Saturday 14th May 2016 by THISDAY Newspapers Ltd

Udoma: Why FG Opted for Offshore Borrowing to Finance 2016 Budget Deficit Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The federal government has given a hint on why it is opting for offshore borrowing to finance a major part of the N2.2 trillion deficit in the 2016 budget, saying its preference was dictated by a desire not to crowd out the nation’s private

sector. The deficit in the N6.06 trillion budget characterised by an expansive fiscal spending directed at reflating the economy, is about 2.41 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and is within the 3 per cent threshold prescribed by the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.

Speaking during the highlights of the budget in Abuja Thursday, the minister stated that the borrowing was to be raised roughly equally from domestic and foreign sources The deficit is to be financed mainly by borrowings projected at N1.84 trillion, with the local component standing at N984

billion and N900 billion from international sources, “We have decided to source from international sources so as not to rely exclusively on domestic borrowing, which may have the effect of crowding out the private sector Furthermore, we are optimistic that we may be able to access some of the

foreign loans on a concessionary basis. The Ministry of Finance is currently negotiating with multiple sources to secure the external financing,” Udoma said. The minister noted that the 2016 budget was the first full-year budget of the current administration, adding that it

was prepared against a background of general slowdown in global economic growth, and more significantly, a massive decline in crude oil prices. “It will be recalled that crude oil exports had hitherto accounted for over 70 per cent Continued on page 6

Our National Convention Will Hold as Scheduled, Says PDP...Page 6 Saturday 14 May, 2016 Vol 21. No 7682 Price: N250

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Boko Haram: FG Looks to China for More Weapons Senator Iroegbu in Abuja The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffery Onyeama yesterday disclosed that the federal government was discussing with China and other friendly countries for the supply of

required arms and equipment needed to finish the ongoing war against Boko Haram. Onyema disclosed this yesterday during a media chat in Abuja at the ongoing 2nd Regional Security Summit with the Theme: “Consolidating

Collective efforts for Regional Peace and Development.” He stated this in response to the request by the MultiNational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) for a number of platforms, weapons, and logistics required for sustaining

the ongoing operations in the North-east and Lake Chad Basin area that has contiguous borders with Niger, Chad and Cameroun. “The MNJTF has made tremendous progress in the last one year. Like Mr. President

alluded there was a time about 14 local government areas were under the Boko Haram control but today, they are no longer in control. We are also working together with the frontline states in the areas of intelligence sharing. So, in the

military dimension we are going to look at the mechanism of cooperation and coordination. “On the need for more weapons and other, we are engaging with various partners Continued on page 6

Fuel Hike: NLC, TUC Make U-Turn, Resolve to Shut Down Nigeria PENGASSAN , NUPENG back FG, demand N90,000 minimum wage Osinbajo: we can no longer provide forex for fuel importation Oyegun begs Nigerians for understanding Naira closes at N350

Tobi Soniyi, Onyebuchi Ezigbo and Paul Obi in Abuja; Ejiofor Alike, Obinna Chima in Lagos and Bassey Inyang in Calabar

COLLINS ENEBELI (DON JAZZY’S DAD)

After being consulted prior to the deregulation of the downstream sector of the oil industry, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday resolved to join forces with the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to mobilise Nigerian workers to shut down the whole country starting from next week Wednesday should the federal government fail to reverse the recent hike in the price of petrol from N86.50 to N145 per litre. However, in a sign of a major crack in the labour family, The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) yesterday applauded government's decision to deregulate and scrap fuel subsidy, describing the decision as courageous and long overdue. They made their positions

SuperSaturday pg. 8-9

Continued on page 6

I Want Nigerian Artistes to Stop ‘Beefing’ One Another

LOLU AKINWUNMI I Married at 30 but Waited for Eight Years to Have a Child

Plus pg. 17

FACTS BEHIND THE FIGURES

L-R: Legal Director, West Africa/Company Secretary, Unilever Nigeria Plc, Mrs. Abidemi Ademola; Chairman, Board of Directors, His Majesty, Obi of Onitsha, Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe and the Managing Director, Mr. Yaw Nsarkoh, during the company's 91st Annual General Meeting (AGM), at Muson Center Onikan, Lagos ...recently KOLA OLASUPO

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T H I S D AY, T H E S AT U R D AY N E W S PA P E R •SATURDAY, mAY 14, 2016

PAGE SIX

Our National Convention Will Hold as Scheduled, Says PDP S’West zonal congress on hold

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that it would go ahead with its national convention scheduled for next Satuday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, despite calls for its postponement by a group of party elders. Regardless, the party has suspended its zonal congress in the South-West, scheduled to hold tomorrow, in deference to an injunction issued by a Lagos High Court. The PDP elders under the aegis of Concerned PDP Stakeholders, who met in Abuja on Thursday, had faulted the extension of tenure granted the

national chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff by National Executive Committee (NEC), saying that only the national convention had such powers. They described as nullity and of no effect, all actions taken by the NEC and National Working Committee (NWC), including the ongoing congresses and the May 21 National Convention. However, the party's National Secretary, Professor Adewale Oladipo and Ekiti State governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, yesterday, dismissed the aggrieved group's position, saying that nothing could stop the convention. Professor Oladipo said the delegates to the national convention had been duly

Fayose slams elders' group elected right from the ward congress and that they, along with other statutory delegates, were expected to participate in the Port Harcourt convention. "There are also statutory delegates like former governors, former chairmen, Senators, House of Representatives members. The court injunction is not going to affect the National Convention," Oladipo said. Meanwhile, on the suspended zonal congresses in the South-West,Oladipo said the party had been duly served with court order and that it would abide by the decision. "We are in receipt of an order from the Federal High Court in Lagos which had ordered

us to put a stop to the exercise pending when the case filed is heard and resolved. As a law abiding political party, we have been served this order. "I, as the National Secretary of the party, and Alhaji Adewole Adeyanju, the National Auditor, who are the two representatives of the zone, want to tell you that the party has decided to abide by the order," Oladipo added. Chief Gbenga Otemolu, South West zonal Secretary, on behalf of the zonal executive, had approached the court demanding the suspension of the congress on the ground that their tenure had not expired. But the National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, who

is already in Taraba State for the North East zonal congress, said he was yet to be communicated on the court order. "I have not received any court order. I am in Taraba preparing for my congress. I have not seen the National Secretary. He was meant to be in Osun. "I have given directives before I left that there should be a congress. I will only stop when court gives me order to stop. The National Secretary, I have not seen him, I have not spoken to him. I am in Taraba right now trying to do my congress," Sheriff said on telephone. On his part, the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, who

was at PDP National Secretariat on Thursday night, insisted that the congress would still hold. Fayose also slammed the party elders for trying to always impose their will on the party. "You can wish anything but God's plan for the PDP is that the 21st May convention cannot be stopped," he said. According to him, most of the people running to court to get injunction against the party do not have followers. The governor, who described the PDP founding fathers as "wonderful people", however, advised that they should give room to the younger generation to excel.

He described President Muhammadu Buhari as probably one of the most convinced pro-subsidy advocates. “What happened is as follows: our local consumption of fuel is almost entirely imported. The NNPC exchanges crude from its joint venture share to provide about 50 per cent of local fuel consumption. The remaining 50 per cent is imported by major and independent marketers,” he said. According to him, the NNPC tried to cover the 50 per cent shortfall by dedicating more export crude for domestic consumption. He said besides the short term depletion of the Federation Account, which is where the federal government and States are paid from, and further cash-call debts pilling up, the corporation also lacked the capacity to distribute 100 per cent of local consumption around the country. Osinbajo added that previously, NNPC was responsible for only about 50 per cent. “We realised that we were left with only one option. This was to allow independent marketers and any Nigerian entity to source their own foreign exchange and import fuel. We expect that foreign exchange will be sourced at an average of about N285 to the dollar, (current interbank rate). They would then be restricted to selling at a price between N135 and N145 per litre. “We expect that with competition, more private refineries, and NNPC refineries working at full capacity, prices will drop considerably. Our target is

that by Q4 2018 we should be producing 70% of our fuel needs locally. At the moment even if all the refineries are working optimally they will produce just about 40% of our domestic fuel needs,” Osinbajo explained. The vice president said he did not mention other details of the PPPRA cost template because he wanted to focus on the cost component largely responsible for the substantial rise, namely foreign exchange. “This is therefore not a subsidy removal issue but a foreign exchange problem, in the face of dwindling earnings,” he added. PENGASSAN, NUPENG back FG, demand N90,000 minimum wage... National President of NUPENG, Comrade Igwe Achese, who addressed journalists on behalf of both bodies, described government’s decision to deregulate the downstream sector as a courageous policy that was long overdue. “The deregulation of the sector is what we have been agitating for, for the past eight years or more. But each time we want to react, Nigerians want to live on the bedrock of lies. And that has been our problem. We have been living on the bedrock of lies. Successive governments come in, what we hear are full of lies. The oil and gas sector must have transparency and it is only when it is transparent that the nation’s economy will begin to grow and job opportunities would be created. NUPENG and PENGASSAN however said that they would push for a new minimum

support to MNJTF and in support of humanitarian activities in the liberated areas within MNJTF area of responsibility; and the heads of states should approve the upgrade of Sub Sector 3 to Sector 4 with a strength of 2000 troops as proposed”. Speaking further, the Commander said that MNJTF in its present state and with the provision of adequate support would effectively deliver its mandate. He added that the body has high potentials not only to remain a permanent solution to insecurity within the Lake Chad Basin, “it will eventually remain as a positive symbol of unity and understanding, thereby breaking the barriers of artificial boundaries without compromising the territorial integrity of member states.” Adeosun assured that the MNJTF and national operations has largely curbed the activities and threats of Boko Haram terrorists in the area

by degrading their capability to carry out organised and coordinated offensive. He listed major areas of achievement for the body to include: building confidence on the populace; continuous handling of IDPs and refugees by the various sectors and sub-sector within the MNJTF areas of operation; liberation of at least 4,690 hostages from January 2016 to date; excellent cooperation between the sectors/sub-sectors and national troops of the LCBC countries; and neutralisation of 675 terrorists and arrest of a total of 566 others with their logistics from January 2016 to date across all the sectors. Adeosun listed other achievements for the last four months to include destruction of 32 terrorists’ camps and IEDs making factories as well as capturing/destruction of the terrorist equipment, which include 318 motorcycles, 84 vehicles, 137 assorted weapons, 18 boats and other logistics.

wage of N90,000, given the new development. “With the new pump price of N145 per litre, government must speed up the negotiation process for a new minimum wage of N90,000 to cushion the effect of the envisaged inflation. As the price of fuel increases, there should also be an increment in workers’ salary as the old minimum wage of N18,000 has no effect again,’’ they stated. Oyegun Begs Nigerians for Understanding… Following negative reactions to the sudden increase in the price of premium motor spirit, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has appealed to Nigerians, labour unions and other civil society groups to show understanding on the situation that has led to removal of subsidy. Oyegun who spoke to journalists in Abuja yesterday said Nigerians have a right to subsidy on oil but that over time, the subsidy regime had become so abused that it was no longer operating in the interest of the Nigerian public. Meanwhile, an industry expert who declined to be named speaks further on the fuel subsidy controversy: “A lot of people have been asking the question about the difference between the attempt by Jonathan to deregulate in 2012 and what Buhari has done in 2016. Some people are trying to be partisan with this issue but the truth of the matter is that we are talking about two very different situations and I will break them down to economic and political. “On the economic standpoint, let’s first start from the beginning. Nigeria’s petroleum consumption is about 40 million liters per day. Our four refineries working at hundred per cent capacity only provide 18 million liters per day therefore we must import the balance of 22 million liters per day more than our local

production capacity. So anybody that says we are only importing because the refineries are not working is not correct factually. We are importing because our refineries cannot provide the consumption capacity.” Naira Depreciates Further on Fuel Subsidy Removal… The Naira continued its downswing on the parallel market yesterday as it fell to N350 to a dollar yesterday, lower than the N341 to a dollar it closed the previous day as oil marketers scramble for foreign exchange following the new template for petrol importation that was fixed by the PPPRA. The sharp decline was once more blamed on the government’s announcement of the removal of fuel subsidies and the green light given to oil marketers to source their forex requirements from parallel or autonomous market sources. Some currency traders predicted that the currency would continue to depreciate on the parallel market in the coming days as pressure of forex demand mounts. The CEO, Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Mr. Bismark Rewane had said the parallel market does not have the depth to fund the importation of petroleum products, arguing that the central bank needs to find a way to continue to fund petrol importation. “If they say they can’t fund the importation of petrol from the official market, then why do we have that market? “But the government cannot push the funding of petrol to the parallel market because the market does not have the depth to fund the importation of petrol. “What we will see is a situation where the NNPC will be selling petrol at a different price while other marketers would be selling at a different rate, thereby creating a dual exchange rate regime,” he added.

FUEL HIKE: NLC, TUC MAKE U-TURN, RESOLVE TO SHUT DOWN NIGERIA known at a press conference staged at the end of their joint National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the Transcorp Hotel in Calabar. In a related development, Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo yesterday stated the rationale behind the federal government removal of fuel subsidy, saying it could no longer provide the foreign exchange for the importation of the product. The NLC threat to shut down the nation was made after its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the Labour House, Abuja. The NLC NEC gave the federal government till midnight of Tuesday within which to revert to the old prices of petrol products and electricity, or face a total nationwide strike. The congress said there would be formal communication today in Abuja about the strike option, and that labour will address all the issues at stake and plans to ground the whole country. “The NLC has deliberately delayed their press conference till today (Saturday) in order to liaise with their TUC counterpart, harmonise their positions and jointly address the media,” said a source. Labour also directed all its affiliate unions across the states to put in place a monitoring team to ensure the success of the planned strike. Osinbajo: we can no longer provide forex for fuel importation Meanwhile, the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has clarified that the federal government removed petrol

subsidy because it could no longer provide the foreign exchange for the importation of the product. Osinbajo said the issue was not subsidy removal but foreign exchange problem, and described President Muhammadu Buhari as one of the pro-subsidy advocates. In a statement made available yesterday by his spokesman, Mr. Laolu Akande, the vice president revealed that since last year, the private marketers had imported little or no product because they had been unable to get enough foreign exchange from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). He noted that until three months ago, the marketers had sourced their foreign exchange from the apex bank at the official rate. “However, since late last year, independent marketers have brought in little or no fuel because they have been unable to get foreign exchange from the CBN. The CBN simply did not have enough. (In April, oil earnings dipped to $550 million. The amount required for fuel importation alone is about $225million!),” Osinbajo said. “I have read the various observations about the fuel pricing regime and the attendant issues generated. All certainly have strong points. The most important issue of course is how to shield the poor from the worst effects of the policy,” he added. Providing further explanation to justify the measure, Osinbajo said the real issue was not a removal of subsidy, adding that a $40 a barrel there was not much of a subsidy to remove.

BOKO HARAM: FG LOOKS TO CHINA FOR MORE WEAPONS like China, which has asked us to indicate where we will need military assistance and as well as other Western countries. The goodwill is there for assistance from our friends and partners. So, it’s just the resources and process to get the equipment,” he said. The Commander of MNJTF, Maj-Gen. Lamidi Adeosun, had earlier at the summit, disclosed that tremendous progress had been made by the security forces in the ongoing Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Insurgency operations (CT COIN) in parts of the North-east, with only minor challenge of Boko Haram remnants, landmine and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Adeosun also noted that despite the tremendous success at defeating the Boko Haram terrorists in the past one year, there was need for more financial resources to sustain security around the strategic region.

He listed some of challenges confronting them to include; “inadequate lift capability, limitation on IEDs/mine capability, inadequate amphibious equipment and lack of flat bottom boat, lack of air capability and difficulty in sustaining troops”. He went further to recommend that “the MNJTF lift capability should be enhanced by the troop contributing countries; mine/IEDs detection and destruction equipment and capability should be enhanced across the sectors. He also requested for adequate troops sustenance in terms of operational allowances, ration and fast-moving medical supplies. He said flat bottom boats with outboard engines should be provided for MNJTF effective operations within the Lake Chad Islands. “International organisations and other relevant partners should be encouraged to redeem their pledges for assistance in the provision of

Continued on page 62

UDOMA: WHY FG OPTED FOR OFFSHORE BORROWING TO FINANCE 2016 BUDGET DEFICIT of government revenues and over 90 per cent of foreign exchange earnings. Consequently the 67 per cent fall in oil prices from mid-2014 to end-2015 has had wide ranging adverse ramifications for the Nigerian economy, especially on the external sector. “The budget was guided by the 2016-2018 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) and the 2016 Agenda outlined in the previous section. It is also the first time the Zero Based Budgeting (ZBB) approach is being adopted in preparing the FGN’s budget. “The ZBB requires Ministries, Departments and Agencies

(MDAs) to justify every item of revenue and expenditure, as well as projects and programmes included in the budget. It is a departure from the traditional Incremental Budgeting approach that simply adjusts (usually upwards) amounts included in the prior period’s budget. “Coming from 2015 that was characterised by significant decline in revenue and GDP growth, rising inflation, weakening balance of payment, declining foreign reserves, rising public debt, weak capital market and rising unemployment, the federal government made a deliberate choice to pursue an expansionary fiscal policy in 2016,” the minister said.

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SUPER SATURDAY Collins Enebeli (Don Jazzy’s dad)

I Want Nigerian Artistes to Stop ‘Beefing’ One Another

Why I’m Studying for a Degree I Love Discovering Young Talents Early Enough Enebeli

He is in his sixties, but dresses to the nines, with a well-trimmed and groomed moustache. He gives an expanding smile that illuminates his face. A man of many parts and silent ingenuity that has been deeply involved in Nigeria’s ever-expanding entertainment industry; a quiet but profound big player in the industry. He was part of the NTA and PMAN golden days; a member of AMMP and NARI; JCMA and AMAN.Tireless and ageless, he seems unstoppable in his quest for excellence and artistry. He’s a celebrity in his own rights and a father to one of Nigeria’s biggest and finest music producer, Don Jazzy. He is Collins Enebeli – the Grandpa of Mavin Records. As the record label gets set for its fourth anniversary, Enebeli speaks with Akpor Gbemre about his breathtaking experiences, exposure and drive for talents and creativity. He also talks about the camaraderie that exists in the Mavin family, how he named the first album of the label and why he cannot take credit for the name of the label

ou are famous as ‘Mavin Grandpa’.Who exactly are you? My name is Collins Ifeanyi Onwuneme Ajereh Enebeli, a.k.a Mavin Grandpa. I am a veteran showbiz entrepreneur with stakes in corporate artistes’ management, international promotions, media relations, hospitality, venue management and general entertainment business consultancy services. My involvement in showbiz dates back to over three decades when I registered my first showbiz company and started freelance services with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). I was engaged in several NTA national programmes and as an actor in some soaps and public enlightenment drama series such as Glimpses, Encounter, Images, Reflections and the CharlyBoy Show, among others. Also, at some point I hosted Young World and Youth Scene as a freelance

presenter when a vacuum existed. My passion for music business led me into establishing a record label Sagittarius International Productions Ltd., which undeniably was one of the forerunners of indigenous music labels in Nigeria at the time. I joined PMAN and was one of the ex- officio members of the Lagos State chapter. I was also a member of Artiste Managers and Music Promoters (AMMP) where I was the national financial secretary. I was also a member of Nigerian Association of Recording Industries (NARI). You’re a man of many parts and associations; can you tell us more about you? I was a member of a group, Concerned Copyright Owners that backed CharlyBoy to prosecute his legal battle against NTA over the infringement of his copyrights on the CharlyBoy Show which I was part of the production cast. I was a member of the League of Voluntary Entertainers for Africa (LOVE)

with the objective of using entertainment to raise much desired relief materials for famineravished Ethiopia at the time when Bob Geldof and some American artistes were doing same thing with their song ‘We Are The World’ by USA For Africa group of American superstars among whom were the king of pop, Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Tina Turner, Diana Ross and others which was produced by Quincy Jones. I was a member of the board of governors for the late John Chukwu Foundation and was the general secretary of the board. We put in place the John Chukwu Memorial Awards (JCMA) which played pioneering roles in the organisation of awards for excellence in the Nigerian entertainment sector and provided resource personnel for the organisation of the PMAN Nigerian Music awards of 1991 which was probably the best entertainment award ever held in Nigeria to date. I am a patron for the Vanguard of Musicians Rights in Nigeria and also a trustee

and president of Artistes Managers Association in Nigeria (AMAN). I mentor several artistes and showbiz stakeholders. I was the chief campaigner and promoter of the Yakurr new yam ‘Leboku Festival’ of Ugep people in Cross River State of Nigeria which I found unique to be included in the Nigerian tourism calendar and made strong representations to the government to do so despite not being an indigene of the area; I am from Delta State. Today, the Leboku festival is a spectacle to behold and have been given pride of place in Cross River’s tourism calendar and is being supported by both the government and MTN while I have been issued with a commendation testament in official letter from the paramount ruler of Ugep for the efforts. You also play a big role in Mavin Records and as the father of one of Nigeria’s finest music producers – Don Jazzy – tell us how you helped your son to attain a

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • MAY 14, 2016

SUPER SATURDAY I Love All Mavin Records Artistes as My Children.. superstar status in the industry? Naturally, I am happy and thankful to God for answered prayers and I am also not relenting in our continued hard work towards our targeted unfinished business which deserves focus and constant prayers. To whom much is given, much is expected. So we are still work in progress. Don Jazzy mentioned in the media sometime ago that you named the record label“Mavin”.Why? It will not be fair on my part to claim credit for the name ‘Mavin’ because it was a product of a collective intellectual search which Don jazzy himself led as we gathered in the situation room brainstorming on the way forward following the fall of the curtain marking the end of the former era and our optimism in looking forward to a new one. We were all involved in the search for a name that will be a true reflection of who we are and how we see ourselves in the emerging scenario considering where we are coming from and the intended mission statement of our new quest. Looking back now with hindsight, I will say we were like a family expecting the birth of a baby which for some circumstantial reasons and my considered opinion, I choose to name that baby ‘Solar Plexus’ which after my explanation to the family, Don Jazzy approved the name because it made sense in shutting down the unnecessary trauma of the transition. That was the first album of the record label for which I consider myself honoured to have the privilege of naming with my fatherly prayers and blessing. As for the name of the record company ‘Mavin’, I will say that we all us who worked untiringly for the search deserve the credit for agreeing that it is an embodiment of what we want to be known as. Those in the Mavin situation room when the name was midwifed were Don Jazzy, Dr. Sid, D’prince, Andrew Esiri (Dr. Sid’s brother), General Jay and I. I, as Mavin Grandpa, will only like to claim credit for naming the first album and thank God for such grace. Mavin Records will celebrate its fourth anniversary this month; will it be right to say the label has achieved all it set out to achieve within a short time? Mavin Records at its fourth anniversary has done very well and is still doing well. I will not say that it has achieved all it set out to achieve since coming into existence but it is certainly waxing strong enough to position itself in accomplishing its mission statement as being one of Africa’s leading music production powerhouses. What is your relationship with artistes under the label? My relationship with artistes under Mavin Records is cordial and I justify my father figure role as Mavin Grandpa and love them all as my children and I believe that the feeling is mutual. Looking at the industry today booming with endorsements and international collaborations, compared to the industry of the past which you were an active player, will you say there’s been marked improvement and rewards? I do not think that there has been a vacuum as such with regards to growth and boom in the entertainment industry. The issue is that the growth has not really been commensurate with the creative efforts of the stakeholders. The players in the industry, whether they are veterans or newcomers know that there has always been enormous potentials not tapped due to poor structures. Only those who painstakingly chase their dreams with knowledge-driven consistency manage to remain relevant. What is called a boom ought to be better than what we are seeing if we are getting it right. Though progress is being made but it is not enough. We have come a long way to get out of the woods and command a reasonable market share in the global music equation. I do not want to believe that despite government knowing that entertainment is the second highest contributor to our national GDP that we cannot still think beyond an oil-powered economy and related strange bedfellows politics that have virtually rendered our youths impotent. There are obviously a lot of experienced people who can turn things around and take us to a better level

Jazzy Enebeli (right) and Don but most unfortunately due to the wrong kind of patronage, we end up with compromised policies that make our efforts barren. We are like those whose journey of 40 days has become a journey of 40 years with many dying in the wilderness and unable to reach the proverbial Promised Land. This is another clear case of youths living in a wasted generation. With the right support and government encouragement, there is no reason why Nigerian music and indeed entertainment should not have an enviable market profile internationally almost 40 years after Festac ’77. It clearly should be better than this. What is your view on issues such as piracy and ‘beef’ (clash among artistes) plaguing the music industry? There is no way anyone can completely wipe out piracy. It could be reduced to a minimum that may be bearable while ongoing efforts to ensure that owners of intellectual property get some protection should be encouraged genuinely. With the rule of law and order respected and corruption genuinely reduced, the days of the pirates and their ungodly activities are surely numbered. As for ‘beef’ among industry stakeholders, I pray peace returns and advise that we all should not encourage such as a house divided against itself cannot stand. We should all come together in an atmosphere of peace and mutual respect so that we can all make progress. There is no need for quarrels as this will stall progress for those who do not enjoy peace and work in harmony for clear focus and positive creativity. Do you see the entertainment industry as the last hope for Nigeria’s economy that is begging for diversification? I do not think that the entertainment industry is the last hope for the Nigerian economy but I believe that it holds lots of positive advantages that will help put a lot of creative youths in employment and add to the economic growth of the country. The entertainment industry is really helping the image of the country and is one of the areas the Nigerian youths have been playing positive ambassadorial roles for the country. They deserve to be supported. What is Mavin Grandpa working on at the moment? I am working on a couple of projects with some associates to keep bringing positive

values to the entertainment industry by using my vast experience in the sector to identify some areas where my input will be useful. I believe in identifying young talents early enough and grooming them to understand how the business works and not for them to expect overnight miracles as Rome was not built in a day. In that regard, I have an ongoing partnership with some entertainment business entrepreneurs for the purpose of providing mentorship to some upcoming artistes and showbiz intermediary services providers by offering them the right business connections and relevant consultancy services both within and outside Nigeria to be able to achieve the status of commercial relevance that can attract the right investment into their talent. I consult for key showbiz stakeholders in Europe, America and other regions to develop an agenda for taking Nigerian music to a wider global space. I am a partner with Dr. Dayo Olomu Foundation’s Project 1000 Mentoring Programme to help empower youths whose profiles have been evaluated and assigned to mentors serving on the programme for the support of the identified youths. I also have an ongoing partnership and working relationship with La Grande Club Badagry with a view to elevating the social and tourism needs of the area to play a role as a gateway into our country from the Franco-phone neighbours and make it socially inclusive and a potential entertainment destination hub for commercial shows servicing that area. I am also partnering with EMPREUS Hospitality Venue, Sports Bar and Grill for the same purpose in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State. I am a partner with 2 Flame Entertainment and Don Lulu Films working on various indigenous artistes’ contents and music video production. I am also into talks which have reached advanced stages for initiating film co-production treaties between Nigerian film producers and European partners and hope to facilitate production collaborations at various levels with the right government support and enabling environment. You said you were back to school in Dublin.What are you studying? That is not a strange thing for one to keep upgrading his knowledge especially when you have passion for it. Despite my education in creative media arts which has seen me study various aspects of multimedia, entertainment law, etc., I am

I Can’t Take Credit for Don Jazzy’s Record Label Name

Enebeli

presently studying for a degree in Film and Television Production which I have always had passion for and had been toying with the idea at an amateur level before deciding to take it on at this time to fulfill my passion. I love to bring about quality engagement in the things I am involved with and to tell my own story the way it pleases me which will complement our audio production capabilities and fly on our own respective visual content producing platforms. Finally, what is your advice to parents whose kids have music talents and for young artistes looking forward to making it big in the industry? My advice to parents whose kids are talented and may wish to pursue it as a career is for them to ensure that their kids do not drop out of school because of music. They need to finish their studies and be educated to be able to make the right decisions and well informed choices – in terms of business and creativity. They must never be carried away by the hype and fantasy associated with showbiz. They need to be close to their children and guide them morally, always pray for them and advise them to stay away from drugs. Success in music is not dependent on talent and passion alone, it must be backed by good education and the right attitude that can bring about a likeable personality and win them acceptance in the market space and real world of financial backers and sponsors. And for the young ones who are already in the music business and looking forward to making it big, my advice to them is to ensure that they get a good management team behind them to guide their career. A good artiste manager contributes greatly to the success story of a successful artiste.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • MAY 14, 2016

NEWS

News Editor Ahamefula Ogbu 08116759810 (sms only) Email ahamefula.ogbu@thisdaylive.com

FG to Establish DNA Databank to Track Terrorists, Match Displaced Children to Parents Set to conduct DNA tests on 6, 000 IDP children Senator Iroegbu in Abuja The Federal Government has expressed its desire to establish a Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) national data-bank, starting from the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Camps, with a view to deploying it in tracking Boko Haram terrorists, and other criminal elements in the country. This was disclosed yesterday by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, during a briefing on the sidelines of the ongoing 2nd Regional Security Summit in Abuja. Onyema further disclosed that out the nearly two million internally displaced persons in Nigeria, about 6, 000 children who were aged below five had been separated from their parents, adding that such a databank would also help to track their parents. He said; "We have within the country nearly two million internally displaced persons, a real tragedy which we have to address. "We also have about 6, 000 children under the age of five who are separated from their parents and homes. We have to look at how to address that

human catastrophe. "What we are looking at is the use of DNA to try and match those children with parents. The DNA data-bank is really what we are looking at. And we could ultimately extend the databank to the whole country because we know that for a lot of countries, it is through their comprehensive DNA data-bank that they use in tracking terrorists and that is also going to help us in intelligence gathering". Speaking further, Onyema said that the summit would also institute a post-conflict development programme as well put in place mechanisms that would ensure what the military gained in the North East were consolidated through civil programmes by winning the hearts of the people through reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement of the IDPs. The minister said that efforts were being made with the Government of Cameroun to bring back over 65,000 officially recognised refugees in the country. He said that the move was one of the major issues the President of Cameroun, Paul

Working to repatriate 65000 refugees from Cameroun

A TIME TO HONOUR...

L-R: Registrar/CEO, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Althaji Garba Bello Kankarofi; President, Advertising Association of Nigeria (ADVAN), Mr. David Okeme; presenting a plaque to the Minister of Information, Culture and Art, Althaji Lai Mohammed and the General Manager, Marketing , UACN, Mrs. Johan Ihekwaba, during the 2016 ADVAN Marketers Conference, at Sheraton Hotel, in Lagos...... yesterday 13-05-16 KOLA OLASUPOpert Pipeline at Forcados Export Terminal, Delta State

Biya discussed with President Muhammadu Buhari during his visit to Abuja last week. "On the human angle, we have about 65,000 refugees

in Cameroun and about two million IDPs in Nigeria, which is a huge human catastrophe and about 6000 children who don't know their parents or

where they came from. We also have the issue of environment and economic activities. "The summit will also help us towards achieving a road

map on how we want to address the issue of rebuilding, indoctrination, of how these children can to embrace the ideology," he noted.

N1.9b Subsidy Scam: Oil Marketers Say EFCC Counsel has No Fiat to Prosecute Them

Amaechi: FG to Create 250, 000 Jobs in the Rail Sector

Akinwale Akintunde

John Iwori

Some embattled oil marketers, Walter Wagbatsama, Adaoha UgoNgadi, Fakuade Babafemi Ebenezer and their company, Ontario Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited have once again challenged the power of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) lawyer, Rotimi Jacob (SAN) to prosecute the matter. The oil marketers, who were re-arraigned in February 2013, on a nine-count charge of forgery, conspiracy and obtaining by false pretences are facing a N1.9 billion oil subsidy fraud charge. The EFCC alleged that the oil marketers fraudulently obtained the sum of N1,959,377, 542,63 (One Billion, Nine Hundred and Fifty Nine Million, Three Hundred and Seventy Seven Thousand,

Five Hundred and Forty Two Naira, Sixty Three Kobo) from the Petroleum Support Fund for a purported importation of 39.2million litres of Premium Motor Spirit. The fuel subsidy trial had almost reached conclusion until last month when Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) filed a motion challenging the legality of the EFCC prosecuting counsel, Jacob SAN to represent the Federal Government. The trial judge, Justice Lateefa Okunnu had fixed May 12 for the final written address of counsel in the trial but there was a twist with the new motion filed by the defendants. Moving the application yesterday, Mr. Edoka Onyeke insisted that Rotimi Jacob did not have a valid fiat to represent the Federal Government in the matter.

Onyeke prayed the court to dismiss the charges filed against his clients on the ground that Rotimi Jacob being a private legal practitioner failed to produce before the court a fiat by the Attorney General of the Federation authorising him to prosecute the defendants. He argued that any private prosecutor prosecuting a charge for and on behalf of the Attorney General of the Federation or of Lagos State must obtain the fiat of the Attorney General of the Federation duly issued and sign by the Attorney General. According to him, since no fiat was attached to the charges as at May 8, 2013 when trial commenced, the entire proceeding before the court constituted a gross abuse of the court process. In his response, Rotimi Jacobs noted that the motion was based

on the false premise that the EFCC cannot initiate criminal proceeding without the fiat of the AGF. He noted that the constitution also empowered other security agencies such as the EFCC and the police to initiate a trial. Jacob said the instant case was initiated by the EFCC which subsequently authorised him to prosecute the matter. He prayed the court to dismiss the motion filed by the applicant. Attempt by Rotimi to tender from the bar, a copy of his authorisation letter was objected to by the defendant's lawyer. Justice Okunnu however asked the EFCC lawyer to bring in the document through an affidavit which should be served on other parties. The matter was adjourned till May 24 for mention.

CBN Rolls out N220b Empowerment Fund to Strengthen MSME OlakiitanVictor in Ado Ekiti As part of the efforts to tackle unemployment among Nigerians, the Central Bank of Nigeria has rolled out a N220b loan scheme to strengthen Micro - Small and Medium Scale Enterprises(MSME) in the country. A CBN official, Mr. Babatunde Ogunlaja , said this in Ado Ekiti on Friday while interacting with prospective beneficiaries of the scheme comprising farmers, business men and women artisans

and unemployed youths. Ogunlaja said 60 per cent of women would benefit from the scheme because available data lent credence to the fact that they were better loan repayers than men. The CBN official said N63 billion had been disbursed since March, 2016 out of which N5 billion was given to 80,000 farmers in Kebbi State to shore up rice production in the country so that Nigeria could stop relying on importation of food. He said the interest rate had been

pegged at nine per cent for easy repayment of the loan that was intended to develop the economy. “Over one trillion naira has been expended by CBN for various intervention programmes in the areas of MSME, infrastructure, and agriculture, but it pains us that most of our agriculture products have not reached the processing unit let alone storage. “Having found that our people don’t want to pay back loans, the loans shall be disbursed through registered cooperative societies and

commercial banks, who have been given the mandate to pay into individual accounts within five days”, he said. Ogunlaja said the CBN had also earmarked a sum of N4.4 billion for physically challenged to make them economically relevant and reduce destitution in the system. Under the youth Entrepreneurship scheme, he said a special programme had been designed for graduate under the NYSC Scheme to boost agro-business, manufacturing and craft.

No fewer than 250, 000 jobs would be created by the Federal Government in the rail sector, the Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has said. He maintained that AbujaKaduna rail line project alone was expected to generate about 1000 jobs to secure the rail line. According to the milestones already attained by the contractor handling the project, the rail line is expected to be operational and commence commercial operation by July this year. He also reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment and determination to complete all ongoing projects and commence construction work on the new ones in the rail sector. Amaechi who disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja also revealed that N13 billion had been earmarked in the 2016 budget to complete the Abuja-Kaduna rail line project and to settle all other expenditure that may be incurred in the course of concluding work on the rail line project. The Minister explained that the changes in the inauguration date of the rail line project which was initially slated for this month was due to the delay in the compensation payment to the Daughter of Charity Hospital along the rail line near Kubwa, FCT, Abuja. “I thought that by March, we would have concluded discus-

sions with the officials of the Daughter of Charity Hospital but unfortunately that did not happen, and now that we have paid them their compensation, we will expedite work on the rail line and conclude for it to be operational”, he explained. Amaechi revealed that N222 billion was budgeted for the transportation sector in the 2016 budget out of which Lagos-Kaduna and Lagos-Calabar rail lines would gulp N60 billion each. He explained that President Muhammadu Buhari’s priority was to see the earnest commencement of these two projects because of the volume of jobs it would generate for Nigerians. According to him, the Federal Government was currently discussing with the China-Exim Bank on the modality of fast tracking the commencement of the two projects which were very dear to Mr. President. On the intermodal system in the rail sub-sector, Amaechi reiterated that the rail lines would be linked to the nation’s seaports where cargoes could be transmitted into the railway and carried to the next station where trucks would be available for onward transmission to their destinations. He stated that by so doing, the associated pressure on the roads by trucks and other heavy duty vehicles would be reduced drastically since they constituted the major means of evacuating goods from the nation’s seaports.

MAY 14, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

RingTrue

Yemi

Adebowale Is Buhari Really Feeling Our Pains? 07013940521 yemi.adebowale@thisdaylive.com

have spent the last eight days reflecting on a section of President Muhammadu Buhari’s speech while signing the 2016 budget last week. Here, our globetrotting president talked about hearing our cries and sharing our pains. Buhari said: “living in the State House does not in any way alienate me from your daily struggles. I read the newspapers and listen to the TV and radio news. I hear your cries. I share your pains. We are experiencing probably the toughest economic times in the history of our nation. I want to commend the sacrifice, resilience and toughness of all Nigerians-young and old who have, despite the hardship, continued to have hope and confidence of a great future for Nigerians.” Is our president really feeling our pains as stated in this speech? That was the big question I struggled with for most of this week. My conclusion yesterday was that there was nothing on ground pointing to the fact that Buhari is feeling our pains. Most of his actions and inactions portray a man cut off from the masses of this country. I have a long list of issues to justify this position. The muttering of gloominess is growing louder in our homes and markets. The price of a bag of rice has surged by 30% in the past months. Daily, the poor complain about the price of garri and pepper. Inflation was 11.4% in February while GDP growth has fallen to 2.1%. Factories are closing down and sacking workers for lack of supplies and the managers of those still existing spend much of their time battling epileptic power supply, fuel and forex crisis. Amid all these, our president is still maintaining 10 aircraft in the Presidential fleet with billions of Naira. Malam Garba Shehu, the president’s media aide recently confirmed that N2.3 billion was released to the Presidential Air Fleet by the office of the Accountant General of the Federation between May and November 2015. In this year’s budget, about N6 billion will be spent on maintaining the 10 aircraft. So, what is our president saying about feeling our pains and spending this much on Presidential fleet? His government needs to cut avoidable expenditures with huge foreign exchange components like this. Buhari’s globetrotting is costing this country a lot of forex amid limited inflow of USD. He has visited 30 countries in 12 months. There is also this funny story about savings in the Treasury Single Account (TSA) hitting N2.7 trillion. Our president has been celebrating this while the country bleeds.

Kachikwu

This is good money that should be used to reflate the economy. Yet, it is locked up in the vault of the Central Bank of Nigeria. Right now, most of the MDAs are gasping for breath because their funds are locked up in the TSA. What kind of archaic economic policy is this amidst the cries across the land? This money should be released to the MDAs to complete abandoned capital projects and execute new ones. The multiplier effect of this investment will reduce our tears. I hope those around our president will be courageous enough to tell him this. While the country bleeds, Buhari hands out subsidised greenbacks to all manner of importers at official rate of N197/$, which naturally invites corruption. The bulk of the USD bought at official rate finds its way to the parallel market where it is sold at about N340/$. Genuine manufacturers are struggling to get the greenbacks. All efforts to convince our president to allow the Naira to float have been unsuccessful. Suggestions in this direction by key actors in the real sector have been ignored. As a result, the manufacturing sector that would have helped to ease the pressure on Nigerians is gasping for breath. All sorts of stifling policies rolled out in the last 12 months have combined to incapacitate this sector. Now, the increase in electricity tariffs and policy somersaults

Ezekwesili’s Party with Buhari’s Now over

The fragile relationship went bad when Oby Ezekwesili, coordinator of the #BringBackOurGirls, (BBOG) movement and her members were prevented from accessing the Presidential Villa during the second year anniversary of the abduction of the Chibok girls last month. The action was a reminder of the military era, declared Ezekwesili. Suddenly, the BBOG members have become a pest to be grilled. An obviously depressed Ezekwesili still can’t fathom why President Buhari failed to make any progress in his pledge to rescue the girls. The fact that Buhari said the administration lacked any information about the whereabouts of the girls, after almost a year, was most dreadful. As reality dawns, it became obvious that the BBOG was used to achieve a political goal and dumped at the end of the day. The hypocrisy of this administration became evident. On the economic front, for almost a year, Ezekwesili bottled up her feelings about the mismanagement of the nation’s economy. It eventually got to a crescendo; she could no longer endure again and exploded with a loud bang. “What did not work in 1984 can¬not possibly be a solution in a global economy that’s much more integrated.

are creating more problems for Nigerian manufacturers. Some of them have closed shop or relocated to other West African countries where production environment is conducive. Many can now understand why the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture faulted all the policies designed by the Buhari administration to stimulate the economy and salvage the Naira. Official statistics confirmed the mass sack across our nation. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the unemployment rate in the country climbed to 10.4 per cent in the fourth quarter of last year, compared to 9.9 per cent in the previous quarter. The NBS noted that a total of 22.45 million of the total labour force of 76.96 million were either unemployed or underemployed in Q4 of 2015 compared to 20.7 million in Q3 and 19.6 million in Q2 of the same year. The number of unemployed persons increased by 518,102 during the period under review. Still, no tangible action from Buhari to ameliorate this unemployment crisis. How can a president who claims to be sharing in our pains budget more for capital projects at the State House Medical Centre this year than it would provide for the 16 teaching hospitals belonging to it. The State House Medical Centre is a facility that provides healthcare for President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, their families and other employees of the Presidency, all possibly less than a thousand. Federal teaching hospitals cater for the health needs of millions of Nigerians, train medical doctors and other health professionals for the nation while also serving as top medical research centres. So, why should more money be allocated for capital projects at the State House Clinic? If Buhari is truly hearing our cries, then those living in the State House should start patronising public hospitals while funds allocated to the State House Clinic should be redistributed to our public hospitals. What about the unending queues at fuel stations and persistent epileptic electricity supply in the 12 months of the Buhari administration? These have all combined to make our lives miserable. Yet, no concrete action to suggest that the problems will abate in the coming months. Ibe Kachikwu, the crabby junior minister for petroleum resources keeps shifting the goal post, whenever he is asked to tell the nation when fuel supply will stabilise. Is this a sign of a government that genuinely shares our pains?

Judgment Day for Randy Lecturers I am earnestly expecting the swift passage of the bill for a law which prescribes five-year jail term for lecturers who engage in sexual relationship with students. The bill, sponsored by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege seeks to completely prohibit any form of sexual relationship between lecturers and their students. The extent of sexual exploitation on our campuses is frightening. Sex for marks is now seen as normal. Heads of these institutions have done very little to stem this ugly trend. Some of them are even actively involved in this repugnant act. The nation’s institutions of higher learning must be sanitised. Lecturers who see female students as mere articles must be kicked out and severely punished. When the bill is passed and signed

ezekwesili

His (Buhari) archaic and opaque economic principles are not only encouraging massive cor¬ruption and abuse of power, but also damaging poor Ni¬gerians they were intended to help.” Clearly, the party is over. I hope madam due process will now spend more time on the side of the people.

Ignoring suggestions from key actors in the real sector is the biggest bane of the Buhari administration. A government interested in alleviating the suffering of the people should be prepared to accept suggestions from outside; more so, when its own policies and actions are not yielding the desired result. This morning, I urge our president to deeply reflect on these three remarks and swiftly take steps to respond to the points made, if he truly cares about Nigerians. The first one is from the IMF and states: “As part of a credible package of policies, the exchange rate should be allowed to reflect market forces more and restrictions on access to foreign exchange removed, while improving the functioning of the interbank foreign exchange market (IFEM). It will be important for the regulatory and supervisory frameworks to ensure a strong and resilient financial sector that can support private sector investment across production segments (including SMEs) at reasonable financing costs.” The second remark is from the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). It stated: “Significant disruptions, distortions and dislocations have been created in the business environment by the CBN as a consequence of the restrictions on the use of export proceeds, denial of access to foreign exchange market for many products, including critical inputs needed in manufacturing and service sectors, tight exchange controls and administrative allocation of foreign exchange which are typically characterised by lack of transparency, corruption and considerable abuse. “The economy is now faced with a scenario where there is much pressure to move funds out of the economy than moving funds into the economy. This can be likened to a run on a system. This is a typical scenario which a confidence crisis would create. Future international trade transactions, financial and investment relations are now at risk. Roundtripping of forex has continued to flourish because of the disparity in the exchange rate between the official and parallel market. Inflow of forex into the two autonomous sources has been adversely affected.” The last one is from Professor Pat Utomi who said: “Your (Buhari’s) ideas go back 30 years and they are irrelevant to this world. Open up your mind and listen to people and you can make progress. To lead is to serve. To lead, you must be knowledgeable. People don’t follow somebody who doesn’t know where he is going. Otherwise, you fall into a ditch.” Buhari, please don’t take these personal. Read more of what your opponents and neutral people are saying. Your aides, friends, ministers and cronies will only tell you what you want to hear. God bless Nigeria.

into law, any lecturer found guilty will be liable to a jail term of up to five years but not less than two years with no option of fine. It makes it a criminal offence for any educator in a university, polytechnic or any other tertiary educational institution to violate or exploit the student-lecturer fiduciary relationship for sexual pleasures. The bill imposes stiff penalties on offenders in its overall objective of providing tighter statutory protection for students against sexual hostility and all forms of sexual harassment in tertiary schools. When passed into law, heads of institutions of higher learning will go to jail for two years if they fail to act within a week on complaints of sexual harassment made by students. Thank you Omo-Agege for standing by our daughters.

Troops Retake 7 More Villages Troops of 28 Task Force Brigade have successfully cleared Boko Haram terrorists along Galtha Baba, Galtha Musa, Bulakurma, Shatimari, Chukruk, Bulangaje, and Disa villages, all in Borno State. Thumbs up for our gallant soldiers. I hope those telling the world

that no Nigerian territory is under the control of the terrorists will now keep quiet. Just on Thursday, Boko Haram attacked Maiduguri, killing six people. This is not the right time for propaganda. Let us face reality and battle the enemy with all our might. victory is certain.

MAY 14 , 2016• THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

COMMENTARY

DAVID CAMERON’S UNHOLY COMMENT

It is a wake-up call to fight corruption in Nigeria, argues Alifia Sunday

f you shut up truth and bury it underground, it will but grow and gather to itself such explosive power that the day it burst through it will blow up everything in its way- Emile Zola Nigeria scenario is like a city on a heel that can never be hidden. Nigeria as a country is known for the good, the bad and the ugly. This we live with on a daily basis. Hence, the stack reality and the mocking coming from David Cameron, the British Prime minister, at the anti-corruption summit in London, a summit where President Muhamadu Buhari gave a keynote address. Cameron described Nigeria and Afghanistan as “fantastically corrupt” in a conversation with the Queen of England, Elizabeth 11. He said:” We have got some leaders of some fantastically corrupt countries coming to Britain...Nigeria and Afghanistan, possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world”. But it did not occur to Cameron that British started it all, from the colonial era where both human and material resources were siphoned and then acting as a “safe haven” for the criminally minded Nigerians. Buhari as I write Buhari is already participating in the anti-corruption talk along with world leaders including David Cameron and of course Mr President has responded to Cameron’s unholy comment by saying he was not going to demand for apology but rather that the looted funds in Britain be returned to Nigeria. You can insult us, but give us our cash. Good response. Just few months ago, Nigeria got her image battered by the US Republican Party’s Presidential candidate, Donald Trump when he said: “When I am elected as US President, we need to get the Africans out, especially Nigerians. They are everywhere, they are so corrupt, they rob the people blind and bring it all here to spend.” What is the difference between a thief and the one that harbours or buys the stolen goods? President Buhari rode smoothly through his perceived no nonsense, principled, rigid integrity into power in 2015 after he ran unsuccessfully for the presidency thrice - 2003, 2007 and 2011. His vision came to fulfillment at a time stealing was defined as not corruption in Nigeria, even though corruption was sending the country packing. He came at a time of mind-boggling and heart-quaking revelations of the looting of trillions of naira from civil servants pension funds, NNPC and funds allocated for ammunition to fight Boko Haram in the country. President Buhari during his campaign in the 2015 general election hardly uttered a statement without his stand on the war against corruption. He is actually waging the war against the menace on the perceived corrupt politicians during the era of

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A THIEF AND THE ONE THAT HARBOURS OR BUYS THE STOLEN GOODS?

former President Goodluck Jonathan. The anti-corruption crusade of Mr President has since then landed former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo (rtd) to EFCC cell for his alleged role in converting security funds into personal ATM; other public officials who were corrupt and accused are still running from pillar to post. Although, the anti-corruption crusade under Buhari has come under heavy criticism by Nigerians because a good number of arrested politicians were those of the opposition, leaving those in the ruling All Progressives Congress who were also alleged to have been corrupt unchecked. Others are also saying he should stop prosecuting the immediate past government over campaign funds since he too spent heavily for the campaign that brought him on board. It is like the pot calling kettle black. Nigeria is fantastically corrupt, what is new about that? Are Nigerian leaders not truly and fantastically corrupt? Is corruption still not going on in the oil sector? Where are the Panama men and women and the budget padding gang? We heard of diversion of fuel to Chad and Cameroun, leading to petrol scarcity in the land among other factors and the untold hardship in the land. Are they not corrupt? Marketers now celebrate the new fuel pump price while the poor masses weep for additional burden. Of course, marketers have to celebrate because it is another moment to make easy money. Nigerians are asking whether there is any difference between Jonathan government and Buhari. So, there’s nothing like “looking at an old snapshot of Nigeria” as Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to Buhari on media put it trying to defend his master. Truth must be told else, it will burst. Nigeria under President Buhari must build institutional capacity to fight corruption matters. A mere arrest and jail or plea bargain as it is at the moment is like digging a shallow grave, it will not stand the test of time. Again, I don’t see any reason why we should criticise Cameron. Has Buhari’s political sycophants and economic jobbers forgotten so soon Mr President’s incessant stories of corruption in Nigeria perpetuated under previous administrations? The copious and over flogging of unsubstantiated corruption cases gave Nigeria a bad image in the eyes of the world. The president is duty-bound to protect and market the image of the country while he preaches the gospel of change at home and abroad. So the mocking from Cameron and others should not be a thing of concern. Sunday wrote from Ilorin, Kwara State

IGALA’S CHARTER OF DEMANDS

wish to call the immediate attention of President Muhammad Buhari to the current spate of crime, killings and mayhem in Igala land. The hit squad has a tripod of Fulani herdsmen, kidnappers and murderous thugs as anchors. Until very recently, the Igala people and Fulani herdsmen lived peaceably but gone seems to be those days following the multiple acts of war and mayhem being unleashed daily on innocent farmers and law-abiding citizens in their villages, homes and farm lands. For instance within the space of Mid-2015 to now, Igala land has witnessed several incidences of killings as a result of herdsmen violence in several areas including Ebeje where eight people were killed and farms set ablaze; Agbada/Agojeju where 19 people were slaughtered; Edede – two persons were killed and in Oganenigu; three people killed in Ojapata and five others murdered in Ojuwo Anawo. All these happened in Dekina Local Government Area. The story is not different in Ofu local government area at Ojuwo Omachi and Akpagidigbo where the incessant attacks of herdsmen have claimed the lives of over 20 persons. In Abejukolo and Bagana in Omala Local Government Area, the reign of terror resonates loudly, so much that our people no longer move freely to and from their farm lands because of the fear of killings, maiming and rape, with some villages like Ebakume wholly sacked and entire farm produce granaries/silos completely burnt. These heavily armed cattle rearers keep flaunting their prowess in the handling of AK 47 rifles and double barrel guns. Our fathers lived peacefully and harmoniously with the Fulani herdsmen for several generations when all they carried was just their wooden-rod. Their current behaviour and disposition are thus very strange to the people of the land. There is therefore need to curtail their new penchant for impunity which is obviously being fuelled by

Abdul Audu calls for protection against the reign of terror in Igalaland

horrible killer machines they now brandish in the likes of AK 47 and other types of dangerous rifles/ weapons. Incidences of kidnapping in Igala land have become also nightmarish, the height of which is the new trend in the kidnap of foreigners. A Chinese woman - Lilly Yunpin was kidnapped at Etutekpe in Dekina local Government Area, until a ransom was paid recently. This is a clear negation of the stance of the government on security and free business environment for foreigners. Kogi is known to be the largest producer of cashew nuts in Nigeria today and thus attracts an influx of export merchants. This development obviously has effect on the non-oil forex earnings of the country as long as the business environment fails to guarantee the security of exporters seeking to purchase from farm-gates that are considered unsafe. Again, just last week, Dr. Barnabas, a medical doctor at the Kogi State University, Anyigba in Dekina Local Government Area was kidnapped and ransom had to be paid for his release. The serial kidnap of locals working in the local government offices and others in their respective businesses have become too numerous to list. In addition, cold-blooded murder and assassination of innocent citizens have become the order of the day in Igala land. The land is yet to recover from the gruesome murder of Chief Isa Edime, the producer of the popular second republic radio programme “Democracy in action” and retired director of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) who was brazenly murdered in broad day light in his residence at Egume in Dekina LGA by yet to be identified gunmen. Very recently, Idah, the traditional seat of the Igala kingdom, was visited by an orgy of unprecedented exchange of gunfire which happened for two straight days (April 24 – 25, 2016) and left 13 people dead.

Chief Simon Shaibu, the district head of Ejule, in Ofu LGA was killed in similar manner on April 30, 2016. In an open display of firearms, the district head was directly shot at in his residence in a brigandage that left everybody in terror, despair and wondering who would be the next victim. Ufedo Foundation on behalf of Igala sons and daughters condemns the impunity, surge in violence and brazen display of military weapons that is now reigning in Igala land. The phenomenal level of blindness being feigned in what seems like a conspiracy of silence by government at all levels is also condemnable. Governments at all levels have remained quiet, while fears of continuing killing is causing despair, terror and paralysis in commerce, economic and social activities. Igala sons and daughters in this escalated level of insecurity can’t even risk home travels anymore, the farmers cannot continue farming activities because of the fear of either killer-herdsmen brandishing AK 47 rifles or violent cult groups parading dangerous weapons. Exportation of cash crops from Igala land is now at a great mercantile risk including cashew nuts, sesame seeds, etc. The people cannot continue to live under this terror any further and hence demand that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria act immediately. We demand a halt to this reign of terror in Igala land. We observe further that law enforcement agencies as presently located in the land are obviously too sparse to provide the required security cover for the entire land. We wish you could for a moment imagine that the entire geography of the then Igala Native Authority is still having only one Area Police Command covering nine local governments. The Igala Native Authority was second only to Kano N.A in the old Northern Nigeria in terms of economy and commerce. The Igala ethno-nationality which is reputed to be the nineth largest tribe in Nigeria is yet to have any form of

military or functional mobile police formation. This gaping absence of security formations and units in Igala land has continued to fuel impunity and security breaches. Igala land did not bargain for this bloodletting in the change regime we all contributed in entrenching. We therefore demand reinforced security presence in Igala land to deal with the terror being perpetrated by criminals, murderous thugs and kidnappers in the land. The desire of Igala land has always been peace and an environment devoid of rancour. Strong police presence and other security apparatus which are currently non-existent if provided, will create adequate institutional framework for dealing with all these crimes as well as deployment of preventive strategies. Additionally we demand a full scale investigation of all these killings with a view to finding lasting solutions as no one seems to be attending to them under any serious order, while the families keep asking for justice. The time to commence full scale investigation into these killings and curtail the resultant criminal activities from these dastardly acts of kidnapping and blood shedding and herdsmen violence is now. We believe that it is within the power of President Muhammadu Buhari as President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, to do and/or direct all these prayers to be answered. We also ask for a replacement for late James Ocholi (SAN) at the Federal Executive Council even as the Kogi-East Senatorial election remains inconclusive. The Kogi State caucus in the House of Representatives is seemingly overwhelmed by these happenings just as the Kogi House of Assembly remains shut. Igala land should be saved from further descent into a state of anarchy. Audu is the National President of Ufedo Foundation

MAY 14, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

INSIGHT

The suffering continues...

Discos and Electricity Debtors

he publication in THISDAY of last May 9 detailing the amount some Nigerian public institutions were owing the electricity distribution companies (Discos) was quite disturbing. The amount ran into about N98 billion. The report noted that the debtors, called “historic debtors”, cut across the three tiers of government namely local, state and even the federal government as well as the security and military apparatus of government. That certainly is a very worrying development which does not augur well for the sector as it certainly clouds any hope of having constant power supply as well as any meaningful economic development, when institutions which should set the pace for others are the leading defaulters on payment of electricity bills. Worse still is the obvious situation of these public institutions being the very ones expected to prevail on ordinary and corporate debtors to pay their electricity bills in case of default on payment of such bills. What moral authority would such public institutions and security outfits have to prevail on electricity debtors to pay their bills when they too are owing hefty bills? Certainly a huge moral deficit has been created for such local and state governments that have not paid their electricity bills. Obviously such defaulters in high places and in the corridors of power have contributed immensely to the parlous state of electricity supply in the nation. Given the huge investments of the Discos to come on stream in electricity delivery as a result of privatisation, it is certainly unrealistic, if not downright wickedness, to expect them to carry a debt burden that preceded privatisation without some financial help from government in recognition of the existence of such debt burden. But now that government itself is involved at all tiers, it is as if it was a government policy not to pay electricity bills at all levels which definitely cannot be the case. Or are we mistaken on this matter in assuming that government has decreed not to pay electricity bills when it privatised the power industry in the nation thus contributing immensely to the huge debt burden inflicted on the Discos? Certainly an answer needs to be provided at the highest echelons of government to solve this riddle finely but mischievously hidden in an enigma of unbelievable default in payment of electricity bills. The obvious comparison is for government at all levels to consider how it will feel if citizens in each local government, state and the nation at large fail to pay taxes. Of course they would be taken to court and if found guilty, jailed. Now how can the Discos which are partners with the government perform successfully their task of delivering electricity when consumers including government do not pay the equivalent of taxes which are electricity

tariffs and which in this case are cost reflective and putting that weight of delivery on the shoulders of the Discos? Certainly something is wrong in the state of public institutions perception of their electricity bills and government at all tiers must do their duty in this regard to prove that like all of us who pay our taxes and electricity bills , they too are worthy to be called patriotic individuals or good corporate citizens. This is a clear - cut case of civic irresponsibility that should be nipped in the bud before it becomes the norm in our society and nation generally. Public institutions have always had priority over individuals or even busy corporate companies and the private sector at large in the allocation of electricity even before the coming of the discos and till now. So why can’t they justify their importance by simply footing the bill of their electricity consumption? This none payment of electricity bills by agents of government at all tiers cast deep aspersion on the integrity and sense of accountability of such institutions in the governance of this nation . This is another act of blatant corruption and misuse of public funds since such public institutions must have budgeted for electricity usage and delivery. Okechukwu Nwankwo, Benin City

Aisha and the North-East Development Commission

isha Muhammadu Buhari, the Wife of the President, has shown passionate support for the bill for creation of the North-East Development Commission (NEDC). Aisha’s unique interest in the NEDC bill has aroused few questions: is her exceptional interest in the creation of the commission because she is from the region? Is it politics or mere show off that she cares? Is it because she is the wife of a president who is loved and cherished in the North- east and has to show commitment to the cause of the people ravaged by the Boko Haram war? People who know Aisha can certainly attest to her passion for the welfare of women and children- especially those that have been ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency. So, she will fully support the creation of a commission that will provide comprehensive and feasible post-war programmes and projects to restore communities to their pre-war, peaceful and productive status. Most people believe that Aisha is supporting the creation T H E S AT U R DAY N E W S PA P E R of the commission EDITOR SHAKA MOMODU because peace is graduDEPUTY EDITOR YEMI ADEBOWALE MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO ally returning to most DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE of these areas and the CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI government of Nigeria EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN is planning how to smoothly return internally displaced persons (IDPs) to liberated areas. The role of such T H I S DAY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D commission will be EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA critical in sustaining GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, ISRAEL IWEGBU, EMMANUEL EFENI, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU the fragile peace and GROUP FINANCE DIRECTOR OLUFEMI ABOROWA long-term stability, as well DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS PETER IWEGBU, FIDELIS ELEMA, as provide a well-planned MBAYILAN ANDOAKA, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE guide and procedure in DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI the design of projects and SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH programmes for comASSOCIATE DIRECTORS HENRY NWACHOKOR, SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA munities’ protection and MOSERI avoiding future conflicts GENERAL MANAGER PATRICK EIMIUHI in these communities. GROUP HEAD FEMI TOLUFASHE Mrs. Buhari, a ART DIRECTOR OCHI OGBUAKU II Master’s degree holder DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO in International Affairs TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com and Strategic Studies and grand daughter of

Alhaji Mohammed Ribadu, Nigeria’s first Minister of Defence, definitely knows that restoring communities in the North-east to their pre-war peaceful and productive status cannot be successful without putting in place a structured commission to coordinate programmes and projects. Furthermore, programmes and projects for the North-east need to be carefully designed in such a way that there is a strong synergy between affected states of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi, Taraba and the federal government of Nigeria, while also involving donor agencies and NGOs in the areas of funding, monitoring and evaluation. At the first public hearing of the bill, Aisha said, “I believe that for rapid development to come to the region, a concerted and organised effort must be made”. Most people in the North-east agree with Mrs Buhari, because the military is winning the war; the ideal step to take next is the application of soft approach to winning wars- programmes and projects to tackle the original factors that facilitated the growth of Boko Haram and helped the group in its recruitments and indoctrinations i.e. abject poverty, illiteracy and the absence of employment opportunities in these states. The North-East Development Commission Bill seeks to empower the commission to “receive and manage funds from the allocation from the federation account and international donors for the settlement, rehabilitation and reconstruction of roads, houses, and business premises of victims of insurgency; and for other matters connected there with”. Mothers will definitely support the creation of such commissions, not only for the North-east, but anywhere in Nigeria when the need arises. With such unalloyed support shown for the creation of the commission by Aisha, the people of the North-east will be happy and hopeful that the bill will sail through and the commission will be made up of not only the right people but people with a passion for the rehabilitation of the war-ravaged areas. Zayyad I. Muhammad, Jimeta, Adamawa State

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER •MAY 14, 2016

NEWS

In Brief

Customs Intercepts Bags of Cannabis

Theanti-smugglingcampaignoftheNigeriaCustomsService(NCS)paidoff asnofewerthan26bagsofcannabiswereinterceptedbyofficersandmen of the service. Cannabis is high on the Import Prohibition List (IPL) and the Export Prohibition List (EPL) prepared by the Federal Ministry of Finance based on the Federal Government fiscal policies and enforced by NCS. Though the exact present market value of the prohibited items could not beimmediatelyascertained,thosefamiliarwiththeharddrugbusinesstold THISDAYthatitrunsintomillionsofnairaintheopenmarket.Packedneatly into jumbo bags and left unattended to atTanfi Island near the Republic of Benin,thecannabiswereinterceptedbymenandofficersfromtheBadagry stationofNCSwhilepatrollingthecreeksattheBadagry-RepublicofBenin axis. Customs Area Controller (CAC), Western Marine Command (WMC), Comptroller Yusuf Umar who confirmed this in a chat with THISDAY said theprohibiteditemswerebeingkeptinreadinessforsmugglingintoNigeria from the Republic of Benin. Giving an insight into how the operation was carriedoutbymenandofficersofhiscommand,Umarsaid:“Afterwaitingfor severalhoursinambushfortheownersofthecannabistosurface,theteam soughtre-enforcementfromtheNigerianNavy,whorespondedimmediately andassistedinconveyingthebagsofcannabistoourbaseatIbafon,Apapa, Lagos in one of our patrol boats. No suspect was apprehended.

570,000 of TB Alarms UN

YOU'RE WELCOME... L–R: Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs , Linda Thomas – Greenfield; visiting U.S. Deputy Secretary of State , Mr. Antony Binken and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo during the courtesy visit of U.S Deputy secretary of State to the Vice President Office at the Presidential Villa , Abuja …yesterday PHOTO: GODWIN OMOIGUI

Lagos to Increase FDIs by 50 Per Cent, Says Ambode

Ugo Aliogo

The Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, has expressed the desire of his administration to increase Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to the state by 50 percent in 2017. This is as the state said it prosecuted 1, 536 criminal cases in all courts in the last one year through the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP). Ambode disclosed this yesterday at the grand opening of Yamaha showroom and Assembly plant in Lagos, stressing that one of the key objectives of the administration is to make the sate the hub for foreign direct investment. The governor noted that the collaboration between CFAO, France and Yamaha, Japan to establish the assembly plant was a welcome development for the

state economic growth, adding that it was a clear demonstration of the fact that the state attracted investment opportunities. Ambode explained that the location of the assembly plant was very strategic, noting that Lagos remained the most attractive destination for doing business in Africa, while assuring them that “the state is open for business and investment and we are convinced that Lagos has what every society has which will drive investment and business opportunities. “I want to assure you that you have made the best decision in locating your business here. With a population of 21 million, of which the significant proportion comprises of the middle class with a strong purchasing power, the state is open for business and attracting investors. Over 60 per cent of Nigeria’s industrial capacity

is located in Lagos. “CFAO assembly plant joins over 10 assembly plants located in the state and we still have the capacity for more. Nigeria receives about $6 billion of FDI annually, and from that figure, the state attracts 70-80 per cent of that investment; we expect this figure to increase by 50 per cent in 2017. The policy thrust of the administration is built on the tripod of security, job opportunities and infrastructure. “We therefore continue to invest in the critical infrastructure and security to guarantee safety and return on investment. As a government we will continue to explore ways to make your business strive. We are committed to introducing new incentives to make businesses grow, support the society and take more of our youths off the street. “The ease of doing of business is of concern to us, as a result we are

working to improve the indices in the state, while we continue in our commitment to carryout judicial and security reforms. The significance of today’s event is to showcase partnership across three continent; CFAO from Europe, Yamaha from Asia and Nigeria in Africa.” In his address, the President of the Yamaha Motor Corporation, Japan, Mr. Hiroyuki Yanagi, stated that Yamaha and CFAO motors were brands which had built a track record in the market because of their shared passion for quality, innovations and exceeding customer expectations in terms of products and experiences. He added that since 60s Yamaha motors has been developing businesses in Africa, stressing the company now operates in 52 out of 54 countries across the continent, “we are pleased to have this new assembly plant in Lagos state.”

Police Lose 6 as Herdsmen Queens College Sex Scandal: Behead Woman, Kill 30 in 3 Years FG's Investigative Panel Omon-Julius Onabu inAsaba and Monday Osayande inWarri

Tragedy again struck in Illah community in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State as assailants suspected to be Fulani nomads beheaded a woman and left two others with sever machete wounds. In a related development, Delta State Police Command said it lost more than six police officers to armed bandits within three months, just as the Fulani herdsmen had reportedly killed 30 persons in the past three years in Ughelli North Local Government Area of the State. The dead and the wounded were said to have gone on fishing in in a stream in area when the suspected nomads allegedly pounced on them and attempted to rape the women. The women had gone to the Otu Ngegu River (Gulugulu) in Ajaji area of the community to fish but they were attacked on the way by the suspected nomads who allegedly tried to rape them, inflicting matchet cuts on them as

they put up resistance, community sources said. The incident has caused a big stir in the usually peaceful agrarian community as fear has gripped the people such that some residents had not been unable to go to their farms out of fear of attack. One community source said, "The women were fishing when some person dressed like herdsmen and wearing masks emerged from the bush nearby and attacked them in an attempt to rape them. "However, the women resisted which infuriated the assailants as one of them brought out a sharp cutlass to cut off the neck of one of the women, killing her instantly. The attacker also inflicted injuries on the two other women." A team of policemen reportedly stormed the scene of the attack but the attacker had fled before their arrival. The source further told THISDAY that the policemen eventually evacuated the remains of the dead woman to a morgue while they also rushed the two injured ones to the hospital for medical attention.

Exonerates Osifala

Paul Obi in Abuja Following the disciplinary panel set up by the Federal Ministry of Education to probe alleged sexual molestation on one Miss Okoye of Queens College, Lagos, the panel has exonerated the teacher, Mr. Olaseni Osifala of any culpability in the matter. The 7-Man Committee which completed its works some weeks ago, made its findings public, but could not establish any credible evidence against the accused teacher, given that Mrs. Chinenye Okoye, mother of Miss Okoye who raised the allegation failed to physically present herself before the panel to back up the allegations. Director Internal Audit, Federal Ministry of Education, Paul Boyo, who chaired the committee explained that despite various calls and appeal to protect the identity of the Okoyes, the mother failed to show-up to present her case. The committee in its recommendation, argued that the absence of the mother and daughter left the committee handicapped in recommending

appropriate disciplinary action against the accused teacher. The Federal Government in a move to arrest the alleged ugly incident in the sexual scandal involving the college, had on the 22nd of March 2016, set up a 7-man investigation panel to look into allegation of sexual molestation of a junior secondary school II student of Queen’s College, Yaba, Lagos. The move was initiated after several pressure on government and reports from the conventional and social media networks, accusing a teacher of the college, Mr. Osifala of allegedly molesting one Miss Okoye, a student of the college. The allegation was supposedly made by the girl’s mother, one Mrs. Chinenye Okoye. The panel had shortly after inauguration stormed the institution with the aim of ascertaining the veracity of the allegation. Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah who read out government's position on the matter, on Friday, clearly exonerated the teacher.

Following the increasing rate ofTuberculosis in Nigeria, where the country nowhasabout570,000casesofthedisease,theUnitedNations(UN)Special Envoy on Tuberculosis, Dr. Eric Goosby is to visit Nigeria to work out new modalities on prevention, dictation and treatment of TB. This was made known by the Challenge TB/KNCV Foundation, Country Representative, Dr. Gidado Mustapha ahead of the international summit on Tuberculosis holding in Abuja next week. He listed other global figures visiting Nigeria to includeExecutiveDirector,GlobalStopTBPartnership,Dr.LuciaDitiu, Global DirectorforChallengeTB/KNCV,Dr.MaartenVanCleeffamongothers.He explained that Nigeria'sTB indexes were now a source for concern across the world, given the country's status in global public health. Mustapha said: "Current National strategic plan which is for 2016 to 2020 is going to cost above$2billion,thiswillhelpNigeriatodiagnosenotlessthan600toabouta millioncasesoftuberculosis.Butifthesecasesarefoundontimethiswillhelp ustopreventover35millionpeoplefrombeinginfectedwithtuberculosis, sothecostwilllookveryhighbutifwelookatitoveraperiodof5years,ifyou lookattheamountoflivesthatNigeriaisgoingtosaveandalsotheamount ofindividualsthataregoingtobeinfectedfromtuberculosis,Ithinkitisnot as expensive as we think. It's going to cost over 2million US Dollars. At the moment Nigeria need over 2 billion”.

Widow Recount Ordeal with Robbers

Awidow,Mrs.OmolabakeClementineAbayomiwhowasallegedlyattacked in her residence in Ile-Ife, Osun State by unknown gun men suspected to be assassins has cried out for protection. Narrating her ordeal in the hands of the gun men, Mrs. Abayomi who spoke to newsmen in an undisclosed hospital where she is still receiving treatment said they dragged her from herbedroomtothelivingroomandaskedhertositonthefloor. "Thearmed men said I need to co-operate with them otherwise they will kill me. They said they are aware that my son - Barrister Adekanmi Abayomi is back in the country because he granted an interview to THISDAY newspaper few months ago and that they are reliably informed that my son is hiding in my house.Theysearchedeverywhereinthehouselookingformyson.Whenthey couldn'tseeanytraceofhim,theystartedbeatingmeandIdidnotknowwhen I fainted.They left me hoping that I had died. But the timely intervention of the vigilante saved my life”, she narrated. According to her, the armed men did not steal anything but they went away with her son's clients' files and some other documents kept in the house. As at press time, the Police was yettomakeanypublicstatementontheincidentwhichhadalreadycreated fear in the hearts of residents in the ancient city

IPC Condemns Assault on Journalist

The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos, has condemned the assault on The Nation reporter, Sampson Unamka who was alleged to have been slapped severally by police officers, and threatened to be charged for attemptingtotakepicturesofapoliceofficerwhowasbeatingupamotorist and a passenger in Mushin area of Lagos yesterday. The Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade in a statement described the act as unacceptable, as the journalist in question was assaulted in the line of duty. “The duty of the police is to protect citizens and not batter them in the course of their legitimate duty” Arogundade said.The IPC Director urged the Lagos State Commissioner of Police to immediately investigate the incident and take appropriate disciplinary action against the concerned officers.

Madam Towobola Passes on

PThe transition of the last matriarch of the Towobola family has been announcedinIle-Ife,OsunState.Astatementbythefamilysaidthe87yearold ReverendMotherEstherFlorenceMojirolaTowobola(aliasIyaPupa)passed ontogloryintheearlyhoursofWednesdayMay11andwastilldeath,adevout Christian,very hardworkingandastrongbelieverintakingcareofextended familyandpeople.Sheissurvivedbyeightchildren,manygrandchildrenand great grandchildren. Among her children is Senior Apostle DepoTowobola theManagingDirectorofAsdarCommunicationsLimitedandaFellowofthe AdvertisingPractitionersCouncilofNigeria(APCON).Burialarrangements will be announced later by the family. May her soul rest in peace.

Okugbe Social Club Mourns Efenure

The Okugbe Social Club has mourns the departure to eternal glory of Mrs. AgnesAvwoghokomaEfenure.AstatementfromtheclubsaidthelateEfenure was aged 75 years (1940-2015) and was laid to rest on Saturday, May 7th 2016inherhometown OkparaWatersideinEthiope EastLocalGovt.Area, of Delta State. “Members of Okugbe Social Club, Nigeria were among the dignitariespresenttopaytheirlastespect.Untilherdeath,shewasafervent and devoted member of First Baptist Church, Okpara Water-Side. She is survivedbyChildren,GrandChildrenandGreatGrandChildren,amongwhom areMrs.OgheneioborwenHelenOkehandLuckyEjovokogheneEfenure,a Staff of Adeniran Ogunsayan College of Education, Ijanikin.

MAY 14, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

NEWS REVIEWS

Benefits of Fuel Subsidy Removal The federal government’s partial deregulation of the downstream sector will, no doubt, be an incentive to private refiners, and boost capacity utilisation, as well as employment generation in the sector. Many believe the move is long overdue and will go a long way to freeing enormous resources into infrastructure development, Ejiofor Alike reports

he federal government recently removed petrol subsidy and ushered in a regime of partial deregulation in the downstream sector of the Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. Though the sector would have preferred full deregulation, the action is a right step, which will eventually lead to the ultimate goal, if the government could muster the political will to move a step further in the future. This belated action is however coming when the crude oil price has hit the bottom level, with corresponding drop in the price of refined products. But for the high cost of foreign exchange, which has led to high cost of product, the drop in the crude oil would have made mockery of the subsidy removal as there would have been nothing to subsidise. Subsidy removal would have made more economic sense when crude oil price was high to save the trillions of naira wasted on payment of subsidy. But when former President Goodluck Jonathan attempted to remove subsidy on January 1, 2012, the then opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) used the organised labour and other civil society groups to ambush and frustrate him, forcing the former administration to reverse it. However, even though the price of refined products has dropped but with the high cost of forex, the government has freed itself of sourcing for forex at the official exchange rate of N197, which is far below the N318 black market rate. Apart from the trillions of naira spent over the years in the payment of subsidy and its attendant corruption, perennial crisis in the downstream sector occasioned by government’s interference in the market through the management of subsidy regime has also fueled the need for deregulation, be it full or partial. The new pricing regime will no doubt resolve the recurrent fuel scarcity crisis by ensuring availability of products as marketers will now import product to their full capacity without government’s restriction in the form of import approval. It will also reduce hoarding, smuggling and diversion substantially and stabilise price at the actual product price. The new regime will also ensure market stability and improves fuel supply situation through private sector participation Most importantly, it will create labour market stability, potentially creating new jobs through new investments in private refineries and retails and at the same time prevent potential loss of jobs in existing investments, which were threatened in recent years. Imperatives for new regime This new regime been brought about by the non-availability of foreign exchange to import petroleum products. Marketers have drastically reduced their importation since third quarter 2015 due to a scarcity of forex. Also the rise in crude oil price and prevailing high cost of importation has brought back subsidy regime at the price of N86.50 since April 2016. Due to decline in government

Buhari

income related to crude oil price and limited crude oil output caused by the spate of renewed vandalism and sabotage of oil infrastructure in the Niger Delta, there is neither funding nor appropriation to cover this in the 2016 Budget. The government through this new price regime will ensure that the price of products are monitored and modulated to ensure that citizens get a fair value for products they purchase. The failure of investors to invest in private refineries was attributed to the inefficient and ineffective subsidy regime which did not allow free market forces to determine price of product. Unavailability of foreign exchange and Inability to open letter of credit has forced marketers to stop product importation and this imposed over 90 per cent supply on NNPC since October 2015 in contrast to the past where NNPC supplies 8 per cent of the national requirement. NNPC lacks the resources for and is not designed to meet this increase in supply, this has resulted in the current fuel situation across the country. With the new price regime, marketers will source their foreign exchange independently of CBN and ensure adequate product supply in all locations of the country whilst catering for full cost recovery and averaging of prices across the nation With the trillions of naira subsidy claims becoming unsustainable, the continuation of subsidies in any form limits the ability of government to deliver its statutory functions such as power generation, security, education, health, among others. The new price regime will enable government focus on these critical sectors and free up our scarce foreign exchange via CBN to be used in other sectors The national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC),

Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu echoed this sentiment, when he said that the action would President Buhari to reallocate funds once earmarked for the fuel subsidy and commit those funds to other more socially productive services and undertakings was a difficult decision. Tinubu acknowledged that politically, it would have been easy for the President to sit back and let the subsidy remain in place. He alleged that the subsidy regime had been distorted to where it no longer functioned for the benefit of the masses but for the undue enrichment of a small club of businessmen - some legitimate in their work, some not. “Instead of remaining a positive aspect of the social contract, the subsidy was transformed into an opaque haven of intrigue and malfeasance. It was turned into a shadowy process from which the unscrupulous extracted large sums of money without providing the services and products duly paid for. Fake businessmen became true billionaires over night as if by supernatural force,” he added Illegality of action However, a constitutional lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana said the removal of subsidy was illegal, immoral, insensitive and a disobedient of court order. He noted that during the campaign last year, the candidate of the APC, General Mohammadu Buhari pledged that if elected as President by the Nigerian people his administration would not remove fuel subsidy. “Since he won the election last year President Buhari has consistently resisted pressures from the neo-liberal characters in the government to remove fuel subsidy and increase the price of petrol,” he said. He lamented that without any public debate or consultation with

relevant stakeholders whatsoever the federal government took the Nigerian people by surprise when it decided to increase the pump price of petrol from N86.50k to N145 per litre. Falana recalled that not too long ago, the federal government had supported the imposition of higher tariffs paid on epileptic supply of electricity by consumers. He said in sentencing the Nigerian people to excruciating economic agony the Ministry of Power defied a court order which had restrained the government from giving effect to the proposed electricity tariff. Falana argued that the decision to increase the price of petrol is also illegal and contemptuous, citing the case of Bamidele Aturu versus AttorneyGeneral of the Federation (unreported suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/591/2009), where the Federal High Court declared illegal and unconstitutional the policy decision of the federal government to deregulate the downstream sector of the petroleum industry contrary to the combined effect of the provisions of the Price Control Act and the Petroleum Act. “In total defiance of the said order of the federal high court the federal government has deregulated the downstream sector of the petroleum industry,” he added. Falana also argued that since the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) which is statutorily empowered to recommend the price of petroleum products has not been reconstituted, the unilateral decision of the Executive Secretary of the body to fix the pump price at N145 per litre is ultra vires and illegal in every material particular. “In view of the illegality, insensitivity and immorality of the price increase the federal government should cancel it, revert to the status quo and consult widely with all relevant stakeholders in the society,” Falana added.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • MAY 14, 2016

SPY GLASS Biola Okoya’s Lamentation Song

Without a doubt, Biola Okoya, daughter of billionaire businessman, Alhaji Razak Okoya, had rocked the social scenes to the envy of many some years back. Indeed, for the mother of two, life must be enjoyed to the hilt. Given her privileged background, Okoya, a party freak, has everything at her beck and call. Those who know her claim that no man can tolerate her excesses. But things got to a head, following an anti-climatic twist to the tale of this beautiful daughter of the Aare of Lagos. She had fizzled out of the social radar, thus setting many tongues wagging. While many claimed she was laid up with a strange illness, some said that she had relocated abroad. Spyglass, however, gathered that she was forced out of the social scene when her billionaire father allegedly threatened to disown her due to her weird lifestyle. As part of effort to put her in check, her father reportedly rendered her literally ‘incapacitated’, as he deprived her of funds. This forced her to slow down, until recently when she was introduced to the London-based fashion entrepreneur and society lady, Ronke Ademiluyi, who relaunched’ her to high-octane social world again. In spite of this new lease of life offered by Ademiluyi, Biola is said to be seriously broke and gradually aging. Her condition is pathetic, as many of her new friends can’t cope with her.

Henry Semenitari’s Burden

Until recently, Henry Semenitari, a former Managing Director, Unity Bank Plc, occupied a pride of place in the nation’s banking sector. That he is a brilliant banker, is putting it mildly. Perhaps, as proof of his ingenuity and wizardry, he was adjudged the ‘Banker of the year 2014’. Besides, he was applauded for turning around the fortune of the bank barely a year after taking up the position. But sadly, the respected banker now cuts a different picture in the minds of his compatriots, after he was suspended and asked to go on a compulsory leave by the management of the bank. At the time of filing in this report, he

with Bayo Adeoye ....08054680651 had yet to return to his table. His offence? Some staff of the bank were said to have reported Semenitari to a former Nigerian President, who has a large stake in the bank. It was gathered that the former leader had directed the Chairman of the bank, Mr. Thomas Etuh, to engage forensic auditors to investigate the allegations. The forensic audit, it was reported, revealed ‘some cases of discrepancies” in the running of the bank, thus prompting the Board of the bank to force him to embark on a compulsory leave to allow for more detailed investigation of the allegations, which include: spending of about N100 million on bullet proof vehicles, payment of productivity bonus allowances to select staff and indiscriminate sacking of workers without recourse to the board of directors. However, whatever led to the man’s exit from the bank has definitely sent him out of circulation. He has disappeared from the scene, as nothing has been heard of him since he was replaced by Mrs. Oluwatomi Ayodele Somefun.

Is Igho Sanomi Really Broke?

Igho Sanomi, founder, Taleveras Group, has been in the news for so many reasons, recently. First, soon after the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan wound up, the dreaded EFCC went on his trail to explain the source of his alleged stupendous wealth. And then, life became hellish for the young billionaire. His bank accounts were allegedly frozen, thus forcing him to resort to such extreme measures like selling his private jet and other expensive acquisitions to survive. However, Spyglass gathered that the man is not as broke as many described after all. As proof that he is not suffering any reversal of fortune, Igho is planning to host a lavish party in Dubai to celebrate his 41st birthday on Tuesday, May 17, 2016 Spy Glass was reliably informed that he will be staging a pre- birthday bash in Miami this weekend, as a prelude to the main party scheduled for Dubai on May 17, 2016. Igho ventured into business shortly after completing his Bachelor’s degree in Geology and Mining at the University of Jos, Plateau State. He co-founded and held a position of Executive Director in Sarian Oil, an oil trading company with its core activities in West Africa. While he held that position, he singlehandedly developed the company’s trading operations by negotiating the export and delivery of fuel oils from West Africa to the United States Gulf Coast. He also developed a strategic alliance with a major international oil trading group based in Zug, Switzerland. This partnership oversaw the import and export of millions of tonnes of refined petro-

leum products to and from the West African coast. Sanomi, who is also the chairman, Dickens Sanomi Foundation Board of Trustees, a non-profit charitable organisation, sits as chairman and co-chairman of various companies’ Board of Directors, which he founded or co-founded. These companies’ activities span telecoms, shipping, aviation and real estate investments worldwide.

Bolajoko Aguda’s Marital Status

More than a decade after he passed on, many still remember the late Justice Timothy Akinola Aguda as a brilliant legal practitioner of repute. He towered above many of his contemporaries and was a study in diligence. In recognition of his astounding qualities, he was appointed acting Solicitor-General of the old Western region, prior to his appointment as the first African Chief Justice of Botswana-he had served concurrently as a judge of the Court of Appeal of Swaziland, Botswana and Lesotho. However, not many people know that he left behind highly cerebral and beautiful daughters whom he literally passed on the baton of law practice to. They include Folashade Oluwatoyin- Aguda Taiwo, who is currently a serving judge in the Ondo State Judiciary; Titi Aguda, Modupe and Bolajoko. Among these brainy children, tongues are, however, wagging about Bolajoko, an intelligent, courteous and friendly lawyer who runs an international logistics company known as Logistique Xpeditors. It will be recalled that she was once married to Otunba Abdulrahman Abiola Odunowo, owner of a telecoms infrastructure company, whom she had three beautiful daughters for. Spyglass gathered that since their marriage broke up about six years ago due to what an insider described as irreconcilable differences, she has refused to remarry. At close to 50, she still possesses a stunning figure that leaves a lot of men drooling. So, while you keep wondering when she will be hit by the Cupid arrow again, a source disclosed that her major concern is how to raise her teenage daughters and grow her thriving business.

Tonye Princewill’s Political Misadventure

Prince Tonye Princewill’s emergence as the Labour Party candidate in the build-up to the last governorship election in Rivers State, no doubt, changed the political calculation in the state, as he became the toast of all. However, prior to that time, the Prince of Kalabari had flagged the Action Congress’s umbrella in 2007 election, a situation that made many think that he had successfully

built his political base. As a result, many had thought that the billionaire would surely get the job at the Brick House. But surprisingly, the dream met a kiss of death. Again, he was given another baptism of fire while he was shown that politics is not a child play. Spyglass gathered through a source that he is yet to get over the shock, and he is still leaking his wound particularly because he expended a lot of money on the campaign. The light-skinned businessman with interest in both upstream and downstream oil and gas, Information Technology, environmental waste management and aviation services, was born in the United Kingdom to the family of King T. J. T. Princewill, the Amanyanabo of Kalabari Kingdom of the Amachree Dynasty of Rivers-State. His father was a Professor of Medical Microbiology before he became a monarch. Princewill, who also holds a PRINCE 2 Project Management Practitioner Certificate from the United Kingdom, started off his career with Shell as a Reservoir and Well-site Petroleum Engineer. He also worked with the UK’s Oil and Gas Regulatory Agency, the Department of Trade and Industry (United Kingdom) as Risk Analyst.

Trouble over Stella Oduah’s Abandoned Land

Former aviation minister, Princess Stella Oduah-Ogiemwonyi is likely fall into another trouble as her neighbours in her abandoned land in Ikota Villa Estate are clamouring for her head. Spyglass gathered that the Anambra State born senator’s five plots of land situated at Road 27 of the estate is becoming a thorn in the flesh and dangerous to the neighbourhood as it has turn a haven for different species of snakes that sometimes crawl out of the land to other houses around. We were also informed that that the neighbours have written several letters to her while she was at the Ministry of Aviation about this but all to no avail. But now the issue has been taken up by the Community Development Association while appropriate measure would be taken, the source added. Another source disclosed that though she came sometimes ago to clear the weed the land is still a threat to many around. In another development, we were informed that this beautiful lady is completing a gigantic mansion in Victoria Garden City, Lagos. A source disclosed that the building is an architectural masterpiece that is built on hectares of land that was brought by the woman five years ago.

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LOUD WHISPERS AUTO GLOBAL SOCCER WRITERS’ WORLD FITNESS FASHION FILE

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Lolu Akinwunmi I Married at 30 but Waited for Eight Years to Have a Child

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER MAY 14, 2016

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I Wanted to be a Journalist Because My Father Was One As he looks in the mirror – almost dressed up – a beautiful woman hugs him from behind. His face beams with pride and prospect. It is his first day to start a new job. His heart beats with excitement as the beautiful woman – his wife – gives him a reassuring kiss. He responds with a knowing smile as he puts on his shiny shoes, looking sharp decked in a checked shirt and denim trousers. It is his first day at work at his own newly established company. With eager, brilliant face munched by anxiety, he arrives the nondescript building that will be his office complex. It is 1992. But a decade ago, he had started out well with Lintas and Promoserve. With his new enterprise, he went to town begging for briefs from one company to the other with no positive outcome. In a twist of events, after running from pillar to post to get accounts, he ran an awareness ad campaign for his firm – an unforgettable one: “We’ll take your briefs to town”, displaying a set of underwear, punning on the word, “briefs”. The ad campaign got him the Crystal Bank account and many others. Like a business fairytale, by January 1993, with his brilliance and ingenuity of his team, his firm became the first ad agency to run a six-month campaign on CNN with Crystal Bank TVC – even Ted Turner found it irresistible, giving his firm free spots for about two months. Shrewd, sincere and systematic, Lolu Akinwunmi, Chairman of Prima Garnet Advertising Group, is one of the most creative and pragmatic professionals alive. A man of many parts: exPresident, Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria, former Chairman of Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, APCON, Chief Executive of the Rebranding Project and a delegate at the last National Conference. In this interview with Samuel Ajayi, Lolu as he is fondly called talks about his struggle to survive in a highly competitive industry, his long wait for a child and why he thinks the All Progressives Congress and the Federal Government are failing in their ‘change’ message

stablished in 1992, Prima Garnet belongs to third generation of indigenously owned advertising agencies. How will you describe advertising at that time and now? As you know, we look at our own history. We have two periods. The period between 1992 when we started and when the advertising industry began to experience some transformation. When we started, it was a monolithic agency as everything was done under one roof. But there had been developments outside Nigeria that indicated that the media was leaving, PR was leaving, and event planning was leaving. All these were driven by business consideration and not professionalism. I sat on the board of Ogilvy for Africa. I was aware that the decisions we took were driven 95 per cent by financial considerations.

Akinwunmi

There were those who thought it could never happen. I remember the first major meeting we had in Sheraton then. That was AAPN. How long ago was this? It was shortly after we joined AAAN; this was in the ’90s. People did not understand the whole concept of media independence. They saw media independence as competitors but forgetting that you still have the whole thing under one roof. It was a rowdy meeting. But a few people did (understand); like George Thorpe and Biodun Shobanjo. It was a long and noisy meeting. It was after this that many people began to understand that you can run a media independent agency under the mother agency. If you follow the period of interregnum things have not been too bad. We grew from one agency to five or six operations. And I want you to know that the global

depression is cyclical. It usually happens between eight and 10 years. Unfortunately, when the global depression was ending, ours was deepening: drop in oil revenue, large-scale corruption, impunity and so on. These have effect on business. Therefore, when those we were competing with were recovering, we were not. But we will recover though at a huge cost. I envisage a situation sometime next year, certainly not this year, when the Nigerian economy would pick again and show signs of growth once more. Advertising runs on the back of commerce and right now, commercial activities are slow but happy days will be here. Prima Garnet was one of the agencies that set up second-line agencies and yours was very successful. In fact, there was a point when people felt 141 Worldwide was doing better than the

parent agency, Prima Garnet. What’s the key to its success? Let me talk about what we did. We may not be privy to what others did but in our case, we tried to make 141 totally independent from day one. There were some connections and I was one of those plus one other director. We did not operate as a group. We did not operate a central account. In our blueprint, we positioned it to compete with Prima Garnet. We were handling BAT here and I wrote a memo by 2am to Ogilvy Worldwide and by 7am, I got a response from head of Europe, Africa and Middle East that I could go ahead. So that was why we set it up and separated it from Prima Garnet with separate office, staff and separate board. Some would agree with you that okay, you did well with the structure of the way you set it up. But they will

MAY 14, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

Plus If I Will Go into Another Profession, It’ll be Law also argue that you had a very juicy account to take off with. Isn’t that correct? Yes. But many agencies also took off with very juicy accounts as well. I won’t want to mention a particular agency’s name, for obvious reasons, but they had Coca-cola account to take off with. Taking off with a good account is one thing, but sustaining such account is another thing entirely. The BAT account, not only have we succeeded with it, we have been given additional markets in West Africa to manage it. These things and the grace of God have helped us and if we are to start a third agency today, it would probably do better than 141. Promoserve used to be very good and a reference point in agency business. Kehinde Adeosun, the owner, was more or less a patriarch of the industry. There was a belief that those the man trusted actually betrayed him. Let me say this: I had left Promoserve before the decline; maybe a year or two before the decline could be seen and felt. Promoserve was a big agency with very good accounts. Some of the people who left talked about management issues. But I think at some time, there must have been system failure and collapse and they did not do what they were supposed to do. I had my issues with the agency when I was there. In actual fact, Prima Garnet started because I did not want to remain in Promoserve while complaining about what was happening there. I had no intention of starting an agency. I was an advertising technocrat trained by Lintas. Someone, one day, would say if you knew so much, why didn’t you start your own? After I had left and the agency had practically gone under, Uncle Kenny Adeosun came to meet me at Prima Garnet and offered Promoserve to us and for about nine months, I used a financial services firm to audit Promoserve and the firm gave us a report. I showed Uncle Kenny the report and Promoserve’s account was in the red. If we were to buy Promoserve over, the amount of money being owed would help us to set up two new agencies. Though Promoserve had the heritage and the name, its liability was massive to inherit from a company you wanted to buy. He asked if we weren’t going to buy and I told him the board would never approve of buying it – and that was it. Let’s come back to your management style at Prima Garnet. There was a time you were paying salaries twice a month. Yes; we noticed that between the regular 30-day cycle, staff always got broke and started asking for IOUs. So, we sat back and asked how we could stop that; we introduced giving them something at the middle of the month. We did that and the request for loans stopped. Did you divide their salaries into two? We went a step further. Business was good so we did not touch their salaries. We just worked out something extra for them. Like I mean someone earning N100, 000 you give him N60, 000 by month end and by middle of following month give him the balance – N40, 000? No. We did not do that. You can ask them. We simply worked something extra for them and the demand for loans and IOUs stopped. What is the strength of the Prima Garnet Group? Under the Prima Garnet Group, we have about five or six outfits. There is 141 Worldwide, which is a full-fledged agency but quite good in experiential. We also have MediaShare, which is a media buying agency. We have Lampost, which is an event and experiential marketing agency and we have Cutler Comms, a PR and media relations agency. We just started our foray into project management. We never set up an outdoor firm that would require us joining OAAN. But there are opportunities that are coming that have to do with outdoor without necessarily joining OAAN; like wanting to build a new mall and they want a

project marketing management company that will manage the mall in terms of advertising opportunities and pay the revenue to government. We have about five of that on our hands now. So we are diversifying. It is still under the larger marketing communications business. We can’t do an interview like this without mentioning your issue with Barat over the Ogilvy Africa affiliation in Nigeria. We know the issue is in court but some felt you were using your influence in APCON. Our problem had never been with Barat as a person. Our issue was with WPP and especially with Ogilvy and Scanad because Ogilvy own majority shares in Scanad and we have been in court since 2011 and 2012 and that is why I cannot say much. It was mere coincidence. When I became APCON, I just finished my tenure as AAAN president and towards the end of that, I became the chief executive of the Rebranding Project. I also became APCON chairman. AAA always had reforms we could not push because we were just an association without any bite of the law. One of the things we had always wanted to do was to review the Advertising Code. May Nzeribe (now late) did so much to review the code; he worked on it and sent it to the Ministry of Information which in turn sent it to the Ministry of Justice and it did not come out. We took what Nzeribe had done and with Willie Nnorom (now late), who was appointed as the chairman of the review committee and we got a good lawyer, a senior advocate of Nigeria, and with the whole industry. It was just a coincidence. We did not do it because of Barat or anyone. What exactly was the issue? There was a very weak control of who could be an advertising practitioner to the extent that a teacher could finish teaching and put on signboard and become an adman. What we did was to work with Nigeria Advertising Association and others and we said this would be a yardstick to become a practitioner. We looked at other countries and markets. It does not matter if you have PhD in advertising, you cannot practise in India. Even in some African countries. While we will not shut out any practitioners, let us look at best global practices. Today, managing directors of companies are now sitting for APCON exams. So it is not against practitioners. Some said it was also about issue of account with Ogilvy and so on. Our issue with Ogilvy was this: Technically, we are the affiliate agency of Ogilvy and the law says that as long as Prima Garnet is the agency of Ogilvy in Nigeria, you cannot affiliate with any agency or start another agency in Nigeria. They breached that and we wrote them and they ignored us. We went to court and we got an injunction. After we got to court, they now wrote us saying they had sacked us and the court said no; you cannot do that. Are you still affiliated to Ogilvy? If you say so, you are talking correctly under the law because that is what the injunction was emphasising. We always tell everyone that we had a life before Ogilvy. It was because they liked what they saw in us that was why they came to us. Without them, we had been surviving and we will continue to. Let’s look at the present government. There seems to be problem with communication. What is the cause? Lai Mohammed is not my friend but he has a reputation. He has been a communication person for years and he is a lawyer. He is intelligent. You just have to hear him speak. Those that governments usually appoint to manage its communications are mostly journalists. They are not communications people. They report government and return fire on behalf of government. Do they ever sit down to plot communication strategy? No. So what are you running on? Meeting with journalists? Sending out press releases? It will work for some time but you are not seeing your assignment as a brand custodian. Buhari is a brand and Osinbajo is one. How do you manage

Akinwunmi

these brands? Is it to go and meet Nollywood people? With due respect to Lai, we are not close and we have never talked, but I don’t know any holding strategy being planned. Maybe there is one and is not being projected. One of the things I think they could do, which on my own I prepared a document, they had a strong platform called ‘change’ though not developed locally. But change as a brand slogan was strong. I saw the way they managed ‘change’ because as APCON chairman, I saw these things. The way they managed the ‘change’ campaign was quite strong. But the moment they became the party in power, I expected them to make change the property of the administration and develop a strategy and let it dovetail to all of government activities. People waited for months and nothing of such. Someone has to be in charge of the ‘change’ message. You promised so much on platform of ‘change’ and you need to put someone in charge of communicating that ‘change’. I had written in some of my articles on Facebook that change is a double-edged sword. If you promised and communicated change and don’t take ownership of it, it becomes an albatross. They are making the task of PDP easy for 2019. They don’t have to work too hard. All they need to ask is this: where is the change? Bring all the campaign materials of 2015 and lay them bare. APC’s rationalisations make sense and they are genuine: economy is in bad shape, drop in oil revenue, monumental corruption and so on. They are genuine excuses. But other areas about social mobilisation to make people understand these excuses have been ignored. And they might have lost that opportunity. This is my thinking as a marketing communication person. But I think they have been working on a platform of arrogance and combativeness. Demonising critics and creating the impression that the last regime caused all problems of the country and arrogantly creating the impression that everyone, except them, is bad and corrupt. What are APC and the government trying to communicate to people? I cannot see it. That is where the blame game comes in, rationalisation, excuses and accusations of corruption and so on.

But if you have your message, you treat opposition as competition and not enemy. That is the point. Have you always wanted to be in advertising and communications? I have always wanted to be a lawyer but that did not work out. Another best thing I thought I would want to do was to be a journalist because my late father was one. But by the time I got to 300 level in the university, I came across some successful advertising guys who were working in Lintas and I made enquiries. Even though it took about a year between the time I applied and when the interview was concluded, I waited. I am not sure I can do any other thing again. Maybe I can still do law because I am still passionate about law. Like how many years have you spent in the industry now? I got in on September 1, 1982. So, by next year you would have spent 35 years? Wow! You are making me afraid. So I have spent that long? Do you have role models in the industry? People like Sly Moemeke, Segun Ogunbunmi, Mark Obviageli, Chris Doghudje and Dele Adetiba. These were giants of the industry then and in various ways impacted on the business. We have also people like Biodun Shobanjo, Jimi Awosika, Akin Odunsi, and the late May Nzeribe. Collectively, they have impacted on me and inspired me by interacting and working with them; not to forget Uncle Kehinde Adeosun. You hardly talk about your family. (Cuts in) Because people hardly ask me. I have a small family. I have a wife who is a lawyer and I have two boys. If they were still in school, it means you married late? I married at 30. But the first child did not come until about eight years after. That is why the first is just about 19 and the second is 17. By now, my friends are now grandparents. One wants to be a lawyer and the other wants to go into entertainment and communication.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • May 14, 2016

Loud Whispers

with JOSEPH EDGAR (09095325791)

‘.........and he killed his wife’

Nigeria’s riskiest jobs With the advent of the present administration headed by my Lord and Master Alhaji(General) Muhammadu Buhari some jobs have simply become very risky to hold. I have gone out of my way in carrying out an in depth research with a view to highlighting these career path so that people can help their children avoid them as they fill their JAMB forms. Here goes: Bank CEO’s As I write three have gone in to eat beans. my handsome and suave brother Herbert Wigwe of Access, Cool gentleman Yemi Adeola of Sterling and the very cosmopolitan Nnamdi Okonkwo of Fidelity. Infact I even have just heard that an Executive Director at First Bank has also been invited to dinner. My people Bank CEO’s are endangered species today and Infact my candid advise to all bankers is that as they progress in their careers when they find themselves approaching Executive Management Cadre, they should just retire and go into Nollywood it’s safer. Farmers With the way the Fulani Herdsmen are going, I don’t think it’s a wise idea to be a farmer at this time. Just ask elder statesman Olu Falae and the Enugu Farmers and you will agree that not all the ranches in Mexico will keep these herdsmen from their murderous rampage. However if you insist on continuing with farming, try my friend Usmans style use mobile Apps and Faceboôk you will live a long life. Ex Petroluem Ministers This is another precarious one. From Even Buhari through Tam David West and now Deziani that career path is rigged with explosives. Most of the occupants of these office have always come out diminished filled with regrets. I think Minister of women affairs remains the safest and most peaceful at least na madam Joe Odumakin (is that the true spelling of her name) go be your constant

The mob is awakened. Baying for blood, he has killed his wife, he must be lynched, the bastard must be hanged by his balls and roasted on the pillar of self righteousness. He said he only slapped her and he even bought her Pap and moin, moin to eat just before she died. Who will listen to him, who will hear his own side, who will understand the pain of a man who just found out his wife was adulterous and rubbing it all over his face, how will he even attempt to seek for his constitutional right to fair hearing and in a panic he runs. He runs as far as his tired legs can take him, the mob riding on the self righteous platform provided by media both social and otherwise, chase after him, thirsting for his blood and when he can no longer run he turns himself in and in victory the self appointed protectors of the female dignity are claiming victory when the autopsy report has not even come out. My brother Shode has been accused, tried and pronounced guilty. Na wa. I know, I will be pilloried for swimming against the tide, but I feel very strongly that in this issue of domestic violence we always always forget about the other side and in most cases the man’s side. Once he has raised his hands, he is a monster, the degradation, the humiliation he goes through, the extreme provocation that pushes an otherwise gentle giant into acts of such depravity is never looked at and as long as we continue to do this, we will continue to witness such acts of violence against women who we

companion. Senate Presidency The worst of them all. OBJ talked about the Banana Peel. Impeachment and disgrace have always been their lot. Okadigbo lost his life although not during his tenor. Today Saraki is battling all the battles in this country, I even wonder how he still manages to sleep at night. Senate Presidency is not for the weak hearted. Opposition party spokesman Run away from that advert announcing this vacancy. Spokesman for opposition party in a third world country like Nigeria is a magnet for ‘bullet’. It’s you pouring blood all over your body and running into a Lions den hoping and praying that you will be ignored by the hungry Lions. I laugh. Super Eagles Coach The worst of them all. You will be owed salaries and still expected to perform. You will be abused by all and sundry and your players will also be rude to you. Even when you win the Cup of Nations, you will still be sacked and when you don’t win

erroneously label the weaker sex. In this case, there is a corpse on the ground and there cannot be any justification for it not a justification for raising a hand against any woman talk less of a woman who has gone through the pains of childbirth for a man. A man must always find that inner strength to turn and walk away even in the face of massive verbal violence despite the urge to break a neck. That defines a true man, but in so doing our women folk must help the man by showing respect, continuous obedience and a willingness to just say ‘sorry’ even if it is just for momentary peace instead of the usual abuse and assault. When they are screaming and cursing their husbands mothers and his ancestors, the female activists are no where to be found and when the man after years of endurance breaks, madam ‘Joe’ will appear with a throng of cameras and in her dreadlocked gait scream to high heavens, ‘he has killed his wife’. All I am saying here is that can a little effort be placed on the causative reasons for these violence instead of waiting for the effects and screaming blue murder. Citizen Shode remains innocent until tried and found guilty in a competent court of Law and till then all his rights and dignity should be preserved. I know say this one wey I write so, I don look for trouble, but someone must be the voice of reason in this season of cacophonous confusion. Kai, my wife didn’t cook for me o can you imagine, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!.

anything like my brother Oliseh only your God will be there to console you. NFF Chairman Make I just keep quiet here. ‘Nigeria is fantastically corrupt’ - David Cameron I don’t blame him. They are the ones who are corrupt. We are not corrupt anything Jo and how did he even come to that conclusion. It’s not his fault, when our leaders all go there and be screaming that we are corrupt as if we are the only ones in the world that is corrupt. Look there is corruption in Bukingham Palace after all the money I paid during my last visit to the place to see the Queens guards take care of her horses was not receipted. If that is not corruption, I don’t know what else is. We are not corrupt we just have a different way of distributing wealth that is not known to the western world. FCMB - legacy well kept I am a proud Alumni of FCMB that institution built by the legendary Otunba Michael Subomi Balogun. As a young Investment Banker on one of my many trips to Tinubu Square to buy fairly used Shirts for work, I stumbled on the Otunba arriving at his Primrose Towers for work and immediately got struck with his aura

and strong presence. I swore then and there to work in this institution with a strong legacy for service and excellence. So you can imagine my dismay when during the week, I saw some things on social media casting aspersions to the integrity of FCMB. I quickly made my calls enquiring about the true situation of things and found out that nothing could be further from the truth. Infact the Bank is today one of the largest lenders to the Retail market and with a diversified revenue base and increasing customer base, the bank is poised to whether the strong currents of negative economic headwinds with class. Adieu Adeniji Adele I was a very young school leaver when this popular politician ruled the Lagos Island as the Chairman of the Local Government. I still remember his mass transit system which itself was pioneering. His daughter Wura is my friend although I had not seen her in years. Upon hearing of his demise, I reached out to my friend ‘princess’ a family friend who told me she was at one of his houses in Yaba. I went to pay my condolences and in the process was offered a hot plate of Eba and a chilled bottle of coke. As I hadn’t eaten all day, I sat down and ate the food well. I met Wura again and she was still eternal in her beauty despite her loss. This is a national loss even though his legacy and strong love for his people will continue to keep his memory fresh in our minds. Sleep well baba. April in Abuja Kai, I have not seen a more beautiful woman than this April. Hips like the hills of Gilead, eyes as bewitching as the almonds of Jericho. She walked into my life at the aje nick restaurant in Port Har out and in that second shattered all what I thought defined a beautiful woman. I saw her again in Abuja this week. An apparition, her beauty still gleaming in the warm sunshine of the the Abuja day and with shaky voice I reached out at her and could only mutter out a shrill ‘hi’. She smiled and remembered me and asked how I was, I could only go down in one knee in obeisance to her beauty. She should be a tourist attraction with which the government can use to diversify the economy. She should be worshiped, I worship her. Kai, April . I had die.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • MAY 14, 2016

EXPRESSION

MEDIAGAFFES BY

Off-hand, Not Off-head

AILY SUN of May 9 welcomes us today with some slips: “As a law abiding (law-abiding) citizen and a significant participant in Nigeria’s....” (Full-page advertorial byAITEO Group signed by Sola Omole, Group Director, Media & GovernmentAffairs) “Utomi proffers solutions to Nigeria’s economic crisis (crises)” “Ambode, Enelamah to flag off (inaugurate) new CFAO Yamaha assembly plant” “Lets (Let’s) occupy Nigeria if subsidy is removed” “It attracted women of notes such as….” Whether one or 20 women, it is still ‘note’; not notes. The same thing applies to ‘men’ of substance, “Led by a warrant officer, the soldiers stationed at strategic positions in and around the premises.…” (DAILY TIMES, May 9) ‘… on (and around) the premises’; never in the premises “The roots of the dialogue reach back to the 19th and early 20th centuries when leaders of theAfrican diaspora began to advocate for….” ‘Advocate’ cannot accommodate ‘for’. “It was the most sensible reaction I have read from any Nigerian media on the matter so far.” Singular: medium; plural: media—‘any’ takes either singular or plural, but not in this case. “To prove that he had not quite forgotten all the stuff that he crammed from such columns in those days, he went on to recite off-head some scientific definitions….” (DAILY TIMES, May 6) We recite off-hand. To do otherwise will be fatal! “Pupils and their parents will continue to cut corners, in spite of such measures, for as long as the dearth of facilities in our educational institutions remain a permanent feature of our schools.”

(SATURDAY CHAMPION, May 7) Simple concord: the dearth…remains a permanent feature of our schools. “Watching these kids sing and play together, (sic) evoke the thought that most adults, if not all, should hold their heads in shame.” (DAILY TIMES, May 5) Watching these kids…evokes. ”The latest decision has triggered a lot of suspicious (sic).” (VANGUARD, May 9) I hope my Kirikiri Canal colleagues will not trigger off any intellectual suspicion. “Prophet Nathan’s famous warning came after the deed has been done.” (Source: as above) Perfect past….After the deed had been done “As the fall-outs of our economic direction accumulate….” (DAILY TIMES, May 3) ‘Fallout’ (no hyphen) is uncountable. “However, the cost of damages to telcos’ (informal word) installations could not be ascertained.” ‘Damage’ is non-count except in legal reparation. ‘As president, Buhari will have to combat the unemployment problem by coming down hard on immediate-past governors.” I doubt if there is any context where ‘unemployment’ will not be a problem. Therefore, Buhari will…combat unemployment by.… Conversely, we can have employment problem. Grammar is not always logical! “But there are some sticking points.” Sticky points, please. “This, he said, will encourage other companies to do same.“ I encourage the inclusion of ‘the’ before ‘same’. It shows scholarship. “Home-based players poise for action” I am sure they poised for action. “Change in the form of development programs tend to disturb the existing system of social stratification in any given society or locality.” The verb phrase determinant in this extract is ‘change’—not

‘programs’—which calls for ‘tends’. “This fledging establishment.…” Get it right: fledgling; never ‘fledging’. “The depletion of the ozone layer otherwise known as the greenhouse effect has further added to the spate of natural disaster worldwide.” Get it right: spate of natural disasters. “While the exchange of banters went on between him and his friend….” ‘Banter’ is non-count. The next three errors are from SUNDAY TRIBUNE of May 8: “The fear, it was learnt (learned), is that demonstrators may break into these amoury and utilize the weapons.” Of course, a mob that accesses an armoury will use the arms. Therefore, the subordinate conjunction (utilise the weapons) is irrelevant. The plural of ‘armoury’ is armouries. “The main plank of the unanimity which came from grassroot Nigerians….” Linguistic agreement: grassroots (always) Nigerians “Demanding that equity and justice be done in the matter, Oba Bajowa added that the people had been showing restrain because….” Noun: restraint; verb: restrain. What applies here is noun. “Most of the questions put to the governor bordered around…” (NTANetwork News, May 5) Without any question: border on or upon (not around). “But this particular money bag (sic) was not impressed and decided to remind us that we were poor.” (Source: as above)Awealthy or an avaricious person is known as a moneybags.Amoneybag refers to a bag of money. “Chief Ige was conspicuously absent….” (Source: as above) This is quite an old line. If you belong to the transformative school, delete ‘conspicuously’. “By 8.30 p.m. the venues had been filled with invited guests and pressmen….” This sounds preposterous.Avenue is filled by guests, but filled

EBERE WABARA

ewabara@yahoo.com, 08055001948

with inanimate objects “And, of course a maximum of 60 per cent which implies that either of the two parties….” (BUSINESSDAY, May 9) ‘Either’ indicates two elements. Therefore, ‘two’ is redundant here. ‘It is not enough for superiors to defend their subordinates set out on the field or believe everything or allegations levied against other citizens….” We level—not levy – allegations against.… “Source close to the presidency also said that many delegates lobbied for Board appointments.” Either way: ‘a source close’ or ‘sources close…’ If singular there must be a determinant (‘a’ or ‘the’) depending on context. “InAkwa Ibom, they recommended the creation ofAtlantic State comprising of Oron…” I recommend the deletion of the second ‘of in the extract. “Crude oil prices soar higher” Would it have been lower? ‘Soar higher’ is obtuse! “Financial allocation for waterways and airways far exceed that of the railways.” The verb determinant in this instance is ‘allocation’; not ‘waterways’ and ‘airways’. Realignment of curves to improve train speeds have not been undertaken as….” Realignment… has’; not have. “Two top coaches…were the first casualities,” Even the pronunciation is indicative of the correct word: casualties. “This pledge, like Zik’s, wreaks of capitalist woolliness and self- aggrandizement.” I pledge that the right word here is ‘reeks’; not ‘wreaks’. “The capacity of women to raise funds for recognition have been further….” The capacity… has. “The human greed has now reached its highest peak.” This amounts to tormenting functional items. ‘Peak’ abhors any intensification.

PEOPLE2PEOPLE...with Oke Epia

2016 Budget and the Implementation Window

he media has been buzzing with analysis, discussions and commentaries on the 2016 budget since it was signed by President Muhammadu Buhari penultimate Friday. The event of a presidential assent to annual budget should not have normally taken such life of its own beyond the memorabilia of photo-ops for the President and the small cluster of top government functionaries that usually surround him for the moment. But because expectations had been long-drawn over an anxious period of buck-passing between the Executive and the National Assembly, Buhari’s pen on paper had become a golden fillip needed to kick-start a stifled economy as it were. The delay in passing and assenting to the budget had put tremendous pressure on both the presidency and legislature which had at various times traded in blame games to pass off the gale of negative public opinion to the opposing camp. Apparently what was the most disturbing aspect of the dingdong affair was the fear that the delay would leave a huge constraint on the implementation of the budget with respect especially to time left for execution of capital projects. This fear rested on the premise (sustained by past precedents) that the budget circle began in January and ended in December of the year. But that is what it was: a mere premise built on a rather half-baked understanding of the Constitution of the country. But the 2016 budget as passed by the legislature and signed by the President has changed the budget circle of the country. The life span of this budget began May 6, 2016 and ends May 5, 2017. That is the new reality. And this happened because of a masterstroke input by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, who had begun to interrogate, much before the 2016 budget was submitted to the National Assembly, the validity of the January-to-December budget circle in the light of delayed conclusion of work on the fiscal document year-in year-out. At a Roundtable on the Economy last November, Dogara had urged participants to “consider whether it is appropriate to continue to maintain January to December as the financial year,” hinting that the “National Assembly may prescribe the financial year to be 12months from the date of the signing of the Appropriation Bill. This is because the only way a Budget would have any realistic chance of full implementation is if it is operated for 12 calendar months as the spirit of Section 318 of the Constitution seems to suggest.” It is not in contention whatsoever that the power of appropriation of public funds in Nigeria lies with the legislature as Section 81 of the Constitution clearly stipulates. However, there has been over the years, a contrived ambiguity with respect to the term ‘financial year’ as to suggest that the Appropriation Act is a definitive period of January to December. But Section 318 cited by the Speaker exposes the fault of that

PEOPLE2PEOPLE

OKE EPIA WITH

Telephone (sms only): 07059850016 Email: resourceman.oke@live.com. Twitter: @resourceme

President Muhammadu Buhari signing 2016 budget...recently Photo:GodwinOmoigui

suggestion (or assumption) as it gives yet some power to the National Assembly to define the fiscal year within any twelve months of the year. Section 318 (Interpretation, Citation and Commencement) defined ‘financial year’ as “any period of twelve months beginning on the first day of January in any year or such other date as the National Assembly may prescribe.” (Emphasis mine). It is this section of the grundnorm that Mr. Speaker sought to bring to life when in his remarks during the 2016 budget presentation ceremony by Mr. President on December 22, 2015 at the Chamber of the House of Representatives, he had said: “The National Assembly, going forward, may need therefore, to prescribe another date as the financial year in line with provisions of Section 318 of the Constitution, whenever the budget is not passed before January 1 in any given year. The letter and spirit of the Constitution requires that the financial year shall not be less than 12 months. The date of commencement of the financial year may change but not the 12 months period, it seems.” Dogara had apparently made that intervention in view of

the fact that the budget had come late to the legislature and the possibility (which eventually became an inevitability) of a prolonged passage and eventual assent by Buhari. But the Speaker was more than anything else concerned about the implementation of the budget as he had stated thus: “I wish to reiterate that a well-crafted budget is not an end in itself, the real meat of a budget is in it’s implementation. While the National Assembly will endeavor to diligently scrutinize and pass the budget in good time to facilitate early commencement of it’s implementation. In this regard, and in order to aid Mr. President to execute and implement the budget, it may be necessary to take a second look at the constitutional definition of financial year. Section 318 of the Constitution defines a ‘Financial Year’ to mean ‘any period of twelve months beginning on the first day of January in any year or such other date as the National Assembly may prescribe’. “Consequently, if this proposal is accepted, it may become imperative that the 2016 budget may commence 12 months from the date it is signed into Law by Mr. President. A budget may have a realistic chance of implementation when the Executive has 12 uninterrupted months to execute it. Mr. President’s Change Agenda can only be realized for the benefit of the Nigerian people when his policies and programmes are faithfully executed. This proposal would need to be effected in full consultation with the Executive branch.” In following through with the proposal therefore, the House adopted the recommendation of its Appropriation Committee which stated that “in line with the provisions of Section 318 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, this Bill will run for a course of 12 months starting from the date it is assented into law.” As it has turned out, this resolution eventually got reflected in the document signed by the President on May 6, thereby laying to rest fears that the budget would not be fully implemented in a space of six months or so. What this means is that the APC-led Buhari administration has no excuse not to fulfill its promises embedded in the 2016 budget: at least not on any excuse of time constraint as there is now adequate window for implementation by Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government. The year-long excuse that the government has not been able to meet some of its campaign promises because it was yet to have a budget of its own is now consigned to the past. There is now valid ground to fully assess the administration and in about a year from now, a verdict would be out. Dogara and the legislature generally, have played their part in building a firm foundation for a fair verdict. The onus is now on Mr. President and his horde of officials across board to deliver on their part of the bargain. Nigerians demand nothing more but the dividends of the ‘change mantra’ chanted by the APC. Follow writer on Twitter @resourceme

SATURDAY MAY 14, 2016 T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY SATURDAY MAY 14, 2016

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • May 14, 2016

SHOWBIZFLaIR

Tosin Clegg

07062816737 e-mail: tosinclegg@hotmail.com

ONOME IKHIMIOYA

My Style Inspired By Beauty of African Woman Onome Ikhimioya is a socialite, fashion designer and an entrepreneur who started her fashion brand, Mistics Couture, about eight years ago. From inception, she has landed great jobs, big names like Yemi Alade, Kim Burrell, Oge Okoye, Funke Akinoku, Ngozi Ezeonu and many others. In this interview with Tosin Clegg, she talks, fashion, showbiz, motherhood, career plans and much more

How I got my ‘Mistics’ name got the name Mistics back in the university. Then, I was designing outfits and helping friends pick out fabrics for their various occasions. They gave me nicknames like Nomzki, Onomistics, Onomzkoko etc. These nicknames inspired the name of my company - Mistics Couture How it all began When I started designing, I must confess, it was strictly my passion and drive that trained me. I always knew deep within me that I was meant to design. I fought back strong urges to sketch spontaneously, even though at that time I was involved in some other business. As time went by, I had no option than to settle for it and started experimenting and I discovered that even what I’ll consider a mistake was appreciated by someone. It flattered me when people said it and I just couldn’t help feeling a sense of pride when I saw my designs on runways and fashion shows; it boosted my confidence, and so I enrolled for a couple of trainings around the globe. I have always been a fashionista What I never thought or ever imagined was planting my sense of fashion on international stages. So, first, God inspired me to take up such responsibilities. I wake up every morning and I could be inspired while having a cup of coffee or just lazying around. I appreciate my quiet times a lot and, in such moments, designs just flash before me and I get it sketched immediately. My selling concept is crafting Ankara I work on Ankara and turn the African fabric into something unique and beautiful by bedazzling my pieces with stones, pearls, beads and studs. Also, my style is inspired by the beauty of the African woman; her gaits, wits and brilliance make me take her up passionately and interpret her perfectly to the eyes around her. The kind of pieces I make Mistics Couture is mysteriously and uniquely simple. I create simple, trendy affordable clothing for women, both in my couture and ready to wear collections for high-end clients.

My relationship with Yemi Alade Yemi is a friend. I style her most of the times for her events and performances. Notable celebrity or personality I have clothed so far I have had the pleasure of clothing both local and international celebrities like Yemi Alade, Kim Burrell, Oge Okoye, Funke Akinoku, Ngozi Ezeonu to name a few. Vision for my brand In the next couple of years, Mistics Couture should be everywhere in Africa and the World at large, by God’s Grace. I see showbiz as a tool for fashion Over the years, there has been a fusion of music and fashion. You can see it at fashion events like Music Meets Runway, RipTheRunway and Co. Even top celebrities at home and abroad expressively turn up at red carpets dazzling in exotic designer wears. Most Artistes today also put on classy pieces in music videos, show performances and more. Juggling motherhood, business, family and all It’s been hectic and challenging but I’m having the time of my life. I do what I love to do, which is fashion designing, and also taking care of my family. Who I would love to clothe at home and abroad I do not have anyone in particular but if I must choose I will say Michelle Obama and the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Fashion shows I plan to participate in The Lagos fashion and design week (LFWD 2016) is one event I would love to be a part of; Music meets Runway and New York fashion week, by God’s Grace. If not fashion Well, I have a flair for cooking. I would have attended culinary school and started my own catering company. What I love most about designing clothes

Ikhimioya

I love the part where I’m able to gist freely with all my tailors. We laugh a whole lot in my factory and listen to music and sometimes do some Shoki, Azonto and even Makosa, depending on how we feel. More seriously, when a particular design is uniquely tailored for an individual, I tend to achieve much joy because the essence of my brand is to

make you stand-out in the crowd. So, when I successfully achieve this for any particular individual, it gives me joy and also justifies the money she paid for it. My down Sides Do I ever feel down? Well, my down times will be not being able to design something new on a particular day.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • May 14, 2016

SHOWBIZFLaIR

MY STORY WALE OJO, BIMBO AKINTOLA, LINDA EJIOFOR STAR IN NEW MOVIE

MIKILLZ

I Put a Lot of Energy into My Music

If you love Nigerian music, you are in for a brand new treat as a new movie, ‘8 Bars and A Clef’ chronicles the rise to grace of a talented act, Victor E. Starring Nollywood favourites like Bimbo Akintola, Wale Ojo, Linda Ejiofor and Kehinde Bankole. The movie has as its lead character, the multi-talented alternative music act, Ibukun (IBK) SpaceshipBoi with the iconic Ade Bantu, who makes a stellar Nollywood debut. Expect a lot of love, drama, tears and great music as the movie follows the struggles of a young talented rapper (IBK), who battles a learning disability, a dysfunctional home and betrayal to make it in the Nigerian music industry. The movie was produced and directed by Chioma Onyenwe for Raconteur Productions and was first screened at AFRIFF in November 2015. It will hit the cinemas in June.

Mikillz, whose real name is Irabor Michael Oziegbe is an afro-pop artiste who started out in Surulere, Lagos. Within a short span of his career, he has been able to produce great sounds. In this chat with Tosin Clegg, he talks about his career, mentors and more

FASHION ENTREPRENEUR, JANE MICHAEL, GIVES BACK TO ALMA MATER

To celebrate her birthday, fashion entrepreneur Jane Michael visited her alma mater; Girls Academy in Lagos Island. From a modest background, the celebrated stylist has grown to carve a niche for herself as one of Nigeria’s most respected stylists.

“I owe a debt of gratitude to these amazing, selfless people that helped shape parts of my life. I would not be who I am without the discipline, hardwork and encouragement the staff provided. I am here to say Thank You and to encourage the girls that they can achieve their dreams with hardwork,” Jane Micheal said. During her visit, she was welcomed by the principal, teachers and students of the school and presented with a cake to celebrate her birthday. The highlight of the event was when she shared a touching speech ‘Becoming Greater Women for the Next Generation’; a short story of her time in the school and how it shaped her to become who she is today. The stylist also adopted an indigent student from her alma mater, an SS2 student, experiencing severe financial hardship. She will be paying the student’s tuition and higher education examination fees. The school officials thanked her for attending the event and for supporting the students of the school.

SHAFER RECORDS DEBUTS WITH THREE ARTISTES South Africa-based record label, Shafer Records, has stormed the Nigerian music landscape launch held recently in Lagos on unveiling three artistes signed on to Shafer Records. According to Shafer Records CEO, Isaiah Oyibo, the label intends to produce top artistes with good music across Africa and Nigeria is a major focal point in the plan. The three artistes signed are: Theory, Eluku and Lugi. Theory, a budding R&B hip hop act, whose single titled “Changes” is presently enjoying massive promotion on South African and Nigerian airwares. The video is also on video streaming platform, YouTube. Also in the Shafer’s books, is the upcoming hip hop/rap phenomenon, the dreadlocked “Eluku Young Snookie T.” Lastly, is the double dose Lugi who is a singer/ producer. He is an Afropop and reggae singer with distinct vocals. The team is set to release their official anthem titled “Team Shafer” in this month. With the landmark launch, Shafer Records will become a big player

hat kind of music do you do? Basically, my genre of music is Afro pop and I have been doing music for the past two years; this year makes it the third year.

What’s different about your music?

What makes my music exceptional, to be honest, is working on my sound but what I can say about my music is that I put energy into it and I make it classic.

Who inspires your music?

My role model ever since has always been Burna Boy. His music inspires me and one of my other mentors is Runtown, who is a great artiste. And they are acts that came from nothing to something. But, I hold more to Meek Mill, internationally, I give major credits to his grass to grace story.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

in the music business industry sooner than later. Expect nothing but good music only.

I see myself in the next five years as an important person and I will be a mentor to different people. I believe people will definitely learn from me.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • May 14, 2016

auto

Coscharis Motors Rolls-out 2016 Ford Ranger, Explorer, Figo, into Nigeria’s Market Stories by Bennett Oghifo

oscharis Motors, a leading dealer in automobile and representative of Ford Motor Corporation in Nigeria, has rolled out the 2016 Ford new models into the Nigerian market. The company’s General Manager, Marketing & Corporate Services, Abiona Babarinde made a formal introduction of the 2016 edition of three of its Ford variants; the Ford Explorer, Ford Figo together with the Ford Ranger respectively into the Nigerian market at a parley with the media in Lagos. Babarinde said, “To make our Ford brand affordable by our customers, Coscharis is equally extending the Ford Protect package (in replacement to the ESP - Extended Service Plan) on all Ford variants purchased in any of Coscharis Motors offices within the country.” The package offers free service for four years or 120,000 kilometres whichever comes first, to its existing and prospective customers on all variants of the Ford brand purchased from any Coscharis Motors showrooms nation-wide. The Ford Protect is a package which allows the buyers of any Ford variant to own the vehicle for four years or 120,000 kilometres, whichever comes first, without worry as they need not spend a kobo to service the vehicle within the time frame. Babarinde said, “What this means is that for four years or 120,000 kilometres, Coscharis Motors will service the vehicle for the buyer free of charge. All the customer need do is to drive the vehicle to any Coscharis Motors service centre nationwide to get the vehicle serviced and drive away thereafter without paying a kobo.” Among the freebies to be enjoyed by customers for the four years/120,000 Ford Protect package period are: free oil change; free tyre rotation; free brake pads; free wiper blades; free belts and hoses; and free shocks.

L-R: General Manager, Marketing & Corporate Services, Abiona Babarinde; and Sales Manager, Ford Coscharis Motors, Mr. Fabian Anuforo, at the unveiling of the 2016 Ford Figo… recently

The Ford Protect promo, he said was expanded due to persistent requests being received from customers for the inclusion of more Ford variants in the list of qualified vehicles for the free package. Initially, the programme started with the offering of free services on about six variants but has since grown to about 10 variants including Ford Ranger (pickup) which Coscharis Motors has extended to all Ford variants. The Ford Protect only seeks the continued realisation of the vision Henry Ford had

over 100 years ago, which seeks to make automobile available and affordable to all mankind. We are sure of the quality of our products and of the fact that maintenance cost of the products is quite low – this is part of the messages we are communicating through the Ford Protect offer – maintenance cost is so low that we can even take it off you. Another reason for the offer is our desire to take over our customers’ worries about vehicle maintenance and free their minds so that they can focus more on the accomplish-

ment of their primary objectives in business and leisure. Since the commencement of the Ford Protect promo, hundreds of customers, including corporate organizations and private individuals have benefitted from the free service and many more will benefit owing to this new extension. He also presented the company’s new refurbished Ford showroom, equipped with state of the art aftersales facilities to take care of sales and aftersales of customers respectively.

Toyota No. 1 Retail Brand in April 2016

oyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., has reported April 2016 sales of 211,125 units, an increase of 3.8 per cent from April 2015 on a volume basis. Astatement by the company said, “With one more selling day in April 2016 compared to April 2015, sales were flat (zero percent) on a daily selling rate (DSR) basis.” Toyota division postedApril 2016 sales of 186,243 units, up 5.0 per cent on a volume basis and 1.1 percent on a DSR basis. “The industry had its strongest April in more than 10 years, possibly a best-ever month,” said Bill Fay, Toyota division group vice president and general manager. “Toyota division enjoyed its sixth consecutive month of best-ever light truck sales, helped by record Highlander, RAV4 and 4Runner sales.” Lexus posted sales of 24,882 units, down 3.8 percent on a volume basis and 7.4 percent on a DSR basis. “Not surprisingly, the industry’s strong sales results inApril are powered by consumer demand for luxury utility vehicles, said Jeff Bracken Lexus group vice president and general manager. “On the heels of four consecutive best-ever sales months for Lexus’ LUV and crossover models, we feel confident that our range of models, especially the RX and NX, are very well positioned to meet the shifting consumer demand in the luxury market.” April 2016 Highlights: Camry posts sales

of more than 34,000 units; Corolla posts sales of 32,111 units; Toyota division posts record April for light truck sales; up almost 13 per cent for the month; RAV4 sales rose 31.6 per cent; a best-ever April; Highlander up 9.3 per cent; a best-ever April; 4Runner up more than 36 per cent; a best-everApril; Sequoia and Land Cruiser up 18 per cent and 78 per cent respectively; Tacoma up almost 16 per cent for the month; Lexus luxury utility vehicles up more than per cent for the month; NX up 11.5 per cent for the month; RX posts sales of 8,767 units, up nearly 29 per cent for the month; and LX up nearly 64 per cent for the month. *Note: Unless otherwise stated, all figures reflect unadjusted raw sales volume. Toyota (NYSE:TM), the world’s top automaker and creator of the Prius and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands. Over the past 50 years, we’ve built more than 30 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 44,000 people (more than 34,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.5 million in the U.S.) in 2015 – and about 80 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 20 years are still on the road today.

Toyota 2018 RAV4

Toyota partners with philanthropic organisations across the country, with a focus on education, safety and the environment. As part of this commitment, we share the company’s extensive

know-how garnered from building great cars and trucks to help community organisations and other nonprofits expand their ability to do good.

Jaguar XE Celebrates its First Year with Major Recycling Milestone

s the Jaguar XE celebrates its first fullyear of sales, ‘REALCAR’, the pioneering recycled aluminium project that contributes to the awarding winning sedan’s aluminium-intensive body has reached a significant milestone. REALCAR stands for REcycled ALuminium CAR. A statement by the company said Jaguar Land Rover has reclaimed over 50 000 tonnes of aluminium scrap, the weight of 200 000 XE

body shells, back into the production process during 2015/16 – the equivalent of saving more than 500 000 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere by not using primary aluminium material. The figures are a result of project ‘REALCAR’ which involves 11 UK press shops implementing a closed loop, segregating waste aluminium scrap so that it can be sent back into production to be re-melted into recycled aluminium sheet metal

for use in Jaguar Land Rover vehicles. The Jaguar Land Rover-led research project, part funded by Innovate UK, also saw the development of a recycled aluminium-based alloy which can accept a higher percentage of the recovered scrap. In 2014, the Jaguar XE became the first car in the world to use this innovative high-strength aluminium alloy, developed by project partner Novelis. More than £7m has been invested across Jaguar

Land Rover’s own Halewood, Castle Bromwich and Solihull press shops to install intricate segregation systems to capture and distribute the aluminium scrap for re-melting, reducing waste, retaining higher quality and value in the material. Recovering aluminium in this way offers huge sustainability benefits, with aluminium recycling requiring up to 95% less energy than primary aluminium production.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • May 14, 2016

auto SAFE DRIVING

JONAS AGWU

with

(Asst Corps Marshal) Zonal Commanding Officer Zone RS7 Abua phone 08077690700 FRSC TOLL FREE NO 122 Email:j.agwu@frsc.gov.ng

Know Your Tyre Director General National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Aminu Jalal addressing stakeholders in Lagos… recently

Jalal: Utilising Standard Auto Products will Minimise Road Crashes Stories by Bennett Oghifo

here is great need of educating consumers generally on the adverse consequences of purchasing and utilising substandardautoproductswitha view to minimising road crashes that result in human fatalities and financial losses. The Director General National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Aminu Jalal gave the advice as a way forward in his presentation, ‘Counterfeit Automotive Com-

ponents: How to Mitigate their PrevalenceandEffectsbyVarious Techniques and Technologies’ at a stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos, recently. According to Jalal, “There is need for the general public and government to improve their knowledge of what constitutes fake products and parts with a view to ensuring that only those that conform to the required standard are allowed into the country. If the fake goods or parts are produced in the country, they should be detected, confiscated and destroyed.

“Standards are measurable parameters which define various aspects of materials and performance necessary to achieve a desired goal. Vehicles are tested to ensure they meet the compulsory vehicle standards. These standards aim at improving active and passive car safety, environmental protection as well as the quality of products and production processes. Therefore, automotive systems and their components are tested and type approved according to these compulsory standards.” He said the Council in collabora-

tionwithStandardsOrganisation of Nigeria (SON) adopted and adapted more than 110 automotive safety standards. For the Council to realize its twin statutory responsibility of ensuring the incorporation of local content in locally assembled vehicles and compliance of automotive products with environmental and technical safety regulations, Council is collaborating with Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) and has almost completed establishing automotive test laboratories to carry out varioustestsonautocomponents.

Stallion Motors Wins Ashok-Leyland ‘Business Performance Award’

he Commercial Vehicle Division of Stallion Motors Nigeria has received the Overall Business Performance Award – West Africa Region for 2015 at the just concludedAshok Leyland conference held in Hyderabad, India from 18 – 20 April 2016. Stallion Commercial Vehicle Division has consequently enlisted Nigeria among Ashok Leyland prominent markets and fledging commercial vehicle manufacturing concerns worldwide. The award also standardizes uniform experience for customers and alleviates dealership apprehensions while enhancing the identical feel of every dealer outlet and processes across all touch points, Ashok Leyland remarked. Apromising manufacturing concern, Stallion Motors Commercial Vehicle Division is reputable for quality commercial vehicles such as transport solutions, haulage trucks, garbage compactors and military hardware.

Ashok Leyland truck

Stallion Motors has lately focused onstrategicallypositioningAshok Leyland models on the front burner with the introduction of multiple units of Ashok Leyland Falcon commuter buses in the Lagos State Bus Rapid Transit

(BRT),AbujaMunicipalTransport and a host of other independent waste disposal companies and construction firms nationwide. Stallion Motors Head of Commercial Vehicle DivisionAnurag Alagh who received the award on

behalf of the company said: “Our way forward is total transport solution to customer and endto-end support to improve the operating economics of Ashok Leyland vehicles during its life cycle.”

Hyundai Motors, Diamond Bank Launch Accessible Vehicle Finance

yundaiMotorsNigeria Limited (HMNL) in collaboration with primefinancialinstitution - Diamond Bank Plc has launched an imaginative vehicle finance scheme to inspire perceptive customers and fleet buyers to buy precision engineered and affordably priced made-in-Nigeria Hyundai

vehicles. The scheme which is ongoing is designed to encourage local patrons to own and drive Hyundai vehicles, using convenient bank credit with low interest rates from 14% without commitment and management fees. Announcing the scheme in Lagos, the duo of Hyundai Motors Nigeria, manufacturers and dis-

tributors of Hyundai vehicles and Diamond Bank PLC explained that the scheme has convenient monthly repayment tenor of 12 months to 36 months, depending on the customer’s payment option. While also adding that a comprehensive insurance of 3.5% of the vehicle cost will be borne by the customer, the facilitators of the

scheme said customers would in addition be offered free registration, free service for six months or 10,000kms and five years or 100,000kms (whichever is first). Both establishments brokered this agreement in Lagos at the launch of the scheme aimed at easing challenges associated with accessing low interest bank credit to procure choice cars.

etween February to April, 2016, there has been incessant fatal road traffic crashes caused by tyre blowout. They include the crash which claimed the lives of the Minister and his family, the seven Doctors from Ekiti and then, the more tragic death of students from kano and their driver. I know that tyre knowledge is average based on findings by the Federal Road safety. I however know that the need for appropriate tyre care has remained top priority on this page. At a point I thought I had said all that I needed to say until the rich doses of tyre information I received during the recent stakeholder’s forum by the Federal Road Safety Corps on the theme, Promoting Safe tyre use in Nigeria. But while I was still hoping to digest this vital information, I stumbled on two very important information which I hope to share with you today; the first was an online media report on the testimony of one of the surviving Ekiti doctor which painted the picture of challenges that complicated rescue efforts. The second was from a contact who shared his experience with a man he said had lived abroad. It was titled, important information to vehicle owners. I have chosen to share both with you as I commence another series on,’’ know your tyre’’ borrowed from the Corps ongoing campaign on tyre and as a fallout on the depth of information provided during the stakeholders forum. I do hope that as this series run, that we will all take a second look at what we know about tyres and how we treat tyres. Let me start with the first information on the doctors crash; according to the report,a survivor from Sunday’s accident in which six medical doctors, and a driver from Ekiti State were killed 60 kilometers from Kaduna State, on his sick bed in Kaduna said the doctors would not have died had basic medical care been administered on them after the accident.By the time the members of the Road Safety Corps came, some doctors that were severely injured had died. Five of them! But, we have two who could still survive. So we rushed them to the nearby hospital (Doka General Hospital, about 70 km to Kaduna). “At the hospital, I was surprised when they said that there was no doctor there. I was even telling the nurses, ‘ok give me a pain reliever and let me put you through on how to resuscitate that man that was lying near me. But none of them attended to us. They were just running around, saying there was no this, no that. They were running around looking for this and that. Then I pleaded with the Road Safety to take us to the nearest hospital away from the one we

were. I said they should take us to Suleja, Kaduna, wherever, but the Road Safety said that they didn’t even have fuel. I told them that it was ok, that I would pay for fuel. So we left the place in search for fuel and bought the fuel on the road. But, before we got to the hospital (St. Gerard, Kaduna) the other person had died. That made the number of deaths six. The other very injured person, who was in the other bus also died making the casualty seven. It is obvious from his testimony that the absence of prompt medical care, the challenges of fuel compounded the death ratio. But did you know that investigations shows that both the vehicles involved in the Ekiti Doctor crash and kano students were among vehicles recalled by Toyota; that the rear right tyre which bursted was manufactured in 2008-a 7years and 4monthsold,meaning the vehicle had a tyre that had expired? The same was the case with the kano crash where the burst tyre was over five years old while out of the studs of the wheel/tyre assemblage, two studs had no nuts- these are all clear cases of negligence on the part of the drivers. I do not know if there was a case of over inflation or under inflation which has caused avoidable deaths. This is why the second information is key for me because it addresses this issue. It reads thus; many people have been wondering what could be the cause of the incessant tyre burst accidents on Nigerian roads. The major cause is that we put too much pressure in our tyres. How did I know? I was preparing for a journey, I changed some of my tyres and I asked the vulcanizer that ‘ what is the recommended tyre pressure? ‘ He said 50. I said alright, he should inflate it to 50 all round. When I got to where I was going, I was discussing with some people on the issue of the minister that died on the road due to a burst tyre and wonder what could have happened because nobody could imagine a minister would be travelling with expired tyres as many would think is the major cause of tyre burst.Aman ( lived in US for many years ) said that the major cause of tyre burst in Nigeria is that we put to much pressure in our tyres and that each car has recommended tyre size and pressure clearly written on it by the manufacturer. I was surprised and begged him to come and show me where it’s written on my car. To my greatest surprise, it’s by the drivers door which I enter everyday without noticing it. By the time we checked, the recommended pressure for my tyres is 32! and I just traveled with tyres on a pressure of 50! He took me round his compound and showed me that of the cars (which includes a jeep and a sienna) there, the highest was 32. some were even 29!

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • MAY 14, 2016

FAMILY HEALTH with

Why Those Headaches ?

eadache, also known as cephalalgia, is the symptom of pain anywhere in the region of the head or neck. It is a continuous pain in the head and it is almost a universal experience. Most of us have some kind of headache at some time in our lives. Headaches are extremely common – most people have a headache at some time in their life. Most headaches disappear on their own (with a little time) or with the help of mild pain relievers. Although most headaches are mild and temporary annoyances, some people have headaches that are so severe they need to consult a doctor for pain relief. Children can also have headaches, some well before they reach the age of 10. that before puberty, headaches are more common in boys, but that trend is reversed after puberty. Adult women experience more headaches than adult men, and they’re often linked to a woman’s menstrual cycle. With advancing age, both women and men tend to have fewer, less severe headaches. Although headaches can be painful and debilitating, they are usually not due to dangerous conditions. However, headaches can occasionally be a sign of something more serious. Very severe high blood pressure (above 180/110 mm Hg), stroke, brain tumour, or an aneurysm (a dilated weakened blood vessel) in the brain may cause headaches. Meningitis (an infection of the brain’s lining) may also cause a headache. Warning signs are a sudden onset of headache accompanied by fever, stiff neck, and visual problems (double vision). See a doctor immediately if you experience any of these • gets worse over days or weeks • is accompanied by impaired neurological function (e.g., loss of balance, weakness, numbness, or speech disturbance) and double vision (could signal a stroke) • is accompanied by persistent nausea and vomiting • is accompanied by seizures, mental disturbances, and loss of consciousness • is associated with a fever or stiff neck (could signal meningitis) • is different than the usual pattern of headaches you have experienced • strikes suddenly with great intensity • wakes you from sleep or is worse when you lie down. Headaches come in various forms , tension, migraine, sinus, and cluster headaches. In a small number of cases, headaches may signal a more serious condition that requires immediate medical attention. It occurs in migraines, tension-type headaches and cluster headaches . Frequent headaches can affect relationships and employment .There is also an increased risk of depression in those with severe headaches. Headaches can occur as a result of many conditions whether serious or not. There are a number of different classification systems for headaches. Causes of headaches may include • fatigue, • sleep deprivation, • stress, • the effects of medications, • the effects of recreational drugs, • viral infections, • common colds, • head injury, • rapid ingestion of a very cold food or beverage, • and dental or sinus issues. Treatment of a headache depends on the underlying cause, but commonly involves pain medication. Some form of headache is one of the most commonly experienced of all physical discomforts. There are two main types of headaches :. Headaches are broadly classified as “primary” or “secondary “. • Primary headaches are benign, recurrent headaches not caused by underlying disease or structural problems. For example, migraine , is a type of primary headache. While primary headaches may cause significant daily pain and disability, they are not dangerous. • Secondary headaches are caused by an underlying disease, like an infection and head injury , vascular disorders , tumors. Secondary headaches can be harmless or dangerous. Certain “red flags” or warning signs indicate a secondary headache may be dangerous.

BOBO BODE -KAYODE

lifeissuesfromwithin@yahoo.com, .Cel, 08053372356

miss meals may help reduce headaches associated with your menstrual cycle. Secondary headaches A secondary headache is a symptom of a disease that can activate the pain-sensitive nerves of the head. Any number of conditions , varying greatly in severity , may cause secondary headaches. Possible causes of secondary headaches include: 1. Acute sinusitis 2. Arterial tears 3. Blood clot 4. Brain aneurysm (a bulge in an artery in your brain) 5. An abnormal formation of brain blood vessels 6. Brain tumor 7. Carbon monoxide poisoning 8. Malformation(structural problem at the base of your skull) 9. Concussion 10. Dehydration 11. Dental problems 12. Ear infection (middle ear) 13. Brain inflammation) 14. Inflammation of the lining of the arteries 15. Glaucoma Hangovers 16. High blood pressure 17. Influenza (flu) and other febrile (fever) illnesses 18. Blood vessel ruptures with bleeding in or around the brain 19. Medications to treat other disorders 20. Meningitis - inflammation of the membranes and fluid surrounding your brain and spinal cord) 21. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) 22. Overuse of pain medication 23. Panic attacks and panic disorder 24. Pressure from tight headgear, such as a helmet or goggles 25. Stroke 26. Toxoplasmosis

Headaches are extremely common – most people have a headache at some time in their life. Most headaches disappear on their own (with a little time) or with the help of mild pain relievers. Although most headaches are mild and temporary annoyances, some people have headaches that are so severe they need to consult a doctor for pain relief

Headaches are generally classified by cause Primary headaches A primary headache is caused by over activity of or problems with pain-sensitive structures in your head. A primary headache isn’t a symptom of an underlying disease. Chemical activity in your brain, the nerves or blood vessels surrounding your skull, or the muscles of your head and neck (or some combination of these factors) can play a role in primary headaches. Some people may also carry genes that make them more likely to develop such headaches. The most common primary headaches are 1. Cluster headache 2. Migraine (with and without aura) 3. Tension headache (also known as tension-type headache) A few headache patterns also are generally considered types of primary headache, but are less common. These headaches have distinct features, such as an unusual duration or pain associated with a certain activity. Although generally considered primary, each could be a symptom of an underlying disease. They include: 1. Chronic daily headaches (for example, chronic migraine, chronic tension-type headache, or hemicranias continua) 2. Cough headaches 3. Exercise headaches 4. Sex headaches Some primary headaches can be triggered by lifestyle factors, including: 1. Alcohol, particularly red wine 2. Certain foods, such as processed meats that contain nitrates 3. Changes in sleep or lack of sleep 4. Poor posture 5. Skipped meals 6. Stress Hormone headaches Headaches in women are often caused by hormones, and many women notice a link with their periods. The combined contraceptive pill, the menopause and pregnancy are also potential triggers. Reducing your stress levels, having a regular sleeping pattern, and ensuring you don’t

Some types of secondary headaches include 1. External compression headaches (a result of pressure-causing headgear) 2. Ice cream headaches commonly called brain freeze) 3. Rebound headaches (caused by overuse of pain medication) 4. Sinus headaches (caused by inflammation and congestion in sinus cavities) 5. Spinal headaches (caused by low pressure or volume of cerebrospinal fluid, possibly the result of spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leak, spinal tap or spinal anesthesia) Thunderclap headaches (a group of disor6. ders that involves sudden, severe headaches with multiple causes). Finding the cause If you tend to have headaches that are frequent and severe, your doctor will examine you for any serious, life-threatening conditions (e.g., stroke, meningitis) and start emergency care if needed. As well, if you regularly have headaches and experience a change in the pattern of your usual headaches, you should see your doctor. Typically, a thorough medical history and physical examination is enough for a good diagnosis. Since tension headaches are very common, your doctor will ask questions about your current stress level and other personal factors (e.g., work) that may be triggering your headaches. Depending on the location, duration, and any accompanying symptoms, the type of headache can be determined. In some cases, a brain scan called a CAT (computer assisted tomography) scan or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) may be used to check for serious causes of headache. Treatment and Prevention Since tension headaches are caused by factors such as neck strain, stress, and anxiety, treatment involves eliminating the stressful situation, if possible. Taking an over-the-counter pain reliever , and finding ways to relax, rest, correct poor posture, and exercise can all help to relieve and prevent headache pain.. Other types of headaches can be dealt with using over the counter medications, oxygen therapy, chiropractic manipulation. With other secondary headaches, your doctor will seek to find the underlying ailment, and appropriate treatment given. It is normal that as soon as the cause is removed, these headaches would cease.

GLOBAL SOCCER A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

Champions League Spot in Mind PAGE. 29

14.05.2016

Victor Moses

Where Next, Next Season

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • MAY 14, 2016

GLOBAL SOCCER

Where Next, Next Season?

Victor Moses was outstanding for Wigan Athletic during the 2011/12 English Premiership season. That was why the coaching crew of Chelsea lured him to Stamford Bridge but eventually loaned him to Liverpool a season after. Since then, the club he will play for has always been an issue at the beginning of every new season. Next season won’t be any different as West Ham United are ready to invest hugely on new strikers which would mean the Nigerian international would be shipped out of Upton Park. Or will the new Chelsea coach, Antonio Conte see something in him that previous Blues coaches did not see? Kunle Adewale reports

ictor Moses’ celebrated move to Stamford Bridge was not as fruitful as expected. He did not get enough playing time. He was eventually loaned to rivals, Liverpool, in September 2013. In spite of scoring on his debut at Anfield, then Reds' boss, Brendan Rogers would prefer in-form former Reds winger, Raheem Sterling to the Nigerian and he had to endure another loan spell at Stoke City during the 2014/15 season. It was another loan spell at West Ham this current season in spite of high speculation that he would stay at his parent club–Chelsea, especially having been given a squad number, the jersey number 20, last won by former Portuguese star, Deco. Moses impressed in all the Blues pre-season friendlies, scoring

Ham this current season in spite of high speculation that he would stay at his parent club-Chelsea, especially having been given a squad number, the jersey number 20, last won by former Portuguese star, Deco. Moses impressed in all the Blues pre-season friendlies, scoring in the equalizer in the penalty shootout win against PSG in the United State

in the equalizer in the penalty shootout win against PSG in the United States. With West Ham United cochairman, David Sullivan revealing on Monday that the Hammers have made a big-money transfer bid for an unnamed striker, Moses’ future in the club now looks uncertain. Speaking to Sky Sports, the businessman not only confirmed that the Champions League hopefuls had made a move for an attacker, but also that they are planning another high-profile move later this week. "We've put a bid in today for €30m for a player and other bids will be going in. We're going to make a £20-25m for a player in England, maybe later this week. So, whatever happens, we intend to bring a top striker in." While Sullivan sought to play down the revenue boost the club will receive from a switch to the Olympic Stadium, it is understood that the Irons will be looking to reinvest some of the windfall they received from over 52,000 confirmed season ticket holders. Moves for new strikers at Upton Park may mean the services of Moses are not needed. Moreover, the Nigerian suffered a long injury spell, which denied West Ham of his services for much of the season and this could be a big minus for Moses in the club’s preparation for next season. Indeed, Moses revealed that it was injury that forced him out of the national team after playing a key role in Super Eagles victory at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa with Coach Stephen Keshi in charge. But under coach SundayOliseh, Moses did not lace his boots for Nigeria. His last Super Eagles appearance was in the 2-0 loss to France at the 2014 World Cup but he has reaffirmed his commitment to Nigeria. “I’m proud of being a Nigerian international and am always committed to playing for my country,” Moses told BBC Sport. “It’s the best feeling representing your country and I always want to perform and give 100 percent for the team. Unfortunately, I have not been able to play due to injuries but I have an unwavering commitment to Nigeria. There

Moses

Cont'd on page 31

MAY 14, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

GLOBAL SOCCER Nigeria Professional Football League…

Shooting Stars Shift Focus on Wikki Clash Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) midfielder, Tope Orelope has said his side have shifted attention to weekend’s top flight Week 17 clash at Wikki Tourists in Bauchi. The Oluyole Warriors were stunned 1-2 by Warri Wolves in Wednesday’s clash at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan. Orelope said his side cannot continue to dwell on the painful loss to the Seasiders but move swiftly on how to reclaim the points at the Bauchi outfit.

“Well, the defeat to Warri Wolves is history as no amount of ruing can undo the result. I think we experienced our bad day once again on Wednesday against Warri Wolves. “We had penalty in the encounter still went ahead to miss the spot kick to add up the miserable day. We have taken the loss in good faith to forge ahead on the other matches on the season’s calendar. “We have shifted our focus on the weekend’s clash at Wikki Tourists. We

have equally resolved to make amend and strive to reclaim the points we lost to Wolves at Wikki Tourists. “It looks a daunting task to achieve but we have no choice than to go ahead to challenge favourably for the whole three points at stake,” said the Ibadan warlords goal king to supersport.com. 3SC are 17th on the 20team Nigerian top flight on 17 points 11 behind league leaders, Enugu Rangers.

Tornadoes Striker, Gata Set 25-goal Target Niger Tornadoes striker, Ismaila Gata Adeshina has set 25-goal target for himself in the ongoing 2015/16 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season. The former Kwara United goal king has already netted nine goals in the 16-week old Nigerian top flight. Gata said 25 goals will be good enough to crown him the highest goal scorer by the curtain falls on the ongoing league season. “Yes, I have a target of 25 goals for myself in the ongoing league season, the two goals against Heartland on Wednesday increased my goal tally to nine in the 16-week old top flight. “Of course, the main target is to emerge the top scorer at the end of the season and I believe 25 goals will be good

points and once we are able to break the jinx our position on the log will appreciate greatly. “We are coming to Lagos to break the home invincibility of newcomers, MFM FC in the ongoing top flight,” said the Niger Tornadoes goal poacher. The NPFL newcomers are 15th on the 20-team top flight on 20 points from possible 48 in the 16-week old league.

Week 17 Fixtures Pillars Plateau Utd Rangers Warri Wolves Wikki Tourist Abia Warriors Akwa United Lobi Stars Enyimba MFM

v v v v v v v v v v

Heartland El Kanemi Ikorodu Utd Sunshine Shooting Rivers Utd Nasarawa Utd Giwa Ifeanyi Uba Tornadoes

Beat Warriors and Get 50k, Meadia Officer Charges Rivers United

Moses Cont'd from page 30

Where Next, Next Season? is a new manager and the team has been doing well but without me. I’m prepared to give it my all and fight for a place on a regular basis, that’s my aim. This is football, a competitive stage and I have to fight hard to get in but I don’t mind doing that,” said Moses after he was invited for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Egypt. And if he has to return to his parent club next season, he would face stiff competition for a place in the starting. Chelsea may have little choice but to send him on another season loan spell or sell him to another club as Moses is no longer getting younger. As the 2015/16 ends this weekend, the next destination of Moses is being watched with keen interest as he could be anywhere. But it would always be in his interest to play in a team where he would have enough playing time rather than a team where he would just make the numbers. Now 25, the time has come for Moses to settle down at one club and attempt to build a legacy, rather than persistent movement that has characterised his career. Moses was born in Lagos to a pastor. When he was 11, his parents were among thousands killed by rioters in northern Nigeria. A week later, with his travel paid for by

enough to hand me the goal king gong. “Nothing says the target could not be exceeded once the opportunity is there and I experience injury-free season,” said the former Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) marksman to supersport.com. Gata said his goal prowess has not reflected on his side’s position on the log because they are yet to win match on the road. “Well I can say that my personal effort at goal has or not reflected on our current position on the league table. “The reason is not farfetched simply because we have not been able to win match on the road so far in the season. “However, we are not giving up on the search for

relatives, he came to Britain as an asylum seeker. He attended Stanley Technical High School, now known as the Harris Academy, in South Norwood. Scouted playing football in the local Tandridge League for Cosmos 90 FC, Crystal Palace approached him, with the club's Selhurst Park stadium just streets away from his school. Moses first came to prominence at 14 after scoring 50 goals for Palace's under-14s side. Playing for three years at Whitgift and Palace, Moses scored over 100 goals as well as helping Whitgift win many school cups, including a National Cup where he scored all five goals in the final against Healing School of Grimsby at the Walkers Stadium, Leicester. Moses joined Chelsea from Wigan for £9m in 2012 and scored 10 goals in his first 12 months with Chelsea's first team, five of which helped the club claim the Europa League. He was an exciting prospect at Wigan, but he has failed to fulfill his potential at Chelsea, as he was used sparingly. He featured 23 times during last season's loan spell at Stoke and remains on the radar for as long as other wing targets slip through the net. It however remains to be seen if Chelsea’s new gaffer, Antonio Conte, would see in Moses what previous coaches had failed to notice in him.

Players of Rivers United will get fifty thousand Naira from the teams media officer Sammy Wejinya, if they defeat Abia Warriors in Umuahia on Sunday in Match Day 17 fixture of the NPFL. Wejinya made this promise while speaking with the players as the team continues preparation for the big match this weekend. He went further to state that this is his little way to motivate the players and show appreciation for the effort the coaches and players have put in so far

G LO B A L S O C C E R ASSISTANT EDITOR KUNLE ADEWALE LAYOUT DESIGNER WAHAB AKINTUNDE THISDAY ON SATURDAY EDITOR SHAKA MOMODU DEPUTY EDITOR YEMI ADEBOWALE THISDAY NEWSPAPERS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE

this season. Rivers United is currently second on the league table

tied on points with first place Rangers International of Enugu.

Fans enjoying one of the games in the Nigeria Premier League

Nigeria Premier League Table Rangers Rivers United Kano Pillars Abia Warriors Ifeanyi Uba Wikki Tourist Lobi Stars Akwa United MFM Tornadoes Warri Wolves Sunshine Stars Enyimba Heartland Nasarawa Utd Plateau Utd Shooting Stars El Kanemi Giwa Ikorodu Utd

16 16 15 15 16 15 16 16 16 16 15 16 13 16 16 16 16 15 16 16

8 9 8 7 8 7 7 7 6 7 6 5 6 6 7 5 5 5 4 2

4 1 3 6 2 4 4 3 5 1 4 6 3 3 0 5 2 1 1 4

4 6 4 2 6 4 5 6 5 8 5 5 4 7 9 6 9 9 11 10

23 19 24 18 16 20 17 22 17 19 9 17 14 14 18 18 17 15 10 12

18 15 15 11 15 8 13 16 15 19 11 13 12 16 22 23 26 21 24 26

+5 +4 +9 +7 +1 +12 +4 +6 +2 +0 -2 +4 +2 -2 -4 -5 -9 -6 -14 -14

28 28 27 27 26 25 25 24 23 22 22 21 21 21 21 20 17 16 13 10

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • MAY 14, 2016

GLOBAL SOCCER

Manchester Teams Battle for Last Champions League Spot

Leicester City celebrating their first Premier League title win in the history of the club

With Leicester confirmed this year’s Premier League winner andTottenham Hot Spurs and Arsenal placed second and third respectively, the two Manchester teams-City and United will be all out against their opponent in an attempt to grab the last Champions League spot. However, with contention for the top scorer still in the offing, Leicester’s trip to Stamford Bridge against former champion, Chelsea, would be more than a formality since Verdy would want to go for the top scorer award as an icing on the cake to the EPL title

ot many would have thought that Manchester City would wait till the last day in their quest for a Champions League ticket considering the quality of the team and the way the Citizens kick start league-carting away the first 15 points, but inconsistency and poor results on the roads robbed off the shine from the side. Therefore, the Manuel Pellegrini side are now condemned to win their last Premiership game to be sure of place in next the 2016/17 European elite competition. Although the game is actually a no-bearing for Swansea City as they are at the 11th spot of the league table, 12 points safe off the relegation zone and 16 points below any berths of continental tournaments, they will still try to extend their two-game winning run to three as they face the mercurial Citizens in the season finale. In their penultimate match, the Swans routed contending squad West Ham United, 4-1, at the Upton Park last Saturday. Meanwhile, Manchester City settled to a 2-2 draw with fellow contender Arsenal FC at the Etihad Stadium last Sunday. The tie was City's third winless performance in their last four assignments as they dropped to fourth place in the league table, three points behind the Gunners.

They lead cross-city rivals Manchester United by only two points in the overall standings, which means this finale match against Swansea is a crucial one for Pellegrini's side. Manchester United knew victory at Upton Park and at home to Bournemouth this weekend would secure a top-four place - but this loss means Manchester City are two points clear of them going into their final game at Swansea City. But West Ham, were not to be denied and two towering headers in the space of four minutes from Michail Antonio and Winston Reid gave them the victory they richly deserved. Manchester United had their fate in their own hands knowing two victories - here and at home to Bournemouth on Sunday - would assure Champions League football next season. It was typical of their misfiring season that they squandered this chance with a performance that was for the most part lifeless, only lifted above mediocrity by the brilliance of Martial. United may have been affected by that late arrival and the delayed kick-off, but their first 45 minutes fell well short of what was needed given how high the stakes were. It was only down to West Ham's generosity in front of goal that Louis Van Gaal's side were only 1-0 down at the interval.

And when, against the run of play and thanks to Martial's excellence, they found themselves ahead with 18 minutes left they were still not good enough to make it count. The hosts finally took their chances and scored twice in four minutes to once again reveal the flaws in this fragile Manchester United side. While Arsenal could still find themselves dragged down to their customary fourth-place finish, it seems far more likely to be a battle between the red and blue halves of Manchester for the final Champions League qualification spot. Arsenal are third in the league and12 points behind champions Leicester and need a draw from their last game to seal automatic qualification for the Champions League next season, and Jack Wilshere said the players were disappointed that their title challenge crumbled but were confident of an improved display next term. "I think of the games that didn't go our way like Swansea at home. There are a lot of chances we create with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck, we just have to be a bit more clinical," Wilshere told the club's website. "I think we are moving in the right direction. We put up a big challenge this year, and OK it didn't work out... we put up more of a fight than previous years." Arsene Wenger's men finish their league campaign against relegated Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. However, that "final" spot in fourth may yet

give way to a fifth team entering the Champions League next season, however, as Liverpool will claim a spot in Europe's top competition should they manage a victory over Sevilla in the Europa League final next week. Jurgen Klopp has a difficult decision ahead of the final match of the Premier League season, as the Reds could still earn a spot in next season's Europa League campaign if results go their way in the final match, but following the 1-1 draw against Chelsea it seems more likely that West Ham United and Southampton will battle it out on Super Sunday while the Reds rest their big names in preparation for Wednesday's final. Meanwhile, relegated squad Newcastle United FC is scheduled to host second-running team Tottenham Hotspur FC in their season finale at the St. James' Park on Sunday. Newcastle is officially relegated to the Football League Championship next season as they are at the 18th spot of the league table and four points below the 17th-placed Sunderland with only one game left in their current campaign. While a win over the Spurs in their finale will not make the Magpies stay in the English top flight next season, it will have some repercussions for Tottenham as the London squad could lose their runner-up position to Arsenal if that will happen. Rafa Benitez's side is coming off a disappointing 0-0 draw with cellar dwellers Aston Villa last Saturday at the Villa Park. It was the third drawn match by the Magpies in their last four games which made them unable to escape the bottom three relegation zone. The

MAY 14, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

GLOBAL SOCCER Premiership Table Leicester Tottenham Arsenal Man City Man Utd West Ham Southampton Liverpool Chelsea Stoke Swansea Everton Watford Crystal Palace West Brom Bournemouth Sunderland Newcastle Norwich Aston Villa

37 37 37 37 37 37 37 36 36 37 37 36 36 37 37 37 36 37 36 37

32 38 25 30 12 15 15 13 6 -15 -10 4 -8 -9 -14 -20 -17 25 -27 -45

80 70 68 65 63 62 60 58 48 48 46 44 44 42 42 42 35 34 31 17

37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37

50 44 40 14 16 7 8 2 -2 -2 -2 -10 -7 -12 -8 -24 -28 -21 -37 -28

88 79 77 67 61 58 57 54 49 46 45 43 42 41 40 39 36 35 31 28

Seria A Juventus Napoli Roma Inter Fiorentina Sassuolo Milan Lazio Chievo Genoa Torino Empoli Atalanta Bologna Sampdoria Udinese Palermo Carpi Frosinone Verona

Barcelona, Madrid TakeTitle Fight to the Wire Like in 2013/14 season when the La Liga was decided on the last day, this year’s season has also gone to the wire as the two Spanish giants- Barcelona and Real Madrid, quest for the title would be decided today

arcelona closed in on the La Liga title by thrashing local rivals Espanyol 5-0 last Sunday as Atletico Madrid dropped out of the race after losing 2-1 at Levante and Real Madrid beat Valencia 3-2. Barcelona routed city rival Espanyol 5-0 on Sunday to increase their lead in the Spanish league going into next weekend's final round of matches, when another victory will secure the Catalan club their second consecutive title. In the final round, Barcelona will play at Granada, who were fighting against relegation but on Sunday mathematically secured their place in the top flight with a 4-1 win at Sevilla, while Real Madrid will play at Deportivo La Coruna, who are in the middle of the table and also won't have anything to play for in the last round. Barcelona have the advantage on the head-to-head tiebreaker against Real Madrid, so Madrid will need to win their game in La Coruna and hope Barcelona at least draw in Granada. Barcelona will be trying to win their sixth league title in eight seasons, while Madrid will be looking to lift the trophy for the first time since 2012, and second time in eight seasons. Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid were

coming off difficult games in the semifinals of the Champions League, when both advanced to the May 28 final in Milan. Barcelona will play in the Copa del Rey final against Sevilla on May 22. The Catalan club relinquished a nine-point lead after going winless in four straight games, but Luis Enrique's team picked up the pace just in time, winning four consecutive games by outscoring opponents 21-0 to stay ahead going into the decisive round. Meanwhile, Granada’s Ivan Kelava has refuted claims that the club’s players have considered accepting incentives from Real Madrid to defeat Barcelona. Madrid must return from their trip to Deportivo La Coruna with maximum points and hope that Granada, who ensured top-flight survival last weekend, take points off the leaders. The practice of offering bonuses, known as maletines (briefcases), is prohibited in Spanish football, which nonetheless has a history of incentivising at the end of the season. Kelava was accused of telling Goal that Real Madrid would be able to offer a ‘bonus’ to his side despite them having nothing to play for and that the practice was ‘normal’ in Spain.The 28-year-old Croatian international goalkeeper, however, adamantly denied such claims on Twitter a few hours after the quotes began to circulate.

37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37

80 74 43 11 -6 11 3 0 -4 -5 -1 -10 -14 -19 -36 -20 -29 -24 -23 -31

88 87 85 64 60 59 52 45 45 44 44 43 42 42 40 39 36 36 35 32

Bundesliga Bayern Dortmund Leverkusen M'gladbach Mainz Hertha Schalke Wolfsburg Köln Ingolstadt Augsburg Hamburger Darmstadt Hoffenheim Frankfurt Bremen Stuttgart Hannover

Arsenal

Villa

15:00

Chelsea

Leicester

15:00

Everton

Norwich

15:00

Man Utd

Bournemouth 15:00

TODAY Deportivo Granada Bilbao Atletico SUNDAY

TODAY

Hart Lane last Sunday to allow the Gunners to move within two points of their position. Spurs need to win this match against the Magpies if they want to finish the season as runners-up to Leicester City as their loss and an Arsenal win will deny them that distinction.

Barcelona Madrid Atletico Villarreal Celta Vigo Ath Bilbao Sevilla Málaga Sociedad Las Palmas Valencia Eibar Deportivo Real Betis Espanyol Granada Getafe Sporting Vallecano Levante

33 33 33 33 33 33 33 33 33 33 33 33 33 33 33 33 33 33

61 48 15 15 4 0 -1 -4 -4 -8 -8 -8 -13 -12 -17 -16 -23 -29

85 77 57 52 49 49 49 42 42 40 38 38 38 37 36 35 33 25

Spanish La Liga Fixtures

Premiership

tie with the Villans dropped them to the relegation area for good as the Black Cats defeated dethroned champions Chelsea FC in their own penultimate match to create a four-point gap in between them. Meanwhile, the Spurs were defeated by surging team Southampton FC, 1-2, at White

La Liga

v v v v

Madrid Barcelona Sevilla Celta Vigo

16:00 16:00 18:30 18:30

Southampton

Crystal Palace 15:00

Málaga

Las Palmas