Thursday 31st March 2016

Chibok Parents: Suspected Suicide Bomber Not One of Missing Schoolgirls Paul Obi in Abuja Parents from Chibok Local Government Area in Borno State have confirmed that the suspected suicide bomber apprehended in Cameroun

last weekend is not one of the 219 girls who were abducted

by Boko Haram from their secondary school in Chibok two years ago.

A statement by Mrs. Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, chief

executive of the Murtala Muhammed Foundation (MMF), said yesterday that three authorised representatives of the parents of the 219 missing Chibok girls arrived the MMF's offices

from Chibok to view photos of the girl claiming to be one of the 219 missing students kidnapped by Boko Haram.

According to MuhammedOyebode, “Mr. Yakubu Nkeki, chairman, Mr. Lawan Zana,

secretary, and Mrs. Yana Galang, women leader of the Chibok Girls Movement, all of whose children are amongst the kidnapped 219 Chibok girls were upon their arrival, shown

photos of the girl who was arrested along with another woman on Friday, March 25 carrying explosives in Limani, Cameroun.

Continued on page 6

Relief as PPPRA Slashes NNPC's Allocation for Q2 Fuel Imports…

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Thursday 31 March, 2016 Vol 21. No 7644. Price: N150

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CCT Trial: Saraki Flies in US, Israeli Forensic Experts PDP senators vow to produce next senate president if Saraki loses

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja In his determination to win his ongoing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT)

for alleged false declaration of assets, Senate President Bukola Saraki has flown in experts from the United States and Israel to team

up with his legal team led

by Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN).

However, it was learnt that the experts are not lawyers but crack

investigators, forensic and handwriting specialists with the mandate to provide information on witnesses and documents presented

at the tribunal by the prosecution.

The experts who were said to have arrived Lagos on Monday, would leave

Lagos for Abuja to join Agabi's team and commence work soon.

Continued on page 6

2016 Budget May be Ready in Weeks House: Presidency should be thankful Appropriation Bill was passed despite challenges Omololu Ogunmade and Damilola Oyedele in Abuja Contrary to the claim by the National Assembly that it had concluded work on the 2016 budget last week, the legislature was still putting finishing touches to the document, lending credence to the growing suspicion that Nigerians would have to wait for a few more weeks before works is concluded on it and it is signed into law

by President Muhammadu Buhari, THISDAY learnt yesterday.

THISDAY checks revealed that the Senate Committee on Appropriation was striving hard to round up work on the budget yesterday.

It was also confirmed the allegation by the presidency that the National Assembly only

transmitted the highlights of the budget to Buhari for his information with the Continued on page 6

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Shell Dragged into Malabu Oil Corruption Probe… Page 6

AMBODE VISITS THE BRAITHWAITES

R-L: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, with the first daughter of the late Dr. Tunji Braithwaite, Omowunmi, and his widow, Grace, during the governor’s condolence visit to the family at their residence, in Lagos… yesterday

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THURSDAY, march 31, 2016 • T H I S D AY

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Shell Dragged into Malabu Oil Corruption Probe Ejiofor Alike and Zacheaus Somorin with agency report Royal Dutch Shell has been dragged into a corruption probe linked to the sale of the Malabu Oil and Gas offshore block in Nigeria, the company confirmed yesterday.

According to AFP, following revelations in the Italian media, the Anglo-Dutch oil multinational said that its offices had been “visited” by anti-fraud investigators.

“We can confirm that representatives of the Dutch Financial Intelligence and Investigation Service (FIOD) and the Dutch Public Prosecutor recently visited Shell at its headquarters in The Hague,” a spokesman said.

“The visit was related to OPL 245, an offshore oil block in Nigeria that was the subject of a series of

long-standing disputes with the Federal Government of Nigeria. Shell is cooperating with the authorities and is looking into the allegations, which it takes seriously."

An Italian daily, Corriere della Sera, reported earlier that the Dutch investigators were working in collaboration with Italian prosecutors and looking into Shell and Italian energy group ENI’s 2011 acquisition of joint exploitation rights to OPL 245 previously held by Malabu Oil and Gas, which is estimated to contain up to nine billion barrels of crude.

Prosecutors in Milan have been investigating ENI's executives involved in the deal since 2014. Under the licensing accord, ENI made a payment to the Nigerian government of $1.09 billion to secure joint ownership while Shell, which already owned a 40-percent stake, handed

over $200 million.

Most of this money was subsequently passed on to Malabu Oil and Gas, a company owned by Chief Dan Etete, a former Minister of Petroleum under the Sani Abacha's military administration.

In an episode that has come to be regarded as emblematic of Nigeria's problems with corruption, Etete had awarded the rights to the block to Malabu in 1998, at a time when he was close to Abacha.

The probe into ENI was triggered off after an intermediary in the deal, Mr. Emeka Obi, sued Malabu in Britain’s High Court and won an order that the company pay him $110 million in unpaid fees.

ENI has always maintained that its actions in Nigeria have been beyond reproach and that all the money it had paid

in Nigeria had gone directly to the government. Shell also insisted it had not been involved in any wrongdoing.

“Shell attaches the greatest importance to business integrity,” a spokesman said.

“It’s one of our core values and is a central tenet of the principles that govern the way we do business. All employees are expected to uphold these principles and failure to do so will result in consequences up to and including dismissal.”

The said oil block has been at the centre of a series of long-standing disputes and probes.

It was initially awarded in 1998 by Etete to Malabu Oil and Gas, a company in which he was a shareholder, but was subsequently revoked by the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2001.

Obasanjo reallocated it to

CCT TRIAL: SARAKI FLIES IN US, ISRAELI FORENSIC EXPERTS A source in the Senate, who disclosed this yesterday, said the information to be provided by the experts would assist Saraki’s legal team make a credible defence at the Tribunal.

“The investigators will ferret out and scrutinise thoroughly, all available information on the eight prosecution witnesses, including their school records, service records from the past and present, places of employment and personal information that may help the defence team in the course of the trial.

“Most of those so-called witnesses will not be credible when information concerning their life is presented publicly before the tribunal.

“It is also expected that with the fear that the prosecution may present forged documents, our team needs to be vigilant and pro-active considering the manner in which the proceedings before the tribunal is being conducted.

“Our people believe that with the way properties that

have nothing to do with Saraki are being put on the charge sheet, there is the suspicion that the documents to sustain their claims may have been forged.

“All these, the experts will screen and help the lawyers with information that may help them,” he explained.

The list of witnesses lined up against Saraki are said to be officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) Plc. But as Saraki’s trial reopens in the next few days, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Peter Nwaboshi, yesterday said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the Senate would not support the emergence of an All Progressives Congress (APC) senator as the next Senate President in the event Saraki loses at the CCT. He said PDP would seize the opportunity to produce the next Senate President.

The senator, who said this while fielding questions from journalists in Abuja, said the PDP would replicate the current United States scenario in Nigeria where the opposition controls congress.

He said: “Well, I wish APC the best of luck if they are making that wild goose chase.

But I want you to mark what I am saying. I was the first to address the press in Port Harcourt and I told them that Saraki was going to win the Senate presidency and I gave them my reasons.

“Then, nobody ever thought that Saraki was going to win.

People were saying that APC had decided. But it was clear to me that he was going to win and I had to address the press.

“I said Saraki was going to win and that he was going to get my vote. Eventually, we went there, he won. If, but God forbids, because we don’t see it coming, by chance Saraki is removed, I can tell you that PDP will produce the

next Senate President.

“We only need three APC senators and we have them.

The calculation is very clear to me. The calculation is very clear for PDP. We know what it would take us.

“When I told them that Saraki was going to win, I did a lot of mathematical calculations based on the facts on the ground and it is even clearer to me now that the PDP will win it. We will win it.

“If anybody is thinking that a PDP man is going to vote against a PDP candidate, he is telling you a lie. We have people and we know how to get the people from APC. We will win and that will be very interesting.

“What is happening in America is going to happen in Nigeria. America has a Republican Senate but the executive is led by a Democrat, so it’s happening in different parts of the world. I can tell you with what’s on the ground that we will produce the next Senate President.”

president for his assent.

However, a situation whereby committee members who ordinarily should be on Easter recess were still meeting on the budget yesterday, strengthened the suspicion that the legislature had not concluded work on the budget and only declared that it had been passed to ward off pressure from the public.

By implication, said an observer last night, the lawmakers will use the highlights, which were announced last week, to work towards an answer (that is the budget details or breakdown).

Several efforts made by journalists to seek Goje’s view on the actual status of budget yesterday proved futile, as he did not only fail to pick his calls, he also refused to reply to any text messages sent to his phone.

When Goje came out of his office and encountered journalists in his reception, the former Gombe State governor could not conceal his irritation.

On bumping into them, his

countenance darkened as he turned to his aides and asked in Hausa: “Wa ya kira su? Wa ya kira su?” meaning, “Who called them? Who called them?

Then facing the journalists, he said: “Wa ya kira ku?” meaning, “Who called you?” as he walked away.

THISDAY learnt further that it would take no fewer than two weeks for the comprehensive budget to be ready for transmission to the president.

Efforts made to speak with Senate spokesperson, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, also yielded no result, as he could not be reached.

However, while the Senate chose to be evasive over the status of the 2016 budget, discordant tunes became the order of the day from the House of Representative, when House Minority Leader, Hon. Leo Ogor, said that the normal tradition of the National Assembly was for the budget,

2016 BUDGET MAY BE READY IN WEEKS intention of transmitting the comprehensive budget when it finishes work on it.

However, the legislature was said to have erred by merely transmitting highlights of the document without giving any explanation on why it did so, a development which led to the reaction from the presidency that the document could not be assented to.

It was also learnt that the National Assembly could have saved itself the embarrassment had it sent a note to the president that it was tidying up the budget and would transmit it to him soon.

But the lawmakers were said to have failed to explain the true picture of the situation to the presidency, thus giving rise to the perception that the National Assembly was playing on the president’s intelligence.

When journalists visited the office of the Senate Committee

Chairman on Appropriation, Senator Danjuma Goje, yesterday, they saw some members of the committee work intently on the budget.

Among those sighted were the Vice-Chairman of the Appropriation Committee, Senator Sonni Ogbuoji, and Deputy Chief Whip and a member of the committee, Senator Francis Alimikhena.

The meeting confirmed findings that work was yet to be concluded on the budget because it is against the norm of a bill’s passage for the lawmakers to keep meeting on the same bill after it has been duly passed.

Under normal circumstances, the clerk of the committee would forward the bill to the Senate President after it has been certified okay by the legal department for his signature.

The senate president would thereafter send it back to the clerk of the Senate who would in turn forward it to the clerk of the National Assembly who would later transmit it to the

Continued on page 7

Shell Nigeria Ultra Deep Limited (SNUD) in 2002 under a production sharing contract (PSC).

At the time of revocation and re-award, Malabu and SNUD had a binding joint operating agreement to exploit the block with SNUD as technical partner.

Aggrieved over the revocation, Malabu had petitioned the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum and after a public hearing, the House recommended that the block be restored to Malabu.

Malabu also sued the federal government and SNUD at the Federal High Court seeking an order setting aside the re-allocation to SNUD and a restoration of the block to Malabu.

The suit was struck out but on appeal, the parties entered into a settlement dated November 30, 2006 and the terms of settlement were filed in court as consent judgment.

A key term in the settlement was the restoration of the oil block to Malabu.

Pursuant to the terms of settlement, Obasanjo in 2006 rescinded his earlier revocation and restored the oil block to Malabu.

However, at this time,

SNUD claimed to have expended huge resources of over $500 million to derisk the oil block and had found oil in commercial quantity under the existing arrangement with the federal government, despite pending litigation instituted by Malabu.

Shell was aggrieved over the unilateral revocation and had commenced arbitration proceedings at the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), claiming over $2 billion from the federal government for breach of contract, loss of investment and special damages.

It was under these circumstances that the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan encouraged a definitive resolution between the parties.

Following the intervention by the Jonathan government, the oil block was then sold in 2011 to Eni and Shell, and according to documents from a British court, Malabu received $1.09 billion from the sale, while the rest went to the federal government.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recently launched a probe into the transaction.

CHIBOK PARENTS: SUSPECTED SUICIDE BOMBER NOT ONE OF MISSING SCHOOLGIRLS “A set of photographs had been sent to the MMF on the evening of Monday, March 28

by Mr. Garba Shehu, Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity.

“A more recent batch of photos, taken at 2 pm on Tuesday, March 29 was sent to the MMF by Ambassador Hadiza Mustafa, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Cameroun.

“The earlier set of photos showed the girl partially clothed and squatting on the sandy floor within a low cement wall enclosure, which was surrounded by soldiers and some civilians.

“In that same batch, the woman was being carried in the arms of a soldier, with her face swollen and plaster covering different parts of her body. She was also partially clothed.

“In the more recent photos, however, the girl was fully clothed, standing against a wall and looking into the camera. The woman was also standing upright beside what appeared to be a hospital bed, she was fully clothed.

Her face still appeared slightly swollen with dressing on her forehead.”

She said the Nigerian government by Tuesday afternoon had already informed the MMF that the girl had clearly identified herself as Maryam Alhaji Wakeel, 12 years old, originally from Maiduguri but abducted from Bama when the town was overrun

by Boko Haram a year ago, while the woman identified herself as Aishatu Usman, a 35-year-old mother of two children.

“However the identification

process was still carried out to lay to rest any claims that the girl is one of the 219 girls kidnapped from their school in Chibok on April 14, 2014.

“Mr. Nkeki, Mallam Zana and Mrs. Galang have confirmed that the girl and the woman do not fit the description of any of the missing daughters from Chibok.

“We have also made arrangements for other stakeholders to view the photos at the MMF office in Abuja as we are yet to ascertain how the girl came to describe herself as one of the missing Chibok girls.

“The identity of the girl notwithstanding, the MMF has informed the Nigerian government of its willingness to continue to pursue the matter, and is willing to provide the captured girl and woman any support they may require,” she said.

Muhammed-Oyebode described the girls and women who have been abducted by Boko Haram as “merely victims”, and must be treated as such by the society.

“They have already undergone grave violence at the hands of their Boko Haram captors. We must ensure that they are not made to undergo additional violence at the hands of their compatriots.

“Nigerian government officials have informed the MMF that both Maryam Alhaji Wakeel and Aishatu Usman have been handed over to the Nigerian military this evening and are currently on their way back to Nigeria,” she added.

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

PAGE SEVEN

Slain Army Officer, Inusa, Laid to Rest John Shiklam in Kaduna The remains of the army officer, Col. Samaila Inusa who was killed by his abductors in Kaduna on Sunday, was yesterday buried at the old Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) burial ground in Kaduna State.

The deceased was said to be a chief instructor at the Nigerian Army School of Infantry, Jaji near Kaduna.

He was kidnapped by yet-to-be identified gunmen on Kamazo road near NNPC junction, Kaduna last Sunday and his corpse was later found in Ajyaita village, off the eastern by-pass in the state.

He was buried according to Islamic rites, after which he was given full military honours with a three-gun salute.

Dressed in the national colours of green-white-green,

the body of the colonel arrived the old NDA cemetery at 11.45 am from the 44 Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna and was interred at noon.

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, who was represented at the burial by the Chief of Administration at the army headquarters, Major-General Ado Abubakar, restated the determination of the army to fish out the culprits and bring them to justice.

Buratai described the late officer as a gallant and professional soldier, noting that the army was saddened over the way he was killed.

“Col. Inusa was a great soldier. We all feel the pains.

Though death is inevitable and nobody can run away from it. I came in to represent my boss, the Chief of Army Staff because the Nigerian Army is

mourning the death of one of us who has really served this country greatly and we are saddened over his death,” he said.

Also, the Commander, Nigerian Army School of Infantry, Major-General Kasim Abdulkarim said the late Inusa who served under his command was a loyal, committed and hardworking officer who would be fondly missed by his colleagues in the military.

Abdulkarim also urged officers and men of the Nigerian military to take precautionary measures in safeguarding their personal security.

“I feel very bad because the officer was directly under me.

He was a loyal, committed and hardworking officer. We should take our personal security seriously,” he said.

Inusa

the last few months, would be throwing stones at the National Assembly. I do not believe that the statement came from the presidency,” he said.

Abdulmumim recalled the controversies surrounding the budget, starting from the delay in the submission of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework; the delay in the submission of the budget estimates; submission of multiple budgets; and the errors and omissions in the budget, all of which he said resulted in the lawmakers working day and night to ensure its speedy passage.

The budget envelope was retained, he noted, adding that the N17 billion reduction was made at ten per cent across board for all budget proposals of all the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of the federal government.

“With all we have done, I expect the executive to be

thanking us... We worked day and night, we have been very generous with the executive,” Abdulmumim said.

Supporting him, the Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas, also confirmed that the National Assembly did not transmit the details of the budget.

“We didn’t send the details.

Budgets are passed in two ways, you either pass the details, await the figures, or pass the figures and await the details,” he told THISDAY. Namdas added that the details would be sent “very soon” to the presidency. He however did not give an exact date.

“It is normal practice, because of the urgency of the situation. The details must be in tandem with the reports of standing committees of the House. The standing committees interfaced with the MDAs and submitted to

2016 BUDGET MAY BE READY IN WEEKS when passed, to be transmitted to the president for his assent, alongside all details, adding that it was not possible that only the highlights of the N6.06 trillion budget was sent to Buhari.

This contrasted with the admission by the lower legislative chamber later yesterday that it did indeed transmit only the highlights of the budget to the presidency after its passage on March 23 due to the urgency of the situation, adding that the details would be sent within the next one week or two.

Ogor, speaking with THISDAY, dismissed news reports credited to sources in the presidency that the Buhari was yet to append his signature to the 2016 Appropriation Bill because of lack of details.

The minority leader, who has spent 12 years as a House member, said the report was the work of mischief makers.

“Normally, we do not send highlights to the presidency.

What we send is a detailed budget through the clerk of the National Assembly.

So unless the presidential spokesman can tell us that only the highlights were received, then I consider it simply speculative, coming from sources.

“The clerk of the National Assembly is a very experienced man, who cannot make that error. If I were to follow the custom of the House where I have been a member for the past 12 years, I can draw the conclusion that the information is fabricated,” he said.

Ogor also noted that while the report might not have been politically motivated to tarnish the image of the National Assembly, it was mischievous.

“This is a non-issue. It is like a storm in a teacup, we have never sent the highlights to the presidency. I also say it’s non-consequential because it is not from a credible source from the presidency. I am surprised that today it is on the front page story of many newspapers, and that is embarrassing,” he added.

Another lawmaker who

spoke to THISDAY off record, echoed the minority leader, insisting that it was not possible for the National Assembly to have sent only the highlights of the budget to the presidency.

The lawmaker, who like Ogor is a ranking member in the House, said: “It is totally impossible that the National Assembly would send just highlights. That is not possible. The president is already aware that the budget was passed, and there is a procedure for transmitting it.

“If for any reason just highlights were sent to him, he cannot append it, because that would be like signing a document without reading it. So why would we then send just highlights to him?”

But the Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Hon. Jibrin Abdulmumim, at a press briefing yesterday, contradicted his colleagues when he confirmed that the National Assembly was still working on the details of the budget.

He said that it was the normal practice for the budget highlight to be sent to presidency, while work continues on the details within the parameters of the budget estimates.

“It is not abnormal for the president to assent to the highlights sent to him, it happened in the era of President (Olusegun) Obasanjo, but if President Buhari has said he will only give assent when he receives the details, so be it,” he said.

Abdulmumim said the president could not have accused the National Assembly of any ulterior motives by not sending the details alongside the highlights, going by the challenges the National Assembly faced before the budget estimates were eventually passed.

“This is my fifth time working on budget... this is the most difficult budget we ever worked with... With all the challenges, I doubt the presidency, knowing fully what transpired in

the Appropriation Committee before harmonisation.

“The details cannot be done in a hurry. But the most important thing is that we have retained the size of the envelope of the MDAs,” the House spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), Hon. Suleiman Abdulrahman Sumaila Kawu, also confirmed that the presidency was yet to receive the budget breakdown.

In a statement yesterday, Kawu said one week after its passage, the president was still waiting for the National Assembly to finish with the details.

The statement read in part: “First, the usual tradition of the budget processes by the legislature and the presidential assent is that if the two chambers pass different figures, they

would then constitute a harmonisation committee to harmonise their various positions, after which the appropriation committees of both chambers will work out the details. After working out the details, they will forward it to Mr. President for his assent.

“But this time around, the legislature has passed the same figures. Once the president gets the budget, he and his team will look at the details of what the National Assembly has passed.

“If there is any observation, he will send it back to the National Assembly, and if not, he will assent to it.”

Kawu added that this has been the practice since the return of democracy in 1999.

“Moreover, we wish to thank the National Assembly for working day and night to ensure the successful passage of the budget, although we are still waiting for the details,” he added.

Budget Assent: Buhari Toes Obasanjo’s Line Ndubuisi Francis As the latest controversy swirls over the beleaguered 2016 Appropriation Bill, a source in the Ministry of Finance told THISDAY yesterday that with the benefit of hindsight, the non-transmission of a comprehensive budget by the lawmakers was not new.

According to him, after the passage of the budget by the National Assembly, the office of the clerk of the National Assembly would usually tidy up the loose ends.

Such tidying up, he said, includes the breakdown of the sectoral allocations and the sub-heads, among others.

These details, our source said, must of necessity accompany the Appropriation Bill passed by the parliament

when the document is transmitted to the president.

Having failed to meet the two deadlines it had set for itself for the passage of the budget, the National Assembly, the source explained, must have decided to fast track the transmission of the budget after its passage last week without the details to avoid being accused of torpedoing the process of consummating the fiscal document for full implementation.

Already, Buhari has ordered that the budget must be scrutinised thoroughly before his assent.

With reports already indicating that presidential assent might be delayed due to the non-transmission of the budget details, the nation is actually be treading a familiar

path.

In 2000, Obasanjo waited for about two weeks to get the details of the budget from the National Assembly.

This led to a delay in Obasanjo assenting to the Appropriation Bill that year.

Similarly, in 2004, that year’s N1.302 trillion budget was beset by several controversies.

After going through the details of the budget as passed by the lawmakers, Obasanjo refused to assent to the bill.

One of the areas of conflict between him and the National Assembly stemmed from the fact that the lawmakers had usurped some aspects of his appropriation powers.

The other point of conflict was that the lawmakers had

inflated the budget way above what the executive arm had proposed.

But there is a clear departure from this contentious area in the 2016 budget, as the National Assembly arrived at a historic N17 billion reduction of the figure proposed by the executive.

Meanwhile, the Media Adviser to the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Mr. Akpandem James stated yesterday that his ministry had nothing to say on the budget.

In a phone chat, he told THISDAY that the matter, for now, was between the presidency and the National Assembly, point out that the budget was not transmitted to the minister.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

APC CAMPAIGN PROMISES

• T H I S D AY

SPECIAL REPORT

Of Broken, Delayed and Fulfilled Promises On March 28, 2015, Nigerians went to the polls to vote for General Muhammadu Buhari on the platform of the All Progressives Congress to lead the country. One year after that historic election, Nigerians have been asking Buhari and the APC-led government to fulfill some of the promises made to them during the campaigns. Shaka Momodu and Demola Ojo review some of these promises to see which ones have been fulfilled, those delayed and those that have been repudiated outright

Buhari at a campaign rally in 2015

Social Security: Hopes Dashed for Unemployed Graduates…

S

uleiman Adamu had a sticker proudly displayed on his motorbike during the campaigns in the build-up to the 2015 presidential election. It bore the symbol: ‘Sai Baba’. He was rooting

for the presidential candidate of the now ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, General Muhammadu Buhari. Adamu, though of limited education, was not a religious bigot or a tribal irredentist. He was not supporting Buhari because he was a northerner. He was supporting him because his party promised to pay him and other 25 million poor Nigerians a sum of N5000 monthly.

Now, it is promises like this that have become an albatross for the ruling party.

From outright repudiation to complete re-prioritising, the ruling party seems at its wits end on how to meet its electoral promises. And not helping its almost helpless situation are dwindling oil prices that have drastically reduced the daily revenue accruing to the federation account. During the campaigns, the party

had this to say as part of its manifestoes: “Create a Social Welfare Programme of at least Five Thousand Naira (N5000) that will cater for the 25 million poorest and most vulnerable citizens upon the demonstration of children’s enrolment in school and evidence of immunisation to help promote family stability.”

It must be noted that many Nigerians have misunderstood this N5000 stipend

T H I S D AY

• THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

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APC CAMPAIGN PROMISES

SPECIAL REPORT

Buhari

and who it was meant for. Many are of the opinion that the payment will also include unemployed graduates. However, early this month, the presidency came out to say that the president never promised to pay unemployed graduates N5000 no matter their statuses. Laolu Akande, senior special assistant to the vice president on media, said the N5000 payment still stood but it was not for unemployed graduates.

He said the budget for 2016, which had been submitted to the National Assembly, made an allocation of half a trillion naira which, according to him, was the first time in the history of this country’s budget where there was such huge chunk of money allocated for social investment.

“In that N500billion which is half a trillion, close to about 20 per cent of the entire budget, there are six social safety net programmes. One of them is the Conditional Cash Transfer, where government is going to pay N5, 000 monthly to the vulnerable and extremely poor Nigerians. That promise stands.

The President never promised to pay unemployed graduates N5, 000; the President never made that promise and the government never made that claim that it will pay N5, 000 to unemployed graduates. The programme for unemployed graduates is the direct creation of half a million teaching jobs so that they will be trained; 500, 000 unemployed graduates will be trained to teach and they will be deployed to teach, while they are looking for their career paths or jobs. That still stands!”

Security: On State Police, Mum is the Word…

State police had been the national anthem of the leaders of the APC from the days of the Alliance for Democracy, AD, to the APC precursor, Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN. There was no opportunity that was allowed to pass without the call for the establishment of state police. Then Lagos State governor and now national leader of the APC, Senator Bola Tinubu, was one of those at the forefront of this campaign.

It was therefore not surprising that the establishment of state and local government police was included in the APC blueprint.

“The APC will begin widespread

Osinbajo

consultations to amend the Constitution to enable States and Local Governments to employ State and Community Police to address the peculiar needs of each community. This would mean setting boundaries for Federal, State and Community Police through new Criminal Justice legislation to replace the Criminal Code, the Penal Code and the Police Act.” While it is debatable whether this proposal was the same with what Afenifere leaders were proposing at that time, the fact remains that the APC-led government promised to start “widespread consultations” to amend the constitution as regards to states having their own police force. While it might be too early to conclude that the party has also abandoned this, it is also obvious that no one among the party leaders, no less than those who used to sing about it daily, is talking about it.

Boko Haram: Yet to be ‘Technically’ Defeated…

One of the themes the APC as an opposition party, adopted to effectively campaign against the last government was the issue of Boko Haram. Not only did the party used it to score cheap political points; even former President Goodluck Jonathan was accused of using it to score cheap political gains by keeping the anti-terror war raging in the Northeast which they saw as their strong-hold.

To them, the then government had the wherewithal to end the insurgency but had chosen to keep it raging so as to prevent elections from holding in those states affected by the insurgency. These were Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Bauchi.

Besides, when the former president went to neighbouring countries like Chad and Niger seeking military collaboration, the then APC candidate said it was a shame that a country as big as Nigeria was going to smaller countries for military assistance or collaboration. The party, therefore, promised to end the insurgency within three months of assuming office.

Many Nigerians believed and took their words for it. However, since the APC took over, Boko Haram had struck more than five times. On June 22, last year, 30 persons were killed at a crowded Maiduguri mosque by two young female suicide bombers. Boko Haram recently marked the start of Ramadan by targeting

a mosque that they see as falling short in following proclaiming ‘The Prophet’. In July, the sect attacked multiple mosques in-between and 48 men and boys were killed at one of the mosques in Kukawa.

17 were wounded in the attack. 97 others, mostly men, were killed in numerous mosques on the July 2nd, with a number of women and young girls killed in their homes. Later that month, 44 people were killed in Jos, the Plateau State capital.

Towards the end of last year, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said Boko Haram had been “technically defeated”. But recent developments have shown that perhaps, the party underrated the strength of the insurgents.

Education: When Lion Share is Not Lion…

In its manifesto, the APC said it would “fully implement and enforce the provisions of the Universal Basic Education Act with emphasis on gender equity in primary and secondary school.

It promised improving the quality and substance of our schools” while also “targeting up to 15% of our annual budget for this critical sector whilst making substantial investments in training quality teachers at all levels of the education system.” It also promised to “implement performance-based education as against the current certificate-based qualification” while also “enhancing teacher training and improving the competence of teachers along with vigorous national inspection.” The party also said it would make “learning experiences more meaningful for children and make education more cost-effective” and also “develop and promote effective use of innovative teaching methods/ materials in schools.”

While it might be unfair to say the party has failed to deliver on these promises as it is just less than one year in office out of its four-year mandate, it must also be noted that what was budgeted for education in 2016 (the first budget under its government) was not up to the 15% that was promised. Capital expenditure moved from N557billion in 2015 to N1.8trn in 2016. It means for the first time, capital expenditure would gulp 30% of the total budget. Out of this N1.8trn, the ministry of works, power and housing

takes N433.4billion while education gets N369.6billion which is just a paltry 5% of the N6.08trn budget.

Anti-Corruption War: And the Fight Rages On… Even the most optimistic of Nigerians know the bane of the country is stealing of public funds. A situation whereby public officers become stinking rich at the expense of the populace by diverting money meant for public use to private pockets. On the fight against corruption, the APC had this to say in its manifesto: “Prevent the abuse and misuse of Executive, Legislative and Public offices, through greater accountability, transparency, strict, and implementable anti-corruption laws, through strengthening and sanitising the EFCC and ICPC as independent entities.”

It must be noted that the president has pursued this with a passion that underscores his administration’s determination to ensure there is public accountability. Quite a number of officials of the past administration have been arrested and some of them have reportedly refunded some of the monies embezzled. Besides, the aim of the fight against corruption is being achieved which is to ensure that people think of the consequences awaiting them if they help themselves to public funds.

However, many are of the opinion that the war has not been holistic enough.

Perhaps, they are right. Critics point to a number of petitions against supporters and financiers of the president’s presidential campaign last year which the anti-corruption agencies have refused to look into, let alone inviting them. Besides, the EFCC seems to be taking instructions from the presidency on who to go after.

This development has given rise to speculations that there might be some semblance of vendetta or witch hunt in the anti-corruption war.

Infrastructure: Tariff Hike before ‘Hike’ in Megawatts…

The APC acknowledged the need to improve the nation’s infrastructure as a means of unleashing the hidden and Continued on page 49

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THURSDAY MARCH 31, 2016 • T H I S D AY

NEWS

News Editor Davidson Iriekpen Email davidson.iriekpen@thisdaylive.com, 08111813081

Relief as PPPRA Slashes NNPC’s Allocation for Q2 Fuel Imports CBN to provide forex to marketers, Kachikwu warns against non-performance

Ejiofor Alike The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) has released the second quarter petrol import allocations to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the private oil marketing companies, a development that will potentially ease the current product shortages, THISDAY has learnt.

THISDAY also gathered that as part of the measures to correct the distortion and imbalance created by the reduction of the private marketers’ allocation to

28 per cent in the first quarter, the pricing regulatory authority has also slashed the allocation given to the NNPC from the 78 per cent in the first quarter to 41.73 per cent.

The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, who held a meeting with the private marketers at the NNPC Towers in Abuja yesterday also warned the oil firms that any of them that failed to perform in this second quarter would be excluded from importation of petrol throughout this year.

Kachikwu convened the meeting to deliberate on how

Dan-Ali Denies Report, Says Boko Haram Not in Two LGAs in Borno Senator Iroegbu in Abuja The Minister of Defence, BrigGen. Mansur Muhammad Dan-Ali (rtd), has said that he was misquoted over the report that Boko Haram control of three states of the North-east has been reduced to two local government areas in Borno State.

Dan-Ali in a statement signed yesterday by his Public Relations Officer, Col. Tukur Gusau, clarified that what he meant in the interview with the Voice of America (VOA) was that Boko Haram remnants exists in two local government areas.

The statement read: “The attention of the Ministry of Defence was drawn to an online report credited to Dan-Ali that two local governments in the North-east are still under Boko Haram occupation and that Chibok girls are being used as

suicide bombers “For the avoidance of doubt it is important to state here that the minister as a guest in the studios of VOA spoke in Hausa language and while giving appraisal of the success recorded by the gallant armed forces under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari the minister said hitherto over 60 local governments were under the occupation of Boko Haram in the North-east but now only about two were having some remnants of Boko Haram activities but not under the complete occupation of the terrorists.”

On the issue of Chibok girls, the minister explained that he was not referring to the girls abducted on April 14, 2014 from Government Secondary School, Chibok, but rather to the other girls abducted by the terrorists from Chibok Local Government and its environs.

the private marketers would resume importation and also to brief the firms on the outcome of his engagement with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on how the issue of scarcity of foreign exchange would be tackled.

A source privy to the meeting told THISDAY last night that Kachikwu assured the marketers that the federal government would provide part of the forex for the importation while the marketers would source for the balance.

“The meeting deliberated on the issue of forex and the second quarter import allocation. He (the minister) told the marketers that their lion share has been restored while the allocation of NNPC has been slashed. The minister promised that the federal government would provide part of the forex, while the marketers source for the balance, which will also be paid later by the government. He also promised that the federal

government was considering payment of interest on the balance. Kachikwu warned that having received all these incentives, the marketers should not have any excuses, and that any of them who fails to perform in this second quarter, will be excluded from importation throughout the rest of this year,” the source explained.

According to him, the minister also promised that cargoes would start coming into the country as from April 7 as he earlier promised the Senate.

One of the Chief Executive Officers who attended the meeting told THISDAY that absence of cargoes in March contributed largely to the current fuel crisis as the marketers were denied import allocation in favour of the NNPC. “Due to the inconsistencies in government’s planning, Vitol, Petrocam, Glencore and other oil traders did not bring cargoes in March because of

the previous huge obligations to these companies. All the foreign banks did not want to do business with the Nigerian banks because of the inability of our banks to meet previous obligations due to scarcity of foreign exchange,” he explained.

PPPRA’s ill-advised allocation of 72 per cent to the NNPC by the former Executive Secretary of the agency, Mr. Farouk Ahmed, was said to have fueled the current scarcity as the traditional sharing formula for the quarterly import allocations had always been 60 per cent for the private marketers and 40 per cent for the corporation But a top official of PPPRA, who spoke to THISDAYyesterday said the imbalance had been rectified in the second quarter allocation with the NNPC getting 41.73 per cent, while the marketers got 58.27 per cent.

The source, who declined to be quoted, listed some of the

beneficiaries of the allocation to include Techno Oil Limited, Oando Plc, Masters Energy Oil and Gas Limited, Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc, AA Rano, Total Nigeria Plc, NIPCO Plc, Integrated Oil and Gas Limited, Folawiyo Energy, Forte Oil Plc, Conoil Plc, MRS Oil and Gas Limited, Heyden Petroleum, among others.

He however, confirmed that many companies were excluded for non-performance in the previous allocations.

“In the first quarter, it was 28 per cent; 72 per cent in favour of the NNPC but this has been reviewed to 58.27 per cent; 41.73 per cent in favour of the marketers. In allocating the import quota, PPPRA, as usual, was fair to everybody as it took into consideration retail outlets ownership, marketers’ performance of previous quarterly allocation and the challenges in sourcing foreign exchange,” the official said.

Appeal Court Rules in Favour of Honeywell The Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos has dismissed the ex parte order earlier granted against Honeywell Flour Mills Plc in favour of Ecobank.

Justice Mohammed Yunusa of the Federal High Court, Lagos had granted an ex parte order in favour of Ecobank against Honeywell on December 4, 2015.

Honeywell thereafter proceeded to the Court of Appeal seeking to set aside the ex parte order.

The final judgement of the Court of Appeal, delivered

by Justice Abimbola Obaseki, set aside the ruling of Justice Mohammed Yunusa on the grounds of abuse of Order 4 of winding up rules.

Order 4 of winding up rules states that every application in court other than a petition shall be made by motion, notice of which shall be served on every person against whom an order is sought not less than five (5) clear days before the day named in the notice for hearing the motion.

The Court of Appeal, according to the News Agency of Nigeria

(NAN), further stated in its judgement that “Yunusa’s ruling was sketchy vis-à-vis the available affidavit.

Therefore, the exercise of justice was too extreme in the interim order. The ruling of Yunusa J. is thereby set aside’’, Honourable Justice Abimbola Obaseki stated.

In a related case, the cross appeal by Ecobank against the ruling of Yunusa J. of 4th December 2015 which granted limited access to Honeywell Flour Mills Plc to operate its accounts was also struck out.

The second appeal by Ecobank against Honeywell, challenging the jurisdiction of Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court in establishing a customer banker’s relationship, was also struck out.

The Court of Appeal stated that there is a banker-customer relationship between the parties.

Delivering judgement, Justice Abimbola Obaseki ruled that Ecobank’s appeal lacks merit and stands dismissed.

“The ruling of Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court in favour of Honeywell is hereby affirmed’’, the judge concluded.

CAPITAL MARKET CZARS

L-R: Past President, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) Dr. Raymond C. Obieri; Chairman, Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, Mr. Oba Otudeko; Chief Executive Officer, NigerianStockExchange(NSE), Mr.OscarN.Onyema;current President,NSE, Mr.AigbojeAig-Imoukhuede;andPresident,DangoteGroupofCompanies, AlhajiAlikoDangote, attheclosinggongceremonyinhonourofthepastpresidentsofNSEinLagos....yesterday

Econet Rivals DSTV, to Air EPL for Free Econet Media is giving DSTV a run for its money, as it has signed a deal with the English Premier League to show premier league matches for free.

Yesterday, the Premier League announced that Econet Media, owned by Strive Masiyiwa, a Zimbabwean tycoon, struck a deal valid for the 2016/17 and 2018/19 seasons.

“The Premier League is pleased to announce that Econet Media has acquired the package of free-to-air broadcasting rights that it makes available in sub-Saharan Africa,” Premier League said in a statement.

It added that: “The agreement is for the three seasons 2016/17 to 2018/19 and Econet, through its Kwese Sports platform, will

make available one Saturday afternoon Premier League match live on a free-to-air basis each weekend of the season.

“The matches, along with weekly preview and review shows, will be available in 50 countries across the region.”

Speaking on Kwese and the Econet media deal, Masiyiwa, who is also Zimbabwe’s richest man, according to The Cable, said: “Kwesé TV is our new soon-to-be-launched satellite and broadcasting network, wholly owned by Econet Media, a subsidiary of Econet Group.

“After the launch of Kwesé TV later this year, I’ll also use this as a case study on how to set up a major business venture like this one.

“Timing is important in business. Notice that I didn’t shout out, ‘hey guys, I’m bidding for the English Premier League.’ Do it first, before you start talking about it!”

Richard Scudamore, Premier League Executive Chairman, expressed his pleasure at the deal, saying: “We are very pleased that Econet Media has chosen to invest in the package of free-to-air broadcasting rights that we have made available in sub-Saharan Africa.

“Premier League clubs enjoy passionate support across sub-Saharan Africa and these rights are important to ensuring that as many fans as possible can follow and enjoy our competition.”

Kwese has already acquired

rights to show matches in Spain’s Copa del Rey, cricket, and rugby from other parts of the world.

Robin Jellis, TV markets expert at Sports Business, told CNN that Kwese may have a challenge getting into the market, but it is planning to rival South African DSTV –which charges $40 to $100 – on the long term.

“Econet is expected to lose money on its Premier League deal, but it is a strategic move to build an association with the league ahead of launching Kwesé TV,” he said.

Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the Premier League’s fastestgrowing audiences, with an estimated 276 million viewers tuning in each year.

THURSDAY MARCH 31, 2016 • T H I S D AY

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NEWS

FG: Buhari’s Apology Does Not Include Recall of 13 Sacked VCs Paul Obi in Abuja The federal government yesterday clarified its position on the recent apology by President Muhammadu Buhari over the sacked 13 vice chancellors and the dissolution of governing councils of universities.

Buhari, at a forum in Abuja with All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwarts, had apologised over the decision by government to hurriedly terminate the appointments of universities’ vice-chancellors, particularly, their governing councils, without recourse to the extant laws.

The president at the forum had told his party members that government “gave a blanket order which we had to rescind when we said all boards are suspended or dissolved. We had to go back and lick our vomit in terms of universities councils because we found out that according to their laws, they cannot choose vice

chancellors unless the councils sit and interview candidates who want to be VCs. So, there is nothing wrong in saying sorry and going back on your decision.

So, we said sorry and allow all the universities to continue with their councils. So, please try to bear with us as we reflect on where we found ourselves.”

But speaking with THISDAY, Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of Education, Dauda Abdulramid, explained that the president’s apology did not connote reinstating the sacked vicechancellors, given that government on the issue earlier position was no longer reversible.

Abdulramid told THISDAY that notwithstanding Buhari’s apology, the decision by government cannot be rescind, by recalling the sacked vice chancellors.

“He did not say he had reversed the sack, he only apologised. Once

government takes a decision, it stands by it. Maybe, subsequently, they will take caution. But that does not mean he clearly stated that the sacked vice chancellors should be recalled,” he added.

Similarly, the Head of Information and Public Relations, National Universities Commission (NUC), Ibrahim Yakassi, in an interview with THISDAY, corroborated the position of the minister’s aide, arguing that “the situation is misunderstood; the president was speaking in past tense, go back and read what he said.

“He made reference to the dissolution of all boards in this country. It has nothing to do with the 13 vice chancellors who were recently disengaged. It has no relation to that. The president dissolved all boards in this country including all the councils of federal

universities then. But he rescinded that decision as he said because the councils needed to be in place to appoint vice chancellors. There was a process then; most universities’ vice chancellors were going then.”

According to Yakassi, the president’s apology “has no relationship whatsoever with the recently disengaged vice-chancellors or councils. It was in reference to the dissolution of councils of the entire country that he included the councils of universities then.

So the councils that he meant, he actually spoke in past tense, were the councils of these universities dissolved. The 13 vice chancellors were done much later; it has no relationship with that. So nobody is going to issue out any policy statement; nobody is going to recall anybody.”

Asked whether the apology

could be examined in isolation of the sacked vice chancellors, Yakassi stated that “there’s no case in point about them. I don’t understand why people don’t want to get the facts straight and right. The case of 13 vice chancellors and councils is different from the rest of the universities. These ones don’t have their laws gazetted.

“The older ones have their laws gazetted, they have their councils running. The law starts the day it was gazetted, so the president committed no offence.

It is still the exclusive preserve of the president to appoint those vice chancellors.”

He contended that government had already moved on with regards to the sacked vice chancellors. Asked if the sacked VCs’ case was closed, he said:

“New vice chancellors have been appointed, of course, it is.”

Also, a Coalition of Civil Society Groups, (CCSG) said it would hold the president accountable should the vice chancellors not be recalled.

The group maintained that it would be disingenuous for the president to ignore reinstating the sacked vice chancellors after tendering apology to the nation over the ‘wrong-headed’ sack of the vice chancellors.

CCSG President, Etuk Williams Bassey, told THISDAY that the decision to withdraw the suit against the president and government was aimed at resolving the whole crisis.

Bassey stated that recalling the sacked vice-chancellors “is part of” their demands, adding: “If they are not recalled, we will still hold the president accountable.”

Rivers Rerun: INEC Favouring APC, PDP Alleges Ernest ChinwoinPortHarcourt andOnyebuchi EzigboinAbuja The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed concern over the nonrelease of outstanding results of the March 19 Rivers State and National Assembly rerun elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

In the results so far declared by the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Aniedi Ikoiwak, the PDP cleared three federal constituency, but shared two state constituency seats with its main rival, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

While speaking with journalists yesterday, the Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus, alleged that the electoral body was taking instruction from the ruling party, APC, on what to do with the outcome of the rerun elections which he claimed his party won overwhelmingly.

Secondus said: “Now in Rivers, State, because PDP won all the election, despite the intimidation by the military, the results are being released piecemeal because APC has failed woefully in all the constituencies.”

The PDP chairman, who accused INEC of turning itself to a parastatal of the APC further alleged that the commission has not fixed a date for fresh election because it was waiting for instruction from APC. “They haven’t fixed a date for rerun because of APC. INEC is now being supervised by the leadership of APC and the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

“They are no longer independent and we are losing confidence in INEC. In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) election date was announced but suddenly because they knew APC was going to lose and because of that, they postponed the election after we had spent money and time.

“All these show that INEC is now a parastatal of APC. The danger is that this current leadership that will conduct the general elections in 2019 has been compromised.

“The forthcoming Edo and Ondo States governorship elections are in danger. With what happened in

Rivers State Nigeria is in danger.

“There may be no election in 2019 with the way INEC is conducting itself as a parastatal of INEC,” Secondus said.

But reacting in a telephone interview, INEC Deputy Director of Publicity and Voters’ Education, Nick Dazang, justified the piecemeal announcement of results.

“The commission is not under the influence or direction of any party/interests,” he said.

Also, the Chairman of Rivers State chapter of the PDP, Felix Obuah, has said the party would not accept the disqualification of its candidate for Akuku-Toru state constituency 2, Tonye Awari Alalibo, describing it as not only illegal and mischievous, but highly vexatious.

He insisted: “No Election Petition Tribunal nor the Election Appeal Tribunal, including the INEC has the power to disqualify any party candidate (as provided for in the 2012 Electoral Act as amended), and for which the PDP and its candidate for Akuku-Toru state constituency 2 are already in court.”

Obuah also said no election petition tribunal or appeal tribunal has right to disqualify any candidate, when the issue of disqualification was not part of the subject matter before both the election petition tribunal and appeal tribunal.

“Accordingly, INEC lacks powers to disqualify the PDP candidate. Therefore, the purported disqualification of our candidate for Akuku-Toru constituency 2, when the PDP logo was on the ballot paper and our candidate participated and won the election is preposterous,” he said.

He accused the APC of being responsible for the disqualification, adding that the party (APC) was doing everything possible to grab power.

The state PDP chairman called on the people of Akuku-Toru to remain calm and watch events as they unfold.

Similarly, Obuah described the “ceding of result of Opobo/ Nkoro state assembly election to the APC” as a rape of democracy, adding that the results collated from the polling units in all the wards showed Hon. Adonye Diri of the PDP as the clear winner.

A NEW BOOK ON ADVOCACY

L-R: Former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Mr. Christopher Kolade; the Authors of the book, Chief Folake Salanke (SAN); and Prof. Fabian Ajogwu (SAN), at the public presentation of ‘Oral and Written Advocacy: Law and Practice Traditional Modern Trends in Advocacy’, in Lagos...yesterday

Finally, Police Seal off Kogi Assembly Complex Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja Fully armed policemen yesterday sealed off the Kogi State House of Assembly complex on the order of the National Assembly following the unresolved leadership crises rocking the state assembly as the main entrance to the complex was blocked by heavily armed policemen.

The policemen also barred the factional members of the assembly who were billed to conduct ministerial budget defence from entering the complex, as the road leading to the complex was also barricaded by the security agents who subjected staff of the assembly to scrutiny and only allowed them in upon confirmation of their employment status through their identity cards.

One of the senior police officers who led the team of armed policemen to the state assembly complex, ASP A. Adeniran, told journalists that the directive came from the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Solomon Arase.

Adeniran said: “We were directed not to allow any assembly member into this complex except the staff of the complex who are allowed in to perform their official duties.”

Speaking on the situation, Mr. Aliyu Akuh, who is the Deputy Speaker to the embattled Speaker of the state assembly, Mallam Momoh-Jimoh Lawal, said the crisis remained unresolved, as earlier directive to return to status quo ante by the House of Representatives was ignored by five members of the assembly.

According to him, it was an aberration for five out of the then 20 members of the assembly to impeach the speaker on whom the remaining 15 members had passed a vote of confidence on his leadership.

Akuh said the 15 members considered the action of the minority five members as an infringement on the constitution of the country, adding that in a developed democratic setting, such infringements must be challenged.

“For five members to seek to impeach a Speaker in an assembly

of 20 members is an aberration and unheard of, and also, some members’ names and signatures were forged and included as part of them.

“We had to go to the higher authority which is the National Assembly vested with the constitutional powers to intervene in such situations. The House of Representatives ordered the seal-off and it was concurred by the Senate,” he said.

On the position of the law with the suit filed by the five members at the Federal High Court, Lokoja, challenging the intervention of the National Assembly on the impasse, Akuh said there was no injunction or court order restraining the National Assembly.

However, reacting to the sealing off of the complex, the factional Speaker, Alhaji Umar Imam, described it as illegal, saying for the National Assembly to have gone ahead to seal off the assembly despite the matter being pending in court smacked of illegality.

Imam, who spoke through his

Chief Press Secretary, Umar Ali, said the action of the National Assembly was aimed at stunting the growth of the state as all legislative businesses especially the passage of the 2016 Appropriation Bill would be affected.

Meanwhile, efforts to get the state Police Command for its reaction proved abortive as the Public Relations Officer, Williams Aya, could not be reached.

Two weeks ago, the Senate directed the IG, Arase, to seal off the state House of Assembly complex until the crises in the assembly is resolved.

The upper legislative chamber also declared null and void, the impeachment proceedings embarked upon by five members of the assembly.

The Senate noted that it was “invoking the powers conferred on it by section 11(4) of Nigeria’s constitution to take over the legislative functions of the state House of Assembly pending the resolution of normalcy in the assembly.”

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

COMMENT

Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com

BUHARI’S CONCERN WITH POWER Ikeogu Oke argues the president should think more of how to improve the power sector

T

hat President Muhammadu Buhari’s concern with power is genuine is beyond doubt. And I mean power as the provision of electricity. Not political power, though I believe that even he, like many other Nigerians, appreciates the link between the two types of power, the electric and the political. In fact, electric power is such an essential need, rivalling petrol in the Nigerian system, that not to be concerned with making it readily available to the Nigerian people as a leader could seriously jeopardise one’s electoral fortunes. Need I buttress this by recalling how the seeming inability of former President Goodluck Jonathan to keep its promise to provide regular electricity to Nigerians became one of the major campaign issues raised against him in the 2015 presidential elections that brought President Buhari to power?

Thus, it was not surprising that, right from his inaugural speech, President Buhari identified power as one of the four cardinal concerns for his administration, together with corruption, insecurity and fuel scarcity. “At home we face enormous challenges,” he admitted in that epochal speech delivered on May 29, 2015. “Insecurity, pervasive corruption, the hitherto unending and seemingly impossible fuel and power shortages are the immediate concerns. We are going to tackle them head on.”

The fact, however, is that even with this vow to tackle these problems “head on,” the power challenges have lingered 10 months into the Buhari administration, despite recent improvements in power generation and supply witnessed under his administration. So it was not surprising that during the National Economic Council retreat held in Abuja on March 21, 2016, President Buhari, represented by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, would reiterate his administration’s concern with power.

At the later event, the president began by acknowledging that “Nigerians’ favourite talking point and butt of jokes is the power situation in our country,” and then admitting that “it is no longer a laughing matter.” Then he made a vow: “We must and by the grace of God we will put things right.” And then benchmarked the vow: “In the three years left for this administration we have given ourselves the target of ten thousand megawatts distributable power. In 2016 alone, we intend to add two thousand megawatts to the national grid.” Mr. President also identified privatisation as an issue in his ensuing litany of concerns. “This sector,” – meaning the power sector – “has been privatised but has yet to show any improvement in the quality of service,” he further stated, and then revealed, “We are facing the classic dilemma of privatisation: Public interest Vs Profit Motive,” and then gave the assurance that, “Having started, we must complete the process.”

He also identified other issues undermining progress in the sector, their causes and their negative impacts as “constant

THE INTRODUCTION OF THE GOD FACTOR – THROUGH SUCH CAVEATS AT ‘BY THE GRACE OF GOD’ AND ‘INSHA ALLAH’ – TO WHAT ORDINARY SHOULD BE A SECULAR SOCIAL CONTRACT TO PROVIDE NIGERIANS WITH ELECTRICITY – CREATES A LOOPHOLE FOR BLAMING THE FAILURE TO DELIVER ON GOD’S DISAPPROVAL, EVEN THOUGH AN OFFICIALLY ATHEISTIC COUNTRY LIKE CHINA CAN SUPPLY ITS POWER NEEDS

power cuts destroying economic activity and affecting quality of life,” “high electricity bills despite power cuts,” “low supply of gas to power plants due to vandalism by terrorists,” “obsolete power distribution equipment such as transformers,” “power fluctuations, which damage manufacturing equipment and household appliances,” “low voltage which cannot run industrial machinery.” And in a near-summary in which he invokes God for the second time in the short speech – this time by his Islamic name – he said: “These are some of the problems, which defied successive governments. In our determination to CHANGE we must and will, insha Allah, put a stop to power shortages.”

President Buhari’s concern with power couldn’t have been reiterated more passionately or convincingly. However, there are problems arising from the president’s words which require critical attention.

First, his promise to add 2,000 megawatts to the national grid in 2016 alone does not clarify to what baseline generation value the addition would be made. Is it to the 4,387 megawatts the generation value reportedly rose to by May 5, 2016, or to the 3,857.4 megawatts peak generation value on the day of the retreat? Clarifying this, while giving a specific value of expected total generation following the addition, will eliminate a seeming nebulousness to the president’s promise.

Clearly, it wouldn’t be progress if, for instance, we add 2,000 to the 2,035 megawatts to which the generation value reportedly dropped on March 27, 2016, which would amount to a total of 4,035 megawatts, given that our generation output had hit a record 5,074 megawatts on February 2, 2016, under the Buhari administration.

Incidentally, what the President has promised to provide more or less as baseline “distributable power” in the three years left of his administration, being 10,000 megawatts, is unambiguous.

Secondly, the introduction of the God factor – through such caveats at “by the grace of God” and “insha Allah” – to what ordinary should be a secular social contract to provide Nigerians with electricity – creates a loophole for blaming the failure to deliver on God’s disapproval, even though an officially atheistic country like China can supply its power needs.

Then, the president actually denied his administration credit, apparently without knowing it, by stating that the power sector “has yet to show any improvement in the quality of service” since its privatisation – an exercise successfully concluded by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) in 2013 with the sale of the successor companies of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to successful bidders as private investors.

Oke was a Technical Adviser (Media and Communication) in the Presidential Task Force on Power

KACHIKWU AND THE SINS OF HIS FATHERS

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The problems in the petroleum sector cannot be fixed within months, argues Emma Agu

hat frustration over the slow pace of the economy is beginning to boil over can be deduced from the variegated reactions of various stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over a candid opinion expressed by the Minister of Petroleum (State) Dr. Ibe Kachikwu.

Kachikwu, the oil technocrat spearheading President Buhari’s agenda of restoring sanity to the oil sector had quipped that he was not a magician, after he had told State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja that it would take till about May to get a clear handle on the perennial fuel shortage plaguing the country. Since then, the Nigerian media space has been besieged with a welter of reactions, from the sublime to the ridiculous.

APC leader, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, in his usual deep and penetrating manner, fired the first salvo, admonishing the minister to guard his utterances which, he warned, was incongruous with the change mantra of the party. Tinubu’s admonition can be understood within the context of his strategic position in the APC configuration. Many will agree that he is an embodiment of all that the party stands for. For his role in spearheading the alliance that flushed Goodluck Jonathan out of power, though not elected, he will be justified to regard himself as being accountable to Nigerians on the performance or lack of it by the Buhari administration. As a true leader, he enjoined the minister to buckle up and deliver on the benchmarks promised by the administration.

If Tinubu’s admonition is excusable on the grounds of his pre-eminent position in the party, the same cannot be said of the demand of the southsouth zone of the party that the minister should resign. Hiding under Tinubu’s mask does not accord them the moral authority to indulge in ‘mandibular

peregrination’ (apologies to Gbolabo Ogunsanwo) or verbal diarrhea over the statement attributed to the minister. Nor would sounding sanctimonious betray the thinly veiled betrayal embodied in their self-serving statement.

I see a problem here: how does the president distill sublime and honest criticism from sycophantic statements intended to ingratiate political jobbers to the powers that be at the expense of solid professionals like Kachikwu who answered the call to serve on the premise that they could follow the lead of a president whose greatest strength lies in his integrity?

To underscore this dilemma, we need to recall that, if over enthusiastic APC members had not portrayed Buhari as a magician, possessing the wand to fix all of Nigeria’s problems within the first month in office, he wouldn’t have been under pressure to validate himself within the first six months of the first term of a four-year presidency, with a second term, constitutionally guaranteed, subject to the wishes of the people. In a dubious effort to wrest power at all costs, we were told that Buhari would fix the roads within a few months, conjure naira-dollar parity and restore stability in fuel supply within a few months. The messianic aura had all the trappings of a prophecy and for a despondent people who have come to rely on prophets and mullahs for redemption, the electorate started seeing Buhari the way the Jews saw Jesus Christ.

But Buhari is not a messiah: he is just an honest man committed to doing an honest job. He is yet to deliver the CHANGE he promised; not for lack of trying, not even for lack of clarity of vision as alleged by some critics. Truth is, his campaigners, his support base forgot the Latin economic caveat for every problem: ceteris paribus…all things being equal. But that is the danger in playing God. With the oil market crash, budget delay, intra-party

wrangling, etc., APC’s plans hang on tenterhooks.

Paucity of funds has meant that the boast of a sudden turn around cannot be sustained. The APC has leant that, as desirable as it is, change is not simply about sloganeering; it is about painstaking planning, single-minded pursuit of goals, the ability to create a stakeholder environment that compels the people to make the necessary sacrifices that would usher in CHANGE as well as ceteris paribus! Besides, change is not an overnight thing, not even a destination because the bulk of the recipe is attitudinal, not an event or a destination.

Unfortunately, the party’s biggest challenge is how to extricate itself from the scapegoat syndrome.

Thus, failure to deliver on the party’s promises had to be blamed on the PDP. But with all avenues for blaming the PDP thinning out, the party has turned on itself, looking inwards for scapegoats. Who else would have been the most appropriate victim if not Kachikwu, a ‘political outsider’? Buhari must resist this because it carries all the frightening portents for failure.

Let’s get it straight: Kachikwu’s statement may not be politically correct. But this is not the time for political correctness. This is the moment of truth.

And for good effect, the president himself has initiated the core value of his administration: INTEGRITY. Time and again, he has asked Nigerians to tighten their belts; time and again he has reminded us that this is a four-year presidency and that he should not be judged by his first one year. So, what would be the justification for crucifying Kachikwu if he echoed the president?

At any rate, if the truth must be told, aside from Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s fatherly admonition, it is tempting to conclude that those who insist that the problems in the petroleum sector can be fixed within six months are being hypocritical, ignorant and mischievous or a combination of these. The

problem we are talking about has been on for over two decades. Why would Nigeria, one of the world’s largest producers of crude oil depend on imported fuel to run its machines? If, over the years, policy makers had honestly pursued a policy of local satisfaction of the country’s fuel needs, would Nigeria have had a rash of farm tanks instead of modular refineries that would ensure self-sufficiency in fuel production? What about the endemic rackets in fuel subsidy which virtually every administration wore like a developmental talisman? If these problems have been with us for so long, with a chain of oil ministers, is it morally right to punish Ibe Kachikwu for the sins of his fathers, meaning previous administrations?

Politics, it is claimed, is a very dirty game indeed.

Some conspiracy theorists suggest that Kachikwu’s statement could have provided aggrieved members of the APC a handle to attack the president who, de jure, is the minister of petroleum affairs and who, by that same fact, is vicariously responsible for any performance gaps in the sector. But such a decoy would fall flat in the face of the evidence. Granted that to the common man, ready availability of fuel is the basic index of performance, any dispassionate reality check will lead to only one conclusion: under Buhari, the ministry of petroleum resources has started establishing some noticeable milestones. First, the monstrous subsidy (allocation) which Jonathan inherited and sustained has been substantially slashed, resulting in a savings of about one trillion naira. If this is not an achievement, one wonders what else could be. Second, the corporate governance environment has been boosted by greater transparency in contract awards and information management hallmarked by the periodic NNPC Monthly Oil & Gas Report.

Agu is publisher of Zest Traveller magazine and CEO of Gavinta & Associates Ltd

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EDITORIAL MUCH ADO ABOUT ECONOMIC RETREAT

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The task of sorting out the economic crisis is far from finished

gainst the backdrop of the worsening economic situation in the country caused largely by the dwindling price of crude oil, a two-day retreat for governors of the 36 states of the federation and members of the National Economic Council (NEC) held last week at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. In his welcome address, President Muhammadu Buhari identified five key sectors which the country must focus on to revive the economy. Specifically, he said the challenges militating against development in agriculture, power, manufacturing, housing and health sectors must be squarely addressed to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty.

The highlights of the meeting included agreements to make concerted and consistent efforts to diversify revenue sources; expand compliance on value added tax (VAT) by adopting a gradual plan for a rate increase; increase expenditure through borrowing, which should be invested in infrastructure; focus on fiscal responsibility WHAT DETERMINES THE as a critical element ECONOMIC BEHAVIOUR in macro-economic AND FORTUNES OF balance; develop NIGERIANS ALMOST financial inclusion INSTANTLY IS THE EXCHANGE RATE OF THE strategies to cater for NAIRA. IT WAS NOT EVEN the poor and vulnerable population; and ON THE AGENDA maintain a minimum level of capital expenditure of 30 per cent in the budget. These indeed are noble objectives.

However, while we commend Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and the 36 governors for the initiative, there are several questions begging for answers. Where are all the economic blueprints churned out by the National Economic Summit Group (NESG) in the last 15 years? What different outcomes are to be expected from the Aso Rock session? Of what impact were the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP), National Directorate of Employment (NDE), the Small and Medium Scale Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), the industrial fund, etc? Given that the money sunk into these agencies over the years is

Letters to the Editor

overwhelming, what roles are they now expected to play under the current dispensation where there is an emphasis on the poor?

Notwithstanding what the administration may say, there is a feeling that the retreat had more to do with politics than economics. The aim, to many observers, was merely to deflect the growing local and international criticism over the administration’s lack of economic direction by appearing to be doing something. The economy is shrinking. Poverty is rising. Inflation is headed north. Unemployment is worsening. And fuel queues are not only back with a vengeance, Nigerians are now told it would be with us for some time. All these are happening at a time the federal government has practically closed the limited open market leeway in the system with knee jerk controls and measures. If truth be told, insofar as the government allows these negatives to take centre stage in our daily lives, no retreat can change the present temper of discourse on the economy.

T H I S DAY

EDITOR IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU DEPUTY EDITOR BOLAJI ADEBIYI MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN

T H I S DAY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, ISRAEL IWEGBU, EMMANUEL EFENI, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU GROUP FINANCE DIRECTOR OLUFEMI ABOROWA DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS PETER IWEGBU, FIDELIS ELEMA, MBAYILAN ANDOAKA, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS HENRY NWACHOKOR, SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI GENERAL MANAGER PATRICK EIMIUHI GROUP HEAD FEMI TOLUFASHE ART DIRECTOR OCHI OGBUAKU II DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

TO OUR READERS Letters in response to specific publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-200 words) and straight to the point. Interested readers may send such letters along with their contact details to opinion@thisdaylive.com. We also welcome comments and opinions on topical local, national and international issues provided they are well-written and should also not be longer than (9501000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive.com along with the email address and phone numbers of the writer.

BENUE AND THE FULANI HERDSMEN

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he primary function of any government is to protect the lives and property of its citizens from any attack, either internally or externally. However, what should the people do when their so-called government lacked the power to protect them and their property?

The ceaseless killings of Benue people by the Fulani herdsmen while the state and federal government maintain a lackadaisical attitude is worrying.

Despite media reports that the federal government has sent some men of the Nigerian Armed Forces to Benue to prevent further killings, slaughtering of the people is still going on.

Therefore, where are the security agencies men sent to Benue State in the first place? What are they doing there? Why are the Fulani herdsmen still killing more, in the presence of the army?

I must say this without any fear of intimidation. If the Fulani herdsmen are still killing in Benue even with the presence of the army, then,

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ven for those who may argue that a talk-shop is not necessarily a bad idea, the platform could be deemed questionable. First, the National Economic Council has no executive powers. It is merely a policy review collective designed to enable the federal government carry the state governments along on matters that concern the national economy. Second, the administration has almost spent one year in office. Third, it would seem that there is already a closure on some policy issues. For instance, what determines the economic behaviour and fortunes of Nigerians almost instantly is the exchange rate of the naira. It was not even on the agenda; neither did President Buhari mention it in his opening address at the occasion. The question therefore is: why not make the hard decisions that are required and leave the people to run their lives?

What this administration must know is that any attempt to embark on a counterfeit variant of centralised planning in the 21st century can only set the nation back by many decades. That is why we reiterate our call for the president to quickly put in place an economic team that will help in repositioning the country.

I must say that the army is conniving with the herdsmen to kill our people instead of preventing the attacks.

The present administration under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari must take on all issues instead of focusing only on fighting corruption. Other issues such as the Benue killings, poverty, and unemployment, etc., should also be given prominent attention. Benue people voted for change that should give them basic necessities of life and not the change that they are experiencing now.

I would like to advise that Benue people should quickly begin to brainstorm on how to get rid of their enemies and prevent further killings from the so-called Fulani herdsmen who want to forcibly eliminate all the people in the state and take over for their own personal interest. If the government of the people by the people and for the people cannot protect its people, then, the people should look elsewhere for protection.

Awunah Pius Terwase, Mpape, Abuja

SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR THE GIRL –CHILD

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he paramount importance of education to the girlchild is immeasurable; yet if Nigeria is to achieve her place in the League of Nations, there is an immediate need to put up a mechanism to encourage STEM education for the girl- child. STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It is an undeniable fact that it is these fields which made nations develop while also enhancing their capacity and capability to be technologically and economically independent.

A sustainable STEM-girl education policy for Nigeria would encourage more girls take keen interest in science, technology and mathematics

thereby developing their innovative capability. Who knows the positive impact this policy would have for Nigeria in a decade?

As a nation striving to be one of the economically developed nations in the year 2020, STEM-girl child education should be promoted as the absence of a STEM policy, in my perspective, makes this vision a mirage. In view of this, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science and Technology must strategise on ways of promoting STEM girl – child education in Nigeria.

Oluwatoyin Olabisi Oloruntola – Taiwo Chief Executive Officer, Women and Girl Child Capabilities Enhancements and Empowerment Organisation

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POLITICS

Group Politics Editor Olawale Olaleye Email wale.olaleye@thisdaylive.com 08116759819 SMS ONLY

T H E G U B E R N AT O R I A L I N T E RV I E W

Al-Makura: PDP is Desperate to Sabotage APC Nasarawa State Governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura spoke to Adedayo Adejobi on the state of the nation, including the situation report on Nasarawa’s communal clashes and his plans to realise APC’s promise of ‘change’. Excerpts: Al-Makura...Buhari is turning the tide gradually

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hat’s your assessment of PDP’s crisis?

Way back as at 2013, when we announced the process of the merger, I had the benefit of insight that they were likely going to lose out, given the tenacity, seriousness and commitment of people from all walks of life coming together to battle the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

As God had it, the resilience, perseverance and sense of patriotism by all the four parties – ACN, APGA, ANPP and CPC – that formed the All Progressives Congress (APC) ensured that the merger process produced a very robust party that represents all kinds of opinions, when put together, to make this country united, strong and indivisible.

In the history of this country, there has never been a time when people across board, from different tendencies, had shaken off the inclusive peculiarity of each in the interest of team work. I think PDP’s dissolution started when they were bragging because during the time of PDP, it was one controversy after another; one problem after another and up to this point in time, you can see PDP continuously being divided on different issues. That, I believe, is normal. It is an indication of the people that are not prepared for the setting of an opposition because of their illusion.

They never thought they could be on the other side.

As far as I am concerned, we won’t bother about their confusion, we have an objective, target and a vision for this country, and that is to undo what the mischievous PDP had done for 16 years and we are all appealing to Nigerians to be patient. What will take many years to build can be destroyed in one minute and if you want to correct what has been destroyed, if Nigerians are waiting to

see a change in every facet of government in only about eight to nine months that we

It’s a strong and confused opposition.

PDP has quite a number of states. It’s not like when we used to have PDP against other parties. PDP has, as at the last count, close to about 10 states, so you can see that we have a strong opposition but an opposition that is directionless; an opposition that has no programme rather than to undermine and sabotage the government in place

have been into office, I think that is unfair.

More changes are in the pipeline, but they are not changes you can wake up one morning and see them just happen. I bet in the next one year, it will be designable that some of these changes can be visibly seen not only in the process but in the end of some of these initiatives.

You just said the APC does not have a strong opposition party, do you see the APC ending up the way PDP did?

No, I don’t think that will happen because the scenario is different. I stand to be corrected that we have a strong opposition but the strong opposition is confused. It’s a strong and confused opposition. PDP has quite a number of states. It’s not like when we used to have PDP against other parties. PDP has, as at the last count, close to about 10 states, so you can see that we have a strong opposition but an opposition that is directionless; an opposition that has no programme rather than to undermine and sabotage the government in place. I think until PDP finds it bearings, its strength in terms of the opposition it poses to the government in power is just an illusion.

Does the PDP pose any major threat to the APC? No, it is not an opposition threat as such.

What I see is that, having seen that they have failed to be worthy, and having seen that Nigerians actually have rejected them, all they are doing is to see that they throw spanners in the works. But that will not do anything because what this administration is doing is focusing on those priority and vision that became the basis of the merger, which is security. The country needs security in the north, east, south and everywhere.

The second is the issue of corruption and

robbery of the treasury; the amount of proper articulation that will guide the economic development and progress of the country.

Sadly, the corruption image and stigma that this country has to suffer for the better part of PDP’s administration, for me, are the fundamentals of this administration. And God being so kind, we have a president that has a clear vision and understanding of the situation and went straight ahead to keep the gun running by solving these problems in all the intensity of their priority as they come.

The Boko Haram issue is gradually becoming a thing of the past because the vibrancy and audacity with which Boko Haram used to attack communities have now ceased. They are now looking for a place to hide. That’s a great success and it is gradually reducing, if not for the issue of the herdsmen and farmers.

About the issue of the country’s economy, the president has been moving from one place to another across the world to ensure that those funds that were stolen and stored in those countries are returned to us.

Furthermore, the president has been able to rewrite our integrity as a country you can do business with and as a country which is globally involved in family affairs; also, as a country that fits into international practices.

And you can see that the advantages are working, if not for the falling fortunes of oil, the prices of oil, the value of naira and our economic factors.

I believe in ten months of our administration, this country will be very vibrant in terms of economic activities and people will earn good living without much difficulty. In a nutshell, the present administration is pursuing its order of priority to ensure the reduction of things that have stalled the development of this country. And I am very sure that with patience, after this period, Nigerians will

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INTERVIEW AL-MAKURA: PDP IS DESPERATE TO SABOTAGE APC have enough opportunities to bounce back like we have always done.

Do you think oil prices will rise anytime soon?

I think it’s beyond anybody to determine whether the situation on the prices of oil will come too soon. It all depends on the interplay of forces that determine such position. Already, the president is doing whatever he can to deal with OPEC, interfacing with people, who are involved in the oil industry and the refinery leveraged to improve on the cost and even the production. I think this is a wonderful economic diplomacy that if it comes to reality, Nigeria will be better for it.

It’s not something that someone can easily forecast. It all depends on the synergy that Nigeria can have with other sister countries.

But I think we are optimistic that given the kind of positive responses with which the president is interfacing with other sister countries across the world, there is an indication that, hopefully, things will get better.

Is it politically wise to investigate the NNPC? To investigate NNPC, I think it’s the wisest thing to do. That’s the country’s cash cow and the cash cow is bastardised and so heavily affected by corruption and all kinds of nonsense. I think the president is doing what is right to ensure that funds that went down the drain through some ridiculous ways and means are recovered and also a stop is put to squandering and stealing of our riches.

The issue about the key players, as far as I am concerned, is immaterial. If you look at the recoveries that NNPC has been subjected to, you will collapse.

It’s not about key players or anybody, but about leaders. It doesn’t matter whoever is involved, it is the leader that will be able to identify whoever is there. Whoever is involved, whether he is in APC or PDP, the leader should be able to identify them, and the judiciary will be able to tell you to return what you have illegally acquired or stolen.

So, it could be a minister or whoever but the concern of the president is the lead and how the system will be put into perfection.

Whoever has his hands burnt is not the president’s concern or the government but about the leads that point to who and who are involved. As far as I am concerned, the interest of Nigeria supersedes any individual interest.

With your knowledge of Mr. President, will he go after Jonathan?

The Buhari I know will go after anybody, even if it is his son. So, talking about Jonathan is not an issue. Whoever is involved, the president will go after that person. I am very sure about that.

It is largely assumed that the anti-graft agencies lack the will to prosecute government officials. Do you agree?

I think this is speculative. I will not want to say anything against the EFCC. But cast your mind back and see the efforts EFCC has made in the past and their credibility and the way and manner they have appealed on their anti-corruption initiative activities. You don’t expect to have 100 per cent perfect system anywhere in the world and if anybody will use the short comings of EFCC as a barometer to determine their efficiency, I think it’s very unfair. I personally commend the efforts of these agencies in carrying out their obligations against corrupt practices that this country has had in the past 16years.

What is your assessment of the judicial system in Nigeria?

I think the judicial system is constitutionally doing what it is expected to do. But like in every human endeavour, you have certain shortcomings here and there and it becomes a case of worry when such shortcomings contradict the very basis of such an institution’s existence. But I don’t have any case against them. The only thing I want to admonish the institution for is that they should be a partner of this administration’s vision and objective to sanitise the country.

This year is very critical to governments at all levels. As a governor, what’s your

PDP messed up this country

administration doing towards unemployment, health and education?

The effort of government to ensure implementation and practicalisation of the vision of change, and for those of us that have been in government before now and also participated fully in the emergence of this regime, the issue of priority is already included in our manifestos and vision of our leader.

The first thing is the issue of security, to see that we are on the same page with the central government; to ensure that all security challenges that have become a pain in the neck to our domains are sorted out so that we can transmit into a platform of smooth governance to deliver the expectations of our people and our vision. That’s the first priority.

The second priority has to do with the

What I see is that, having seen that they have failed to be worthy, and having seen that Nigerians actually have rejected them, all they are doing is to see that they throw spanners in the works. But that will not do anything because what this administration is doing is focusing on those priority and vision that became the basis of the merger, which is security. The country needs security in the north, east, south and everywhere

issue of providing employment. To consolidate and ensure our security intervention becomes effective, it has to go side by side with job creation, skill acquisition and engagement of the vibrant section of the community.

We are working tirelessly to open greater employment opportunities. For Nasarawa State, what I consider most critical is the issue of infrastructure.

I cannot compete with other states because they already have some of these infrastructure and the level at which they will be flying will be higher than which I will be flying.

We are concentrating on building roads to liberate our farmers and citizens to have the opportunity of movement of goods and to also give children qualitative education through decent infrastructure in various communities.

We are also considering health services to our people; we are very passionate about the primary health support system, where our focus now has more to do primary health centres.

How have you managed to bring peace to Nasarawa State?

Our focus is on security being the mantra of change, which this administration is known for. When I came into power, I met community and the herdsmen crisis, shortly after which we tried to handle the situation. One of the things was to attend to the major problem facing the people and that was why in my first two years, I first ensured there was peace in all communities. That was what brought about the conflict resolution mechanism and how we made sure the issue of security became everybody’s business. When I came in, I discovered security duties were only done by the police and soldiers, so I called the state on a summit and made them realise that they needed to take security as their own priority.

Do we say that Helen Keller has been the inspiration behind that?

My role model is Helen Keller. I feel very happy and excited to mention that name. A lot of people, who may not know Helen in the 19th century, she was blind, she was deaf and became an international figure by becoming an advocate for ensuring that people with disability get something to do rather than sit back and wait for charity to survive. That, to me, is one thing I will love to expand, to see these people get the best they deserve.

My administration will be looking into exclusivity in education, in governance and virtually everything to carry everybody along. My administration will be uprooting their educational sense from childhood to pick those children who by nature became physically challenged or as a result of natural occurrences. I am doing this so that a lot of people who find themselves in such position

need some funds to live a normal life than the normal person. Take a look at children with disability and poor parent, that’s double tragedy.

I believe government needs to come out in full to support inclusive society, providing special school for children with disability, providing jobs for people with disability, creating policies that are inclusive of people, who are of more value to the society. I expect to see policies of government, activities and projects that also help the blinds to participate.

I want to see the blind and deaf business men. I want to go to government offices and see one out of ten of the staff being people with disability. Our policies are not including the children with disability and that is why I advocate without apology for disability law.

You obviously have a penchant for education, but what’s the spirit behind your free education policy?

My policy of free education has been misunderstood by a lot of people. We are looking into efforts to reduce the burdens of parents in handling the education of their children. There is no education that is totally free, there can’t be any education anywhere that is totally free but I don’t believe in it.

Even during Awolowo’s regime, it was not total because parents took responsibility for certain things.

Free education doesn’t mean everything concerning the child will be taken care of.

The parents too will be contributing theirs.

All we are talking about is increasing subsidy to reduce burdens on the parents. But the government is only concerned about the public schools. Whoever has the resources to take his or her children to a private school is allowed, but we are only fending for the public schools.

Recently, you donated materials worth 150 million naira to some communities, how did they receive the gesture?

The materials were worth over 200 million because we distributed to over 27 communities.

We considered doing that because we has done many of such in the past that were not as robust and gigantic as what we have now. We have discovered that over the years, community clashes resulted in people losing their places of work as a result of fire and destruction.

So, we thought of supporting with building materials because we realised that shelter is the number one priority of human being.

One of the things I am happy about is the intervention we have done in the health services. Most of these communities have their primary health facilities destroyed, so we were able to identify some. We therefore sent long vehicles, like trailers, which were full of health equipment.

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FEATURES

Acting Features Editor Charles Ajunwa Email charles.ajunwa@thisdaylive.com

Water Wahala for Women To mark Women’s Day, a non-profit organisation recently showcased the works of five young photojournalists at an exhibition tagged ‘wata wahala’. Chineme Okafor who was at the exhibition, reports

A woman fetching water from the stream

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Exhaustion, stress, pity, and empathy, these are what I got from my work in the communities. Just one journey, you are so tired that you wonder how they (women) do it three times a day,” said Fati Abubakar, editor of an online blog ‘Bits of Borno’ and one of the young photojournalists whose works were on display.

Abubakar, a smart female public health expert, but who has a lot of affection and energy for photojournalism and community advocacy had worked with Media Information Narrative Development (MIND) to document the difficulties women who live in poor urban settlements of Abuja have to deal with every day to get clean water for their homes, .

She was one of the five selected photojournalists that MIND engaged to consciously embed in and get expressive pictures of the daily struggles these women in Basan Jiwa, Kuchigoro, Karmo and Kayache communities face when they need clean water for household chores.

Already, Abubakar has a prior advocacy experience; she documents and puts out on her blog, the challenges of persons that have been displaced from their traditional homes in Borno by Boko Haram, but then she told THISDAY that taking pictures of these community women doing their water chores was quite different and stimulating.

For her, it was quite surreal doing the long distance treks which the women in Kayache, Basan Jiwa, Kuchigoro and Karmo do every day to fetch water from streams or other water sources that are either unhealthy or highly-priced.

She said that in the communities where the women either fetch from the streams or buy from boreholes, the task of fetching water didn’t come as simple as it often

This photo exhibition confronts us with a simmering issue that affects millions of urban poor women and girls in and around our ‘model city’ Abuja, their daily struggle to fetch water. The photographs were captured by young, rising Nigerian camera artists with a passion for the cause

looked to her.

“You become aware of how privileged you are, and how selfish we are as humans who won’t bridge the wide gaps between the rich and poor,” said Abubakar whose community works in Borno also exposes her to other real life challenges of women and girls.

In a manner that seemed to indicate that she was struggling to accept the realities of women carrying big and heavy plastic containers of water on their heads in communities that are not far away from the heart of Nigeria’s opulent capital city, Abubakar said that the pictures from the communities were really poignant.

Confirming her feelings and disappointments, she blurted: “Once we have what we need, we forget the others. After our estates are constructed we don’t care how the others live.”

Again, she said, this time without hiding feelings: “One becomes aware of the social inequalities in a society. The wide gaps between the rich and the poor, and how modernity is 20 minutes away but poverty and access to water prevail in urban settings, and we have chosen to be blissfully ignorant.”

It was based on these difficult social conditions which community folks in Basan Jiwa, Kayache, Kuchigoro and Karmo face in accessing water that MIND asked Abubakar, Tom Saater, Kassim Braimah, Emamode Edosio, and Collins Peters to make the expressive photographs that were exhibited at the Thought Pyramid in Abuja during the last Women’s Day Celebration.

The idea according to Ilse van Lamoen-

Isoun, the Programme Director for MIND was initiated and sold to the five photojournalists who accepted to work with it, put some good energy around it and eventually came out with moving photos of women doing their water chores.

According to her, it was meant to stimulate issue-based dialogues on what community folks, especially women in these Abuja suburbs have to do regularly to access clean water.

Just days after the exhibition was opened to the public, Lamoen-Isoun on a Wednesday morning took questions from THISDAY on what MIND hoped to accomplish from the photo exhibition.

She explained that the exhibition would want to bring to the fore the real facts that access to clean water in these Abuja poor homes and communities was indeed a major problem especially for a good number of women that live in them.

According to her, the approach which MIND chose to do this was to start from the bottom to the top and not from the top to the bottom as it is usually the case in telling the stories of community people.

This way, she added, community folks and policy makers can agree on what matter to them and what really will add value to their lives.

She said that as much as water is indispensable for life, the featured communities and many others in Abuja do not have easy access to it today. She also added that people who are blessed enough to have running water in their home rarely think about the tremendous efforts that water fetching takes.

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• T H I S D AY THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

FEATURES Every day, Lamoen-Isoun noted, many women in these communities take out at least two hours to look for and fetch water for their homes.

“This adds up to 365 to 730 hours per year. Expressed in 40-hour-work weeks, this equals to nine to 18 weeks, or two to four months per year spent on fetching water alone. This eats into women’s capacity to be economically productive,” she said.

She then asked: “How often do we think about the human implications of this situation? What does it mean for families not to have any clean water nearby? Who mostly bears the brunt? And who cares?”

Lamoen-Isoun stated that traditionally, fetching water is mostly done by women and girls but that the challenges of access in these Abuja communities means that the health of women, education of girl children and economic productivity of women are adversely impacted.

She tried to explain this when she said: “This photo exhibition confronts us with a simmering issue that affects millions of urban poor women and girls in and around our ‘model city’ Abuja, their daily struggle to fetch water. The photographs were captured by young, rising Nigerian camera artists with a passion for the cause.

“On the average, adult women in the communities carry between 25 and 60 litres of water every day, while girl children make do with 10 to 40 litres as well.

“Have you ever lifted a bucket of water?

Then you know that water is heavy. However, the weight of a bucket is inconsequential when compared to the water basins daily carried around by women in our project communities.”

“How often do we think about the physical implications of water fetching?

Back and neck aches are common health complaints among women in Kayache and Basan Jiwa. The energy absorbed by water fetching reduces women’s capacity to be economically productive - especially in physically demanding jobs like farming and sand dredging,” added Lamoen-Isoun.

With regards to the impact that such challenges of access to water poses on girl child education in the communities, Lamoen-Isoun disclosed that, “many children in our project communities are helping their families to fetch water. This task is timeconsuming - especially in the dry season when nearby water sources dry up. It affects children’s education opportunities.”

“According to teachers in Kayache, children often come late for school or fail to do their homework because they need to fetch water. Students living in borehole-equipped estates typically perform better in school than their peers in water-deprived areas,” she added.

The MIND team at the photo exhibition

Another community woman with heavy water bowl

According to teachers in Kayache, children often come late for school or fail to do their homework because they need to fetch water. Students living in boreholeequipped estates typically perform better in school than their peers in waterdeprived areas

Some kids in search of water

22

IMAGES

L-R; Former Deputy Registrar, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Mr. Sunday Mayaki,the Oshemi Onanyimi of Igarra, High Chief Josaiah Sanni (JP), and the Eshimozoko Clan Secretary, Chief Lawrence Oshomah, during the Eshimozoko Clan of Igarra Easter Annual Convention, held at Igarra in Akoko-Edo, Edo State..recently DAN UKANA

T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

Photo Editor Abiodun Ajala Email abiodun.ajala@thisdaylive.com

L-R: General Manager, Corporate Services/ Company Secretary Total Nig.Plc, Mrs. Olubunmi Mordi Popoola; Director, Marketing, Samsung, Emmanouil Revmatas and Head, Product Marketing, Samsung, Jumoke Okikiola . at the Business Day Top 25 CEOs Awards 2016 in Lagos... recently

L-R: Gospel Artistes, Enitan Adaba; and Moses ‘Moz’ Onofeghara; Young Filmmaker, Zuriel Oduwole; Dancer and Leading Producer, Wale ‘Rubber’ Sodade, all judges at the quarter finals of the God’s Children Great Talent in Lagos...recently.

L-R; Head, Brand Management, First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Mrs. Adeyosola Atere; Divisional Head, Private Banking of the Bank, Mrs. Alero Adollo; Co-Founder of The Life House, Mrs. Ugoma Adegoke and Divisional Head, Human Resources and Strategy, FCMB, Felicia Obozuwa, during the Woman Rising Conference in Lagos...recently

L-R; Director, Sustainability Centre, Lagos Business School, Sir Chris Ogbechie; Managing Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Peter Ndegwa; Dean, Lagos Business School, Enase Okonedo and Corporate Relations Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Sesan Sobowale at the 2016 World Water Day Symposium in Lagos...recently.

L-R: Chief Operating Officer, Weco Systems International Ltd, Nnamdi Onyebuchi; Head Infrastructure Solutions Division, Olatunji Adebajo; Systems Engineer, International Sales, Cisco Systems, Funmi Coker; and General Manager, Sales, Weco Systems, Ambrose Okougbo, during the Weco/Cisco enterprise mobility workshop in Lagos..recently

L-R: Ex-Nigerian International and former Head of Lagos Football Association, Waidi Akanni; Group Executive Vice Chairman, SIFAX Group, Dr. Taiwo Afolabi; Former Super Eagles Captain, Joseph Yobo and Olowo Isaac Kayode, during the courtesy visitl by Joseph Yobo Foundation to SIFAX Group in Lagos... recently

T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

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BUSINESSWORLD OVERDRAFT PRIME NORMAL LENDING

R A T E S 17.9773% 20.3040%

LOAN PRIME LOAN

A S 18.0478% 20.7143%

A T

GroupBusinessEditorChikaAmanze-Nwachuku Emailchika.amanzenwachukwu@thisdaylive.com 08033294157

M A R C H

DEPOSIT/LENDING SAVINGS ACCOUNT STRICT CALL 7 DAYS

2.3119% 2.8642% 3.2102%

2 5 ,

60 DAYS 90 DAYS 180 DAYS

6.4400% 7.2438% 7.2417%

2 0 1 6

EXCHANGE RATE N155.70 US DOLLAR* *AS AT LAST FRIDAY

Quick Takes Uwaje to Chair World Forum on IoTs

COURTESY VISIT

L-R: 1st Vice President, Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Olusola Teniola; ATCON President, Lanre Ajayi; Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta and his Chief of Staff, Mr. Usman Malah, during a courtesy visit of ATCON delegation to NCC headquarter in Abuja...recently

NCC Plans Sanctions against Spectrum Fees Defaulters Stories by Emma Okonji The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms industry regulator has threaten to impose sanctions on telecommunications companies that have defaulted in the payment of their spectrum fees. However, the commission was silent on repeated calls from industry stakeholders to withdraw spectrum licences of operators that failed to roll out services, years after they obtained operational licences.

Already, the commission has issued a final pre-enforcement notice and warning to the companies owing spectrum fees. It however stated that

TELECOMS three companies have so far settled their outstanding spectrum fees. They are: GiCell Wireless Limited, Galaxy Information Technology and Telecommunications Limited and LM Ericsson Nigeria Limited.

Although the NCC had published the names of the defaulting operators on its website, it failed to release the actual amount owed by them.

The regulator explained that it is under obligation not to publicly disclose the amount, having signed a ‘Non Disclosure Agreement’ with

the companies involved.

The NCC had kept a deaf ear to repeated calls to sanction the telecoms companies that refused to roll out services under the approved licences.

Industry stakeholders had stated that those who obtained the licences but failed to roll out services, are not only depriving other operators the opportunities to use the spectrum, but are also depriving subscribers, the benefits of enjoying the services of the spectrum licence.

The Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has been at the forefront of calls for the revocation of such licences.

A source at the NCC however told THISDAY that the NCC ACT 2003 empowers the commission to withdraw spectrum licences that are redundant, but explained that NCC must first consider the expiration period of such licence before carrying out any action. The source also said that the NCC is required to first communicate its intention in writing to the affected operators, before revoking their licences. Some licences like the Universal Access Service Licence (UASL), has up to 15 years validity period, while other spectrum licences have Continued on page 24

‘Nigeria Lacks Legal Framework on Data Privacy Law’ The Forum on financial services organised by eNNovators Breakfast Series (EBS), a quarterly breakfast event held in Lagos, has declared that Nigeria lacks the legal framework on data privacy to unleash the potential of the data process industry.

According to the participants, Nigerian firms have the capacities to exploit the business of identity management if the right regulations are put in place.

The Participants at the Forum argued that the Nigerian constitution empowers several government agencies to do identity enrollments, but that these have led to duplications of identity databases across the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

To address the situation, the

ICT Forum called on telecommunication operators, who are involved in SIM card registration, to take a cue from banks and digitise their SIM card enrollment processes such that subscribers would not need to fill papers that could fall into the hands of unscrupulous elements that could use the identity for criminal purposes.

It advised government to encourage the establishment of identity brokerage services by using bankers for data collection or Internet Service Providers (ISPs) for identity services.

Identity Broker (I-Broker) is a trusted third party that helps individuals and organisations share private data the same

way banks help exchange funds and ISPs help exchange e-mail and files.

It was observed that the careless manners with, which identity enrollment in the country is carried out by several government agencies and telecoms companies, is a threat that can compromise identities of millions of Nigerians.

The Forum was of the view that companies around the world have evolved necessary legal framework and regulations to unleash the potential of the data processing market, and that Nigeria is arguably the country with the largest number of silos identity enrollment schemes and yet it has no proper identity record of her citizens.

The participants agreed

that having the right data and identity of individual transacting businesses with each other has become imperative as more people are connected, and since identity parametres are becoming more intelligent that underscore the importance of identity management.

A communique issued at the end of the Forum, urged the government to make life easy for consumers of identity services by promoting the concept of “Connect to One, Connect to All” The communique also wants stakeholders in identity management industry to collaborate with government in such a way that will allow evolution of Continued on page 24

The Chairman of Mobile Software Solutions and the immediate past President of the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), Mr. Chris Uwaje has been appointed as the Africa Chair for the World Forum on Internet of Things by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers-Internet of Things (IEEE-IoTs) World Forum 2016, holding in the United State of America (USA).

The IEEE-IoTs World Forum 2016 promises the assemblage of best brains and leaders in academia, innovation, corporate industry, technology business and government policy makers to discuss and map the way forward and codify future opportunities and benefits of Internet of Things and Everything (IoTs/IoE).

Uwaje’s appointment is a strategic alliance between Africa and the rest of the world, to ensure that Africa is represented and actively contributes to the outcome of proceedings, as she stands to benefit immensely from the conference.

Pursuant to the deliberation and resolutions at the last meeting of the IEEE-WFIoT 2016 Organising Committee held on 9th March, 2016, Uwaje, a Nigerian was appointed the Co-Chair for Publicity & Communications for Africa. His mandate includes promoting, propagating and advancing the aims and objective of the IEEE-World Forum on Internet of Things. He will also help in establishing innovative programmes of ensuring the participation and contribution of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Industry leadership, government policy makers, IT professionals and stakeholders in Africa, to accelerate the diffusion, application and domestication of the promise and opportunities of IoTs.

Firms in Strategic Alliance with CE China

IFA, the world’s leading trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances, which is planning another annual trade show in Berlin, China by September this year, has said that more international retailers are already aligning with the Consumer Electronic (CE) show, ahead of this year’s exhibition and show.

According to IFA, international retailers of consumer electronics and home appliances, and trade delegations from Europe, Japan and Korea, are already traveling to make contact with leading Chinese retailers and consumers at CE China, to part of the show later in the year.

IFA Executive Director and Chairman, who is the General Manager for CE China, Jens Heithecker, said: “True to the established IFA concept, CE China will build on the successful cooperation with leading trade groups, strong global industry partners, and innovative themes for the ‘smart world of tomorrow. Preparations are in full swing, and we are here to support our exhibitors and partners in making these advantages accessible to Chinese retailers and consumers.”

Airtel Unveils VAS Short Code

Airtel Nigeria has introduced a new service short code, which empowers customers to choose, activate or deactivate their Value Added Service (VAS) subscription at any point in time.

First of its kind in the telecoms industry, customers are to dial *902# to choose from two options of either activating or deactivating a VAS or SMS service. The customer either presses figure 2 to deactivate or figure 1 to activate a service.

Speaking on the innovative service, the Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Ahmad Mokhles, described the new offering as placing power back in the hands of consumers, as it enables them to easily decide what services to enjoy on the smart phone network.

According to Mokhles, “With the introduction of the service short code, Airtel as a customer-centric brand has yet again, broken new grounds and also set another benchmark for the telecommunications industry in Nigeria.”

This simple-step service short code offers our customers freedom of choice, which ties with our commitment towards enriching the lives of Nigerians through the provision of exceptional service experience, driven by innovative products and services, he added.

“When developing an app, what quickly comes to mind is the user experience and the ability to address immediate challenges” Chief Executive Officer, Life Developers Network, Mrs. Florence Olumodimu

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T H I S D AY •THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

BUSINESSWORLD NCC PLANS SANCTIONS AGAINST DEFAULTERS OF SPECTRUM FEES between five to 10 years validity period.

Meanwhile, NCC has commenced the process of awarding another spectrum licence, the 2.6GHz spectrum licence to successful bidders.

The commission had since published a memorandum for the auction process that is scheduled to hold in May this year.

According to information published on the NCC website, the proposed licensing of the 2.6GHz spectrum has been influenced by the need to open up the space for the delivery of present and future generations of broadband services to subscribers in line with the Nigerian National Broadband Plan of 2013.

According to NCC, the 2.6GHz spectrum would be assigned on a nationwide basis, covering all the states of the federation and the federal capital territory.

The 2.6GHz frequency is essentially for existing telecoms operators that have the UASL. New operators without UASL are however eligible to bid for the 2.6GHz spectrum licence, but would be issued the UASL as an additional licence, should they emerge one of the winners of the 2.6GHz spectrum licence.

‘NIGERIA LACKS LEGAL FRAMEWORK ON DATA PRIVACY LAW’ standards for interoperability, security, dispute resolution, and un-traceability or undeniability of identity.

According to the communiqué, government should enact data privacy law to protect consumers’ personal information and ensure that they have the confidence to take advantage of benefits of the ever-changing marketplace.

It also added that Information Technology (IT) firms should exploit the opportunities of limited identity management platforms to invest in identity management services so that local competence can be developed in the industry, the communique stated.

Group Business Editor

Chika Amanze-Nwachuku Maritime Editor

John Iwori

AgriBusiness/Industry Editor

Crusoe Osagie

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

Senior Correspondent

Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents

Chinedu Eze (Aviation) Linda Eroke (Labour) Eromosele Abiodun (Cap Mkt) Ejiofor Alike (Energy) James Emejo (Nation’s Capital) Obinna Chima (Money Mkt) Reporters

Nume Ekeghe (Money Market) Nosa Alekhuogie (AgricBusiness)

NEWS

United Capital Shares Rise 18% on Impressive Results Goddy Egene Investors’ positive reactions to the impressive financial performance of United Capital Plc lifted the stock price by 17.65 per cent. United Capital, which is one of the Nigeria’s leading investment banking and financial services groups, surprised the capital market community with growth of 32 per cent in earnings, 42 per cent growth of profit before tax (PBT) and 39 per cent rise in profit after tax (PAT) for year ended December 31, 2015.

Based on the impressive results, the directors recommended a dividend of 35 kobo per share. Reacting to the performance, investors increased demand for the stocks, which lifted the price by 17.65 per cent to close at N2.00 per share. That was the highest price appreciation recorded in the market last.

Specifically, United Capital recorded earnings of N6.15 billion, up from N4.68 billion in 2014, representing a 32 per cent over 2014 performance.

PBT grew to N3.26 billion from N2.31 billion, which is an increase of 41 per cent. PAT also grew by 39 per cent in 2015, closing at N2.57 billion, up from N1.85 billion in 2014.

Commenting on the results, Group Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Sanni said the performance in a year characterised by adverse macro-economic factors, was driven by the group’s growing market share, efficient execution of key mandates and effective cost management driven by

improvements in operations and IT capabilities, thereby ensuring that we optimised value and retained a significant proportion of earnings.

“We continue to pursue our clear and consistent strategy, which has delivered a strong performance for shareholders, and we remain positive about our future opportunities within the Nigerian and African market, not-withstanding the challenging macro-economic

environment,” Sanni said.

According to her, the company recorded some successes in key business areas in 2015.

“United Capital acted as Structuring Bank/Facility Agent on $250 million Pre-Export Finance for Orion Oil – one of the largest debt deals by a Pan-African investment bank in 2015. Issuing House and Trustee Services to key debt capital issues for Sub-nationals and leading corporate issuers.

Appointment as Joint Fund Manager for the KfW-sponsored $30 million African Local Currency Bond fund,” she said.

United Capital witnessed impressive asset growth by 51 per cent and prudent investment management driving 84 per cent growth in investment income.

“Superior returns by our mutual funds, which all ranked top three for investment return in their respective categories

which our Balanced Fund being the highest performing in that category and our Bond Fund and Money Market Funds both ranking second industry-wide.

United Capital Plc remains committed to achieving our goal of building Africa’s leading investment and financial services group and to continue delivering service excellence across all of our business units in pursuit of our strategic objectives in 2016,” she added.

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

L-R: Director of Credit Direct Limited (CDL,) a subsidiary of First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Mrs. Yemisi Edun; Director, Mrs. Funmi Adedibu; Chairman of the Company, Mr. Ladi Balogun; Managing Director, Mr. Akinwande Ademosu and Director, Mr. Shiba Ghosh, all of CDL, during the ground breaking ceremony of the new head office of CDL in Lagos....recently

HR Experts Harp on Capacity Building Emma Okonji Human Resources (HR) experts have urged public and private sector institutions not to use the declining economic fortunes as excuse to reduce personnel training and development.

They therefore urged organisations to be more strategic in their learning and development interventions so they could gain more value at less costs.

This was the position of the panellists at the recently held HR Leaders’ Breakfast Forum, organised by Digital Jewels Limited, a foremost government risk and compliance consulting and capacity building firm.

The forum with the theme “Cutting Cost, Building Value: A Learning and Development Perspective,” had on the panel, the Executive Director, IBFC Alliance, Mrs. Titilayo Olujobi; the Group Human Resources Director, Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, Mr. Wale Adediran and the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC), Dr. Lucy Newman. It was moderated by the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Digital Jewels Limited, Mrs. Adedoyin Odunfa.

Newman emphasised that staff welfare and capacity development must never be traded off, no matter the economic situation. She further said: “In HR, our

services and quality make us who we are. Sustainability of a firm depends on proper development of her human resources.”

She therefore advised that capacity development should be all-year round and organisations should focus on their core competencies.

In his remarks, Adediran noted that Nigeria would thrive better economically by developing local professionals rather than depending on foreign professionals. According to him, staff training has become easier and less costly through e-learning and organisations should take advantage of this tool to train their staff at convenient and cheaper rates.

He stressed the need for organisations to make the development of their staff a priority because only well-trained staff will help organisations survive the current challenging economic situation.

Olujobi said HR leaders should be part of the solution to organisations’ economic challenges.

According to her, they should encourage employees to imbibe an ownership culture and equip them to improve their capabilities.

“Training is very important, whether the times are good or bad.

We need to look into our performance management and reward systems,” she said.

The Digital Jewels CEO, challenged HR leaders to draw from the valuable and practical guidance provided by the panellists to execute initiatives that would positively impact organisation’s performance.

Digital Jewels’ HR Leaders’ forum is a quarterly event where HR Leaders assemble to exchange information, network and share knowledge, particularly on how technology will shape HR

practices. Participants at the recently held forum expressed delight at the quality of the platform and admitted that the knowledge gained would assist them to position their organisations better.

IT Security Forum Advocates Secure Online Space Emma Okonji Participants at the Information Technology (IT) Security Forum, has stressed the need for Nigerians to build a secured online presence that would promote businesses, institutions and individuals transacting online, to enable people enjoy the great benefits of a true online nation.

The roundtable, organised

by Signal Alliance in Lagos recently and sponsored by Cisco, was part of the Signal Alliance 2016 Customer Week activities.

CEO Signal Alliance, Mrs. Adanma Onuegbu, said: “While Nigeria is racing to bridge the broadband divide and move its citizens online, there are challenges individuals, companies and governments face as they transact online. The roundtable was convened to look at how the Nigerian online space can be a safe place for individuals, companies and governments to work and transact safely.

It was a great session as we brought different segments of the society from technology experts, corporates, service

provider, government and users into a room to brainstorm.”

We will definitely continue pushing this theme to ensure that Nigeria online space is safer than the current state of our national security, she said.

It is a fact that in the last five years Nigeria online presence has increased tremendously.

People, businesses and government institutions have moved online, with great benefits to them. For those that have moved most of their operations online, the benefits have been immense.

There is increase in communication, collaboration, financial inclusion and poverty reduction, but there are some dangers associated with online transaction that need to be addressed, Onuegbu said.

She listed them to include fraud, data sovereignty, critical data loss, identify theft and privacy invasion.

The Security Roundtable with the theme, ‘Securing an Online Nigeria’ brought various stakeholders to discuss the security implications of Nigeria’s increased online activities.

Signal Alliance Chief Technology Officer, Yinka Ntia, said: “The forum also identified some security challenges. These include; lack of re-orientation to the risks and threats of going online, lack of responsibility of personal digital footprint, lack of general awareness on best security practices, businesses still do not see security as a business process, but rather see it as an organisational unit’s responsibility, and the public sector still sees manual processes as more secure and are averse to going online for some reasons.”

The Roundtable had in attendance leading experts from financial institutions, cloud computing providers, manufacturing, technology service providers, industry regulators, as well as IT security experts.

In the communique released after the event, participants concluded that there was need to create more awareness among individuals on security issues, and that people should be taught to take more personal responsibilities as it relates to cyber security.

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T H I S D AY •THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

BUSINESSWORLD

E-BUSINESS

SAT-3’s Re-entry into the Broadband Space The resuscitation of the SAT-3 sub-marine broadband cable by ntel, will no doubt boost economic and social activities in Nigeria, writes Emma Okonji

Economic value Speaking on the economic value of the SAT3 Cable System, the Chief Executive Officer of ntel, Mr. Kamar Abass said the new submarine cable now connects to a landing station in central Lagos, through a network of metro-fibre ducts. He said it connects to multiple districts in Lagos and through high-capacity inter-city connections, reaches multiple cities across Nigeria, thus boosting economic activities of the country, where more Nigerians will have access to the internet to promote e-commerce business and academic research.

Abass explained that reviving SAT-3 has eventually restructured it into a highly stable cable infrastructure that would maximise availability of cost-efficient broadband access, compared to satellite services, and co-location to Tier III standard at data centres in central Lagos.

The re-activation of SAT3 by ntel is coming on the heels of the cable’s fourth upgrade which has boosted its system from 420Gbps to 920Gbps

Launch Date of Different Submarine Cable Operators in Nigeria

2011

YEAR OF LAUNCH

The South Atlantic 3/West Africa Submarine Cable, popularly known as SAT-3 submarine cable system, which is the link to internet access from Europe to West African countries, began operations in 2002. It was launched in 2001.

SAT-3 took over from SAT-2, after reaching its full capacity, having been in operations since the early 1990s. SAT-2 was a replacement for the original undersea cable SAT-1, which was constructed in the 1960s.

SAT-3 became the West Africa submarine Cable system for telecommunications and internet connectivity after SAT-2, with 17 landing points in 15 countries, spread between Europe and Africa with stops along the West African sub-region from Nigeria to Senegal and south-ward to Angola and South Africa. It provided access to global markets and enabled seamless and diverse connectivity to the rest of the world.

The SAT-3 cable system became Africa’s longest submarine cable, covering a distance of 28,800km, with a total capacity of about 1,000 Gbps. The cable system was funded and owned by a consortium of 35 foremost telecoms operators from different parts of the world, including the government owned Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL).

While NITEL was the sole operator and financier of SAT-3 in Nigeria, the cable system, at some point in time, became the only source of internet connectivity to Nigeria, before the advent of MainOne and Glo 1 submarine cables in 2010 and the MTN West African Cable System (MTN WACS) in 2011.

Prior to the advent of MainOne, Glo1 and MTN WACS, Nigerians and all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that were connected to SAT -3, suffered a great set back on internet connectivity, anytime there is a cut on the SAT-3 cable, because it was the only source of internet connectivity to Nigeria at that time.

But by the time NITEL could no longer cope with market competition from telecommunication operators like Globacom, MTN, Etisalat and Airtel, the effectiveness of SAT-3 became hampered. This happened because NITEL was the custodian of SAT-3 submarine cable system in Nigeria. The eventual collapse of NITEL also adversely affected SAT-3 operations in Nigeria, a situation that forced many Nigerian ISPs, who were hitherto connected to SAT-3, to switch their internet connectivity to other submarine cable operators like MainOne and Glo1.

But in December 2014, when a consortium of telecoms company, called NATCOM, now trading as ntel, bought over NITEL and its mobile arm MTel, its focus was to resuscitate the moribund SAT-3 and turn it around for effective broadband internet service delivery.

Fourteen months after it took over NITEL and its affiliations such as the SAT-3 submarine cable system, ntel has been struggling to resuscitate it. Eventually, a breakthrough came last week with ntel, promising that the resuscitation of the SAT-3 would help to revamp economic and social activities of Nigerians, via internet connectivity.

MTN WACS

2010

MAIN ONE

2001

GLO-1

SAT-3

1990

SAT-2

1960

SAT-1 1900

SUBMARINE CABLE OPERATORS Cable Operator

in the northern segments and from 340Gbps to 800Gbps in the southern segments. ntel’s SAT3 network has the capability of direct connectivity to more than 100 terminals stations around the world, making it the only submarine cable system in Nigeria with such leverage. ntel’s deployment of superfast broadband internet access will help enable e-learning, e-commerce, e-medicine while facilitating communication and entertainment for subscribers who are increasingly mobile and connected.

But most critically, broadband access will impact positively on the economy, since the national broadband policy has indicated that a 10 per cent increase in broadband access leads to a 1.3 per cent increase in GDP. Social value Speaking on the social value of of SAT-3, Abass, said: “The repair of SAT-3 is fantastic news for data-hungry consumers and corporates in need of superfast and abundant broadband carried over a robust fibre network with significant capacity and low latency.”

He said potential customers of SAT-3, which include Nigeria’s telecoms and Long Term Evolution (LTE) operators, ISPs, major international companies, private telecom operators, content/hosting operators, infomedics/infomatics operators, the judiciary for the execution of real-time on-line matters, banks and the military as well as airline operators, would all enjoy new internet experience via SAT-3.

He explained that SAT-3’s repair, which included the cable’s physical diversion away from shipping lanes in the Port of Lagos, would put an end to incessant undersea cable cuts that resulted in complete loss of internet access in the past.

“In the past, the dropping and dragging of anchors from ships had been associated with disruptions to the cable system. With the repaired system’s activation, the system’s upgrade IV will also be implemented, and this will boost internet penetration among individuals and organisations,” Abass said.

He added that with the resuscitated SAT-3, Nigeria is now positioned to better address her needs for super-fast internet connectivity, data-hungry applications, high-quality videoon-demand and increasing social media usage, thus enhancing customer experience.

According to him, “During 2016, ntel expects

to connect hundreds of new customers to the SAT-3 system, including many who have successfully used the system in the recent past.”

Rivals of ntel’s SAT-3 Aside ntel’s SAT-3, which is one of the country’s submarine cable system, designed to boost internet penetration across the country, ntel will still have to contend with other submarine cable systems like MainOne, Glo 1 and MTN WACS. Main One submarine cable, which was launched in Lagos in July 2010, completed an upgrade mid-November same year.

When compared to SAT- 3’s capacity, Main One’s upgrade has boosted its capacity to 100G wavelength on its submarine cable network between Nigeria, Ghana and Portugal. MainOne is also able to interconnect with SEACOM and other international cables from Seixal in Portugal via Tata Communications’ European and Transatlantic networks and interconnection in Telehouse, London.

In 2015, it completed connectivity between Nigeria and Cameroon.

The submarine cable currently delivers high speed bandwidth of 1.92 Tbps and has been proven to provide capacity of at least 4.96 Tbps.

MTN’s WACS, which was launched in 2012, on the other hand, has 14 landing points, 12 along the western coast of Africa (including Cape Verde and Canary Islands) and two in Europe (Portugal and England) completed on land by a cable termination station in London.

It also has bandwidth capacity of over 5.12 Tbps and spans 14,530 km.

The cable is made up of four fibre pairs and is 14,530 km in length, linking from Yzerfontein in the Western Cape of South Africa to London in the United Kingdom. The landing points are South Africa, Western Cape, Namibia, Swakopmund, Angola, Sangano near Luanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Muanda, Republic of Congo, Matombi near Pointe Noire, Cameroon, Limbe, near Douala, Nigeria, Lekki, Lagos,Togo, Afidenyigba near Lomé, Ghana, Nungua near Accra, Ivory Coast, Abidjan, Cape Verde, Palmarejo near Praia, Canary Islands, Telde near Las Palmas, Portugal, Sesimbra near Seixal, and the United Kingdom.

The Glo 1 submarine cable is a 9,800 km long cable from Lagos to UK, connecting 17 African and European countries to UK. It has landing points in Nigeria, London, Senegal, Morocco, Spain, Bude, UK and Lisbon in Portugal.

It also has 16 branching units to connect countries in West Africa. The submarine cable system became operational in 2011 after it was launched in 2010, with a minimum capacity of 640 Gbit/s and total capacity of 2.5 Tbit/s.

SAT-3’s strategy for competition Coming at a time when other submarine cable operators are competing for market share, Abass said SAT-3 has unbeatable strategies that would make it remain at the top of the business, in spite of competition.

He explained that SAT3 has the longest stretch of submarine cable system, covering 28,800km, and as such, has the longest reach extending from Africa, past Europe to the far East.

He said because of its reach and interconnection with SAFE and WASCs as well as its 17 landing points, SAT-3 would be able to accept and deliver on multiple requests.

“The multiplicity of requests means more customers, which translates into higher revenues.

Again as a member of a consortium of 35 other entities, SAT-3 can leverage on economics of scale to provide more pocket friendly pricing for corporates and enterprises requiring access to home offices and foreign markets. SAT3’s ability to provide the most pocket friendly pricing regime will boost broadband access, which leaves it firmly aligned with the recommendations of the National Broadband policy, which has projected a five-fold leap in broadband access by 2018,” Abass said.

Finally, SAT3’s reach, which provides it with a unique advantage, in regard to the Far East, is concerned especially with a resurgent China and high volume business transactions between Nigeria and Asian countries, Abass added. ntel’s bouquet of offerings Based on the telecoms assets acquired by ntel such as National Carrier; International Gateway; Digital Mobile licenses; Cellular mobile and microwave spectrum; Tower sites; Telephone exchanges and Satellite earth stations, which include Metro fibre ducts and intercity fibre rights of way, ntel said it was capable of offering National Bandwidth, International Voice termination, Mobile Network on 4G LTE mobile services across voice, data and video services, delivered nationwide in stages.

With the return of SAT-3, ntel, no doubt is set to further deepen broadband penetration in the country.

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Internet of Everything as Tool for Accelerated Devt Emma Okonji writes that the revolutionary Internet of Everything will transform the way Africans live and the way they run their businesses, thus accelerating the continent’s overall development

Broadband cable, providing access for IoE connectivity

The Internet of Things (IoTs) or Internet of Everything (IoE), as it is globally called, has become the revolutionary technology trend in the world today. It is driving global development, which the African continent could tap into for national development.

Ever since this life-changing technology was acclaimed as a system of interrelated computing devices, it has helped mechanical and digital machines, including objects and people that are provided with unique identifiers, to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.

Experts have said the IoE as a concept, is based on the idea that in the future, Internet connections will not be restricted to laptop or desktop computers and a handful of tablets, as in previous decades. Instead, machines will generally become smarter by having more access to data and expanded networking opportunities.

The technology of IoE is spreading fast across globe and there is need for Africans to align self with the technology that is bringing a lot of ease to individuals and nations.

Features of IoE IoE consists of four pillars, which are People, Process, Data and Things. Techopedia, an online IT education portal captures this trending technology aptly when it noted that the “actual IoE applications range from digital sensor tools/interfaces used for remote appliances to smarter and more well-connected mobile devices, industrial machine learning systems and other types of distributed hardware that have recently become more intelligent and automated.”

Global development on IoE In recent times, there have been tremendous changes in the way people connect to the Internet. From dumb terminals to desktop computers to a variety of mobile devices used today, including laptops, smartphones and tablets, the connectivity patterns have changed across the globe.

The new trend now is the transformation being brought about by the array of wearable technologies such as Google Glass and smart watches that are radically changing the ways information is consumed and shared. Already there are self-monitoring devices such as

Fitbit and the Nike FuelBand that enhance tracking of exercise, monitor heart rates and even monitor the quality of people’s sleep.

Now, there are further developments being brought about by exponential technologies all over the world especially in the United States (US) and Europe. Soon, people will be able to swallow a pill that can monitor the digestive tract and intelligently send relevant information to doctors at the right time.

Expectant mothers will wear “smart tattoos” to monitor the health and activity of their babies, and send their doctor an early alert when labour begins.

Africa, no doubt, is a continent where majority of her citizens access the Internet from their mobile devices. What this means is that opportunity for IoE abounds in Africa.

Already, some African countries have adopted some IoE applications and solutions to enhance governance. In Rwanda for example, SIM cards are used to connect Point of Sales (PoS) terminals in remote areas, thereby enabling merchants to accept debit or credit card payments. Elsewhere in South Africa, Smart metres have been installed to measure power utility usage in the capital, Johannesburg.

Internet. In the past only computer servers were interconnected into the Internet. Then eventually our laptops, tablets, smart phones also got connected. Now every other thing imaginable are about to start also being linked to the Internet, leading to a world of Internet of Everything.”

According to him, everything you can think of is linked to the Internet, be it our fridges, light bulbs, doors, gates, bodies, cars, golf bags, airconditioners, cookers or ovens, and the installed base for interconnected devices is approaching two billion.

Already, the organisers of the annual event have lined up exciting topics that will help in setting the agenda for a technologicallydriven African continent. The international conference, which is expected to last for three days, will feature different sessions, with unique presentations that will discuss how the African continent will benefit from the IoE technology that is already spreading across globe.

It will also explore ‘Smart Agriculture’ and how Africans could benefit from mechanized agriculture as well as eCommerce and eBusiness experiences in Africa.

Extending IoE technology to Africa Determined to boost Africa development, Nigeria inclusive, the 2016 edition of Digital Africa Conference and Exhibition that is billed to hold in Abuja in June this year, has decided to focus attention on how to accelerate technology development in Nigeria and the rest of Africa, through the technology of IoE. With the conference theme: “Accelerating Africa’s Development Through Internet of Everything,” the international conference plans to critically dissect this new life-transforming technology through presentations on related issues across all segments of the economy by renowned and global speakers. According to the organisers, the speakers would on the course of the presentations, share strategy and best practices on how to get Africa geared up for the massive development in data transmissions over the next couple of years.

Executive Chairman of Digital Africa Global Consult, organisers of the annual Digital Africa Conference and Exhibition, Dr. Evans Woherem, while explaining the importance of this fast trending technology said: “Everything we can think of is now about to start being linked to every other thing in the world through the

IoT experience in Africa The presence of IoE is already being felt in Africa, though unconsciously. Not many people are aware that tracking devices used in our cars, mobile payment services and the evolving smart cities are all IoE initiatives.

Fuel pipelines have been fitted with sensors to monitor leaks.

Besides, so many issues around health, water control, security, energy and traffic congestion have been and are still being technologically addressed in Africa.

Experts have argued strongly that the presence of IoE in industries such as medical and health-care, the transportation system among others, will greatly improve the way services in these industries are delivered. It will also open up new revenue streams, facilitate new business models and drive efficiency.

The economic implication will also be massive across the world. All that is required of Africa to do now is to urgently consider implementing strategies to invest in stronger Internet connectivity across the continent to leverage the new opportunities that will become available with the IoE, as well as deal with the challenges that will come with it.

Woherem further provides insight into this new technology development, when he said: “Then 3D printing will completely change how we manufacture and distribute products. It will greatly personalise it. Vehicles of all sorts will be able to drive themselves, changing our roads, and the concept of having chauffeurs.”

He added that the world is already digitizing everyday objects, and that there are expansion and enhancing of spectrum of screens in terms of colour, size and resolution. He explained that ultra -high definition TVs will revolutionise our TV screens, which can be used to access the Internet as well as play games.

“Digital cameras are now being provided with sensors. The wii by Gyroscopes is used to play games through the sensors it is provided with. Systems are being provided with multiple digital microphones to enable them detect voices and noises outside, as well as motion sensors to adjust even temperatures in the room.

Sensors are now also being given to cars to enable them to drive without drivers. Such cars are also fitted with hybrid innovation cruise controls that enable them to adapt in the road by avoiding other cars and eventually parking themselves, through complex sensors and solutions,” Woherem said.

Africa as next frontier for IoE He observed that the rest of the world do not only see Africa as the next frontier for rapid development, using IoE technology, but they also see Africa as a continent that has been waking up to that reality. Thus, things have started happening in Africa.

“Things are looking up, as can be seen from the continent’s respective country GDP growth rates, per capita incomes, rigidly rising teledensities, access to the Internet and broadband communication technologies, the use of smart phones, group media, among others,” Woherem said.

As the IoE moves to the mainstream business eco-systems in Africa, enterprises need to be ready to bring intelligent assets into the Information Technology (IT) landscape.

The IoE technology is therefore a vision for Africa that requires the deployment of the right technology infrastructure that can capture data securely from hundreds of thousands of end points, handle big data affordably, and provide powerful real-time analytics for Nigerians and Africans.

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Etisalat Lists Measures for Achieving Digital Financial Inclusion Stories by Emma Okonji Etisalat has listed four key elements that would ensure that Nigeria achieves the much desired digital financial services inclusion, which is in line with global trend.

The Director, Digital Business, Etisalat Nigeria, Adia Sowho, who listed the key elements at the eWorld Forum held in Lagos recently, noted that digital transactions have continued to grow since 2014, hitting a daily transaction of N80 billion. He, however, insisted that for digital financial services to grow in Nigeria there must be network interoperability, the right technology platform, healthy agent/merchant network and a range of product variety.

For best practice in healthy and robust digital financial services, Sowho said there must be standards for money exchange across operators, agents and products, and there should be distribution network that accepts and process clients’ transactions and range of products that address the key points and creates value in the community.

She said stakeholders, including regulators, telecommunications companies and banks, would need to evolve

in order to stay relevant in business.

According to her, the regulator needs to intervene to foster the right conditions for collaboration in the digital financial services ecosystem, and the telecommunications operators would have to continue to provide the right tools, such as SmartPhones and mobile broadband network that radically changes how customers expect to interact with financial services, while the banks need a new clientcentric and digital mindset to increase customer base and deposits while reducing cost to acquire and serve.

“The future of digital financial services, which include digital banking, digital wallet and digital commerce, is imminent and this could only be achieved and benefits maximised through new partnership models driven by customer and merchant needs.

To achieve the goal of the new digital age, Mobile Network Operators (MNO) assets, which include their technology platforms, distribution channels, support services, mobile tools, security platforms and customer insight, must be seen as core enablers,” Sowho said.

Noting that the internet and

Samsung Launches Smartphones Samsung Electronics West Africa (SEWA) has launched the most advanced smartphones in its stable into the Nigerian telecoms market, called Galaxy S7 Edge and Galaxy S7.

The launch, according to the original equipment manufacturer, is a testament to its commitment to develop best-in-class products to meet the ever-changing needs of its consumers.

The devices were formally unveiled last week in Lagos.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and S7, which were built to succeed Galaxy S6 Edge and S6, are blend of premium components with the most advanced Samsung technology. They are imbued with intelligent cameras, and have set a new industry standard for design, craftsmanship and performance.

Managing Director of SEWA, Mr. Paul Lee, said the new Galaxy S7 Edge and Galaxy S7, highlight the most refined phone experience ever by combining the latest technology that users expect from Samsung’s Galaxy series.

Lee reiterated the company’s commitment to fulfilling its brand promise of inspiring the world and the future by bringing new and outstanding innovations to the doorstep of consumers. “Our innovative technology has adequately captured customers’ aspirations and desires,” he said.

The Galaxy S7 has a 5.1inch display screen, while the Galaxy S7 Edge has a 5.5-inch screen. They both feature Super AMOLED display, allowing for clearer videos and images with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 Quad High Definition (HD).

mobile devices are radically changing how customers interact, she noted that not all providers are at the same stage of this digital transformation and not all will proceed along the same path at the same pace but that the direction is clear.

According to her, the transition to a fully digital financial services inclusion, which includes integrating and controlling cost in multichannel setting, will not be easy but incumbent providers and traditional intermediaries must upgrade to stay relevant or lose out new financial tech

companies.

She also suggested that successful providers would be those who develop a client-centric and digital mind set capable of responding to changes in the market environment, delivering solutions closely tailored to customer needs.

In achieving the much desired digital financial inclusion, a network of distribution, both in the demand and supply chain, is key to driving penetration and active usage among the unbanked and under banked.

She noted that there were

challenges such as poor investment in agent networks, lack of all-inclusive solution for the financial excluded and lack of education and awareness, lack of unified identity database and reliable existing channels, impacting financial inclusion.

So who argued that some of the things that banks must do, especially those banks that are looking forward to new models to build customer trust, are to improve access and reduce cost, must be centered on digital financial inclusion by narrowing the access gap to financial services, digitising cash into electronic

value and by covering a full spectrum of services. They would have extended banking through digital channels, simplify and accelerate financial services and save costs through branchless banking.

According to her, some of the metrics that define financial inclusion include ease of access to financial products and services, broad range of financial device, making cost of provision affordable, designing services to meet customers’ needs, delivering services in fair and transparent manner that are widely accepted, among others.

New

Both devices have 200GB expendable memory augmenting their 32GB of internal storage. The devices also feature IP68 water and dust resistance, which prevent the devices from damage when submerged in up to 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes at a time. The S7’s waterproofing includes sealed ports.

The S7 series come imbued with longer lasting batteries.

While the S7 comes with an in-built battery of 3,000mAh, the S7 edge features 3,600mAh battery, large enough for a day or more. Another new outstanding feature is the always-on display where notifications, time, date or personalised screen are permanently shown on the screen even when the phone is off. This feature does not significantly impact the battery life.

Director of SEWA’s Information Technology and Mobile Division, Mr. Emmanouil Revmatas, described the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge as devices that draw the line between the smartphones that are currently available in the market and what comes next.

“The all new Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge represent the new galaxy of unlimited possibilities, and with these, Samsung is setting the bar higher for the entire mobile industry.

Our customers are the inspiration for any innovation and we are aware that they spend more time with their phones than ever.

These devices are therefore designed to not only look great, but feel great as well and very comfortable to hold,” Revmatas added.

BOOST FOR E-COMMERCE

L-R: Director of Fulfilment Operations, Konga.com, Wale Adisa; Director Customer Experience & Marketing, Mayowa Adebayo and the delivery’ by the e-commerce company in Lagos recently

HP,TD to Enhance Customer Experience with Demo Centre Technology Distributions Ltd. (TD), the distributor of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) equipment, in collaboration with Original Equipment Manufacturer, Hewlett Packard (HP), has taken steps toward deepening customer engagement and experience with the launch of a HP demonstration centre located within the premises of TD headquarters in Gbagada, Lagos. The demo centre was unveiled recently to the public.

The HP demonstration centre will afford customers a unique opportunity to experience the look and feel of new products being released by the Hewlett Packard brand – with dedicated attendants on hand to provide answers to enquiries on specifications and pricing in a move that will undoubtedly lead to improved engagements with the consumer and quicker business turn-around.

Among the new products and devices, which featured at the launch, were the HP Star Wars edition laptop and the sleek HP Pavilion X360. Those present at the launch of the demo centre were also treated to an exhibition of the latest printing technologies with the unveiling of the HP LaserJet Enterprise Flow MFP630Z

printer and the HP Colour LaserJet MFP 227n printer.

The Managing Director HP Nigeria, Mrs. Ify Afe, who led the HP team to the event, noted that the demonstration centre would go a long way in boosting customer experience, while fast-tracking decision-making process. “With the launch of this demonstration centre, we have extended our touch-points with the customer, who now have another avenue to experience our latest offerings. In addition, our customer service attendants will be available to provide answers to any questions that may arise. Subsequently, the customer can then proceed to the order placement or buying stage immediately,” Afe said.

She expressed delight by the partnership with TD, which she said, has remained one of HP’s major partners over the years.

“We are optimistic that this centre will go a long way in deepening our engagement with the customer and aiding their buying decision,” she said.

Also speaking at the event, TD’s managing director in charge of Marketing, Mrs. Chioma Chimere, commended the launch of the HP demonstration centre as a step in the right direction.

TechPlusUnveilsNewMarketing Plan Riding on the success of its maiden edition, Connect Marketing Services has unveiled plans for the 2016 edition of Nigeria’s biggest tech event – TechPlus.

The theme for this year’s event is ‘A Connected World.’

Running for the second year, Techplus is a gathering of everything technology, providing a robust tripartite tech experience through its conference, exhibition and gaming structures whilst serving as a platform for knowledge sharing, networking and marketplace for consumers and businesses.

Convening over 6,000 techy and non-techy participants with 30 other speakers and panelists at its 2015 edition, Techplus has positioned itself as the premier and most authoritative tech gathering in Nigeria. The maiden edition of the event also saw the display of hi-tech innovations and gaming solutions, recording over 1,096 gamers.

In a statement published on the event website, the 2016 edition of the event will provide an avenue to advance technological discourse, ideas, displays and networks in and around Nigeria.

“TechplusConference and

Expo is a place where new technology comes to life, new products are launched and innovations converge, providing manufacturers, concept generators, software and hardware companies, content developers a platform to bring their products and services to life,” it said.

The event is primed as the “main platform for innovations and new products to be introduced to consumers and businesses.”

Relating the plans for Techplus 2016, Executive Director, Connect Marketing, Kazeem Abimbola, noted that the event would capture emerging realities of global technological revolutions and how Nigeria can benefit from such.

“We are excited to announce the 2016 edition of Techplus Nigeria – the leading convergence of everything tech in Nigeria.

This year, we will showcase more of Africa’s technological innovations that will advance both the human and social development of the country.

Ultimately, this will yield value for both customers and businesses. This year, the event will include a Hackathon and a Pitch Event.”

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Their Gain, Our Loss As the debate on the importation of packaged tomato paste rages, Raheem Akingbolu wonders if the federal government is serious about its ban in order to boost the activities of local manufacturers and protect consumers from buying substandard goods One of the promises that elated Nigerians, especially local manufacturers and consumers when the current administration came on board was the assurance that government would do anything humanly possible to promote madein-Nigeria goods. For the local manufacturers of tomato paste, whose businesses had suffered for years in the hands of unscrupulous businessmen, who import substandard paste from China and other Asian countries at cheaper price into the market, the news was a relief.

Months after, the ugly development still persists without any pragmatic action taken to nip the situation in the bud. From Ido market to Daleko, Idumota to Aba market and the popular Kano market, the story is still the same; fake tomato paste at cheaper prices. The fallout from this, according to a financial expert, Mr. Adewale Abe is that local manufacturers would be stressed and may eventually die.

He said: It is a simple theory, Nigerian companies that struggled hard to invest in tomato plantation, factories and meet specifications of regulators will not be able to compete with the promoters of substandard foreign pastes at cheaper prices. The activities of promoters of fake products can also result to unemployment because local manufacturers, who are providing jobs for Nigerians are being frustrated. Above all, the economy will greatly suffer.”

Speaking further, the expert went down memory lane and reeled out names of local brands that have recorded untimely death because they couldn’t withstand the heat.

Among others, he mentioned, Tomapep, from the stable of Cadbury Nigeria and Vegful, which have since gone into extinction.

Porous border Of all the factors encouraging the importation of substandard products, the infectiveness of Nigeria borders stands out. This reporter found out during a recent visit to Seme border that large quantity of foreign tomato pastes still enter the country from Republic of Benin with ease. A market woman, Cecelia Ogbu told THISDAY as she was trying to unload her goods from a locally made tricycle that conveyed her to the Nigerian end of the border that all she needed to do was to tip the customs and other security men on the road to get to her store at Mile 2 area of Lagos.

With the porous border, one wonders if the assurance of the current Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd)’s assurance that things would improve is anything to go by. Asked why she didn’t buy made-in-Nigeria tomatoes, Ogbu didn’t mince words before saying it was not economical for her business.

“Buying in Cotonou is more economical for us as business women and it gives us choices. In Benin Republic, we have access to many products, which include Brisk, Bonjour, Super Mix, Tomato Paste, Gino, Awa, Farm Stew and Ginny. We don’t have problem patronising Nigeria manufacturers if the price is competitive,” To Ogbu, the issue of health implication of bringing these goods into the market means nothing since her customers are not complaining.

Health implication t a recent consultative meeting held between the top echelon of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and control (NAFDAC) and packaged tomato paste top importers, the former director-general of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii, was honest enough to announce that 85 tomato paste brands sold in various markets across the country, those imported from China were clearly below international and Nigerian

Minister of Inudstry, Trade and investment, Mr Okechukwu Enelamah

standards and specifications.

He expressed his concern that unscrupulous Asian and Nigerian importers have been dumping substandard tomato pastes manufactured in China into Nigeria. The cheery news however was that he stated equivocally that local tomato pastes meet the required safety and nutritional standards, pointing out that NAFDAC had always made regular unscheduled inspections at their various production facilities in the country.

The damning report revealed that 91.1 per cent of the foreign brands studied failed the NAFDAC test with virtually all the packaged brands from China being the culprits.

In a frightening dimension officials of the Agency observed that most of the China-made brands contained far less than the required quantity of tomato concentrate. According to him, they were rather filled with bulking agents such as starch and then infused with banned colouring, which could cause cancer and lead to organ failure. To this end, some experts have raised alarm that this may in fact be responsible for the increase in Kidney and Liver-related ailments among young and middle-aged Nigerians across the country.

Before the exit of Orhii, NAFDAC had in commenced a massive recall effort to mop up the affected brands and go after the respective organisations and individuals involved in the gross inhuman business. It is expected in many quarters that this will continue until the market is sanitised.

Local manufacturers Despite the odds and the unfriendly environment, a few manufacturers have continued to make the nation proud by sticking to international and local standard to meet consumers’ need. At a quick glance, one can readily point out Erisco, Dangote, Vitali and Sonia Tomato Pastes in the market. Dangote group started a few years ago to grow tomato and process to concentrate and then transfer to Sonia for packaging. Erisco Foods Limited, which inaugurated a world class plant recently, is the only company in the market that is growing tomato, processing and packaging locally. To boost production and expand its frontier, the company announced recently of its determination to launch massive tomato plantations in Sokoto, Jigawa, Katsina and Zamfara states in order to make Nigeria one of the hubs of tomato paste manufacturing

Umeofia

in the world.

President of the company, Chief Eric Umeofia, who announced this in Lagos, during an official visit by representatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor and its management to Erisco Foods factory, expressed the company’s intent to support backward integration executions in the tomato value-chain.

By supporting the company and others that have determined to plunge into the business, it is believed that government will be able to control the country’s massive loss of foreign exchange, duty and taxes through these implications. Asides, banning importation of substandard tomato paste will also protect the public from falling into the negative implications of consuming adulterated inferior goods.

Legislative and regulatory backings As the custodian of the law, the National Assembly sure has a huge role to play in controlling the ugly trend. Also important are the Standard Organisation of Nigerian (SON) and the Consumer Protection Council (CPC).

The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, knew this when he said recently that the government had a responsibility to ensure indigenous manufacturers thrive to rebuild the economy and put Nigerians to work.

Saraki said this when he received a delegation from Innoson Motor Manufacturing Company, Nnewi, led by the Chairman and founder of the company, Innocent Chukwuma, in his office.

He said government should use legislative actions and policy initiatives to protect the local industries as a deliberate way of reviving the economy.

Based in Nnewi, Anambra State, Innoson Motors is the only Nigerian company manufacturing automobile of different range.

Saraki said one of the actions government should quickly introduce was to ensure that local industries were patronised by government agencies so that Nigerian manufacturers could enjoy the advantages accruing from the big market that her population offers.

“That is why this eighth Senate is determined to amend the Procurement Law to ensure that government agencies patronise Made in Nigeria products,” Saraki said.

In a similar way, the Acting Director

General of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Dr. Paul Angya, last week said the Made-in-Nigeria, products will soon become the most preferred goods for Nigerian consumers. The Director General also affirmed that the practice of taking Nigeria products to another country and label them another country’s name is over.

Speaking in Lagos on the effort being made to improve locally produced goods, Angya said the organisation vision is to get closer to the people so that their goods and farm products will be elevated up to global standard.

The DG further said that henceforth any dealer of fake products caught, shall be charged with murder. He said the agency would go extra miles to put an end to importation of used and sub-standard products into the country.

Angya said SON mandate is known to everybody who is aware of standardisation but as acting director general he would enforced serious sanction on culpable.

Meanwhile as the world marked the 2015 edition of the World consumer Rights Day celebration, the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) drew the attention of the nation to the rising incidence of antibiotics resistance, attributing the development to the cause of many medical treatment failures.

The Council, which joined the international community in raising concerns on the growing cases of antibiotics resistance globally as part of annual event, emphasised that concerted efforts must be deployed to reverse the trend in the country.

The CPC’s Director General, Mrs. Dupe Atoki, who made the assertion while addressing the media as part of the activities lined up to commemorate the Day at the Council’s headquarters in Abuja, also seized the opportunity to underline the Council’s commitment towards raising the bar of consumer protection in the country.

With all these promises by various agencies of government and political will to achieve it, it is a matter of time; the country will rid the market off substandard products that are inimical to the health of consumers and nation’s economy. Again, if federal government can embark on policies that will drive local production of tomatoes, it will lead to the stoppage of importation of foreign concentrate for use in Nigeria.

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ADVERTISING

Ogundoyin: Outdoor Advertising is Reinventing to Provide Cost Effective Services The co-founder of S&T Media, the outdoor agency that pioneered the Adpump advertising model in Nigeria, Mr. Soji Ogundoyin, in this interview with Raheem Akingbolu, spoke on how out-of-home practitioners are leveraging digital and other innovations to help clients survive the global economic challenges to remain on top. Excerpts: How are outdoor practitioners coping with the current global economic situation, which has forced many local and multinationals to prune down their budgets?

The global situation affects all sectors, advertising inclusive but it comes with advantage. This is the time for brand owners and agencies to think out of the box on the creative platform they can explore to position their products and services without necessarily run their finances dry. This is also the ideal time for agencies to go out there and look for solutions that would be cost effective. By doing so, it will be a win - win situation for both the agencies and their clients.

There are fears in some quarters that if things continue like this, a time will come when advertising may not be necessary?

The answer to that is simple; advertising will always remain a major tool for positioning.

However, there will always be new ways of doing things. That is where innovation and creativity come in. I laugh when I hear people say, the success of social media will kill advertising or that economic crisis will force companies to do away with advertising.

Those are assumptions that will never come to pass because businesses need advertising to grow and survive.

S&T Media is a new agency, what new things are you bringing into the table?

S&T is not entirely new, having been around since 2014. What I think is new is the fact that we pioneered a number of advertising solutions that are currently impacting well on brands in the market place, especially the Adpump advertising innovation at filling stations. As an outdoor agency, S&T focuses on place-based advertising with the vision to provide services to our clients at affordable cost. Place-based advertising is a sub-sector of outdoor advertising market. Despite the power of this solution and its appreciation abroad, Nigerian practitioners were yet to explore it properly when we came in and we saw the need to tap into it. Adpump is a digital screen that is placed on top of petrol pump. It connects consumers easily because as motorists are buying fuel at the stations, they are viewing the digital platforms.

Because of the proximity and colour display, the technology easily connects consumers and that is the beauty.

How did it all begin, did you plan to go into advertising from day one?

I studied Political Science in the United Kingdom and returned home to observe the National Youths Service Corps in 2007 at THISDAY newspapers. After my service year in THISDAY, I travelled to Taiwan, where I stayed for two years to study and learn Chinese language. That was where I got exposed to advertising properly and saw some vacuums that were yet to be filled in Nigeria. I saw the technology and appreciated the colours. On my return, I reconnected with my childhood friend, Tolu Roberts and tabled the idea before him. Two things informed this, he understood the Nigeria business environment better and he is someone that I get along with very well. Before then, he had been involved in a few businesses, including Real Estate and Energy Services, which gave him an edge in terms of understanding the terrain. With this, we started S&T Media and pioneered several innovative digital advertising platforms including AdPump, which we saw as a good

Ogundoyin

platform for advertising at affordable cost.

Aside its cost effectiveness, what other selling points can you highlight as Adpump edge over other platforms?

The global situation affects all sectors, advertising inclusive but it comes with advantage. This is the time for brand owners and agencies to think out of the box on the creative platform they can explore to position their products and services

The technology is unique, considering what it capable of doing and its impact on consumers. Above all, the price and efficiency of the solution give it an edge at this crucial moment. For half of the price of about N150 million on a billboard, the advertiser can have 17 locations across Lagos dealing with a minimum of 1,800 vehicles per day. It is reinforced targeted advertising for the same reach. For Adpump, you are predisposed to listen to the entire advertisement than when you are on motion. Again we have nationwide partnership with our filling station partners.

Currently we are starting in Lagos and we are likely to extend to West Africa all linked.

An advertiser can segment areas within our platforms he/she wants the adverts run. The advertiser may not buy all the locations. A client can push different products are different audiences/markets.

Having successfully introduced the solution in many petrol stations, how has the feedbacks been?

It has been encouraging; discerning Nigerian consumers have simply shown that they have eyes for the best.

The way it works is that we aggregate everything. For now we have about 17 locations across Lagos State. Some of the stations are 24 hours service.

These stations balance out with other stations that close at about 10pm. As advertisers become discerning and look for more value and more efficiency in the advertising space, this kind of platform gives them what they need. It

is no more business as usual as advertisers.

And we hope we can be the company that would give value to brands and media buyers to get more efficiency.

Who are the target audience of Adpump and why is it not in thickly populated areas like Agege, Iyana Ipaja and so on?

It targets all consumers and motorists but the truth is that we are expanding its reach gradually. We are rolling it out in phases and very soon, we will move to other part of Lagos and to other cities in the country.

Since many messages would be shown on the TV screen at this same time, how do motorists who spend few minutes at filling stations experience all?

The way it is planned, the ad is expected to run for four minutes. What we done is to have 30 seconds advertisement of one Ad, the 30 seconds entertainment and 30 seconds sports.

This is televisions condensed within four minutes. If you come any time, you must get the messages within the four minutes cycle.

At the platform we provide consumers with all they want. For now, we have our pilot locations with Oando after the World Cup in 2014 in Brazil. Within the pilot phase, we worked out the technicalities of it. It must however be noted that the TV screens are networked.

We speak to our screens remotely through Continued on page 30

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BUSINESSWORLD

MARCH 31, 2016

ADVERTISING

OGUNDOYIN: OUTDOOR ADVERTISING IS REINVENTING TO PROVIDE COST EFFECTIVE SERVICES 3G network. Within the 6 months of our installations we made sure that we have the system perfected.

Once you purchase Ads with us and since it is networked, you are purchasing across the aggregates of locations which gives the reach and targeted audience you want. We also partnered with Channels TV which allowed us to show Channels TV news.

We have other media partners. By these partnerships we managed to gauge the impact.

The impact has been tremendous. In terms of metrics, we believe that Adpump gives value not only on cost but in terms of metrics.

We can tell the sales that happen in each location thereby translating to the number of eyeballs. We want to be equivalent to biggest TV shows in Nigeria.

Beyond quick message advertising, what else can the public get through the platform?

The Innovation is premium for brands and any type of messaging; not just advertising but messaging service as it has the power of captivating the audience. When buying petrol the audience is predispose to listen to the messages that are targeted at them.

It is brilliant platform.

Since petrol stations are commercial centers, it is not just about cars, but it serves as bus stops, convenient buy recharge cards and places for relaxation as vehicles park to rest before continuing their journey. So we feel it is a place to actually use for communication to the large demographic audience. It is outdoor targeted advertising.

What advantage does adpump has over other digital platforms?

It brings the messages closer and this allows brands to easily connect their audience. This is possible because television has the captivating power. As a kid, we all grew up watching TV and how it plays on colours and images.

Many people are already aware of adverts that prop up on our TVs, and when you see the adverts on outdoor, it gives you the nudge you need.

We believe that the same Ad the consumer sees on TV at home is now seen at filling stations and there will be instant recognition and this will create actual drive for action.

Ogundoyin

We are reinforcing TV ads, not try to replace them but reinforce them in outdoor medium.

What other products do you have for the market?

We are working on more solutions to further add values to our clients. At the moment, we are concluding work on Adage, another unique platform, which we are planning to launch at Spar and other supermarkets. It is a TV screen to be placed on the isle and

EXP Urges Brand Owners to Explore All Platforms Raheem Akingbolu Brand owners need to ride on various communication platforms to be on top of their market, the Chief Executive Officer of EXP Africa, Carol Abade, has said. She also stated that companies pushing for deeper consumer engagement in their marketing approach can achieve more value with cost effectiveness by allowing all the media communication agencies to work for them. Among others, the CEO identified Advertising, digital engagement, Public Relations and experiential marketing as communications leg that are needed to build strong brands.

Abade, who spoke at the 9th African Experiential Marketing summit held in Lagos recently said the present practice, whereby agencies operate individually, struggle and compete against themselves for client’s marketing budget is a waste of time and resources.

She said that clients are still entrenched in traditional marketing structure of engaging different audiences in different media but said that technically, clients currently have one audience when they consider the way consumers

are accessing brands.

“If you want to therefore talk to the consumer on radio, TV or through BTL, the only way to do that is by bringing all the agencies together to create one communication platform and not different messages for different media” Under the arrangement, Carol said the client must be unmindful whose idea is being implemented but the agencies must justify why either advertising, PR, experiential or digital is leading the campaign.

With this understanding, she said that every agency is more secured and covered in the budget instead of creating different ideas and fighting for client’s single budget.

“During pitch, nobody is compensating the agencies and a lot of time and money are spent on the pitch through the process. The client is literally getting the best of the agencies through a process that is not fair but if a client can assemble the agencies and ask for an idea, they can come with one and implement for the client and share the budget.

“This collaborative nature of working together across all the different media is where the direction of marketing needs to go”.

as you are walking for shopping, you will be engaged through the platform. With this, we hope to drive instant sales and instant purchases What do you think the rest of the year has for advertising?

Generally speaking, there has been lull in the business landscape in the last few months, no thanks to the global economic crisis. Now, government and business owners across the

countries are readjusting to contend with the challenges.

In Nigeria, the current administration has the goodwill and a lot is being done to reposition the economy.

This, coupled with the fact that foreign investors are considering Nigeria for investment will boost the fortune of advertising for the year because both players in the private and public sector will require advertising for effective communication.

China Pledges to Assist Nigeria Diversify Economy Dele Ogbodo in Abuja The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Xiaojie Gu, has pledged his country’s assistance to help diversify Nigeria’s economy, using science and technology.

The ambassador, who spoke to THISDAY after a courtesy call on the Minister of Science and Technology, Mr. Ogbonnaya Onu, said the minister’s recent visit to China would help pave the way for China’s involvement in science, technology and innovation to drive Nigeria’s economy. Gu said the collaboration has become more

expedient now that Nigeria is diversifying her economy, adding that China is looking at investment in agriculture, mining and infrastructure.

He said: “Today, I have had a very good discussion with Onu, and we have discussed more on bilateral relationship on science and technology, and of course within the framework of foreign affairs ministry to develop the economy.

“We are waiting to receive President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to China in April, and that will be the very first visit of the president since this administration was sworn in last year.

The visit will go a long way in further cementing the relations between Nigeria and China.

“Our bilateral relations have become strategic, and this will further expand our mutual beneficial relationship for the two countries to look for new areas of cooperation against the background that this year, China and Nigeria will be celebrating 45th anniversary of formal diplomatic relations.”

The ambassador admitted that trade volumes between both countries is also on the increase, adding that: “On trade volume last year, it was $15 billion, and Nigeria remains

the third biggest trade partner of China.”

Earlier, Onu promised that Nigeria would work with China based on the outcome of his last visit to China, where agreement was reached with China’s Ministry of Science and Technology to assist Nigeria diversify her economy.

He said: “We hope to improve our mutual relations for mutual benefits of both countries.

Nigeria will honour all its agreements with China based on government to government through the Ministry of Science and Technology as implementing partners.”

Cost of Sachet Water Rises in Kano Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano The Kano state government has reached an agreement with sachet water producers in the state to reduce the price of the product from N100.00 to N80. 00 per bag.

This means that every two sachets of the commodity would be sold at N15. 00 as against the N10.00 a sachet currently.

Members of the association, however, agreed to revert to the old price of N5. 00 each sachet as soon as the cost of

polythene used in producing the sachets decreases.

Speaking shortly after a meeting with members of the association at the Government House in Kano on Tuesday, the state governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje said the meeting was convened against the backdrop of rising cost of packaged water (popularly called pure water) in the state.

“Government is aware that they are facing operational challenges but at the same time they must be considerate”, the governor said.

Ganduje said that he has approached a polythene production company in Rivers State, which has promised to explore the possibility of assisting the packaged water producers in Kano to get the product easily.

He disclosed that his administration, through the Ministry of Environment would provide them with 10 water processing machines to cushion the effect to enable them regularise the cost of sachet water in Kano.

He also said the government plans to introduce an

empowerment programme for youths whereby beneficiaries would be assisted to collect used water sachets and sell them to water producers for recycling.

Earlier, chairman of the state Pure Water Producers Association, Salisu Sani said: “One kilogramme of the material used in producing the sachets was hitherto N570 as against N1250 today.”

He promised that the cost per sachet would be reduced as soon as operational cost stabilises.

T H I S D AY •THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

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PERSPECTIVE

NERC and Unexpected Challenges in Power Tony Ibekwe These are indeed very hard days for the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC ). A court order has just been issued to restrain the Commission from increasing electricity tariffs which it announced would take effect from February 1 2016 . It is subjudice to comment on a case in court so NERC would have to plead its case in court when it has its day in the court . But before this time NERC has had its authority rubbished by the Senate which on February 16 asked or ordered NERC to rescind the 45% increase in electricity tariffs that it said would take effect from February I 2016 . So who got it wrong or right between the Senate and NERC ? That is question that we must ask and answer here for the benefit of the Nigerian public and electricity consumers who have become confused and beffudled by this unfortunate chain of events .

By an Act of Parliament or a legislative action and authority , NERC is the sole authority for the regulation of the generation , transmission , distribution of electricity in Nigeria . This authority was vested in the Electricity Power Sector Reform Act of 2005 made during the Obasanjo Administration in power from 1999 to 2007 . It was in 2007 that the NERC got a board that made it functional having evolved from NEPA to Power Holding Company of Nigeria to metamorphose to NERC as we know it today.

NERC’s duties essentially are to regulate the delivery of electricity to the Nigerian populace efficiently and at an affordable rate for the mutual benefit of both the consumers and the distribution companies called discos in

Power transmission gird

the Nigerian electricity delivery context . This NERC has been doing , albeit with very limited success to the vexation of Nigerians who thought that once NERC had come on board the era of persistent power failure was over . This was not helped by the fact that electricity generation in the nation had become comatose and unbelievably low for a huge nation like Nigeria with a population

of about 165m .Our electricity generation is below 5% of our needs and successive Nigerian governments have promised to improve power generated to an acceptable level but none has delivered on this illusory promise so far .

In spite of this NERC has lumbered on hoping for a better day in terms of improved power generation . It brought on the discos who invested heavily in the distribution system

because of their confidence in the Nigerian electricity delivery dream, in the hope that better days would come in terms of increased power generation . The discos were monitored tightly to ensure they do not exploit consumers with flippant and unaffordable tariffs .

Indeed NERC stipulated that they must charge cost reflective charges with global best standards in electricity tariffs over 10 years.

It also decreed that they cannot make profit in the first five years when they came on board in 2013 . In its own little way and given the constraints it faced, NERC has stabilized the Nigerian power sector such that companies and investors who fled Nigeria because of persistent power failure were , watching and wishing NERC would succeed with the discos and the high quality pricing regime on tariffs which it announced . That stability is what was put under serious threat by the action of the Senate in challenging and liquidating the authority of NERC as the sole regulator of electricity in Nigeria when it asked the bona fide regulator to rescind its tariff increase on February 16 2016 .

Right thinking and patriotic Nigerians are aghast at this unexpected challenge of the constitutional authority by a legislative institution , indeed an Upper Chamber in political parlance that should no better . The good a advice to the Senate is to rescind its order as quickly as it has given it like bolt from the blues .

That is the honorable thing to do in order to save face and not allow Nigerians to think of the unexpected challenge to NERC’ authority as sheer economic sabotage which really is a looming and unfortunate conclusion.

- Ibekwe, an analyst, writes from Enugun

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DEVELOPMENT

Social Safety Nets for Who? Abimbola Akosile looks at a welfare package unveiled by the Federal Government to improve the livelihoods of Nigerians, in a bid to justify the mantra for change

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari nailed it on the head. Nigeria’s socio-economic situation is not a laughing matter, the taciturn leader asserted recently at a summit in Abuja.

Despite Nigerians’ famed happy mood and penchant for online posts and comments on topical issues, the president saw nothing to laugh about in this country’s current precarious situation.

As pointers to his expression of concern, power supply is down, fuel supply is down and out and the economy is reeling with its attendant consequences on the populace, which voted in the current administration on a popular platform of change for the better.

A year after electoral victory on March 28, 2015, to some people, it appears the present government is only interested in inflicting more pains on hapless citizens.

Depending on which way the current situation is viewed - either as a half-full cup or birth pains for a successful delivery, or as half-empty cup and renewed despair caused by an insensitive administration, the bottom line is that millions of Nigerians need help and succour in varying measures. In comes the proposed social safety net to the rescue.

Social Safety Net According to Wikipedia, social safety net is a collection of services provided by the state or other institutions such as friendly societies, including welfare, unemployment benefit, universal healthcare, homeless shelters, and sometimes subsidised services such as public transport, which prevent individuals from falling into poverty beyond a certain level.

A practical example of how the safety net works would be a single mother with several children, unable to work.

By receiving money from the government to support her children, along with universal health care and free education, she can give her

children a better chance at becoming successful members of society, rather than be caught up in the hopelessness of extreme poverty.

Simply put, numerous citizens of this country require social safety nets, but with the federal government’s plan to provide N5,000 monthly stipend to the poorest of the poor among other social benefits, the scope of selection of beneficiaries becomes narrower.

This reporter looks at some potential worthy beneficiaries.

Hardworking Beneficiaries The federal government has revealed that only hard-working Nigerians who are unemployed would be paid the N5,000 stipend promised by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) during electioneering for 2015 presidential election.

The clarification was made by the minister of labour and employment, Dr. Chris Ngige in January this year during a visit to the APC secretariat in Abuja, where he explained to reporters that there was nowhere in the world where government would pay people for being lazy, adding that Nigeria would not be an exception.

Being hardworking is a laudable yardstick, but this reporter is yet to see any Nigerian own up to being lazy.

Nets for Youths The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara recently called on the government to fashion out policies that would cushion the adverse effects of the economic situation for Nigerian youths.

This, he said is necessary, as a way to create reassurance among young people of sustained assistance through their formative years, and deter them from embracing crime and other social vices. He also advised that student loan schemes be established, so that students can access loans, which can be repaid after they secure jobs.

Dogara made the call when he launched the Nigerian Student and Youth Corper Discount

Card (NSYCDC) in Abuja recently, and noted that developed countries have been able to create safety nets for their youth and vulnerable population.

The Speaker’s call is equally commendable; the problem is how many youths can possibly benefit from such a platform or scheme, and for how long.

Angry Area Boys Some may wonder how this class of citizens can possibly qualify for any social benefits, given their constant propensity to visit mayhem on fearful fellow citizens wherever they exist.

Some would argue that those who see nothing good in orderly existence should not benefit from any social packages.

However, others would say some of the area boys who are products of errant bus drivers and paraga-sellers, also deserve whatever goodies are coming from above, in a bid to remould their thinking to be more responsible citizens. It would be gratifying if an ex-Area boy eventually becomes a graduate and a governor one day in life.

Helpless Police When the Inspector-General of Police recently stated that the only 317,000 police personnel cannot adequately safeguard over 160 million Nigerians, that was just the tip of the iceberg.

The question is: how does an insecure and poorly-motivated police officer secure the lives and properties of citizens?

Sometimes in the late 90s, this reporter got a first-hand experience of an angry ill-motivated officer in action in a Molue bus along LagosAbeokuta expressway.

The unkempt-looking Mopol entered the Molue and joined those of us on standing in line. But the bus conductor was having none of that, simply because another uniformed police officer was already seated and claiming ‘staff’ in the bus.

He tried to shove the Mopol down and the

irate officer, who loudly complained that he had been on duty over the past three days without any rest or sleep, simply applied pepper spray into the eyes of the bus conductor and followed up his action by dragging down the conductor at the next bus-stop, which was in front of a Police Station.

This reporter who escaped the effects of the pepper spray by inches could only wonder how such an irate officer can safeguard the lives of citizens in such a demoralised condition. Maybe an improvement in his social benefits would have a profound positive effect on his mentality; enough of walking time-bombs already.

The Unemployed According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) unemployment rate in Nigeria increased to 10.40 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2015 from 9.90 per cent in the previous period. The number of unemployed persons went up by 518 thousand to 8 million and the labour force population rose by 1 million to 76.95 million.

The under-employment rate grew to 18.7 per cent (14.4 million), compared to 17.4 per cent (13.2 million). Unemployment rate in Nigeria averaged 11.37 per cent from 2006 until 2015, reaching an all time high of 23.90 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2011 and a record low of 5.30 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2006.

A cynical friend once said the fastest way to get a job in Nigeria is for a member of one’s family to be involved in a national tragedy, like the tragic NIS recruitment exercise of 2014, which claimed lives of desperate applicants, while some family members of the dead were offered automatic employment by the federal government.

Although it is graveyard humour, his reasoning appeared on point, but the bottom line here is that the eight million currently unemployed citizens also need social safety nets. The unemployable, identified by a minister in the past administration, is a topic of discussion for another day. Let the safety nets roll now.

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BUSINESSWORLD

DEvELOpMENT/ISSUESINBOx

Before the oil barrels tumble finally...

Is Oil Price Crash a Blessing or Curse for Nigeria?

There is divided opinion on the impact of the crash in the international prices of crude oil. While some analysts believe Nigeria is paying the price for sole dependence on a mono product and corrupt profligacy in utilising the proceeds of good years, others believe the slump will force Nigeria to diversify and expand her economic base and thus improve her revenue with greater empowerment of citizens. To you, is the crash in oil prices a blessing in disguise or curse for Nigeria?

Abimbola Akosile * It is a double blessing in disguise. Oil brought us this far from our almost dark age era to a brilliant 21st century. We are better. But our refusal to save money and diversify the economy has brought us down on our knees due to corruption. It is sad. We must start to feed ourselves, refine our own oil, exploit other minerals and focus on gas now. Watch out for saboteurs too.

- Miss Apeji Patience Eneyeme, Badagry, Lagos State * No oil exporting country has ever asked for oil price fall. So it is not a blessing.

It has crippled our economy with the highest rate of inflation in a decade.

Even if we have already made alternative source of income, it is not a right step to progress. It is biting everyone today.

- Mr. Tony Okey Ngwoke, Enugu * Is it a crime for a country to be blessed with resources? Of course crash in oil price is a curse to Nigeria. Having oil as a resource will never stop Nigeria from diversifying her economy. Nigeria’s problem is poor resource management, poor policy implementation and sustainability, corruption etc. If other countries which are blessed with oil as a resource also diversify their economy despite the huge revenue from oil, it is clear that Nigeria as a country got it wrong somewhere.

- Mr. Isaac Odeh, Asokoro, Abuja * It is a blessing because it would make us productive and diversify the economy.

- Mr. Feyi Akeeb Kareem, Change Makers Forum, Ogwashi-Ukwu, Delta State * In the short-term it is a curse because of the shock to the economy with the most vulnerable of us the worst hit. In the medium term it could turn to a blessing if our other unexploited human and natural resources are aggressively tapped into and the economy truly diversified. In the long term, it could turn into an even greater blessing with proper planning and implementation of economic policies focusing on manufacturing and processing of our resources into finished products.

- Mr. Buga Dunj, Jos, Plateau State * The crash in the oil price would have indeed been a blessing to Nigeria as I expected the price to have crashed to $5

THE FEEDBACK It is a blessing:

8

It is a curse:

2

Others:

5

Radical tip:

Let oil finish!

Total no of respondents: 15 Male:

11

Female:

4

Highest location:

Lagos (4)

per barrel so that our government will wake up from their sleep and take the necessary step in developing the other sectors such as agriculture, solid minerals etc. Mono-economy is the worst for any nation that wants to grow and develop.

- Mr. Kriskenny Ojogbede, Abuja * To many of us in Nigeria, the fall in international price of crude oil has dealt a welcome blow to the country’s huge dependence on this product as its economic mainstay. The fall calls for an urgent need for Nigeria to diversify its economy, by searching for other substantial revenue sources. Second, there is the thinking that if we had practiced true federalism, all states in the country as well as the government at the centre would not be depending mainly on oil revenues from a particular section of the country; where producer, and non-producer, states suffer the same fate as price falls. The fall is, therefore, a big blessing.

- Mr. Neville Kikpoye-Jonathan, President, Abua National Associates, Amalem-Abua, Rivers State * It has no blessing attachment from any angle. Oil fall at international market ought to bring price reduction at home but the reverse is the case in Nigeria.

Secondly, it is a new excuse for government officials not to create jobs while their flamboyant lifestyle remains unchanged. It is so bad.

- Mrs. Oge Ngwoke, (IMT), Enugu * Oil price fall is a double curse for Nigeria because it has brought nothing but poverty and hardship to ninety per cent of the people. Don’t forget that we are exporting cotton, groundnut, cocoa, beniseed, palm oil e.t.c. that made Nigeria

the giant of Africa. Today, we have become parasite to oil that all those Godgiven blessings to us as a nation are no more there. My prayer is that God should wipe out oil in Nigeria and help us come back to our senses.

- Hon. Babale Maiungwa, U/Romi, Kaduna * Diversification of the economy into agricultural, mining and other resources is a good one, despite that oil price is coming up gradually in recent times.

- Mrs. Ijeoma Nnorom, Lagos State * It is more of a blessing. Oil has made Nigeria great variously over time. Overdependence on oil blinded our vision to exploit other lucrative ad abundant minerals that are unnecessarily lying idle amidst abject poverty and gross unemployment. Also, the crashed price has forced us to see the open doors of opportunities and hope in other vast and various untapped resources in Nigeria.

We must diversify the economy now, do more research, consume made in Nigeria goods and services e.g. rice, tomatoes, leather products, cement e.t.c and mop up small arms in circulation.

- Mr. Apeji Onesi, Lagos State * Without mincing words, it is a divine blessing. However, let us not conclude the panacea is to just become an agrarian society. Dynamism is required now.

Petroleum shouldn’t control our collective destiny as a nation. Let us be resourceful.

- Mr. Ekwenjo Iheanyi Chukwudi, Brainchild Academic Resources (BAR), Trademore Estate, Apo, Abuja * Any nation where good policies were not put in place to directly have impact on the citizens is already doomed.

The local government should be given autonomy to enable it function. It is not all about economic diversification or crash in crude oil price. The system generally is faulty. Local government can function in a better capacity than the federal and state governments. They can embark on infrastructure development, invest massively in agriculture, attract investors, and provide free quality medical services, education, water, good jobs e.t.c. for the people if given autonomy.

- Mr. Usih Sunday, Delta State * It is a big blessing in disguise as Nigeria

is being forced to diversify our economy though too slowly. Even after the international community warned us repeatedly during the oil boom era of an impending doom but we characteristically refused to heed the advice but called them hypocritical. Now we are facing reality and need to act fast or face more challenges. We must save and diversify now. Gas is waiting and wasting away.

- Ms. Saiki Ometere Tina, Gboko, Benue State * The fall in price of crude oil on the international market is a blessing in disguise for Nigeria. Now we will look at viable alternative sources of revenue like gas and even solid minerals and agriculture and the economy will become multi-dimensional with a corresponding positive effect on the livelihoods of the citizens. Any increase in the price of crude oil this year should be used to off-set the budget deficit or saved for another rainy day.

- Mr. Olumuyiwa Olorunsomo, Lagos State

Next Week: Will Ban on Rice Importation Make Any Difference?

Nigerians spend billions of naira annually to consume imported rice products especially from South-east Asian countries, at the expense and detriment of production of local varieties in places like Ofada in Ogun State, Abakaliki in Ebonyi State, Bida in Niger State and Kano. As the Federal Government moves to ban importation of rice eventually, will this make any difference and encourage a corresponding increase in local production or simply boost illegal smuggling of a staple food product? please make your response direct, short and simple, and state your full name, title, organisation, and location. Responses should be sent between today (March 31 & Monday, April 4) to abimbolayi@yahoo.com, greatbimbo@gmail.com, AND abimbola. akosile@thisdaylive.com. Respondents can also send a short text message to 08023117639 and/or 08188361766 and/ or 08114495306. Collated responses will be published on Thursday, April 7

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DEVELOPMENT

Lagos at work; road rehabilitation at Erejuwa Street, Makoko, Lagos

CLEMENT DANHUTOR

FG Reviews Implementation of MDGs, Moves to Prioritise SDGs Abimbola Akosile The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, SSAP-SDGs, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire has revealed that the Federal Government is reviewing Nigeria’s implementation of the previous Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in a bid to ensure a proper, accelerated and efficient implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Orelope-Adefulire, who stated this in Abuja at a recent two-day retreat on the implementation of SDGs in Nigeria, added that her office is also taking steps to come up with an achievable work plan to domesticate and adopt the SDGs into Nigeria’s national development plans as well as identify the nation’s key areas for priority attention.

“This retreat on the implementation of the SDGs in Nigeria is therefore very timely as the forum also offers us a unique opportunity to examine what has worked and what has not worked well and proceed to develop common strategy for the domestication, mainstreaming and implementation of the SDGs into our national planning process,” the SSAP noted.

The presidential aide reiterated that Nigeria has made appreciable progress in the implementation of

the MDGs, particularly in the area of Universal Primary enrolment, achieving gender parity in Education, reducing the spread of HIV and AIDs, reducing maternal death, and halving the percentage of people living in absolute hunger for which the country received recognition from the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). She also noted that the implementation of incentive-based interventions such as the Conditional Grant Scheme (CGS) has been crucial.

She, however maintained that, “despite this appreciative progress, some of the MDGs targets were not met due to challenges in the areas of poverty, insecurity, social inequality and youth unemployment”; a situation she blamed on Nigeria’s late commencement of the MDGs implementation.

While highlighting the disproportionate successes recorded in the implementation of the MDGs across States, Local Governments and geo-political zones, OrelopeAdefulire, who was also a former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, noted that the implementation of the MDGs in many states of the federation was hampered by factors such as poor funding, low participation, ownership and sustainability.

Against this backdrop, she concluded that the implementation of the MDGs in Nigeria

and indeed the rest of Africa remains one unfinished business that needs to be rolled over to the SDGs. “As we kick-start the implementation of the SDGs, therefore we should re-examine and institutionalise some best practices as we all know that SDGs are aspirational, integrated, transformative, actionable and universal, targeting both developed and developing countries. The MDGs helped in improving the economic and social conditions in several nations of the world, particularly in Africa.

However, the glitch in the MDGs was that they focused majorly on the government of each nation.

“This time, the SDGs challenge the government, private organisations and institutions, civil society and individuals to participate in making the world a better place. It is expected that collaborative efforts geared towards a similar agenda by all the bodies will have a greater impact to the society,” she added.

In laying foundation for effective implementation of the SDGs, the SSAP-SDGs stated that her office would be creating public awareness on the role of all stakeholders, highlighting the gaps in select sectors and proposing sustainable strategies and models that can be adopted with emphasis on the role of the private sector. They will also identify priority issues

and develop an actionable framework for implementation of the reforms in the select sectors, she added.

In his presentation the United Nations representative Ojiji Odhiambo stated that, the foundation of the SDGs is based on six pillars such as People, Prosperity, Planet, Justice, Partnership and Dignity in a world that is guided by

existing obligations under the international law and respect for human rights. He said Nigeria would work on its prioritised items according to the needs of each state of the federation.

The Abuja programme was jointly organised by Department for International Development (DfID) and Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the

President, SDGs, according to a statement by the Head, Communication (OSSAP-SDGs), Janet McDickson.

Participants, who were drawn from UNDP, OSSAP-SDGs, DfID, Office of the statistician General of the Federation, and Budget Office, amongst others, are expected to draw strategies for the successful implementation of the SDGs.

AU Instruments: CISLAC, SOTU Unveil Nigeria’s Compliance Report Clement Danhutor The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and the State of the Union (SOTU) Coalition are jointly launching the 2015 Nigeria Country Report on Compliance with African Union (AU) Instruments.

The formal launch, according to a release issued by the Executive Director of CISLAC, Mr. Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani), would be taking place on Thursday, March 31 (today) at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja. The Chair of the SOTU Nigeria Campaign is Mr. Ken Ukaoha, while the African Chair is Mr. Okeke Anya, who also works with CISLAC. According to Rafsanjani, “CISLAC as the implementing partner of the State of the Union

(SOTU) Project in Nigeria has within the past four years of implementation produced two country reports on Nigeria’s implementation of African Union Instruments.

“As a coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) spread across the African continent, one of the strategies adopted by the coalition is the production of country reports as a means of auditing and accessing various countries’ compliance along the 14 Key Instruments that SOTU is currently working on.

“With the two previous reports previously produced highlighting thematic governance areas such as Human Rights, Democratic Governance, Environment, Agriculture and Gender, the reports have consis-

tently analysed and tracked Nigeria’s level of progress or otherwise in these areas with key recommendations for policymakers, civil society and other stakeholders involved in the Nigerian project.

“The implementation year of 2014/2015 came with significant and remarkable times for both the country and the project. With the 2015 Country Report taking into account a wide range of issues in our civic and democratic space, progress made so far and noticeable gaps, the review of activities and relevant sectors of the nations has been systematically reviewed and documented to serve as an information and advocacy tool in engaging all stakeholders for the benefit of the nation”, the release added.

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BUSINESSWORLD

DEVELOPMENT QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Investing in sustainable agriculture is one of the best ways to provide jobs for the people and keep the nation productive. Food security is important to any country and that is what we are trying to achieve here, years after we `threw away’ agriculture for oil” - PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI SPEAKING IN ABUJA

CSDP Empowers 252 Communities in Osun

As lawmaker donates equipment Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

Ki-moon: Fight against Tuberculosis is Only ‘Half-won’ Seeks united, global efforts to end TB Abimbola Akosile The United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon has called for united global efforts to end the deadly disease of tuberculosis by 2030, as the world recently observed the World Tuberculosis Day. The UN scribe, in a release issued by the global body, also noted that tuberculosis would claim the lives of 1.5 million people this year (2016) alone.

According to the release, “between 2000 and 2015, tuberculosis (TB) prevention, diagnosis and treatment saved 43 million lives. The TB mortality rate has fallen by nearly half. As such, the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of reversing TB incidence has been achieved.

“But, the fight against this deadly disease is only half-won,” the UN chief said in an annual message, noting that this year alone, TB will affect over 9.6 million men, women and children, and 1.5 million people will lose their lives.

Last year, the UN General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and ending the TB epidemic by 2030 is one of the Agenda’s targets. TB disproportionately affects the poorest and most vulnerable, the socially marginalised and those lacking access to basic services/health services.

“Therefore, progress in ending TB must go hand in hand with other Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) efforts to reduce inequalities, eliminate extreme poverty, ensure social protection, achieve universal health coverage and end HIV/AIDS,” he said.

Ending the epidemic requires actions beyond ministries of health alone, and departments responsible for labour, justice, social welfare, science and technology, internal affairs and migration can all make a difference, Ban said, also stressing the need to engage affected persons and communities, as well as non-governmental organisations (NGOs), researchers and the

Ki-moon

private sector.

“On this World Tuberculosis Day, I call on leaders across Government, civil society and the private sector to unite to end tuberculosis,” he said.

In its press release, the World Health Organisation (WHO) highlighted that TB ranks alongside HIV/AIDS as the world’s top infectious disease killer, while shining a spotlight on progress made in several countries, including India, South Africa, Russia, Brazil and Vietnam.

Last year, the National TB and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP) said over 600,000 new cases of tuberculosis had occurred in Nigeria, according to the survey conducted in 2014, with 91,354 cases placed on treatment.

National Coordinator, (NTBLCP), Dr. Gabriel Akang who made the statement during the 2015

World TB Day in Abuja, said the WHO ranked Nigeria to be 3rd among the 22 highest prevalence of TB burden countries in the world, adding that DOTS services were currently provided in about 6000 health facilities in the country and diagnosis in 1,515 microscopy laboratories.

Akang noted that the Programme also adopted new molecular technology called GeneXpert that would enhance universal access to Drug Resistant to TB patients, noting that the machine is able to diagnose TB and RIF resistant TB within two hours.

The National Coordinator also stated that the programme had commenced community DR-TB services to initiate treatment in the community, stressing that this has helped in mopping up backlog of cases, which could not be admitted as a result of limited bed space.

The Osun State Government through its Agency for Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) has disclosed that no fewer than 252 communities in the state have benefited from the state government micro projects.

The disclosure was made by the General Manager Osun CSDP, Mrs. Funmi Abokede during a recent press conference in Osogbo the state capital.

Abokede, while speaking at the event, said around 311 micro projects have so far been completed across all the 31 local government areas (LGAs) of the state. According to her, the state undertook these projects in its bid to improve access of the poor to social and natural resources management as well as infrastructural services for human development in a sustainable manner.

She explained that the CSDP is co-funded by the World Bank and the state government. Abokede also stressed that the Osun government has continued to contribute its counterpart funding to the tune of N650 million between 2009 and 2015. She pointed out that the next phase of the project would focus on the physically-challenged people in the state.

Earlier in his remark, the chairman Osun CSDP, Mr. AbdulRahaman Musa noted that the state government is committed to reducing poverty to the barest minimum through its agency for community and social development projects.

He stressed that the commitment of partnership strengthening goes hand in hand with improving people’s lives.

Meanwhile, a member of the House of Representatives representing Ifelodun, Boripe and Odo Otin Federal Constituency in the State of Osun, Hon. Yinka Ajayi has been commended for donating medical equipment worth millions of naira to state hospitals and Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in his constituency.

The commendation was given recently in Osogbo by the Permanent Secretary, Hospitals Management Board, Mr. Olusegun Aduroja while receiving the medical equipment.

Aduroja also expressed appreciation to the donor for supporting the present administration by providing the materials which would benefit people in his federal constituency.

The Permanent Secretary then called on all other parliamentarians, corporate bodies and philanthropists to come forward and support the State Government especially now that the national and the state economy are facing challenges. Among the hospital equipment donated include chart holders, bedside lockers, weight scales, vaccine box, sterilisers, theatre gowns, wheelchairs, blankets, hospital beds, bathroom scales, theatre lamps and laboratory equipment.

Speaking earlier, the donor, Hon. Ajayi, disclosed that the hospital equipment were donated in order to support the free health services of the state government. He therefore enjoined people in the federal constituency to patronise the state hospitals and primary healthcare centres in the area.

Present at the presentation were the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola and the State Chairman of APC, Hon. Famodun, among others.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH UN MILLENNIUM CAMPAIGN / UN SDG ACTION CAMPAIGN

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HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

Acting Features Editor Charles Ajunwa Email charles.ajunwa@thisdaylive.com

Reducing the Incidence of Syphilis in Northeast Sexually transmitted infections are widespread in developing countries and constitute a major public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa. More recently, there has been a resurgence of syphilis in North-eastern Nigeria. Kasim Sumaina writes on its prevalence and prevention When recently, the Head of Prevention, Department of Public Health and HIV/AIDS Division, Ministry of Health, Dr. chukwuma Anyaike, raised the alarm that Borno State was recording an increased incidence of Syphilis in the country, one would think the report must be several decades ago, considering that the disease is no more a burden to most countries of the world, especially in the 21st century.

But the highly preventable disease, which has become the least of burdens to several countries around the globe, including some developing countries, has once again taken prominence in the North-eastern part of a country that prides itself as the giant of Africa, with Borno State leading the pack as the state with the highest prevalence rate of the disease in the geo-graphical region.

Anyaike, while noting that a national survey conducted on the virus, nine years ago, showed that the prevalence of the virus was 1.5 per cent, argued that despite the fact that the ratio has dropped between then and now, its continuous prominence in specific states must be curbed by programmers, who should have a target prevention strategy in high impact areas.

Syphilis, according to research is a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI), caused by the Treponema Pallidum spirochete, although, there may be congenital syphilis through the transmission from mother to child in the womb. The disease is widely known to be transmitted through contact with body fluids, blood and blood products.

If not treated, experts believed it could cause serious consequences, such as damage to the aorta, brain, eyes, bones, and in some cases, could lead to death.

Despite its eradication in most countries of the world, it is still arguably one of the most killer diseases in Africa. The rash/boil causing plague is responsible for the infection of up to 12.2 million people in the world every year with a quarter of these cases occurring in Africa due to poor sexual health education and proper hygiene.

On the average, over 157,000 people lose their lives to syphilis every year and according to World Health Organisation, infection rates in major African cities of Zambia; an East African country and Cameroon; a country in the Central Africa were reported to be as high as 10 per cent and six per cent in both genders respectively and studies done suggested that infection rates may be up to 30 per cent.

Anyaike, who explained that Syphilis has a lot of drivers, like unprotected sex, stressed that despite the fact that the North-eastern state has a high prevalence rate of the disease, he could not scientifically say if it was caused by the security challenges caused by the Boko Haram insurgency.

Adding, “we need to be scientific in our judgement or conclusions. We can’t link that with the security situations in Borno State. However, one could allude that. But, scientifically, we have to prove that it could be possible that the security challenges in that region prevented the people from having access to medical treatment,” he noted.

He stressed that government’s efforts alone cannot solve every problem, noting that government at various levels were doing their best in terms of medical health interventions in the country. “STI has a lot to do with attitudinal linkages. Government could give you prevention or barrier materials to use and you may refuse to use it. You won’t say it is government that got you exposed to Syphilis.

It is an individual thing. You could be in a state where there are no security challenges and you keep risky behaviours, as this would expose you to being infected.

“Syphilis has also acquired a new potential for morbidity and mortality through associa-

Symptom of secondary syphilis

tion with increased risk for HIV infection, as experts have suggested that this may make it increasingly difficult to get safe blood because of the blood borne infection and it’s neglect during blood donation and transfusion,” he said.

In a related development, a research conducted in 2014 by International Journal of Research (IJR), showed that 108 consenting pregnant women were recruited and examined for the presence of Syphilis infection. The result showed that the prevalence rate of the infection among pregnant women attending

Despite its eradication in most countries, it is still arguably one of the highest killer disease in Africa. The rash/ boil causing plague is responsible for the infection of up to 12.2 million people in the world every year with a quarter of these cases occurring in Africa due to poor sexual health education and proper hygiene

State Specialist Hospital in Maiduguri was 1.9 per cent, a figure that is higher than the national average of 0.3 per cent for Syphilis among pregnant women in Nigeria.

The implication of the findings noted that even in pregnant women, the incidence level is higher than in pregnant women on the average in the country. Experts believed syphilis infection in pregnant women could result in severe impact on pregnancy outcome, primarily as spontaneous abortion, stillbirth and vertical transmission or congenital syphilis.

But why could there be high incidence rate of a disease that is sister to HIV/AIDS, which is experiencing a decline in the country. A medical expert, Dr. Saliu Hamed provides a guide. According to him, lifestyle and lack of proper information among the citizens could be a likely reason for its high incidence level in some areas, over others.

He explained that, since Syphilis is an STI, it was very possible that majority of persons infected by the virus do not protect themselves against the disease, especially among people with multiple partners. “When an infected person have sexual intercourse with someone without the virus, there is a likely tendency for the uninfected person to contract the virus and become infected. That is why it is highly recommended that we adhere to being faithful in our relationships. Condom use is also very encouraged.”

According to him, the primary goal of syphilis prevention was to limit its spread by educating people on the need to avoid harmful indiscriminate sexual practices.

“Abstinence and faithfulness to one partner is key. Consistent and correct use of condoms also significantly reduces risk of contracting the disease,” adding that, although condom method was not fail-proof or absolutely protective.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a long term, mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner. Finally, pregnant women are supposed to undergo screening for syphilis early in pregnancy and get treated if necessary, to

prevent transmitting the infection to their babies.

Stressing, he said, syphilis spreads very fast and remains a silent killer, since most infected persons may not notice any sign of the disease until it was in its latter stages and caused extensive health problems in the body.

“That’s the reason you need information on how to cure syphilis.”

Still surprised that in a 21st century, Nigeria was still having incidence of the disease, Hamed noted that Syphilis was long eradicated from many countries, even since 1970 and 1980. “It was a very common disease during the 1940s and 1950s, especially at the time when HIV/ AIDS was very rampant on the continent.

HIV weakens the immune system, making is susceptible to syphilis and other opportunistic infections,” he explained.

But, what are the signs and symptoms of the disease, and how can it be treated?

According to Hamed, the symptoms may appear in four different stages depending on the severity of the infection. “There are the primary, secondary, latent and tertiary stages. The primary stage of the infection is characterised by small, painless sores that appear mostly on the sex organs and in the inner and outer areas of the mouth. In the secondary stage, rashes start appearing mostly on the palms of the hand and soles of the feet with moist warts in the groin region. But that of latent syphilis, as the name implies, is invisible, because the symptoms are not seen.

The tertiary stage is marked by neurological and cardiac problems which can lead to blindness, brain damage, arthritis, heart attack and eventually, death, if the necessary treatment is not administered promptly.” He said on treatment, it was important that people present early to the hospital, as it remains cheaper and quicker to treat the scourge at an early stage than when symptoms are obvious.

He, therefore called on stakeholders and the government to educate people on the disease, as this would go a long way in reducing the prevalence rate in the country.

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HEALTH

NEWS

Experts Charge Young Pharmacists on Best Practices

87m Children are Victims of Conflicts, Says UNICEF

Martins Ifijeh

Martins Ifijeh

Young pharmacists have been advised to seek tutelage and ways of enhancing knowledge of their professional practice, as well as explore opportunities around them.

This admonition was given at a mentoring programme for young pharmacists organised by the Nigerian Academy of Pharmacy at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry Exhibition Centre, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, recently.

In a welcome address, pharmacist and former Lagos State gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Jimi Agbaje, said that the programme was meant to guide young pharmacists on what path to take in their careers. He urged pharmacists to always strive to make pharmacy to the enviable and respectable profession that it is.

Chairman of the occasion and President, Nigerian Academy of Pharmacy, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, in his opening address, noted that the future of the profession rests on the shoulders of the young practitioners.

He also called on senior practitioners to be willing to mentor younger colleagues.

He, however, warned that the young pharmacists should be disposed to learning and seeking guidance from accomplished senior colleagues.

“A profession that does not take care of the welfare of its younger generation has no future. The future of this profession is in the hands of

younger people who dare to do things differently,” he said.

The occasion also served to remind pharmacists, young and old, of the need to uphold best practices always.

Speaking on the subject, the registrar, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, Mr. Elijah Muhammed, noted that “The Academy of Pharmacy (NAPharm) has identified gaps affecting professional development of young pharmacists with their attendant negative effects on the image and progress of the pharmacy profession in the country.”

He also decried the get-richquick syndrome among many promising young pharmacists, which he said often makes it difficult for them to learn the ropes of the profession, thereby denying themselves success.

“While mentoring is a long-term relationship, the survival instinct of the young pharmacists in contemporary age is get-rich-quick,” he remarked.

Muhammed stated that the mentoring programme for young professionals, which is being launched to shape the future of the profession, will benefit about 10,000 young pharmacists in three years and is intended to groom future leaders and improve the standard of pharmacy practice and image in Nigeria. He stated further that the scheme will “establish rewarding relationship between young pharmacists and accomplished senior colleagues through the provision of wise counsel, technical knowledge, assistance and empathy.”

The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund has revealed that over 86.7 million children under the age of seven have spend their entire lives in conflict zones, thereby putting their brain development at risk.

The body noted that brain development during the first seven years of life has the potential to activate 1,000 brain cells every second. Adding that, each one of those cells, known as neurons, has the power to connect to another 10,000 neurons thousands of times per second.

According to UNICEF chief of early childhood development, Dr. Pia Britto, “brain connections serve as the

building blocks of a child’s future, defining their health, emotional well-being and ability to learn. Children living in conflict zones are often exposed to extreme trauma, putting them at risk of living in a state of toxic stress, a condition that inhibits brain cell connections – with significant life-long consequences to their cognitive, social and physical development,” he explained.

He said in addition to the immediate physical threats that children in crises areas face, they are also at risk of deep-rooted emotional scars.

UNICEF figures show that globally one in 11 children aged six or younger has spent the most critical period of brain development growing up in conflict.

“Conflict robs children of their safety, family and friends, play and routine.

Yet these are all elements of childhood that give children the best possible chance of developing fully and learning effectively, enabling them to contribute to their economies and societies, and building strong and safe communities when they reach adulthood.

“That is why we need to invest more to provide children and caregivers with critical supplies and services including learning materials, psychosocial support, and safe, child-friendly spaces that can help restore a sense of childhood in the midst of conflict,” he explained.

According to him, “a child is born with 253 million function-

ing neurons, but whether the brain reaches its full adult capacity of around one billion connectable neurons depends in large part on early childhood development.

This includes breastfeeding and early nutrition, early stimulation by caregivers, early learning opportunities and a chance to grow and play in a safe and healthy environment.

As part of our response in humanitarian emergencies and protracted crises,” he added.

He said UNICEF works to keep children in child-friendly environments, providing emergency kits with learning and playing materials, adding that the emergency kits have supported more than 800,000 children living in emergency contexts in the past year alone.

Ipinmisho Educates Parents on Factors Influencing Teens Usage FOR MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH L-R: Director, MTN Foundation, Honourable Reginald Okeya; Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, Ms. Nonny Ugboma; Director, MTN of Drugs Foundation, Elder Dennis Okoro; Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and CEO, JNC International Nigeria Limited, Ms. Clare Omatseye, at the media briefing and MoU signing ceremony of the MTN Foundation Maternal Ward Support Project in Lagos...recently

Kasim Sumaina in Abuja President, Freshacres Resource Centre, Mr. Otunba Ipinmisho, has said that a combination of several factors, including worrying about academic grades, fitting among peers and physical appearance, could influence teens drugs usage.

Ipinmisho, disclosed this to newsmen at a recent seminar organised by Freshacres Resource Centre, Abuja.

According to him, the purpose of the seminar was for parents to properly manage issues related to drug abuse amongst their wards. “They must look out for these red flags in order to find out if their wards are into drugs or alcohol. Though, taking a ‘red flag’ inventory requires courage, but it is the first step to positive change.

These can remove blindfolds and halt manipulations.

He said, “the physical red flags are strange smells on clothes, body, breath, impaired physical coordination or speech, somnolence, (sleeping, lethargy) during the day. Pupils dilated; blood-shot eyes, excessive perspiration, jumping, rapid speech, tremors, poor hygiene or self-neglect, runny nose, lip and finger burns, freshener, gum, or breath mints used

in abundance.”

Explaining further, he noted that the mental and emotional red flags associated with drugs and alcoholism among teens were: “Confusion, depression, anxiety, insomnia, memory loss, illogical thinking, forgetfulness, poor psychological adjustment which parents must handle with care.

“Parents need to watch their children more closely at the age range between 11 and 18 as it is an impressionable period when youth are especially susceptible to outside influence such as peers, family and media exposures. Also, they should help build their children’s self esteem and confidence by helping them learn different ways to say ‘no’ to drugs and reminding them that real friends would not pressure them to use drugs.”

A visiting professor, Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA), Prof.

Akin Odebunmi, stated that marijuana was the most commonly abused illegal substance.

“This drug impairs short-term memory and learning, the ability to focus attention, and coordination. It also increases heart rate, and can harm the lungs, and increase the risk of psychosis in those with an underlying vulnerability.

CGC Donates 700,000 Boxes of ACT Drugs to Nigeria CGC Nigeria Ltd, a Construction Company, has partnered Chinese government to donate 700,000 boxes of ACT drugs to Nigeria.

A representative of the company, Mr. Ricky Roa, made this known in Abuja when he led a delegation from CGC Nigeria Limited to the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole.

According to him, Chinese President has announced his country’s plan to embark on 10 major projects to boost China’s cooperation with Africa, Nigeria inclusive, in the next three years.

It was in view of the above that the Chinese government decided to provide anti-malaria drugs to Africa and also to support local production of the drugs to increase access to medicine.

“The aim of our coming here today is to donate 700,000 boxes of anti-malaria drugs to Nigeria in this year 2016 and we are going to donate more in the next two years”, Mr. Roa said.

He said Chinese government

would help Africa strengthen its public health prevention and control system, as well as its capacity building in health related matters.

In his response the Minister of Health , Prof. Adewole, appreciated the CGC Nigeria Limited and Chinese government for supporting Nigeria health system.

However, he said that Nigerian government would be grateful if the Chinese government could also support with the other components of malaria elimination programme.

He said, “we would be grateful if your organisations can assist us with mosquito nets, and larviciding, you know to really eliminate malaria in the country we must go for multiple approaches diagnosis and treatment is one but we must also look at prevention, how do we prevent the mosquitoes from biting, that is where the mosquito nets come in and larviciding, we want to kill all lava from stagnant water and so on”.

NAFDAC Destroys Fake Products Worth 1bn Martins Ifijeh National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, last week destroyed fake and unwholesome products worth over N1billion in Ogun State.

The products destroyed included expired products voluntarily handed over by compliant companies in Nigeria. Others were fake and counterfeit drugs seized by the Agency’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate in Lagos State and environs, prohibited substandard and expired food products, cosmetics and other regulated products seized from manufacturers and importers, as well as distributors.

Addressing journalists at the Sagamu Local Government Dumpsite, Ogun State, the Acting Director General of the Agency, Mrs. Yetunde Oni, who decried activities of drug counterfeiters, described drug counterfeiting as an act of economic sabotage and terrorism against public health.

Represented by the Director, Investigation and Enforcement

Directorate, Mr. Kingsley Ejiofor, Oni noted that the Agency has continued to aggressively pursue the goals of ensuring that only genuine medicines and wholesome foods of the right quality were imported, exported, manufactured and distributed .

“The agency has taken a proactive approach towards fighting this menace, including cutting-edge technologies. We have continued aggressively to pursue the goals of ensuring that only genuine medicines and wholesome foods of the right quality are imported, exported , manufactured and distributed. We shall continue to enforce the regulations governing these products in Nigeria,” she said She also implored health practitioners, community leaders, religious leaders and all stakeholders to continue to educate their colleague, wards, members, consumers and members of the public as a whole to desist from patronising unscrupulous quacks and hawkers of medicine.

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HEALTH MATTERS

T H I S D AY THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

HEALTH&LIFESTYLE NEWS goketakinrogunde@gmail.com

F

HEALTH NEWS

By Goke T. Akinrogunde 07036777348; 07029126776

When Erection Fails – Seek Help

or men, the realization of the fact that erectile problem has suffice could be so devastating to the concern person, since this is naturally perceived as a challenge to the very essence of masculinity and all the pride of manhood cum “respect” that assumedly go with it.

Notwithstanding this much about the reality of failure of the penis to respond to sexual stimuli, I venture to plead on the side of caution against self-blame or taking extreme measures like suicide that sometimes occur in some cases.

Erectile dysfunction (layman’s term: Impotence) is medically defined as “the persistent or recurrent inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual activity.”

Now to details, the above definition might mean that the male partner cannot have an erection when he try to have intercourse, or that his erection is not firm enough for intercourse, or that he loses his erection soon after intercourse starts.

“Persistent” and “recurrent” problems with sexual intercourse might occur every time one tries to have sex, or only some of the time.

In practice, I have also came across cases that has to do with selective erection failure, where the guy cannot just get it up when it comes to having intercourse with an established partner but erection during sexual fantasies and sometimes with other women.

Seek professional help It is important to note, and stress, that having symptoms of erectile dysfunction is not the end of the world; there is more to life than reducing its essence to one’s ability to copulate.

At any rate, erectile issues in male are readily treatable these days with a variety of medications and psychotherapies as applicable.

However, before considering a treatment for erectile dysfunction, the concerned individual and the partner should be sure of the actual cause of the erectile dysfunction. So, it is better to see a doctor, who should able to tell for sure what the problem is before prescribing an erectile dysfunction treatment.

It is very important to also note that “experiencing occasional difficulties with achieving an erection does not necessarily mean ones has Erectile Dysfunction” as a continuum entity, sometimes, it might as well be a natural break, that soon start function the next moment.

Another factor that might help one to understand whether one’s partner has erectile dysfunction is whether either partner are troubled by this pattern of sexual activity.

As mentioned above, a few occasions of

that specialized in male genital and urinary problems), a sexual therapist or to other related specialists.

Another important point about discussing erectile dysfunction with a doctor is the fact that erectile dysfunction may have a serious underlying cause, such as undiagnosed diabetes, heart disease, or prostate cancer, which might be revealed with medical interaction.

Treating erection problem Before starting any medication or other treatment for erectile dysfunction the following lifestyle modifications may be recommended where needed.

• Exercising • Dieting to reduce blood lipids (fats, cholesterol) • Quitting smoking • Reducing alcohol consumption • Managing stress and fatigue

Erectile disfunction is treatable

being unable to have an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual activity does not however mean that the partner has erectile dysfunction.

Many men have one or more episodes of being unable to have an erection probably due to fatigue, distraction, alcohol, over-excitement etc without developing erectile dysfunction.

But a persistent pattern of difficulty is a cause for concern.

related issues, learning more about sexual health may be the first step in restoring ones sexual wellbeing vis-a-vis improving the quality of life and enjoying sex once again.

It is thus important to note that treatments help one to experience the kind of satisfying intimacy one once had can help restore confidence as well as one’s entire relationship with his partner.

Telltale signs A telltale sign may be that the man begins to avoid sexual contact or intimacy because he is unhappy with his sexual performance.

He may stop initiating sex, or ignore the partner’s hints or suggestions. Or he may become anxious during sexual encounters, and his anxiety makes it even more difficult to get an erection.

Related to these is that depression, shame, embarrassment and frustration are also common feelings.

It is very important to stress here that erectile dysfunction is a couple’s problem.

Even though it is the male partner that has the physical symptom, it affects the couple’s relationship, and is a problem for both partners.

Hence, if one of the sexual partners is concerned that there might be a sexual problem, it is worth following up with the other partner in order to take necessary steps to solve the problem.

Hence, in seeking treatment for erection-

Don’t suffer in silence It is not out of place to feel a little uncomfortable talking to the doctor about erectile dysfunction.

Notwithstanding the above, keep in mind that one has as much right to ask for medical help for erectile dysfunction as you do for any other health condition. There is no reason one and his partner should suffer the effects of erectile dysfunction in secrecy. Note that erectile dysfunction is a condition that many doctors now routinely treat.

Commonly the general medical practitioner is usually the first healthcare professional one speaks to about impotence related issues. If the doctor of first call does not seem comfortable or interested in discussing erectile dysfunction, then see another doctor; note that this is not uncommon with some conservative-minded doctors, who unduly mix their personal beliefs with their professional resource.

Depending on your situation, the doctor may refer one to the urologist (a surgeon

Oral medication These represent a relatively new field of current and future treatments for erectile dysfunction.

Phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitors are a class of oral medications commonly prescribed this day for erection failure. Examples here are sidenafil (Viagra), tadenafil (Cialis) etc.

These medications are however best taken with apt medical guide.

Sex counseling/sex therapy Consultations with a trained counsellor/ psychologist may help identify, understand, and cope with sexual concerns. Specific techniques can help to remove stress from lovemaking, increase sexual stimulation, and enable one to focus on sensual pleasure and intimacy.

Penile implant This is an option for men with established erection issue for whom other treatments were unsuccessful. This is a device that is surgically inserted into the penis. The device is inflated when there is a desire for sexual intercourse and deflated as necessary.

Penile injection therapy Medication that increases blood flow in the penis is injected by the patient into the side of the penis shortly before sexual activity.

Vacuum therapy This procedure holds blood in the penis using a ring at the base of the penis.

Anyhow, the important public health message here is: erectile failure should be seen as a medical condition that can be managed effectively with appropriate professional assistance by those trained for the purpose.

Don’t suffer in silence seek professional help.

One-on-One My Son’s Recurrent Earache is Giving Me Headache I have an issue of serious concern to me; it has to do with my five years old son’s earache which comes off and on.

Usually, he had relieves after using analgesics and antibiotics, only for the pain in the ear to return after few weeks.

Please, I wish to be properly guided as to right approach to this issue.

Johnson Abuja Jonhson, My first approach here is to note that the ear is a very delicate organ which requires expert’s guide when issues arise with it.

The ear consists of three major parts: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear.

The outer ear includes the pinna - the visible part of the ear--and the ear canal. The outer ear extends to the tympanic membrane or eardrum, which separates the outer ear from the middle

ear. The middle ear is an air-filled space that is located behind the eardrum. The middle ear contains three tiny bones, the malleus, incus, and stapes, which transmit sound from the eardrum to the inner ear; apart from serving as the link to the brain, where the sound is actually perceived and well interpreted, the inner ear is also concern with the sense of balance for the body.

It is worthy of note, however, that earache is a common symptom, and is not always caused by an ear infection. If a child has earache, but is otherwise well, an ear infection is unlikely.

A common cause of mild earache is buildup mucus in the middle ear after a cold. This usually clears in a few days. Sometimes pain that one feels in the ear is due to ‘referred pain’ from other causes such as teeth problems.

An ear infection in the context of this discussion means that the ‘middle’ ear is infected, what is referred to as otitis media

in medical parlance; meaning that there is infection in the eardrum and the small space behind the eardrum.

Otitis media is a very common in medical practice. It is a term which describes two conditions which form part of a continuum of disease, acute otitis media, and otitis media with effusion, both of which occur mainly in childhood and may be caused by a bacteria or virus.

Most children will have a self-limiting illness and many will not present to the doctor, a few however will have recurrent or chronic problems and may require further medical referral.

The small space behind the eardrum in the middle ear is normally filled with air and this is connected to the back of the throat by a tiny channel called the Eustachian tube.

As mentioned above, the middle ear space sometimes becomes filled with mucus (fluid),

often during a ‘cold’. The mucus may then become infected by bacteria or viruses. Children with glue ear who have mucus behind their eardrum for several weeks are more prone to ear infections. Sometimes an ear infection occurs ‘out of the blue’ for no apparent reason.

Most bouts of ear infection will clear on their own within 3 days.

The immune system can usually clear bacteria or viruses causing ear infections. However, if these bouts of infection/pain in the ear become too recurrent, it is best to see a doctor for medical evaluation upon which the case will be reviewed for possible referral to an Ear-Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist, who is best trained to handle “beyond-ordinary” cases of earache / infection.

My take on your son’s matter is to seek consultation with an ENT specialist for proper review and treatment.

Best wishes.

T H I S D AY THURSDAY MARCH 31, 2016

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THURSDAY MARCH 31, 2016 • T H I S D AY

INTERNATIONAL

email:foreigndesk@thisdaylive.com

Myanmar Swears in First Democratic President

Myanmar’s first democratic president has been sworn in. Members of Aung San Suu Kyi’s victorious National League for Democracy (NLD) were in tears as the country swore in the president with no military ties in more than half a century.

Htin Kyaw, a close friend and confidant of the Nobel peace prize laureate, was hand-picked by her to run Myanmar’s government because a constitution drafted by the former junta bars the democracy champion

from the top office.

In a short address to the chamber, Htin Kyaw reiterated Suu Kyi’s stance on the importance of changing the 2008 charter, which entrenches the military’s powerful position in politics, and called for national reconciliation.

NLD lawmakers were emotional at the scale of the achievement after decades of struggle, including years when many of them were jailed or, like Suu Kyi herself, put under house arrest. “I couldn’t sleep

last night. Our president U Htin Kyaw’s speech is something we have never heard before in the country,” NLD lawmaker Thiri Yadana, 28, said.

“He promised that he will work for the country with the respect to our leader Aung San Suu Kyi. It’s such a big step and this has happened because everybody pushed together forward.”Relations between the armed forces and Suu Kyi will define the success of Myanmar’s most significant break from military rule since the army

seized power in 1962.

“Our new government will implement national reconciliation, peace in the country, emergence of a constitution that will pave the way to a democratic union, and enhance the living standard of the people,” said Htin Kyaw, sporting the NLD’s traditional burnt orange jacket.

“We have the duty to work for the emergence of a constitution that is appropriate for our country and also in accordance with democratic standards.”

Momentum Slows on Obama’s Nuclear Security Agenda Just as fears of nuclear terrorism are on the rise, President Barack Obama’s U.S.-led drive to lock down all vulnerable atomic materials worldwide risks losing momentum.

Obama will convene a global summit in Washington this week in the aftermath of deadly militant attacks in Brussels that have fueled concern that Islamic State could eventually target nuclear plants and develop radioactive “dirty bombs.”

But despite significant progress in persuading countries to protect

or rid themselves of bombmaking materials, much of the world’s plutonium and enriched uranium remains poorly secured.

At the same time, the effort has been complicated by fresh nuclear advances by North Korea and diplomatic tensions between the United States and Russia.

All of this weighs on Obama’s agenda as he prepares to host world leaders for his fourth and final Nuclear Security Summit on Thursday and Friday. He inaugurated the event nearly six years ago, early in his tenure,

after using his landmark 2009 Prague speech to lay out the goal of eventually ridding the world of nuclear weapons as a central theme of his presidency.

While Obama’s hopes have bumped up against geopolitical reality, the White House is touting a list of nuclear security achievements as he heads into his final 10 months in office.

Arms control advocates commend Obama for his efforts, but many see progress slowing.

“The Nuclear Security Summits have had a positive effect, but the

strategic goal of developijng an effective global nuclear security system remains unachieved,” the Nuclear Threat Initiative, an anti-proliferation watchdog, said in a report.

According to the group’s Nuclear Security Index, which tracks the safety of weapons-usable nuclear materials, the past two years have brought no improvement in a range of measures, including on-site physical protection, security during transport and the ability to recover lost radioactive materials.

Tension had simmered in the run-up to the November election and as the NLD prepared to take power. Suu Kyi wants to demilitarise Myanmar’s politics but effectively needs the support of the military to do so.

The armed forces are guaranteed three ministries and control a quarter of parliamentary seats - enough to give them a veto over constitutional amendments and potentially limit the scope of Suu Kyi’s reforms.

Suu Kyi is poised to steer the government from within, acting as a super-minister overseeing education, foreign affairs, electric power and energy - and the president’s office.

Before Htin Kyaw addressed the parliament, he and two newly elected vice presidents held the junta-drafted constitution in their hands and took the oath simultaneously, repeating after the parliament speaker Mahn Win Khaing Than:

46

T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

CBN to Sell N219 Billion Treasury Bills Nume Ekeghe with agency report Nigeria plans to raise N218.89 billion in short-dated treasury bills on April 7, the Central Bank of Nigeria said on Wednesday.

The bank said it will sell N55.40 billion of three-month and N33.49 billion of six-month bills and N130 billion of one-year debt, using the Dutch auction system. The results of the auction are expected to be released on Thursday.

According to the central bank’s issuing calendar for treasury bills, the same amount of bills on offer will also be due for repayment the day of the auction.

Nigeria issues treasury bills as part of a borrowing plan to finance part of the government budget deficit, help manage liquidity in the banking system and curb inflationary growth.

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the CBN recently raised the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) otherwise

known as the interest rate, to 12 per cent from 11 per cent.

It also increased bank’s Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) to 22.5 per cent from 20 per cent, in a move aimed at tightening liquidity, which the central bank blamed for the current pressure in the foreign exchange market with a strong pass-through to consumer prices. Inflation in the country rose to 11.4 per cent last month, effectively exceeding the CBN’s inflationary ceiling by 240 basis points.

Union Bank Unveils Branches with Improved Technology In line with its resolve to ensure and exceed customer satisfaction, Union Bank Nigeria Plc recently unveiled two more improved branches in Lagos with new technology and superior product offerings.

The new branches, Itire Road, Lawanson branch and Western Avenue branch, both located in Surulere, Lagos, showcased improved technology and superior product offerings aimed at making banking more accessible, simpler and smarter to customers and prospects of the bank.

Speaking at the event, the Transformation Director, Union Bank, Mr. Joe Mbulu, said the essence of the transformation was to show how far the bank cares for its customers, adding that the transformation of the bank began two years ago.

“For us in Union Bank, our

transformation is different, in that, it has more depth and more substance. What we’re doing today is just a celebration of what we commenced two years ago.“ “Basically, we have looked at the technology; we have a new core banking application, our data centre is new, we have a back-up that is live, and there are not many banks that can tell you that, when they have failure, their current data can switch over. We can do that seamlessly.

“And we have transformed the way our people engage the customers. Our customer service is different and testimonials today attest to that point. So, we have looked at the culture of the bank also; we used to be known as an old people’s bank, but I can challenge any customer out there today to

come to Union Bank, they will be awed by the service,” the bank Director assured.

According to Mbulu, Union Bank now has products that address customers ‘needs.

Furthermore, he said the bank’s governance structure has improved significantly, saying that presently at Union Bank things are done faster and more efficiently.

“So, there is a new culture, a new bank, a new way of doing banking which is simple and smarter,” he added.

Giving more insight into some of the new technological improvements in the bank, the Head of Operations and Technology, Union Bank, Mr Lucky Jayaratne, said beyond the transformation of its physical branches, all the bank’s electronic channels have been upgraded.

GCR Rates Wema Bank ‘BBB,’ Stable Outlook The Global Credit Rating agency (GCR) recently concluded its first rating review of Wema Bank Plc. The bank received a long term national rating of “BBB-“ with a stable outlook and a Short term rating of A3.

A statement explained that the rating was similar to the previous ratings issued by Agusto & Co and Fitch Ratings.

This, it said was on the back of sustained financial performance after a successful turnaround of the bank.

“This investment grade rating will be the basis to continue raising debt from the public, building on the success of its Commercial Paper, issued in

the second half of 2015. In an intensely competitive industry that has been rife with profit warnings and downgrades, Wema Bank reported sustained profitable results, which is a testament to the commitment to creating value for all our stakeholders.

“The bank has instituted a strategic plan which is responsible for steering the bank’s focus to become the leading retail bank on the Nigerian banking landscape. The Bank is on course to deliver even better results by the end of 2016. And this is expected to eventually translate to upgrades in its credit ratings.

“Having recently received ap-

proval for national authorisation, the bank is poised to expand its distinct service offerings to strategically chosen business hubs which will add value to the bottom line,” the statement added.

Wema Bank’s 2015 results showed that its total assets grew by four per cent to N397 billion, from N382 billion as at December 2014, while total deposits grew by 10 per cent to N285 billion, from N259 billion as at December. Also, its gross loans and advances increased by 25 per cent to N186 billion, compared with N149 billion the previous year, while its gross earnings were up by 9.5 per cent to N46 billion.

Fashola, Enelamah, Others to Speak at Enugu Investment Summit The Minister of Power, Works & Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola; Minister of Industry, Trade & Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah; and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, have all been confirmed as speakers at the ‘Oganiru’ Enugu State Investment Summit scheduled to hold from April 12 to 14, 2016.

The event will hold in Enugu.

A statement explained that the three-day summit with the theme “Beyond Oil: Fostering Inclusive Economic Growth & Sustainable Development,” is expected to bring together local and international business leaders and

investors, bankers, financiers, the diplomatic community and the academia to explore Enugu’s rich potential – and the entire South-East - in a wide range of industries including agriculture, solid minerals and mining, power generation and distribution, infrastructure and real estate development, tourism and hospitality, education, ICT, media and entertainment.

According to the DirectorGeneral of ‘Oganiru’, who is also the chief executive officer of Afrinvest West Africa Limited, Mr. Ike Chioke, Fashola will deliver the keynote address at the summit, and he will be

speaking on the theme: ‘PublicPrivate-People Partnership for a Vibrant and Inclusive Economy.’

Also, Enelamah, would also speak on the theme: ‘Advancing State Industrialisation through Public Policy’, while Onyeama, will address delegates on the theme: ‘Accelerating Local Economic Growth through International Cooperation’.

Some other confirmed speakers from the private sector include the founder and former Chairman, Diamond Bank Plc, Dr. Pascal Dozie; Emeka Ene of Oildata Energy Group; Prof.

Barth Nnaji of Geometric Powers Limited, among others.

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

NOVEMBER 2014 Broad Money (M2)

16,696,663.77

-- Narrow Money (M1)

6,678,249.30

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,231,005.96

---- Demand Deposits

5,447,243.34

-- Quasi Money

10,018,414.47

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

7,183,427.14

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

9,513,236.63

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

16,353,454.75

---- Credit to Government (Net)

-1,755,121.92

---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA

419,550.98

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

-2,174,672.91

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

18,108,576.68

--Other Assets Net

-6,840,218.12

Reserve Money (Base Money)

5,068,556.90

--Currency in Circulation

1,577,889.36

--Banks Reserves

3,490,667.54 • Source - CBN

MANAGED FUNDS Initial Price (N) Stanbic Balanced Fund

Buying Price(N)

Selling Price

1,660.29

1,685.29

Stanbic IBTC NEF

1,000.00

11,002.32

11,326.67.11

Stanbic SIBond

20

120.47

120.47

Stanbic IBTC Ethical

1

1.10

1.13

Stanbic IBTC GIF

142.90

143.38

UBA Balanced Fund

1.2563

1.2493

UBA Bond Fund

1.3443

1.3443

UBA Equity Fund

0.8205

0.8074

UBA Money Market Fund

1.1510

1.1510

ARM Aggressive Growth Fund

N13.1141

N13.5095

ARM Discovery Fund

N288.9978

N297.7112

ARM Ethical Fund

N22.6462

N23.3290

ARM Money Market Fund

13.1161 (Yield % ) • Monetary Policy Rate - 13%

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT 29 MARCH 2016 The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $34.50 a barrel on Tuesday, compared with $35.48 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations. The new OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Murban (UAE), Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Oriente (Ecuador), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Qatar Marine (Qatar), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia) and Merey (Venezuela).

SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

47

T H I S D AY • thurSDAY, mArch 31, 2016

Nigeria’s top 50 stocks based on market fundamentals

30-Mar-16 29-Mar-16

01 7-Up Bottling Comp. Plc.

% Change

Capitalisation

EPS

P/E

P/S

Div. Yld

Price/ Book Value

153.00

151.59

0.93%

98,010,325,539.00

11.12

13.75

1.26

1.44%

4.09

02 Access Bank Plc.

3.79

3.83

-1.04%

109,637,012,481.49

2.28

1.66

0.53

14.51%

0.30

03 AIICO Insurance Plc.

0.79

0.80

-1.25%

5,474,861,539.20

0.18

4.50

0.21

0.00%

0.42

04 Cadbury Nigeria Plc.

14.77

14.77

0.00%

27,741,044,130.80

3.21

4.61

0.82

8.80%

2.68

05 Cap Plc

38.50

38.50

0.00%

26,950,000,000.00

1.66

23.16

4.05

2.60%

15.33

06 Cement Co. Of North.Nig. Plc

8.17

8.17

0.00%

10,267,057,348.22

0.96

8.55

0.79

1.22%

1.01

07 Continental Reinsurance Plc

0.87

0.91

-4.40%

9,024,287,551.44

0.16

5.46

0.57

11.49%

0.60

08 Custodian And Allied Insurance Plc

3.82

3.82

0.00%

22,468,721,224.90

0.80

4.78

0.89

2.88%

0.87

164.05

162.05

1.23%

2,795,495,239,790.25

10.64

15.42

5.69

4.88%

4.34

10 Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc

5.98

5.98

0.00%

71,760,000,000.00

0.96

6.22

0.71

8.36%

1.23

11 Diamond Bank Plc

1.18

1.18

0.00%

27,329,258,982.24

0.92

1.28

0.14

25.42%

0.12

14.51

14.51

0.00%

266,251,988,129.65

1.39

10.42

0.52

4.27%

0.71

13 FBN Holdings Plc

3.00

3.17

-5.36%

107,685,878,376.00

2.16

1.39

0.27

33.33%

0.19

14 FCMB Group Plc.

0.83

0.80

3.75%

16,436,249,925.82

0.24

3.45

0.11

12.05%

0.10

15 Fidelity Bank Plc

1.38

1.38

0.00%

39,985,219,891.74

0.48

2.86

0.32

10.14%

0.22

16 Fidson Healthcare Plc

2.53

2.53

0.00%

3,795,000,000.00

0.63

3.99

0.17

16.60%

0.59

19.40

18.54

4.64%

50,910,201,427.80

1.84

10.54

0.15

10.31%

0.50

293.23

293.23

0.00%

381,926,533,832.69

4.45

65.92

3.06

1.18%

8.25

19 Glaxo Smithkline Consumer Nig. Plc.

24.98

24.98

0.00%

29,872,994,670.24

0.81

30.95

0.98

1.20%

2.27

20 Guaranty Trust Bank Plc.

14.48

14.44

0.28%

426,163,475,163.52

3.38

4.29

1.86

12.22%

1.03

105.75

108.93

-2.92%

159,247,675,881.00

0.78

135.88

3.20

0.00%

3.56

1.44

1.44

0.00%

11,419,484,627.52

0.14

10.19

0.23

11.11%

0.53

23 International Breweries Plc.

19.00

19.00

0.00%

62,590,736,320.00

0.64

29.73

3.38

1.32%

5.19

24 Julius Berger Nig. Plc.

41.50

41.50

0.00%

54,780,000,000.00

1.33

31.12

0.41

3.61%

2.26

25 Lafarge Africa Plc.

79.00

77.00

2.60%

359,837,242,990.00

5.93

13.33

1.35

3.80%

2.04

1.87

1.87

0.00%

19,635,000,000.00

0.16

11.81

1.18

2.67%

1.00

156.00

156.00

0.00%

56,252,860,872.00

13.51

11.54

0.88

3.85%

3.66

7.08

6.60

7.27%

18,758,023,716.24

0.79

8.91

1.16

7.77%

2.65

700.00

700.00

0.00%

554,859,376,400.00

29.95

23.38

3.67

4.14%

14.60

4.00

4.00

0.00%

6,496,875,000.00

0.34

11.79

0.76

5.00%

1.07

107.00

111.83

-4.32%

848,413,795,016.00

5.37

19.93

3.07

3.36%

4.98

3.99

3.98

0.25%

48,018,129,387.06

0.50

7.98

0.08

18.80%

0.30

33 Okomu Oil Palm Plc.

31.42

31.42

0.00%

29,971,852,200.00

2.25

13.99

3.38

3.18%

1.22

34 P Z Cussons Nigeria Plc.

22.71

23.90

-4.98%

90,169,533,691.95

1.10

20.70

1.25

5.72%

2.14

35 Presco Plc

34.60

34.60

0.00%

34,600,000,000.00

3.28

10.55

3.05

0.29%

1.54

0.50

0.50

0.00%

5,664,866,202.00

4.68

0.11

0.02

0.00%

1.89

310.00

300.00

3.33%

171,526,197,030.00

23.48

13.20

1.52

2.57%

0.61

0.92

0.92

0.00%

12,769,877,297.20

0.85

1.08

0.09

32.61%

0.09

15.00

15.00

0.00%

150,000,000,000.00

2.04

7.37

1.27

0.67%

1.34

1.55

1.63

-4.91%

44,625,148,095.30

0.36

4.34

0.40

5.81%

0.47

146.50

146.50

0.00%

49,739,949,120.50

12.41

11.80

0.21

6.14%

4.03

1.11

1.16

-4.31%

42,980,307,141.75

0.04

29.76

1.05

4.50%

0.49

20.00

20.48

-2.34%

38,417,287,740.00

3.62

5.52

0.48

8.75%

0.55

4.61

4.61

0.00%

7,923,437,476.95

1.81

2.55

0.71

15.18%

0.24

29.25

29.50

-0.85%

110,661,415,312.50

0.32

92.81

1.87

4.27%

13.83

46 United Bank for Africa Plc

3.23

3.96

-18.43%

117,182,870,020.06

1.64

1.96

0.37

18.58%

0.35

47 Unity Bank Plc

0.67

0.70

-4.29%

7,831,856,421.14

0.54

1.23

0.12

0.00%

0.09

48 Wapic Insurance Plc

0.50

0.50

0.00%

6,691,369,124.00

0.10

5.16

0.94

6.00%

0.45

49 Wema Bank Plc.

0.79

0.76

3.95%

31,195,814,838.27

0.06

13.40

0.68

0.00%

0.69

50 Zenith Bank Plc

10.96

11.31

-3.09%

344,105,571,894.56

3.37

3.26

0.80

16.42%

0.58

09 Dangote Cement Plc

12 Ecobank Transnational Incorporated

17 Flour Mills Nig. Plc. 18 Forte Oil Plc.

21 Guinness Nig Plc 22 Honeywell Flour Mill Plc

26 Mansard Insurance Plc 27 Mobil Oil Nig Plc. 28 National Salt Co. Nig. Plc 29 Nestle Nigeria Plc. 30 Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc 31 Nigerian Brew. Plc. 32 Oando Plc

36 Resort Savings & Loans Plc 37 Seplat Petroleum Dev. Co. Ltd. 38 Skye Bank Plc 39 Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc 40 Sterling Bank Plc. 41 Total Nigeria Plc. 42 Transnational Corporation Of Nigeria Plc 43 U A C N Plc. 44 UACN Property Development Co. Limited 45 Unilever Nigeria Plc.

TOTAL

8,023,551,903,821.00

TOTAL MARKET CAP

8,649,508,663,299.79

% OF MARKET CAP Annotation - MA* = Simple Moving Average

92.76%

Table 1 Market Statistics Mkt Indicators NSE All Share Index NSE Market Cap (N'Trillion) Thisday BGL 50 Index Thisday BGL 50 Market Cap (N'Trillion)

O5pen 29-Mar-16

Close 30-Mar-16

Change %

25,277.29 8.69

25,145.28 8.65

-0.52% -0.52%

103.60 8.07

103.05 8.02

-0.54% -0.54%

Table 3 Top 5 Gainers Stock

O5pen Close Change % 29-Mar-16 30-Mar-16

National Salt Co. Nig. Plc Flour Mills Nig. Plc. Wema Bank Plc. FCMB Group Plc. Seplat Petroleum Dev. Co. Ltd.

6.60 18.54 0.76 0.80 300.00

7.08 19.40 0.79 0.83 310.00

7.27% 4.64% 3.95% 3.75% 3.33%

Table 4 Top 5 Losers Stock

O5pen Close Change % 29-Mar-16 30-Mar-16

United Bank for Africa Plc FBN Holdings Plc P Z Cussons Nigeria Plc. Sterling Bank Plc. Continental Reinsurance Plc

3.96 3.17 23.90 1.63 0.91

3.23 -18.43% 3.00 -5.36% 22.71 -4.98% 1.55 -4.91% 0.87 -4.40%

Market Index sheds 0.52% due to high sell pressure Market pulse on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) today - Wednesday, March 30th, 2016, was negative as the market closed red due to profit taking opportunity provided by the 2015 full year earnings announcement by company’s coupled with dividend declaration to the delight of some investors. This was further highlighted by negative performance from the NSE Sub sectors; Banking, Insurance, and Consumer Goods (Save Oil & Gas). Trading activities increased in volume as 504.21 million shares worth N2.139 billion in 3,374 deals exchanged hands today. This is an increase from the 282.7 million shares worth N2.647 billion in 3,225 deals carried out on Tuesday. Topping in volume terms was Livestock Feeds Plc, Sterling Bank Plc and United Capital Plc, while Guaranty Trust Bank Plc and Nigerian Breweries Plc ended trading as the most active stocks in value terms.

The All Share Index (NSEASI) closed negative with a 0.52% (-132.01) decrease to 25,145.28 from 25,277.29 the previous trading day. Market Capitalization depreciated in tandem to N8.65 trillion from N8.69 trillion of prior trading day. The Thisday BGL 50 Index followed suit with 0.54% decrease to close at 103.05 from 103.60 the previous trading day, while its market capitalization stood at 8.02 trillion from N8.07 trillion of the previous trading day.

A total number of 15 stocks gained on the bourse today while 23 stocks declined, leaving 139 stocks unchanged. National Salt Co. Nig. Plc emerged the toast of investors as it topped the Thisday BGL 50 Index gainers’ list with a gain of 7.27% to close at N7.08 per share. It was followed Flour Mills Nig. Plc with a gain of 4.64% to close at N19.40 per share.

Others on the gainers list include: Wema Bank Plc, FCMB Group Plc and Seplat Petroleum Dev. Co. Ltd, while on the decliners’ list; United Bank for Africa Plc led with a loss of 18.43% to close at N3.23 per share.

It was followed by FBN Holdings Plc with a loss of 5.36% to close at N3.00 per share. Others on the losers list include; P Z Cussons Nigeria Plc, Sterling Bank Plc and Continental Reinsurance Plc.

REQUIRED DISCLOSURE This report has been prepared by BGL Plc. BGL Plc does and seeks to do business with companies covered in its research reports. As a result, the firm may have a conflict of interest that could affect the objectivity of this report. Investors should use this report as one of many other factors in making their investment decisions.

For more details go to www.thisdaylive.com

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

MARKET NEWS

FCMB Groups’ Profit After Tax Dips 78% to N4.8 Billion Goddy Egene and Eromosele Abiodun In line with its earlier profit warning, FCMB Group Plc reported a dip of 78 per cent in profit after tax (PAT) for the year ended December 31, 2015. FCMB Group had informed capital market stakeholders that they should expect weaker performance due to spike in impairments

particularly in the energy sector and the significant reduction in trade finance-related revenues due to foreign exchange illiquidity.

When the bank released its audited results for the year yesterday, it reported a PAT of N4.8 billion, compared to N22.1 billion in 2014. FCMB’s revenue was up by three per cent to N152.5 billion in 2015, as against N148.6 billion in 2014.

However, net interest income decreased by 12 per cent to N63.9 billion, compared to N72.6 billion in the previous year.

Impairment charges rose by 42 per cent from N10.6 billion to N15 billion.

Commenting on the financial results, Managing Director of FCMB Group Plc, Mr. Peter Obaseki, said: “Full year 2015 result, came in with profit after

tax of N4.8 billion, although underlying top-line and sustainable revenue momentum remains strong and in line with our strategic thrust. Key soundness ratios, including liquidity and capital buffers, were maintained in a rather challenging operating environment within all the operating companies. The clear and direct future challenge is to unlock

more value to shareholders by tackling operational efficiencies and accelerating the pace of momentum, not just in the bank but also microfinance and wealth management.”

In his comments, the Group Managing Director/CEO, First City Monument Bank Limited, a key subsidiary of FCMB Group Plc, Mr. Ladi Balogun, said: “The commercial and retail

STOCK MARKET REPORT T H E

N I G E R I A N

STO C K

E XC H A N G E

banking arm of the group saw a significant drop in profitability for the full year to N6.5 billion PBT, following the impairments from two significant defaulting obligors reported in our Q3 audited results. The full year’s performance was also adversely affected by a 44 per cent drop in foreign exchange income and a 12 per cent drop in net interest income.”

T H I S D AY

• THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016

49

APC CAMPAIGN PROMISES

SPECIAL REPORT

Odigie-Oyegun

untapped human and material potential in the country. It also recognised the role the private sector would play in ensuring this. And that was why the party stated it would “undertake an urgent review of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) enabling environment with a view to addressing the legal, regulatory and operational challenges including introducing enabling legislation where necessary.

In addition, we shall create a National Infrastructural Development Bank to provide loans at nominal interest rates exclusively for this sector to help rebuild our infrastructure and provide gainful employment.”

On power, the party promised to “generate, transmit and distribute from the current capacity of between 5,000 and 6,000 MW to at least 20,000 MW of electricity within four years and increasing that to 50,000 MW with a view to achieving 24/7 uninterrupted power supply within ten years, whilst simultaneously ensuring development of sustainable/renewable energy.”

The target, according to the party, was to achieve 10,000 megawatts of electricity by the end of the 2016. And at the end of its first term, it would have increased capacity to 20,000 megawatts. However, with power dropping to less than 3,000 megawatts recently, it remains to be seen how the party would achieve its target of 10,000 megawatts in 2016. But beyond this was the increase in tariff when there was no corresponding increase in power generation. The minister of power, works and housing, Babatunde Fashola, had announced there was no going back on the tariff hike.

National Integration: Nigerians Yet to See Action…

The campaign has been ongoing for quite a while now that the aspect of state of origin is removed from personal forms for any purpose by Nigerians. The aim is to increase national integration and unity.

The APC seemed to agree with this when it wrote in its manifesto that it would “initiate policies to ensure that Nigerians are free to live and work in any part of the country by removing state of origin, tribe, ethnic and religious affiliations from documentation requirements in our identification of citizens and replace these with State of Residence and fashion out the appropriate minimal qualification for obtaining such a state of residency, nationwide.”

The party also promised to “balance the Nigerian economy across regions by the creation of 6 Regional Economic

Tinubu

Development Agencies (REDAs) to act as sub-regional hubs in order to promote healthy regional competitiveness; Put in place a N300billion Regional Growth Fund with an average of N50billion in each geo-political region; to be managed by the REDAs, to encourage private sector enterprises and to support places currently reliant only on the public sector, to migrate to a private sector reality.”

While these ideas remain very laudable, nothing seems to be happening as per their implementation; especially the one on removal of state of origin from forms which will enable Nigerians to feel at home wherever they live and also seek elective positions based on residency and not indigeneship. In the same vein, many Nigerians will want to know when the Regional Economic Development Agencies will be set up.

Women Empowerment: Not yet Morning on Creation Day Recently, Senator OluremiTinubu, wife of the national leader of the APC, Senator Bola Tinubu, lamented on the floor of the Senate that the present government has failed the women population. According to her, women have not got a fair deal despite their contributions to the victory of APC. The death knell of gender equity and removal of all legal barriers against woman empowerment was sounded on the floor of that same Senate, controlled by the APC, when the bill seeking gender equality was killed after first reading. Yet, in its manifesto, the APC promised to “guarantee that women are adequately represented in government appointments and provide greater opportunities in education, job creation and economic

The death knell of gender equity and removal of all legal barriers against woman empowerment was sounded on the floor of that same Senate, controlled by the APC, when the bill seeking gender equality was killed after first reading

empowerment.” It also promised to “recognise and protect women empowerment and gender equality with special emphasis on economic activities in development and in rural areas” and also “promote the concept of reserving a minimum number of seats in the National Assembly for women.”Perhaps, all these will be achieved before 2019.

Health: Hope Tempered by Reality…

APC promised to “prioritise the reduction of the infant mortality rate by 2019 to 3%; reduce maternal mortality by more than 70%; reduce HIV/AIDs infection rate by 50% and other infectious diseases by 75%; improve life expectancy by additional 10 years on the average through our national healthy living programme.”

Apparently aware that there is a dearth of medical personnel, especially medical doctors, the party vowed to “increase the number of physicians from 19 per 1000 (persons) to 50 per 1000; increase national health expenditure per person per annum to about N50, 000 (from less than N10, 000 currently)” and also “increase the quality of all federal governmentowned hospitals to world-class standard within five years.” The party also promised to “invest in cutting edge technology such as telemedicine in all major health centers in the country through active investment and partnership programmes with the private sector” and also “provide free ante-natal care for pregnant women, free health care for babies and children up to school going age and for the aged and free treatment for those afflicted with infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.” While all these are laudable, they remain very tall orders in the sense that for the number of doctors to be increased, the needed incentives that will make them embrace public jobs have to be there. The Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, which is the umbrella body of doctors, has been at loggerheads with successive administrations over their conditions of service. Will the Buhari administration bury the ghost of industrial unrest in that critical sector and save that critical sector? It remains to be seen.

Foreign Policy: When Practice is at Variance with Promise…

Nigeria has been known to make West Africa and Africa as the central focus of its foreign policy. Apart from

this, the country is also known to be part of the Non-Aligned Movement during the cold war between the now defunct USSR and the USA. APC seemed ready to continue with this foreign policy mindset when it promised to “make regional integration a priority within ECOWAS including free trade with a view to ensuring that a common tariff and currency are achieved by 2020 under Nigeria’s guidance and leadership” and also “maintain strong, close and frank relationships within the Gulf of Guinea, the Commonwealth, South Africa and the rest of the world.”

The party also explained that a government on its platform would “establish a new special relationship with the leading emerging markets like Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) and other strategic partners around the world.”

It however remains to be seen how far the government controlled by the party is ready to go in pursuit of these foreign policies. First, the president announced the country has joined the Islamic Coalition Force, amidst controversy, which was set up by Saudi Arabia. Many analysts have been wondering why Nigeria would join a coalition which many Middle East countries did not join. Apart from this, the country remains a secular state and such a sensitive decision should not have been taken without widespread consultations and approval by the National Assembly.

Battling Between Hope and Reality While the APC-led government could be criticised for dilly-dallying in fulfilling some of its electoral promises, it is also obvious that the party has had to deal with a lot of challenges, especially in the area of falling oil prices which have made fiscal projections almost impossible.

Apart from this was the unusual delay in forming a cabinet that would have helped the president achieve these promises. Out of 48 months of its mandate, it took almost six months for the president to form a cabinet and by that time, Nigerians had become so impatient to the extent that many were asking if the APC as a party ever expected to win the last presidential election.

However, the cabinet is now in place and now is the time for the likes of Adamu, the motorcyclist, to reap the gains of his incessant shouts of ‘Sai Baba’ ‘Sai Buhari’ during the campaigns.

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THURSDAY MARCH 31, 2016 • T H I S D AY

NEWSEXTRA

Nigeria’s Promise Turns to Peril as Investors Head for the Exit The promise of Africa’s biggest economy has turned to peril.

Companies drawn to Nigeria by the prospect of a population bigger than Germany and Turkey’s combined are retreating; those staying have publicly criticised the president, a military strongman in the 1980s who came back to power via an election last year; and foreign investors are pulling their money out.

The corporate tribulations that began with a slide in oil prices and accelerated after the imposition of capital controls are also entangled in a global emerging-market slump. In propping up the naira in a futile bid to contain inflation, officials have jacked up pressure on an economy running out of cash, deepening a black market in currency trading and causing shortages of imported goods from fuel to milk. United States officials said they will press their Nigerian counterparts to change tack during talks in Washington this week.

“Our clients, Fortune 500 and other multinationals, are all quite concerned by the state Nigeria finds itself in,” said Alexa Lion, a senior analyst at Washington-based Frontier Strategy Group, which advises companies looking at developing nations. “Sentiment has worsened. There’s a lot of anxiety.”

Frustration too.

After four years trying to gain traction, Truworths International Limited., a South African clothing retailer, last month gave up.

It closed its last two outlets in Nigeria, in the southeastern cities of Enugu and Warri. Willing to tolerate dilapidated infrastructure, complicated red tape and expensive rent, the company said the import and foreign-exchange restrictions caused it to throw in the towel.

‘Impossible’ “We were happy to lose money for a few years while we developed the business and opened new stores,” Chief Executive Officer Michael Mark said in an interview.

“The straw that broke the camel’s back was not being able to get stock into Nigeria. You can’t have a clothes shop with no clothes. With all the other things, it just wasn’t worth it. It was impossible to do business.”

Nigeria’s appeal has faded as the price of oil, source of 90 per cent of export earnings, has crashed. Growth slumped to 2.8 per cent last year, the slowest since 1999, and will decelerate to two per cent in 2016, according to Morgan Stanley. In dollar terms, the economy in 2019 will still be 17 per cent smaller than its 2014 peak of $542 billion. Only two years ago, McKinsey & Co. said Nigeria had the potential to grow 7.1 per cent annually until 2030 and build a $1.6 trillion economy.

As Nigeria lags, other countries in sub-Saharan Africa have gotten more appealing. Last month, Nigeria fell from first to fourth, behind Ivory Coast, Kenya and Tanzania, in a ranking of business

VIEW FROM ABROAD prospects by the research unit of Nielsen Holdings Plc. Portfolio investors including Aberdeen Asset Management Plc and Ashmore Group Plc, which together oversee about $450 billion of assets, have retreated from Nigerian markets. The main stock index is down 10 per cent this year, while the MSCI Frontier Markets Index has lost 2.8 per cent. Nigeria’s local-currency bonds are the only ones among 31 emerging markets tracked by Bloomberg to have generated aloss this year. Foreign direct investment this year is set to be the lowest since the 2008-09 global financial crisis, according to data from the central bank.

For now, President Muhammadu

Buhari and Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, say they aren’t budging from their strong-naira policy. While both acknowledge that businesses are struggling to source enough dollars, Buhari says that a devaluation and easing of capital controls would be akin to “murdering” the naira and send prices up. That’s already happening as manufacturers struggle to buy foreign inputs, with inflation accelerating to a three-year high of 11.4 per cent in February.

Markets are betting Nigeria will be forced to follow oil exporters from Russia to Kazakhstan and Mexico and let the currency weaken.

While the naira has been all but pegged at 197-199 per dollar since

March 2015, forward prices suggest it will drop 29 percent to 280 in a year. The black market rate has weakened to 320.

Bruno Witvoet, the Africa President of Unilever, whose Nigerian subsidiary has seen its shares plunge 31 per cent since Buhari came to power, said it would be “very insane” for the country to persist with the currency policies.

Nestle SA says its local unit, which has fallen 18 percent in that period, has had to widen the number of banks it uses so that it can access enough foreign exchange.

Not all companies are gloomy.

In January, Coca-Cola Co. agreed to pay about $240 million for a 40 per cent stake in Chi Limited, which is based in Lagos, and makes fruit juice and dairy products. Boston Consulting Group this month opened its first office in Nigeria.

“It’s an immense market,” said Geoffrey White, CEO for Africa at Kuwait-based Agility Public Warehousing Co K.S.C., which plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars building four warehouse and logistics parks in Lagos and the capital Abuja by 2020. “You can’t really have an African policy without having Nigeria high up on the list.”

For Frontier Strategy Group’s Lion, Nigeria is too important for foreign companies to exit en masse.

“But a lot will depend on what happens with the currency,” she said. “For now, the opportunity cost of not being there is too high. That could change if the currency situations worsens.

It’s definitely a pivotal time.”

•Culled from Bloomberg

FG to Nigerians: We are Working Hard to RelieveYour Pains Iyobosa Uwugiaren in Abuja

stations and the backlog are making it impossible to immediately feel The federal government has said the impact ‘’Monitoring has also been it is keenly aware of the difficulties that Nigerians are currently facing intensified to ensure full compliance over the lingering fuel scarcity and with approved prices.

Violations of approved prices poor power supply, and that it is working round the clock to provide and hoarding of petroleum products attract severe penalties, including the relief for the citizenry.

‘Speaking through the giving out of petroleum products Minister of Information, Lai free to the public, sealing off of Mohammed, he said as a fuel stations found to be hoarding government that was propelled petroleum products, payment of into office by the power of the fine as well as withdrawal of a people, it cannot but feel the pains marketer’s licence,’’ he said.

Mohammed said that in of the compatriots, and deeply the medium term, the supply empathise with them.

“Our message to our compatriots constraints due to foreign exchange is that this administration, under challenges are being resolved through the able leadership of President collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on innovative Muhammadu Buhari, is working round the clock to ease the pains ways of closing the gaps in accessing of Nigerians, and that very soon, foreign exchange.

He also announced the willingness the efforts of the government will begin to yield fruits for the benefit of of the international upstream oil Nigerians,’’ he said inAbuja yesterday. companies to support major oil Mohammed said the government marketing companies with some of was aware that Nigerians had the required foreign exchange, thus started questioning the genuiness complementingtheeffortsoftheNNPC of its change agenda, adding: which has been solely importing the ‘’We understand the skepticism of refined products, in addition to the Nigerians in questioning whether fact that the corporation is pursuing this indeed is the change they an improved model for ‘crude oil voted for. I can tell Nigerians that for refined product’ exchange to our change agenda is real, and that eliminate inefficiencies. ‘’The ultimate is to ensure self indeed Nigerians will get the change sufficiency in refined products supply they voted for.’’

On the fuel situation, the minister by ramping up our local refining said immediate measures were capacity. All local refineries will be being taken to end the scarcity made to run at a minimum 70 per while medium and long term cent capacity utilisation in the weeks solutions were being worked out ahead. This is in addition to the initiative of increasing the combined to prevent a recurrence. ‘’Petroleum supply and capacity of the domestic refineries distribution have been ramped up through co-locating smaller but cost across the country by the NNPC to efficient modular refineries within ensure product availability in the the existing refineries premises,’’ country, but repeated trips to filling the minister said.

STRATEGIC RETREAT

R-L: Speaker, Yobe State House of Assembly, Hon. Adamu DalaDogo; Governor Ibrahim Gaidam; and Head of Regional Office, DFID Nigeria, Mr. Robert Watt, during the opening ceremony of a two-day retreat for the State Executive Council, legislators and senior government functionaries, in Abuja....yesterday

TSA Implementation Crippling University System, ASUU Cries out Peace Obi The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has revealed that the blanket implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy by all federal governmentowned institutions is crippling the efforts the institutions to deliver on their set objectives.

The Zonal Coordinator, ASUU Lagos Zone, Dr. Adesola Nassir, who made this revelation during a press briefing by the Union at the Lagos State University (LASU) yesterday noted that the Union had taken into cognisance, the peculiarities of the university setting and operations before it earlier urged the FG to remove the universities from the TSA implementation.

Stressing that the Union had no objection to the government’s effort in ensuring accountability and transparency in the management of nation’s resources through the TSA policy, he noted that ASUU was certain that the policy would rob the universities of the opportunity for short, medium and long-time

planning.

“Our Union, without any reservation, aligns with the government in its zeal to ensure accountability and transparency in the management of the nation’s resources. We however observe that the procedure will introduce heavy encumbrances into the functioning of the universities and may indeed become a burden on the system due to its peculiarities,” he said.

Enumerating some of the consequences of the TSA to include shortfall in personnel cost, unavailability of funds for academic research, trapped local research funds, inaccessibility of funds from international funding agencies as result of the bottleneck created by the operations of the policy, among others “In recent times, one of the consequences of the failure of government to heed our Union’s call has started to manifest on the system, especially in Federal-owned universities. It has now become the norm for the FG through its ministry of finance to release less

than the amount needed to pay staff salaries on monthly basis. We are at a loss on the basis for this affront on the system. This shortfall in personnel cost started around December and has remained so till date.

“The consequences is that our universities are now unable to pay staff salaries. Some are paying ‘net’ salaries, which implies that deductions into staff savings, cooperatives, unions, among others are not remitted.

Speaking further, Nassir said, “Another fundamental challenge with the universities is the frustration being encountered in the funding of research by universities. Local research funds have become trapped while funds from international funding agencies are also rendered unavailable by certain bottleneck created by the operations of the policy.

Citing some of the institutions battling with different issues arising from the TSA implementation, Nassir said, “At University of

Agriculture, Abeokuta (UNAAB), funds administered by the university for certain programme spanning five African countries are trapped. Similar developments reign at University of Lagos. At this rate, Nigerian universities and researchers may be blacklisted.

This development will also frustrate access to international grants, Nassir declared.

The Zonal Coordinator who said the union considers the present predicament being faced by the universities as a direct attack on the running of the institutions, said it was universally known that staffing and research expenses are generally in a flux due to the dynamism of programme and research request.

“The recent developments are no doubt distracting Nigerian universities from the renewed efforts to place them within the first tier of global visibility, Nassir said.

Commenting on the tranquility being experienced the Lagos State University, the ASUU-LASU Chairman, Dr. Adekunle Idris noted that LASU is back to life.

THURSDAY MARCH 31, 2016 • T H I S D AY

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NEWSEXTRA

Petrol Scarcity: Kachikwu, IPMAN Agree on Major Intervention Measures Minister reconciles warring factions

Chineme Okafor andPaul Obi inAbuja The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu and members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) have reached an agreement which would see IPMAN play a major role in the distribution of petrol to the hinterlands and state capitals in Nigeria, THISDAY learnt yesterday.

It was gathered from the General Secretary of IPMAN, Mr. Danladi Pasali, in Abuja said that the meeting which led to the agreement was held on Tuesday.

Pasali said that parts of what was agreed at the Tuesday meeting included Kachikwu’s acceptance to grant fuel import allocation licenses to IPMAN members with capacity to import petrol; improve petrol supplies to IPMAN-operated filling stations, as well as provide credit facilities for reliable members of the association.

The spokesperson of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Garuba Deen Mohammed, confirmed to THISDAY that the meeting held.

He also confirmed some of the agreements that were reached at the meeting including Kachikwu’s mediation and settlement of the lingering differences in the association.

“We are happy to tell you that yesterday, we had a meeting with the minister,” Pasali said.

He further said: “What we agreed is that he has now seen the importance of working with IPMAN and he has now agreed to give massive products to IPMAN members nationwide and he has also agreed to issue out importation licenses to IPMAN members which had been the practice in the past.”

Pasali claimed that IPMAN has the largest distribution facility in the country and as such was in a better position to work with Kachikwu to end the petrol scarcity which has continued to bite hard in city centres and fringes of the federal capital city, Abuja.

According to him: “You know that IPMAN controls 80 per cent of the downstream sector? We have also agreed to monitor our members to ensure that these products go to the nooks and crannies.

Pasali also talked about the decision of the meeting as it relates with the divergent ex-depot price of petrol which IPMAN had overtime complained about.

He said: “As at yesterday (Tuesday), we told him directly the problems we are having with the ex-depot price of petrol and that is that prior to yesterday meeting, 80 per cent of products was given to major and NNPC retail outlets and we have to be very frank and straightforward that we buy most of the products from third party and not at the ex-depot price.

“If he now agrees to give us

Current fuel scarcity is deliberate, NLC tells FG

directly, we are also going to monitor our members to comply with the government price, now that the minister has agreed to work with us, we have directed our members that anybody that loads NNPC products must sell at government approved price.”

On Monday, the NNPC said that it has set out long and short term strategic plans to end the petrol scarcity. These plans according to the corporation include ramping up of local refining, co-location of refineries by the existing ones, discussion with private investors to upgrade the efficiency of the country’s products transportation and storage facilities, as well as President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval of it to take additional crude oil volume to guarantee national supply of petrol.

The IPMAN scribe also spoke on Kachikwu’s disclosure to the

Senate that he plans to invite two international companies such as Shell and Chevron, to manage the Kaduna and Warri refineries.

Meanwhile, THISDAY observed that the lingering scarcity has affected the cost of transportation in Abuja.

A random sampling of residents’ expenditure on transportation in the last few weeks revealed that there were significant increases in transportation costs in the city.

It was gathered that fares to some places which used to cost N500 now costs N700, while that of commercial cabs that run from Wuse to Gwarinpa at N150 is now N200, and from Wuse to Maitama which was N100 is now N150.

Meanwhile, as fuel scarcity bites harder across the country, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday said the current scarcity

was deliberate to create different options such as privatisation and promote the interest of the business community.

The body accused the federal government of using the backdoor to create artificial scarcity in order to throw up options that fit into its planned privatisation strategy, a move; the NLC said was not in the best interest of Nigerians.

NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, in an exclusive interview with THISDAY, explained that the on-going fuel scarcity was a big disappointment and shame to the government, and failure on its earlier promises.

Wabba said: “It is deliberately to create scarcity that the present situation has remained. This particular scarcity is deliberate; government has no taken a proactive action to stop scarcity, so it’s deliberate.

They have not done enough to prevent this scarcity.”

He decried the untold hardship Nigerians are forced to undergo due to the shoddiness of government in petroleum products distribution, stressing that, until government approach the current scarcity with all seriousness, the situation will remain dire.

The NLC president also maintained that the continuous excuses by Minister of State for Petroleum; Dr Ibe Kachukwu on the scarcity amounted to disservice to the nation, considering that, Nigeria should not be found in such critical situation.

Wabba stated: “It is about people taking responsibility, if he cannot handle it, those things can be handled effectively. The excuses the minister is giving, I don’t think Nigerians can continue to bear such excuses,” he said.

Security Operatives Halt Shiite Procession in Katsina Ibrahim Shuaibu inKatsina A combined team of security operatives yesterday prevented members of the Shiite group from their annual procession of Maulud in Katsina State.

The Shiite members were about to converge on the Katsina Central mosque to commence the procession when the joint security operatives hurriedly halted the move.

THISDAY observed that stern looking security operatives barricaded the entrance to the mosque and dismantled podium said to have been mounted inside the mosque by the Shiite members.

Sources revealed that the procession was an annual event to mark the Maulud celebration in commemoration of the birth of Fatima, the Prophet’s daughter.

A member of the sect who

spoke under anonymity, said: “The procession is an annual event that starts from the central mosque and moves around townbeforeconverging on the mosques for a sermon.”

Inhisreactiontothescenario,Governor Aminu Bello Masari, who promised that his administration would not trample on the rights of any citizen, urged them to appreciate the fact that their rights stop where the rights of others begin.

Masari warned that his administration would not fold it arms and watch any group take over public places for their own use.

Also speaking , the leader of the Shiitegroupinthestate,YakubuYahaya, described the action of the security operatives as unfortunate.

Yakubu insisted that “Virtually all the security operatives were drawn to the Central Mosque venue of the celebration.”

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T H I S D AY •THURSDAY MARCH 31, 2016

THURSDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

NIGERIA’S AFCON 2017 ELIMINATION

Pinnick: I Will Not Resign, Focus Now on Russia 2018 Siasia’s future to be determined next week

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Amaju Pinnick, has said that he would not resign amid public outcry and flak that have trailed the failure of the Super Eagles to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon next year.

His uncompromising stance is against the grain that it was under his watch that Nigeria missed two consecutive Africa Cup of Nations finals, a setback that is unprecedented in the nation’s football history.

Following the 1-0 loss to Egypt in Alexandria on Tuesday, the Super

Eagles will now miss the plane to Gabon 2017 in same manner they were absent at the event in Equatorial Guinea in 2015.

Pinnick, who briefed Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, shortly after the chartered flight that took the delegation to Alexandria arrived in Abuja, addressed reporters yesterday.

He vowed not to resign, saying he was legally elected by the Nigerian football congress.

In addition, Pinnick insisted the executive committee he headed deserves commendation as the country excelled across boards at international football competitions,

Pinnick

Siasia: We Are Very Disappointed with the Elimination Nigeria’s interim coach, Samson Siasia, has expressed disappointment with the country’s elimination from next year’s AFCON, saying his team was “broken” and unlucky to be outscored by the Pharaohs.

“We are very disappointed.

We couldn’t do it,” said a very sober Siasia on arrival in Abuja from Alexandria Wednesday morning “We inherited a broken team, but we worked so hard, but it was not to be.

“I’m proud of the boys. We were not lucky right from the first game in Kaduna. And God knows why.

“We thank Nigerians for their support.”

Olympic team coach Siasia

took charge of the team a month ago in temporary capacity after Sunday Oliseh quit citing lack of support from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and several violations to his three-year contract.

Siasia

particularly in youth football.

He said he was not giving excuses but was rather more determined in righting the wrongs that happened by focusing on the Olympic football in Brazil in August.

“I am not going to resign. I don’t think we have done very badly. When you are in a battle field you don’t retreat as whoever comes in will have to begin from where you started: he might run into the same pit. I was elected by the Nigerian football congress and have a mandate for four years. Our template is there to take football forward 100 per cent,” Pinnick declared.

While attributing the loss to Egypt to destiny, Pinnick said the federation would now concentrate on qualifying for the FIFA World Cup finals in Russia in 2018 by liaison with their agents to utilise the two available windows in June by organising friendly matches for the national team.

Pinnick said an expansive consultative forum will also meet Dalung on Tuesday to determine the future of interim coach, Samson Siasia, who handled the team in the two games against Egypt, or decide whether Nigeria should hire a foreign coach on a long term-term basis.

He attributed the misfortunes of football to the doorstep of former President Goodluck Jonathan. The NFF chief said it was the former

president who prevailed on the board to reverse its decision not to hire former coach Stephen Keshi for a second spell with Eagles after he failed to qualify Nigeria for AFCON 2015.

to the Egypt Air A320 that was hijacked and diverted to Cyprus.

After the Egyptian authority was notified, a round the clock surveillance was put on the Eagles’ plane before their departure.

Super Eagles players in sober mood after they lost the match to Egypt last Tuesday

Cuper: We Capitalised on Eagles’ Weaknesses Egypt’s Head Coach, Hector Cuper has revealed his side exploited Nigeria’s weaknesses to win 1-0 in Tuesday’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Alexandria.

“I am very happy that we are on the verge of qualification to the African Cup of Nations. I am especially proud of managing this group of players who fought on the pitch for 90 minutes to secure the win for Egypt,” Cuper said after the bloody clash with Nigeria on Tuesday night.

“I am happy with my players’ fighting spirit. They did their best since they love their national team a lot.”

The Egypt manager also highlighted the team’s counterattack plans against the Samson Siasia led team which worked well

While thanking God for the safe trip back home from the reverse fixture in Egypt, Pinnick disclosed that the chartered flight that conveyed the team to Alexandria was packed next

for the Pharaohs.

“We played very well in the first half. The second half was not as good as the first, but that normally happens when you come against a tough opponent like Nigeria,” he concluded.

Cuper

Eagles Get $400 for Egypt Trip It has been revealed that each player of the Super Eagles received $400 as allowances from cashstrapped Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for their trip to Alexandria, Egypt.

This was far short of $1,000 each player usually received as allowances for an away game.

It was further gathered that for the 1-1 home draw in Kaduna, the players were paid in Naira the equivalent of $2,500.

This is a massive drop for some of these players who at the last World Cup in Brazil were on $10,000-a-man.

“Most of the players were unhappy with how they were treated as everyone was for himself after the match in Egypt,” another source informed AfricanFootball.com.

Mikel

NPFL… NPFL… NPFL… NPFL…

Akwa Utd Stuns El-Kanemi, Enyimba Move up Champions Enyimba defeated Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) 2-0 in a rescheduled Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) game yesterday which was enough to see them leave the relegation zone.

The Peoples Elephant went into the game in 18th place on the standings but the win over 3SC saw them climb out of the drop zone.

Abu Azeez and Joseph Osadiaye struck either side of the break in Umuahia and it means that Enyimba have now amassed nine points from six matches.

The biggest winners on the day were Akwa United following their 3-1 success over El-Kanemi Warriors in Katsina.

Akwa United started like a house on fire and were quickly 3-0 up inside the first quarter hour of

the contest with Emeka Isaac, Ubong Ekpai and Chigozie Emmanuel scoring to stun the home fans into silence.

Ibrahim Mustapha scored for El-Kanemi three minutes before half time but the effort was nothing more than academic as the Promise Keepers held on for the win.

Last season’s runners-up, Warri Wolves, continue to rack up

underwhelming results this season and they lost 0-4 to Wikki Tourists.

Godwin Obaje, Harrison Madu and Idris Mohammed (who helped himself to a brace) scored for the Tourists as the Wolves continue to flounder.

In Nnewi, FC Ifeanyiubah beat Nasarawa United 1-0 with Kofi Nti netting a seventh-minute winner.

…Bassey Dedicates Victory to Gov Udom, Players Immediately after yesterday’s 3-1 triumph in Katsina against El Kanemi Warriors, Chairman of Akwa United FC, Paul Bassey, said he was dedicating the hardearned victory to Governor Udom Emmanuel and the team.

“For believing in me and giving me all the tools and support necessary to do my work I dedicate this victory to

my state governor,”Paul Bassey said.

“So far we lack nothing. I thank and appreciate His Excellency.”

He also had kind words for his players who he said have achieved “the great feat of four points in two very difficult away matches. They deserve my thanks and appreciation,” he noted.

T H I S D AY THURSDAY MARCH 31, 2016

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MISSILE Al-Makura to Nasarawa Officials “Some government officials are busy working with our adversaries to sabotage this administration. Even files in my office are now subject to espionage. Some of you here with me go around giving different impressions about the government” --Nasarawa State Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, accusing senior government officials, including some of his commissioners, of sabotaging his administration

OLUSEGUNADENIYI THE VERDICT

olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

Of Wailers, Counter-Wailers and Buharideens

O

ne early morning in May last year, about three weeks to the inauguration of the victorious Muhammadu Buhari as the new president, the then First Lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan, descended the staircase into the presidential living room and muttered quietly but to the hearing of the few top government officials who had gathered waiting for her husband: “For dis same country wey we dey; we get president wey don die patapata; yet, im own loyal people say president sabi rule from anywhere.

But for my own husband...”

Even while the former First Lady may not have completed her statement, the message was not lost on her audience that their loyalty was being called to question. But if Mrs Jonathan imagined at that period that she had seen any disloyalty, I wonder how she would be feeling today. I am not so sure many of our businessmen, especially those ones that are perpetually “into oil and gas”, are still trooping to the residence of the Jonathans. And I would be most surprised if madam is still holding court, receiving those shameless politicians who were fawning over her, including those old enough to be her father or mother yet were addressing her as their mummy!

Incidentally, her husband was more circumspect about the fate that could befall him outside power.

Speaking at a thanksgiving and farewell service in his honour on 10th May, 2015, just 19 days before he handed over, Dr Goodluck Jonathan said: “Some people come to me and say ‘this or that person--is he not your friend? Is it not your government that this person benefited from?

This is what the person is now saying.’ But I used to say, worse statement will come…I used to tell them that more of my so-called friends will disappear.”

I have not seen the former president for a while (even though I intend to seek him out, again) but he must today be a lonely man, considering how many of his friends of yesterday may have voted with their feet, now that he is in the political valley. Even the old man who pompously declared himself to the world as father to the former president has more or less publicly disowned his “son”. Such is the ephemeral nature of power in our country yet most of our public officials hardly ever learn, as they carry on as if they own tomorrow.

I have seen this hubris again and again and it begins from intolerance of criticism, however well-intentioned before graduating into being surrounded by sycophants who would say only what the leader wants to hear while demonizing those with opposing views. The lesson never learnt is that when public officials begin to dance only to the music of time-servers, then they are already in trouble because those are usually the first to leave when things go wrong. On such a day as this, that is a lesson that will serve President Buhari.

Exactly one year ago today (31st March, 2015 that is!), the nation was on tenterhooks as we awaited the announcement of the presidential election result. Even though Buhari had such an unassailable lead at the polls that he had practically won, to the extent that in Nigerian politics two plus two does not always approximate to four, there was an air of uncertainty. To compound the situation, we had a certain Godsdey Orubebe

Buhari throwing tantrums at the results collation centre as Nigerians and people across the world watched on television. But Jonathan saved the day by recognizing that the market was over.

He took an unprecedented step (in our country) to call and congratulate Buhari. I know it is now fashionable to belittle the gesture but it was a big decision that saved our nation from an impending national crisis the end of which nobody could foretell.

Yet, hardly had Buhari settled down in office when he started facing a barrage of criticism of his own from those who didn’t want him as their president, and did not vote for him at the polls: The displaced Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) politicians who had lost their patronage, the Christian bigots whose opposition to Buhari stemmed from no reason other than that he is a Muslim, the ethnic irredentists who hated the idea of another “Hausa-Fulani” man in Aso Rock as well as those who genuinely did not believe Buhari has what it takes to be a democratic president in today’s Nigeria. For this group of critics, presidential spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, baptized with the moniker: Wailing wailers!

Since action and reaction, according to a law in physics, are equal and opposite, it was no surprise that a new group also emerged that became known as the “counter-wailers”. This also comprises an amalgam of different interests: Those who voted for Buhari because they believe in his capacity to make a difference in our lives, the millions of Nigerians who were disenchanted with Jonathan and wanted him out not minding the replacement, the All Progressives Congress (APC) propagandists and the network of cyber activists that fought for “Change”, even when all the promises contained in their glossy campaign documents have now been disowned by their man. This group had (and still has) a one-liner argument for every criticism: corruption is fighting back!

And then, there is a third group that has been dubbed the “Buharideens”. To members of this group, Buhari is almost like a god who can do no wrong. Irrational to the point of fanaticism, you also get a sense that the only reason this group would defend Buhari, and attack whoever as much as criticize him, is just because he shares the same faith and ethnic affiliation with them.

Buhari is a Muslim or a “Hausa-Fulani” man

and to them, that is all that counts. This group reminds one of the Ijaw triumphalists of yore but where are those characters today?

Now, when you look at the three groups, what I find interesting is the shifting grounds.

As at June last year, Buhari’s first month in office, the population of the “counter-wailers” and “Buharideens” far outnumbered that of the “wailing wailers” on the internet. However, even before one of his ministers told Nigerians he doesn’t give a damn whether or not we sleep at fuel stations because he is not a “magician”, the popularity of the administration had begun to shrink such that if a census were to be conducted today, I will not be surprised if the “wailing wailers” carry the day. That is why I believe the president and his handlers should be worried.

The challenge of the “wailing wailers” is that it is a population that can easily grow as it draws from those who voted for the president believing there is going to be a “Change” but may now be feeling they were traded an apple for an orange. These usually are fickle supporters who can easily change camp, depending on how the administration’s policy (or lack of one) impact on their economic well-being. Therefore, the lesson for Buhari is that if he continues to fritter his goodwill such that he is left only with the “Buharideens”, then his presidency will be endangered. For that not to happen, he needs to pay more attention to why many of the “counter-wailers” of yesterday are gradually joining the “wailing wailers” and what exactly the issues are.

For sure, President Buhari is living up to his reputation by exposing the mindless looting of public funds that went on in the last administration.

And by that, he is fulfilling his campaign pledge to fight corruption. Even the most implacable foe of the president will concede there is more sanity in the system today regarding transparency and

accountability. Buhari has also shown greater resolve in taking the battle to the Boko Haram terrorists who are practically on the run and can only hit soft targets. But as commendable as these are, at the end of the day, Nigerians will still ask themselves if their lives were better or worse under his watch.

Given the astronomical fall in the price of crude oil for a nation that is virtually dependent on petrodollars, it was always going to be a challenging period for Nigerians, no matter what the administration does. But a hungry man, as a Yoruba adage says, has no temperament to listen to any sermon. The problem really is that there is not even any “sermon” going on since the government is very deficient in policy articulation and flexibility while there is practically no citizens’ engagement or strategic communication. For a government that was ushered into power with such an unprecedented public goodwill, that is a real shame.

With the national currency on a yo-yo and the situation at the fuel pump getting worse by the day, the list of the “wailing wailers” is growing against the background that the federal government has not come out with a coherent economic policy to address their challenges. And when critics point this out, the cheap blackmail is either that they are part of the corruption network “that is fighting back” or they are simply “wailing wailers”. That is not going to sell for long.

At the end of the day, what President Buhari must realise is that the long honeymoon is expiring, especially as we move towards the one-year anniversary when more questions will be asked.

The administration should therefore be worried that those who effusively campaigned for it just about a year ago are now making common cause with the “Wailing Wailers”.

The Jagaban @ 64

A

s birthday goes, 64 is ordinarily not a landmark that people celebrate.

But if you are a Jagaban, you can almost pick any day you like and turn it into an item in the national calendar.

That is the significance of the 8th Annual Bola Tinubu Colloquium which held in Abuja on Tuesday to mark the 64th birthday of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader.

From President Muhammadu Buhari to his arch-opponent, Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State, so much has been said about Tinubu that there is hardly any adjective left with which to pour encomiums on the Asiwaju of Lagos.

Incidentally, I have known Tinubu ever since his first foray into politics in the aborted Third Republic; with his election into the Senate in 1991 through his tenure as Governor of Lagos State (from 1999 to 2007) where he laid the foundation for the transformation of the megacity. What I particularly find most fascinating about him is how he has been able to build a formidable political machine that started from Lagos, before taking the South-west until he helped to galvanize a national coalition that toppled

Tinubu an incumbent president.

Without any doubt, Tinubu has moved from being just another Nigerian politician to becoming a subject worthy of serious academic interrogation and I am sure many people will take up that task in future. I wish him many more years of patriotic service to our dear country.

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