at a pre-conference workshop hosted by the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) in Lagos on Monday. The Oracle Today reports that government’s policy actions in the downstream petroleum industry have been most cost inefficient in meeting the fuel demand for the domestic economy. While the government has been struggling with upstream funding problems, it has continued to run cost intensive fuel supply programmes in the downstream where its refineries remain moribund and run heavy overhead costs. The three refineries operated by the NNPC employ thousands of highly efficient workers who suffer redundancy following inability of the government to provide funding for rehabilitation of the refinery plants. Meanwhile, NNPC continues to spend over 1.4 trillion annually in fuel importation to meet rising domestic demand. Besides importation, the corporation which receives daily allocation of about 500,000 barrels of crude oil daily for local refining suffers huge losses

What we have here is that NNPC spends money to ship the crude to foreign refineries, spends money to refine the crude, spends money to ship imported petrol back, spends money to distribute the fuel, and spends money to subsidize the cost it builds

in its crude for petrol swap deals with foreign refiners. Under the swap deals termed Direct Sales-Direct Purchase (DSDP), the corporation uses the proceeds from export of its crude allocation for direct importation of products in various arrangements with traders. However, the operations of the DSDP, the huge import bills, revenue flow to the federation account and other accountability issues have pitched the NNPC against the National Assembly and other stakeholders who accuse the corporation of remittance shortfalls. The management of the corporation has been struggling to explain its position in the alleged N1.4 trillion annual import bills, another $3.5 billion escrow account for Petroleum Support Fund as well as allegations of illegal deductions from Nigeria’s dividends from profits posted by the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited. A former Managing Director of one of the refineries told our correspondent that the 3.5 percent utilization trumpeted in the industry is the minimum the plants must do to avoid complete shutdown, adding that none of the refineries has commercial quantity of feedstock for processing. He made it clear that the refineries would exceed over 40 percent plant capacity if challenged with crude feedstock. “What we have here is that NNPC spends money to ship the crude to foreign refineries, spends money to refine the crude, spends money to ship imported petrol back, spends money to distribute the fuel, and spends money to subsidize the cost it builds,” Mrs Asaolu explained to delegates at the international conference. She pointed out that Nigeria has continued to trail behind trends in energy choice and shifts in technologies that promote cleaner, greener fuel options. She warned that if the country fails to quickly optimize utilization of its petroleum resources, her huge petroleum reserves might suffer the same fate as her coal deposits which have lost international and local market value.

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

ENERGY

Shippers, NCDMB agree on training partnership By SOPURUCHI ONWUKA

TAKEHOLDERS in the maritime industry have been mandated to evolve a memorandum of understanding to underpin proposed partnership with Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring (NCDMB) on resource capacity development. The mandate was the major outcome of a meeting between the Governing Council of Nigerian Chamber of Shipping (NCS) and NCDMB over local development of word class professionals for the Nigerian maritime industry. The Oracle Today reports that the meeting was a major collaboration between the maritime and petroleum industries. The NCDMB is the petroleum industry regulator for development and utilization of local content by all players in the sector in order to capture the full economic advantage of petroleum industry activities in advancing domestic economic growth. The Nigerian Chamber of Shipping (NCS) is the umbrella body in Nigeria for stakeholders in the shipping and maritime sector. It hosts trade associations for the Nigerian maritime industry, comprising ship owners, tanker vessel operators, port/terminal operators, shipyard/ dry dock owners, and upstream and downstream service operators in oil and gas sector. Members of the NCS also comprise international maritime and shipping operators, maritime lawyers, and financial institutions.

At the meeting which was hosted by NCDMB in Yenegoa, Bayelsa State, the visiting NCS had requested the assistance of the petroleum industry regulator in training of marine cadets in order to deepen local capacity in the industry. President of NCS Governing Council, Mr. Andy Isichei, had requested that, “we want to collaborate with the Board in the area of training of Marine Cadets and other aspects of capacity building to optimize the gains of local content in the maritime industry.” He stated that the visit was motivated by the desire to advance the main objectives of the chamber which he said includes efforts to deepen international maritime commercial activities in Nigeria. Mr. Isichei listed the goals of NCS to include shipping policy advocy; formulation, implementation and monitoring of maritime activities; promotion of technical expertise for best international practices; promotion of international trade; compliance advocacy to ensure a regulated environment for effective maritime administration, safe shipping operations, and fair and competitive shipping cost regimes. In choosing training and capacity development partners, Mr. Isichei pointed at the consistency of policy implementation by the NCDMB, stressing the transparency in the management of the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund (NCI) Fund. He said the NCS Governing Council has observed the phenomenal achievements of Engr. Wabote at the NCDMB, particularly the de-

GE, Baker Hughes loosen contact

ENERAL Electric (GE) which closed merger deal with Baker Hughes last year is working seriously to loosen the union to salvage core competencies and business niches of both companies as expected income boom is yet to appear in the horizon. The two companies had in 2016 announced a merger deal that would close in 2017 to produce a massive oil service company with annual income projection of $32 billion. In the deal, GE literally acquired Baker Hughes which was now referred to as a GE company. But barely a year after, statements from both GE and Baker Hughes indicate that the two are now working harder on an unbundling plan to break into smaller, more efficient and viable entities. With the new agreements, GE which bought over shares of Baker Hughes to become the core investors in the BHGE merger would now belling the shares again to unbundle. The companies agree to a deal which frees up GE to begin selling Baker Hughes stock. The Oracle Today received statement announcing that Baker Hughes, a GE company (BHGE) and General Electric Company (GE) are pressing forward with their plans to separate following a series of long-term agreements. BHGE and GE agreed on a release from the lock-up restrictions under their stockholders agreement which previously prevented GE from getting rid of BHGE common stock shares until July 2019. The two companies agreed to a proposed sale by GE of part of its

stake into the market as well as a repurchase of another part of GE’s stake by BHGE. These transactions will keep GE’s stake in BHGE above 50 percent. “Earlier this year we announced our intent to pursue an orderly separation from BHGE. The agreements announced today accelerate that plan in a manner that mutually benefits both companies and their shareholders,” GE’s CEO H. Lawrence Culp, Jr., said in a company statement. BHGE CEO Lorenzo Simonelli said the agreements provide clarity for customers, employees and shareholders. “We remain well positioned to capitalize on the positive outlook for our industry and are focused on our top priorities of gaining share, improving margins and generating cash,” Simonelli said. The other agreements focus on long-term collaboration on critical rotating equipment, including aeroderivative and heavy-duty gas turbine technology; BHGE access to GE Digital software and technology; series of agreements relating to operations and pricing within BHGE Digital Solutions’ Controls product line, pensions, tax matters and intercompany services costs. Recall that GE had in May 2017 completed its buyout of BakerHughes Inc, merging it with its own oil and gas equipment and services operations to create the world’s secondlargest oilfield service provider by revenue. The new company, which was later named “Baker Hughes, a GE company,” began trading on on the New York Stock Exchange under the stock ticker “BHGE.”

•Chief Executive Officer, Jenkon Oil and Gas Ltd, Chief Dr. Mkgeorge Onyung (left);Member Governing Council, Nigerian Content and Development and Monitoring Board(NCDMB), Mina Oforiokuma; Facilitator, Dominic Bigott; President, Nigerian Chamber of Shipping , Andy Isichei; Director General , Ms Obiageli Obi and Dr Chris Asoluka at a

ployment of the NCI Fund to tackle the perennial funding challenge that has impeded the efficiency and competitiveness of local supply chain in the Nigerian petroleum industry. In his response, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Wabote said the agency is very disposed to partner with critical stakeholders like NCS ensure fulfillment

of the policy mandate. He urged NCS to come up with a proposed Memorandum of Understand (MoU) to underpin its partnership aspirations with the Board for consideration and harmonization. He stressed that NCDMB was willing to support any organization that offers maritime cadet trainings, provided it’s able to dem-

onstrate that they can grant the trainees requisite international certifications and sea time experience. He also encouraged the NCS Governing Council members to explore the opportunity of partnering with the Maritime University, Okerenkoko Delta State, instead of foreign partnerships, to ensure that the various trainings they offer are domiciled in-country.

nology for early detection of pipeline vandalized spots and quick response systems which would significantly save cost, reduce threat to safety and safeguard the environment. “In terms of refining, digital technology will help us get more out of our crude which will mean getting the highest yield from our plants. We also need to utilize digital technology from the contracting end which will lead to improved designs in constructions thereby reducing cost and time,” he noted. Baru said the Oil and Gas Industry was mostly driven by technological improvements and environmental concerns, a development which has resulted in the changing dynamics in the global energy mix. He argued that demand for hydrocarbon fuel would still lead energy choice with 40 percent of increase in total energy demand by 2040 when demand for crude oil is projected to decline as energy choices shift to nat-

ural gas, renewable energy. Dr. Baru said in its preparation for the envisaged demand shift, NNPC would require strong investment and commitment to technological research and development. He said key players in the business must leverage technology to control cost and enhance processes as the industry grows. NNPC Chief Operating Officer in charge of Downstream, Mr. Henry Ikem-Obih, who also spoke at the ADIPEC, said Nigeria would keep up with the technological advancements in the industry. Mr. Ikem-Obih said NNPC’s current approach was to see the Downstream Sector as an integrated part of the Oil and Gas Industry. Dr. Baru, also commended Saudi Arabia its recent decision to announce daily crude oil production cut by one million barrels per day from December this year, saying the Saudi intervention would retain value for Nigeria.

The report stated that the U.S. service industry has been swift in adopting new and innovative technologies that has helped them stay ahead of the curve to realize the benefits of digital transformation. “Historically, U.S. shale oil and gas production has been characterized by innovation and technology,” Anuj Goyal, U.S. Lower 48 upstream analyst at WoodMac, said in a statement. While upstream oil and gas companies have been a bit slow to take full advantage of digitalization, Lower 48 operators have been quicker to adopt digital solutions than their conventional counterparts. “The cost curve for tight oil has materially shifted down and to the right, and digitalization has been a critical role,” Goyal said. “Those companies

that utilize their data as an asset and scale the application of digital technologies will be the ones to benefit the most.” “After all, it was U.S. independents who led the innovation boom in shale 10 years ago, developing and adapting new technologies at a faster clip than the majors or other conventional players at the time.” “The deployment of remote monitoring of rigs has acted as a force multiplier. In the past four years, drilling speeds across the Lower 48 increased by 10 percent on average – more than 20 percent for the best operators,” WoodMac stated. By using production, completions and subsurface data, machine learning algorithms are starting to help Lower 48 operators develop better completion designs.

NNPC to deploy technology in operations

IGERIAN National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has declared plans to deploy more technology in chasing process efficiency in the country’s petroleum industry operations. Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, who spoke during a panel session at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC), United Arab Emirates (UAE) stressed the need for the country to deploy cutting-edge technology to enhance its operations and maximize value across its businesses value-chain. He said Nigeria’s fuel demand projections and rapidly growing population means that the industry must grow faster with the aid of technology, adding that anticipated global demand and population growth further challenges the industry with greater efficiency. According to him, the corporation was working towards utilizing tech-

Robots to displace rig workers, save $75bn annually

NDUSTRY outlook analyst, Wood Mackenzie, has predicted gloomy outlook for oilrig workforce but a brighter commercial future for operators as more intelligent tools begin to yield enhanced cost efficiency in drilling operations. According to the company, the development which would involve massive deployment of robots to execute jobs hitherto undertaken by oilfield operations technicians would also be cost effective and cut pan industry spending by princely $75 billion a year. According to a study released by Wood Mackenzie, global upstream oil and gas sector could claw back huge savings per year through digitalization, and the U.S. Lower 48 is leading the way.

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

e-Platform Stories by VICTOR NZE

E L E C O M M U N I C AT I O N S firm in the country, MTN Nigeria is said to be close to reaching an $800m settlement with Nigerian authorities over a claim it illegally transferred $8.1bn funds out of the country. Although a deal has not been formally signed yet, a source familiar with the situation said one could yet fall through. “MTN Nigeria continues to engage with the relevant Nigerian authorities to ensure a mutually acceptable resolution of the matter,” a spokesman for Africa’s largest wireless carrier by sales said in an emailed statement on Wednesday. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Presidency declined to comment. A decision to transfer $800m would come just two years after MTN paid $1bn to Nigerian authorities as a penalty for missing a deadline to disconnect unregistered subscribers. That levy, which was also substantially reduced from the original sum, led to MTN’s first-ever loss in 2016. The company is also accused of non-payment of $2bn in taxes. “It’s very important the parties reach a quick resolution because

MTN close to $800m settlement with FG

the problem gives the wrong signal to willing investors,” Gbenga Adebayo, chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria, said by phone from Lagos. There are many African countries that are investor friendly and are also craving for foreign investment.” MTN pledged to list its local unit in Lagos as part of a settlement of the earlier penalty from 2015, although those plans are currently in doubt amid the current impasse. The stock is down by more than 50% since the start of that first dispute, which also led to an overhaul of management and the arrival of Chief Executive Officer Rob Shuter from Vodafone. MTN has more than 64 million subscribers in Nigeria, making Africa’s most populous country its biggest market. “If the $800m is a fine, it’s negative because it’s a significant expense for a company that says it’s done nothing wrong,” said Ruhan du Plessis, an analyst at Avior Capital Markets in Cape Town.

Philip Morris mulls Africa expansion with first iQOS store in SA

HILIP Morris International, makers of Marlboro brand of cigarettes, is set to open a flagship store in Johannesburg, South Africa, as it tries to corner demand in Africa for its alternative cigarette known as iQOS. The iQOS cigarette heats rather than burn tobacco to give users their nicotine kick. The Marlboro maker plans to use the shop as a springboard to expand in the rest of the continent, according to spokesperson Alessandro Poggiali. South Africa is the only African country in which Philip Morris distributes iQOS, but more are slated to follow, he said. “In many countries we’ve developed a dedicated point of sale, a touch point, where we can interact with the consumer,” Poggiali said in an interview in Johannesburg. Philip Morris has 70 iQOS shops in 23 countries, echoing a wider trend of tobacco companies including British American Tobacco

INNACLE Communications Limited, the private licensed signal distributor for the Federal Government’s approved implementation of the Transition from Analogue to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) Broadcasting in Nigeria, has described as ‘untrue’ allegations that it misappropriated money meant for the implementation of the digital switch-over (DSO) project. Management of the company in a statement issued over the weekend, and made available to Oracle Today, dismissed as ‘untrue, false and unsubstantiated’ the media reports linking it with the allegation that N2.5 billion seed grant released to the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) for the project had been misapplied. The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) was reported s investigating the allegation. In the statement signed by the Chief Operating Officer, Dipo Onifade, Pinnacle Communications stated that the firm has always been

and Japan Tobacco investing in smoking alternatives to drive new revenue streams. Traditional cigarettes are under pressure from regulators the world over and have declined in popularity as more people become aware of their inherent health risks. South Africa has 7 million smokers, or about an eighth of the population, according to a report by the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates about 80 per cent of the world’s 1.1 billion smokers live in low and middle-income countries. A South African footprint will help the Philip Morris build the case for iQOS with regulators and consumers in other markets in the region, Poggiali said. About 10 000 smokers are converting to the device daily, the company estimates. The company is still awaiting approval from the Food and Drug Administration to sell them in the United States.

•(From left): Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Mr. Lanre Rufai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Fahad Altaffaq , Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye and Director of Commerce, Mr. Hakeem Adeniji during the Ambassador’s working visit to the Ministry, Friday.

Apple’s outlook dims as suppliers worldwide raise alarm

HE bad news keeps piling up for Apple ahead of the crucial holiday season. AMS, an Austria-based maker of light sensors for smartphones, became at least the fourth key supplier to the US company this week to reduce revenue estimates for the current quarter. The spate of warnings, coupled with underwhelming earnings from main iPhone assembler Hon Hai Precision Industry, underscore concerns about weak demand for Apple’s bread-and-butter device. Shares of AMS were down as much as 10% during pre-market trading in Switzerland on Thursday. Apple is headed for its longest losing streak in more than six months as investors reassess the company’s growth prospects. Faced with a maturing smartphone market, its strategy has been to entice customers to pay more for phones with new features such as facial recognition, while sales of services from video to music are growing at a rapid clip. But the company still relies on the iPhone for the bulk of its revenue, and the jury’s still out on whether

its latest line-up is a bona fide hit. The accumulation of warning signs has prompted analyst revisions in the past week. Guggenheim on Wednesday said the company’s recent reliance on rising average selling prices was “no longer enough” to boost growth at a time unit sales show signs of slowing. Shares in Japan Display Inc., one of the quartet that reduced its sales outlook, slid 9.5% on Thursday. The “iPhone’s nearly 60% contribution to revenue and profits looking like a headwind again,” Guggenheim wrote in a Wednesday research note. Apple’s decision to stop disclosing unit sales for its main gadgets including the iPhone, iPad and Macbook - which Hon Hai also assembles - has fuelled concerns surrounding the outlook for component makers that depend on volume growth. AMS, whose largest customer is Apple, said on Wednesday its cutting projections for fourth-quarter sales to $480m to $520m, from $570m to $610m just last month. AMS blamed the reduction on

DSO project: Allegations of fraud untrue – Pinnacle transparent in all its dealings with the NBC and it has discharged its obligations on the digital switch-over project in compliance with the terms and conditions of the contract. “To this extent therefore, all transactions between NBC and Pinnacle Communications have always been transparent and within the official approved operational guidelines and regulations as processed and executed by the NBC and in compliance with the terms and conditions of the license for signal distribution that Pinnacle Communications duly obtained”, he said. Onifade stated that it became necessary to make the clarifications in view of the deliberate omission and distortion in the media reports that were based on the statement purportedly issued by ICPC spokesperson, Rasheedat Okoduwa, disclosing that the Commission was investigating NBC, its Director General, Dr.

Ishaq Moddibbo Kawu, and other top management staff of the agency over their alleged involvements in the misapplication of the of N2.5 billion seed grant. Pinnacle Communications further said it is the only private licensed signal distributor for the DSO initiative in accordance with the 2012 Government White Paper under section 11.2 (a) which approved that “more than one signal distributor be licensed in addition to NTA, the public licensed signal distributor. Another signal distributor should be licensed immediately.” He added further that the firm was awarded the licence in 2014 having emerged the successful bidder out of nine companies that participated in the rigorous public tender and in full compliance with due process requirements. “Since then, Pinnacle Communications Limited has been a major

facilitator of the Digital Switch Over (DSO) implementation process in Nigeria, notably as the broadcast signal distributor for the National Launch of the DSO in Abuja in 2016 at its state-of-the-art Broadcast Centre on Mpape Hill, performed by His Excellency, Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Company was also responsible for the Kaduna Digital Broadcast Signal Distribution Centre commissioned in 2017 by the Kaduna State Governor, His Excellency, Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai”, he affirmed. Onifade dismissed the alleged statements attributed to the ICPC spokesperson that Pinnacle Communications was “fraudulently recommended to the Minister of Information and Culture for the release of N2.5 billion against the guidelines contained in the White Paper” and further reference to Pinnacle Communications as “an unqualified com-

“recent demand changes from a major consumer customer,” a similar explanation to those offered by Qorvo, Lumentum and Japan Display this week when they, too, unexpectedly reduced their outlooks. Cupertino, California-based Apple likes to diversify its suppliers, but four major component makers reducing revenue forecasts in the same week could mean the company is bracing for lower than expected sales of its latest devices. None of the companies specifically cited Apple but the iPhone maker is the largest customer and biggest revenue driver for all four, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Qorvo gets 36% of revenue from Apple, Lumentum generates 30%, AMS receives more than 20% and Japan Display gets 55%t. AMS makes what is known as an ambient light sensor, which helps measure how far a phone is from a user, for the Face ID facial recognition system on Apple’s iPhones. Qorvo makes wireless chips, while Lumentum makes 3D laser sensors for Face ID. Japan Display makes smartphone screens. pany.” “The 2014 licensing of Pinnacle Communications in the DSO predates the appointment of the current DG of NBC in 2016”, the company said, stressing that DTT Broadcast Engineering is a field in which it has earned recognition and patronage for more than two decades of expertise and dependability of world class service and installations across Nigeria. It further dismissed the confusion created by the ICPC spokesperson saying; “Neither the DSO nor Pinnacle Communications Limited ‘has anything to do with migration of telephone lines from analogue to digital platforms’ as the ICPC spokesperson is alleged to have stated.” “Pinnacle Communications further maintains that the facts and clarifications provided above sufficiently define the context and extent of its involvement in the implementation of the DSO program in Nigeria and the nature of its working relationship with the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC)”, it noted.

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

e-Platform

Recognize ICT as matter of national priority – NIRA urges FG Stories by VICTOR NZE

IGERIA Internet Registration Association (NIRA) has called on the Federal Government to recognize information and communication technology (ICT) as a matter of national priority as well as reviewing the existing legislation such as the Cybercrime Act, in order to complete the task of rebuilding the economy. Speaking during this year’s Network Technology Conference and Workshop, which held at the Zone Tech Park, Gbagada, Lagos, with the theme, “Affordable Broadband Internet to the next 100 million Nigerians,” President, NIRA, Sunday Folayan, in his lecture that said this requires concerted efforts in legislation and policies, education and capacity building, open governance and enhanced accountability. “We must carry out the task of rebuilding Nigeria’s economy so that it will be less dependent on oil, and more dependent on other sources of revenue, especially information technology. We must recognise information technology as a matter of national priority, and make it the bedrock of national development by putting in place policies that will use ICT to drive socio-economic development. “The government must consider reviewing the existing legislation such as the Cybercrime Act, and designate an executive agency for greater effectiveness and existing ICT regulations and Government oversight for better service delivery to all sectors and

industry players.” On education and capacity building, he said: “the ICT curriculum in the various educational establishments and levels must also be reviewed to reflect the realities of the current age.” He also urged Google, and Facebook to take advantage of the opportunities in Nigeria, given, saying the returns are enormous. Also commenting on connecting additional 100 million Nigerians, the President, Internet Society in Nigeria, a co-convener of ngNOG, Adewole Ajao, said: “It is very visible, but it is something that has to be done with strategy in mind, because it won’t happen by accident. We will build capacity in the people to build their own mininetworks, and operate it themselves, in the end we can get the benefit of connecting to the internet. On data volatility, Ajao said: “It’s something that worries everyone. We are only worried about that because it’s so expensive; if it becomes cheaper, you won’t worry that you finished 10 gigs in one day. “There are several reasons why data cost so much; a lot of the content is coming from outside the country, meanwhile, if more people host the contents locally, it would become less expensive because of the shorter distance to traffic. “Until we start to have alternatives, I don’t see those prices coming down. The other thing is to start to aggregate our purchases, but it’s hard to get people to collaborate to get joint purchasing in Nigeria, because everybody want

Samsung 2018 QLED television debuts in Nigerian market

AGOS, Nov. 12, 2018 (NAN) Samsung on Monday launched its newest and smartest television, the Samsung QLED Television 2018, into the Nigerian market. Olumide Olakotan, Key Account Manager, Samsung Electronics West Africa, said in Lagos that the new device would not only serve as an entertainment tool, but also add to the glamour that Samsung products brings to the home. He added that the new features in Samsung 2018 QLED television included a new ‘Invisible Connection’ or a single super-thin cable that will be hard to spot. “The main cable and nest of HDMI cables will go into the standard, separate connection box, and then a single, barely noticeable cable connects them to the television, leaving the area clutter free and tidy. This is the first time such a thin cable has handled both data and power duties, said the Samsung official. “At Samsung, we are focused on leaving a legacy of perfection for our consumers and that is why all our products are carefully crafted to meet the very specific needs of our growing dynamic and stylish customers,” he said. The manager said that the QLED could double as a piece of art in the living room or blend into the wall. “The QLED when wall-mounted and on Ambient Mode can

mimic the pattern on the wall behind the television, to create an astonishing visual effect in which the TV blends seamlessly into the wall. “QLED television can hide in plain sight. If you are not watching, you will not see a TV,” Olakotan added. Olakotan said users could now experience the truly connected life through the SmartThings app which connects the television to a broad range of smart devices and appliances, from the fridge to your smartphone, among others. He stressed that with the OneRemote feature, users could do without juggling remotes to control the different connected devices as it automatically detects, identifies and controls connected devices and content. “Users never have to take their eyes off the television to operate any internet connected device in their homes – hence the slogan, See Nothing Else. “The QLED 2018 is voice operated and can be easily synched with any device in the home powered by internet connectivity. “With this feature, users can dim the light, turn off the washing machine and regulate the air conditioner all from the comfort of their couch. “The television comes in 55, 65 and 75 inches with a curved screen option and is now available at Samsung outlets throughout Nigeria,’’ he said.

•Samsung’s foldable Galaxy F

to be the chairman of his own company.” On its part, the Nigeria Network Operators Group (ngNOG) called for the re-alignment of policies, especially in the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sec-

tor if the country is to play big in the emerging global digital economy. This policy realignment is also expected to help connect the next 100 million Nigerians. There are currently 105 million Internet

users in Nigeria, with over 26 million on Facebook. Calling for re-alignment of policies, ngNOG said the project will be made easier by recognising the importance of ICT in the nation’s socio-economic development.

LG geared towards enriching smarter lifestyle of customers – Taeick Son

ANAGING Director, LG Electronics, West Africa Operation, According to Mr Taeick Son, has stated that his company over the last decade introduced some of the best smart home appliances to promote the smarter lifestyle of its customers across the world. Son who disclosed this in a statement to Oracle Today, said LG’s unique technology every area of life has streamlined ‘everything from cooking and cleaning to clothing care and home security.’ “Advances in home appliances have streamlined everything from cooking and cleaning to clothing care and home security. But as devices get smarter and functionality begins to blur, consumers are also finding smart new solutions in unconventional categories. For example, robot vacuums offer more than just the enhanced control options of a smart oven or washing machine –they reinvent how cleaning takes place in the home. Other breakthroughs make it possible to accomplish new tasks in the home”, he said According to Son, some of the recent innovative products launched by LG is Styler, a unique clothing care solution that personifies the company’s commitment to delivering convenience through innovation, while, maintain further that ‘past models have proven their value in countless homes, LG has continued to improve its design to better meet consumers’ needs.’ “Technology is simplifying our lives and making everything easier day by day. The last decade has been a game changer – that today, there is no single facet of our lives that technology has not transformed. It has redefined the way we learn and communicate and created a paradigm shift in the healthcare and manufacturing sectors. “Tech innovation has significantly changed our lives for better and has revolutionized both our offices and homes. Smart homes were something we enjoyed and marvelled at only in science fiction movies and TV shows. But, just a few years have

changed all that and the things that were being imagined have come into reality. With affordable products, ubiquitous connectivity, convenience and other benefits are becoming commonplace, and the ability to control a host of items at your home remotely makes every moment spent at home worthwhile. “Now that working hours are on the rise for many women, leaving less time to take care of household chores, data has found that productivity in the household has increased exponentially in recent years. Allowing many families to actually see decreases in time spent doing housework. The biggest factor behind this growth in home productivity is technology. “Understanding the consumer needs has kept global electronics giant, LG at the forefront of innovation to create products that make consumers smarter – saving time, space and energy,” Son said. Continuing, Son listed some of the new products of the company to include: The recently released LG Styler ThinQ which offers new smart capabilities such as voice control and ThinQ capabilities to boost performance while still offering the same unrivalled steam cleaning as previous models. ‘Seamlessly combining smart functionality with time-saving practicality, the LG Styler ThinQ makes life smarter for the entire fam-

•LG OLED

ily while helping everyone look their best.’ “LG ThinQAI OLED TV: In the past, TVs earned a variety of unflattering nicknames for its supposed tendency to turn viewers into zombies. But today’s smart TVs have little in common with the “idiot boxes” of old. By making it easier for users to manage their home smart networks while also providing streamlined access to curated content recommendations. TVs of the future will create a generation of savvier, smarter viewers. “Today, the award-winning LG ThinQAI OLED TV exemplifies the traits that forward-thinking consumers are looking for in their TVs. Powered by an advanced (Alpha) 9 processor, the TV is able to render images in impressive detail while also providing access to the full potential of a connected smart device. Intuitive controls and stylish interfaces make it easy to find the right content from a variety of streaming platforms. The TV also employs Natural Language Processing (NLP) to deliver intelligent voice-activated control and connectivity based on LG’s own deep learning technology, DeepThinQ. “These innovative products are indications that LG is planning for the future with its consumers in mind. You can visit any LG store around you today to start building your own smart home,” Son stressed.

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

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EDITORIAL

Today

VOX POPULI SACRUM

Ethnic bigotry? Not in Anambra!

of our dream, 2) Getting our priorities right 3) Governance processes and 4) Funding our priorities. Out of these, the PDP presidential the party captured its stand thus: “Four years candidate camp further developed what he ago, we promised Nigerians real change – in calls THE KEY MESSAGES of the Campaign: A) what we do and how we do it. Nigerians sent Under-performance by the State B) Structural a clear message in the last election, and our fault-lines and C) Threats to unity (of the counplatform offered a new, ambitious plan for try). a secure, prosperous and corruption-free The accent of the Atiku Document is on the country. We have worked hard to fulfill our imperative of restructuring to eliminate the promises - and while the road may have been structural fault-lines that generate threats to difficult, over the last three and a half years, the unity of the country. Apart from drawwe have laid the foundations for a strong, ing attention to what the PDP team believes stable and prosperous country for the majorto be the “under-performance of the current ity of our people. APC-led government in critical segments of “Foundational work is not often visible, neither the political economy,” the Atiku POLICY is it glamorous - but it is vital to achieving DOCUMENT is practically a call on Nigerians to the kind of country we desire. Judging by choose between a system that functions and the prior depth of decay, deterioration and is primed to deliver progress, or one that may disrepair that Nigeria had sunken into, we are never function, no matter the degree of good certain that these past few years have put us governance its operators may bring to bear on in good stead to trudge on the NEXT LEVEL its management and, so, may never usher in an of building an even stronger nation for our era of progress. people.” Speaking at an annual public lecture at the ObafeAs we have already observed, NEXT LEVEL mi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, in March last presumes that nothing is wrong with what year, the former Vice President and PDP presithe APC government has done in the past dential candidate said of restructuring: “Our three and half years or even with the way we current constitution does indeed concentrate are. All that is needed for us to match triumtoo much power and resources at the centre, phantly into the much-desired Eldorado, in which has, in my view, impeded national develthe view of the ruling party at the centre, is opment, security, peace and stability. simply for citizens to vote APC again. “At some point our leaders and representatives On the other hand, the Atiku POLICY DOCUwill come together, discuss and work out a MENT delineates Nigeria into four broad catframework for restructuring our federation in egories, including A) Building the economy order to renew it to serve our people better. “The restructuring that I have been calling for involves changes to the allocation of powers, responsibilities and resources among the states or zones and between them and the federal government. “It is clear to me that the resistance against restructuring is based on three interrelated factors, namely dependency, fear and mistrust. Dependency of all segments of the country on oil revenues, fear of loss of oil revenues by non-oil producing states or regions and mistrust of the motives of those angling for restructuring. “This can be seen in the regional patterns of the advocacy for and opposition to restructuring. “There is no doubt that many of our states are not viable, and were not viable from the start, once you take away the federal allocations from Abuja. We have to find creative ways to make them viable in a changed federal system. Collaboration among states in a region or zone will help. “Nigeria must devolve more powers and resources from the federal government and deemphasize federal allocations as the source of sustenance of states.” Although the APC set up a committee on restructuring, headed by Kaduna State governor Nasir el-Rufai and which returned a verdict of yes to restructuring, the total silence of NEXT LEVEL on the structural question is a clear indication that it is not so much an APC manifesto as it is a Cont’d front page 1

complete reflection of President Buhari’s controversial stand on restructuring. Buhari is of the opinion that Nigeria does not have a structural but governance problem. In his New Year address this year, President Muhammadu Buhari dismissed calls for a holistic new look at Nigeria’s political structure, saying he does not see it as a priority. “When all the aggregates of nationwide opinions are considered, my firm view is that our problems are more to do with process than structure,” the President said in the address, which was his first to the nation since August 21, 2017. The president said Nigeria should continue to operate its current presidential system, stressing, however, that ideas on how to make it less susceptible to extravagance, waste and corruption largely were much welcome. “There is a strong case for a closer look at the cost of government and for the public services long used to extravagance, waste and corruption to change for the better,” he said, adding: “I assure you that government is ever receptive to ideas which will improve governance and contribute to the country’s peace and stability.” So, as it stands now, this election, from the manifestos of the parties, from the antecedents of the of the presidential candidates, will be fought, won and lost on the basis of whether Nigerians are in agreement with what APC has been doing in the past three and half years and want to continue with it or whether they believe that Nigeria can do with some tinkering with its foundational structure to make it nimbler and more progressive and would, therefore, want to align with the tendency advocating restructuring. In the end, much of the outcome of the election will also be determined by how well or otherwise marketers of these two opposing tendencies do their work.

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.

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

OPINION Toe Ekechi’s confession and matters arising (1) By Collins Ughalaa

r. TOE Ekechi is the leader of the Restoration Coalition of APC Imo State and convener of the popular Imerienwe Declaration that has pushed Governor Okorocha to the wall and shown that no matter how highly he assumes himself, “men dey!”. Former Commissioner for Information and Strategy to Governor Okorocha, Dr. Ekechi is one of the finest public relations experts we have around. Recently he made a revelation that has kept mouths wagging. It was not as if Imo people had not heard what he said before, but his confession was interesting for many reasons: Imo people did not know the level of involvement of some sons and daughters of Imo State in the ouster of Dr. Ikedi Ohakim from office in 2011. Imo people did not know the people behind the conspiracy, and it was nice hearing from the horse’s mouth. Again, what Dr. Ekechi revealed proved once and for all that His Excellency Dr. Ikedi Ohakim did not lose the 2011 governorship election in the state, but that rather he was pushed out by combined forces from Abuja and Owerri, not the masses. For close to eight years, what we have seen is that some members of the elite class, ashamed of the outcome of their 2011 conspiracy try to shake off the shame by claiming falsely that it was the “masses” that “removed” Ohakim. But the confession by Dr. Ekechi, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has shed more light on the shenanigan that transpired that overwhelmed the whole of the state and forced the entire state on bended knees. And for those who might be asking what Ekechi said that has kept mouths wagging, eight years after Dr. Ikedi Ohakim left office

as the Governor of Imo State, Dr. Ekechi opened up on the reason Ohakim lost his re-election bid in 2011. He said, like we have always maintained, that Ohakim was pushed out of office not because he did not perform or because the masses did not want him, rather it was by a deliberate act by the former President, Dr. Ebele Goodluck Jonathan, working in cohorts with some people in the state, to stop him. Speaking on the conspiracy that removed Dr. Ikedi Ohakim from office as Governor in 2011, despite his stellar performance, during an interview with a national daily, Dr. Ekechi said: “It is on record that I was a close ally to Rochas Okorocha. As former Chief of Staff to the Minister of Interior, Capt. Ihenacho, we worked with Okorocha at the instance of the former President Goodluck Jonathan. A committee was set up to evaluate Jonathan chances of winning the presidential election in Imo State judging from the activities of the former Governor Ikedi Ohakim who was then in PDP. Ohakim showed signs of dislike against Jonathan when he was transiting from Vice President to President. As secretary of the committee, I became very close to Okorocha. When it became obvious that Ohakim could not win the 2011 governorship election, Okorocha moved to APGA and the committee supported him. I donated my house for meetings to show personal support”. Frankly speaking, the conspiracy that saw Ohakim out of the state government house in 2011 was a cobweb of activities and conspirators that were bent on getting power with the backing of the then presidency and therefore went beyond the Ekechi’s committee. According to Dr. Ethelbert Okere, a celebrated journalist and author, in his book, Democracy by Military Tank, the conspiracy was a well choreographed concert, involving

also INEC and security officials. Apart from noting how the elite class penetrated some local government chairmen, especially in Orlu Zone, and failing to pocket both Oguta and Ohaji/Egbema LGAs where Ohakim had scored 14,052 and 28,799 votes respectively, against Okorocha’s 4,260 and 6,008 votes respectively, Dr. Okere said that Ohakim was on his road to victory. According to him, the elite class having failed in their tasks, the job was shifted to INEC and security officials to perfect. Speaking on what happened to the 28,799 voted from Ohaji/Egbema LGA, Dr. Okere quoted the Democracy by Military Tank in his new book, Arthur by an Eyewitness, and noted that the INEC Returning Officer for the election, Prof Enoch Akobundu, having rejected the result from Mbaitoli LGA, played the most heinous drama when the Returning Officer for Ohaji/Egbema LGA, Mr. Valentine Nwoke, was “detained” by security officials who had brought him to INEC office and Prof Akobundu declared there was no election in Ohaji/Egbema LGA. This is how Dr. Okere captured it: “Akobundu had upon sighting Nwoke and the soldiers [who brought him] directed the former to wait but almost simultaneously announced that he was proceeding for a ten-minute break… At the same time, the soldiers who had earlier brought in Nwoke reappeared and led him away. The soldiers led Nwoke to an adjacent room and told him to remain there until they came back for him. Thereafter they locked the door behind. Nwoke was still inside the room when Professor Akobundu returned after more than one hour, as against the ten minutes he had announced and began to ask in very loud voice: ‘Where is the Ohaji-Egbema Returning Officer? Where is the Ohaji-Egbema Return-

ing Officer? Where is he? He is around.” He went on to declare that no election was held in the area. For Oguta LGA, the election was declared inconclusive, even as Prof Akobundu declared that election did not hold in Ngor-Okpala LGA. Writing on the involvement of security officials, Dr. Okere wondered: “why was it not possible for election to hold in Oguta even with the heavy presence of the security agencies in the area”? He noted that “In OhajiEgbema, Hon Goodluck Opiah was placed on house arrest by soldiers who stormed his country home as early as 5.00am on May 6, 2011. The soldiers used two military tanks to cordon off the entire vicinity of his village to prevent human and vehicular movement there”. The author added: “They did the same thing at Chief Arthur Nzeribe’s home”. He concluded that “Looking back, it would not be out of place to state that Oguta was chosen as the operational headquarters of those who plotted the 2011 fiasco because they thought they would not succeed unless it was first ‘secured’”. Writing on the caption, “Did We Remove Ikedi Ohakim in 2011 or Powerful Manipulators Did?, Austine C. Otuokere Esq, Permanent Secretary Rtd and Director General of Team Ikedi Ohakim 2019, had on August 14, maintained that it was not the masses but some powerful manipulators that removed Ohakim in 2011. He said: “Many of us who were alive to the political developments in Imo State in the last eleven years know that the PDP Federal Government under President Goodluck Jonathan played the most significant role in the removal of the PDP government of Ikedi Ohakim in 2011. It was a special Jonathanain project”. •To be continue

APC and countdown to 2019 polls (4) By EHICHIOYA EZOMON

uring the last UNGA (United Nations General Assembly) in New York, a mild drama of sorts took place, as President Muhammadu Buhari walked into one of his sideline engagements in the city. A white lady shot forward and thrust her hand to shake him, as it looked the president would not extend such regards to her, and to many of the bystanders, including Nigerians and other Africans, who lined both sides. That occurrence brought to mind how, in the recent past, Buhari’s handlers had been “unsuccessful” twice in a public relations endeavour: a documentary, and an 800-metre walk that were both designed to humanize him before Nigerians. In late 2017, presidential aides, in attempts to present Buhari as genial, eventually portrayed him as a split-personality: The stern, no nonsense former Military officer; and a jovial, sociable, likable, jolly good fellow. The documentary turned a PR fiasco due to its timing. Aired in the wake of a crunching fuel scarcity that threatened a celebratory Yuletide, the handlers were perhaps not in sync with the people’s sensibility of having to experience, once again, what the Buhari government promised to eliminate. Then came the mid-2018 “800-metre walk” in Daura, Buhari’s hometown, that’s mischaracterized as a “fitness test for the 2019 elections,” but which the president correctly explained as a gesture to return the cheers and admiration for him by the crowd that manned the route from the Eld grounds to his house. Yet, by “strolling” down the street, many of the people, the hoi-polli that are his “reliable” backers, did not have the privilege of person-to-person contact through handshakes, hugs or enquiries about their wellbeing in the home-front. Buhari was still en-

sconced by security operatives that he could only wave intermittently to the crowd. However, that lady in New York sent a clear message to the president: That when you’re in the midst of a welcoming audience, you should loosen up, shake hands, do some hugging and exchange pleasantries and banters with the people. Even in an unfriendly environment, your mannerism and general body language could go a long way in disarming the gathering. All this will come in handy in this campaign season that officially kicked-off yesterday, Sunday, November 18, precisely 88 days to the 2019 elections, which commence with the Presidential and National Assembly balloting at 8 a.m. on February 16. In a January 1, 2018, piece, “Buhari: Time to self-humanize publicly,” I observed that while in a civilian garb, Buhari was still as stiff as they come in the Military, and entreated him to shelve the Barracks mentality. The trick to humanizing oneself, I said, was not by punching the air with a clenched fist in salute or exchanging formalities with officials and VIPs, but “it’s about coming down and exchanging pleasantries with the ordinary people, the downtrodden, whom you verbalize you represent and working all your official life for.” “Nigerians have seen snippets of the president in bouts of guffaw in photographs, especially the ones published to debunk rumours of his being vegetative or dead during his illhealth in London in 2017,” I wrote. “But they haven’t seen Buhari, in flesh and blood, in that form or shape, not at any occasions, such as political rallies that are jamborees. The mental picture they have, and seldom see of him is a man that gives smirky smiles and a reluctant wave of the hand(s). Not for him the buzz of the Nigerian social life that makes people to loosen up.” That documentary wanted to prove that

the president is good-humoured, as most Nigerians. For, according to Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State, a time was, particularly during the build-up to the 2015 general elections, when they, together with Buhari, “would roll on the carpet with laughter in Buhari’s home in Kaduna” - owing to the moonlight tales told by the president. As I noted in that article, one striking feature of the Buhari aides’ narratives is that “he only let his guards down in the circles of his family members, friends and associates, including cabinet members. When he’s outside of these groups, he maintains his mien.” “But must we all be his acquaintances before we can experience the avuncular disposition he displays in private? When the people were voting in 2015, they never distinguished between a public and private Buhari; they cast their ballots for an individual that would give them the dividend of democracy. “How many times has the president made a detour to greet, and exchange pleasantries with members of the audience in an auditorium? How often, if any, has he been on the streets of his immediate constituency of Abuja, to ask after the wellbeing of, and share a joke or two with the common man he professes to represent? “How would the people appreciate his difficulties in governance... if they don’t know him through personal contacts, or talk to and exchange ideas with him via the telephone, radio and television? The people don’t need third parties to tell them about his geniality. They want that familiarity first hand.” The above queries are as germane, if not more compelling than they were in 2017, as we enter the homestretch of the 2019 polls. Buhari should take heed: This is a battle for his political life; indeed, it’s the “real” battle of his life. It’s the last opportunity to showcase himself as the “People’s President” not only by official actions, but also by personal

disposition even in the public. Win or lose, Buhari would step down in 2023 or 2019. In either scenario, he would have no other chance but now to recreate his image before Nigerians, and in particular his millions of supporters, followers, admirers, sympathizers and members of the APC. No other person can humanize Buhari but, or than himself. And in the 2019 elections, he has only “One Life To Live.” So, in the remaining days of the campaigns, why not live it to the fullest by meeting, engaging, embracing and mixing with the voters on their home turf! •Mr. Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.

THE GROUP Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Ikeddy Isiguzo Editor Felix Oguejiofor Abugu Deputy Editor/Head, Lagos Bureau Sopuruchi Onwuka Head, Graphics & Designs Nnamdi Alex Chukwu Circulation Manager Felix Oti

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

Travel & Hospitality Stories by VICTOR NZE

ANA Air, last Saturday, celebrated ten years of operation in the country’s aviation industry with a pledge to offer its guests the best of service hinged on safety and customer satisfaction. This is also as the airline disclosed that it has now flown 2.7 million passengers over the ten years of its operation in Nigeria. Chief Operating Officer of Dana Air Mr Obi Mbanuzuo, while addressing newsmen in Lagos said, ‘despite all the challenges that airlines in Nigeria have to grapple with, Dana Air is proud to be celebrating 10 years of providing massive job opportunities, capacity development, training, broad corporate social responsibility and most of all, amazing flight service to Nigeria and Nigerians. ‘When we commenced operations 10 years ago, precisely on the 10th of November, 2008, our desire was change the convention and exceed the flying aspiration of our guests with our world-class services and today, with the support and loyalty of our esteemed guests, we have been able to achieve 10 years of service to Nigerians. ‘’As you may be aware, we are about the second private domestic airline in Nigeria’s history to achieve this feat, and it’s on record that over 60 airlines have gone under without being able to even survive even 5 years in the industry. It hasn’t been easy as we have had to grapple with a lot of challenges in the last 10 years ranging from infrastructure, multiple taxes, and high cost of aviation fuel, but we are delighted to have been able to brave the storm and I must say our commitment, proficient management style, high standards, and passion for excellence brought us this far.’’

Dana Air flies 2.7m passengers in 10 yrs

Commenting on the airline’s sponsorship of two Nigerian clubs, the Dana Air Accountable Manager said, ‘Dana Air is the only Nigerian airline at the moment sponsoring two Nigerian league clubs- Heartland FC of Owerri and Akwa United fc in Akwa Ibom state. In unveiling the multimillion naira deal for both clubs, we considered their status. For Akwa, they just won the Aiteo cup at the time, and Heartland, the governor wanted something special not just for his players but his people and our partnership with the government is part of what the state-owned club is enjoying at the moment. This has also helped ease their transportation to away games, and improve their away performance.’’ “‘Having flown over 2.7m passengers in the last 10 years of our operations with an on-time performance and a world-class in-flight service that is yet to be unrivaled, our desire is to do another 10 years offering Nigerians the best of service hinged on customer satisfaction and safety. ‘We unflinching in our resolve to maintain what we have come to be known for but our appeal is that the needed support be given to airlines. If the VAT can be removed as assured by the federal government, we will be happy and this will surely have a positive impact too.’ “It’s going to be a month-long celebration and we will appreciate our guests for their loyalty, our staff for their constant show of professionalism, passion and loyalty, the media for their support at all times and our vendors and partners for their patience and understanding,” Mbanuzuo added.

•(From left): Cabin Services Manager of Dana Air, Innocent Udoh, Media and Communications Manager of Dana Air, Kingsley Ezenwa, Chief Operating officer of Dana Air, Obi Mbanuzuo, Director of Flight Operations, Captain Segun Omole and Flight Operations and Quality Assurance Manager, Captain Kayode Ola during Dana Air’s 10th anniversary cake cutting event in Lagos recently.

Asaba Airport handles first int’l flight

HE newly-reconstructed Asaba International Airport, in Delta State handled its first international flight when members of the national football team, the Nigeria Super Eagles departed from the facility to South Africa, with the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and the plane’s pilot, Captain Yahaya Pam, of Max Air, stating that facilities at the airport were among the best in the country and of international standard. The Boeing 737 aircraft belonging to indigenous operator, Max Air, touched down at exactly 5:22pm

NIS elevates 4,797 personnel, issues 24,840 visas

IGERIA Immigration Service (NIS) on Monday said it had promoted 4,797 officers and service men as part of comprehensive campaign to boost the morale of its personnel, as well approving 24,840 Visa on Arrival (VoA) Comptroller General, Alhaji Muhammad Babandede, disclosed this at the inauguration of the 2018 Comptroller General Annual Conference in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. Babandede disclosed that 3,405 officers and men, who suffered unnecessary stagnation, were promoted to the next ranks while 1,392 others were promoted through conversion and upgrade. He revealed that comptrollers and other senior officers were exposed to leadership skills and junior officers were trained on administrative skills while retiring officers were also trained in the past one year. Babandede added that a new curriculum had been introduced in its training schools to build the capacity of its personnel to enable them to discharge their duties effectively, adding that the service accorded priority to the training of personnel. He said: “we have continued to make steady progress in the discharge of our statutory mandates over the years and it resulted in some formidable reforms that placed NIS very predominantly in

the nation’s security and economic development indices”. Babandede said that the service had also adopted proactive visa reforms in line with global best practices, to deal with cumbersome processes and ease difficulties encounter in visa processing. The CG revealed that 24,840 approvals for Visa on Arrival (VoA) and 7,114 temporary work permit were issued since January. He added that biometric visa had commenced in 17 missions and would be deployed to airports. According to him, the Federal Government has approved a new ‘polycarbonate e-passport’ with a 10-year validity, which would be unveiled in December. Babandede explained that about 25 features were added to the new booklet for enhanced security with the support of its partners ISTIL. “It is not enough to launch a new document if the process to acquire it is deficient. In this regards, we are tackling the problem of lost passports seriously,” he said. He called on the people to desist from fraudulent acts while applying for issuance of passport, warning that erring applicants and officers would be prosecuted. On infrastructure development, Babandede disclosed that the service had initiated various projects

to create an enabling operational environment for its personnel and transform its services. The CG disclosed that modern office accommodation was inaugurated in Kano and Jigawa, while similar projects were ongoing in Plateau, Imo, Nasarawa, Gombe, Enugu and Ekiti States. Babandede said office and barrack space facilities at Seme, IdiIroko, Mazanya-Jibiya, Imeko and Illela as well as Maigatari, Shaki and Seme would soon be commissioned. He said that the essence of the Forward Border Patrol Base was to enhance surveillance and check dangerous movement in the Sahara Desert and Mediterranean Sea. The service, he added, also implemented Information and Data Analysis Platform (MIDAS) at Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Enugu International Airports, to enhance security and processing of migrants’ data. “The Federal Government last week approved N7 billion for construction of and furnishing of Technology Building. The building will revolutionise our jobs, all data in one house interfacing with each other. “We have taken delivery of 114 patrol vehicles; 93 flag cars, 14 buses four ambulances, 9 trucks and 12 SUVs for passport operations and distributed officers and operational units,” he added.

to palpable excitement with members of the State Executive Council, a delegation from the Palace of the Asagba of Asaba and deltans on ground to witness the historic event which would forever remain indelible in their minds. Speaking with journalists at the airport, the pilot of the airplane, Captain Yahaya Pam said the Asaba Airport runway was among the top three in the country, “ it is very smooth, good and long in line with international standards”, adding that the ramp was of top notch. He commended the state government for the facilities at the airport. Governor Ifeanyi Okowa represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Honourable Festus Ovie Agas described the event as a dream come true and a major feat in the fulfillment of the SMART agenda of government. He explained that the recent upgrade of the airport especially the improvement on the runway has made this effort possible, stressing that a provisional approval was

given to the airport to airlift the team to South Africa for their match against Bafana Bafana. Obi Ngozi Kowea, leader of the delegation from the Asagba of Asaba palace, said that with the successful landing and subsequent take-off of the first international flight, critics of Governor Okowa has been proved wrong, and gave the assurance that the Asaba people were fully behind him in next year’s election and throughout his tenure in office. In their remarks, Information Commissioner, Patrick Ukah and the Director of the Asaba Airport Project, Mr. Austin Ayemidejor said that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority NCAA has upgraded the Asaba airport to category six. Members of the Super Eagles boarded the airplane with code number 5N-MHM at 6.55 pm in high spirit enroute the Republic of South Africa for the concluded clash with the Bafana Bafana football team in a Nation’s Cup qualifier.

Ooni lines up top artistes for Yoruba culture revival

ONI of Ife, Oba Ogunwusi Adeyeye, has lined up leading artistes to undertake a cultural revival of Yoruba heritage in a 12-day artistic show, designed to showcase the Yoruba nation. Adeyeye who made the announcement in Lagos, Sunday, disclosed this through Oba Adebisi Layade, the Alarao Odaye of Ara Ife in Osun. The event is being staged ahead of the “Queen Moremi Ajasoro Special Theatre Project,” commemorating Queen Moremi, the iconic daughter of one of the bravest Yoruba hunter warriors, named Lukugba. Oral tradition describes Queen Moremi as one of the greatest Queens of Ile Ife in the Yoruba country, who risked her life for her people. Adeyeye named the artistes lined up for the show as Bimbo Manuel, Bambam of the Big Brother Nigeria, Femi Branch, Deyemi Okanlawon, Aye Ayoola and Kehinde Bankole. He said that the event would propagate and rejuvenate the cherished values, culture and tradition of an African woman, who through her unusual courage put herself forward in

order to save her people. “Through her quest for knowledge and sacrifice, she paid the price of injustice as a one-woman army for the love of her people,’’ the monarch said. He said that a Queen Moremi Ajasoro 90 Minutes Musical Drama had also been lined up to project the unique culture of the Yoruba, one of the major ethnic groups in Nigeria. According to him, the event is slated to hold from Dec. 21 to Jan. 2 in Lagos, adding that the House of Oduduwa Foundation has commissioned Bolanle Austin-Peters Production to produce the theatre performance. He said that the project, through which the different facets of Yoruba culture had been portrayed to the world, would also show the dignity and rich content of Yoruba heritage. Adeyeye noted that the world was beginning to appreciate the uniqueness of Yoruba culture in various forms. The monarch said that he started the current promotion with the history and personality of Queen Moremi because of the unique lessons the woman displayed in her lifetime.

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

AVIATION Stories by VICTOR NZE

EDERAL Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), has disclosed that a total of 3.36 million passengers traveled through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja between January and September, this year. FAAN disclosed this in its 2018 Passengers Traffic Statistics released Tuesday, in Abuja. The report showed that a total of 2.6 million people travelled locally (domestic) while 689,388 passengers were recorded on international wing during the period. It also showed that while 1.36 million passengers were recorded on domestic arrivals, 1.30 million departed through the airport within the period. According to FAAN, 340,171 international passengers arrived the airport, while 349,217 passengers traveled out of the country through NAIA during the period. Quarterly breakdown showed that 1.02 million passengers travelled during the first quarter; 1.1 million in second quarter and 1.23 million in third quarter. Monthly breakdown revealed that 339,452 passengers traveled through the airport in January, comprising of 263,625 domestic and 75,827 international passen-

NAIA records 3.36m passengers in 9 months gers. In February, 303,571 passengers comprising of 248,863 domestic and 54,708 international passengers traveled, while 378,881 passengers comprising 309,571 domestic and 69,310 international passengers were transported in March. While a total of 397,058 passengers comprising of 317,282 domestic and 79,776 international passengers travelled in April, 364,419 comprising of 291,086 domestic and 73,333 international passengers were recorded in May. In June, 348,269 passengers comprising of 271,543 domestic and 76,726 international passengers were moved while 394,340 passengers consisting of 308,069 domestic and 86,271 international passengers travelled through NAIA in July. The statistics further showed that while 434,358 comprising of 341,598 domestic and 92,760 international passengers were recorded in August, 403,400 passengers comprising of 322,723 domestic and 80,677 international passengers were transported in September.

NASENI, NCAA partner on Made-in-Nigeria helicopters project

ATIONAL Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has partnered with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to provide relevant guides in its plan to produce Madein-Nigeria helicopters. The agency charged with the responsibility of fast-tracking homeinitiated industrialization, has also placed an order for a Dynali H3 easy flyer sport ultra-light helicopter for the purpose of reverse engineering. Speaking in Lagos during a courtesy visit to the NCAA headquarters where he was received by the Director General, Capt. Mukhtar Usman, Wednesday, the executive vice- chairman/CEO of NASENI, Prof. Muhammed Sanni Haruna disclosed that in line with the agency’s mandate in Aviation and Aeronautics Technology, the agency reached out to potential partners and manufacturers of helicopters. The EVC assured that before the end of 2019, staff of the agency would have mastered the art of building the helicopters, adding that the agency had in the past produced unmanned aerial vehicle (drones). He said, “Research and Development is not one or two – day affair but we have facilities for reverse engineering. In fact we have a centre which we call rapid prototyping centre. Any machine that you want to reproduce, we have facilities, advance manufacturing equipment for that matter on how to give us something fast but then aviation is a high safety and security industry that certain things, we must wait for certification from here (NCAA) before we proceed further. “We are confident that through your support and that of other stakeholders, the made-in Nigeria Helicopter project will be a success. Inline with NASENl’s mandate in Aviation and Aeronautics technology, Ministerial and Presidential directives to the agency to develop made-in-Nigeria helicopters, the

agency reached out to potential partners and manufacturers of helicopters and eventually found Dynali Helicopter Manufacturing Company of Belgium as a willing partner to fast-track technology acquisition and domestication. “The company is the manufacturer of a wide range and models of Dynali H3 easy flyer sport ultra-light helicopters. The company produces the simplest, easy to maintain and operate helicopters of high quality and of international standards. Responding, NCAA DG assured that the authority would partner with the agency to provide guidance in line with global standard and recommended practices in aviation.

•Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Engr Saleh Dunoma (r), presenting the awards of “The Best Improvement in Safety (Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport)’ and the ‘Certification of FAAN Training School as ICAO Aviation Security Centre’ won by the airports management agency to the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, Friday, at the Ministry of Aviation complex, Abuja.

Onyema to establish study centre at Ojukwu varsity

HAIRMAN of Air Peace, Dr Allen Onyema, has pledged to establish Nigeria’s first Centre for Non-Violence and Peace Studies at the Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, Awka in Anambra. Onyema made the pledge on Saturday after he was conferred with an Honourary Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) by the university during its 9th convocation ceremony. Onyema, who also donated N70 million to upgrade infrastructure in the institution, not-

ed that ethno-religious violence has become endemic in Nigeria. He said:”I want to help education. I want to fight the incidence of violence and ethnicity in this country. The greatest bane to our development is ethnicity. “That is why I want to set up the first centre for non-violence and peace studies for them by collaborating with the university and making it an elective course for students, so that people will start learning how to manage conflict. “Conflict is a catalyst for

SAHCO renews ground handling contract with Arik Air

KYWAY Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) Plc has renewed its ground handling contract with Arik Air. Managing Director/CEO, SAHCO, Mr. Basil Agboarumi, during the renewal of ground handling service agreement with Arik Air at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos promised to deliver quality and improved ground handling services to all its clientele across the nation’s airports especially as it acquires more state-ofthe-art equipment for operations. Basil disclosed that some new ground handling equipment of the company which would in the next few weeks arrive in the country will further improve the quality of its service to its clients, including Arik Air. According to him, since the company was acquired by Sifax Group of Companies about nine years ago, the board had strived to improve the quality of services to its clients, stressing it would continue to grow its services especially as the company is enlisted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). On the renewed agreement with

Arik Air, Agboarumi emphasised that it portends endorsement and credibility on the services of the ground handling company. The agreement was renewed for another three years. He said: “Today is unique for SAHCO. The Initial Public Offering (IPO) for SAHCO begins today (Monday) and we are signing this contract with Arik Air. Arik Air has been with SAHCO for several years and we have witnessed the growth of the company over the years. “We are happy that the new management has established the airline on the right path. Arik Air is a good company to do business with. We are very proud to associate with the airline. Wherever Arik Air is mentioned, we will stand up for you. We have new equipment coming in. Some of them are on the high seas, while others are with us here already in the country. Agboarumi continued that: “We have warehouses in Port Harcourt, Kano, Lagos and Abuja and we are ready to build warehouses wher-

ever they are needed. You have to understand that we are business people. If there is need for business expansion to any airport in the country, we will not hesitate to do that. Not just in Enugu, but across Nigeria. As long as business is expanding to those sides, you will see SAHCO there. “You will understand that we are the only ground handling company that operates in all commercially operated airports in Nigeria. So, when it comes to warehouses and we are sure that it will be utilised to the fullest capacity, we will be there.” Also, Mr. Murat Ozcan, Vice President, Ground Operations, Arik Air expressed excitement with the renewed agreement with the ground handling company. Ozcan also said that the airline had for the past five years developed a mutual relationship with SAHCO. He explained that the renewed agreement would run for three years, adding that the management would be willing to constantly renew its contracts with the ground handling company.

change but it depends on how you manage it. The institute I want to set up here will help Nigerians with the ways and means of managing conflicts to achieve better results.” Onyema said he had contributed his quota to bringing relative peace to the Niger-Delta region and other parts of the country through his organisation, Foundation for Ethnic Harmony in Nigeria (FEHN). According to him, the challenges of etho-religious violence can be tackled through education and provision of employment opportunities for Nigerians. He said Air Peace, which started four years ago, had employed some 4,000 Nigerians across the various ethnic groups as part of the airline’s contribution to national development. Onyema said the airline currently had 27 aircraft in its fleet and also recently signed an agreement with Boeing for the supply of 10 brand new B737 Max 8 aircraft to boost its international operations. “Today, we operate into 14 domestic and five regional destinations, with plans for the inauguration of our long-haul flights to Dubai, Sharjah, London, Houston, Guangzhou-China, Mumbai and Johannesburg nearing completion,” he said. The Air Peace boss called on the Federal Government to continue to provide the needed support for Nigerian businesses, stressing that this would help fast track socio-economic development in the country While thanking the authorities of the university for the recognition given to him and other awardees, Onyema said such gesture encourages people to do more for the society.

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

INSURANCE & PENSION

Insurance, banking sector top list of NSE suspended firms Stories by VICTOR NZE

WELVE firms in the banking, micro-finance and mortgage sector as well as those insurance emerged topped the list 21 firms still under suspension by the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and barred from trading on its floor since as far as 2017. Of the total of 21 public quoted companies not allowed to trade their shares on the floor of NSE, the insurance sector with six companies, and those from banking, one firm, five others from the micro-finance and mortgage industry contributed to the total of 12 with

rest 10 companies from other sectors making up the 21 suspended institutions. The affected firms which were hit by the NSE hammer for various infractions have seen their shares plummet as investors can no longer trade on them, making their prices static until the embargoes are removed. According to a document from the NSE, some of the affected companies have been on suspension since 2017, while the others since the second quarter of this year. The 21 firms still under suspension are: Fortis Microfinance Bank, Thomas Wyatt Nigeria, Deap Cap-

ital Management & Trust, Golden Guinea Breweries, Multi-Trex Integrated Foods, International Energy Insurance, Unic Diversified Holdings, DN Tyre & Rubber, and Skye Bank. Others are: African Alliance Insurance, STACO Insurance, Afromedia, Nigerian German Chemical, Roads Nigeria, Great Nigeria Insurance, Resort Savings & Loans, Aso Savings & Loans, Evans Medical, Goldlink Insurance, Omatek Ventures and Union Homes Savings & Loans. The six insurance firms still suspended from trading on the floor of the NSE are: Goldlink Insurance, Great Nigeria Insurance, African Al-

liance Insurance, STACO Insurance, International Energy Insurance, and Unic Diversified Holdings. Fortis Microfinance Bank, Deap Capital Management & Trust, Skye Bank, Resort Savings & Loans, Aso Savings & Loans, Union Homes Savings & Loans from the list from the banking, micro-finance and mortgage firms also fell under the NSE hammer. Apart from Skye Bank, which suspended following the regulatory action of the Central Bank of Nigeria to revoke its banking license, every other company were suspended for failing to file the relevant accounts by the expiration of the

cure period. Great Nigeria Insurance, Resort Savings & Loans, Aso Savings & Loans, Evans Medical, Goldlink Insurance, Omatek Ventures and Union Homes Savings & Loans were all suspended on July 5, 2017 by the regulator, while Nigerian German Chemical and Roads Nigeria were both suspended on October 4, 2017. Skye Bank received the hammer on September 24, 2018, while International Energy Insurance, Unic Diversified Holdings, and DN Tyre & Rubber were suspended on October 8, 2018.

Ogun Govt pays N4.7b to LG pensioners in 8 months

ERMANENT Secretary, Bureau of Local Government Pensions, Mrs Irene Kokumo, Friday said that the state government had paid N4.7 billion to local government pensioners between January and August. Kokumo disclosed this while playing host to members of Ogun House of Assembly Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs who were on oversight visit to the bureau in Abeokuta. The permanent secretary, represented by Mr Aduloju Akinbobola noted that the state government had paid the monthly pensions of the retirees up to the month of October. She explained that 474 new retirees were enlisted into the payroll of the bureau, saying that they all enjoyed the benefits of their monthly pensions. The permanent secretary added that gratuities for teaching and non-teaching retirees of State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) had been paid up till August 2011, while that of the local government retirees had been paid up to November 2011. She said that the bureau successfully completed 2017 biometric screening exercise which revealed that a total of 200 pensioners had become deceased. “We have erroneously recovered funds paid into some deceased retirees accounts,” she said. Responding, Mr Tunde Sanusi, House Committee Chairman commended the bureau for the prompt payment of the pensioners’ entitlements. Sanusi added that the assembly would not hesitate to support the bureau when necessary. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other members of the committee included Messrs Akinpelu Aina, Harrison Adeyemi, Razak Oduntan and Olayiwola Ojodu.

• (From left): Deputy Manager Investment and Risk Mgt, Idowu Olaitan Semowo; Deputy Managing Director, Susan Abisola Giwa-Osagie; Group Managing Director of the Company, Tope Smart and Deputy General Manager Corporate Communications, Mojisola Teluwo at the event, Saturday.

Africa Re concludes life assurance cessionning, administration training

FRICA Re has concluded a 3-day seminar on Life Assurance Cessioning and Administration in Lagos, in line with its mission of fostering the development of the insurance and re-

insurance industry in Africa. The seminar had in attendance forty seven participants drawn from across Africa – Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Sierra Leone, The Gambia and Uganda.

The seminar was designed for Life Managers, Heads of Technical/Operations, Heads of Actuarial Units, Senior Underwriters and Life Underwriters in Life Offices; and also for experienced practi-

IGERIA-BASED rating agency, Agusto & Co has assigned a rating of ‘Bbb- to Anchor Insurance Limited, reflecting its good profitability, decent investment management, good liquidity, moderate exposure to underwriting risks as well as an experienced management team. In a statement announcing the development, Agusto & Co said it expects industry operators to continue to strengthen capabilities in risk management, minimize underwriting expenses, and strengthen investment management to support profitability while contending with muted investment returns due to limited asset allocation and low interest rates.

The insurance industry’s performance has remained constrained by weak macroeconomic conditions, a reduction in the purchasing power of consumers and the sustained apathy for insurance, amongst others. Given the industry’s low penetration ratio of approximately 0.5 percent in Nigeria, a strong focus on innovation around products and distribution channels is required in addition to creating awareness amongst consumers. These will collectively serve as key growth drivers for the industry in the short to medium term,” the rating firm said. “The recent suspension of the implementation of the Tier based minimum solvency capital (TBSMC)

by NAICOM provides a lifeline for industry operators, which we expect should give operators time to finalise capital raising plans and build capacity to underwrite risks. “Nonetheless, the current weak investor sentiments towards Nigeria and the emerging political risks stemming from ongoing election campaigns may impede capital raising plans in the short term,” Agusto & Co added. However, the firm stressed that the recent rating on Anchor Insurance is constrained by the insurer’s low profitability, elevated underwriting expenses, and the dampening effects of macroeconomic uncertainties that have impacted the Insurer’s financial performance.

Anchor Insurance gets ‘Bbb-‘ rating N

tioners keen on refreshing their knowledge on Life Reassurance Cessioning, Annuities and Life Claims Management. Few representatives from all the companies at the seminar who commented about the seminar, expressed satisfaction with the organization, contents and delivery of the papers as well as Africa Re as a whole. Meanwhile, Africa Re in conjunction with The African Aviation Pool and JLT London hosted a 2-day seminar on the Overview of Aviation Insurance. The seminar which took place from October 24 – 25, 2018, was held at Africa Re Headquarters, in Lagos, Nigeria. The seminar focused on the various risks Aviation practitioners were exposed to as well and the underwriting of such risks, was attended by twenty participants. Feedback received commended the content of the training and appreciated Africa Re for organizing the seminar for the market.

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

INSURANCE & PENSION

New global insurance accounting rule faces 1yr delay Stories by VICTOR NZE

GLOBAL standards body has proposed a one-year delay to implementing its new accounting rule aimed at increasing visibility in how insurers earn money, after the industry said it needed more time to prepare for such a sweeping change. A spokeswoman for the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) said that at a meeting last Wednesday the IASB backed a 12-month delay to January 2022. The insurance industry had called for introduction of the rule to be delayed until 2023. There will be a public consultation on the proposed delay. Last month insurers from across the world called for a delay and

amendments to the rule that has been 20 years in the making and aimed at prising open a “black box” of national practices. “While it is good that the IASB Board has at last recognized the need to consider improvements and a delay to IFRS 17… one year is simply not enough time to both fix the problems with IFRS 17 and to give insurers enough time to implement the standard properly,” said Olav Jones, deputy director general of Insurance Europe, an industry body. IASB rules are used in over 100 countries, including the European Union, but not in the United States. The IASB spokeswoman said the board was likely to discuss in December whether actual amendments to the new rule were needed.

IAIS rethinks ‘too-big-to-fail’ designation for insurers

HE International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) has said it wants to replace the list of “too big to fail” insurers, last published in 2016, with a broader framework from 2020. The IAIS will put off singling out insurers deemed so important to the financial system that they are required to hold extra capital. In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, regulators identified nine systemically important insurers which then face onerous bank-like capital rules to cover potential losses, increasing costs and potentially reducing shareholder returns. The industry has long argued it played no major role in the financial crisis and should not be treated in the same way as global banks, which must also hold extra capital. Nine insurers featured on the list published in 2016: Aegon, Allianz, American International Group, Aviva, AXA, MetLife, Ping An Insurance Group Co. of China, Prudential Financial Inc , and Prudential in Britain. The IAIS said it was moving away from a “binary” approach of imposing extra measures on a small group of insurers to a “proportionate” application of measures targeted at the activities of insurers that lead to systemic risk. It has proposed a new framework to come into effect in 2020, after which a decision would be made in 2022 on whether to scrap the list altogether. Insurers on the list had initially been expected to meet mandatory capital requirements known as “higher loss absorbency” or HLA from January next year. However, the IAIS said on Wednesday that HLA would not be implemented before the start of 2022, and within the new framework it would only be applied on case-by-case “intervention” by supervisors, meaning no automatic application. The industry has lobbied for regulators to focus on activities rather than issuing extra capital requirements simply because of a company’s size. AIG had to be bailed out by taxpayers in the United States during the financial crisis, but the insurance industry has argued that AIG’s problems stemmed from its involvement in complex products

linked to home loans rather than mainstream insurance. Wednesday’s announcement follows a decision by regulators in the United States to remove Prudential Financial from their own list of systemically important financial institutions. Met Life won a court battle to remove itself from the U.S. list. The Financial Stability Board (FSB), which coordinates financial regulation in the Group of 20 economies (G20), said the new framework would provide an enhanced basis for mitigating systemic risk, if implemented properly. The FSB said it would review in November 2022 whether the list of insurers should be scrapped or, in light of initial implementation of the new framework, be re-established.

• (From left): Executive Director, Cargo Services and Operations, Skyway Aviation Handling Company Plc (SAHCO), Mrs Boma Ukwunna; Executive Director, Sales and Marketing (SAHCO), Mr Olaniyi Adigun; Managing Director/CEO, SAHCO, Mr Basil Agboarumi; Managing Director, Arik Air, Captain Roy Ilegbodu; Chief Finance Officer, Arik Air, Mr Ayodeji Ilesanmi; Vice President, Operations and Customer Services, Arik Air, Mr Murat Ozkan, at the renewal of ground handling agreement between Arik Air and Sahco in Ikeja, Lagos.

Micro Pension Scheme participants to access 40% in 3 months – PenCom

ATIONAL Pension Commission (PenCom) has said that contributors under its Micro Pension Scheme to be rolled out in 2019 could have access to 40 per cent of the total contributions after three months of commencement. Head, Corporate Communications, Mr Peter Aghahowa, made the disclosure on Friday at the corporation’s special day at the ongoing Lagos International Trade Fair. Aghahowa said the scheme, a voluntary contribution, allowed partici-

pants to have the options of saving monthly, weekly and also daily, depending on the types of their businesses. The spokesman said that the scheme also allowed some flexibilities because of the peculiarities of the informal sector. He said: “As they save, 60 per cent will be locked and fixed, while 40 per cent will be available at certain time for raining day. This is because the commission understands the

the roles of the CBN and the NDIC complement each other, a clear distinction exists in their roles in the handling of failed or failing financial institution.” He said that the CBN recently revoked the licenses of 154 micro finance banks and six primary mortgage banks due to insolvency, adding that the affected institutions were closed because some were found to have insufficient assets to meet their liabilities. Meanwhile, the NDIC says it is monitoring investigations of directors and management of the failed Skye Bank Plc being carried out by law enforcement agencies. The Managing Director and Chief Executive of NDIC, Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim, said this in a statement issued by Mohammed Ibrahim, NDIC’s Head of Media and Corporate Services on Monday in Abuja. Ibrahim said the Corporation and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) were monitoring the enforcement agencies to determine their culpability in the failure of the bank. According to the statement, Ibrahim announced this at the opening of the Corporation’s 2018 Sensitisation seminar for Federal High Court Judges in Abuja. He said NDIC’s Risk Assessment and Forensic Investigation Reports revealed that the erstwhile management of the failed bank contributed to its failure by engaging in insider abuse, poor corporate governance and banking malpractices. He said the reports identified mal-

practices such as fraudulent accounting, manipulation of accounting records to present false profits and ratios, unlawful loan and credit facilities, non-disclosure of directors’ interests and lending beyond the single limit. Ibrahim said the implementation of the bridge bank resolution option that established Polaris Bank Ltd which assumed the assets and liabilities of the defunct bank resulted in depositors’ unhindered access to their funds. He said it also led to the continuity of the operations of about 300 branches and the preservation of more than 6,000 jobs. Ibrahim said the Corporation had commenced payment of insured deposits to depositors of the 153 Microfinance and six Primary Mortgage Banks that their licenses were recently revoked by the CBN. He said that the Corporation performed this statutory mandate by its appointment as liquidator through a Winding Up Order granted by the Federal High Court. The NDIC boss described the collaboration between the Corporation and the Judiciary as a valuable engagement toward the development of the financial system and the effective implementation of the Corporation’s mandate. He said the seminar for Federal High Court Judges with the theme: “Challenges to Deposit Insurance Law and Practice in Nigeria” was specifically designed to address topical issues in bank supervision.

NDIC saved N949bn depositors’ funds in failed Skye Bank – MD

IGERIA Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) said it saved about N949.6 billion depositors’ funds in failed Skye Bank. Managing Director of the Corporation, Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim, disclosed this in Benin City on Tuesday at the opening of a workshop for financial journalists organised by the NDIC. He said that the saving was achieved through the adoption of “bridge bank option’’, adding that the corporation also saved over 6,000 jobs in 277 branches of the failed bank. The NDIC sacked the board and management of Skye Bank on September 22 and changed the management and renamed the bank as Polaris Bank, using bridge bank liquidation option. Ibrahim, who was represented by a Director in the corporation, Mr Mohammed Umar, said that the bridge bank liquidation option was less disruptive to rendition of services unlike outright liquidation. “With the bridge bank option, the depositors of the defunct Skye Bank Bank Plc are guaranteed access to their total deposits.” He said that all those that contributed to the failure of the bank were being investigated by relevant law enforcement agencies to determine their levels of culpability. Ibrahim said that the revocation of banking license of defunct Skye Bank and establishment of a bridge bank was done entirely by the NDIC and not the CBN as reported by the media. “It is important to stress that while

fact that businesses can’t always be rosy. The 40 per cent allows contributors to have access to the contingent aspect of the scheme.” According to him, the commission and the licensed operators have also reached out to different strata of the public such as different associations, markets and Small and Medium Scale Enterprises. “It is a continuous effort because as a regulator, PenCom and licensed operators are collectively making efforts in ensuring that the populace is aware of the scheme. “Collectively, we hope that in the next one month before the commencement of the Micro Pension Scheme in 2019, the intensity of the awareness would have increased. This will be, especially through the use of prints and electronic media. The scheme is an opportunity for those in the informal sector to have pension arrangement. “You will agree with me that those in the formal sector have been taken care of, while those in in the informal have to depend on their children and other means after their working life. Now that they have this opportunity, what it means is that those in the informal sector can key into the scheme,” Aghahowa said. Also, the Head, South-West Zonal Office, Mr Babatunde Phillips, said the micro-pension scheme was to increase the scope of pension in the country. Phillips said: “We all know that old age poverty is a key factor in our environment. “We will be doing a lot of disservice to those in the informal sector if they are not brought into the scheme. So, we deem it fit to come up with the micro pension plan. We have also concluded the framework and guidelines for the scheme.” He added that the commission was at the fair to sensitise Nigerians on the need to embrace the scheme, bring to the populace the commission’s objectives and address contributors ‘complaints.

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

EQUITY & Capital Market SEC set to tackle identity theft, extends multiple subscription deadline by 1 yr Stories By JEROME USHAKANG

HE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is determined to reduce the volume of unclaimed dividend in the Nigerian Capital market to the barest minimum and to ensure that more investors regularise their accounts to checkmate identity theft. Following this stance, the commission has announced an extension of forbearance on such accounts to December 31, 2019.One of the major problems plaguing the Nigerian capital market is multiple identities which fraudsters often exploit to commit financial crimes against the investing publics. This among others was part of the decisions reached at the end of the third Capital Market Committee (CMC) meeting held in Lagos last Thursday. Prior to the recent December 31, 2019 deadline, the Commission had earlier announced December 31, 2018 as deadline for regularisation of multiple accounts. Briefing newsmen on the issue, Acting Director General of the SEC, Ms. Mary Uduk said the committee considered the issue and decided it’s best to give investors more time to regularise their multiple accounts in order to derive the benefits from their investments. Uduk said “I am delighted to report that on the lingering issue of multiple subscriptions and forbearance for shareholders with multiple accounts, the CMC agreed that the forbearance window should be extended by another year from the December 31, 2018 deadline previously communicated. We expect investors to take advantage of this opportunity to claim their un-

claimed dividends and bonuses”. The Acting Director-General also announced a two-pronged approach to addressing the intractable challenges associated with transmission of shares related to the estate of deceased investors. According to her, “The first step would involve engagement with and enlightenment of the Probate Registry with a view to providing solutions to the cumbersome process of transmitting shares. “Secondly, Rules would be developed around the time frame for transmission of shares and the fee structure” Uduk emphasised that the Commission is worried by issues of identity theft in the capital market and is ready to work with other major stakeholders in setting up a committee that will look into and proffer solutions to problems around identity management in the Nigerian capital market. She stressed that in the same vein, and as part of efforts to eliminate underhand dealings, the Commission is set to take enforcement actions against any persons engaged in trading in the shares of public unlisted companies outside a recognised securities exchange as provided by the Rules. On the need to grow the market for trading in securities on unlisted public companies, she said the Commission is making concerted efforts in collaboration with Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and other stakeholders to assist public companies that are yet to register their securities to do so without much difficulty. “In furtherance of the commitment to develop a vibrant Commodities eco-system, the

• CEO NSE, Oscar Onyema Commission has commenced the implementation of measures to strengthen regulatory capacity by establishing a Commodities Division. Other recommendations of the Committee have been broken down into implementable plans with set timelines. “An interesting development in the commodities sector is the innovative solution developed by AFEX Commodities Exchange Limited (AFEX) and its partners regarding the use of Blockchain Technology to streamline the process of financing agriculture

CMC inaugurates FinTech Roadmap Committee

HE Capital Market Committee (CMC) has inaugurated a Market Wide FinTech Committee and is authorized to come up with a Roadmap for the Nigerian Capital Market. This major decision among others was taken at the third quarter CMC meeting in Lagos. In order to carry out rapid implementation of its set goals and fulfill its assignments, a chairman was appointed. The Chairman of the inaugurated FinTech Committee is Mr. Ade Bajomo, who is currently Executive Director in Access Bank Plc . Speaking at the occasion, Acting Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ms. Mary Uduk expressed the need for the Nigerian capital market to transit towards a technology-driven one as is obtainable in other economies. She explained that the commission was interested in investments that Nigerians were making, especially with the advent of digitalization, and enjoined the committee to come up with guidelines on the direction the market needs to go on FinTech. Uduk said, “We don’t want a situation where we would be doing things differently, we want a cohesive ‘FinTech Roadmap’ that would guide and help the market to be able to operate in an optimal way”

“If we will regulate and operate in this market and understand what is happening we need to understand the rudiments of FinTech. Very soon the whole world will move to technology for regulation. Other jurisdictions have already gone far into it with some of them already amending their rules in that direction.“ She stated that the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) is on it and there is a lot on it already all over the world and we can’t be left behind.” We are very much interested in some of the most active areas of Fintech innovation like blockchain technology, cryptocurrencies and how they affect investors”. The Acting Director General added. Uduk explained further that as the regulator of the capital market, it was the responsibility of the SEC to find out how such investments were being deployed and if they meet set standards because when investors lose money they will come back to the SEC. “That is why the commission is seeking to understand what FinTech is all about to enable the Commission regulate the market properly.” The SEC boss stressed. While alluding to the growing influence of Fintechs in the capital market, Uduk urged investors to take advantage of Fintech offerings in moving the Capital Market

forward. She equally emphasized the focus of the Commission on capacity building, knowledge sharing, advocacy and collaboration with relevant organisations.

• Actng DG SEC, Mary Uduak

to Smallholder farmers and other players in the commodities markets” she added. In order to boost the e-dividend mandate and Direct Cash Settlement initiatives, Uduk said the Commission gave a commitment to the market that it would engage NIBSS (Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System) on behalf of the capital market community to facilitate identity validation and account validation in an effort to enhance market processes. She also disclosed that the market provided an update on the

Electronic distribution of annual accounts by public companies to shareholders and it was reported that the shareholders have largely accepted the new initiative and are willingly providing their e-mail addresses. It was also agreed that further sensitization would be carried out by stakeholders to enlighten shareholders on the benefits of the initiative. The CMC meeting is a periodic gathering of stakeholders in the Nigerian capital market to discuss capital market related matters.

According to her, 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 com-

mission, 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. Last Thursday CMC meeting was the last for year 2018.

are the result of work carried out over two years to deliver empirically grounded, actionable and Africa-specific policy recommendations.” Bakhshi, disclosed that the LSEG’s London Africa Advisory Group is designed to provide a platform for regular and collective dialogue through which to develop stronger relations with senior decision makers, regulators and business leaders across the continent. “It is our intention that these recommendations offer practical advice and constructive solutions for supporting the development of Africa’s capital markets.” The Chairman said. A communiqué issued by the forum, stated that in order to develop the green bond market in Africa: Studies have suggested that Africa will be more severely affected by climate change than any other continent, which will require the continent to take advantage of green capital raising tools and sources of funding. Attracting passive investment flows to African markets: That Pas-

sive investment flows are key to supporting depth of African capital markets; a key factor for this is country classification (Developed, Emerging or Frontier Markets) and flows could be enhanced through country classification upgrades. Developing offshore local currency bond markets in Africa: That to sustain the continent’s strong GDP growth of the past two decades, substantial investment, particularly in infrastructure, is required; raising debt finance from larger offshore capital pools in local currencies is an attractive solution which mitigates an issuer’s currency risks associated with borrowing in hard currencies. The challenges and opportunities of SME financing in Africa: That small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for around 90 percent of Africa’s businesses, but experience a shortage of financing at all levels; these companies, which provide nearly 80 percent of the continent’s employment, can benefit from increased training and capacity building, a public register of companies, and supportive government policy.

London Stock Exchange issues reports on African bonds, other products

ONDON Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) has launched five reports on African capital markets, as part of its London Africa Advisory Group (LAAG) at African Investment Forum held in Johannesburg, the South African capital last week. At the close of the Forum, five reports were put forward as recommendations on how African capital markets could be further developed to increase global investment flows. The five reports are aimed at; 1.Developing the green bond market for infrastructure products, 2.Attracting passive investment flows, 3.Developing offshore local currency bond markets, 4.Capital raising challenges for SMEs and 5.Corporate information dissemination. The reports were commissioned by LAAG following over two years of meetings with its members, which includes Africa’s business leaders, policymakers and investors. They were produced in conjunction with stakeholders in London and across Africa. The Chairman of International Advisory Groups, LSEG, Suneel Bakhshi, in a statement said, “These reports

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

MONEY Market

Afreximbank launches facility to raise viability and bankability of African Projects

Stories WALE

KAYODE

OGUN-

HE African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has launched a project preparation facility aimed at increasing the availability of viable well-prepared projects in Africa and at making such projects bankable and attractive to investors. The Afreximbank Project Preparation Facility (APPF), will provide technical and financial support to early stage companies in the preparation and development of projects from conceptual stage to bankability stage, the point at which such projects can attract interest from equity investors and debt financiers. Afreximbank has set up the APPF with an initial seed capital investment of up to $15 million. Speaking during the launch, Afreximbank President Prof. Benedict Oramah said that the facility would support transactions that sought to implement logistical platforms that supported export growth and diversification, or facilitated the assimilation of African commodities into global value chains, or increased the volume and flow of tradeable goods and services along Africa’s trade corridors. According to President Oramah, the facility supports the Afreximbank’s mandate and strategy which seeks to promote intra-African trade, and industrialization and export development activities in the continent. Also speaking, Tshepo Mahl-

oele, Chief Executive Officer of Harith General Partners, a leading pan-African infrastructure developer, lauded the APPF as “a bold step in the right direction to assist Africa to unleash its full potential through de-risking of investments early on in the project preparation cycle”. Mr. Mahloele, who noted that the project preparation step was often overlooked in the pursuit of quick returns, said that Harith had ensured efficient and professional preparation of infrastructure projects. According to him, Africa has long been at the mercy of poor planning, leading to infrastructure project backlogs that has limited GDP growth by at least 2 per cent per annum. Afreximbank’s intervention will complement ongoing project preparation initiatives and culminate in shortening the project preparation cycle, thereby fasttracking Africa economic development, he said. Zitto Alfayo, Manager, Project Finance, said that the APPF would be operated on full cost recovery basis and would be primarily open to African governments, public-private partnerships and private corporates. The specific sectors of intervention were activities related to development of logistical platforms, such as industrial parks, value added projects supporting manufacturing and services exports, tradeable services, ICT and trade enabling infrastructure encompassing energy, transport and logistics sectors.

•Vice Chancellor (VC) of UNIPORT, Prof Ndowa Lale; Deputy Vice-Chancellor/LOC Chairman, Prof. Regina Ogali and representative of MD/CEO, Heritage Bank Plc, Ifie Sekibo; Senior Manager, Oladapo Lawal, at 14th edition of the West African Universities Game (WAUG) held in Port Harcourt at the University of Port Harcourt, sponsored by Heritage Bank.

WAUG: Heritage Bank restates commitment to youth, sport devt

ERITAGE Bank has restated commitment to improved youth and sport developments in the country, thereby attaining rapid growth in these areas, through sponsorship of sporting activities in tertiary institutions. The MD/CEO of Heritage Bank, Ifie Sekibo affirmed this at the just concluded 14th edition of the West African Universities Game (WAUG) held in Port Harcourt at the University of Port Harcourt.

FCMB partners WSBI to boost financial inclusion and savings in Nigeria

IRST City Monument Bank (FCMB) is set to substantially increase its support to agribusiness, its value chain and growth of the Nigerian economy after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the World Savings and Retail Banking Institute (WSBI). The memorandum outlines a framework to deepen agency banking, financial inclusion and savings culture in the informal and agribusiness sectors. As part of the terms of the partnership, in addition to the stated areas of support, WSBI will provide technical oversight supervision on a regular basis to ensure the achievement of mutually agreed goals set by both institutions. According to the memorandum, the project involves FCMB rolling out an integrated savings account – named ‘Kampe Account’ – to offer financial services under phase one of its plan to 150,000 unbanked and under-banked farmers across five states through agricultural agents operating under the bank’s agency banking proposition. The first set of states to benefit in this first phase are Kaduna, Kano, Nasarawa, Ogun and Oyo. The plan is to reach 2 million farmers across the entire nation by year 2023. In addition to the financial support to farmers, FCMB plans to deploy its state-of-the art technology and mobile banking solutions to drive the project mainly in the rural and sub-urban farm settlements where most farmers are based. The bank will also organize capacitybuilding programmes for farmers aimed at facilitating their understanding of the sector and promote

innovative ideas that would make the sector attractive, ultimately facilitating job creation that would in turn, impact on productivity and income. Commenting on the grant from WSBI and the initiative, FCMB’s Managing Director and Chief Executive, Mr. Adam Nuru noted the development will revolutionize agribusiness – one of the various empowerment strategies adopted by the bank that is appreciated by stakeholders within and outside Nigeria. Adam Nuru said: Partnering with WSBI and harnessing the business model we have developed to drive it, under our Kampe Account, is built on a sustainable approach which ensures farmers can gain better access to finance

and other resources needed to help them build successful businesses. Nigerian smallholder farmers have been at a disadvantage due to several factors including land fragmentation, inadequate farming equipment, broken value chains, poor access to finance and inadequate cash flow. Over the years, they have suffered from lack of essential services such as access to good markets to create low economies of scale, challenges in the promotion of agricultural productivity, hurdles in their bid to achieve increase in food security to improve rural livelihoods for engendering systematic growth out of poverty. FCMB and WSBI are optimistic that these challenges will be addressed.

The bank recently supported the premier edition of Africa Freestyle Football Championship and continued to sponsor youth entrepreneurial initiatives, particularly, The Next Titan,” a reality television show. Sekibo, who was represented by a Senior Manager, Oladapo Lawal stressed that the financial institution has strong desire to see young Nigerians succeed in other areas other than what they studied in school, whilst urging government at all levels and private institutions to pay closer attention to sponsorship and innovation. He stated that Heritage Bank, as the sponsor of WAUG, is working assiduously towards achieving its vision to become a bank of national reckoning for which it was established. He noted that there is need for institutions to give back to society through sponsorship. “Heritage Bank believes in development. These are University Students and we want to level our legacy on University students that is one of reasons we decided to sponsor the event. We have the tenacity to develop and sport is a way of developing youths in the country. We want to encourage the youth and I believe that this type of games are capable of robbing off on the students in future.

Diamond Bank wins women’s market Champion Awards

IAMOND Bank Plc has been awarded the prestigious Women’s Market Champion honours by the Global Banking Alliance for Women. This year’s Women’s Market Champions reflect the global nature of the Global Banking Alliance for Women’s work hailing from diverse markets and regions. According to Vanessa Van Landingha, Manager, Branding and Communications Strategy, Global Banking Alliance for Women (GBA), Diamond Bank was selected as one of the 2018 awardees for its outstanding impact on Women development and providing them with holistic solutions that meet their needs. “The awarded institutions are true champions of women, working to

unleash the economic potential of the female economy,” GBA Chief Executive Inez Murray said. “Their engagement with the GBA network is essential to the work we are doing to economically empower women worldwide and contributes to the Women’s Market success of the entire membership.” Landingha said. Commenting on the award, Karimot Tukur, Head Consumer Banking said; “This award lends credence to the work that Diamond Bank has been doing over the years to advance the cause of women especially in the SME and Financial Inclusion space. Our Diamond Woman proposition is designed specifically for women, by women and dedicated to the economic empowerment

of women.” Diamond Bank Plc is one of Nigeria’s leading commercial bank providing enhanced customer experience through innovation and technology. Regarded as a supporter of Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises through SME lending, capacity building, business seminars and workshops. Recently, the Bank recorded a landmark funds disbursement of over N1 billion to small business owners under the cash flow-based SME lending scheme in partnership with the Women’s World Banking (WWB), and this has earned the leading financial institution ranked among the top five SME-focused banks in Nigeria in the 2018 KPMG Customer Service Survey.

“I would advise the federal government to look in this direction, because when we support this kind of project, we are developing our country. The government needs to do more in sponsorship drive of sports in the country, “he noted. Meanwhile, UNIPORT emerged the overall winner of the 14th WAUG, 2018 amassing 125 medals to top the log. A breakdown of the figures shows that UNIPORT won 75 gold, 26 silver and 24 bronze medals to beat University of Lagos (UNILAG), the first runners up that scored 16 gold, 24 silver and 16 bronze. The second Runners up was University of Cape Coast, Ghana that bagged 9 gold and 16 silver medals. The football event went to University for Development Studies, Ghana that beat Bayero University,Kano(BUK) 4-2 on penalties after the duo played out a 1-1 draw within 90 minutes regulation time and 30 minutes extra time. Declaring the competition closed, the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu congratulated the winners and indeed all the participants for a job well done. He commended UNIPORT for organizing what he described as one of the best championships in the history of WAUG. The Minister said university games and sports generally should be encouraged in our institutions to build friendships and bridge barriers among the students in Nigeria and beyond. He promised that the Federal Government will continue to encourage sports in our schools. In his speech, the Vice Chancellor(VC) of UNIPORT, Prof Ndowa Lale commended Heritage Bank for its sponsorship to the successful competition. He congratulated he winners and the losers alike. The VC particularly commended University of Cape Coast for coming all the way from Ghana to lift the football trophy regarded as the king of sports. Prof Lale who said the hosting of the games was not perfect, expressed confidence that subsequent editions will be better.

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The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

Love and Living

...With Ireto Temofeh

MODEL OF THE WEEK

LOVE NEWS

Female Yahoo executive sued for sexual harassment

Name: Chika Tel: 08123423134 • If you want to be our next ORACLE GIRL, e-mail or forward your photos/data to ireto007@yahoo.com. Call 07031028714.

high-level female executive at Yahoo Inc has been named in a lawsuit filed by a woman who worked under her, accusing her former boss of sexual harassment and wrongful termination. Maria Zhang, a senior director of engineering at Yahoo Mobile, has been sued by Nan Shi, who was employed as a principal software engineer from February 2013, according to a complaint filed Tuesday in Santa Clara Superior Court in San Jose, California. The complaint alleges that Zhang coerced Shi to have ‘oral and digital sex’ with her on multiple occasions in Sunnyvale and told her she would have a ‘bright future’ at Yahoo if she had relations with Zhang. Shi is seeking monetary as well as punitive damages. The lawsuit also names Yahoo as a defendant. Officials at the tech company have come to Zhang’s defense in response to the allegations outlined in Shi’s complaint. ‘There is absolutely no basis or truth to the allegations against Maria Zhang. Maria is an exemplary Yahoo executive and we intend to fight vigorously to clear her name,’ a Yahoo representative said in an email. Zhang founded her own mobile company, Alike, which was acquired by Yahoo in 2013. She also worked at Microsoft and Zillow before joining Yahoo, according to her LinkedIn profile. In the complaint, Shi accuses Zhang of unfairly downgrading her performance reviews for the second and third quarters of 2013. According to court documents, the company’s human resources personnel refused to conduct an investigation

when Shi complained about her direct supervisor’s unwelcome advances. Instead, according to the complaint, Shi was put on unpaid leave and eventually fired. A native of Beijing, China, Shi graduated from Ohio University with a degree in computer science. Shi’s complaint states she first crossed paths with Zhang when she went to work for her start-up in Seattle. When Yahoo bought the company last year, both women moved to California. According to Shi, Zhang told her to stay in a temporary Yahoo housing unit in Sunnyvale. The lawsuit cited by San Jose Mercury News goes on to say that Zhang ‘coerced’ her subordinate into having oral and digital sex with her and threatened to take away ‘her job, stocks and future’ if she rejected her advances. Court documents allege the Yahoo executive forced her subordinate to work grueling hours and write work emails in her off-time, ‘sometimes right after sex.’ In an interview with Mercury News, Shi described how Zhang allegedly surprised her one morning as she slept on the coach in their shared apartment, crawled under the blanket without any clothes and began kissing and hugging her. ‘I woke up and got scared,’ the woman told the paper. ‘I was shocked.’ In April, Silicon Valley Business Journal celebrated Zhang as one of Women of Influence of 2014. Her profile stated that ‘she is passionate about supporting women’, and ‘she actively mentors other women engineers.’

ODD NEWS

Millionaire helping pregnant women flee UK to avoid babies taken into care

multi-millionaire is helping pregnant women whose babies are deemed at risk to flee the UK. Ian Joseph has spent over £30,000 helping 200 to avoid having their newborns taken away by social services. He pays for their fares to a new life and offers them free legal advice, even paying for lawyers in some cases. Around 50 have fled to Ireland on his money while another 150 went to France, Spain and Italy. Forced adoption opponent Mr Joseph, who runs a language business and has a law degree, has defended his decision to fund their escape, despite many already having children in care. He said: “Social services have moved away from giving families support and are now too quick to take children away. “I know what I do is controversial. People ask how I know the people I’ve helped don’t go on to do something wicked, but my reply is that even killers are entitled to lawyers. “These woman are entitled to a fair chance to keep their children if they have not been convicted of any crime of cruelty and aren’t on drink or drugs.”

ROMANTIC JOKE HAUNTED FROM THE GRAVE

The dad of seven set up a website and receives “around a thousand” calls a year from mothers. Britain is the only EU country allowing forced adoption. Last year, 1,860 children were adopted without parental consent. Mr Joseph, 82, featured in a documentary advising a woman called Mary with previous mental health issues who has two children in care and is expecting another. Mary, who now raises her child in France, said: “The social services here are helpful and supportive, the opposite of the UK.”

Mr Joseph says he ploughs through piles of documents before agreeing to help. He said: “Adoption shouldn’t go ahead if a mother is begging to get her child back. They should be given a fair chance. “Social services used to only take children away if a parent was convicted of cruelty. Now social workers are feared and hated. But one GP who works with social ¬services said: “People think they are right to help a mother but they do not have all the background to a case.

An old man and woman were married for years even though they hated each other. When they had a confrontation, screams and yelling could be heard deep into the night. A constant statement was heard by the neighbors who feared the man the most. “When I die I will dig my way up and out of the grave to come back and haunt you for the rest of your life!” They believed he practiced black magic and was responsible for missing cats and dogs, and strange sounds at all hours. He was feared and enjoyed the respect it garnished. He died abruptly under strange circumstances and the funeral had a closed casket. After the burial, the wife went straight to the local bar and began to party as if there was no tomorrow. The gaiety of her actions were becoming extreme while her neighbors approached in a group to ask these questions: Are you not afraid? Concerned? Worried? that this man who practiced black magic and stated when he died he would dig his way up and out of the grave to come back and haunt you for the rest of your life? The wife put down her drink and said, “Let the jerk dig. I had him buried upside down.”

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

True Confession

My mother had an affair with my boss M

y name is Ameze and I work with a GSM company. But since my mother came from Benin to stay with me in Lagos, things haven’t remained the same in my office. One day, I decided to take my mum to the office and introduce her to my boss, a senior manager, out of joy that my mum had come to stay with me. But to my surprise, my mother adopted a fondness or rather, lust, for my boss. Whenever I returned from work, she would ask me questions about what he wore to the office, how handsome he looked, and what he did. But I never took offence until my mother began to pay me surprise visits at work. She’d come unannounced to my office during break with an excuse. Then she’d sit and chat with my boss at length under the guise of ‘greeting him’. My mother’s behaviour irritated me, but I never understood until I started hearing gossip months later that my mother was sleeping with my boss. I learned my boss usually took my mother to one hotel. But I didn’t ask my mother. Neither did I ask my boss. I just kept them quiet. But I couldn’t believe it when my boss asked me out one day. When a lizard nods its head, it does not always mean yes.

I pretended as if I had agreed to go out with him even when I knew my mother was sleeping with him. He’d taken me for a fool, thinking he could eat his cake and have it. But I was determined to show my boss that he was the real fool. So I reported him to the director. I told the director everything that was going on between my mother and my boss, the senior manager. The director was displeased and invited my boss to his office. When my boss came, the director washed him down, saying he should be ashamed of himself for sleeping with the mother of a staff. The director asked my boss what he would do if his wife found out he was committing adultery with the mother of a staff. According to the director, the two families would be torn apart. The director then warned my boss to keep off me and told him the implication of causing a scandal in the office by sleeping with my mother. If I had my way, I’d make sure newspapers carry the name of my boss and his adulterous relationship with my mother. But because I don’t want my mother disgraced, I have to conceal it. But it hurts. My mother makes it hurt more by saying she did it for me. According to my mother, her affair with my boss would guarantee me job security. I would never get sacked because

I learned my boss usually took my mother to one hotel. But I didn’t ask my mother. Neither did I ask my boss. I just kept them quiet. But I couldn’t believe it when my boss asked me out one day. my boss would always watch my back since he is her lover. And I would enjoy fast promotions too because of what she’s doing. I hate the idea of my mother acting

like a whore because she wants me to progress in life. I believe what is mine will be mine. In any case, I’ve threatened to dis-

own my mother or send her back to Benin immediately if she doesn’t stop sleeping with my boss. Your say: Call 07031028714.

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

Relationships and Love Advice

I need a man who can treat me like a queen

Love Search Women seeking relationship/ marriage Esther, 34, civil servant in Abuja, single mother, needs a man of 37 years and above for marriage.+234 8114226917.

Rose, in Lagos, just rented a shop, needs someone to support her in starting a business. 08107458039. Oluchi, 34, tall, dark, busty, single mother, in Festac Town, Lagos, needs a responsible, working Igbo man from 3845 years for marriage. 08164007657. Funke, 44, needs a man (widower or divorcée) of 50-55 years for a serious relationship. 08185083988. Ngozi, 28, fat, jovial, fair, in Onitsha, Anambra state, needs a God-fearing and buoyant man of 45 years and above to take good care of her. 08183580779. Busayo, 33, single mother from Ogun, needs a hardworking Yoruba man between 34-40 years for marriage. 09096187179. Uchechi, 36, a graduate, tall, fair, needs a tall, fair, graduate, Igbo evangelist, pastor or God fearing Igbo man for marriage. 08052366993.

Dear Love Doctor,

need a caring man in my life. I’m a very beautiful, young Igbo lady. Some men have already started asking for my hand in marriage, but I don’t feel anything for most of these men. I want a man who can treat me like a woman and make me feel special and loved; not just any man. Is that too much to ask? All I want is for a man who

knows how to treat a woman like a queen to call me. Thanks. From Juliet, Lagos. Tel: 08144069613

Love Doctor’s Advice: Dear Juliet,

t is certainly not too much to ask for a man to treat you like a woman. That’s because real men are gentlemen. A gentleman is simply a refined kind of man and such men are truly separate from the crowd because they are real men. Real men treat their women the way they ought to be treated. A real man is an ever-loving gentleman who knows what a woman deserves and gives it to her. Don’t give up because it seems like you’re yet to find your ideal

Lora, graduate, works, HIV Positive, based in Jos, wants a HIV positive man of 35-40 years for marriage. 08090925014.

gentleman, because like they say, God’s time is the best. Destiny can only be delayed but never denied. So never give in to despair because what belongs to you will eventually come to you. You will definitely find your soulmate. Just keep searching and praying and God will help you find the one for you. Money is not everything. So don’t assess a man only by how much money he has in the bank. Don’t focus your attention on outward appearance but look out

for the inner beauty that will reveal the truth about him. I wish you the best in your relationship! Note: In order to help women seeking relationship and marriage have a fuller figure and better shapes and curves, intimate products are available for you, such as hips and breast enhancement products and products that help ladies to have bigger buttocks. Call for more details.

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 Emeka, 44, businessman in Lagos, needs a god fearing lady of 35 years and above for marriage. 09060591429. Uche in Lagos wants a mature working woman for a romantic relationship. 08077821830. Emeka, 54, in Lagos, needs an educated woman between 32-35 years for a wife. 08118482541. Ogbonna, 40, from Ebonyi, in Abuja, business man, needs a working class lady between 30-40 years for marriage. 09069054706.

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

It happened to me:

I kissed my twin sister’s fiance

y twin sister had been away travelling and working abroad for three years. We were very close and when she called one morning to let me know that she would be returning home within the month I was very excited. Not only would she be returning but she also mentioned that she had a big surprise. I couldn’t wait to see her and the big surprise. Well, the month dragged on but finally she arrived. The whole family arrived at the airport to greet her and eventually we spotted Jessica walking through the crowd of people. But she wasn’t alone. A tall guy was walking next to her. Immediately everyone was abuzz with excitement. Jessica ran up to me smiling, crying and hugging. Instantly my attention drew back to the tall guy standing behind her. Jessica took his hand and introduced him to everyone as Chris, her fiancé. Over the course of the week, Chris settled in at home while Jessica caught up with family and friends. Over the next few months Jessica started the wedding preparations. During that time, if I wasn’t needed for wedding duties and chores, Jessica had mainly left Chris with me as she didn’t want him to be left alone and bored. So I was left to entertain

him. At first I felt a little awkward as I was quite shy but eventually we hit it off and I began to realise all the great things Jessica saw in Chris. One day, after spending a great day out with Chris I became quite depressed. Of course Chris asked if he had done something wrong to upset me. I told him he hadn’t. I told him that I was just a little sad after having spent so much time with him and having a great time, and that I began to wonder when I would ever find my true love. Chris assured me I would but I was very adamant that it would never happen. Being single and alone for three years, you do lose hope. I explained this to Chris and he continued to point out all my great qualities and traits. And then all of a sudden he kissed me. I was so shocked. I didn’t know what to do, so I excused myself and quickly ran into my room to be alone. I didn’t talk to or see Chris for the next three days. I stayed at my friend’s house and told my family that she needed support as she was going through a rough patch. Chris constantly tried to call me and left messages explaining that he did not know what had come over him and that he was only trying to console me, but I did not want to speak to him as I had no idea what to do or

say. I had never been in a situation like that before and I had never kept anything from my sister. I was very confused and tried to avoid both of them. A couple of days later Mum was hosting a family dinner and it was a ‘must-attend’ event. I reluctantly went along and saw Chris for the first time in days. I completely ignored him. Jessica made a comment on my mood and I just replied that I was tired. Towards the end of the night I offered to do the dishes to get away from everyone. I slipped into the kitchen but two minutes later Chris followed. He started talking and I instantly cut him off and told him not to say anything, but he wasn’t listening. He said that he had wanted to speak to me for days about what happened and he couldn’t keep it in any longer. I was expecting him to apologise, to put it all down to bad judgment but instead he started confessing his feelings for me. I couldn’t believe it. I wasn’t really listening to what he was saying. It was all a blur. He told me how he couldn’t stop thinking about me, that he had strong feelings for me, my head started spinning. I didn’t know what to do. My twin sister was to marry this guy in less than a month and here he was telling

me that he didn’t know what to do or how to stop his feelings for me. I quickly snapped out of my daze and took hold of Chris by both arms. Very clearly and directly I told him to never mention this conversation again. Not to bring it up or repeat to anyone what he just said to me. I assured him that what he was feeling would soon subside and it was only because Jessica and I were so alike that he was confusing his feelings for her with me. I told him that I was not taking anything he said seriously and that I was going to turn a blind eye to it after the day had ended. I left after that and never told anyone what happened between Chris and me. The wedding went ahead and my sister was none the wiser. Chris carried on very convincingly, much to my relief, and he never spoke to me about the issue again. To this day I am still unsure whether I should have told Jessica. I did not want her to blame me or even worse, herself, for losing the love of her life. I believe that everyone has moments of weakness. I just hope that Chris won’t have a moment of weakness with someone else in the future. • Do you have a story or comment about this confession? Call 07031028714.

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

The Law and You What happens if your spouse dies? With Barr. Ken Akpom 08162016410

his topic is one of those topics that most people hate hearing, but the truth is that it is an inevitable end that must come when it must come. Nobody likes to die whether rich or poor, that is why when there is danger everyone wants to escape it. In law there are two kinds of circumstances which characterize the deaths of spouses, namely Testate and Intestate; but these will be discussed later in the series. The funniest aspect of it is that in some cases the spouses forget even their own children when running for their safety, only to remember after their escape that they have children. That is why this edition’s topic is very crucial and important to all and sundry, whether rich or poor. I once was driving around a major street in my area which harbors some beggars which include the blind, lame and disfigured, and all of a sudden a KAI vehicle appeared and the officers started arresting the beggars nearby. To my utmost surprise, there was pandemonium and those beggars (even the blind) started running for their safety to the extent that one of them almost put me in trouble when he ran with great speed across my moving car, but I as usual was not speeding. I thank the Lord but what struck my mind was that even these helpless destitute care about their lives. This informs our discussion in this edition. Let me ask: who knows the exact time and how he or she will die? Also, how prepared will you be when this inevitability occurs? What becomes of all your acquisitions on earth and those you will leave behind if such occurs? Apart from the religious aspect of preparations, do you know that the Law of this our great country, Nigeria, has made adequate provisions for you to plan and execute your future intentions even after your death? Do you know that you can still be controlling, directing and speaking to the loved ones that

you left behind from your grave after your death through a very simple legal act? This is the result of something you must have performed when you were alive by approaching a lawyer to advise you and prepare a WILL for you in a proper way that cannot cause problem(s) in your family after you must have died? Come to think of it, since one is not sure of when death beckons at one’s door, it is very important to make adequate preparation in time before it comes. One of my clients is from a very rich family; the father has mansions, I mean mansions in very high brow area of Lagos State. This his father was living a flamboyant type of life that even at his old age he still befriended some young wayward ladies who had children from other men and they would come with those children to his home and he harbored them as his children but at the detriment of his legally married wife and children. He was made by these ladies to neglect his legal and social responsibilities to his legal matrimonial family. Instead, he was facing those ladies with their ‘migrated’ children in his home. In addition, his cousins and those acclaimed relatives who wish to celebrate with his riches at his death, contributed to confuse him the more. This rich man never thought that he would soonest die at the time he did. One funny thing was that he saw his home in shambles even in his lifetime. He lived with ‘other beautiful ladies’ more beautiful to him than the great beauty of his legally married wife and he stopped eating in his home and promised those illegal girlfriends and self acclaimed wives that both they and their children would never inherit from his wealth. Do you know that this man was making preparations for his legal wife and children’s comfort earlier before he got entangled with those charming wayward ladies and he forgot

Case 1

himself and never consulted any lawyer for advice? One faithful day, he felt some pain at the upper part of his penis and instead of visiting a specialist hospital in Nigeria or abroad, he went to a low profile hospital near his home for treatment and he was told that an operation was to be conducted on him, which he accepted, thinking that it was a minor thing. The operation was conducted but he died from it unprepared legally. His corpse was taken secretly by his so-called relatives – the gold diggers – to his home town without the knowledge of his legal family members and buried contrary to the Marriage Act of Lagos State. Even when the legal family members, who were informed of his death by one of his numerous lady-friends who felt neglected in the scheme of benefitting from him, went home to safeguard his documents and his property at his residence, those so-called relatives and ladies conspired and invited the police who arrested them with charges of house-breaking and illegal trespassing and later released them on bail with an undertaking not to go to their ‘legitimate home’ again because they were “trouble makers”. In addition, the same set of ‘Gold-diggers’ buried this rich man without the consent of the legal family consent and shared his property to themselves. But they found it difficult to obtain ‘probate’ to collect his money in the bank. How did the legal wife and children obtain probate to collect the man’s money in the bank? Probate is the only authority that banks in Nigeria respect when it comes to obtaining a deceased person’s money or property. More about legal implication of death will be discussed later in this series; but if your problem on this topic cannot wait till then, please call or email me or any lawyer close to you for assistance.

Case 2

My father legally married my mother, but his Can I make my Will now, even though brother took over his property after his death I’m still a young man? Dear Lawyer,

n one of your discussions you explained about the different forms of marriage in Nigeria but my father married my mother in both the native, church and statutory forms of marriage. He lived almost all his life in Lagos were he contracted the church and statutory marriage in 1972. Also, he worked, lived and acquired all his properties in Lagos state except one in our village before death. He obtained chieftaincy title in our village but lived all his life in Lagos. He lived with many relatives and some girlfriends later in his life. When he died, without any will, one self-acclaimed uncle with some of our village members forcefully collected my father’s corpse from my elder brother whom they intimidated, took the corpse home and buried him in a customary way without my family consent and even shared his property in Lagos among them applying Customary Law. Please, my mum and her children are confused and do not know what to do……..please advise us.

Dear Lawyer,

am a very young man but wealthy with a lot of property. I think I still have many more years to live since I am still a young man and not married. However, I think it would be right for me to write a Will. Please, can I make my WILL now?

From, Henry, Abuja.

From Peterside, Benin, Edo State.

Lawyer’s Answer: Dear Peterside,

our situation is very unfortunate but it happened that way because your father made the mistake of believing that he controlled his life, therefore he never consulted any lawyer to assist him in planning for his family in a way that he can still be speaking and directing from his grave. However, since he married your mother in the statutory or what is popularly known by most Nigerians as Court Marriage, and worked and lived most of his life in Lagos State before he died without a will (i.e. intestate), the Marriage Act Section 49(1) of Lagos State gives priority in order of administration of his estate to first, your mother, then you the children etc. It is where none of you is alive that your direct uncles (fourth in the list) can come in. Hence, these uncles to the best of my knowledge as a lawyer erred in law. However, the burial ceremony can be fashioned customarily since there is no ‘Burial Act’. Feel free to call me or any lawyer around you for more information and further advice and actions on such matters because a lawyer knows it best.

Lawyer’s Answer:

Dear Peterside,

irst of all, you didn’t tell me your age. Also, your marital status is not known. However, you are free to make your will at anytime you so desire if you meet up the requirements as the Law demands. Also, it is better for you to meet a lawyer now to prepare a will for you. You can renew it at your choice at anytime. Please, contact me on my phone lines or any other lawyer around you for more details on how to go about making your Will.

• 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

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

ENTERTAINMENT

With Douglas Omoyooma

Why I look up to Rihanna – Waye T

his much she revealed in a chat with The Oracle Today. She said: “Rihana has really influenced my career. Initially it was M.I Ababa but that was when I used to be a rapper. But now, it’s Rihanna. These two people have inspired me a lot. Now, I would say it is more of Rihanna because she’s amazing and knows how to balance her music and fashion; she is an entrepreneur pushing her music and brand seamlessly. Beyond that I like her sound and carriage and I want to model my career after hers.” Waye discloses that she started music professionally in 2013 as a rapper and dropped her first single that same year. She reveals that back then, money was a big impediment however, she remained undaunted and stuck to her guns. “It was rough and it is still rough but I have garnered a lot of experience and its getting better gradually. When I started out in 2013, I faced many challenges and the biggest one was finance. But by and large we are getting to El Dorado. Thank God I have a producer who understands my sound. We have a chemistry and I have no regrets working with him,” Your Love And today, there is something new about Waye, she is currently promoting a new single entitled Your Love and also working on her fashion brand, StyleWaye. She says: “My new single is banging and it is hot. The response has ben very encouraging. I am currently in the studio working on my debut album. I have a lot of songs already recorded and this song, Your Love s the lead single on the album.” Describing Lour Love she continues: “I think the song is different but very relatable. It’s an alternative beat and infused with Yoruba too. It’s a simple yet deep love song, and I know everyone especially girls have experienced love. “It was me sharing my own experience, and I was true to myself. So, I think I am really going to impact a lot of people because the song is relatable. I love this song so much because my friend, Esbee, who is one of the best producers I know, produced it. And recording with him was so comfortable because I started my music with him. Focus Ramon, the mix and master engineer, is one of the best I know too. He did a wonderful job on the mix. So, I was so sure about this particular song.” Describing her style of music, Waye continues: “I wouldn’t like to put my music style in a box. But I can describe it as Afro pop. I recorded a lot of music recently, and I think I would have to come up with something else, maybe. I talk about love, women, men, relationship and how I handle them or feel. I know I must be impacting someone. I would like to feature Wizkid, Burna Boy, and Maleek Berry. These guys make exceptional music and I would really love to hop on that

Edo State born rapper, Uwaye Annette Eigbedion aka Waye is one young, pretty and hard working artiste determined to live her footprints in the sands of Nigerian entertainment and she says she draws a lot of inspiration from Bajan beauty, Rihanna.

• Waye wave.” How is she coping with friends or family members who never believed in her talent? “I don’t think I have such people around me,” she says waving her hands. “Even if there were such people, they wouldn’t be around me. My family believes in me 100 per cent. My parents, my siblings, aunts and uncles all believe I would do well. They are already calling me superstar! So, that has never been a problem. It’s not that there are not people who don’t believe in me, but I never focus on such people.” Love life Is she in a relationship and could she describe her ideal man? A smile breaks her visage as she responds: “I am in

a relationship no doubt but this is an awkward question. But yeah, I really like honest and knowledgeable guys who have good manners too. I like men that are well brought up.” Waye is pretty and sexy and her songs have romantic undertones. How is she coping with male fans? “I try to engage my fans as much as I can. Although, I can’t respond or answer everyone, I am very accommodating. I am a friendly person and I have a lot of friends. So, I don’t see it as a big deal. But I ignore people that say weird things or are rude.” And talking about her celebrity crush, Waye has this to say: “I don’t really have one. But I like Wizkid and Burna Boy, not physically but career wise. I am crushing on their growth,

progress, moves and approach to music. But for physical crush, it’s Trey Songz all the way.” Currently Waye is working on her fashion line Stylewaye. She says she loves styling people and also model for brands adding that she would soon be dropping collections as she is feverishly working on designs. Dreams Young and talented, Waye has this to say about her dreams: “I haven’t mapped out my goals completely but I have plans and I am already working towards them. For my fashion and music, I would prefer to surprise people. So, just watch me!”

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

Entertainment

God Calling set to hit cinemas

I am here to protect and defend you and our kids – Peter Okoye tells wife

new movie, from the stables of Hearts in Motion entitled God Calling will light up the cinemas this Christmas season as Heart In Motion (HIM) Studios premieres the inspirational movie which looks at family and faith through the lens of an unconventional encounter with God in this modern age. According to a statement from Heart in Motion, God Calling tells the story of Sade, the central character who suffers a personal tragedy which sets her on a journey of self-discovery and faith and eventually transforms the lives all those around her. According to a statement from Heart in Motion Studios: “God

Calling shines a spotlight on modern day spirituality by imaginatively exploring what it might look like for Abraham or Prophet Elijah to be Nigerian in 2018 and contend with modern-day realities such as smartphones and social media.” Written and directed by BB Sasore, creator of Before 30 and Banana Island Ghost, God Calling is set for release in cinemas December 21 and features a stellar cast including Zainab Balogun, Karibi Fubara, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Onyeka Onwenu, Nkem Owoh, Tina Mba, Patrick Diabuah, Chidinma Okebalama and Eku Edewor among a host of others.” Speaking on his inspiration for the movie, Sasore stated: “As a

filmmaker, I considered how the world is looking to our continent for original stories, and how the Bible is filled with the most original stories that we each experience in our own way every day. It led me to think of how religion could adapt to time and geography, and this is what birthed God Calling.” Executive producers include Ibukun Awosika, Derin Adeyokunnu, Yomi Jemibewon, Patricia Jemibewon, Uzo Nwagwu, Chijioke Uwaegbute, Karibi Fubara, ZeeZee Ihe-Okuneye, Olalekan Olude, Opeyemi Awoyemi, Dolapo Awosika, Enyi Omeruah and Chioma ‘Chigul’ Omeruah.

o commemorate his fifth wedding anniversary to wife. Lola Omotayo, Peter Okoye penned an emotional message to her on social media describing what she meant to him and how she has transformed him and his career in the 16 years that they have been together. Making a reference to his brothers’ opposition to the wedding he said: “Maybe divorcing you to make you a baby mama will make some people happy and me unhappy; sorry that is not our portion.’Tufiakwa’! Remember love sees no colour, love has no age limit nor race. But one thing is sure, I am here to protect and defend you from all those insults. I took a vow to defend and protect you and our beautiful children on this day five years ago, and no matter what happens, you and the kids come first. “Thank you for being an exceptional model to our kids and being the best partner for me. I’m thankful for you, you get me? You are specially made for me till infinity. Happy fifth wedding anniversary babe. I go be your zombie for Life. “They even came up with stories of how our late mum never liked you, but God knows that a few weeks before she died, you were the one getting up early to go stay with her at St. Nicholas Hospital, even keeping her friends and pastors at your place for weeks because we were living on the mainland then. She always called you ‘my daughter’; RIP Mum. “You’ve been through a lot because of me and I know how bad it hurts. So, please forgive those who insult you, attack you, battle you or take you for granted. More than this...forgive yourself for allowing them to hurt you. Continue being the strong woman our daughter Aliona has as a role model and our son Cameron will know and understand what to look for in woman when he’s grown.”

Zuma Film Festival kicks-off December 1

he Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) has assured that preparations have reached advanced stages for a successful hosting of ZUMA Film Festival, 2018 which runs from December 1 to December 7 and themed: Archiving For Creativity. Speaking on Monday, November 12, Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, NFC’s Managing Director and Chairman, ZUMA Film Festival Organising Committee said that the nation is set to witness another film fiesta that is intended to up the ante of film production activities and announced that over 3,700 films were received from filmmakers for both the competitive and non competitive catego-

• Peter & Lola

AK Mogazzy moves up with Mama Yo

ries. Key features of the 7-day film fiesta include the free 12 hour daily film screenings at Genesis Cinema, Ceddi Plaza, Abuja. International Workshops on Archiving; Women in Film Forum and NFC

Annual Film Lecture. Speaking, Dr. Maduekwe said that the festival will reignite the consciousness in film makers and other stakeholders on the important role of film – audio visual archiving of creative works

Fans carpet Runtown for adopting lion cub as pet

he internet went agog when hip hop act, Runtown adopted a lion cub as pet and posted a video of him playing with the cub on social media with the following message: “Say hi to my pet lion, what should we call him.” In just a short while he got over 2000 comments as fans reacted admonishing him for acquiring a dangerous pet in a mixture of Pidgin

and English. Said miclozy in pidgin: “You de go de do pass yourself. Your name is rundown. You go soon run commot for town.” Another fan, slkomedy said: “I hope he can curb its excesses,” while bshizzle70a admonished him: “Wild animals are meant to be in the wild not at home. That is why people who mess with nature always get the consequence.” ayooluwaakintola said: “When trou-

ble de sleep, yanga go wake am. Well, your name is Runtown, when it happens you will run out of town as fast as your legs can carry you.. ozuo.” Daredrizzle, another fan said in pidgin: “You don buy wetin go kill you,” while ma_kocha advised: “Name it danger because it must chop you one day.” Biodun added: “Let’s name him ‘Let me grow big enough and I will eat my master.”

urgeoning Afropop artiste, Banjo Akinbola a.k.a AK Mogazy is set to hit the airwaves with a soon-to-be viral sophomore studio single dubbed Mama Yo. According to the fast-rising musician, the track produced by Shocker and also mixed and mastered by Indomix will get many feeds shuffling because it is of international standard. AK Mogazy said; “I’ve always wanted to connect with a wider audience with my music and the song Mama Yo will afford me the opportunity to connect with lovers of my music wherever there may be. The song has a feel-good-effect and you can immediately connect with the vibes when you hear the track buzzing from your speakers.” Mama Yo is a follow-up single to AK Mogazi’s last track titled Thugger Remix featuring Slim Case. AK Mogazy has in recent times been on tour of Kenya, Rwanda and Dubai promoting his music and he also performed at the just concluded Felabration after landing in Lagos from his international trip. Reports say the multi-talented musician is already compiling his first collection as he prepares for his debut album aptly titled Versatality.”

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

NEWS Extra Fire guts 156 shops at Nkwo Zik’s Lecture: Saraki advocates sincere anti-corruption war Ngwa market in Aba

ire has gutted about 156 shops at the timber and furniture section of Nkwo Ngwa market in Aba South Local Government Area of Abia, leaving many families in grief for their losses. Okechukwu Lawrence, Chairman of the market traders’ association, told newsmen at the market on Sunday that he was informed about the incident through phone call around 7:00 pm on Saturday. Lawrence said he rushed to the scene immediately and he and the market’s taskforce members broke its gates to let in sympathisers to help quench the fire, using water from a borehole. “We tried our best before the Fire Service came in. We used water from our borehole to quench the fire. But the hoodlums around later broke the borehole in their bid to steal our pump while the fire was raging. “That was how I saw it yesterday. The fire was too much and it gulped millions of Naira worth of goods and property. “We have some building material sellers in all these front shops. The second row of shops is occupied by furniture sellers and dealers in other things. We recorded a very big loss here but there was no loss of life or injury,” he said. Lawrence debunked claims that his members attacked the fire service personnel who came to quench the fire. The chairman said that it was a group of hoodlums called Aroo Boys who attacked the fire service men. He said the Aroo Boys further entered the market, broke into shops, carried rice, stock fish, clothes and other property and left. He further said the fire could have been stopped with the help of the fire fighters before it destroyed up to 100 shops. According to him, this was hindered by the suspended Ozuomba road project of the State Government. He appealed to the government to come to the aid of the traders by fixing the road and attending to other needs in the market. The Abia Police Commissioner, Chris Ezeike who visited the scene Sunday morning, said he was there to access the incident and sympathise with the victims. Ezeike noted that the section of the market was full of inflammable materials. He however called for calm and peace, adding that the fire incident, which was said to have caused by a generating set, would be investigated immediately. Capt. Awa Udonsi (rtd.), Senior Special Adviser to Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu on Security, said he had been notified about the incident and would involve the concerned ministries in the matter. Udonsi said he would not take decisions for the governor but gave the assurance that government would “do the right thing” in the situation.

From Chuks Collins, Awka

enate President, Bukola Saraki, at the weekend during the 7th Zik’s memorial lecture series and the 114th posthumous birthday of the late sage Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe held at the at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka said that Nigeria can only grow and achieve its true destiny when the nation’s present system of governance was rid of corruption. He therefore charged citizens and governments at all levels to recommit the vision of the nation’s founding fathers by eschewing selfish tendencies and eradicate corruption. Saraki who chaired the occasion, noted that the Great Zik of Africa was not only an astute politician and statesman, but a man who thought deeply about Nigeria as a unit and the African Continent in general.

He said, “He thought deeply about the direction Nigeria was going, and he did his very best to steer her on the right path,” he said. “We need more thinkers in our national life, and it is my expectation that today’s lecture will go some way towards nudging those of us in this audience in that direction.” “Without wishing to pre-empt the subject of today’s lecture by His Excellency Benjamin Mkapa, former President of Tanzania, which is titled, ‘Taming the Monster of Corruption in Africa’, we should ask ourselves what Dr. Azikiwe would have made of the political landscape of today, particularly with regard to the problem of corruption. Let us think upon the example he laid down, the ideals he stood for, and from which he never wavered. “As we listen to this 7th Zik Lecture, let us meditate upon the legacy of Azikiwe, one of the greatest Africans of the 20th Century. As

founder of the historic West African Pilot newspaper, Azikiwe was for freedom of the press. He was for accountability and transparency . . . He believed in, and fought for Nigeria’s unity. “When I think about his legacy, I am indeed humbled; and it is a thing of pride to be chairing this event today. As we listen to the 7th Zik Lecture delivered by the eminent keynote speaker, let us recommit ourselves to defeating the monster of corruption in our country; and by so doing, set a standard for the whole of Africa. “It is by ridding our system of governance of the cankerworm of corruption that this country can grow to achieve its true destiny as envisioned by the founding fathers, one of whom was the great Zik of Africa. “It is fitting that this Annual Lecture Series has as its setting an institution of learning in his name. I say

• Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike with the Director of MTN Foundation, Mr Reginald Chukwuemeka Okeya who led his team to the Government House, Port Harcourt to flagged off the company’s Market Doctor Programme in five markets across the state, Thursday

2019: EU, INEC partner to end on vote buying, money politics From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar The European Union has pledged its determination to partner the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to end the practice of excessively deploying money by politicians during elections in order to boost the integrity of the elections. The partnership which will be in the form of training of Staff of INEC will be through one of its agencies, the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) and will assist the commission in ending the practice which can potentially undermine the integrity of next year’s general elections. This was disclosed by the progamme coordinator of the ECES in Nigeria, Rudolf Elbling during a threeday workshop on “Methodology on Campaign Finance and Debriefing on political Party Primaries” organized by the European Centre for the staff of the department of Election Party and Monitoring of INEC in Calabar. According to the Programme Coordinator, “The manner in which political parties carry out their activities especially in the areas of campaign finance and conduct of primaries has implications for the transparency

and integrity of the electoral system. “Excessive and improper deployment of money compromises the freedom of the people to exercise their choices in elections and challenges related to the conduct of primaries have become not only sources of division within the party but also protracted tension in the political system”, he said. He said the aim of the workshop was to build the capacity of INEC staff to effectively monitor the campaign finances of political parties ahead of the 2019 election and also draw useful lessons from the recently conducted primaries of political parties. “It is my hope that deliberations and knowledge gained by the participants at this workshop will strengthen INEC’s capacity to effectively monitor the activities of political parties, enthrone healthy campaign finance practices and enthrone internal democracy among the parties. “The outcome of the workshop will provide feasible solutions to the emerging threat of vote buying and selling observed in recent off cycle governorship elections”, he said. In his opening remarks, the Director of Election Party and Monitoring

in INEC, Aminu Idris commended the ECES for the training stressing that it will go a long way in preparing the Commission effectively ahead of the general elections. He said it is mandatory for political parties in the country to make a report of their campaign financing to the commission and the commission will enforce this provision of the law. Justifying the imperative of the training, the Director said that so far, over 120 complaints have emerged following the just concluded primaries by political parties in the country and advised political parties to put their house in order to minimize these complaints. On his part, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, (REC) Cross River State, Frankland Briyai said that the workshop would address issues concerning political parties’ refusal to disclose their finances. Briyai who was represented by the Administrative Secretary of INEC, Mrs Irene Okoma, said it has been a great challenge for the commission to monitor such process as he urged INEC staff to take advantage of the training.

this because Zik of Africa was a renowned intellectual, and the power of his mind connected Nigeria to the entire Black World. “It is fitting, therefore, that we remember the great man of learning in this place of learning. It is fitting that we walk in his footsteps in our quest to formulate ideas and devise solutions to current challenges. It is fitting that erudite lectures are delivered to advance his cause and propagate his ideals. The guest lecturer and former President of Tanzania, Benjamin Mkapa in his presentation with the theme: “Taming the Monster of Corruption in Africa”, called for more efforts by African countries in the fight against corruption and other vices that retarded development. Bemoaning the level of corruption in the continent, he said African countries would remain in a vicious cycle of non-development for so long until the monster of corruption was tackled head-on. He therefore called on public office holders to bridle their excesses. He chided past African leaders that have either been tried or convicted of corruption. He also advocated modesty in handling of public offices, calling for bottom-top institutional reform to ensure that fairness prevails, just as he urged establishment of a common standard of morality and integrity, which would help wipe out corruption. He admitted that “Corruption cannot be completely wiped but can be tamed..., but must start from the federal government because it has all the capacity to do.” The ex-president commended Nigeria’s efforts in fighting corruption. He pointed out that the malaise is exaggerated about Africa, especially by the western countries who were even more corrupt than African countries. Going down memory lane, Mkapa reiterated how he fought corruption in his country when he was president and noted that corruption was the brainchild of greed and inordinate ambition. Also, the Vice Presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Peter Obi, described corruption as a hydra-headed monster that kills professionalism, entrepreneurship and hard work as well as renders societies incapable of meaningful development. “Hard work is behind the development of many countries of the world. In these countries, where citizens have equal access to opportunities, each citizen is challenged to work hard; you see their entrepreneurial spirits being challenged. “In such a situation, each professional strives to achieve his full potentialities, but in a corrupt country, the contrary is the case. One can even find a councillor living larger than a university professor because the former has access to the treasury,” Obi said. The Anambra state governor, Willie Obiano who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Solo Chukwulobe, said his administration would continue to provide the basic needs of citizens to check the monster of corruption. He described Nnamdi Azikiwe as a detribalized Nigerian, who championed the establishment of the University of Nigeria and promoted unity among Nigerians.

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

NEWS Extra Obasanjo in Asaba harps on national Cleric harps on proper training for clergymen unity, security

From JONATHAN AWANYAI, Asaba

ormer President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has said that Nigeria can only progress when all its citizens have a sense of security, unity and belonging. Speaking on Sunday in Asaba at a meeting with the Executive members of the Delta state Traditional Council led by its chairman, Obi Efizomor II, Obi Of Owa, Chief Obasanjo said that; “ I am an incurable optimist about this country, Nigeria is not a perfect country but it can be made to make progress, move at a pace that will be advantageous to all of us, no matter our tribe, position gender and race”. “We can have a country that is at peace with itself, where unity is enthroned, a country where everyone will be their brothers’ keeper, where performance will be obvious in the governance and running of the affairs of our people, a country where everyone will have a sense of belonging”, he stated. Obasanjo commended Governor Okowa for bringing peace, unity, development and cooperation among Deltans, urging the traditional council to continue to be pillar of support to the governor in his developmental strides. He reminded them that they were bastion of peace, unity and development in their various domains and they should do their best for the unity and security of the state at all time. Earlier, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has welcomed Chief Obasanjo to the State to commission some landmark projects stressing that his presence and wealth of experience would encourage his administration to carry out more development for the people.

Okowa salutes Victor Attah at 80

elta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa on Monday felicitated with former Akwa-Ibom State Governor, Obong Arc. Victor Attah as he turns 80 years on Tuesday November 20, 2018. Okowa in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Charles Aniagwu in Asaba lauded the elder statesman for his pioneering role in the development of his state, Akwa-Ibom. Governor Okowa joined the government and people of Akwa-Ibom State in celebrating the landmark age. He lauded Attah’s illustrious contribution to the growth of architecture in Nigeria as a former National President of the Nigerian Institute of Architects and a practitioner of the National Council of Architects Registration Board, NCARB, of the State of New York, and a member of the American Institute of Architects, AIA. The Governor expressed belief that Obong Attah’s 80 years on earth has been most remarkable as he continues to bestride Nigeria’s architectural profession and political landscape like a collossus. According to him, this is illustrated by Attah’s dogged contributions to the struggle for resource control and restructuring of Nigeria for the peace, progress and unity of our country. Governor Okowa extolled Obong Attah’s courage in upholding the values of integrity, hard work and search for knowledge, which had been the hallmark of his sojourn on earth and commended him for his comments and wise counsel on national issues which to a large extent has kept governments in check.

From BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia

n Umuahia-based journalist, Sir Emmanuel Ejiogu, at the weekend bagged an honorary Doctor of Divinity award by the Gracious Freedom Theological Institute (GRAFTIN), Umuahia campus, Abia State. Ejiogu, a Senior Reporter with Catholic Diocese of Umuahia-owned LUMEN newspapers and a Knight of St. Mulumba (KSM), received the award during the 3rd Convocation/Matriculation, Ordination and Award ceremony of GRAFTIN, an affiliate of International Institute of Pastoral Education and Chaplaincy. Presenting the honorary doctorate degree to Ejiogu, President of

GRAFTIN, Rev. Prof. Ohaegbulam Kalu said the recipient was considered because of the numerous works he has done and was still doing in the vineyard of the Lord. “We saw the work of God in his life and found it lovely to confer on him, the honorary award of Doctor of Divinity on him,” Kalu added. Ejiogu dedicated the honour done him to God and his colleagues at The LUMEN newspapers, promising to continue to serve God, using his profession. Addressing the graduands and matriculating students of GRAFTIN during the occasion, Kalu stressed the need for the clergy to be properly trained, lamenting that half-baked clergy men were in the habit of adul-

terating the gospel. “No one is qualified to control, lead or even function in any area of life without proper training. There are many ministers in the ministry who have no origin or source of their calling, ordination or even education and theological training; and they parade about as anointed ones while they mess around with unbalanced dogma and Bible teachings,” he noted. Kalu used the opportunity to charge and encourage gospel preachers to strive to be properly trained, adding that trained Minister of God live comfortably and cater for the indigent and downtrodden. In his remarks, GRAFTIN’s Chairman Bishopric Ministerial Board,

Most Rev. Okwudiri Onwuzuruigbo, reminded theologians of their core objective which is to deliver the gospel of Christ undiluted, to depopulate the kingdom of Satan. Onwuzuruigbo, the presiding Archbishop of Lamb Of God Gospel International Ministries, LOGGIM, said GRAFTIN has been designed to be a channel through which ministers of the gospel of Christ would be well equipped through sound teaching, while the Students Union President, Bishop Elijah Nwachukwu, expressed joy that the Association of Christian Theologians has inspected and recommended that the institute be upgraded to a university.

Open grazing: We didn’t collect N6m bribe from FG -- S/E monarchs warn BIM/MASSOB BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia

• Project Coordinator of European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES), Rudolf Elbling and staff of the Department of Election Party and Monitoring during the training organised by the ECES for Staff of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Calabar

Obasanjo in Asaba harps on national unity, security From JONATHAN AWANYAI, Asaba

“We can have a country that is at peace with itself, where unity is enthroned, a country where everyone will be their brothers’ keeper, where performance will be obvious in the governance and running of the affairs of our people, a country where everyone will have a sense of belonging”, he stated. Obasanjo commended Governor Okowa for bringing peace, unity, development and cooperation among Deltans, urging the traditional council to continue to be pillar of support to the governor in his developmental strides. He reminded them that they were bastion of peace, unity and development in their various domains and

they should do their best for the unity and security of the state at all time. Earlier, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has welcomed Chief Obasanjo to the State to commission some landmark projects stressing that his presence and wealth of experience would encourage his administration to carry out more development for the people. Obi Efeizimor II, Obi Of Owa in his remarks has urged Chief Obasanjo to use his wealth of experience to fight injustice in the society stating that the country was at the verge of collapse and need men like him to intervene in its affairs.

Ntoe Ekong who spoke when members of Sustainable Citizens Participation in Nigeria’s Niger Delta Project visited the area stated beyond the buildings, lives have been lost in the area. “The Assemblies of God church and many buildings have been swept away by gullies in the past few years in the community and unless efforts are made to stem the tide, the entire community will be non-existent in a few years. “Our community which is one of the most highly populated areas in Calabar Municipality has been affected by many disasters and a lot of people have lost their lives here from causes like fire outbreaks, gully erosion, and flooding and if nothing

is done soon, the entire place will be swept away by gullies which are seriously threatening our land every day”. He lamented that political office holders hardly remember the community soon after assuming their respective offices and called on the state government and non-governmental agencies to come to their aid. Okon Enemi, the director Green Vision for Community Development Initiative who led the team to the community said Sustainable Citizens participation programme in the Niger Delta is aimed at raising awareness of the people to participate in enhancing good governance by demanding for accountability from elected public officers.

Erosion: Church, houses swept away as C’ River community appeals for help From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar

he gully erosion afflicting Nyahasang, a community in the outskirts of Calabar has deteriorated as property located in the area is gradually being washed off as the menace intensifies. The community which is one of the emerging settlements in Calabar is home to the Qua people of the State and their community faces extinction as a result of the menace. Speaking on the impact of the crisis which has taken its toll on the community, the Clan Head of the community, Ntoe Edim Ekong said the community faces the risk of being swept away if the menace is not addressed apace.

raditional rulers in Abia State have warned the Biafra Independence Movement/ Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, (BIM/ MASSOB) to refrain from dragging the reputation of its members in the South East in the mud by making spurious allegations against them. The royal fathers gave the warning against the backdrop of an allegation made by BIM-MASSOB that Southeast traditional rulers have each received the sum of N6 million as an inducement by the government to influence them to give consent to open grazing. It would eb recalled that BIM-MASSOB, through its Zonal Information Director in Abia Central, Anselam Ogbonna, had alleged that South East traditional rulers have been induced with N6 million to throw their weight behind open grazing within the region. Debunking the allegation, one of the Public Relations Officers of the Abia Traditional Rulers Council, His Royal Highness, Eze Cyril Ogbenna, dismissed the allegation as ridiculous. Eze Ogbenna, the traditional ruler of Uzi-Amizi Autonomous Community, Olokoro in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State, insisted that the allegation was unfounded and challenged the BIMMASSOB to provide evidence by naming any tradition ruler who collected the alleged money. “That allegation from BIM-MASSOB is really funny. There is nothing like that. Even if such exist, our senior traditional rulers would have told us. “If our senior traditional rulers were involved in such a deal, we would have gotten an idea, particularly as the PRO of Ndi Eze that goes closer to them, I should have known and we would have challenged them,” he told newsmen in Umuahia. “BIM-MASSOB should prove their allegation, they should mention the name of one traditional ruler that received such money. Our stipend from the government is nowhere to be found nowadays, let alone government giving us N6 million, which is a very big enrichment. “Some of the traditional rulers have not even gotten three square meals a day, let alone having N6 million in their coffers,” he added. He said though BIM-MASSOB is fighting for their right, they should not see it as an avenue to add fuel to fire by put another problem “on top of the problems we have with such wrong accusations.” “Nobody is happy with what is happening in the country presently. While we are hoping for God’s intervention, they should not castigate Ndi Eze,” he fumed.

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

NEWS Reinvest your profits, IFAD-VCDP urges beneficiaries in Anambra

he International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)assisted Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) has advised beneficiaries in Anambra to reinvest their profits to sustain rice and cassava production tempo. Team leader of the sixth IFADVCDP Supervision Mission to the state, Prof. Ben Okpukpara, made the call while interacting with beneficiaries of the programme on Monday at various farm locations. Okpukpara, who commended the performances of farmers and rated the state as the best across the country, also attributed the progress to the passion of Gov. Willie Obiano in the agricultural sector. The team leader commended the proactive measures put in place by the state VCDP office to ensure the development and success of the project. “I am impressed with what is happening in Anambra VCDP. “Sustainability strategies and institutions’ development are the key focus of the programme needed to largely ensure sustainability of production, especially after the programme winds up,” he said. He stressed the need for farmers to also initiate measures to promote on-farm processing of produce to reduce transport cost and add value to production. Okpukpara, an agricultural economist at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, also urged the farmers to cultivate the habit of insuring their produce. Presenting a summary of its activities for 2018, the state VCDP Programme Coordinator, Mr Nnamdi Agwuncha disclosed that the programme trained 2,104 rice and cassava farmers. “We also organised business management training for 500 beneficiaries for them to acquire skills for making agricultural enterprise more profitable. “The programme constructed a total of 20 kilometers of roads and developed over 200 hectares for rice and cassava cultivation,” he said. The leader of Great Mind Rice Farm, Mrs Ngozi Ebue said the training provided by IFAD-VCDP on best agronomical practices since 2015 had scaled up production and improved their living standards. “They exposed us to training on seedlings which scaled up our production and profits. Most of us have become car and house owners,’’ she said. The Traditional Prime Minister of Ifite-Ogwari, Chief George Okoye, also a farmer, promised that they would continue to protect the road constructed by IFAD which had eased transportation of farm produce. The team is on a three-day supervision mission to evaluate the implementation process of the programme and how the farmers could perform better. Some of the areas visited included; Omor Great Mind Rice Farm, Nnedinma Rice Processing Mill, Omor and Iyi-Akwa Ifite Ogwuari road all in Ayamelum Local Government Area and Achalla Rice Processing Mill in Awka North Local Government Area.

I will defend Akwa Ibom in NASS - Luke T From Ini Billie, Uyo

he Speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Mr. Onofiok Luke has said he will defend the state in the National Assembly. Speaking on Sunday during a Church Service in Etinan local government area to flag off his campaign to represent Etinan Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, the Speaker said God has given him the resources to speak for the people of Etinan Federal Constituency. Luke who is the Peoples Democractic Party candidate for Etinan/Nsit Ubium/Nsit Ibom Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives said he will defend the voice of the state in the NASS, adding that his voice will not be intimidated. He said once in the NASS, he will advocate for the restructuring of Nigeria and initiate a Telecommunication Act that will check the excesses

of Telecommunication companies in the country and the review of the National Broadcasting Commission Act. He explained that he would join hands with the central government to depopulate unemployment among youths in the country, adding that he will partner with the State governor, State Representatives in the National Assembly and State House of Assembly for continued peace in the state. “God has given me the resources and qualities to be able to speak and advocate for the betterment of the people of Etinan/Nst Ubium/Nsit Ibom Federal Constituency. “That unique selling point that I have is a voice that will define the interest of Etinan Federal Constituency and Akwa Ibom state, a voice that cannot be compromised, a voice that cannot be bought, a voice that cannot be intimidated, a voice that God himself has sanctified, a voice that

God himself has blessed, that is what I have to offer you in Etinan Federal Constituency. “With that voice, I will be advocating for the socio-economic welfare and well-being of this constituency. I have a heart to give back and I will bring the dividends of democracy from the centre to be able to give back to our men and women, our youths, the less privileged, the physically challenged and everyone, traditional and religious organisations so that you will know that you have a representative in the National Assembly. “I have a voice to defend the interest of the state partnering with Governor Udom Emmanuel from 2019 to 2023. To partner with him to make sure that the prosperity we enjoy today, the security of lives and property that we enjoy together in Akwa Ibom because of his peaceful disposition is continually enjoyed from 2019 and

beyond,” he said. Also speaking, the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel who was represented at the occasion by the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice in the state, Mr. Uwemedimo Nwoko commended the speaker for following in his footsteps by putting God first. He encouraged the people of Etinan Federal Constituency to support the aspirations of the speaker and Akwa Ibom state members of the NASS. He urged Luke to run a God centered campaign and not be bothered by distractions. “God will take you there. The Speaker is committed, fearless and had capacity to represent his people in the National Assembly and I have given my full support to the Speaker to go and redefine Nigeria”.

INEC worried over violence during parties’ primaries in Enugu

• Minister of Labour and Employment, Chief Chris Ngige, Secretary to Government of the Federal, Boss Mustafa, and President Muhammadu Buhari flanked by members of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) delegation including; CAN President, Rev Dr Samson Ayokunle; former CAN President, John Cardinal Onaiyekan; Prelate, Methodist Church, Dr Samuel Uche, and Head, Christian Council of Nigeria, Rev Dr Benebo Fubara-Manuel, at the State House received, Friday

Okorocha calls for fight against poverty, illiteracy

ov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo has called on beauty pageants organisers to make the crusade against illiteracy and poverty their objective for promoting such events. Okorocha made the call when contestants and organisers of a nonbikini beauty pageant scheduled to hold in Owerri on Nov. 29, paid him a courtesy visit. In a statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Sam Onwuemeodo on Sunday, Okorocha expressed hope that the pageant would project the culture and ideals of an African woman, which promoted decency. “It has always been my desire to see Africans under one roof to dramatise African Unity so that wherever Africans find themselves, they will remain united people. “And today that dream has come true as all parts of Africa have converged in Imo State to promote those ideals. “I want you to understand that though languages may seem to divide us, hills and oceans may separate us, but what keeps us as Africans is more important than the

rivers and oceans that separate us. “I am equally happy that you are here to promote culture, decency and also to represent the very ideals of the African woman by having a non-bikini contest. “This is what caught my interest, that and the fact that you love education and have come to promote education and to speak for those vulnerable children; those who could not go to school due to poverty. ” He advised the contestants against making the same mistakes others before them had made, noting that Africa was looking up to them for a change in perception and hope for a better tomorrow through them. “We are getting old and you are the next generation of Africans; We may have made mistakes as your leaders, elders and parents, but you must never make the same mistakes made in our time. “Africa looks up to you, we have gone through a very difficult time ranging from poverty to insurgency to natural disasters, to HIV and many ills that have befallen the African nations. “This is a trial time for Africa; take

note that you have a responsibility to build a greater Africa for the next generation of Africans. The governor also urged the beauties to display the spirit of sportsmanship because all of them were winners if they imbibed the African spirit. “We urge all of you to remember the less-privileged in Africa and become ambassadors in the fight against poverty in Africa. “Your contest is different from others because it is a contest of brain, beauty, patriotism and nationalism. “Whoever wins the contest will be made a citizen of Imo State. In the contest there must be a winner and loser when you lose, in African Spirit, hug the person that wins. “As you leave Imo State, you will become ambassadors of Rochas Foundation College of Africa; You must speak against illiteracy and encourage African children to be in School no matter their background.” Earlier, the President of the Organising group, Mr. Taylor Nasar, said the pageant started in 2010 and was aimed at discouraging indecent dressing in Africa.

ndependent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in Enugu, says it is worried over the spate of violence that characterised the recently concluded party primary elections in the state. INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), in the state, Mr Emeka Ononamadu, who disclosed this on Friday in Enugu, said that the magnitude of violence that greeted the elections were unknown in the history of the state. Ononamadu’s observation was contained in an address delivered at a meeting with members of the Civil Society Organisations and Inter-Party Advisory Council. The meeting focused on the state of preparedness of INEC, Parties’ primaries and the display of Permanent Voters Register (PVR), by the Commission, ahead of next year’s general elections. Ononamadu described the violence as worrisome, but expressed the hope that such ugly incidents would not be repeated as the general elections. On INEC’s preparedness, Ononamadu said that 1,978,547 would vote in next year’s elections, adding that 549,326 voters were fresh entrants. He said that 5,427 voters were transferred from other voting points to Enugu, adding that the commission had 4,190 Smart Cards Readers (SCRs), with 534 extra SCRs as backups. The official said that 175,678 PVCS had yet to be collected, and described that situation as worrisome. He urged owners of the uncollected PVCs to pick them up so as to exercise their rights to vote.

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

NEWS

NYSC resumes posting of corps members to former crisis-ridden area of Ebonyi

ational Youths Service Corps (NYSC) has re-commenced the positing of corps members to former crisis ridden areas of Ishielu Local Government of Ebonyi. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NYSC stopped posting corps members to the council due to the fratricidal communal conflicts between the Ezillo/Ezza Ezillo communities which lasted from 2008 to 2011. Hundreds of lives were lost and properties worth millions of naira destroyed in the conflict which sorest point was the killing of motorists on the council’s end of the trans-saharan Enugu-Abakaliki, Ogoja—Cameroon highway. Gov. David Umahi announced this on Monday at the NYSC permanent orientation camp Afikpo, during the swearing-in ceremony of 2018 Batch ‘C’ Stream 2 Corps members, deployed to the state. The governor, represented by Mr Charles Akpuenika, state Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development, noted that the action became necessary due to the return of lasting peace to the area. “After due consultations with heads of security agencies in the state, we concluded that it was presently safe to deploy corps members to the area following the initiation of lasting peace by the government. “We duly communicated to the NYSC and we are glad that 2018 Batch ‘C’ Stream I Corps members, who recently concluded their orientation, were posted to the council,”

he said. The governor remarked that his administration would always give priority to Corps members’ welfare by providing an enabling environment for them to operate. “This is to discover and harness their God-given talent in all the nooks and crannies of the state where they would be posted for their primary assignments. “My administration will always attach great importance to efforts geared towards sustaining the gains of the NYSC and place it in our priority list despite the economic crunch in the country. “This work is in progress as I have increased the allowance payable to Corps members in the state from N5,000 to N10,000 with effect from September 2018,” he said. NYSC State Coordinator, Mrs Ann Ibe, confirmed the re-commencement of the Corps members’ posting to Ishielu Local Government Area, noting that the scheme was gratified with the development. “We are happy that Corps members posted to the council were warmly received by their hosts as a welcome party was even organised for them by the council chairman. “Participation in the national service is a rare opportunity which the prospective Corps members should utilise to uplift themselves, the NYSC scheme, Ebonyi and Nigeria at large,” she said. Ibe remarked that at the end of the registration, a total of 1,680 Corps members were deployed to the state, consisting of 933 males and 747 females.

INEC worried over violence during parties’ primaries in Enugu

of next year’s general elections. Ononamadu described the violence as worrisome, but expressed the hope that such ugly incidents would not be repeated as the general elections. On INEC’s preparedness, Ononamadu said that 1,978,547 would vote in next year’s elections, adding that 549,326 voters were fresh entrants. He said that 5,427 voters were transferred from other voting points to Enugu, adding that the commission had 4,190 Smart Cards Readers (SCRs), with 534 extra SCRs as backups. The official said that 175,678 PVCS had yet to be collected, and described that situation as worrisome. He urged owners of the uncollected PVCs to pick them up so as to exercise their rights to vote.

• Secretary to Delta State Government, Rt Hon Ovie Agas (middle) displaying with the Torch of Unity for the 19th National Sports Festival, with him are; Commissioner for Environment, Hon John Nani (left), Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Hon Joyce Overah (right), others at the Stephen Keshi Stadium… Photo: JONATHAN AWANYAI, Asaba

NGO vows to create better future for Abia women From BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia

women group dedicated to creating a better future for Abia women and giving hope to the needy has been inaugurated in Umuahia, the state capital. The group, Umuada Abia Nwereugwu Women Organization (Abia Daughters) which also promised to advance women’s capacities and leadership skills, empowered some indigent women and students in the higher institutions shortly after its inauguration. President of the association, Lady Joy Dimanochie, said the vision of Abia Daughters include providing scholarships to children of poor members; train and empower indigent members in the various local governments to be self-reliant. At the Michael Okpara Auditorium, Umuahia, venue of the occasion, Lady Dimanochie, said the coming on board of Abia Daughters became very necessary as the role of women in ensuring a formidable, united, peaceful and progressive society has gained much acceptance. “Umuada Abia Nwereugwu is a

non-governmental umbrella body that brings together all women of Abia origin which aims at creating a future in which Abia women will be treated fairly in all aspects of life; civil, political, economic, social and cultural. It is an interactive platform where ideas are shared and capacity enhanced,” she said. In her goodwill message, wife of a former Governor of Kogi state, Mrs Ijeoma Faridah Wada, charged group to be committed to inspiring and motivating talented but mostly unemployed and under-employed youth to become innovative. “They need our support and empowerment to excel. I dare say that one child’s life will become changed forever if we employed the funds for one more ‘aso ebi’ instead to her education. Let’s not become yet another ‘aso ebi’ clad, praise singing, dancing women group. “Most importantly, let’s support one another, let’s reach out and touch each one of us,” she said. Mrs Wada advised the women to use their strength to engage the state to become more responsive to the plights of women and the girl child, stressing that “the era

of unusually slow, unusually low, unusually no to women and the girl child issues, unusually no growth, unusually low networth, unusually no hope, should become a thing of the past.” She further urged the women to be the vehicle for real transformation and make their voices to be heard in issues affecting women and the girl child. Chairperson of Umuahia South Local Government Area, Amarachi Ezeogbulafor, commended the organization, adding that they have come at a very auspicious to harmonize and fertilize ideas to achieve laudable objectives of societal development. Also, Executive Chairman of Ikwuano Local Government Area, and chairman of the Planning Committee, Ezinne Ngozi Oji, harped on the need for the women to be united and expressed hope that the NGO would achieved her desired goal. The event featured cutting of inauguration cake, among other side attractions.

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly known as UME VICTORY BELLA now wish to be known as UME CHIDINMA KALU. All former documents remain valid. Please Banks and General Public take note.

I formerly known as OBIORAH MIRACLE OLUEBUBE now wish to be known as OBIORAH MIRACLE OGOCHUKWU. All former documents remain valid. Please Banks and General Public take note.

I formerly known as JULIET AMARACHI SAMUEL now wish to be known as JULIET AMARACHI EKEH. All former documents remain valid. Banks and general public take note

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS ORAKWE MMADUABUCHI OGECHUKWU now wish to be known and addressed as MRS AKUNNA MMADUABUCHI OGECHUKWU. All former documents remain valid. Banks and general public take note.

This is to confirm that the names: EKENEME GLORY IFEOMA and GODWIN GLORY IFEOMA refer to one and same person. Now wish to be known as Godwin Glory Ifeoma . All former documents remain valid ,Banks and General public take note.

This is to confirm that the names: UKA CHINWENDU and UKA CHINWENDU ORJI refer to one and same person. Now wish to be known as UKA CHINWENDU ORJI. I was born on July 9, 1990. not July 9,1980. All former documents remain valid, banks and General public take note.

I formerly known as EMEWUSIM DORATHY CHINYERE now wish to be known as ONYENWEUZOR DORATHY CHINYERE. All former documents remain valid. Please Banks and General Public take note.

I formerly known, called and addressed as UDOKA PATIENCE CHUKWU now wish to be known, called and addressed as ODUU PATIENCE UCHENNA. All former documents remain valid. The General Public especially banks should please take note.

THIS SPACE IS FOR SALE

The Oracle Today Wednesday November 28, 2018

NEWS

A’Ibom House of Assembly declares five seats vacant From INI BILLIE, Uyo

he Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has declared the seats of five legislators vacant. The action came on the heels of the alleged invasion of the House by supporters of the affected legislators. The affected lawmakers include Mr. Idongesit Ituen representing Itu, Mr Gabriel Toby representing Etim Ekpo/Ika, Mr. Victor Udofia representing Ikono, Mr. Otobong Ndem representing Mkpat Enin and Mr. Nse Ntuen representing Essien Udim State constituencies. Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr Onofiok Luke declared the seats vacant on Monday in Uyo under tight security following the invasion of the house by supporters of some of the affected legislators. The supporters alleged to be youths from the All Progressive Congress (APC) party had blocked the entrance to the Assembly complex, chanting songs and displaying placards against the

decision of the Speaker to withdraw recognition of the affected lawmakers as representatives of their constituencies. The House also passed a resolution urging Governor Udom Emmanuel to name the Akwa Ibom International Airport or Akwa Ibom State University after Obong Victor Attah, to mark his 80th birthday being the first governor of the state after the return to democratic rule in 1999. Luke said the action of the House was in line with section 109 sub. 1g of the 1999 constitution as amended. Also speaking, the Commissioner of Police, Bassey Abang who was in the Assembly complex to assess the security situation assured the lawmakers of their safety in the course of carrying out their duties. The Peoples Democratic Party in the state had earlier issued a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Ini Ememobong alerting the people of the state of a planned attack on the House of

Assembly. The statement alleged that the APC had concluded plans to use thugs to invade the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, to prevent the lawmakers from carrying out their legitimate business. “We are in receipt of credible intelligence highlighting plans by the opposition to use thugs to invade the Akwa Ibom state House of Assembly and prevent the House from carrying out its legitimate business of law making,” the statement read in part. “The thugs we have been reliably informed are camped in Ikot Ekpene and will be conveyed in buses to Uyo. On arrival in Uyo, they will be dropped at different locations (Abak road by secretariat junction, Itam junction, Uyo village road by Ikpa road) from where they are expected to board tricycles in pairs and head towards the Assembly.” “Another set of thugs are expected to accompany the ousted lawmaker, Mr. Idongesit Ituen to attempt to force his way into the

•Gov. Udom Emmanuel House of Assembly. “The motive of this invasion is to prevent the Speaker from declaring vacant the seat of the sacked legislator. This invasion has as its

Ohakim promises N30,000 minimum wage By Collins Ughalaa

•(From left) Chairman, Delta State Traditional Rulers Council, Obi Efizomor II, Obi Of Owa, presenting a souvenir to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, when the latter met with the Executive Members of the Council in Asaba

Corruption in Africa exaggerated ... Cont’d from page 2 eminent keynote speaker, let us recommit ourselves to defeating the monster of corruption in our country; and by so doing, set a standard for the whole of Africa. “It is by ridding our system of governance of the cankerworm of corruption that this country can grow to achieve its true destiny as envisioned by the founding fathers, one of whom was the great Zik of Africa. “It is fitting that this Annual Lecture Series has as its setting an institution of learning in his name. I say this because Zik of Africa was a renowned intellectual, and the power of his mind connected Nigeria to the entire Black World. “It is fitting, therefore, that we remember the great man of learn-

ing in this place of learning. It is fitting that we walk in his footsteps in our quest to formulate ideas and devise solutions to current challenges. It is fitting that erudite lectures are delivered to advance his cause and propagate his ideals.” Also, the Vice Presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Peter Obi, described corruption as a hydra-headed monster that kills professionalism, entrepreneurship and hard work as well as renders societies incapable of meaningful development. “Hard work is behind the development of many countries of the world,” the former governor of Anambra State said. “In these countries, where citizens have equal access to opportunities, each citizen is challenged to work

hard; you see their entrepreneurial spirits being challenged. In such a situation, each professional strives to achieve his full potentialities, but in a corrupt country, the contrary is the case. One can even find a councillor living larger than a university professor because the former has access to the treasury,” Obi said. The Anambra state governor, Willie Obiano who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Solo Chukwulobe, said his administration would continue to provide the basic needs of citizens to check the monster of corruption. He described Nnamdi Azikiwe as a detribalised Nigerian, who championed the establishment of the University of Nigeria and promoted unity among Nigerians.

adjunct function, the creation of tension as a feeder to the desired invitation of ‘Federal might’ to close the Assembly,” the statement further alleged.

midst the ongoing debate on the proposed new minimum wage, former Governor Ikedi Ohakim who is running for a second in office in 2019 has promised to pay N30,000 minimum wage to the workers in the state. He noted that the state government has no reason not to pay the proposed N30,000 minimum wage. Ohakim disclosed this on Monday in a press release, saying that his decision to pay N30,000 minimum wage followed his careful look at the matter, adding the workers in the state have suffered so much and cannot suffer more. Describing himself as “a welfarist leader”, he said that “workers in the state have suffered untold hardship since the advent of the Okorocha administration, adding that “It is shocking that under the Okorocha government the workers have not been paid their allowances and no promotion has taken place for close to eight years now. Instead, Imo State workers now take 70% of their salaries while the government illegally pockets the remaining 30%. We cannot continue with this”. Ohakim assured that from 2019 when he returns to the government as Governor for only one term, he will end the suffering of workers by paying the proposed N30,000 salary. Ohakim has also set up a committee to compute the total amount of deductions made on the workers’ salary, promising that his administration will return the accrual of the 30% illegal deductions. He said that he will run the government for the people and by people and as such his government will not keep what does not belong to it or deny any section of the state what is rightfully theirs. The former Governor who is running for only one term in office in 2019 said he will not create any division in the state for any reason

but would rather carry everyone along, adding that his government will end the unnecessary controversy on payment of pension and gratuity. He observed that since he left office the Okorocha administration has not paid gratuities while pensioners die like chicken because they cannot afford basic healthcare and feeding. He said: “Imo people have for some time now had a taste of two governments; that is, my government which existed between 2007 and 2011 and the Okorocha’s administration which has been in existence since 2011. The judgement we have got from the people is commendable and we cannot let them down when, by the grace of God and choice of the Imo people, we return to office. My government will be the peoples’ government in every sense of the word, and everything we shall do shall only focus on the people. Imo people have suffered and they cannot afford to suffer again under the new government. “As a government, we shall commence the payment of N30,000 new salary for the workers of Imo State. We shall return equity and fairness to the daily running of the government and as such we have set up a committee to look at the 30% and 60% illegal deductions on the workers’ salary and pension respectively. We shall return the accumulated sum to the workers and pensioners. It is their money and my government cannot have the conscience to keep what is not theirs”. Ohakim noted that the best way to ensure efficiency in the public service is to ensure that the government lives up to its responsibilities by providing a conducive environment for the workers to give their very best. He said he will also end the unnecessary controversy on the payment of pension and gratuity by making sure that the arrears of pensions and gratuities are paid.

SPORTS The Oracle Today Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Buhari National Open Water Swimming Championship to hold this year – Jesimiel Stories by MADUABUCHI KALU

FTER what seems as hopelessness for the first ever President Muhammadu Buhari Open National Swimming Championship, The Oracle Today Sports can authoritatively report that the championship which maiden edition ought to have taken place in 2016 will certainly hold this year according to the Chairman of the Facilities’ Committee of the Nigeria Aquatics Federation (NAqF), Rev. Samuel Jesimiel. Reverend Jemiel gave the assurance that the much awaited championship which has suffered several postponements will take place before the end of the year, saying those who are in-charge of the Open Water Swimming Championship are in contact with them (NAqF) with a view to ensuring the championship holds this year. According to the Nigeria Aquatics Federation Facilities boss, the championship will take place after next month’s National Sports Festival (NSF) in Abuja. He also revealed that the maiden President Muhammadu Buhari Open National Swimming Championship will equally take place in Jabi, Abuja. “I have been busy shuttling from Port Harcourt to Lagos and I want to rest a bit,” Jemimiel began. “You know I have been busy with West Africa Universities Games (WAUG) which held in Port Harcourt because I am their technical consultant on swimming. So, I have been busy before, during and after the West Africa Universities Games in Port Harcourt. “I am also the technical consultant to National Universities Games (NUGA) on Swimming. So I have been shuttling between Lagos and Port Harcourt in order to ensure that things went well as far as swimming is concerned and I thank

God that it went well,” Jesimiel declared. Continuing he said: “I am also busy with secondary swimming championship for private schools in Lagos tagged “Dolphin League”. “So you can see that it has not been easy for me and in distant time we will be called upon for the National Sports Festival (NSF) that will be taking place next month in Abuja. “However, I want to inform you that the much awaited maiden edition of President Muhammadu Buhari Open Water Swimming Championship is going to take place this year. “Already, those who are in charge of the championship have contacted us and very soon, I will be going to Abuja to meet with them so that arrangements for the championship will be made. All I can assure you is that we are going to hold the championship this year all things being equal because what has been hindering the championship, which is money we have been told have been made available. So the championship will definitely take place this year,” Jesimiel declared. “It is most unfortunate that the championship whose proposal was for three years, has not seen the light of the day till now but the most import thing is that at the end of the day the maiden edition will take place this year because outside this year, you know that politicking and other things will take pride of place. “I am very optimistic that the championship will have positive impart in the development Open Wa- • President Muhammadu Buhari ter swimming in the country which one area the current board of Nigeria Aquatics Federation want to leverage on in the development of water sports in the country because S a part of preparations we have abundant fresh waters via for the 2018/19 Nigeria Provarious rivers in the country,” Jesifessional Football League miel enthused. (NPFL) season, Omoku based NPFL side, Go Round FC have announced the appointment of Willy Udube as the head coach/technical adviser while former junior internatransfer market. “For me, yes – Mou is better,” tional, Smart Johnson was named Maradona added. “I give Pep credit the assistant coach/chief coach. The Bro Felix Obuah financed for making the most of what Johan club side also announced the proCruyff left. “Guardiola did not invent the ti- curement of a goalkeeper trainer ki-taka – a style of play characterised in the person of David Dosu from by maintaining possession with short NNL side, First Bank FC in what the passing and movement. The tiki-taka general manger of the club, Soni was created by Johan Cruyff. Only Uboh described as “dream bench” that now Pep can choose any player after they parted ways with former in the world he wants, so the tiki-taka coach, Ngozi Elechi who has since is easier that way.” pitched tent with Yobe Stars.

ORLD football governing body, Federation of International Football Association (FIFA), have condoled the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over the death at the weekend of former Nigerian international, and ex – Flamingoes’ assistant coach, Ajuma Otache. In a letter personally signed by the President of the world Football governing body (FIFA) Gianni Infantino and addressed to the President of Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Melvin Pinnick, he expressed “deepest sympathy on hearing of the news of the sudden passing of former Nigeria women’s national team player, Ajuma Ameh-Otache, one of Nigeria’s most successful women international. “Throughout her career, she played for Nigeria at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and also won the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations the same year in South Africa. She also played for The Super Falcons at the 2003 All Africa Games in Abuja. “On behalf of the members of the international football community, I should be grateful if you could extend our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones. We would hope that, in some way, our words of support may help bring a little bit of peace and solace in this time of sadness,” the letter read.

Go Round replaces Elechi with Udube

Maradona rates Mourinho better than Guardiola NE of the world’s greatest player of all times and Argentina legend, Diego A Maradona, says he believes Manchester United boss, Jose Mourinho is a better manager than Manchester City counterpart, Pep Guardiola. According to him he intends to spend a week in Manchester in the near future to see the former Real Madrid and Chelsea manager in action. “I, as a coach, still have a lot to learn,” Maradona, who is coaching Mexican second division side, Dorados de Sinaloa told Marca. “That is why I will go a week to Manchester to see Mourinho train and to ask him a lot of things.” When asked why it was Mourinho he wanted to learn from, Maradona replied: “Because he is the best, without a doubt.” Manchester City comprehensively beat United 3-1 in the weekend’s derby to extend the champions’ unbeaten start to the Premier League season, while Mourinho’s men sit eighth. However, Maradona said that he believes Guardiola is using the methods invented by Johan Cruyff, but has an easier time implementing them due to the freedom available to him in the

FIFA condole NFF over Ajuma Otache death

CAS rejects Kenya’s appeal on 2018 Women’s AFCON

HE Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has registered and rejected an urgent appeal filed by the Football Kenya Federation against the decision taken by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The world sports appellate body, in a letter dated Nov. 7 in which an earlier decision taken by the CAF Disciplinary Council to disqualify the Equatorial Guinea team from the 2018 CAF Women’s Cup of Nations was examined, agreed with CAF. Report has it that CAF’s decision had made the Kenyan team unable to take part in the tournament. Football Kenya Federation had

sought a ruling from CAS annulling the decision of Nov. 7 in order for Football Kenya Federation to be reintegrated into the tournament in place of Equatorial Guinea. In addition to its appeal, Football Kenya Federation filed an urgent request for provisional measures requesting the annulment of the challenged decision and its reinstatement to the competition. The CAF filed a written reply submission and earlier on Friday, the President of CAS Appeals Arbitration Division issued an Order on Provisional Measures rejecting FKF’s request for provisional measures.

It is true that this is the first time he will be calling the shots as the head coach of any NPFL side, however, Udube is no stranger to the elite league in the country as he has garnered a lot of experience in the league with several clubs as assistant coach and was assistant coach at the club until his latest uplift as head coach. It is also noted that the former Udoji United, Jasper United and Iwuanyanwu Nationale (now Heartland) player retired from football in 2005 and went straight to the National Institute for Sport (NIS) in Lagos to obtain his coaching licence. He started his coaching career with Heartland as an assistant to the late Kelechi Emeteole when Heartland competed on the continent in 2009. He remained in same position the next season as assistant to Samson Siasia, who left for the Super Eagles job which cost Heartland an early exit from the continent. The CAF C-licence coach is not all about assisting others in the elite league but has done lots of coaching in the grassroots especially as the pioneer coach of Diamond Football Academy that has churned out lots of talented players like the Nwakali brothers. He also did well with Gabros FC (Now FC Ifeanyiubah) in the NNL winning promotion to the elite league in 2014 before journeying

across several clubs as assistant and lately at Nnewi United before landing the job at Go Round as assistant coach last season. Udube, who says he is not under pressure to deliver in his new assignment as he believes hard work has brought him thus far and the experience he has garnered will come in handy. “Though I have not been given any target, every coach sets target for themselves and mine is to build a very formidable team but if along the line a silver ware comes, we’ll grab it with open arms. “I’ll take this country by surprise with this club and that means we’ll build a good team and do well,” he said. The new technical crew has gone into full swing preparing the team in readiness for the commencement of the 2018/19 NPFL season.

The Oracle Today Wednesday, November 28, 2018

SPORTS

Gov. Wike, Musa, others emerge winners at 2018 Nigerian Sports Awards Stories by MADUABUCHI KALU

IVERS State Governor, Nyesom Wike and Nigeria’s Super Eagles stand-in captain, Ahmed Musa, among others, were winners at the 2018 Nigerian Sports Awards held in Lagos on Friday. The annual award’s seventh edition was held at the Eko Hotels and Suite, Victoria Island in Lagos. The event had in attendance the top men and women in the sports circle in Nigeria, such as Hakeem Olajunwon, Daniel Igali, Odunayo Adekuoroye, among others. Wike emerged winners as the Sports Governor of the Year for his unrelenting support to sports in Nigeria, beating Lagos State counterpart, Akinwumi Ambode and Delta State’s Ifeanyi Okowa. For the Sportsman of the Year, Africa’s highest-ranked table tennis player, Aruna Quadri who is worldranked 20th, won to beat D’Tigers player, Ike Diogu and Musa. In the Sportswoman of the Year category, Evelyn Akhator got the gong, as she warded off opposition from Odunayo Adekuoroye and Simidele Adeagbo. Eagles sensation Musa stole the show for the Footballer of the Year award, by beating teammate Kenneth Omeruo and Super Falcons sensation Rasheedat Ajbade. For the Basketball Player of the Year, team captain, of the all-conquering DTigress team, Evelyn Akhator, took the gong beating Nigeria’s basketball player Ike Diogu and fellow teammate, Adora Elonu. The Sports Administrator of the Year, the President of Badminton Federation of Nigeria, Francis Orbih took the lead beating Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President Amaju Pinnick, President of Nigeria Basketball President Musa Kida and Boye Oyerinde. The Wrestler of the Year went to the Silver medalist at the just concluded Commonwealth games in Austria, Odunayo Adekuoroye as she beat others, John Emmanuel and Blessing Oburududu. For the Coach of the Year, the Para-Lifting Coach, Are Feyisetan beat

the Super Eagles Coach, Gernot Rohr and DTigers Coach, Otis Hugley. The Racket Sportsperson of the Year award went to ace badminton player Yemisi Olatunji, just as Seam Master Lagos ITTF competition winners, Aruna Quadri and Marylove Edwards. The Para (Special) Sports Person of the Year award went to ace para lifter and Commonwealth gold medalist and world record holder Esther Oyema, beating Bose Omolayo and Paul Kehinde. Also, while the track and field star of the year award was won by ace sprinter, Tobiloba Amusan, who saw only Ese Brume and Joy Udoh-Gabriel. For the team sports person of the year, a member of the Bobsled Team at the Winter Olympics, Seun Adigun beat Kingsley Okubuike to emerge winners for her efforts at the Winter Olympics. The Discovery of the Year Award went to Joy Udoh-Gabriel who beat Simisola Balogun and Rasheed Omidiji. In the Media Category, for the Journalist of the Year (Print), Gowon Akpodonor of The Guardian Newspaper emerged winners. He beat others in the category,Tana Aiyejana of the Punch, Chibike Chukwu and Shina Okeleji. The Photo Journalist of the Year went to Akeem Salau who beats Segun Aderinto and Ganiyu Yusuf. The Journalist of the Year Award (Radio) went to George Essien of Akwa Ibom Radio to beat Kayode Hammed and Olawale Adigun. 2018 Sportswomen of the Year Akhator said the award was a big

Flying Eagles to battle Ghana, Benin, Niger Rep. in WAFU Tourney

•Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State. motivation for her, adding that her team, DTigress would not let the fans down. “This award will surely encourage me to do more for the country because that means people are putting notice on our achievements and I can

No discriminate against Afelokhai – Ibitoye

UPER Eagles’ Media Officer, Toyin Ibitoye has emphatically dispelled the fears being expressed by some school of thought that the newly invited goalkeeper to the national team, Theophilus Afelokhai will be discriminated against by the team’s Technical Adviser, Gernot

Rohr. According to the team’s image maker there is no basis for such an insinuation that Afelokhai will be discriminated against by Rohr in preference to his older colleagues, Ikechukwu Ezenwa and Daniel Akpenyi. Although the former Kano Pillars shot-stopper is only a late call-up in

Anglican Church begins revival of School sports By SAB OSUJI

IGHT may have begun to appear at the dark end of the tunnel as regards the revival of school sports that has for long been thrown into the dust bins. This follows the decision of the Diocese on the Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Onitsha to float schools sports competitions in the Archdeaconry amongst secondary schools in the Archdeaconry. Realising the maxim that all works and play makes Jack a dull boy, the Diocese on the Nigeria Education Commission has constituted a seven-man Sports Committee to oversee the

school sports competition amongst schools in the Arch Diocese. Inaugurating the committee headed by Rev. Canon Chigozie Anieto, the secretary of Niger Diocese Education Commission Rev Canon Rufus Ezenwaka, lamented the drastic drop in school sports competitions in schools in recent time. He attributed it to the fact that sports is being erroneously perceived as extra-curricular activity. He noted that the free-for-all approval being given to all manner of people to open up schools led to the schools not taking into consideration advantages of sporting environments that favour sports development.

Coal City marathon winners to pocket $3,500 T HE male and female winners of the maiden Coal City International half marathon will receive a cash prize of $3,500, organisers of the event have said. The marathon event is scheduled for November 24. Addressing the media on preparations, the Enugu state Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Joseph Udedi, said over 1,500 athletes across the country have registered for the half marathon race that would take the athletes through some major streets

only get better. “For the team, DTigress we have promised to put more efforts at making the team the best in Africa, and we will not relent in our efforts at qualifying for the Olympics,’’ she said.

in the Enugu metropolis. Also registered are 15 athletes from outside the country. The foreign athletes would be airlifted by Ethiopian Airlines, co-sponsors of the event, powered by Zenith Bank, and supported by a host of other products. The athletes, especially those in Enugu, have been mandated to undergo medical screening at Parklane Teaching Hospital, Enugu to get their medical certificates, while those coming from outside should do their medicals at only government recognised hospitals.

“Today, even dilapidated buildings without even a lawn are called schools, thereby raising fundamental questions as to how a child could get an all-round development in such an environment”, the education scribe rued. The committee is charged with the responsibility of advising the Diocesan Education Commission on measures to be taken for the promotion and development of sports in secondary schools. The committee is also saddled with the task of organising the first secondary school sports competition and subsequent ones in the Diocese as well as ensuring that sports competitions in the Diocese are funded by schools in addition to other sources of sponsorships that the committee may deem fit to pursue. In his response, the chairman of the committee, Rev. Canon Anieto assured the Education Commission that his committee will do it’s best to address the problem of sports development in schools with all their power and might. Other members of the sports committee include Victor Ikechukwu--Director of Sports as vice chairman/ Coordinator, Rev. Uzor Amaugbo--Secretary, Rev. Cajethan Anuforo, Lady Lizzy Okeke, Rev. Ifeanyi Ogbuji and Sir Onyinye Uche.

place of injured Elche of Spain netminder, Francis Odinaka Uzoho, Ibitoye said Afelokhai would be treated same way as others. Afelokhai it is recalled is a late callup after Uzoho was injured penultimate weekend in a Spanish second division game, thereby paving the way for Afelokhai to finally get the nod. The Eagles’ spokesman said Rohr chose to invite Afelokhai due to the Enyimba goalkeeper’s recent brilliant form with his club in the CAF Confederation Cup, and the coach will now give them equal chances to grab the number position in Uzoho’s absence. Ibitoye further stressed: “There is no automatic shirt for any of the goalkeepers invited for the game. “They will all get equal opportunity to fight for the position ahead of the African Nations Cup qualifier against Bafana Bafana of South Africa and the international friendly with Uganda. “The coach is not worried by Uzoho’s absence, because any of the keepers in camp is good enough to mount the sticks in Johannesburg. “The three goalkeepers now have the opportunity to prove their worth in training to ascertain who gets the first team shirt,” Ibitoye declared.

•Theophilus Afelokhai, goalkeeper

HE National Under-20 team the Flying Eagles, are to battle their counterparts from Ghana, Niger Republic and Benin Republic in Group B of the WAFU U-20 Cup Tournament holding in Lome, the Togolese capital holding from 6th – 16th next month. Organizers have put the competition together as a major preparatory programme for the sub –region’s five teams that have qualified to participate at the 2019 Africa Under-20 Cup of Nations finals holding in Tanzania, from 2nd – 17th February 2019. Seven –time champions, Nigeria, alongside Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Niger Republic will take part in the 11 –day tourney in Lome. The five countries will be joined in Tanzania by Burundi, Angola and the host nation. The Flying Eagles will file out against the Young Squirrels of Benin in their first match of the tournament on 7thDecember, before matches against Junior Mena of Niger Republic (9th December) and Ghana’s Black Satellites (12th December). The eight nation tournament will see hosts, Togo, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Senegal contending in Group A. Matches have been scheduled for the Stade Municipal and the Stade JCA, both in Lome. Togo and Cote d’Ivoire will battle it out in the opening match on 6th December, hours before Senegal confront Burkina Faso. Both matches will come up at the Stade Municipal, which is also venue for the final match on 16thDecember.

Sheikh steps aside from IOC after forgery charge

ORLD sport powerbroker, Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah said he was “temporarily” stepping aside from his International Olympic Committee duties on Monday after the Kuwaiti was charged with forgery in Switzerland. The Kuwaiti, one of the most influential figures in the international sport, said he “strenuously denies any wrongdoing”, calling the allegations “maliciously motivated by political factions within Kuwait”. Sheikh Ahmad said he would put his work with the IOC on hold until he had been investigated by the body’s ethics commission. “Sheikh Ahmad has today decided to step aside temporarily from his roles and responsibilities as an IOC member and chairman of Olympic Solidarity Commission, pending the outcome of an IOC Ethics Commission hearing,” said a statement from his office. The decision came after it was revealed at the weekend that Sheikh Ahmad and four other men — three of them lawyers — had been charged over an intricate forgery scheme linked to his efforts to prove that Kuwait’s former prime minister and speaker of parliament were guilty of coup-plotting and corruption. The Sheikh is a long-time IOC member who is close to the body’s president Thomas Bach, and also head of the powerful Association of National Olympic Committees, and chair of the Olympic Solidarity Commission in charge of distributing millions of dollars to help athletes. World sport powerbroker Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah said he was “temporarily” stepping aside from his International Olympic Committee duties on Monday after the Kuwaiti was charged with forgery in Switzerland.

The Oracle Today November 28, 2018

SPORTS

AFCON 2019: Qualification most important-Obuh

By MADUABUCHI KALU

ORMER Flying Eagles’ coach, John Obuh, has expressed delight over the Super Eagles qualification to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations that Cameroon will be playing host to next year following 1-1 draw against South Africa in Johannesburg on Saturday. According the former Sharks, Enugu Rangers sweat merchant, he is delighted that the Gernot Rohr coached Eagles were able to secure the much needed point in

South Africa to see the team book a place for next year’s continental biggest football showpiece, the Africa Cup of Nations with a game to spare. Obuh stated this while reacting to the Super Eagles’ AFCON game against Bafana Bafana of South Africa who had beaten Eagles in Uyo last year in the first leg of the qualifiers. Most Nigerians had expected the Eagles to pay Bafana Bafana in their own coin having handed a 0-2 defeat to the three time Afri-

can champions, but at the end of the encounter, the match ended in a score draw thereby handing Eagles the much needed point to book a place in next year’s continental football fiesta after being absent for the last two editions in 2015 and 2017. “Well, I wouldn’t tell you that I am not satisfied with the Super Eagles play on Saturday against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in the AFCON qualifier,” Obuh began. “As far as I am concerned, the

most important thing as far as that match was concerned was the point that the team got. That is the most important thing. So, for me that is the most important thing and every other thing is secondary. “If you recalled that we have not participated in the biennial biggest football showpiece in the last two editions then you will appreciate our qualification even before the final game is played. I think it is a plus for the team. “Of course, the team may have

not played the best of football but like I said the most important thing is that we have secured qualification for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations even with a game to spare,” Obuh said. “You will also realize that the team were depleted by injury and yet they were able to secure that vital point that has handed us qualification; I think there is need for us to appreciate that than to dwell on the issue of not playing to the satisfaction of fans and supporters. “For some time now, our team have not been consistent in terms of players that represent us. There have been a lot of players that have been used in different games and yet they are getting the results. “Imagine if players like Odion Jude Ighalo, Wilfred Ndidi, and John Obi Mikel amongst others were to play a part in the match. “I believed that we now have options for the various departments of the game. So, the fact that one player is injured cannot stop us or give us too much headache when we have a game,” he said Speaking further, the former Kwara United coach explained that the area of improvement for the national team depends on the team that the Super Eagles will be playing against, saying he has falling in love in Rohr’s 5-3-2 formation. “I think that I am falling in love with Rohr’s 5-3-2 formation and I also love the partnership among Leon Balogun, Williams TroostEkong and Kenneth Omeruo. They seem to understand themselves very well,” Obuh said.

Nothing compares to joy of witnessing one’s child’s wedding – Chukwu

ORMER national team captain and coach, Christian Chukwu, whose first daughter, Barrister Adaora wedded her heartthrob, Engineer Chukwunwike Ndibe, on Saturday at the Dominion City Headquarters, Golden Heart Place, Lekki-Epe Expressway, Lagos has sensationally declared that ‘there is nothing to compare to the joy of a father witnessing the marriage of his daughter or son’. Chukwu made the declaration when he exclusively spoke to The Oracle Today Sports at the epoch making event on Saturday at the Dominion City Headquarters even as he expressed gratitude to God for granting him the opportunity of witnessing the weeding of his beloved daughter, Barrister Adaora Ndibe (Nee Christian Chukwu). “I must confess to you that I am filled with happiness. As a matter of fact, I am filled with joy seeing my first daughter wed her husband (Chukwunwike Ndibe) today,” Chukwu began. “Of course this is white wedding or church wedding as people chose to call it. The traditional wedding had already been conducted in my country home of Umuikeowo Village, Obe, Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State last Saturday, November 10th, 2018. “There is nothing to compare to the joy in my heart, witnessing my lovely daughter’s wedding. I feel fulfilled. “It is a rare privilege for me to

have joined the league of fathers that witnessed their daughters’ wedding. It is not all fathers that have this rare privilege. So I am grateful to God for this rare opportunity. “It is awesome. It is wonderful, I must tell you. “My joy knows no bound. My prayer for them is to have blissful married life. I wish them peace, love, God’s protection, fruitfulness and God’s abundant grace and the resources to maintain themselves and their offsprings as they begin their journey into married life in Jesus name…Amen,” Chukwu prayed. Meanwhile, the man of God who conducted the wedding ceremony, Pastor Ebube Ndibe, took his time to school the newly-weds on the art of marriage; advising them to be tolerant of each other as there is no perfect man or woman. He advised them not to allow third party into their challenges as two of them are the only people capable of resolving their marital challenges. Pastor Ndibe also advised both parents to stay clear of the young couples to enable them make their mistakes and correct them without the interference of a third party. Speaking during the reception at Piccadilly Suites, the chairman of the occasion admonished Engineer Chukwunwike and Barrister Adaora Ndibe to be tolerant of each other and to imbibe the key words in marriage which are ‘I am

sorry”, please forgive me. He also told them that to have a peaceful marriage, they should be open to communicate to each other. He advised them to always respect each other. He thanked both families for raising responsible man and woman, saying “I want to thank our national football hero, Chairman Christian Chukwu, the man who ensured that Nigeria’s name was registered on the continent by leading then Green Eagles to win the Africa Cup of Nations in 1980. I must congratulate you for raising a responsible woman in your daughter, Barrister Adorable Adaora. “I also want to thank the family of the groom, Austin Ndibe for raising a responsible man in Engineer Chukwunwike Ndibe. Both families did wonderful jobs in bringing up responsible people that enabled us to witness this happy occasion,” he said. One thing that was recurrent decimal from the Church to the reception was the fact that the father of the bride, Christian Chukwu (MFR) took the shine off the new couple as speaker after speaker refered to him and the quality of selfless services he rendered to his fatherland. The highlights of the wedding ceremony were the exchange of marital vows by the couple, the signing of the marriage licence and the cutting of the wedding cake at Piccadilly Suites, the venue of the wedding reception.

•

•The couple and bride’s parents, Mr. & Mrs. Christian Chukwu (MFR)

•The couple and their parents at Dominion City Hqtrs Lekki, Lagos.

WEDNESDAY November 28, 2018

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Igbo survival in 2019 and politics of 2023 T

he year 2023 is special. The interest in it threatens to eclipse 2019, which is Nigeria’s special election year. In 2023, some Ndigbo believe it is their turn to produce the president of Nigeria. It is also a year that some Yoruba believe the presidency should return to the SouthWest. Amid this 2023 cacophony lies a big threat to the survival of Igbo nation in 2019 and beyond. Let us examine some scenarios here. Most Igbo people who support President Muhammadu Buhari, for instance, do so because of 2023, not because he has done wonderfully well. The assumption is that after his second tenure, the presidency will automatically move to the South-East. For this group, supporting any other presidential candidate, especially the standard-bearer of the major opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will scuttle this 2023 ambition. According to this group, a new president outside Buhari will want to go for a second term in 2023. A few months ago, some South-East leaders visited Aso Rock. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, boosted this hope when he advised the leaders to support Buhari’s re-election so as to facilitate power moving to the region in 2023. The question is, how are we sure that after Buhari, the Igbo will automatically clinch the presidency? Recall that Buhari told the United States Institute for Peace in July 2015 that he could not treat the constituents that gave him 97 per cent at the same level with those that gave him 5 per cent. Will the President commit himself fully to the Igbo 2023 project? Will the Yoruba, especially the former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, just fold their arms and allow the Igbo take it on a platter? The recent inadvertent revelation by the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, is instructive. At a special Town Hall meeting on infrastructure organised by the Ministry of Information and Culture and National Orientation Agency, Fashola reportedly urged the people of South-West to vote for Buhari in the 2019 election to guarantee a return of power to the region in 2023. Fashola, who spoke in Yoruba language had noted, “Did you know that power is rotating to the South-West after the completion of Buhari’s tenure if you vote for him in 2019? Your child cannot surrender her waist for edifying beads and you will use the bead to decorate another child’s waist. A vote for Buhari in 2019 means a return of power to the South-West in 2023.” This is not an isolated statement. Three months ago, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, alleged that Tinubu’s support for Buhari’s re-election was simply because of his ambition to succeed the President in 2023. Saraki had noted, “The point of disagreement between me and him was that while I expressed my worry that there was nothing on the ground to assure me that the administrative style and attitude would change in the

GUEST COLUMNIST CASMIR

IGBOKWE

•Peter Obi

•Nnia Nwodo

next four years in a manner that would enable us to deliver the positive changes we promised to our people, he (Tinubu) expressed a strong opinion that he would rather ‘support a Buhari on the hospital stretcher’ to get a second term because in 2023, power will shift to the South-West.” This revelation had drawn the ire of many South-East leaders. They feel that for moral and justice sake, the Igbo should be allowed to assume the presidency of Nigeria in 2023. Unfortunately, morality has nothing to do with power. You struggle for it; you negotiate for it and take it. This is where the summit held in Enugu last Wednesday becomes imperative. At the summit aptly tagged “Ndigbo 2019 and beyond”, Igbo leaders unanimously endorsed the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, and his running mate, Peter Obi, for the 2019 presidential election. The leaders from such groups as Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Igbo Leaders of Thought, the political elite, the intelligentsia, women groups, religious leaders among others, hinged their support for Atiku and Obi on their promise to restructure Nigeria. In other words, what the Igbo need most now is restructuring. That is what will guarantee their survival in 2019,

2023 and beyond. Without restructuring, 2023 may turn out to be a mirage. In the communiqué issued after the Enugu summit, the Igbo leaders lamented the division in the country today. They identified with Atiku/Obi ticket on the restructuring agenda as had been reiterated by the four zones of the country, namely South-South, SouthWest, North-Central and South-East. They believe the centre will continue to be weak as long as the federating units remain weak. I pity the South-East. What some of them are doing now is playing politics of survival. Or how else do we describe the trip to Aso Rock by Chekwas Okorie and his United Progressive Party (UPP). They went to Buhari in the name of Igbo leaders and pledged their loyalty and support to him. In the meeting with these ‘Igbo leaders’ last Friday, Buhari reportedly revealed that many well-meaning Igbo leaders asked him to ignore the endorsement of Atiku by Ohanaeze; that the action was all gas, lacking substance. The truth is that the recent Enugu summit chaired by Prof. Ben Nwabueze was not just about Ohanaeze. The Igbo socio-cultural group was only part of the many groups that pledged support for Atiku.

I’m not sure how many ‘leaders’ accompanied Okorie to Aso Rock. But the roll call of the Enugu summit will tell you where the Igbo interests lie most. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) was there. Obi of Onitsha, Nnaemeka Achebe, was there also. Senator Ben Obi, Prof. ABC Nwosu, Ambassador George Obiozor, Prof. Anya O. Anya, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, Archbishop Maxwell Anikwenwa to mention just a few were all there. Thus, between Chekwas Okorie’s Aso Villa leaders and Ben Nwabueze’s Enugu leaders, Ndigbo know who their true and authentic leaders are. Nevertheless, Buhari spoke of the golden opportunities Nigeria lost during 16 years of the PDP and vowed to report the party to Nigerians. Don’t worry Mr. President. We already knew that PDP messed up when it was in power. That was why Nigerians voted you in to right the wrongs of the party. But you and your party have derailed. Even the Igbo people supporting you know that you have failed them. It is as if they are still being punished for engaging the rest of Nigeria in a civil war. They face marginalisation in different facets of Nigerian life. The second Niger Bridge, for instance, has become an instrument of undue politicking. Every year, we hear billions of naira earmarked for the completion of the bridge, yet it has all been motion without movement. Last year, soldiers came with their python dance. For the few months it lasted, these pythons brutalised and swallowed many Igbo youths. Now, they are planning another dance when it is the Boko Haram zone that needs it the more. Thank God the presidential campaign has started. Nigerians will have another golden opportunity to hear your progress report since you assumed power three years ago. We shall be waiting to see the magic you will claim to have performed in the area of economy, security and anti-corruption. I particularly want to be convinced that things are now better than what the PDP government left behind in 2015. On his part, Atiku will kick-start his campaign through an address to Nigerians on Facebook today, November 19, 2018. He is also billed to launch his policy document which will encompass his vision for Nigeria and his action plan to achieve it. The policy document reportedly focuses on creating jobs, ensuring security, growing business, developing power and water infrastructure, agriculture and education and how to empower women. We shall hold him to account when the time comes. As for Ndigbo, what they need to do now is to stop playing selfish politics. They should collaborate with others to achieve their aim. They need to form credible allies that will better their lot in 2019. Until then, let us focus less on 2023 and enjoy the 2019 campaign drama that will most likely ensue in the coming days. •IGBOKWE,publisher of newsprobeng. com wrote this piece originally for the online platform

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.