Saturday 8th October 2016

T H I S D AY SATURDAY OCTOBER 8, 2016

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T H I S D AY SATURDAY OCTOBER 8, 2016

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T H I S D AY, th e sat u r day n e w s pa p e r •SATURDAY, october 08, 2016

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Recession: Emefiele Opens Talks with Chinese Investors Chika Amanze-Nwachuku and Obinna Chima in Washington D.C As part of efforts to attract the much-needed foreign investments in the country, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele yesterday revealed that there are ongoing talks with Chinese investors as

well as other foreign investors to enhance growth in the economy.

Emefiele, who is presently attending the IMF/World Bank meetings in Washington DC, disclosed this in an interview with journalists, at the end of plenary session with the World Bank Group President, Jim Yong Kim, The move is aimed at luring back investors that had

been scared off by the drop in oil prices as well as to attract potential investors.

"I can assure you that meetings are going on (here in Washington) with some of our partners, China particularly. We are going into a meeting with Chinese delegation.

I know that from the meeting to be also held with the Managing Director of IMF as well World Bank Group, we are going to

achieve some of our objectives," he explained.

Emefiele said the decision by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to include the Chinese currency in its basket of currencies, would impact positively on Nigeria in the long-run.

Commenting on the call by the IMF boss that there was a need to adopt three pronged

approach to achieving growth, from monetary, fiscal and structural reforms, Emefiele said: "Basically there is no gainsaying the fact that. That has to be the direction everybody has to go and I think that we are doing that in Nigeria. There is serious coordination and collaboration between the monetary and fiscal authorities, and I believe that if we continue in this direction, we

would achieve that objective.

"Well, we have done a couple of reforms, such as the flexible exchange rate regime. It is picking up gradually. When you are in the type of situation that we are in, naturally you find find out that people are a little bit skeptical. But with time, as we develop the confidence, we would begin to see more of them coming into the country," he added.

will be protected He said the Deep Sea Port, on completion, would be the biggest in the African continent.

The governor said: “The land space for the Deep Sea Port is over 1000 hectares of which we have just been told that there's going to be a free trade zone and then a container terminal that we are going to have here.

"We already know that the investors have done the best

they can. We have Mearsk in the bouquet of investors who have signed on to this project and what that means for us is that we are going to have the largest cargo container port in Africa, situated in Badagry.

"That means a lot of us in terms of employment. It means a lot for us also in terms of new settlement like it has been said, we hope that in the next two months we're coming to start

this project here”.

He said that he personally came to see the project, stating that it was part of his promise aimed at bringing development to the communities in that axis.

Harping on the need for compensation, he said that the state government would ensure that the 12 communities expected to be resettled as a result of the project are duly compensated.

"Like you have also been told,

this project is 500 metres away from the ‘Point of No Return’ which is also a tourist attraction for us, So, we have decided to protect that particular place to make sure that tourism is also complemented in this project.

"With a Deep Sea Port project like this, it means that there would be new settlements in Badagry, new towns and the standard of living is positively affected by this kind of project".

of living for the majority of the people of Nigeria.

"At this point, what the country needs is a strong economy where a very large per centage of those who are willing to work can be productively engaged; where there is solid infrastructure, where the atmosphere brings the best out of the people and where all are able to realise their full potential.

We pledge to work for Nigeria to achieve all these", Saraki and Ekweremadu stated.

Meanwhile, Justice Yusuf Hallilu yesterday struck out the forgery charge and released all the four defendants accordingly.

An indication that the four defendants would be set free emerged when the federal government counsel, Alhaji Aliyu Umar applied to the judge for withdrawal of the case filed in June this year.

The lawyer told the court that because the current government had respect for the rule of law, it was withdrawing the charge because another matter on the same forgery was pending at a Federal High Court also in Abuja.

Umar submitted that it was trite law that two court of coordinate or equal jurisdiction could not sit and adjudicate on same issue at the same time.

He therefore urged the court to strike out the charge and release all the four defendants in the said charge.

Paul Erokoro SAN, who represented Saraki, Joseph Daudu SAN for Ekweremadu and other lawyers in the matter did not object to the withdrawal of the charge.

Justice Halilu praised the prosecution counsel for bringing his wealth of experience into the matter which led to the withdrawal of the charge.

The judge said that it required courage for a government lawyer to advise his client on the need to avoid abuse of judicial process adding that the Senior Advocate of Nigeria had shown great courage.

The judge said: “By this courage, you have chosen the part of honour and good professionalism. As Nigerians, we have a duty especially the bar and bench to make this country better than we met it.”

He also praised counsel to the defendants for their cooperation and the way they conducted themselves during proceedings.

The judge added that they should not feel witch hunted but to believe that the police have their duty to carry out investigation in any matter but whatever they (police) do should be in the interest of the nation.

The Federal Government had on Thursday filed a motion for the withdrawal of the charge of criminal conspiracy and forgery of the Senate Standing Rule, 2015 allegedly used to elect Saraki as Senate President and Ike Ekweremadu as his Deputy.

An affidavit in support of the motion was filed before the High Court of Federal Capital Territory by a litigation officer from the Federal Ministry of Justice, Odubu Loveme.

Atiku Hails Buhari Drop-

ping NASS Forgery Case Former Vice President and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar commends the Federal Government, particularly President Muhammadu Buhari for the withdrawal of criminal charges against the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, thus paving the way for the resolution of the impasse between both arms of government.

The former Vice President describes it as "a wise and timely move".

In a press statement released by his Media Office in Abuja on Friday, 7th October, 2016, the former Vice President says that the move by the Federal Government is an indication that the government values the much-needed cordial relationship between the Executive and Legislature and would take steps to ensure that it remains harmonious in the interest of the nation, and the advancement of our democracy.

The Turakin Adamawa says that it is only in the situation of harmonious, cordial and corporative relationship between the three arms of government that real progress and development can take place in the polity.

Arguing that all hands needs to be mobilized to tackle the current economic difficulties in the country, and get the nation out of economic recession, the former Vice President states that both the Executive and Legislature need to come together to find solutions to the current economic recession by eliminating all issues that promote strife and mistrust.

Ariku said that the political crisis does little or no good in a democracy, the former Vice President advises all individuals and political forces in the country that still have issues to come together and resolve their differences for the good of the nation and the APC. While describing President Muhammadu Buhari as a statesman and a man of peace, the former Vice President said that "the decision by the Executive to end the disturbing allegations against the Senate leadership opens a new page in the relationship between the Executive and Legislature and was forthcoming because President Buhari has never been comfortable with actions or issues that unnecessarily heats up the polity".

He urged the National Assembly to reciprocate the spirit behind the resolution of the impasse by stepping up is collaborative efforts with the Executive arm of government in the arduous task of fixing the nation's broken economy and infrastructure.

Ambode Revs up $2.3bn Badagry Deep Sea Port Project partnering the State Government on the project.

The meeting had in attendance Country Manager, APM Terminal, Mr. David Skov; Chairman APM Terminal Apapa, Chief Ernest Shonekan; Head of Africa, APM Terminal, Peter Volkjaer Jorgensen; Chairman, Supreme Offshore Ltd, Mr. Chidi Ofong; Mr. Koye Edu; Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Mr. Rotimi Ogunleye; Permanent Secretary, Lagos

Global, Mr. Olajide Bashorun and Country Senior Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Mr. Uyi Akpata.

It would be recalled that Ambode, back in July 16, 2015, inspected the Badagry Deep Sea Port project where he assured that the state government would give adequate support to the initiative just as he assured the communities within the location of the project that their interests

Forgery Trial, Politically-induced Distraction, Say Saraki, Ekweremadu case lasted. We also thank other parliamentarians in and out of the country and the international community as a whole for the consistent solidarity they displayed to us and their belief in our genuine cause since the commencement of the case.

"Our gratitude goes to our legal team, family members, friends, supporters, civil society organisations, members of the

bar, the media and the generality of the people, many of who came out to add their voice to the fact that what the nation needs at this period of economic crisis is not a distraction or any show of division but a clear signal that all arms of government are ready to co-operate with one another to find solutions to the nation's economic recession.

"We believe much time has

been wasted in pursuing this needless case and we hope that the same treatment will be extended to other politicallymotivated cases. It is also hoped that from now on, the various arms of government will be allowed to devote all the available time and resources to working on the problems confronting the country and finding solutions that will lead to higher standards

Oyegun: Tinubu's Corruption Allegation Personally Insulting, Baseless, Reckless image to the mud.

In a statement he issued and personally signed yesterday, Oyegun gave a blow by blow account of the election processes and how the party's leadership arrived at the verdict to uphold the candidacy of Rotimi Akeredolu.

He dismissed all the accusation levelled against him by Tinubu that he over-ruled the party’s NWC on the primary as a "figment of the imagination of those who fabricated them".

"There was absolutely no meeting which I chaired that voted in the manner alleged.

Clearly, the report on which the media office of Tinubu acted was a figment of someone’s wild imagination.”

While explaining the role of the party in the controversial primary, Oyegun said that there was no truth in the allegation that 150 valid delegates were excised to make room for an equal number of impostors.

He said that the approved delegates list was compiled in strict compliance with the party’s constitution, adding that only qualified delegates were included in the list.

Oyegun said that none of the aspirants or the Appeal Committee had submitted to NWC a list of delegates who were not qualified to be included in the delegates list but were listed as delegates or presumed qualified delegates who were not included in the delegates list used for the Primary.

On the allegation that he overruled the NWC’s vote, Oyegun said that there was no record of such interference according to the minutes of the 18th emergency meeting of the APC NWC held from Monday 19th September 2016 to Thursday 22nd September.

He said that what happened was that a member of the NWC drew the attention of the meeting to its previous decision in which the report of the Primary Election Committee was adopted while the Appeal Committee was set aside.

He said it was at that stage that he agreed with the NWC member and ruled that the previous decision of the NWC be upheld.

"The media office of Tinubu in its statement alleged that I used a prayer interlude which I initiated to secretly excuse myself from the NWC meeting to submit the name of Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the candidate of the Party.

"The allegation is high fiction and an insult to the intelligence and sensibility of the respected NWC members present at the meeting. We do not and have never engaged in prayer interludes/sessions outside the usual opening and closing prayers.

The prayer that is being referred to must be the closing prayer for the meeting,” he declared.

Oyegun responded furiously to the allegation of bribery and corruption, describing Tinubu's claim as reckless and baseless.

Oyegun said: “This reckless and baseless corruption allegation levelled against me is unfortunate and an insult to my person and my hard-earned reputation which I have strongly maintained.

Nobody has the kind of money that can buy my conscience or make me do injury to an innocent man.

"In all the primaries conducted under my watch as National Chairman, I have strived to ensure a free, fair, transparent and credible process. The 2016 Ondo State APC Governorship Primary Election was not an exception. There must be internal democracy in the Party and our constitution must be respected by all.

"The Party’s NWC decision to reject the 2016 Ondo State APC Governorship Primary Election Appeal Committee Report was taken on Tuesday, September 20, 2016 in executive session after careful and exhaustive deliberations. The minutes and rejection were confirmed by the NWC on Thursday, September 22, 2016.

"The NWC in its four-point resolution faulted the failure of the Appeal Committee to invite the National Secretariat as the custodian, to authenticate or otherwise the source of the disputed delegates list. Also, the Appeal Committee did not invite the Chairman or members of

the Ondo State Governorship Primary Election Committee to clarify issues relating to the allegation of manipulation of the accreditation process.

"The Appeal Committee rather relied totally on unsubstantiated evidence(s) in the petitions it received to recommend the nullification of the Primary.

This is against the principle of natural justice and fair hearing.

"The NWC equally observed a serious contradiction in the Appeal Committee’s report in respect of the number of the accredited delegates. Whereas the Primary Election Committee’s report indicated that 2,774 delegates were accredited, the Appeal Committee’s report erroneously recorded it as those who voted in the election, thereby acting under the false impression that there was over voting in the exercise.

"The actual total number of votes cast was 2,754, as clearly recorded in the Primary Election Committee’s report. The issue of fresh primaries did not arise as NWC had already rejected the Appeal Committee’s report in view of the stated flaws and upheld the election.”

Fayose Condemns alleged ‘Conspiracy’ against Tinubu In a related development, Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose yesterday condemned what he called “conspiracy” against Tinubu in the APC, saying; “humiliation of Tinubu is as good as humiliation of the Yoruba race."

The governor said: “Even though, I am not a member of APC and I will never be, I have elected to stand in defence of the Yoruba nation once again by saying no to the continuous dishonourable treatment being meted to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, having paid his dues.”

“If Tinubu is allowed to be embarrassed and disgraced just the way our past leaders were humiliated by these same elements, the Yoruba nation would have been made to suffer for uprightness.”

The governor condemned the Tuesday, sponsored protest against the APC leader at the party’s national secretariat, saying, “it is unfortunate that Tinubu is now being vilified in

a party he invested heavily in and his fellow kinsmen that he brought up politically are part of this conspiracy.

“In their desperation, they have even tried to set him against the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, by insinuating that he tried to prevent his (Osinbajo) emergence as Buhari’s running mate. This is sad!

“When other tribes protect their own, it is becoming historically common among the Yorubas to allow themselves to be used against their leaders just for momentary political gains at the expense of the collective interests of the Yoruba nation.

"It should be noted that late Chief Obafemi Awolowo was sent to jail by the conspiracy and collaboration of some Yorubas with the external aggressors."

"Tinubu is a prominent stakeholder; we should not sit back and watch while those he used his own sweat to make conspired with others to humiliate him. Most importantly, it is my position that irrespective of political affiliation, no leader of the Yoruba nation must be vilified unduly, especially by the same people who humiliated our past leaders like Obafemi Awolowo, Adekunle Ajasin, Bola Ige, Bisi Onabanjo, Lateef Jakande and others.

“To me, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu should not be seen just as an APC leader, but acknowledged as a major stakeholder in the Yoruba nation that we must all protect beyond politics. ”It should be recalled that these were among the issues that I raised when I visited Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State few months ago on the need to work together beyond party affiliations.

“Here in Yorubaland, it is said that if a household is at peace, it is because the bastard child of the family is yet to attain the age of maturity and those people that Asiwaju Tinubu made, but are now being used against him should watch it.

“I therefore condemn this conspiracy against Asiwaju Tinubu and I admonish those that are hoping to make political benefits from it to have a rethink.”

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • OCTOBER 8, 2016

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super saturday ...I Made Embarrassing Blunders Trying to Cook Nigerian Food social aspect has always been in me though.

Being in the UK may have been a contributing factor, but I think I got the initial trait from my parents. I do well in managing all these together but now that demand is extending in all directions, I believe I will choose the social aspects. Remember that I did not start out as jack of all trades. I have simply acquired these diverse skills set over the years.

How did you cut your teeth in publishing and what influenced your thematic choice in the book titled, ‘The Youth Evolution’?

I got into publishing my own book because I was looking for a platform to reach more people across the world with my knowledge.

I felt that writing the book would help parents and youths in today’s modern world to focus for success. I’m glad that the purpose for the book has been achieved.

Do you think Nigerians particularly at this crucial time of their life will be willing to buy the services you’ve brought back home?

This is the best time for Nigerians to embrace what I have to offer. I am not offering a service. I am offering a solution to the many challenges that Nigeria has today.

Did you ever work in the UK? Yes. I worked in the UK across many organisations both in the public and private sector. I’ve worked for organisations such as Mott MacDonalds, Transport for London, 2012 London Olympics and I’m currently consulting on high-profile United Kingdom government projects.

Why did you return to Nigeria leaving enticing fortunes you could garner in the UK? Nigeria is my father’s land that is currently crying out for help. I’m proud and glad to be part of the army selected by God to return home as a catalyst for the solution to the cry for help.

How expensive is it to get a life coach?

That would need to be defined by the person with the challenge. It’s not about the money you pay, it’s about the solution you get.

What would you be doing differently from the many life coaches in the country?

I pride myself in doing whatever it takes (within legal boundaries) to achieve the results that have been agreed. People who know me well know that I am results-driven.

What was your earliest career fantasy?

To help young people get into work, career and business. Seems there is more to it than that.

Did you ever make a detour and why?

Yes. I wanted a stable career and I didn’t think I could get one following my dreams until I got coached a few years ago.

How do you feel being a celebrated and award-winning author of ‘The Youth Evolution’?

Fantastic. The experience is one that I cannot describe. The award came at a time I wasn’t really sure about what I had done. The award gave me the motivation, which also proved that I had done the right thing.

You were recently nominated for the back to black awards. How do you feel being recognised for exceptional service amongst black community in the United Kingdom?

Completely shocked and overjoyed. The nomination is for the top 20 youth advocates in the black community. There are a lot of great black leaders doing a lot for the black community. I have a lot of respect for them. So, to be nominated as one of the top 20 is amazing and I am truly grateful to God for all he has done.

When did you start the ‘Next chosen generation’ and for what peculiar reasons did you start the initiative?

I started the ‘next chosen generation’ in July 2014 after I received an instruction from God to do so. Though God had asked me to make this move about eight months before that time,

I was challenged by the idea and tried to find excuses for not doing it well until God put me in a corner and I had to surrender. I am forever grateful for the privilege that God has given me.

How has it been working with young people across the world?

Absolutely, out of this world! I have so much fun that sometimes they have to remind me of my age. I learn from them and they learn from me. The journey has turned me into a better mother to my children and probably a better wife to my husband as well.

What have been the high point, challenge and fulfilment since you started?

The high point for me has always been to see the transformation in attitude, dressing and mannerism of the young people.

The Challenges has been the work that leads to this transformation, the law that governs my work and the lack of funds occasionally. I am always fulfilled at the end of sessions of teaching, especially when there is indication that it has gone really well.

Do you feel fulfilled doing what you do now?

Absolutely.

How does it feel to be sought after as a prominent African public speaker in the UK? I feel really humbled and honoured.

You been frequent in Nigeria lately, are you collaborating with some big names in the public speaking and consultancy industry?

Well, that would be telling. All I can say is watch the space and I am open for internal business collaborations.

Who’s the most exciting and inspirational person you’ve met through your job?

That is a really a touchy question as I now move in the midst of groups. All I can say is there are a lot of gifted and talented people out there and more are coming up. We are inspirers who do exceptionally well in what we do

How do you juggle being a career woman, mother and wife of a musician?

My husband and I understand our priorities and most of what it’s going to take for us to achieve our goals so we work together. Now the children are older, it’s become a bit easier. I guess it all boils down to planning, excellent execution, determination and focus on the main things.

How does it feel being married to a musician?

It is great, but can often be challenging at times.

However, we always find a way to make every challenge worthwhile.

When did he propose and how did he do it?

I think he knew he had found everything he wanted in a woman whilst working together.

He said he wanted a relationship. I said the only relationship I’m interested in is the one that leads to a life-time commitment and here we are today.

When did he propose?

It was one early morning.

I had cooked him dinner the night before. He woke and proposed.

I actually thought he was joking, so I said ‘yes.’ The next thing I knew, we were planning our wedding.

How would you describe him in five words?

Exceptionally loving, caring, understanding and patient.

What have you gained through meeting them?

There is always a lesson to learn. You have to keep learning and developing, so you don’t get left behind.

What is his relationship with the children?

He has a good relationship with the children but I know that they’ve had their differences which were resolved.

What do you say to youths struggling with low self-esteem?

Just be yourself. Focus on what you can do (even if it’s just one thing); do it very well as you start to develop in other areas. Always do good things.

What lessons have you learnt in marriage?

Love, real love is what makes it all work; and the word of God, commitment and sacrifice.

What kind of childhood did you have?

A great one for the circumstances; I know it could have been better.

Are there fond memories you still hold?

Yes, loads. School achievements, graduation (never seen my mum so proud to be my mum), wedding day, giving birth to my children, holding my first published book in my hands, getting nominated for awards and winning awards. I am truly blessed.

How did you meet your husband?

We met in church. We were both in the choir and in the youth growth group. We were both youth leaders.

Have there been points in life you said why did I even marry?

Yes. Marriage is not the easiest journey. I said that a lot during the early days. There was a lot more I needed to learn than I bargained for; probably the same with him.

Who offends who the most?

I probably commit most of the offences.

When he gets you angry, what is that magic word that he whispers?

He doesn’t whisper anything but he has his way of making up. Let’s just say actions speak louder than words.

Does he take you out often?

Yes, he sure does.

WhenIfirstarrived atboardingnotfully understandingthatIwas actuallygoingtobestaying therewithoutmymummade mecry–andemotionally unstable.IrememberIhardly spoketoanyoneinmyroom.

Theywereallwhiteand theirEnglishwasdefinitely differentfrommine.There seemedtobesomething differentaboutthemall.Apart fromcolour,thatis. Breakfast timewasreallystrange;allI couldeatwastoast.There wasnoyamandegg.Bacon, sausage,andwhatseems likehalf-cookedeggswith bakedbeanswerefoodIwas notusedto–butthatwas breakfast.Lunch;formany weeksIdidn’teachmuch becauseiftherewasn’trice, chickenorbeefonthemenu, Iwasn’thavingit.Itwasthe samefordinner What memorable moments do you share with hubby?

Our first weekend break to Paris without the children since we started having children.

It was really magical to be on our own even though we missed the children a lot.

Was he with you when you had your first child?

Yes. Where else would he have been? I think he handled it worse than me. I remember the nurse telling him that she thought he was going to pass out whilst I was in labour.

Do you feel fulfilled in marriage?

100 per cent fulfilled.

Would you have been with another man?

No way. God gave me the right man.

What are your greatest fears?

None anymore; the only fear I have now is the fear of God. No one is greater than Him. What five things would you never go out without?

My hand band, mobile phone, a book, cash/credit cards and information about where I am going.

Are there books you read that defined who you are today?

I have defined myself, but I have read books that have helped me to get to where I am today.

What’s your definition of style?

Style is doing you and with all confidence.

Have you ever committed any embarrassing cooking blunder?

Yes, too many, especially when I began to cook Nigerian food.

If you get a second chance, is there anything you would like to do differently in life?

I would have got myself a life coach as early in life as possible. This would have made my journey a bit easier.

Being Married to a Musician is Challenging and Worthwhile

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NEWS

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • OCTOBER 8, 2016

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

Kaduna State Government Outlaws ElZakzaky’s Islamic Movement in Nigeria John Shiklam in Kaduna

The Kaduna State government has issued an order declaring the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) otherwise known as Shiite as an unlawful organisation.

The government in a statement in Kaduna said the action was taken to preserve peace and stability in the state.

Members of the Islamic group had been staging protests in Kaduna, Abuja, Kano, Katsina and Jos to demand for the unconditional release of their leader, Sheikh Ibraheem ElZakzaky, his wife and other members of the IMN who had been in detention following their arrest during the clash between the Movement and the Nigerian Army in Zaria in December 2015.

Many people were killed and property destroyed during the clash.

A judicial commission of inquiry set up by the Kaduna State government to investigate the clashes had in its report, blamed Zakzaky for the clash and recommended that he should be investigated and prosecuted .

The government statement signed by Samuel Aruwan, spokesman to Governor Nasir El-Rufai declared that the "the IMN is an unlawful society".

The statement explained that the action was taken in the exercise of the government’s duty to preserve peace and

security in the state and to ensure that all persons and organisations were guided by lawful conduct and with due allegiance to the Nigerian state and its Constitution.

According to the statement, "The Kaduna state executive council approved the making of this order following deliberations at its meeting of Thursday, 06 October 2016.

"The order, which has been signed by the Governor, draws on powers vested by the Constitution and the laws of Kaduna State. Section 45 (1) of the Constitution categorically vests in the Governor the powers to take such measures and actions as are necessary for the promotion and protection of: public safety, public order, public morality or public health; or the rights and freedom of all persons in Kaduna State.

"Section 97A of the Penal Code (Cap 110, Laws of Kaduna State, 1991) empowers the Governor to declare as an unlawful society any organisation whose activities are dangerous to the security and good governance of the state.

"The Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Zaria Clashes of 12-14 December 2015 found that the IMN is not a registered organisation, that it has a paramilitary wing and that its members do not recognise or respect the laws of the country and the duly constituted authorities that have the responsibility to secure and

cerebral discuss...

L-R; Executive Chairman, Phillips Consulting, Mr. Foluso Phillips; .Executive Director, Sterling Bank Plc. Mr. Abubakar Suleiman; and Financial Analysist, Mr. Tilewa Adebajo, after a live appearance on Nigerian Television Authority (NTA)’s Good Morning Nigeria Show…on Friday

administer the country”.

The Declaration Order noted that since the regrettable events in Zaria which resulted in the loss of 347 lives, the IMN “has overtly continued with unlawful processions, obstruction of public highways, unauthorized

occupation of public facilities including schools without regard to the rights of other citizens and the public peace and order of the State”.

The Order noted that “these acts, if allowed to go unchecked will constitute danger to the

peace, tranquility, harmonious coexistence and good governance of Kaduna State”.

The Declaration Order, which comes into effect on Friday, 7 October 2016, provides for the prosecution of persons that may be in breach of its provisions

under the laws of Kaduna State.

The statement reaffirmed the commitment of the Kaduna State government to upholding the right of citizens to practice the religion of their choice as protected by Sections 38 and 40 of the Constitution.

Enugu Replaces Coronation of New ECOWAS Parliament: Umezulike Sacked by Oba of Benin Begins Insecurity to Top Agenda in Emenyonu in Benin City NJC for Corruption Adibe Akenzua, which was made 2017 Extraordinary Session

available to Journalists in

Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu

Enugu State government has announced a new Acting Chief Judge, Justice Ngozi Emehelu following the suspension of former Chief Judge, Justice Innocent Umezulike by the National Judicial Council (NJC) and his subsequent compulsory retirement by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

Speaking during the swearing in if the new Acting Chief Judge, Governor Ugwuanyi said the action was necessitated by last week's recommendation for the compulsory retirement of the now former Chief Judge by the NJC. Emehelu was sworn-in after an oath of office administered on her by the state’s Solicitor-General, Victor Emeribe.

The Governor said Emehelu’s swearing-in was consistent with Section 271 (4) of the 1999 constitution as amended.

“If the office of the chief judge of a state is vacant, or if the person holding the office is for any reason un-

able to perform the functions of the office... the governor of the state shall appoint the most senior judge of the high court to perform those functions”.

Governor Ugwuanyi further stated that he had received two letters recommending the former chief judge’s suspension and compulsory retirement from office.

“Accordingly, Hon. Justice Ngozi Priscilla Emehelu, the most senior judge of the High Court of Enugu State, has been appointed and sworn-in as the acting chief judge of Enugu State,” Governor Ugwuanyi noted at the event held at the state’s Executive Council Hall.

The acting chief judge in her response attributed her appointment to providence and pledged to carry out the responsibilities of her new office to the best of her abilities and with the fear of God. She was appointed high court judge in 1998 and had previously been Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Enugu State.

Following the refusal of the Court of Appeal in Benin, Edo State to stop the coronation, Benin Crown Prince, Eheneden Erediauwa and the Edaiken N' Uselu, will today begin the journey towards his Palace coronation as the 39th Oba of Benin.

Already, the Crown Prince had relocated to Edaiken Palace, Uselu since May 2016, following the transition of the Benin Monarch and his father, Oba Erediauwa in line with the Benin culture and tradition.

The Uselu Palace Chiefs and residents of Uselu Community, youth, women and members of the Benin Royal Palace Chiefs are expected to accompany Prince Eheneden Erediauwa from his Edaiken Palace to Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, amid tight security.

Besides, the traditional shrines, Osama Palace and the Urhokpota where the Coronation Ceremony of the new Oba of Benin would take place have received a face lift.

In a statement by the Chairman, Coronation Planning Committee and the Enogie of Evbuobanosa, Prof. Gregory

Benin City, the Edo State capital yesterday, indicates that the Edaiken will embark "on a foot procession" on Saturday and stops at a sacred palm tree called Odin Amamieson-aimiuwa”.

The statement, said the Edaiken would thereafter arrive Iya-akpan where Uselu Chiefs take leave of him and Oredo Chiefs take over before proceeding to Eko-Ohae (Urhokpota ground) where he would stay for three days for private ceremonies.

It said the Edaiken would on Monday next Week leave Eko-Ohae for Usama Palace where he would continue his Coronation rituals before he goes into Use village the following morning for the ceremony of choosing a name and thereafter return to Usama.

Prof. Akenzua in the statement, said the Edaiken was expected to leave Usama for Benin via Isekhere to Urhokpota ground for his Coronation ceremonies next week Tuesday as the new Oba which would be followed with as thanksgiving worship at Holy Aruosa Cathedral, the Benin National church.

Alex Enumah in Abuja

When delegates of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament reconvene in January 2017, one major item that would top agenda of the legislators is the issue of security challenges; which is prevalent in almost all member state and has capability of hindering both the economic development and full integration of the community.

Also, Nigeria has expressed interest to push for a proper implementation of the Economic Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) with the aim of discouraging alleged sharp practices of some member states.

President of the ECOWAS Parliament, Moustapha Cissé Lo, disclosed this to newsmen Thursday night, at the end of the parliament’s Second Ordinary Session in Abuja.

According to the president, the parliament had played its role in making recommendations to address security challenges that plagued the sub-region, adding, “We have decided to meet in January to brainstorm on security issues in our communities and find

out what agenda to put in place to ring the bell harder in the ears of our executives and Heads of State. We can take our recommendations to the Heads of State and Government for everyone to participate in the realities of our region”.

Representative of the Malian delegation, Mr. Yaya Sangaré, called on ECOWAS to take ownership of the peace process in Mali and urged the bloc to form a Community Defence Force to take over the leadership of security in that country.

Nigeria however commended the Joint Military Task Force in the Lake Chad Basin Region which she said had helped in checking the activities of Boko Haram in the area.

Sangare said, “more than 350 people were killed in terrorist attacks in Mali from January to August this year; several parties violated peace agreements. Those violating the peace are from neighbouring countries.

"ECOWAS should assume leadership so that the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali will go and hunt down the enemies of peace than serve as interposition.”

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OCTOBER 8 , 2016• THISDAY, The SATURDAY Newspaper

commentary

93 Days And Death Of Patriotism

‘93 days’ celebrates the courage and sacrifices of Stella Adadevoh, the physician who died from Ebola virus in Lagos, writes Emmanuel Ojeifo “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived.

It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” – Nelson Mandela

I

f Dr. Stella Ameyo Adadevoh, the lead physician and endocrinologist at First Consultant Medical Centre, Obalende, Lagos, who prevented the spread of Ebola in Nigeria – and paid with her life – was still alive, she would be 60 years old this October. Adadevoh oversaw the treatment of Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian national who brought the Ebola virus to Nigeria. She succumbed to the ravages of the virus on August 19, 2014, one of eight fatalities out of 20 cases, each linked to Sawyer. The monumental significance of her actions, and those of her hospital colleagues, cannot be overstated. When we left the cinema hall at the Silverbird Galleria in Abuja some days ago, after watching the epic movie – 93 Days – based on the true-life story of the 2014 Ebola crisis in Nigeria, we did so with heavy hearts and teary eyes. The denouement of the movie could not have left us in a better emotional state. Although some viewers still had the courage to break into applause as the movie ended, the general mood was one of pain and loss. The movie brought to our consciousness the sacrifices of every day heroes in Nigeria, men and women, who put their lives on the line so that their fellow citizens can live.

93 Days is dedicated to Dr. Adadevoh who played a key role in the containment of the Ebola virus. It celebrates bravery, courage, sacrifice and blood. It shows us that there are still many good Nigerians who can die for their country, in spite of the persistent failure of the country’s leadership. It reminds us of what we can achieve as a people if we unite around common values, and put behind us the pathologies of politics, ethnicity and religion and the bitter cleavages in our national life. In a society where many Nigerians denigrate their country and dismiss its chances of going anywhere, 93 Days proves that men and women of valour, courage, dedication, loyalty, love and sacrifice still exist in our land, and that challenges only serve to prove the depth of their unshakeable faith in their fatherland.

Speaking about Dr. Adadevoh, the editorial of The Guardian Newspaper of October 30, 2014 said: “She saved Nigeria with her own life.” After watching 93 Days, I have never stopped asking: What would have happened if Dr. Adadevoh was not there on the day that Mr Sawyer was brought into First Consultant hospital?

What if First Consultant did not put the interest of the country first? We are left to imagine what would have happened. Dr. Adadevoh was born in Lagos in October 1956. She comes from a family of patriotic Nigerian nationalists. Her father Babatunde Adadevoh, a professor of chemical pathology, was the vice-

The movie brought to our consciousness the sacrifices of every day heroes in Nigeria, men and women, who put their lives on the line so that their fellow citizens can live

chancellor of the University of Lagos between 1978 and 1980. Her great-grandfather was the Nigerian nationalist Herbert Macaulay (himself the grandson of Samuel Ajayi Crowther, the first African Anglican bishop). She lived most of her life in Lagos and spent 21 years working at First Consultant Medical Centre, Obalende.

Two years after that great act of selfless service and sacrifice, the nation still does not know that it owes a debt of gratitude to Dr. Adadevoh who, through her bravery as well as selflessness, saved our country from an impending tragedy of monumental proportions. In his monograph, The Trouble with Nigeria, the renowned Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe asks and answers a very important question: “Who is a patriot? He is a person who loves his country. He is not a person who says he loves his country. He is not even a person who shouts or swears or recites or sings his love for his country. He is one who cares deeply about the happiness and well-being of his country and all its people. Patriotism is an emotion of love directed by a critical intelligence. A true patriot will always demand the highest standards of his country and accept nothing but the best for and from his people.”

This was what Dr. Adadevoh did. She carried patriotism to the point of heroic sacrifice. In acting responsibly in line with the ethics of her medical profession, in a society where many public officials are not used to the idea of doing their jobs, as they should, Adadevoh reminds us that heroism can be attained in every day work clothes, without noise and attention-seeking. For those who have chosen professions that are consequential for the collective health and well being of society, it is clear that the work they do matters. They help to improve the quality of life. Their job is more than a paycheque. They are people not interested in becoming rich, but making meaningful contributions to the society. They seek out meaning over profit and they know that in choosing to serve the public, they have been offered a daily opportunity to make their community a better place. Our country exists today because of the many professionals who have risked their lives and fortunes, putting the interests of their country ahead of their own.

Today’s public servants must share this same need to promote the public good. By doing so, they fulfill their sense of calling and they address their own deep need for significance. Those who have chosen this life of service need to realise that it is not just their fellow citizens but also themselves who are the true beneficiaries of the service they render. No doubt it is never too late to honour Dr. Adadevoh. However, the biggest tribute Nigeria could ever give would be to institute a culture of efficiency in public service, in which devotion and dedication to one’s vocation is habitual.

Ojeifo is a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Abuja.

The Office Of The President

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Adebayo Briggs writes the ‘Change Begins With Me’ campaign is working in the Presidential Villa

he Nigerian president is conferred with overwhelming powers by the constitution.

And Nigerians from a distance have always looked towards the seat of government, Aso Rock, as a most revered and well-fortified hallowed territory. To many, the Villa is a place meant only for a tiny clan of elected eggheads; the privileged few or rather, the ruling elite. Anyone not called into the business of governance may find the place impenetrable.

In the immediate past, the Presidential Villa failed to live up to its name and status. More than a year ago specifically, the seat of power lost its natural ecclesiastic reverence, glamour and unrivalled pride. Driven by kindred spirit, the last chief occupant, allegedly threw the doors wide open for their own and special cronies. The Villa then suddenly became a huge attraction for power mongers, political jobbers, gold diggers and general favour seekers. It got so bad when men and women of little relevance had field day competing for attention in attempts to cut huge deals.

Unbelievably though it seemed, wanted oil heists and drugs kingpins had unrestrained access to the president! In no time, the Villa was completely violated! Before Nigerians could realise the tragedy involved, the seat of government became a coven where their commonwealth was freely butchered and frittered away. The consequence of poor crowd management in the Presidential Villa ended up a monumental disaster, not only for the over exposed past president, but also for the rest of Nigeria!

The level of violation of the Presidential Villa, as reported had required some serious physical and spiritual cleansing. That happened before President Muhammadu Buhari moved in. From then on, sanity increasingly returned as the new managers took time to lay very solid standards that are more difficult to subvert and which promises to endure. This is happening as the change promised by the president is beginning to take its cause.

Lately, President Buhari launched a fresh campaign to promote attitudinal change in Nigerians: Change Begins With Me. Indeed, those who work closely with the president conclude that he is the number one purveyor and mirror of the change mantra his government has been trading in. That change is starting right from the Presidential Villa, given the way the power zone runs now.

In essence, any visitor to the Presidential Villa today can attest to the improved standards and the changing atmosphere. The crowd that had hitherto been the permanent feature in every department and waiting rooms in the President’s Office has thinned out most drastically. The arrangement in place now offers all the officials most especially the president, the right breathing space to engage in serious work. For the president and others, effective management of time and space are a huge opportunity for cutting off distractions, while settling for the arduous business of governance.

It is said that under the now relaxed atmosphere in the Villa, the president is in charge and works more efficiently, contrary to general belief.

An interesting dimension to the new orientation in the Villa is that the president works sometimes with body language that makes all his aides sit tight to excel in their work schedules. No one loafs around when the president is on his desk attending to pressing national matters. The president is an avid reader as explained. He reads anything in black and white meant for his attention, and with stunning thoroughness.

Unknown to many, President Buhari is a writer too. That reflects often in the manner he minutes on memos requiring his attention.

Many in the Villa are of the view that the president is a delight to work with. He cracks jokes to ease off tension when attending to visitors. Many had attested that the president is respectful, open, avuncular and affable. There are reports that the president often times locates old friends and acquaintances from the crowd and had visibly made efforts to bring them closer. He had stunned

many with that attribute described as infectious.

To keep pace with events within and outside the Villa, the president reads newspapers, watches television and listens to radio, his tight schedules notwithstanding. Surprisingly, the president attends to state matters even on weekends. In all, he is said to be a stickler for time.

From findings, those enjoying the new lease of life in the Presidential Villa owe the Chief of Staff, Alhaji Abba Kyari and his immediate lieutenants in the protocol department some gratitude. Any day, the management of the president’s complex routine of work is an enormous task. Yet the president’s protocol seems to have mastered the art while leaving little or no fault lines for attention. Notwithstanding criticisms, the Office of Chief of the Staff and Protocol Department, from disposition gets more diligent in mounting fool-proof arrangement to keep the Villa running effectively to give the president less hassle.

Experience and full dedication to work drive the conduct of officials in the protocol department of the Presidential Villa.

Under President Buhari, any willing visitor to the Villa must be put on schedule. Nobody, no matter how influential, can bump on the president, unlike before. Even visitors to the president’s residence must be on schedule, and registered in black and white. Indeed, foreign visitors to Nigeria rate the Protocol Department in the Presidential Villa high in efficiency.

Nonetheless a meeting with the president under the new arrangement is not a herculean task. First, the president can signify who he wants to see, while the protocol department takes care of the fixing of time and movements. On the other hand, all a willing visitor needs do is send a request memo to the Office of the Chief Of Staff and that of the State Chief of Protocol (SCOP), stating very genuine reason (s) for a meeting. Such visitor eventually gets to meet the president on approval of request. The idea is that in this new era, nobody pays a ‘toll’ to any one for appointment to see the president.

President Buhari is said to be focused more than anyone had imagined. He still retains the military mental alertness and the conscious mind to note what goes on around him. Often times, the president broods over events of the day and asks questions from aides to be sure that nothing went wrong around him. In the Villa today, new standards have been established, while everyone willingly fall in line.

From indications, the president’s confidence in the protocol department of the Presidential Villa, anchored by Ambassador Lawal Kazaure seems tall and unbending. The reason perhaps lies in the ability of the officials to excel under sustained complex schedules they operate daily.

They all work in concert in a manner that no one acts like the boss. The story here is that work coordination is better enhanced when each officer makes up for the omission of the other to get the job done. It is the reason the department has always been a subject of attack from those who could not understand the efficient mechanism in place to keep undesirable guests away from the Presidential Villa and around the president.

In essence, the effective running of the Presidential Villa and a good management of the President’s programmes, time and agenda are a first indication that governance in Nigeria is on the right track again.

The Office of the Chief Of Staff and Protocol ensures that nobody gets to waste the president’s time with inanities. It also cuts down wastefulness in resources earmarked for running of the Nigeria’s Government House. By and large, the act of corruption, which hallmarked the management of the Villa in the past and which has been the root of the present parlous state of Nigeria, has been whittled down. The impression now is that if the Presidential Villa begins to work effectively and efficiently with set standards, the beginning of efforts to set Nigeria on the path of revival may have just taken off.

Briggs, business consultant and media analyst, wrote from Abuja

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Polscope

with Eddy Odivwri eddy.odivwri@thisdaylive.com 08053069356

Padding Palaver: Beyond the Suspension of Jibrin

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he House of Representatives resumed recently. Like a ghost, the spirit of the padding scandal is yet haunting the House. During the break, a lot of moves were made by both sides (those supporting the padding and the establishment and those opposed to the padding scam) in order to consolidate their various positions.

In what appeared like pursuing the allegation to a conclusive end, the House had referred the matter to the Ethics and Privileges Committee headed by Hon Ossai Nicolas Ossai.

Fearing that he would not get justice from the committee, the whistle-blower, Dr Abdulmumuni Jibrin stayed away from the committee citing the bias of many members of the committee, some of whom had made comments criticising him (Jibrin) for the embarrassing exposè he gave the House.

Jubrin, on his part, had approached the court to grant an injunction forbidding the House from suspending him.

The Ethics and Privileges Committee concluded the sitting without Jibrin showing up.

Expectedly, the committee penultimate Wednesday, made far-reaching recommendations against Jibrin, chief of which being his suspension from 180 legislative sittings, as well as being barred from holding any position of responsibility in the eight assembly.

I believe that no matter the case Jibrin had against the leadership of the House, his refusal to appear before the panel did him in. Relying wholly on a lawsuit he had filed was not enough reason to boycott the committee, especially as his initial condition for appearing before the committee (conduct the sitting in the open) was met by Dogara the House committee.

I am not convinced that the decision to shun the committee was the best in the circumstance. He had the ample opportunity to prove his weighty allegations before the whole world, but he blew the chance. He forgot the legal aphorism that the burden of proof lies on he who alleges. No matter how biased the members of the Ethics and Privileges Committee might have been, a well-laid out case of Jibrin would have set the committee against all Nigerians who would have had the chance to see through whatever antics the committee was about to play. But Jibrin’s refusal to appear before the committee obfuscated his case. Yet, he is even spilling more beans by alleging that many investigative sittings organised by the House are fraudulently done. Now Nigerians would be wondering if the allegations are/were frivolous and fictitious, especially as he had been part of the same system he is lambasting now, for over five years.

As it stands, the battle will shift to the court. The direction and dimension of court cases are not only easy to determine, no one knows how long they can drag.

I can guess that Jibrin’s refusal to appear before the committee might have also made him lose the few supporters he had in the House, and that explains why the motion to suspend him was overwhelming, as not a single voice opposed it on the floor of the Green chamber.

Anyone who watched the drama of the distribution of “#I-stand-with-Dogara” muffler in the House the previous week would understand that the House will not waste time to clamp Jibrin between the hammer and the anvil. His office has been sealed off after the suspension.

Suspending Jibrin is not likely to silence the decibel of the accusation.

Indeed, many would believe that the suspension of Jibrin is aimed at sweeping the whole padding saga under the carpet.

The suspension of Jibrin, nonetheless, does not invalidate the allegations made and so they deserve to be creditably cleared by all those involved especially the quartet led by Speaker Dogara.

Bayelsa State: 20 Years After, Still a Sorry Domain

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wenty years ago, the urge to create Bayelsa State out of the old Rivers State, was governed by the inclination to bring development to the grass roots and make the people of Brass, Yenagoa and Sagbama ( the three local councils whose names formed the present Bayelsa) to experience the impact of governance.

But 20 years after, no one is upbeat about the fate that has befallen the state.Almost like the larger Nigerian entity, Bayelsa State appears to be a bundle of unfulfilled dreams.

Twenty years after, the state capital, Yenagoa, has hardly appeared better than the linear local government headquarters it was, with even the main entrance (from Sagbama junction) gone to seed. The state has been unlucky with the kind of leaders that have preyed on it. None seems to have come to Creek Havens with any blueprint of how to change the sorry narrative of the people. Why should a state like Bayelsa experience the impact of the national recession?

Not even the fact that they produced the immediate-past president of the country has changed anything radically.

This is one of the smallest states in the country, but blessed with deep and huge resources including oil and gas. That makes it the third or so richest state in Nigeria, with just eight local government areas.

Agood portion of the state is in water, so small landmass. Yet no one can boast of any standard road network in the entire state except the ones constructed by the Niger Delta Development

OCTOBER 8, 2016 • THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper

Commission (NDDC) and Shell Petroleum Development Company. There are neither monuments nor vestiges of developments. Everywhere appears choked, rough and even dirty. 20 years after, the ordinary people of the state are yet bedraggled in acute poverty, despite its huge earnings. It is such a vexatious irony.

Today, schools in Bayelsa State have not resumed, three weeks after all schools nationwide have resumed for the new session because of non-payment of teachers’ salaries for seven months!!!!! Pensioners are owed endlessly.

No wonder the state has one of the least educated mass in southern Nigeria. Over 70 per cent of the youths in Southern Ijaw, for instance, remain uneducated, little wonder it is the unofficial headquarters of electoral violence in the region.And it doesn’t seem to bother any of the successive governments in the state.

Aside hosting the annualAMAAaward, Bayelsa State remains in the backwaters of national attention, with negative news such as kidnapping, electoral violence, criminality, etc. resonating almost all the time.

The state is not positively huge on anything, not even tourism (with its natural ambience), nor health delivery, education, science and technology, or industries with its huge untapped potential.

Bayelsa State appears to be a perfect example of a lost paradise.

Like Nigeria, the funds and fortunes of Bayelsa State have been grossly mismanaged and that is why they squat by the shores of the ocean, yet wash their hands with spittle.

Canticles...

Ondo APC: WasTinubu Bruised?

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he predictions of the nay sayers are coming to pass.

Who are the nay sayers and what did they predict?

Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem?

Are you not aware that many have been predicting that the APC will soon shatter and scatter given the cobbling together of disparate forces and interests?

I don’t understand you. So what makes you think this is coming to pass?

You mean you didn’t hear of the in-house combustion, how the dreaded BolaTinubu, a man who assumed the title of National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has ordered that the National Chairman of the party, John Odigie-Oyegun, should step down immediately?

And how Oyegun himself has fired back thatTinubu does not have the right to ask him to resign since the constitution did not provide for such an exit order?You don’t understand that the duo are now squaring up to each other?You also did not know that even formerVice President Atiku Abubakar has joinedTinubu to drag Oyegun down? Have you not been in the country?

You have not told me anything new. I must warn you not to over-sensationalise these issues. They are normal political squabbles. Oyegun has explained that there is no feud with the Jagaban, only differences of opinion. Don’t forget politics is all about interest. It is either group or individual interests. And as soon as this is threatened, there will be kicks here and there.

So what are you implying?

I am not implying anything. I am telling you that if Tinubu is kicking or Atiku is kicking, you are better check well. It is because their interests must have been threatened one way or the other.

(In hushed voice)Let me tell you. Do you think Tinubu will be happy that for the second time, his effort to install the Ondo governor failed? Don’t forget that in 2011, Tinubu sponsored and supported Rotimi Akerodolu of then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) against Governor Olusegun Mimiko because he felt that Mimiko betrayed him. Recall that Tinubu had said during one of those campaign rallies of the party at Ikare-Akoko, that, “I took him (Mimiko) as a brother when he came groveling for support. We gave him our support, money and even gave him a bulletproof car. But Mimiko betrayed us.” So if at the end of that contest Mimiko won and Tinubu lost, you think the latter would be happy?

And yet again, even in the choice of the party’s standard-bearer (in a party that he is the unchallenged National Leader), his own candidate—Mr Segun Abraham was not picked or elected as the party’s candidate. And you expected him to smile? You don’t know that a huge chunk of his political ego has been chipped off? No politician worth his name will be happy with that. So if he is kicking, it is understandable.

So why is Atiku joining him too?

It is the same issue of interest. Don’t forget the same Atiku was a presidential aspirant along with now President Muhammadu Buhari. Atiku still believes that Oyegun must have tweaked the structures of the party to favour Buhari against him in 2014. So if he is kicking against Oyegun now, it is because of past acrimonies.

And don’t forget Atiku still has his eyes on 2019. He must have also calculated that his chances will remain threatened and abortable if Oyegun continues to remain in office. Therefore, the earlier he is thrown out, the better for his interest. Believe me, it is all about their interest, my brother!

So ifTinubu sponsored Akerodolu in 2011, why is he bitter now that the same Akerodolu has emerged?

Surely, you don’t understand politicians. You don’t know they behave like Ogbanje sometimes? Nothing is permanent in politics, except interest. Tinubu found Tinubu another worthier vessel in Segun Abraham and does not believe Akerodolu is the fellow anymore. So he would feel even more hurt that a fellow he has dumped became the eventual winner in a contest he was more or less a proxy contestant. Do you think it is for nothing that the supporters of Akerodolu and Abraham have started clashing on the streets of Akure?

I don’t believe you completely. Don’t forget the same Abraham had congratulated Akerodolu for emerging as the party’s candidate. So what informed the change of stance?

Well, there is a claim that the delegates’ list was manipulated and over 150 strange names were engrafted into the list. And that was what gave Akerodolu the victory. That has been the basis of the protest against Akerodolu’s emergence.

Did you not hear that in the appeal panel that six persons voted for the repeat of the exercise while five upheld it? And rather than go with the position of the majority, John Oyegun upheld the position of the minority?

I understand he voted to uphold the primaries and that made it all six.

He is supposed to vote only when there is a tie. Not when there is a clear winner. Can’t you see he breached the process and the rules?

Is there no room for his own discretion as the presiding officer?

Sadly, there is no such provision. All that he needed to do was to play by the rules.

But I hear that the Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal has been delegated by President Buhari to sort out the feud.

And you thinkTambuwal will change anything?You think Asiwaju, the Jagunmola ofYoruba politics will be persuaded by that? Look, the swords have been unsheathed right now.The future of the party is hanging in the balance.

Well, it will be a way of ensuring that the shaky stacks of the party do not come crumbling down to the pleasure of their critics.

Nothing will come crumbling down if Oyegun falls. Or did you not hear that he even lost his ward in the Edo governorship election? Can’t you see his electoral value has been wiped off?

I think the APC chieftains must all do everything to avoid the mockery of all the nay sayers led by the PDP overlords who have always predicted that this marriage of convenience called the APC will not last.

The ball is in their court.

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • OCTOBER 8, 2016

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news

In Brief

Hajj: Sokoto Loses 3 Pilgrims

ThreepilgrimsfromSokotoStatelosttheirlivesduringthe2016Hajjexercisein SaudiArabia.TheDirector-GeneralofSokotoStatePilgrims'WelfareAgency (PWA),AlhajiIbrahimUmar,madethisknownduringachatwithjournalistsin Sokoto,Friday.Accordingtohim,thedeceasedlosttheirlivesinMeccaafter successfullycompletingthe2016Hajjexercise.Heexplainedthatthedeceased pilgrimsincludeonefemaleeachfromGoronyoandBodingalocalgovernment areasaswellasamalepilgrimfromSokotoNorthLocalGovernmentCouncil.

UmarstatedthatthedeceasedpilgrimshadbeenburiedaccordingtoIslamic ritesinMecca,whiletheirfamiliesweredulyinformedabouttheirdemise.He disclosedthatanothermalepilgrimfromSokotoNorthLocalGovernmentArea wascurrentlyreceivingmedicalattentionatahospitalinMecca,SaudiArabia.

FUTA Workers Assault Journalists

Workers of the Federal University of Technology Akure, (FUTA) yesterday went on rampage and assaulted journalists who were on the campus of the institution to cover their protest. The irate workers led by the Chairman of theFUTA'schapteroftheSeniorStaffAssociationofNigerianUniversities (SSANU) Mr. Dele Durojaye, molested the journalists, saying the reports of the protest in the Friday's edition of newspapers contained the reaction of theschoolauthorities.Theassaultedjournalistsincluded,Mr.PeterDada(The Punch),LekeAkeredolu(TheNation),DayoJohnson(Vanguard).Othersare:Mr. AkeemGbadamosiandTopeOkeowoandSeunAkingboye(TheGuardian).The workersundertheaegis SSANU,NonAcademicStaffUnionofUniversities (NASU) andNationalAssociationofAcademicTechnologists(NAAT)ordered journalistsoutoftheircampusandaskedthemnevertocometotheinstitution for anythingagain.

keep up the good job...

R-L: Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano in a handshake with Mr. Momodu Sule, state commander ndlea anambra State with CP Sam Okaula of Anambra State during Nigeria @ 56 at Awka

Ikorodu College Kidnappers Call Parents, Demand Ransom Police Free 4 students in Epe, Minna; BUK lecturer, 2 others taken Chiemelie Ezeobi, Funmi Ogundare, Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano and Laleye Dipo in Minna

The 11-man gang responsible for the abduction of the vice principal, two students and a teacher of the Igbonla Model College, Epe, were said to have contacted them yesterday to demand for an undisclosed amount as ransom.

However, two of the students were reportedly freed according to an online platform, “Epe Forum Online” set up to monitor and update situations on the incident.

Also, the police in Minna, Niger State have rescued two school girls

kidnapped by gun men in Rijau area of the state on Wednesday morning. Serah Danjuma and Martha Daniels were kidnapped from their Government Vocational School at about 3.20am on Wednesday after suspected hoodlums gained entry into the school compound through a broken fence.

This is as a lecturer with Bayero University, Kano Saminu Aliyu Kiri of the Faculty of Computer Sciences with two unidentified persons have been kidnapped on their way from Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) supervision in Shaki, Oyo State.

It was gathered that the kidnap-

pers had contacted the families affected and listed their demands, one of which was to desist confiding in the security operatives.

Using an unknown number to call the affected families, the abductors were said to have assured the concerned families of the safety of their wards if they obey their instructions.

One of the family members who spoke with newsmen said, “ My sister's phone rang at about 2.50am and a male voice instructed her to leave the place if there was anyone with her.

"The stranger said he was calling in respect of our kidnapped rela-

tive. He warned that none of the conversation should be divulged to security agents.

"He threatened that if the instruction was not adhered to, that the families should be held responsible for anything that happens to their abducted relative.

"They also demanded for ransom.

But I cannot tell you in order not to jeopardise the safety of our relative.

But they demanded within the range of millions of naira.

"My sister pleaded with them to bring down the amount that her husband was at the moment out of job but the stranger did not respond".

15 Die, 6 Rescued in Niger State Boat Mishaps Laleye Dipo in Minna

No fewer than 15 people have lost their lives in two boat mishaps that occurred in Kontagora and Borgu local government areas of Niger State.

THISDAY learnt from sources close to the Niger State Emergency Management Agency NSEMA that the incident in Kontagora local government claimed 13 lives while the one in Borgu local

government area led to loss of two lives.

It was gathered that the Kontagora accident occurred when some traders were traveling across the Kontagora river, a tributary of river Niger when the incident occurred.

Eighteen people, mostly women and children were said to be on their way to the farm to harvest groundnuts when the sad incident occurred.

Thirteen of the travelers according to the NSEMA source died while six others were rescued by local divers.

The accident in Borgu local government area was said to have occurred when about 11 people were traveling in a canoe across the river Niger.

Two of the travelers were reported to have died while eight others were rescued.

The Director General of the

Niger State Emergency Management Agency Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmed Inga who confirmed the two incidents said they occurred within the " last few days as a result of heavy rains which made the rivers to over flow their banks.

Inga said the casualty was high because the travelers were not using live jackets.

He advised people traveling by boats this season to be extra careful to avoid future occurrence.

Buhari: Social Justice, Fairness Key to Nigeria's Unity Tobi Soniyi in Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja Friday said his administration would continue to promote unity and peaceful co-existence of all Nigerians by ensuring fairness and social justice to all.

A statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu said Buhari made the promise while receiving Sheikh Abdul-Muhsin Muhammad Al-Qassimi, Imam of the Mosque

of the Holy Prophet in Medina, at the State House.

Buhari said God had a purpose of bringing people from different ethnic backgrounds into one country- Nigeria.

“God knows best- a population of 180 million people comprising more than 300 ethnic groups many of them with cultural ties stronger than religion can only co-exist peacefully in an atmosphere of social justice,’’ he said.

Buhari urged Muslims and all other citizens to imbibe and practice social justice as a norm and prayed

to Allah to guide his government in doing the same.

“I pray that God gives us the courage to be fair to people he put in our charge so that we can enjoy his mercy,’’ he said.

Citing several personal life lessons from the country’s political crisis in 1966, the civil war, his incarceration for three and half years in solitary detention, and his attempts to win presidential election, Buhari told the visiting Imam that he had learnt ‘‘an important lesson about social justice.’’

The president commended the

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its efforts to create a better understanding and practice of Islam.

He welcomed the visit of the Imam to Nigeria, noting that it would strengthen the bond of ties between the two countries.

In his remarks, Sheikh AlQassimi commended the peaceful co-existence of Nigerians of different faiths.

He expressed satisfaction with the cordial relations between government and religious leaders and called for a better teaching and practice of Islam devoid of extremism.

Ready to Wear Fashion Exhibition

Athree-dayinternationalreadytowearexhibitionisscheduletoholdinLagos.

InternationalLagosFashion2016byMeridenInternationalFairOrganisation, is schedule to hold 3rd to 15th October, 2016 at Eko Hotel & Suites Victoria Island,LagosNigeriafrom10amto 6pmdaily.

According to Olugbade, international fair, exhibitors were expected from various part of the world to show case their unique products. He said over a hundredexhibitorswereexpectedatthefair,justashelistedcompaniesfrom RepublicofTurkey,Dubai,Italy,China,Egypt,UK,Nigeriaandmanyothers.He added that the Nigeria fashion designers, distributors, wholesalers, agents andmajorretailerswhoweredrivingdemandsaswellasthefinalconsumers wholovefashionstoseetheexhibitionasanopportunitytoinvestinemerging fashiondesigns.Healsosaidproductsgroupsexpectedattheexhibitioninclude, women’swear,men’swear,children’swear,knitwear,leisurewear,leatherwear, cocktailwear,eveningdress,bodyandbeachwear,sportwear,lingerie,bags, foot wears,caps,ties,accessories,hosiery,womenrhinestones.

Under 17 Monopoly Championship

BestmanGamesLimited,aleadingAfricangamescompany,incollaboration withtheLagosStateSportsCommission(LSSC)yesterdayhostedtheCity ofLagosUnder17MonopolyChampionship.1,184studentsfrom102schools fromsixEducationalDistrictsofLagosStateacrossthefiveadministrative divisionsofthestate,competedforthetitle.Theeventalsowitnessedabold attemptattheGuinnessWorldRecordfor"themostpeopleplayingMonopoly in a single venue." The City of Lagos Edition of Monopoly was played at the tournament.TheeventclimaxedwhenElizabethBraihmohofTopfieldCollege Ajegunleemergedasthe‘’TheCityofLagosUnder-17MonopolyChampion’’ and went home with an educational grant of N600,000. The first runner up was Ojo Al- Amin of Boys Junior Academy, second runner up was Precious Nwakaeze ofTopfield College Ajegunle, and the third runner up was Robert StanleyofAjeromiIfelodunSeniorSchoolOlodi-Apapa;theybaggededucational grantsofN500,000,N300,000andN200,000respectively.FBNCapitalAsset Managementpresentedeachofthe150tablewinnerswithaMoneyMarket Mutual Fund account worth N5,000.

GCUOBA Holds National Dinner

AllroadleadstotheAtlanticHallofHotelPresidential,GRAinPort-Harcourt, RiversStateforthe5thNationalAnnualDinnerofGovernmentCollegeUghelli OldBoysAssociation(GCUOBA)billedfortodayat5p.m.ThePresident-General WorldwideoftheAssociation,Prof.OritsegbemiOmatetesaidthisatamedia parleyatitsYabaSecretariat."Therotationaldinnerisheldtoraisefundsforthe AssociationtocarryoutinfrastructuraldevelopmentprojectsintheCollege.A lothasbeendoneinthatdirectionhavingexpendedoverN200millioninthelast decadebutmuchmoreneedstobedoneastheOBAcannotaffordtoreston itsoars."Asthe5thintheseriesoftherotationaldinnerthatstartedin2012at Asaba,Delta.Thelastdinnerthatcoincidedwith70thAnniversarycelebration ofthefoundingofGovernmentCollegeUghelliwasheldinWarri,DeltaState.

Bindow Release N4m to Kidney Patient

TheAdamawaStateGovernmentonFridayorderedthereleaseofN4million to Aminu KanoTeaching Hospital (AKTH) for the treatment of Isa Hamman whoseKidneywasremovedbyasurgeoninYola,thestategovernmentsaidon Fridaywhenofficialsvisitedthehospitaltoascertainthelevelofthetreatment of state kidney patient. Leading the delegation to the hospital on Friday, the Permanent Secretary of the state ministry of health, Dr. Garba Ahmed said GovernorMohammedJibrilBindowhaddirectedtheministrytopaythemoney intotheaccountofthehospitalforthetreatmentofthepatientpendingwhen thekidneytransplantwouldcommence.Garbasaidthestategovernmenthad also given N1 million to the relations ofthe patient who are currently staying withhiminthehospital.

Ikoyi Club Celebrates Cultural Day

IkoyiClub1938celebratedinagrandstyletheInternationalCulturalDayand grandfinaleoftheclub’s78thAnniversaryonOctober2,attheclublawn.The event which had in attendance Ambassadors, Consul Generals of different embassies,PresidentsandsecretariesofothersocialclubsinLagosamongst otherdignitaries,waswellattendedbymembersoftheclubandguests,who weregailydressedintheirtraditionalattiresandweregreatlyentertainedbya CulturalTroupeledbyTunjiShotimirin(KonkereBeats).Whilegivingthevotesof thanks,theViceChairmanoftheclub,Mr.OlusolaAdeosunthankedimmensely thecommitteemembers,honorarymembers,alltheclubmembers,guests for takingtimeout to gracethegrand finaleof theclub’s78thanniversary.

16

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 8, 2016 WITH

MARITIME BITS

JOHN IWORI 08057763164

R-L: Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Port Notel Limited, Mr. Victor B. Akpanika, presenting a document of the firm to the Minister of Transportation, Right Hon. Rotimi Amaechi on the side-lines of the Nigeria Infrastructure Building Conference 2016 in Lagos…recently

L-R: The Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside signing the visitors register on arrival at the state-of-the-art facilities at Charkin Maritime and Offshore Safety Centre, East-West Road, Ozuoba, Port Harcourt, Rivers State while its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sir Chares Nwami watches with keen interest in Port Harcourt...recently

Ogbeifun: How to Make National Fleet Work As part of efforts to make the planned Nigerian fleet successful, with generous availability of Nigerian cargoes, the President of Ship Owners Association of Nigeria (SOAN), Engr. Greg Ogbeifun has called on the Federal Government to consider a shift from the present the use of free on board (FOB) oil freight policy to cost, insurance and freight (CIF).

Ogbeifun who is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Starzs Group maintained that the use of CIF rather the existing FOB, would ensure that the national fleet when established would have oil cargoes to lift to buyers from the Nigerian government.

The ship owner who is a member of the committee for developing modalities for the establishment of the Nigerian fleet, said the

government would need to aid the shipping line with critical incentives to include a friendly tax policy and reversal of existing free on board (FOB) policy on oil freighting to cost, insurance and freight (CIF).

His words: “I think what government can do to help the emergence of the Nigerian fleet is one, to look at the critical incentives, to look at tax policies that we have; to look at all it takes to make the operation of a fleet easier than how it has been. For example, at the moment, if you look at the policy for the freighting of Nigerian crude, it is on the free on board (FOB) policy. Now we are all suggesting and rightly so that should look at reviewing that policy to make it cost insurance and freight (CIF) because that is the only way,

a Nigerian fleet can be engaged to participate in the carriage of Nigerian crude to the buyers.

That is one major area the government can look at to help the emergence of a Nigerian tanker fleet for example.”

According to the SOAN President who was on the Federal Government delegation led by the Minister of Transportation, Right Hon. Rotimi Amaechi on a recent visit to Singapore as part of the moves to establish the national feet, the committee that was set up was asked to develop modalities for the establishment of a Nigerian fleet and not a national carrier.

No matter how stakeholders in the maritime industry look at it, he pointed out that there was wide difference between a Nigerian fleet and a national carrier.

Electrical Expert Provides NEPC Boss Slams NIMASA for Fresh Insight on Withholding N300m Freight Levies Improved Power Supply The Executive Director/Chief Executive Ebonyi State, he said the inability of An expert in electrical engineering, Engr. Olice Kemenanabo has provided a fresh insight on the need to improve electricity power supply in the country.

Pointing out that the lingering challenges to the reliability, quality and vulnerability of the electric power system is as a result of improper evaluation and understanding of its dynamic and synchronous nature, the erudite electrical engineer who was for many years, the General Manager, Bayelsa State Electricity Board that has the only source of electricity supply for Bayelsa State under its watch, Kolo Creek Gas Turbine Station, Imiringi, Ogbia Local Government Area said the transmission facilities (switching and overhead) and the distribution networks have limitations in integrity, capacity and the ability to control system offset.

In a paper titled “Understanding Electric Power System” which he delivered at the inauguration of the second executive committee of the Port Harcourt Chapter of the Nigerian Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (NIEEE), Kemenanabo who is presently the Special Adviser on Energy to the Bayelsa State Governor argued that since the world is defined by innovative technologies, Nigeria as a country cannot afford to be battling with what he called “obsolete technologies” that are no longer relevant even in the immediate past century and expect 21st century results.

His words: “While power utilities are deploying wide area monitoring, protection and control (WAMPAC) systems that enable new insight that prevent cascading outages, enable islanding, improve efficiencies and help operators manage complex real-time variances in the grid with precise time-synchronized measurements, we continue to move from pole to pole, distribution transformer to distribution transformer from the beginning to the end of feeders all for fault finding, diagnosis and clearing. The world according to one clergyman is a dangerous place to live not because of the wicked but because of those who lack the knowledge to make it a better place. This is the definition of a world that has bowed to ignorance in all ramifications and in its place embraced voluntary misfortune as a way of wishing away the endeavors of those that toiling endlessly to make the world a better place”.

He explained that the solution to achieving the electric power system of our dream is within the ambits of engineering, science and technology if only Nigeria can accept and adopt what he called a “square for square and round for round” approach.

Officer, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr. Olusegun Awolowo has flayed the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) for its inability to release the 10 per cent levies on freights collection to NEPC as stipulated by law.

The NEPC helmsman maintained that the delay constituted a major handicap to providing export incentives to proposed beneficiaries.

The accusation against the nation’s apex regulatory authority is coming on the heels of disclosure that Nigeria’s oil export earnings had dropped by 40 per cent largely due to the country’s inability to improve on the quality and standard of its primary export products.

Awolowo said most of the country’s export products were currently in non-processed level, making it difficult to generate the much-needed foreign exchange as the country looks to diversify its revenue base from oil.

Speaking at the just concluded 22nd seminar for Finance Correspondents and Business Editors (FICAN) in Abakaliki,

NIMASA to release 10 per cent levies on freights collections to NEPC as stipulated by law, was one of its major handicaps to providing export incentives to proposed beneficiaries.

According to him, a total of about N300 million is currently being owed the council by NIMASA. The high level of non-processed export items constituted an impediment to improvement in earnings and volume of its non-oil exports.

Awolowo who was represented at the seminar by a Director in NEPC, Mr. George Enyiekpon, stated that the country’s non-oil export products have remained at non-processed levels and this has had limitations on the standards, quality and accruals from the sector.

In his paper titled: “Towards Efficient Institutional Arrangements for Non-oil Export Finance in Nigeria”, Awolowo said the non-oil sector holds enormous foreign exchange potentials for the country but had not been fully exploited despite being endowed with solid minerals and agriculture.

“Cabotage Implementation Will Grow Nigerian Economy” The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside has given the assurance that the agency will provide platforms for the enforcement of its mandate especially the provisions of the Cabotage Act. Peterside said this while addressing staff of the Bayelsa Enforcement Office in Yenagoa while on a working visit of the operational offices of the Agency in the Eastern Zone.

Describing the Cabotage Act as an important pillar for home grown capacity for the sustainable development of the Nigerian maritime industry, he stated that the agency is committed to the full implementation of the Act for the benefit of the Nigerian economy.

His words: “In this era of government emphasizing the diversification of the

economy, one area the government is focusing on is the maritime sector because it has the potential to contribute to the growth of the nation, creation of jobs, wealth for our teeming youths, and put us permanently on the path of sustainable development.

And if the government is looking up to the maritime sector, NIMASA must take its rightful place in the new order and to do this, the centres of the Agency’s operations must be alive to their responsibilities”.

The agency in a statement obtained by THISDAY quoted Peterside commending the staff of the Yenagoa office for discharging their duties creditably even with visible challenges including the lack of associated platforms for enforcement and assured them of the commitment of the management, to provide all the necessary facilities for the successful discharge of their duties.

His words: “In terms of whether it is a good idea, I like to state that it is a laudable idea and it should be supported and encouraged if the country can once again develop a Nigerian fleet, which means it does not have to be one company or two companies, or one fleet. As many entities as can set up a fleet that will be registered in Nigeria and will participate in international trade should be encouraged.

I think it is a good idea for various reasons.

“First of all, it will enable the country to participate in the afreightment of both our import and our export that will help the economy; that will create job opportunities and of course, that will create a platform for again, training the Nigerian seafarers to international standards”.

Cleric Hails Buhari for Re-introducing History in Schools A cleric, His Grace, Archbishop Goddowell Avwomakpa, Chairman of CAN, South South zone and President of Niger Delta Bishops’ Forum who has been a strong advocate of teaching history in secondary schools and higher institutions, commended President Muhammadu Buhari and the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbanjo for giving consideration to the call to reintroduce history into the school curriculum.

The Archbishop also commended Ashiwaju Bola Tinubu, Prof Wole Soyinka and other well-meaning Nigerians for adding their voices to his advocacy Avwomakpa who just returned from Israel noted that Nigeria will overcome the current economic recession. He however noted that to revive the economy, the President should be prepared to call on Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora who have the expertise to come and revamp the economy.

“In the past, the money realised from sale of national assets in the name of privatisation only amounted to mortgaging our lives and the future of our children into few privileged individuals’ hands as the money realised from the privatisation process was squandered”, he said.

The cleric noted that the federal government has not engaged the real and private sectors enough. He also noted that Nigeria must diversify from oil to agriculture, steel production, develop tourism potential as well as focus on seafarers’ training so that Nigeria can become Africa’s hub for seafarers’ training.

That way, Nigeria like the Philippines, can become one of the largest suppliers of manpower to the international sea trade. This, the Archbishop noted, can fetch the country huge foreign exchange every year.

He added that such efforts will reduce the alarming unemployment rate in the country just as he called for prayers for the country and the leadership so that those in position of authority will take decisions that will draw foreign investments to Nigeria in a manner that can revamp the economy.

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper October 8, 2016

18

Plus

I Started Business Selling Frozen Fish You can call him ‘Double O.’ While he doesn’t cut the figure of a man with six packs, his stature smacks of grace, confidence and brilliance. Though taken away from his family at a young age and with little or no hope of having a formal education, he did not allow any unpleasant past to hold him down. Eternally grateful to a schoolteacher who took an interest in him, he would have to struggle to become successful in life. His is a typical fromgrass-to-grace narrative.

Oladele Olaniyan, Managing Director of Improject Limited, shares with Adedayo Adejobi how he rose from being a dispatcher to becoming an importer and franchise owner.

He also talks about his marriage, business and what he would do if he were Nigeria’s president.

At 60, he also reflects on youth and good health

W

hat’s your assessment of Nigeria’s current economic situation?

The economy for now is not doing well. We’re not yet there. If I happen to be the president, I think I will handle the economy differently. Well, our contemporaries in other nations are not feeling it badly the way we do here, and simply because we did not plan properly. No shock absorber, nothing to leverage on and its biting us in the wrong place.

Can President Muhammadu Buhari be blamed for this economic crisis?

We cannot really blame the present administration for this misfortune.

The problem had been imminent; it just happened that President (Muhammadu) Buhari inherited it. And, any step he tries to take towards any economic progress gets hindered by the shattered glass of our past surrounding him. People or groups that say they can fix the economic problem in no time are liars. The economic progress we want takes time and patience, and to do the right thing we have to consider the works of theoretical economists and the finance experts (data managers) to translate data into meaningful figures that’ll work for us.

This present administration expects the law of demand and supply to help us recover from this recession with the strategy they executed, but that can only apply to developed countries with a working system –

our system is still in shambles. We, as citizens, need to do our part in protecting the naira. You will still find people hoarding cash in their houses; who does that? Many materials we can produce locally still get imported, and it is as a result of the cumulative destructive actions by people that claim to need change.

We need to adjust to the declining economy to save ourselves, so that we can rise from the rubble of our nation’s restructuring. Management is key while discipline should be our watchword. Most of all, we must respect the diversity in our union; from the rising exchange rate to our lavish spending on celebrations every weekend at event centres, and politicians that loot the nation of billions. What will an individual do with billions stolen from the nation’s

coffers? It’s preposterous. Buhari can come with an agenda of change, but the change begins with each Nigerian.

Away from politics, tell us about your childhood. What values did you embrace that guided into becoming who you are today?

I didn’t grow up living with my parents. When I was in Primary Two at St. Ann’s Primary School, I went to live with one of my schoolteachers, Mr. Fakanmbi. Seeing that I was hard-working even at that age, he decided to take me to Lagos to further my education – I was going to be in Primary Four then in 1966. We lived in Lagos Island at Ita Akanni.

It wasn’t in my father’s agenda for me to have a formal education. But I loved education. So, I decided to

19

October 8, 2016 • THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper

Plus I Was Looking for a Girlfriend but I Ended Up with a Wife sponsor myself to have an education by working during holidays while in school. By 1972, I was working as a dispatcher for Peter Obe, the photography genius. We delivered exclusively to Daily Times and Nigeria External Communications for overseas reporting. Peter Obe’s photographs were exclusive, as our speed and quality was unrivalled.

Anytime I arrived late to work then, I would turn the hands of my wristwatch to show I was on time.

Peter Obe was very hard-working, and those were good old times.

When he found out that I started showing keen interest in accounting, Peter Obe then teased me on how I couldn’t become an accountant by reading on duty. With his tease, I decided to prove I could be better.

I later worked with Z.O Ososanya and Co., as a copywriter. Even then, I assisted the company’s accountant out of keen interest whenever I came across an error; he would sometimes call me accountant by thievery when he saw my corrections. I took study leave to join Yaba College of Technology, where I graduated as an accountant. Before my Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria final exams, I was already grounded in accountancy. Today I’m proud of myself and thankful for the guidance of great men that I met during my life’s journey.

You seem so fulfilled. What would you have done if you had not ventured into accountancy?

I would have been a trader.

Little wonder you are the sole franchise owner of Primavera Premium Red Wines across West Africa. What influenced the drive into the business?

Asides my professional practice of accountancy, I ventured firstly into floor and wall tiles business. That became unsustainable for me as an investor, majorly because of embargo and import duties. The government takes tile business very seriously as edible products. Besides, the import duty on it is discouraging as if the government wants to run it by themselves. If they don’t encourage home-grown investors, how do they expect the country to grow in its international relations? I had to improvise after a visit to a trade fair in Valencia, Spain, where I met the manufacturer of Primavera Premium red wine. I went back to the hotel to discuss with my wife about it. She loved the idea and we headed to Portugal and we were in business.

People love the brand of red wine we market because of its quality. I hate to settle for less. My satisfaction comes from positive reactions I get from the consumers, and that’s my major drive.

What kind of red wines are you talking about here?

We have different variants of Primavera Premium red wine now – up to six distinct flavours. Its acceptance in the wine industry has been very encouraging. Nigerians love quality and that’s what we brought to their table. The Primavera Premium red wine business is one that will always thrive because at one point in time or the other, people will want to relax and catch fun with a bottle of chilled wine – for those who can afford it.

Where are the best wines grown?

The best wines in the world can be

Olaniyan

found in places like Portugal, Italy, France and some parts of Spain.

Are there potentials for wine business in Nigeria?

Yes. Nigeria has a huge market for wines and the business is a thriving one in the country, especially now.

However, the first three months of the year is not usually a favourable period for business people because of the heavy spending of the festive periods in December. Besides, Nigeria of late has not been too good for business because of its hostility in the area of power stability, government policies, and import duties amongst other economic factors militating against businesses. The insecurity is another factor that has affected business generally. Everyone has to provide everything for himself. You have to provide electricity, water, security and everything you can imagine, and as if that is not enough, the tariff you pay on these goods are significantly high. So, if you are not determined to stay in business, you may end up being frustrated out of business.

Are you saying the situation doesn’t stimulate good business or encourage entrepreneurs?

It’s not encouraging at all. So many factors stack up against entrepreneurs – from power to government policies on duties, to loan facilities and so on.

On a container of wine, by the time you calculate all the duties and tariffs paid, it is running into almost 50 per cent and the import duty on wine is supposed to be common to all African countries in accordance to the external tariff structure and that was what made a duty on wine 30 per cent. This made the price of wine to skyrocket quite substantially, coupled with the devaluation of the naira.

Nigerians would have to pay more

to get good wines. We need God’s intervention. Don’t get me wrong; whom God wants to bless can’t be cursed. The ideal entrepreneur needs perseverance, patience and persistence, and he’ll surely make it.

How did you meet your wife?

I met her at Apapa Road, Lagos.

She used to pass along my house often, so I tried to woo her by offering her a ride a couple of times. But she declined all the time. I tried to woo her for almost five years. When we finally decided to date, almost everybody discouraged us because they misunderstood her shyness for pride, and there was no way she would explain herself. We decided to forget everyone’s opinion and the union has been heavenly ever since.

At what point did you know you wanted her to be your wife?

After my Higher National Diploma and Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria (ICAN) certification, I initially wanted to have her as a girlfriend. Then, I looked at her pedigree and realised she would be best for me as a wife and not as a girlfriend. I informed my brother of my intention, but he said I was aiming too high for my status. I didn’t listen to him. I can say proudly that I married my Soulmate. We almost never quarrel as a fact. We’ve never got to seek the intervention of a third party to settle our differences. We deal with our problems by ourselves.

I married my Soulmate, and in another life, I would still choose her.

Was there ever a point you wished you didn’t get married?

Never! We understand one another well. The only time we would have had a problem was when I wanted to go into business all by myself. She thought at that time it was a bad

I met her at Apapa Road, Lagos. She used to pass along my house often, so I tried to woo her by offering her a ride a couple of times. But she declined all the time.

I tried to woo her for almost five years.

When we finally decided to date, almost everybody discouraged us because they misunderstood her shyness for pride, and there was no way she would explain herself. We decided to forget everyone’s opinion and the union has been heavenly ever since idea. So, she tried to discourage me.

But, I was adamant and I advised her to stay with her parents while I struggle to build my business – telling her that if I became successful she should return. On hearing that, she allowed me to go into business.

I started with selling frozen fish with a cold room in Ojota, Lagos. Then, I distributed in the morning, after having taken our kids to school.

It wasn’t easy, but with time the business grew and I learnt on the business. Even at that point, I made sure my kids attended good schools.

Now they school abroad. It’s all a good story now.

With such a strong bond of love between you and your wife, who is more romantic?

I think I am; mainly because I grew up unbounded. Her parents were strict, so she didn’t have the freedom that would have exposed her to a lot of things. I was exposed to the street life, and I made good use of it in my youth. Basically, we do everything together now. We enjoy each other’s company a lot. Even if I want to go out for a drink, I take her along. We go everywhere together.

You look young. How do you feel at 60?

I feel good. I feel young and healthy at 60.

22

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 8, 2016

SHOWBIZFLAIR

Tosin Clegg

07062816737 e-mail: tosinclegg@hotmail.com

ARIYIIKE DIMPLES

Beyonce, Serena Williams Inspired Me into Modeling

By Fashion Brands Ariyiike Dimples has become a major brand in showbiz. She has built her brand from movies, short films, modeling for big fashion brand, online promotions, podcasts and lots more.

In this interview with Tosin Clegg, she talks about her works, new projects and podcasts

I

I am the third of four children

’m a young actor, TV presenter, singer and content producer. I am the third of four children in a Christian household and the only girl. I hail from Kabba LGA in Kogi State though I’ve spent all my life in Lagos.

a clothing company known for designing Urban Apparels for the young at heart both male and female and Patrick Ayanski Fabrics I have also worked with SAS Textiles, Yetroselane, Michi Gabbi concepts, which is a bridal store, and many more.

I started getting paid for my work in 2012

I am very new to podcasts...

I started getting paid for my work in June 2012; well you know the thing about the media industry, people want to see you perform before they’ll believe you’ve got stuff to offer. Sufficient to say that the journey has got its good and bad times, but so far it has been rewarding and I am very grateful for how far I have come.

Acting came naturally...

I call myself an entry level actor, who started full time acting last year. I have also worked as assistant director with Niyi Towolawi and Roberts Peters. I starred in the movie “Diary of a Lagos Girl” where I played “Folake”; “Ogere the Movie”; “Entreat the Movie”; and “Sade” in “Fluke”.w I played “Shewa” in a TV series “After Dark”, and “Seyi” in the Webisode “#DLV Series”, which is an adaptation of the book “The Diary of a Lagos Virgin”. I also played “Valerie” in a short film “Val’s Gift”; “Mabel” in “Lower Berth” and “Judith” in “Distraction.”

All but “Diary of a Lagos Girl” and “Entreat the Movie” are at the post production stage.

About modeling...

I pretty much got dragged into it by fashion brands that wanted me to model for them and it just snowballed from there.

I started out modeling for Agatha Moreno and Billie Joella. I’m presently the face of Marco Martinez women clothing line which is

But I love it, I love having a platform to share my views and the views of opinion leaders. My podcast, which is on MIDAS Radio (a podcast network), is called #GirltalkwithAriyiike. It is a platform where girls, ladies, women talk about everything that affects us.... work, family, relationship, health, lifestyle, nutrition, marriage, career....Everything! We also share our life experiences, air our opinions on different subject matter or life situations and show support to one another.

Dorc Media is my pet project...

Dorc Media is my pet project.

That’s the platform from which I want to launch all the things I want to involve myself in. I also want to use it to help others establish their careers; I strongly believe the world will be a better place if young talents have the opportunity or a platform that would encourage them. Dorc Media is a content creation and production company; we also do brand and event promotions and manage social media accounts for reputable brands and organisations

Dimples

And that’s right from Nursery all the way to university. My O’level was done in Starfield College and I graduated from Lagos State University with a BA in Mass Communications.

For example, someone like Serena Williams inspires me because of her dedication and my girl, Beyonce, has the most amazing work ethic.

If I had to mention just one person, though, I would have to say my father. No matter how bad things are, he is always thankful and prayerful. He would also split his last kobo with someone in need, if he could.

I draw inspiration from a lot of people across all spectrums...

Actors I would love to work with...

I schooled in Lagos all my life...

Veteran actor, Olu Jacobs; and the great bundle of talents, Ireti Doyle.

Leonardo Dicaprio, a famous and leading actor who is famous internationally for his role in Titanic movie, and American actress and singer, Taraji P Henson.

My willingness to learn...

What sets me apart from other people is my willingness to learn.

I am like a sponge when it comes to knowledge. I can also adapt to situations very well.

Growing up, the only thing I wanted to be was a singer...

I wanted to be Beyonce so bad it was ridiculous.

The journey as just begun...

Don’t get me wrong, although I am grateful for where I am right now, but I have set my goals so high that I know I still have a long way to go.

23

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 8, 2016

SHOWBIZFLAIR

MY STORY RITA DOMINIC CREATES DIGITAL JOURNAL FOR MILLIONS OF FANS AT TIFF Nollywood star and actress, Rita Dominic was at the Toronto International Film Festival for screenings, and a media tour of the Nigerian movie ’76 in which she stars alongside Ramsey Nouah.

The actress, with over three million social media fans, has explored a new form of engagement with her fans using the Facebook live option with which she sends regular video updates from her events and appearances.

Each of her videos reaches millions of people within 24 hours. Additionally, the actress has teamed up with popular website Bella Naija, where she sends exclusive updates and behind the scenes sneak peeks of all

her activities at the festival.

“After meeting with Mark Zuckerberg and his team recently, I realised that there are so many ways to deepen the connection I have with the millions of people who follow me online and constantly show me love.

“It has been exciting sharing everything at TIFF from all the media tours to the movie premieres and red carpet events,” she said.

The actress has also been receiving rave reviews for her stellar performance in the movie ’76. According to a profile with Canada’s biggest newspaper, the Globe and Mail, Rita Dominic is “one of Nollywood’s queens, appearing in 157 films – including a staggering 37

THANNI TUNDE

‘I Will Change this World’

movies in 2006 alone.”

Now Toronto describes her character as ‘the pregnant rock’ in Ramsey Nouah’s corner while Hollywood News describes her performance alongside co-star Ramsey Nouah as “natural performers full of morality with commitment to their situation.”

For Steven Mayne of Flick Feast, “Dominic does an excellent job at working her character up into lather without hyperbolic emoting.”

The Toronto Film Festival ended on the 18th of September; ’76 which stars Rita Dominic and Ramsey Nouah was first screened on September 11 to a sold-out audience.

Thanni Tunde is the Creative Director of 1691, a new luxury lifestyle brand set to light up the taste of high networth individuals and personalities of esteemed class and style. Tunde speaks with Tosin Clegg, about 1691, the brand’s purpose, and career

PEFTI FILM INSTITUTE INDUCTED INTO LESA HALL OF HONOUR Pencils Film and Television Institute (PEFTI) was celebrated at the 2016 edition of the Lagos Entrepreneurship Students Awards (LESA), which took place at University of Lagos on September 15, as it was inducted into LESA’s esteemed Hall of Honour.

Several enterprising students in Lagos State got awards. Also inducted, were other selected institutions and persons, who have been very instrumental in developing the entrepreneurial drive of the youth; including Dr. Idiat Adebule, Deputy Governor

of Lagos State; Hon. Kehinde Odeneye, Member, House of Representatives; and Hon. Rotimi Agunsoye, Member, House of Representatives.

The Managing Director of PEFTI, Abiola Adenuga said: “Since we launched in 2004, we have trained over 6,000 young people from across Nigeria and other parts of Africa; and we are excited at the great things they have accomplished within and outside the entertainment industry.

This recognition

by LESA means a lot to us, and we continue to play our

role in strengthening the nation’s economy, by training future employers of labour.”

PEFTI, located at 5, Joy Avenue, Ajao Estate, off Airport Road, Lagos State, is a government-approved educational establishment, offering Accredited National Diplomas in Film-Production, Performing Arts and Music, as well as Professional training in Acting, Presentation, Still Photography, Cinematography, Directing, Choreography, Script-writing, Costume & Makeup, Music, Bead-making and Video Editing.

SHINA PELLER UNVEILS NEW ACT, AIRBOY Aquila Records, the music flagship of Nightlife tycoon and multiple business mogul, Shina Peller, has added another artiste to their lineup known as Airboy. Speculations had been rife about possible addition of a new artiste since the label celebrated its first anniversary.

The unveiling kicked off with a press conference and a more elaborate unveiling party at nightlife hub, Club Quilox. The evening was blessed with plethora of stars, who came out to show their

support for Airboy. Celebrities like of Olisa Adibua, Tekno, Reekado Banks, Tilla Man, B Red, among many others; all had positive views of the newly signed Airboy.

The label CEO, Shina Peller stated, “we have been working withAirboy for about 8 months and we are impressed with his talent. We believe in him and we have the resources and the team to succeed with him.”

The label also houses ‘Skon Skon’ rapper, Baseone; ‘Eleniyan’ crooner, Que Peller and

was home to Tilla Man, who recently parted ways with the label on a cordial note.

As part of the unveiling, Aquila records also release and premiered Airboys’ new hit and video, ‘Ayepo’, which has the vibe of a potential wave making hit.

It was produced by Aquila Records in-house producer, Phantom and mastered by award-winning Suka Sounds.

‘Ayepo’ have been regular on DJ playlist long before its release.

T

ell us a bit about yourself?

I’m 25 years old and a graduate of Human Resource Management from Osun State University. I am the Creative Director of 1691 Enterprise, and the Son of Vinci.

NOLLYWOOD MARKETERS PLAN BIG FOR FIRST INVESTITURE AND AWARD Grand preparation for the first Investiture and Award Ceremony of Film and Video Producers and Marketers Association of Nigeria,( FVPMAN) Lagos Branch is in top gear as the Association is prepared and ready to take Nollywood to another level.

This was made known by the Chairman, Emeka Aduah, as he promises that the association who made Nollywood by investing in it at a time when no nobody believed in the enormous talents that were abound, is living up to its

responsibilities.

He said the association has opened new frontiers of recognition for Nollywood, by further raising the stakes to reward some of the best talents in different categories with its first investiture and award ceremony.

Speaking on some of these reforms, Aduah said, the association had ensured that consumers buy sequel films and the see the end of those films, most especially films that has up to part four or more as the case might be.

Aduah said in the past, viewers don’t get to see the end since they come with different titles, but the association has ensured that all films must start with a title and end with it and no movies must exceed 52 minute.

Aduah declared pirates as the greatest menace of the industry, as they reap off where they did not sow, hence the association is leaving no stones unturned in this regards, as those caught are currently facing the law.

How did you conceive the 1691 brand?

As an undergraduate, I knew I could do something good for myself and my country, but honestly, I wasn’t sure what I will end up doing for a living. It was not until 2016 that God blessed me with the idea of 1691 Enterprise, and immediately, I began my race and search for investors. I am glad God has blessed me with people that believe in my vision and are ready to chase these dreams with me. Believe me, we will change this world.

What are the pieces 1691 is set to put out?

1691 handcrafted shoes are designed for men who want to preserve a timeless elegance, with a zesty attitude. Every 1691 product is a luxury; intelligence engineering that is proudly made in Nigeria.

Any plans to associate 1691 with celebrities and public figures?

No immediate plans right now, but when the time comes, I will like to work with Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, who leads Sole Rebel, Richard Branson, and Kanye West. We share the same vision; we want to change this world and make it a better place.

Who are your role models?

Leonardo Davinci, Maya Angelou, Jack Ma, Kanye West, and

24

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • OCTOBER 8, 2016

TRAVEL&Leisure

by Omolola Itayemi omolola.itayemi@thisdaylive.com 08054699602

Why You Must Experience Dubai Parks and Resorts

Like any other evening in the highbrow area of Ikoyi, it was quite serene, well, except for the high traffic into the luxury boutique Wheatbaker hotel. Far from the usual hotel revellers and diners, a rich mix of travel industry executives, celebrities, journalists and other stakeholders of the travel industry met at the soft launch of Dubai Parks and Resorts set to open on 30th October. Omolola Itayemi reports

L-R: Daniel Weihrauch, CEO Lions&Gazelles; Fifi Rurangwa, Head of Africa Expansion, Wakanow and AbdulRaouf AbdulRazak, Deputy Head of Sales, Dubai Parks and Resorts during the unveiling of Dubai Parks and Resorts in Lagos

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eminiscent of a scene out of a Bollywood movie, hostesses draped in red saris with gold jewellery ushered one into the hall with trappings of panache, from the cocktails served to the saxophonist dishing out classic tunes to the stylish and elegant personalities present.

Dubai Parks and Resorts is set to bring unprecedented amazing themed park experiences to millions of visitors across the world, including Nigeria beginning from October 31, 2016 when it officially opens the new Wonderland and will feature an estimated 100 attractions.

With a focus on becoming the largest integrated themed park in the Middle East, six cumulative experiences await visitors including Motiongate Dubai showcasing everything Hollywood; Bollywood Parks Dubai brings to life first-hand experience of the globally- celebrated Indian movie industry to cater for the billions of fans who live near to the United Arab Emirates city, where guests can watch shows in an 850-seat theatre; The first Legoland theme park and Legoland water park in the Middle East, an on-site hotel, Lapita Hotel which will be Polynesian-themed and include lagoon style pools, restaurants and a rooftop bar; Riverland Dubai, a themed dining and shopping area; the very first of its kind in the Middle East region.

Displayed right next to a large screen TV is the architectural model of Dubai’s extravagant $2.8 billion mega theme park unveiled this week showing the layout of the 25 million square feet experience.

The six-in-one entertainment zone seeks to be ‘the ultimate year-round international tourist destination’ and aims to immerse guests of Dubai Parks & Resorts in a cinematic journey.

The model showed the complex’s Taj Mahalinspired theatre, Motiongate movie experience and sprawling hotel, situated around the vast park and To attract visitors from Nigeria and West Africa, Dubai Parks and Resorts recently signed partnership with four leading travel management companies in the country – Tour Brokers International, Wakanow, Quantum/Ajala, based in Lagos and All States Travels based in Abuja, to provide exclusive information and marketing support services on behalf of Dubai Parks and Resorts to teeming Nigerian and West African visitors.

One of the most anticipated attractions is the Hunger Games section at one of the theme parks, Motiongate Dubai.

Katniss fans will be able to witness iconic landmarks from the franchise and ride a roller coaster that takes guests from District 12 to the Capitol.

The four million square foot Motiongate Dubai is set to attract over three million tourists annually, and will feature 27 different latest-technology rides and attractions.

Over a hundred rides and attractions including live shows, 3D motion simulators, roller coasters, drop towers, children fun areas and family experiences are part of the intriguing offers at the Dubai Parks and Resorts.

According to Raed Kajoor Al Nuaimi, CEO of Dubai Parks and Resorts, “When we first adopted ‘Experience Amazing’ as our slogan, our thinking was directed to what would be on offer when Dubai Parks and Resorts opens its gate in October to our guests. We are creating a unique destination that will feature the best from East to West, with three theme parks, a water park, a hotel, retail and dining district, all within comfortable walking distance of each other. We hope that international tourists will see the city as a destination rather than just a layover, and are aiming for 20million visitors to visit the entertainment resort by 2020.

Dubai Parks and Resorts is where the best of the east meets the best of the west to create a world of fun and adventure unlike any other. And it’s most convenient for Nigerians and African alike who have to travel over ten hours to enjoy something alike to this and less the cost too,” he concluded.

Dubai Parks and Resorts occupies a prime location on Sheikh Zayed Road, the most popular main highway in Dubai and the main connection to Abu Dhabi, with excellent local access across a range of transport links.

The location on Sheikh Zayed Road is 63km from Dubai International Airport, 68km from Abu Dhabi International Airport and 20km from the new Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai, which is designed to be the biggest airport in the world, with an expected capacity of 160 million passengers by 2027.

Dubai Parks and Resorts unveiling event in Lagos is in collaboration with Lions&Gazzelles – Dubai based professional hospitality, tourism and leisure industry services provider and packaged

by Lagos-based Topcomm Pr Concept & Events – a Public Relations and Events Management company The raffle draw was the pearl of the night as everyone present will be part of the opening day in Dubai. The evening came to an end with the soul serenading numbers from the very skilled saxophonist who kept the guests well entertained.

Savoury meals, decadent deserts, unapologetically rich traditional dishes, various beverages Flavours of Lagos

Flavours of Lagos at ‘One Lagos’ Food Festival The pulse of a city beats loudest during its festivals, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the two-day ‘One Lagos Food Festival’ themed ‘Flavours of Lagos’ where eateries, ‘bukas’, restaurants, patisseries, top hospitality firms and food enthusiasts meet to give cosmopolitan Lagos crowd a gastronomical food and drink experience that even the most ordinary menu is anything but sumptuous. Omolola Itayemi reports

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ike blades of grass bursting through a crack in a thick slab of concrete, somethingisseekingtobreakthrough the walls we have put between the wayweperceive,experienceandtaste our food and beverage whether local, continental or oriental. Welcome to ‘Flavours of Lagos’.

On2ndand3rdOctoberintheupscaleEkoAtlantic Waterfront, you can hardly walk the smooth tarred long stretch without stumbling upon dishes of savoury meals, decadent deserts, unapologetically rich traditional dishes, various beverages from smoothies to well-brewed ‘Amir’ tea that tantalize all of your five senses. Life doesn’t come with a manual; hence, there’snoonerightwaytoenjoyyourmealbutthanks to those chefs on ground willing to push our culinary boundaries, permitting us to experience flavours, scents and textures we’ve never considered before; whereby broadening our sense of possibilities with their life-cooking demonstrations, workshop and cooking classes. The presentation alone was pure art, and the flavour made my knees buckle as my pen flew off the page recording my bliss.

There are ‘fat-lite’ food without the thermodynamics, accessible haute cuisine, edgy dishes unlike what you have tasted before, gluten-free dishes, basically, there is something for everybody. Service runs on oiled wills and the staff seems to be having fun as the guests. “Does your energy ever dip?” I asked the Head Chef at Ocean Basket restaurant after having watched him attend to the 3rd foodie ogling his menu without buying whilst I waited for my order. “Not really,” he says, smiling and onto the next customer. That was the general ambience of the festival, workers are engaging with sunny dispositions, ready to offer a bite and sell as well, you’ll be too happy to drop your debit card.

Taste of Lagos Food Festival in partnership with One Lagos Brand bestowed on us a gastronomical experience we won’t forget in a hurry with chefs and food honchos tweaking the classics slightly, but within the bounds of decency. Newcomers like Nellies tweaked ugu, a locally sourced vegetable used for soups into tasty tortillas chips and garri sweet flakes. TheArewa kitchen redefined northern staple food and spices without losing its origin and taste. It was the perfect platform for newcomers to shine and shine they did.

What this festival has offered typical Lagosians with their savorfaire is the ever changing nature of food and the need to define what is ours and consume it. Nobody understands this better than the commissioner of Culture and Tourism, Lagos state,

Mr Folorunsho Coker, a hospitality guru himself. In a small chat with him at the venue, he reiterated the promise of the state government to always provide an enabling environment for business. An ardent advocate of Community Tourism, he is of the belief that we can only be taken seriously in tourism business when we know what tourism products and services we have, where they are and when they happen. Coker is not only on the right part but has become the poster child for what a good tourism administrator should be.

I know ‘One Lagos’ is all about branding the state but I needed more clarification on what the significance of the festival is. He replied: “Part of the problem with tourism is people don’t know what is available where and when. We looked at the diverse culinary arts we have in Lagos: Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa as a base, we have also got Indian, Lebanese and everything is mingled together. Now we are defining the different culinary experiences in Lagos in different ways you have seen as around.

We looked at it, why don’t we just create something like the flavours of Lagos? “The ‘flavours of Lagos’ is a very broad thing but we just started off with food, we spoke to some vendors and people in the business selling everything from chips to ugu to kilishi. We asked them, how can we drive business for you? They said ‘people don’t know us.’ I said fine, why don’t we have a festival of food i.e.

‘Flavours of Lagos’? Remember we already have the One Lagos Fiesta, which is a musical festival.

It’s exploring other ways we can look inwards to redefine the experience in Lagos and consume what we have here.

“Secondly, the governor said at the beginning of his tenure that he was going to run an inclusive government where nobody will be left behind.

Again, flavours of Lagos is about everybody’s food including children and special diet. When I walked around and spoke to vendors, 60% of their food was sold out on the first day. With that, I know we are on the right part.”

After a successful day one, large number of people came out for the second day not minding how fierce the sun was, guess word got around. I was more relaxed the second day and had a few words with guests, who most were quite elated about the experience. One thing they all wanted to know was when is the next one? and I also wanted to know if they are keeping statistics to be able to prepare for the next one. I ran it through the tourism boss of Lagos state and his reply confirmed what I suspected. He replied: ‘When I asked one of the food vendors the same question, she said, every week.

26

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • OCTOBER 8, 2016

auto

2017 Porsche Macan

2017 Porsche Macan Recalled to Address Oversteer Issue Stories by Bennett Oghifo

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pproximately 240 Porsche Macan vehicles are being recalled to address a possible oversteer issue.

The affected units are all from the 2017 model year and include

the Macan, Macan S, Macan GTS and Macan Turbo models. According to the recall notice, the anti-roll bar connecting links may move out of position, allowing the vehicle to oversteer in certain driving conditions.

The condition could lead to a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

To address the issue, Porsche dealers will

inspect and replace affected front anti-roll bar links for free.

The issue was first discovered last month when a batch of connecting links arrived from a supplier and did not meet Porsche’s specifications.

Following a technical investigation, the German automaker confirmed a potential safety threat which prompted the recall

campaign. Porsche is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the defect.

“This can cause rattling noises and can subsequently cause the anti-roll bar to stop functioning during extreme driving maneuvers,” Porsche warned. “If this happens, the sporty handling as designed into the Macan may be impaired, resulting in oversteering of the vehicle.”

No Regrets Exiting Ford Business in Nigeria, Says Briscoe

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.T. Briscoe Plc has said it has no regrets losing the 11-year old business relationship it had with the Ford Motor Company under its BriscoeFord automotive subsidiary.

The company said this, recently, in reaction to Ford Motor Company’s decision to retain Coscharis Motors that was sharing the dealership with Briscoe as its sole representative in Nigeria.

General Manager BriscoeFord, Eguaikhide Olorunfemi said the severance of existing dealership with Ford resulted from long period of operational challenges they had, saying “We want to state categorically that we have no regrets whatsoever exiting the Ford dealership business in Nigeria.

We had since activated our exit plan when the signs became clear to us that medium to long term profitability could not be guaranteed despite all the huge challenges we face daily running the Ford dealership in Nigeria to ensure customer satisfaction.”

According to him, BriscoeFord’s primary concern was to do everything it could to ensure that the exit does not affect loyal RT Briscoe Ford customers due to their long term faith and confidence in the company’s brand legacy, spanning over 60 years in the Nigerian auto industry.

He said RT Briscoe had, prior to the latest development, asked

Ford Motors to work with it in taking actions required to resolve challenges facing its customers in Nigeria.

As things stand, Olorunfemi said they want to know “What happens to our current stock of 60 new vehicles, amounting to over N500 million and stock of spare parts, amounting to about N100 million. We have over 90 vehicles belonging to our valued customers currently in our workshops awaiting warranty approvals and repairs, which have been duly communicated to Ford and for which no response has been receive.”

He said “RT Briscoe has a total of 24 Ford Focus vehicles with faulty semi-automatic transmission systems and Ford has not been able to give us support to carry out repairs which is however not peculiar to the Nigerian market.

“It is in public domain that Ford Focus and Fiesta models are having this challenge globally and as at date, no permanent fix has been deployed for Dealers to implement.”

The general manager said there are over nine law suits from some aggrieved customers, seeking or demanding for one form of compensation or another and that these cases have been reported to Ford, but that no serious response has been received to date.

He said “There are cases of customers who purchased the ESP package from BriscoeFord

2017 Ford Focus

from October 2015 to June 30, 2016 under the promo, but were denied registration by Ford.

These customers currently cannot enjoy the free service program from the other dealer because of this singular action.

“These customers are currently stranded and have been left in the dark as to what happens to their free service promo in the face of these administrative

bottlenecks which they should not be blamed for.

“We would like to assure all the customers who purchased their Ford vehicles riding on their strong confidence and faith in the RT Briscoe Brand that we will not abandon them and will deploy all necessary resources at our disposal during this transition period to get their vehicles repaired and returned to them.”

2016 Nigeria Auto Journalists Award Holds November 24

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he Nigerian Auto Journalists Association (NAJA) has released the list of finalists in different categories for the 2016 Nigeria Auto Journalist Awards.

According to a press statement by the Organising Committee, this year’s event which takes place at the EKO Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos on Thursday, November 24, 2016 has about 25 Award categories drawn from the automotive sector and ancillary sectors including some industry personalities.

Highpoint of this year’s award will be the

in the Car-Of-The-Year (COTY) category where Toyota Corolla, Peugeot 301 and Nissan Almera were selected. As part of parameters for winning under this category, there will be a test-drive of the selected brands/models as was the criteria applied during the last award, the organising committee said.

Other categories of awards are Luxury Car Of The Year, Road Safety Personality of The Year, Heavy Duty Truck of The Year, Auto Plant Of The Year, CEO Of The Year, Auto Personality Of The Year and CSR Company Of The Year,

Others are: Mini Bus Of The Year, Pick-up Of The Year, Most Safety Conscious Transport Company Of The Year, Traffic Management Agency Of The Year, Showroom Of The Year, Large SUV Of The Year, Armouring Auto Company Of The Year and Auto Industry Promoter Of The Year.

In the four wheels categories, the selected brands and models will be judged on affordability, cabin styling, lay-out and ergonomics. Assessment will also be carried out on nominees engineering integrity and build quality, exterior design, overall excellence, ride quality, steering and handling,

technology, transmission and above all, value for money.

According to sources from the organising committee, this year’s award is very historic especially coming at a time when the federal government is intensifying effort at developing the nation’s near prostrate automotive assembly plants.

The award the statement said is NAJA’s contribution to Automakers as well as component parts makers renewed efforts at putting Nigeria on the global industry map as one of the most strategic and highlysort-after promising markets in Africa.

27

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • OCTOBER 8, 2016

auto Safe driving

Jonas Agwu

with

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

How To Verify Speed Limiter

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Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Wins Best Business Car Award Stories by Bennett Oghifo

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he E-Class has been announced as Best Business Car in the 2016 Telegraph Cars Awards which recognises the best new models on sale today.

Hundreds of cars were judged

by the Telegraph’s expert Road Test Team who said “The new E-Class is a real tour de force, with one of the best interiors of any car at any price, plus low running costs from the new Mercedes-Benz 2.0-litre engine. Comfort over long journeys is outstanding”.

The new E-Class boasts a host of technical innovations

enabling comfortable, safe and efficient driving of the very highest order. Ground breaking assistance systems make the E-Class the most intelligent business saloon.

Rob East, Head of Fleet, said: “We are delighted that E-Class continues to impress and has been recognised as Best Business Car by Telegraph

Cars. This is now the tenth generation of the E-Class and it boasts the efficiency, style and technology that every business user demands today.”

The E-Class Saloon is available from £35,935 OTR for the E 220d SE and will be joined later this year by the E-Class Estate.

BMW i5 Ready in 2020

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recent patent publication in Japan may have just revealed the BMW i5.

The patent has been registered to BMW and was originally filed earlier this year in April, but was just recently published. The images reveal a vehicle that looks similar to the i3, but is sleeker and a bit longer while sporting four doors – all styling characteristics that would fit in with an i5 model.

Since last year, there have been plenty of rumors and speculation on the BMW i5 and in last December, there was a report that the German automaker was in the “final stages” of making a decision on the body style.

At the time, BMW board member for sales and marketing, Ian Robertson, said the BMW

2018 BMW i5

i5 would either be a lengthened version of the i3 or a traditional

sedan to rival the upcoming Tesla Model 3. It is believed the

BMW i5 will arrive sometime by 2020.

All-new Kia Rio Makes Debut in Paris Auto Show

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henewKiaRiomakes its world debut today in Paris at the 2016 Mondial de l’Automobile.Alongside the Rio, Kia will also introduce the latest upgraded versions of two of its cars, the Carens compact MPV and Soul urban crossover, as well as a new high-powered ‘SX’ version of the Soul.

World premiere for all-new Kia Rio The Rio is the Korean manufacturer’s global best-selling model, with more than 473,000 sold around the world in 2015, accounting for 16% of Kia’s

annual sales. Now entering its fourth generation, the new Rio will offer B-segment buyers a compelling package – designed and engineered to appeal to more people than ever before.

The new Rio will build on the outgoing model’s key strengths – design, low running costs and a practical nature – with higher desirability, a more enjoyable drive and some of the most advanced safety features in its class.

The Rio’s progressive new exterior and interior design was led by Kia’s design centers in Germany and California, in close collaboration with the

company’s domestic design base in Namyang, Korea. The exterior appearance of the new Rio is defined by straight lines and smooth surfacing, giving the car a distinctive new look and more mature character than its predecessor. Its driveroriented cabin is also the most spacious in its class, and – with larger, 325-liter cargo capacity (VDA) – it is more practical than ever before.

The new model will be the most technologically-advanced Rio ever produced, and is equipped with new cabin technologies, safety systems, and connectivity features. The Rio will offer both

Android Auto™ and Apple CarPlay™ integration, and will be the first car in its class to offer Autonomous Emergency Braking with pedestrian recognition.

The new will be powered by a range of gasoline and diesel engines. In particular, the Rio features Kia’s latest three-cylinder 1.0-liter T-GDI (turbo gasoline direct injection) engines, offering high efficiency and low emissions. The lightweight nature of the new downsized T-GDI engines means the Rio benefits from keen front-end handling, with less mass and inertia for the car to work against under cornering.

ince the speed limiter enforcement commenced on October 1, 2016, I have had the privilege of monitoring the enforcement by my men in Rivers State. October 1 was fairly encouraging as most fleet operators showed compliance. October 2, 2016 was however, dramatic and instructive. Let me spare you the drama and focus on the instructive lessons learnt on the second day. Most of the drivers from the unpopular transport companies either feigned ignorance or truly claimed not to know anything about speed limiter despite the series of consultations and awareness carried out by the Corps prior to 2016.I have therefore midwife series of road shows, park rallies and advocacies to further drive the message to these other categoriesofcommercialdrivers.

Coincidentally, my editor on the same day challenged me to do a piece on how to verify speed limiter in a vehicle which is the focus for today.

Besides knowing how to verify if a vehicle is installed, it is important to know if there is a way for commuters to know if it is installed in a vehicle before boarding. Lastly, does the law demand passengers to ask the driver if his vehicle has a speed limiter?Before I treat the posers raised on how to verify, I must again state that the speed limiter is compulsory for all vehicles although the ongoing enforcement which kicked off on 1 Oct, 2016 focuses on commercial vehicles only. Secondly, statutorily compulsory use of speed limiting device on vehicles in Nigeria is contained in the FRSC EstablishmentAct(2007)andthe NationalRoadTrafficRegulation 2012.In Section 10, sub section (m) of the (Establishment) Act, 2007, the Commission is empowered in „‟determining and enforcing speed limits for all categories of roads and vehicles and controlling the use of speed limiting devices‟‟. It states that „‟All motor vehicles plying the highway shall be in possession of good electric or air horn, jack, wheel spanner, tools, fire extinguisher, • Inflated spare tyre, firstaidbox,emergencywarning triangles or cones, laminated windscreen and mirror, speed governor(ie.speed limiter), wipers, insurance certificate and road worthiness certificate.

Similarly, in the National Road TrafficRegulations(NRTR,2012) it provides that,’’Aperson shall not drive a vehicle on any public road which is not fitted with a speed limiter(ie.speed limiting device).

So how does one verify if a vehicle is installed with a speed limiter? Just like the case of verifying a driver’s license and number place plate, there are two approaches to verifying a

speed limiter in a vehicle. The fist approach is the long one that requires you to go the FRSC website(www.frsc.gov. ng), homepage and click on the speed limiter link at the bottom of the page. This will take you to the portal where it will instruct you to confirm your speed limiter installation with the vehicle number plate by entering the vehicle number plate as indicated. If installed, it will show installed. A more direct approach is to directly log on to the speed limiter portal on [http://www.speedlimiter.frsc. gov%2Cng.this/]www.speedlimiter.frsc.gov,ng.This will take you directly to the portal where you will be required to enter the vehicle plate number in order to verify if it is installed. There is a third approach which is shorter and easier just like the case of drivers’ license and number plate. The short code will come in the follow up piece. For the avoidance of doubt, to verify your plate, you can use any of thefollowing:Visitwww.nvisng. org and verify the number plate or Text verifyplateno (Plate Number) to 33324 on your mobilephone.E.g.verifyplateno ABC000JR.Alernatively,youcan visit the FRSC Desk Officers at the SBIRs.To verify drivers licence,text ‘’verifyDlicence ABJ1065AA’’ to 33324 My second poser is if there is any law that permits commuters to verify. Neither the FRSC EstablishmentAct nor the NRTR specifically makes copious provision for commuters to legally verify or ask a driver if his vehicle is installed with a speed limiting device. First I must state here that commercial drivers owe their passengers tortuous duty of care to take all reasonable safety precautions such as installing a speed limiter to ensure their safety, in addition to disclosing on demand whether the vehicle is installed with one.Secondly, commuters can and are allowed under the umbrella of the frsc mandate to ask a driver or alternatively personally verify using the same platformprovidedearlier.Thisis similar to the provisions, made by the frsc through the portal which allows one to verify the validity of the drivers licence or vehiclenumberplacewhichwas run on this same page. I believe strongly that the success of the ongoing enforcement which is meant to protect commuter’s interest lies so much on the buy in of commuters since they can use their phones to verify operatorssafetycomplianceand therefore could choose which operator is preferred based on compliance with speed limiter.

Once again, remember that excessive speeding according to my boss,Boboye Oyeyemi has been identified as a key risk factor in road traffic injuries, influencing both the risk of a road crash as well as the severity of the injuries that result from injuries.

30

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 8, 2016

GLOBAL SOCCER

Writing a Success Story at Watford Isaac Success only appeared in Nigeria's first two matches at the 2013 FIFA U- 17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates before injury condemned him to the bench for the rest of the competition. However, his potential was not lost to scouts and it came as no surprise when in November of the same year, Udinese of Italy requested for his signature. This season, he moved over to Watford in the English Premier League for a club record fee. Last weekend, Success came in from the bench to score his first goal for the club.

He is hoping that his equaliser against Bournemouth could convince his coach for a first team start, reports Kunle Adewale

I

saac Success would have loved to crown his penultimate weekend performance in the Premier League with a first match for the Super Eagles during the FIFA World Cup qualifier against Zambia, but this won’t happen.

Success had a knock that made it difficult for him to walk and had since been replaced by Enugu Rangers’ Chisom Egbuchulam.

In spite of not starting since the beginning of the season, Success insists he is not getting tired of the super-sub tag he gets at Vicarage Road, after scoring his first Watford goal only seven minutes into his latest appearance from the bench. His 65th-minute header earned the Hornets a point in their 2-2 draw with Bournemouth with Success again playing a significant role from the bench, five days after he had looked the brightest spark in a dismal performance for the Golden Boys at Burnley.

The 20-year-old has always made a big impact each time he came on for the Hornets this season, and will have strengthened calls to receive a first start of the campaign when Watford next

He is still raw and needs to work on his end product in order to become more consistently decisive for his side, but if he can avoid off-field distractions and remain focused on his development, he looks to have all the attributes necessary to become a very useful top-level forward in the coming years

turn out at Middlesbrough after the international break.

But Success is not worried about when he will finally see his name in Walter Mazzarri’s starting 11.

He said: "I’m a Watford player and if I get a chance to play in any way, I have to help the team, even if it’s only two or three minutes. It’s not really a relief to score my first goal, it’s a goal for the team and me, but I’m happy about it. It’s not frustrating being a substitute, I’m just happy to be among the 18 players selected for the game. Every time I get to play, I just want to help the team. I just have to keep working hard and see what comes up.

“I brought a lot of energy to the team when I came on, that’s what I’m about. As a striker, I’m ready to play anywhere in the forward line and it’s just up to the coach to give me the instruction where in particular I have to play.”

Success replaced Ighalo in Mazzarri’s side last weekend, but after their respective performances at Burnley, it was somewhat of a surprise that the change was made shortly after halftime rather than in the starting 11.

He said: “I have always looked up to him. He’s very calm, he told me how to be like that on the pitch. I’m not trying to take his place. Every player in the team deserves chances to get into the team and I just want to play. I don’t know if I’m taking someone’s position but he’s a good player. When I scored, the first thing I did was look at the bench and he was celebrating more than me, and I was really happy. He’s an African brother.

He’s like a big brother to me.”

Success received special praise from his Watford boss, Walter Mazzarri, after scoring his first goal for the club since joining from Udinese in the summer.

Reacting to Success’ goal, Mazzarri described him as an excellent player, who believes he could improve. “He is an excellent player and he has showed it in the past, not only today, He can improve a lot in defensive parts, but he deserves it because every time he’s come on he’s showed he can help the team,” the Italian coach told the Watford official website.

Rayo Vallecano coach, Paco Jemez,

Success celebrating his first Premier League goal

who will be pleased to see the back of Success in La Liga said: “He is a strong and powerful player, and that allows them to play a direct and incisive game in certain areas of the pitch. He has been creating a lot of danger and is one of their most important players.”

Salva Ruiz, Success’ former teammate at Granada, indeed said he was “one of the strongest guys I’ve ever seen”.

Nick Dorrington is a freelance football writer and the author of Scout’s Notebook, who has followed

the burgeoning career of Success closely wrote: “He is still raw and needs to work on his end product in order to become more consistently decisive for his side, but if he can avoid off-field distractions and remain focused on his development, he looks to have all the attributes necessary to become a very useful top-level forward in the coming years.”

While the former Nigerian junior international is excited about life in England and playing alongside his countryman Odion Ighalo, he admits he left Granada with a heavy heart.

“Today is a bittersweet day for me. I

32

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 8, 2016

GLOBAL SOCCER

2018 World Cup Qualifier… 2018 World Cup Qualifier… 2018 World Cup Qualifierr… 2018 World Cup Qualifier… 2018 World Cup Qualifier…

Super Eagles during one of their training sessions

Super Eagles on the March Again New Super Eagles Coach, Gernot Rohr will face his first real test on Sunday as Nigeria begins its quest for a sixth World Cup appearance with an encounter against the Chipolopolo of Zambia at the Levy Nwanawasa Stadium in Ndola for a place in Russia 2018.

H

aving hoisted its flag in five previous editions of the Mundial-USA ’94, France ’98, Korea/Japan ’02, South Africa ’10 and Brazil ’14, Super Eagles will be campaigning in a group described as ‘Group of Death’, comprising archrivals-Algeria, Cameroun and Zambia, with only one country expected to qualify from the group.

The Super Eagles began training in Abuja on Monday and by Tuesday virtually all the invited players had reported to camp, making Rohr to be optimistic of victory in Zambia on Sunday.

“We go to Zambia to win. It will be difficult because Zambia have a good team and like the three other teams in our group, any one of us could qualify for the World Cup. We watched them against Kenya (in an AFCON qualifier last month) and the pitch in Ndola is not good, but it will be the same for both teams,” Rohr said.

Rohr said picking all three points in Ndola remains his side target. “I’m happy with the preparation because most of the players arrived on time and I’m happy we have good training condition. I’m

happy to work with a new and young team because we have a lot of younger players here with some local players here too. We are going to Zambia to win the game, though it would be very difficult.

All the four teams in the group can hope to be the best. Of course we have a look on the Zambia team because they have good players; we focus on our team and have good preparation and hope everybody work well,” Rohr told media.

Indeed, former Nigerian international, Henry Nwosu, is optimistic that Nigeria is in good shape to take on the Zambians, saying the team is ready for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, just as he advised the coaching crew to work on the team’s attackline.

He said that the players must work on their finishing and ensure that they come out tops in the group.

According to Nwosu, not even Algeria and Cameroon can stop Nigeria if the players show “hunger” during the game.

Former Eagles coach and captain, Christian Chukwu has warned the team to put behind the head-to-head advantage Nigeria enjoyed over Zambia. “We are expecting them to start well, and ensure they do not underrate Zambia, even

though we have always beaten them in our previous games, but that’s not enough for us to underrate them, If we give our technical adviser all the support, and encourage the players, we should be able to win our first game against Zambia. These are the boys who want to showcase themselves, I believe they will do what Moses and Success would have done, and I’m happy they were given this opportunity for fight for their shirts in the national team.”

Chukwu told Goal.

However, finance could mar the team’s preparation and indeed the trip to Ndola if the claims of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, President, Amaju Pinnick is anything to go by.

After initially refuting claims of financial challenges, Pinnick had told the Senate Committee on sports that the body needs government’s intervention to prosecute the game.

"The draw was done for 20 teams that we qualify for the final phase of the World Cup and Nigeria was drawn against Zambia, Cameroon that has won the Nations Cup and attended the World Cup seven times," Pinnick said.

"Algeria is the highest- ranked team

in Africa. Is a group that goes beyond the group of death. The good news is that we have sound technical crew and a lot of players doing well. But the missing link is our financial incapacitation which activates all we do on and off the field.

"Before now we have made a request to government for intervention because funds were not coming from our sponsors because it is been very difficult for them so they claimed and so we did not have any choice than to resort to writing to the government.

"So we are awaiting a response from them and the game is just in five days.

We've put all arrangement on ground already.

“We have discussed with Arik to go on a chartered flight and we are also about sending somebody to Ndola because there is a new hotel we have secured in Ndola but we could not pay for it. We have been about to secure about 60 rooms but we could not buy their ticket because we owe our traveling agent about 300 million naira. So there is no way we could get it and we have to request the players to come with economy tickets in reflection of

33

OCTOBER 8, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

GLOBAL SOCCER

… 2018 World Cup Qualifier… 2018 World Cup Qualifier… 2018 World Cup Qualifier…2018 World Cup Qualifier…2018 World Cup Qualifier…

Head to Head

what is happening to our economy and 80 per cent of them obliged our request," he added.

Meanwhile, Zambian team have been boosted by the return of midfielder Chisamba Lungu.

Chisamba has declined recent Zambia call-ups, including the September 4 home game against Kenya, in the two sides' final 2017 Africa Cup Group E qualifier that finished 1-1 in Ndola.

The midfielder from Russian Club, FC Ural, joined camp on Tuesday in Ndola and is the eighth of nine foreign-based call-ups in the Zambia team ahead of Sunday’s 2018 World Cup Group B qualifying clash there against Nigeria.

“Chisamba has been a very good player and it came as a surprise to me and to many Zambians when he said that he won’t be coming. So I just had to call him back and told him this is your country. ‘We are all here for national duty so you just have to honour your call, so he said 'OK, I will come’,” Wedson Nyirenda said.

Zambia captain Rainford Kalaba believes his team can secure qualification to Russia despite being drawn with heavyweights.

"We have a chance to qualify, we still believe in ourselves. Even if we failed to qualify to the Africa Cup of Nations, we don't have to get distracted; we have to work hard on the field and stay focused and united until we reach our destination in Russia," he told The Post Zambia.

Speaking in the same vein, Zambia Sports Minister, Moses Mawere, has expressed confidence that the Chipolopolo will beat the Super Eagles in Sunday's 2018 World Cup qualifier

in Ndola, charging the players and coaching crew not to disappoint as expectations from football fans are high, especially after Chipolopolo failed to qualify for next year's AFCON in Gabon.

28/10/73

Zambia 5-1 Nigeria AFCON

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Nigeria 3-2 ZambiaAfrican Games

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Zambia 0-0 Nigeria AFCON

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Zambia 3-0 Nigeria Friendly

13/03/82

Nigeria 0-3 Zambia AFCON

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Nigeria 0-0 Zambia AFCON

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Zambia 1-0 Nigeria AFCON

12/03/90

Nigeria 2-0 Zambia AFCON

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Nigeria 2-1 Zambia AFCON

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Zambia 2-0 Nigeria Friendy

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Zambia 0-0 Nigeria Friendy

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Nigeria 1-0 Zambia AFCON

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Zambia 1-1 Nigeria AFCON

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Zambia 0-0 Nigeria AFCON

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Nigeria 2-0 Zambia Friendly

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Zambia 1-1 Nigeria AFCON

“The country’s expectation is high; the only hope is the World Cup after failing to qualify to the Africa Cup of Nations. I challenge the players and coaches to step up and perform better.

We need to beat Nigeria, we can do it,” Mawere told Zambia Post.

A win for the Super Eagles would be a morale booster in their attempt to participate in the next World Cup. Meanwhile, former Super Eagles defender, Taribo West, has warned Rohr and his wards to be wary of tricky Chipolopolo forwards, saying that Zambia’s strength is the ability of its dangerous strike force to rip apart any unsuspecting defence.

“Zambia’s strength is its forward.

The boys are fast and dangerous. They may not be as good as the generation that won the Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon in 2012, yet, Eagles defence should not go to sleep at any time when we play them this weekend in Ndola,” observed Taribo He is however unfazed with the pedigree of the Cooper Bullets’ firepower upfront. He believes that Eagles have the capacity to contain them.

“I am happy with the quality of the boys in the current Eagles. They are young and strong even though they are mostly inexperienced. All they need is the same spirit with which they played Tanzania last month in

Zambian dangerman, Rainford Kalaba tries to waltz through two Ivorian defenders

Nigeria Squad Goalkeepers

Carl Ikeme Wolverhampton Wanderers Emmanuel Daniel Enugu Rangers Ikechukwu Ezenwa FC IfeanyiUbah

Defenders

Uche Agbo Granada William Troost-Ekong Haugesund Kenneth Omeruo Alanyaspor Jamiu Alimi Kano Pillars Abdullahi Shehu Anorthosis Famagusta Musa Muhammed Istanbul Basaksehir Elderson Echiejile Standard Liege Kingsley Madu SV Zulte Waregem

Midfielders

John Mikel Obi Chelsea Ogenyi Onazi Trabzonspor Wilfred Ndidi KRC Genk, Belgium Nosa Igiebor Maccabi Tel Aviv Anderson Esiti KAA Gent

Forwards

Ahmed Musa Leicester City Kelechi Iheanacho Manchester City Moses Simon KAA Gent Alex Iwobi Arsenal FC Brown Ideye Olympiacos FC Godwin Obaje Wikki Tourists Chisom Egbuchulam Enugu Rangers

Uyo,” stressed the ex-international.

He said that it will be disastrous for Nigeria to begin the Russia 2018 qualifiers on a shaking note against Zambia.

“It will be disastrous for Nigeria to begin the qualifiers with a defeat this weekend.

After missing the AFCON back-to-back, starting the World Cup on a shaking note will not be good at all. I hope our boys will play Zambia with the same zeal they played the last AFCON 2017 at Uyo,” Meanwhile, the Zambia Football Federation (ZFF) has elected to lower the gate fees of the match in a bid to ensure full house in the satdium. The FA reportedly announced gate charges as low as 25 Kwacha, less than Nigeria’s Naira, for a section of the popular side and the highest charge of 500 Kwacha for the VIP section. The decision, according to reports is in a bid to fill up the 49,800 capacity Estadio de la Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola, venue of the game and create enough buzz to hopefully intimidate the Super Eagles.

Tickets came on sales on Tuesday afternoon at a couple of centres in Lusaka and Kabwe.

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • OCTOBER 8, 2016

37

FAIRGROUND

‘A Trip to Jamaica’ World Premiere Guests Light up Filmhouse Imax

T

he novelty match to herald the premiere of A trip to Jamaica, took place at the Teslim Balogun Stadium featured prominent Jamaican ex-national team players, such as Deon Burton John, Lawrence James Hubert, and Kevin Lisbie playing against ex-Nigerian players such as the legendary Kanu Nwankwo, Jay Jay Okocha, Peter Rufai, Joseph Yobo, Mutiu Adepoju, Victor Ikpeba, and Ghanaian’s Stephen Appiah, to name a few.

According to AY, it’s a fitting way to announce the movie project to the world, based on the passion held by diverse cultures for football. “A Trip to Jamaica” was created to celebrate the best of our cultures and, using a football match, which will showcase these great players who have all worn their individual countries national colours to represent them at international competitions, is a fitting way to herald the release of the

movie.”

The football game witnessed comical and musical performances as part of celebrating the cultures of these unique countries.

And the next day was marked with pomp and circumstance, as popular comedian, AY’s new film, A TRIP TO JAMAICA, premiered successfully at the first IMAX Cinema in Nigeria.

The premiere witnessed a huge turnout of celebrities and the crème de la creme in Nigeria’s business circles, including Genevieve, RMD, Stephanie Linus, Helen Paul, Alexx Ekubo, Uti Nwachukwu, Frank Rajah-Arase, Bucci Franklin, Ushbebe, Yvonne Jegede, Peggy Ovire, Don Jazzy, Korede Bello, and Reekado Banks, to name a few.

‘A Trip To Jamaica’ stars, who graced the event, included AY who arrived with Funke Akindele in a white Lamborghini, Nse IkpeEtim, Dan Davies, Chris Attoh and Director Robert Peters.

Moses Inwang, Deon Burton, James Lawrence, AY Makun and Kevin Lisbie

Henry Nwosu (MON), Peter Rufai, Kanu Nwankwo, Alibaba, Jay Jay Okocha and Victor Aghali

Funke Akindele and Ayo Makun

Mo Abudu

Freeze(Cool FM), Richard Mofe-Damijo and Sexy Steel

Tuface and Annie Idibia

Sexy Steel, Drew Uyi and Tekno

Princess and Omo Baba

Uti Nwachukwu

Seyi Law

Alex Ekubo

Linus Idahosa and Stephanie Okereke-Linus

AY and Mabel Makun

October 8, 2016 • THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper

39

40

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • October 8, 2016

Fitness File

The Edenlifestyle corner with

Help, I Need To Put On Weight

A

Maje Ayida

majeayida@edenlifenigeria.com www.edenlifenigeria.com, 07062614551

few days ago I was in a meeting with a guy that asked me the best way to put on weight. While this is not a common problem out here in Lagos, there are still a number of people that are struggling with this. For the majority, “envious” is the word that comes to mind for anyone who needs to gain weight since most people are on the other end of the scale, desperately trying to lose it.

For people who struggle to maintain a healthy weight or are trying to gain weight, it can be a real challenge. Reasons for needing to gain weight include health issues, lack of appetite, fueling sports, building muscle, or just trying to overcome skinny genes. The idea is to do it in a healthy way, not by just eating all you can.

Calories Count, But So Do Nutrients Focus on healthy foods to gain weight, because even though you have more room to manouver with calories, good nutrition still rules. Weight gain requires eating calorie-rich but also nutrient-rich foods, not just high-calorie foods with lots of fat, sugar, or empty calories. The goal is to choose foods that are packed with vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and calories so each bite is loaded with good nutrition.

Start with nutritious foods and then wherever you can, enrich the foods with additional ingredients like yogurt, fruit, nuts, and healthy fats.

Eat Often to Gain Weight Regardless of why you want to gain weight, eating meals or substantial snacks (think mini-meals) more often is the way to pack more calories into the day. Try to eat six times a day, with each meal (or at least three of them) containing protein, starch, vegetables, and fats. A sample meal would include a turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread with mayonnaise and tomatoes and a fruit smoothie. Eat often and choose wisely, and you can expect to gain an average of half a pound to 1 pound per week.

Gaining Muscle Mass Athletes who want to bulk up need to add sufficient calories and protein along with proper strength training to make sure they gain weight in the right places.

They eat protein-rich snacks such as a high-protein energy bar, low-fat chocolate milk, or a protein shake immediately after weight training to give muscles the necessary post-workout fuel. Athletes are advised to snack on high-calorie, high=protein foods and beverages, such as a protein shake with two scoops of whey protein before bedtime. Avid exercisers who are not trying to build muscle mass also need frequent healthy snacks to fuel their physical activity and to maintain or gain weight.

Gaining Weight After an Illness Weight loss is often associated with illness because of a lack of appetite or certain disease conditions. During illness, most diets are inadequate in calories, protein, vitamins, and minerals, all the nutrients you need to get back to good nutritional status. Drinking smoothies or meal replacement drinks, eating egg dishes, and choosing bland, mild foods is usually the best diet prescription while transitioning back to a healthy diet. These foods are easy to digest, loaded with good nutrition, and simple to prepare.

In addition to all the other important nutrients, focus on getting enough protein, which is very important in recovery after illness. Aim for about 5 ounces of lean meat, fish, or poultry and

a few servings of dairy, whole grains, eggs, and legumes to make sure your diet has enough protein. Avoid raw fish if your immune system is compromised.

When eating just doesn’t appeal to you, there are some tricks of the trade that can help stimulate your appetite: -Taking a little walk before eating is one of the many ways to help fire up your appetite. When you are not hungry, choosing your favorite comfort foods may help. So can jazzing up foods with spices and herbs to enhance flavor.

-Liquids, including water, can fill you up. So drink liquids separately to help make room for nourishing foods.

-The sweet taste of fruit can rouse your appetite, especially when blended into an easy-to-tolerate smoothie.

Foods That Pack a Punch Foods highest in calories and nutrients are foods with fats, especially plant fats.

Plant fats such as nuts, peanuts, seeds, peanut butter, almond butter, avocados, hummus, and oils are great sources of healthy fats loaded with nutrients and calories. Animal fats provide nutrients and the same amount of calories as plant fats, but they also contain saturated fats, which can increase LDL (bad) cholesterol.

First choose plant fats and smaller amounts of lower-fat dairy and lean meat animal fats, so your weight gain efforts don’t increase risk of heart disease. If you have a normal cholesterol level, you can

enjoy extra calories by choosing full-fat dairy products. For instance, pair cheese with fruit and whole-grain crackers for a boost of protein, calories, calcium, and vitamin D. Drink high-calorie juices instead of water and choose high-calorie condiments such as mayonnaise, ranch, thousand island, and Caesar salad dressings. Meal replacement drinks and smoothies are very convenient. To pump up their calories, add fruits, powdered milk, or soft silken tofu.

Eat nuts by the handful or sprinkle them on top of soups, salads, cereal, desserts, and casseroles for added protein, fiber, healthy fat, and calories. Granola, loaded with nuts and dried fruits, is a concentrated source of nutritious calories, especially when eaten with full-fat Greekstyle yogurt, which is higher in protein.

Dried fruits are a concentrated source of calories that can be tossed on salads, yogurts, cereals, desserts, and trail mixes, or eaten alone.

Potatoes are a great vehicle for toppings. Or, when you cook potatoes, add in flavored oils, milk, cheese, chili, vegetables, and beans. Fried foods are fine on occasion, but a better choice than deep-fried foods would be stir-fried foods in healthy oils. Another easy way to add calories is to drizzle olive or canola oil on vegetables, salads, whole grains, soups, casseroles, and stews.

Good luck.

Eat nuts by the handful or sprinkle them on top of soups, salads, cereal, desserts, and casseroles for added protein, fiber, healthy fat, and calories.

Granola, loaded with nuts and dried fruits, is a concentrated source of nutritious calories, especially when eaten with full-fat Greek-style yogurt, which is higher in protein. Dried fruits are a concentrated source of calories that can be tossed on salads, yogurts, cereals, desserts, and trail mixes, or eaten alone

43

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 8, 2016

WITH

MARKET PLACE

OMOLABAKE FASHOGBON 08033621009

L-R: QA Manager Twintech (UK), Adeyemi Yesufu; Principal Consultant, Twintech, Femi Jemilawon; Managing Partner, Twintech, Taye Alli; Co-Managing Partner, Twintech, Kehinde Alli; and Consultant, David Fapohunda, at the Twintech/ Sap success factor cloud awareness roundtable session in Lagos recently

L-R: Chairman, Lagos State Sports Commission, Deji Tinubu; OLX PR & Communications Lead,Uche Nwagboso;winner and student of Topfield College, Apapa,Elizabeth Braimoh ; and Founder/CEO Bestman Game LTD, Nimi Akinkugbe during the presentation of prizes to the winners of Lagos Monopoly Under 17 Championship at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere in Lagos

Infogem Unveils Programme for Olojo Festival Infogem limited, the official consultant and marketer for Olojo Festival, has thrown open the programme outline for this year’s event even as its called on corporate organisations to consider the historical event as an avenue to promote and showcase their products to the world through sponsorship.

This year’s festival ,with the theme: Community Festivals:’A veritable Avenue For Boosting Domestic Tourism’ has been branded to rescusitate the economy of ile-ife and Osun state at large, as seen in the richness and varieties

Blackberry, Zimperium Ink Agreements on Device Security Like Apple, which is constantly improving and strengthening security on its devices, Blackberry is following suit and not relenting in any way to beef up security on its product.

The global software leader which recently introduced DTEK50,branded as ‘world’s most secure’ phone has sealed an agreement with a California based mobile security and threats management platform, Zimperium,to offer to its enterprise and government customers a comprehensive mobile threat detection, risk analysis and prevention for all its devices.

According to the Chief Security Officer at BlackBerry, Dave Kleidermacher, the latest move is another way the phone maker is working harder to secure, connect and mobilize the enterprise.

Shedding more light on the security application, Kleidermacher said Zimperium’s zIPS integrates with BlackBerry’s good dynamics secure mobility platform and BlackBerry Enterprise Server,BES12, which is part of the good secure Enterprise Mobility Management,EMM, Suites from BlackBerry.

He added that Good Dynamics and BES12 integrated with Zimperium zIPS ,offer comprehensive threat detection, visibility and protection against network, device and application mobile attacks on corporate applications and data.

To the Chief Executive Officer of Zimperium,Shridhar Mittal, most enterprises now take the protection of valuable data as their priority so as to keep their information away from intruders.

Explaining further how the innovation works,Mittal added that “The zIPS solution continuously monitors the behavior of an underlying operating system in mobile devices in real time. It detects anomalies within a system’s Central Processing Unit, memory and thousands of other parameters to automatically determine normal and malicious behavior. Once a deviation is identified to be malicious, the device reports the attack and extensive details about the threat. This enables immediate remediation through the BlackBerry EMM controls and policies, which allows for auto-responses to remotely lock or wipe containerized applications on a compromised device”

of the event’s line up.

Speaking at a corporate forum which unveiled the festival and well attended by Yoruba elders in the corporate environment ,including His Imperial Majesty, Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi,the Ooni reiterated the need for culture and tourism to be placed at the forefront of development.

The traditional ruler who was flanked by yoruba elders and business tycoons including : former Attorney General and the Minister of Justice of Nigeria, Prince Bola Ajibola; former

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae; Otunba Subomi Balogun and many others also called for habitual celebration of the elders as an appreciation of the yoruba culture.

“The powers of this world belong to God, the next in line are the elders as they have seen it all .It is high time we recognised their contributions and learn from their wealth of wisdom to build our future .We are yet to celebrate our elders, we must develop the habit of celebrating them, institutions must

Consumers Praise Power Oil on Sustained Initiative Consumers turned out enmasse to honour this year’s Power oil ‘pay with calories 3.0’,an annual consumer activation programme of the firm to encourage a lifestyle that will aid and maintain a healthy heart status,even as they commended the organisation for its fidelity.

The firm had three years ago,when its kicked off the initiative,promised to make it a yearly affair and has so far ,kept its words even as its owns that a healthy lifestyle should be habitual.

The initiative which is also in commemoration of the annual World Heart Day was observed simultaneously in Lagos and Ibadan and attracted huge and excited crowd who were curious to have a feel of treadmills so as to burn calories. Participants were also rewarded based on the amount of calories they were able to burn, with free medical check-ups made available on the spot.

According to the firm’s Brand Manager, Disha Argawal,the initiative is to promote healthy living by encouraging Nigerians to pay more attention to their body and be cautious about what they

consume so as to live long.

“We try to advice against the consumption of low-quality or sub-standard cooking oil, which on the long run puts consumers at risk of heart related diseases and other health hazards” Public Relations Manager of the company , Omotayo Azeez, noted that common and daily challenges like struggling to strike a balance between work pressure and home front, keeping sedentary lifestyles and coping with other salient life demands and frequent lifestyle join hands with other issues to make healthy living such as eating good food and visiting the gym, a dream unachievable for many.

As a result of this,Azeez said, “we deemed it fit to come up with various supporting initiatives to inspire consumers to take good care of their health such as the Mother’s Day Activity, Walk-Heart -on Heart Health Mission as well as Power oil sponsored weekly program which invites health specialists to include :nutritionists, fitness trainers, medical practitioners to advice consumers on health related matters.

Firm Susprises Social Media Fans with Gift The La Casera Company Plc has boosted its credibility among its numerous social media followers having rewarded winners in its ongoing Apple quiz competition.

According to the Marketing Manager of the soft drink company,Mr. Benson Abraham , the quiz competition which kicked off last month has recorded impressive turn out from willing participants who kept on rushing the brand’s online platform to partake in the game.

While presenting the prizes, he expressed delight at the number and quality of entries received so far, which to him suggested how well people have familiarise themselves with the brand.

“During the competition, we threw out different questions about the brand,we were

amazed by the turn out of our fans as well as the responses coming in.Today,we are rewarding the winners that we have been able to select from our social media handles having collated the right answers.

Abraham stated further that the exercise was one of the avenues through which the brand seeks to reward consumers based on their knowledge of the brand. He therefore urged all Nigerians to get involved as they stand the chance of winning several exciting prizes including branded items, Ipods, Iphones and many more.

One of the winners, Mrs. Anthonia Osasumwen applauded the firm on the initiative as she noted that such was a brilliant idea at drawing consumers closer to its products and gaining more confidence in the people.

celebrate them and not just their children.

We must let people know about our elders, they are powerful elders who have shaped the country in one way or the other”.

The Director of Heritage Sites and Monuments, National Museum and Monuments, Mr Oluremi Adebayo also called on all and sundry in the yoruba territory to make it a point of duty to honour this year’s outing even as he explained that such is one way of transmitting cultural heritage from one generation to another and improving the nation’s investment.

ATCON Unveils New Version of Web-Based Portal The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, ATCON has added another feature in its cap,as it updated its information platform to a web based model in order to enhance its media reach.

The association which before now used to communicate happenings around the Information Communication Technology,ICT sector via newsletter noted that the latest move was necessary in order to increase its presence on the web and give it huge media mileage.

The new website, www.atcon.ng/ atconnews was unveiled recently by the Executive Vice Chairman,EVC, of Nigerian Communications Commission,NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta at a grand reception ceremony organised by the association in honour of the EVC. The EVC noted that the latest development was a good step from the association which will keep telecommunications operators as well as industry stakeholders abreast of innovations and update in the sector.

According to the President of ATCON,Olusola Teniola,the site will be useful in particular to NCC, National Information Technology Development Agency (NiTDA),members and non members of the association,government at all levels as well as local and international stakeholders.

Teniola added that the new platform offers to champion an enabling environment for the telecommunication industry as well as to influence government policy and to guide current and prospective investors.

The initiative which was also put together as a way of giving back to members of the association,it is believed, would further reposition ATCON as an institution that is forward looking and presided over by investment driven minds.

46

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 8, 2016

PERSPECTIVE

Buhari’s Needless Electoral Committee Samson Ubiri

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he Constitution and Electoral Reform Committee recently inaugurated by the Federal Government is an ill-advised, needless, diversionary, and timebuying jamboree. It is another job for the boys.

Honestly, there is virtually no purpose this Committee intends to serve, which the Justice Mohammed Uwais Committee report will not serve. Membership cut across the civil society, academia, security, judiciary, etc. we had eminent and knowledgeable Nigerians like Bolaji Akinyemi, Olisa Agbakoba, Prof. Grace Alele-Williams, Bishop Matthew Kukah, Mr. Festus Okoye, and Prof. Attahiru Jega, Musliu Smith, etc. Consultations held all over Nigeria over about a year with inputs from foreign experts.

Very sound recommendations were made, most of which were already effected during the Constitution and Electoral Act amendments in 2010 under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan. Local and international communities have lauded that process piloted by Chief Ike Ekweremadu as the greatest effort at reforming the electoral system in this dispensation.

Among other breakthroughs the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was removed from the political shackles of the president. That was why Jega could hold his own because he did not have to go begging Jonathan for money. The use of Administrative Panels to witch-hunt and blacklist opponents from electoral contests as was seen under Olusegun Obasanjo in 2007 was also abolished.

The Supreme Court’s ruling in Paul Unongo v Aper Aku and others in 1983, which removed time limits for election petitions on the grounds of principles of Separation of Powers and fundamental human rights was inherited by the 1999 Constitution and Electoral Act. Some cases dragged until well after the disputed tenure. Although the Uwais Panel recommendation for the

Ken Nnamani exhaustion of election litigations before inauguration did not fully scale through, the National Assembly towed a middle ground by providing for a maximum time for hearing and determination of Election Petitions. Further efforts to extend the time limit to pre-election cases in 2015 sadly did not receive Jonathan’s blessing.

My point is that we have made a lot of progress in electoral reforms, without which an opposition party could indeed not have won the 2015 general elections. Admittedly, there are a few key recommendations by Uwais Committee not yet ingrained in our laws. They include the mode of appointment of INEC Chairman, establishment of Electoral Offences Commission, and provision for independent candidacy. In the appointment of INEC Chairman and members, for instance, it removed presidency as the appointing authority and vests it in the

National Judicial Council (NJC) in a competitive process.

So, why did Buhari have to inaugurate another panel, especially at a time like this?

More so, when the National Assembly is already taking steps to further improve the electoral process? Why not dust up the Uwais Panel report, look at the key recommendations (like removal of presidency as the appointing authority of INEC board) that are not yet integrated into our laws, meet with the leadership of the National Assembly and relevant Committees, discuss these matters, and have your suggestions integrated into their ongoing work? Must we set up a Snake Killing Committee when we already have sticks and machete?

Besides, there is so much that the Buhari administration could improve in our electoral system by simply respecting/implementing the existing laws and by the right democratic body language. For instance, does Buhari need a Committee to know that it was morally wrong to have appointed a fellow Fulani as INEC Chairman? Would Buhari have accepted an Ijaw man as INEC Chairman under Jonathan or a Yoruba man under Obasanjo?

By this precedent, a Nigerian president may one day appoint his/her spouse with the INEC Chairman. After all, President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua recently nominated his wife, Rosario, as his vice presidential candidate in the November 2016 election. Impunity begets greater impunity.

Conversely, in the last English Premier League season, Kevin Friend, the original referee for Tottenham Hortspur and Stoke City match was changed because he lived in Leicester City, home of Tottenham’s main contenders and eventual EPL winners. But the Third World is just Third World.

Furthermore, does Buhari need a Committee to promptly fill vacant positions in the INEC board of 13 members, which he allowed to deplete to as low as just two Commissioners at some point, obviously due to post-2019 considerations? Does he need a Committee to fulfill the provisions of Section 14 (2) of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution by filling the 21 vacant positions of State Resident Electoral Commissioners,

RECs, to enable INEC function optimally?

Does he need a Committee to obey court orders or respect the principle of Separation of Powers ingrained in our constitution?

Does he need any Committee to know that the National Assembly is not a branch office of the presidency and are at liberty to choose their leaders?

Furthermore, does INEC need a Reform Committee to conduct rerun elections within the timeframes ordered by Election Petition Tribunals/Courts in line with the Electoral Act and Section 76 of the 1999 Constitution?

Does INEC need a Committee to know that the inconclusive elections and capricious postponement of elections at the behest of the powers that be composes a requiem for our democracy, leaving millions of Nigerians without representatives?

Did President Jonathan need any Committee to call to congratulate Buhari even while collation was ongoing, in order to defuse the bloated tension in the country? Even when Card Reader refused to accredit Jonathan and wife, he ensured that monkeys and baboons did not soak in their own blood. Throughout his tenure, he did not need any Committee to congratulate the opposition each time they won- by ballots or courts/tribunals.

Lastly, Senator Ken Nnamani’s democratic credentials may not be wonderful after all.

Like most gullible Nigerians, I used to hold him in high esteem until his dastardly role in his State’s politics in the run up to the 2015 general election. I did not believe the media reports that he was staunchly with exGovernor Sullivan Chime on the compulsory retirement of National Assembly members from his Enugu State to be able to replace them with their acolytes- without recourse to primaries. But his open endorsement of the chicken impeachment unleashed on ex-Deputy Governor Sunday Onyebuchi opened my eyes. Onyebuchi’s offence, according to media reports, was that he indicated interest in a senatorial seat against ex-Governor Chime and Senator Nnamani’s preferred candidate- Ifeoma Nwobodo.

– Ubiri lives in Ogoja, Cross Rivers State

Read full article online: www.thisdaylive.com

The Coming Realignment inYorubaland Femi Fani-Kayode

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here are two events that are of major significance this week.

The first is the birthday of a man of immense integrity and a great son of the Yoruba by the name of Olusegun Rahman Mimiko who was 62 years old on October 3rd.

Much has been said about him over the last few years and encomiums have been deservedly showered on him from all quarters for his birthday. I will only add this: ever since I have known Mimiko when he was a senior colleague in President Obasanjo’s cabinet he has been kind, forthright, courageous, honest, consistent, clear-thinking, hard-working and God-fearing.

His tenure as Minister of Housing under Obasanjo was successful and he went on, against all odds, to be elected governor of Ondo state where his work and legacy, particularly in the health sector, is simply outstanding.

Anyone that doubts that should simply pay a visit to Ondo State and see for themselves. What he has done in the last 8 years is simply unprecedented and I am very proud of him.

He has proved to be a loyal friend through thick and thin and he possesses an uncanny foresight into matters that only the Holy Spirit can give.

A devout and committed evangelical Christian, who like many of us, is not ashamed of proclaiming his faith and carrying it into all that he does, Mimiko undoubtedly still has a major role to play in the affairs of our nation.

I am proud to be not just one of his political associates and friends but also his brother and I stand shoulder to shoulder

with him in whatever his ambitions or aspirations may be for the future.

The other significant event is the rapproachement and blooming friendship that exists between two sons of the Yoruba both of whom I have immense respect and affection for. Like Mimiko I have a special place in my heart for them both and this has been so for many years.

The first is my brother Ayo Fayose whose courage is second to none and the second is Rauf Aregbesola who is a Yoruba nationalist to the core and who is, in my view, the brightest and the best within the ranks of the APC. I got to know Fayose well when he was Governor of Ekiti in his first coming and only a fool will not acknowledge the fact that his return to power a number of years later after suffering the most terrible and wicked form of persecution from his enemies was clearly prophetic.

Fayose was accused of corruption and prosecuted by the EFCC. He was also accused of murder and so many other things by those who wanted him dead and destroyed.

Yet in spite of it all he defeated his traducers and adversaries in court, he rose again and he has not only become one of the most potent voices and forces in our politics today but he has also metamorphosed into something of a whirlwind and destructive hurricane against the Buhari administration.

He is a man that is destined for greatness despite his humble beginnings and he has broken all the norms and crossed all the red lines and boundries of Yoruba politics by proudly and openly defying the powers that be in the west, capturing the imagination of the people and bulldozing his way to the top by popular will. That takes guts and it could only have been done by the finger of God.

Then comes Rauf Aregbesola who I got to know well in 2013. What I found the most attractive and most extraordinary about him was his loyalty to any cause that he commits himself to; coupled with his total and complete faithfulness and fidelity to his political associates and friends and particularly to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu under whom he served as Commissioner for Works.

Apart from that few know that he is an expert and authority on Yoruba ancient history and this informs and feeds his very rare and distinct sense of Yoruba nationalism.

I have written about him on several occasions over the years and despite the fact that I disagree fundamentally with him on a number of issues and we do not belong to the same party my admiration and respect for him remains intact and unshakeable.

We may all have our differences in terms of political party affiliation but one thing is clear: as he rightly told Fayose during their recent meeting in Ado Ekiti a few days ago, there will be a realignment of political forces both in and outside of the south west very soon. There is no question about the fact that he is right about that.

And when that time comes we all need to wise up, smell the coffee and accept the fact that we must stand together as one in order to defend the interest of our people.

When the lion and the tiger stand shoulder to shoulder in defence of the castle it makes it very difficult for the jackals and the bandits to mount the walls and take the gates.

For those that are still asleep and that refuse to recognise the fact that there is a problem in this country kindly consider the following.

30 per cent of the oil reserves and 40 per cent of the gas reserves in our country are in Bayelsa State.

Nigeria has become relatively rich as a consequence of this and up until one year four months ago our economy was booming.

The oil of the people of the Niger Delta appears to be good enough for Nigeria yet the people of the Niger Delta do not appear to be worthy of anything as far as Nigeria is concerned.

After railroading the only Niger Deltan President in our history out of power in a rigged election after just one term and then coming after his family, friends and political associates with everything that they have got, the new powers that be refused to stop there.

They went further by doing their best to rig the governorship election in his state but they failed as a consequence of the sheer doggedness and fortitude of Seriake Dickson, the Governor of the state and the defiant and gallant fighting spirit of the people.

Yet in an attempt to pay them back for their stubborn streak the President decided to prove to the whole world that Bayelsa, the state that lays the golden egg for the whole nation, was not worthy of even one member of the Board of Directors of NNPC or even one out of the 44 ambassadors that were recently appointed by him. On all counts Bayelsa was left out.

Is that fair? Is it justice? Is it equity? I must acknowledge the fact that I was furnished with these interesting facts by the Secretary to the Bayelsa State Government, His Royal Highness Barrister David Serena-Dokubo Spiff, and having cross-checked them they have proved to be accurate and true.

This sort of treatment that has been meted to Bayelsa State goes across the board in all the states of both the south-south and the south-eastern zones of our country.

Read full article online: www.thisdaylive.com

47

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 8, 2016

PERSPECTIVE

Economic Recession and the Insurance Industry Funmi Babington-Ashaye

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ith the latest macroeconomic data from the Bureau of Statistics, it is now confirmed that Nigeria is no longer in a technical recession but full economic recession.

Evidence of this lies in the consecutive negative growth of gross domestic product (GDP) in the first two quarters of 2016, the current double digit inflation rate of 17.5% in July, prohibitive cost of investible funds of about 25-30%, high unemployment rate of over 20%, dearth of foreign exchange and continuous slide in the value of the Naira. With one USA dollar exchanging for #440 in the 4th week of September, 2016, business entities are experiencing very difficult times while consumers are no longer able to meet their needs as they use to. The value of the purchasing power is dwindling by the day so much so that the minimum wage of N18,000 per month can no longer buy a bag of rice! Local Airlines are suspending their operations because of operational challenges..

It is fair to say that these are not the best of times for households, businesses and even managers of the economy. To put it mildly, all sectors and players in the economy are challenged operationally and financially. Although a lot is being done by the government to reverse the negative trend, the impact of the policies are long in coming because of the lag effect of monetary and fiscal policies. Not a few are now calling for the sale of national assets to rescue the economy from the recession which is the worst, according to analysts, in 25 years. In spite of this, I am persuaded that the current challenges hold a lot of opportunities for discerning players in the economy and in particular, in the Insurance Industry.

INSURANCE AND BUSINESS Insurance is an intangible product which provides comfort to investors and risk takers. It restores the policyholder to the position he was before the occurrence of the disaster he hedged against. In this manner, insurance takes away the fear of the unknown and encourages the potential policyholder to take advantage of opportunities in line with his risk appetite. In this way, insurance oils the wheels of business and commerce.

Expectedly, when the economy is growing steadily, economic activities will also increase in number and value raising the

Babington-Ashaye need for insurance protection. Indeed, economic growth leads to more insurance business as more risky investments are undertaken requiring insurance cover.

Put differently, a byproduct of economic growth is a booming Insurance Industry with diverse products created to cater to the needs of consumers. The reverse is also true. A slowing down of the economy will necessarily imply a decline in insurance business. For instance, with a shrinking economy, a number of employment opportunities will be lost, contributory pensions by employees will decline, life assurance (whether group or personal) will decline, life assurance policies may be cancelled or surrendered, premium will be lost and the going concern of insurance companies may even be threatened, manufacturing companies, Airlines etc are closing down and hence not renewing their polices. Here lies the need for creativity in the insurance industry in order to salvage the situation. There is need for insurers to think outside the box to stay afloat. Insurers need to leverage the current economic crisis to launch out.

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX Purchase of Insurance Bond Products

From experience, during recessions, as we currently have, the level of trust is regrettably low. Even when people want to meet their obligations, they are unable to do so because of unemployment or low purchasing power. On the side of corporate entities, companies are experiencing poor sales, low turnover, high operational costs, low or no profits, etc., and therefore are often unable to meeting their maturing obligations. In other words, economic difficulties can raise default risks with negative impact on credibility and trust.

Under the scenario, banks will be unwilling to give out loans because the borrower may not be able to pay back as an when due; the government will not be sure that the contractor will execute a contract in line with the terms of the award if it is mobilized with some funds; manufacturers will not be certain that their suppliers will deliver raw materials after receiving some advance payments. Here lies the efficacy of insurance bonds.

The insurance industry has a variety of bonds: performance bond, advance payment bond, etc. These are products that should be activated and aggressively marketed to stimulate business activities which would in turn give rise to other insurance business. With these bonds, the banks, the government and manufacturers will be given some level of comfort that will persuade them to take risks by releasing moneys for various economic activities.

Pursue Vertical Growth At a time like this, insurance companies should take advantage of the benefits of vertical growth through mergers and acquisition. Through mergers, they will certainly reap the synergistic benefits of scale of operations, reduced overheads, increased branch network, technical and human capacity.

Importance of Consumerism Given the current economic challenges, the insurers must step back and re-evaluate their product offerings. The industry must take its bearing from the market place if it is to survive. Its product offerings should reflect the dynamics of the business environment and the needs of its diverse customers. The Insurance practitioners must deliberately strive to identify the needs of their consumers, plan products that will adequately meet those needs, properly price, promote and distribute those products such that both parties will mutually benefit from the process. Especially significant is the need to innovate as conditions change. This innovation may require the modification of existing covers

or providing totally new options. The insured should be delighted by the quality and variety of product/service he gets such that his patronage is assured.

Whether we like it or not, the whole business of insurance must be built around the customer to guarantee his brand loyalty.

Accordingly, insurance companies must continue to carefully develop products based on the information they obtain from the market place and package them in a manner that will both be beneficial to the insured and insurer. The managers and employees in the insurance industry must strive to define and understand the purpose of the insurance business, provide affirmative responses to why certain things are done and why a policy is issued.

They must appreciate the essence of their functions and tasks, if they must be able to create value. They must learn to add personal touch to the sale and marketing of insurance policies. The introduction of Customer Relationship Management is a critical success factor in this respect.

Insurers must imbibe this market-focused philosophy because, companies that can tailor their product lines and distribution channels to tested customer needs, with a focus on service, will win competitive advantage The bell tolls for everyone In this season, the insurers must ensure that risks are properly evaluated and fitted into the risk profile of their companies.

They must be careful about the cover he provides. He must conduct due diligence and properly assess the risk before accepting to underwrite. Secondly, the brokers must ensure that the insured’s interest is protected by explaining the details of insurance contracts to them. They must promptly remit insurance premium collected to the insurers, ensure that disasters are promptly reported and evaluated as well as ensure that verified claims are promptly settled.

If there are disputes, he should ensure that loss adjusters are invited to mediate and that claims are agreed and settled as soon as possible. Above all, the regulators must ensure full compliance to regulations and code of best practices by stepping up the tempo of supervision. This, they can do, only if they hire the right technical personnel and invest in training. In a liberalized, recession-ridden market, such as we now have, enforcement of rules is crucial to the maintenance of discipline and sanity in the industry.

–Funmi Babington-Ashaye, FCII, is the MD/CEO Risk Analyst Insurance Brokers Ltd

World Bank Study Blames Low Productivity For Poor Service Delivery

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research report has revealed that low productivity of workers rather than the availability of personnel or geographical structures are the factors responsible for poor service delivery in Nigeria’s education and health sectors.

While appealing for increased spending, the study, which was conducted by the World Bank in partnership with the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) and the African Development Bank Group (ADB), suggested improved services to address the identified issues.

At a two-day workshop with the media and civil society organisations in Abuja, which was organised by AERC and the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER), Dr Opeyemi Fadeyibi, Service Delivery Indicators Field Coordinator at the World Bank, said: “Low productivity of workers may be attributed to several causes including low levels of technical knowledge required to deliver services, low levels of provider effort, lack of motivation to work and absence of necessary input to deliver services.”

The overall objective of the SDI project is to gauge the quality of service delivery in primary education and basic health services and to provide a set of robust measures for benchmarking service delivery performance in Africa. It is expected that this will enable the governments and citizens identify gaps and to track progress over time. It is envisaged that the high public awareness and persistent focus on these indicators will mobilise

policymakers, citizens, service providers and donors to ensure and enforce accountability along the service delivery value chains.

The workshop was organised to create high level public awareness about the state of quality of service delivery in health and education sectors in Nigeria in order to sensitise the media and civil society organisations to support the process of bringing about positive change in service delivery performance and possible policy actions for better quality service delivery in the two critical sectors.

The education survey was conducted in four states – Anambra, Ekiti, Niger and Bauchi – with data collected in June 2013. It focused on primary schools, teachers and publics, while the Federal Ministry of Education assisted the World Bank in the exercise.

The result revealed that school absence rate was 13.7 per cent in the entire sample area with public schools recording 16.9 per cent absence rate as against 5.5 per cent for private schools. Reasons for absence by the teachers included field trip (25.7 per cent), illness (19.9%), retrieving salary (10.2 per cent) and maternity leave (9.2 per cent).

In the area of teacher competence, only 36.8 per cent of the surveyed teachers were found competent in Mathematics and another 46.3 per cent in English Language, while a mere 15.3 per cent demonstrated ability in pedagogy.

The health sector survey was conducted between June 2013 and January 2014 in 12 states with a random selection of two states for each of the six geo-political zones. These are: Osun, Ekiti, Anambra,

From left…Mr Obadia Miroro, Assistant Knowledge Manager at African Economic Research Consortium (AERC); Prof. Victor Adeyeye, Acting Director General of the Nigeria Social and Economic Research Institute (NISER); Dr (Mrs) Opeyemi Fadeyibi, Service Delivery Indicators Field Coordinator at The World Bank; Wilson Wasike, Manager Collaborative Research AERC; and Dr Adebayo Ajala, Social and Governance Policy Research Department at NISER, at the media workshop on Service Delivery Indicators in Abuja... recently

Imo, Bayelsa, Cross River, Kebbi, Kaduna, Bauchi, Taraba, Nasarawa and Kogi States. The Federal Ministry of Health assisted the World Bank to conduct the survey which focused on primary health care, secondary facilities, health care providers and end users of health care.

The study revealed that only 19.8 per cent of the sample area professionals with ability to manage maternal and newborn complication. Specifically, there were 33.2 percent medical doctors across the sample area, 23.9 per cent nurses or midwifes, 13.6 per cent community health workers and 12.4 per

cent other professionals.

For availability of drugs, health posts had 46.9 per cent, 47.3 per cent for health centres and 63 per cent in the hospitals, while hospitals scored only 1.8 per cent of vaccines.

AERC stated that availability of infrastructure such as toilets, clean water and electricity was a key challenge, especially the availability of improved toilets, which stands at merely 34 per cent of health facilities.

Read full article online: www.thisdaylive.

48

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • October 8, 2016

Interview

‘Banks Need to Do More For Their Customers’ Every year, Nigerian banks celebrate their over 60 million customers. But customers are are treated as kings. Some banks even go to the extent of flying loyal customers abroad to relax in five-star hotels. This year, the celebration is not as grand as it ought to be. In this interview with Chinedu Aforonwa, a loyal bank customer, Ambrose Awelimobor, a player in the oil industry, shares his experience

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hat is your perception of Nigeria’s banking industry?

The banking industry in Nigeria has been very turbulent in the sense that we hardly see them in our businesses. We only see them when they bring their girls to come and collect money but when we want to do business, they begin to give reasons.

For example, if you want to take a loan, the loans are always short-term, never long-term. However, in the oil industry where I work, we believe in the long term because sometimes you engage in an exploration programme and for 5 years, you haven’t gotten the oil out. I know they are funding people now who have marginal oil fields that have oil running; they go to those ones. They say they want to fund exploration but they don’t do it because it’s too long for them.

So, I think the banks really are good for the traders, for short term people but for long term business, a lot of work still needs to be done.

Now, I agree that the bank doesn’t understand the industry yet. They understand the trading aspect but when it comes to oil and gas, they don’t have a grasp of it and that is why they don’t understand that you have to wait for some time before the money comes. It seems to be improving now because I understand there is something known as the energy desk which will help a lot because they will be able to understand how we operate. Still, sometimes when you go to the energy desk and you tell them this is a project of the oil industry, they look at you and say they want to calculate it as they calculate returns for selling across the counter. Maybe their understanding of the industry has not been good enough but they are getting better now. That is my perception of the industry generally.

What has been your personal experience?

As a person, I try to scale down to what I can afford. I don’t blame the banks because they say they give people loans and they don’t pay back. But, if I give you my house and you still want me to give you money, what are you talking about?

What do you think the banks are doing right?

We have advocated for a specialised

Awelimobor

bank, an industry bank in the past, but no one has risen to the challenge.

Currently, the banks are all too general, chasing the same things. For example, if there is a bank that focuses on energy, they can service people in that industry better. A specialized bank will focus on its area of expertise, which is what we see in developed countries. If you need equity to build a house, you don’t go to any other bank, you go straight to the bank specialized for that.

They are trying though. Diamond Bank for example, I joined Diamond Bank because they leveraged on a good name. I like diamonds and diamonds last forever. The bank has been there. It has weathered many storms and restructuring. Many banks have gone under but Diamond Bank has remained because they have a good sense of judgement.

You’ve been with Diamond Bank almost since inception about 25 years ago…

Yes How did you get to know about the bank?

I think Ben was the name of the young man who told me about the bank. We were all young at the time. We met somewhere and when I asked where he works, he said Diamond. I said I had never heard of that bank before. He said yes, they are just starting. He asked me to open an account and I said why not?

He took me to their office at Adeola Hopewell, beside the Law School. I filled the form and left. He came a few days later with my account details and that was fast because there was nothing like computer then. That was my first experience with personalized banking. I didn’t have to queue to take money and I didn’t have to because he told me to call him whenever I needed anything. I recalled the first time I called him and my cheque was honoured in no time.

The experience made me feel like a king. He gave me that initial landing in Diamond Bank which was very encouraging.

What was the experience that first day?

It was nice, I was well treated. It was a very good experience and I don’t regret it. I like the bank.

Why have you remained with the bank?

They are not disturbing me, I am not

disturbing them. When I have money I put it there and when I need it I take it from there, so that is it. In fact, I was impressed and I even introduced some companies to them as customers and they were okay. When a foreign company wanted to do business, I told them I knew Diamond Bank and when I called Diamond Bank they came. I enjoy the bank’s services. I like the bank and honestly when you like them you do things for them without having to know the manager or anything.

What are the changes you have noticed over the years?

Technology has come and the bank has expanded, more branches are all over the place. I use some of the solutions.

I like a bank that thinks ahead, that is innovative and that is Diamond Bank. I like the name Diamond and I am always happy when I see it somewhere. If I have money I will buy over the bank.

How often do you come to the bank?

With Automated Teller Machines (ATM) and internet systems, I don’t have to come to the bank. That is why I don’t have any particular branch now.

Do you have any experience that makes you glad to be a customer of the bank?

Very many. In particular is the case of a foreign company that had business to do here and I was consulting for them. The client of the company said they wanted a pro-forma bond from a Nigerian bank. I assured them that Diamond Bank would give it to them.

I was so sure as if I owned the bank.

I called the bank, they came and were very responsive. That company was very happy with them and I was very happy too.

Any bad experience?

I have another experience that was not as good as the previous one mentioned.

I had a contract with a major oil multinational company and I wanted a facility over the weekend. I was going to Port Harcourt and needed to hire a boat and the money in the account was not sufficient. I called the manager and explained the situation to him but he said he was sorry he could not facilitate that. Another bank did it for us and we did not even have an account with the bank. That was how we moved the account to that bank.

Well, that other bank is folded now. The

However, in the oil industry where I work, we believe in the long term because sometimes you engage in an exploration programme and for 5 years, you haven’t gotten the oil out. I know they are funding people now who have marginal oil fields that have oil running; they go to those ones. They say they want to fund exploration but they don’t do it because it’s too long for them.

So, I think the banks really are good for the traders, for short term people but for long term business, a lot of work still needs to be done truth is that with Diamond Bank there are no stories. When a bank start telling you reference is not clear, signature is not regular and things like that; it is a lie, they have no money.

Over the years has there been any regret so far?

No. I like the bank because I will be rich one day and will have plenty of diamonds.many companies in the oil, gas and power industry primarily in the area of pipeline construction and gas facilities. That, in a nutshell, is what I do.

49

OctoBer 8, 2016 • THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper

Business Feature

Innovation and Bank Customer Satisfaction

A Obinna Chima

s the structure of banking in Nigeria continues to evolve, issues of customer satisfaction are increasingly becoming the focus of financial institution.

From the banking hall to the numerous alternative banking channels, banks are developing platform to ensure that their customers get the best of services amid the rising competition in the industry and dwindling revenue.

In the last two decades, bank customers have not only surged in number but have continued to manifest changes in lifestyle and behaviour. This customer lifestyle evolution has made innovations in financial products and servicesdelivery a necessity, as banks have to create, and recreate financial products to be in line with current social and business realities; and, ensure that these product innovations meet the rapidly changing choices of the customer.

In fact, changes in customer lifestyle has followed the unprecedented breakthrough in technology, which changed the way business transactions are conducted and the way we live.

In the 2016 EY Global Consumer Banking Survey, which gauged the relevance of banks in meeting the rapidly changing choices of the customer, the report stressed that excellent customer service is key to success in Africa’s banking sector Indeed, the report noted that whereas just three years ago, banking customers said that the financial stability of their bank was the top reason they were maintaining their banking relationship, today’s banking customers are clearly more focused on the service they receive from their bank.

It is worth noting, however, that while financial stability fell into second place as a primary reason for maintaining a bank account in the report, it remained a key factor for almost a quarter of Africa’s banking customers “In part, the shift away from financial stability reflects the growing strength of Africa’s banking markets and regulation. But it is also being driven by increased awareness of customer rights (largely the result of successful national financial inclusion programs) and greater competition between players. At the same time, Africa’s diaspora and business travelers are returning home with increased expectations of their banks based on their international experience.

“This points to a valuable opportunity for Africa’s banks to differentiate themselves based on excellent customer service which, in turn, should allow them to increase market share and improve loyalty amongst existing customers,” it added.

That is why as banks this week marked the Customer Service Week, the need for the to pay greater attention was brought to the fore. Taking place annually during the first full week in October, Customer Service Week is an international event celebrated throughout the world. The theme for Customer Service Week 2016 was “Service Champions,” which reflected the vital role representatives play in creating a positive experience for each customer, even in sometimes difficult situations.

For Diamond Bank Plc, one of the leading banks in the country, the

Dozie

financial institution has continued to make customer satisfaction as well as the changing lifestyles of its customers the focus of its brand strategy.

In fact, in the recent poll conducted by leading KPMG, Diamond Bank was ranked as one of the top three most customer-focused banks in the country. Participating in a keenly contested category, the bank emerged overall third best in the customer satisfaction index (CSI) with 73.5 points in 2016.

Diamond Bank has maintained a customer-centric strategic mix; passionately leading the revolution in mobile banking innovations and financial inclusion of the un(der) banked in the country. Its mobile app is the most downloaded and registered in the financial services subsector, with over 1.5 million users.

The bank’s Diamond Ye’llow account has remained the most successful in the country, with over five million account holders in two years and through its monthly DiamondXtra draws, Diamond Bank has given out N4 billion to its loyal customers in the last five years, while setting aside N600 million for its loyal customers this year.

The bank had stated that it remains very passionate about its customers, and is continually looking for ways to improve its services in line with developing trends.

It added: “Diamond Bank Plc is a customer driven bank and the quality of our services embodies our mantra which is centered on going beyond banking to achieve customer satisfaction. We are unflinching in our resolve to constantly deploy new technologies and digital applications to drive financial inclusion, convenient banking and enhanced customer friendly services. This rating is a confirmation of our resolve and focus, and reinforces our standing as a bank for the people.”

Investing in the Future Diamond is particularly interested in Young people because they represent the bank’s strategic vision as an organisation of providing superior value and technology-based innovation. The bank stressed that the buying power of this segment that account for more than half of the population in Nigeria, also makes this engagement a strategic imperative. At the same time, our expansion into the retail market requires that we focus on this group.

“Our core corporate social activ-

Diamond Bank Plc is a customer driven bank and the quality of our services embodies our mantra which is centered on going beyond banking to achieve customer satisfaction.

We are unflinching in our resolve to constantly deploy new technologies and digital applications to drive financial inclusion, convenient banking and enhanced customer friendly services. This rating is a confirmation of our resolve and focus, and reinforces our standing as a bank for the people ity in this area focuses on training and equipping students of tertiary institutions in underserved states across the country with (ICT) and Entrepreneurial Skills. This approach will not only provide youths with practical skills that make them employable but will also serve as a source of livelihood through IT Skills development,” it added.

The initiative was implemented in partnership with Paradigm Initiative of Nigeria, a foremost ICT firm in Nigeria. Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN) is a social enterprise that connects underserved Nigerian youth with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) opportunities, with specific concern about the ill effects of unemployment and cybercrime among other vices that limit the potential contribution of young Nigerians to the nation’s economy.

PIN would provide trainees with continued post-program mentorship and support for a period of six months after graduation.

Also recently, Africa’s first Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka and the Lagos State Government commended Diamond Bank for its leading role in championing the intellectual development of children and the growth of art in primary and secondary schools.

Speaking at the unveiling and announcement of the 2016 edition of the Vision of the Child (VOTC) painting and literary arts competition recently, the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule, stated that Diamond Bank’s initiative and sponsorship of the competition since its inception in 2012, was a testament of the bank’s strong commitment to the future of children, pointing that such commitment serves as a wakeup call to other corporate organisations to support and participate in various programs aimed at boosting

the quality of education in the State.

On his part, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Diamond Bank, Uzoma Dozie, reaffirmed his commitment to continue to support laudable projects involving the education of children and the growth of art in the country.

He stated that the growing innovations in technology points to a future where machines will play leading roles in business, thereby leaving only individuals who have the ability to give insight and vision to be the drivers of the future.

“We believe that the VOTC is at the forefront of that future by creating this platform for children to create pictures from information around them thereby grooming them to take over the affairs of the business world and the nation as a whole,” Uzoma added.

Prof. Wole Soyinka, the initiator of the VOTC, said this year’s theme was designed to herald the 50th anniversary of Lagos as a State. The anniversary is billed to hold in 2017.

He added: “Childhood is an invaluable time in an individual’s life which should be filled with sweetness and light. However, the past few editions of the competition have revolved around gloomy themes as we realize that life also has its ugliness and pain, and it is in acknowledging these that we can all share in the collective responsibility for good”.

Customer Security The Security Standard Council, the global union of major payment card issuers recently re-certified Diamond Bank Plc with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) Version 3.0 certificate. The certification was for the bank’s debit and credit cards and stand as a stamp of approval that Diamond Bank’s network architecture, software design, security policies, procedures and protective practices conforms to global security standard and will help prevent card and data fraud in card-based transactions by its customers anywhere in the world.

The move was to ensure greater security in the transactions of its customers.

The PCI DSS standard requirements were developed by the five major payment card issuers, which include Master Card, VISA, America Express, Discover and JCB International. The standard is a benchmark for assessing the level of compliance with safety, security and protection of customers from data fraud by skillfully and accurately evaluating account data via the Bank’s IT network infrastructure and security policies.

Expressing the Bank’s delight on the certification by the PCI Security Standards Council, the bank’s Head,Corporate Communications, Ayona Trimnell, had said she was pleased to receive the certificate after the rigorous audit exercise.

“The award of the PCI DSS certificate marks the end of a rigorous audit exercise that saw Control Case LLC, a United States based Qualified Security Assessor and one of the world’s best Qualified Security Assessors validate the various frameworks we have put in place to ensure our customers carry out card-based transactions in a secured environment. We are pleased to receive this award as it further demonstrates our unrelenting drive to provide unparalleled customer experience,” she added.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 8, 2016

51

VINTAGE Two Nights in Panti’s Cell With two nights in the dreaded but friendly cell of the Lagos State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Godwin Ifijeh narrates his awful journey to a murder charge

S

unday, September 18, 2016 broke like every other day.

There was nothing to give the inkling of a gloomy day ahead.

It radiated beauty and quite unlike me, I was still in bed at 6.30am, far past the usual time I rise on such days to prepare for the Sunday service.

But just as I wondered how to put myself together to get out of bed, do some press ups, brush and clean up, I had a bang on my door, I wondered who the guest could be. It was, however, not completely strange, as the chairman of my little community of Adeyemi/Arowojobe in Oshodi, a Lagos suburb, they are a usual occurrence. From time to time, community members come with one complaint or the other even into the wee hours of the day. The complaints are unending, issues of non-attendance to issues of frequent power outage, undue police arrests and detentions, complaints about the night guards and even personal domestic squabbles. In the recent past, complaints and challenge had bordered more on vandalism.

Hoodlums had descended on the community lately vandalising automobiles. Cars glasses are broken to gain access into them to remove brain boxes, side mirrors, head lamps, trafficators, and other fittings that cost fortunes to replace. In the past weeks, as many as 15 high caliber SUVs were vandalised with many of the cars.

The knock on my door that Sunday morning turned out as well to be by a man whose car had been vandalised. A N13million Toyota Prado, belonging to his company; he had returned late from an official assignment the previous night and was unable to get back to the office to park the car. As usual, the vandals struck at about 5am, scaled the fence into his compound, broke the back windscreen of the car to gain entry, tore open the dash board and tried to remove the brain box, but for early passers-by whose movement scared them off. This, however, was not before they had vandalised some cars in the surrounding neighbourhoods, including Shehu Close and Boye Street. Quickly, I pulled myself together, put on a short and a t-shirt and went down with the young man to his house to take a look at the vandalised vehicle, the extensive nature of the damage to the car was awful, I

Lagos State Commissioner of Police Fatai Owoseni

One of the vandalised cars in the community

called in some elders, including the treasurer of the landlords association and the secretary, who doubles also as secretary of the community development association to take a look at the awful sight with me and then one of our night guards, who was supposed to be around the area that night, to explain where he was when the vandals struck. As we made to leave after asking the jeep man to take the photograph and make a report of it to the police, a phone call came from a woman in the street whose husband’s car was similarly vandalised two weeks earlier to inform me of the arrest of two vehicle vandals in the Mafoluku area of Oshodi. The vandals, according to her, were taken to the Makinde Police Station, close to where they were nabbed. The information brought some excitement and relief as I turned to break the development to the elders around me and the man whose jeep was vandalised, asking him to go to the Makinde Police Station to incident his case and find out if the apprehended vandals were also responsible for the damage to his vehicle. As I prepared to join them there, a call came from the night guard who I had asked to accompany them to the police station that officials of the Makinde Police Station had

denied knowledge of such a case and had asked them instead to check with the Akinpelu Police Station, another police divisional headquarters in the suburb.

Just as they arrived there in company of some friends and other previous victims of the vandals, some men at the head of a mob, brought the two apprehended vandals, one of them severely beaten and in pool of blood, on motor bikes to the station. They reportedly took the two men into the station but the police rejected the badly injured one with severe injuries and a cut on the nose, asking them to take him to the hospital for treatment while they took and kept the other behind the canter. Both the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the station, Mr. Jimoh Aliu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (CSP) and the Operation Officer (Ops) confirmed as much, stating that they could not accept him in the situation he was brought him as they could not risk him dying in their cell.

Along with two other community members, I arrived the station, clutching copies of photographs of earlier vandalised cars in the community with the intention of using them to strengthen the complaints of the victims.

But close to the entrance of the police station,

we met a battered young man sitting on the main road, he was drenched in his blood. Surrounded by a few persons, the blood from his cut nose was already clotting. I got to know with time that he was one of the two apprehended vandals mobbed around the canal in the Mafoluku area of the suburb. He had been abandoned and left to bleed in front of the station after the police insisted that those who brought him took him for treatment.

Moved by pity, a passerby, who also stopped to catch a glimpse of him, openly remarked: “How do the police think the mob that brought this man here would listen to them, wait and take him to the hospital, he has been left outside here since morning bleeding, This action of the police does not make sense, they would have picked a number of those who brought him immediately they came, take the young man to the hospital to halt this bleeding, that way they would have been able to establish those who beat him, where and why he is actually beaten and made them to pay for his treatment if that is what is preventing them from taking him to the hospital”.

Read full article online www.thisdaylive.com

FunasRotaryGivesYoungstersLeadershipTips Omolabake Fasogbon

I

t was another day when education took centre stage as the Rotary Club of Lagos marked this year’s Basic Education and Literacy Month with a visit to Dowen College, Lekki, Lagos.

The visit was very instructive as the Club was able to bring in two young chaps, Obinna Chinewubeze and Miss.

Omoboye Folasade, as guest speakers. Their names might not ring a bell but those who are conversant with recent academic feats at the University of Lagos would attest to the fact that Chinewubeze made a first class in Chemical Engineering while Omoboye also made a first class in Accounting from Babcock University, in Ilishan, Remo in Ogun State.

The two young man and woman were there to give talks on leadership and how the students could develop their leadership skills. However, while the event of the afternoon focused on the talks, it must be noted that the Club also took cognizance of the fact that while Dowen College was an Ivy League school, it does not mean that those whose parents could not afford such school would not benefit from such a programme. That was why, according to the president of the Club, Mrs. Gladys Modupe Sasore, decided to bring students from other colleges from the Mainland. These schools included Lafiaji College in Lagos, Obalende High School as well as Igbobi College, also

in Lagos.

In her welcome address, Sasore said Rotary International always sets aside September as its Basic Education and Literacy Month. She added that “Rotary Club of Lagos has always been at the fore-front of promoting education and literacy among pupils and students.”

She explained that education increases the self esteem of a child and also his or her confidence. She said apart from the fact that there has been tremendous access to education; she explained that the quality of education in the country has also improved which could be gleaned from the quality of students and graduates being produced.

In his address, one of the guest speakers, Chinewubeze, spoke on Leadership and You. According to him, the best way someone could lead others is how well he or she has been able to lead him or herself.

He admonished the students to start honing their leadership skills right from their school days.

Obinna is the author of Secrets of Best Graduating Students. To the glory of God, I was the best graduating student of Lagos State Polytechnic. I went to the University of Lagos where I was also the best graduating student. I worked on the book with the help of other best graduating students, both in University of Lagos as well as other schools.

I currently work at the Computer Engineering Department of the University of Lagos as Graduate Assistant.

L-R: Miss Folasade Omoboye, First Class graduate of Babcock University and guest speaker, former Rotary Club of Lagos President, Larry Agose, current President, Modupe Sasore, and Obinna Chinewubeze, First Class graduate of University of Lagos and another guest speaker, at 2016 Basic Education and Literacy Month at Dowen College, Lekki, Lagos...recently Coming from a generation that is so used to catching fun and living life on the fast lane, Obinna Chinewubeze seemed to be different. And he attributed this to the fact that he was able to know, quite early, that one must be able to know the consequences of any particular path one chooses.

“Wisdom is the ability to aggregate consequences. That is why I felt focusing on my academics while I was in school was the best thing for me. And I still believe it is the best thing for any student to do. If you focus on any other thing, then you are off it because the ultimate thing will be your

This is a great programme. This is because these students are being taught that this is the way to go. I was an average performer from when I was young and towards secondary. I was able to come across some resources that helped me.

I did not have this kind of mentoring when I was in school, but I have it in church.

In fact, one of the gifts I got was a book on the three Ds: discipline, determination and diligence. And that is why I want students to focus on their academics and also what their passions are as well.

Read full article online www.thisdaylive.com

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THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • OCTOBER 8, 2016

news

Presidency Says Jonathan's Allowances not Stopped Tobi Soniyi in Abuja

The Presidency has denied as untrue, the allegation that allowances due to former President Goodluck Jonathan had been stopped and his bank accounts frozen.

In a statement issued yesterday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, the presidency said it had confirmed with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) that the former president and other past leaders were paid their al-

lowances up to the second quarter.

The statement, however, did not specifically mention Jonathan as the affected president.

The statement said: "The allegation by demonstrators in Bayelsa State on Thursday that allowances due to a former president have been stopped and his bank accounts were frozen is patently untrue."

The president said that past leaders had not been paid third quarter allowances but that they would get their dues when remittances were received by the SGF from the Ministry of Finance.

The statement said: "Also, the story of account closure is false. It is not known to the investigation agencies.

"The National Security Adviser to the President is not aware of this bank account closure; the DG SSS is unaware of it, the EFCC is unaware and the IG of Police is not in the know.

"With all of these agencies not being involved, how then could a thing like that happen? In a dream perhaps!

"To put it starkly, we believe there is a clear motive for the demonstration that is different

from that which was being canvassed.

"This is a premeditated attempt to blame President Muhammadu Buhari for something he knows nothing about.

"These claims are false and poorly sourced to present a picture of vendetta; and they should be disregarded by well-meaning members of the public.

"Buhari remains committed to the ideals of justice and fairness to all irrespective of creed, religion and political leanings. His administration will not engage in vendetta."

No Office of First Lady’ in Anambra, Claims Mrs. Obiano David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

Wife of the governor of Anambra State, Mrs. Ebelechukwu Obiano has denied that her husband created office of the first lady in the state, and runs it with funds from the state's coffers.

Mrs. Obiano said what the state had was an office provided for her by her husband to help her meet with Anambra women who come to seek audience with her on a daily basis.

She also denied claims that the state government funded her pet project, Caring Family Enhancement Initiative, saying her husband’s salary, her own funds and those of donors were used to run the it.

Mrs. Obiano who spoke through the Senior Special Assistant to the

Governor on Media, Hon Emeka Ozumba said the clarification become necessary to douse insinuations and suggestions in certain quarters to the contrary.

“Anambra does not have a First Lady and there is no statutory budget or allocation for such an office by the Legislature. Thus being conscious of the provisions of the law and the need to ensure that his wife continues with charitable works she is known for all her life, the governor staked his monthly salary.

“Before now, the governor always gave his monthly salary to churches, but with the birth of CAFÉ, Obiano decided to channel the money to it, to help her wife continue with her passion of providing for the poor”, she said.

Group Demands Closure of Iranian Embassy in Nigeria Ugo Aliog, Abdulkareem Azeezat and Saheed Sakariyah

We shall overcome...

Cross River State Governor, Prof Ben Ayade, was yesterday received by a rapturous crowd to Calabar from Abuja

Barkindo: OPEC Output Cut Only God’s Judgment Shall to Spark Oil Price Rally Prevail, Declares Ayade Chika Amanze-Nwachuku and Obinna Chima inWashington D.C.

The Secretary General of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Alhaji Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo has attributed the upswing in crude oil prices to the recent decision reached by member states at a conference in Algeria to cut production.

Production is expected to be reduced to about 32.5 to 33 million barrels of oil per day from 33.4 million. OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia, the largest oil producer, is expected to give up 350,000 barrels a day, according to a senior OPEC source quoting the final proposal.

Other OPEC nations are expected to cut production too, but for three countries- Iran Nigeria and Libya that Were exempted from the production cuts.

Barkindo, who made a presentation at the G-24 Ministerial Meeting that took place on the sidelines of the ongoing World Bank/IMF meetings in Washington D.C., United States of America expressed optimism that the output cut would result in price rally.

The benchmark Brent crude prices closed at $51.88 a barrel yesterday. Brent has risen more than 10 per cent since the meeting in Algeria.

According Barkindo, the decision taken at the 170th (Extraordinary) Meeting of the OPEC Conference in

Algiers came after many rounds of consultative meetings and intensive talks. This, he said underlined the organisation’s continued commitment to a ‘sustainable stability’ in oil markets, for the mutual interests of producing nations, for efficient and secure supplies to consumers, and with a fair return on invested capital for all producers.

Furthermore, he stressed that the decision to opt for an OPEC-14 production target ranging between 32.5 and 33 million barrels a day was focused on the need to accelerate the ongoing drawdown of the stock overhang and bring the rebalancing forward. These, according to him, was vital for market stability.

"At least we have been able to avert a further price slump, after Algiers, as was widely expected by the markets. If you recall, before we went to Algiers, the expectations was that it was going to be another Doha, but thank God we have not witnessed that," the OPEC scribe told journalists.

"And we should not forget the importance of lessening volatility and sustaining stability for the medium- and long-term given the world’s desire for more oil.

However, the situation that has evolved over the past two years or so is putting the future at risk.

"We are currently witnessing a dramatic drop off in oil market investments", he explained.

Bassey Inyang in Calabar

Governor of Cross River State, Prof Ben Ayade, was yesterday received by a tumultous crowd at Calabar from Abuja.

The mammoth crowd who turned out in their thousands at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport Calabar, had taken positions as early as 7:am to show their support for the governor.

The crowed bore inscriptions, "Welcome back our beloved governor, we are behind you", "Your Excellency, you will surely prevaile", "Our digital governor, no shaking", "Our well elected governor, you have conquered, nothing do", said it was at the airport to demonstrate to the governor that he was not alone, adding that the storm shall surely pass.

It noted that what Governor Ayade was experiencing was just a phase of life that will make him a better leader and achiever for Cross River.

According to the throng of supporters, "Cross River is definitely going to be great under your watch as governor. It is God who rules in the affairs of men and no one can alter what God has destined.

He has destined you and Cross River for greatness."

Addressing the crowd after alighting from an Air Peace airline, Ayade enjoined the people to remain steadfast and prayerful

in order to gain God's salvation and freedom.

His words: "No one can put God down. God knows our heart, I want you all to be strong with me in prayers. Let us fast and pray to God for only in Him shall we have salvation and freedom."

Assuring that the people of Cross River had a heritage that was akin to a people who love each other, the governor said: "Let God's judgement prevail for He is wonderful and shall not forsake us at this point. Let us take our cry to Him for He sees the heart."

The governor who explained that he decided to go into the deepest and finest idea to completely decouple the state from its dependence on federal allocation averred that, God will not stop those great dreams and projects which are aimed at boosting the economy and creating jobs.

"Today, that impossible seaport has been designed, that impossible seaport has been completely restructured to the extent that we have gone further to 16 metres. The superhighway completely designed, the route path completely surveyed and fully opened up, just ready for final approval for construction to start," Ayade explained.

Continuing, the governor revealed that "I came into this office under the inspiration of God and I will only do that, which can help my people".

Following the support of the Iranian Government to the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) led Ibrahim El Zakzaky, the Sovereign Rights Coalition (SRC) has demanded for an immediate closure of the Iranian Embassy in Nigeria.

The group who expressed concern that the Iranian government was sponsoring extremist religious groups to cause instability in the country, disclosed this yesterday in Lagos during a peaceful protest.

Speaking at the protest, the Coordinator of the group, Comrade Aaron Aaron, lamented that the war against terrorism was one of the issues the country has had to deal with in recent times, adding that the essence of the protest was to register their rejection of imperialism and terror from religious extremists and their sponsors.

He also noted that in the last decade, there have been a rising of religious fanatic groups which have unsuccessfully attempted to foist their beliefs on innocent

Nigerians using terror as their tool of evangelism.

"Today the gallant Nigerian Army has gotten the upper hand in this fight and most of these groups have been brought in check.

However, it is our belief that even the little cells of terrorist groups be check- mated,” he noted.

Aaron further explained that IMN led by its leader El Zakzakky had attempted an assault on the Chief of Army Staff and his motorcade in Kaduna, during which he was arrested and a cache of arms was recovered.

He further stated, "Unfortunately even after this blatant display of disregard for the nation’s security, these terrorists have continued to display insensitive discount for the nation’s sovereignty in their treasonable attempts to occupy parts of the nation in a bid to form their own republic.

"It is on this belief that we are here today to establish our reproach for the postponed trial of Mr. Ibrahim El Zakzaky who is the leader of this notorious sect which has and is still reigning terror on masses in Northern Nigeria."

Again, Edo PDP Protest INEC Declaration of Obaseki as Governor Elect Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, yesterday, led other PDP leaders and supporters in a street protest against the declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of Godwin Obaseki of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the September 28 election in the state.

The protest tagged, "Mother of all Protests", was coordinated by the Centre for Patriotic Leadership Initiative (CPLI), a leadership and rights advocacy NGO, led by Saint Moses Eromonsele and a coalition of civil society groups led by Messrs Kola Edopkayi and Olu Martins.

The PDP candidate, who had vowed to lead the protest, made good his promise, and was joined by his running mate, John Yakubu, Edo PDP chairman Dan Orbih, a civil society organisation activist, Rev Olu Martins, and some other Edo PDP leaders in a road march.

The protesters started at Akpakpava Road and took their street

demonstrations to many parts of the Benin metropolis such as 2nd East Circular Road, New Lagos Road, Mission Road, Dawson Road and the Ring Road.

In his address before embarking on the street protests, Ize-Iyamu encouraged his supporters to expect long suffering because the journey to recovering the stolen mandate would be a long one from the electoral tribunal to the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court, expressing confidence that they shall prevail at the end.

He pointed out that he was certain of victory because he won the election and that God had told him not to walk away but to "pursue and recover" his mandate that the INEC and the APC robbed him and his party.

He called for the arrest of one Osakpamwan Eriyo, alias Nomoless, pointing out that the individual, seeing that he had lost election in his unit and ward, proceeded to the ward collation centre at George Idah Primary School in Benin and disrupted proceeding and ensured that the result of the unit was cancelled.

THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper • OCTOBER 8, 2016

55

newsXTRA

Adeosun: Infrastructure will Unlock Nigeria’s Growth The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun on Friday assured Nigerians that the focus on infrastructure spending by President Muhammadu Buhari administration will unlock the desired growth in the country.

The Minister, in an interview with CNBC on the sidelines of the ongoing IMF/World Bank annual meeting in Washington DC, United States also said the Federal Government was making significant progress in its negotiation with the World Bank and the African Development Bank for budget support.

She, said “What we have applied for is budget support facility from the World Bank and with the AfDB. AfDB is at the advanced stage and for the World Bank, we have submitted a letter of development policy. Hopefully we are going into negotiation as next step

here. ‎We are therefore on course with raising the concessionary financing we wanted.”

Giving details of the funding plans for the 2016 budget, Mrs. Adeosun said, “What we have is budget support facilities, which we designed ourselves.

We are on course. We are going first to domestic market , followed by the Concessionary market, then to the Eurobond market; we are very much on course.“ She stated that the Federal Government had already spent about N770 billion on capital project from the time the budget was passed in May and that the government was planning the next release.

According to her, “This is being funded by a combination of our IGR and the money raised from domestic market which will be

complemented with what we will raise from international market.”

The Minister expressed confidence in the ability of the Federal Government to achieve its economic plan within the set time frame.

She was quite optimistic "as when we started this journey, the plan was around fiscal consolidation and trying to remove the economy from consumption-driven to investmentdriven. We are beginning to see the dividends in terms of reducing our recurrent expenditure, with releases into fiscal space to allow us take care of infrastructure.

"It is the key to growth and on the fact that the money was released to major projects; roads, rail, airports etc.

Infrastructure will unlock the needed growth in the economy .”

The Minister described the current

stability in crude oil price as a good development for the Nigerian economy.

She said, “The oil price has stabilised, of course a good news in the short term and in the middle term.

We expect the oil price to be stable, it is good for us, we need predictability of revenue. One of the problems we face now is that oil price is very volatile and our revenue is volatile. Predictability will enable us plan.”

In spite of this optimism, the Minister said Nigeria had learnt its lesson from its recent experience, adding, “We have learnt our lessons, we have seen the oil price go up as high as $110 in the past and the lesson we have learnt really is it is not about how high the oil price is or how low but how well we spend the money and then we have spent a lot of time to reform how we spend.

Bayelsa Settles WAEC Debt, Accuses APC of Incitement Emmanuel Addeh inYenagoa

The Bayelsa State Government disclosed on Friday that it had settled the debt owed the West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC) which led to the non-release of the results of candidates who sat for the exam in the state.

The government also blamed the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state of inciting teachers and youths to disrupt the peace, noting that it was aware of a grand plan to destabilise the state through sponsored protests.

In a release, the opposition party in the state, the APC had taken a swipe at the governor accusing him of “wasting a generation of youths” with the seizure of the WAEC results by the examination body.

The party stressed that by implication, pupils who made their respective cut-off marks in the last Unified Tertiary and Matriculation Examination might forfeit their

admissions.

“This is a brazen act, the height of irresponsibility on the part of this government. To say the least, Governor Dickson is deliberately wasting away a generation of tomorrow's leaders due to his inaction in this regard”, the party said.

But THISDAY learnt yesterday that the State Government had paid N174 million to WAEC to offset the outstanding fees.

The sum , it was gathered, was to augment an initial deposit of N50 million before the payment of the balance of N124 million to the examination body.

Describing the APC as “mischief makers”, the State Information and Orientation Commissioner, Mr Jonathan Obuebite, who signed a communique released after the 67th State Executive Council meeting, also accused the leadership of the state branch of the Nigerian Union of Teachers of dancing to the tune of the opposition.

GLO’S TV Series Takes On Alcoholics

partnership that works...

L-R; Group Managing Director/CEO, Noah’s Ark Communications Ltd. Mr. Lanre Adisa; Chief Executive Director, Sub-Sahara Africa, Dentsu Aegis, Mrs. Dawn Rowlands ; the Group Managing Director, Media Fuse Dentsu Aegis Network, Mr. Emeka Okeke and the Executive Creative Director, Noah’s Ark, Mr. Abolaji Alausa, at the media parley/signing of the application agreement between Noah’s Ark communications and Dentsu Eegis Network in Lagos, yesterday…….

SUNDAY ADIGUN

Prof Ikoku Memorial Lecture Debuts The maiden edition of the Professor Chimere Ikoku Memorial Lecture hosted by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) will hold on October 12, 2016 at the Princess Alexandra Auditorium, UNN. According to information released by the Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry, signed by Professor P.O Ukoha, Chairman, planning Committee and immediate past Dean, Faculty of Physical Sciences of the University, the maiden Lecture is titled 'Chimere Ikoku,

Chemist, Scholar and Statesman' was intended to highlight the life and contributions of the late Professor of Chemistry and two-time Vice Chancellor of UNN. The Lecture would focus on his contributions towards scholarship, human and national development, and African liberation struggles. The lecture will be delivered by Professor A.A. Zuru, the Vice Chancellor of Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto.

It would be recalled that late Prof Ikoku, son of the foremost

educationist and founder of Nigerian Union of Teachers, late Dr. Alvan Ikoku, served as the UNN VC from 1985 to 1992. He was also the first indigenous Head of the Department of Chemistry in the school, as well as the first VC of the Federal University of Technology, Abeokuta in 1982.

Late Ikoku was Deputy Vice Chancellor of Usman Dan Fodio University between 1978 and 82, and aside serving as a member of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), was also among scientists who set

up the Nigerian Council for Science and Technology back in 1973.

He was also Vice Chairman, National Committee on South Africa (NACSA), 1976; Chairman, National Committee on Apartheid (NACAP), 1979 and President of the Pan African Students Organisation in the Americas (PASO), 1953 among others.

The late Professor contributed immensely to science education, African liberation & national development.

RAF Empowers 82 with N25m, Materials Adedayo Adejobi

Despite the economic recession in the country, a non-governmental organisation, the Remi Awode Foundation (RAF) last week put smiles in the faces of 82 indigent members of the of Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church, Chapel of Divine Blessing, Alagbado, Lagos.

It was at this year’s edition of empowerment programme of the Foundation tagged: “2016 RAF Second Empowerment Service,” where over N25 million cash and materials were distributed to 82 beneficiaries as financial assistance to start up their businesses and

reduce poverty among members of the church.

The Remi Awode Foundation (RAF) was founded in on January 2013 by a group of philanthropists, led by the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Chemstar Paints Industry Nigeria Limited, manufacturer of Finecoat and Shield Paints, Special Apostle Emmanuel Aderemi Awode, a member of the church and whom the foundation was named after.

Apart from cash distributed to them, they were also empowered with various materials, including deep freezers, sewing machines and other tools, generating sets and catering materials, bead making

materials, paints, variety of soft drink, grinding machines, stabilisers, among other items, depending on the needs of the beneficiaries to start or boost their trades and businesses.

In the 2015 edition of the programme, more than 20 members were empowered where over N20 million cash and materials were doled out to the members.

Under the last year’s programme, two members received tricycles (Keke NAPEP); three members were trained as printers, two of them got money for two years’ rent for their shops;.

Besides, some members were empowered with washing machines and irons for their dry cleaning busi-

ness; some got grinding machines; and others were trained in bead and wire works, fishery, computer repairs and empowered with cash and materials to start their business.

Under its loans and grants, the Foundation in 2014 provided loans to 75 church members with zero interest, while other 92 members benefitted from cash grants given to them in order to cushion their financial challenges.

RAF in 2013 donated a borehole water project with 5,000 liters to the host community of the church, to easy water problem in the area, while in 2014 bought and distributed five cars to the church leaders, and the church prophet and pastor.

Indulgence in alcoholism as a way to escape from life's challenges has been condemned in Episode 12 of Glo-sponsored TV drama series, Professor Johnbull.

In the episode entitled Fool's Paradise, the story of Boniface, Professor Johnbull’s America-based brother, is deployed as case study to bring out the ills of the vice. Boniface, an ex-teetotaler found solace in alcoholism after his wife left him for another man as a result of a major downturn which crippled his business.

The episode opened with the arrival of Boniface at Professor Johnbull’s residence to the excitement of the household especially Professor Johnbull who accorded his brother a warm welcome. Later at the welcome dinner in his honour, Boniface displayed a 'been-to' attitude by insisting that his table water be sourced from Sita, Mountain Spring, Arkansas, instead of the community water served in the professor’s house which he feared could injure his health.

While sweeping the house the day after, Caroline saw Boniface

Niger Assembly Introduce Palliatives to Cushion Economic Recession Laleye Dipo inMinna

The Niger State house of assembly has said it would partner with the executive arm of government to introduce palliatives that would cushion the biting effect of the economic recession the people are going through.

Speaker Ahmed Marafa who made this known in Minna on Friday while addressing members who just returned from recess did not however give details of the palliatives but said the assembly would soon pass a bill to that effect.

"While we feel and share with you the pains of the moment, let me assure you that the assembly will continue to partner with the executive by passing legislations that will provide palliatives to the citizens in order to cushion the effect of the economic recession", he said.

lying prostrate on the floor with the content of his flask spilled and raised an alarm. Caro, moved to taste the content of the flask, discovered to her consternation that the much touted ‘medicinal water’ was alcohol which she tagged ‘mmanya,’ (strong drink in Igbo language).

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly known and addressed as MISS AKINBULE AYOTOMI OLUWATOYIN is now married and wish to be known and addressed as MRS OLUGE AYOTOMI OLUWATOYIN. All former documents remain valid. Nigeria High Commission, Ottawa, Canada and the general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as MISS GEORGE COMFORT CHIYERE, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS SURVEYOR GODSPOWER COMFORT CHINYERE. All former documents remain valid. Access Bank, Diamond Bank, First Bank plc the general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as EMMANUEL OWOJECHO, now wish to be known and addressed as EMMANUEL ONOJA. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as ABDULMUMUNI BUKUOLA OMOWUNMI, now wish to be known and addressed as ADEBIYI OLUWABUKOLA OMOWUNMI. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as MISS SULAIMON R. ADEBUNMI, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OYEWALE ADEBUNMI. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as MISS AMINAT TAIWO FALOYE, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS AMINAT TAIWO AL-AMEEN. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

This to clarify that my names are ONYELUKACHUKWU FIDELIS OKAFOR and LUKA F OKAFOR, the two names is the same person. All documents bearing the names remain valid, and the general public should please take note.