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FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2016 • T H I S D AY

PAGE EIGHT

Oil Workers Deny Meeting with FG, Begin Strike Talks rescheduled for today

Chineme Okafor in Abuja The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) yesterday said it did not hold any meeting with representatives of the federal government over its planned national strike, saying the industrial action will go ahead.

PENGASSAN stated in Abuja that no meeting was held yesterday between it and the government at the instance of the Ministries of Petroleum Resources and Labour and Employment as announced the day before by the government.

It said there was no way it could get all its executive members to attend the

planned meeting summoned by the government in Abuja because it was a public holiday yesterday.

In a bid to avert the strike by oil workers, the government on Wednesday stated that it had scheduled a meeting with the oil workers in the boardroom of the Minister of Petroleum Resources located on the 11th floor of headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

The meeting, according to the Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Samuel Olowookere, was to discuss the modalities for ending the lingering crisis in the petroleum sector.

But enquiries at the petroleum ministry showed that no meeting took place.

Sources including security officials at the ministry told THISDAY that they were unaware of the meeting and had nothing in their logbook for expected visitors of either NNPC or the ministry.

One of the security sources at the NNPC said: “If there is any meeting here today we will be told and the details of those to attend will be sent to us in order to ease clearance, but nothing of such was given.

“So there is no meeting whatsoever happening here today. If there is any, then it is not here.”

When THISDAY contacted the Public Relations Officer

of PENGASSAN, Mr. Emmanuel Ojugbana, he informed THISDAY on the phone that the planned strike had commenced.

He said the impact of the strike was still minimal on the nation’s economy because of the public holiday, adding that when work resumes, the impact of the strike will be felt if nothing is done by government.

On the meeting convened by the government, Ojugbana said: “As far as I’m concerned there is no meeting with government.

“How can they send us a mail for a meeting that is meant to hold on Thursday morning on Wednesday evening? And mind you,

they know that our executive members are not all in Abuja, our executive members are scattered across the country and couldn’t have convened today for the meeting.

“Anyway, the strike will be fully felt once work resumes and as for the meeting, I can confirm to you that there is no ongoing meeting between us and government.”

However, in another statement later yesterday, the labour ministry said the meeting with oil workers had been rescheduled to take place today.

It said the shift in date was in consideration of the season and the national holiday, reported the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

“The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, and the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, will now hold the crucial meeting with PENGASSAN leadership on Friday to find a lasting solution to the lingering problems affecting the oil and gas sector.

“The meeting will hold at the Minister’s Board Room, 11th floor, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, NNPC Towers, Abuja starting at 10 a.m,’’ it said.

The ministers, in the statement, appealed to the leadership of PENGASSAN to stay action on its strike in view of the ongoing negotiations and in the spirit of social dialogue.

crude oil produced by Shell, Aiteo and third parties in the eastern operations to the Bonny export terminal in Rivers State.

The resumption of Bonny Light exports came just as the Niger Delta Avengers, the militant group that has claimed responsibility for recent attacks on oil and gas installations, continued its unrelenting destruction of industry facilities in the oilrich region, when it blasted three more manifolds operated by US oil giant, Chevron, in Delta State on Wednesday night.

Shell said in a statement yesterday that the force majeure had been lifted following the restoration of production to the Bonny export terminal.

According to the statement, the force majeure was lifted from 09:00 a.m.

Nigerian time (0800 GMT) on Thursday (yesterday).

Despite the gradual recovery of Nigeria’s oil production, two other Nigerian crude grades – Forcados and Brass River – remain shut-in.

Eni, the Italian parent of Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) on May 22, 2016 declared force majeure on oil exports from the Brass Oil export terminal off Bayelsa shoreline, following militant attacks on the Ogbaimbiri-Tebidaba pipeline.

Shell on February 21, 2016 declared force majeure on Forcados liftings after the disruption in production caused by a spill on the 48-inch Forcados terminal subsea export pipeline, which was bombed by the Avengers.

The force majeure effectively shut-in 300,000 barrels per day from Shell and third party companies in the Western Niger Delta that rely on the Forcados pipeline for shipment of crude to the Forcados export terminal.

Despite these production shortages, Nigeria’s crude exports have been on track to rise to 2.2 million barrels per day in August from the current 1.9 million barrels per day, according to the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, even as the

Avengers has resumed hostilities before the expiration of a 30-day ceasefire.

The Aiteo Group acquired a 45 per cent stake in the 97-kilometre NCTL and the prolific Oil Mining lease (OML) 29 from Shell and other joint venture partners – Total and Agip – in 2014.

Aiteo, last May, confirmed a leak on the pipeline and sent out contractors to the site for repairs after the area had been isolated.

About 75,000-78,000 barrels per day of Aiteo’s crude oil was affected by the closure, while Shell’s volume and other third party crude affected by the shut-in could not be ascertained.

THISDAY gathered that the pipeline has capacity to move 150,000 barrels per day but about 600,000 barrels of liquids can be evacuated at the Cawthorne Channel-end of the facility.

But an air of uncertainty continued to pervade the Niger Delta as the Avengers continued its wave of attacks, when it bombed Chevron’s manifolds on Wednesday night in Delta State, the third of such attacks on the company’s installations in the region.

The implacable group, which made the attack known on its website late Wednesday, said it blew up RMP 22, 23 and 24 all in Warri.

A remote manifold platform (RMP) is where small oil or gas pipelines converge before connecting to a larger storage hub.

In the statement by its spokesperson, Brig.-Gen. Mudoch Agbinibo, the group said: “Between the hours of 10:50 p.m. and 11:10 p.m. our strike team blew up Chevron manifolds.

The manifolds are RMP 22, 23 and 24.”

The group, which also wished the Muslim faithful “Happy Eid Mubarak”, said it was closing all its social network accounts due to the activities of scammers and impersonators attributing some of the bombings in the region to it.

The Avengers also denied responsibility for the alleged attack on the Nigerian National Petroleum

Corporation (NNPC) pipeline at Eleme in Rivers State last Saturday and encouraged other groups carrying out similar acts of sabotage to continue in the act, but must be courageous enough to claim responsibility instead of accusing the Avengers falsely.

The group cautioned the media to beware of the imposters and follow its activities only on its website.

“This Facebook account/ page is an impostor page that was open by a fraudster to deceive the general public.

“We are warning any group that wants to do anything, to go about their activities without tagging us. Instead do your activities and claim responsibility.

“The NNPC pipeline blown up in Eleme that was posted by this Facebook account yesterday wasn’t carried out by Niger Delta Avengers.

“We are calling on all national dailies to take note.

Niger Delta Avengers is not out to mislead the public.

“As a result, we are closing all our social network accounts and will be using our website to pass information to the general public,” it said.

The militant group resumed bombing of the country’s oil economy last weekend, attacking oil and gas facilities belonging to NPDC, NNPC and Chevron at different locations in Warri.

The resumption of hostilities, according to a security source, was in response to the arrest of two key members of the militant group by the Department of State Security (DSS).

One of the arrested suspects identified as “Sensor” was said to be a very close aide to the former militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, who is suspected to be the arrowhead of the spate of bombings of oil facilities.

Tompolo, who is now a fugitive of the law, is being prosecuted by the federal government for alleged corruption.

FOR FIRST TIME IN 15 YEARS, NNPC REPORTS MONTHLY PROFIT OF N274M (PPMC).

The monthly report stated: “PPMC recorded a net gain of N17.69 billion as against the net loss of N6.91 billion in April, 2016 following complete stoppage of commercially unfavourable swaps and offshore processing agreements (OPAs).

“Direct-Sale and Direct-Purchase has now replaced the previous regime. Notwithstanding these improvements, renewed and vigorous vandalism of pipelines in Niger Delta means that productions were shut-in and cargoes deferred, which denied revenues streams accruing to NPDC and the federation.”

The report showed that the group’s operating revenue for the months of April and May 2016 were N95.51 billion and N142.53 billion respectively, representing 30.36% and 45.32% respectively of the monthly budget.

Similarly, operating expenditure for the same periods were N121.86 billion and N142.26 billion respectively, which also represents 45.62% and 52.63% of the budget for the months respectively.

Operating deficits of N19.43 billion and a margin of N0.27 billion were recorded for the months of April and May 2016 respectively as against the monthly budgeted surplus of N44.23 billion.

The report said the deficit “was inverted in the month of May 2016 due to significant increase in revenue generation which could be attributed to the rise in petroleum product sales by 51.13%”.

However, NPDC’s substantial portion of crude sales for the month amounting to about N20 billion could not be realised due to crude pipeline vandalism.

The report also highlighted the corporation’s activities for twelve months period of June 2015 – May 2016 to allow for trend recognition.

In the area of crude oil and condensate production, the report showed that a total of 59.56 million barrels

of crude oil and condensate was produced in the month of April 2016, representing average daily production of 1.99 million barrels and a decrease of 1.72% compared to March 2016 performance.

“Of the April 2016 production, Joint Ventures (JVs) and Production Sharing Contracts (PSC) contributed about 33.82% and 46.77% respectively.

While AF (Alternative Funding or Financing), NPDC and independent oil firms accounted for 13.81%, 1.73% and 3.87% respectively,” the report stated.

On NNPC’s exploration and production subsidiary, NPDC, the report showed that NPDC’s PTD (periodto-date - May 2015 to April 2016) cumulative production from all fields amounted to 33,028,954 barrels of crude oil which translated to an average daily production of 90,243 barrels.

“Comparing NPDC’s performance to national production, the company’s production share amounted to 4.31%. NPDC production is expected to hit production levels of 250,000bp/d after the completion of the ongoing NPDC re-kitting project and repairs of vandalised facilities.

“Production from NPDC wholly operated assets amounted to 10,216,198 barrels (or 30.93% of the total production) with Okono Okpoho (OML 119) alone producing more than 82.66% of the NPDC wholly owned operated assets or 25.57% of the total NPDC total production.

“Also on the NPDC operated JV assets, in which NPDC owns 55% controlling interest, crude oil production amounted to 13,296,309 (or 40.26% of the NPDC total production). On the JV assets not operated

by NPDC, production level stood at 9,516,447 barrels or 28.81% of the company’s production,” the report revealed.

In the area of national gas production, NNPC in the report stated that a total of 223.63 billion standard cubic feet (bcf) of natural gas was produced in the month of May 2016 translating to an average daily production of

7.21billion standard cubic feet per day (bscfd).

For the period June 2015 to May 2016, a total of 2,836.01bcf of gas was produced, representing an average daily production of 7,749.70 mmscfd during the period.

Production from Joint Ventures (JVs), Production Sharing Contracts (PSC) and NPDC contributed about 69.97%, 21.71% and 8.32% respectively to the total national gas production, the report showed.

On NNPC’s refinery operations, the report said that total crude processed by the three refineries – Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Warri – for the month of May 2016 was 301,604MT (2,211,361 bbls), which translated to a combined yield efficiency of 83.47% compared to crude processed in April 2016 of 351,698MT (2,578,650 bbls) with combined yield efficiency of 89.70%.

“For the month of May 2016, the three refineries produced 242,053MT of finished petroleum products out of 301,604MT of crude processed at a combined capacity utilisation of 16.03% compared to 19.32% combined capacity utilisation achieved in the month of April 2016.

“The adverse performance was due to crude pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta region coupled with on-going refineries revamp; however the three refineries continue to operate at minimal capacity,” the report stated.

In other developments in the oil industry, AngloDutch oil giant, Shell, also lifted the force majeure on exports of its Bonny Light crude grade, signposting a recovery of Nigeria’s oil and gas production after militant attacks reduced it to a 20-year low SPDC declared the force majeure on May 10, following a leak that led to the closure of the Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL) by Aiteo Eastern E & P Company Limited.

The Aiteo-operated NCTL and the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) are the two main pipelines in the Eastern Niger Delta that transport

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2016

NEWS

Italian Man Arrested for Beating to Death Nigerian in Racist Attack An Italian football hooligan has been arrested and charged with murder after beating to death a Nigerian asylum seeker who reacted to racial insults against his partner, reported the ANSA news agency yesterday.

According to the La Repubblica newspaper, Emmanuel Chidi Nnamdi, 36, got into a fight on Tuesday after the man called his 24-year-old girlfriend Chinyere a “monkey”.

He was taken to hospital in a coma and declared dead on Wednesday in the central Italian town of Fermo, some 170 kilometres north-east of Rome, near the Adriatic coast.

The accused, Amedeo Mancini, is a supporter of 4th league team Fermana and had previously been banned from the local stadium because of his violent behaviour, ANSA said.

The incident led Interior Minister Angelino Alfano to travel to Fermo to chair a meeting with local police.

Alfano said it was a “day of infinite sadness”, while Prime Minister Matteo Renzi wrote on Twitter: “Against hatred, racism and violence.”

Comunita di Capodarco, the Catholic charity that was giving shelter to the couple, issued a statement giving a version provided

by Chinyere.

She said the man put his hands on her, triggering Nnamdi’s reaction.

“A fight broke out, a street sign was pulled from the pavement, there were heavy blows and one, probably fatal, hit the young Nigerian on the back of the neck. Once on the floor ... the young man was hit repeatedly,” the Comunita said.

The couple left Nigeria to flee from the Islamist

terrorist group Boko Haram, their hosts said.

Chinyere travelled while pregnant, but fell ill during the sea crossing to Sicily and lost her baby, probably as a result of beatings suffered in Libya, the charity added.

Father Vinicio Albanesi, who leads the community that sheltered the couple, said the people who attacked the asylum seekers were the same who earlier this year planted bombs in front of four Catholic churches in Fermo.

The explosives did not go off.

“There are small group of people who clearly think they belong to the Aryan race,” Albanesi said, as quoted by Comunita di Capodarco.

“They belong to local football fan groups and I think it is the same clique who has put bombs in front of our churches.”

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi

PRESIDENCY GIVES REASONS FOR NON-INCLUSION OF PRIVATE SECTOR IN ECONOMIC TEAM “It is not something that this government believes should be done by bringing in some private interests into the economic team to take decisions that they will be directly involved in.

“So our stand is that the management of the economy is a government responsibility,” he explained.

He however pointed out that the private sector was not totally excluded from making suggestions to government, as members of the organised private sector such, as the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), were being engaged by government.

“For instance, we have started meeting on a constant basis with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN). There have been meetings

with representatives of the economic sector of the country. There have been meetings with the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) and some other economic interests with companies, making presentations.

“But generally, this thing is a government team and the team has been able to set out before the budget was finished to figure out what the budget ought to focus on.

“After the budget was presented and eventually signed into law, there was also the publication of the strategic implementation plan which was produced in a reader friendly format.

“All of these are the outcomes of what an Economic Management Team does and it is also in the team where you have the heap of the whole fiscal and

monetary policies, and don’t forget that monetary policies are always the duty and responsibility of the central bank which is an economic arm of government,” he said.

Asked when the nation would begin to feel the impact of the decisions taken by the economic team and indeed the first fruit of the regime, Akande said the government of President Muhammadu Buhari was committed to charting a new way forward for the country.

Also speaking on reports by some online media organisations, which claimed that the CBN and FIRS had recruited the relatives and cronies of government officials secretly, he said the government was sanitising the recruitment process and indeed the public sector to make them more transparent.

According to Akande, “These reports were inaccurate. What we have is government is working to ensure that we develop, going forward, a more transparent process. We are committed to ensuring that some of these procedures are refined, fine-tuned and made more transparent.”

In his view, the drastic reduction of corruption within the public sector was a laudable feat of the administration.

“As much as we try not to say this, we know as a matter of fact that officials of the past administration, most of them have come out to say they did not save for the rainy day.

“So we are dealing mostly with situations that have been caused even before this administration took over power.

“The president and his

team are working hard and planning not only to tighten public expenditure and increase savings, but to also diversify the economy like never before.

‘So we are sure and we believe that going forward, things will begin to pick up again. It is taking a while because of the extent of the damage left behind.

“The first fruit is already in place because we have started rebuilding. I think to some extent, that question presupposes that rebuilding is still ongoing, no!

“The rebuilding of the resources of this country has stopped. I believe that a huge factor in the way Nigeria is today economically is corruption.

“We can’t run away from that and the president has made it clear and I think everyone in the country now understands that and

it is not going to continue.

Effectively, he has reduced the corruption in Nigeria,” he said.

He attributed the delay in the implementation of the social welfare package for unemployed graduates to the late passage of the 2016 budget into law.

He said: “You have to agree that we did had some delay in the whole process because of the timing of the budget approval. For instance, when we came in at the end of May, there was no way the government could implement some of those social welfare schemes because it was not budgeted for.

“So we had to wait for the budget process to kick in so that we can begin to implement the policies, and since the budget has now been signed into law, we are taking off,” he stated.

and we have also asked for a stay of execution. So it is neither here nor there.

But the chairman of PDP, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff has some other subsisting judgments in his favour, and if anybody is to be arrested, it is Adeyeye who is making allusions that people will be arrested.

“I know that Makarfi will not make such a statement, he is a gentleman and not somebody given to such utterances, so I want to excuse him. If such statement came from Makarfi, Ali Modu Sheriff would have known what to do to address it properly.

“Sheriff wants to return the party to the people.

He doesn’t want only the governors to sit down in their rooms and write the

names of candidates and submit them to INEC. That is the root of the crisis we are having today in the PDP and Ali Modu Sheriff is ready to address it.

“This is the only time the chairman of the PDP is saying no to the governors. Impunity must be addressed; anybody who went shopping for judgment, or used state money to go and buy a judgment, the person is on his own.

“Ali Modu Sheriff will not be involved in such cases, and if you win such cases we will wait for you at the Appeal Court,” he said.

But as the PDP attempted to resolve the division within its ranks, there were indications that INEC

may arrive at a verdict on which of the factions of the PDP can field a candidate for the September 10 Edo State governorship election.

THISDAY gathered from sources at INEC headquarters in Abuja that the commission will on Friday start to evaluate the court rulings on the PDP crisis, especially in view of the recent judgment of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt authenticating the Makarfi-led national caretaker committee.

It was learnt that INEC’s latest move was targeted at resolving the PDP leadership tussle before the deadline for the submission of names of candidates for the governorship election in Edo State.

PDP: MAKARFI, SHERIFF GROUP COMMENCE PEACE TALKS (INEC) to study all the rulings of the courts in respect to the conflict in the PDP with a view to taking a position on which of the factions to recognise.

A key member of the Sheriff group and the former PDP National ViceChairman (South-South) Dr. Cairo Ojougbo, who addressed journalists in Abuja yesterday, also dismissed calls for the arrest of Sheriff for contempt of court, describing it as a ruse.

Speaking on the lingering face-off between Sheriff and the mainstream PDP leadership over the rightful claimant to the chairmanship of the party, Ojuogbo said though the former national chairman still sees himself as being legitimately in office,

he was ready to pursue dialogue to resolve the crisis.

Ojuogbo last week said Sheriff had asked to be allowed to conduct a fresh convention in order to hand over to a new national leadership.

“I want to make this point clear, the caretaker committee led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi and the Sheriff-led PDP have been discussing. We have been looking for ways to make peace.

“People like (Dayo) Adeyeye who want this crisis to continue, have been talking any how, they have their own personal agenda,” he said.

On the call made by the spokesman of the PDP caretaker committee, Dayo

Adeyeye, for the arrest of Sheriff on contempt charges, Ojuogbo said there was nothing of such since Sheriff had already appealed the Port Harcourt Federal High Court ruling.

“I want to make it categorically clear that we have a judgment that is a point blank judgment that says that it is only Sheriff that will submit the names of candidates for the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.

“It also further says that Sheriff is the recognised chairman of PDP. The judgment they are celebrating in Port Harcourt, of course, is the judgment of the ‘Emperor of Ikwere’ (Governor Nyesom Wike).

“We have appealed it

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FRIDAY JULY 8, 2016 • T H I S D AY

NEWS

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

Nigeria’s Unity is Negotiable, Ijaw Youths, MASSOB Tell Buhari Urhobo group expresses concern over recent govt appointments

Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa and Charles Onyekamuo in Awka The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) and Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) yesterday responded to President Muhammadu Buhari who appealed to militants in the Niger Delta to end the destruction of oil assets, adding that Nigeria’s unity was not negotiable.

The youths of Ijaw descent, in response, contended that as presently constituted, the country would soon “suffocate”, adding that the future of Nigeria should be thoroughly negotiated to avoid the consequences of a forced political marriage.

The president had stated that he aligned with a former military Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, that “to keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done”. “...What we were after is (was) one Nigeria. Please, pass the message to the militants that one Nigeria is not negotiable.

And I pray they better accept it.

“The constitution is very clear as to what they should get and I assure them there would be justice,” Buhari had said on Wednesday to an audience that came to pay him Sallah homily.

But in a statement by the IYC spokesman, Eric Omare, the groups maintained that such a comment coming from the

president was “old fashioned”.

The group was of the view that the approach being adopted by the president had never yielded the desired result for the country to excel.

According to the youths, the unity of Nigeria was being suffocated under the present administration, which they argued had refused to embrace modern trends worldwide.

“The circumstances of the present day Nigeria demand a renegotiation of the future unity and existence of Nigeria,” the group said.

The IYC expressed the belief that it was the general opinion of all ethnic nationalities in the country that Nigeria’s unity is discussed.

“This demand is not peculiar to the Niger Delta region but cuts across all parts of the country. For Nigeria to make progress, President Buhari should dump his old fashioned approach to the unity of Nigeria and face the reality of the present day situation.

“Nigerians want a renegotiated Nigeria that reflects a true federal state and allow people to grow at their own pace.

“Nigeria as presently constituted is suffocating and the federating ethnic nationalities can no longer bear the suffocating effect of the defective structure which hampers the development of the country.

“It is in the interest of all Nigerians to renegotiate the

future unity of Nigeria,” the IYC held.

It added: “The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide states that the statement by President Buhari to Niger Delta militants on Wednesday, June 6, 2016 that the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable is an old-fashioned approach to the resolution of national problems.

“This is more so as President Buhari, in making the said statement, quoted former Head of State, General Gowon’s comment in 1967 on the unity of Nigeria.

“Nigerians want a country that is united on mutually agreed terms and not the present defective structure.

The IYC calls on President Buhari to wake up and face the reality of the situation and stop relying on the outdated notion of Nigeria’s unity. Nigerians demand renegotiation.”

On its part, MASSOB disagreed with President

Bushari’s declaration that Nigeria’s sovereignty is not negotiable, saying it is out of tune with reality.

The MASSOB said the president was still being his old self, not realising that a new trend had taken over.

Nigerian sovereignty, the MASSOB said, is negotiable to enable component units determine their destiny.

According to the MASSOB statement, signed by its leader, Mr. Uchenna Madu, “Probably the president was in his inner sense of reasoning talking about the indivisibility of one North which he presides over with his kinsmen occupying the positions in the military hierarchy and other para-military organisations in which the North took the commanding heights including service chiefs, and other high ranking offices and positions.

“He will easily crush Biafra, maybe with his intimidating tendencies over Igbo governors,

National Assembly members, religious, opinion and political leaders. He still thinks he can crush Biafra. MASSOB views Buhari’s constant negative comments on Biafra consciousness as a sign of unsteadiness.

Meanwhile, the Urhobo Monitoring and Development Group (UMDG), was expressing concerns over recent federal appointments made by the president.

The National President of UMDG, an Urhobo pressure group, Mr. Kingsley Oberuruaria, told journalists that Buhari’s appointments were tilted to favour northerners and Muslims.

He maintained that such actions were capable of unnecessarily creating ethnic and regional tensions in the country.

The group specifically took a swipe at Buhari with regard to the recent constitution of the

board of NNPC for “refusing to give oil producing communities of the Niger Delta region a sense of belonging in the management of resources from the area”.

UMDG said: “We are still shocked with President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointments so far. The truth is that such actions are not palatable.

“Our region where the oil and other resources that feed the nation are coming from is being neglected both in appointments and development, and this government is not helping matters.

“The Urhobo have been annihilated from the Nigerian government and this is not fair to us as a people. Buhari should look inwardd and correct these injustice against our people in the Niger Delta if he actually means well for this country.”

Bayelsa Orders Reopening of Oil Wells Shut down by Aggrieved Communities Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa Following a meeting by stakeholders in Bayelsa State to resolve issues with oilproducing communities, the state government yesterday ordered the leadership of Ogboinbiri community, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, to reopen all closed oil wells.

It was gathered that the oil facilities mainly belonging to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC), operating in Bayelsa, have not been producing due to outstanding disagreements with the oil giant.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Oil and Gas Matters, Mr. Felix Ayah, who gave the charge during a meeting with the community leaders and representatives in Yenagoa, assured of government’s resolve to resolve all their grievances.

Ayah said it was necessary for the community to allow smooth operations of the sites while dialogue continued in order to pave the way for a sustainable peaceful co-existence between the community and the multinational oil company.

Ogboinbiri community had closed down operations of Agip in the area, following a conflict

with the multinational company over the alleged non-provision of basic amenities to the community.

The governor’s aide said the meeting was to seek solutions to issues bordering on the nonimplementation of people-oriented projects which culminated in the shutting down of the company operations in the area.

He added that the state government would invite officials of the NAOC over the various unresolved issues raised by the leadership of Ogboinbiri community.

He assured the aggrieved host communities in the state of government’s efforts and sincerity in settling their differences.

Ayah regretted that most host communities had been deprived of social amenities such as healthcare services, potable water, electricity supply, among others by multinationals oil companies.

The coastal community had cited the abandonment of a shore protection job by the company, non-employment of indigenes, absence of electricity, water and other amenities as some of the reasons for shutting down the facilities.

WELCOME TO CROSS RIVER STATE

L-R:Plant Manager, United Cement Company of Nigeria Limited (UNICEM)/Lafarge Holcim, Mr. Thierry Terriere; and Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade, exchanging pleasantries with French Consul General, Mr. Laurent Polonceaux, during a courtesy visit to the governor in his residence in Calabar....yesterday.

Buhari Commends Military Operations in Borno President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday commended the military for the progress recorded in the clearance operations in northern Borno State.

This was contained in a Sallah message by the president to the 119 Task Force and Armed Forces Special Forces Battalions’ temporary harbour at Kangarwa.

The message was conveyed to the troops by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, who visited them at the base.

Buhari acknowledged the impact of the operations on the North-east and said Nigerians were proud of them “grateful for the sacrifice.’’

He said the entire country was behind the troops and praying for the successful completion of their task in

the region.

He reiterated his administration’s commitment to troops’ logistics and other needs required to finally clear the remnant of the Boko Haram terrorists on Nigerian territory.

In his address to the troops, Buratai commended their efforts and urged them to sustain the tempo as they advanced towards other border communities in northern Borno.

“The president is proud of you; he is satisfied with your progress and he conveys his greetings to you all.

“Since you advanced from Baga, you have made progress and I must commend you for it.

“I am aware of the challenges you are facing and we will address them accordingly.

“You must continue with the good job that you are doing; the remnant of these criminals must

be flushed out as soon as possible,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that Buratai later told journalists in an interview that more men and equipment would be sent to the unit as they advanced to other hideouts of the insurgents.

He expressed satisfaction with the troops’ conduct since the commencement of the northern Borno operation tagged “Operation Gaman Aiki.”

He said the operation in the area would be intensified in the coming days as ground forces cleared remnants of terrorists in northern Borno.

“I am here to further raise the troops’ morale in the fight against insurgency.

“We will ensure that the morale remains high amid the momentum and to also keep the initiative on our side.

“This area extends to the border

toward Niger and Chad; this is also where these insurgents sneak into the country whenever they are pushed in Niger, Chad or even in Nigeria.

“We are on the final push to ensure that we defeat them; they are the remnants of the Boko Haram insurgents that we have been talking about,” he said The Commanding Officer of the Battalion, Lt. -Col. Muhammadu Ali, conducted Buratai and the Commander, “Operation Lafiya Dole,’’ Maj.Gen. Lucky Irabor, round the unit’s defensive positions.

NAN reported that the army chief distributed food and drinks to the troops in the spirit of the Eid-el-fitri celebration.

The ground clearance operation is strongly supported by aerial reconnaissance and bombardments by Nigerian Air Forces fighter jets.

FRIDAY JULY 8, 2016 • T H I S D AY

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NEWS

SERAP Drags Governors to ICC over Unpaid Salaries Alleges crimes against humanity

Davidson Iriekpen A civil society organisation, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has requested Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Mrs. Fatou Bensouda, to investigate allegations of collective punishment and crimes against humanity against tens of thousands of Nigerian workers as a result of non-payment of their salaries for several months.

In the petition dated July 7, 2016 and signed by SERAP Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, the organisation said it was seriously concerned that non-payment of workers’ salaries by several state governments in Nigeria had made life impossible for the workers and their families.

It urge the ICC to bring to justice anyone who is responsible for the inhumane acts committed against Nigerian workers and prohibited under the Rome Statute of the ICC to which Nigeria is a state party.

The petition reads in part: “SERAP contends that severe deprivation and mental or physical health challenges faced

by Nigerian workers as a result of the non-payment of their salaries fulfil the requirements of this provision. This means that individual liability may attach to governors who continue to hide under the excuse of ‘limited

allocations from Abuja’ to deny these workers the fruit of their labour.

“The state governors ought to know that their actions and/or omissions would likely cause serious physical or mental suffering or a serious attack upon the human dignity of workers whose salaries are not paid.”

“Non-payment of salaries for several months have reduced Nigerian workers to ‘bare life’, or life not worth living, thus taking away their human dignity. The inhumanity of the non-payment of workers’ salaries is illustrated by the serious threats this poses to the workers’ physical and mental health, and family life as well as their ability to contribute to the development of the country.

The non-payment of salaries has created an environment of powerlessness for several workers and perpetuated a system of impunity in many states.

“Article 7(1)(k) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court criminalises other inhumane acts intentionally causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health. The treatment of many workers in several states reaches the level of ‘inhumane acts’ covered under this provision.

“Serious and systematic levels of inhuman and degrading

treatment have expressly been recognised as qualifying as other ‘inhumane acts’. The same applies to the deprivation of adequate standard of living of thousands of workers such as adequate food, shelter, and medical care as a result of the non-payment of their salaries.

“In the present case, the inhumane acts include nonpayment of salaries of workers; failure of governors to use their executive authority to ensure a viable and corruption-free state, failure to provide the necessary administrative, financial and political conditions to facilitate prompt and timely payment of workers’ salaries.

“To the extent that these acts expose tens of thousands of workers to inhumane acts while denying them the ability to challenge the legality of the action by the state governments, the acts can only be seen as a course of conduct involving the commission of inhumane acts.

“SERAP believes that the nonpayment of salaries of workers amounts to a serious attack on human dignity covered in the definition of ‘other inhumane acts’ under the Rome Statute, and fit within the ICC’s mandate.

The gravity of non-payment of workers’ salaries for several months should not be dismissed a priori as lesser than that of

the radically egregious acts the ICC has so far prosecuted.

“SERAP argues that to deprive workers of their salaries is to deprive them of their livelihoods and basic necessities to the right to life and human dignity, and to and cause them suffering of sufficient gravity and severity comparable to enumerated acts of crimes against humanity under article 7 of the Rome Statute. Because no person can live without the means of living, the non-payment of workers’ salaries has affected individuals’ well-being and prevented them from enjoying basic necessities of life and caused great suffering to them and their family members.

“International human rights law requires states to protect the rights of workers including to timely payment of salaries. The ICC can and should exercise its mandates under the Rome Statute to enforce these internationally recognised human rights by holding individual governors accountable for the crimes against humanity committed against many Nigerian workers.

“Nigerian workers have for many years been victims of particularly heinous violations of international human rights law caused by massive looting of public treasury and mismanagement by high-ranking public officials.”“

Senator Patrick Ani Kidnapped in Cross River Bassey Inyang in Calabar A Third Republic Senator, Mr. Patrick Ani, has been kidnapped. Information reaching THISDAY indicated that Ani who represented Cross River South senatorial district on the platform of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) between 1992 and 1994, was kidnapped in his farm in Akpabuyo, near Calabar on Wednesday.

Ani who is the younger brother of the former finance minister, Chief Anthony Ani, was allegedly picked up without any resistance in his farm by gunmen suspected to be militants that have been terrorising the southern part of the state.

Though the police in the state said they have no information about the kidnap of Ani, it was gathered that a team of policemen went to his farm hours after information started filtering into town to the effect that he had been kidnapped.

It is strongly believed that the visit to his farm was in connection with the kidnapping of Ani who authored the “Forth Force,” a discourse on current issues in Nigerian politics and nation building, which regularly appeared as advertorial on several national newspapers.

Attempts to get any member of his family to comment on the kidnapping of the senator did not materialise, but one of the workers in the farm, who pleaded

not to be named because he was not instructed to comment on the issue, said Ani was kidnapped on Wednesday in his farm in Akpabuyo, adding that a team of policemen visited the farm hours after the incident and interviewed the workers on the matter.

However, when contacted on the issue, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), in the state, Irene Ugbo, promised to make enquires on the issue and get back to THISDAY. But at press time, the PPRO was yet to respond.

The kidnapping of Ani has added to the atmosphere of fear and insecurity that has enveloped Calabar, the state capital, and the neighbouring Akpabuyo, Akamkpa and Odukpani Local Government Areas.

On the same day that Ani was kidnapped, dare-devil armed robbers stormed a section of Marian Road in Calabar in broad day light and robbed shop owners of their wares and money for about an hour without any from of challenge from any quarters.

On the previous Tuesday night, armed robbers also attacked a supermarket located on the State Housing Estate/Marian Road, carting away whatever they could lay their hands on including cash from staff and some customers who were unlucky to be in the shop when the thieves got to the supermarket.

FRIENDS OF UNIMED

R-L: Vice Chancellor, University of Medical Science (UNIMED), Ondo State, Prof. Friday Okonofua; Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council, UNIMED, Professor Oladipo Akinkugbe; Governor Olusegun Mimiko; state Commissioner for Education, Jide Adejuyigbe; and Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dayo Adeyanju, at the launch of Friends of UNIMED Fund in Ondo....yesterday

Nigeria Can’t Grow Economy Observing Frivolous Public Holidays, Says Aremu Hammed Shittu in Ilorin A trade unionist and member of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Issa Aremu, has faulted the recent Eid-el-Fitr holiday extended by the federal government.

He insisted that Nigeria cannot grow her economy and come out of poverty if institutions of government continued to compel worker to observe what he called “frivolous public holidays” when even developed nations of the world are at work.

Aremu who was also a former vice president of the NLC, stated this in his Sallah message to Nigerians issued in Ilorin yesterday.

The Minister of Interior, General AbdulRaahman Dambazau (rtd), had declared Tuesday and Wednesday as public holidays to mark the Eid-el-Fitri, but later extended it to yesterday due to the nonsighting of the moon to mark sallah.

But the labour leader

described it as one “off-day too many for a country that is far behind in the global productivity/competitiveness index.”

Aremu said: “The key to the nation’s economic recovery is increased productivity and the antidote against poverty is work.”

The labour leader stated: “The effort of President Muhammadu Buhari administration to revive domestic industries and attract foreign direct investment will be undermined if existing local industries are forced to close down for almost one week on account of religious festivity.”

“With only 48 working hours a week, almost 120 days rest days (inclusive Saturdays and Sundays) in a year, Nigeria has the highest number of public holidays in the world compared to Malaysia, China and Indonesia which work 52 hours-seven days a week,” he said.

Aremu said it was unhelpful that both the federal, state governments and even legislative arms impose

indiscriminate public holidays that undermine production in the private sector, adding that with endless outages and assault on gas facilities by militants, Nigeria is fast becoming an unproductive country.

“The real threat to our democracy is this idle capacity fed by official national shut down, called public holidays in whatever name,” he lamented.

He said as a labour leader, forcing workers to rest with pay seems attractive but he added that “enlightened workforce know that rest without adequate income means glorified poverty.

“When we are working we are poor due to income inadequacy, is it when we are compelled to rest through frivolous holidays that we get out of poverty?,” he queried He said for Muslims who devoted more time for spiritual exercise during the just concluded Ramadan fast, one of the lessons of the Holy month “is that we should sleep less, work more to get reward in the hereafter and do more of

selfless service and sacrifices.”

Extending public holidays in the name of celebrating Eid-el-Fitri therefore, he said, negates the lessons of the Ramadan fast.

Aremu however, hailed Buhari for the N500 billion social interventions projects contained in 2016 federal budget in five areas, namely 500,000 teachers recruitment, 100,000 artisans, school feeding for five million school children conditional cash transfers to one million poorest of the poor and education grant for 100,000 students in science, mathematics and engineering, among others.

He said that the provisions aimed at alleviating poverty among the poor were in line with the “Give-the-poor-spirit” of Ramadan and part of necessary social restructuring for the country.

He also hailed the federal government for the prompt payment of monthly salaries of federal workers and called on the State governors to emulate the good example.

FRIDAY, JUly 8, 2016 • T H I S D AY

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UMARU SHINKAFI CONDOLENCES...

UMARU SHINKAFI CONDOLENCES...

Funeral Prayers for Shinkafi to Take Place Today as Eminent Nigerians Mourn Our Correspondents

will also be missed. I condole with family and friends and with both the spiritual and political leadership in Sokoto.”

The remains of the late Umaru Shinkafi, who died Wednesday at a London Hospital, will be interred today after the Islamic funeral prayer to be held at the Sultan Bello Mosque in Sokoto.

A statement issued by a senior counsellor in the Caliphate and Magajin Garin Sokoto, Alhaji Hassan Danbaba, said the Janaza prayer will be held immediately after the Jumaat prayers at the mosque located just outside the Sultan’s Palace.

“Marafa’s remains will arrive Sokoto Friday morning. The Janaza rites will be held after the jumaat prayers, after which he will be interred at the Hubbare here in Sokoto.

“This is to correct the impression that the prayer and the internment will be held outside Sokoto,” the statement added.

Shinkafi, who holds the traditional title of Marafan Sokoto, died at the Harefield Hospital, Hill End Road, Harefield, Middlesex, in the United Kingdom Wednesday afternoon after a prolonged illness.

He was aged 79.

Jonathan Says He was Dependable Public Servant Former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has commiserated with the family of Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi, describing the late Marafan Sokoto as a committed patriot who served his nation diligently.

The former President, who made this known in a condolence message to the family of the late politician and the entire people of Sokoto and Zamfara States, also described Shinkafi as a democracy enthusiast who helped return the nation to civilian rule.

He said further: “Shinkafi was a dependable public servant and high achiever who was driven by an inherent belief in the unity and peaceful coexistence of our people.

“It is this belief that underscored his selfless commitment to sensitive national assignments where he gave his best shot to the task of improving the security profile architecture of the nation.

“He also etched his name in the annals of national idols by acquitting himself as an accomplished democracy enthusiast who fought to bring an end to military rule and ensure the triumph of people power in our great country.”

Saraki: He Died When His Experience was Most Needed Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, lamented the passage of former vice presidential candidate, Alhaji Umaru Ali Shinkafi, saying he died at the time his experience, frank disposition, wise counsel and political sagacity were most needed by a nation faced with several challenges.

Saraki in a statement by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Yusuph Olaniyonu, described the late Marafan Sokoto, as an accomplished public servant being a top ranking policeman, a leading political light who contributed so much to the political programmes that led to the birth of the present republic, a professional who did well as a legal practitioner and a former Minister of Internal Affairs and head of the nation’s former secret service, then known as Nigeria Security Organisation (NSO).

“The Marafan Sokoto was a consummate politician who had large followership across the country. He was a bridge builder.

He was revered by his supporters and opponents. A man who will always say the truth at every point. He helped in mentoring many political office holders now occupying top positions in government at various levels. He was also a man who embodied the tradition of his people and that is why he held the important title of Marafa in the Sultan’s council.

“With his diverse and extensive experience in the area of security, his advice would have been useful in tackling the different

Tambuwal: He was a True Statesman Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has described the late Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi as a true statesman whose selfless and meritorious service to God, country and humanity was felt by all.

In a message of condolence issued in Sokoto by his spokesman, Malam Imam Imam, Tambuwal described Shinkafi as a distinguished legal luminary, security expert, politician with conscience and great community leader and mobiliser.

“Marafa’s death has closed a chapter in the life of one Nigeria’s most valuable public officers who made his mark in both public and private sectors. He was a truly passionate Nigerian whose invaluable contributions to issues of national interest will be greatly missed.

“His law office served as training ground for many aspiring lawyers in Sokoto State and beyond.

While condoling his immediate family, the people and government of Zamfara State and the Sultanate Council of Sokoto, Tambuwal prayed to God to grant the deceased eternal rest.

Shinkafi security issues confronting our country at this point. Incidentally, Alhaji Shinkafi was not a man who shied away from contributing to issues of national development.

“His absence will be sorely missed by all and sundry. I pray that Almighty Allah grant him a place among the righteous ones in Aljannah Firdaus. May Allah also grant members of his immediate family, his political family, the people and government of Zamfara and Sokoto States the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss,” Saraki stated.

Dogara Mourns The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has expressed condolences to the government and people of Zamfara state over the death of elder statesman, and former presidential candidate, Dogara, in a statement by his spokesman, Mr. Turaki Hassan, said the loss of Shinkafi, who also hold the title of Marafan Sokoto, is a huge loss to the nation.

“In all his years in the public service, Shinkafi distinguished himself as a patriotic, committed and dedicated Nigerian. He served the nation with distinction as a lawyer, police officer, federal Commissioner of Internal Affairs and intelligence chief in the National Security Organisation before joining politics,” Dogara said.

He also described the late Shinkafi as a true democrat who contributed immensely towards the restoration of democracy in Nigeria in 1999.

“The late Shinkafi was a bridge-builder, cosmopolitan and lived exemplary live worthy of emulation. Our heart goes to his immediate family, government and people of Zamfara state over the irreparable loss,” the Speaker said.

Tinubu Condoles with Family Former of Lagos State Governor and national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has described Umaru Shinkafi as a patriot who served Nigeria well.

He statement by his media office, Tinubu said: “He was a destabilised Nigerian who was passionate about the unity and progress of Nigeria. He was a man of great integrity and stable character as I have come to know him over decades.

“Shinkafi served as a foremost security expert helping Nigeria to establish an intelligence and security structure that serves the country up till today. His death is a great national loss.

“He was a leading northern leader and mobiliser and he built a network of friends across ethnic and religious divides. Soft spoken

but deeply knowledgeable and considerate he was one not to let up on his conviction that the political elites must team up for the task of nation building.

“He will be sorely missed.

His wisdom and people skills

T H I S D AY FRIDAY JULY 8, 2016

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2016

COMMENT

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

WHY IS THERE SO MUCH RAPE? Sandra Eguagie argues that rape cases should be dealth with decisively

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ape is a conscious process of intimidation wherein perpetrators keep women and children especially, in a state of constant fear. Rape devalues the victim. It is a crime which stigmatises the emotions, a crime of insult, oppression and revenge that needs to be punished because a rapist is a criminal and all crimes and their beneficiaries must be punished. Rape and other forms of sexual harassment need the urgent and serious attention of family, institutions, civil society groups, government and international community if we really want to ensure a violence-free society for all.

Cases of sexual violence have increased all over the world. The Stanford rape case involving a 20-year-old former Stanford University student who was sent to jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman on the school campus is a case in point. The judgment generated a lot of negative responses on social media and from the public mostly because the sentence – a mere six months and three-year probation – seemed like a slap on the wrist for the rapist.

In Nigeria, there are increasing numbers of rape and sexual harassment cases. A total number of 150 cases of sexual and physical abuse were recorded in Lagos State for one-year period as at April 27, 2016. Also the Lagos State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Lola Akande, said the ministry in the last one year treated about 589 cases ranging from sexual abuse, physical abuse and child labour.

There was the case of a 52-year-old builder who confessed to having carnal knowledge of a 12-year-old girl in Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State. As a matter of fact, Abdullahi Shaba, a 33-year-old teacher of Government Girls Secondary School, Minna, was remanded in prison custody for allegedly raping a 16-year-old senior secondary student. Two teenage girls were violently raped to death by a gang of young men in Bayelsa State. While this was going on, two other cases of child abuse occurred in the state, and this included the death of a seven-year-old girl after being raped and infected with HIV/AIDS. There was also a report of a 15-year-old girl who was gang-raped in Ebonyi State on her way from a wake-keep.

If nobody is alarmed at the frequency of these occurrences, we are.

They seemed to have grown in frequency maybe because our institutions are not addressing the crime by dealing with the perpetrators.

There was a case of a 44-year-old man from Ini Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State who was alleged to have defiled his daughter and actually confessed to have had sexual intercourse with her severally. What then can we make of the man in Enugu who raped three of his children aged five, seven and nine and another 10-year-old girl who cried out after constant defilement by her father for a period of 18 months in Lagos State? What can we say about that? Rape in Nigeria has also been festering in our universities. We are not likely to easily forget the Cross River State university rape case involving a 20-year-old 400-level student or the part-time lecturer of the University of Lagos who allegedly raped an 18-year-old girl seeking admission to the university. Another case of rape reportedly took place at the department of English, University of Ilorin.

Just recently, Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai revealed that the 19 governors in the northern states were set to review the penal

THE JUDGMENT GENERATED A LOT OF NEGATIVE RESPONSES ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND FROM THE PUBLIC MOSTLY BECAUSE THE SENTENCE – A MERE SIX MONTHS AND THREEYEAR PROBATION – SEEMED LIKE A SLAP ON THE WRIST FOR THE RAPIST

code which would address the issue of rape and penalties. He also said a bill to that effect was currently before the state House of Assembly. We are gladdened by this but wish that the governor was not merely reacting to the case of a five-year- old girl allegedly raped in Kaduna recently.

In a survey we carried out on rape in Nigerian universities, we discovered that in one of the top federal universities, 100% of rape/ sexually harassed victims were female students. Of that number 67% did nothing after they were raped while 33% made some kind of feeble report of being raped to friends, a course adviser and others made reports to their parents or guardians. Nearly 88% of respondents have heard of sexual harassment with 66% aware of more than two cases of rape. Of that number, only 44% of the students agreed that there should be a centre where incidences of rape are reported.

If that number of students in our tertiary institutions would decide to keep quiet after they had been raped by lecturers, it means that we have one hell of a problem on our hands. Keeping quiet after being raped may just be one very good reason why the crime is on the rise in Nigeria. We found out as well that most people kept quiet because they did not have confidence in the institutions that should champion their cause. This lack of confidence can make students and the larger society begin to resort to self-help in the resolution of incidences of rape and sexual molestation in all strata of our lives. In Ughelli Delta State, an alleged rapist was burnt to death by an angry mob.

Whilst speaking at a public hearing of the sexual harassment bill organised by the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, national president of the national female students of Nigeria, Comrade Idongesit Micah said: “It is either we enact this law and send affected lecturers to prison for correction or we provoke helpless parents, husband or guardian to someday pick a loaded gun and deal with this problem in a barbaric manner”.

But resorting to violence will not solve the problem. We believe that everyone – the raped, parents, the universities and security institutions – all should join hands together to tackle the menace.

Last month, the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) released a short documentary on sexual violence.

ANEEJ came out with that short documentary as a result of the never-ending reports of rape cases in different part of the country.

In our skit title “Busted,” we tried to suggest a non- violent and legal ways of tackling the issue of all forms of sexual assault in the society. We sought to highlight the various acts of sexual violence, ranging from harassment to defilement and rape of persons, especially females. We decided to include children because they are mostly the silent victims along the first tier of education.

We also used the opportunity to call on the judiciary to intensify effort in prosecuting rape cases, fully aware that rape cases are hard to prove. We believe that the law must no longer be lenient with rapists and perpetrators at all levels in the community so as to deter perpetrators in the society.

Eguagie is a programme officer and Rape Watch Coordinator, ANEEJ

WIKE AND THE ANYANELI PHILOSOPHY

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The Rivers State Government is confident of winning the forthcoming rerun elections, writes Simeon Nwakaudu

rior to the 2015 elections, the Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) sponsored all manner of propaganda with the underlying message that the party was popular in the state. The claim was that the strength of Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, then the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) governorship candidate, was in his closeness to the government at the centre.

A section of the media bought into this falsehood. On this premise, they concocted all manner of opinion polls, promoting the non-existent chances of the APC. As the elections got closer, even the APC propaganda machine lost faith in their party’s capacity to win the 2015 elections.

From an initial claim that APC, which was the ruling party in the state at the time, would win all elections in the state outright, the last set of organised opinion polls claimed that Rivers State was too close to call. Close observers knew from the very beginning that there was no APC in the state.

While Governor Wike campaigned everywhere in all wards of the state, the APC leaders found solace in propaganda, lies and outright deceit. As they say, the rest is history. Governor Wike trounced them. His election was further confirmed by the Supreme Court.

The Rivers State APC in concert with the powers that be sought to use the rerun legislative elections of March 19, 2016 to steal the mandate of the people. At this time, Governor Wike had no affinity with the federal government.

The deflated leader of the Rivers APC on live

radio declared that he was given the mandate to control the security forces for the rerun elections.

True to his boast, thousands of soldiers, mobile policemen, Department of State Security (DSS) operatives and civil defence personnel were at his beck and call. He used these security personnel to terrorise the people, unleashed mayhem and attempted to manipulate the electoral process.

Before the March 19 rerun elections, the Rivers APC inundated the nation with all manner of defection reports and claims of violence against their members. On a daily basis, there were news reports of different categories of defections at ward, local government and at the state levels.

“Wike aide defects”, “Close Associate of Wike joins APC” and “PDP ward Exco Chairman Defects to APC” were some of the planted headlines by the Rivers State APC weeks to the rerun legislative elections.

Like the 2015 General Elections, the Rivers State APC took solace in propaganda and make-believe. They made no attempt to connect with the people of the state. Instead, they were content with the control of the financial strings at a major interventionist parastatal which they misled the party hierarchy into believing would help them rig the elections and subsequently impeach Governor Wike.

The power of the Rivers people overwhelmed them. The people stood firm, resisted the military might and also weathered the storm of filthy lucre thrown around by the interventionist parastatal. They ensured that their voice prevailed, despite the orchestrated violence officially visited on them.

As we head towards the last set of rerun elections in the state, fresh stories of defections are being circulated. Some political comedians are peddling stories of few defections to the failed APC. It is surprising that the same political party has forgotten that the last set of contrived defections made no impact.

In fact, one of the prominent politicians who claimed he defected recently did not participate during the last rerun elections. He went away without official leave. Yet the PDP emerged victorious in his federal constituency.

Now to the crux of the matter. The polity of Rivers State is beyond the comprehension of those viewing from outside. What we have in Rivers State is a movement with Nyesom Ezenwo Wike as its icon. Wike personifies the desires of the Rivers people to develop and make rapid progress. He has lived up to their expectations by delivering on his campaign pledges and they are appreciative of his achievements over the last 13 months.

No force can dislodge the movement of the Rivers people centred on the leadership of Governor Wike. It is a philosophical movement that cannot be wished away by propaganda, no matter how well planned.

This movement is centred on the philosophy of vigilance, Anyaneli. Paying attention to the minutest details. At every campaign venue, Governor Wike preaches consistent vigilance. Therefore, no trick of the APC gets unnoticed.

This philosophy also emphasises unity and fraternal love. That is why over 95 per cent of the Rivers people have sympathy for the ideals of the

PDP. It is on the strength of this that you have the now famous question: “how many dem dey why we no go win dem?”

That one man runs away to chase financial benefits cannot change the political structure.

That a few men take to the media to make announcements of defections can only serve as comic relief for Rivers APC leaders. The reality remains that Rivers State is completely PDP. APC cannot win elections here.

In Rivers State, Governor Wike is the leader ordained by God and endorsed by the people.

As always, he speaks their minds. At a recent solidarity visit of PDP to him at the Government House, Port Harcourt, Governor Wike explained the true situation of Rivers politics.

He said: “Rivers State is a traditional PDP state.

If they like, let them bring the American Marines or the American Navy Seals, PDP will win in Rivers State.

“I hear they are all in Abuja. All we want is free and fair elections. We are ready for the elections. They should not do the elections to massage the ego of an individual.

“You don’t dash mandate. You don’t allocate mandate. The people must be allowed to choose who they will give their mandate. We are willing to support INEC and all security agencies to conduct peaceful elections. The APC leaders who claimed that there were no elections are today asking the tribunals to declare them winners of the elections”, he said.

Nwakaudu is Special Assistant to the Rivers State Governor on Electronic Media

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2016

EDITORIAL DEALING WITH NOISE POLLUTION IN LAGOS Government should go all out to enforce laws on noise pollution

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he Lagos State Government recently shut down 70 churches, 20 mosques and about 11 hotels, club houses and beer parlours in a move aimed at reducing the noise level in the state.

The General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Bola Shabi, said that the state government would no longer allow make-shift buildings to be used as places of worship. “As at today,” said Shabi, “we have been able to reduce the noise level to only about 35 per cent. That is not a pass mark. So, until we reach that target of 70 to 80 per cent, we will continue the enforcement. We want to ensure that Lagos is noise-free by the year 2020.”

It is bad enough that Lagosians literally go to hell and return in trying to commute from one point to another, given the traffic snarl they grind through daily.

Yet it is worse that even at night they are unable to get good hours of sleep owing to the growing amount of noise in the neighbourhood. Such noises are either coming from the generating sets when there is power outage, as is often the THE UNCHECKED case, or from the many ESTABLISHMENT churches and mosques OF CHURCHES AND whose loudspeakers MOSQUES IN RESIDENTIAL constantly blare to the NEIGHBOURHOODS IS A highest decibel.

TELL-TALE SIGN OF THE Against the SUBVERSION OF LAW AND background that some ORDER IN OUR SOCIETY of the health issues associated with noise pollution include cardiovascular challenges like blood pressure levels and stress-related diseases, sleeping disorders, fatigue as well as hearing problems, we believe the Lagos State Government is right in its decision to take action against those causing noise pollution.

According to Shabi, “nobody is allowed to make noise above 55 decibel during the day in the residential area and only 45 decibel is allowed in such area at night. In the industrial areas, 90 decibel of noise is allowed during the day while the noise rate must not exceed 80 decibel at night in such areas.”

Letters to the Editor

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The unchecked establishment of churches and mosques in residential neighbourhoods is a tell-tale sign of the subversion of law and order in our society.

In properly planned estates and neighbourhoods, religious worship centres are usually designated away from residential areas in such a way that the noise generated from such centres could hardly be a source of nuisance.

With the grating noise of many generators, sounding as if they have no exhaust pipes, residential neighbourhoods literally go up in babel of sounds whenever there is power outage. In such neighbourhoods, nightfall and sleeping become nightmarish. Yet apart from the loud noise that generating plants from hotels produce, the heavy fumes from their exhausts also pollute the environment in no small measure.

H T H I S DAY

EDITOR IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU DEPUTY EDITORS BOLAJI ADEBIYI, JOsEph UshIGIALE MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUsEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOsA UWUGIAREN

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

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, IsRAEL IWEGBU, EMMANUEL EFENI, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU GROUP FINANCE DIRECTOR OLUFEMI ABOROWA DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS pETER IWEGBU, FIDELIs ELEMA, MBAYILAN ANDOAKA, ANThONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEh ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS hENRY NWAChOKOR, sAhEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UChENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOsERI GENERAL MANAGER pATRICK EIMIUhI GROUP HEAD FEMI TOLUFAshE ART DIRECTOR OChI OGBUAKU II DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION ChUKs ONWUDINJO TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

owever, beyond the publicity blitz the agency garnered in sealing up the said facilities, it also has a duty to mount a standing surveillance to ensure that the sealed outfits are not surreptitiously re-opened for “business”. We say this because in 2014, the same LASEPA sealed up 24 religious outfits for breaching the environmental laws of the state and another 53 earlier in the year. It is not impossible that some of those being sealed now were among the ones previously shut.

While we support the establishment of religious or worship centres, we believe that they must do so within the ambit of the law. The indiscriminate siting of such centres even in residential neighbourhoods is a clear affront on the rights of the residents who have to suffer the effects of the noise they do not generate. Not only do such noises have dangerous impact on the health of the victims, they rob the people of their secular right, as they are inadvertently drawn into such worship sessions because loudspeakers are virtually affixed to their homes.

Therefore, we urge LASEPA, as we had earlier done, to widen its dragnet of surveillance across the length and breadth of the state in such a manner that noise pollution in whatever form or by which institution, is contained, if only for the health of the people.

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

AMADI AND THE MANY BENEFITS OF LITERATURE

iterature is about written words, and it comes from the Greek word “Litera”, which means printed matter. So magazines, journals, books, pamphlets, and Biblical tracts can be classified as literature. Literature has three genres, which are poetry, drama, and prose. Prose is written in sentences and chapters, and it is divided into fiction and non-fiction.

That literature profits us immensely in our national life and our lives is obvious and indisputable. It entertains us. We derive great pleasure from reading novels, poems, and plays. Reading books is a form of relaxation for a great number of people. By reading books we vicariously experience some other people’s plight and get acquainted with their cultures, too.

“Sizwe Bansi is Dead” and “Mine Boy” are works of art that vividly portray and depict the subjugation of black people in South Africa during the Apartheid era.

More so, literature is a tool for engendering the growth of languages in our today’s world. We read books written in our indigenous languages.

During my secondary school day, I studied Igbo novels for my examination. If no poems or novel is written in a language, that language will fall into desuetude and go into extinction. Literature is used to preserve languages.

And it is used to preserve and document our past in poetry, drama and fiction. Biography and autobiography narrate the life stories of distinguished people, who attained great heights in their endeavours, and left lasting legacies for us. Cast your mind to Camera Laye’s “The

African Child”. The semi-auto biographical novel intimates us about the rites of circumcision in his home country. Achebe’s magnus opus, which is “Things Fall Apart”, depicts the Igbo people’s communal living before and during the colonial period. It challenges the white people on their stereotypes and prejudices about Africans.

Chinua Achebe, who is reputed to be the father of African literature, was preoccupied with culture conflicts in his earlier works. His trilogyThings Fall Apart, No longer At Ease and Arrow of God –has thematic concerns that deal with culture and anthropology and culture conflicts.

Achebe’s literary oeuvre teems with short stories, novels, poetry and autobiography. His “Things Fall Apart” has been translated into many languages and more than 50 million copies of the book have been sold world-wide. His novels are studied in universities across the world.

Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” corrected the stereotypes and misconceptions about Africans and the African continent that exist in Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”.

Chinua Achebe died in his old age in USA after writing and publishing his swan song, “There was a country”. His death was a great loss to literary aficionados and the generality of the people in the world. Before Achebe’s demise, Cyprian Ekwensi had died.Cyprian Ekwensi was a raconteur of repute. Ekwensi wrote “African Night Entertainment”, “The Drummer Boy”, “The Passport of Mallam Illiam”, and others. People of my generation grew up reading his works as literature texts in our secondary school day. His works depict and portray urban life, although they’re seen as thrillers by some literary critics. He secured a revered place in our literary pantheon, however.

In the month of June, 2016, millions of Nigerians were jolted by the death of Elechi Amadi. He attended the famous Government College Umuahia. It is on record that the school, which was founded by the British people, produced such literary greats as Chinua Achebe, Christopher Okigbo, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Chukwuemeka Ike, and others.

Amadi studied Physics and Mathematics, but he was passionate about writing. He followed in the footsteps of people who studied medicine and science but veered into writing. He’s in the class of Dr Anezi Okoro, medical doctor cum writer; Wale Okediran, Medical practitioner turned writer; and Dami Ajayi who practices medicine and writes poetry. The late Elechi Amadi’s forte as well as niche was in creative writing, although he studied Mathematics and Physics.

Elechi Amadi’s writing prowess and achievements in creative writing underscore the importance of letting our children pursue endeavours and careers for which they’ve inclination and great aptitude. Amadi wrote the spell-binding novel called ‘The concubine”. His other works that covered the genres of literature include the following: Isiburu, Sunset at Biafra, The Great ponds and others. He left a legacy that we should remember him for.

Although of Igbo stock, Elechi Amadi fought on the Nigerian side during the Biafra-Nigeria civil war. He fought to keep Nigeria one. His siding with the federalists was a proof of his detribalised nature. And he was a man of many parts. As a bureaucrat, he rose to become a permanent secretary in the River State civil service. And he served in other higher capacities in the government of River State.

Chiedu Uche Okoye, Uruowulu-Obosi, Anambra State

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FRIDAY JULY 8, 2016 T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2016

POLITICS

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

PERSONALITY FOCUS

For Ize-Iyamu, the Real Battle Begins The Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Edo State, Mr. Osagie IzeIyamu kicked off his campaign on Monday in the midst of many legal hurdles. Iyobosa Uwugiaren, who witnessed the event, reports

I

t was a different but elating experience for Mr. Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Edo State gubernatorial election fixed for September 10. But certainly, not for people, who had legitimate businesses to carry out on Monday, July 4.

Despite the good network of roads for easy flow of traffic in Benin City, as early as 7am, all the adjourning roads and streets in the ancient city were locked down with heavy traffic as thousands of people struggled to have access, from within and outside the state, to the Baptist Convention Ground, venue of the kick-off of the governorship campaign of Ize-Iyamu.

A large hall of 25,000-seater capacity, every space of the hall was occupied by fans and party supporters of the candidate. Outside the hall, the crowd was the same. All security agents deployed to the event: police, members of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence and other para-military agents had a huge task controlling the excited crowd.

From the main gate of the convention ground to the hall – a distance of less than 100 meters – Ize-Iyamu spent nearly one hour, trying to access the venue of the event as fans and party supporters struggled to shake hands with him.

Perspiring profusely, the expression of the PDP candidate as he struggled to move to the hall with the help of many security agents was like: “I appreciate you all, but please let me get to the hall for the show to start”. He got there eventually to the thundering ovation of his supporters in the hall.

The ceremony was initially billed for the Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia Staduim, Benin City.

But explaining why the PDP decided to use the Baptist Convention ground and not the Ogbemudia Stadium, as earlier announced, the state chairman of PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, said the party was denied the venue by Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, who directed the management of the stadium to decline its request to use the stadium.

However, as if he was celebrating the governor’s decision, Orbih noted that Oshiomhole’s opposition to the use of the stadium became a blessing in disguise as the governor inadvertently pushed them to start the campaign in the “House of God” – the Baptist Church Convention ground.

Orbih’s announcement that a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, had upheld the sack of the embattled former acting National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff, further charged the audience.

In his judgment on the suit filed by the PDP against Senator Sheriff and others, Justice Liman had declared on the same day that the appointment of the caretaker committee of the PDP to oversee its affairs was legal and in line with the provisions of the PDP constitution.

Speaking at the event, an elated PDP candidate assured his crowd of supporters and party members that PDP would take over from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the coming election. He expressed gratitude to God and his party supporters for the opportunity given to him to fly the party’s ticket, saying the PDP was blessed with leaders who could change the fortune of the state.

Ize-Iyamu promised to improve on the welfare of the people and respect the traditional institutions as the custodians of Edo’s heritage.

He said with almost all notable parties in the state lining up behind him, there was a joint resolve on the part of the PDP to stop the APC from having a “third successive stint”

Ize-Iyamu...the battle starts in earnest

in the governorship.

The governorship candidate accused the APC-led government in Edo State of crippling the economic, educational and social activities in the state in almost eight years, assuring them that he had a blueprint to turn around the collapsed institutions.

He added: “When we were in government, Bendel Brewery Limited was working and contributing to the internal Generated Revenue (IGR); Edo State Courier was working and contributing to IGR, and several other companies. What happened has to all those

The leadership of the APC and the state government have been boasting that because they control all the security agencies in the federation, they will rig the election by all means…

But I want to use this opportunity to put them on notice that the votes of the people of Edo State will surely count. Some of us are veterans in this game.

We know their intrigues, tactics and their plan will not work

companies? They have been crippled by the APC-led government.

“And somebody who said he was the Head of Economic Team, now want to be governor.

We should ask him how he destroyed our industries in the state.”

The former Secretary to Edo State Government noted that the Edo State civil service had never had it this bad since the state was created, saying the service is totally depleted and is in dire need of new hands.

“It is very difficult to find anyone who has been recruited in the past eight years. That means that everybody in the civil service came in long before now. Many people have died and many have retired, while punitive dismissals have been carried out without regards to extant rules.

“In many places, a lot of directors have been summarily dismissed without even taking their cases to the Civil Service Commission.

I know that before we left, we injected fresh blood into the system. Young professionals such as lawyers, doctors, engineers, teachers and town planners were employed.”

Ize-Iyamu also assured his fans that their votes would count during the election. “The leadership of the APC and the state government have been boasting that because they control all the security agencies in the federation, they will rig the election by all means.

“But I want to use this opportunity to put them on notice that the votes of the people of Edo State will surely count. Some of us are veterans in this game. We know their intrigues, tactics and their plan will not work. We will not be violent, even though we are not weak, but we will do everything to make sure our votes count.”

Both national and state leaders of the party, including the former chairman Board of Trustees of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih; the Esama

of Benin Kindom, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion; former Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Tom Ikimi; a member of the Board of Trustees of the PDP, Prof. Jerry Gana; Governor Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom State, many High Benin Chiefs, state governors’ representatives, market men/women, students, artisans and others attended the event.

Senator Odion Ugbesia, who represented the Caretaker Chairman of the party, Ahmed Makarfi, later presented the party’s flag to the candidate.

Earlier, Ikimi had said he was one of those, who formed the APC and appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to allow a level playing field in the state during the election.

“I will campaign with our candidate in the 192 wards of the state, and I appeal to the president to provide a level playing field for this election because Godwin Obaseki (the APC candidate) has no business in this state,” Ikimi.

The former Foreign Affairs Minister knockedOshiomhole’s administration on its policies, saying all the governor’s assertions on performance were a sham.

On his part, Senator Ugbesia said the PDP was determined to take over the state. “This is a quick notice to Oshiomhole and other occupants of the Edo Government House.

Today, we are going to change the keys to Osadebey Avenue; we have brought a new key which we shall hand over to Ize-Iyamu,” he stated.

In the same breath, Prof. Jerry Gana expressed optimism that Ize-Iyamu would bring victory for the PDP and urged the people of the state to support the party come September 10.

According to the PDP BoT member, “This man will work well; this man will govern well; this man is a Godly man. We must all support him,” assuring the people that their votes would count in the election.

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2016

PERSPECTIVE

Ikpeazu’s Removal is Rascality on Steroids The ruling removing Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State from office was completely misplaced, writes Jesutega Onopkasa

C

ourts are always under a strict and unwavering obligation to only do that which is reasonable. Thus, the law does not envisage that absurd, unjust or otherwise unreasonable judgments should emanate from quarters as noble and prestigious as the court.

It is in this light that I find it most remarkable that the Honourable Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court would, in the case brought against Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, come to the conclusion that a citizen did not pay his taxes and is a forger of documents without verifying such weighty facts from the tax collecting authority, which also happens to be the maker of the documents.

Was Okezie Ikpeazu on trial before Justice Abang on charges of forgery and tax evasion? Who was the Investigating Police Officer? Who were the witnesses?

Who examined, cross-examined or reexamined them? Where is the proof of evidence? How does a judge, in chambers, come to the conclusion that a citizen is guilty of heinous crimes, simply by scrutinizing documents the citizen didn’t make even if the judge happened to be armed with the biggest pair of magnifying lenses ever made?

Did the Revenue Board of Abia assert that Ikpeazu is a tax evader? Did it repudiate the documents he submitted as tax clearance or tax returns issued by it? How can the cited inconsistencies regarding the serial numbers on the returns constitute more grounds for coming to the hasty conclusion that they were forged by Ikpeazu rather than that they indicate errors on the part of their maker and issuing authority? Did Ikpeazu issue himself with tax clearance certificates?

How can the fact that, on the face of the documents, Ikpeazu paid less tax in a given year than he did in a preceding one, go to any issue that can possibly constitute grounds for which he must suffer when he is not competent to assess himself as to how much is due from him as tax? At any rate, did the tax collector complain that it was thereby shortchanged? Is it for Ikpeazu to assess himself or for the taxman to assess him?

How can a court play the ostrich and pretend it is not part of the society and has no clue as to how taxes are paid by public servants or indeed how Pay As You Earn (PAYE) taxation operates in Nigeria? How does the Honourable Justice Abang pay his own taxes other than that they are deducted at source by the Accountant General and forwarded to the revenue authorities?

Does the learned judge have tax receipts for absolutely every month or year he has been paying tax, and if he has, were those receipts automatically transmitted to him by the taxman or did he request for them? And suppose he has not requested for any or all of them, does that even in the least remotely suggest to any reasonable man that he has been evading tax?

How many civil servants or other categories of public officers have up to date tax receipts? These are normally obtained on request and the mere fact of not possessing them does not even in the least reasonably suggest that any given public servant has not paid tax!

Has Justice Abang ever caused any document to be made in his career, both as a lawyer and then a judge and it turned out that there were errors, discrepancies or inconsistencies on the document after having handed them over to someone else? At the point at which

Ikpeazu being cheered by supporters on arrival in Abia

the errors, discrepancies or inconsistencies were noticed, did that mean the documents were forged by the bearer or indeed by the learned judge himself?

Good God! Where there appear to be errors, discrepancies or inconsistencies on a document, how can that be the fault of the bearer and not the maker of the document? If some clown were to question whether or not I am a lawyer, would it be at all tenable for a judge to come to the conclusion that I am not one, simply by forming the opinion that my Call to the Bar certificate is in his eyes more yellowish than cream or vice versa?

What sort of reasoning is that?

Suppose it all came down to a case of colour blindness, faulty vision or indeed, poor lighting in the court house or chambers? What then happens to such a laughable conclusion when the Body of Benchers asserts that it called me to the Nigerian Bar or when the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court submits that my name is on the role of Legal Practitioners of which he is custodian?

What is my business with the precise minute detail of the colour of a certificate I am not the maker of and did not award to myself? Am I the Chairman of the Body of Benchers, a member of the Council of Legal Education or the Registrar of the Supreme Court? Do I own a paper making factory? Am I a printer? Do I know where or from whom the sheet of paper was purchased?

How can my status be questioned, my integrity queried or otherwise be made to suffer over a process I had absolutely no control over?

Without even submitting any documents, Ikpeazu being a public servant is deemed to have paid his tax until the

contrary is proved. Where he submits documents issued by the appropriate authority to that effect, he cannot be victimised for discrepancies on the documents, which prima facie must be blamed on the maker until the contrary is proved.

How does a judge come to the conclusion that a citizen is a forger of documents, a tax evader and thus a criminal without subjecting his inquiry to the entire gamut of the equivalent of a criminal proceeding which is the only means by which such weighty conclusions can be reached by any court?

I love judges and hold them in the highest esteem. Recently, I found cause to lampoon the Learned Attorney General for sarcastically threatening to jail judges, when he has no competence to do any such thing. I equally upbraided him for pontificating to the rest of us while our noble judges are constrained to labour in the demeaning environments that most court houses are in this country while all manner of public agencies routinely break the law without as much as a whimper from him.

Unfortunately, the cause of upholding the well-earned and time hallowed prestige of our judiciary cannot by any means be aided by judgments that can only serve to bring such a noble institution into disrepute, ridicule and suspicion of incompetence.

Justice Abang has neither deepened nor illuminated the law vide this decision. He has only ended up doing great injustice, grievous reputational harm and alarming judicial oppression to a man, whose integrity and rights he is, as a judge, sworn to jealously guard until and unless he is proved guilty.

In a country where people are all

Did the Revenue Board of Abia assert that Ikpeazu is a tax evader? Did it repudiate the documents he submitted as tax clearance or tax returns issued by it? How can the cited inconsistencies regarding the serial numbers on the returns constitute more grounds for coming to the hasty conclusion that they were forged by Ikpeazu rather than that they indicate errors on the part of their maker and issuing authority? Did Ikpeazu issue himself with tax clearance certificates?

too willing to believe everyone else is a crook, the learned judge has only succeeded in doing heinous violence to the law by delivering a judgment casting aspersion on the integrity of a fellow citizen in circumstances in which he had absolutely no basis for reaching such a disastrous decision.

-Onopkasa, a lawyer, wrote from Sapele, Delta State

24/COVER

08.07.2016

'Why I Focus on True Life Stories’ INSPAYA, a new TV documentary in Nigeria, is a show with a rich repertoire of life changing and thought provoking testimonies delivered directly in the words of the testifiers, with a clear message of hope and encouragement. In this interview with Mary Ekah, the proponent of the show, Mr. Banji Adesanmi, an entrepreneur and evangelist, talks about his inspiration, passion and objective of the show What inspired INSPAYA? I have been a believer for like well over three decade, that was right from my university days and one of the things I have always loved when I listen to preachers, is when they can communicate the gospel clearly using true-life experience. I have discovered that when you share true-life stories to support a scriptural principle or even a life principle, there is a way you resonate with almost everybody. So I have over the years found out that there is power in people’s testimonies from deliverance from what life throws at them– testimonies that are in form of stories. And so every time I go to church or listen to a programme or even meet people, or I have not seen someone for a very long time or I meet someone that says something like “I was sick and I almost died” and for like 30 minutes they are telling me their stories of what they went through, the challenges they faced, how they almost died and so on, some times when I leave those people, I ask questions like who is documenting these sort of stories because these are kind of stories that will benefit other people, these are stories other people can listen to and they are affected positively. I have carried that assumption for like over 10 years now and a few days after I have heard such testimonies, I will carry them in my thought and I’m excited about them and feel good. After a while, I felt that there would be need to start documenting these stories and putting these stories in clear record so that people who even don’t know these people, can listen to their testimonies so that they can have hope and be encouraged when life hit them so hard that they want to give up on life. I believe that if you hear someone story whose leg was amputated, whose marriage almost failed and who got a baby after 25 years and all that, if you find yourself in such situation, you would not think of going to commit suicide. The Bible says they overcame by the blood of the lamp and by the word of their testimony. So I believe that INSPAYA is being born as a vision to document real people and real testimonies. It is not scripted or pre-written. And by the time we listen to these testimonies, we really want to be motivated and encouraged that indeed there is a God that helps man and that indeed it does not matter what life throws at us, we have a future. If God can do it for others, sure He can do it for us too.

How do you get people to come up to give real life testimonies?

Naturally, you know in our culture, people will say something like in parable in Yoruba that says, “If your yam is very big, you cover it and eat it”, but I have discovered that the testimony you cover is a function that it is not big enough. If you experience the hand of God big enough, you would not cover it; you will be excited to talk about it. And when we started, because it is a new show, people were naturally skeptical thinking that we had other motives behind it but by the time they now get to know the ministry and knew much about me from the social media, they knew that I meant well and that was when we had people who were willing to talk. And some of them now see it as an avenue to share their testimonies to the world. The programme, I must say is not just intended to showcase testimonies, it is also to bring out stories of survival despite all odds.

So what INSPAYA is to do, is not just the case of deliverance, it is also to encourage younger people going through one difficulty or the other to have faith in God. You said people were skeptical about this sort of programme at the beginning, so how and when were you able to start off?

The issue we have is not about people not wanting to share; it is about trust, who you were sharing your experience with and what

encouragement, and in course of listening you realise that what gave someone salvation was because she surrendered herself to the saving grace of Lord Jesus Christ, if you have tried the other sides, and then you want to try what these other person that shared his/her testimony has tried, nobody will stop you.

Adesanmi

the person is going to do with it. So we had to take time to explain to people that this was a ministry and nobody was going to go to the street and start hawking your story in a CD and all that. This is a purely a ministry, it is a calling and a passion for me. Talking about passion, I must have to tell you how far I went. When I knew that this was what I was going to do and that I did not have any experience in the media, I had to go all the way to London for training as a presenter at the London Academy of Film, Media and TV in January this year and at the end I had to do a project on something similar to INSPAYA. And when I came back home in February, I started looking for a production team while I talked to people about it, and over the years, I started reading stories of people’s testimonies. By March we started the shooting and by first week in April we were done with shooting and we started with post production and then plan for the formal launch, which held on June 19 and from first week of July, we are going to start airing on the TV. We are starting with MITV on Saturdays by 8.30am and LTV –on Saturdays by 10.30pm.Things actually moved faster than expected. These are things God used to convinced me that He had a hand in INSPAYA because we were not just using ordinary people, but God sent to me award-winning people in their different fields and some of them collected as low as 15 – 20 per cent of what their standard pay was because they believed in the vision. And so by March we started doing post production. For example, one of our first testifier is going to be Julius Agwu whom I read his testimony on the papers and my producer contacted him and explained to him what the vision was all about and he was so wonderfully kind enough to accept. He saw it from the perspective that God delivered him and if he shares his story somebody who is going through what he had gone through will be encouraged. So at the beginning, we got our testifiers by word of mouth and later on people started contacting us so that we had so much

that we started turning down a few people.

What impact will this programme have on the nation as a whole?

I will answer that with scenerio that happened when we were shooting. We were in the studio, taking one of the testifiers and we needed to take a break of five minutes. And the sound engineer suddenly stood up in the studio and started speaking in tongues and that is what God showed me that INSPAYA would do. He has not heard anybody preach, he has not heard a sermon nor did not go a crusade but he was touched by the testimony he listened to. That is what INSPAYA would do in a land where there is despondency, where people have lost hope - and where everything there is evil. Part of what INSPAYA will do is also to educate on how to handle evil. We have wonderful stories of people who were abused as early as age 6 and 8 and today they are surviving despite what they went through. One was abused in such a way the she had to run away from her guardians and was living on the streets for years and yet she finished at Backok University. When you hear these stories on INSPAYA, it has a way of encouraging you that if God can work for this person, He can also work on me. So apart from giving hope and encouragement, INSPAYA will also educate. It will encourage people that despite where we are in the country now, despite the fact that evil seems to be thriving left, right and centre, there is hope for good things to come. Everybody needs to watch this because everybody needs hope for the future and that is what INSPAYA brings.

This is a Christian-based programme, so is it also capable of impacting on non-Christians?

INSPAYA will inspire anybody that has a need and needs hope and encouragement.

Everybody can relate with deliverance no matter your religion or tribe. But one thing we must also understand is that, this is faith-based and if along the line, you are getting your hope and

How do you intend to sustain this in terms of quality of production?

Now, one of the fist questions I asked myself when I was embarking on this was: Are you into this for a short term or long term? With my experience in business, I did a business plan and to tell you how serious we took this, now we have a full fledged INSPAYA studio that we have done in less than two months, so that shows how bullish we are for a long term plan. Again, there are three main components of Inspaya that I have resolved that we will never compromise. One is original content, two delivery and packaging must be clear and third, the production must high-level HP quality. In fact, to feature it in some TV stations in Nigeria, we need to downgrade it. And like I said, we have an award-winning team and they know what they are doing and beyond money, they are committed to the project. Another area we would look at for sustainability is that we would be appealing for support even during the programme because airing on TV is not cheap, production is not cheap especially when you talk about high quality production. For now, God has provided me with some very supportive friends and we have been doing it more like an in-house thing but now that we are taking it to a higher level, we will really require support, so anyone that believes in the vision is free to come in and support us in whatever way they can. Now we have the flagship programme called “INSPAYA with Evangelistbee”,but the vision for future is to have things like INSPAYA retreat, INSPAYA events and anything we can do to document stories that would inspire people and so we need sponsors.

Is INSPAYA an acronym?

This is where it came from; the first thing that came to my spirit mind was to look for one word that inspires people. Then I thought of the English word: “Inspire” but I actually wanted something unique because I believe this programme is a unique programme and then thought I could coin the word INSPAYA from Inspire. I just wanted a word that sounded unique but has the same meaning as the English word ‘Inspire’ and so I came up with “INSPAYA”.

Beyond Inspaya, what else do you do?

I am a businessman. I have been in business for a while. I trade in cell phones but before now I have been a Chartered Quantity Surveyor and also construction manager. I did that for a while before I became a trader. Principally, I’m a general evangelist, I have an independent ministry, Banji Adesanmi Ministry, so I travel around the world, go across churches for various conferences and also to establish churches and parishes, once that is done, we handover to the respective churches.

What word do you have for Nigerians, especially at this trying period?

We are going through the worst now in Nigeria but I believe the tide for Nigeria will change for better. The problem with Nigeria before now has been direction. Direction is better than speed. If you are speeding so fast and you are going towards the river, you are going to sink but if your direction is good and you are not moving too fast, sooner than later, you will get there. I want to tell Nigerians that the same way INSPAYA is going to bring hope; hope is coming to Nigeria.

25/XTRA

08.07.2016

IDAN’s Guide Expo 2016 Celebrates Indigenous Interior Design Options Home grown; home inspired is the theme of the Fourth Annual Interior and Design Expo – GUIDE 2016 organised by the Interior Designers’ Association of Nigeria (IDAN), amidst the seemingly global trend of looking inward, what with Brexit induced by the similar sentiment.

With IDAN clocking over seven years as the professional body regulating interior design practice in Nigeria, it has become more auspicious now to make a statement intending for Nigeria to command a pride of place on the global market through its exquisite indigenously inspired products. This has to happen in style assured the IDAN President Ms. Titi Ogufere, who recalled in a media chat how challenging it had been for the pioneering members including about “80 per cent suppliers of interiors and 20 per cent designers, who had had to study interior design abroad” as the course yet was alien to our educational institutions back home.

“The struggles we have are in education, infrastructure, funding and sometimes the government with some of its biting policies.

We’ve made progress no doubt, given where we started, but we still have a long way to go. Most people have to create things not because they want to, but because they can’t find what they need to buy,” added Ogufere.

L-R: Guide Committee Member, Deise Smith: IDAN Public Relation Officer, Theresa Akpieyi, Vice President Of IDAN, Ifeyinwa Ighodalo President of IDAN, Titi Ogufere, Guide Committee Chairperson, Tola Akerele, Guide Committee Members: Opeoluwa Olubowale, Osaru Alile and Obida Obioha

Unlike Architecture, which has long been entrenched in the Nigerian educational system, Interior Design struggles to become established “here to give architecture a soul as it is practiced in developed countries” she further explained, while stressing that “this year’s Guide expo will focus on not

just African design, but more of designs emerging from Nigeria.”

Hence, starting from July 6 till 8, at the Landmark Event Centre, Lagos, GUIDE will unveil its plethora of innovative diversified products for homes and offices, plus such professional services as design clinics placing

potential clients in the hands of some of the country’s best interior designers on free consultations.

The all-inclusive event will also offer a seminar series available to registered visitors, to consider several select contemporary topics that engage broad concerns and interests of designers, manufacturers, clients and students, even as it “affords interior design practitioners in Nigeria the opportunity to showcase their products” said the IDAN Vice President, Mrs Ifeyinwa Ighodalo, who has been in the industry for about 30 years.

Ighodalo in addition, remarked the forthcoming design expo as drawing its intentions of very word ‘Guide’ coined from ‘gida, uno, ile’ all three words in Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba languages of Nigeria respectively meaning ‘home’. “The idea is that we need to look inward. Our homes obviously have to do with our culture, and you can’t neglect culture in our homes. Thus, this 4th year is actually going back to why we came up with the name in the first place.” With “The theme… Home Grown; home inspired; we are pushing and inspiring more designers to do things that are culturally sound; things that have to do with Nigeria where we’re from, using materials that are locally found and easily accessible.”

Pan Africa Solar Signs Nigeria’s First $146,000,000 Investment In what could be termed utility-scale solar revolution, Pan Africa Solar and the Federal Government of Nigeria have jointly signed Nigeria’s first Solar Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). The 75MW solar photovoltaic power project in Katsina State, a total investment of $146,000,000USD, will sell power for a tariff of 11.5 US cents per kWh and will be commissioned in 2017.

The signing agreement was carried out at the office of the Nigeria Bulk Energy Trader (NBET). The special guest of honour at the groundbreaking ceremony and Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, was represented by Mrs. Lolade Abiola of Sector Lead Solar and Access Advisory power Team, Office of the Vice President.

Once inaugurated, this 75MW solar project will be the largest of its type in sub-Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa) and will provide power for 1.1 million Nigerians.

Not only that, it will also create over 500 employment for local people during the 12 month construction period. It is also estimated that more 40,000 new jobs will be created from the additional economic activity stimulated

by the power plant.

In his address, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Pan Africa Solar, Mr. Marcus Heal said, “We are delighted that the Federal Ministry of Power is pushing ahead with its solar energy policy. This tariff has been achieved through harnessing lower construction and lower solar panel prices and the commitments of the project’s Lender”.

Corroborating Heal’s remarks, Justin Woodward of JCM Capital, a Canadian Private Equity firm who are co-developers in the project said “This is the start of a solar revolution in Nigeria.” Pan Africa Solar is developing a 1,000 MW portfolio of solar projects in Nigeria and planning on bringing more than US$1 billion of investment over the next five years. The sponsor group for the project includes Pan Africa Solar and JCM Capital and the African Finance Corporation (AFC). The FMO are the Lead Arrangers of debt raised from the Development Finance Institutions that includes DEG and Proparco.

The project is also receiving support from the World Bank, Power Africa and MIGA, the company said.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Pan Africa Solar, Mr. Marcus Heal receiving the PPA from acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading PLC (NBET), Mr. Waziri Bintube

Akwa Ibom Inguarates Youth Parliament The Akwa Ibom State Youth Parliament, Lagos, has been inaugurated with a charge on youths to become not only responsible to themselves but also take active roles in state and nation building. Inaugurating the group at a colourful event held at the conference Hall of the Akwa Ibom Liaison office, Lagos, recently, legal luminary Mr. Cletus Eyo-Udoh, said the coming together of young and talented professionals to support government activities and uniting youths in order to embrace peace and re-focus their energy towards human empowerment projects for self-reliance was a plus and highly commendable.

Describing the members of the group as vibrant, energetic and articulate who are ready to work, Eyo-Udoh who is also the 1st Vice President of Akwa Ibom Community in Lagos urged them to be committed to the course and be agent of positive change.

He thanked the authority of the liaison office for giving the venue for inauguration and pledged continuous support and loyalty to the leadership of the state.

In his inaugural speech, co-ordinator of the group, Mr. Emmanuel Bassey said the idea

of brining dynamic youths together was to have a platform in Diaspora where young professionals could speak with one voice on matters of interest, sensitising and uniting youths for good governance and effective self-reliance.

“We are youth members representing the three senatorial districts of our state and are saddled with responsibilities of promoting peace and unity among various groups of people, increase interaction and build fruitful relationships between the youths and government in the spirit of hard work and progress, produce an effective youths, government as a form or informed opinions and defend such opinions.

“We are also out to play a progressive and active roles in national development, politically, technologically, economically and social sphere and to provide a means by which we may effectively utilise the educational and cultural resources of the state for the development of responsible community participation, co-operation and leadership parliaments,” he said.

Bassey assured that as young parlia-

mentarians in Diaspora, Akwa Ibom State Youth Parliament in Lagos would live up to expectation and would toe the good path of the on-going administration in the state.

He commended the state governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel and members of the state House of Assembly for their immeasurable commitment and dedication they have brought to bear so far.

He also thanked the Liaison Officer, Mr. Michael Ekpenyong whom he described as the people’s liaison officer for always standing in the gap in defending and projecting the state in good light in Lagos and for support given so far to the young parliamentarians.

Deputy Co-ordinator, Mr. Walter Adiakpan said the group has come to stay and would surely work to achieve its set goals for the interest of the youths. He called on members to rise to build a virile group and state for the benefit of all.

Deputy Director, Media and Publicity, Lady Ekaette Akpan, a staff of Radio Nigeria, said with the inauguration of the group, it behoves on members to really work and proved their mettle. She assured that, they

would do their best for the upliftment of the group, youths in particular and Akwa Ibom in general. “We would be creative/ innovative and engage in the right type of dealings to better ourselves, community, state and nation atlarge,” she said.

Those sworn-in are: Messrs Emmanuel Bassey, Walter Adiakpan, Ubong Charles, Idongesit Eshiet, Nnenkere Nsikak, Festus Odudu, John Essien, George Okon and Adiyenma Sam as Co-ordinator, Deputy Co-ordinator, Clerk, Deputy Clerk, House leader, Deputy House leader, Chief Whip, Chief Protocol and Deputy Protocol.

Others include: Lady Rosemary George, Mr. Abraham Akpabio, Lady Ekaette Akpan, Messrs Victor Ubong, EkeretteUdofa, Jimmy Sunday, Anietie Umoren, Elijah Asuqwo, Samuel Udiminue, Sylvester Akpan, Imoh Friday and Elder Harrison Udoh as Financial Secretary, Director, Media and Publicity, Deputy Director, Media and Publicity, Provost, Treasurer, Welfare officer, Director ICT, Auditor, Chairman, Committee on Planning /Implementation; Chairman, Inter-governmental Relations; Chairman, Welfare/Logistics and Live Patron.

27/LIVING

08.07.2016

Stakeholders Reveal How Beer Breeds Social and Cultural Unity Mary Ekah Interestingly, the focus of deliberation at a recent symposium organised by the Nigerian Breweries in Lagos, which had beer exponents from various walks of life, was on how beer as a beverage has been able breed cultural unity as well as increase social bonding across the ages.

Tagged, ‘Beer and Culture’, the one-day symposium, which was chaired by former governor of Cross River, Mr. Donald Duke, also had a lineup of experts and scholars in health, food and nutrition sciences such as Professor Innocent Ujah, a Fellow of the Medical College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and current Director-General, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba-Lagos; Professor Bartholomew Okolo, OFR, a professor of Applied Microbiology and former Vice Chancellor, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, amongst others as discussants to dissect the topic.

Duke who during the event said not only is beer low in carbohydrates but is as all-natural as orange juice and milk, noted, “You see, beer has no need for preservatives because of the alcohol and hops- both of which are natural preservatives. The only processing beer undergoes is the same as with bread - it is cooked and

From left, former Governor of Cross River State and Chairman 3rd Nigerian Beer Symposium, Mr. Donald Duke; Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr. Nicolaas Velverde and former Creative Director, Lintas Advertising at the event.

fermented, filtered and packaged.”

He held that it was most astounding that beer has no fat or cholesterol and when taken in moderation, beer can tilt high- density lipoprotein levels (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol rations in the right direction. “HDL are the good cholesterols that protect your veins while LDL is the bad kind that builds up in your

veins. Beer actually flushes the system and can boost the HDL by up to four per cent with just a single beer a day,” the former governor noted.

Speaking further, “I have always wondered about the French. You see, their diet consist of rich, highly fatty foods, wine and those cigarettes.

Yet, their rate of heart disease is significantly less than the rest of the world. This has been

credited to red wine and the antioxidants it contains, which helps prevent heart attacks.

Interestingly, beer just has as many antioxidants as red wine.”

According to Nigerian Breweries, the symposium promises to be knowledge-packed and would provide an exciting insight into the global brewing industry, especially as it relates to beer, health and culture. Not a few historians agree that beer is one of the world’s oldest recorded alcoholic beverages, with many positive qualities and benefits. However, these benefits are little appreciated or understood by audiences who are daily overwhelmed by many unsubstantiated misconceptions about beer. To address these wrong perceptions, Nigerian Breweries, two years ago, launched a programme – The Positive Story of Beer (PSoB) – to change the conversation and improve the reputation of the beer category by sharing what is wonderful about beer. Managing Director of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr. Nicolaas Vervelde said the objective of the Nigerian Beer Symposium has been to highlight and share contemporary knowledge on the wonderful product called beer. Despite the very strong ties between beer and culture, Vervelde emphasised that the wrong use or abuse of beer can indeed have undesirable consequences.

Lion Club Launches Water Factory for Girls Rebecca Ejifoma As efforts to rescue vulnerable girls who get impregnated from rape, District Governor of District 402 Nigeria, International Association of Lions Club, Dr. Funke Adebajo, has inaugurated a water plant factory at the Ozanam House, where these girls will work, live and make money for themselves. This was her optimal project to cement her service year as the DG for 2015/2016. "I inaugurated this water plant factory today for vulnerable girls who got pregnant mostly from rape. This aims to sustain them so that they can have something to lean back on."

Adebajo, at the inauguration held at Agidingbi Lagos, enthused that the idea is to help them learn how to set up their own factories.

"For those, who may not be interested in setting up theirs, they will be employed. They will earn and save money to cater for themselves.

Now, this is marking the end of her service year as a DG, I thank God that we have achieved so much in one year. Every month, we have

Lion Dr. Funke Adebajo District Governor 404B2 Nig, Lion Folashade Ashafa, Stewardship & Award of Excellence Committee Chairperson, Hon.Gbenga Obadara, Past International President Lion Engr H.O.B Lawal, Senator Gbenga Ashafa and Lion Stella Agbogun Multiple Council Chairperson.

carried out three to four activities.”

Interesting, Adebajo wrapped up her tenure with the award night at Oregun. She described it as a day to appreciate all the Lions, who assisted

ITECH GEORGE OGUNLEYE

her to achieve this much. "I am glad that at the end of my service, I am able to complete the agenda I mapped out for myself. And I make bold to say that it was unprecedented

Email: george.ogunleye@thisdaylive.com,

in the history of Lionism," she said.

Meanwhile, members rolled out drums for Senator Gbenga Ashafa, who was officially made a Lion at the award night. He was decorated with a badge of membership into the great pride of the Lion's Club, Ikeja branch. Ashafa, alongside his wife, Mrs. Shade Ashafa, embraced the membership with mannered smiles and laughter. "It is an honour, indeed, to be in your midst."

In his message to the Lions present, he urged that whatever they were doing at Lion, they should not wait anyone to appreciate them with a 'thank you.' "Don't wait for anyone to say 'thank you'. Continue with the good work."While being adorned alongside his wife by the outgoing DG, Adebajo, members chanted mellifluously the song of the converts: "He has decided to be a Lion. No turning back!" Having officially been embraced into their den, the DG handed him safely to the Ikeja Club President. The two senators were inducted with a song "Lionism, I no go tire. I no go tire."

www.itechthisday.blogspot.com Tel 07032143733(sms only)

LG’s Inverter and Solar Powered Air Conditioner With the constant poor electricity supply from national grid, the air conditioning units in many homes are looking more like old picture frames hanging on the wall while the outdoor unit serves as a stool. Powering lightings in homes with alternative power source is already a challenge and costly.

With the recent fuel price increase, powering an AC requires larger generator and more fuel consumption. Most people will see it as excessive luxury due to the cost of fueling such generator which is not the case because AC is necessity and not a luxury appliance for those in tropical countries.

The Residential Air Conditioning (RAC), GEN COOL Inverter V Air Conditioner by LG Electronics is designed for the tropics, and with unstable power supply the purpose of having an air conditioner becomes less significant since the available alternative power source may not be able to operate the AC and if it does it requires more fuel and running cost since generator keeps on working for multiple hours after power cut.

Small capacity generators, inverter and solar power has been the go to energy source

for majority of homes in Nigeria and most certainly these power sources only supply basic output current needed power mostly lightings and entertainment systems, heavy duty home appliances like AC, heater and pressing irons are left out of the equation.

The LG GEN COOL Inverter V Air Conditioner a bold departure from the conventional, with benefits ranging from affordability, energy efficiency and durability. Due to LG inverter technology, LG GEN COOL Inverter V AC can be started with smaller generator as well as inverter unlike the conventional

AC (ON/OFF types), which requires big size generator to start AC due to high start-up electric power. It comes with the GEN Mode which allows for the use of small capacity generator and inverter- eliminating the need for large generator; the GEN Mode works by minimizing startup electric requirements. Thus allowing 1-HP AC to run on small capacity generators of 0.9 KVA, 1.5HP requires 1.1KVA and 2.0HP requires 1.5KVA generator; but in the case of Gen-Mode, the power performance goes down by around 30 per cent and now operable with Inverter and Solar energy. The

advanced LG Inverter V technology can lower energy consumption by as much as 60 per cent. The air conditioner also comes with eco-friendly refrigerant -R410A. The AC also features LG’s new RAC solution for Nigeria that combines excellent functionality with dependability and rugged durability. An upgraded power circuit board (PCB) is responsible for the air conditioner’s wide 145V to 350V operational range. It also enables the GEN COOL to cope with power surges of up to 450V.With the LG’s proprietary air filtration systems the AC is capable of really make a big difference to air quality in the home. It comes with a distinctive design that integrates well with practically any décor.

The combination of true protection (AVS: Automatic Voltage Switcher + Volt Care), and the gold fin in the exterior unit all continue in the improved durability of LG air conditioner.

Gold Fin™ is an anti corrosion coating on the surface of the heat exchanger. This ensures that the surface is more resistant to corrosion and enhances the durability of heat exchanger for a much longer period.

29/ TRAVEL, LEISURE & TOURISM

08.07.2016

Ayade Wins West African Tourism Man of the Year Award The Executive Governor of Cross River State has won the Balafon Award Tourism Man of the Year Award for Nigeria and West Africa.

It was a four-man race between him, the Minister of Tourism for Ghana, The Minister of Tourism for the Gambia and Obinna Ekezie the MD of Wakanow. This was based on the results released on Tuesday by the Award committee .

The Balafon Award committee made up of travel professionals and journalists from Nigeria and Ghana approved the results for the best performers in Travel and Tourism West Africa.

The committee had earlier met and shortlisted nominees for the different award categories.

The shortlisted Nominees were then exposed to public votes on Atqnews website and Facebook page. The online voting was done using Survey monkey software. Atqnews Facebook page has 23,000 followers and the newsletter has a weekly global audience of over a hundred thousand people. After a robust debate while analysing the results the Award committee approved the results. Winners will be presented with award certificates at Accra Weizo event in Ghana on the 15th of July.

From the analysis it is obvious that most of the voters were from Nigeria and Ghana with few other voters from other parts of Africa.

Governor Ayade in his first year in office not only sustained the tradition of Carnival Calabar but raised the bar for the event. His tourism achievements in 12 months in office include the opening of the first monorail in sub-Sahara Africa, Hosting the biggest ever street carnival in Africa last year, setting up Callywood the new movie genre that is rated to be bigger and better than Nollywood. He is also creating new cities in the state. Cross River State prides itself as having created the

Ayade

first authentic international carnival in Africa with participation from Africa and other parts of the World. He introduced the first bikers parade, the first green carnival and delivered the Largest crowd ever seen since carnival began in 2014. These achievements helped Prof. Ben Ayade clinch the double Award in his first Year.

The Balafon Award winnerss by ranking of the results approved by the committee: 1. Best airlines in West Africa: Arik. Asky and Air Peace 2. Top 10 hotels in West Africa: Eko Hotel and Suites Lagos,Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja, Intercontinental Hotel Lagos, Labadi Beach Hotel Accra, La Palm royal Beach Hotel Accra,Kairaba Hotel Gambia, Radisson Blu,Hotel Lome, Wheatbakers Lagos,

Lou Moon Ghana, MovenPick Ambassador Hotel Accra.

3. Top 10 hotels in Ghana: Labadi Hotel,LaPalm Royal Beach Hotel,Movenpick Ambassador Hotel,Golden Tulip Hotel Accra,Holiday Inn ,African Regent, Kempinski Gold City, Tang Palace, Royal Senchi Resort Akosombo, Lou Moon, 4. Top five hotels in Nigeria: Eko Hotel and Suites Lagos,Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja, Sheraton Lagos Hotel,Oriental Hotel and Intercontinental Hotel Lagos.

5. Top international airlines in Ghana: Emirates , Ethiopian , Arik .

6. Tourism Man of The Year in Ghana Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu- Adjare, The Honourable Minister of Tourism, Kwame Ofosu Bamfo of Swiss Spirit Alisa Hotel Accra and Tourism Ambassador Abeku Santana 7. Tourism Man of The Year – West Africa: HE Prof.Ben Ayade Executive Governor of CRS, Obinna Ekezie CEO of Wakanow Elizabeth Ofosu- Adjare Minister of Tourism Ghana.

8. Aviation Man of The Year in Ghana: Charles Asare CEO of Ghana Airport Company Limited,Gloria Yirenkyi of South Africa Airways Accra and Eric Antwi of Starbow Airlines.

9. Aviation Personality of The Year inWest Africa: Henok Tefferra ,and Allen Onyema , 10.Top international airlines into Nigeria: Ethiopian Airlines, Emirates and BA 11. Aviation Personality of The Year in Nigeria: Muneer Alade Bankole MD of Medview Airlines and Allen Onyema MD Air Peace 12. Tourism Man of The Year in Nigeria: HE Prof.Ben Ayade Governor of Cross River State, Obinna Ekezie MD Wakanow, Nkereuwem Onung Natop President

Balafon is the West African Travel Awards instituted many years ago by the organisers of Akwaaba African Travel Market. It was set up to recognize individuals who have excelled in Tourism and Travel and who also have contributed to the growth of tourism and travels in the region. But from this year 2016 Balafon Awards will become part of Accra Weizo event. The West Africa Award (Balafon) will hold at 5pm To ensure credibility and transparency in the award selection a multinational committee was set up to shortlist nominees.

Recently, an informal committee meeting with the Ghana members of the Balafon West Africa Travel Awards was held in Ghana to discuss modalities for the Awards coming up at Weizo 2016. Present at the meeting held at La Palm Royal Beach Hotel Accra were Collins Udolu, Ikechi Uko, Jeanne Donkoh former Hotel GM, Cephas Larbi of Daily Guide, Glory Brisbane of Stellar Travels and Abdallah Mohammed of MetroTV. The committee includes from Ghana, Nancy Sam President of Tour operators union of Ghana, Ahmed Naaman, VP GHATOF, Abeku Santana super Blogger and Ghana Tourism Ambassador, Dominic Andoh of BF&T, Kojo Bentu Williams Tourism PR wiz kid , Bridget Markwe leading Tour Operator and Andrew Boafo Ghana's most experienced Hotel marketer. Other members from Nigeria include Nkereuwem Onung President of NATOP, Ime Udo, Obinna Emelike, Franklin Ihejirika, Demola Ojo, Okorie Uguru, Omololu Olumuyiwa and Wale Olapade Accra Weizo is an event put together by the organizers of Akwaaba African Travel Market with the support of Ghana Ministry of Tourism Culture and Creative Arts. It debuted last year.

ATPN Begs Ambode to Reopen Tarzan Jetties The Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria (ATPN) has appealed Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, to reconsider his decision to seal off the Ikoyi Jetty of Gani Tarzan Boats and unilaterally revoke the lease agreement the state entered with the water transport company to use some jetties in Lagos as a springboard to develop water transportation the state and also access islands in the state for touristic purposes.

The President of ATPN, Malan Kabir, in a statement titled ‘No, Governor Ambode’, said it was unfortunate that after spending and putting in so much to develop water transportation in the state, hostility is now being visited on Gani Tarzan Boats by the state government.

His words: “When Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s government approached the managing director of Tarzan Jetty, Mr. Ganiyu Balogun (De Boatman), to invest in the hitherto water-

Ambode

logged areas to complement the government efforts of easing the monstrous traffic jams, little did the boatman imagined that a day would come when he would be thrown out.

“When he was encouraged by the then

government to rehabilitate the marshy and waterlogged areas, as a businessman, he took it very seriously. He brought his expertise and funds and invested. It became a very good service to the people who move around daily for their daily bread. He greatly contributed in making things easy to the transportation of hundreds of people.

“Now the order being given by the government of Ambode is, to say the least, unfortunate. This certainly will send a wrong signal to both local and international tourism investors in the state. Because tourism has a long gestation period where one makes investments and waits to reap the benefits at much later years. This is exactly what Tarzan Balogun and his company did. He made his investments and now time for him to recoup his investments.”

ATPN therefore advised the Lagos State government to tread carefully urging that

the matter should be handled properly. The association called for dialogue. It said the state should look back at the days when the state jetties were yearning for development, not now when it is being cleaned and put to use by the dexterity and business acumen of Ganiyu Balogun.

It continued: “We, members of ATPN, are watching carefully how this issue is resolved.

It will help us shape our thoughts about the state. But certainly the harassment and threats being issued by the Lagos State must stop now and pursue the path of dialogue. This will give the necessary confidence investors need, especially tourism investors, whose investments take a long period to mature.”

It would be recalled that last month, the Lagos State government shut down Tarzan Boats’ loading jetty at Ikoyi, Lagos and ordered him to vacate the jetties which the company allegedly leased from the state for 25 years.

Tourism: Lagos to Take Centre Stage at Toronto International Film Festival Lagos State Government has said that the state’s tourism and entertainment potentials will take the centre stage at this year’s edition of the City to City Toronto Film Festival, saying that eight films produced in the state would be selected to feature at the festival.

The State’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, his counterpart in Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr. Folorunsho Folarin-Coker, who briefed journalists alongside the Artistic Director Toronto Film Festival, Mr. Cameron Bailey, at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre in Alausa, said the development would help project tourism potential of Lagos to the team audience at the festival.

Ayorinde said the move was in line with the State Governor, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode’s campaign promises to make the state a hub for tourism.

He said the eight films to be selected does not necessarily have to be about Lagos, but films produced by directors based in the state.

According to him, “What is important is that the films that will be selected will be films

by film makers that are Lagos based it won’t matter what subject matter you are dealing with, it is about the creativity the talent you are exhibiting as a Lagos-based film maker that Toronto is interested in.“ Ayorinde said the state government would be fully involved in any collaboration to celebrate the city and market its potentials as well as appreciate the talent of the motion industry.

“What this government policy implies is that the Government will promote any initiative that will project Lagos as the home of film making not only in Nigeria but before the entire world,” Ayorinde said.

Folarin-Coker on his part said the move falls in line with government’s policy that entertainment can be used to drive consumption to create employment and improve the revenue generation in the state.

“This falls clearly in line with Governor Ambode’s mantra of THESE which stands for Tourism, Hospitality, Entertainment, and Sports for Excellence,” Folarin-Coker said.

He also revealed that the long term plan of the Government is to take back dead public spaces such as under the bridges across the State and develop it for residents to exhibit and develop their talents.

The commissioner also informed that the state is collaborating with Federal Government to build a car park at the new museum to help drive tourism.

Explaining the drive behind the Lagos and Toronto spotlight for the Festival, Bailey said much of the films Lagos produces are not being showcased in Toronto, explaining that the idea is to seize the opportunity of this year’s festival to begin a new dawn for Nigerian films.

“We have had films like Tunde Kelani’s Abeni feature at the festival as well as Half of a Yellow Sun, which is a collaboration between Nigeria and the UK, but I think this is an opportunity to do more and to go bigger. So what we are doing this year is a spotlight on the film makers who live and work here in Laos. We have been so impressed with the ingenuity and creativity

of individual film makers who have made the Nigeria film industry one of the largest in the planet,” Bailey said.

He said Lagos, like Los Angeles, Paris and Mumbai is one of the big capitals of film around the world.

He said films produced in Nollywood have spread all over the world, saying though the Nigeria Film business has gone global; the next step was to fully integrate it into the international film industry.

“The films that are bought and sold at our Festival, the films that are written about and reported on by the critics and film journalists, the audiences that embrace the films that go on to win the big prizes like the Oscars, those films should include the films from Nigeria, the films from Lagos; the heart of this industry that has become so large and dominant around the world. This is what really projects the image of Lagos and Nigeria, the stories that are being told resonate with the people whether or not they set foot on this country,” Cameron said.

31/ENTREPRENUER

08.07.2016

Daramola: Naija Green Card Allows its Bearer Purchase Items at a Discount Hon. Bimbo Daramola, who represented Ekiti North Federal Constituency 1 in the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015, in this interview with Anayo Okolie talks about the Nigerian Students and Youth Corp Discount Card also known as the Naija Green Card, among others What is Naija Green Card idea all about?

The Nigerian Students and Youth Corp Discount Card also known as the Naija Green Card being the affectionate street lingo for ease of recall and recognition is a social safety net and if you like a social protection plan as could so be described in the fitting matrix of palliatives scheme for the citizenry as being undertaken by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

This initiative is a response to the graphic situation of the plight of the young population as represented in part by identifiable and verifiable category in this broad youth demography. When I was in the House of Representatives, I devoted a lot of attention to issues that bother on the young people who qualify as the successor generation. I strongly inclined to the fact that anybody that is from age 45 is like a dry fish that cannot be bent so chances are that age 45 and above may not be able to do much in terms of paradigm shift of a new Nigeria.

Consequently, I believe attention should be given to these young Nigerians within the impressionable ages, and so if we must berth a new Nigeria conscious investment must be made into the process of grooming the emerging successor generation.

I believe every young Nigerians must be given a fighting chance to become whoever they want to be, but the reality today is that there is no systemic structure tailor fit to enable these young Nigerians to aim for the best. The odds seem stacked against them. God forbid Nigeria breeding a successor generation that is laden with hate, delusional and disillusioned, we will all bear the consequences which definitely will not be palatable. It is in this nation about three decades ago when education is greatly subsidised, where students are two or at the most four in a room compared to 16 in a room today, back in time the students used to get served good food in good measures, laundry done for them, scholarships, grants, sponsorships and all forms of support structures in favour of the then young Nigerians.

Today’s picture is the opposite of the above.

Now the picture is that 27 state governments cannot pay salaries, unemployment, spiraling inflation, shrinking value of the Naira, dwindling income stream, parents and guardians now keep their jobs when they have taken pay cuts or negotiated wages. This is the gory picture today. Unfortunately, this is not the fault of the incumbent administration, but that does not obliterate the fact that this is the sight to behold and what estimated millions of young Nigerians are exposed to. The undeniable fact is that these young Nigerians are the ones who are at the receiving end, the worst hit. Whatever shrinks or dwindles or takes away the income stream of their parents or guardians eventually trickles down to them, that is why school drop-out rate is on the rise, these young Nigerians are devising street ingenuity to survive on campuses, for example now we hear different combinations such as 001 meaning no breakfast, no lunch and only dinner, or 010 meaning no breakfast, only lunch and no dinner or 100 i.e breakfast, no lunch and no dinner, and in some cases 000 which is no breakfast, no lunch , no dinner, so how do we raise competitive children from a baking room that has this picture?

Do we expect that parents and guardians who have not been paid for seven months will be able to give enough to the kids on campus to feed, buy books and clothing?

That is the picture today.

So, we have the option to rise up to this challenge in a manner that recognises this challenges but proffer ways to meet them half way and show that we really do care, if

was launched in Malaysia, it was launched by the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, that underscores the importance of this initiative as a strong social safety net. Similarly in some states in India, it is a must have for students.

We are in touch with the Special Adviser to the Vice President on the possibilities of deepening the impact and widening the frontiers of the social protection plan.

The Nigerian Students and Youth Corp Discount Card was launched on the March 21, 2016 in Abuja by the Speaker House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, with Vice Chancellors in attendance, Committee of Vice Chancellors represented, Minister of Education was represented, Honourable Members, endorsed by Senator Binta Marsi Garba, Senate Committee Chairperson on Education who told us that her daughter uses a card like this in the United Kingdom, further endorsements from National Youth Service Corps Chairman House Committee on Education, Comrade Aminu Suleiman, National Association of Nigerian Students etc. We are meeting the Vice President soon with a view to further align this initiative with the realities of the place of this initiative in the social protection plan of the Federal Government as it obtains in other climes.

Daramola

we play the ostrich we will be caught in the web of the consequences of this unfortunate scenario. So I chose to do something to bring succour. To do nothing will be inexcusable, for instance is it conscionable to have those who have modest income stream pay the same amount for a product or service and a student or youth corps member pays the same amount for that service even when we realise that those who even have some form of income stream barely could keep their heads above water. So, these are the questions and the realities.

What do you hope to achieve with this initiative?

I started the initiative after my exit from the parliament, the scaring number of the unemployed motivated me to try to do my little bit by ensuring that these vulnerable people have options, opportunities and alternatives and leave them to make their critical decisions and they can bear the consequences of their choices, it will not be that nothing was done holistically. That is the picture that led to The Nigerian Students and Youth Corp Discount Card.

In specific terms I and my team in distilling the above generic essence wants to achieve three things: Make life more meaningful and qualitative to these young Nigerians by ensuring that for the first time ever we have an integrated and systemic discount culture in Nigeria that is driven by welfarist instincts.

Today, individual businesses have different categories of discounts and loyalty packages for specific products and services, but from now we will have this integrated, systemic platform that will warehouse thousands of such disparate entities either already offering or we get them to offer the vulnerable demography starting out with the students and the youth corps members. In the face of the steady impact, we have been approached to undertake federal civil servants discount platform and military discount platform. We are delighted that the Nigerian Students and Youth Corp Discount Card in only six months has proved to be a succour that led the other two entities to approach us to undertake a

similar platform. But we will need to consult our huge partner’s base before we take these other two on.

Secondly, this Naija Green Card platform is not to promote consumerism alone rather it has the inherent opportunities of helping the young students and youth corps members to acquire skills and entrepreneurial training thereby also earn income to supplement their income from parents and guardians. Lastly, it is also to promote education and knowledge through the Academic Village Portal, which is like lecturers beyond borders. On this platform students particularly can connect with lecturers outside of their direct institutions and share in their knowledge.

What are the major challenges you are facing currently?

The major challenges of this initiative are: First, the logistics of getting partners across the length and breadth of this country in order for the platform to serve everybody equally. It is not intended to be an Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt or major city project.

We are committed to have partners in every town and village so that all students and corps members can have maximum value for their cards; the cost of deploying personnel to all the states in Nigeria is humongous. Second, the process of enrolment must be thorough to ensure that the direct beneficiaries are the ones we enroll. So to get these done, we have had to commit huge resources to fix logistic demands of multi state activation. Lastly, not really a challenge is the inclination of Nigerians to want to copy; particularly, when they are motivated by pecuniary considerations. But we are convinced that those who are mimicking this initiative without clear understanding will have our brand to match.

Is there anything you think the government can do to support this initiative?

Yes, there are a lot that government can do to encourage our initiative particularly with the concern of the Federal government to introduce initiatives to cushion bare knuckles effects of the socio-economic realities the citizenry is facing. For instance when this initiative

What are the Benefits of the Naija Green Card?

The benefits of the Naija Green Card as mentioned earlier is to make life easier on all Nigerian Students and Youth Corp Members by opening unto them the opportunities to get maximum value for the little or limited resources available to them from their parents and guardians who are faced with the consequences of harsh socio economic realities which has made them to grapple with inability to afford the basic things that they need to cope on campus or as they go through service year. As we speak we have moved from 1815 corporate partners across a broad spectrum of sectors rendering needed service or providing products or training or the academic village platform, all put together will make like a lot less stifling for these young Nigerians who are writhing in pains from the challenges I mentioned earlier. We are obligated to make life less asphyxiating for them lest we breed a generation of those who hate the system under which they are raised.

Why focusing on students and youth corps members?

We have decided to focus on students and youth corps members because they are the most vulnerable and they feel the challenges the most. Secondly, they represent the identifiable and verifiable part of the broad youth demography. We believe that the future of Nigeria will be thrusted into the hands of these people and we feel we need to put this system in place to save them from allures of deviant options that they are daily faced with.

We have relationship managers who are activating partners all over the country, as the awareness grows more partners from motoring , transportation, food and eatery, electronic, book store, banks for student support, insurance, hospital and medicare, entrepreneurial training, hospitality, skill training and acquisition etc offering from 5-50 percent on products and services. More partners can also visit our website www.nsyc.com.ng and www. naijagreencard.com.ng, download our app from playstore for ios and android devices, we can also be followed on Instagram and twitter, @nsycdc, facebook.com/nsycdc. The interested partners can also call, the state relationship managers will be on hand to take them on.

33/THISLIFE

08.07.2016

Lady Ughanze

Roselyn Ughanze: A Family’s Plea for Justice David-Chyddy Eleke writes on the kidnap of 80-year-old Lady Roselyn Ughanze, who was forcefully taken away by a six-man gang four years ago without trace of her whereabouts four years after It was on the early morning of Sunday 26th June 2012 when Lady Roselyn Ughanze, a devout Catholic faithful was preparing to go for the morning mass. Even though she was 80 years old, she is strong enough to take care of herself, as she always goes to mass every day. But that faithful day was different because she never made it to drive to church in her Honda CRV car as every other day as she was kidnapped by unknown gun men.

Before then, an attempt to take her six months before her eventual kidnap date had failed as the perpetrators were not so lucky as her son, a businessman, Uche Ughanze narrated to THISDAY. Her family believes that whoever her kidnappers were, were bent on ensuring that she was taken out of the way, for a reason they could not even adduce.

Close to one year to her being kidnapped, Mama as her children fondly called her had ran into trouble with one of her daughters’ inlaw, which had led to her ejection from her late husband’s house, but she decided to take refuge in the house of her son, Uche.

She was beginning to feel at home again, probably to the annoyance of her haters when kidnappers started coming for her. During the first attempt on her, Mama was said to have suspected some men who came to her compound, and had hurriedly entered her house and bolted the door, shutting her assailants out. But she was not so lucky on

the second attempt, six months after, as she was taken, and her car also stolen by her assailants.

At 80, Lady Ughanze had no better faith in anything else than her belief in God. A devout Christian of the Catholic stock who diligently attends morning mass every day.

Her faith in God and His ability to protect her from the machinations of her enemies was incontestable.

Indeed, when her second son, Uche bought a Honda CRV car, she insisted that the car’s number plate be customised and registered with a Bible verse 'Psalm 37'. Its first two verses read thus: "I do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong, for they are like the grass...They will soon wither away like green plant; they will soon die." With this, Lady Ughanze will cruise through the village, feeling secured in her car, but it was in the same car that she was taken on 26 June 2012, and her quest to attend mass that day or any other cut short.

Four years after, her children’s prayers that one day she will walk in to tell them the story of her long absence has remained unanswered, but what they say torments them most is the silence that has continued to trail her disappearance. The family said that having supplied the necessary tips and even the phone number of the suspected kidnappers, with which they had called

to solicit ransom to the police, it is up to them to move in and conduct a thorough investigation that will lead to the arrest of the kidnapers. The family also expressed unhappiness that the initial suspects arrested for quizzing as the phone numbers belonged to them were also set free without relating back to the family.

Speaking to journalists on the incident years after the kidnap, her son, Uche said he was afraid for his mother’s life as her kidnappers, who initially called him to ask for N100m ransom have suddenly stopped contacting him when they learnt that he lodged a complaint with the police. Uche stated that the problem has made him restless, to the extent that he is now finding it difficult to concentrate on his business, from where he could raise the money to pay the ransom demanded by the kidnappers.

But speaking to THISDAY through their counsel, Mr. Odinaka Obiorah on the fourth year of the disappearance of his mother, Uche said the conclusion of investigation would help bring to book the perpetrators of the crime and also set the family’s mind at rest as to whether their matriarch is still alive or dead. Obiorah said the family still has a strong belief that Mrs. Ughanze who was 80 as at the time of his kidnap last four years was still alive, but said that a thorough investigation will also reveal if she was dead.

“We call on the police and other security agencies to rise up to their duty as we are not in doubt as to those who kidnapped our mother. Justice should take its course no matter who is involved or how powerful they are.

It is the position of the family that they do not know if their mother has been killed or still alive but they know that petitions and other similar letters being circulated by the detractors have killed the search for Lady Roselyn Ughanze. The authors of said petitions and letters are putting up smiling cheeks to Lady Roselyn Ughanze’s discomfort and her family’s predicament over same. It is, to say the least, unconscionable or unfortunate or both. I announce the family’s plea to those who have access to Lady Roselyn Ughanze, their beloved mother, to let her know if she has not been killed that the detractors killed all the family’s efforts to locate her. She should be told also that the family, though down now, but have not given up in their search for their mother,” Obiorah submitted.

When THISDAY visited the Anambra State Police Command to know if the police plans to reopen investigation on the matter, the command’s spokesperson, DSP Ali Okechukwu was not in the office. He however later told THISDAY that he was in a meeting when he was contacted on phone, pledging to call back. But as at the time of filling this report, he did not return the call.

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2016

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BUSINESSWORLD

INTERVIEW

Sani: FG Must Invest in Aviation and Tourism Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Sani, the Managing Director of Amco Travel and Tours Limited and CEO of Temple Touch Global Investment, is of the view that for Nigeria to maximise the benefits of air travel and tourism, government must invest more in both sectors. He spoke to Chinedu Eze. Excerpts:

a man of integrity who I believe will not allow himself to be rubbished. I am not speaking for him but he is a man I know and can stand for anywhere. The said asset is a joint asset and was already declared, so what else do you want?

For someone to bring up such issue you should know it is a planned distraction.

What is your evaluation of the tourism business in relation to the current economic situation in Nigeria?

The current economic situation of the country is seriously affecting the tourism industry. The disparity between dollar and naira has forced airline operators to increase their fares. Before this development, airfares were relatively low but eventually the government came up with the current forex policy and that changed the whole business environment. Fares are increasing and as a result of that, the number of people who can afford to travel by air is reducing drastically.

Do you believe it is only when foreigners are attracted to Nigeria that one can say that the tourism industry is growing?

It is not true. In fact, I don’t believe in that because if you look at tourism and crosscheck the geographical areas of the country, you will see that we are just surrounded by tourism potential.

Every part of the country is a potential tourism destination. We need to start developing our domestic tourism first; then foreign investors will get attracted. We have to start something.

Investors won’t just come unless we begin to prove to them the need to come. That is only possible if we take initial steps and invest. If we keep waiting for foreign investors, we won’t go anywhere.

What is your take on the newly introduced flexible exchange rate by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)?

The policy is long overdue. In fact, I feel it should have come earlier instead of the previous arrangement. Hopefully the introduction is going to turn things around. The policy is okay. It has helped to reduce the pressure on the naira. About three weeks ago dollar was 367 and N368, but with the policy onboard, dollar is now selling between 280 and 320.

I think it is a good policy and with time I believe the economy will pick up.

What are the core duties of your organisation?

We are basically a tour operation company.

We are a one- stop shop for tourism needs for corporate organisations and individual. For the past 10 years, we have proven that our operations particularly for the Muslim holy pilgrimage can be more affordable and stress free. We are also into online ticketing. With our recent investment, we are planning to change the business environment in the aviation sector, particularly as it relates to ticketing. We plan travel for individuals and organisations across all major destinations of the world. We are licensed by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria and certified by IATA. We have partnerships abroad, particularly in Ukraine. Through the partnerships we assist Nigerian students to study abroad. We make admission seamless mostly for intending medical students

To be more specific, how do you think this development will affect the tourism industry?

It will affect the tourism industry because there won’t be enough dollars in reserve to serve the sector. The disparity between dollar and naira had brought an increase to airfares but the introduction will help to reduce pressure on our currency and correct some general issues occasioned by the previous policy. If government continues to meet the demand of dollars by the operators, the fare will definitely come down.

It is the view of many that Nigerian travel agents prefer to do business with foreign airlines instead of encouraging indigenous carriers, is that true?

It is true because our indigenous airlines service very limited destinations. It is until they begin to operate to more destinations that one can encourage them. If we look at the route which they service, it is mostly UK, US, South Africa and Saudi Arabia. Most of them don’t go to places like Brazil, East Asia and others. They can only be encouraged appropriately if they travel to many destinations. If we talk about British Airways and others for instance, you will see that they service many destinations and that gives agents a lot of advantage.

What would you recommend that Nigeria should do in order to encourage inbound tourism?

Personally, I think they should invest more in the aviation sector. Aviation and tourism are key sectors in every economy, but the reverse is the case in Nigeria. Despite the huge potential in tourism, the federal and states governments have not taken necessary steps to promote tourism.

Unless this is done, Nigeria wouldn’t harness the benefit inherent in the sector. Transportation is the backbone of every economy. People should be able to move to keep the economy moving.

I will advise the federal government to invest more in the aviation sector. We need a national carrier. I learnt there are plans ongoing to come up with one but government has to be serious with it. Revamping the national carrier may be a fast way to boost the aviation industry in Nigeria. Most of the African countries today have their carriers, including Ethiopia Airlines, South Africa Airways; Kenya Airways are few other African airlines, which are already doing very well. I don’t see anything stopping Nigeria from having a national carrier. By the time we have our own carrier the issue of patronage that you are talking about definitely will be addressed.

What is the ideal environment that will encourage local tourism to thrive in Nigeria?

Sani

The ideal environment has to do with addressing infrastructure deficits and creating sustainable policy that will form a level playing field for operators. Apart from the little challenges that we are having, I do not think there are serious challenges as such. On the other hand, local investors must be sincere, putting national interest first. We must not always concentrate on our challenges but turn them to opportunities and move forward.

To what extent does insecurity contribute to this?

Insecurity is a global challenge. I don’t think that is the basic issue here. Before insecurity, the sector has been abandoned because of oil, corruption and bad leadership. Besides,

The current economic situation of the country is seriously affecting the tourism industry.

The disparity between dollar and naira has forced airline operators to increase their fares

the present administration has overcome that security challenge particularly in the war against insurgency. If you have been following news headlines on insecurity in the country, particularly as it relates to Boko Haram, you will largely agree with me that insurgency has been defeated in Nigeria. Personally, I will say the current administration has done very well in the area of fighting insecurity, thanks to the Chief of Army Staff; Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai.

He has furthered our confidence in the Nigerian army. During the previous administration the Nigerian army was thought to be powerless by the whole world. Looking at the efforts of the army and other joint security forces, I believe the nation should begin to talk about how to grow in terms of tourism and travel related activities and it would equally encourage investors to look into the Nigeria market.

But let me quickly warn that Nigerians must not allow themselves to be distracted, particularly on series of malicious allegations going around in the country.

In terms of tourism and foreign investment, do you think these allegations discourage visitors into our country and how would you react to the recent Dubai property allegation brought against the Chief of Army Staff, particularly at a time when the nation is fighting corruption, which you said is killing different sectors of the economy?

I am not speaking for the Lieutenant General or the army. But you see, as a concerned citizen, I think what Nigeria needs now is patriotism.

We need to think straight and give credit to who deserves it. Frankly speaking, you can see that there are pure sabotages going around in the country. There are people who don’t want things to go on well and as soon as they see any aspect where progress is being recorded they start attacking it. You should know that that is a distraction strategy. On the property saga, one thing remains undoubted, a leader is always a leader, and the man in question is

Government is disinclined to funding pilgrimages, how do you ensure that despite the lean resources people will continue to attend Hajj?

We now do more for less. We have introduced packages that fit into people’s pocket. With the package, you have options of affordable travel pack that suit your lifestyle. It allows you to cut cost yet you will still have a pleasurable Hajj experience. Economic situation now is very hard. Things are no more the way it used to be. As operators we must think out of the box.

We have reduced our profit margin to satisfy our customers. That makes things flexible for clients or intending pilgrims.

However, despite the situation in the country, people will meet up for Hajj because it is one of five pillars of Islam and anybody that has intension to attend Allah will provide for them.

We have to commend the chairman of National Hajj commission for taking the bull by the horns in facilitating Hajj operation at this time. Previously Nigerians are the last to get to the holy land due to late preparation.

But this year, necessary arrangement has been made and operators can plan early enough.

For all these to work well, intending pilgrims would have to indicate interest early so that the process can be completed in time in terms of accommodation, ticketing etc. Making necessary preparations early would help to cut down cost.

What would you recommend that the Nigerian airlines that operate international routes should do in order to grow and attract more travellers to the destinations they operate?

Well, looking at the Nigerian carriers today, if government invests in them they will grow; just as I said earlier that government have to put more investment or focus on aviation sector more than what they are doing now and that will make the aviation industry grow.

Another way is to seek for foreign investors that will partner with them through interline.

By doing that, the Nigeria carriers will have more destinations to cover.

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2016

BUSINESSWORLD

MARITIME ANALYSIS

NSC’s Giant Strides in Maritime The Nigerian Shippers Council, as an economic regulator, has not only addressed the irregularities in the port system, but has provided a level playing field for all stakeholders in the maritime sector, writes Nosa Alekhuogie For long, there was a clamour for an economic regulator in the nation’s seaports for obvious reasons. The conclusion of the economic reforms initiated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, which led to the concession of the nation’s seaports over a decade ago, created a vacuum, hence, the call for a regulator.

The conclusion of the concession exercise divested the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) from cargo handling and the day-day-day running of the terminals.

But the Authority is still saddled with the role of maintaining common user services as well as collection of royalty as the landlord. This development led to calls by many stakeholders for the appointment of an arbiter as an economic regulator in the nation’s seaports. The situation was not helped by the failure of the National Assembly to pass into law the much awaited Port and Harbour Bill.

The re-affirmation of the council as the seaports economic regulator by President Muhammadu Buhari at the just concluded maritime seminar for judges, which took place in Abuja was applauded by stakeholders in the maritime industry. In fact, participants at the event also added their voices to the clamour when they said that the NSC should be allowed to transform into the proposed National Transport Commission (NTC). Many have argued that this was a great testimony to the numerous strides and positive impact the NSC has made in the nearly three years it was saddled with the responsibility of being an economic regulator by the federal government.

Buhari said at the event that the NSC has lived up to its appointment as an economic regulator who was meant to complete the reforms in the Nigerian seaports, encourage transparency, enhance the efficiency, competitiveness and economic viability of the maritime sector as well as boost revenue generation and patronage of the nation’s seaports.

Confidence When the federal government appointed NSC as the regulator of the seaports in February 20, 2014, it was due to the confidence it reposed in the body that it has the capacity , capability , personnel and the technical knowhow to perform in the position, with discharging such similar functions by virtue of the provisions of the Act establishing it.

The consensus in the maritime sector is that NSC has justified its appointment for the fact that its activities, as an economic regulator, have recorded tremendous gains for the operators, the shipping sector of the economy and the economy as a whole while it has been able to provide a level playing field for all stakeholders.

It also acted as an unbiased intermediary, which has given everybody a shoulder to lean on.

Benefits The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the NSC, Mr. Hassan Bello affirmed some of the strides when he said what the council has been doing as an economic regulator was to address the irregularities in the port system which has made it impossible for the economy to enjoy the gains of the port reforms.

Bello, a lawyer, explained that the seriousness with which NSC had approached its duties few months after it was appointed as a regulator had made the federal government to issue a gazette on its appointment, thus affirming it to perform the functions of a regulator. He called for the support of all the stakeholders for its new role.

Unauthorised Charges and Levies There is no doubt that one of the major gains of the NSC as an economic regulator is the fact that it has ensured that no stakeholder engages in any form of imposition of unauthorised or arbitrary charges and levies on the consumers of shipping services in the country. It has continued to wield the big stick on the excesses of the concessionaires and the foreign shipping lines.

Bello

In 2014, the NSC reduced the charges of the terminal operators.

In the same year, NSC also increased the free period in which cargo would not pay rents at the ports to five days from the erstwhile three fixed by the terminal operators. As if these changes were not enough, it also reviewed downwards some of their charges just as it reduced the terminal charges of the foreign shipping agencies. Furthermore, NSC also directed that they must refund container deposits not later than seven days.

This was why the pioneer Chairman of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), Mr. Anthony Nwabunike lauded NSC for excellent performance as an economic regulator. Nwabunike, who is also a member of the Board of Trustees (BOT), Association of Nigerian Licensed Custom Agents (ANLCA), stated that NSC decision to review downwards the arbitrary charges of the service providers has made it impossible for any stakeholder to hike charges without the permission of the council.

Litigation Though the concessionaires and the foreign lines had challenged the decision of the NSC in December 2014, the outcome still favoured the regulator as the Judge had affirmed its appointment by the federal government as an economic regulator which has the right to review the charges of the service providers. The court also directed them to refund the excess charges running into billions of naira which they have collected from shippers through NSC. Strides In an apparent support of the strides the council has made since it was made the economic regulator in the nation’s seaports, the Chairman of the Ports Consultative Council (PCC), Kunle Folarin said the NSC has discharged its functions as a regulator in a most professional and very efficient manner while it has sanitized the operations of the concessionaires in the maritime industry just as it has checked arbitrary and unauthorised increase in their charges and levies.

Folarin explained that the way and manner the Council has performed its role has given the Nigerian ports particularly the ones situated in Nigeria’s economic centre, Lagos the opportunity

to emerge as the preferred destination for other ports in the West and Central Africa sub regions.

Past President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olisa Agbakoba, said that the task of the council ought to be upgraded to that of the economic regulation of the maritime sector because it had succeeded in enhancing the contributions of the seaports to the economy.

Uniform Tariffs The President of the African Freight Forwarders Association (AFFA) , Lexy Nwangwu expressed delight that NSC has almost completed work on a standard tariff system that will facilitate the reduction of tariff in the nation’s seaports to between 30 and 40 per cent, adopted measures to get loan facilities for truckers to enable them purchase new vehicles as well as working towards a new port order that will ensure efficiency and transparency in the activities of stakeholders in the sector.

Reacting to the impact of the council, the founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Boniface Aniebonam said NSC has added value to the shipping sector of the economy, particularly the operations of the service providers.

Trade Facilitation According to analysts, NSC also been able to create a high level of awareness as it concerns the rights of stakeholders. They also hailed the council in the area of capacity building, education as well as making efforts to establish inland container depot and truck transit parks.

They pointed out that the council has adopted a lot of measures that have facilitated trade.

The former President of NAGAFF, Eugene Nweke had also stated that the performance indicators showed that NSC has done well in terms of sensitisation of stakeholders, response to issues and positive impact in the ports. He pointed out that this explained why so many shippers and freight forwarders who took their complaints to the council for intervention succeeded in getting their problems resolved while it has been cautioning shippers against getting involved in illegal acts.

Reforms The gains of the reforms initiated by NSC as an economic regulator, according to experts,

include improved revenue generation, improved infrastructural facilities, creation of efficient market, reduction of cost of doing business, improvement of the nation’s global competitive index and the attraction of foreign direct investment for those in the transport and logistics chain.

On the part of the shipping companies, the reforms of the economic regulator have led to improved delivery of marine and terminal handling services, reduced turnaround time of vessels as well as lower cost of vessel operations, on the part of the customs, it has led to improvement in the level of transparency , efficiency, effectiveness and a boost in its image while for NPA it has led to induction of clearer standard operating procedure derived from international law and practice. Other stakeholders have also scored the council high in providing what they called a “level playing field” for the maritime industry.

They opined that the council has done well in the task of commercial regulation.

According to them, NSC has been able to make the terminals safe for importers and licensed customs agents to do business by curbing the losses they incurred while doing business in Nigerian ports.

Overtime, the council has also continued to exhibit its philosophy of an umpire who believes in level playing field as it has also provided a platform for the concessionaires and the shipping firms against the arbitrariness of NPA. This is due to the fact NPA had in 2015 made a move to hike its tariff which it collects from the concessionaires but NSC had opposed it on the on the grounds that it was illegal and was bound to increase cost of doing business in Nigerian ports.

From the foregoing, it is imperative that the council should be encouraged to do more in the discharge of its mandate as the economic regulator in the nation’s seaports in the months and years ahead. For instance, they stressed the need for all hands to be on deck to ensure the speedy passage of all the pending maritime bills such as the Port and Harbour, as well as the National Transport Commission (NTC) into law. This is the only way Nigeria and Nigerians can derive maximum benefit from the roles and responsibilities of the council.

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2016

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BUSINESSWORLD

PERSPECTIVE

The Role of DFIs in Venture Capital

Federal Ministry of Finance building

Olubunmi Abayomi-Olukunle By many standards, the venture capital industry in Nigeria is still emergent especially if one considers the size of the deals, number of funds and sophistication of investors in the market.

Accordingly, the Federal Government must promote venture capital activity in Nigeria as a strategic policy initiative and in order to promote innovation and enterprise amongst the most productive segment of its population. As part of that process, the Federal Government should strategically engage all the stakeholders in the industry’s value chain. This is particularly important at this time given the increasing flow and value of foreign investments into the venture capital space in Nigeria, a trend, which in our view, holds the promise that Nigerian start-ups can unleash a revolution of wealth creation and rapid economic growth in a sustainable manner. Our proposition is that local Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) are critical stakeholders in the value chain and have a significant role to play in Nigeria’s venture capital industry.

It is in this context that the decision by the board of Nigeria’s Bank of Industry (BOI) to be investors in the first-ever social innovation fund out of Nigeria, is commendable. In a financing mix of both local and foreign investors, BOI (alongside Venture Garden Group and Omidyar Network) is committing up to USD230, 000 to a USD 1 Million social innovation fund promoted by Nigeria’s foremost startup incubator, CCHub. It is interesting to note that the fund will be managed onshore.

Also noteworthy, is the fact that the fund aims to invest in early-stage tech companies that demonstrate an ability to solve a social problem - Think of a company that converts heaps of refuse to clothing, shelter or other usable material.

The decision of the Board of the BOI accords with trends we see in the international venture capital space, tending towards an overall increase in the portfolio allocation by international DFIs to early-stage fund managers and ventures. This July, the board of directors of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) will be meeting to consider making a USD 10 million commitment to Algebra

Ventures Fund which will target technology and technology based start-ups in Egypt, the broader middle-east and the North African Region. Similarly, the European Investment Bank is considering making a USD 10 million commitment to TLcom’s TIDE Fund, a planned 100 million venture capital fund, which will invest in entrepreneurs and enterprises that are leveraging technology. Recently, it was announced that IFC has decided to double its venture capital portfolio to USD 1 Billion to further spur innovation in emerging markets.

One of the companies in IFC’s venture capital portfolio is Andela, a company co-founded by a Nigerian. The Company recently received USD 24 Million in a series B funding in a round led by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

Growing trends in this space should bring to focus debates around how DFIs in Nigeria can be used to strategically grow Nigeria’s venture capital industry especially in the area of supplying finance to the industry. There is,

Growing trends in this space should bring to focus debates around how DFIs in Nigeria can be used to strategically grow Nigeria’s venture capital industry especially in the area of supplying finance to the industry

in our view, a shortage of risk finance to high growth tech/e-commerce start-ups especially when one considers the rapid increase in the number of Nigerian tech start-ups with scalable business models. The majority of the financing currently available from local DFIs is debt-linked.

More of the risk financing available have been from foreign venture capital and angel investors who focus on Africa. On the local scene, the Lagos Angel Network and the African Business Angels Network, are gathering a more enduring appetite for early-stage risk. Also, a growing network of solo angels, incubators and corporate venture funds in Lagos and Abuja hold the promise of soaking up some of the demand that is available in the market.

Nonetheless, we think that a sizeable portion of the market is underserved in terms of the availability of risk finance. Nigeria’s venture capital industry will require a sustained injection of risk capital and local DFIs are in our view better positioned to close this gap as, by their nature, DFIs have higher risk tolerance and longer investment horizons and are able to take up investments in sectors where the private sector finds it difficult to invest.

The active involvement of local DFIs in the venture capital space can help grow the industry in a number of ways. First, there is empirical evidence that lends credence to the theory that increased portfolio allocations by local DFIs to early-stage ventures or venture capital fund managers can catalyze and help attract and mobilize other sources of capital.

In addition to helping mobilize other sources of capital, the involvement of DFIs can also help provide the much needed management support and hands on experience that can help commercialize entrepreneurial vision. Secondly, DFIs can help in promoting and entrenching ESG compliance across board, thereby promoting the adoption of sound business practice, an imperative, which will further give comfort to potential limited partners.

We think that the current state of play presents a good opportunity for local DFIs to expand the range of financial products available to Nigerian start-ups, by increasing allocations to Nigeria’s venture capital sector either through dedicated venture capital funds or through participations in privately-managed venture

capital funds.

It is important however to situate the foregoing within the extant legal framework for DFIs in Nigeria, especially because, there are a number of provisions contained in the CBN Regulatory and Supervisory Guidelines for Development Finance Institutions in Nigeria ( the Guidelines) that have a bearing on a DFI’s level of exposure to the venture capital patch in Nigeria. For instance, local DFI’s may only invest in a start-up business up to a limit of 10% of shareholders fund unimpaired by losses. DFI’s are also subject to a maximum of 25% holding in any enterprise. Whilst we take the view that the current thresholds are fairly acceptable given the state of development of the industry, we note that the Guidelines do not define the term “start-up business”.

In our view, it is important to define that phrase as the meaning of the phrase is not immediately obvious and also capable of multiple interpretations. Businesses at different stages can qualify as a “start-up business” depending on the indices used. More importantly, the wording of the Guidelines suggests strongly that DFIs can only take up equity directly in start-up businesses as opposed to taking up participating interest in third-party managed venture capital funds, a prospect which we think may hinder the growth of the venture capital industry in Nigeria.

DFIs would also have to do more in terms of building capacity to complement a possible increased allocation to early-stage ventures and as part of own value creation strategy.

In addition to building capacity in terms of evaluating, structuring and negotiating new equity, venture-type transactions, it will be important to develop venture capital investment strategies that are not only reflective of local commercial realities but can also help to mitigate possible risks in a downside event.

Overall, allocations to the venture space will have to be in the form of patient capital, an investment strategy which has now overtaking the traditional venture capital as a source of investment for tech start-ups in mature markets.

- Abayomi-Olukunle, is Lead Transaction Advisor, Balogun Harold (Barristers & Solicitors)

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BUSINESSWORLD

PERSPECTIVE

Partnering to Save Children

Patricia Ebele One of the misfortunes that have endured through history is the death of a mother during pregnancy or childbirth. Another one is losing a child at infancy or at a tender age. These experiences come with so much disappointment and a huge burden of grief.

Experience has shown that the process of giving birth is perhaps one of the most challenging journeys a woman is likely to take. This fact is especially disturbing as new statistics reveal the average percentage of loss of lives every day.

An even more specific and recent depiction is provided by UNICEF which reports that “every single day, Nigeria loses about 2,300 under-five year olds and 145 women of childbearing age.

This makes the country the second largest contributor to the under–five and maternal mortality rate in the world.”

As part of the drive to address this problem, Glaxosmithkline Consumer (GSK) and Save the Children formed a ground-breaking five-year partnership combining Save the Children’s global reach and experience, with GSK’s innovation, resources and expertise. The purpose of this shared value partnership is to help save the lives of one million children by tackling preventable under ‘age five’ child mortality.

The unique partnership, tagged ‘Orange United’ and inaugurated in 2013, is aimed at addressing the needs of children by expanding immunisation coverage to the hardest to reach communities; addressing nutrition needs of children in the poorest countries to reduce malnutrition; amongst other benefits.

In GSK, this partnership has been marked globally every year through various fundraising activities and GSK Nigeria has always been a part of it. The week of 13th June 2016 was another of such opportunity and this culminated in the grand finale on the 17th

June as the ‘Orange United Day’.

Speaking on employee volunteering, Engagement & Communications Manager, GSK Nigeria, Bolaji Sanyaolu, spoke of the passion of the company’s employees in making the fund raising a success. According to her, year after year, the employees play their part in reaching out to the communities around them through various activities, Orange United being one of such activities.

“We all understand that we can improve the quality of lives not only through our medicines, consumer healthcare products and vaccines, but also by the way we add

As part of the drive to address this problem, Glaxosmithkline Consumer (GSK) and Save the Children formed a groundbreaking fiveyear partnership combining Save the Children’s global reach and experience, with GSK’s innovation, resources and expertise

value to the communities within which we operate,” she said.

Head of Health & Child Survival, and representative of Save the Children, Nigeria, Dr. (Mrs) Abimbola Williams, who was also present at the event, commented on the need to take urgent action to reduce infant mortality and maternal deaths, she called for all hands to be on deck in the quest to save more lives.

Williams noted that the objective of Save the Children is to ensure that support is given to children to attain their rights – to survival, to development and to growth.

It is worrying to note that despite the fundamental role a mother plays in the life of a child, Nigeria’s current statistics of 53,000 deaths per year during childbirth is still indicative of inherent lapses in the critical aspects of the healthcare delivery system. A recent UNICEF reports stated that that every 10 minutes, one woman dies on account of pregnancy/ childbirth in Nigeria.

She further spoke about the key thematic areas through which Save the Children operates; health and child survival, nutrition, hunger and livelihood, education and child protection, and also humanitarian response.

She called for support from all well-meaning stakeholders, and emphasised the fact that everyone has a part to play in ensuring that expectant mothers get the required attention from available facilities.

While acknowledging government actions at doubling efforts to bring the problem under control, many experts have blamed the high mortality rate in the country on poor access to health facilities, poverty, illiteracy and unwillingness of pregnant women to access healthcare services and urged Government to provide greater access to healthcare, while also building the capacity of health workers to stem the tide.

Speaking further on the partnership between GSK and Save the Children, Williams said that both organisations have been partners in the mission of saving the lives of children, for many years.

On the rationale behind GSK’s CSR initiatives, Company Secretary and Legal Director, Uche Uwechia said the gesture is a demonstration of GSK Nigeria’s core values of transparency, integrity and patient focus. “From the way we are configured, giving back is a necessary part of how we do business; to reach out and see how the society can be a better place, he said.

“From the way we operate as a business, both as a consumer healthcare and manufacturing company, we cut across in terms of our engagement, some are educational among others, for example we educate patent medicine dealers, we have the pulse program that enables people to take paid vacation away from the office and go to countries where they can work with non- governmental organizations to enable us to share our skills, knowledge and expertise” He added.

“Over the last three years, we have raised a significant amount of funds to help fight malnutrition in children in developing countries.

Since the inception of the partnership, GSK Nigeria have been able to raise about N3 million to support this project and it gladdens our hearts to know that our modest contribution is helping to save the lives of children and that we are a part of that generation that will drastically reduce infant mortality and maternal deaths” Uche concluded.

GSK Plc is one of the world’s leading researchbased pharmaceutical and healthcare companies.

The company is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. − Ebele, a freelance journalist writes from Lagos

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INTERNATIONAL

email:foreigndesk@thisdaylive.com

UK: Theresa May, Leadsom in All-women Race for PM

Interior minister Theresa May and her Eurosceptic rival, Andrea Leadsom, emerged yesterday as the two candidates who will battle to become Britain’s next prime minister and lead the country out of the European Union. May won 199 votes and Leadsom 84 in a second ballot of lawmakers

of the governing Conservative party. Justice Secretary Michael Gove took just 46 votes and was eliminated from the race.

Around 150,000 grassroots Conservatives across the country will now vote to decide whether May or Leadsom becomes Britain’s first woman prime minister since Margaret Thatcher was

Kerry Hopes for Continued Chinese Cooperation on North Korea The United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, said yesterday that he hoped China would continue to cooperate with the United States on sanctions on North Korea, a day after Beijing criticized new U.S. sanctions targeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.“China’s engagement is critical,” Kerry told a news conference during a visit to the Ukrainian capital Kiev, when asked if sanctions could be effective without China’s help.

Kerry said he spoke to China’s foreign minister Wang Yi on Wednesday about cooperation on North Korea.

“Our hope is that we continue to cooperate as we have been in the last months, particularly with the U.N. Security Council resolution that we passed in which China stepped up and significantly increased its own actions with respect to (North Korea),” he said.

At the same time, Kerry said the United States stood “ready and prepared” to return to talks with North Korea aimed at convincing the country to abandon its nuclear weapons program. China’s foreign ministry said earlier on Thursday it opposed the use of unilateral sanctions after the United States announced sanctions on the North Korean leader for the first time.

China has signed up for tough United Nations sanctions against nucleararmed North Korea, but has opposed past unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States. Washington announced sanctions on Kim for the first time on Wednesday, citing “notorious abuses of human rights,” a move diplomats say will infuriate Pyongyang, where the leader is considered infallible.

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forced from office in 1990. The result of the contest is expected

by Sept. 9, meaning businesses and investors must endure two more months of uncertainty over who will lead the huge task of disentangling Britain’s economy from the EU while trying to safeguard trade and investment.

Prime Minister David Cameron said last month he was stepping down after voters, many of them swayed by concerns over high immigration and a desire to reclaim ‘independence’ from Brussels, rejected his entreaties to keep Britain in the EU and his warnings that leaving would spell economic disaster. “This vote

shows that the Conservative Party can come together, and under my leadership it will,” May told supporters after the results were announced.

Until a couple of weeks ago Leadsom, a junior energy minister, was barely known to most Britons, but as one of the leading voices in the successful Leave campaign she has dramatically emerged as a serious challenger as betterknown rivals have been felled by political intrigue. “She’s the future. What you want is someone who’s not been in the Westminster bubble, she’s had a real job in the real world and that’s what people are looking for. I think they’re fed up with

the political elite,”said Leadsom backer Peter Bone.

Bookmakers William Hill made May the 1/5 favorite to win, implying an 83 percent chance, while Leadsom was quoted at 7/2, or 22 percent.

Investor concerns about the impact of the ‘Brexit’ referendum have mounted in recent days, with asset managers suspending trading in commercial property funds worth billions of pounds after too many people rushed to withdraw their money at once.

The pound sterling has sunk below $1.30 for the first time in more than three decades as investors anticipate a slowdown in growth in

Britain in the wake of the vote. Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic adviser to Europe’s largest insurer Allianz, which has around 1.3 trillion euros ($1.4 trillion) under management, said the pound could sink towards parity with the dollar unless politicians got a grip.

“After the Brexit referendum, the UK has to urgently get its political act together,” El-Erian told Reuters in a telephone interview. “’Plan B’ depends on the politicians in London and across the Channel, but so far they have not stepped up to their economic governance responsibilities.”

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ADVERTORIAL

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FRIDAY JULY 8, 2016 • T H I S D AY

NEWS XTRA

Oduah Denies Lodging N2.5bn in Maid’s Account, Threatens Legal Action Tobi Soniyi in Abuja A former Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Adaeze Oduah, now a senator, yesterday said she would take legal action against an online platform over the publication linking her to an alleged N2.5 billion fraud.

The senator said the planned court action had become necessary so as to checkmate the excesses of the platform and put the online news organisation back on the right track of journalism in the interest of this country and those wishing to serve in government.

Citing a source at the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the news platform alleged that Oduah, who is representing Anambra North in the Senate, was involved in a N2.5 billion fraud in an account opened in the name of un-named

housemaid of the senator.

In a statement in Abuja

by Francisca Onyeisi, Head of Communication in the office of Senator Oduah, the ex-aviation minister said the report was totally false, baseless and at best the imagination of the platform which she said was only set out to extort and blackmail leaders in its continuous attempt by their paymasters to break the rank of senators of the eighth assembly.

Oduah challenged the news organisation to produce evidence of the imaginary account of the supposed housemaid to the public.

The statement said over the past few months, the medium has continued to surpass itself by continuously sinking to an all-time low of posting uncorroborated reports to mislead Nigerians to promote the agenda of certain elements whose fight

against corruption could only been seen on pages of newspapers and pockets of their media spinners while millions of Nigerians remained unemployed and hundreds of thousands of kids go to bed hungry day in day out.

The online platform was said to have claimed that its sources in EFCC said a whopping N5.6 billion must have been stolen and went further to contradict itself that the agency had determined it was N3.6 billion then again reduced it to N2.5 billion in the same publication.

The senator lamented the extent to which the online platform has drawn the reputable profession of journalism, to which unfortunately unsuspecting

platforms would copy and paste on theirs without even lifting a pen to confirm the story.

She stated that if truly such account existed as claimed by the online platform and it was still operational and that the so called housemaid had not been called in for questioning when the agency was freezing accounts and going after opposition governors who enjoyed same level of immunity as the president, then something was fundamentally wrong somewhere.

Oduah said at no time did she ask or try to meet with the EFCC chairman The statement read: “We also want to state that while the online platform, well known for its penchant for

lies and spurious allegations may have made another calculated attempt to taint the enviable record and achievements of the distinguished Senator who had made a mark in oil/gas and agricultural businesses before joining politics, we therefore challenge the online platform to produce evidence of the imaginary account of the supposed housemaid to members of the public.

“We would like to state unequivocally that this report is totally false, baseless and has no sense in it, in the first place, Oduah has no female domestic staff, in the second place what would be the sense in putting such money in a personal account, is it for savings or concealment?

Either of which makes no

sense no matter how big the person is.

“We are confident to say that the report did not by any imagination arise from EFCC because the EFCC of today we know are diligent and works with facts. We are convinced that the source of the report must be the handiwork of some mischief makers who have not hidden their determination to bring Oduah down by every means.

“They succeeded in pushing her out of government but failed to stop her from winning her election to th e s e n a t e . I n the same vain, they have continued to pursue her through the court to see if they can root her out.”

LUTH Nurses Vow to Continue Indefinite Strike Martins Ifijeh The Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has stated that it will continue its indefinite strike action until the hospital management tackles what it termed deteriorating working condition of nurses in the hospital.

Stating this yesterday after a meeting with the hospital’s management, the association’s Chairperson, Mrs. Yemisi Adelaja, said no nurse can give optimal performance with the present condition in the hospital, adding that the fight was for the benefit of patients and Nigerians who access care in the facility.

She said: “the hospital management told us they will look into the grievances but that we should go back to work pending when they settle all issues, but when we brought

the news to the association’s congress this afternoon, the unanimous decision was that the strike will continue until the demands are meant,” she noted.

Recall that NANNM, LUTH chapter, started its indefinite strike June 10 over epileptic power supply, poor water supply, lack of consumables, non-promotion of members, non-payment of allowances, among others.

Yemisi also noted that among other issues was the non-promotion of 71 members of their association in the 2015 promotion exercise and nonpayment of teaching allowance to nurses at LUTH. A visit by THISDAY to the hospital showed that only few patients were seen being attended to, as manpower had been greatly reduced due to the strike action by the nurses, thereby forcing relatives to evacuate their loved ones to alternative hospitals.

MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE

Yobe State Governor, Alhaji Abraham of Gaidam; Ibrahim Ahmed Kaitafi, Ado Isyaku; and Ibrahim al-Arab, among other mourners, praying for the repose of the soul of the governor’s Special Adviser on Security Matters, Group Captain Bilal Bulama (rtd) who died after a brief illness in Abuja....yesterday

Ambode: Lekki Free Zone Key to Diversifying Nigerian Economy

Firm Gives Blue Boat Milk to Muslims in Kano

Gboyega Akinsanmi

As part of efforts to nourish lives in the Ramadan period, free samples of Blue Boat Champ1on milk powder is being provided to Muslim faithful in select mosques of Kano.

It is being done in 20 mosques of Kano during IFTAR. This initiative is aimed at nourishing Muslims during the Ramadan period so that they can keep going with their everyday activities.

There have been lots of excitement and happiness amongst the Muslim faithful as they received samples of Blue Boat Champ1on milk powder.

While appreciating the kind gesture, Alhaji Abubakar Abatta, the Imam

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has explained the strategic importance of Lekki Free Trade Zone (LFTZ), noting that the zone was purely conceived to diversify Nigeria’s domestic economy.

The governor, therefore, urged all cooperative societies in the state, especially high-net worth operators, to take advantage of several investment opportunities, which he said, the zone had readily offered.

He made the remark at the 2016 International Cooperative Day in Ikeja, where he described investment in the zone as a viable way for economic diversification and 24/7 industrial production.

Ambode, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Food Security, Mr. Mr. Ganiu

of Ansaruldeen Moslem Society Mosque said: “We are very grateful to Blue Boat for being a part of us during this time of reflection, prayers and giving.

This is the first time we are experiencing this in Kano.”

Ali Nuhu, the brand ambassador of Blue Boat Champ1on has also praised this initiative through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

According to the Brand Manager of Blue Boat Champ1on Foluke Makinde, the initiative which started on June 7, 2016 is helping us reach around four hundred persons per day.

She also said apart from nourishing Muslim faithful we are using this opportunity to celebrate with them during this holy month of Ramadan.

Urges cooperative societies to tap into zone Okanlawon-Sanni, explained that the zone was a special purpose vehicle “to diversify our domestic economy.”

He added that the zone “was specifically developed to provide conducive environment for a 24/7 industrial production of exportable goods and revive Nigeria’s manufacturing sector.”

Consequently, according to the governor, the zone remains an economic hub for business or commercial activities with the presence of several multinationals and manufacturing companies.

However, the governor lamented that business potentials available to cooperative societies in the country was yet to be adequately harnessed for economic benefits despite their huge capital base.

Ambode promised to provide enabling environment

for profitable investment of cooperative funds in addition to honing the skills of cooperators for positive contribution to the State’s development.

“I am aware that cooperatives societies have been established as far back as 1948, which then means that overtime we have failed to tap the huge potentials in this sub-sector.”

He explained the core reason the state government established the State’s Cooperative College at Oko-Oba, Agege, noting that the college was established “to boost interest in cooperative activities.”

Ambode described the business model of cooperative societies as durable, contemporary, resilient and relevant in harnessing the synergy engendered by cooperative businesses.

Also speaking, the

Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Mr. Rotimi Ogunleye, said the vision of the Ambode administration was “to position the cooperative societies as strong players in the state’s economic development initiatives.

“The International Day of Cooperatives is a huge platform to celebrate cooperators’ collective efforts and showcase the dynamics and contributions of the Cooperative Movement to economic development.

“In Lagos State, the contributions of cooperatives are visible in various sectors and activities notably transportation, job creation, housing and infrastructure.

Cooperative societies have housing schemes through which they deliver affordable houses to the people.”

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NEWSXTRA

HarvestPlus Explains How Youths Can Benefit from School Feeding Programme Crusoe Osagie To leverage on the federal government’s home-grown school feeding scheme, youths must explore opportunities in biofortified crops, such as vitamin A cassava and vitamin A maize, which have been integrated into the programme, in producing high-in-demand nutritious staples.

Country Manager of HarvestPlus Nigeria, Dr. Paul Ilona, made the submission at the pro-vitamin A cassava pastry training for women in pastry business, sponsored

by United Kingdom’s Department of International Development (DFID) Market Development for the Niger Delta (MADE) in partnership with HarvestPlus in Akwa Ibom.

In a statement by HarvestPlus’ Communication Officer, Ikechukwu Onyewuchi, Ilona was quoted as saying that it was unfortunate that an average of 2,300 infants die every day while 145 women die at child birth, noting that every child and pregnant woman has the right to live.

The training was organised to teach 150 young female caterers in the state how to utilise vitamin A cassava in pastries production, as well as, profitable business practices so as to scale their operations for commercialisation.

“We must work to bridge the gap and arrest the rising mortality challenge.

Interestingly, in training youths to produce nutritious foods, we are ensuring that they make substantial income while saving lives. Every business must enjoy one

form of monopoly or the other, and this may come in terms of quality of products, which would, in the long run, stand them out. Without training youths, especially on how to assure quality in products, they will follow the bandwagon of failed businesses. DFID-MADE does not want that, hence the investment in this training,” Ilona said.

On how youths can capitalise on the schoolfeeding programme in states that sign up for the scheme, he said: “If youths buy into the school-feeding programme, they will become pioneers because a new market would be open to them. At the national level, a lot is being done in promoting the scheme. So, it shouldn’t be hard to access a market for beneficiaries of the training we have embarked on today.”

One of the participants at the training, Imeobong Edet, who runs a 10-hectre farm in the state, said she was inspired to go into farming by the prospect of feeding Nigerians with nutritious foods, adding that not only has she succeeded in this mandate, she has also opened a processing plant, where she converts her farm produce to staples such as fufu, garri, and most recently, vitamin A fortified flour.

Another participant, a physically-challenged lady, Grace Umoh, said has been offered an opportunity to make the best of her disability, as after a previous training session, she now produces confectionaries from which she makes N20,000 a week from supplying nutritious

NAF Jets Raid Terrorists’ Locations in Northern Borno Senator Iroegbu in Abuja

The Air Component of Operation Lafiya Dole has recorded another major success yesterday in its air campaign against the Boko Haram Terrorists as two x F-7Ni fighter aircraft struck a terrorists’ location at Northern Borno.

The Director of Public Relations and Information (DOPRI), Group Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa, in a statement yesterday, said the location lies between Tumbum Rego and Malkonory and is about 25km from Kangarwa where own surface forces are currently harboured.

The location, Famuyiwa said, harbours Boko Haram terrorists’ makeshift structures and about four to six clusters of solar panels which are used by the terrorists to power communications equipment and for lighting.

He said the latest strike is part of the air operations conducted by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) in support of the efforts by own surface

forces and the Multi National Joint Task Force to rid the northern part of Borno of the remnants Boko Haram terrorists in an operation code-named “Operation Gama Aiki.”

He said: “The location, prior to the strike yesterday, had been under surveillance for sometimes but was reported active by a NAF Beechcraft aircraft on Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) mission.

“Thereafter, the Fighter aircraft were immediately scrambled for interdiction.”

According to Famuyiwa, the success of this operation is another major setback for the BHTs even as the NAF intensifies air operations in the Northeast against the insurgents.

More so, he said, it is instructive to note that the mission yesterday was conducted by crew amid the Salah celebration.

“This brings to fore the commitment of NAF personnel towards successfully bringing the hostility in the Northeast to an end within the shortest possible time,” he added.

snacks to supermarkets in the state.

Noting that she now compliments efforts of her husband, she said, “I have been empowered to be productive and useful in the society. My products

are in high demand and I am now able to comfortable take care of my new baby.”

On her part, Gender Officer, MADE, Unyime Johnson, said the training would equip caterers, especially women, with

skills to exploit improved cassava variety to contribute in uplifting households and providing a means of livelihood to many.

She said, “the vitamin Cassava has helped many people in the state and

we are bringing together caterers in top hotels in the state to teach them how to make the best of the flour produced from the improved product. They would help in evangelising the benefit of the product to others.”

WE ARE THE PARTY TO BEAT

L-R: Stalwarts of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, Chief Tom Ikimi, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion; Chief Tony Anenih; and Chief Dan Orbih, during the commencement of campaign by the PDP governorship candidate in the state, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, in BeninCity....Monday

Benin Crown Prince Abia Youths Sue for Peace Congratulates Party Candidates over Governorship Tussle in Edo Guber Election Akinwale Akintunde we therefore appeal to the

APC youths protest non-inclusion of Igbinedion on Ize-Iyamu’s campaign train Adibe Emenyonu in Benin Benin Crown Prince and Edaiken N’Uselu, Eheneden Erediauwa, has congratulated all the aspirants that emerged as the gubernatorial candidate of their parties in Edo State.

The Edaiken N’Uselu who made the congratulatory message through a statement signed by the Secretary of the Benin Traditional Council, Frank Irabor, and made available to journalists in Benin City yesterday, urged all politicians to carry out their campaign in a peaceful manner.

The crown prince while impressing it on politicians to have the interest of the people at heart, also prayed that God and the spirit of his ancestors would bless and protect them in the course of their campaigns.

Meanwhile, youths in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state have described as embarrassing and insulting the non-inclusion of former Governor Lucky Igbinedion’s name on the list of persons in the campaign train of Pastor Osagie IzeIyamu.

They challenged the leadership of the party in the state to explain to Edo people why the former governor

would not be leading the PDP campaign ahead of the September 10 governorship election.

In a statement signed by the state APC youth leader, Osakpamwan Eriyo, it narrated that “it is shocking to us that we saw about eighty names in the campaign train of Ize-Iyamu, we saw some former governors, former ministers who are not from this state but we never saw the name of our brother, Lucky Igbinedion, who is a PDP leader and who made Ize-Iyamu what he is today.

“We see this as an insult and we demand an explanation from the Orbihled PDP. It is more shocking because everybody in Edo State knows the relationship between Ize-Iyamu and Igbinedion so how come he is being omitted in the list of those who will campaign for Ize-Iyamu.

“Ize-Iyamu was Igbinedion’s Personal Assistant when he was chairman of Oredo. When Lucky became governor, he made Ize-Iyamu the Chief of Staff and later SSG. So why is it that Igbinedion’s name is missing on that list or is Ize-Iyamu saying that he does not have confidence in the same person that made him.”

Youths from Abia State resident in Lagos have urged all parties, politicians, royal fathers, community leaders, religious bodies and all other stakeholders in Abia State to be peaceful and remain calm pending the decision of courts on the disputed governorship tussle in the state.

The youths, under the aegis of Abia State Town Union Association National Youth Wing made the call yesterday in a communique issued at the end of its meeting held in Lagos.

The communique was jointly signed by its president, Mr. Ikenna James, secretary, Joel Okorie, Legal Adviser, James Nwabuche and representatives of the three senatorial district in the state, comprising Dr. Chukwuemeka Nwogu of Abia Central, Mr. Nathaniel Umunna Abel of Abia South and Godwin Ukariwe Ajike of Abia North.

The socio-cultural group expressed it confidence in the judiciary and appealed to the third arm of the government as the last hope of the common man to expedite action on the state governorship to avoid complete break down of law and order in the state.

“We have no other state to call ours other than Abia, we are urging all parties and stakeholders in the state to embrace peace by respect the decisions of courts in this matter.

“We have absolute confidence in the judiciary of this country,

judiciary to accelerate action on the Abia State governorship tussle to avoid anarchy,” the group stated.

Also, a political group, Abia Good Governance Advocacy Project, has expressed its support for Dr. Uche Ogah, saying it is confident Ogah would bring positive change to the state if given a chance.

The group in a statement signed by its coordinator, Dr. Chukwuemeka Nwogu, also called on Abia State Chief Judge, Justice Theresa Uzokwe, to immediately swear in Ogah as governor of the state since there is no stay of execution order up till now.

According to the group, as stakeholders in the state, they have watched with keen interest , the state of affairs in the state since Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu assumed office as governor over a year ago, saying there has not been any meaningful development in the state.

The group said even though Ikpeazu has good intentions to develop the state, he would not be able to because of his godfathers who planted him there to cover there looting track in the state.

The group further said it believed that Ogah’s victory at the Federal High Court was an act of God designed to bring relief and succour to Abia people from tyranny, maladministration and mismanagement of public wealth since the return of democracy.

FRIDAY JULY 8, 2016 • T H I S D AY

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NEWSXTRA

Ebonyi Allocates Land to Commissioners, Others for Compulsory Rice Production Launches one-man, one-hectare scheme

The Ebonyi State Government has revved up its agricultural programme by allocating land to the members of the state executive council.

The event, which took place at Ezillo Government Farm in Ishielu Local Government Area is the first phase of Governor David Umahi’ a policy to involve every segment of the society in massive rice production.

The Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Uchenna Orji, led the team comprising agric extension workers and officials of IFAD to carry out the exercise.

Orji, according to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Emma Anya, said 140 hectares of land were allocated to the exco members for the cultivation of rice under the Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited in line with IFAD requirement for cooperative system and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The remaining 1,360 hectares were set aside for

other cooperative societies and individuals that have already keyed into the policy through the IFAD and CBN-anchored borrowers’ programme.

Orji, who described the agric programme of the David Umahi administration as all inclusive, said tractors would be mobilised to the site immediately in line with the governor’s vision of massive rice production for commercial quantity.

He added: “ We do expect that through the Senior Special Assistant on rice production, Chief Itakpa Azobu, that latest by Monday, July 4,we will mobilise our tractors to come here.

“It is in line with governor’s vision that we should not only go into mechanisation of farming, we should go commercial.

W are going to express that this 2016 farming season.”

In an interview ,the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Senator Emmanuel Onwe, said it was exco’s decision that any individual of mature

age, whether government appointee or civil servant, must cultivate at least one or two hectares of land to boost agriculture in the state.

The Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Ebonyi State University, Prof. Folusho David, commended the agricultural policy and called on government to continue the sensitisation of farmers in the area.

Other exco members who spoke, were the SSA to the governor on Rice Production; the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mr.Obinna Nwachukwu, SSA on Infrastructure Development, Chief Ali Odefa; Commissioner for Education, Prof.John Eke, Commissioner for Justice, Augustine Nwankwagu.

They said exco was poised to demonstrate to the world that Ebonyi State was a rice producing state.

The Commissioner for Border Peace and Conflict Resolution, Mrs. Elizabeth

Ogbaga, who spoke on behalf of the female exco members, said tomatoes production would be their major area of concern.

Meanwhile, the state government will next month launch a one-man, one-hectare scheme in its determined effort to make the state Nigeria’s number one rice producer.

Governor David Umahi made this known yesterday in Abakaliki during an agricultural summit for civil/public servants.

Umahi, at the well attended event, said his administration would guarantee loans from the federal government in order to encourage the civil and public servants to restore the state’s pride of place in the agricultural sector.

He said: “As a sovereign state, we must be prepared to continue to be a sovereign state. I am appealing to our civil servants to key into this programme.

“Government will give you soft loan. A loan that will come from the federation account. We will grantee it so that you will get it. In August we are going to do a launching of one-man, one -hectare in Ebonyi State.

The governor also told the gathering that his administration was determined to “empower over 1,000 of our youths and 1,000 of our women to go into agriculture and other semi-skilled business that would take off with soft loans.

He said his government was “planning to have six mega cities in Ebonyi State,” adding that any local government area that was able to provide 5,000 hectares of land would serve as the pilot ground.

According to Umahi, the world Bank and CBN had already indicated interest in the project which will also have irrigation facility.

The governor added: “We

will put some social amenities there. We will put the rice husk power plant. We will put rice mill and buying centre. We are going to work with our consultant. When we met World Bank and discussed that with them, they said they are working in Kogi State. If the Ministry of Agriculture gives approval, they will include Ebonyi.”

He restated his government’s commitment to the welfare of workers and appealed to them to key into his vision of boosting the state’s economy through agriculture.

He added that four new buses with airconditioners had been purchased by his government to ease transportation of workers to the Centennary City. The city partly serves as the state’s new secretariat.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Orji, had said the government was tragetting 80,000 farmers to be involved in the agricultural revolution this year.

Shea Alliance, USAID Partner, Sign $13m Agreement for Industry Growth and Sustainability Chiemelie Ezeobi y The Global Shea Alliance and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), yesterday said it signed a $13 million, fiveyear agreement to promote shea markets worldwide and improve sustainable production in Africa.

Under this Global Development Alliance, at least 40 warehouses will be constructed in Nigeria and 40 women’s groups will be formed and trained to manage those warehouses for shea collection and processing.

According to President of the Global Shea Alliance, Moumouni Konate, the shea industry is changing and companies, governments and donors are investing more in sustainable production and improving the benefit to 16 million women collectors and processors.

“The goal of this critical partnership is to help women collectors and processors organise into cooperatives, obtain equipment and training and improve the financial benefit from the sale of their products.

Stronger and more profitable women’s groups will process more shea, improve quality, and protect the trees.”

Also, USAID West Africa Mission Director, Alex Deprez, during the Global Shea Alliance’s annual conference in Accra, Ghana, said, “We know well the benefits of increased trade for rural communities across Africa.

“The Global Shea Alliance is pioneering efforts to grow markets and improve the livelihoods of rural women and their families that stand at the base of the shea value chain.

We are proud to partner in these activities.”

According to the group, the partnership will match up to $6.5 million in USAID funds with $6.5 million in private sector funding raised by the Global Shea Alliance to implement promotional and sustainability activities in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria.

They also hope to: “Construct 250 warehouses for women shea collector and processor groups; provide capacity building and trainings for 137,500 women shea collectors and processors; “Launch health and safety initiatives for women collectors; improve the financial benefit of women collectors and processors by 50 percent.

“Launch research projects to improve shea tree planting materials; support tree planting campaigns and improved management of parklands; launch resource conservation projects to reduce wood and water use.

“Host annual conferences and exhibitions in Africa, the United States, and the European Union; and a variety of other international engagements to grow shea markets worldwide.”

REPLENISH WITH THIS

Blue Boat milk powder being distributed to some Muslim faithful during the sallah celebration at the Ansaruldeen Moslem Society Mosque in Kano...Tuesday

Faleke Group Condemns Muilti-billion Naira Vehicle Bazaar in Kogi The Audu-Faleke political organisation has slammed the Governor Yahaya Bello-led government in Kogi State over the mind-boggling vehicle purchase bazaar involving the administration.

In a statement on behalf of the group by its Director, Media and Publicity, Duro Meseko, they noted that it was the height of insensitivity to the current appalling plight of Kogi indigenes for the government to splash over a billion naira to purchase luxury cars and trucks for some political appointees and top government officials.

“We find it hard to believe that despite repeated admonitions by well meaning groups and individuals, the

Yahaya Bello administration still went ahead on an unimaginable flight of fancy by purchasing expensive vehicles for use by some aides of the governor and the governor himself. Credible information reaching us indicate that Ford SUVs(jeeps) worth N18 Million per one and Ford Ranger Truck(pickup van) worth N6 Million per one were purchased for the 21 local government caretaker chairmen in the state totalling N504 million. This is aside the 70 Ford Ranger trucks purportedly purchased for the Police totalling N420 million.

And of course different from the N135 million bullet proof Range Rover ordered for the governor and being shipped

home presently. We also have on good authority the official BMW already purchased for the office of the Chief of Staff to the governor as well as a G-Wagon Mercedes Ben! The repairs and maintenance of the Chief of Staff, is fleet are currently done at Coscharis motors in Abuja.

“We are really sad with the way our commonwealth in Kogi is being managed under the leadership, of Yahaha Bello. Even the President of the country, Muhammadu Buhari, has not changed his official car since he assumed office. What happened to the official vehicles in these local governments? What is wrong with the official vehicles left behind for the governor by the

previous administrations? Must a responsive administration be this insensitive to the people who eagerly voted for good governance?

“As we speak, the socioeconomic plight of Kogi people is frightening, with unpaid salaries up to the roof while basic amenities have become a mirage. Should the government not have been more prudent in the allocation of the state,s scarce resources instead of recklessly wasting it? The time has come for all men of conscience and goodwill to call Bello to order. Need we remind him that Kogi State is bleeding and chocking right now? We certainly cannot go on like this,” the statement declared.

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FRIDAY JULY 8, 2016 • T H I S D AY

NEWSEXTRA

Cross River to Establish Homeland Security Service Bassey Inyang in Calabar The Cross River Government is to set up a Homeland Security Service as part of measures to address the issues of crime and other security challenges in the

state.

Governor Ben Ayade disclosed this while receiving the French Consul-General, Laurent Polonceaux, and his entourage on a courtesy visit to Calabar.

He explained that the essence

16 Years of Chieftaincy Tussle Resolved Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja A 16-year-old battle between the warring parties in OdokoroGbede communities over traditional stool in Ijumu Local Government Area in Kogi State has been put to rest following the intervention of the administrator of the local government area, Alhaji Taufiq Isa. The Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, had earlier directed the administrators of the 21 local government areas to ensure the amicable settlements of some crises-ridden communities in the state.

In line with the directive issued by the governor, the Administrator of Ijumu Local Government Area, who is also ALGON state chairman, Alhaji Taufiq Isa, swung into action to resolved the lingering crisis that engulfed the Odokoro-Gbede community in the last 16 years, leaving it without a paramount ruler.

Recently, due to the reconciliatory efforts of the

present administrator, a truce was reached as Alhaji Isa Abdul Ganiyu Elewonibi 11 was installed as the Olu of Odokoro Gbede yesterday.

At the coronation ceremony, the Oba of Iyamoye, Alhaji Ibrahim Momoh, in his speech, said Elewonibi, deserved the long agitated royal stool, noting that he was the rightful person to occupy the exalted position.

The newly-coronated Olu of Odokoro-Gbede while presenting his speech, thanked the people for the immeasurable support given to him.

Also speaking, the state Commissioner for Education, Hon. Sunday Tolorunleke who represented the governor said the ceremony was made possible because of the governor’s peace agenda.

He added that he had earlier directed that all community disputes must be resolved by the administrators, and thanked Taufiq for his leadership qualities in resolving crisis of over 16 years.

of the Homeland Security Service, which would be entirely nonarm bearing outfit, would be a complete departure from the traditional methods of policing.

Ayade said the envisaged Homeland Security which is expected to provide 3,000 jobs for Cross Riverians would concentrate but not limited to providing intelligence, profiling of visitors coming into the state and out of the state, including carrying out services such as neighborhood watch and providing intelligent data and services to police.

The governor who disclosed that the state would rely on the support of the government of France for technical and other logistics support for the security organisation, said: “With the visit of the Consul-General of France in Nigeria and with the useful deliberation we

have had, with regards to the security challenges facing the Niger Delta at this period, and looking at how Lafarge can do business much better in a less security tense atmosphere, it becomes imperative for us to create a security architecture that can protect Lafarge and extend other services to other citizens and visitors to Cross River State.”

According to the governor, “Cross River State has been the home of tourism, a signature and hallmark of hospitality and good lifestyle for all Africans, it is imperative we make it very safe.”

Ayade noted: “It was against this background that the Cross River State Government, with technical partnership from the French government would be looking at the possibility of setting up a Cross River State Homeland Security service.

“The Homeland Security service is a complete departure from what is the tradition. It will, however, include but not limited to issues like providing intelligence, profiling of visitors coming in and out, providing intelligence services also, doing neigbourhood check, neigbourhood watch. It will also assist in furnishing the police and other security agencies with information on who comes in and out of the state by providing intelligence, data to police. It will be a non-arm bearing outfit with assistance from the French government support necessary to succeed.”

He also explained that the “homeland security service which will focus more on intelligence gathering in a digital nature, will require satellite technology which we expect to get some institutional approval from the

federal government. It is our hope and strong conviction that this is the way to go in the face of the challenging tension we have in the Niger Delta.”

The governor further disclosed that an executive bill would be sent to the state House of Assembly for passage into a law.

Speaking earlier, the ConsulGeneral of France in Nigeria, Laurent Polonceaux, who was accompanied on the visit by the Head of Lafarge Cement plant, Calabar, expressed gratitude to Ayade for the fruitful meeting and harped on the need for a more healthy and robust cooperation between his country and Cross River, especially on the area of doing business with Lafarge and water provision which his country is currently providing for Obubra and Okpoma.

Ajimobi Demands Apology to Re-open Schools Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has requested for a letter of apology from schools whose pupils took part in a protest against government’s proposed education initiative.

The Chairman, National Parents Teachers Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), Oyo State chapter, Alhaji Abiodun Jimoh, disclosed this in Ibadan yesterday after a meeting with the governor.

Pupils in the state had on June 6 went on the rampage in protest against the state government’s proposed public/private participatory management of schools.

The pupils had protested following allegations that the state government had sold their schools.

Government had, however, dismissed the allegations several times, saying the initiative was participatory and aimed at boosting the education sector.

Jimoh told journalists that the association had visited the governor to appeal to him to re-open the schools which were shut down by the state government over the incident.

The NAPTAN chairman said the governor had expressed displeasure over the involvement of pupils

in the protest.

He said Ajimobi had demanded that he would re-open the schools only if the affected institutions submitted letters of apology to government over the unruly behaviour of their pupils.

“The governor said the heads of the schools should write letters of apology to the government.

“We have promised him that we will meet with the heads of the schools to immediately write the letter in the interest of the pupils.

“We are fed up with the strike action and our children staying at home for so long.

We want them back in school and for teachers to resume at their duty posts,” he said.

Jimoh also said the association would wade into the face-off between labour and government.

He added that the governor had explained to them the agreement reached with labour on the modalities for the payment of salaries to workers.

Jimoh noted that the governor had also stressed the need for labour to embrace dialogue, saying his government was predisposed to this anytime.

PRODUCT EXHIBITION

Nigerian shea butter collectors at the 2015 African Cosmetics Exhibition of the Lagos International Trade Fair....recently USAID/West Africa

PDI Lauds EFCC’s Contribution to Good Governance The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been commended for its enforcement efforts aimed at institutionalising good governance practices in the management of political parties in the country.

The anti-graft agency was commended at a one-day roundtable on ‘Political Parties as Public Institutions, Need for Good Governance Practice,’ organised by the Peoples Democratic Institute (PDI) and Coalition for Democracy and Credible Election (CODECE) in Abuja, yesterday.

Speaking at the occasion, the Director General of PDI, Dr. Lanre Adebayo, emphasised the critical importance of good governance in the management of political parties, adding that the initiative of the current leadership of the EFCC to promote financial accountability in political

parties should be supported by the Nigerian civil society and the mass media.

Adebayo observed the central role of political parties to democratic governance in the country, adding that the quality of representative democracy and the well-being of Nigerians depended on an elective and efficient management of political parties.

He further argued that under the current Nigerian Constitution, political parties are public institutions whose operations must adhere to international best practices in political party management and operations.

Adebayo also contended: “Poor intr-party management and lack of internal democracy were major factors in the political challenges that the country had faced in the past and the EFCC’s enforcement

of good governance has the potential of further strengthening our national efforts to depersonalise ownership and control of political parties.”

The PDI boss noted that as a pioneer initiative, there would be expected misunderstanding and mistakes from both sides of the issue, adding that there was a need for capacity building especially for managers of political parties and political campaigns as well as senior officials of the commission.

He also disclosed that the PDI had entered into discussion with the Institute for Governance and Leadership Studies in Africa with a view to developing relevant training curriculum as part of the global efforts to support democratic governance in the country.

He further said the professional institutions such

as the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and the EFCC would be part of the faculty of the programmes.

In a communique issued at the end of the one day roundtable which was held at the institute’s conference centre, participants commended the current Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu for the enhanced professionalism and dynamism that he has introduced into operations of the commission.

Participants called for improved funding of the EFCC. They also called for greater synergy between the commission and research centres across the country in the areas of intelligence sharing, monitoring and capacity building especially in the area of political parties’ finances and campaign funds mobilisation and management.

FRIDAY JULY 8, 2016 • T H I S D AY

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CRIME&PUNISHMENT APC, CNPP Challenge Fayose to Waive Immunity APC only displaying ignorance over gov’s immunity, says state govt

Olakiitan Victor in Ado Ekiti The Ekiti State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) and other antiFayose groups yesterday trooped to the streets of Ado Ekiti in protest against alleged looting of the state’s commonwealth by Governor Ayodele Fayose.

The coalition described the action of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) freezing accounts belonging and operated by Fayose in Zenith Bank Plc for allegedly containing N1.3 billion slush fund from the office of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) to fund the governor’s campaign in 2014.

Large retinue of policemen and men of the Department of State Services were deployed to provide cover for the mammoth crowd that attended the rally.

The placard-carrying protesters, which comprise party leaders, students, youth groups, artisans and other like-minded individuals, marched from Fajuyi park through Okeyinmi and stopped at Ijigbo

area where they were addressed by leaders of each group.

In what seems like a general consensus, the protesters passed confidence vote on the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari and his anti-corruption war, challenging the EFCC to dig deep into the finances of the state and prosecute whoever was indicted in the looting of the state’s treasury.

They chanted anti-Fayose’s songs to deride the way the governor had allegedly been looting the state, especially his alleged indictment in the N1.2 billion arms fund, alleged collection of kickbacks from contractors handling various projects in the state to buy multibillion naira property in Lagos, among others.

The APC acting Chairman in the state, Mrs. Kemi Olaleye, expressed regret about how the immunity conferred on Fayose in line with section 308 of the constitution, had been impeding his prosecution for alleged embezzlement of funds.

“We are tired of immunity clause. Immunity has become impunity in Ekiti. We condemn Governor Fayose’s corrupt tendencies .Things must change.

The EFCC must do its job and ensure that looters of Ekiti are brought to justice,” she said.

A statement presented by the CNPP Chairman in the state, Mr. Tunji Ogunlola, challenged Fayose to waive his immunity and face prosecution over alleged involvement in N4.7 billion arms deal alongside former Minister of State for Defence , Musiliu Obanikoro and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Osun State in the last poll, Mr. Iyiola Omisore.

“On the issue of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, we ask the 17 members alleged to have falsified their certificates to submit themselves for prosecution. It is very unfortunate that their primary roles have been abandoned for Fayose’s defence.

“We also plead with the federal government not to release bailout for payment of salary to Governor Fayose. The Federal Ministry of Finance should pay into workers’ accounts directly, because we have lost confidence in the government.

The previous N9.6billion bailout

should be probed.

“We want to commend the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, and Director General of the DSS, Mr. Lawal Daura for probing alleged political thuggery levelled against PDP government in Ekiti.

However, Fayose has said the APC protesters asking him to waive his immunity were doing so out of ignorance and desperation to win the state in 2018 knowing that their aim can only be achieved if he is out of the way.

It said it was a failed agenda ab initio because the government was ever ready for them on a daily basis like soldiers guarding the entrance of military formation, adding that they should know that this is 2016 and not 2006.

A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, Fayose said: “Their whole agenda is about 2018 and their game plans are what we are now seeing using the EFCC to concoct lies and using the media to disparage Fayose, but they can’t go far.

In Brief

War on Crime: Wike Donates Security Vans, Bulletproof Vests to Police

To further strengthen the Nigerian Police to fight crime in Rivers State, Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has donated additional 20 patrol vans fitted with state-of-the-art communication equipment to the security agency. The governor and the 23 local government areas of the state had on two previous occasions released 110 patrol vans to security agencies operating in the state. The latest donation brings the number to 130 security vans fitted with communication gadgets. The governor also facilitated the release of dedicated telephone lines to the police for faster response to residents in distress. Wike further released bullet proof vests and helmets to the state police command. Making the presentation of the security facilities to the state police command, the governor who represented by the Permanent Secretary of Government House, Port Harcourt, Mr Onyemachi Nwankwo, assured all security agencies operating in the state of his commitment to assisting them with the required logistics to perform. He noted that the state government will continue to play her role in the strengthening of the state security architecture, so that people can continue to peacefully live and do business in the state. Wike commended the police for her efforts to enhance the security of lives and property in the state. Receiving the patrol vans, Rivers State Commissioner of Police ,, Foluso Adebanjo, commended the governor for responding to the demand for facilities that will help nip crime in the bud. He urged eminent persons and the general public to cooperate with the police on the issue of providing useful information towards enable the force bring down criminality down to their barest minimum in the State. Also speaking, the Chairman, Traditional Rulers’ Council of Rivers Sate, Amayanabo of Opobo Kingdom King Dandyson Jaja called for collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to fight crime. He identified the abuse of drugs as a factor responsible for the increase of crime in the state.

Clergyman Abducted in Kaduna

A senior pastor of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Kabene-Surubu, village in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Rev. Yusuf Magaga, has been kidnapped by unknown gunmen.

The kidnappers were said to have demanded for N2 million as ransom for the release of the clergyman. Narrating how the pastor was abducting in a telephone interview, a resident of the village, Mr. Jacob Wakili said the incident took place at about 2:00am on Wednesday when an armed gang, suspected to be fulani herdsmen attacked the area. “My village was attacked by Fulani herdsmen, but thank God the people were able to mobilised for defence.

The criminals still destroyed part of ECWA church, took away the pastor of the church and left a few people injured” Wakili said. He added that the situation would have been bloody, were it not for the intervention of the local vigilante in the community.

He said the kidnappers were already demanding for N2 million as ransom for the release of the clergy man. The community was said to been apprehensive following the incident for fear of further attack. The spokesman of the state police command, Zubairu Abubakar, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) as he was not responding to phone calls.

FAYOSE MUST GO

Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) protesting against Governor Ayodele Fayose’s government in Ado Ekiti....yesterday

Seven Killed in Renewed Cross River Communal Clash Bassey Inyang in Calabar No fewer than seven persons have been feared killed following fresh outbreak of violent hostilities between Inyima community in Yakurr Local Government Area and Onyadama community in Obubra Local Government Area in Cross River State.

Apart from the dead, scores of persons from both communities, located in the central part of the state, are nursing various degrees of injuries sustained from gunshots and machetes cuts adopted freely by combatants from both communities.

It was gathered that the on-going war between both communities, located about 200 kilometres from Calabar, the state capital, started on Tuesday.

The latest fighting came on the

heels of what had been described as a truce reached recently between both communities after the state government stepped in to resolve the conflicts between them.

Feelers from motorists and road users said the combatants, mostly youths from both communities were shooting sporadically across the section of Calabar-Ikom-Ogoja Federal Highway, thereby endangering the lives of those travelling to other destinations.

It was further gathered that parts of the highway that fall into sections of both communities were blocked by the combatants who intercepts vehicles, interrogate the occupants to identify those perceived to be from the enemy camp, and in the process kill those they

suspect with machete blows or gunshots.

A traveller who said he did not want his name in print, lamented how he narrowly escaped death by the whisker while travelling through the road.

“I advise people travelling from Calabar to Ikom or Ikom to Calabar. As at yesterday, the Inyima/ Nko people were at Onyadama Bridge shooting sporadically. Many have died, many went back to their various destinations. People now use Abakaliki road. The government should speedily intervene. Untimely death is not our portion in Jesus name,”he stated.

Information has it that both communities have been engaging each other in internecine warfare over a protracted land dispute

involving them since 2008.

The last war between both communities took place in March this year, when Inyima community was completely destroyed.

The Public Relations Officer for the Cross River State Police Command, Ms Irene Ugbo, who spoke on the fresh outbreak of war between both communities said the state police commissioner, Mr. Jimoh OziObeh, ordered that policemen be deployed to restore peace in the affected communities.

She said normally has been restored to the affected areas as a detachment of anti- riot policemen deployed there have cleared the road blocks mounted by the warring youths of both communities.

NSCDC Cordons off Osun NUJ Press Centre Officers and men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) yesterday condoned off the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre, Osun State Council and barred journalists from holding its congress. The security outfit, acting on the information that some journalists were coming to the centre to foment trouble, arrived at the press centre as early as 7a.m. and condoned off the premises. Men of the agency, who were armed to the teeth, manned the entrance of the NUJ and prevent anybody from entering the premises. It was gathered that members of the caretaker committee allegedly appointed by the President of the NUJ, Waheed Odusile, approached the security agency to preventing the congress from holding.

The development followed the leadership crisis which had engulfed the union since last February election of the union.

The election was held on February 11 where Mr. Biodun Olalere emerged the winner and the losers congratulated the winners.

The winners immediately took oath of office supervised by all National Officers of the union led by Vice President, ‘B’ Zone of the union. But a month later, Odusile annulled the election hinging his action on a petition he allegedly received from some group of people. Since then the union had know no peace because majority of the members rejected the annulment of the election and constitution of the so-called caretaker committee whose members included signatories to the said petition. The national secretariat of the union led by Odusile had since given support to the caretaker committee he allegedly imposed on the members of the union and mandated the three-man committee to takeover the NUJ Press Centre at all cost.

54

T H I S D AY •FRIDAY JULY 8, 2016

FRIDAYSPORTS Eguavoen: Keshi Remains Nigeria’s Best Coach after Westerhof

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

Kunle Adewale

Former Super Eagles player and coach, Austin Eguavoen, has described the late Stephen Keshi as the only coach to get anywhere near the achievements of Dutchman, Clemens Westerhof in Nigerian football.

Eguavoen who is also a member of Westerhof’s 1994 Golden Generation that won the Africa Cup of Nations as well as qualified Nigeria for the World Cup for the first time at USA’94, told THISDAY on Tuesday in Lagos that Keshi surpassed all the other indigenous coaches on the Eagles job.

Speaking at the unveiling of Jay Jay Okocha Foundation in Lagos during the week, Eguavoen said the Big Boss only come second to Westerhof in terms of managerial success of the national team.

“One of the most successful managers this country had had was Westerhof, after which Keshi comes next. Of all the local coaches, Keshi remains the most successful. All of us that passed through Westerhof tried to emulate his style of management.

“Under him we had five captains in the national team - the head captain and four assistant captains and in all the clubs that I’ve coached I used this style.

Unfortunately, this was what some people interpreted to mean a mafia group existed in the national team.

On the allegation that some players like Jonathan Akpoborie and Chidi Nwanu were shut out of the national team by the mafia, the former Super Eagles captain reacted thus: “I had very little time with Jonathan in the national team. My first game for Nigeria was on July 4, 1986 and Jonathan was in the Under-20 team at that time.

As a matter of fact, I was his captain in the U-20 team but because I was a little above the age limit I did not go to Chile (for the 1987 World Youth Championship). I left for Genk in Belgium.

Eguavoen said he did not return to the team to meet Akpoborie in the team.

“I did not come back to meet Jonathan until 1997 prior to 1998 World Cup in France and Philippe Troussier was the coach. So, if you say he was shut out of the national team and the Super Eagles was not coached by a local coach, I still cannot fathom that,” stressed the former Eagles coach.

He continued: “Troussier qualified the country to the 1998 World Cup but it was Bora Milutinovi that took the team to the Mundial and I was playing as a professional in Belgium, so I don’t understand where Jonathan was coming from.”

As for Chidi Nwanu, Cerezo, as Eguavoen was called by his admirers said the former captain of the defunct ACB of Lagos should be grateful that he ever played for the country at the highest level.

“He should be happy that he ever had the chance to play for Nigeria in the first place.

No doubt he was one of the finest defenders this country had produced. But how many qualifying games did he play for Nigeria? But when he had the chance at the World Cup proper he took his chance and played.

“Keshi was injured just before the Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia and that was why he was not having regular playing time and at that point Uche Okafor was drafted to take over from him.

But by the time we arrived at the USA for the World Cup Westerhof found out that Nwanu was a better player

GTBank Ogun State Principals’ Cup Set for S’final Showdown The semi-finals of the GTBank Ogun State Principals’ Cup, Season 4, kicks off today at the M.K.O Abiola International Stadium, Abeokuta with eight secondary schools competing for final spots in both the male and female categories.

The season has already produced an exciting display of football skill and talent, and the semi-finals promises to raise that excitement with eye catching match ups in the male and female categories.

The first semi-finals in the female category will see Iganmode Grammar School, Ota, tackle Our Lady of Apostles, Ijebu-Ode, while Muslim High School, Isolu, will face Makun High School, Sagamu, in the second match of the day.

In the male category, Alamuwa Grammar School,

Ado Odo will battle Adeola Odutola College, Ijebu Ode as Pakoto High School, Ifo, challenges Methodist Comprehensive College, Sagamu for the second slot in the finals.

Commenting on the tournament, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Bank plc, Segun Agbaje, said that “over the years this tournament has helped pave the way for youth to cultivate their sporting talents and work towards actualizing their dream of becoming professional footballers, while fostering and building a healthier lifestyle at a critical stage in their lives”.

He added that “GTBank will continue to invest massively in youth development through education and sports.”

than Okafor and he played him. That was why I said Chidi should be happy he ever played for Nigeria,” Eguavoen stressed.

Continuing, the former Julius Berger of Lagos defender said, “Okocha was an asset when he came to the national team and when you see an asset you have little choice than to protect him and that was what we did for Okocha. So if Nwanu was ahead of the other players too we would have protected him as well.”

Asked if the present crop of players have the kind of bond and mental toughness his set exhibited to scale through the tough 1994 World Cup qualifiers, Eguavoen said:

“Things have changed, maybe because there is too much money in football today.

But if we have to get it right and start winning laurels for the country again, the players must have the country at heart, which is a difficult thing to do I must admit.

Because today, we still see some of our colleagues (of the 1994 era) still struggling to make ends meet.

“Unlike in the advanced world, where there is a system in place that takes care of ex-internationals. But such platform is not here where a player’s future is guaranteed as a sportsman. So, when any Nigerian sportsman is not giving his best, I don’t blame him because when

you gets injured you are on your own,” Eguavoen said candidly.

On the tough Group B Eagles found themselves in the Russia 2018 qualifiers, Eguavoen observed that it is a tough one to qualify from but Super Eagles still have a chance.

“If we start well we could qualify but otherwise we won’t qualify. Starting well means getting a point in the first game against Zambia, it does not necessary mean getting the three points. A point in Lusaka would go a long way in taking away a lot of pressure from the team in our next home game.

However, if we bungled the first game we would be under

tremendous pressure and I don’t see this crop of present players having the capacity to cope with such pressure,” Eguavoen noted.

Cerezo however hailed Okocha for his initiative to use the Jay Jay Okocha Foundation to better the life of not only the kids in the streets but also ex-internationals.

“He has transformed his vision from the field of play to the society,” Eguavoen said.

The highlight of the unveiling was the signing of the contract between Jay Jay Okocha foundation and I-Naira.com, the official auctioning partner that would be responsible for auctioning some of Okocha’s football memorabilia.

EURO2016: IT’S FRANCE, PORTUGAL FINAL...

Antoine Griezmann scored both goals as France beat Germany 2-0 to reach the Euro 2016 final on home soil. The Atletico Madrid man gave Les Bleus the lead from the spot after Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger was adjudged to have handled inside the penalty area right on the stroke of half time. Griezmann again stabbed into an empty net after Manuel Neuer punched Paul Pogba’s cross into his path

All-Nigeria Championships: Okagbare Wins Seventh Sprint Title Blessing Okagbare-Ighotegunor yesterday claimed her 7th All Nigeria 100m title as she won the women’s 100m event with a time of 11.02secs in Day One of action at the ongoing Rio Olympi Games Trials in Sapele, Delta State.

Okagbare who was conspicuously missing during the 2015 All-Nigeria Championships in Warri left no one in doubt that she was back to wrestle away her title from last year’s winner Gloria Asumnu when she effortlessly won her semi final race with a time of 11.22secs.

Thursday’s feat by Okagbare is her season’s best.

The Nigerian queen of the tracks told journalists after her victory that she will not rest on

her oars as she expects tougher contest in Rio. “I am focused on myself, I am not thinking of what others are doing,” Okagbare stated Peace Ukoh finished second in 11.37sec while Gloria Asumnu was third 11.38secs in the women’s 100m race.

Aside Okagbare, another headline performance on the opening day of the Nigeria Olympic Trials came from Antwon Hicks who set a new national record (subject to ratification by the AFN) in the 110m Men’s Hurdles event.

Hicks’ winning time of 13.27 secs supersedes the previous record in the 110m hurdles owned by Williams Erese who ran 13.42secs in the United States in 2003.

The winning time has also qualified the former American runner for the Rio Olympics where he will be donning the colours of Nigeria in Rio. Speaking with journalists after his race, Hicks said he felt very relieved to now have the Olympic standard after a couple of unsuccessful attempts.

“All year, I have been beating it (the standard) but it didn’t count because the results have been windy, this was one of my last races to get it done and I am happy I have done just that and also set a new national record. Am pretty sure this time will be among the top 20 times in the world at the moment” Today, a keen contest is also expected in men’s sprint race

where Divine Oduduru and Egwero Ogho-Oghene already whet the appetite of fans with their 10.23 wining times in their respective heats yesterday.

Defending champion Seyi Ogunlewe also won his heat but with a slower time of 10.25secs In some of the other events on Thursday, Deborah Pam NSDC won the 5,000 with 17.23.50, Olumide Aderonke and Nuhu Elizabeth came 2nd and 3rd respectively with a time of 17.38.06 and 17.44.20 secs respectively In the men’s version, Emmanuel Gyang won in a time of 14.52.75secs while the duo of Stephen Joshua and Solomon Yilbam came 2nd and 3rd respectively.

55

T H I S D AY •FRIDAY JULY 8, 2016

FRIDAYSPORTS

Wimbledon 2016: Serena to Play Kerber in Final Holder Serena Williams will play Angelique Kerber in the women’s singles final at Wimbledon on Saturday.

Six-time champion Serena, 34, thrashed Russia’s Elena Vesnina 6-2 6-0 in 48 minutes to reach her ninth final.

Fourth-seeded German Kerber, 28, prevented a fifth all-Williams final by beating Serena’s older sister Venus, who looked out of sorts, 6-4 6-4.

In January, the left-handed Kerber beat Serena in the Australian Open final for her first Grand Slam title.

Serena, who is bidding to match Steffi Graf’s open era record of 22 Grand Slam singles title, simply had too much firepower for her unseeded opponent.

Vesnina, a two-time Grand Slam champion in doubles, looked overawed from the outset, losing the first four games.

The world number 50, playing in her first Grand Slam singles semi-final, rallied but still lost the first set in 28 minutes.

Things got even worse for Vesnina in the second set, the 29-year-old simply unable to deal with the Serena serve, which yielded only three points in the match.

Venus, who last won the title in 2008, was appearing in her first Grand Slam semi-

Serena final since the 2010 US Open and was the oldest major semi-finalist since Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon in 1994.

Five-time champion Venus fell out of the world’s top 100 in 2011 after being diagnosed with the immune system disorder Sjogren’s syndrome.

And the eighth seed

Keshi’s Burial Committee to Be Inaugurated Today The National Committee for the State Funeral of late Coach Stephen Okechukwu Keshi (CON) who died on June 8, 2016 is to be inaugurated today by the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung.

The minister approved the constitution of the national committee which comprises family members, coaches, ex- internationals, a club owner, media practitioner, football administrators and representatives of the ministry, the armed forces and paramilitary.

According to the Special Assistant to the Minister, Nneka Ikem Anibeze, the committee will be headed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Mr Christian Chinyeaka Ohaa while he is to be assisted by the President of the Nigeria Football Federation

(NFF), Mr Amaju Pinnick.

Other committee members include; Ambassador Joe Keshi, Emmanuel Ado, Jennifer Keshi, Dr Ifeanyi Ubah, Augustine Eguavoen, Joseph Yobo, Coach Fanny Amun, Austin Mgbolu, Mitchell Obi, Dr Mohammed Sanusi and Luka Jonathan Mangset.

Chief Tonobok Okowa will represent Delta State while Mr Prestley Ediagbonya is from Edo State. Prince Vincent Okumagba will stand in for the Nigeria Football Supporters Club while Brig.

Gen U.O. Olatoye represents the Nigerian Army.

There is also Ayodele Titus from the Nigeria Civil Defence and Security Corps and a representative of the Nigeria Police.

Mrs Hauwa Kulu Akinyemi is to serve as secretary to the committee.

Kerber looked fatigued throughout, dropping her serve four times in the first set and also in the first game of the second.

Kerber continued to take advantage of Venus’ misfiring forehand, wrapping things up in one hour and 12 minutes to reach her first Wimbledon final.

“We’ve had tough matches

before and I knew she could bring it to me on this surface,” said Serena, who led Vesnina 4-0 in head-toheads before yesterday.

“It’s never easy out there, every point you have to fight for.

“I can’t believe I’m in the final this year. I’m 0-2 this year (Serena lost the Australian and French Open

finals) so I’m determined to win one.”

Vesnina, who had never before been past the fourth round, said: “I felt like I had no chance today.

“I think she has now a big, big chance to win her 22nd Grand Slam title.

I think she’s in the right mood right now.”

“I know Venus is playing

well at the moment.

Everything worked and it is a very good feeling,” said Kerber, who has lost five of seven matches against Serena.

“I have a lot of experience now. I’m really enjoying my tennis life. I’m playing my best tennis. I will give everything I can in the final.”

Portuguese Press Hails Goal-hero Ronaldo Portugal’s press gave a big salute to Cristiano Ronaldo and the entire national team yesterday after their 2-0 win over Wales clinched a return to the European Championship final for the first time in 12 years.

Daily sports newspaper A bola has a photograph of Ronaldo celebrating after scoring with the headline: “Portugal, je t’aime - heroic Selecao, reaches the final in Paris.”

Ronaldo’s impressive header early in the second half put Portugal on their way before the Real Madrid superstar saw his shot turned in by Nani soon after for the team’s second goal.

Fernando Santos’s side had not won a single game in the tournament over 90 minutes until Wednesday’s dominant performance in Lyon.

Ronaldo scored 51

goals in 48 games in all competitions for Real this season and delivered the decisive spot-kick in the penalties during the Champions League final win against Atletico Madrid. But he had been under scrutiny after a poor start to the tournament in France.

His struggles are now in the past, with Lisbon-based Correio da Manha national newspaper shouting in a front headline: “Ronaldo flies to the final.”

Wednesday’s goal, his third of the tournament, saw the 31-year-old equal Michel Platini’s record of nine in European Championship finals.

Sports dailies Record and Ojogo both had photographs of Ronaldo jumping higher than Wales centre-back James Chester to break the deadlock, with the former

applauding Ronaldo in a headline that says: “Again he is the man of the match.”

Online national newspaper Diario de Noticias shows Ronaldo celebrating on their front page with a quote from the captain that says: “The dream is here. I believe.”

Ronaldo started in Portugal’s 1-0 defeat to Greece in the final of Euro 2004 and also when the team reached the semifinals four years ago but were eliminated by Spain on penalties.

The Publico national daily newspaper has a photograph of Ronaldo celebrating with his team mates on its front page with the headline: “All that is left is the Cup.” According to Ojogo, Ronaldo is showing more determination and resolve than ever before in the hope

of leading Portugal to their first European title.

The Sports daily includes a quote from Ronaldo on their front page which reads: “I believe we will win in Paris.”

Portugal will meet hosts France or Germany in Sunday’s final in Paris.

Ronaldo

T R A N S F E R WATC H

Chelsea Place 5m Euros Price Besiktas Contact Lazio for Onazi Arsenal Ships out Nwakali on Loan Turkish champions Besiktas for Onazi and it is now Premier League side Arsenal and it will take some time Tag on Omeruo have contacted Italian left to be seen if they will will ship out Nigeria’s before his application for a Chelsea valuation of Nigeria defender Kenneth Omeruo is five million Euros, but Turkish club Kasimpasa could not come up with such cash after the player’s loan spell there last season.

Omeruo, 22, made 25 appearances for Istanbul club Kasimpasa as they finished seventh last season, but they could not afford the option to make the player’s transfer a permanent one.

AfricanFootball.com learnt

that Omeruo cost Chelsea about 600,000 Euros, when he signed for them in 2011 from Sunshine Stars.

However, he has not made his debut for the London club, who have instead skipped him out on loan to several other clubs including Dutch club ADO Den Haag and Kasimpasa.

He will now feature for another Turkish club, Besiktas, also on loan in the coming season.

club Lazio for Nigeria midfielder Ogenyi Onazi, AfricanFootball.com can exclusively reveal.

Besiktas will already have another Nigeria international, Kenneth Omeruo, on loan for the new season, while media reports have suggested Chelsea midfielder Mikel Obi is also wanted by the Istanbul giants.

“This week, Besiktas have made an official enquiry

accept a bid for the player,” a top source informed only AfricanFootball.com Two years ago, 23-yearold Onazi signed a contract extension with Rome club Lazio till 2018, but it is widely believed to have been a little improvement on a rather poor deal.

It was about the time he was being scouted by several top clubs including Premier League club Liverpool.

Under-20 skippe,r Kelechi Nwakali, overseas on loan, AfricanFootball.com reported yesterday.

Nwakali turned 18 last month and he will sign a five-year professional contract with the London Gunners after he would have led the Flying Eagles to qualify for next year’s Under-20 AFCON later this month.

“Nwakali is not in (Arsene) Wenger’s immediate plans

work permit is processed and so it is most likely he will be sent out on loan possibly to a club in Belgium,” a top source said.

Nwakali was the MVP when Nigeria won a record fifth FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Chile in November.

Nigeria’s Under-17 teammate Samuel Chukwueze’s proposed move to join Nwakali at The Emirates has fallen through.