Friday 30th September 2016 by THISDAY Newspapers Ltd

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2016

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2016

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2016

FRIDAY, september 30, 2016 • T H I S D AY

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After Outcry, FG Orders Reintroduction of History in Schools Paul Obi in Abuja Following the outcry that trailed the suspension of History as a taught subject in schools nationwide, the federal government yesterday reinstated it across basic schools in the country. The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, who called for the disarticulation of Social Studies in the current curriculum of basic schools and reintroduction of History as a subject, said this had become imperative given the critical nature of History to the nation’s socio-political development. The minister made the statement in Abuja yesterday while addressing delegates at the 61st meeting of

the National Council on Education Ministerial Session. The minister also urged the council to consider making the study of Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) and Islamic Religious Knowledge (IRK) compulsory for Christians and Muslims to the end of Senior Secondary School. Adamu said the reintroduction of History as a subject would give the Nigerian child a self-identity of who they really are. He added that Nigeria owes present and future generations the responsibility of removing all inhibitions against opportunities of acquiring morals and ethics as taught in religious traditions. “It is only the study of history,

Minister of Education Adamu Adamu our own history, that can explain and give meaning to our very humanity and that is why we must

study it and teach our little ones. And it is also not enough that they merely know who they are, we must teach them about their God. “Since it is said that if you want to destroy any nation, it is said that first the family must be destroyed, then education is destroyed, and the third are social morals that are destroyed, so in Nigeria we owe both present and future generations the responsibility of removing all inhibitions against making our children acquire morals and ethics,” he said. At the council’s meeting, the minister also launched the National Teacher Education Policy (NTEP) and the National Quality Assurance Policy (NPEQ).

According to the minister, NPEQ is an assurance system for institutions below tertiary level and expected standards of practice in Nigeria while NTEP identifies the pivotal role of qualified teachers in the provision of quality education at all levels. “The objective is to produce highly skilled knowledgeable and creative teachers who are capable of producing globally competitive students. The policy also seeks to ensure that teachers are recruited, trained and re-trained based on explicit standards,” he said. On the school feeding programme and the recruitment of 500,000 teachers nationwide, the Chairman, House Committee on Basic Education, Zakari Muhammed,

at the meeting expressed concern over the programmes, saying that legislators might face challenges with programme monitoring and evaluation, as they are not directly domiciled under the Federal Ministry of Education. The Deputy Governor of Kano State, Shamzu Abubakar, who also doubles as the Commissioner for Science and Technology in the state, called on the federal government to channel all resources to the grassroots across the state and local governments. He also called on the federal government to concentrate more on monitoring and evaluation to ensure adequate review of the developmental strategic plan.

National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Dayo Adeyeye, the party said it was very worrisome that security agents acted in collusion with the “thugs in this objectionable conduct”. “Following the announcement of the results of the Edo State gubernatorial election for Oredo Local Government Area in which our candidate scored a massive victory over the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a known thug and enforcer of Governor Adams Oshiomhole – Mr. Osakpanwam Eriyo (aka Nomoreloss) – has invaded the collation centre along with several armed cohorts. “The Nigerian public will recall that we have severally given warnings about the plan of the ruling APC to attack LGA collation centres where they deemed the results of the elections to be unfavourable. “Further to this, we hereby call on the Inspector General (IG) of Police and the heads of the relevant security agencies to immediately arrest Mr. Eriyo and his accomplices. We also urge the IG and other security agencies to immediately retrieve the election result sheets from this reprehensible fellow and return them safely to INEC to enable the electoral body complete the electoral process. “It is imperative that the Nigerian Police Force immediately arrest Mr. Eriyo as a means of building confidence in the electorate. Failure to do so may lead to people resorting to self help to enforce their rights which may in turn lead to a breakdown of law and order,” it said.

background of media reports suggesting that he was comfortable with the outcome of the Edo election, stressing that no sensible leader would accept what had been rejected by his followers. He described as mischievous for anybody to insinuate that he would accept his party’s defeat.

Saraki also lauded the people of Edo State for the massive turnout at the poll, their peaceful conduct and for voting for APC candidate. Oyegun, in addition, congratulated Obaseki and the deputy governor elect, Philip Shuaibu, on their election victory. Oyegun also thanked Edo residents for the massive turnout during the election. The APC chairman also congratulated political parties and their candidates that contested the election for the “fair play” and relatively peaceful conduct displayed during the election exercise. He called for calm and appealed to the opposition parties to accept defeat in good faith. In his statement, Tinubu congratulated Obaseki for his victory in the election, saying Edo people had made their choice. He said Obaseki was a tested technocrat who is competent and experienced to take over and continue the good work done by Oshiomhole. The APC leader also congratulated Oshiomhole for his achievements in Edo, which helped in retaining Edo for APC. With the election of Obaseki, Tinubu said Edo had taken after Lagos in the continuity model, which has worked assiduously well for the people of Lagos State. Also, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, congratulated Obaseki for his victory at the just concluded gubernatorial election, saying that the people of the state have made the right choice. In his message signed by his media aide, Mr. Habib Aruna, Ambode said the development was not just a victory for democracy but the people who he noted would experience continuity in terms of dividends of democracy. The Lagos governor, who was the Chairman, APC National Campaign Committee for the election, said the people of Edo had voted for continuity of people-friendly policies and programmes, and urged all the relevant stakeholders in the state to accept the verdict of the people and work with Obaseki to move it forward. Ambode’s counterpart in Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, also congratulated the Edo people and APC for Obaseki’s victory, saying it was a further confirmation of Nigerians’ belief in the change agenda of the party under the leadership of the president. Like others, Bello hailed the conduct of INEC, the Edo people and the security agencies who all ensured a hitch-free exercise. He eulogised the outgoing governor of the state for “changing the face of politics in Edo State to that of development and transformation”, adding that his years in Edo State “heralded true change and progress”.

JUBILATION, PROTEST AS OBASEKI IS DECLARED GOVERNOR-ELECT govern this state and even compelled the state to adopt them as the Queen of England whose birthday must be celebrated. In Okada, the APC was the preferred party by the people than that family in Okada. “There is something unique in the way things have turned out. In Esan land, the senatorial zone of the PDP godfather, we won two out of the five local government areas. We gave him a fight that he managed to escape. He used the factor of his age to play on the emotions of the people. “It is a victory for the people of the state. Edo people are now proud they can determine who will rule them and no one godfather can choose a leader for them. When you look at the propaganda, you will think we have fallen for the lion,” he stated.

PDP, Ize-Iyamu Protest, Reject Result However, in the PDP camp, the mood was markedly different as supporters of the party, sensing that the election had been lost, attempted to barricade the roads leading to INEC’s office in Benin to prevent the commission from declaring the result. But in order to forestall a breakdown of law and order, security personnel were forced to fire teargas and many gunshots into the air to scare away the protesters from the vicinity of INEC’s office. In his reaction to the outcome of the election, Ize-Iyamu rejected it, saying the results from the local government areas were different from those collated at the polling units and declared at different wards. Addressing a press conference yesterday at his residence in Benin City along with the Edo State PDP chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, while the results were still being announced, Ize Iyamu accused INEC of conniving with the Edo State governor and security agencies to declare fake results. “The PDP in Edo State, after carefully reviewing the events of yesterday September 28, 2016, totally rejects the purported outcome of the voting exercise and the results announced by INEC,” he stated. He added: “Firstly, we are in total amazement at the details of the results released by INEC because all of them are fake and not the figures announced at various units and as collated at various wards across the state. “The fake results announced by INEC are entirely a fabrication which do not reflect the true picture of what transpired during the election.” He said his party was not totally surprised, because long before the election it had anticipated what transpired and had also warned INEC, security agencies and alerted Edo people at various press conferences

and statements on the situation. Ize-Iyamu further declared: “Based on the results emanating from across the state, PDP won the election fair and square, and with a very comfortable margin. “So it is with disgust that we have been receiving fake results which were never recorded either at the units or the ward collation centres. Our rejection of the results released by INEC so far is based on, but not limited to, the following: We know that a fair turnout of voters was recorded statewide because the weather was very clement and voters were enthusiastic. “However, unknown to the unsuspecting Edo electorate, INEC had long provided the serial numbers of all result sheets to Adams Oshiomhole and his APC government to print fresh result sheets. This is not a mere allegation. “With the benefit of hindsight, the 18-day period of postponement of the election was to provide enough time for the governor and his government to print these result sheets and perfect the writing of fake results at the units and at all levels of collation.” He added that the situation was further buttressed by the fact that on Monday, September 26, 2016, when election materials arrived from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) at INEC state office for inspection, agents of the political parties including the APC and PDP were given pre-typed copies of the serial numbers of all result sheets and the ballot papers. “This was a clear security breach and an infringement on the credibility of the process, as these are sensitive materials which should not have been sighted even by INEC officers,” he added. Ize-Iyamu alleged that everything that transpired had been carefully designed by the Oshiomole-led Edo State government and their cohorts in INEC, saying they perfected a scheme to void thousands of ballot papers, to enable them perpetrate their devices. He claimed that it was widely recorded that over 88 per cent of the voided ballots were PDP votes and also accused the security agencies of aiding the rigging of the election. He added that the postings of the Commissioner of Police, officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) and removal of officers from their units, even during the voting exercise, was a clear plot to destabilise the security apparatus in various local government areas and senatorial districts. The PDP candidate said the choice of collation from places they had chosen, as well as the choice of the state returning officer, whom he described as a close friend and associate of former Governors Kayode Fayemi and Niyi Adebayo of Ekiti State, who are also top APC chieftains,

also prevented PDP agents in many cases from entering collation centres. Buttressing his position, the state chapter of the PDP also rejected the result of the state governorship election, saying the outcome of the poll was pre-written and pre-determined to favour Obaseki against Ize-Iyamu. Addressing journalists yesterday, Chief Orbih said the party decided to convene the conference because of the comments and information at its disposal which suggested that INEC was compromised. He said a pointer to his accusation of the electoral umpire started when it began the process of announcing the results at their state headquarters, and at some point suspended the announcement, only to resume this morning. According to him, “But going by the information before us and from the feelers from our agents, there is a wide margin between what our agents, independent observers told us and what INEC is announcing.” Justifying his claim, Orbih recalled that before the election, the state Publicity Secretary, Chris Nehikhare of the party, had raised the alarm, alerting the public that APC had written the results of nine local government areas, which was principally targeted at manipulating the outcome of the poll. “From the results declared by INEC, there is no difference between the outcome so far and what the party’s image-maker said 48 hours before the election that APC has connived with INEC to write results in some key local government areas. “From all the results collated by our agents, PDP is clearly ahead with 30,000 votes, but INEC has completely disallowed the result,” he claimed. He also said that the party was still studying the results from the riverine communities which it had rejected because, according to him, even areas the party won, INEC allegedly disallowed the votes claiming failure of the card reader. “Rather than using the incident form which the law allows in the event of failure of the card reader, APC has connived with INEC to cancel results in these areas. Therefore, they (INEC) should take full responsibility for the failure of the card reader because we in PDP should not be punished for such laxity,” the Edo PDP chairman declared. The PDP also alleged that thugs forcefully entered the collation centre in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State and made away with all the result sheets where its governorship candidate scored a massive victory over the candidate of the APC. The party said that during the invasion, one Mr. Osakpanwam Eriyo forcefully removed all the result sheets used in collating results for the local government area. In a statement issued by the acting

Sheriff Denies Endorsing Poll Result Also, the former national chairman of the PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, denied reports that he accepted the result of the governorship election in Edo State. A statement by his media aide, Inuwa Bwala, said that Sheriff’s reaction might be not different from the general position adopted by a majority of PDP members. Sheriff said that he was not in a rush to say anything for now until he gets a full report corroborating the alleged irregularities during and after the election. He said he was yet to make a pronouncement on the Edo governorship election, which the “PDP was reported to have lost to the ruling APC because he is yet to receive official report on what transpired”. “While he awaits reports from PDP field officers on the situation in the state, Sheriff has asked PDP members to remain calm, hopeful and determined in the pursuit of their mandate, until the last is seen of the election,” he said. Sheriff spoke against the

Buhari, Others Congratulate Obaseki, Oshiomhole But as the PDP and its candidate decried the outcome of the poll, President Muhammadu Buhari, Senate President Bukola Saraki, the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, a National Leader of the APC, Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and other chieftains of the ruling party hailed the victory of Obaseki and APC in the Edo election. Buhari, during a telephone call to Oshiomhole yesterday, commended the well-articulated campaign of the APC in the state, the doggedness of the governor, governor-elect and party members in going round the state to reach the people with records of good governance over the years and a promise of continuity. According to the president, the outcome of the election clearly reflected the mood of the people to sustain the pedigree of responsiveness, forthrightness and diligence that Oshiomhole brought to the service of his people. “The victory is good for democracy, for Nigeria and the people of Edo State,” he said. Buhari said the victory was welldeserved as the campaign train which he joined worked hard to sell its people-centred manifesto. The president also applauded the conduct of INEC, security agencies, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and the electorate for ensuring a peaceful election. Saraki also congratulated Obaseki and Oshiomhole in a statement by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, saying his success at the poll was expected by those who had keenly followed the electioneering in the state in the last few months. “Godwin Obaseki has proved to be a good private sector man who is also a grassroots politician. He is a good flag bearer of our great party, the APC, and a mobiliser who really showed that he will be a worthy successor to the incumbent Governor Adams Oshiomhole. “I also congratulate Governor Oshiomhole who has, in the last seven and a half years, diligently served the people of Edo State and has led a vigorous campaign to sustain the APC legacy in Edo State. “The governor has shown courage, devotion and dedication in selling Obaseki to the people,” he said.

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 • T H I S D AY

NEWS

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

UNICEF: 400,000 Children Under-five Threatened by Severe Malnutrition in N’East Says Nigeria has second highest child, maternal mortality rate in the world

Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri and Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa The United Nations International Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) has raised an alarm that an estimated 400,000 children under five of age will suffer from acute malnutrition in North-eastern Nigeria due to the ongoing Boko Haram crisis. In other to arrest this ugly trend, UNICEF has upped its humanitarian appeal for Nigeria by US$60 million. In a statement yesterday, UNICEF said it needed to more than double its funding appeal to provide lifesaving assistance for children in North-east Nigeria. It stated that it has revised its humanitarian appeal for Nigeria from US$55 million to US$ 115 million to assist an additional

750,000 people who can now be reached across conflict-affected areas in the northeast of the country. The statement read that: “As new areas open up to humanitarian assistance, the true scale of the Boko Haram related crisis and its impact on children is being revealed. “An estimated 400,000 children under five will suffer from severe acute malnutrition in three states across the northeast this year. More than four million people are facing severe food shortages and 65,000 people are living in famine-like conditions, mostly in Borno, the worst affected state. “Children’s lives are literally hanging by a thread,” said Afshan Khan, UNICEF’s Director of Emergency Programmes. “We are reaching new areas to provide critical humanitarian assistance but we need greater international support to further

scale up and reach all children in dire need,” she added. In a related development, UNICEF yesterday released a grim statistics on the health sector in Nigeria, revealing that the country ranked among the highest in under-five deaths and maternal mortality in the world. In a communique released at the end of a two-day nutrition summit which was attended by participants from Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Delta and Rivers States, the organisation noted that at least 2,300 children under the age of five in Nigeria, were lost to malnutrition everyday. The communique jointly signed

by the participants, including the Communication Officer, Advocacy Media and External Relations, UNICEF, Ijeoma Onuoha-Ogwe, noted that more than 145 women of child-bearing age die from the malaise daily, making the country the second highest in terms maternal mortality. The meeting aimed at creating awareness on the nutrition situation in the South-south, UNICEF said, was also meant to put pressure on government at all levels to prioritise nutrition in their development agenda. According to the world body, thousands of children are currently

severely malnourished in Nigeria and would require several millions of dollars to scale up nutrition for those affected. “Nigeria loses 2,300 under-five year olds and 145 women of childbearing age, accounting for the country being second largest contributor to the under-five and maternal mortality rate in the world. “The percentage rate of stunting, wasting and underweight in the South-south states are 20.0, 5.3, and 12.3, respectively; above the WHO recommended threshold; “Malnourished children in the zone (South-south) are 140,000. Participants observed that 11,000

children in Rivers State are severely malnourished while the cost of scaling up nutrition in the zone is about $46.7million,” the UNICEF noted. The United Nations-sponsored organisation noted that for the menace to end, strong political will is imperative in solving policy and financial challenges related to malnutrition. It recommended that government at all levels should take leadership seriously in strengthening and developing high quality, validated and costed nutrition plans across sectors and mobilise domestic resource for them.

HouseYet to Receive Court Papers on Suit Institued by Abdulmumin

Kano lawmaker’s office sealed Damilola Oyedele in Abuja The House of Representatives has said it is yet to receive any court papers regarding the suspension of the former Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Hon. Jibrin Abdulmumin. It added that while the suspended lawmaker has a right to go to court, there is a clear separation of powers between the three arms of government. The Chairman, Committee on Media and Publicity, Hon. Namdas Abdulrazak, while briefing journalists yesterday, noted that the House is empowered by the constitution to have its own rules. Namdas explained that Abdulmumin breached the collective privileges of members with his blanket statements that the House is corrupt. “... That we are all corrupt, that the public hearings and investigations are corrupt... the House has rules and if anyone errs, there are certain sanctions which are applied. What we have done is within our rules,” he said. “There is no petition against any member before the Ethics Committee and we cannot investigate based on newspaper publications. He made allegations which he could not substantiate,” Namdas added. Meanwhile Abdulmumin’s office in the National Assembly has been sealed by the ‘Sergent-at-Arms’, the security arm of the legislature. This followed his suspension by the House on Wednesday after the Committee on Ethics and Privileges foundhimguiltyforbreachofprivileges of members of the House and sundry acts of misconduct. The suspended lawmaker’s 1.05 officewassealedatabout2.45p.m.Some of his aides were in the office when the ‘Sergent-at-Arms’ accompanied by some policemen arrived. The aides were allowed to remove their personal effects. Abdulmumin was suspended for 180 legislative days in the first instance, and barred from holding a position of responsibility until the end of the eighth assembly. He would also be

required to tender a formal written apology before he can resume. Hehashowever,vowedtochallenge his suspension in court and insisted he would not apologise. The House has been embroiled in crisessincetheremovalofAbdulmumin as the Chairman of Appropriation Committee in July, just before the lawmakers embarked on their summer recess. Employing a scorched earth policy, Abdulmumin had unleashed a tirade of accusations against the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, Deputy Speaker, Yussuff Sulaimon Lasun, Chief Whip, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, Minority Leader, Leo Ogor, and the chairmen of nine standing committees. He accused them of corruption, fraud and making ‘senseless’ insertions into the 2016 budget. Meanwhile the suspended lawmaker has written to the members of the House demanding that they return running costs which they receive monthly. Inacopyoftheletterwhichhemade available to THISDAY, he said the N10 million which they collect monthly should be returned within one week. “I hereby demand that if you have illegally taken or stolen any money meant for the running cost of your offices for your entire stay in the House, you should return the money within one week to the Clerk of the National Assembly and for the purpose of clarity, I am referring to about 10 million naira you collect from tax payers’ money monthly,” he said. “The Clerk will provide you with official account details, failure of which I will take necessary action to ensure that you return any money stolen and stand witness against you in case of prosecution. I have written to the clerk of the National Assembly to stand by in anticipation. In the face of the revenue challenges and biting hardship the country is currently facing, there is no better time the country needs such money than now,” Abdulmumin added.

SWEET VICTORY

Edo State Governor-elect, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, and members of his family jubilating shortly after he was declared winner of the governorship election at his residence in Benin-City.... yesterday

Enelamah Denies Involvement in Illicit Money Transfers on Behalf of MTN Obinna Chima

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, has distanced himself from the allegation by the Senate that he was involved in the fraudulent repatriation of $13.92 billion in collusion with MTN Nigeria Limited, without authorisation. In a statement last night, the minister who said he welcomed any investigation the Senate might decide to carry out on the matter, said all the allegations made by the upper legislative chamber were without merit and baseless. The Senate on Tuesday opened the probe into the alleged fraudulent repatriation of $13.92 billion from Nigeria by the minister. According to the Senate, MTN, in collaboration with the minister, exploited the porous Nigerian financial system by illegally moving the money out of the country. It had also said MTN smartly beat the Nigeria’s financial regulatory laws by failing to obtain a certificate of capital importation, which would

have authorised it to move capital into Nigeria from its South African bankers, Standard Chartered Bank, as authorised by the law within 24 hours. The Senate further alleged that MTN was incorporated in Nigeria in 2000 as a private liability company and eventually obtained its operating licence with the sum of $284,906,275.89 on February 6, 2001 but failed to bring capital into Nigeria as required, adding that when it eventually moved in $117.6 billion between 2001 and 2003, it did so in three tranches. But the statement by the Director Press, Federal Ministry Investment, Trade and Industry, Mr. Greyne Anosike explained: “Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to a serving Nigerian Senator on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday September 27, 2016, making a number of allegations against the egarding improper remittance of funds out of Nigeria. We are compelled to make clear the following: “Enelamah served as the

CEO of Capital Alliance Nigeria Limited (CANL) between 1998 and 2015. CANL is a wholly owned subsidiary of African Capital Alliance (ACA), an Africa focused private equity firm with investments in carefully selected companies within and outside Nigeria, including MTN Nigeria. “A fund managed by ACA, alongside other minority shareholders, invested in MTN Nigeria through Celtelecom. Dr Enelamah was never the “owner” of Celtelecom as alleged by the Senator; neither was he ever a Celtelecom shareholder. Instead he was a director of the company, representing the ACA managed fund. “Investors do not have responsibility for remittance of proceeds from the company they are invested in. Therefore, at no time was Dr. Enelamah in a position to transfer funds out of Nigeria on behalf of MTN Nigeria, and at no time did Dr. Enelamah transfer any funds out of Nigeria on behalf of MTN Nigeria. As it relates to Celtelecom’s investment

in MTN Nigeria, it is important to note that the entire process for applying for and using CCIs was done by MTN Nigeria. “Enelamah resigned all his board positions, including from the ACA and Celtelecom consequent to his appointment as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” On its part, Standard Chartered Bank said it would fully cooperate with all law enforcement agencies and comply with all laws and regulations on the matter. “We are working with the relevant authorities to address and resolve their enquiries. As this case is currently under investigation, you will appreciate that we cannot provide any further information. We remain absolutely committed to all our stakeholders in Nigeria and we ensure that our processes and procedures adhere to the highest levels of corporate governance and controls. The bank is making every possible effort to ensure a rapid and satisfactory outcome of this matter,” a statement from the international bank added.

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 • T H I S D AY

NEWS

Buhari Asks Senate to Confirm THISDAY Law Editor, Others as INEC Commissioners

NPC commissioners too Communications committee frowns at communications tax bill

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday sought the Senate’s confirmation for THISDAY’s Law Editor, May Agbamuche-Mbu, and five others as Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) commissioners. He also asked the Senate to confirm five nominees as National Population Commission (NPC) commissioners. Buhari in a letter addressed to Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and read on the floor of the Senate, said the appointments were in accordance with Section 54(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). Other nominees for INEC were Professor Okechukwu Obinna Ibeanu (Anambra, South-east); Air Vice Marshall Ahmed Tijani Mu’Azu (rtd) (Gombe, North-east); Mohammed Kudu Haruna ((Niger, North-central); Dr. Adekunle Ladipo Ogunmola (Oyo, South-west); Abubakar Ahmed Nahuche (Zamfara, North-west). On the NPC, he also said the appointments were made in accordance with Section 54(1) of the Constitution. He said:”In accordance with the provisions of Section (54(1)

of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), I write to forward herewith the names of five national commissioners appointed for NPC from Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Be he, Kebbi and Oyo States for the consideration of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The names of the appointed commissioners are as follows. Chief Benedict Ukpong (Akwa Ibom); Gloria Fayeta Izonfuo (Bayelsa); Kpuchi Ori Iyanya (Benue) Haliru Bala (Kebbi) and Eyitayo Oyetunji (Oyo). “While thanking you immensely in anticipation of the early consideration and confirmation of the above appointments by distinguished Senate, please accept the assurances of my highest esteem.” Also yesterday, the Senate Committee on Communications criticised Communications Service Tax Bill proposed by the executive, saying it has the capacity to make life more difficult for majority of Nigerians. The bill seeks to compel telephone consumers to pay a certain sum of money as tax on every call they make. Reacting to the proposal yesterday, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Communications,

Senator Gilbert Nnaji, expressed displeasure with the bill during the 2016 budget defence by the Nigerian Communications Commission, (NCC) and the Universal Service Provision Fund, (USPF). He said the bill would further impoverish the low income earners. “There has been strident outcry by consumer rights’ groups and industry stakeholders against the Communications Service Tax Bill (CST) 2015 currently before the National Assembly. It is argued

President Muhammadu Buhari and the Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation have extended Nigeria’s condolences to the government and people of the State of Israel over the passing of former President and Prime Minister, Shimon Peres. A statement issued in Abuja yesterday by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said Buhari joined the global community and world leaders in mourning the former two-time Prime Minister and President of Israel, whose visionary leadership, voice of wisdom and unparalleled experience of diplomacy in the Middle East would continue to resonate in the long search for peace in the region. The statement read: “As a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 alongside Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat, the President believes the statesmanship and patriotism displayed by Peres in signing

the Oslo Accord, the subsequent treaties for a two-state solution, was most quintessential, and should be followed through so that the younger generations will inherit peace and harmony.” Looking into the towering national and global records of the late Israeli statesman, Buhari said Peres served firmly, faithfully and dutifully in building a modern Israeli state, and also rose to the occasion when the world desperately needed a heart of love, magnanimity and understanding to heal the wounds of hostility in the region. Buhari joined the world in celebrating the warm memory of gentleness, goodness and kindness that Peres left behind for other leaders to emulate in serving their country and working for humanity. On its part, the Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation described the passage of Peres as very sad. The foundation in a statement issued yesterday in Lagos

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City The Special Adviser to Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State on Political Matters, Hon. Charles Idahosa, yesterday asked the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, to go court if he feels aggrieved about the outcome of the election instead of engaging in an unlawful protests. Idahosa who reacted to the

noted that those who came in close contact and had personal relationship with the global statesman will only be comforted with his legacies. “We at the Osigwe AnyiamOsigwe Foundation, along with all well-meaning members of the global community who knew Shimon either personally or as a world statesman, are sad at his transition. However, we are heartened by the legacies he has left on the sands of time.” The foundation noted that Peres was a distinguished leader and exceptional role model who affected the world immensely adding that his contribution to the Oslo Peace Accord that called for the two states solution to the Palestine-Israel conflict focused on the peaceful coexistence of the Israeli and Palestinian people. The statement said Peres who was a Fellow and a member of the International Board of Fellows of the Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation, delivered the keynote address at the fifth session of the annual lecture series in year 2003.

Nigeria at 56: FG Declares Monday Public Holiday The federal government has Monday, October 3, as public holiday to mark country’s 56th Independence anniversary. The Permanent Secretary, Mr. Muhammadu Maccido, in a statement on behalf of the Minister of Interior, Lt Gen. Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau (rtd), said the government was putting in place palliatives to

cushion the effects of the current economic challenges. The statement read: “While making the declaration on behalf of the federal government congratulates Nigerians at home and abroad on the commemoration of this year ’s independence anniversary. “Assures every Nigerians that

the citizenry remains sacrosanct. “We assure Nigerians that this committee will engage in wide consultations with all concerned stakeholders in considering this bill if it is referred to the committee,” he said. Nnaji also told the commission the position of the committee on issues affecting the telecommunications’ sector in the country. “These are issues bordering on regulatory and operational environment in the sector such

as the statutory independence of the industry regulator and the obligations demanded from industry operators to observe and respect regulatory directives. “While the committee will in no way support any draconian regulation by the commission, it will not also fold its arms to witness any disrespect and disregard for the directives of constituted authorities of the commission by any operator under its regulatory oversight,” he said.

Edo Poll: Ize-Iyamu Can Go to Court, Says Oshiomhole’s Aide

Buhari, Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation Pay Tribute to Peres Tobi Soniyi in Abuja

that the bill will limit access to communications as it will affect the lower income consumers, forcing them to abandon or reduce subscription to certain services. “This committee is yet to be availed with the contents of this bill but it is important to state unequivocally here that, as the elected representatives of the Nigerian people, while we recognise the current administration’s efforts to widen its revenue base, conscious efforts must be made to ensure that the socio-economic well-being of

government is working assiduously to put in place various palliative measures to cushion the effects of the current economic challenges.” The minister enjoined all Nigerians to continue to support President Muhammadu Buhari in his avowed determination to build a strong, virile and united country in line with the dream of the country’s founding fathers.

PDP protest in front of the INEC headquarters office, Benin City against the suspension of collations of results from the 18 local government areas, frowned at Ize-Iyamu’s media briefing, ejecting the results that was still been collated by INEC. “Ize-Iyamu actions from day one showed that he is not ready for election. Instead of focusing on issues, he was busy insulting Oshiomhole, that has played his role as governor. “His desperation has further

jeopardised by Chief Lucky Igbinedion, who said his political family will produce the next governor of Edo State not knowing that Edo people are not fools.” Idahosa, a former Commissioner for Information and Orientation, also condemned the unwarranted protest by the PDP when the results were still being awaited from some local government areas and called on security agencies to do their job of protecting lives and property, declaring that “nobody is above

the law.” Meanwhile, following the protest by the PDP andIze-Iyamuduringthe media briefing, security has been beefed up in some government quarters. For instance, the Golf Course road leading to Government House, Commercial Avenue and Osadebe Avenue, have been taken over by security operatives. Similarly, the Godwin Obaseki campaign office and the official residence of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were also manned by security agencts.

T H I S D AY FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2016

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2016

COMMENT

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

TCN, POWER AND NATIONAL SECURITY

Ikeogu Oke argues there are Nigerians with the technical capacity to manage the TCN

s every bereaved family learns the morning after the funeral, it is left alone by sympathisers to nurse itself from grief to normalcy. This is the lot the Nigerian family must accept following the exit of the Manitoba “sympathisers” in its electricity bereavement. In fact, the mission of the “sympathisers” – a team of expatriates comprising “eight full-time specialists” and “between 35 and 40 short-term experts” from Canada’s Manitoba Hydro international (MHI) – ended with the cessation of the contract the Federal Government of Nigeria awarded MHI to manage the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). The “management contract,” worth $23 million, ran from 2012 to 2016, producing results that even the Manitoba team were not satisfied with based on its own projections of success. For instance, from the evidence of extant documents, the Manitoba team had projected that, under its management, the Nigerian 330 KV transmission grid would be able to wheel 7,200 megawatts by the end of 2014; 10,000 megawatts by the end of 2015 and 12,000 megawatts by the end of 2016 (when its contract expired mid-year). None of the above projections materialised, as Nigeria’s power generation during the Manitoba era hardly exceeded 5,000 megawatts (a figure far below the 2014 projection, let alone the ones for the two subsequent years). And you cannot transmit power beyond your generation output. Reasons have been adduced for this failure, which I am constrained to note happened on the team’s terms. Prominent among the reasons is “undue inference” with its activities from various sources. But it has to be said that the same excuses could have been given by any other team to justify its failure in similar circumstances, which renders the excuses moot. Before signing the contract – if it meant to succeed in its execution – a team of 43 to 48 “experts” and “specialists” should have taken such “debilitating” factors into account, like a savvy entrepreneur undertakes feasibility studies of a potential business before investing in it. If the team did not, which seems to be the case with Nigeria and the TCN, where rests its claim to being comprised of “experts” and “specialists”? In all, it would seem that the country has paid a tuition of $23 million to learn that the redemption of its power sector – whether in the area of generation, transmission or distribution – cannot come from expatriates, that it would have to look inwards and engage indigenous and patriotic expertise to help it tackle its power challenges, that self-reliance is the key to reliable power. While I sympathise with the Manitoba team for the challenges it faced, I believe Nigerian experts would have produced better results if given the same amount of support – financially and morally – that their Canadian counterparts received from our government. I can say this because, having been involved in the power sector in various technical and other capacities since 1985, I can recall a period when the sector was better managed than during the Manitoba era, and the managers were not expatriates. There is a consolation, however, that following the exit of the Manitoba team the management of TCN has returned to some of the best indigenous hands in the power sector. I was physically present at the inaugural meeting between the Manitoba

THE MANITOBA CONTRACT PUT A MAJOR COMPONENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSETS THAT DRIVE OUR ECONOMY IN THE HANDS OF FOREIGNERS IN A WAY THAT I THINK NO SELFRESPECTING COUNTRY SHOULD ALLOW

team, led by Don Priestman, the Canadian pioneer MD and CEO of TCN, and the then Minister of Power Prof. Bart Nnaji, at the Ministry of Power, at which Mr. Priestman announced his team’s enthusiastic improvement plan for the power sector, and I monitored with reciprocal enthusiasm the performance of the Manitoba team, which unfortunately fell far short of even its own projections as I have shown above. During one of my subsequent encounters with Mr. Priestman, he said to me, after recounting the progress he had witnessed since coming to Nigeria as a 13-year-old in 1954, “I’m convinced that if the citizens of Nigeria work together for the common good the growth that we would witness is even more phenomenal than I’ve seen in my own lifetime.” For me, this implies a counsel that the new TCN leadership and other Nigerians working in the power sector should take, and “work together for the common good” to produce that “phenomenal growth” in power supply nationwide. The Manitoba engagement was meant to have a component of knowledge transfer – from the Manitoba team to its Nigerian counterparts. To have expected this to happen in the real sense is comparable to expecting foreign nationals to transfer their technological knowledge to us even as we are aware that it may not be in their national interest, as our lack of such knowledge is to their economic advantage – perhaps as exporters of technological goods and services to our country. So the realistic thing would be to rely on our indigenous capacity to build such knowledge, being aware that the concept “transfer of technology” articulates an illusion. With the generally predatory nature of the relations between nations, certain contracts some nations sign with others can be compared to sheep inviting wolves to manage their affairs and believing they would fare better in the end. But there is another important factor in consideration of which our government should have been wary of engaging expatriates to manage the TCN. It is national security. Power is a critical national asset with a strong bearing to a nation’s economic progress. And the frustration of economic progress, which can result from lack of power, can impact national security and lead to the fall of governments. So, besides the risk of exposing sensitive information about our power sector to expatriates whose intention and use of such information may be suspect relative to our national interest, the Manitoba contract put a major component of the national assets that drive our economy in the hands of foreigners in a way that I think no self-respecting country should allow. Incidentally, following the exit of the Manitoba team, we have been warned through a publication in The Punch of September 22, 2016, that our “power grid risks collapse amid low spinning reserve.” While the new TCN management should see this as a call for vigilance in averting system collapse, I have to say that it seems alarmist and misleading, considering that the availability of spinning reserve does not necessarily prevent system collapse, which can be due to several causes. To explain this with an analogy: spinning reserve is like the respirator you may need to prevent death in an unconscious person. Oke, a former staff of National Electric Power Authority and a public affairs analyst, wrote from Abuja

FIXING THE ECONOMY FROM THE BOTTOM

conomics is no exact science, we are told. But it does appear that to a school of thought whose hands have been more evident in shaping the economic direction of Nigeria, over the years, managing the economy is one esoteric science that only a coterie of experts are supposed to have an understanding of. One over which they enjoy a monopoly of knowledge. Yet, in the hands of this school, there has only been more of movement with little motion. Yet, when things go wrong, as they have often done, they shift the blame and place it on the patient. They led us on to the path of devaluation, promised foreign direct investment in return. We opened the window and those with a pile of forex to ship out have simply done so leaving us empty-handed. They now say it is our fault – we didn’t do it early enough. They now remember that the fundamentals are not in place. As if we did not say so then, in calling for caution, in throwing the naira under the bus. Could it be that, as some of us have argued, we do not really have the correct diagnosis of the problem? If we have the wrong diagnosis, how then can we have the right prescriptions? Is it not possible that what ails the system, in fact, lies beyond what some fiscal and monetary mumbo-jumbo fixes? I am only a road-side analyst, but I have long held that the under-belly of a lot of what is wrong with us bears little or no resemblance with the super-structure. If that is the case, we will realise that unless we dig deep to address the warped socio-psychological fundamentals aided and abetted by a dysfunctional legal and political framework, we might only be beating about the bush, seeking solutions in textbooks written for a scenario different from ours. The challenge, over the years, has been that when the attention of our experts is drawn to the ontological peculiarities of life here, they seem to assume

It is time to try the bottom-up approach, argues Simbo Olorunfemi

they do not matter. They shut other views up and simply open another page in their book of jaded concepts to try another trick on the guinea-pig. While there are out-of-the-box ideas out there requiring a bottom-up approach, they fastidiously hold on to different threads all built on the trickle-down philosophy, whose outcomes are already compromised by factors not envisaged by the textbook. They seem to think it is all about ramming down one policy down the throats, when in fact, some of those drafting policies are active participants in the sabotage to ensure they never work, as intended. The manifestations of that disconnect between policy and outcomes are all over us, yet we refuse to learn from them. Even with the numerous interventions in the financial system, the rigging machinery embedded therein has been largely left intact. The k-leg in the system invariably finds its way to pollute the waters of programmes and policies that emanate from the public sector. The same elements who owe the banks, who occupy top places on the AMCON list of debtors, are the same ones who bought up public enterprises at give-away prices. They are the same ones who benefitted from one intervention fund or the other. The same people who rigged the banks, as directors and borrowers, are active players in every other scheme. Some who got generous mentions in the subsidy scam are among those who received licenses to generate or distribute electricity. The banks are exposed to these people on multiple fronts, hence the high ratio of non-performing loans. That is somehow linked to the problem we are faced with in the electricity sector. The banks, of course, know those behind the veil, and are finally holding back further funding of the new toys and acquisitions of the usual suspects, hence many of the DISCOs are dancing in one spot, shorn of wings to fly, as owners will not inject cash into the business. So, privatisation that was supposed to be

one quick-fix has largely become a curse. The ruse it was from foundation has only become more evident with time. Roll the dice several times, the same actors come on top. The game had been pre-rigged and programmed to throw up the same results. At the core of it all is a rotten banking system. It is the same banks that gave money out to mop up their own shares and artificially drive up prices that led to the crash of the capital market. The same ones where insider abuse reign and director-related exposures are the norm. At the centre of all that is wrong with our system, you find the banks. So is it that whatever initiative or policy is pushed out is simply hijacked for compromise by the same elements, who connive with the top guys in banking, to ensure that it never achieves stated objectives. The level of bare-faced criminality undertaken by the banks on behalf of equally crooked clients is simply mind-boggling. The Money Laundering Act is there, the KYC requirements are there, observed by the banks for only for those who do not matter. If you ask me how the patient one was able to open and managed the dollar-denominated accounts with such volume of transaction without eyebrows raised by the banks and the NFIU, who do I ask? If you say such could not have been done without the active co-operation and supervision of the top guys in those banks, who am I to contest it? Many of the banks are actively working now to cover the tracks laid bare by the introduction of the BVN. The senior lawyers are busy seeking loopholes in the laws to help the rogues make away with the loot. They are looking at the judiciary seeking who and how to compromise the system to get away with the robbery on the public purse. That is the reason why we are where we are. How do you frame whatever monetary and fiscal fixes when there are so many leaks in the system? So, when we argue that the problem is beyond some quick-fix policy and Midas touch of one Wizard,

this is what we mean. You cannot even tell for sure what is where, who has what, and where it is. The books are so cooked up that they throw spanners in the plans even before they leave the desk. So much needs to be fixed in terms of regulation to force upon the system a hard reset. Fix banking and a lot of the other things will simply fall in place. The popular sentiment out there, echoed by some highly cerebral and dutiful senators, is that there is a squeeze in the system on account of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy implemented by the government. Some even go as far as citing the policy under which public funds were pooled into a basket to give managers of the economy a window to view and a platform to manage it as the cause of the recession. But you might ask: How much lending to the real sector did the banks do before the implementation of the TSA policy? Banks might not be lending, but how much is that due to the TSA policy? When was it that our banks ever supported the real sector? When they choose to look at the real sector, it is under conditions that defy logic. The bulk of their exposure is to the same elements whose names and aliases dot the list of chronic debtors to banks and AMCON. There is no liquidity, they say, yet the central bank has been battling for ages with excess liquidity in the system. Back in the day, the CBN’s weapon was the stabilisation security randomly issued to mop up excess liquidity in the system and keep the inflation rate under control. These days, the treasury bills are routinely issued to raise funds for the public sector and mop up excess liquidity. The CBN is mopping up N952 billion from the system in the last quarter of this year. Yet, someone says there is no liquidity in the system. Olorunfemi works for Hoofbeatdotcom, a Nigerian Communications Consultancy, publisher of Africa Enterprise

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2016

EDITORIAL BEYOND THE TREMORS IN KADUNA

The relevant federal agencies should embark on a proper geological survey of the country

he more than a few earth tremors recorded recently in many locations in some local government areas of Kaduna State, which left the residents in a state of anxiety, call for serious concerns on the part of both the state and the federal government. While we should hope for the best, considering how devastating such a tragedy would be should a serious earthquake occur on our shores, it is also important that the authorities begin to prepare for the worst, especially when the tremors, which occurred in Kwoi, Nok and Samban Dagi areas also left over 300 of structures with mild cracks. Mr. Ishaya Dan-Azumi, a geologist from the Kaduna State’s Ministry of Environment, while explaining to newsmen at one of the sites, had described the incident as a deep-seated fault in the earth crust trying to regenerate itself. Dan-Azumi said that against the wide-ranging assumption that the incident was an earthquake, there was no evidence supporting that claim, adding that it was “just earth tremor.’’ IT IS IMPORTANT While the FOR GOVERNMENT geologist may AT ALL LEVELS TO have contradicted STEP UP A SERIES himself, apparently OF ENLIGHTENMENT in an attempt to CAMPAIGNS ON HOW BEST ease people’s fear over the frightening TO RESPOND TO SUCH incident, the point A TERRIFYING INCIDENT remains that an WHENEVER IT OCCURS earth tremor is another term for an earthquake, although it is most commonly used to describe such occurrences with low intensity. However, our concern is that since the incidents occurred, there were no known measures taken by the relevant state and federal authorities to ascertain what exactly happened in Kaduna and why. It would seem as if everybody has moved on from that incident which is a dangerous way of handling such situation. That is why we call

Letters to the Editor

on the relevant federal agencies to embark on a proper geological survey of the area as well as other such places in Nigeria that have experienced such tremors. The Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir elRufai, had appealed for calm, and urged everyone not to spread unverified information, or create panic. Yet, barely two weeks after that incident there were other such earth tremors. That perhaps explains why, despite the state government’s reassurance, some residents of the affected areas still live in fear, apparently because they don’t know when it will happen again.

T 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

he government must therefore move very fast to save lives and ease the fear of the residents in the affected communities. The appropriate authorities, especially the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), should also go beyond mere rhetoric and urgently trace the source and cause(s) of the tremors. And they must investigate all other claims of such tremors that we have had, especially this year. For instance, in June, residents of Saki in Oke Ogun area of Oyo State reportedly experienced an earth tremor that lasted weeks, making many residents to flee. In the same month, suspected earth tremor also occurred in parts of Bayelsa and Rivers States, causing apprehension among residents of the affected communities, after experiencing cracks on the walls of their buildings. These are warning signals that should not be discounted by the authorities. Beyond that, now that it is becoming evident that our country is not immune to earthquake, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other rapid respond agencies should be put on notice to be prepared at all times. This is because our history of management of disaster is not encouraging. Therefore, it is important for government at all levels - local, state and federal - to step up a series of enlightenment campaigns on how best to respond to such a terrifying incident whenever it occurs.

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.

GOVERNOR BELLO AND THE CHALLENGES AHEAD

he September 20, 2016, Supreme Court’s verdict in favour of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has finally put to rest the legitimacy issue that has trailed his government since its inception on January 27, 2016. Bello will now assert full authority and put a strong personal stamp on his government. Governor Yahaya, one of the youngest governors in Nigeria, has found himself in the saddle of responsibilities at a period that Nigerians’ quest for change is strong, and peoples’ expectations from the leaders are very high. This is because most states, including Kogi have witnessed a near breakdown of most systems - high level of poverty, corruption, energy crisis, insecurity and misrule. Governor Bello’s four years in office are very critical for him, if he is truly determined to make any difference as a young man. A man many young Nigerians are hoping his achievements will serve as inspiration for youths to prove a point that they can lead in creative and innovative ways during a period of uncommon challenges. The Yahaya Bello I know during my short stay at the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) will make a difference. He was at the Allocation Department, while I was at Planning, Research and Statistics. Working with the speed of the expectations of most Kogites,

Yahaya has already formed a team of great thinkers silicon-valley-thinkers - men and women who can move the government with the speed of the imagination of most Kogites; those whose senses of judgment are centered on the challenges of un-locking the future for ordinary people. And they are already bringing new direction to the public sector’s role in providing the needs of the people. Within a short time in office, Bello was able to fix many roads, including the notorious bad section of the LokojaAjaokuta Road around Ganaja Village, despite being a federal government road. Bello has gradually cleared salaries for workers at the 21 Local Government Areas in Kogi State and the process is still ongoing while the Kogi State Staff Review and Complaints Committee is doing an excellent job. Bello has gladdened the hearts of many young Nigerians who have been following his steps - his ability to transparently utilise the federal government bailout fund - Kogi is the only state to have released the facts and figures on how the bailout funds was spent. The governor has organised a retreat for his political appointees on innovative strategies for development, a plausible step which will make his aides be in tandem with the new direction. Innovative and good leadership always think for the future. Bello has demonstrated that he is a young man that thinks for the future. His government is at the final stages

of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with JUMA International, LLC, a US based company for foreign direct investment worth $1billion in agriculture and agroallied technology. The governor also promised to construct a sea port terminal in Lokaja. Governor Yahaya Bello said that “there was no victor, no vanquished” for his victory and his emergence as governor was ordained by Almighty God. There are political challenges ahead, but for sure, Bello and his team will be the engine room for greater equality of opportunities for all Kogites. He will build a system that will swing the government away from the traditional methodology of concentrating on only ‘off-the-shelves’ ways of improving governance. Governor Bello has proved that he will bring new feasible ideas that would trigger development; eradicate poverty by uplifting individuals, fight crimes with employments and opportunities and fight official corruption the way it ought to be. However, Kogi people should brace up for difficult political and economic reforms resulting from a quest to form new directions and reengineering that show the administration thinks at the speed of the expectations of ordinary people. Kogi people need to be patient as their young governor gradually institutionalises new political, economic and social order for the state.

Zayyad I. Muhammad, Jimeta, Adamawa State

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2016

POLITICS

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

PERSONALITY FOCUS

The Problem with Tinubu It goes without saying that former Governor Bola Tinubu of Lagos State may have unwittingly boxed himself to a corner, writes Olawale Olaleye

erhaps, it is instructive to assume that former Governor Bola Tinubu of Lagos State and one of the national leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had a presentiment of what laid-in-wait for him post-2015 elections. Events leading to the change movement were a garish dynamics, most of which he understood even their complexities. He took a furtive decision to flock with strange bedfellows, but not without extracting certain virtual commitments from the prospective partners in the power game. Nothing was though in black and white, an understanding was yet reached for a new political family to birth. Say what you think, Tinubu has been around for a while to play the fool. Only a few, probably, not more than two or three, can level up with his political intelligence, especially his ability to read the climate with near precision. Even more to his credit is his ability to devise solutions around practically every situation and push such through, even if it means bullying his way. This political barracuda is one of a kind. He has spent nearly the last 25 years, long before the return to civil rule in 1999, building a political consensus cum family that is today a household name. His approach, more often than not, could be machiavelian; very few had alluded to that since he always gets results. This has earned him resounding applause, recognition and awards in different parts of the world and reverence amongst his peers, such that he is almost developing god complex. This notwithstanding, the last one and a half years have been less than promising for this political samurai. A critical stakeholder in the birth and rise to power of the APC, Tinubu has been completely alienated in his own house. He is neither near the party he co-formed nor anywhere close to decision making in their government, even though he was an active agent in bringing forth the APC dream. Everyone suddenly found him impossible to work with and technically, there is a conscious attempt to reduce his influence and restrict his control to his base in Lagos. It is interesting, although ironical, that whilst rising in defence of Tinubu and exposing the alleged attempts to reduce him, members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been more visible and up to task. Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode did a good job recently even though he was a bit melodramatic and characteristically overboard in his intervention. He nearly killed it save for a few inuendos that were totally extraneous and further stoked the embers of discord. Thus, taking it one by one, two factors may have been directly responsible for Tinubu’s predicament and they are self-made. Unfortunately, these factors have not only formed the nucleus of his everyday political disposition, he is unlikely to see them as the problem that they are. And except he reviews this fast declining approach, his present ordeal will be a child’s play in the fullness of time and it would be sad if he goes down on that account despite his irreducible contributions to the contemporary political evolution of this country. The first factor is his Darwinian approach to politics and power. It is the manifestation of the “I” element in his political philosophy. This way, no political placement leaves his immediate environment and his preferred disciples. Everything must revolve around him and his creation (people he’s made), thus reducing the spread and expansion of power outside of the areas of his influence and reach. He would do everything humanly possible to

Taking it one by one, two factors may have been directly responsible for Tinubu’s predicament and they are self-made. Unfortunately, these factors have not only formed the nucleus of his everyday political disposition, he is unlikely to see them as the problem that they are. And except he reviews this fast declining approach, his present ordeal will be a child’s play in the fullness of time and it would be sad if he goes down on that account despite his irreducible contributions to the contemporary political evolution of this country

Tinubu...time to rethink the future

influence everything to himself and decides who gets what. The expansion of his territory in South-west cannot suffice as a counter-argument for this because while he made conscious and spirited moves to extend his empire across the region, his inability to completely take over everywhere can still be located in the Darwinian factor, which naturally encourages desperate elimination process. And because this attitude has become his political culture, he carried it over to the national front despite its huge palpable failings. It was certain that with time, this Tinubu approach could not survive the stiff competitive nature of national politics, where attitudinal integration, political compromise and power concession are critical elements for survival. It is not a debate that President Muhammadu Buhari is worse off in this regard, when juxtaposed with a Tinubu take. The president is primitively sectional and limited in the knowledge of the game and its dynamics. Tinubu, however, betrayed the expectations of a game taken a notch up with all its nuances. The efficient tricks of the Lagos and South-west Ludo game refused to fly in the face of Abuja’s complex chess board. The other factor and equally crucial is Tinubu’s deliberate and systematic decimation of the political class – the potentially promising politicians. Either for fear of a political coup that could see to the upstaging of his leadership or the general fear of the unknown, Tinubu has

refused to let anyone of his so-called disciples grow in equal strides. And whoever shows the trait of such capacity is led up to a point before he is stopped abruptly and by every means possible. The succession battle in Lagos is the least interesting because of Tinubu’s sense of ownership, which has continued to precipitate his dictation of the power equation. It is his idea or better stated philosophy that “power is not served a la carte”, yet, he does not encourage anyone who seeks to take power, either through hard work or having risen through the ranks to get it. It is at the point people are tagged “too independent-minded” to be trusted with power. He refused to keep his soldiers closely knit. He has never found worthy, anyone of those who drive the mobilisation process of his party’s electioneering for offices. The politicians do the dirty work and his so-called technocrats will come and take the shine. Have you noticed the subtle clean-out of politicians of certain categories and age groups in Lagos State and beyond? Have you observed, for some minutes, the deliberate undermining of some politicians of certain political pedigrees in the state? Whether it is a factor of trust or sheer complex, there is a growing disdain for the political class, people who have worked with him for many years and suddenly finds them unfit to be governor or further their political career at other levels. Rather, he finds it convenient

to raise new team and expects that when the chips are down, the new team will protect him more than the old folks with whom he started the journey. Partly a carryover effect of the Darwinian element, this second factor has bred serious resentment amongst the political class, a majority of whom would even look away if privy to where and when an evil conception is being plotted against him. He has for the excessive love of self, destroyed relationships and created deep-seated mistrust. Maybe if he looks back and genuinely analyses those he believes are truly forming alliances against him or plotting to tear him down and put into perspective, how far they have come together, he would make sense of this intervention. Such a sense would be better situated if he is also able to analyse and ponder any of the old folks he’s discarded that could have done the same if roles were reversed? What is however instructive is that the Yoruba as a people cannot afford to watch anyone or group of people destroy Tinubu. That would be a major attack on them and their heritage. In contemporary Nigerian politics, especially as it relates to the Yoruba people, a lot had been built around Tinubu as the de facto face of the race that they cannot afford to let him go into extinction on account of some people’s inordinate ambition. Much as he is largely his own problem, he is by providence an illustrious son of the Yoruba, who has truly paid his dues and intervened at the highest level of decision-making and as well, the cause of the Nigerian project. He therefore needs to do a lot of introspection and talking to oneself in collective interest. The tendency that the Yoruba race, regardless of creed, faith or political leaning could rise in his defence is high and that is what he still has going pretty well for him. But it is not inelastic and so, shouldn’t overstretch this uncommon grace.

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2016

POLITICS

FOR THE RECORD

How We Ate Our Yesterday

A majority of Nigeria’s problems today are a function of the poor choices made yesterday, writes Babatunde Fashola

t the heart of this issue, is the reason for the issue and that reason is us – people. We are so different and yet, want to be the same. We are so different that even those we call identical twins are not exactly the same because we can tell them apart. We also exist in a world that changes more frequently than we can grapple with it. Interestingly, we are the paradox. We are creatures of habit; we want things to remain the same while we pursue change with all our might; yet we have already acquired a vested interest in the same thing we seek to change. So I will discuss leadership and the politics of reform in Africa with lessons from Nigeria within the realities in which reforms are implemented, that is, in people’s lives and the conscious focus of what reforms entail, which is to “alter”, “improve” or “change” things. How will people, who are creatures of habit, and who have acquired a vested interest in the existing order react to any person or institution who seeks to alter or change what they have become used to, no matter how well intentioned the change or new alteration is? If we start with ourselves, as the microcosms of leadership in our homes, work place and our schools and if we focus on what happens in our daily lives, instead of focusing on our mayors, governors and presidents, we should ask ourselves how we react to reforms or change. Let us imagine our favourite chair in the living room, where we watch our favorite sport programme or TV show or our regular seat in the classroom, or our cluttered desk in the office, where only us know where we put every stray piece of paper. Imagine yourself arriving home in a rush or to class for the first lecture, or to the office in the morning, and you find the TV has been moved or the seat has been moved, or that your seating position in class has changed or the person who normally sits next to you has changed or that the office cleaner has cleaned your desk and moved all the stick-on pads and your loose notes around. How would you feel – angry, displeased, disappointed, unimpressed, disorganised? Most likely you will experience one, more or all of these emotions even if the TV view is better, your chair is more comfortable or your desk is cleaner and better organised. This is exactly how people react to their leaders, especially the elected ones. This is partly why reform is difficult, even if it is ultimately beneficial. So, sometimes, and perhaps more often, it is not always the case that our leaders do not know what to do. In many cases, it is the problem of how to get us to agree to it, and how they can stay on our right side that makes reform difficult, because they need or seek to stay always on our right side to get elected again. For want of a better explanation, therefore, I would argue that consensus building is the heart and soul of leadership and politics of reform, whether in Africa or anywhere else. So, the next question is how do we build consensus in order to implement reform? ‘Communication’ is one thing that comes to mind. ‘Trust’ is another while ‘Knowledge’ is yet another and there are certainly many more. If we keep in focus the fact that not everybody votes or indeed voted for the leader, it must then be pretty difficult to expect that those who did not vote at all, or who did not vote for that leader will trust him or be favorably disposed to or interested in listening to what he is saying or doing until it directly affects them and then, the reaction and sometimes, resistance begins. When we acknowledge that there are increasing platforms of communication becoming available to people today, it becomes more problematic to choose which to use. From the traditional radio, TV and newspapers, the world has moved to cyberspace with people receiving information on many platforms like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram and many more, with a list that is growing on a daily basis. This is why there was also a growing skill

Buhari...reworking the failures of the past

set to study communication platforms, the communication audience and the expertise to choose which platform is best suited to reach which particular audience. So, in real life, it is less likely that leaders are accused of over communicating. On the contrary, the popular rhetoric is that of lack of communication. I will attempt to illustrate this point with the recent tariff review for electricity consumers in Nigeria, by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). Although the law allows for the commission to review and determine tariffs to: “allow a license... to recover before costs of its business activities, including a reasonable return on the capital invested in the business”, Section 76 (2) (a). The law further provided that tariff review must be done in consultation with stakeholders. In spite of advertisements by each DisCo (Distribution Company), with records of stakeholders’ meetings, including affiliates of those who later complained, there was a massive outcry of Lack of consultation and allegation of 45% Tariff hike, when in fact the tariff of the most vulnerable consumer never changed, when in fact the fixed charge which consumers found offensive in the old tariff had been removed in the new tariff; when in fact it was impossible to have a uniform 45% increase in tariff, because the tariff for each distribution area in each class of consumer (except the most vulnerable consumer is not the same amount). The outcry ignored the fact of the Tariff review was still many notches cheaper than the consumers cost of self-generation. This is an empirical problem with communication, and perhaps proof of an emerging global lack of trust of governments. These two problems

In Nigeria, the choices of yesterday make this winter a very harsh one for our people because we did not invest in the right things. Our government of yesterday expressed its preference for providing “infrastructure of the stomach”giving handouts instead of real infrastructure. This is how the seeds of today’s recession were sown… What we ate year yesterday is that we wasted our money. We did not invest in roads, highways, bridges, schools and hospitals

are vividly demonstrated by data, in a World Economic Forum publication which showed that on a score of 10 points, where people were asked the question “which sector is most trusted for its leadership?” Non-profit and charitable organizations were trusted at 5.53, Business 4.72, Education 4.70, International organizations 4.62, Health care 4.53, News Media 3.94, Government 3.83, and Religious Organisations 3.57 When the figures were further analysed, they showed that while 52% of respondents do not have confidence in government leaders not to abuse their positions, 55% of respondents had confidence in non-profit leaders to advocate for the marginalised or the under-represented. In the same survey that asked respondents across continents to identify “... the qualities that made for strong leadership”. North America identified global perspective, collaboration and building consensus. Europe identified global perspective, communication and collaboration. Asia identified global perspective collaboration and communication. Latin America identified collaboration, high morality and global perspective. Middle East/North Africa identified collaboration, inspiration and communication, while Sub-saharan Africa identified Relationship with everyday people, collaboration and communication. These responses show that the issues of consensus, communication and knowledge which I raised are the same things these survey responses seek in their leaders, when they ask for collaboration consensus or relating to everyday people, or when they speak about communication (the right to know) and of course, knowledge, when they speak of a global perspective. The question then is how do leaders or governments communicate, collaborate or build consensus or indeed demonstrate the knowledge that citizens expect of them? If we go back to our test case on the upward review of electricity tariff in Nigeria, we can perhaps test the parameters of reform and the attributes that our respondents alluded to. Is it reasonable to have expected the Nigerian electricity regulator or the 11 (ELEVEN) distribution companies to have consulted everyone of the 6 million known consumers on their new database? Can we or should we hold them to such a standard when we know that polls and surveys, which are usually accurately predictive of a population of say 20 million people are based only on a sampling of the views of 5,000 to 10,000 people? While still on the problem of leadership, let me make the point that I have observed that non-Africans speak of Africa as if it is one state. It is not. It is a continent of over one billion people, made up of 54 independent nations, many tribes and ethnic nationalities that were indeed once thriving kingdoms and empires, whose clear identities have been blurred by the force of Western military expansionism. They are extremely diverse people and speak different languages, such that the homogeneity of language that exists in some other continents, which are nonetheless also diverse, are less pronounced and less complex than in the average African country. In Nigeria, for example, although the language of business is English, communication, in order to be effective requires you to translate to at least the other widely spoken languages of Yoruba, Hausa and Fulani, Igbo in addition to Pidgin, which is a slang of English mixed with the local languages, if you want to achieve a meaningful reach. That said I will now deal somewhat with the issue of collaboration as a leadership requirement. I will start with a quote from Robert K. Greenleaf, which says “The leader of the people is their servant.” The point I first wish to make is that leadership confers an office/ status as it imposes a responsibility. I, therefore, argue that it is possible where leadership is not of the quality that is expected; it is perhaps possible that not only have the leader and the led focused more on the status or office, they have focused less on the responsibility, which is to serve, and this is not something

that is unique to Africa. From my experience, it is more likely that when leaders focus less on office and more on the responsibility, they are likely to be more “mindful”. I believe that “mindfulness” is perhaps the most important trait that a true servant, as leader, must possess. “Mindfulness” will constantly remind the leader that people have expectations of him; that what he does or fails to do affects people’s lives. That they lose their lives, their jobs, their homes or other properties if he fails to act properly and that conversely, they are safe, their jobs are secure, and their property rights are guaranteed if he acts properly. It is mindfulness that prompts the leader to show courage, when there is danger to raise hope, when there is despair and to preach togetherness and unity even though he alone bears the burden of an expectant people. During my tenure as governor, my constant source of fear was the security report. I wanted to always protect all the 21 million people I was responsible for even though I did not know them all personally and I could not be in their homes. I received a daily report from the state police headquarters. The best days were the days when no murders or deaths were reported. During long holidays or festivals like Christmas or the Muslim Eid el Kabir when people went out to beaches, malls, tourist destinations and places of worship, were long, tortuous and full of suspense. We planned ceaselessly to ensure security presence in all those places; even if citizens were unaware. All law enforcement agencies were on a minimum of 48-hour patrol and sometimes, 72 hours with allowances until the citizens returned without incident or very little ones. The Ebola outbreak and the urgency to prevent it from reaching epidemic level was perhaps one of the biggest challenges we had to contend with. Mindfulness was a great asset. It helped us to build consensus and collaboration, and our communication was well received. Apart from keeping the leader focused on his responsibilities, it is mindfulness that helps the leader focus less on himself and manage his ego. This matter of ego, perhaps obliquely allows me to speak to the issue raised in Dr. Muyangwa’s press statement about “institutionalising change and keeping reforms beyond one tenure.” Again I wish to reiterate the paradox that we are. We do not want long tenures of leadership. We have evolved term limits of 4-8 years after which we demand that the leadership is changed. Nevertheless we want some of the things they have done to remain the same. Let us first look at ourselves as the microcosms of leadership and ask ourselves if we will keep a rented apartment in the same way as the last occupant left it? We all have egos. Some are big and some are small. Whatever their sizes, I have always believed that the issue is whether the owner of the ego controls it or whether the ego controls the owner. Where the leader controls his ego, he is able to compromise in order to build consensus and get the job done, even if he does not like some of the people he has to work with or some of the things they do or some of the things they demand of him. What I always insist is that while you can compromise on your position, you must not compromise your person, values or integrity. This is a difficult path to navigate when you need consensus. Let us all remember the importance of consensus in a democratic setting because often times, the executive is different from the legislature which has oversight and power of checks and balances. Their numbers vary as their constituencies are expansive. As governor, the state legislature I worked with had 40 legislators from different parts of the state, with different constituency requests, different educational, religious, professional and cultural backgrounds. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2016

BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

FG URGED TO ALIGN FISCAL, MONETARY POLICIES TO GROW FOREIGN INVESTMENTS

Minister Predicts Tourism as Future Crude Oil

on policies and programmes that would lead to significant improvements in agricultural yields and products quality. “There must be proper administration, void of corruption and misappropriation of funds. It is time for a change. It is time for a revolution.” The association recommended a three-point solution to the perennial problem of funding in the nation’s university system. “We want the federal government to pay the universities per student instead of the current arrangement where subventions are doled out. Also, the Association wants our universities to place less emphasis on the tedious task of driving internally generated revenue because this distracts them from offering resourceful solutions to the nation’s challenges by way of inventions and breakthrough research, among others. “Lastly, the students must be encouraged to pay reasonable fees and all levels of government (local, state and federal) give scholarships and student loans, just as individuals, communities and well-meaning organisations should also come to the party,” he said.

Despite the current economic recession, Nigeria’s future is bright, as the country diversifies its economy away from oil, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said in Lagos on Tuesday. Speaking at a ceremony to mark the 2016 World Tourism Day in Eko Atlantic, the city that is being built on reclaimed land on the Bar Beach, the Minister said there is no better testimony to Nigeria’s bright economic future than the new city. ‘’It takes an investor to have a great confidence in any economy before putting hundreds of millions of dollars into a city like this. Those who can see the bright stars in our horizon, beyond this temporary cloud of difficulties, are investing in the country even as we speak,’’ he said. Mohammed said that as the federal government works day and night to pull Nigeria out of recession and put the country’s economy on the path of sustainable growth, ‘’it is becoming increasingly clear, like President Muhammadu Buhari has admonished, that we must think out of the box. ‘’We must find other sustainable means of earning foreign exchange outside of oil, to grow our country’s GDP and create jobs for our people. Agriculture and mining are viable options, but tourism is the low hanging fruit in this regard, and we must not hesitate to pluck it.’’

AIR SAFETY; NCAA INSISTS ON DECEMBER 2017 DEADLINE FOR IOSA programme,” Adurogboye said. THISDAY gathered that Nigerian airlines that obtained IOSA certification include Arik Air, First Nation Airways, Aero Contractors, Overland Airways and cargo airline, Allied Air. Others including Medview Airline, Air Peace, Dana Air are in the process of obtaining the certification. IATA said the total accident rate for IOSA carriers between 2011 and 2015 was 3.3 times lower than the rate for nonIOSA operators. As such, IOSA has become a global standard, recognised well beyond IATA membership. As of March 2015, 145 (36 percent) of the 405 airlines on the IOSA registry were non-IATA.

Group Business Editor

Chika Amanze-Nwachuku AgriBusiness/Industry Editor

Crusoe Osagie

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

Senior Correspondent

Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents

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

Nume Ekeghe (Money Market) Nosa Alekhuogie (Maritime)

He said the choice of Eko Atlantic City as the venue of the 2016 World Tourism Day celebration is significant, adding: ‘’While I will like to reiterate Nigeria’s readiness to explore and exploit tourism for the benefit of its economy, I can confidently add that Eko Atlantic City has what it takes to drive tourism in Nigeria. And this is just as well, because

while the role of the government will be to provide the enabling environment, the private sector will drive the growth of tourism.’’ The Minister called Eko Atlantic City ‘’a tourist haven’’ which has what it takes to drive tourism in Nigeria ‘’The city will boast of 450,000 residents and 300,000 commuters (daily), which is a boon for the myriad of businesses to be located in the city. In addition, it will have a registered Free Economic Zone to encourage economic activities. As you are also aware, shopping malls attract tourists the way bees are attracted to honey. The shopping mall here in Eko Atlantic will be the largest of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa. The 10 million square metres of space in the city will also boast of an impressive retail layout for shopping, vast amenities for entertainment, such as food

courts, cinemas and playgrounds, an ample parking space and a canal that can be used for water transportation and water sports. ‘’Nigerians who are looking for relaxation spots and exquisite shopping malls will no longer need to jet to Dubai and similar destinations, because Eko Atlantic City will be a better destination than Dubai. This is not a joke! Whereas you can only comfortably soak in the sights and sounds of Dubai for a maximum of four months every year due to the prevailing inclement weather there, Eko Atlantic City offers - in addition to the massive shopping mall - 365 days of sunshine and clement weather. This is an added incentive for foreign tourists. In short, the city will have everything you need for tourism to thrive:

security, modern infrastructure, good weather, uninterrupted power supply, potable water supply, etc,’’ he said. Addressing the theme of this year’s World Tourism Day celebration - which is Tourism for All: Promoting Universal Accessibility, Mohammed said Eko Atlantic City that is shaping up as one of Nigeria’s top tourist destinations would be accessible all: the rich and the poor, the young and the old as well as men and women. Quoting UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon, who said everyone has the right to access leisure and tourism services on an equal basis, the Minister said the new city would also not discriminate against the aged and the physically challenged. He appealed to investors to cash in on the Federal Govern-

ment’s massive investment in infrastructural development to help turn the country’s numerous tourist sites to tourist attractions. Earlier, the management of Eko Atlantic made a video presentation of the budding city to the Minister, the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule (who stood in for Governor Akinwunmi Ambode), their entourage and the media, after which they were all taken on a guided tour of the city, whose first resident is due tomove in next month. According to the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), the World Tourism Day has been held annually on September 27th for the last quarter of a century, to foster awareness of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic impact.

WE ARE OPEN FOR BUSINESS

L-R: A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN; Former Governor, Western Region, MajorGeneral Adeyinka Adebayo (RTD.); MD/CEO Skynet Nigeria, Mr. Tayo Ogundare and Head, Courier Regulatory Dept, Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), Dr. Simon Emeje; at the opening of Skynet head of office in Lagos...recently

PenCom Works on Modalities for Use of RSA to Provide Homes for Contributors Ebere Nwoji The Director General, National Pension Commission (PenCom), Chinelo Anohu-Amazu, has said that the commission is currently working on modalities to provide homes for contributors into the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) through their Retirement Savings Account( RSA).Anohu- Amazu, who stated this at the just conclude World Pension Summit held in Abuja, said the government,

through PenCom and other related agencies are looking at modalities for using pension fund to provide mortgages for contributors into the CPS. The PenCom Director General, said this has become necessary because at the present level of economic development in Nigeria and other sub-regional countries, there is need for diversification of pension funds to include investments in identifiable infrastructures especially in real estate and

other aspects of real economy. Speaking in an interview with journalists at the summit, Anohu - Amazu said “at this level of our economic development, the role of pension and social security systems should transcend the payment of retirement benefits, to eradicating old age poverty, creation of employment and stimulating growth of local economies.” She added: “Today, pension and social security systems serve as catalysts for generating

pool of long term investible funds that could be used to develop necessary ingredients for economic development such as infrastructure. Given the current global economic challenges occasioned by the drop in commodity prices, the funds generated under viable pension schemes have become veritable sources of financial intermediation in the efforts being made to diversify these economies towards economic growth”.

She said currently, in Nigeria in particular, discussions are going on between PenCom and the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Works and state governments on how the commission can channel pension funds to provision of homes for contributing Nigerians who are in need of their own houses. She expressed the belief that this will go a long way to reduce corruption and other unwholesome behaviours exhibited by Nigerians especially public servants while in service.

‘Unquenchable Appetite for Foreign Products Contributed to Collapse of Naira’ Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja With Nigeria witnessing the worst economic recession in decades, experts, have blamed the free fall of the nation’s currency against foreign currencies on the unquenchable appetite of Nigerians on foreign products. The experts opined that while it was not impossible for the Nigeria’s economy to come out of recession, but stressed that if the youth could stop looking for white-collar job and think

outside the box by providing economic solutions to the needs of the society that the country’s economy would bounce back. The experts made this known in Abuja at the 2016 edition of the National Youth Summit with the theme; “Harnessing the Untapped Generation.” Speaking at the event, the Founder of Ace Foundation, Dr. Chiefo Ejiofor lamented that the country is presently going through a ‘silent’ but ‘troubling’ transition, adding that this is

supposed to be an opportunity but noted that he was also wary of the consequences. According to him, “30% of the current Dollar demand is due to the insatiable appetite of Nigerians on imported goods. The average Nigerian doesn’t believe in made in Nigeria goods. Those making shoes in Aba said they have to put Made in Italy before they can sell their products. “ “The unquenchable appetite for foreign products, heavy

appetite of what is foreign has made the Naira suffered massively against foreign currencies which is traceable to the value system,” Ejiofor noted. He emphasised that Nigeria economy is presently under siege from ‘economic soldiers ’. “Nigeria is under siege, under siege from economic soldiers, back in those days it was the British that colonised us, but now the Chinese are here, buying whatever we have with pea nut.

“Chinese are gradually taking over our economy, and let me tell you how bad is going to get, one day you will have to go to your village to buy a land and it will be sold to you by Chinese,” he said. Ejiofor however stressed that most of the problems the country is facing presently are man-made, which made them solvable, but added that if everyone could give his all to the Nigeria project, the country would be great again.

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2016

BUSINESSWORLD

MARITIME

Factors Hindering Export through Nigerian Ports Eromosele Abiodun highlights the factors plaguing exports through the Nigerian ports and the remedies provided by industry stakeholders

Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi

The important roles export plays in an economy include increasing productivity, providing employment, trade balancing and expansion of the nation’s economic growth. At this time of economic recession, the diversification of the economy from oil to non-oil export is imperative. This is currently the focus of the federal government. The government wants the development of non-oil export process that is expected to play significant role in revamping the ailing economy. But to make exports to be one of the main stay of the Nigerian economy, the ports will play a vital role. The sea is the medium through which goods originating from and destined for different parts of the world are transported. Seaports in relation to trade are major gateways to the economy of Nigeria hence, play an important role in the development of the country. Freight types are mainly containerised cargoes, general cargoes, roll-on-roll-off cargoes and petroleum products. General cargo was handled mostly by Tin Can Island port, dry cargo by Apapa port and liquid cargo by Okrika port. Apapa port accounts for 30 per cent of cargo throughput in the Nigerian seaports. This form of port specialisation has implications for the provision of facilities at the ports. Between 1990 and 2005, there was an increase in the cargo throughput, container traffic, net registered and gross registered tonnage of vessels at the ports and crude oil terminals. Major problems affecting freight traffic include inadequate cargo handling plants and equipment, long turnaround time, cargo pilferage and excessive charges. Another very important factor is transportation. Transportation is a precondition for spatial interaction and a central dimension of the national and global production systems that are reshaping the world. Transport industries through nodal development provide for the movement of people and goods and provision of services. Global economic integration relies upon efficient maritime transport due to its unparalleled physical capacity and ability to carry freight over long distances and at low costs. Overtime, the maritime industry has substantially changed from an industry that was always international in its character to a truly global entity with routes that spans across hemispheres, transporting raw materials, parts and finished goods. Maritime transporta-

Ms. Bala Usman

tion plays a major role in the national and international trade and economic growth. The seaborne trade represents 90 per cent of the international trade in the world. A seaport is defined as a terminal and an area within which ships are loaded and/or unloaded with cargo and includes the usual places where ships wait for their turn or are ordered or obliged to wait for their turn no matter the distance from that area. Seaports in relation to trade are major gateways to the economy of a country. They represent a complex structure in a country’s transportation system providing ship harbour interface services such as pilotage, dredging, provision of berths, maintenance of navigational channels, etc., ship-port interface in terms of loading and unloading cargoes and port-land interface in delivering cargo to and from the hinterland. In general seaports have five principal roles. They include: Cargoes and passengers handling, providing services for ships such as bunkering and repair, shelter for ships in case of heavy sea and storm conditions, bases for industrial development and terminals forming part of a transport chain. Seaports, expert believe, are complex dynamic systems consisting of numerous interacting elements, influenced by random factors. Obstacles to Export Export process from Nigerian ports is plagued with factors in cross border trade, which greatly affects Nigeria’s product competiveness that result to rejection in the international trading environment. In a letter to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), the National President of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Lucky Amiwero named factors as: lengthy and cumbersome documentation process on export, multiplicity of regulatory/security agencies, high and duplicated terminal/ shipping company charges and process and lack of export infrastructures as the bane of export. The inspection of containers, he stated, is conducted by the following agencies on product quality: The appointed pre-shipment Inspection of export agents, the Federal Department of Forestry, the Federal Produces Inspection Service and the Plant Quarantine Service. According to him, “The Pre-Shipment of Export Company who issues Clean Certificate of

Inspection (CCI) in pursuant to Pre-Shipment Inspection of Export Act of 1996 section 4-(c) clearly states, the inspection agents is provided with necessary facilities to enable the inspection agents to carry out quality and quantity inspections, price comparison and other process as may be required in the circumstance. “The pre-shipment Inspection of export agents appointed by the federal government is responsible for three major functions: rice comparison (value), quantity and quality (product standard). The contract covers the international requirements with regards to the quality of the product, which is the standard of the product, that should have eliminated other agency involved in terms of process and cost, so as to reduce the level of international product reject that is rampant, and in effect enhance our export capacity.” He added: “The following federal government agencies duplicate the process of quality inspection with that of the appointed federal government Pre-shipment Inspection on Export. The Federal Department of Forestry under the Ministry of Environment is involved in Quality of Product, with documentation, operational process and Cost. “The Federal Produce Inspection Service is involved in quality of product inspection, with documentation, operation and cost. Plant Quarantine Service is involved in quality product inspection, documentation, operation and cost.” Duplication of Product Quality Amiwero said that the duplication of product quality (standard) inspection by the four agencies constitute serious bottleneck due to lengthy and cumbersome process, procedure and cost. This, he stated, resulted in associated delays and high cost that necessitated the movement of our products to our neighbouring West African Ports. He pointed out that another major factor affecting export is shipping companies’ duplicated charges and charges not tied to service on export. He said: “The Nigerian shipping companies in line with the contract of carriage, handle import container that are loaded back to the country of origin as empty container without any charge due to the level of export activities that is still very low in the country. The shipping lines Terminal Delivery Charges (TDC) is a charge that is not tied to service, as such charge is duplicated in the charges

of terminal operators.” “The excessive terminal charge coupled with various other charges are not tied to services in line with World Trade Organisation (WTO) Articles VIII –(1)-(a), which stipulates, that all fees and charges of whatever character imposed by contracting parties in connection with importation and exportation shall be limited in amount to the approximate cost of service renders. “The terminal charges are charges component that are not tied to service and it’s duplicated by the shipping company who do not perform any service in the terminal. The operational procedure of terminal/shipping activities contributes to the associated delay due to short shipment of consignment that result to late Loading and reloading of exported containers.” On the provision of weighing and application of Verified Gross Mass (VGM) by exporters, he said: “The verification of gross mass shall be verified by shipper either by weighing the packed container using calibrated and certified equipment as contained in the provision of SOLAS Chapter VI Part A Section 4 paragraph 1&2, which clearly states, the shipper of a container shall ensure the verified gross mass is stated in the shipping document and shall be signed by the shipper. “The responsibility of verified gross mass is clearly the responsibility of the exporter and not that of the terminal operator, who exploit the system to charge as much as N20, 000 per container even when the container has already being weighed by the exporter in compliance to the VGM convention. Terminal operators go ahead to enforce unconventional operational practice in contravention of the SOLAS Chapter VI convention by charging N20, 000 per container with other operational complexities.” As a way out he said: “We as organisation that has served in close to 167 federal government committees, which include, presidential committees on destination inspection, port problem, 48 hour clearance of cargo, Customs reform, request that trade procedure committee (TPC) be set up with expert, to address the obstacle and the shortfalls inherent in our system as it relate to export and import trade. This would in turn, proper position Nigeria for the desired change in other to focus on export drive that will rescue the country from the dependant oil.”

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2016

BUSINESSWORLD

ANALYSIS

Sustaining SME Growth via Capacity Building Eromosele Abiodun takes a look at the factors hindering the growth of SMEs in Nigeria and efforts to reverse the trend One of the major impediments to business growth in Nigeria is capacity building. This is against the wrong belief by many business owners and finance experts. Capacity building encompasses various aspects of a business from the business idea, customer engagement, funding, bookkeeping to sales and marketing, recruitment, logistics, regulatory and environmental issues, among others. At the core of capacity building is the need to provide the needed tools for developing business sustainability. Apart from access to finance and operational challenges, small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) also need to enhance their capacity. Experientially, many SMEs tend to struggle with book keeping, making it difficult for debt or equity investors to assess the business’ viability. According to a tax consultant based in Port Harcourt, Dominic Assim, many small businesses, hoping to cut costs and simplify their processes, adopt the single entry bookkeeping system in which all transactions are captured in one account only rather than the more robust and commonly used and trusted double entry system that has credit and debit columns. Such limiting accounting system already precludes future growth because the single entry has insufficient records that a debt or equity investor may require to properly evaluate the company’s financial position. Identifying a niche and deploying the business’ assets and resources to satisfy that market is a lesson often lost on many SMEs, which dissipate their limited capital trying to satisfy a broader market. The analogy of the big fish in a small pond and the small fish in a big pond, with the fish as the business and the pond the market, aptly puts this error in perspective. A roomful of SME operators was once asked which they would rather be, the big or the small fish. Many, unsurprisingly, picked the small fish, with the rationale that they have a huge market to play in. The choice is typical of the mindset of the average Nigerian business owner, which explains why over 65 per cent of businesses in Nigeria don’t survive beyond the first three years, according to the Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME). And even when they do, they simply hang on, hardly able to turn profitable. Dissipating scarce resources to satisfy a huge market rather than first focus on a small segment and then expand gradually, coupled with significant infrastructure challenges, is a sure recipe for business failure. Multinationals such as MTN, Etisalat, Multichoice and global giants like Facebook and Samsung started out as big fishes in small ponds. They identified their markets, catered to those markets and swam to the bigger pond as demand grew. MTN, for instance, started operations

in Nigeria in 2001 in three cities: Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja, because of the high level of commerce and therefore disposable income in these cities. There were many more cities it could have rolled out in at launch but considering the infrastructure challenge and the resources available, it most likely would have spread itself thin and become anemic if it had tried to take in too much too soon. From these three cities it was able to grow outwards after consolidating its presence. Etisalat followed a similar pattern. It came into the country seven years after the other networks had seemingly tied up the market. To ensure business success, it focused its business efforts on the youth market segment and concentrated its marketing and advertising spend on areas where its target audience can be found: tertiary institutions. Today, it has over 20 million subscribers and is one of the fastest growing businesses in the country. Facebook started off as a networking tool for students of Harvard. It concentrated its efforts on the university campus until it became too big for that market and had to exploit other blue oceans.

Providing a Helping Hand Meanwhile, experts believe that SMEs must make themselves available for capacity building initiatives to effectively compete. For instance, an Executive Director, Personal and Business Banking, Stanbic IBTC Bank,

Mr. Babatunde Macaulay, told THISDAY that businesses need the “right support in terms of infrastructure, financing and capacity building” for sustainability. “The SME sector is pivotal to the economic growth and development of any nation and Nigeria is no exception, and we must ensure that operators get the right support in terms of infrastructure, financing and capacity building,” Macaulay said. This explains why recent interventions by both government and established private sector players to develop a strong and sustainable SME sector have largely been geared towards capacity building rather than just providing finance. Businesses need cash; they equally need advisory services, business and networking opportunities, as well as human capital and marketing. The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), established in 2003 by the federal government, was set up as a coordinating agency for SMEs, helping to link ideas with finance while exposing businesses to opportunities. Providing a structure for the 37 million micro, small and medium enterprises (according to data by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics) in the country to thrive has become a priority. Stanbic IBTC’s Approach In a bid to reverse the trend of lack of capacity building, some stakeholders have put plans in place to ensure that this critical sector takes its rightful place in the Nigerian economy and generates the needed employments. Among the several initiatives out there, Stanbic IBTC Bank’s approach to capacity building is a very interesting one. The bank established a twopronged approach to ensure business’ growth: partnerships and direct intervention. One of its direct interventions was the institution of an SME training series, which it organised across the country. Beyond the capacity training and to ensure businesses have the right kind of support when they need it, the bank developed

a unique digital banking platform, the SME BizDirect, to support small businesses with transactional products; savings and investment solutions; lending products; and wealth protection solutions. Underpinning all these is an investment in technology, which is designed to make banking easier for its SME clients and prospects. “The SME training series was conceived to provide innovative marketing, financial and management skills that are useful to small businesses and which will provide the skillset needed for their businesses to grow,” Macaulay said. The 2016 Stanbic IBTC SME training sessions took place recently across eight cities in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Ibadan, Aba, Kano, Onitsha and Enugu to ensure coverage for the six geo-political zones. The uniqueness of these yearly training is the fact that it is free and open to interested business owners or budding entrepreneurs, both customers and non-customers of Stanbic IBTC. The bank contracts professional and skilled external resource persons to handle the sessions. At the sessions, thousands of participants are yearly taken through topics on human resources, finance and accounting, customer relations, marketing and sales, taxation, entrepreneurship, and book keeping, advertising, employee engagement, among others. This year, the over 2,000 registered participants were availed empirical lessons on how businesses can survive a recession. A participant at the Port Harcourt session, Lawrence Nwafor, who runs a logistics and supply business, said he was glad he stayed through to the end of the training, which lasted for seven hours. “I had intended to stay for three hours then leave but the topics on market niche and the one on taxation held my attention and I couldn’t leave. Those topics showed me clearly what I have been doing wrongly and why I have struggled for a while now in my business. I am glad I stayed for the afternoon session,” Nwafor said.

Small businesses, experts believe, also suffer from a lack of information. “There is also the problem of awareness,” was how one commentator put it. Beyond the training and to address the problem of awareness, the Stanbic IBTC SME BizDirect, the digital banking platform, was launched. “We believe a migration to digital banking will reduce the challenges faced by customers and help them run more efficient businesses,” Stanbic IBTC had said at the launch. “The SME BizDirect is a virtual centre from which well-trained bankers interact with customers by telephone and email. The centre aggregates information, which it shares with SMEs to keep them updated on latest trends in their industries, link SMEs to markets and provide necessary business support to ensure minimum business downtime for subscribers. Stanbic IBTC’s second approach to capacity building is through collaborations. The most recent is the collaboration with Google to train over a thousand young entrepreneurs and SME operators in eight cities on digital skills in 2016. “By organising the capacity building sessions in different parts of the country, the partners hope to build critical mass of businesses through increased adoption of digital technology and enhance their contributions to economic development,’’ the bank had said of the collaboration. “With the economy in recession, rising inflation, dwindling government and private incomes, eroding purchasing power, falling demand and infrastructural deficit, efficient management of available resources will determine the survival and growth of businesses. A sound knowledge of and robust approach to business management that will ensure the survival of SMEs is what is needed at this time. Focusing only on finance may not augur well for the growth and development of small and medium enterprises,” said an official of the bank.

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2016

BUSINESSWORLD

MARITIME

FG Urges SkyNet to End Multinational Currier Companies Dominance Eromosele Abiodun The federal government has called on a leading player in the courier and logistics business in Nigeria, SkyNet Worldwide Express Limited to take advantage of the huge opportunity in the sector to end the dominance of multinational courier companies of the Nigerian market. Post-Master General/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Postal Services (NIPOST), Bisi Adegbuyi stated this at the opening of the company’s new head office in Lagos. Represented by his Senior Special Assistant, Courier Regulatory Department, Dr. Simon Emeje, he called on other indigenous courier companies to emulate SkyNet Worldwide Express and take advantage of the opportunity in the industry. According to him, “I want to let you all know that the federal government appreciates the effort of Cfl Global Express Limited owners of SkyNet Worldwide Express. As regulators, we are glad to see this company grow. We want

Nigerian currier companies to compete with Fedex, DHL and others. The industry is very big, it is an industry that cannot

be neglected. Investors should look at what SkyNet Worldwide Express has achieved in a short period and invest in the industry. “The post is the seventh largest company in the United States of America and its Postmaster General is a cabinet position. That is how it is in Japan. The industry consists of logistics, currier and general post. As regulators we will do what we can to help local currier

player, we knew we must as a matter of importance be part of a global player. Thus in 2008, the board of directors identified and approached the fifth largest currier and express delivery network in the world, SkyNet Worldwide Express for

the Nigerian franchise. “After a competitive bidding, our company was granted the franchise in October 2012. Since the acquisition of the franchise, we have grown in leaps and bounds. Within the few years, we have won several awards

and accolades. Today, we thank God our vision has become a reality, “he said. The story of the company, he stated, is like a mustard seed which was the smallest of all seeds but has grown to become a giant tree.

He said: “Our company started from a humble beginning. We started in 2002 from a borrowed office, a borrowed

chair and table, two telephone lines and two staff member. But today we have transformed into an international business enterprise.”

companies like SkyNet Worldwide Express to grow and end the dominance of multinational courier companies.

In the next five years, I am sure this company will achieve this feat.” Earlier in his speech, the Managing Director of the company, Tayo Ogundare said the vision of the company from inception was to build an international logistics company transacting business around the world with extensive network in Africa. “We had the vision to become Africa’s largest logistics and Courier Company with extensive network in Nigeria and other cities of the world. Since the world has become a global village and to fully actualise our vision of a global

BUSINESS VISIT

L-R: Deputy Managing Director, Arik Air, Captain Ado Sanusi; Chairman, Sir. Joseph Arumemi-Johnson and President, Afri-Exim Bank, Cairo, Egypt, Dr. Okey Oramah, during a working visit to Arik Air Headquarters at the Murtala Mohammed, Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, by Board of Directors of Afri-Exim Bank …recently

NIMASA Pledges to Strengthen Zonal Operations to Enhance Efficiency

LADOL Boss Stresses Women’s Role in Global Economic Growth

Eromosele Abiodun

The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Dakuku Peterside has expressed the agency’s determination to strengthen its zonal operations to become the centre of the agency’s activities. He said the agency plans to devolve more power to the zonal offices, grant them more autonomy and authority to handle the agency’s statutory mandate without recourse to the head office. Peterside, who made this disclosure while meeting with staff and stakeholders in Warri as part of his working visit to the central zone in continuation of his familiarisation tour of the agency’s offices and facilities, also assured stakeholders that the Agency has concluded plans to automate its processes to enhance efficiency in the discharge of its duties. He pointed out that staff are the most valuable resource of the agency and assured them of management’s commitment to the enhancement of their welfare to engender greater productivity at all times. Peterside promised that management will do all that is necessary to provide the right working tools for staff who he charged to redouble their efforts towards making the Agency a performance driven organisation that all Nigerians will be proud of. Responding to questions from stakeholders, he said

that peace is the panacea for the development of the Niger Delta region. Peterside, who decried incessant militancy and youth restiveness in the region, also called on opinion leaders and elders to call the restive youths to order so as to engender the development of the Niger Delta Region. According to the NIMASA boss, “we have a problem, the level of insecurity in the Niger Delta cannot be an incentive to economic growth. And so when you say everything moves to Lagos, they are reacting to the forces of demand and supply, economic factors.” The DG observed that the level of insecurity in the region has rather scared away genuine investors who think that the region is not safe to do business. While acknowledging that some of the demands of the agitators are germane, the DG noted that there are better ways of going about their demands without degrading the environment by bursting pipelines that take away the livelihoods of a lot of people in coastal communities. Peterside also visited the Cabotage Enforcement Office in Sapele, the floating dock berthed at the Naval Base in Sapele, the Search and Rescue Base clinic, Maritime Safety office, Maritime Labour office and the Central Zonal Office all in Warri as part of his working visit to the operational offices of the agency.

Women have contributed significantly to global economic growth and as leading agents in Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The assertion was made by the Managing Director of the Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics base (LADOL), Dr. Amy Jadesimi, in a speech she delivered at the just concluded United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) held in New York, United States of America. Jadesimi, who is a member of the 31 International Commissioners, spoke on behalf of the Business and Sustainable Development Commission which is chaired by Lord Mark Malloch-Brown and co-founded by Paul Polman, the CEO of Unilever. The international commissioners’ forum was sequel to the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment report released on 22 September 2016 at the launch event, and which was personally attended by Ban Ki Moon, the Secretary General. In her speech titled, “Women are driving the global economy”, Jadesimi whose commission consists of one-third women membership, posited that if the world commits itself to gender equality in all spheres to bring about equal engagement in global workforce, global gross domestic products (GDP) would have grown by about $28 trillion by the year 2025. According to the LADOL

boss, “the business commission is making a powerful case, supported by sound evidence, rigorous research and compelling real-world examples, for why the private sector should seize upon the SDGs as the greatest opportunity for corporate growth and profitability of our lifetime. “The commission’s work will help high growth, low income countries achieve the SDGs by catalysing the empowerment of and the investment in critical and currently marginalised groups, such as local private sector companies and women. Women are drivers of the global economy and they are critical to leading the shift to an inclusive and sustainable world”, she said. Describing the mission and vision of the Business and Sustainable Development Commission as being in line with those of LADOL, she noted that, “just as LADOL has positively disrupted the oil and gas and maritime sectors, the BSDC seeks to support and drive disruptive innovations that (are) breaking new ground and transforming business models in health, education, mobility, agriculture and energy.” Such business models, according to her, “are challenging the status quo of established industries—from fossil fuels to fashion. The work of the Commission is all the more important given the threats of social and environmental externalities.” To this end, she urged the private sector to immediately

accelerate inclusive growth and drive sustainability at a far greater speed and scale than ever before. According to reports, the Business and Sustainable Development Commission (BSDC), which was launched in January 2016, aims to accelerate this market transformation and advance the world’s transition to a more prosperous and inclusive economy. The core of its mission is to make a significant case— supported by sound evidence, rigorous research and compelling

real-world examples—for why business leaders should seize upon sustainable development as the greatest opportunity of a lifetime. Jadesimi disclosed that the Commission will show how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide the private sector with the framework for achieving this market shift. She said the business commission’s flagship report due to be published

in January 2017, will highlight “the evidence for new sustainable growth models, which are becoming increasingly more attractive and affordable. She said: “However, there are many more companies that remain on the current path, and our research will make clear the significant risks, which could lead to adverse effects on growth and profit. “The report will also highlight new business models and how

they can align profitability with sustainable development, and how first-movers are already gaining an advantage in the market, as well as the challenges and opportunities for new financial tools to crowd in private capital and align economic and social returns. “We will identify major financing challenges, such as pervasive short-termism, as well as potential solutions, including prioritising the benefits of patient, long-term investments, and the need for business, government, and civil society to effectively build a new social contract to create a more enabling environment and drive collective action for achieving inclusive, sustainable growth”. The LADOL boss, however, noted that this exercise will require, “a stronger role for all stakeholders, and it will also require the private sector to proactively earn the trust of society. We will argue that delivering the SDGs requires both a stronger private sector and a stronger public sector. “ She pointed out that even though the research findings were still in the early stages, “so far shows there are significant economic opportunities for the private sector to create new business models that transform markets and drive inclusive growth across several key industries. These findings will be finalised in the coming months, and will take centre stage in the Commission’s final report.”

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2016

BUSINESSWORLD

ANALYSIS

Buhari’s Green Alternative

Diversifying the Nigerian economy through the return to the land initiative, as articulated in the federal government’s ‘Green Alternative’, can be achieved by the commitment of both the executive and legislative organs of government, writes Adams Abonu

Adamu

With the Nigerian economy tottering in troubled waters occasioned majorly by a slump in the price of crude oil in the international market with its attendant effect on the naira, the time to seek alternative avenues to national prosperity has come. This reawakened consciousness became more obvious recently with President Muhammadu Buhari’s launch of a Roadmap to revive and properly harness the potentials of the agricultural sector christened the “Green Alternative.” Since Nigeria’s independence in October 1960, successive regimes have tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to reassert the country’s huge status as the food basket of the continent: there was the ‘Operation Feed the Nation, (OFN)’ conceived by the military regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo between 1977 and 1979, which recorded significant effort in focusing on the agricultural endowments of the country; followed by the futile ‘Green Revolution’ initiative of President Shehu Shagari. Then there was the DFRRI programme of the administration of President Ibrahim Babangida geared towards harnessing the potentials of rural and agricultural sector. A common denomination of these efforts have been the noble objectives to steer the national economy from exclusive reliance on a volatile petroleum sector but a dearth of commitment to achieving desired goals. With the recent launch of the new initiative by the federal government, THISDAY reports that expectations among Nigerians who genuinely hope for a national economy diversified from exclusive reliance on crude oil sales for foreign exchange earnings have again been reawakened. At a time of foreign exchange crises which has seen the naira nose-dive to unprecedented low, with a food supply conundrum that has led to widespread hunger in the citizenry, these expectations could be understood and the success of the new initiative could be the rescue. A quick glimpse into the literature of the Green Alternative reveals a well-thought-out mechanism aimed at making the agricultural

Ogbeh

sector the mainstay of the Nigerian economy. The new Nigeria Agricultural Promotion Policy (APP), the so-called ‘Green Alternative’ is basically a people-oriented strategy that seems focused on meeting the challenges at the heart of limited food production and delivery of quality produce that meets international standards. This implies that as productivity improves domestically and standards are raised for all Nigerian food produces, with more prospects for export which would benefit balance of payments. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) would initially prioritise improving productivity into a number of domestically focused crops and activities including rice, wheat, maize, aquaculture, diary milk, soya beans, poultry, horticulture (fruits and vegetables) and sugar. The ambitious plan is apparently premised on the belief that that the production gap could be closed by partnering closely with private investors across farmer groups and companies to develop end to end value chain solutions. “What government intends to do is to make food production meet local consumption and yet improve prospects for exporting our surplus. Farmer chains will receive facilitated supports from government as they make reasonable commitment to engaging a new generation of farmers, improving supply of specialised fertilizers and protection chemicals, as well as wider scale use of high yielding seeds. “Government also expects to work with investors in the sector to sharply the distribution system for fresh foods so as to reduce time to table, reduce post harvest losses, and overall, improve nutritional outcomes like lowering of risks associated with diabetes,” Mr. Hassan Adamu, an official of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture told THISDAY in Lafia. However, investigation by THISDAY revealed that the federal government’s timely ambition could be better achieved with equal sense of commitment from the two strategic organs of government in policy development and implementation- the executive and the National Assembly.

Godwin Owoicho, North Central coordinator for Youth in Agriculture, an interest group advocating for the commitment of Nigerian youth to agriculture told THISDAY that “while the president and his group could formulate policies that are promising, the needed legislative backing must be accompanied and this is where the National Assembly come in.” Interestingly, the resume of the two principal personalities that head the executive and legislative organs of government include a robust experiences in commercial farming with requisite charisma. The duo of Chief Audu Ogbeh, Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and Senator Abdullahi Adamu, revered Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development are “examples in exemplary service and models to aspiring farmers. Ogbe, whose fingerprint input is rife in the ‘Green Revolution’ document has a track record of public service cutting his teeth as a young deputy speaker in the Benue State House of Assembly during the second republic proceeding further to serve as minister in the later part of the administration of President Shagari. He was later to serve as the irrepressible Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) upon Nigeria’s return to civil rule. All these while, the Efugo Farms, a large expanse of farmed land in Benue have been a retreat spot of some sort to the knowledgeable public servant. “That he is at the forefront of the administration’s agricultural revival plans is comforting and bodes well for the sector. The man possesses what it takes to revive farming in tandem with modern expectations and I believe we will get it right with him. “His predecessor in that position, Mr. Akinwunmi Adesina did a lot to ensure that agriculture regained its rightful place in the economy and that effort should be sustained,” another source from FMARD who craved anonymity said of the minister. Mobilising accompanying legislations for the ‘Green Alternative’ to succeed for the

overall benefits of Nigerians is, agreeably, a beckoning responsibility. With Adamu chairing the important position at the red chambers, the presidential initiative have a worthy partner. The senior ranking senator, who was the first executive governor of agrobased Nasarawa State for two consecutive terms of four years between 1999 and 2007 is also a farmer of great repute. It is to his credit that recent legislative initiatives into agricultural extension services and farming modernization have added to the rising status of the sector. “When Adamu was governor here in Nasarawa State, we farmers had greater sense of dignity for our profession because he is like one of us. Every farmer in Nasarawa State had access to farming incentives and this greatly improved our yields. “We hope that his executive experience would be an added advantage to mobilize his colleagues in the National Assembly to give life to (President) Buhari’s visions in the Green Alternative,” Kabiru Ibrahim, National President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) told THISDAY in Keffi, Nasarawa State. Adamu, owner of the reputable Nagari Farms, once affirmed to THISDAY in an exclusive chat in Keffi that “in terms of supporting the efforts of the government in giving farmers value for their services and reviving the huge prospects of the agricultural sector, we, in the national assembly are ready to create the needed conducive environment. This is what the people who elected us expect us to do and we must make laws and amend needed ones to meet the challenges of the time.” While many Nigerians agree that the recent economic crunch brought about by a volatile crude-oil sector, many also agree that a return to the lands is the viable way out of the economic quagmire. Driving the comprehensive ‘Green Revolution’ roadmap demands commitment, innovation and sense of purpose which the identified drivers must bring to board.

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30.09.2016

New Sound of Bama

Ongoing reconstruction work in Bama

In the entire North-east, Bama was the town worst affected by the Boko Haram insurgency, as over 75 per cent of its infrastructure was laid to waste. But the Borno State Government, irrespective of its lean purse, has started the massive reconstruction of the town, reports Michael Olugbode Bama was a commercial town where the sounds in every nooks and crannies of it, was that of the call for someone to buy a product or that of haggling for price. But the sanity of the town was destroyed by the sounds of bullet and improvised explosive devices of the insurgents which allowed for the sounds of crying and wailing on the streets to reach a disturbing tempo. Many of the wailers even with the wailing sounds have to allow for the sounds of the feet as they either marched off the town or rather flee to safer haven. This left yet another sounds, the sounds of the reign of forced Shariah where people are caned in the open for the least of offense, if they were lucky or slaughtered as the case may be. The reign though short but would go in the annals of the town as the worst, for it was not all about the sounds of cries but the offensive odours of decomposing bodies of both human and animals. Many carcasses of human laid on the streets and people were killed in thousands and thrown into the River Yedzaram and well across the town. When the nation was tired of the sounds and odours of Bama, it sent its soldier to liberate the town, and yet was another sound in the offing, the sounds of tanks and bullets, but before this could move into Bama, the insurgents got wind of it and created yet another sound, that of looting and burning, the remaining worthy properties in the town were looted and the rest of the infrastructure set ablaze. The insurgents never waited for

this sound to rescind before they sounded yet another sound, they fled from the town,

Governor Kashim Shettima seeing that it is time for a new Bama to emerge from the destruction of the old, pulled out all the needed machineries and ordered them to move into the town, this created a cacophony of sounds; the sound of the moving trucks brought in to begin the reconstruction work, the sound of the noisy workers working on rebuilding the town; the sound of trucks deployed to deweed and fumigate the town; the sound of security operatives sent to enforce law and order, and keep insurgents out of the town

rolling out their spoils and fleeing with great dispatch. Few hours later when the sound of destruction of the town was yet still loud, the soldiers rolled in their tanks with a loud bang but only to meet an unoccupied town in flame. They blew their trumpet and hung the flag of Nigerian authority and they changed the sound once again, the sound of morning drills and return to normal authority. This sound has been on for so long and it is now the time for a new sound. Governor Kashim Shettima seeing that it is time for a new Bama to emerge from the destruction of the old, pulled out all the needed machineries and ordered them to move into the town, this created a cacophony of sounds; the sound of the moving trucks brought in to begin the reconstruction work, the sound of the noisy workers working on rebuilding the town; the sound of trucks deployed to de-weed and fumigate the town; the sound of security operatives sent to enforce law and order, and keep insurgents out of the town. The new sound in Bama is that of a symphony led by a conductor, Shettima who had brought different musical instruments, sound of builders, security, mowers to produce a great orchestral that will deafen whatever sound was previously heard in Bama. Shettima in order to produce this orchestral, masterly wrote out the manuscript and got everyone seated to play the keys and he knew he could not conduct the symphony from far

away Maiduguri but the epicentre, Bama. Even with all the persuasion that the conduction could be done from the luxury of his office in Maiduguri by those that fear that the insurgents were not far away and could still want their sound to be re-echoed, Shettima came down to Bama with little luxury to make sure the orchestral was a masterpiece. His one week stay in Bama, is making a nice sound everywhere in the town as everywhere you turn you see people working out at sometimes, the bricklayers, the mason, painters and the carpenters are all making up sounds with their tools and the songs have started coming out fine in the shape of a new Bama emerging from the destruction of the old; the environmental sanitary officers are also in tune, taken away rodents and pest, and clearing the weeds; the security agents and volunteer vigilantes and local hunters have all sync in, taking watch on the town. Though the orchestral is loud and well coordinated enough, but the Boko Haram want the old tune to be played; they launched attacks few kilometres away in Logumani and Dara/Jamal, where an Army officer and three soldiers were confirmed killed. But the music conductor, Shettima described as not loud enough to distract him from dishing out his orchestral. He said he will not allow any attack of the insurgents to undermine the ongoing reconstruction work in the state and described the insurgents as â&#x20AC;&#x153;merchants and vendors of fearâ&#x20AC;? who have been overpowered by the

29/COVER

30.09.2016

Shettima supervising a borehole in Bama

The Bama elders and the people of the community have equally mobilised our people to secure the town, we have Civilian JTF, local hunters and vigilantes already willing to protect the town against aggressors. All these people are ready to complement the security agencies…Our people are already on ground, assisting in the ongoing reconstruction of the town and we are all yearning to come back to our homes. Immediately the homes are ready, everyone would move in

might of the Nigerian military. He said: “The Boko Haram insurgents are merchants of fear. They are also vendors of fear. They want to instill fear into us,” but: “I think we should be stubborn enough to follow our convictions against the wanton destruction of lives and property not only in this state, but the entire affected sub-region of the country. We have the courage to realise our dreams of an enduring peace in the state and the Northeast.” Shettima said that no matter what the insurgents throw at us, the state government and its entire citizens have to rebuild Borno brick by brick, as the rebuilding and rehabilitation processes of Bama have commenced last Wednesday and it would never be stopped.

Shettima (2nd left) supervising ongoing reconstruction work in Bama

He added that: "Any life that does not involve taking risk, is not a life worth living," asking: "At the end of the day what story are you going to tell your grandchildren." The governor had decided to conduct the symphony and the people of Bama are definitely ready to dance to the new sound blowing the airwaves. The support of the indigenes of the town is shown by the elders led by Hon. Al-Amin Kamsalem who revealed that 5,000 men were donated to secure the town against any form of aggression. He also revealed that fund were been pulled together to support the state government financing of the ongoing reconstruction of the town. Kamsalem, who was a former commissioner in the state and erstwhile chairman of Bama Local Government, leading other prominent indigenes to the press conference said: "All the professionals indigenes of Bama especially in the building and construction industry are going to render free service towards the rebuilding of Bama. He said: "We are going to definitely contribute financially, morally and spiritually towards the rebuilding of Bama and the continued peace of the town. We are completely behind the governor." He equally revealed that: "The Bama elders and the people of the community have equally mobilised our people to secure the town, we have Civilian JTF, local hunters and vigilantes

already willing to protect the town against aggressors. All these people are ready to complement the security agencies.” Kamsalem, who commended the governor's commitment to the rebuilding of the state and resettlement of the victims of Boko Haram, said the governor has shown with his relocation to Bama to superintend the ongoing reconstruction work, his exemplary leadership qualities. He added that: "Our people are already on ground, assisting in the ongoing reconstruction of the town and we are all yearning to come back to our homes. Immediately the homes are ready, everyone would move in." The Borno State Environmental Protection Agency (BOSEPA) has also cued into the new emerging sound from Bama with the deployment of 1,000 men to clean the town and clear weeds, rodents and pesticides. The Sole Administrator of the Agency, Alhaji Nasir Surundi, said the agency had undertaken post conflict fumigation and clearing in Dikwa, Magumeri, Konduga, some parts of Maiduguri Metropolitan Council in the past and was fully aware of the work before it which it will finish in just two weeks. Security operatives are equally in the Shettima's symphony and ready to play the tune that will silence the sound of the Boko Haram forever, they presently have 300 paramilitary/security men deployed to

the town to maintain law and order. Among those deployed to the town include 200 policemen (mostly mobile) with the additional 100 made up of personnel of Nigerian Security Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) and Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS). Though over N30 billion is needed to complete the ongoing reconstruction works in Bama alone, according to the state Commissioner for Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement, Dr. Babagana Zulum, which is beyond the capacity of the state. He said help is being received from Victims Support Fund (VSF). He said: "We have about 10 public schools including primary and secondary schools that were completely destroyed in Bama, but I am happy to inform you that the federal government under the Victims Support Fund (VSF) headed by General Theophilus Danjuma has promised to intervene and rebuild all these schools for the comfort of our children's education. "The VSF team was here in Bama sometime ago, they came and assessed the affected schools, and very soon, these schools will be put to good shape". He said it was no mean task "fixing into good shape of 10,000 residential houses hitherto destroyed, more than N3 billion is to be earmarked for the reconstruction of hostels, classroom blocks, lecture theatres

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Rebuilding of Bama is beyond the state government due to paucity of funds, I want to assure the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in this town, that with commitment and support the Ministry for Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement is receiving from Governor Kashim Shettima and our security forces, we will complete some substantial parts of the destroyed structures for our people to return back home Ongoing reconstruction work in Bama

and staff quarters at the Umar Ibn-Ibrahim College of Education, Science and Technology (UICEST), which was the only higher institution, before it was taken over and destroyed by the insurgents,â&#x20AC;? reemphasising that: "Rebuilding of Bama is beyond the state government due to paucity of funds, I want to assure the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in this town, that with commitment and support the Ministry for Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement is receiving from Governor Kashim Shettima and our security forces, we will complete some substantial parts of the destroyed structures for our people to return back home.â&#x20AC;? Zulum however called on well-meaning individuals and corporate organisations to come to the aid of Borno State Government in the ongoing reconstruction work. Even as the contribution of others are being expected in the reconstructed work in Bama, the governor has set a dateline of January 1, 2017 for the return of those displaced from Bama back to their homes. It may seem to be a difficult task but it is often said where there is a will, there is a way and Shettima is definitely a man of gigantic will.

Ongoing reconstruction

Workers of Borno State Environmental Protection Agency clearing streets in Bama town, held by Boko Haram for nearly two years

Ongoing reconstruction

Sanitary workers clearing the weeds in Bama

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Celebrating 25 Years of Empowering Emerging Artists Mary Ekah Come November 12 to 19, at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos, the African Art Resource Centre (AARC), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) dedicated to the promotion of Nigerian art and initiator of the annual Experience Nigeria Art Show, an annual exhibition of work by emerging Nigerian artists, will be celebrating its 25th year of creating opportunities for young artists in Nigeria. The anniversary which has the theme, ‘Fresh Forward: Refreshing for Future’, will kick off on Saturday, November 12 with the African Art Award ceremony where personalities who have contributed enormously to the art industry will be rewarded with certificates, trophies, and cash prizes. The highlight of the award ceremony will be the presentation of the Gani Odutokun Award for excellence in art by the guest of hobour, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State. The anniversary will also feature a seminar with focus on the future of Nigerian art and artists spearheaded by the honourable Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde. The event will have the UNESCO Human Living Treasure, Prof. Bruce Onokbrakpeya as father of the day and will feature over 100 artworks of various media by over 150 artists from all over Nigeria.

Participants at a recent Children's Creative Camp orgnaised by AARC during its annual Experience Nigeria Art Show

Chairman, Board of Trustees, AARC and initiator of the Experience Nigeria Art Show Award, Mr. Oladele Olaopa, said, “We started the Experience Nigeria Art Show and Awards in 1991, so we want to celebrate that 25th anniversary this year in a big way. We have invited all the artists that have been exhibiting with us over the years from when we started till last year. So out of these artists, we will pick the best to exhibit their works for this 25th anniversary

and we have chosen the theme, ‘Fresh Forward: Refreshing for Future”, for this celebration.’ Olaopa revealed further that the exhibition will cover works from as many years as possible and will be bringing artists together for a show billed to hold from November 12-19. “This will be our 25th edition and God has been faithful because we have been very consistent right from the start. Every year we give opportunity to any artist to showcase his/her work as long

as the work is of standard, you bring it to the exhibition and we show it without collecting a penny from you. We have done this for hundreds of artists. Now we are 25 and we want to bring together all the artists that have benefited from this event. So we are going to choose from this group of artists who have exhibited with us for the last 25 years, so we are going to choose artists in different year from 1991 till last year. Our theme for the celebration is ‘Refreshing for the Future’. We want to encourage artists to look forward to the future despite the economy hardship and simply look forward to a better future”, Olaopa said. “We have invited all our artists over the years for them to send in their works and this month is the deadline for submission. We are going to select the best works from amongst them for the anniversary exhibition. And we are looking at about over a hundred artists spread over the years for the show,” he added. Stressing further on the importance of the award ceremony, Olaopa said, “To feature in this anniversary ceremony is an award ceremony we tag, ‘African Arts Award’, where we reward people who have contributed tremendously to the art industry. These include the Lifetime Achievement Award named after Prof. Bruce Onokbrakpeya, who is going to hand over the prize to the winner.

European-American University Honours Frank Okafor Anayo Okolie Last Saturday, Lome, the capital city of Togo hosted some prominent Nigerians when they accompanied the Chief Executive Officer of Marcopolo Group of Companies, Chief Frank Okafor, to receive a honourary doctorate degree bestowed on him by European-American University. Okafor was conferred with a Doctor of Science (D.Sc Hons) in Housing Development and Corporate Governance following his outstanding leadership achievements and contributions to housing development. A statement by the institution management said Okafor was conferred with the honourary doctorate degree in recognition of his outstanding leadership achievements and contributions to Housing Development and Corporate Governance, which was highly recommended by those who recommended him for the award. He was among few Nigerians and professionals across the world, who were honoured with a honourary doctorate degrees in Lome, the capital of Togo by the Senate and Management Board of the European American University Commonwealth of Dominica. Having distinguished himself in real estate sector in Nigeria, the honourary doctorate degree bestowed on Okafor is a testimony

Okafor, 2nd from right duirng the award ceremony

of the impact he had made in the society since the birth of Marcopolo Group of Companies about 15 years ago. Okafor, since he ventured into real estate and hospitality businesses has proved to the world that he is a man to be reckoned with in the sector. He has done a lot in the real estate and hospitality business to make life comfortable for people in different parts of Nigeria, where his company has built

several estates and first-class hotel. Okafor, who is heavily involved in the day-to-day running of his companies with support from capable, reliable and committed staff, has thrived where many people failed, having used his business acumen and skills to redefine real estate and hospitality business in Nigeria. Marcopolo Properties Nigeria limited has over the years provided Real Estate services and

delivered quality properties to its numerous clients within Nigeria, especially in Lagos at different locations. The honour coming from a foreign university has shown clearly that Okafor’s recognition to real estate and hospitality business goes beyond the shores of Nigeria. Speaking after receiving the honourary doctorate degree, Okafor commended the authority of European-American University Commonwealth of Dominica for deeming it fit to bestow the honour on him and promised not to let down the institution and those who nominated him for the award. The Marcopolo Group of Companies boss also promised not to relent in his contribution to housing development, adding that he will do his best through his company to provide suitable and affordable housing for people to reduce housing deficit in the society, especially in Nigeria. Okafor, who has created thousands direct and indirect jobs for Nigerians also promised that through his companies Marcopolo Hotel and Suites and Marcopolo Properties, that he will continue to create more jobs in order to help reduce the high level of unemployed in Nigeria. Apart from providing shelter and employment, Okafor who is also a philanthropist has done several philanthropic jobs to alleviate poverty in his state Anambra and beyond.

The Next Titan 3: Young Aspiring Entrepreneurs Troop Out Multitude of young aspiring entrepreneurs trooped out to the various audition centres of The Next Titan, Nigeria’s entrepreneurial reality TV show, which were held recently in Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Lagos. The auditions’ centres of the three regions witnessed array of young ambitious entrepreneurs who came to showcase their entrepreneurial ideas to the auditions’ judges in order to qualify for the television knockout stages of the 10 weeks entrepreneurial reality TV show where winner will eventually go home with five million naira, and a brand new car courtesy of Ford and Coscharis Motors. The innovative show which is sponsored and headlined by Heritage Bank recorded impressive turn out for the auditions in Abuja and Port Harcourt, while the crowd in Lagos for the auditions was uncontrollable as the organisers had to send some of the registered buddy entrepreneurs back home by requesting them to come the following day. Most of the invited contestants had gotten to the various auditions’ venues as early as 6am for an event that was scheduled to kick off by 9am. And this undoubtedly shows that young ambitious Nigerian entrepreneurs are willing to go any length to accomplish their dreams. The Next Titan is Nigeria’s entrepreneurial Reality TV Show where thousands of ambitious

Aspiring young entrepreneurs

young entrepreneurs battle one another for a prize of five million nairato start their dream business. This process starts by allowing the contestants pitch their business ideas through auditions at different zones in Nigeria, before the top 16 contestants with brightest ideas are shortlisted to live together, and to compete by carrying out weekly business tasks and challenges for 10 weeks on television, and with weekly

evictions in the boardroom by the judges until the winner eventually emerges to win five million naira and a brand new car. After the auditions, which now leads to the subsequent top 50 Boot Camp, the final 16 contestants will have very real street smarts in order to make it through the challenges, and the contestants will prove their entrepreneurial flair through various business challenges on the

10-week show, but the effects of educating and involving Nigeria’s budding entrepreneurs who are watching the show on TVs will hopefully be far reaching According to the executive producer, Mide Kunle-Akinlaja, “the importance of The Next Titan to the Nigerian economy lies in igniting entrepreneurial spirit of young people, and showcasing the possibility of entrepreneurship in transforming lives and our societies with just an idea that can be scaled to greatness.” He added that, by scouting for young talented people who have entrepreneurial acumens, grooming them through a rigorous task and boardroom process and eventually funding a winner’s idea, leading to an opportunity to create jobs for themselves and others, is indeed a big contributor to the socio-economic development of the society. And what is more compelling is that a broader audience, that is millions of TV viewers are able to watch the 10 week TV Reality show directly on their TV sets, therefore getting their entrepreneurial spirit inspired to take their destinies in their hands. The multiplied effect of this is that the young graduates whose their mentalities have been earlier conditioned to seeking for jobs after schools, would now have a change of mind sets of creating jobs for themselves and others.

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Beyond Usual Care for the Downtrodden Since the launch of its 12 Baskets initiative in November 2015, Beyond Usual Care Foundation has raised the bar in its drive to positively impact lives, Ugo Aliogo reports Since November 2015, when Beyond Usual Care Foundation, a faith-based NonGovernmental Organisation (NGO) launched the ‘12 Baskets’ initiative, a need-based donations collection platform, many less-privileged children, orphans and missionaries now have good reason to smile every month. The initiative is aimed at inspiring a culture of altruism and benevolence, with a focus on alleviating the suffering of orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs), Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), widows and missionaries. To fool-proof the impact of its activities, the foundation built into its operations an accountability framework for both donors and recipients, as it disburses monthly donations to the less-privileged spread across rural Nigeria. On August 20, the hard work of Beyond Usual Care Foundation was not only acknowledged, but earned it even more work. A group of young professionals, known as the Diplomats, donated relief materials to support the NGO’s novel approach to philanthropy and social development. Those that benefitted from the gesture include Home of God's Grace Orphanage, Ikorodu, Lagos State; Arrows of God Orphanage, Ajah, Lagos State; Sought After Women and Children Foundation, Ajah, Lagos State; RACO Rural Child Orphanage, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State; Springs of Life Global Missions, Ogun State; God's Own Evangelistic Discipleship Ministry, Taraba State: Our Daily Needs Ministry, Plateau State, and Go International, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, among others. However, according to Beyond Usual Care Foundation, there is still much to be done, as there is a need for sponsorships/scholarships for the orphans, especially those in higher institutions, medical aid for the homes, as well as opportunities for mentorship and volunteering. The foundation appealed for the donation of food items, educational materials, clothing, footwear, toys, bags, bedding materials, cooking utensils, toiletries and others in order to bring succour to the less-privileged. Speaking at the event, the Executive Director of the foundation, Miss. Majiri Oniko, explained that the foundation, through the donation collection platform, provides year-long support for underprivileged groups such as orphans, widows, missionaries and IDPs in remote areas of the country. She said that the groups needed adequate attention and support to rekindle their hope for a better future. "The platform is expected to provide consistent support for the underprivileged on a monthly basis. We have observed that after these persons receive support during festive periods, in a matter of weeks, the supplies run dry. We set up this platform to ensure that they get something every month. Every third Saturday in a month, we gather at the Astro Turf to receive gifts and donations from the public,” she noted. The foundation currently works with 17 needy groups to receive food, clothes, shoes, toiletries and others to redistribute to persons on its network, with the motivation that its efforts would provide support to these destitute. Oniko said: "We have gotten success stories as feedback from the groups on our network. The recipients are happy with the donations and the gifts they have received under the 12 Basket initiative. We are clearly achieving the objectives of the platform and we also know that our partners will keep increasing. We hope we attract more donor support from corporate organisations and individuals.” Noting that the platform was working to improve awareness of its efforts and the impact it has had on society, she said, “We want people to know that such a platform exist. So we hope that they look around their houses to give out things they think would be of benefit to the less privileged because there will be someone somewhere in need of what they will be giving."

Majiri and Beyond Usual volunteers with The Diplomats and representatives of the Need-groups

L-R Mr. Adesanya (Missionary, Go Int'l), Mrs. Boluwajoko (Founder, Home of God's Grace Orphanage), Mrs. Adesanya (Missionary, Go Int'l, Ms. Oniko (Founder, Beyond Usual)

She expressed readiness to partner with the federal government to provide special aids and support for the poor in the country, urging the government to provide a special purpose vehicle that would help NGOs reach out to the less-privileged. "The government cannot be everywhere at the same time. It is organisations like ours with that supported with grants from the government that can fill the gap. They can also create a platform to make us accountable for whatever is entrusted into our care and I am sure that most groups like us will be interested in keying into this,” she added. The spokesperson of the donor organisation, The Diplomats, Mr. Idris Mustapha, said the group partnered with the foundation to leave an indelible mark on society, especially by helping the down-trodden. "The 12 Baskets initiative is structured to use 12 orphanages to give donations to the underprivileged. We have contributed our

quota to the initiative," he said. He explained that there is a need for people to show love to another one, noting that it was unfortunate that people are more concerned about themselves than others. He added, “We are trying to show and encourage people. Nigerians should know that they do not have to wait till they have so much before they can give, especially during this trying times." A volunteer partner with one of the orphanages, God's Own Evangelistic Discipleship Ministry, Mr. Stephen Onyenehido, expressed delight at the gesture, stating that the donations would go a long way to support people who may have lost hope in life. "I am most delighted that things like this still happen in this part of the world. Today has been worth it because 12 Baskets initiative has given us the opportunity to interface with other orphanages on the way forward," he said.

We have gotten success stories as feedback from the groups on our network. The recipients are happy with the donations and the gifts they have received under the 12 Basket initiative. We are clearly achieving the objectives of the platform and we also know that our partners will keep increasing. We hope we attract more donor support from corporate organisations and individuals

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‘Why We Have Had Problems Since Independence’ Mary Ekah Nigeria has been unstable and problematic since independence in 1960 because Nigerians have not been conscious in their actions. This was the view of Mrs. Funmi Oyetunde, author of the book ‘A Conscious Life’, launched last week in Lagos. Speaking during her book launch, Oyetunde explained that the book is about individual life but it can also be applied to the life of a nation, adding, “As a nation and as a people, we need to become very conscious and deliberate in our participation in life.” She stressed further that some of the problems we have had till date, is due to that lack of deliberate and conscious effort to put things right since independence. Oyetunde said therefore that the book is “a clarion call to Nigerians to pay attention to their own lives and in being conscious, it means they can actually be awake in living their lives, have the goals they work towards and work tenaciously each morning they wake, knowing that they are working towards a life they would be proud of and not just going by the flow. That is what the book is seeking to do.” Speaking on what inspired the book she said the first inspiration for the book came from the fact that she believed she had received a lot of wisdom from her antecedent, especially her grandmother and this wisdom, she thought has not changed, so she thought it would be nice to pass it to the present day generation.

knew a lot of things when it comes to value and how you approach life. So I am hoping that through this book, values will come back to our youths and they would understand the fact that modernity and civilisation do not make you to lose your antecedent,” she noted. ‘A Conscious Life’, Oyetunde said, is her first book and it took five years to put it together. She added however that because “I come from a financial background, everybody thought I was writing a book on finance but I wanted to spread the news that whether you are an accountant, lawyer or whatever, in the end, it’s all about living a fulfilling life,” she said of her writing a book that is a total shift away from her core discipline. On lesson learned from her personal life, she said, From left- Husband of author, Mr. Femi Oyetunji, author, Mrs. Funmi Oyetunji; Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi “I have learned that you have to keep grappling II, former Chairman, Punch Newspapers, Chief Ajibola Ogunshola; Chairman, THISDAY Editorial Board/book with life, the people who do well are not the ones reviewer, Mr. Segun Adeniyi; Chief Executive Officer, Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, Ms. Sola David-Borha and Chief who have been given the best, and it is how you play the cards that you are given. There is no point Olu Akinkugbe; the launch of the book, ‘A Conscious Life’ in Lagos playing the victim because you have been born, “The inspiration came from counseling young do not read and its probably worst amongst you don’t have a choice, you have to deal with people and seeing that most of the time, they Nigerians”, adding however that, for those who life but if you are conscious and look for your don’t seem to have a clear direction as to how read the book, ‘A Conscious Life’, they would be own path, I know that you will make it in life, I they are living their lives and all that. And because able to research their whole lives thereby being know that from my own personal life experience.” Preset at the event were the Emir of Kano, I have learned from my own grandmother and more conscious in living their lives. “I keep telling people that one of my success Muhammadu Sanusi II, former Chairman, also from my own personal life, I felt that if we can give signposts and advise ahead, it would factors is actually the wisdom and the values Punch Newspapers, Chief Ajibola Ogunshola; be easier for people to navigate through life,” I learned from my grandmother. And it has Chairman, THISDAY Editorial Board, Mr. Segun not changed and it is interesting because I pass Adeniyi; Chief Executive Officer, Stanbic IBTC Oyetunde noted. Frowning at the fact that Nigerians don’t read, them on even to my own children who are very Holdings Plc, Ms. Sola David-Borha and Chief she noted, “unfortunately, they say that Africans western. They have realised that my grandmother Olu Akinkug, amongst others.

Annette Crowned Soroptimist Ikeja New President Funke Olaode Friends, well-wishers and club members trooped out in large numbers to honour one of their own at an event that signal a change of insignia and investiture ceremony of Annette Oke as 18th president of Soroptimist International of Ikeja. Soroptimist is an international women’s voluntary services organisation working to improve the lives of women and girls at local, national and international levels. Founded over a century ago, it is an organisation that is set out inspire women to action and transforming lives. In a speech by the Lagos State First Lady, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode she said she was excited to be in the midst of these eminent women of philanthropists who have remained the pride of women throughout the world. The organisation she noted “has contributed in no small measure to uplift fellow women and girls even in the smallest countries of the world. Like other such great humanitarian organisations, they have continued to use their expansive global network, to positively impact the lives of women and girls, leaving indelible imprint in all areas of their lives. Its effort cannot be over-emphasised.” Their influence Ambode stressed is profound in the areas of education and healthcare of girl-child

Annette Oke

welfare and empowerment of women, health advocacy as they believe all these are general advancement of their fundamental human right just as club has consistently remained a dominant force in feminine philanthropy quietly transforming the lives of hundreds of thousands of less privileged girls and women in the country. Speaking on Domestic Violence against Women, guest speaker and publisher of Working Mom, Mrs. Mary Ikokwu, said it is high time all hands be on deck to erase this danger against women. According to her, violence goes beyond physical as there are unseen abuses such as psychological

and emotional abuses that destroy self-esteem of the person involved. Enumerating eight points that make you realise that you are going to through abuse, which cuts across women of all ages., Ikokwu pointed out that this occurs when women are being degraded by their partners, when you are being blamed for everything that goes wrong, when a woman is treated like a piece of furniture, when you are forced to put your partner’s needs before you. This is a wrong premise because a stressed out woman will raise a stressed family. Therefore, women need a comfortable home to exist. “The scares these abuses have on women go from generation to generation. When one in three children are married out as a child bride, women are sold into slavery as either sex slave or labourer, there is time for action.” Ikokwu asked if you know any women going through violence, “rise and help solve the problem because every woman deserves honour and respect,” she concluded. While commending the club for their commitment and passion by giving out their time to help the needy especially those who don’t have a voice, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Bamidele Mafimidiwo, said the network of these great women’s effort in impacting lives through dedication and time cannot be overemphasised.

He congratulated the new president whom he knows has the tenacity as a hardworking woman that she will deliver. Mafimidiwo said he has no doubt that with undiluted support of her executive members she will excel. Thanking the newly installed president, the outgoing president, Mrs. Oluwagbemiga Benson expressed her gratitude to her members who donated generously to the purse of the club, which enabled them to carry out some advocacy programmes during her tenure. In her acceptance speech, the newly installed president, Annette Oke thanked her members for their support. Recalling how her mother died of cervical cancer and watched how she fought till the end, she said she quickly realised her desire to serve others to seek a way in which she could feed that urge to always help humanity since she relocated from United Kingdom to Nigeria in 2010. Although the main focus of the club is to advance the status of women, girl-child and children with its theme: Enable, Empower ad Educate, Oke promised to focus on these over the next two years of her tenure. Soliciting the support of her members in kind and cash, Oke said without a kind hearted support, it would not be possible to raise over five million Naira needed for the forthcoming lifesaving works.

Chinese Society Celebrates 45th Anniversary of Diplomatic Tie with Nigeria Mary Ekah It was another spectacular gathering as the Chinese Society celebrates 45th anniversary of the establishment of China-Nigeria diplomatic ties as well as Moon Festival and National Day Party at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos. Speaking during the event, the Chinese Consul General of Lagos, Mr. Chao Xiaoliang, who shed light on the bilateral relationship between China and Nigeria, revealed that it was his first time in Nigeria and second time in Africa. He said, “I think China and Nigeria share a lot of similarities. First, we have same common National Day celebration, October 1. Also China is most populous country in Asia and in the world, and Nigeria the most populous black nation in Africa and the world. China is the largest economy in Asia while Nigeria the leading economy in Africa. We share a lot of similarities in culture and strategic knowledge about the international situation and economy. In the trade area, the trade volume between China and Nigeria has grown

third largest trading partner in Africa.” Concerned about the present economy situation in Nigeria and what China do to help Nigeria, Xiaoliang said, “there are so many Chinese companies in Nigeria despite the economy downturn and more are willing to come to Nigeria. As the Chinese Consul General in Lagos, I hope these Chinese companies can continue to stay and will ensure more of them come to Nigeria to invest.” He said further that the drop in the price of crude oil is an opportunity for both countries to explore other areas with the present administration’s promise to enact new policies to diversify Nigeria’s economy in sectors such as agriculture, Consulate General of People's Republic of China in mining and manufacturing. Lagos, Chao Xiaoliang He stressed further that if the two countries fast in the past few years. In 2015, affected work closely as a common destiny, both countries by the sluggish world economy, our trade can come up with a workable plans or solutions volume reached 14.94 billion dollars, 17.2 per for the economic growth, adding, “Nigeria is also cent less than that of 2014. Despite all these, a major destiny for Chinese out-bound capital. however, Nigeria remains the largest market By the end of 2015, China’s non-financial direct for Chinese contracted projects and the second investment to Nigeria was 1.55 billion US dollars, largest market for Chinese exports and the 17.6 per cent more than that of 2014.

“Furthermore, Nigeria has witnessed a series of major projects by the Chinese enterprises such as Abuja Light Rail, Lagos Rail Mass Transit System and Abuja-Kaduna railway, which have greatly improved the infrastructure of Nigeria and improved the life of Nigerian people,” he noted further Xiaoliang therefore assured that the Chinese people will never forget that Nigeria and other developing countries from Asia, Africa and Latin-America stood up to outside pressures, held on “One China Policy”, and fully supported China’s in restoring its legitimate seat in the United Nations. “Nigeria is an important partner of China and the biggest economy and most populous country in Africa. China will firmly implement the policy of “sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith” towards Nigeria and Africa, uphold the correct viewpoint of righteousness and benefit, join hands with Nigeria for winwin cooperation and persist in planning and promoting bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective,” he said.

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Late Zainab Abdullahi

Zainab Ejumakele Abdullahi: A Caring Mother, Three Months After Abdullahi Yunusa This is perhaps the appropriate time to reflect on the life, times, struggles, victories and enviable legacies of my dearly beloved mother, soul mate and friend, Mrs. Zainab Ejumakele Abdullahi (nee Musa), who went the way of all mortals some 90 days ago. At least I have recovered enough to put my thoughts together on the many indelible footprints that she left on the sands of times in the five decades and four years that she was here. While I'm yet to fully get over the shock of her demise, a feat that can never be achieved, I think I have reasonably overcome the initial shock that took hold of my entire being. For very obvious reasons, I have always prayed, catered, cared and related more with my mother much more than I do to my father. I think my father should be blamed for that. Baba would always admonish us to handle Mama like an egg. Baba is always concerned about Mama’s welfare. He constantly boasts of his ability to take good care of himself without bothering any of us for any form of monetary assistance. My dad taught us how to treat our mother with love, respect and care. As an Asthmatic sufferer, Baba always ensured that Mama wasn’t exposed to any trouble that could trigger her occasional crisis. Ironically, though our mother, but we all saw and treated her like our baby. Mama surrendered her freedom and liberty to us. She gave us the privilege to ‘control’ her. She hardly took any decision without first consulting us. Mama had enormous confidence in her children. She never doubted their sincerity and ability to offer her useful counsel on issues

about life generally. I have lost count of the number of times that I have had to call Mama on phone to abruptly stop her from going on with whatever plans she had. Expectedly, after the initial murmuring, Mama would simply say, “If I don’t listen to my children, who else would listen to”. I had sentimental attachment with my mum. Amidst our endless ‘quarrels’, we hardly stayed a day without reaching out to each other. Mama never joked with the welfare and upkeep of her kids. Mama once paid an unscheduled visit to me way back on campus. Mama was the last person I ever expected to see in my school. On seeing her from afar, I nursed the idea of ‘scolding’ her for coming to see a grown up like me in school without prior notice. But Mama’s response melted me completely. “Attah mi, ejuweanumi le”, which simply means, “My father, I was only missing you”. That was my vintage, loving and phenomenal mother. I remembered returning late from work one day to meet my mum seated by the gate to the first apartment I ever rented in life. I sought to know what she came to do. Mama simply said I came to rejoice with you for this rare feat! Ha! A single room, mattress, rug, cooking stove, two pots and curtains were all I had in the room, yet Mama saw it as something big and code-named it a rare feat? Mama didn’t only spend the night with me in my house, but ensured that we had something to eat. Mama’s many attempts to visit me during my three-year stay in Minna, Niger State were unsuccessful as I repeatedly turned down all her requests. Then came a period I was down

with malaria fever. Mama had already arranged her bag when my elder brother, Abdullahi O HarunaHaruspicece told her to forget as he had arranged to go see me. Mama was disappointed! She just wanted to be around her children all the time. There was never a dull moment with Mama. Those who knew her can attest to the fact that she lived for everyone. Mama was usually the unofficial comedian or MC in any gathering. As a lover of music, Mama hardly heard any danceable bit before she hit the dance floor. She was full of life. Mama sacrificed her everything, including her health just to guarantee the wellbeing of her children. I have watched her toiled very hard to assist my dad in his quest to see us through school. Imagine a woman who would prefer to go hungry than see us stayed away from school. Mama have had to take loans from the different associations she belonged to just to finance our education. Her happiness was to see that we never lacked the basics as undergraduates. I still recall the period I was knocked down by a commercial bus driver in the ancient city of Zaria on my way back from school. It was way back in 1988. My brother, Abdullahi O HarunaHaruspice had taken ill and was taken to the hospital by Mama. It was my elder sister and I who made it to school on that fateful day. On approaching the Zebra Crossing point in front of my school, I freed my hand from my sister’s grip and ran across the busy road. In no time I saw myself in a pool of blood. Passers-by who knew us came to my rescue and rushed me to the hospital. In no time, Mama appeared from nowhere. Not

minding my blood-drenched school uniforms, Mama carried me in her bosom, praying to God to keep me alive. For the long period of six months that I was hospitalised, Mama stayed with me day and night. It was only Mama who could come close to me. I barred everyone from coming close. Mama knew how to win me over. She knew where my “mumubottons” were. The only time that Mama could rest was whenever I fell asleep. The world never saw Mama’s era of painful labour. They all thought Mama’s harvests dropped from the skies. Regrettably, Mama left when it was time to reap from her years of painful labour. Kai! Mama could have stayed more with us. Mama had always joked about me buying a car and getting a driver for her. I never knew if she meant it, but I was damn serious about doing that. Mama would always want me to drive her around each time I came visiting. The last and final ride I had with Mama was on the 5th of June, 2016, 21 clear days to her death. As usual, Mama maintained the “owner’s corner” as I drove her to the venue of her monthly community meeting in Nyanya, a surburb in Abuja. I never knew that was to be our last ride together in flesh and blood. Please pardon me for boring you-readers- with such a long narration. Mama’s story cannot be compressed into a single piece. She was an enigma that left so much to be spoken and written about. Let me apply the breaks for now. May your soul find rest in Allah’s bosom, Ameen. Yunusa, wrote from Lugbe, AbujaEmail meetprofwills@yahoo.com

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2016

BUSINESSWORLD

PERSPECTIVE

The Imperatives of Harnessing Nigeria’s Maritime Potential As the world marks this year’s World Maritime Day, Bolaji Akinola takes a look at the imperatives of harnessing Nigeria’s maritime potential Every year, the last week of September is set aside to mark the World Maritime Day. The World Maritime Day is recognized by the United Nations as a day set aside to celebrate the contribution of shipping to the global economy. Shipping is perhaps the most international of all the world’s great industries. The ownership and management chain surrounding any particular vessel can embrace many different countries. It is not unusual to find that the owners, operators, shippers, charterers, insurers and the classification society, not to mention the officers and crew, are all of different nationalities and that none of these is from the country whose flag flies at the ship’s stern. Ships of various sizes, shapes and make move more than 80 per cent by volume and 70 per cent by value of the world freight. The theme for World Maritime Day 2016 is “Shipping: Indispensable to the world”. According to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the theme was chosen to focus on the critical link between shipping and global society and to raise awareness of the relevance of the role of IMO as the global regulatory body for international shipping. World Maritime Day 2016 will be celebrated at IMO Headquarters in London on Thursday 29 September 2016 while IMO Member States are at liberty to observe the Day on any date of their choice during the week. World Maritime Day 2016 offers another opportunity for us in Nigeria to reflect on the state of our maritime industry and proffer ideas on how to develop the industry. Nigeria is endowed with a vast coastline, an extensive exclusive economic zone and a huge market. One sure way of harnessing these resources will be by ensuring that ships owned

Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi

by Nigerians are empowered and assisted to trade on the nation’s territorial waters. This is so because shipping is capital intensive and many countries have employed protectionist policies to aid their ship owners. Nigerian shipping companies must therefore be supported by government to actively participate in the movement of the nation’s seaborne cargoes. This can be achieved through a committed implementation of the Coastal and Inland Shipping Act 2003, otherwise known as the Cabotage Law. A diligent and effective implementation of the Cabotage Law will not only ensure retention of strong economic value within the country, it will also support government’s drive for massive job creation and poverty alleviation.

The present administration must also be concerned that since crude oil was discovered in commercial quantity in the country six decades ago, no Nigerian shipping company has been part of moving a drop of the oil to the export market. Nigerians also do not own any of the over 8,000 seagoing ships that visit the nation’s seaports and jetties every year bringing in all manners of goods including food, clothes, household items, industrial raw materials, petroleum products, automobiles and luxury goods. This situation is a source of concern to many maritime experts as it leads to the loss of a large amount of foreign exchange. On the port side, the maritime industry has recorded appreciable gains over the past ten years as a result of port concession. Before the concession championed by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the nation’s port facilities were bogged down by unnecessarily high bureaucracy, obsolete equipment, bloated and untrained workforce, inefficiency and corruption all leading to congestion and long vessel queues on the waterways. All of these ills have however been fully addressed by the terminal operators otherwise known as concessionaires. The successes recorded at the ports so far notwithstanding, there are challenges the government must address urgently to ensure the country enjoys the full benefits of private participation in the running of port operations in the country. There are some policies introduced by the former administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan that must be reviewed. The policies must be reviewed because they have conspired to deprive Nigeria’s six major seaports of much needed cargo while fuelling patronage of the ports of neighbouring countries such as Cotonou,

Lome and Tema Ports. The policies include the poorly conceived and haphazardly implemented National Automotive Policy, the hike in import duty and tariffs on imported vehicles from 20 per cent to 70 per cent, the hike in import duty and surcharge on rice and the fish quota system which have also served to fuel smuggling through the nation’s porous borders. Government can also boost operations at the port by ensuring that it plays its own part fully as spelt out under the concession agreement. This is because the failure of government, through the Nigerian Ports Authority, to fulfill its own part of the port concession agreement is hampering effective service delivery and creating additional cost burden for operators, who have substantially kept their own part of the bargain. Government’s responsibilities include the provision of utilities including independent power plant at the six major seaports across the country, which it has failed to do in ten years. The government has also failed to provide good and usable port access roads, thereby slowing down the rate of cargo delivery in and out of the nation’s seaports; maintenance of berths and navigational aids and port services including dredging of the port channels and berths to 13.5metres. There is also a need to urgently address primitive cargo clearance procedures employed by the Nigeria Customs Service and other government agencies at the port. A well harnessed maritime industry will be to the benefit of all. Happy World Maritime Day. Bolaji Akinola is a Lagos-based maritime expert. He can be reached onbolaji.akinola@ shipsandports.com.ng

CST Bill: Example of Retrogressive Legislation Aisha Bello posits that the Communications Service Tax, in all its ramifications, is unfriendly to satellite TV and telecoms subscribers, as well as service providers and is capable of pushing Nigeria further down on the ease of doing business index The Nigerian government is at the verge of commencing the collection of additional nine per cent tax through the proposed Communication Service Tax Bill, currently before the National Assembly. Services to be affected include voice calls, SMS, MMS, Data, Pay TV as well as other electronic communication services through use of wire, radio, optical or electromagnetic transmission emissions or receiving system. The new tax in all its ramifications is unfriendly to satellite TV and telecom subscribers as well as the service providers and is capable of pushing Nigeria further down on the ease of doing business index. The World Bank currently ranks Nigeria 169 out of 189 countries examined for trade index for the year 2015. According to the draft private-member bill sponsored by the Senate Leader, Alli Ndume, the new tax burden will be borne by all users of electronic communication services irrespective of age. It will also mandate service the providers to file monthly tax returns with the Federal Inland Revenue Service while it stipulates strict penalties for non-compliance. For vast majority of the poor Nigerian masses who are already finding it difficult to cope with the current harsh economic condition in the country, this piece of legislation marks the beginning of a long walk through the dark tunnel and no one can tell when light would appear. Having been exposed to the many benefits and opportunities that the digital age brings, subscribers of both satellite TV and telecommunication services may now have to ration their usage due to the increased cost brought on by the communication service tax. The Minister of Communications, Mr. Adebayo Shittu, in justifying CST, disclosed

that government expects to generate N20 billion monthly revenue from the new tax to enable it fund the 2016 budget. Already, the bill has passed first reading at the House of Representatives. While it is not out of place for government to impose taxes on individuals and businesses to cover operating expenses and finance projects, additional tax on users of telecom services in particular is discriminatory. The new tax –CST- targets only a particular sector that is the broadcast and telecommunication sector to the exclusion of all other sectors of the economy. This is a calculated attempt to force subscribers to contribute more to government’s fund raising activity seeing that communication services is an essential service which people prioritise and pay for as a matter of necessity. Not having an alternative communication channel, as both voice and internet call will be taxed, people will have no choice but to pay the tax along with the original service cost if they are to remain in touch with the world. So Voice over Internet Protocol such as WhatsApp calls etc. will be taxed without exception meaning there is no way out for the subscriber who needs to communicate. Going by the plan to deepen broadband penetration to 30% by 2018, this tax is not in tandem with the national broadband plan as it will discourage broadband adoption thereby reducing the possibility of meeting the target on the set date. The resolve of the Nigerian lawmakers to levy more tax on telecom services as a revenue generating means cannot be said to be a well thought out agenda considering the long term adverse consequences not only on subscribers but also on the service providers

and the economy. This is the information age and so people need to have easy and affordable access to communication services. The CST will increase the cost of communication services thereby making services unaffordable for millions of Nigerians. It is common knowledge that additional tax burden reduces people’s disposable income, affects consumption negatively by shrinking the consumption pattern and for businesses it can affect profitability as a result of the reduced consumption rate. The proposed CST amounts to multiple taxation on consumers and will inhibit economic growth. These same subscribers already pay five percent VAT on the same communication services that is being taxed again. The average Nigerian average worker already pays taxes in multiple ways: Personal Income Tax or Pay As You Earn all applying to this same category of persons targeted by this Bill. In other climes governments sometimes give tax cuts not increase the tax burden during economic recession to encourage spending and stimulate economic growth. In the same vein, the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun in a recent statement made at the CBN’s Monetary Policy Committee meeting, called for a reduction in interest rates to support economic growth. Her premise was that high interest rates increases the cost of debt servicing – the analogy can be made for all areas of the economy. Lower operating costs encourage investment and boost economic growth. At a time like this, incentive not impediments like the CST is what is required to encourage investment. From the foregoing reasoning, it is clear that this new service tax on telecom services is a

bad piece of legislation. Many individuals and businesses within Nigeria are not accounted for in the tax base. The Chairman of FIRS, Babatunde Fowler recently announced that over seven hundred thousand companies who had not been paying taxes had been identified. Having made this discovery, one will expect that the focus of government will be to take advantage of this discovery and optimize the tax potential of this category of persons rather than exploit the tax payers who are currently contributors to government’s coffers. The Federal Government and the federal lawmakers must not lose sight of the reality that the new tax is also detrimental to the country’s broadband plan because it will discourage adoption of the electronic communication services especially data usage. This reduction in data uptake will definitely hinder further capital injection into the sector both from existing and prospective investors. A few years ago, there were about 35 licensed telecoms companies comprising small players, including those in the fixed line, Code Division Multiple Access and GSM operators doing well. Today the figure has come down drastically with just about 15 licensees. Concerned stakeholders have warned that the country may lose about 25 percent of licensed operators if this bill is passed into law. The National Assembly needs to stand down the bill in view of the public outcry and negative impact of the proposed CST Bill and brainstorm on more feasible and sustainable revenue generation solutions. •Bello, a taxation expert, writes from Kaduna.

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2016

CITYSTRINGS

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

Olorunfemi painting a water front scene

Budding Career in Painting

Sope Olorunfemi is a younger painter whose dreams are to own an art studio and use her arts to find expression for women, writes Ugo Aliogo

ope Olorunfemi sat on a white plastic chair; her hands stretched on another on a chair higher than the one she is sitting on. Her eyes are glued to the textbook and notebook she is clutching. She is reading to prepare for an assignment before the next class. At intervals, she reaches for the black wireless phone kept in her bag to know what time it is while at the same time reads and replies messages on Whatsapp (a social media application). Three things are utmost in her mind currently; the painting lecture, the unfinished art history assignment and the interview with a newspaper journalist she met on facebook (another social media channel). The painting studio where she is sitting is filled with many beautiful oil on canvas paintings. Some are hung atop the wall of the studio, while others are kept on the floor, leaning on the concrete wall. Some painters are seen sleeping on the window ledge and others had their heads bowed to a desk, after working through the night. While some are

busy with their different painting works. Toriola is one of the student painters in the studio. Unlike others, she is not painting; she is seen stretching her canvas (a piece of white fabric placed on a wooden frame) with a tacker and gun nail before the seizing stage on the canvas (a process that involves mixing gum and emulsion together) after which she would allow to dry for specified

My love for colours and how they can be applied to draw the human figure inspired me to study Fine Art. Studying Fine Art is a very interesting experience. This is from a personal observation

hours, then prime. The reporter who walks into the studio to interview Olorunfemi watches in awe as Toriola does this with ease, he doesn’t understand the process. Olorunfemi who noticed this confusion on the face of the reporter explained the process as thus, “After stretching your canvas with the tacker and gun, you mix the glum and emulsion together, then seize on the canvas. Seizing depends on the individual, some artists don’t seize, while others do. “But the important thing is to ensure that you prime well. The main reason for seizing is to quicken the priming process. There are some holes on the fabric; so seizing will make them to close up quickly. After the seizing you then dry for a specified number of hours depending on the individual.” Olorunfemi is a student of Fine and Applied Arts at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos. Her dream was to study the course, to satisfy an intimate longing in her soul, “My love for colours and how they can be applied to draw the human figure inspired me to study Fine Art. Studying Fine Art is

a very interesting experience. This is from a personal observation,” noted Olorunfemi with a smile. Like an emissary on an assignment, the fair skinned lady’s desire is not only to study the course to impact society and the world. But also to use the discipline as an avenue to help women find expression for themselves. “After school, I will like to be a fulltime painter, but with the harsh economic realities I’m scared. So I think of lecturing on painting for sometime, after which I can decide to own a studio. I would like to use my art to pass two messages; the first is breaking boundaries and foresight. Foresight is about ladies, most ladies feel they don’t have important reasons for existence. “So through my work, I will encourage ladies that there is a lot they can achieve if they decide to work on themselves because God has given everyone potential to survive. Also, I will have seminars and exhibition works with them,” stated Olorunfemi. She explained that most ladies who have seen her works are usually impressed that

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2016

CITYSTRINGS

Olorunfemi painting an art work

Olorunfemi sculpting a human hand

Oil on canvas painting on a scene after rain

such outstanding works could be created by a woman. She is however sad that one of the major challenges confronting female painters in the country is marriage, lamenting that it puts a stop to their career, “most female artists don’t usually get married because of their career.” Despite this seeming challenge, the young female painter is optimistic that there are numerous opportunities for young female painters to make giant strides. Motivated by a growing list of role models such as Susan young, Peju Alatise, Abiodun Olaku and others, Olorunfemi is gradually etching her place in the painting hall of fame, with the exhibition of her works at a few exhibitions shows. Undoubtedly, this is a great start to a budding career for the youngster, but she is not resting on her oars. “I have attended many exhibitions but I have exhibited two of my works. In the first exhibition, I exhibited two works and in the second one three of my works. I didn’t exhibit all my works because I feel I can improve on what I have on ground.” In art generally, there are different styles and movements. Each era comes with its own unique style, making it impossible to criticise the work of a particular artist or period. Most artists hide their deficiencies

Oil on canvas painting of a girl

by stylising their works. “Art has a set of basic principles and fundamentals which it is built on. It is therefore imperative that every artist is guided by these principles. The renaissance artists have applied this to their works. This is why their works are still relevant today despite the style of their work used, it is still very fascinating. “The reason why African art works are

Most boys are threatened when they observe that a female painter is making headway, they just have the belief that girls have very little to offer. But this has been proved wrong as more girls are going into painting. So for me, it’s keep working and building on myself

not really fascinating to most people is that many don’t understand the big stories behind those works. “African arts do not just exist; they are there to convey a particular message. What most artists should do is that they need to involve passion into what they are doing; they should expunge the habit of just working to earn a living (commercial art). Commercial art is something so rampant in Nigeria. This is what cuts us apart from the Europeans who invest their time and resources to come up with something unique and impressionable. “In painting, I prefer impressionism and realism. What I have noticed about the Nigerian painters and the European painters is that the Nigerian painters look up to the European painters. We look up to them, even our masters here in Nigeria; they still have masters who are white. The Europeans have been in the system for years, but currently the Nigerian art industry is growing rapidly because the white appreciates our work and contribution. In painting, there are different movements and styles impressionism, realism, expressionism and others.” noted Olorunfemi. One of the challenges confronting a painting student according to Olorunfemi, is the high price of painting materials. She explained that currently it is overly expensive, “oil colour

was sold for 1,500 before, now it is over 2,000 and we have different colours to use for our work.” She appealed to government to help address this challenge, through price reduction and improving the quality, “government should also provide opportunities by building industries that can produce some of these things for us. This will help reduce the heavy reliance on Europe.” Some of the works she has done are landscapes, portraitures, and figure moulding. Since 2014, when she started painting, the journey has been very rosy for her, but she has made remarkable headway with her wonderful paintings. Olorunfemi is quite optimistic that there is a bright future for the study of the discipline in the years ahead, especially with more girls embracing the study of the course, “before now, the study of art was dominated by boys only, but now more girls are coming into the discipline. There is continuous re-awakening and I see progress. “Most boys are threatened when they observe that a female painter is making headway, they just have the belief that girls have very little to offer. But this has been proved wrong as more girls are going into painting. So for me, it’s keep working and building on myself.”

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2016

WORLD OF ISLAM

Edited by: MJO Mustapha Email deji.mustapha@thisdaylive.com

Aligning Our Time to Life’s Purpose and Priorities IqraSense Are we making the best use of our time in this life? Are we to simply pass our time in whatever way possible so that we can get to the hereafter? How are we to balance our time across various aspects of this life? Is there a right balance? Are our life’s priorities purpose driven? These are some of the questions we Muslims ought to ask ourselves to get the most from our lives. It matters because we have at best only a few years to live. Considering the various phases of our lives individually, the available time is even shorter. Have you thought whether you will be satisfied when you get to the end of the road? Will you do things differently if you know how much time you have left? What if your remaining time is very little? Time is passing us quickly – and as it does, we should ask ourselves whether we have much to show for it. Are we fulfilling both our religious and worldly responsibilities? Are our families getting our fair share or is it all about other matters? Are we balancing our time across all other obligations? Are we even conscious about how we use our time? Time is therefore one of the most valuable assets that we have. Being wise in the use of that asset is thus only prudent. Time is one of the many things that Allah has used to swear by in the Quran (verse 1 of Surah Al-Asr). The Prophet, too, told us to use time to make the most of certain assets before time takes it away from us. He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Make the most of five things before five others: LIFE before death, HEALTH before sickness, FREE TIME before becoming busy, YOUTH before old age, and WEALTH before poverty.” [Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 1077.] Those who have run out of time will tell us its value. Ask the old who have nearly run out of time or ask the terminally ill who have been given only a few months to live. They will tell us how productive they would get if they got more time. The reality is that our lives are too busy and daily routines too engaging to make us pause to assess what we are earning or opportunities that we are missing as we pass our allotted time. But here are some of the things we can do to ensure that we use our remaining time in this life effectively. Be mindful of your purpose in this life As Muslims, we believe that Allah not only created mankind but clarified their purpose of being here. That may seem quite obvious to some but questions related to the “purpose and meaning of life” have been grappled by western and non-Muslim philosophers for centuries. The foundation of our Islamic beliefs thus does away the need to get entangled in the philosophical innuendos of the topic. Islamic principles make it clear that Allah created life, this universe, and the rules that embody it. And mankind is to worship Him by submitting to those rules. Amongst the many, consider the following three verses – “And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)” [al-Dhaariyaat 51:56]. “Say (O Muhammad): Verily, my Salaah (prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists)” [al-An’aam 6:162] “Did you think that We had created you in play (without any purpose), and that you would not be brought back to Us?” [al-Mu’minoon 23:115] Needless to explain but a sense of purpose can help in reconciling the many complex questions and issues that aren’t always that easy for us to comprehend. It helps in imbuing the energy that we need to keep moving irrespective of the challenges that we face and to adhere to a system of living that we believe was designed by the Creator for His Creation. Become more action oriented As straightforward as it may seem, there is something inherently complex about taking action in life that prevents many from failing to accomplish enough. Ask yourself if you could have accomplished more by this time in your life by taking more actions in the past? What is it that stopped you from

accomplishing more? As it turns out, many of us fall victims to procrastination, never ending planning, or simply failing to have the discipline or courage to decide to act at the right time. The result is that time passes without us accomplishing much or not as much as we could have. As Muslims, we will be judged on what we do. Our faith is incomplete without us following up on it through actions. There are many places in the Quran where the mention of faith is coupled with the need to take action. Consider these verses from Quran: 1. By Al-Asr (the time). 2. Verily! Man is in loss, 3. Except those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth (i.e. order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds which Allah has ordained, and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which Allah has forbidden), and recommend one another to patience. In another place in the Quran, Allah warns us about putting our words into practice. He says in the Quran, “O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do? Most hateful it is with Allâh that you say that which you do not do” [al-Saff :2-3] By refocusing to become more action oriented will help us in accomplishing more and thus make life more fulfilling. Don’t concern yourself with unnecessary matters Today, we find ourselves exposed to a wide range of information outlets waiting to distract us from key priorities. Between the Internet, satellite TV and various forms of staying connected, we can end up wasting useful time soaking our minds with information that we usually can do without. While a lot of such information may satiate our curiosities and gossipy habits, they take up valuable time and drain our energies – both of which can instead be used to gain the right knowledge, fulfill our responsibilities, and in taking useful actions. Remember what the prophet said: “From the perfection of a person’s Islam is that he leaves alone that which does not concern him. (Reported From Abu Hurairah – Tirmidhee (no.2318) and others) So, as various media channels provide us with the opportunity to get plugged in to a world of information and knowledge, we must become selective in its use based on what benefits us. Don’t forget the daily remembrance of Allah Many of us make the mistake of taking advice about remembering Allah as merely a spiritual one and seeing no connection with the real world. Instead, we should remind ourselves that our success in this life (related to our work, earnings, family, health, etc.) is tied to the remembrance of Allah (in prayers and at other times as well during the day). Consider what Allah tells us in the Quran: “…and seek the Bounty of Allah, and remember Allah much, that you may be successful” [part of the verse of Surah al-Jumu’ah 62:10] In another verse, He says: O you who believe! Let not your properties or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah. And whosoever does that, then they are the losers. [Al-Munafiqoon 63:9] The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) also said: Should I not inform you of the best of deeds, and the most sanctifying of deeds before your Lord, which does more to raise your positions (with Him), and is better for you than the disbursement of gold and money, or battle with the enemy?” They (the companions) said: “Indeed inform us.” He (SAW) then said: “Remembrance of Allah.” [Narrated by At-Tirmidhi, 5/459; Ibn Maajah, 2/1245] Taking the time to pause often and reassessing of how we use our time can help us refocus, reprioritize and reenergize. It can also prevent us from going to extremes where we focus on certain priorities of life more than others. It is thus time to reflect these principles in our actions and accomplishments.

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 • T H I S D AY

INTERNATIONAL

email:foreigndesk@thisdaylive.com

Israelis Pay Last Respect to Former President Peres Thousands of Israelis paid their last respect to former President Shimon Peres yesterday by filling past his flag-draped coffin outside the parliament. U.S. President Barack Obama is among foreign dignitaries due to attend the funeral on Friday of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who died on Wednesday at 93, two weeks after a stroke. But with Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations frozen since 2014, it was unclear whether Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who sent a condolence letter to Peres’s family, would travel to Jerusalem from nearby Ramallah for the ceremony. The leaders of Egypt and Jordan, the only Arab states to have signed peace treaties

with Israel, were not on the roster of participants issued by Israel’s Foreign Ministry. Tens of thousands of people were expected to walk past Peres’s coffin during Thursday’s 12-hour memorial in the parliamentary plaza, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin laid wreaths. “We came to pay our respects to a wonderful man who we thought would carry on forever,” said Michael Leon, a British-born bank worker. “He was a man with a great dream to bring peace to this region, the new Middle East. Sadly, we have not reached that goal yet but we still carry on with his aims.” Britain’s Prince Charles,

former U.S. president Bill Clinton and French President Francois Hollande were due to attend Peres’s funeral in the

“Great Leaders of the Nation” section of Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl cemetery. Peres shared the 1994

positioned themselves ... with an aim to carry out infiltration and terrorist strikes”. Singh said he had called his Pakistani counterpart to inform him of the operation, which had ended. India later briefed opposition parties and foreign ambassadors in New Delhi but stopped short of disclosing operational details. “It would indicate that this was all pretty well organized,” said one diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity because the briefing by Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar wasj confidential. Pakistan’s military spokesman slammed the Indian account as “totally baseless and completely a lie”, saying the contact between DGMOs only included communication regarding cross-border firing, which was within existing rules of engagement. “We deny it. There is no such thing on the ground. There is just the incident of the firing last night, which we responded to,” Lt General Asim Bajwa told news channel Geo TV. “We have fired in accordance with the rules of engagement[...] We are acting in a responsible way.” Pakistan said nine of its soldiers had also been wounded. Neither side’s account could be independently verified. India’s disclosure of such strikes was unprecedented, said

Sudan’s government has carried out at least 30 likely chemical weapons attacks in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur since January using what two experts concluded was a probable blister agent, Amnesty International said yesterday. The rights group estimated that up to 250 people may have died as a result of exposure to the chemical weapons agents. The most recent attack occurred on Sept. 9

Ajai Sahni of the Institute for Conflict Management in New Delhi, and sent a message not only to his own people but to the international community. “India expects global support to launch more focused action against Pakistan,” Sahni told Reuters. “There was tremendous pressure on the Indian prime minister to prove that he is ready to take serious action.” The border clash also comes at a delicate time for Pakistan, with powerful Army Chief of Staff General Raheel Sharif due to retire shortly and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif still to decide on a successor. The Pakistani premier condemned what he called India’s “unprovoked and naked aggression” and called a cabinet meeting on Friday to discuss further steps. Share markets in India and Pakistan fell on India’s announcement. India’s NSE index closed down 1.6 percent after falling as much 2.1 percent to its lowest since Aug. 29, while Pakistan’s benchmark 100-share index was down 0.15 percent. India announced its retaliation at a news conference in New Delhi that was hurriedly called, only to be delayed, as Modi chaired a meeting of his cabinet committee on security to be briefed on the operation. “The prime minister is clear that this is exactly what we should have done,” a senior government

Gabon’s President Names New PM Gabon President, Ali Bongo, promoted foreign minister Emmanuel Issoze Ngondet to the post of Prime Minister on Wednesday, a day after Bongo was sworn in following a razor-thin election victory whose integrity was questioned by international observers. A statement read on state television said Bongo asked

Ngondet to form an open government, in an apparent signal that members of the opposition could be invited to join. Bongo’s victory by less than 6,000 votes has drawn unwelcome scrutiny of the president, whose family has ruled the oil-producing state in Central Africa for 49 years. Just a handful of

for reaching an interim peace deal in 1993, the Oslo Accords, which however never turned into a lasting treaty.

Amnesty Accuses Sudan of Using Chemical Weapons and Amnesty said its investigation was based on satellite imagery, more than 200 interviews and expert analysis of images showing injuries. “The use of chemical weapons is a war crime. The evidence we have gathered is credible and portrays a regime that is intent on directing attacks against the civilian population in Darfur without any fear of international retribution,” said Tirana Hassan, Amnesty International’s director

India Launches Strikes on Militants in Pakistan India said yesterday that it had conducted “surgical strikes” on suspected militants preparing to infiltrate from Pakistan-ruled Kashmir, making its first direct military response to an attack on an army base it blames on Pakistan. Pakistan said two of its soldiers had been killed in exchanges of fire and in repulsing an Indian “raid”, but denied India had made any targeted strikes across the de facto frontier that runs through the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir. The cross-border action inflicted significant casualties, the Indian army’s head of operations told reporters in New Delhi, while a senior government official said Indian soldiers had crossed the border to target militant camps. The announcement followed through on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s warning that those India held responsible “would not go unpunished” for a Sept. 18 attack on an Indian army base at Uri, near the Line of Control, that killed 18 soldiers. The strikes also raised the possibility of a military escalation between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan that would wreck a 2003 Kashmir ceasefire. Lt General Ranbir Singh, the Indian army’s director general of military operations (DGMO), said the strikes were launched on Wednesday based on “very specific and credible information that some terrorist units had

Nobel Peace Prize with the late former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat

African leaders attended his inauguration. France called for a recount of the Aug. 27 vote and the European Union said it found anomalies in Bongo’s stronghold province of Haut-Ogooue, where he won 95 percent of the vote on a 99.9 percent turnout. Opposition leader Jean Ping said the election was rigged.

official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. “Informing the world about the surgical strike was important today.”

of Crisis Research Sudanese U.N. Ambassador Omer Dahab Fadl Mohamed said in a statement that the Amnesty report was “utterly unfounded” and that Sudan does not possess any type of chemical weapons. “The allegations of use of chemical weapons by Sudanese Armed Forces is baseless and fabricated. The ultimate objective of such wild accusation, is to steer confusion in the on-going processes aimed at deepening peace and stability and enhancing economic development and social cohesion in Sudan,” he said. Amnesty said it had presented its findings to two independent chemical weapons experts. “Both concluded that the evidence strongly suggested exposure to vesicants, or blister agents, such as the chemical warfare agents sulfur mustard, lewisite or nitrogen mustard,” Amnesty

said in a statement. Sudan joined the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1999 under which members agree to never use toxic arms. A joint African Union-United Nations force, known as UNAMID, has been stationed in Darfur since 2007. Security remains fragile in Darfur, where mainly non-Arab tribes have been fighting the Arabled government in Khartoum, and the government is struggling to control rural areas. Some 300,000 people have been killed in Darfur since the conflict began in 2003, the U.N. says, while 4.4 million people need aid and over 2.5 million have been displaced. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir in 2009 and 2010 on charges of war crimes and genocide in his drive to crush the Darfur revolt.

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 • T H I S D AY

INTERNATIONAL

US Weighs Tougher Response to Russia over Syrian Crisis Obama administration officials have begun considering tougher responses to the Russian-backed Syrian government assault on Aleppo, including military options, as rising tensions with Moscow diminish hopes for diplomatic solutions from the Middle East to Ukraine and cyberspace, U.S. officials said on Wednesday. The new discussions were being held at “staff level,” and have yet to produce any recommendations to President Barack Obama, who has resisted ordering military action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the country’s multisided civil war. But the deliberations coincide with Secretary of State John Kerry threatening to halt diplomacy with Russia on Syria and holding Moscow responsible for dropping incendiary bombs on rebel areas of Aleppo, Syria’s largest city. It was the stiffest U.S. warning to the Russians since the Sept. 19 collapse of a truce they jointly brokered. Even administration advocates of a more muscular U.S. response said on Wednesday that it was not clear what, if anything, the president would do, and that his options “begin at tougher talk,” as one official put it. One official said that before any action could be taken, Washington would first have “follow through on Kerry’s threat and break off talks with the Russians” on Syria. But the heavy use of Russian airpower in Syria has compounded U.S. distrust of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s geopolitical intentions, not only in the 5-1/2 year civil

war, but also in the Ukraine conflict and in what U.S. officials say are Russian-backed cyber attacks on U.S. political targets. The U.S. officials said the failure of diplomacy in Syria has left the Obama administration no choice but to consider alternatives, most of which involve some use of force and have been examined before but held in abeyance. These include allowing Gulf allies to supply rebels with more sophisticated weaponry, something considered more likely despite Washington’s opposition to this until now. Another is a U.S. air strike on an Assad air base, viewed as less likely because of the potential for causing Russian casualties, the officials told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. The options being weighed are limited in number and stop well short of any large-scale commitment of U.S. troops, which Obama, who has only four months left in office, has long rejected, the officials said. Critics of Obama’s policy in Syria argue that he set a goal - Assad’s departure - without providing sufficient means to achieve it by arming the rebels earlier and more extensively, allowing U.S. allies to do so or using U.S. military might to tip the scales in the conflict. Further, foreign policy experts inside and outside the administration have said Obama erred when he pulled back from launching air strikes on Syria to enforce a “red line” he set against the Assad government’s use of chemical weapons. The result, they argued, was to diminish U.S. credibility in Moscow,

Turkey’s President to Extend State of Emergency Turkey would benefit from another three months of a state of emergency, President Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday, striking a defiant tone against those who have criticized the reach of a government crackdown following a failed coup. Speaking a day after the National Security Council recommended the extension of emergency rule, Erdogan said the measure sped up Ankara’s fight against terrorism, adding he believed Turks would support it. More than 100,000 people, including members of the police, civil service and military, have been sacked or suspended since the failed July 15 coup, in which a group of rogue soldiers attempted to overthrow the government, killing at least 240 people. Around 40,000 people have been detained. “It would be in Turkey’s benefit to extend the state of emergency for three months,” Erdogan told a group of provincial leaders in Ankara. “They say one year isn’t right for Turkey. Let’s wait and see, maybe 12 months won’t be enough.” Rights groups, some Western governments,

and Turkey’s main opposition party have criticized the reach of the crackdown. The head of the opposition Republican People’s Party, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, said this month that the state of emergency should be used only to bring the country back to normal and that innocent people were suffering in the purges. Erdogan said the goal of the state of emergency was to fight terrorist organizations - including supporters of the Muslim cleric Ankara blames for the coup, and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Erdogan announced the threemonth state of emergency on July 20, saying it would enable authorities to take swift action against those responsible for the putsch. The government blames followers of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen for the coup attempt and says the purges are necessary to root out Gulenist influence in the state. Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999, has denied involvement in the attempted coup and condemned it.

Damascus and elsewhere because the perception took hold that Obama would not keep his word and follow through on his threat. Two U.S. officials said the speed with which the Syrians have advanced in Aleppo and the diplomatic track has collapsed caught some in the administration off guard. The fall of Aleppo would restore Assad’s rule over western Syria’s most important city and deal a devastating blow to the rebels. As a result, one of the officials said, the list of options is narrowing to supporting rebel counter attacks elsewhere with additional weaponry or even air strikes, which “might not reverse the tide of battle, but might cause the Russians to stop and think.” Another official said any weapons supplies would not include shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, or Manpads, which the Obama administration fears could fall into the hands of Islamic State militants or al Qaeda-linked groups. The most dramatic option under consideration – but considered less likely – would be a U.S. air strike on a Syrian air base far from the fighting between Assad’s troops and rebel forces in the north, officials said. Other ideas under consideration include sending more U.S. special operations forces to train and advise Kurdish and Syrian rebel groups, and deploying additional American and allied naval and airpower to the eastern Mediterranean, where a French aircraft carrier is already en route. U.S. officials had considered a humanitarian airlift to rebel-held areas, which would require escorts by U.S. warplanes, but this has been deemed too risky and has been “moved down the list,” one official said. State Department spokesman John Kirby said on Wednesday that

U.S. officials involved in the interagency process that deals with national security had discussed other Syria options “that don’t revolve around diplomacy.” He declined to elaborate. U.S. officials cautioned that no decisions were imminent with Defense Secretary Ash Carter traveling and Obama and other senior officials planning to attend former Israeli leader Shimon Peres’s funeral in Israel on Friday.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly known and addressed as RAJI RISIKATULIA TITILAYO now wish to b known and address as NINALOWO RISIKATULIA TITILAYO. All former documents remain valid, The general public should please take note I formerly known and addressed as IGBOELINWA SOLOMON ECHEZONA now wish to b known and address as NDIANEFO SOLOMON ECHEZONA. All former documents remain valid, The general public should please take note

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FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 • T H I S D AY

NEWSEXTRA

Modified Gender Equality Bill Passes Second Reading in Senate Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja Six months after a bill seeking to

guarantee women equal rights with men was thrown out, a modified version of the bill finally scaled second reading on the floor of the

Again, FG Fails to Produce Dasuki in Court, Trial Aborted The federal government has failed to produce the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd), before an Abuja High Court for trial in the charges of money laundering and breach of trust brought against him and others since last year. Dasuki who was charged along with five others before Justice Peter Affen, was granted bail when he was first arraigned but re-arrested and had been kept in custody of the Department of the State Service (DSS) since December 2015. Others who are being prosecuted along with the former NSA with respect to charges of diversion of funds include a former Director of Finance in the Office of the NSA, Shuaibu Salisu, a former Finance Minister of State, Bashir Yuguda; a former Sokoto Governor, Attahiru Bafarawa, the ex-governor’s son, Sagir Attahiru, and a firm,

Dalhatu Investment. At the resumed trial, counsel to the federal government, Mr. Rotimi Jacob, informed the judge that he was surprised that Dasuki who was the second defendant in the charge was not brought to court by his client. The counsel explained that on his part he notified the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the trial and the need to produce Dasuki in court but regretted that communication gap between the EFCC and DSS was responsible for nonproduction of the former NSA in court. Jacob consequently applied to Justice Affen to stand down the case for him to enable his client to produce Dasuki in court but however he could not give a definite period within which the EFCC would bring the ex-NSA to court.

Senate yesterday. Whereas the first bill had provided that enabling women to have equal rights with men in marriages, divorce, property ownership and inheritance had become compelling in view of increasing discrimination against women in education and employment, the second bill only seeks to address discrimination against women and protect them from violence and sexual abuse. While the first bill had provoked anger in senators who said enacting a law to accord women equal rights with men was un-African and anti-religious, the new bill expunged all such offensive provisions and thus paved the way for its second reading. Leading debate on the new bill, its main sponsor, Senator ‘Biodun Olujinmi (Ekiti South), said the bill sought to give effect to provisions in chapters II and IV of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which dwell on fundamental objectives and directives of state

policy and fundamental rights including the right to life, right to dignity of human person, right to personal liberty, right to fair hearing and right to freedom from discrimination. According to her, Section 4 of the bill prohibits all forms of discrimination against any person on account of gender, age and disability through spoken words, acts, rules, customs and practices by any person or institution. Disclosing that the bill also sought to promote equality, development and advancement of all persons in Nigeria, she added that individuals, institutions, authority and private enterprises in Nigeria should ensure full development and advancement of all persons notably young girls and female children by guaranteeing them the exercise of fundamental rights and freedom on the basis of discrimination and equality of all citizens. She added that the bill provided for measures eliminating discrimination against women

in political and public sphere in terms of positions, appointments and a minimum of 35 per cent positions reserved for women with modifications for some socio-cultural practices which promote discrimination and gender-based inequality. Submitting further that the bill eliminated discrimination against women in education, employment, profession and occupation, Olujinmi added that the bill prohibited all forms of violence against women “whether the violence takes place in private, family or public sphere including unwanted or forced sex, traditional, religious or cultural practices harmful to health, well-being and integrity of the woman.” Contributing to the debate, Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, advised the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters handling further legislation on the bill to examine it very closely with a view to ensuring that its provisions do not conflict with existing laws. But the Chief Whip, Senator

Olusola Adeyeye disagreed with Ekweremadu that some of the stipulations in the bill had already been provided for in Nigeria’s extant laws including the 1999 Constitution (as amended), arguing that such conflict did not exist. He also argued that of all forms of existing discriminations, the worst of them is gender discrimination. According to him, the idea of 35 per cent affirmative positions for women was brought about by cultural oppression towards women, observing that despite the existence of fundamental rights which guarantee measures of freedom and rights for women, the United States still proceeded to pass affirmative law for women. Others who contributed to the bill were Senators Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central), Binta Masi Garba (Adamawa North) and Emannuel Bwacha (Taraba South). The bill was referred to the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters with the mandate to report back to the Senate in four weeks.

House to Investigate N500bn Debt Owed PPMC by Marketers Decries illegal activities of mining firms Damilola Oyedele in Abuja The House of Representatives has resolved to constitute an ad hoc committee to investigate debts amounting to over N500 billion allegedly owed to the Petroleum Pipeline Marketing Company (PPMC) by oil marketers. The N500 billion is supposed to be proceeds of a Through-Put Agreement between the PPMC and the marketers, which does not empower them to sell out products stored in their respective tank farms, the House said. It noted that the marketers however sold out the products and had since not remitted the proceeds to the PPMC. The committee would also investigate allegations of criminal sabotage by the oil marketers in connivance with the management of PPMC, not to remit the debts. The resolution of the House followed a motion of urgent national importance sponsored by Hon. Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe (Cross River PDP) who accused the PPMC of deliberately leaving the funds in the hands of the marketers, thereby contributing to the dire financial straits in the country. He identified the marketers as Oando, Forte oil, NIPCO, Total oil, Conoil, Mobil Oil, Masters Energy Oil and Gas Ltd, MRS Oil and Gas, Heyden Petroleum, Rahamaniyya Petroleum, Amicable Petroleum, Aiteo Petroleum, Honeywell Oil, Capital Oil, Felande Petroleum, Sharon Oil and Zamson Petroleum.

Jarigbe added that some of the marketers were also beneficiaries of the interventionist allocations from the PPMC. “The complacency of the management of PPMC might compromise the interest of government and deprive the country of back funds that are arbitrarily in custody of some few individuals who intend to sabotage government and criminally convert funds that should rightly accrue to the Consolidated Revenue Fund,” he said. In another development, the House directed its Committee on Solid Minerals Development to investigate the activities of local and foreign mining firms involved in illegal exploration and exploitation of the sector. It lamented that the illegal miners are reducing Nigeria’s stake in solid minerals and other raw materials in addition to depriving the country of about 500,000 jobs for unemployed youths. The House also urged the federal government to declare a state of emergency in the solid minerals sector in order to help diversify from oil to non-oil sources of revenue. Hon. Solomon Bulus Maren (Plateau PDP) in a motion, noted that the illegal miners do not contribute to the development of host communities as part of corporate social responsibility. Instead, they leave the communities devastated, impoverished and exposed to hazardous environmental conditions, Maren said.

LEADERSHIP ROUNDTABLE

L-R: Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government, UK, Prof. Ngaire Woods; and Chairman, Africa lnitiative Governance(AIG),Mr.AigbojeAig-lmoukhuede,attheAIGpanelofAdvisersroundtableforthe2017governanceandpublicleadershipscholarshipinLagos ....yesterday AbiodunAjala

N’Delta Militants Claim Destruction of NPDC Pipeline We are not aware, say police Sylvester Idowu in Warri Urhobo/Isoko militant group, Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate (NDJM), yesterday claimed it bombed another Nigeria Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) delivery line in Ughelli area of Delta State. It claimed that its Opudo Strike Team struck at about 1a.m., bombed the Unenurhie-Evwreni delivery line in Ughelli South/North operated by NPDC. But Delta State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Celestina Kalu, said the police command was not aware of any attack on any oil facility as claimed by the group. She said the police command

was yet to establish whether there was any attack on any NPDC trunkline in Ughelli area of the state. “I am not aware of the said incident. The state police command is yet to establish the claim by the so called militant group,” she declared. The group in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Aldo Agbalaja, declared: “The Opudo Strike Team of the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate, at about 01.00 hour today, September 29, 2016, bombed the Unenurhie-Evwreni delivery line in Ughelli South/North respectively operated by NPDC.” It said the attack was a mark of its commitment to a just course and to prove to the multinational oil companies and “their Nigerian

military allies, who have been forcefully taking our natural endowment, without any visible returns, that we own our lands. “We want to assure the oil multinational companies that we are determined to end their operations in our lands and this we shall if they fail to show the will to change their relationship with our people and their operational attitude in our lands. “For the avoidance of doubts, we want to say here, categorically, that no amount of military protection/ presence can stop this whirlpool, no amount of shoddily arranged military operation can quell the will of our gallant army.” the group said. NDJM boasted that the same

way the operation launched by the military, Operation Crocodile Smile, was sunk by its Operation Crocodile Tears, was how all their schemes against its land and people would continue to be defeated. “Like we have said, this will only stop when you turn a new leaf, adopt a sincere attitude, give back to our people what naturally should be theirs, advise the government rightly, stop thinking there is an army to protect you from justice, do these and all that you know are good. “If you do these, be assured to have a good relationship with our people and real protection for your personnel and assets across our lands,” it added.

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 • T H I S D AY

NEWSEXTRA

Buhari: FG Working to Boost Patronage of Made-in-Nigeria Products MAN backs policy decisions on petroleum industry, foreign exchange, others Tobi Soniyi and James Emejo in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said his administration is currently working to improve patronage of locally made goods as well as enhance access to finance for Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMEs) across the country. He said efforts were also being made to bridge the gap between skills required by industry and those provided by the educational institutions. He added that his administration would work with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the other Organised Private Sector (OPS) groups who are key stakeholders in achieving these objectives. Speaking in Abuja at the opening of the 44th Annual General Meeting of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Buhari said agriculture and the manufacturing sectors remained key to his administration’s quest for economic diversification. He said: “Astrong manufacturing sector will create more jobs and wealth for our people. It will usher

in sustainable economic prosperity because we will produce what we consume as a nation and generate foreign exchange by exporting any surplus.” The president praised MAN for choosing, “Diversifying the Nigerian Economy: the Role of Government in Manufacturing” as theme of this year’s conference noting that it couldn’t have come at a better time when the country is confronted with the urgent need to diversify the economy in the light of dwindling price of crude oil in the global market. He said: “As you know, the dramatic fall in crude oil and other commodity prices has had a serious negative impact on world economies, especially countries like Nigeria which depended on one commodity for its export earnings.” Nevertheless, he said: “The manufacturing sector is well positioned to be a major driver of Nigeria’s economic growth because of our immense natural resources and the entrepreneurial spirit of Nigerians. Government is therefore focused on implementing necessary policies and strategies aimed at unleashing the full potentials of manufacturing in

Nigeria. “We will rely heavily on your ideas and inputs at all stages of formulation and implementation of new industrial policies. For our part, we will remove bottlenecks and create a more business friendly environment.” The president said government’s strategic plan to boost manufacturing activities in the country is supported by the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) and the National Enterprises Development Programme (NEDEP)-all of which provide a clear road map towards an industrialised Nigerian economy. He urged participants “to consider our national interest, so that the outcome of your deliberations will be to the benefit of Nigerians workers and promoters alike. I look forward to receiving a communiqué of the deliberations from this meeting.” He, further urged MAN to

collaborate with government in the implementation of his administration’s economic agenda by “availing us your wealth of experience so that together we can uplift our nation’s economy and social well-being.” Meanwhile, in his remarks, MAN President, Mr. Frank Udemba commended Buhari’s “bold” policy initiatives since assuming office. Specifically, he praised the recent policy announced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), allocating 60 per cent of all available foreign exchange to the manufacturing sector for the importation of raw materials and machinery; partial deregulatiion of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry which has eased the difficulty experienced in sourcing petrol and other industrial fuels; and adoption of flexible foreign exchange policy which has reduced, albeit minimally, the challenge of sourcing foreign exchange for importation of raw

materials. He further commended the currency swap with China which is aimed at enhancing the economic growth of the country although the details have not been made public; the efforts to end the activities of insurgents, especially in the North-eastern part of the country as well as in other states which have started yielding positive results as well as efforts to boost infrastructure. He said: “The position of the Government not to adopt the EUECOWAS Economic Partnership Agreement on the ground that ‘given due consideration to the mismatch of the two regions (Europe-ECOWAS) in terms of technology and manufacturing experience’, accepting EPA in its present form will spell doom on Nigeria’s industrialisation programme. More so, that studies carried out by both ECOWAS and European Union

revealed negative impact of EPA on Nigeria’s economy especially the industrialisation programme. “If your excellency had not taken this position, the manufacturing sector and the economy generally, would have been in shambles now that the country is in recession.” Continuing, he said: “May I, on behalf of the national council and members of MAN, seize this opportunity to express my profound gratitude and appreciation to the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) for instituting a quarterly meeting with the association where issues affecting the growth of the sector are discussed and the way forward proffered as well as for his willingness to listen to us always. We appreciate the cordial relationship between the association and development partners such as UNIDO, DFID, ENABLE, AFD, GIZ and others that I may have missed out. Your assistance has been tremendous.

Buhari, Jonathan Commiserate with Inyang’s Family

Police mour ex-IG Tobi Soniy and Dele Ogbodo in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari and former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, have commiserated with the family of the late Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Etim Okon Inyang, who passed on at the age of 85. Buhari in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, sent his condolences to the immediate family, friends and community of the deceased, who served meritoriously as the head of the nation’s police force for three years, 1983-1986. The president said as a member of the National Security Council and Vice Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee in 1987, he believed the former IG contributed immensely to the reforms and structuring of the nation’s security, and the processes that heralded good governance and democracy. Buhari prayed that the almighty God will grant the departed soul eternal rest, and comfort his family. On his part, Jonathan also lamented the death of Inyang as a dedicated officer who did his best to reform and refocus the Nigeria Police. In a statement of condolence to the family of the deceased, Jonathan emphasised that the late Inyang would be remembered for his modesty and civilised disposition, both in and out of service. A statement issued by Ikechukwu Eze, the former president’s media aide, quoted Jonathan to have further said: “Elder Inyang was a well respected police chief who served his country to the best of his abilities, and made a difference in the

milestones he recorded towards reforming and refocusing the Nigeria police. “His time as the IG was quite eventful as he gave the task of fighting crime and protecting Nigerians his best shot. He will also be remembered for his efforts towards improving the operational capabilities of the service and promoting enhanced welfare for the officers and men of the Nigeria Police. “In retirement he continued to serve his country in various capacities, guided by the uncommon modesty and humble disposition that saw him rise through the ranks to the highest office of IG, without scandal. He will in deed be missed by his family, the good people of Akwa Ibom state, and the entire country.” Also, the IG, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, yesterday commiserated with the immediate and extended families of the former IG. A statement by the Nigeria Police Force, said it was with heavy heart and deep sense of loss and regrets they announce the demise of a former IG. The statement read: “The IG and his management team, on behalf of the entire officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force wishe to commiserate with the Etim Inyang family of Enwang Village, Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, the government and good people of Akwa Ibom State on the demise and passage unto glory of their illustrious son, Etim Okon Inyang. Meanwhile, a condolence register has been opened at the Force Headquarters for the personnel of the force and members of the public to register their condolence messages.

SHOWCASING MADE-IN-NIGERIA PRODUCTS

L-R: Minister of Mines and Steel, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; Chairman, Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Minister of Trade and Industry and Investment, Dr.OkechukwuEnelamah; andPresidentMuhammaduBuhari,attheexhibitionstandduringduringthe44thAnnualGeneralMeetingofthe ManufacturersAssociationofNigeria (MAN) inAbuja...yesterday GodwinOmoigui.

PDP Convention Suit: Court Adjourns Indefinitely Alex Enumah in Abuja The Abuja division of the Federal High Court hearing the case of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Convention suit has adjourned the matter indefinitely, pending the outcome of the matter before an Appeal Court. The factional Chairman of the party, Ali Modu Sheriff, had filed a suit at the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja challenging the legality of the party’s convention held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The trial judge, Justice Okon Abang, in a ruling yesterday, told parties in the suit that he had to adjourned the matter indefinitely because of an interlocutory appeal filed by the Makarfi-led group before the Court of Appeal. The judge however took a swipe at the group over the notice of appeal which had challenged the jurisdiction of the court to entertain

the suit, noting that the issue was never moved before the court, before it was made as a ground for appeal. Abang, in his ruling said there is no doubt that the 3rd to 9th defendants (the Makarfi -led caretaker committee) have transmitted records of appeal against decision of the court. He said the interlocutory appeal is against the decision of court which granted an order of injunction stopping the 2nd defendant (PDP), from embarking on its national convention. The court however, held that the appeal had nothing against the substantive claim of the plaintiff, adding that there are no grounds of appeal on the issue of jurisdiction. According to him, parties raise an appeal on jurisdiction without having grounds to it. “This court has not taken any decision as to whether or not it has

jurisdiction, there is no grounds of appeal challenging the jurisdiction of the court, and the court cannot rely on the relief sought in their notice of appeal at the court of appeal on the grounds of jurisdiction. “If the 3rd to 9th defendants intend to raise issues of the grounds of jurisdiction at the court of appeal, it should have raised the issue before the Federal High Court and await a decision on it before filing an appeal without grounds on it,” Justice Abang averred. The judge stated further: The actions of the defendants here is to hinder the administration of justice. I have a challenge in this matter, the challenge I have here is that, notwithstanding the fact that the interlocutory appeal of the defendants is not attacking the substantive claims of the plaintiff, and the outcome of the appeal, in my view, would not affect the substantive claims

because the issue of jurisdiction has no grounds of appeal. “The appeal of the defendant has been entered at the Court of Appeal, the law is settled that once an appeal is entered, this court ceases to have jurisdiction to entertain the suit pending the outcome of the appeal. “Notwithstanding the arguments of the counsel to the plaintiff (Sheriff) and 2nd defendants, my hands are tied, pending the decision of the Court of Appeal, this matter is adjourned sine die.” Recall that Justice Abang in an earlier ruling, declared the Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee illegal and unconstitutional on the grounds that it flouted a subsisting order of the Lagos division which had restrained the PDP from either embarking on a national convention or constituting a caretaker committee.

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 • T H I S D AY

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Obasanjo: Reforming NNPC Could Take Nigeria Out of Recession Says Nigeria needs critical mass of people to drive public sector initiative Emma Okonji in Lagos and Chineme Okafor inAbuja Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday said reforming the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) could help Nigeria out of its current economic recession instead of selling off some of its critical national assets. Obasanjo, according to a statement from the NNPC in Abuja, called for an urgent reform of the business operation models of the corporation to make it create wealth for Nigerians and lift the country’s economy out of recession. The statement indicated that Obasanjo made this call when the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, visited him at his residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State last Wednesday. The statement was signed by the Group General Manager, Public

Affairs of the corporation, Mallam Garuba Deen Muhammad. It quoted Obasanjo to have said: “What I do understand is reforms. I believe organisations like the NNPC should be reformed. I don’t understand this talk of selling of national assets. Selling of national assets is wrong. But reform is what I think should be done so that we can run the business of NNPC the way it should be run.” He further stated: “If there is any organisation that can help us quickly get out of recession, it is NNPC. If you work hard, you can get around the situation. I want to encourage you and hope that the little difference we have started seeing will continue.” According to it, Baru, in his remarks, commended the vision of Obasanjo in the oil and gas industry, and assured him that his management team was

Release Nnamdi Kanu Now, Soludo Tells FG Paul Obi in Abuja Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has urged the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to release the leader of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, as a matter of urgency to save the situation. Soludo spoke at the lunch of a book, ‘The Politics of Biafra and the Future of Nigeria’ written by Hon. Chudi Offodeli, a former member of the House of Representatives. He argued that the continued detention of Kanu will escalate the agitation and also amount disservice to the country. According to Soludo, “the new Biafranism; let me say that wittingly or unwittingly Nigeria has brought the Biafran issue from the periphery into the mainstream discussions. Nnamdi Kanu threw

a bait and Nigeria took it. Today, it is the most popular political phrase and he will end up as a hero or a matyr but to his credit he has forced Nigeria and the world to discuss Biafra. “I believe that keeping him there doesn’t do Nigeria any good. I believe this young man should be released and released by yesterday. I will not be surprised if he becomes a subject of the next political campaign. “Just like Awolowo who was convicted and imprisoned for treason or like Gowon charged with treason or even Ojukwu himself who was forgiven and so on and so forth. I don’t want to make any predictions but I believe we need to solve this, because the lesson to be learned if anyone cares to listen is that the detention of Nnamdi Kanu no matter how long will not stop the agitation of Biafra.”

Kogi PDP Chairman Suspended Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja Kogi State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Sam Uhuotu, has been suspended from office by some members of the State Executive Committee (SEC). The suspension came after a voteof-no confidence passed on the chairman, which was contained in a letter dated September 29, signed by 30 of the SEC members and addressed to the state chairman. The letter read in part: “The underlisted members of the state executive committee of the party wich to bring to your notice that we no longer have confidence in your ability to lead and carry the party to its desired destination due to your constant and deliberate violations of the provisions of our party constitution. “You have deliberately refused to pass any information to the members of the state executive committee, which has led to lack of party activities in the state, local and ward levels.

The party as it is today in the state under your leadership has remained stagnant “You have constituted yourself into a one man executive, where you take and implement decisions without following the laid down provisions of the party. After the loss of the party in most of the elections, you didn’t deem it fit to call for meetings to discuss the supplementary election to make the party strategise for those elections and assistance can be rendered to our various candidates involved.” The members at a meeting held at the secretariat of the party yesterday in Lokoja, the state capital, accused the chairman of violating the provisions of chapter 10, Section 58 (1a,b, c, d and h) of the constitution of the party. According to the members, the embattled chairman had deliberately refused to call meeting of the SEC since assuming office, adding that he hardly come to the office in Lokoja as he prefers to stay in Abuja.

committed to transforming the NNPC to operate better with improved performance, growth and profitability. Meanwhile, Obasanjo has stressed the need for Nigeria to train more people on governance and public sector reforms, which he said would in turn drive good governance in the country. Obasanjo who spoke in Lagos yesterday as the Chairman, Advisory Board of African Initiative for Governance (AIG), said: “There are good and committed people in Nigeria who have the political will to fight against corruption and promote good governance, but they are very few and the country needs a critical mass of such committed people to effect positive changes and drive the Nigerian economy.” The former president who commended the former Group Managing Director of Access Bank who is the current President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Aigboje-Aig Imokhuede, for his initiative to collaborate with Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, to train five Nigerians

on governance and public sector reforms, through his pet project, AIG Foundation, said the initiative would further strengthen the political will among those in public sector. He however emphasised that the five beneficiaries of the scholarship programme would definitely meet stiff opposition when they return to the country to put into practice the skills acquired during the training because of the political structure of the country coupled with the mindsets of those in public sector that are benefiting from corruption. He advised them not to succumb to any undue pressure, since the essence of the training is to effect positive change in the public sector. Obasanjo said Nigerians could still return to the path of good governance if only there are more committed people in the public sector that would drive the desired changes. He therefore called on government to encourage and support the AIG Foundation initiative and also ensure that those trained are given the opportunity to

work in the public sector in order to effect the change that Nigerians are clamouring for. Obasanjo further explained that Nigeria does not need to re-write its constitution or policies to provide soft-landing and opportunity for those trained to exercise their duties. He said what the country needs is the political will and commitment of people to resist bad governance, corruption, and support good governance. A Professor at the Blavatnik School of Government, Ngaire Woods, said the school was founded since 2010 to impact good governance skills in people who would in turn effect good governance in the public sector of their respective countries. “If we impact the skills of good governance in people, we will not only improve good governance in several countries, but also improve on several numbers of lives globally,” Woods said. Giving details of the AIG Foundation initiative, Imokhuede said the school admits 120 students from 66 countries every year, and that only one Nigerian

was admitted for the 2015/2016 academic year, hence the foundation is collaborating with the university to sponsor five Nigerian students on scholarship for the 2017/2018 academic session, and the cost of training is £60,000 per student for the one-year programme. “I trust the intellectual capacities of Nigerians to cope with the one year intensive programme, but my worry is that some Nigerians have come up to say they would not want to work in the public sector where their views will not count by those who are desperate at continuously sabotaging the good efforts of a few who want to make a positive difference and change,” Imokhuede said. He called on Nigerians to rise up to the challenge of setting the country on the path of good governance, no matter the cost. He cited countries like Singapore and Rwanda that have succeeded in creating the enabling environment for good governance to strive in their countries, and insisted that Nigerians could do same in order to drive good governance in their country.

PUTTING HEADS TOGETHER

Governor of Katsina State, Gov.ernor Aminu Masari (left), and Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), during the 22nd vonference on National Council on Works in Katsina...yesterday

SSS Frustrating Dasuki’s Trial, Judge Forced to Adjourn Trial

Tobi Soniyi in Abuja

The late production of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), in court by the Department of States Security (DSS) yesterday stalled his trial in the alleged corruption case against him and five others. Dasuki, former Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda; a former Director of Finance at the office of the NSA, Shuaibu Salisu; a former Governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa; his son, Sagir Bafarawa; and their company, Dalhatu Investment Limited, are being tried for allegedly stealing about N9.2billion from the office of the NSA. They were arraigned late last

year before Justice Peter Affen of the Maitama Division of the Abuja High Court on a 22-count filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The trial, which was expected to commence yesterday, could not because Dasuki who is the second defendant was not produced in court. At the commencement of proceedings, lawyer to Dasuki, Joseph Daudu (SAN), noted that his client was not in court, a development that prompted the court to inquire from the prosecution lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), why the former NSA was absent. Jacobs said he was surprised that Dasuki was not in court. He

said his witnesses were in court and that he was ready for trial. He said he contacted the agency in charge of Dasuki’s detention (the Department of State Services (DSS) and was assured he would be produced in court later. Jacobs then applied for a standdown of proceedings to allow the DSS produce the 2nd defendant in court for trial to commence, an application lawyers to the defendants objected to. The defence team, including Daudu, Olajide Ayodele (SAN), Akin Olujinmi (SAN), Joshua Olatoke (SAN) and Hakeem Afolabi (SAN), argued that it was wrong for Jacobs to have sought a stand-down without indicating how long.

Daudu also told the court that the trial might not have gone on had Dasuki been in court in view of a pending motion by his client, seeking the consolidation of the two cases against him before another court. Justice Affen adjourned the case to another date in view of the uncertainty about when Dasuki would be produced in court. By the consent of all lawyers in the case, the judge adjourned the case to October 21. However, after the case had been adjourned, DSS brought Dasuki to court. The federal government had in December 2015 arraigned Dasuki and five others on a 22-count charge of diversion of funds for arms/military equipment.

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 • T H I S D AY

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Ohaneze Raises the Alarm over Fresh Herdsmen Attacks in S’East, Seeks FG’s Intervention Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, yesterday asked the federal government to take definite stance on the increasing violent attacks on communities and killings of hapless citizens by rampaging herdsmen in the South-east zone, warning that if urgent steps are not taken, the entire agricultural vegetations of the people of the zone would be totally wiped out. The President General of the organisation, Chief Enwo Igariwey, who raised the alarm in an address he presented at the 2016 Igbo Day celebration inEnugu, said the people of the zone were not living in fear of the rampaging herdsmen. Igariwey spoke as police in Enugu said they have commenced full investigations into the incident of attack and abduction of three catholic priests last Tuesday along Akachele village of Obimo in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State. The three priests belonging

to Nnewi Diocese were said to be returning to Onitsha from a condolence visit when unknown persons suspected to be herdsmen, attacked and kidnapped one of them. The diocese had earlier said the gang had demanded N2.5million ransom. According to Police Public Relations Officer, Ebere Amaraizu, while the injured priests were responding to treatment, the kidnapped priest secured his freedom 24-hours later. Also, members of the Ohaneze Ndigbo in Europe led by their Chairman, Chief Oliver Nwankwor, also asked the governors of the five states of the South-east to initiate a common strategy that would put an end to the activities of the herdsmen in the area. The group said once the people were able to unite, it would be easier for them to confront their common challenge. But, speaking at the Igbo Day celebration, Igariwey, whose address was read by his deputy, Chief Ugochukwu Onyema, said the people of the zone had become

more worried than ever, especially in view of the rate of the destruction of their farmlands. “A situation someone will keep his own farm land, then brings his cattle to feed on the crops in another person’s farm and then turns violently aggressive to his host, is to say the least, the conduct of a peaceful person. Ohanaeze felt that it might help to foster peace if the federal government comes out firm and stern, with pronouncement of this singular worrisome menace. There has always been ways these cattle were handled before now and there was little or no conflict,” he said. He therefore asked the federal

government to as a matter of urgency, “find a way to put away, the conflict resulting from the activities of these suspected Fulani herdsmen. People are far losing patience and might engage in self help to ward off those considered trespassers to their farms and lands.” Ohanaeze meawhile has raised concern over the state of dilapidation of the South-east roads, especially the Enugu-Onitsha roads, calling on the federal government to declare a state of emergency on the roads. “There is no geopolitical zone in this country that has such a sorry state of roads, not just now;

but a state of disrepair that is transcending into decades, causing frustrations, loss of life and property, loss of valuable time and severe economic loss. Ohanaeze urges the federal government to please show us some sense of belonging and look into this issue as a matter of urgency. We want to see results, so that we can believe,” Ohanaeze said. The group renewed the call for the unconditional release of leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, stressing that a critical look at the reasons for his agitation would help strengthen things for the country. Ohanaeze urged the federal

government to reconsider the proposal for the sale of national assets and look inwards to address the root cause of the present economic recession. The organisation called on Igbo entrepreneurs to invest in Igboland so as to give permanent solution to the unemployment of the youths and also develop the zone. On his part, Enugu Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who was represented by the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Hon. Rita Mbah, harped on the need for unity among Igbos, assuring them that his government would continue to do all it can to protect lives and property of the people of the state.

Ekpen Hospital: We Never Treated Obaseki Crusoe Osagie The management of Ekpen Hospital in Benin City has raised the alarm over what it described as a ‘false information’ being propagated on social media about the health of the Edo State governor-elect, Mr. Godwin Obaseki. The hospital in a statement sent to THISDAY and signed by the Medical Director, Dr. Emmanuel Edomwonyi, stressed that they neither treated nor admitted Obaseki in their hospital. The Benin City-based healthcare providers said the unfortunate rumour was being spread by mischief makers. The statement noted: “It has been brought to my notice that some rather unfortunate and extremely false piece of information is making the rounds on social media, stating that my establishment, Ekpen Hospital, on

the morning of September 27, 2016 admitted Mr. Godwin Obaseki due to some illness. “I will like to state categorically that this is a false piece of information as neither I, my wife, Prof. Nosa Edomwonyi, nor any member of my staff has ever had course to treat or admit Obaseki. This act of mischief and misinformation is rather unfortunate. It was rather amusing to me that while my wife and I were asleep at home, we were purported to be treating a man who we later saw on television, looking hale and hearty, casting his vote. “As peace loving and law abiding citizens of our great state, Edo, we hereby put out this disclaimer in the strongest of terms. “We wish for the good health of all our leaders to whom we owe the past, present and future progress of our state to. May God continue to bless Edo State.”

Mama Otegbeye for Burial Today Funeral rites for the mother of Biyi Otegbeye, the Managing Director of Regency Alliance Insurance, Plc, Mrs. Anuoluwapo Abosede Otegbeye (nee Bamgbose) who was born on the March 26, 1939 and died on September 12, 2016 aged 77 years, have begun. The burial activities commenced on September 28, 2016 with service of songs at Christ Anglican Church, 10 Okuta Road, Bariga, Lagos, by 5p.m. and on September 29, 2016, the commendation service was

held at Christ Anglican Church, 10 Okuta Road, Bariga Lagos at 10a.m. The service of songs also held at BOT residence, Biyi Otegbeye Close, GRA Ilaro by 5p.m. The funeral service will hold today at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Ilaro. 10a.m, while entertainment of guests will be at Ashade Agunloye Pavilion, Ilaro. She is survived by her other children: Sunday and Yemisi Otegbeye and several grandchildren.

Madam Janet Ajayi Passes on The family of Madam Janet Ajayi has announced her passage. She was aged 94. Ajayi died on August 2, 2016, after a brief illness and will be buried on October 7, 2016 after a funeral service at the Salvation Army Church, Ipara Remo Ogun State. She is survived by several children, grand children and great grandchildren including Dr. Yemi

Ajayi, the former Corporate Affairs Adviser of Lafarge-Wapco now Lafarge Africa and presently the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Heron Integrated Concepts and Communications Limited. Madam Ajayi was a devout Christian and a local officer (home league leader) for her church. She was also a community leader with vast social networks.

WORKING TIRELESSLY FOR RIVERS

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike (left) during the flag off of the construction of the abandoned Kpopie-Bodo at Bodo City Gokana Local Government Area of the state....yesterday

Nigeria @56: Let’s Fight Back Recession, Atiku Urges Nigerians Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has enjoined the government and Nigerians to be ready to beat back the current economic recession. Atiku said Nigeria is marking her 56th birthday at a time of turbulent economic crisis which requires that everyone collectively makes effort in revitalising the core elements of the national economy. In his message issued yesterday to mark the Independence day celebration, the vice president said it is no time for grief, regret or recrimination but to forged ahead in attempt to recreate opportunities for growing the economy. While regretting the problems caused by the sudden slump in badly needed foreign investment, the former vice president advised the various governments to introduce cost-cutting measures as a way of surviving the recession. He said he would support the president in his quest to right the turbulent ship of Nigeria. “This may cause some citizens of our country to feel that all hope is lost, that there is nothing worth celebrating. However, this current crisis is not a time for grief, regret or recrimination, it is an opportunity for all of us to roll up our sleeves

and support the government in the arduous task of revitalising the core elements of our national economy. “We are witnessing an increasing loss of foreign confidence in the ability of Nigerians to resolve the economic downturn. There has been a slowdown of badly needed foreign investment, which has decelerated economic development that is so essential to the well-being of the ordinary Nigerian. The average Nigerian is worried about the state of things and yearning for a vibrant economy within a peaceful and stable environment so that he/she can carry on with daily endeavours to make ends meet. “This time demands that we cut our coat according to our cloth, but more than anything else it demands that we lend a helping hand to one another and form a formidable coalition to push back the recession. We didn’t come to this state by our own choice. “True, we might have made some mistakes in not being frugal at the time of surplus; it may also be true also that our policy makers kept on living in denial when this recession could have been nipped in the bud. “But the mistake we must not make at the moment is to imagine that the antidote to this current crisis

lies with any one man/woman or the government alone. We all must come together as patriots to fight back this ugly situation. “Despite our litany of problems and divergent agitations, I am confident and full of abiding faith that the Nigeria of today is faced with great opportunities, immediately and in the near future. We are making significant headway in our fight against the scourge of corruption. “We are at the zenith of producing our own food and aggressively diversifying our economy. We are in the process of empowering our youths and adequately subsidizing our small business owners. We are ensuring massive harvesting and full utilization of all of our natural resources. “These are lofty goals and great challenges, but I am confident that, together, we can accomplish them with ease. No problem is insurmountable if we embrace peace and eschew those views that divide us as a nation. “Governments, corporations and private businesses must do all they can to ensure that people keep their jobs. Despicable as this moment may be, it must call to task the creativity of our young people to innovate and create unique opportunities. We must fight back at this recession on our own

terms. We must never allow it to defeat our creative prowess or set us back on terms that we are not prepared for. “Fifty-six years ago when our heroes negotiated our independence from colonial authorities, the immediate threat before us as a budding country was how to establish a political order that would be enduring and serve the needs of our people. Several years down the line and in spite of the very many upsets along the way, we have been able to establish a democratic political order that has made our governments predictably periodic and more accountable. “I have spent a lifetime fighting for our citizens inside and outside the government, and I stand on this day of pride to assure all Nigerians that we shall all face the challenges together. This I know is not a job for one man/woman but a job for all of us. I stand with our President in his quest to right the turbulent ship of Nigeria. I call on all Nigerians to join hands and unite behind the common goal of making Nigeria a great nation in our lifetime. “My belief in Nigeria is unflinching and my optimism is boundless. We must get our country on the right path to greatness. Failure is not an option!

FRIDAY, september 30, 2016 • T H I S D AY

FRIDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

Iwobi: Arsenal Nearly Released me as a Teenager Alex Iwobi has lifted the lid on just how close he was to being released by Arsenal as a teenager, revealing he was “almost” let go at 14. Iwobi joined Arsenal’s youth ranks in 2004, spending nine years in the set-up before appearing on the first-team’s bench in 2013. However it wasn’t until last season that the 20-year-old made his breakthrough under Arsene Wenger, featuring in eight of their last nine Premier League games, making 13 appearances in total. Such was his impact, Iwobi has now established himself in the Gunners’ squad, looking to continue his development at the club for the long-term. His journey to the first-team was a perilous one though, as the Nigerian international admitted he could’ve been released on a couple of occasions in the past. “I was almost released at 14, again at 16 and just about got a professional contract after that,” Iwobi told the London Evening Standard. “Especially at 14, I thought I was very close to not making it. It was stressful as I was going through school, trying to balance that and make sure I was still signed for Arsenal. “It was really difficult for

me. We usually found out in December who might be kept on but I kept on getting the question ‘is he good enough?’ So they extended it to see if I could do something and it went to March and then April. Luckily I did enough. “At 16 I got the option to leave but I always felt at home at Arsenal and that was where I wanted to be. At 16, there were a lot of good players, a few internationals in the team at a young age so it was difficult for me to stand out in the games. They always want the best and I wasn’t really up there at that age. “The fact that I kept getting chances makes me feel lucky,” he disclosed to Papilonews.com yesterday. Iwobi has created six chances and won 58% of his average duels in four Premier League appearances this season, with a shot accuracy of 100%, as Arsenal sit third on 13 points from their opening six fixtures, one behind Tottenham Hotspur in second and five adrift of leaders Manchester City. Next up for them is an away clash at Burnley this weekend, before taking on Swansea City following the international break.

J O R DA N 2 0 1 6

Flamingoes Resume Training for Brazil Etisalat U-15 School Cup Season 3 Returns Iwobi

Ahead of their group phase clash with Brazil tomorrow, at the 5th FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, Nigeria’s U17 girls, Flamingoes resumed training on Wednesday afternoon at the Al Wehdat Training Field, Amman with all 21 players participating actively. The girls were also scheduled to train at the same venue yesterday. The Nigeria team had arrived Amman on Tuesday morning, after flying from Abuja to Dubai and connecting another Emirates Airline flight from Dubai to the Jordanian capital. Earlier on Wednesday, officials of world football –governing body FIFA conducted the team

arrival meeting where Captain Rasheedat Ajibade was presented with Nigeria’s plaque and all the players were given Certificate of Participation. Also at the team arrival meeting, every member of the team was accredited, while various issues on the tournament like venue contact information, stadium and training facilities, pre and post match conferences and laws of the game were discussed in detail. The 5th FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup will start today. A total of 16 countries will battle for honours in the three Jordanian cities of Amman, Irbid and Al Zarqa.

F E D C U P O U ST E R

Crown Coach Laments Team’s Ouster by IfeanyiUbah Coach of beaten Crown FC, Fatai Osho, has lamented his team lost to politics after they fell 2-1 to FC IfeanyiUbah in the semi-final of the Federation Cup. Big spenders IfeanyiUbah qualified for the cup final by eliminating giant killers Crown under very controversial circumstances so much so that fans forced the game to be abandoned with a few minutes to the end. Coach Osho alleged his second-tier league club were denied an historic passage to the cup final by dubious

officiating. “Thank God the fans in the stadium all witnessed what happened it is not in my duty to judge the referee, but this is no longer football,” blasted Osho. “This is pure politics, who is to be blamed?” “Thank God these were not our fans, these were Kaduna State people fighting because of the treatment metted on my team. “I felt so bad, it has been long I witnessed a match like this and ow can we have credible representatives in the continent?

in October After two successful seasons, Nigeria’s youth-friendly telecommunications network, Etisalat has concluded plans to kick off the third season of its Under 15 School Cup football competition, in October. The Etisalat U-15 School Cup is a national grassroot football competition designed to connect, engage and promote young football talents. It promotes national unity by connecting young and aspiring footballers to becoming future champions. According to the Director, Brand & Experience, Etisalat Nigeria, Elvis Ogiemwanye, the third season will provide exciting prospects of building on the success of the last two editions. “Our commitment to the nation is to support and

create credible platforms that can contribute to the development of the country. Therefore, we are committed to developing a pool of young football talents. The success of the last two editions makes it even more exciting for us,” he said. The 2016 edition will start with state competitions where various schools will compete at the state level to win a spot at the regional group stage. The state winners will compete at the regional stage where 8 teams with the highest points will qualify for the National Finals happening in Lagos in November. The regional group matches will kick off with a Trophy tour around the host cities of Ibadan, Ilorin, Enugu and Kaduna to enable respective participating teams and

their supporters catch a glimpse of the prestigious Champions Trophy and experience the Mobile Champions Studio which is an innovative platform created to enable participants take creative pictures of themselves as well as tell their own football stories to Nigerians. The impressive trophy was inspired by other international tournaments, predicated upon the belief that the competition will produce international champions in the near future. According to the Head, Events and Sponsorships, Modupe Thani, “the trophy has been designed to inspire our Etisalat School Cup Champions to believe in themselves and to dream of playing and winning bigger football championships as they

grow their football talents and move unto professional football”. The tour also features the Etisalat Football Truck where school students will need to score goals into holes positioned on the vehicle. The tour promises to be exciting, engaging and very competitive. The maiden edition of the competition in 2013 was won by Keke Senior High School, Ijaiye, Lagos and the school was rewarded with N1million cash prize and an all-expense paid trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), while the 2nd edition was won by Government Secondary School, Owerri, Imo State going home with the star prize of N2 million educational award and N50, 000 each to players of the winning team.

Abuja Rubicon, Kaduna Deebee, Ibadan Jericho shine at MTN/Kano 2016 Polo Abuja Rubicon, Ibadan Jericho and Kaduna DeeBee Farmers, have emerged as first set of winners at the on-going MTN/Kano International Polo Tournament. The Dantata Cup, the first major cup of the prestigious event was decided before a full house at the legendary Usman Dantata polo ground, as the resilient Abuja Rubicon team won the gold, defeating six other opponents. The Abuja Boys, powered by

the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, were clearly the stars of the tournament, as they added the Ado Bayero Cup played in honour of the immediate past Emir of Kano, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Ado Bayero, to their trophy haul. Before clinching the royal crown, the Abuja Rubicon team, made up of the quartet of Lado Aliyu, Idris Badamasi, Malik Badamasi and Jamilu

Mohammed, had put themselves in pole position after overcoming tournament favourites, Kano Titan, 412-3 in their opening game of the Dantata Cup cracker before facing defending champions, Lagos Marina in the final. While Rubicon easily eased past the Lagosians 9-1 for their double titles win, Bashir Dantata, the legendary Chairman of Kano Polo pivoted his Kano Dantek squad to a runner’s up finish

after out placing Kaduna EMC side 8-61/2 in the Dantata Cup series. Ibadan Jericho gave the Southwest contingent plenty to celebrate as they clinched a sensational MRS Cup victory by defeating home boys, Kano Triple K. The explosive final was decided by sudden death scored by Dozie Onwuli after the two arch rivals laboured to 3-3 draw at the end of the final chukka.

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2016

FRIDAYSPORTS C O U N T D O W N TO F I N A L DAY

Rivers United: Emerging from Shadows to Championship Contender Fisayo Dairo One of the very many reasons we love the round leather game of football is its tendency to spring up surprises when they are least expected or least imagined. Despite the huge financial backings flowing around for clubs in modern football world - a phenomenon many think is eroding the genuine love and passion for the game - some fairytale examples such as Atletico Madrid’s La Liga winning exploits in 2014 and Leicester City’s shocking run to the Premier League title earlier this year still continue to remind us of certain dynamics of the beautiful game. When the 2015/16 season of the Nigeria Professional Football League got underway in February this year, only a few followers (if there were any) of the game gave newly formed Rivers United a genuine chance of finishing among the front runners by the end of the season. Curtains fall on what has been quite an eventful football season in Nigeria this weekend and one of the stories of the season will have to be the Port Harcourt based Pride of Rivers. Coached by the league’s longest serving manager Stanley Eguma and playing its home games at the antediluvian Yakubu Gowon Stadium in the busy Elekhaia planes of the Garden City, United - indeed an amalgamation of Port Harcourt’s two hitherto struggling clubs, Dolphins and Sharks - quickly banished the ghosts of its ancestors by opening the season with a lone goal victory over Champions Enyimba, Eguma’s first victory over the former African Champions in 4 years. “That win gave us the kind of confidence we needed for a start,” acknowledged Eguma in a chat to www.npfl.ng “Before the league started, there were some internal issues as regards raising a formidable team and because of the short time at our disposal, we could not really get the sort of group we wanted but that win against Enyimba brought a lot of confidence to the players and that fired them to believe they can do well.” he reflected The euphoria that greeted the team’s mental victory had hardly died down when they were reminded of the swinging nature of the NPFL table. A run of three games winless streak (including two consecutive losses away from home) which culminated in United dropping points at home for the first time against Sunshine Stars in Week 8 saw the team drop slightly to the second half of the table, a development that saw the management of the team hand out a 3-game ultimatum to

head coach Stanley Eguma. He also concedes that was a turning point for his team as his wards responded by winning six out of the following eight games. “Although it (the ultimatum) didn’t bother me much but it was important for us to help us focus properly. The ultimatum was not any form of pressure but it was a wake up call which we reacted to positively and we never dropped from the top spots from then.” added Eguma who has previously coached Oriental clubs like Gabros and Iwuanwayu Nationale. The highlights of United’s season came within that eight-game period. Their two away wins all season (to date) were part of those six wins as well as arguably their best performance of the season, a comprehensive victory over Rangers in Port Harcourt on Match Day 14. The victory over high-flying Rangers who were blown away by a rapid young United side within the opening 45 minutes instantly installed the Rivers state government sponsored side as one of the title contenders. Rangers had only lost twice in 13 league games at that point and that victory was a well crafted prognosis into what will become of Rivers United at the end of the season. United’s first choice goalkeeper and a veteran of the league, Rotimi Sunday highlighted the victories over Oriental sides Enyimba and Rangers in Port Harcourt as key to their successful season. “Those two wins were sweet,” relished Rotimi with great pleasure. “Nobody gave us the chance against Rangers because they were doing so well but we told ourselves we can do it and we really outclassed them.” said Rotimi a former captain of defunct Dolphins of Port Harcourt. United built on that result and pushed for an unlikely title in a three-horse race involving them, Wikki Tourists and Rangers. Despite starting the second stanza of the league with a 3-game unbeaten sequence including two home victories sandwiched by another away draw against Enyimba in Umuahia, United’s undoing had to be their dismal away form from that point - failing to score nor secure a point in seven successive away games. Some of their stars in the first stanza of the league had either suffered a dip in form or succumbed to serious injuries. Fredrick Obomate could not replicate the performances that earned him the League Bloggers’ Player of the Month award in February while all-rounder Chigozie Ihunda popularly called Turkey by United fans never recuperated from a serious injury.

Eguma attributed some of the challenges faced in the second half of the season to injuries to some key components of his side although he insisted this is part of the round leather game. “The injuries were one of the areas we had issue. Though it is part of the game, we never expected it to have a prolonged effect on the team. Someone like Ihunda (Chigozie) who had stabilized with the team had an injury in Warri and it ruled him out of the season. “The injuries continued up till this moment affecting my captain Festus Austine, Ayo Asekunowo, Gabriel Olalekan and the accident we had which ruled out someone like Yusuf Jayeola. “It is really difficult to get players in during the midseason break because the good players are always tied to their clubs but so far, I think we were able to manage thus far.” Eguma added, looking sombre at this point. As the team continued in their title challenge with Rangers as the league reach a climax, what seemed to be the final straw that broke the camel’s back was United’s goalless draw with Abia Warriors in their final home game of the season. On a day Rangers won away at Ikorodu United, United’s hopes were deflated and left hanging by a thread going into the final day of the season. “I think I can attribute our failure to beat Abia Warriors to anxiety and also maybe overconfidence,” said United’s goalkeeper on the day, Sunday Rotimi. “But it is not yet over for us. I believe a win in Uyo on the final day can still change things for us and we are working towards that.” Sunday, whose brother David plays for Owerri-based side Heartland reminded. His coach, Eguma however would not blame his players for Sunday’s result while expressing his utmost belief that his team will take this season’s experience in their stride ahead of the next season. “It’s football. The most important thing was that we created the chances. That has been part of our programmes in training. But unfortunately, that day it was bad we didn’t convert any. Days like that happen in football. It was only our second draw at home but I believe it is just how football is. “This season’s experience will help us next season. We were down at a time, we brought ourselves up and fought all the way. Even if we don’t win the title eventually, we know we have met the good and the bad part of the season and by next season, we will be able to do better and have a better team next season.” Eguma said after supervising his team’s morning training on Tuesday.