Tuesday 17th October 2016

U.S.-Nigeria Relations and the 2016 American Elections

F. John Bray, U.S. Consul General, Lagos

The United States has held one presidential election during the four years I have worked in Nigeria and I was struck then by Nigerians’ keen interest in

OP-ED and detailed knowledge of the election. It’s no different this time, as Nigerians hold strong opinions about the suitability of the Democratic and Republican candidates

and their chances of winning, while speculating like other global citizens about what the results portend for U.S. foreign policy in general and the longstanding relationship between America and Nigeria in particular.

As the world’s oldest

uninterrupted democracy, the United States is a torchbearer for democratic values – life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, justice, equality and the will of the people. We know the conduct and results of the presidential elections affect

perceptions of the United States at least as much as other news from America.

In addition, observers view the highly anticipated and widely televised presidential debates as an early indicator Continued on page 12

Herdsmen Attack Military Outpost, Kill 20 in Kaduna...

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Bray

Monday 17 October, 2016 Vol 21. No 7851. Price: N250

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Torrent of Emotions as Chibok Girls, Parents Reunite After Two Years Apart Girls were starved for 40 days, narrowly escaped bomb blasts IBB: Hope not lost for others Iyobosa Uwugiaren and Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja and Laleye Dipo in Minna It was a torrent of emotions during a special thanksgiving service held yesterday at the Department of State Services (DSS) health facility, when the 21 Chibok girls released from captivity reunited with their

parents, family and friends for the first time in more than two years since their abduction

by Boko Haram from their school dormitory.

One weeping, overjoyed mother even wrapped her daughter around her back, reenacting a period when Continued on page 10

Judges’ Arrest: Report from Presidency Says DSS Acted in Accordance with Law

Dismisses Justice Ademola’s claim he was coerced into signing statement Buhari, AGF, DSS sued over arrests Tobi Soniyi in Abuja An internal legal review undertaken by the presidency on the raid of judges’ residences and their arrests by the Department of State Services (DSS), has concluded that the DSS acted in accordance with the extant

laws and legal provisions.

A report from the presidency, according its officials, concluded that the DSS had policing powers of its own.

Speaking on the report, a top official in the presidency informed THISDAY that Continued on page 10

Obanikoro Returns to Nigeria Today... Page 54

THANK GOD, MY BABY IS BACK...

A mother of one of 21 Chibok girls who was released last Thursday, wept with joy and wrapped her daughter around her back when she was reunited with her child in Abuja... yesterday

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PAGE TEN JUDGES’ ARREST: REPORT FROM PRESIDENCY SAYS DSS ACTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH LAW the legal review considered every aspect of law involved in the raids and arrests, including a review of the new Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) procedures, issuance of search warrants, and the role and place of the National Judicial Council (NJC), among others.

In its conclusion, the report, which was made available to THISDAY, affirmed that “the actions of the DSS in the arrest and search of the premises of judges and justices can be placed firmly within the ambit of the law, sentimental and emotional considerations notwithstanding”.

The presidential legal review added that it was “pertinent to note that Nigeria is not the first country to investigate and prosecute judges that are suspected to have committed acts of crime”.

A presidency source cited the example of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States of America – a body similar to the DSS – which has at various times, prominently in January 2013, May 2014 and November 2015, arrested a number of judges for bribery, corruption and other similar offences; subjected the judges to trial, at the end of which the convicted judges were imprisoned.

The source also cited Ghana and Kenya where judges suspected to have engaged in corruption were prosecuted.

He also disputed a claim by one of the judges (Justice Adeniyi A. Ademola) that he was forced to sign a confessional statement at gunpoint, saying: “What really happened was that the judge was not arrested until his lawyer came on the scene on his request and affirmed that the search warrants were in order.”

Besides, the presidency official added that while some of the judges, in their statements, said the foreign currencies found on them were from their unspent estacodes, a claim said to be untenable considering the sums of money involved, another judge was said to have explained away the huge sums of money as proceeds from his rice selling business.

The highlights of the presidential legal review are explained below:

When and How Can Search and Arrest Warrants be Executed?

On the issue of search warrant, it was discovered that the DSS followed Section 148 of the ACJA that states: “A search warrant may be issued and executed at any time on any day, including a Sunday and public holiday.”

On the issue of how the search should be conducted, the presidential legal review noted: “On how the search should be conducted, Section 149 of the ACJA provides that ‘(1) Where any building or other thing or place liable to search is closed, a person residing in or being in charge of the building, thing or place shall, on demand of the police officer or other person executing the search warrant, allow him free and unhindered access to it and afford all reasonable facilities for its search. ‘(2) Where access into the building, thing or place cannot be so obtained, the police officer or other person executing the search warrant may proceed in the manner prescribed by Sections 9, 10, 12 and 13 of this Act’.”

The presidential review report added that “Sections 9, 10, 12 and 13 relate to the use of force in

the search of a person arrested; inventory of items recovered in the search; entry of premises where a suspect to be arrested has entered into; and breaking open of any outer or inner door or window of any house or place whether that of the suspect to be arrested or any other person or otherwise effect entry into such house or place”.

These provisions are similar to the provisions of Sections 7 and 112 of the Criminal Procedure Law and were followed by the DSS, the report noted.

Furthermore, it stated that “by Section 111 of the Criminal Procedure Law, a search warrant may be issued and executed on any day including a Sunday or public holiday. It shall however be executed between the hours of five (5) o’clock in the forenoon and eight (8) o’clock at night, but the court may, in its discretion, authorise by the warrant the execution of the warrant at any hour.

“Where the court authorises the execution of a search warrant at any hour other than between the hours of 5 o’clock in the forenoon and 8 o’clock at night, such authorisation may be contained in the warrant at the time of issue or may be endorsed thereon by any magistrate at any time thereafter prior to its execution”.

On the execution of an arrest warrant, Section 43(1) of the ACJA provides that “a warrant of arrest may be executed on any day, including a public holiday”.

The review also touched on several other aspects of the search and warrant as follows:

Who Issues a Warrant of Arrest?

By Section 36 (1)(c) of the ACJA,

a warrant of arrest is issued by a judge or a Magistrate. A warrant of arrest may be issued on any day, including a Sunday or public holiday. See Section 38 of the ACJA. Under the Criminal Procedure Code Law Cap. 41 Laws of Sokoto State of Nigeria 1996, magistrates and Justices of the Peace have the power to issue warrants of arrest. See Section 56 of the law.

Can Arrests be Effected in the Absence of an Arrest Warrant?

Section 44 provides that “a warrant of arrest may be executed notwithstanding that it is not in the possession at the time of the person executing the warrant but the warrant shall, on the demand of the suspect, be shown to him as soon as practicable after his arrest”.

By Section 18(1)(d) and (j) of the ACJA, a police officer may, without an order of court and without warrant, arrest a suspect in whose possession anything is found which may reasonably be suspected to be stolen property or who may reasonably be suspected of having committed an offence with reference to the thing; or for whose arrest a warrant has been issued or whom he is directed to arrest by a judge, magistrate, Justice of the Peace or superior police officer.

Section 10 of the Criminal Procedure Law contains similar provisions. It provides that “any police officer may, without an order from a magistrate and without a warrant, arrest: • Any person whom he suspects upon reasonable grounds of having committed an indictable offence against a federal law or against the law of any other state, unless the written law creating the offence

provides that the offender cannot be arrested without a warrant; and •Any person in whose possession anything is found which may reasonably be suspected to be stolen property or who may reasonably be suspected of having committed an offence with reference to such thing.

The presidential legal review then dealt with the issue of why the DSS and not the Nigeria Police was used in the arrest of the judges.

Who Can Execute Search and Arrest Warrants?

“One of the arguments in the polity today is that the arrest of the judges/justices ought to have been carried out by the Nigeria Police rather than the DSS. This argument is premised on the provisions of Section 4 of the Police Act 1967 (Police Act), which outlines the general duties of the police to include 'the prevention and detection of crime, the apprehension of offenders',” the review panel noted.

It said: “To hold such view without having recourse to the provisions of other laws will be too unproductive.

“The question to ask here is: who is a police officer? The answer to this lies not only in the Police Act, but also in other extant laws such as the ACJA, the EFCC Act 2004, and the ICPC Act 2000.

“Whereas Section 2 of the Police Act defines a police officer as any member of the force, the ACJA defines a police officer to include any member of the Nigeria police established by the Police Act or where the context so admits, shall include any officer of any law enforcement agency established by

an Act of the National Assembly.”

According to the review, “The bone of contention in the public discourse hinges on whether the DSS has the power to undertake the operations it undertook in relation to the arrested judges/ justices.”

To determine whether the action of the DSS was intra or ultra-vires, it is important to consider the mandate of the DSS as enshrined under the law.

By Section 2(3) of the National Security Agencies Act 1986, Cap. 278 LFN 1990, the State Security Service is charged with responsibility for – “(a) the prevention and detection within Nigeria of any crime against the internal security of Nigeria; (b) the protection and preservation of all non-military classified matters concerning the internal security of Nigeria; and (c) such other responsibilities affecting internal security within Nigeria as the National Assembly or the president, as the case may be, may deem necessary.”

The report also acknowledged that arguments had been proffered on the propriety of a serving judge/justice being tried by his/her peers without first being removed from his/her position and contended that “there is no law that invalidates the trial of a judge/justice merely because he/she is still serving”.

“Moreover, where such judge/ justice is cleared of all wrongdoing by the justice system, no law precludes him/her from returning to his/her duty post,” the panel stated in its report.

Buhari, DSS, Others Dragged to Court Continued on page 12

TORRENT OF EMOTIONS AS CHIBOK GIRLS, PARENT REUNITE AFTER TWO YEARS APART she backed her daughter as a baby and toddler almost two decades ago.

Representing the federal government was the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who termed the reunion a “day of joy”.

The 21 girls were released on Thursday following negotiations by the DSS in collaboration with the Swiss Government and the Nigerian military, on behalf of the federal government, with the leadership of Boko Haram.

Presidency sources reliably informed THISDAY that the federal government was forced to part with an undisclosed amount of money to secure the release of the 21 girls, while negotiations continue for the release of another 83.

Unfortunately, the fate of 114 other girls remains in the balance, as they are believed to have been either killed, married off, or radicalised and have no desire to return to their families.

THISDAY gathered that the families of the 21 girls left Chibok town in Borno State by road in two buses on Friday and arrived Abuja on Saturday night, and were reunited with the girls at the DSS health facility yesterday.

One of the girls, Gloria Dame, who spoke on behalf of her classmates in an emotionally laden voice, said: “We stayed for one month and 10 days without food. I narrowly escaped a bomb blast in the forest. We never knew there would be a day like this but God has made it possible for us.”

Gloria, who spoke in Hausa, appealed to Nigerians and the international community to continue to pray for the speedy release of her remaining colleagues still in captivity.

Dr. Shiktra Kwali, who delivered the sermon during the interdenominational service, told the girls that as they start a new life in freedom, they should not allow the experience of the past

to weigh them down, and urged them to remain steadfast in their service to the Lord, who did not forsake them even in captivity.

Several ministers of God, including the President of the Church of Brethren in Nigeria (EYN), Reverend Joel Bilili, also offered prayers for the girls.

The information minister said the reunification was a day the world had been waiting for, saying: “It is day of joy.”

He promised that the federal government would continue to negotiate to secure the release of the remaining girls and appealed to the public against making careless statements that could truncate the rescue operation.

“There are many reckless analysts and commentators who are not helping the situation. We still have many of our children in captivity. Therefore we have to be careful with the kind of comments that we make.

“We must not make comments that will make the release of these girls difficult or impossible,” he said.

Mohammed, who quoted from the scriptures, saying: “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them,” noted that those who doubted the sincerity and commitment of the present administration to the safe release and reunion of the abducted Chibok girls with their parents were disappointed.

“When the president said that the Boko Haram saga will not be closed until all the girls abducted have been released and reunited with their families safely, those who doubted did not believe us, so we thank God this day has come,” he added.

The minister also appealed to the parents of the girls whose daughters remain in captivity to continue to persevere, saying: “This is the beginning and we are very optimistic that very soon another batch bigger than this will be released. I want to assure you that these negotiations are ongoing

even as we speak.”

The Chairman of the Parents of the Abducted Chibok School Girls, Mr. Yakubu Nkeki, re-echoed the minister’s plea by appealing to members of the public to stop spreading rumours, particularly on the social media that could put the lives of the girls still in captivity at risk.

He also debunked reports that 18 of the 21 freed girls were pregnant or that the girls had been radicalised by Boko Haram.

Nkeki thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for summoning the courage and the political will that eventually led to the release of the abducted girls.

The thanksgiving service ended with an identification parade that entailed each of the freed girls identifying her parents who in turn made brief remarks, with many of them thanking the president for ensuring their safe return.

BBOG Identifies Girls Meanwhile, the BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) group, which has remained at the vanguard for the release of the abducted Chiboks girls, has confirmed that the 21 girls released on Thursday were part of the 276 abducted by the deadly terrorist group 914 days ago, adding that the minor differences between their names and the federal government’s list were immaterial.

In a statement jointly signed by the coordinators of the group, Aisha Yesufu and Oby Ezekwesili, the group said by working with the Kibaku Area Development Association – representatives of the Chibok community in Abuja – it had successfully matched the names of girls rescued with their positions on its list.

They identified them as: Mary Usman – 159, Jummai John – 78, Blessing Abana – 90, Luggwa Sanda – 27, Comfort Habila – 24, Maryam Basheer – 195, Comfort Amos – 10, Glory Mainta – 22,

Saratu Emmanuel – 76, Deborah Ja'afaru – 123, Rahab Ibrahim – 96 and Helin Musa – 175.

Others included Maryamu Lawan – 35, Rebecca Ibrahim – 52, Asabe Goni – 100, Deborah Andrawus – 190, Agnes Gapani – 191, Saratu Markus – 164, Glory Dama – 139, Pindah Nuhu – 133 and Rebecca Mallum – 86.

The group added: “Kindly note the following full name: Mary Daniel Bukar Usman, appears as Mary Daniel on our list, but Mary Usman on this (federal government’s) list; Lugwa Sanda on ours but as Luggwa on this list; Maryama Bashir on this list is also called Mairama Bashir; Saratu Mutah Emmanuel is Saratu Emmanuel on this list.

“Deborah Jafaru on ours, but appears as Deborah Ja'afaru on this list; Helinna Musa on ours, but as Helin Musa on this list; Rebecca Ibrahim appears twice on ours (52 and 188) they are namesakes – Rebecca Ibrahim Yakubu (52), Rebecca Ibrahim Pogu (188).

“Mary Dama appears twice on ours (68 and 139), an error.

One of them is Glory, not Mary.

Glory Dama Aimu, her full name and Pindar Nuhu on ours but as Pindah Nuhu on this list.”

The group, which reiterated its delight over the return of the 21 girls, congratulated the federal government and Buhari for providing the leadership that led to the successful rescue, while applauding the resilience of the men at the frontlines, and heads of the military and security establishment for their sacrifices that provided the environment for the release of the girls.

“Our movement is very supportive of an immediate commencement of the programme for the physical, mental, emotional and social recovery process of our girls and stand ready to support the federal and Borno State Government in every relevant respect,” the group added.

“Nine hundred and fourteen

days since the abduction, our hope is renewed that our government will fulfill the pledge it made to rescue all our ChibokGirls as well as every other abducted citizen of our country.

“We have therefore decided to step down the release of the Chronicles of False Narratives II. We will continue with our one month monitoring of the federal government’s renewed rescue activities,” it said.

The group added that it would continue to make demands for the rescue of the remaining 197 Chibok girls with greater expectations of their quick return, saying its members trust that the federal government would continue to work to keep their safety, security and well-being a high priority.

The group thanked the international community, especially the Swiss government and others involved in securing the release of the 21 girls and urged them to continue to support the Nigerian government’s effort to rescue all other abducted Nigerians, so their parents, the Chibok community, the nation, and the world could finally put an end to the nightmare.

The group also remembered Elvis Iyorngurum, a passionate advocate of the Chibok girls, who passed away on October 14, 2015, adding: “One year on, his resilient and unwavering call for the rescue of our girls continues to inspire.”

IBB: Hope Not Lost for Others Also, expressing relief over the return of the 21 girls, former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, said yesterday that the girls’ release after more than two years in captivity had signalled hope that the remaining girls would be released alive.

Babangida made the observation in Minna while commending Buhari for recovering the girls and reuniting them with their parents.

“It is a thing of joy for the girls to have been reunited with their families after being taken away in such a painful and abrupt manner for over two and a half years,” he said, adding that their release signalled hope for those still in captivity.

He also lauded the efforts of the president and the resilience showed on the release of the abducted Chibok girls despite the general lethargy and disappointment exhibited by Boko Haram.

He urged the federal government, the security agencies and other partners to hasten negotiations to secure the remaining girls and rehabilitate them from the psychological trauma they might have encountered since their abduction.

The former military president also reaffirmed his belief in the professional capability of the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies in ensuring that an end is brought to the activities of the Boko Haram sect.

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NEWS

Francesca Chiejina: Nigeria’s Rising Soprano Knocking Down Barriers Okechukwu Uwaezuoke “One of my earliest childhood musical memories is sight-reading a piano piece, hearing the music for the first time, and being in complete blissful awe that my fingers, hitting these black and white keys, were creating this music.”

Francesca Chiedu Chiejina owes so much of these fond memories and her lustrous career to her dad, Anthony Chiejina. Her dad, who is at the top of the Dangote Group’s corporate communications department’s pecking order, had enrolled his four children (two boys and two girls) for violin and piano lessons at the MUSON Centre in Onikan, Lagos.

Thus, it was also at the MUSON Centre that she first fell in love with making music. Classical music would later become the focal point, around which her life continues to revolve to date. “I’m so grateful that I have the privilege to make a living from classical music,” she gushes.

Francesca, currently making a career as a soprano, has performed in some of the world’s most prestigious venues. Besides performing at the Washington D.C.-based The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, she has also performed at the Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, Michigan, three topnotch London-based venues: the Barbican Centre, the Royal Albert Hall and Wigmore Hall, the Luxembourg Philharmonic

Hall in Luxembourg and the Serenadenhof Nuremberg in the German town of Nuremberg.

A Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and a Master’s degree from The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London helped her ascent up the ladder-rungs of reckoning. At the University of Michigan, she studied with the likes of the American operatic soprano Martha Sheil and James Paterson. She studied under Sue McCulloch at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

To earn these degrees, she had to wend her way through courses like musicology (music history), music theory, acting, dance and movement, human anatomy and physiology, German, Italian, French and a bit of Russian. “All these things are prerequisite to successfully tackling an operatic career,” she explains. “It is a lot of hard work, and truthfully, the love of music is a huge determining factor in what drives me and keeps me dedicated during difficult times. I’ve recently embarked on a two-year contract with the Royal Opera House in London.

I’m learning so much about the business, myself and music.”

Her classical music credentials were further burnished in master classes with Martin Katz, Kamal Khan, Gianna Rolandi, Joyce DiDonato, Brigitte Fassbänder, Edith Wiens and Felicity Lott. She once reached the semi-finals in the UK’s National Mozart Competition and won the GSMD English

Rossini’s opera buffa in two acts “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” (The Barber of Seville), as Countess in Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” (The Marriage of Figaro) (scenes) and as Alice in Guiseppe Verdi’s “Falstaff” (scenes) at the University of Michigan.

Only last month, she joined the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme as one of five singers selected from around the world. A statement from The Royal Opera House said the singers were “The Royal Opera House selected from 440 applicants from 58 countries: 220 sopranos, 85 mezzo-sopranos, one countertenor, 50 tenors, 53 baritones and 31 basses.”

Francesca, as a NigerianAmerican soprano, was joined by

the British mezzo-soprano, Angela Simkin, the New Zealand tenor, Thomas Atkins, the Hungarian baritone, Gyula Nagy and the South African bass, Simphiwe Simon Shibambu.

The statement further described the young artists as “an international group of outstanding professionals at the start of their careers who have undertaken formal training and have already worked with professional companies. They are not students, but contracted, salaried employees of the Royal Opera House, who work here full-time over two years.”

Meanwhile, her Royal Opera debut flagged off as Ines in Guiseppe Verdi’s opera in four acts “Il Trovatore”, which was followed by “Voice from Heaven from Don Carlo”. She will also cover Ifigenia in Georg Friedrich Handel’s “Oreste” (at Wilton’s Music Hall in London), Antonia in Jacques Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann”, Giannetta in Gaetano Donizetti’s “L’elisir d’amore” and in Mozart’s three-act opera “Mitridate, re di Ponto”.

This is in addition to singing soprano solos in Gorecki Third Symphony for The Royal Ballet.

Born in Lagos, Francesca grew up in the Midwestern US state of Michigan. The eldest among her three siblings, she is the odd one out as the only musician in the family. Her siblings opted for athletics and more traditionally recognised professions. Her two brothers, as athletes, prefer

track events. The older of the two, who now designs apps, recently graduated with a degree in information technology. Her sister plays volleyball and is currently studying with the hope of pursuing a political career. “My family has been very supportive of this path I’ve chosen to take,” she says. “They are my biggest fans!”

The 25-year-old looks up to the American soprano Mary Violet Leontyne Price and her late compatriot Marian Anderson (who was a contralto). She admires the duo for shattering racial barriers not just in the US, but also beyond in the world of opera. “They were the pioneers that made it the norm for voices of people of colour to be heard on the world’s operatic stages. My biggest dream is to go one step further and break down not only the racial barriers but the class barriers as well. Opera and classical music are inspired by human beings living everyday lives. Therefore, what is about the people should be for all the people. Classical music is very relatable and approachable… and I want everyone, especially young African children, to believe it so.”

On the YouTube channel, a viewer could watch her recital of Harold Arlen’s 1933 popular song, “It’s Only a Paper Moon” among several other songs. This song, originally written for an unsuccessful Broadway play called The Great Magoo, was made more popular by the versions by Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole.

trading partner for the United States. The visit of U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker to Nigeria twice within 20 months (May 2014 and January 2016) underscores how important robust economic ties are for the bilateral relationship, and the continent.

Nigeria is also the largest destination in sub-Saharan Africa for U.S. private investment, estimated at some U.S. $8 billion in 2012. Bilateral trade between Nigeria and the United States exceeded $9 billion in 2014. There is significant potential for even greater two-way commerce in a wide range of industrial sectors.

Despite a number of challenges faced by American investors, such as inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure, a daunting array of institutions and regulations, uncertainty in information on market conditions

and taxation, and episodes of regionalised instability, Nigeria continues to be a very rewarding market for many U.S. companies.

Nigeria continues to be a focus country for President Obama’s “Power Africa” initiative, which aims to double the number of sub-Saharan African households and benefit African businesses with greater access to more reliable electricity. The United States strongly welcomes the Nigerian government's efforts to reform its power sector, including measures to privatise power generation and distribution companies and remove bottlenecks to improve the policy environment for bringing stable electricity to Nigeria's citizens.

The United States continues to stand with Nigeria in the effort to counter the menace of Boko Haram, including with security

and humanitarian assistance. We continue to work with Nigeria and its neighbours in the regional effort to degrade Boko Haram’s operations, financing, and cohesion and to lessen the widespread suffering of civilians affected by Boko Haram.

On November 8, 2016, U.S. voters will choose thousands of federal, state and local officials— including a new president. They’ll do it peacefully. Winners will celebrate and losers will concede graciously and plan for the next election. As Nigerians keep their eyes on the U.S. presidential debates and follow closely the outcome of the elections, it should be clear that Nigeria remains an important partner of the United States on the African continent and that our commitment to engage with the people and Government of Nigeria will remain strong, going forward.

Francesca Song Prize in the UK as well as second prize in the Classical Singer Competition, third place in the Ann Arbor Society for Musical Arts Collegiate Young Artist Competition and National Association of Negro Musicians Vocal Arts Competition. She was also a finalist in the University of Michigan Concerto and has clinched Loveday, Marianne Falke, Maurice H and Evangeline L. Dumesnil, George Shirley Voice and Willis-Patterson Scholarships.

She has so far featured as CioCio in Giacomo Puccini’s three-act opera “San Madama Butterfly” (Madame Butterfly) (scenes) at GSMD, as Pamina in Amadeus Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte” (The Magic Flute), as Berta in Giochino

U.S.-NIGERIA RELATIONS AND THE 2016 AMERICAN ELECTIONS of each candidate’s approach to global leadership, and how they propose to manage America’s relationship with the rest of the world.

We should all remember that while the rules and results determine who gets into the White House, successful implementation of a president’s domestic and foreign policies is not so simple. In forming U.S. foreign policy, the president relies on input from all three branches of government – especially Congress as the legislative branch – and an array of executive agencies, including the National Security Council as the coordinating body of the executive branch.

Americans historically like divided government – either with divided party control of the two houses of Congress,

or with different parties in charge of Congress compared to the White House. But even under one party, which rarely happens, U.S. foreign policy cannot be formed on a whim.

Under the U.S. Constitution, both the legislative and executive branches have great power to shape foreign policy as they interact with each other. And Congress jealously guards its share of power.

So what does this mean for U.S.-Nigeria relations? Relations between the United States and Nigeria have remained stable for well over a decade, with different U.S. presidents in office. The United States has consistently sought to work with Nigeria to improve the economic stability, security, and well-being of Nigerians by, in part, strengthening democratic institutions, improving

transparency and accountability, and professionalising security forces.

I strongly believe that no matter who wins the 2016 presidential election, the United States will continue its historically strong bilateral relations with Nigeria, which date back to independence in 1960. Through the U.S.-Nigeria Bi-National Commission, we continue to enjoy a close association and working partnership with Nigeria on a broad range of issues that include good governance and the promotion of the rule of law, regional security and respect for human rights, women’s empowerment, education, healthcare, and access to economic opportunity for Nigeria’s youth, and countering the menace of violent extremism.

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation, and a significant

JUDGES’ ARREST: PRESIDENTIAL PANEL SUBMITS REPORT, SAYS DSS ACTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH LAW Even as the presidency attempted to make a case for the arrest of the judges, a Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Olukoya Ogungbeje, filed a suit against President Muhammadu Buhari, the DSS and its DirectorGeneral, Lawal Daura, and others for allegedly violating the rights of the seven judges whose houses were raided between October 8 and 9 He is demanding the sum of N50 billion as general and exemplary damages.

He joined the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, the Inspector-General of Police (IG), Ibrahim Idris, and the NJC as defendants.

In the suit filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, on October 14, the plaintiff claimed that the arrest of the judges, without recourse to the NJC, was unlawful and amounted to humiliating them.

The plaintiff described the raid on the residences of the judges and their arrest as unconstitutional.

He argued that the arrest of the judges did not follow the law.

He said the DSS operations violated the rights of the judges under Sections 33, 34, 35, 36, and 41 of the 1999 Constitution. He is also seeking to be awarded N2 million as the cost of the suit.

He asked the court to compel the DSS to return to the judges the sums of money recovered from them and also asked for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from arresting, inviting, intimidating or harrassing the judges with respect to the cases.

The DSS, penultimate weekend, arrested Justices Sylvester Ngwuta and John Okoro of the Supreme Court; Justice Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja, and Justice Muazu Pindiga of

the Federal High Court, Gombe Division. Justice Nnamdi Dimgba's residence was also searched but he was not arrested.

Others were arrested had already been suspended by the NJC, pending the approval of the council’s recommendation on them.

They are a former Chief Judge of Enugu State, Justice I. A. Umezulike; the Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Ilorin Division, Justice Mohammed Tsamiya; and a judge of the Kano State High Court, Justice Kabiru Auta.

The DSS said it recovered large sums of money in Nigerian and foreign currencies from three of the judges during the raid on the houses of the seven judicial officers.

All the seven of them were released on self-recognition by the DSS.

The suit to enforce the judges’ rights was filed on behalf of Justices Ngwuta, Okoro, Ademola, Pindiga and Dimgba, who are still in service.

In a 39-paragraph affidavit he deposed to in support of the suit, Ogungbeje averred: “That the 1st (President Buhari), 2nd (DG of DSS), 3rd (DSS), 4th (AGF), and 5th (IG) respondents submitted no petition by the affected to the 6th respondent (NJC).

“That the 6th respondent is the only body empowered by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to discipline judges and judicial officers in Nigeria.

“That the judiciary is an independent arm of government in Nigeria and separate from the executive and the legislature.

“That this illegal and unconstitutional action by the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th respondents

have been roundly condemned by the Nigerian Bar Association.

“That the 2nd (DG of DSS), 3rd (DSS), and 5th (IG) respondents carried out their action which brazenly infringed upon the rights of the affected five judges without lawful excuse or recourse to the 6th respondent.

“That the 2nd, 3rd and 4th (AGF) respondents have no right under the law and Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to discipline, infringe upon the rights of the affected judges.

“That due process of law has not been followed in the arrest, humiliation, harassment and detention of the affected judges by the armed agents and officers of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th respondents.

“That the affected judges have not committed any crime or wrong known to law to warrant their arrest, harassment,

humiliation and detention, the forceful invasion and siege of their residential houses and the forceful seizure and confiscation of their monies and properties without any court order.

“That due process of law was not followed and carried out by the 2nd, 3rd and 5th respondents before the arrest, humiliation, harassment, embarrassment, hounding, detention and forceful, seizure and confiscation of their monies.

“That the officials and agents of the 2nd, 3rd and 5th respondents have threatened and vowed to continue to use unconstitutional means to arrest, humiliate, harass, pillory, hound, intimidate, and detain the judges and judicial officers of superior courts in Nigeria without recourse to the 6th respondent as the constitutionally recognised body to discipline erring judges.”

T H I S D AY MONDAY OCTOBER 17, 2016

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T H I S D AY • MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2016

COMMENT

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

PUTTING THE NIGERIAN ECONOMY FIRST

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The Senate is according the resuscitation of the country’s economy a prime place, writes Olu Onemola

t was the American rapper, Jay-Z, that popularised the phrase: “Men lie. Women lie. Numbers don’t.” What Jay-Z mean t by this is that facts speak for themselves when words are backed up by actions.

Over the past few weeks, the Nigerian Senate, under the leadership of Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, the Senate President, has continued to back up its pledge to be responsive and peoplefocused. The senators have done this by putting the resuscitation of Nigeria’s economy at the forefront of all their affairs.

Leading the charge as the first amongst equals, Saraki, in his resumption speech on Tuesday, September 20, painted a clear picture of a Nigerian economic recession that is serious, yet salvageable. In his remarks, the Senate President highlighted the issues that led to the recession, while proffering solutions like the passage of economic priority bills such as the Federal Competition Bill, the National Development Bank of Nigeria establishment Act, the imposition of time limitations on key government policies to promote investor confidence; fast-tracking of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) to stimulate new investment and boost oil revenue; and the full execution of the social spending framework that is contained in the 2016 budget.

Saraki also pointed out that a united approach across party lines and branches of government was needed to curb the widespread hunger in the land, citing the inability of millions of Nigerians to afford the most basic of commodities. “Nigerians don’t care about our politics,” he said, “They don’t care about our political affiliations; they don’t care if we are APC or PDP. What they want is for us to lead the way out of this economic crisis and deliver on the promises that we made to them.”

In the days after Saraki’s challenge to the senators on the economy, in what many analysts have described as an unprecedented bipartisan effort, the 109 senators, who represent the divides of Nigeria’s prominent political aisles, came together to offer suggestions on ways to end the recession.

After an exhaustive two-day debate, which was characterised by extensive contributions from many senators, the Senate President announced the formation of an ad-hoc committee on the economy.

This committee was given the mandate to compile all the suggestions that were put forward by the senators, so that the resolutions reached could be forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari for joint legislative action and executive implementation.

On Tuesday, September 27, the ad-hoc committee, which was chaired by Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, submitted its report on the economic debate. This report, which highlighted the causes of the recession, generated much discourse in the social-media-sphere, as the Nigerian online community began to call it the #SenatePlan.

This Senate Plan acknowledged that our over-dependence on oil and the global collapse in oil prices from over $100 per barrel to about $50 were the primary causes of our recession. This plan also mentioned that our depleted foreign reserves, the disparities between our fiscal and monetary policies, the erratic nature of our FX regime, and the activities of the Niger Delta militants, as other contributory factors. To address these problems, the Senate Plan contained a 20-point resolution on quick-fixes, medium-term strategies, and

NIGERIANS DON’T CARE ABOUT OUR POLITICS. THEY DON’T CARE ABOUT OUR POLITICAL AFFILIATIONS; THEY DON’T CARE IF WE ARE APC OR PDP. WHAT THEY WANT IS FOR US TO LEAD THE WAY OUT OF THIS ECONOMIC CRISIS

long-term policies that Nigeria could implement to get out of the recession. Prominent amongst the recommendations were the diversification of the Nigerian economy away from oil into areas of agricultural development for food sufficiency and export; the cancellation of multiple taxation policies and regimes amongst the federal, states and local governments; dialogue with the Niger Delta militants to generate higher oil revenues; and creating incentives on foreign direct investments.

Other recommendations in the plan included the development of critical infrastructure such as roads and rail networks to boost job creation and the transportation of goods and services; the improvement of electricity generation and distribution to decrease the cost of doing business; and fast-tracking the passage and assent of all pieces of legislation that deal with the economy.

Since the Red Chamber’s approval of the Senate Plan, the senators have continued to demonstrate their leadership in thoughtand-action on the economy by fast-tracking 20 bills for their final reading in seven days. Eighteen of these bills, which were received from the House of Representatives for concurrence, were passed on both Thursday, September 29 and Thursday, October 6 respectively.

Out of the 18 bills — which are now ready for the president’s signature —13 deal directly with the economy. These 13 bills address improvements in sectors like the telecommunications industry, agriculture, land and infrastructural development, power generation and distribution, regional economic cooperation and integration, and the growth of small and medium scale enterprises.

Additionally, with the allegations of mismanagement in the North-east’s humanitarian efforts putting a strain on the country’s resources, the Senate passed a motion to set-up an ad-hoc committee to ascertain how much has been released to the North-east and how these funds have been utilised from inception to date.

This committee, which is chaired by Senator Shehu Sani, has been given two weeks to investigate the claims of contractors receiving hundreds of millions of naira for projects that are worth a fraction of their approved sum.

With the federal government withdrawing its case against the two principal officers of the Senate, putting an end to one of the politically-borne distractions that have plagued the Senate in recent times, the Senate through its spokesperson, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, has said that it will continue to serve Nigeria for the benefit of Nigerians. Abdullahi further emphasised that come what may, the major pre-occupation of the Senate will be on getting the economy back on track for the sake of the hungry, unemployed and those that are suffering most from the effects of the economic recession.

Moving forward, with 18 bills ready to be dropped off at President Buhari’s doorstep for his assent, another 20 bills due for concurrence from the House of Representatives, and around 10 economic priority bills from the Senate at various stages of consideration, Nigerians are beginning to understand that actions speak louder than words. Hence, on the economy, the Senate’s actions are positively deafening.

Onemola is a Legislative Assistant to the Senate President

RUMBLE WITHIN THE FIRST FAMILY

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Tony Ademiluyi argues Aisha Buhari’s utterances are a marked departure from the norm

n the northern part of Nigeria where polygamy is rife, women are supposed to be seen and not heard. Many of them are confined to the Purdah system which almost completely cuts them off from the outside world and restricts their contact to just their immediate families.

It was a surprise that Aisha Buhari played a prominent role in the campaign that brought President Muhammadu Buhari to power last year. She cut the 21st century picture of a Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti in the way and manner she mobilised the womenfolk to cast their vote for her better half.

The rather conservative nature of Buhari made him do something different from his predecessors in not allowing the office of the First Lady to continue. Since the dark days of Ibrahim Babangida, the office had been used as a conduit for all manner of white elephant projects that had no direct impact on the lives of the people. His campaign was anchored on the change mantra and this was the first casualty of his administration.

Unlike Patience Jonathan, Aisha took the backseat and not much has been heard about her.

Besides her much criticised beauty book launch and her spat with Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose, she has been more like a cipher in the current government.

It was a surprise when she granted an interview with the BBC Hausa Service lambasting her husband’s style of governance and openly wailing that a cabal had hijacked his government.

She opined that he didn’t even know majority of

his appointees and that many people who didn’t share the vision of the APC were wielding a lot of power and influence and that if this trend continued, she won’t repeat what she did in 2015, campaigning for the president’s re-election.

When I first heard about the interview, I thought it was some social media joke or the case of a voice impostor. One recalls that former Northern first ladies like late Maryam Babangida, Maryam Abacha, Turai Yar’Adua never publicly upbraided their husbands. This was a departure from that established trend. In fact this would be the first time in the country that a first lady would openly criticise the administration of her spouse.

Buhari’s reaction that she belonged to the kitchen, his living room and other room, could be taken from divergent contexts. Metaphorically, he could have meant that her position in his government was not constitutionally backed and so her interview had no weight. There was no need to take her seriously. Literarily, it was a gargantuan gaffe as he threw the jab in the presence of Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor who is a woman. They didn’t meet in the kitchen and the statement portrayed him as a misogynist.

Don’t forget that his administration has been accused of not being too women friendly with the ratio of appointments that have been made so far. An article in the Washington Post has been making him look worse than Donald Trump. In a world where a high premium is being placed on women’s rights with the rise of feminism, the excellence of women in hitherto male dominated fields and the current battle for complete equality

of the sexes especially the current campaign for equal pay, Buhari’s ill-thought quip has made him shoot himself in the foot.

He must have been furious that his wife could ‘run her mouth’ as is said in Nigerian parlance in the media but he should have exercised more self-restraint and not make himself a laughing stock in the international community.

There must have been a lacuna in their communication which made her vent her frustration in the media. Personally, that wasn’t the best thing to do. Having been married to him for 27 years, there would have been a better way to draw his attention to the crisis plaguing the country. Some critics are contending that she may have resorted to the outburst since she has been sidelined but whatever her motives whether altruistic or self-serving, the way and manner she went about it was not the best. Every couple goes through their peculiar challenges and public opprobrium has never been the best way to tackle knotty issues. We recall that when Bill Clinton was on the slab in 1998 and was made mincemeat of by Kenneth Starr in the highly sensational trial which led to his impeachment by the House of Representatives for perjury before being mercifully saved by the Senate, Hillary stood like the Rock of Gibraltar behind him. There was a lot of pressure on her to institute divorce proceedings against him especially when the accusers kept swelling in number. Many feminists were urging her to do the needful by becoming the pioneer first lady to divorce a sitting president but she kept her cool until the storm was over. Hillary never granted

an interview to condemn Bill despite the fact that the different media houses would have been willing to break the bank to get such an exclusive from her. I don’t think she would have been a presidential candidate if she had succumbed to the cries of the feminists who may have left her in the lurch now. Which brand wants to touch Monica Lewinsky with a 10-foot pole? Men should be mindful of history.

It’s no news that Nigeria is currently going through crisis but we should be preoccupied with providing solutions rather than needlessly overheating the polity. Eleanor Roosevelt was a huge source of inspiration to Franklin Delano Roosevelt as she urged him not to quit politics when he was bogged down by polio at 39 which made him wear braces for the rest of his life. She played a behind the scenes role in ensuring that the New Deal programme he championed was a resounding success. They would obviously have had their rows but there was a never a public show of it and it’s extremely counter-productive to do so. It would only provide ephemeral pleasure for the adversaries and then you would be left to stew in your own juice.

While Buhari was battling a three year incarceration under the then IBB regime, his first wife, Safinatu allegedly collected huge sums of money from the self-styled Maradona. This led to their divorce in 1988 as the general couldn’t stomach the apparent betrayal. Will Aisha suffer the same fate as the general may equate this with a betrayal? The unfolding drama would be interesting to follow.

Ademiluyi wrote from Lagos

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T H I S D AY • MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2016

EDITORIAL FINDING FOOD FOR HUNGRY NIGERIANS

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There is urgent need to invest more in food production

illions of people across the globe yesterday marked the World Food Day. But coming at a period Nigerians are rated as “seriously” hungry, going by the 2015 Global Hunger Index (GHI) statistics, it was disturbing that the authorities gave no indication of any concerted efforts to address the challenge of food security in our country. Yet, with the 2016 theme being “Climate is changing, food and agriculture must too”, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations is calling on countries to address the challenge of food security in their climate action plans and invest more in rural development.

With a score of 32.8, Nigeria is currently ranked the 14th most hungry out of 119 countries and 152nd out of 187 on the 2015 UNDP Human Development Index (HDI). To worsen matters, the 2016 Report of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is quite revealing of the prevalence of wasting and stunting in children under the RANKED AS THE WORLD’S age of five in the LARGEST PRODUCER country. And to the OF CASSAVA, YAM, AND extent that hunger, COWPEA, IT IS A SHAME poverty and disease THAT NIGERIA DEPENDS are interlinked, with ON IMPORTS OF GRAINS, each contributing LIVESTOCK PRODUCTS, AND to the presence and FISH TO FEED OUR PEOPLE persistence of the other, there is an urgent need for critical stakeholders to begin to fashion solutions to tackle the challenge of hunger and food in Nigeria.

Ranked as the world’s largest producer of cassava, yam, and cowpea, it is a shame that Nigeria depends on imports of grains, livestock products, and fish to feed our people. Against the background that, of an estimated 71 million hectares of cultivable land, only half is currently used for farming, mostly by small holding rural dwellers, there is need to take agriculture

Letters to the Editor

much more seriously.

However, the greatest challenge relates to climate change which is the kernel of this year’s World Food Day. Poor people are the hardest hit by droughts and other problems associated with weather and the environment. “Growing food in a sustainable way means adopting practices that produce more with less in the same area of land and use natural resources wisely. It also means reducing food losses before the final product or retail stage through a number of initiatives including better harvesting, storage, packing, transport, infrastructure, market mechanisms, as well as institutional and legal frameworks” said a statement by the FAO to mark this year’s World Food Day.

T T H I S DAY

EDITOR IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU DEPUTY EDITORS BOlAJI ADEBIYI, JOsEph UshIGIAlE MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOlA BEllO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOlAfE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OlUsEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOsA UWUGIAREN

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

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOlA BEllO, KAYODE KOMOlAfE, IsRAEl IWEGBU, EMMANUEl EfENI, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU GROUP FINANCE DIRECTOR OlUfEMI ABOROWA DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS pETER IWEGBU, fIDElIs ElEMA, MBAYIlAN ANDOAKA, ANThONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEh ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS hENRY NWAChOKOR, sAhEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOlA TAIWO, UChENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOsERI GENERAL MANAGER pATRICK EIMIUhI GROUP HEAD fEMI TOlUfAshE ART DIRECTOR OChI OGBUAKU II DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION ChUKs ONWUDINJO TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

hat is a message that will serve well the authorities in our country, especially at this most difficult period for many families. While government, at all levels, periodically reiterate commitment to reducing by half the number of impoverished Nigerians by 2020, most of the programmes for helping the poor that we have had in recent years have ended up as slush funds. It was therefore common to see those who administer such programmes ostensibly meant for the poor helping themselves and their cronies with little or no thought for the people on whose behalf they were to work.

No matter the spin officials put on the issue, emerging facts suggest that the nation’s finances and the economy are already in dire straits. This is therefore the time for our leaders to put on their thinking caps on how to redress the situation, especially regarding food security for majority of our people who are living below the poverty line. They should not take it for granted that because Nigerians are somewhat resilient they will continue to struggle to make a living oblivious to their tough socio-economic conditions and the failings of those in authority.

The message should be clear: if things continue the way they are today, nobody should be under any illusion that Nigeria is insulated from any kind of social upheaval.

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

LAGOS’ STRATEGIC INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT PLAN

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ood road network remains key to the economic development of any nation as it is vital for smooth socio-economic activities. The economic impact that good infrastructure has on any society cannot be over-emphasised. It gives direction to the developmental plan of any society. The main secret of most advanced economies of the world lies in the availability of basic infrastructure.

Evidently, the industrial stride of nations such as China, Malaysia and Singapore is enabled by the presence of basic infrastructure.

Famous American businessman and investor, Roger McNamee, clearly underscores the indispensability of infrastructure development to economic advancement when he affirms that: “We need to stop thinking about infrastructure as an economic stimulant and start thinking about it as a strategy. Economic stimulants produce bridge to nowhere. Strategic Investment in infrastructure produces a foundation for long – term growth”. Investment in key infrastructure is as good as laying solid foundation for economic edifice of a nation. It is a source of attraction to investment. This explains why industrial estate such as Ikeja industrial park is still relevant till date due to road network provided by the defunct Western Region led by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. The prosperity of the defunct Western Region was anchored on the availability of well-planned essential infrastructure.

Sadly, over the years, one of the banes of our nation has been poor infrastructure. This has resulted in extreme poverty, needless loss of lives and retarded growth. We have not been able to really attract the investment that would stimulate economic growth and create the much needed jobs that would reduce unemployment in our nation because of dearth of basic infrastructure. So, we have continued to move in circles

like the proverbial barber’s chair that specialises in motion without movement.

It is in order to halt this regretful trend that the Lagos State Government has resolved to give infrastructure development the top priority it deserves. In the last 16 years, successive governments in Lagos State has committed huge resources into the upgrading and renewal of its infrastructures, thus creating massive employment opportunities for engineers, ad-hoc workers and artisans who are employed on construction sites. Of course, this is quite essential in a city state like Lagos in view of its ever growing population which often put constant pressure on infrastructure in the state. Contrary to widespread expectation, relocation of the Federal Capital from Lagos to Abuja has not in any way reduced the population of the state.

Similarly, commercial economic and industrial activities have continued to be hallmarks of Lagos State. Without doubt, Lagos remains the commercial nerve centre of not only Nigeria but the entire West Africa region. Also, the mega city status of the state further places enormous demand on the government towards providing enabling environment for individuals and corporate entities to actualise their dreams.

At the inception of this administration in May 2015, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode embarked upon a state-wide tour to assess the state of infrastructure in the state. Arising from his consultation with relevant stakeholders at the grassroots, he approved the construction of Ajah Flyover/Upgrading of Freedom Road to Admiralty Road, Eti-Osa; construction of Abule – Egba Flyover in Ifako-Ijaye Local government.

Others include rehabilitation and upgrading of strategic arterial/ inner roads in Epe, construction of Pedestrian Bridge and slip road at Ojodu Berger Bus-stop along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, construction of 2nd

Ojota Pedestrian Bridge, Ojota, reconstruction of Brown Road, Oshodi in Oshodi – Isolo LGA, rehabilitation/upgrading of Aiyetoro Road (Section 1) in Alimosho LGA, rehabilitation/Upgrading of Ishefun/ Camp Davis/ New Market roads in Alimosho LGA, among numerous ones.

Perhaps, the most audacious of Governor Ambode’s strides in infrastructure development is the construction of 114 roads in 57 local governments/local council development areas. This project is the fulfillment of the governor’s pledge to run an all- inclusive government in which no section of the state is left behind. It is a massive statement that authenticates the state government’s desire to even development across the state. To further highlight its desire to sustain the tempo, efforts are in top gear to replicate the process all over again through the construction of additional two roads per local government area across the state.

Expectedly, the rate at which roads are being constructed and rehabilitated in the state has attracted widespread commendations from far and near. One positive impact of on-going road repairs across the state is employment generation. For instance, it has been estimated that over 1450 jobs for both skilled and unskilled labour have been generated by the on-going road rehabilitation exercise in the state. In the same vein, some of these road projects have also increased the capacity of Lagos residents to create wealth. For instance, it has been observed that, among others, business enterprise and other socio-economic activities have significantly improved along the axis where roads have been constructed and launched in the state.

Bolaji Odumade, Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Lagos

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T H I S D AY • MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2016

POLITICS

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

T H E M O N D AY D I S C O U R S E

The Perfect President Make no mistake, President Muhammadu Buhari is his own problem, writes Olawale Olaleye

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n the run up to the 2015 elections, certain assumptions were conceived by some of the anti-Goodluck Jonathan forces and thrown into the mix. This negative puffery trended really good, no thanks to the age of the influential media. The whole essence of this was first, to decimate the stature of the then president and second, undo his chances in an election he narrowly lost, ironically, in spite of the mystique and myth fabricated around his major challenger, Muhammadu Buhari, a self-acclaimed converted democrat.

First was the theory of grace, which sought to espouse the unseen spirituality supposedly tied to his candidacy. It went thus: that in the build-up to his political career, Jonathan might have savoured to the fullest, the significance of his name – Goodluck – and as such, has had grace paved the way for him all along without having to struggle to secure anything, however difficult. The idea, indeed, was spot on.

Now, the conjecture: He was deputy governor of Bayelsa State in 1999 without lifting a finger.

That, they claimed, was grace. He became the governor of the state following the misfortune that befell his impeached late boss, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, also without flexing muscles.

It was grace, they posited. He had concluded plans to run his own election as Bayelsa governor in 2007, when he was picked albeit against his own wish to be running mate to the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. Grace, again, they reckoned.

His boss, as God willed, became terminally ill and the struggle for survival became a collective battle of the Nigerian people, first as acting president and eventually president when his boss heeded the eternal call. Nothing can be more but grace shored-up by luck. In 2011, it was his own election and everyone, including some of his predecessors rose in his support and pleaded that he should be allowed to run. He did with staggering goodwill and support and went on to win the election with as much ease.

Remember the man without shoes campaign?

Again, grace it was, they contended.

Unfortunately, by 2015, the ease with which he’d always had his way suddenly ceased to flow and Jonathan started to struggle in the battle to return to office. For this, these emergency theorists concluded grace might have left him and that if he was smart, he should not have contested the election but walked away with whatever was left of the sustaining grace.

Well, he didn’t see it their way. He contested the most dramatic election in the history of the country and lost, narrowly to Buhari. Had he seen the spiritual slant to his career progression, these forces reckoned, the case would have been distinctly different. That’s one.

There is yet another. In the thick of some of the challenges that speckled his presidency, Jonathan was at some point labeled a lame president.

Those who canvassed this position said at the time that there were literally six presidents in the country and in this order: Patience Jonathan, Diezani Allison-Madueke, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Stella Odua, Mike Ogiadhome and Jonathan himself. The implication of Jonathan being the sixth on the list is that all he did was just to approve whatever the five others conceived or brought before him.

Combined, these two demeaning pictures of Jonathan as painted by those in the opposition, no doubt, reduced him as a person and of course, unsettled his chances at the election. He fought a good fight, no doubt, but lost. Importantly, he moved on peacefully, congratulated his challenger and retired into a quiet but diplomatic life.

After all, he would remain in Nigeria’s political history, the one leader who rose through the

Without assuming too much, one of the major problems with the Buhari presidency is his excessive immersion in self-glorification at collective expense. His larger than life picture as though the best thing that has happened to the country is unfortunately reductionist, both in form and content. He stands too rigid on an impossible moral high ground as if he could cast that stone for having not walked a similar path before

Buhari...the idealist president

ranks of political leadership – unbroken from 1999 to 2015 and at different capacities.

However, Buhari’s supporters too forgot that Karma is a sadist. Just about the same time that those two conjectures on Jonathan lasted, a certain assumption about President Buhari was equally in circulation but no one paid attention to it. The change mantra and the propaganda of the era were so overwhelming that attention to the simplest of details was ignored by a majority of the Nigerian people, who wanted change at all costs. The unanimous resolve was anything but Jonathan.

Here is the Buhari version. For 12 years since 2003, Buhari had sought conscientiously to be president but failed because nobody trusted him and his record as a former military ruler was nothing to flash in any ideal democratic contest. He contested against former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Musa Yar’Adua and twice against Jonathan, first in 2011 before making it through in 2015.

The belief of those behind this school of thought was that, it was perhaps, in God’s wisdom that he declined to make Buhari president all the times he’d tried. The assumption that he was Nigeria’s Abraham Lincoln didn’t fly with God probably because God was shielding him from himself. Those who shared this belief were of the view that against the staggering expectations and goodwill, it might be that Buhari was truly not a hands-on leader or the messiah the country had been waiting for and in order not to expose both his habitual and innate failings, God deliberately denied him the opportunity to expose his own shortcomings.

But he seemed to have challenged God in his prayers and evidently prayed amiss. And God, not wanting to been seen as an impossible supreme being, granted his prayers. Two years into his government, there is no mistaking the fact that many people can begin to link the dots and see why God might have protected him all along before granting his prayers.

Although to the ardent supporters of the president, with regards to his body language approach to governance, it might be too early to assess him because the rot he met on the ground was monumental. So, all they are still asking for is time. But need they be reminded that time is not patient enough to wait for anyone? It goes on ticking.

The second stanza of the Buhari theory, which shares closely with Jonathan’s, is the alarm raised some time ago by the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, that there was a government within the Buhari government.

Rather than take the message for proper and critical analysis with a view to ascertaining its veracity, the “hailing hailers” descended on the messenger and said he merely cried foul.

They said it was an attempt to blackmail the presidency since he was standing different trials. Thank goodness one of the charges against Saraki and his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu is cooling off in the dustbin of history. The inherent message here is only for those who can read between the lines.

But maybe, just maybe, those who have since been following events in the government and the country at large can begin to see who was hallucinating between Saraki and the president’s supporters. Besides, nothing more can be authenticating than the recent interview by Nigeria’s ‘gorgeously modest’ First Lady, Aisha Buhari, who claimed her husband did not know about 50 per cent of the people working with him. She went on to warn that if her husband did not sit up and rejig his cabinet in order to live up to billings, she would not support his ambition, if at all there was one, in 2019.

Whatever informed the Aisha interview, if she had thought it was some publicity stunt, she must have been disappointed now, having learnt of how it ended up a spoof, which had confirmed, albeit inadvertently that her husband may not have been in charge after all. Even more disappointing was the president’s response to his wife. Just in the same manner he scoffed at David Cameron’s ill-conceived perception that Nigeria was ‘fantastically corrupt’, he said CONT’D ON NEXT PAGE

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as far as he was concerned, his wife belonged to the kitchen, the living room and the other room. What a presidential take!

In further exacerbating the tragedy of the Nigerian society, his spin doctors have come to dismiss his response to his wife as a mere joke.

How does anyone joke on such an international platform when it was not a Donald Trump entertaining audience on his reality show called campaign? Some have even commended him “for putting his wife in her place” just because they reckoned she crossed the line by stating the obvious and yet, they are suffering too from the mystifying clueless disposition of the government.

As it is now, the Nigerian president is the butt of joke across the globe on account of that slip. Washington post could only liken him to Trump whilst some German women held a press conference, condemning and calling him names. He is trending negatively on the social media and it is because that statement was nothing but sexist. It proves too that the presidential institution in the country is a total mess and suggests also that his handlers are poorer than the president otherwise they should have envisaged that the question would come up at that conference and consequently prepped him on how to handle it.

Without assuming too much, one of the major problems with the Buhari presidency is his excessive immersion in self-glorification at collective expense. His larger than life picture as though the best thing that has happened to the country is unfortunately reductionist, both in form and content. He stands too rigid on an impossible moral high ground as if he could cast that stone for having not walked a similar path before.

His constant de-marketing of the country is without doubt informed by his ignorance of the implications of his utterances and actions.

But whether or not the Nigerian people like it, with an already battered image, it would take a very long time for the country to get out of the image jumble Buhari had further plunged her whilst playing the holier than thou card.

Has anyone even asked how many of such endless trips, where he goes to run down the country have yielded forth? How much of the stolen money allegedly stashed abroad has been brought back home? They claimed to have recovered more than they need to fund the 2016 budget, yet they are itching to borrow to fund the same budget.

His resolve to confront and wrestle some of the demons that have stunted the nation’s growth and development over the years was initially a welcome idea, but the style of wanting to step outside the precinct of the law in order to enforce decisions is archaic and an anathema to constitutionality. It is totally unacceptable and no less totalitarian. Yet, some still think the approach does not matter for as long as he gets the job done. Certainly, not where the law is concerned and properly instituted!

For instance, when he too was unable to produce his West Africa School Certificate (even though it is now common knowledge that he probably did not sit for the exam, let alone secure the certificate) – no one bypassed the law to say he would not contest the election or that he should quit the office after he had emerged president. He willfully approached the courts and even had the temerity to hire 23 lawyers as president, a majority of them Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) to defend him. That’s the way of democracy. You cannot apply two standards – one where your interest is affected and the other, where you are less concerned. That in itself is corruption.

Otherwise, what do you call a situation where the president populates the government with his kith and kin in a multi-ethnic and complex nation like Nigeria? What more is corruption than playing the ethnic card and brazenly promoting nepotism in a 21st century Nigeria? Yet, people, either by sheer ignorance or conscious decision to play along, decline to note such little details but are quick to cry foul whenever it is “big news” to them.

No one had put this better than Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, who recently took exception to being labeled corrupt in the light of the recent arrest of some justices in the country and the allegation that lawyers defend looters.

His points were unambiguous and straight to the core of the issues. His anger was palpable in his writing and his disappointment, crystal clear in a system that seeks to subtly promote

Buhari in a chat with Obama at the White House during one of Buhari’s early visits to the US

Buhari and Jonathan in warm embrace during one of the peace meetings ahead of the 2015 elections

double standard.

Hear an obviously flustered Olanipekun, although long, it is worth your time: “Some people don’t know and some pretend not to know that law has its technicalities – both civil and criminal proceedings. They talk of technicalities and say that lawyers delay cases.

Look, without being immodest, I have been involved in a lot of cases in this country. I have defended a lot of people.

“During the run-up to the 2015 elections, I was one of the lawyers hired on pro bono basis to defend the All Progressives Congress and its candidate, Muhammadu Buhari. We employed all the tactics available, employable and allowable in the legal profession; why didn’t they blame us then? If we didn’t, the election would not have held.

“If you do that today, some people, even within the profession, will blame you. I know what I’m talking about. The election was to hold on a Saturday and Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja, said he was going to deliver his judgment on whether or not card readers should be used by the Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday, two days to the election. We filed preliminary objection, he overruled it.

“I was in court with Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), Akin Olujinmi (SAN), and Kola Awodein, (when) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu sent an aircraft to pick me in Akure, saying if we were not in court, the election would not hold. There

are things that need to be unveiled in this country. Tinubu, Babatunde Fashola (former Lagos State Governor), the Vice-President (Prof. Yemi Osibajo), Lai Mohammed, the AGF (Abubakar Malami) were in the know.

And Kolawole overruled us.

“Then he called the plaintiff and said can you go ahead with originating summons? I will deliver my judgment tomorrow. Like someone who was possessed, I rose up and said I was applying for stay of proceedings. Then the other lawyer interjected and asked for my formal application. I gave him two authorities offhand that I could apply orally. That was two days to the election. Kolawole said well, whatever it is I would want to listen to you.

“He listened to me. We did it pro bono in the sense that the APC hasn’t paid us. Nobody even wrote a letter to say thank you. Then, thereafter, he wrote a ruling and granted stay of proceedings 48 hours to the election. The Supreme Court later held that, though the card reader was a good innovation, it was not yet in the law.

“Would Buhari have been President if we had not done that? What could be more technical than that? They filed action against Buhari, we looked at it; we raised objections and we were dragging that. Is that not technicality?

And some people will now accuse me when I do it for other people that I’m defending looters. But when you do it for them, it is right; that is double standard. And what baffles

This government appears too dishonest and sells lies as though the incontrovertible truth.

Yet, all these are about a man who embodies the country. His body language says nothing but people give it their own interpretation and go to town with it. His personality is a confusing lot between the realist and the idealist. He grandstands in sheer nothingness and the resultant effect is a failing state – a government without party and a party in total disarray

me is that some highly placed lawyers, who should know better also accuse some lawyers of defending looters? To hell with anybody who has looted the treasury.

“I believe in my profession and I thank God for what I am. I am a fulfilled person and don’t want any position from any government, but then government should allow those of us who are privately engaged to do our work.

In our offices in Lagos and Abuja, we have over 75 members of staff – professionals and supporting staff. We pay more than what the government pays and don’t owe workers. A cleaner in my office earns far more than what government calls minimum wage. And when you say someone is a looter, who is a looter?

“Anybody who loots will have his day in court and God will punish looters, but at the same time, judge not, so that you are not judged.

And let the accused person defend himself. All religions give room for fair hearing. I grew up to know that when people came to my father to settle disputes, he would say ‘e je ko so tie, agba ti o gbo ejo enikan dajo, agba osika ni’ (let him say his side of the story; an elder who bases his judgment on only one side of the story is wicked). I grew up to know that.

“So, you don’t want people to be heard? If CONT’D ON NEXT PAGE

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that is the case, change the constitution. So once someone is accused, he is arrested and taken to prison. Then, abolish the courts. That is my position. And what goes around comes around.

You may be the accuser today; tomorrow it may be your turn to face accusations. Let the law take its course. It is tyrannical, dictatorial and smacks of militarism when you start accusing lawyers, who defend people.

“You cannot have democracy without free speech and people having access to courts.

You cannot be the accuser, the lawyer and the judge. They say lawyers and judges delay the prosecution of looters, then if they have already been adjudged looters, don’t prosecute them. It is only a court of law that can come to the conclusion that someone has looted the treasury after evidence has been produced.

“I believe in anti-corruption. You know, I said earlier that woe betide anybody who has looted the treasury or any person who uses his position to amass wealth. But when you keep on describing Nigeria as a country that is corrupt, investors will stay off. And if you know some judges are corrupt, deal with them, but don’t go to another country to say that the judiciary in your country is corrupt.

Nobody will come there because it is about investment and the rule of law.

“And when you talk of corruption among lawyers, who are the people? It takes two to tango. Let every politician in Nigeria swear by the god of thunder that he has not tried to induce a judge. Let the president take a cue from the United States President, Barack Obama. George W. Bush squandered American funds on the Gulf War as President of the US because he wanted Saddam Hussein by all means –dead or alive- after the September 11 attack.

“The economy of the US was comatose when Obama took over, but did you hear him say any bad thing about Bush? He had his own agenda. He started issuing presidential orders and proclamations and within two or three years, the economy was revived without him condemning anybody. To me, government is a continuum. I’m not in the Peoples Democratic Party or the APC; I don’t even see any difference between the two of them when it is so easy for the PDP people to move to the APC and immediately become progressives. You don’t sell that to me, Mr. President.”

Particularly more troubling about the president is his capacity to understanding issues and propounding same in apt context. The word ignorance, ignorant or ignoramus is rife amongst kids of certain age category, growing up. The tendency that every child within that age range picks it up early is likely because they find it quick to use. But there is a reason the word is popular amongst the kids of that category. It is because there is a definition every child can relate to, whatever the quality of education – private or public – the definition is universal, standard and easy to comprehend. What is this definition? Here, very simple: “He who knows not and knows not that he knows not,” is either ignorant, an ignoramus or suffering crass ignorance.

For clarity, there is no place for an ignoramus in leadership as it is in most of the hard core callings. But there is always a room for leaders to learn and acquire more knowledge as they advance in their leadership or mentoring, age regardless. Such knowledge acquisition, also, could come in different forms. But at least, the knowledge acquisition enhances their capacity to know something about everything and everything about something. It is all about leadership and its dynamics.

This distinction helps to identify quickly between a leader and a “wanna-be”. It distinguishes between a starter and the tested. It helps to sift, without slanting in a particular interest, the chaff from the grain. It helps to unveil leaders, who boast content, substance and knowledge and as well exposes those with sheer flashes and pizzas, gallivanting as if they are the big deal, when truly they are empty.

The Buhari presidency is today the big deal – big deal in terms of its leadership perception. He came on board in 2015 after 12 years of failed attempts on the strength of “change mantra”. Those who sold him knew he carried with him a baggage of attitudinal burden that must be shed and fast too. That was the whole essence of the repackaging done to his physical outlook – remember the suit wearing and the different traditional attires

Buhari in a tete-a-tete with the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel early in the year

that signify the nation’s diversity.

His backers could also tell of his capacity and intellectual credentials, but they would not play it up because they thought they had it all tidied up. They avoided debates in the lead up to the election and promised what they could not achieve in a century just to garner votes, chase out the PDP and acquire power.

Today, as providence would have it, they have that power but are unable to use it right and well. They are better off as being in power, certainly not in government as governance is absent on all major and critical fronts. They are often tempted to travel their old way and bully people to stay in line. They seek to bypass the rule of law and ignore the principles of separation of power. They pretend to know what the issues are, when clearly, they are far from it and keep running in circle at the detriment of the generality of the people.

The economy, today in Buhari’s Nigeria, is comatose, sadly without any clear and definite roadmap on the way out. It is true he inherited a not-too-good economy, but what has he done to contain the threat and is that idea working? In the area of security, attention is shifted to Boko Haram as if the only security challenge in the country, while kidnapping and armed robbery hold sway in practically all parts of the country.

Nearly every other day, people of different status and class, including schools pupils are kidnapped. The fight against corruption died on arrival because of the approach which seems to be selective and disingenuously deceptive.

The recent release of 21 of the missing Chibok girls which should have served as some form of reprieve in the light of the prevalent disappointment is already mired in controversy.

Some say it was a trade-off but government insists it was not. Whether or not it is true, the truth about what transpired would soon be available to the public. Government has forgotten so soon that a certain body in a foreign

land was alleged to have brokered that deal.

If that is correct, then access to information is not going to be as difficult and in no time, the truth will be unveiled.

By and large, this government appears

The Buhari presidency is today the big deal – big deal in terms of its leadership perception…

Those who sold him knew he carried with him a baggage of attitudinal burden that must be shed and fast too. They also could tell of his capacity and intellectual credentials. They would not play it up because they thought they had it all tidied up. They avoided debate in the lead up to the election and promised what they could not achieve in a century just to garner votes, chase out the PDP and acquire power

too dishonest and sells lies as though the incontrovertible truth. Yet, all these are about a man who embodies the country. His body language says nothing but people give it their own interpretation and go to town with it.

His personality is a confusing lot between the realist and the idealist. He grandstands in sheer nothingness and the resultant effect is a failing state – a government without party and a party in total disarray.

Short of sounding like an anti-Buhari, his government or style, one thing is certain though – give it another year (because in a year and a half, the government will be on its way out), Nigerians – the sensible and honestly fair ones – will start to apologise to former President Jonathan, not because he too did not fail the people in many ways than one, but because too much than he did was recorded against his presidency in the name of politics and the struggle for power. Even if their decision would not change given a different scenario, their choice would be better informed.

It is, therefore, clear to all now that Buhari assumed office on a moral ground too high for any mortal to sustain, thus precipitating impossible expectations. It wasn’t going to take long before the imperfection that distinguishes his individuality starts to manifest. One of the most flawed narratives of this administration, albeit propounded by the “hailing hailers” is the struggle to compare the misdeeds of this government to those of the Jonathan era and infer that the people are somewhat impatient.

The question, then, is: why ride to power on the crest of change? The whole idea of sending Jonathan and the PDP packing was to pave the way for a breath of a completely fresh air. Why drive the ship of state near the misfortune of the past and expect that the people look away on the pretext that “Jonathan did worse after all”? How dumb, idiotic and unpatriotic can that be? If this government wasn’t going to do anything differently, why not leave Jonathan and the PDP to continue with their “destruction of the country” as was the story then?

For a government and leadership that are mercurial, both in words and actions, Nigerians may have indeed expected too much, hence the seemingly inconsolable disappointment that is pervasive. It does seem very clearly too and without sounding pessimistic, that this government may not end well and nothing good may indeed come out of it at the end of a wasted four-year mandate of one chance, but of course, except the style and disposition change.

A few weeks ago, when an American, Pete Hoekstra, wrote an article that was published on Wall Street Journal, wherein he described Buhari as Nigeria’s problems and not its solution, his traditional defence team failed to see the “message” in the message but pounced on what was no less a genuine intervention.

In the article, he accused President Buhari of stiffness, lack of vision and reactive approach to issues. “Nigerian President Muhummadu Buhari writes of building an economic bridge to Nigeria’s future. It’s hard to see how his administration’s inflexibility, lack of vision and reactive approach will achieve this.”

Thus, when his die-hard supporters say ‘don’t blame Buhari for the problems the country is going through’, the critical minds would query who to blame? After all, it was his decision to waste about six months shopping for ideal lieutenants to work with. It was his decision to populate his government with kith and kin. It was his decision to discountenance the place of the party in his government at collective detriment. It was his decision to pick fight with the legislature when they should be partnersin-progress. It was his decision to choose what advice he takes and which one he dismisses because he has trust issues. To now think a gamut of all of these ‘deliberate errors’ would not have their effect in the final analysis is to live in self-abnegation and disillusion.

At this juncture, President Buhari must accept the fact that there is no ‘perfect leader’ anywhere in the world. What is plausible and achievable is an ideal leadership with realist tendencies – one that is not quick to putting up a face, but living through his failings and making them count for collective good by opting for an opportunity to correct those failings even more intelligently. But, assuming such an opportunity avails itself, is President Buhari willing to take it?

T H I S D AY MONDAY OCTOBER 17, 2016

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

Some of the beneficiaries of #togetherforalimb with staff of Stanbic IBTC Bank

Rekindled Hope for Injured Children of the N’East While most children without limbs lost to gunshots or bombings in the North-east may have had their dreams dashed, a few have been given a new lease of life, including prosthetics and the opportunity to get educated by Stanbic IBTC Bank. Martins Ifijeh writes

“T

o kill the big rats, you have to kill the little rats.” These were the venomous and repeated message by Radio Mille Collines in Kigali on the eve of the Rwanda genocide, resulting in the hacking to death of over 300,000 newborns and children from Tutsi, the country’s minority tribe. This led to a global outrage, as children, ordinarily should be sheathed from such conflict, which in the first case was started by adults.

About two decades after, but subtly, children from Nigeria’s North-east have been among the worst hit from the conflict between Boko Haram insurgents and the Nigerian state, with several thousands of children, including newborns, sent to their early graves, as they have randomly been hacked to death at different locations including schools, market places and even homes. A situation that could be termed annihilation of the younger generation.

For the lucky ones, the tale is almost as horrible as those who have lost their lives.

With more than triple the number of dead children said to be orphaned by the activities of the insurgents in recent years, according to reports, several others have become disabled, disfigured or incapacitated due to the direct impact of the insurrection, while majority

are orphaned and displaced with no known relatives to fall back on.

But very few children with disabilities from bombs and guns would be able to bounce back to life due to interventions from kind-hearted individuals, stakeholders and corporate bodies like the Stanbic IBTC bank, which has decided this year to offer limbs and set up an education trust fund dedicated to children without limbs occasioned by gunshots or bombs from Boko Haram activities in the North-east.

For children to lose their limbs can be very devastating, so on our part, we just want to make sure they get their lives back, go to normal school, play normally and then aspire as any other Nigerian in terms of fulfillment of their dreams

One of such children is Alhassan Abdullahi, a seven-year-old indigene of Kaleri ward in Maiduguri metropolitan area of Borno State, who out of sheer luck and divine providence escaped the sledge hammer of Boko Haram but not without gunshot injuries to his right leg. Although his parents were not as lucky as him to live through it, he however managed to limp to safety from the scavenging eyes of the sect members on mission to kill and maim innocent citizens. His parents, unfortunately were unlucky and died in the attacks.

On the faithful Saturday night in Kaleri ward in 2013, when Alhassan was just four years old, Boko Haram insurgents stormed the community, killing everyone in sight, including children and pregnant women. “It was sudden, so my parents could not run, but as I was running out of the house, they shot me, and then thought I was dead because I was bleeding and couldn’t move at all,” explained the seven-year-old, who had someone interpreting in English for THISDAY reporter who doesn’t understand his local language.

Alhassan, who was then taken to Maiduguri Teaching Hospital for treatment, reeled in pain for several months as efforts to revive his right leg was fruitless. The leg was subsequently amputated in order to save his life. “That was how Stanbic IBTC discovered him and then

provided prosthetics for him so he can walk again and fulfill his life’s dreams,” said the Branch Manager, Stanbic IBTC, Maiduguri, Abubakar Ibrahim, who was instrumental in identifying Alhassan for the gesture from the bank through its #togetherforalimb project.

Alhassan, has been provided with an education trust fund as well so he can resume the education he suspended three years ago. He will be able to live a normal life again and then aspire to be whatever he chooses in future.

Also lucky to be a beneficiary of the gesture is Mohammed Goni Bukar, a 14 years old resident of Jajeji ward of Maiduguri metropolitan, who was a student of Lamisula Day Secondary School before the unfortunate incident happened to him.

While narrating his ordeal, Mohammed wondered why children like him were targets from the sect because at the time he was attacked along with his parents and other people in Jajeli community, he was just 11 years old, as he posed no harm to anybody.

Like Alhassan, Mohammed was also shot in the leg while his parents died in the attacks

by Boko Haram insurgents during one of their several activities in the Maiduguri metropolis.

“We were home one day when we saw people scampering for safety, but it was too late as the community was already surrounded by

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Wife of Governor of Zamfara State, Hajiya Asmau Yari, presenting a cheque to Mohammed courtesy of Stanbic IBTC Bank. Flanked are Deputy Managing Director, Stanbic IBTC, Dr. Demola Sogunle (r) and the CEO, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mrs. Sola David-Borha

Alhassan was shot on his right leg in Kaleri ward of Maiduguri metropolis Boko Haram. They killed everyone in sight, including my parents. Several children also lost their lives that day. While I was running away from the insurgents, one of them shot me, and that was how I fell drastically, then dislocated and broke my arm coupled with the gunshot wounds to my leg,” explained Mohammed who spoke in Hausa.

As fate would have it, he said his spirit refused to die even though the dreaded group thought he was already dead. Mohammed lost consciousness for days while being treated by the government in Maiduguri Teaching Hospital where he was taken to.

“When I regained consciousness, I discovered the dislocation was severe and I couldn’t move the hand anymore. That is why today the hand is twisted as I no longer feel sensation in it. I lost a limb as well. Unfortunately also my parents died in the attacks,” Mohammed narrated.

To save his life, in the hospital’s wisdom, they decided to amputate his leg which was fruitlessly undergoing treatment. Mohammed has been living with just one leg since then coupled with the twisted hand, said the Maiduguri Branch Manager of the bank, Ibrahim, who was helping Mohammed to narrate his story in English.

Mohammed, who became a beneficiary of the 2016 #togetherforalimb initiative by Stanbic IBTC has been provided with prosthetics that could pass for a real leg. He has also been given an education trust fund that would enable the bank take care of his education up to the university level. His prosthetics will also be changed and upgraded at intervals as he grows taller and bigger until he becomes 18 years old.

The story of Mohammed Abubakar was not any different. Like Alhassan and Mohammed, he also got a bitter taste from the activities of the insurgents who did not spare children in their attacks, irrespective of the their claim that they were never after children and women, but able bodied men, youths and government officials who do not believe in their ideology.

Abubakar was shot in the leg in Jakana

L-R: Deputy Managing Director, Stanbic IBTC, Dr. Demola Sogunle; wife of the Governor o Zamfara State, Hajiya Asmau Yari; CEO, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mrs. Sola David-Borha and the Executive Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Stanbic IBTC, Mrs Nkitu Olumide-Ojo, during the sensitisation walk for #togetherforalimb campaign, held in Abuja ...recently

Mohammed was shot in the leg by Boko Haram. He also fell, breaking his hand, which led to a deformity in the right hand

village in Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State, while also running from the insurgents who stormed his village. According to him, many people lost their lives in that single attack, including his father who could not run fast enough from the dreaded sect members.

Consequently, Abubakar, like other children and adults who have suffered terrible gun shots to their limbs, had his left leg amputated when it was obvious the injury in the leg would send him to his early grave. This again truncated his plans for education, as he became handicapped, according to his explanation.

But, as Stanbic IBTC continued its search for limbless children in the North-east to benefit from its initiative, they found Abubakar, whose sorry tale could cause an emotional breakdown, since according to him there were a lot of aspirations he hoped to fulfill in life which were being truncated by Boko Haram activities, leading to the amputation of his leg. The death of his father was also a big blow to him.

Along with a prosthetic, which will be upgraded and changed every time until he grows up to 18 years, Abubakar will also be sponsored all through to the tertiary level

For these children, it was like their whole future has been extinguished in a split second. So when you provide these supports, you have succeeded in restoring their hope, aspiration, self worth and happiness. It is like giving back to them what has been tragically taken

Abubakar, one of the children shot in Jakana village by Boko Haram

of education, courtesy of #togetherforalimb initiative by the corporate social responsibility arm of the financial house.

Also being supported by the initiative is little Aliyu Usman, who is about two years old. He lost one of his limbs when a tricycle, popularly known as keke Napep, failed brake and rammed straight into the home of Usman, and then severely injuring the a limb of little Aliyu.

A prosthetic has however been fixed on him as he now walks normally. He has also been awarded an education trust fund from primary school up to tertiary education. Aliyu was also given a cheque of N1.5 million by the bank.

Fatima Abubakar, a 15-year-old was not also left out of the gesture. Hers was a congenital deformity of the foot, which led to the use of only one of her legs for movement. A prosthetic was provided for her in addition for an education trust fund up to the tertiary level.

Speaking during the sensitisation walk in Abuja recently for the support of children without limbs in the country, the Deputy Managing Director, Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, Dr. Demola Sogunle, said this was part of the bank’s way of supporting the society as well as efforts of the government towards its citizens, adding that the gesture was in line with the three pillars of the bank’s corporate social responsibility, which he said were: education, health and economic empowerment.

“On #togetherforalimb initiative, which started last year, we have tried to combine our three pillars for the beneficiaries; they have been provided with prosthetics, which is very important for them, we are making available education trust fund for all the children benefitting from this initiative, and we have decided to continuously change their prosthetics as they grow older until they clock 18 years, which again is very important, because as they grow older, the present prosthetics might not fit any longer,” he added.

He said this year, the initiative was particularly focused on the North-east because of the devastation that has happened in the region

courtesy of the Boko Haram crisis, adding that of the eight beneficiaries for the year, six were from the region, while the remaining two were from other parts of the country.

“For children to lose their limbs can be very devastating, so on our part, we just want to make sure they get their lives back, go to normal school, play normally and then aspire as any other Nigerian in terms of fulfillment of their dreams.”

According to him, 17 people have so far benefitted from the initiative from 2015 when it started. “Last year nine persons benefitted and this year eight persons. We are also trying to cover the different regions of the country.

Last year beneficiaries were mainly from the Southern part of the country, so this year we had to move to the North. This is especially unique because majority of them this year became limbless as a result of the crisis in the region.

“For these children, it was like their whole future has been extinguished in a split second.

So when you provide these supports, you have succeeded in restoring their hope, aspiration, self worth and happiness. It is like giving back to them what has been tragically taken,” he explained.

He said now, the children would have equal chances with other Nigerian children to becoming governors, ministers and presidents in future. “We may not see the benefits now, but 20 to 30 years down the line when they become beneficial to their communities, they will reflect back and say if not for this opportunity that was given to us to grow normally and be educated, we may not have been where we are today,” Sogunle said.

Also lending her voice, the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Mrs. Aisha Buhari has lauded the initiative and thanked Stanbic IBTC for putting smiles on the faces of the children.

Mrs. Buhari, who was ably represented by the wife of the Governor of Zamfara State, Hajiya Asmau Yari, said a new lease of life has been given to the beneficiaries, adding that this will put them at a great advantage to be whatever they so wish in the future.

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T H I S D AY • MONDAY, OctOber 17, 2016

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

L-R: CEO, OVH Energy Marketing, Mr. Abayomi Awobokun; dealer, Oando Alapere Service Station, Chief Funmilayo Alebiosu; and Head, Engineering, OVH Energy Marketing, Mr. Ladi Adekoya, at the Independence Day commissioning of its ultra-modern service station in Lagos...recently

L-R: Director, Public Affairs and Communications, Coca-Cola West Africa Business Unit, Clement Ugorji; Coke Studio Artiste, Simi; Marketing Director, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Patricia Jemibewon; Coke Studio Artiste, Tanzanian Vanessa Mdee; and the Marketing Manager, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Cletus Onyebuoha, at the launch of Coke Studio Africa Season 4 in Lagos...recently

L-R: Head, Service Innovation & Standards Management, First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Adenike Durodola; Standards Management Officer, Ayowande Aduwo; a pupil of British Caleb International School, Lekki-Ajah, Oluwadamilola Ambah and Divisional Head, Human Resources & Strategy of the Bank, Felicia Obozuwa, during a visit to the School to celebrate the birthday of the pupil as part of FCMB’s activities to commemorate the 2016 Customer Service Week in Lagos....recently

Daniella Ausi, Ameze Ojo Odiase, Divine Ohai, and Eric Anyaeze, selected children who modelled the Emirates Pilot Uniforms at the Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria (FADAN) fashion show in Abuja...recently

L-R: Public Relations Officer, Association of Agriculture Products and Equipment Manufacturers in Nigeria (INDIGENOUS), Mr. Onwuka Paul; Legal Adviser to the association, Mr. Ben Kadiri; President, Chief Eric Umeofia; and Secretary General, Alhaji Umaru Abdullahi, during a press briefing by the association on the deliberate attempt to close down indigenous manufacturers by MDAS in Lagos...recently KOLAWOLE ALLI

L-R: Deputy President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mr. Babatunde Paul Ruwase; Country Director in Nigeria, Centre for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), Mrs Omowunmi Gbadamosi; Managing Director, CIPE, Mr Andrew Wilson; and Vice-President, LCCI, Chief Dr. Michael Olawale-Cole, during a courtesy visit of CIPE to LCCI in Lagos...recently

Ondo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Dayo Adeyanju (right), receiving the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON) distinguish service award of excellence from SOGON President, Prof. Joseph Brian-D Adinma, at the dinner/gala night to mark the end of the 50th annual general meeting/scientific conference of the society, in Akure...recently

L-R: General Manager, Sabmiller, Andrew Ross; MD, Maxxconnection Ltd, Owolabi Mustapha; District Manager, Sabmiller, Bimbo Olaleye; Marketing Manager, Sabmiller, Jennifer Balogun; and District Manager, Sabmiller, Chinwe Okonkwo, during the unveiling of Castle Lite Premium Beer coordinated by Maxxconnection Limited in Lagos...recently

23

T H I S D AY • MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2016

BUSINESSWORLD NIBOR OVERNIGHT 1-MONTH

R A T E S 8.9465 17.1896

3-MONTH 6-MONTH

A S 18.1410 19.6778

A T

NITTY 1-MONTH 2-MONTH 3-MONTH

Group Business Editor Chika Amanze-Nwachuku Email chika.amanzenwachukwu@thisdaylive.com 08033294157

O C T O B E R 16.4901 16.8370 16.8736

6-MONTH 9-MONTH 12-MONTH

7 ,

2 0 1 6

18.6920 20.7858 22.1072

EXCHANGE RATE N306.75 / 1 US DOLLAR* *AS AT LAST FRIDAY

Quick Takes Philips Launches Skin-friendly Clipper

PUTTING HEADS TOGETHER

L-R: Chairman, Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Mr. Bank Anthony Okoroafor and the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru in a tete-a-tete during a dinner organised by the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) in Abuja … recently

FG Urged to Take Advantage of Cotonou Port Patronage Decline Eromosele Abiodun The federal government has been advised to take advantage of the decline in patronage currently being experienced by the Cotonou ports to grow Nigeria’s RoRo business.

President, Auto Export Shipping (AES), Mr. Pete Bottino, gave the advice during a courtesy visit to SIFAX Group facilities in Lagos over the weekend.

He noted that the Cotonou RoRo vehicle market, which previously was a booming market in the West Coast, has suffered a significant decline in patronage, a situation he described as a big opportunity for Nigeria to explore in order to grow her earnings.

He said: “As a highly-rated carrier in the United States,

ECONOMY we used to export two large vessels to the Cotonou ports on a weekly basis, but I must tell you that this market has crashed now and we only manage to export a small fraction there now. At present, our company would prefer to ship cargoes to Nigerian ports rather than Cotonou ports. This is an opportunity that Nigeria and its government must key into, if they want to grow their earnings.”

In order to take advantage of this, Bottino urged the federal government to urgently address the challenge of foreign exchange that has negatively affected businesses in the country.

“Right now, because of the foreign exchange problems in

Nigeria, the business is down. I believe once the government gets that sorted out, more customers will be bringing in lot more cars, especially trucks and machine equipment. This is what everybody wants, but because of the foreign exchange problems, people don’t buy cars and send to Nigeria anymore, they send them to other countries. Nigeria has to get the foreign exchange problems fixed,” he added.

The AES boss commended SIFAX Group for the genuine commitment displayed so far in building a solid business relationship with his company as shown in its business acumen, problem-solving skill and excellent customer service shown in the vehicle importation service.

He said: “AES and SIFAX Group are jointly revolutionising the RoRo industry in Nigeria

with the one-stop shop service that includes port terminal services, stevedoring, ship agency and off-dock services.

“For the first time in our business relations in Nigeria, my team and I in the United States can feel and sense that people are trying their best to grow the RoRo vehicle industry in Nigeria and we feel highly confident with these gestures.”

“We have started conversations with the company from 2012 and we simply had no choice than to choose them because the company’s vision of growth, forward movement and becoming a dominant force in the Nigerian shipping industry is in tandem with AES vision.

When you have a company whose vision is the same with Continued on page 24

Ohuabunwa Proffers Ways Out of Economic Recession Ebere Nwoji An industrialist, investment expert and Chairman, African Centre for Business Development, Strategy and Innovation, (ACBDSI) Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa has said that the surest way Nigeria could come out of her current economic quagmire was to ramp up agricultural productivity through harmonisation of the several programmes and initiatives of the outgone and present administrations.

Ohuabunwa, stated this in a key note address at the 2016 independence lecture organised by the Business Club Ikeja

ECONOMY (BCI), titled: “A Toast to Nigeria at 56 , the Way Forward for the Economy.”

Specifically, Ohuabunwa said the lowest hanging opportunity for Nigeria to increase productivity and reduce the rate of unemployment was to increase agricultural productivity through a harmonisation of the several programmes and initiatives started by the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of the former Minister of Agriculture, Akinwumi Adesina and the Green Alternative Roadmap of the incumbent Minister, Audu Ogbe.

He highlighted promotion of commercial agriculture and the development of the value chain as well as linkage to manufacturing and all forms of value addition as solution to the problem.

He also advised that the directive by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to commercial banks that 60 percent of forex should be preferentially allocated to the manufacturing sector should be enforced, even as he urged the government to create an enabling environment that will make Nigeria a preferred investment destination.

“The government should dismantle all the roadblocks

and deliberately make it easy to do business in Nigeria. We should also provide incentives to the investors (domestic and foreign), tax holidays, deferred taxation, infrastructure deficit tax reliefs, export expansion grants, etc, to attract increased investment. Additionally, let us find ways to attract more home remittances,” he advised.

Ohuabunwa, said to create easy access to finances, the government should make it extremely easy for businessmen and investors to access funds in the economy at single digit interest rates as well as Continued on page 24

Electronic manufacturing company, Philips has launched its brand of hair clipper into the Nigerian market.

The clipper market in the country is said to be saturated, with about 3.4 million pieces of clipper being sold yearly.

Philips Hair Clipper according to the company comes with unique features that makes ideal for the Nigerian consumers.

Speaking at the launch recently held in Lagos, General Manger, Philips Personal Health West Africa, ChiomaNweke stated that the clipper was designed for Africa with Nigerian model based on data gathered from consultation with barbers, home users and dermatologists on the kind of service they need from a hair clipper.

“We didn’t just go into the factory to manufacture a clipper just like every other clipper. It took us over three years of research to come up with this brand of clipper.

“From our consumer engagement with barbers and medical experts, we discovered that an average West African man wants good appearance matched with nice hair cut without any damage to his skin. We discovered that the barbers prefer a durable clipper that doesn’t heat-up after multiple haircuts and which also has adjustable blades suitable for any style.

“The Philips Hair Clipper meets these needs. It comes with copper coil motor for less heat, sharp adjustable blades for a close precise cut without skin cuts, a textured handles for easy grip and a two-year worldwide guarantee,” she said.

According to her, the Philips, a global brand worth over $9billion has been operating in Nigeria for 60 years. And launching this brand into the Nigerian market is one of the ways the company identify with the country during its period of economic uncertainties.

EMOAN Set to Train Members

The Electronic Media Content Owners Association of Nigeria (EMCOAN), is set to facilitate a workshop for its members staff to bring them up to speed on the recent trends in the production and post-production space.

According to a statement signed by the Head of Media of the association, Mr. Alayande Stephen, the workshop is set to take place on the 18th and 19th, October, 2016 at Ilupeju Lagos.

The statement further stated that the essence of the workshop is to avail all members’ staff of the latest set of skills in production world as this would be one of the final programmes the association would be embarking upon for it members for the year 2016.

The president of the association, Mrs. Debbie Odutayo, is of the opinion that the training would equip members’ staff with better production quality as the body approaches 2017. She is also of the notion that, ‘EMCOAN members are known for their top notch content programming, so this training would continue to put us ahead of the pack in terms of better production management skills and creating better content ahead of 2017. There could not have been a better time to hold such a training’, she posited.

Airlines Sign CodeshareAgreement

Air Europa and Turkish Airlines have jointly announced the start of a code-sharing partnership effective October 1, 2016 that enables both carriers to tap into new markets and offer their passengers more travel options.

At the initial stage of their cooperation, Air Europa would place its marketing code on Istanbul-Madrid v.v. route operated

by Turkish Airlines while Turkish Airlines will place its marketing code on Madrid – Las Palmas/Ibiza/Palma de Mallorca v.v. and Madrid – Havana/Santo Domingo/Lima v.v. flights operated by Air Europa.

Such an expansion of the codeshare agreement would allow passengers to benefit from better connectivity and increased travel flexibility between Spain and Turkey and beyond the carriers’ respective networks.

Air Europa´s CEO, Maria José Hidalgo, praised the agreement reached as “it allows both companies to continue its growth and expansion and gives us the opportunity to offer our passengers a wide and varied range of connections with all the advantages and comfort of a codeshare agreement.

“We are also in discussion with the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority to put together a mining investment fund” Minister of Solid Minerals Development,

Dr. Kayode Fayemi

24

T H I S D AY • MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2016

BUSINESSWORLD FG URGED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF COTONOU PORT PATRONAGE DECLINE

yours, one has no choice than just to do business with them.

I can assure all Nigerians and importers that the AES/SIFAX Group partnership is here to stay.”

Responding, the Group Managing Director of SIFAX Group, Mr. John Jenkins, thanked the AES boss for the visit, while assuring him and other stakeholders in the business – consignees, agents, among others of the company’s readiness to exceed expectations through provision of excellent service for which the company is noted for.

OHUABUNWA PROFFERS WAYS OUT OF ECONOMIC RECESSION

simplify the existing funding programmes of the CBN, BOI, Agric Bank, Infrastructure Bank and other financial institutions.

The former Chief Executive Officer of Neimeth Pharmaceuticals also said that the government should create an environment that offers longer tenures and gets existing loans to commercial banks restructured under the intermediation and supervision of the CBN. Ohuabunwa, a former Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, also urged the government to endeavour to bring stability to Nigeria’s policy environment by adopting strategic policy development options and creating a uniting vision and developing long term strategies that have been well thought through.

According to him, such policies must be given time to mature before contemplating change.

On his part, the President of BCI, Mr. Rotimi Oladele, said the BCI as a business club, stands out for knowledge development strategy for business networking, coordinating private sector, analysing government policy pronouncement and building alliances between stakeholders.

He said the lecture was a new initiative put in place by the club to review government policies in the past years and suggest the way forward.

Group Business Editor

Chika Amanze-Nwachuku AgriBusiness/Industry Editor

Crusoe Osagie

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

Senior Correspondent

Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents

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

Nume Ekeghe (Money Market) Nosa Alekhuogie (AgriBusiness)

NEWS

Group Backs FG, CBN’s Policies to Revive Economy Obinna Chima A coalition of Civil Society Groups, under the auspices of Vanguard for Social Justice (VSJ), has supported the policies of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the federal government to revive the Nigerian economy.

Speaking in Abuja recently, the convener, Etuk Bassey William, commended the policies of the CBN, particularly the blockage of leakages to the country’s foreign reserves as well as the injection of funds into the real sector, with a view to revamping the ailing economy.

William, who noted that the current economic challenges and recession were the culmination of many years of financial imprudence on the part of government at different levels, noted that the CBN had shown leadership by daring to plug loopholes in Nigeria’s foreign reserves.

“By restricting FX allocation to 41 items in which Nigeria has comparative advantage, the CBN has given new lease of life to many companies that were hitherto suffering from strangulation brought about by the importation of items that can be produced in the country, “ a statement yesterday quoted him to have noted.

“Instead of condemning the difficult decisions taken by the Management of the CBN to ensure there is no total collapse in the economy, stakeholders should com-

mend the CBN for its positive move of digging Nigeria out of recession,” William added.

The coalition group also faulted calls for the resignation of the CBN Governor over the current exchange rate of the Naira, stressing that the value of the Naira would only witness an upward spike when the country exports goods and services to earn

foreign exchange.

While urging the federal government to make good its promise of diversifying the economy, he charged Nigerians to re-enact their patriotic zeal by patronising made in Nigeria goods and services in order to achieve a more diversified economic system.

The acting Director, Corporate Communications, CBN,

A Chinese firm, Tidfore Heavy Duty Equipments Ltd has expressed interest in funding the construction of the 260km superhighway and the Bakassi Deep Seaport in Cross River State.

The Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr. Tan Yang who disclosed this when he led a delegation of his firm to Government House, Calabar, on a courtesy visit Thursday, said the group also intends to venture into mechanised agriculture if the enabling environment was created.

He said his firm was prepared to invest in the country and the state in particular.

Yang, who spoke through an interpreter, further disclosed that the group, which has its investments in over three African countries, is rated top five companies in China with over $4billion sales value. He said his firm decided to pitch its tent in Nigeria because according to him, there will be no investment in Africa without one in Nigeria since it is the most prominent, important and heartbeat of the continent.

His words: “On arrival

etary authorities in order to take the economy out of a recession.

Okoroafor said the present state of the economy was as a result of “our collective failure to make the right choices over the years, to plan and to develop our economy, as well as the development in the oil industry which resulted in the drop in crude oil price.”

FOR ACCURATE ACCOUNTING SERVICES

L-R: Director, Integrated Capital Services Limited, India, Mr. Sajeve Deora; Fellow of Chartered Accountant, Mr. Adepeju Tunji and Executive Director/North Directorate, Heritage Bank, Mr. Ola Olabinjo; during the 46th Annual Accountants Conference in Abuja… recently

Another Chinese Firm Expresses Interest in Bakassi Deep Seaport, Superhighway Nosa Alekhuogie

Mr. Isaac Okoroafor stated last week that no amount of blackmail and intimidation would deter the central bank from carrying out its monetary policy objectives.

He was reacting to a protest that took place at the central bank’s head office in Abuja on Tuesday.

He urged Nigerians to partner the fiscal and mon-

at the airport, as we look round, we saw a beautiful Calabar that is serene and with hospitable people and we felt at home and desirous of doing business here.

“Another thing that attracted us was the leadership style exhibited by the governor and the clear vision of the state in governance and we decided to come as friends of the state to partner you in these laudable projects with the view to funding them upon reaching flexible terms.”

Responding, Ayade who disclosed that other Chinese groups had indicated interest in various components of his signature projects, urged the company to make haste so as not to miss the opportunity of investing in the projects, which he noted hold huge returns on investment.

He reasoned that apart from the signature projects, the state has identified 42 viable business options that they could venture into and urged them to take advantage of their visit to explore other areas of business concern for mutual benefits.

He said: “Cross River State Government presents the most energetic young

team that is excited by the possibility of their intellect than the power of their pockets. So, we are driven by ideas, innovations for the future and I’m glad to hear that this is the philosophy of your company.

“There has been growing concern about the possibility of the state having the versatility and economy and the capacity to develop her signature projects which are the deep seaport, and the evacuation corridor which is the 260 kilometers superhighway.

“The partnership you are about to enter into signifies a relationship between your group and a state government that has experienced, mature, stable, energetic and willing to put an eye on the future to ensure that these projects become a model for other African nations and other international organisations to have faith and trust in Africa to enable it meet the developmental gap at the global arena.”

Ayade further disclosed that “Hannan province had made a commitment of bringing 100 manufacturers to station at the seaport to manufacture for African markets.”

Customs Nabs Nigerite Officials over Undeclared Consignment Eromosele Abiodun The Nigerian Custom Service (NCS), Tin Can Island Port command has arrested some officials of Nigerite Nigeria Limited over alleged undeclared goods suspected to be narcotics shipped into Nigeria.

The consignment, the NCS said, was imported alongside Virgin Cellulose Tasman, which is a raw material for a manufacturing giant, Nigerite Nigeria Limited.

The customs said there were eight bags with each bag carrying 25 of the substances, and none was manifested.

The substance, which came from New Zealand in container number CMAU 045195/0, is known to be highly condensed.

The container, which belongs to the Nigerite is among other 17x 20 foot containers.

NDLEA officers said that a proper test would be carried out in the laboratory to ascertain what the substance is.

The Controller of the Tin Can Island Customs Command, Mr. Yusuf Bashar told journalists that the customs picked interest in that particular container because of the intelligence that was attached to it.

Bashar said the intelligence report indicated there were substances that were not manifested in the container.

Following the discovery, NDLEA officers were invited to the port to make necessary, examination, analysis and investigation and give feedback on the consignment.

The idea is to confirm from the agency if the substances were injuri-

ous to this nation or not, he said.

Bashar explained that the result of the investigation and analysis will determine the action to be taken in the case of similar consignment of unidentified substances.

He said the owner of the consignment will have a lot of explanations to offer as the consignment was not in the manifest.

According to him, “If it is a mistake, they will put in writing but if pirate put it on the high sea, then someone must explain and other agencies will take it up from there.”

The Controller called for interagency collaboration, stressing that all agencies must work in synergy to move the nation forward, adding that whatever involves other agencies would be handed over to them.

He added: “We normally hand over cases or consignments which we know are for other agencies. We did the same with SON, NAFDAC, NISREA and we have done so again with the NDLEA.” He disclosed that not too long ago, some weapons discovered in certain vehicles were handed over to Nigerian Police and the State Security Service agent.

He advised importers to present their proper documentation so that their lawful trade will be facilitated.

“All we are calling for in Tin- can and generally, in Custom formation is that people should be transparent.

Those who invest their money in cross border trade should present all their documentation and ensure whatever is in the consignment is stated clearlyt”, he said.

25

T H I S D AY • MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2016

BUSINESSWORLD

MARKET REPORT

Trading Value Rises 46% as Market Records Marginal Recovery Goddy Egene and Nosa Alekhuogie

) and took profit on Oando (-0.7 per cent).

The market recorded a marginal growth on Friday as the NSE ASI appreciated by 0.02 per cent to close at 27,861.03. The appreciation recorded in the share prices of GTBank, FBN Holdings, Oando, Guinness and Access Bank were responsible for the gain recorded.

The total value of stocks traded was N1.53 billion, down by 16.36 per cent from N1.83 billion recorded the previous day.

Trading at the stock market was upbeat last week as value of stocks traded rose by 46 per cent, while the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index (ASI) closed the week higher, compared with a decline the previous week.

Investors committed N9.251 billion in 1.163 billion shares in 14,992 deals, up from N6.357 billion invested in 934.905 million shares the previous week.

Sentiments were mixed as investors await the third quarter (Q3) results of companies. However, the NSE ASI and capitalisation appreciated by 0.09 per cent to close the week at 27,861.03 and N9.570 trillion respectively. Overall performance across sectors remained mixed. The NSE Banking Index led sector gainers, advancing 1.9 per cent. Similarly, the NSE Consumer Goods Index appreciated by 0.6 per cent, while the NSE Oil & Gas Index closed higher.

Conversely, the NSE Industrial Goods Index depreciated by 3.6 per cent while the NSE Insurance Index shed 0.05 per cent.

Daily Performance Summary The equities market opened the week on a positive note with the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index (ASI) rising by 0.32per cent to close at 27,925,while market capitalisation ended higher at N9.59 trillion.

Gains recorded by Access Bank, Lafarge Africa, Zenith Bank, Nigerian Breweries and GT Bank bolstered the positive performance on Monday.

The total volume of stocks traded was 171.46 million valued at N1.73 billion in 3,045 deals. The three most actively traded stocks were: Zenith Bank (27.81 million shares), GTBank (27.76 million ) and FCMB Group (16.73 million shares).

Sector performance closed mixed as three sectors gained while 2 declined. The NSE Banking Index rose up 1.3 per cent on account of renewed interest in Zenith Bank (+2.2 per cent) and GTBank(+1.9 per cent). Also, the NSE Industrial Goods Index (+1.3 per cent) closed higher solely on the back of bargain hunting in Lafarge Africa (+3.8 per cent) while the NSE Consumer Goods Index marginally gained (+0.1 per cent) due to positive sentiment in Nigerian Breweries Plc (+1.5 per cent). Conversely, the NSE Oil & Gas Index fell by 0.5 per cent while the NSE Insurance Index went down by 0.2 per cent.

The market extended gains of the previous day on Tuesday as the NSE ASI rose 0.39 per cent to close at 28,034.32, while market capitalisation ended at N9.6 trillion after adding N37.6 billion.

Three sectors appreciated while two sectors fell. The positive sectors were led by the NSE Oil & Gas Index with a gain of 1.2 per cent following 5.0 per cent appreciation

by Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc. The NSE Banking Index followed with 1.0 per cent on account of gains in the shares of Zenith Bank (+3.4 per cent), Access Bank (+2.2 per cent) and UBA (+2.0 per cent). Similarly, the NSE Consumer Goods Index garnered 0.6 per cent due to improved buying interest in Nestle (+3.1 per cent) and Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc (+2.4 per cent).

After gaining for two days, the market recorded a marginal decline of 0.03 per cent. The NSE ASI settled lower at 28,027.23 while market capitalisation stood at N9.626 trillion. The depreciation recorded in the share prices of Oando, Nestle, Lafarge Africa, Nigerian Breweries and Dangote Sugar were responsible for the loss recorded in the NSE ASI. The total value of stocks traded was N1.43 billion, down by 47.30 per cent from N2.72 billion recorded the previous day. The total volume of stocks traded was 155.58 million shares in 3,277 deals. The three most actively traded stocks were: GTBank (28.09 million shares ), UBA (28.03 million shares) and Transcorp (14.74 million).

A number of highly capitalised stocks weighed down the equity market on Thursday as the NSE ASI depreciated by 0.62 per cent to close at 27,854.78. Also, investors in turn lost N59.2 billion as market capitalization settled at N9.6 trillion.

The significant decline was majorly driven by fall recorded

by GTBank (-4.7%), Forte Oil (-4.8 per cent) and Lafarge Africa (-2.6 per cent). However, market activity spiked as volume and value traded grew 144.7 per cent and 28 per cent to close at 380.8 million shares and N1.8 billion respectively.

All sector indices closed lower save for the Consumer Goods Index (+0.4 per cent) which closed higher due to gains in Dangote Sugar Refinery (+2.8), Champion (+2.8 per cent) and Nigerian Breweries

(+0.8 per cent).

The NSE Banking Index shed 2.1 per cent, dragged by sell-offs in GTBank(-4.7 per cent), Access Bank (-0.8 per cent) and Zenith Bank(-

TOP TEN BROKERS(BY VALUE)

0.3 per cent). Similarly, the Oil & Gas Index (-1.3 per cent) erased a two-day positive performance as investors reacted to negative earnings result from Forte Oil(-4.8 per cent

AS AT LAST FRIDAY

BROKER

VALUE % VALUE

STANBIC IBTC STOCKBROKERS LIMITED

2,653,015,391.64

14.33

CHAPEL HILL DENHAM SECURITIES LTD - BRD

2,576,651,781.08

13.92

CSL STOCKBROKERS LIMITED A.R.M SECURITIES LIMITED - BRD

1,655,716,362.97 1,398,658,943.18

8.94 7.56

EFCP LIMITED

1,152,503,998.75

6.23

RENCAP SECURITIES (NIG) LIMITED

995,361,476.80

5.38

FBN SECURITIES LIMITED

937,546,407.54

5.06

AFRICAN ALLIANCE STOCKBROKERS LTD

872,955,461.47

4.72

EDC SECURITIES LIMITED

427,030,835.36

2.31

371,420,808.59 13,040,861,467.38

2.01 70.45

CARDINALSTONE SECURITIES LIMITED

TOP TEN BROKERS

(BY VOLUME)

BROKER CHAPEL HILL DENHAM SECURITIES LTD - BRD

AS LAST FRIDAY VOLUME

%VOLUME

599,698,268

25.78

FBN SECURITIES LIMITED

175,996,076

7.57

STANBIC IBTC STOCKBROKERS LIMITED

155,242,018

6.67

CSL STOCKBROKERS LIMITED RENCAP SECURITIES (NIG) LIMITED

93,031,770 87,527,993

4.00 3.76

CARDINALSTONE SECURITIES LIMITED

86,061,427

3.70

REWARD INVESTMENT AND SERVICES LIMITED

84,742,994

3.64

A.R.M SECURITIES LIMITED - BRD

76,377,688

3.28

INVESTMENT ONE STOCKBROKERS INTL LTD-BRD

57,919,502

2.49

ELIXIR SECURITIES LIMITED

56,256,112

2.42

1,472,853,848

63.32

Market turnover In all, investors traded 1.163 billion shares worth N9.251 billion in 14,992 deals last week compared with 934.905 million shares valued at N6.357 billion that exchanged hands the previous week. The Financial Services Industry remained the most active, recording 1.022 billion shares valued at N5.890 billion traded in 8,812 deals. The sector thus contributed 87.93 per cent and 63.68 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively. The Conglomerates Industry followed with 61.569 million shares worth N141.308 million in 633 deals. The third place was occupied by the Consumer Goods Industry with a turnover of 33.086 million shares worth N2.017 billion in 2,642 deals. Trading in the top three equities – Access Bank Plc, Diamond Bank Plc and United Bank of Nigeria Plc, accounted for 522.737 million shares worth N1.951 billion in 1,914 deals, contributing 44.95 per cent and 21.09 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

Also traded during the week were a total of 119,743 units of Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) valued at N600,589.51 executed in 25 deals, compared with a total of 184 units valued at N2,077.37 transacted the preceding week in 16 deals.

Gainers and losers Meanwhile, 22 equities appreciated in price during the review week, same as the previous week, while 42 equities depreciated , higher than 35 equities of the previous week.

A total of 116 equities remained unchanged lower than the 123 equities recorded in the preceding week.

Caverton Offshore Support Group led the price gainers with 13.4 per cent to close at N0.76 per share, trailed by Seplat, which rose by 10.2 per cent. Transnationwide Express Plc appreciated by 9.8 per cent. Zenith Bank Plc, Access Bank and Union Bank went up by 5.4 per cent, 4.6 per cent and 3.9 per cent in that order. United Capital Plc, Livestock Feeds Plc, A.G Leventis Plc and Nigerian Breweries Plc garnered 3.5 per cent, 3.4 per cent, 3.3 per cent ND 1.9 per cent respectively.

Conversely, UAC of Nigeria Plc led the price losers with 13.6 per cent, trailed by Lafarge Cement Plc with 9.9 per cent. E-Tranzact went down by 9.6 per cent, just as Forte Oil Plc shed 9.2 per cent. Pharma Deko Pc and Cement Company of Northern Nigeria Plc fell by 9.0 per cent and 8.3 per cent in that order.

Other top price losers included: Paints Company of Northern Nigeria Pc (7.6 per cent); Cutix Plc (6.1 per cent) and AIICO Insurance Plc (6.1 per cent).

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INSIDE BROAD STREET all-in interest rate of nine percent (9%) per annum.

Also, the central bank recently revealed that in order to ensure continuous flow of credit to the export sector at competitive rates, especially against the background of declining export loans and the need to promote sustainable non-oil exports, it decided to expand the Export Credit Rediscounting and Refinancing Facilities (RRF) by N50 billion to support banks in the provision of pre- and post-shipment finance to exporters to undertake export transactions.

A view of Lagos financial district

AKINWUNMI IBRAHIM

Deconstructing CBN’s Devt Finance Initiatives Obinna Chima In the wake of the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, central banking and monetary policy in many parts of the world came under intense pressure and entered uncharted waters.

Since then, a recent report by the International Monetary Fund titled: “Challenges for Central Banking,” showed that the breadth and scale of central banking operation had been modified or expanded in unprecedented and even unimaginable ways given the circumstances.

Specifically, it pointed out that unconventional policy measures and communication strategies has been vigorously pursued to prevent financial sector meltdown, and subsequently to support economic activities given a disappointing recovery and stubbornly high unemployment rates in most countries.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has also continued to carry out its developmental finance functions, focused on all the key sectors of the economy, in its quest to support the activities of the fiscal authorities and also boost growth.

Clearly, over the past few years, the central bank has been much involved in intervening in critical sectors across Nigeria. The core function of the CBN is the maintenance of price stability. However, for this to be achieved, there must be monetary stability and sound financial environment with unhindered access to credit by the real sector.

The Bank’s responsibility can be naturally divided into core functions: price and monetary stability, and developmental functions, which include the provision of appropriate enabling environment.

The developmental roles and monetary management functions of the Bank are mutually complementary. The neglect of one would lead to under development.

To stimulate increase in the flow of long-term financial resources to critical sectors that have multiplier effect on the economy. Its focal areas include agriculture; manufacturing; micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs); and infrastructure.

The rationale for the intervention by the CBN includes tochampion the improvement of financial inclusion level and poverty reduction; quantitative easing measure to stem the impact of the global financial crisis and improve the financial position of banks, promote agricultural value chain development, job and wealth creation and diversification of the economic base.

Central banks in developing economies aim at the promotion and maintenance of a rising level of production, employment and real income in the country. This they do by working in alignment with the fiscal authorities

MARKET INDICATOR for effective policy transmission.

The CBN recently put the value of its development finance interventions across the country at about N1.36 trillion.

Some of these include the N373.73 billion that had been expended on the Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CACS) as at the end of July 2016; the N381.99 billion that had been deployed into the SME Restructuring and Refinancing Facility (SMERRF); the N74.797 billion disbursed under the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund (MSMEDF); the N261 billion so far disbursed under the Power and Airline Intervention Fund (PAIF); and the Nigeria Electricity Market Stabilisation Fund (NEMSF) which received N106.64 billion as at July, 2016.

Some other interventions by the central bank included the Agriculture Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund (ACGSF) which has so far received N100.10 billion; the SME Credit Guarantee Scheme (SMECGS) whose intervention was put at N4.219 billion as well as the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) through which N15.77 had been deployed.

The ABP launched by President MuhammaduBuhari this year, aims at creating economic linkages between over 600,000 smallholder farmers and reputable large-scale processors with a view to increasing agricultural output and significantly improving capacity utilisation of integrated mills. Under the programme, the sum of N40 billion has been set aside from the N 220 billion micro, small and medium enterprises development fund for farmers at a single-digit interest rate of nine per cent.

In addition, the central bank created a N300 Billion Real Sector Support Fund (RSSF) established as part of the efforts to unlock the potential of the real sector to engender output growth, value added productivity and job creation. N152 billion has been approved five projects under the RSSF. The CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele recently emphasised that the central bank’s determination to improve lending to the real sector of the economy would stimulate employment generation and boost accretion to foreign reserves through non-oil exports.

No doubt, the sharp fall in crude oil prices since June 2014, has led to a significant drop in the country’s revenue and as well as the country’s external reserves.

Youth Empowement The CBN has been acting as a financial catalyst in specific sectors of the economy particularly agriculture, in a bold effort to create jobs on

a mass scale, improve local food production, and conserve scarce foreign reserves.

For instance, it has in the past two years introduced the Youth Innovative Entrepreneurship Development Programme (YIEDP). The scheme was launched in March 2016 in furtherance of the CBN’s intervention in the real sector of the economy and job creation effort. The pilot phase of the programme targets 10,000 youths in productive activities within the next four years. Under the scheme, a credit line of up to N3 million would be made available to each eligible youth, while recipients who made good utilisation of the funds would be encouraged to migrate to other CBN intervention schemes that would enable them access more funds Emefiele had explained that: “The far reaching objectives of the CBN in the implementation of schemes and programmes for real sector development focus on the inherent potential in the sector is-a-vis our conviction that the sector has sufficient employment capabilities, high growth potentials, contributes significantly in accretion to foreign reserves, expands the industrial base and apparently diversifies the growth potentials of the national economy.”

Non-oil Export Stimulation Facility In addition, as part of efforts to boost activities in the non-oil sector of the economy, the CBN recently unveiled a N500 billion low interest rate non-oil export facility.

The banking sector regulator had explained that the fund was established to support the diversification of the economy away from oil and to expedite the growth and development of the non-oil export sector. According to the guidelines for operating the fund,the CBN will invest in a N500 billion debenture to be issued

by Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) in line with section 31 of CBN Act. It further stated that thefacility was essentially designed to redress the declining export credit and reposition the sector to increase its contribution to revenue generation and economic development. It will improve export financing, increase access of exporters to low interest credit and offer additional opportunities for them to upscale and expand their businesses in addition to improving their competiveness.

The Nigerian Export – Import Bank (NEXIM) shall be the Managing Agent of the Non-Oil Export Stimulation Facility (ESF). It shall be responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Facility and rendition of periodic reports on the performance of ESF to CBN. “Facilities with a tenor of up to three (3) years, would be granted at a maximum all-in interest rate of seven and half percent (7.5%) per annum; Facilities with tenor of over three (3) years, would be granted at a maximum

Support for CBN A coalition of Civil Society Groups, under the auspices of Vanguard for Social Justice (VSJ), last week supported the policies of the CBN as well as the federal government to revive the Nigerian economy.

Speaking in Abuja, the convener, EtukBassey William, commended the policies of the CBN, particularly the blockage of leakages to the country’s foreign reserves as well as the injection of funds into the real sector, with a view to revamping the ailing economy.

William, who noted that the current economic challenges and recession were the culmination of many years of financial imprudence on the part of government at different levels, noted that the CBN had shown leadership by daring to plug loopholes in Nigeria’s foreign reserves.

“By restricting FX allocation to 41 items in which Nigeria has comparative advantage, the CBN has given new lease of life to many companies that were hitherto suffering from strangulation brought about by the importation of items that can be produced in the country, “ a statement yesterday quoted him to have noted.

“Instead of condemning the difficult decisions taken by the Management of the CBN to ensure there is no total collapse in the economy, stakeholders should commend the CBN for its positive move of digging Nigeria out of recession,” William added.

The coalition group also faulted calls for the resignation of the CBN Governor over the current exchange rate of the Naira, stressing that the value of the Naira would only witness an upward spike when the country exports goods and services to earn foreign exchange.

While urging the federal government to make good its promise of diversifying the economy, he charged Nigerians to re-enact their patriotic zeal by patronising made in Nigeria goods and services in order to achieve a more diversified economic system.

On the other hand, the central bank has said no amount of blackmail and intimidation would deter it from carrying out its monetary policy objectives.

The acting Director, Corporate Communications, CBN, Mr. Isaac Okoroafor, who said this while reacting to a protest that took place at the central bank’s head office in Abuja last Tuesday, urged Nigerians to partner with the fiscal and monetary authorities in order to take the economy out of a recession.

He said the present state of the economy was as a result of “our collective failure to make the right choices over the years, to plan and to develop our economy, as well as the development in the oil industry which saw the drop in crude oil price.”

“We are not joining issues with anybody and the CBN is not going to yield to any kind of blackmail. Whereby you block avenues through which people were doing round tripping and they go, organise some innocent women, print T-shirts for them to say they are protesting, we would not be deterred by such actions and blackmail.

“All we know is that our economy is facing very serious situation and both the monetary and fiscal authorities are putting their heads together to find solutions. Already, some of the solutions can be found in what we are already doing at the CBN. This includes to make sure that we make judicious use of the forex that come in and direct it to the most important sectors, to stimulate the economy and create jobs.

“We are also doing a lot in trying to diversify the economy, by funding agriculture to at least provide food for our people and to provide alternative for some of the imported items.

“So, this situation was not caused by Emefiele and I want to assure you that Emefiele is working to ensure that this economy survives.

We would continue to ensure price stability is achieved,” Okoroafor said.

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Fayemi: Mining Will Add $27bn to Nigeria’s GDP by 2025 Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, in this exclusive interview with Chineme Okafor, posited that the mining sector roadmap will pivot Nigeria from a mineral-rich nation to a mineral-mining and processing country. He also revealed that by 2025, the sector could be adding up to $27 billion to Nigeria’s GDP. Excerpts:

Fayemi You’ve been in office for 10 months now sir, what have you seen and what do you want to do with what you’ve seen?

When I was asked to superintend over the affairs of this ministry, I had two mandates from the president as part of his overall diversification agenda. One was job creation and the second was revenue generation, but they are in my view outcomes of certain steps that ought to be taken in order to make that happen.

We considered that this is a sector that has being largely comatose for a considerable period and we needed to recalibrate the entire sector and identify what the gaps were before articulating an agenda for that diversification.

Now, in 10 months of being here, I have a clear sense of what the challenges are and I have also proposed a number of ways to tackle these challenges and that has been encapsulated in the roadmap for the growth and stability of the mining sector that was approved on August 31 by the federal executive council.

What is the focus of this roadmap?

Summarily, it focuses on four things. First is geological prospectivity: mining is about searching, if you don’t search, you won’t find, and it is when you search that an independently verifiable evidence of what you find becomes attractive to the average investors out there.

So, we have captured that and then looked

at where the gaps are in terms of the geological information available in the sector and we believe that it is inadequate, it is not of investment grade and not as precise as what you will find in the oil and gas sector for example.

With an OML in the oil sector, you can get almost to the letter how many barrels you will be pumping from a field and in how many number of years you will do that, with that you can go to a financial institution to get funds for investment. We need to get our mining information to that level.

We have a geological survey agency that is statutorily empowered to gather the data but we cannot really say it has the level of what we want and one of the ways we have decided to go about this is to promote collaboration with other geological survey agencies and we have being talking to the Australians, Chinese and British in this regard.

We are also partnering with private exploration companies with a view to deriving from whatever results of such exploration activities, a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Are these all about the roadmap, are there other aspects?

The second area tackled by the roadmap is the legal and regulatory environment. We are now talking about an agency that encapsulates all of our regulatory institutions: the Mining

Cadastral Office, Mines Inspectorate Directorate, and Mines Environmental Compliance Unit under one roof but at an arm’s length relationship with the ministry, similar to what you have in NERC or NCC, but also with the capacity to generate its own resources and undertake compliance and enforcement in a much more dedicated and committed manner.

This will necessarily lead to a tweaking of the law and also the structure, operations and funding arrangement of the agencies being collapsed and reworked. That is what the roadmap implementation strategic team is working on with a view to producing a bill that can go to the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly.

The third area is the relationship between states and the federal government. I have often said that if we are to succeed in mining operations in Nigeria, we cannot hold on rigidly to the principles of exclusivity that is enshrined in our constitution.

But not holding on rigidly to it does not mean flouting it but working out an arrangement that is beneficial to all the critical stakeholders,which include the host community, governments and investors who need predictability of investment in this regards.

What we have done was to decide how best States can become critical players and the first is that the 13 per cent derivative in

oil and gas does not really specifically say oil and gas but also for all mineral resources and that is being implemented now.

Another is the principle of consent that is required by law. Right now consent is given by the host community and we have run into series of conflicts especially when minerals straddle through two communities and each gives consents to two different investors and creating unnecessary legal wrangling. So, we have introduced a new step which is revalidation of consents by the States because in any case land belongs to the State governments in trust for the communities and there is nothing that says the State should not determine the rightful consent giver and by that it frees us from the troubles around license award.

We have looked at our approach to license.

There is nothing in the law that prohibits States from owning licenses. Mineral rights are exclusive to the federal government but if a State establishes a special purpose vehicle that applies for license, it has as much right to do so like any other private company and we will treat it that way.

In principle, we cannot give a State license as a legal entity but we can give to a company in which a State has an interest. The issue for us is how best to advance the relationship CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

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FAYEMI: MINING WILL ADD $27BN TO NIGERIA’S GDP BY 2025 between the States and the federal government.

The final principle enshrined in the roadmap is the management of artisanal miners and the role of the federal and State government in that. We feel we should devolve a lot of responsibilities concerning artisanal miners to the States because they are operating largely at the State level and so the registration and enumeration of who is an informal miner should be handled at that level whilst support can come from us by way of organising them into cooperatives, capacity building and supporting with technology and tools, as well as access to finance.

That is the best way for us to measure much more accurately the contributions of mining to job creation and GDP because a lot of that is lost in the underground economy that we run in the sector.

But have you considered that mining is capital intensive?

Yes, it is hugely capital intensive and if we are going to make a significant headway in the manner that the president has often spoken about, we need to put a lot more weight on access to finance by serious players in the sector and we have gone about this in a multipronged manner.

The first is that for the first time, the president is granting us access to benefit from the Natural Resource Fund which is 1.6 per cent of the Federation Account, similar to Ecological Fund, UBEC Fund and it is there primarily for the use of agriculture, mining and water resources.

I don’t know how much is there now but it is automatically deducted and it is not small money. Depending on what we approach the federal executive council to release to us from there based on our work, we have decided that it should go for exploration because that is the most capital intensive part of mining.

We are also in discussion with the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority to put together a mining investment fund. About $500 million, and it is looking good even though we are in discussion and have not finalised yet. They are getting a lot of interest from private capital, equity funds venture capital and I believe this will complement whatever will come from the Natural Resource Fund.

Outside of that, we are also talking with the World Bank to support actual transaction activities - those who are already in exploration and just about to move into production but don’t have enough funds, and this will be like a support fund for such activity across the sector.

We believe because we are starting from below zero, the major miners will come in once they see that things are beginning to be discovered, they will begin to refocus their interest on Nigeria.

Which comes first in all of these plans?

The roadmap proposed a three-pronged approach to that. The first is that we play locally in developing our processing and beneficiation opportunity so that we limit raw exportation of our minerals. Right now, a lot of minerals are not just taken out illegally but they are taken out raw, and so we lose the revenue potentials that naturally accompanies these minerals when you process.

We have all seen how Nigeria has turned around from being a net importer of cement to a net exporter. That is our vision, we want that more of our minerals should be processed locally and we want to encourage those who are processing by limiting importation exclusively to them. It is not an exclusively import substitution but we want to make it difficult for people import.

Our coal to energy relationship with the ministry of power follows that same local beneficiation approach, same as Ajaokuta which we want to work. And once we are able to make significant progress in this local space, we believe we would have developed the capacity to produce export grades and return to the market when the market is up from its downtime.

The courting of the majors will then come in after this because they will not come until we get to a certain level, and it is no use pursuing them now – that is why we are not after going for the Rio Tinto, Glencore, Anglo-American and others. We want to get Nigeria ready for playing at that level when we have tackled

Fayemi the demands that exist locally and improve the quality of our minerals.

All of these clearly necessitate some structural reforms, this ministry needs to top up its game, we need to pay a lot of attention to the institutional reform we have in plan to wake up the sector.

we don’t want to turn a blind eye to, there are conscious criminal miners that are mining and exporting out of the country – the full weight of the law has to be brought on them, that necessitated the joint relationship on mines surveillance with the security agencies to curtail these practices.

How do you expect to run this roadmap for it to meet its short, medium and long term goals?

We have an 18-month period for the short term goals in which we are supposed to do the geological prospectivity that I talked about, get the laboratory functional so that we can test the minerals locally because we cannot test minerals in Nigeria now. We are working with SGS to take over our laboratory in Kaduna so that it will be ISO standard complaint.

We also want to have our partnerships done within this period, and the implementation of the regulatory agency reform and reorganisation of the artisanal miners.

The industrial side of this is what we expect will happen in three to five years of the medium term and then the long term which is 10 years is when there are interests from the majors once things pick up. By that time we would have moved from being mineral rich to a mining nation.

I must say that this is not a quick win sector, I know people are anxious but I am hopeful they will see the steps we are taking to get to where we want to be, however, there are some kinds of low hanging fruits.

The NEITI in its recent report thinks the Mining Cadastral Office is not up to its responsibilities, are you aware of this, what actions have you taken?

Those who know me will tell you that all the cases that have been brought against the Mining Cadastral Office either as allegations or petitions to my notice have been swiftly dealt with.

Yes, there may be people in that office who may have been involved in illicit activities and once this is brought to our notice, we take decisive action but overall, the bulk of people there are dedicated and can do better when we provide then with the right tools. Part of what we want to do is to increase our level of monitoring there so that standards are set.

What are these low hanging fruits, will they stimulate the recessed economy?

Absolutely; one low hanging fruit that we have is our belief that this sector in terms of its revenue generation capacity is under assessed, and I am backed up on this by information from NEITI where I also chair.

The audit we have done for the solid minerals sector shows that mining even in its low ebb can earn more than it does now and one of the things that we have done now is to find a mechanism for revenue generation beyond the ministry and we may have to farm out once we get the support of the States.

We will farm out to people the bulk of the dredging activities that go untaxed in Lagos and Bayelsa for instance, as well as quarry operations that are undervalued. These are immediate wins we believe will contribute significantly to revenue generation in the short run.

We also see another quick win in illegal mining which is why we entered into partnership with the ministry of defence and other security agencies because there are activities

Coal to power is a touchy subject globally but I understand you are favourably disposed to giving coal mining license to people who will build power plants, is this true?

This position is simple. We have not talked about it but the president just signed our agreement to the COP during our last trip to the United States. There are all sorts of position on coal and one of such is that it is not pro-climate change and so countries should not be involved with it.

I consider myself to be environment friendly and sensitive to these issues, but I have always said that when you are faced with an existential threat, your immediate approach is to deal with that threat. Lack of energy is an existential threat to Nigeria. If you have a country of 180 million struggling to generate 5000 megawatts, it is abysmally low and it is evident that coal is a cheaper form of power generation, and even more is that Nigeria has one of the sweetest low sulphur coal that is akin to clean coal.

There is clean coal technology too. We have had discussions and African Development Bank has made it clear they are ready to support us.

We have gas in abundance but you know our challenges with it, and this is forcing people in my sector to convert to coal – Dangote has converted Obajana from gas to coal, same as Ashaka which has built a coal plant because it is cheaper for them to run.

We are reviewing the transactions on coal mines in the country because the people who bought them almost a decade ago have done

nothing. The BPE has given me a list of coal mines that are still vacate and up for sale but we don’t just want to sell. We are primarily interested in those who are ready to set up power plants nearer to the coal deposits and a joint team is being established to review this. When we have people who are ready to put up plants in any of these places we have coal, we will work with them.

What are you going to do with Ajaokuta, is it still a huge challenge?

We have just managed to resolve the legal issues around Ajaokuta when we signed the modified concession agreement in August, which was presided by the Vice President.

Where we are at in that is an audit process which is to reconcile the positions of both parties precisely in relations to the NEOMCO Itape iron ore mines, and we have advisers from our side and consultants from Global Infrastructure working to resolve all these issues to come up with an agreed arbitral position which apportions responsibilities to both sides.

Once we resolve that, it becomes a condition precedent that will trigger the release of Ajaokuta to be put to the best use, and when you asked what I am going to do with it, I will tell you that government has decided that we have spent enough on Ajaokuta but we still want the benefits of Ajaokuta. How best to get these benefits, either from commercialisation, outright privatisation, PPP concession or any other aspect to asset sales, and at that stage we then involve critical players like the ICRC, BPE and hire a transaction adviser and then the NCP’s approval of whatever we decide on.

I can however say that we have had unsolicited interests from both private investors and state owned enterprises from countries like China, Ukraine, Russia and Belarus but when we get to that point it will be open and whoever is able to give us indubitable track record of steel production and money in the bank will be considered.

You projected in the roadmap that this sector will contribute $27 billion to Nigeria’s GDP by 2025, how confident are you on this?

One cannot e 100 per cent confident but if you put the right policy and there is policy consistency and not summersaults, there is no reason why we cannot achieve it as long as we maintain the approach we have proposed.

I believe we can reach that objective because we believe Nigeria is immensely mineral rich and the transition between being a mineral rich to a mining country will produce that projection.

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CBN Includes Airlines in Interbank Foreign Exchange Market Chinedu Eze After months of agitation, the federal government has included airlines in the Interbank Foreign Exchange Market.

By this development,airlines would now be given priority when they request for foreign exchange, along with others also shortlisted.

Minister of State, Aviation, Senator HadiSirika, who made this known at the weekend, said that this was made possiblefollowing the dogged efforts of his

Ministry, the airlines through the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) and his personal negotiations.

Since last year, the airlines had been pushing for this inclusion because everything about aircraft management and repairs is imported, including training and even manpower engagement.

“This is after much intervention on behalf of the airlines both foreign and domestic. The Central Bank has yielded and we are happy because this means a

lot to us and the airlines. They have been going through a lot and we are so happy that this is will be a huge succor to their operations”, Sirika said.

In a circular sent by CBN to the concerned sectors, it said: “In order to further engender market confidence, ensure access to FX by end users and sustain the integrity of the Nigerian Inter-bank FX market, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has resolved to intervene in the Inter-bank FX market through forward settlement.”

The inclusion of airlines in the interbank market was designated as Special Secondary Market Intervention Sales (SMIS).

CBN explained that the exercise was to clear backlog of the sectors concerned adding, “This is an important one-off exercise dedicated to the clearance of the backlog of matured FX obligations for: Raw materials and machineries for manufacturing companies; agricultural chemicals; and airlines”.

Since early this year, Sirika

has facilitated meetings between AON and the CBN, Nigeria Customs Service and the Ministry of Petroleum resources on how to enhance airline operation, secure forex, tariff waiver and access to aviation fuel at cheaper prices.

The Managing Director of Arik Air, Mr. Chris Ndulue, who confirmed the inclusion of the airlines in the interbank forex market, said Arik was notified about the change at the weekend.

“Our bank told us yester-

day that airlines have been included in the interbank forex market and they asked us to now make our request for forex because all the ones we had made in the past did not receive positive response, so we are going to make a new request,” he said.

“We have been agitating for this for a long time. The banks told us that both manufacturers and airlines have been included so we need to reapply. But this is still a promise until it happens,” Ndulue said.

SMEDAN, NICON Sign MOU on Insurance Cover for SMEs Ebere Nwoji

MEDIA PARLEY

L-R: Chairperson, Association of Professional Women Bankers (APWB), Toyin Ojo; Group Head, Corporate Banking, Sterling Bank Plc and Chairperson, APWB Forum/Dinner, Mojisola Bakare – Asieru and Ist Assistant Secretary, APWB, Adeola Osho, at the press briefing to unveil the agenda for the forthcoming Forum / Dinner of the Association in Lagos…recently

The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN),has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with NICON Insurance Limited as part of efforts to reinforce the agenda of diversification of the economy through the empowerment of the informal sector.

The parties said the MoUrepresents their steps towards ensuring the success of Micro,Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)in the country through adequate insurance coverage.

SMEDAN, under the agreement, promised to provide insurance services for its more than 37 million members across Nigeria in order to protect them from the vagaries of the economic environment.

The agency, which was established by the federal government to promote the development of the MSME sector of the economy, recently signed the epochal document with NICON insurance Ltd in Abuja .

At the signing ceremony, the Director-General of SMEDAN, Dr. DikkoUmaruRadda, described the initiative as a

sure means of ensuring the sustainability of MSMEs in Nigeria by providing adequate insurance cover for them from various types of risks.

Radda called on both organisations to ensure they implement the MoU to the letter, adding that it will be reviewed periodically in order to keep it on track.

Speaking at the event, the Managing Director, NICON, Mr. Bayode Samuel, acknowledged SMEDAN’s capacity to manage the huge pool of members, who make up a significant proportion of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product.

According to him, this makes NICON Insurance the ideal partner to provide insurance services for this important segment of the economy.

He pledged that NICON will provide generic insurance cover as well as tailor made products to meet the peculiar needs of MSMEs. Samuel, noted that NICON Insurance, with its network of 40 branches nationwide and experienceas sole underwriter for all government assets for 35 years, will ensure that MSMEs receive cutting edge insurance services to enhance their growth and sustenance.

Smile Unveils 0702 4G LTE Pack, Assures Customers of Faster Connectivity Emma Okonji Having pioneered the launch of 4G LTE technology among telecoms operators and Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Smile Communications Nigeria limited has launched a new SIM proposition on the 0702SMIlLE 4G LTE range. The broadband company also used the occasion of the launch to unveil its first brand ambassador, Steve Onu, popularly known as Yaw. The product launch and unveiling of its brand ambassador, according to the firm, reaffirmed its commitment to innovation, value creation and service excellence.

Speaking at the event, the Chairman of Smile Nigeria, Dr. Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi, stated that Smile Communications is Nigeria’s leading telecommunications network and service provider that is dedicated to providing highquality, reliable, superfast

broadband access, voice and SMS using the 4G LTE technology. He observed that Smile Nigeria had gone ahead to distinguish itself through innovation, value-creation and service excellence.

According to AzudialuObiejesi, “Smile Communications was the first to introduce 4G LTE technology in Nigeria, and has since then, redefined service quality and standard in the Nigerian telecommunication sector. Our goal was to make Nigerians get and gain more from telecommunication services.

This inspired our deployment of the 4G LTE, which revolutionised the way Nigerians access the internet and communicate with families and friends, home and abroad”.

He stated that in just three years of operation, the company has acquired a reputation as an innovative organisation, and one devoted to greater appreciation of its customers.

He enthused that insights gained from positive institutional orientation have helped in scaling up the company’s innovation and creativity. For instance, Smile Communications Limited provided a reliable connection for web surfing, online movie and music downloads, High Definition (HD) Video streaming and super clear voice calls at the lowest call rate across all networks, which hitherto was a challenge, he said.

As a customer focused company, Azudialu-Obiejesi explained that the company was always desirous to offer the best service at the most appropriate price.

“Smile Communications is the only telecommunications service provider in Nigeria that offers voice calls and SMS from one data plan. Our call rate is as low as 8kobo per second, on the SmileVoice only plan and lowest call rate when our customers make calls home from anywhere

in the world. These propositions further reaffirm our status as a customer-centric organisation,” he noted.

To make the benefits of Smile’s industry-defining service reach a broader segment of the Nigerian population, Azudialu-Obiejesi disclosed that the company has commenced an aggressive network expansion drive which will see it cover all cities in a very short period thereby ensuring that more Nigerians will have access to Smile’s superfast and super reliable 4th Generation Long-Term Evolution (4G LTE) broadband services.

The Managing Director, Smile Nigeria, Godfrey Efeurhobo, said the company had in the past, introduced a number of innovative voice and data services and is reinforcing its 0702 number range on the heels of its recent introduction of the lowest call tariff that allows its customers to make calls at 8kobo per second

to any network from within and outside the country at the same rate, using SmileVoice App on any smartphone, and its 4G LTE SIM on boice over LTE compatible handset.

Efeurhobo reaffirmed that Smile offers the best value proposition and experience to customers in Nigeria. He stated that there were multiple benefits of using a Smile 4G LTE SIM in a compartible LTE device.

The Nigerian consumers, he stated, will enjoy superclear voice calls on Smile network at lowest call rates in the market and also enjoy superfast internet experience such as video/ music streaming/downloads and SMSs, all using one Smile bundle plan, which is a first in the market.

On the unveiling of Steve Onu alias Yaw, Efeurhobo avowed that the choice of Yaw, a versatile Radio/TV personality, as brand ambassador for Smile Nigeria is coherent with Smile’s values for

innovation, creativity, versatility and values of reliability, respect and service.

He contended that the new brand-positioning proposition accentuates Smile’s quest to expand its scope of operations, provide its customers with unrivaled quality service and contribute meaningfully to the growth and development of mobile broadband penetration in Nigeria. He also added that Smile remains the only telecom provider that allowed voice calls and sms from one data plan and the benefits include calls as low as 8k/sec to all networks on the SmileVoice Only Plan, this gives Smile the unique positioning of offering bespoke and affordable propositions for Nigerians. The company has presence in eight key Nigerian cities, which include Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Benin-City, Kaduna, Asaba and Onitsha.

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NEWS

Diamond, HP, Microsoft Others Partner to Drive SMEs through ICT Emma Okonji Diamond Bank has collaborated with Hewlett Packard (HP), Microsoft, Intel and MTN, to drive Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) business in Nigeria.

Speaking at the event, which held in Lagos, Head, Emerging Businesses at Diamond Bank, Mrs. NjidekaEsomeju, described technology as a catalyst for driving Small and Medium Enterprises in the country.

She said that though there were challenges being faced in the course of operating small businesses, technology has played a key role in ensuring small businesses thrive, especially during the current economic recession.

According to her, “With the Diamond Mobile POS, you can conveniently make payments for goods and services using your debit, credit or prepaid cards.

We are pleased to introduce to you the latest innovation in

electronic payment-Diamond Mobile POS. A miniature version of the conventional POS terminal, the Diamond Mobile POS works on any internet enabled smart phone or tablet.”

“With mPOS, merchants are guaranteed speed, increased safety and reliability in payment settlement when they use their debit, credit and prepaid cards. The device is offered at no cost to merchants, stronger network connectivity, even in remote areas, accept all cards, generate e-receipts and provide inventory management services because we have realised that with our solution, technology is the way to go.”

The Lead, SME Customers Marketing, Microsoft Nigeria, Mr. AdeniyiAdebote, said technology would help accelerate small businesses in the country, adding that business owners do not need to have an office before using technology to grow their businesses.

He said that Microsoft’s Cloud connectivity would enable customers to have their information secured, stressing that no customer’s information could be given out without his/ her prior consent.

Technology can be a major differentiator for your business but it can seem daunting when you look across your IT-from server to the cloud, PCs to mobile devices-to know where you should start and how you can transition from what you have now to your new version.

This is where Microsoft and its ecosystem of partner experts provide something differentoffering a unique approach for making the benefits of modern technology a reality.

“With Microsoft, you can choose your own PTH to modern with flexible, familiar and trusted solutions for your business- whether by growing with greater efficiency, protecting your data or empowering your mobile workforce,” Adebote

said.

Intel’s Business Development Manager, Mrs. FolakeOyekanmi, said differentiation was the key to accelerate businesses through technology.

According to her, “Differentiation is the key to acceleration your businesses and this can be done through technology.

We want to ensure that every SMEs in Nigeria can compete with others throughout the world. You must pick a right PC. Intel has given you that technology that enables you to connect to technology to grow your businesses. We are trying to bridge the gap of women to be able to use technology.”

ITrade Marketing Manager, Printing and Personal Systems, HP, Mrs. OmotayoOmodia, stated that business has been moved from being manual to digitally connected world because, “one thing that is germane is that you need a device to be able to connect to advertise your businesses.”

American Hospital Commended for Healthcare Tech Innovation Emma Okonji Healthcare professionals across the country have continued to shower encomium on American Hospital, a leading private hospital for its wide range of technological innovation in healthcare services at the just concluded Medic West Africa conference and exhibition in Lagos.

The hospital expressed confidence towards introducing new technological benchmarks of excellence for the Nigerian medical industry while introducing Nigerians to a wide range of its US standard healthcare services, including their Heart and Vascular Centre, Cancer Care Centre, and Cosmetic and Dermatology Services.

According to senior executives of American Hospital, their presence at the event demonstrates the hospital’s deep commitment in recognition of the needs of Nigerians and for the people looking the latest technological healthcare services and treatments. In line with this, their aim was to explore the unique needs of the patients of Nigeria and service gaps that need to be addressed. The major focus

during the conference was the showcase of its latest offerings and state-of-the-art treatments like the Cancer Care Centre.

CEO, American Hospital Dubai, PeterMakowski, said: “We are dedicated towards providing quality healthcare according to the highest international standards to all people, and our participation in this vital medical conference has helped us further showcase our facilities and reach a wider network of people that we are positive has benefitted from it.

We are deeply grateful for this opportunity and support the efforts of Medic West Africa to enhance the medical sector in the region. We are glad we have been able to identify some of the needs of the patients in Nigeria and we will therefore custom tailor some our services to reflect current trends and ensure the well-being of the community.”

The American Hospital Dubai is an acute care, general medical/surgical hospital whose mission is to provide high quality American standard healthcare that meets the needs and exceeds the expectations of the people around the world.

Business Connexion Gets Cisco’s Universal Partner Certification

UNVEILING GALA MEGA

L-R: Sales Operations Manager, UAC Foods Limited, Mr. Femi Adeyemi; General Marketing Manager, Joan Ihekwaba; a Distributor, Mr. Uche Nwana; another Distributor, Mrs. Agnes Okwakwa and Senior Brand Manager Snacks, UAC Foods Limited, Folasade Abiola and Chairman/CEO, HS Media Group, Mr. Taye Ige, during a media briefing organised to unveil Gala Mega in Lagos...recently.

Unity Bank Introduces Unitybiz Account to Drive Sme Franchise Unity Bank Plc. has introduced the Unity Biz Account as part of its bouquet of SME offerings aimed at supporting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

The SME space is a key market focus for the Bank as it provides the platform that will enable it tap into the business opportunities in the segment, which has been identified as being the fulcrum of economic growth in the country.

The value proposition embedded in the UnityBiz current account lies in the

fact that structured businesses in the SME space are able to access both the asset and liability side of the product at concessionary rates, which benchmark the best pricing offered in the industry.

The SME target market includes Retailers, Social Services, Schools, Contractors, Professional Service firms, Wholesalers, Manufacturers, Hospitality, NGOs, Clubs and Associations, Suppliers and the Agri-business value chain. The purpose is to offer the SME product that offers

unbeatable value.

The UnityBIZ current account is also bundled with the Business Debit Card; a Verve- card which allows a maximum of five cards per SME such that each card can be programmed with separate transaction dynamics.

Unity Bank also offers SMEs financial advisory services as well as a free quarterly counseling and networking sessions to guide businesses that subscribe to the Unity Biz scheme.

Financial products analysts

are of the opinion that Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, manufacturing, retail as well as wholesale segments of the market stand to benefit from the Unity-Biz product.

Unity Bank, a major promoter of agro-businesses, expects that agro-allied and packaging companies keying into the on-going diversification efforts of both federal and state governments will find the Unity-Biz account useful as a supporting tool for their operations.

Business Connexion, an Information Technology (IT) Systems Integrator, with operations in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Nigeria inclusive, has been awarded with the Cisco Universal Partner Certification, which is a global standard certification that focuses on business consistency and quality.

Announcing the certification in Lagos at the weekend, Cisco Country General Manager, Mr. OlakunleOloruntimehin, said Cisco has a partnership model that allows it monitor its business partners over the years, and award deserving partners with its global certification.

Listing some of the criteria for the selection of companies for Cisco certification, Oloruntimehin said such company must have wide range of business activities across regions, with proof of consistency in doing business; the company must meet the performance milestone in delivering quality service to customers; and must have the financial capabilities to execute businesses.

“Cisco is committed to doing business in Nigeria and the rest of Africa and we have found Business Connexion capable of delivering our services in countries where we have presence,” Oloruntimehin said.

Excited about the certification, the Group Chief Operations Officer, Business Connexion, Mr. AlthonBeukes, said his company had a long-standing partnership deal with Cisco and that the certification would enable Business Connexion

to further expand its business frontiers to cover more regions where Cisco operates.

Managing Director, Business Connexion Nigeria, Mr. Ayo Adegboye, expressed his joy over the certification, adding that the certification means more business commitment for the company. According to him, the certification is a confirmation of Business Connexion’s commitment to delivering Cisco solutions and quality services to a wide range of customers.

He said with its global presence, which had always positioned it in the offering of critical technology solution services to customers, the company would continue to maintain such standards.

Business Connexion, he said had taken the initiative to support businesses in the country with technology solutions that would make businesses enjoy economics of scale and stay alive always.

We have developed technology solutions that will help customer save on their capital expenditure (CAPEX), he added.

“Today technology is evolving and we are at the forefront of business, making sure clients enjoy economics of scale in their business, and we are doing this by taking businesses to the cloud. We are making huge investment in the cloud, and what that translates to is that the SMEs and the big enterprise do not need to invest so much in infrastructure, because we have built infrastructure in the cloud for them, and that is the direction of businesses globally,” Adegboye said.

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Eko Lions Club Honours Agabi Eko Lions Club, an arm of the International Association of Lions Club, District 404 Nigeria has given Dr. BayeroAgabi, an Information and Communication Technology Journalist cum entrepreneur an Excellence Service Award in recognition of his humanitarian support towards creating awareness for ICT usage, especially in the rural areas.

Speaking during the presentation of the award in Lagos, President of Eko Lions Club, Lion GbemisolaShittu, said Agabi was recognised because of his valuable contribution

to humanity in Africa and Nigeria in particular, where he has been able to impact meaningfully to the lives of Nigerians by educating them of the benefits of ICT. “We are happy to present this award to Dr. BayeroAgabi for his immense support to the Eko Lions Club to help drive humanitarian and community services. Apart from giving us valuable support through effective publicity and awareness generation, which has elicited grand support from well-meaning individuals and corporate bodies, Bayero has

also supported us in building projects to support humanity across Nigeria,” Shittu said.

Responding, an elated Agabi, who dedicated the award to people who have never heard the message of ICT being preached, said though, the award is the 44th he has received, the Eko Lions Club award is unique to him because it’s the first humanitarian award that he has received and is coming from a reputable global Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) like the Eko Lions Club.

“This is the 44th awards

that I have received. The uniqueness of this particular award is that it is the first humanitarian award that I have received and it is coming from a global Non-Governmental Organisation,” Agabi said.

Speaking further, Agabi stated that the award would only provoke him to do more in the humanitarian end by empowering those who have never heard the message of ICT, so that they can be part of the knowledge based economy and compete favourably among their peers anywhere in the world.

UAC Foods Unveils New Brand Sausage Roll – Gala Mega Raheem Akingbolu UAC Foods Limited – a leading manufacturer and marketer of tasty and nourishing convenience foods in Nigeria, has unveiled to the public Gala Mega – a brand new addition to their rich basketful of Snacks offerings in a colourful ceremony held at their office in Ojota, Lagos.

Gala Mega, as the name implies, is a larger sized Sausage Roll with the same trusted and satisfying Gala taste, but in a bigger, meatier and more filing size to meet the yearnings of Consumers, who want to be easily filled up on a friendly budget.

General Manager -Marketing

of UAC Foods Limited, Mrs. Joan Ihekwaba who unveiled the Gala Mega at the ceremony alongside other invited high dignitaries, said Gala Mega is a product of direct response to the yearnings and desires of Gala Consumers for a more filling Snack to keep them going as they achieve their daily goals.

She said having pioneered the Sausage Roll market way back in 1962, Gala Sausage Roll has kept faith with Nigerians by holding the N50 price point for 10 years and with the new offering, which will in no way hamper the availability of the regular Gala Sausage Roll at 50 naira retail price, UAC Foods is once again setting the pace

in the Sausage Roll Industry with a new pack size.

“For over 5 decades, the Gala brand has believed in/ identified with the Nigerian story, a story of perseverance, strong will, and a passion that never gives up. Today the launch of Gala Mega is reassurance UFL’s commitment to Keep You Going.

A stronger devotion to walk you through your success story.

“The new brand is an addition to existing variants of the Gala Brand, which includes regular Gala Sausage Roll, Mini Gala, Gala Chicken and Gala Cocktail. The regular Gala Sausage Roll is still available at N50,” she said.

Mrs. Ihekwaba revealed that

Gala Mega is the first Sausage Roll in Nigeria to include micronutrients for the health and nutrition of its Consumers and that the product is greatly enriched with vitamins and minerals such as Zinc, Iron, Folic acid and Iodine, as well as Vitamin B1 and B2, which is prepared from pure beef filling and rich pastry.

She said there couldn’t have been a better time for UAC Foods Limited to introduce Gala Mega into the market than now given the prevailing economic situation in the country, where Nigerians want a truly filling sized Sausage Roll at a pocket friendly price to fit their upwardly mobile lifestyle.

IATA, European Security Organsiation Sign MoU Chinedu Eze The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Secretariat of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen, promote, and develop cooperation on aviation facilitation and border integrity issues—two of the key components for governments to fulfill their national security responsibilities.

Under the MoU, IATA and OSCE have agreed to work on issues including harmonised passenger data exchange programs, border security, airport security and the security of travel documents (including issuance).

A particularly key issue for the aviation industry is aligning the requirements for Advance Passenger Information (API) with global standards, which include IATA and World Customs Organisation guidelines, and the provisions of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex 9.

IATA welcomes the OSCE’s co-operation among its 57 participating States on this increasingly important matter.

The provision of more data on passengers to border control authorities in advance of arrival should also lead to more effective screening of passengers and reduced wait-times.

“Aviation security is a top priority for IATA and its members.

With passenger numbers set to double over the next 20 years, it is essential that the global aviation security network is fit for purpose. IATA and OSCE are natural partners in the security facilitation and border integrity fields. We share the objective of achieving a more efficient and effective aviation security system,” said IATA’s Director General and CEO, Alexandre de Juniac.

“Our organisations enjoy excellent co-operation in the areas of aviation facilitation, national security and border integrity. The signing of this Memorandum marks another important milestone in further expanding and strengthening this co-operation. We are very pleased to join hands with IATA today to promote aviation security and facilitation measures in furthering the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 2178 on Foreign Terrorist Fighters, and 2309 on aviation security across the OSCE region,” said the Secretary General of OSCE, LambertoZannier.

To ensure a close working relationship, OSCE and IATA have agreed to share information, consult each other on policy issues, participate in each other’s relevant committees, and work on joint training and technical assistance.

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T H I S D AY MONDAY OCTOBER 17, 2016

His Excellency, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, The Chairman, National Economic Council, Abuja.

Your Excellency Sir,

CBN LIED AGAINST US DUE TO THEIR INEXPERIENCE AND STRONG INTEREST IN CRIPPLING NIGERIAN INDIGENOUS MANUFACTURERS IN FAVOUR OF FOREIGNERS. WE CHALLENGE THEM TO PUBLISH EVIDENCE THAT WE HAVE IMPORTED ANY TOMATO CONCENTRATE OR TOMATO PASTE SINCE THE INTRODUCTION OF IMPORT RESTRICTION ON THE 41 ITEMS LISTED BY THEM.

W

e read the response of CBN in defense of their economic sabotage against Nigerians and Erisco Foods Limited. We have called for public debate on media (television) with all expenses paid by us, but none of them (CBN, NAFDAC and Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment) has responded, rather they are fabricating lies against us.

We have in our past press release acknowledged that CBN gave us a total of 4% for USD and 7% of Naira for the total need of our operations to stop the importation of tomato paste into the country. This huge investment requires at least US$30 million to US$50 million to meet our installed capacity of packaging lines but CBN due to lack of experience on how the tomato paste industry works refused to give us full support to stop tomato wastage in tomato farms, rather they supported importers of same item in order to take our scarce FOREX away.

CBN is trying to manufacture lies to cover up their inadequacies by accusing Erisco Foods Limited of importing tomato paste and tomato concentrate.

This is a deliberate attempt on their part to divert attention from the real issues in order to favour the foreign/ local import cabals they have been supporting with impunity. The N3 billion they claimed they gave us is just about 10% of the total sum required to support our on – going expansion projects in our Lagos factory alone.

The CBN is economical with the truth by saying that they don’t allocate FOREX, whereas they approve all Form M for importation. We have concrete evidence that despite the ban of some products, CBN still encourages the importation of finished tomato paste, fish head etc by giving approval to their Form M for FOREX allocation. We made deposit of US$460,000 to our raw material (tomato concentrate) supplier before the ban on the 41 items

by CBN, but CBN did not approve Form ‘M’ for us to enable the supplier ship the goods to us since we had made the advance payment already, till date the supplier refused to give us the money back insisting that they are waiting for Form ‘M’ (that CBN refused to approve for us) to ship the goods and that was how we lost that money (US$460,000). Also, the foreign supplier bills for collection line worth over US$20M was cancelled due to CBN frustration. Double jeopardy!

We challenge CBN to provide evidence of approved Form “M” for tomato concentrate or Form “M” for tomato paste to Erisco Foods Limited since the ban on importation of tomato paste. After utilizing the Form M approved for us before the ban of 41 items, the CBN has not approved any new form M for Erisco Foods Limited. On what basis are we being accused of importing finished tomato products. We have never imported any finished food products including tomato paste into the country since inception even when there was no FOREX restriction.

Interestingly, Erisco Foods Limited and Dangote are the only Nigerian companies that responded to the call by government to do backward integration to help grow the economy, but instead of supporting our patriotic initiative, they turned back to work against Erisco Foods Ltd by denying us the approval of Form M for the importation of raw material and refused to support us to process Nigerian tomatoes into raw material to

meet the installed capacity of our tomato processing plant that is producing at 20% since inception.

It may interest Nigerians to know that we have sourced more loans from our overseas operations to help grow the Nigerian economy. We have also serviced our domestic loans and we are up to date with meeting up with our domestic obligations to the banks despite daunting challenges which has made us to lose up to N3.6Billion. We have resolved not to bring money from overseas operations to support our Nigeria tomato business; rather we will relocate our tomato paste plant outside the country as desired by CBN, NAFDAC and Federal Ministry of Trade, Industry and Investment. But at the expiration of the 30 days notice, we will regrettably begin the relocation of our factory outside the country unless there’s a change in policy that will favour local manufacturing.

Unfortunately, the CBN is yet to respond or defend their action of allocating and approving about US$15 million among numerous others that we have evidence to be provided on demand for the importation of frozen fish, tomato paste, fish head etc against their own law on the 41-item FOREX importation prohibition list. They kept pleading with us to bear with them that FOREX is not available yet they kept allocating same to foreigners to import finished products that we can produce better locally to the detriment of indigenous manufacturers despite the promise by CBN to allocate 60% FOREX to manufacturers. Interestingly, the CBN intervention loan is being given to mostly foreigners who in turn use it to develop their own countries.

We challenge CBN to tell Nigerians if Erisco Foods Limited had any issue with their bank loan before they banned our raw material importation and refused to help us to produce Nigerian tomato alternatives by giving us FOREX to import tin plate, machinery and spare parts to use Nigerian tomatoes to produce tomato paste. We are the only Nigerian company that uses fresh and dried tomatoes to produce tomato paste and have large quantities of finished high quality tomato paste yet to be sold due to the activities of unscrupulous importers as well as dumping of sub standard tomato paste in the country supported by relevant agencies of government.

We also have stock of raw materials (dried tomatoes) we bought from Northern Nigerian tomato farmers in Lagos and Kano warehouses and these are tomato products that ought to have been wasted in the hands of our farmers as usual but we bought the dried tomatoes from them to the tune of N4Billion, this assertion can be verified. We have no regret to say the truth as we want Nigeria’s economy to be better even after we must have relocated outside Nigeria after the expiration at the 30 days notice.

We have documents to prove all our cases and still restate our position that if we have fabricated lies on this issue, we should be investigated and prosecuted. The CBN should stop destroying the economy of our dear Country with their mundane economic theories. We think it is time for President Muhammadu Buhari to change the leadership of CBN in line with his economic policy to move Nigeria forward. Proper investigations should be carried out and the outcome will prove to the President that the CBN is working and frustrating his efforts to make Nigeria better.

Nigerians have the capacity to lift our economy from the doldrums but the activities of some Nigerian leaders are frustrating the efforts of indigenous

Prof. Yemi Osinbajo

Vice-President, Federal Republic of Nigeria

manufacturers. Our focus/objective is basically to help grow the Nigerian economy and earn FOREX in other to import what we need like vehicle spare parts and aircraft etc. We call on the government to probe the application of CBN’s intervention funds and FOREX allocation approval for the interest of our dear Country, Nigeria, if not, Nigerians will continue to cry without knowing who is responsible for their poverty.

According to an Igbo proverb, nobody can be taller and shorter than us at the same time. If the lies and deceit they keep dishing out are correct, why is our economy still in recession. What sacrifice has Erisco Foods Limited not made for the benefit of the Nigerian economy, yet they keep deceiving Nigerians and the President for reasons best known to them. Our stand remains that we must reposition our country by working towards earning FOREX with locally produced goods in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s ‘change’ agenda. We have no apologies for supporting President Buhari’s mission of making Nigeria take its rightful place among the comity of Nations.

We call again on the government to immediately ban the importation of all food items including tomato paste that we can produce better or have alternatives here in Nigeria as well as use Nigerian people to grow the economy for sustainability, as no foreigner can love this Country more than Nigerians. Erisco Foods Limited supports government to encourage and bring in more genuine investors but not portfolio investors. We are surprised that Nigerians claim to be good Christians and good Muslims, yet we detest hearing or supporting the truth. Nigerians will confirm what we are saying now after we must have left but that time, it might be too late. We cannot be intimidated to drop the truth no matter whose ox is gored.

Finally, we wish to thank the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) under the able leadership of Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd). We have observed a lot of positive changes in the way the Nigeria Customs Service has been combating the smuggling of banned items under the new leadership. More grease to your elbow. Carry go! God and posterity will indeed remember you as you continue to carry out this work for the good of the nation.

We also wish to commend our friend – The able Governor of Katsina State, His Excellency Hon. Aminu Bello Masari for his numerous support including the provision of land in katsina State for the future expansion of our factory to be closest to the source of raw materials. The progress of this project is being hampered by the activities of unpatriotic Nigerian importers and selfish government agencies who are determined to kill indigenous manufacturers.

God willing, we shall overcome.

God Bless Nigeria

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Moghalu Seeks Strengthening of Democratic Institutions in Africa Obinna Chima A former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigera (CBN), Prof. Kingsley Moghalu has stressed the need for strengthening of democratic institutions in Africa.

Moghalu, who stated this in an article titled: “Moving to better governance and inclusive growth,” published in a bulletin by the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF), an independent platform for dialogue and research, pointed out that acquiring power through the ballot box needs to be accompanied by a sense of the limitations imposed by the real meaning of democratic governance.

According to him, observing the presidential election campaign in the US, a more than 200-year-old democracy, provides avreminder of the need for some perspective when assessing the progress of democracy in Africa.

Moghalu, a professor of International Business and Public Policy at The Fletcher School at Tufts University, pointed out that a vast majority of Africa’s 54 nations are now

democracies,is a good thing.

This, he said represents a radical shift away from the military dictatorships that dominated the continent just a quarter of a century ago.

“The shift has come about partly in response to the innate urge for individual human freedom and free societies, and partly in response to the hegemonic forces of globalisation as the cold war ended in the late 1980s and the struggle between the Soviet and US superpowers ended on American terms.

Moreover – as a result of this – it has also come about in part in response to the felt need in African nations to meet the evolving minimum requirement for legitimacy in a global order increasingly based on democratic norms (even if the main international institution that spread these norms, the UN, is not fully democratic).

Democracy has been broadly good for Africa, but not because the dictatorships it replaced could not have created progress. Those military regimes failed largely because they were self-serving, and lacked a world view of economic

transformation,” he said.

However, he said democracy in Africa needs to be organised around ideas that can lead to real progress.

Such ideas incorporate inclusive economic growth that will make the popular notion of ‘Africa rising’ more real than the media- or investor-led hype that has soured of late, even as the continent remains a business destination of today and tomorrow, he added.

“Third, an important lesson of Africa’s democratic trajectory is that, to create real wealth for Africa’s nations, democratic contests will require the participation of technocrats skilled in the art and science of leadership, economics, public policy and management, engineering, and innovation.

“This trend is already taking root in a few countries such as Ghana. In many other countries, the old guard of ‘chartered politicians’ still holds sway, conflating the longevity of their political careers with their perceived ability to take their citizens into the future in a competitive world.

Africa’s citizens and voters must be educated to recognise the difference,” he said.

EFInA Supports Agency Banking With Grant In a bid to expand financial services to the unbanked women in South-eastern Nigeria, Enhancing Financial Innovation & Access (EFInA), a financial sector development organisation has released a Technical Assistance Grant to the tune of $100,015 to support FINCA Microfinance Bank’s agency banking network.

FINCA MFB is one of the financial institutions in Nigeria to significantly roll out a proprietary agent network to reach the unbanked markets.

The agency banking network is expected to deliver convenient and secure financial services to the unbanked, especially women.

Under the network, customers will be able to open new accounts, deposit and withdraw cash and perform account to account transfersthrough ‘agent’ assisted banking.

According to the Chief Executive Officer of EFInA, ChidinmaLawanson, “The FINCA agency banking network clearly aligns with EFInA’s key focus area of using agent banking as a means to reach many underserved and under-banked people, especially women. Through this project, FINCA MFB will offer a full suite of pro-poor savings and loan products to the underbanked people in the South East.

“In Nigeria, from our EFInA Access to Financial Services in Nigeria 2014 survey, bank penetration averages only 6.43 branches per 100,000 adults, and this figure is less in rural areas.

The distance from bank branches and the associated high cost of servicing low-balance accounts are key challenges that increase financial exclusion of the poor, and this project primarily addresses these challenges”.

Furthermore, she said FINCA’s experience in several African countries showed that the deployment of agent banking network was a tool through which savings are mobilised.

Moody’s Affirms Sterling Bank’s Ratings Sterling Bank at the weekend disclosed that its ratings were recently affirmed by Moody’s.

The bank said it showed deeper pliability through the re-affirmation of its investment grade ratings by the international credit rating agencies at a time when corporate and sovereign ratings were under pressure.

According to the bank, Moody’s Investors Service, in its September Credit Opinion update, re-affirmed its Issuer Credit rating of b2 and the standalone Baseline Credit Assessment (BCA) ratings of

B3 with a stable outlook.

Specifically, Moody’s cited the bank’s solid asset quality metrics and provision coverage as well as improvements in the lender’s IT infrastructure and risk management processes, among others.

Recently, Global Credit Ratings (GCR), an international rating agency, also affirmed Sterling Bank’s national long term and short-term credit ratings of BBB and A3 respectively with a stable outlook.

Commenting on the action, the bank’s Executive Director,

Finance and Strategy, Mr. Abubakar Suleiman, said the outcome of the ratings reflected the bank’s strong performance and resilience amidst challenging operating conditions, and validates its business models.

It would be recalled that the Bank recently raised additional N8 billion through a debt issuance, which was part of its approved programme for tier 2 capital in the sum of N35 billion.

This further strengthened the bank’s capital adequacy, which is above the required regulatory threshold.

Fidelity Bank Rewards Customers with N9m A total of N9million was won by six customers of Fidelity Bank Plc in the first draw of the bank’s “Get Alert in Million” promo.

The draw, which was for customers across the country, saw the emergence of Abiche Mary Iyefun, of Abuja branch who won N3million as the star prize winner. Also, Damilola Emmanuel of its Egbeda branch, Lagos, won N2million.

In the same vein, Umar Yahaya, Dele Femi Omoniyi, DuruAlphonsus and OgadimmaJecintaIwuoma all won N1million respectively.

Some other consolation prizes were won.

The bank’s Executive Director, Mrs. ChijiokeUgochukwu said the promo was introduced to reward customers’ loyalty as well as to deepen banking culture.

In all, the bank intend to reward customers with a total of N105 million. She said the promo, which is the sixth in a series, would help to deepen financial inclusion, saying that savings would help lift a lot of Nigerians out of poverty.

The bank had said: “Basically,

this is a promo like no other. It will help lucky winners with cash, which is very important.

We are urging our customers and prospective customers to save for projects and qualify for the coming rewards.”

The bank had also explained that throughout the duration of the promo, three customers will win N5 million each on quarterly basis; cash prizes of N3 million, N2 million and N1 million will be given out as first, second and third prizes respectively, at monthly draws category.

Moghalu

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

JUNE 2016 Broad Money (M2)

21,684,965.22

-- Narrow Money (M1)

9,125,933.16

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,379,187.93

---- Demand Deposits

7,746,745.22

-- Quasi Money

12,559,032.07

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

7,105,663.47

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

14,579,301.76

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

24,318,143.03

---- Credit to Government (Net)

2,893,190.01

---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA

5,004,677.26

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

-2,111,487.25

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

21,424,953.01

--Other Assets Net

-9,738,841.27

Reserve Money (Base Money)

5,370,199.87

--Currency in Circulation

1,684,725.89

--Banks Reserves

3,685,473.98 • Source - CBN

MANAGED FUNDS Initial Price (N)

Buying Price(N) 1,660.29

1,685.29

1,000.00

11,002.32

11,326.67.11

Stanbic Balanced Fund Stanbic IBTC NEF

Selling Price

Stanbic SIBond

20

120.47

120.47

Stanbic IBTC Ethical

1

1.10

1.13

Stanbic IBTC GIF

142.90

143.38

UBA Balanced Fund

1.2563

1.2493

UBA Bond Fund

1.3443

1.3443

UBA Equity Fund

0.8205

0.8074

UBA Money Market Fund

1.1510

1.1510

ARM Aggressive Growth Fund

N13.0544

N13.4480

ARM Discovery Fund

N288.2515

N296.9425

ARM Ethical Fund

N22.5268

N23.2060

ARM Money Market Fund

13.1030 (Yield % ) • Monetary Policy Rate - 13%

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT 13 OCTOBER 2016 The price of OPEC basket of fourteen crudes stood at $48.07 a barrel on Thursday, compared with $48.68 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations. The new OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Oriente (Ecuador), Rabi Light (Gabon), Minas (Indonesia), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Qatar Marine (Qatar), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2016 • T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

Shareholders Advise against Tough Sanctions on Quoted Companies Goddy Egene and Nosa Alekhuogie Capital market regulators have been urged to reduce the level of sanctions and penalties on quoted companies in order to encourage more companies to list in the market.

The National Coordinator, Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN),

Sunny Nwosu, who made the call while speaking to journalists in Lagos, said the inability of companies to seek quotation on the Nigerian bourse is as a result of heavy penalties and sanctions imposed on companies by regulators.

Nwosustated this while unveiling plans for the association’s 2016 Triennial Delegates Conference / Gala Night.

T H E

Nwosu said that sanctions imposed on quoted companies

by Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) discourage companies from seeking listing on the exchange.

“We should be careful of impunity measures if we want to develop and grow the market,” Nwosu said, explaining that the spate of

N I G E R I A N

sanctions in the market was eroding investors’ confidence.

He added that another factor contributing to the slow growth of the market is the regulators’ preference for foreign investors.

Nwosu, therefore called on SEC and NSE to strengthen their enlightenment programmes on ways to bring retail investors back to the market.

“The market is suffering

STO C K

because it has minimal retail investor participation. Retail investors are the ones that will develop the market and not foreign investors that can leave at any given time,” he said.

He said that the capital market remained the best form of savings for investors in spite of its current performance due to economic headwinds.

On the listing of multina-

E XC H A N G E

tionals, Nwosu called on the federal government to use moral persuasion instead of force because so as to keep with “free entry free exit” principle.

According to him, the government failed to enter into an agreement with these companies on listing plans when they first came into the country.

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monDAY, october 17, 2016 • T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

Caverton Shares Rise on Renewed Demand by Bargain Hunters Goddy Egene Bargain hunters, who see a long term value in the shares of Caverton Offshore Group Plc last week swooped on the stock to take advantage of its low price last week.

Consequently, the stock rose by 13.4 per cent to lead the price gainers for the week.

The equity rose from N0.67 to N0.76 per share. Caverton, which got listed two years ago at N9.50 per share has suffered unprecedented decline. This

year alone it went down by 69 per cent as a result of dwindling fortunes in the face of headwinds in the oil gas sector where it plays a leading role as a servicing firm.

However, some investors are taking advantage of the share price, with the hope that its fortunes will recover in the very near future. Besides, the company has embarked on a diversification programme.

“To any discerning and long term investor, the current price of Caverton is very attractive.

A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager.

Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return.

An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

So I am not surprised that some of those investors are taking advantage of the price now,” a stock broker said.

Caverton is diversifying its services into other sectors and new markets following the challenges in the oil and gas sector of the Nigerian economy.

Due to the challenges facing its clients in the oil and gas sector as a result of the decline in price of crude oil at the international market, Caverton decided to diversify its operations.

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg.

Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 13-Oct-2016, unless otherwise stated.

Speaking on the diversification, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Caverton, Mr. Bode Makanjuola, had said: “We are working tirelessly to broaden our service offerings through diversification into other sectors, as well as geographically into newer markets in a bid to boost our non-oil and gas revenues.”

According to him, in the first quarter of this year, the company successfully signed a new five-year contract in its helicopter operations to manage and operate a fleet

of aircraft for the Lagos State Government.

Makanjuola said the company was also making steady progress with the construction of their new Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul facility (MRO) at their Ikeja base, adding that the timeline for delivery of the MRO is still on track for end of 2017.

The company ended the half year to June 30, 2016 with a loss of N2.422 billion compared with a profit of N1.093billion in the

corresponding period of 2015.

Caverton attributed the poor results to the unavoidable impact of the recent Naira devaluation which took place within the second quarter of the year.

It said the impact of the devaluation by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) resulted in unrealised foreign translation loss arising largely from the groups’ dollar denominated borrowing used to finance core assets in both its Helicopter and Marine businesses.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors.

Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return.

NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 1 270 1680 Fund Name Bid Price Afrinvest Equity Fund 123.94 Nigeria International Debt Fund 216.88 ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price ACAP Canary Growth Fund 0.67 AIICO CAPITAL LTD Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price AIICO Money Market Fund ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name ARM Aggressive Growth Fund ARM Discovery Fund ARM Ethical Fund ARM Money Market Fund AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund AXA Mansard Money Market Fund CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Nigeria Global Investment Fund Paramount Equity Fund Women's Investment Fund FBN CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.fbnquest.com; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name FBN Fixed Income Fund FBN Heritage Fund FBN Money Market Fund FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund FIRST CITY ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.fcamltd.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Legacy Equity Fund Legacy Short Maturity (NGN) Fund FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Coral Growth Fund

100.00

aaml@afrinvest.com Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 124.57 10.93% 217.74 8.34% info@acapng.com Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 0.68 9.36% ammf@aiicocapital.com Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

100.00

15.07%

enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Bid Price 12.74 292.64 22.73

Offer Price 13.12 301.46 23.41

Yield / T-Rtn 4.51% 4.70% 3.08%

1.00

1.00

12.37%

investmentcare@axamansard.com Bid Price 100.76

Offer Price 101.39

Yield / T-Rtn 1.08%

1.00 1.00 11.22% investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Bid Price 2.09 9.36

Offer Price 2.14 9.60

Yield / T-Rtn 2.67% -5.01%

82.67

84.79

1.92%

invest@fbnquest.com Bid Price 1,065.59 114.49 100.00 $101.63 $101.53 111.98

Offer Price 1,066.57 114.99 100.00 $102.31 $102.21

Yield / T-Rtn -1.53% 5.28% 12.21% 1.97% 1.87%

113.50

12.74%

fcamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Bid Price 0.93 2.50

Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 0.94 2.75% 2.50 7.62% coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com

Bid Price 2,219.97

Offer Price 2,246.85

Coral Income Fund 2,039.73 INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price

Yield / T-Rtn 2.07%

2,039.73 7.83% enquiries@investment-one.com Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund

1.00

1.00

11.15%

Vantage Balanced Fund

1.64

1.66

0.46%

LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 0.99 1.01 11.59% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 986.90 986.90 -1.31% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: www.meristemwealth.com ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 9.81 9.90 0.31% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 13.41% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.02 1.04 4.08% SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 106.03 106.77 4.08% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.22 1.22 7.86% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 1,806.57 1,817.26 7.58% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 151.28 151.28 2.86% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.79 0.80 6.00% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 179.85 179.85 5.99% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 136.03 137.63 0.49% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 15.14% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,715.44 7,818.45 7.35% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD unitedcapitalplcgroup.com Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.15 1.17 7.44% United Capital Bond Fund 1.25 1.25 15.64% United Capital Equity Fund 0.70 0.72 -8.18% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 13.00% ZENITH ASSETS MANAGEMENT LTD info@zenith-funds.com Web: www.zenith-funds.com; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 9.80 9.97 2.64% Zenith Ethical Fund 11.33 11.44 -1.14% Zenith Income Fund 16.54 16.54 3.10%

REITS

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

11.43 122.22

2.69% 5.50%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

8.92 79.03

9.02 80.53

-6.85% -5.04%

Fund Name FSDH UPDC Real Estate Investment Fund SFS Skye Shelter Fund

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS

Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697

Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

2.72 7.34 12.65 17.20 -

2.76 7.42 12.79 17.40 -

17.60% 14.77% 0.95% -10.41% -

The value of investments and the income from them may fall as well as rise. Past performance is a guide and not an indication of future returns. Fund prices published in this edition are also available on each fund manager’s website and FMAN’s website at www.fman.com.ng. Fund prices are supplied by the operator of the relevant fund and are published for information purposes only.

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MONDAY OCTOBER 17, 2016 T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY MONDAY OCTOBER 17, 2016

39

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T H I S D AY • MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2016

CITYSTRINGS

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

Empowering Journalists through the IPC Safety Initiative Journalists who participated in the IPC safety workshop in Lagos came away wishing another session comes up in the shortest possible time. Peter Uzoho who participated in the training programme, reports that it was an impactful one

A cross section of participants at the IPC safety workshop in Lagos

T

he recent media workshop and roundtable conference for Nigerian journalists, organised by the International Press Centre (IPC), under the auspices of Open Society Foundation, was really, an impactful one.

Journalists who participated in the training may be wishing another session comes up in the shortest possible time as it offered them ample opportunity to acquire and be abreast of new trends in their profession, particularly, the issue of safety .

The programme held between 29th and 30th June, 2016 at the International Press Centre, Ogba, Lagos, with the theme ‘Safety Consciousness, Safety Methodologies and Contemporary Safety Best Practices in Journalism’, brought together journalists from the print, electronic and online media, who were lectured and mentored by legal and media experts on different safety issues which journalists in Nigeria usually contend with while in the field.

Welcoming participants for the workshop, Director, International Press Centre, Lagos, Mr Lanre Arogundade, said the essence of the programme was to promote safety consciousness of journalists in Nigeria, particularly those who cover sensitive beats, who may be exposed to danger.

“It is all about promoting the safety consciousness of journalists in Nigeria for them to realise that by the fact of the very nature of the job they do, especially those of us who cover sensitive beats, they could be exposed to dangers. People might call these occupational hazards but we don’t think that would be correct because that would give the impression that it’s normal; you have to get exposed to danger.

So we’re also looking at that technical aspect of safety of journalists in terms of how you gather and protect your data, how you gather and protect your information and how you in fact, ensure the safety of your equipment to avoid sabotage by any vested interest

“And this is one thing that we don’t do very well in Nigeria. In other parts of the world, journalists are constantly brainstorming on how to protect themselves; protect themselves from physical assault, protect themselves from kidnapping or killing, but more importantly, protecting the information that they work with,” he said.

“You know, a typical journalist gathers information and tries to use the information, processes this information and then gets it out to the public. Somebody who is likely to be exposed for corruption or other crime and knows that a journalist is working on that could actually do something using the modern technology to access that information and then prevent the journalist from doing his or her work,” Arogundade noted.

“So we’re also looking at that technical aspect of safety of journalists in terms of how you gather and protect your data, how you gather and protect your information and how you in fact, ensure the safety of your equipment to avoid sabotage by any vested interest. At the end of the day, we want the Nigerian journalist to be the complete journalist. A journalist has to realise that his or her work is not complete if he does not have some very fundamental knowledge of safety,” he added.

He however, presented statistics showing

number of journalists who lost their lives in 2016 while covering assignments at sensitive beats, which according to him emanated from the website of the Committee to Protect of Journalists (CPJ).

“In 2016, 15 journalists have been killed so far. Beats covered by the victims were; corruption 20 per cent, crime 13 per cent, culture 13 per cent, human rights 13 per cent, politics 47 per cent and war 67 per cent. Four Nigerian journalists were killed in circumstances related to Boko Haram,” Arogundade revealed.

He noted that “corruption is one area where journalists in Nigeria are repeatedly challenged”, adding that, “this shows that there are some beats where journalists are more vulnerable to attack.”

Leading the presentation on the topic ‘Safety of Journalists in Nigeria: The Challenge of an Enabling Legal Environment’, Managing Partner, City Chambers, Lagos, Mr Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, stated that journalists are empowered by law to discharge their duties without fear. He pointed out that section 39 of chapter 4 of the Nigerian constitution stipulates the freedom and power reposed on journalists to disseminate information, saying that journalists should hold firmly to that.

Olumide-Fusika, who was competently

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T H I S D AY • MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2016

CITYSTRINGS

A cross section of presenters at the workshop

represented by an activist lawyer, Mr. Tobi Olagunji, recognised that “there is constant conflict between those who want to hide something and those who it is their duty to expose things hidden.” He said “there are generic laws for the protection of every citizen of Nigeria, including journalists, against physical assault, molestation or intimidation.”

Olumide-Fusika also pointed that qualified privilege is another provision available for journalists to defend themselves against suit of defamation. He said by that provision, any report published by a journalist that is on matter of public interest, such journalist shall not be liable of any default resulting from such publication.

“And chapter 4 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has a body of protective rights for everybody under the law. The provision peculiar to journalists in Nigeria is section 39 (1) of the Nigerian constitution. It says, Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference.(2)Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1) of this sub-section, every person shall be entitled to own, establish and operates any medium for the dissemination of information, ideas and opinions.

“Before now, particularly during the post- colonial era, the ruling class have enacted laws which make it impossible for journalists to investigate certain things such that when it is done the journalists, not even as a matter of desperation, can be legally tried with what is called most of the times, the law of sedition,” Olumide-Fusika noted.

Olumide-Fusika said according to section 50, sub-section 2 of the Nigeria’s Criminal Code, “It is a crime to publish seditious information, saying that seditious information or work means works published with seditious intention. Seditious intention means to publish anything which is calculated to bring disrepute or incite disaffection to the person in authority,” he explained.

However, he drew the attention of the participants and other Nigerian journalists to what he described as “an unfortunate law couched by the ruling class hatchet men” which is incompatible with section 39 of the Nigerian constitution that is often used by people in authority to scare the press from discharging their lawful duties.

“According to the re-codified criminal law of Lagos State 2011, any person who publishes or reproduces any statement, rumour or report which is likely to cause fear and alarm to the public or to disturb the public peace, knowing or having reason to believe that such statement, rumour or report is false is guilty of misdemeanour and liable to imprisonment for a period of two years. It is not a defence to a charge under section (1) of this section that you did not know or did not have any reason to believe that the statement, rumour or report was false unless prior to the time of production or reproduction of the material you took appropriate measure to verify such statement, rumour or report.

“This is an unfortunate law couched by the ruling class hatchet men which is incompatible with section 39 of the Nigerian constitution.

Other participants at the workshop

Participants receiving training at the workshop

Section 39 of Nigerian constitution overrules all other provisions in the constitution. It is used as a standard to test the validity of all laws in the country. So any law that is in conflict with that section 39 is automatically regarded as invalid and cannot stand,” Olumide-Fusika pointed out.

He also said “Qualified privilege is a potent tool available for the press to defend themselves against the suit of defamation.

This means that when a journalist’s report is on matter of public interest, he shall not be liable of any default.”

Concluding his presentation on an advocacy note, Olumide-Fusika said “My advocacy include that this kind of law should not be included in our statutes books. Physical protection of journalists should be guaranteed in order for them to discharge their lawful duties safely and without harm of any form.

Employers should ensure that enough facilities are provided for the security of their journalists while on assignment.”

Contributing, Lead Partner, Mohammed Fawehinmi and Co, Mr. Mohammed Fawehinmi aligning himself to the cause of journalists called on the Nigerian Union of

We need greater solidarity among ourselves as journalists and we need to adopt the principle of ‘an injury to one is an injury to all’. If a journalist is attacked, we should not take it as business of the journalist’s organisation or we begin to raise insinuations against the victim

Journalists to rise and institute a legal action demanding immediate investigation of all journalists killed in the country while on assignment.

“I want the NUJ and every other body of journalists to institute an action that every single journalist that has been killed in this country should be investigated thoroughly and know what led to the killings and the punishment of the culprits as well as adequate compensation for the deceased’s family,” Fawehinmi said.

The son of the late legal luminary Chief Gani Fawehinmi, also charged journalists to always defend each other against attacks, adding that they should always use their pen to condemn any action or law that is intended to muzzle them.

Adding his thought to the discourse, Director, International Press Centre, Arogundade advised journalists to be responsible to one another. While calling for the spirit of comradeship among journalists, he challenged the NUJ to be more alive to its responsibility to its members.

“A journalist owes a duty to other journalists regardless of whether they are your competitors, whether one is above the other or whatever category one might be. You must hold yourselves as a body not just under NUJ or any other umbrella body, but must be responsible to yourselves,” Arogundade said.

“I think for the Nigerian Union of Journalists, it is for every attack on journalists they must speak out much more loudly. It’s not as if they were not speaking out loudly, but also here to take legal action against attack on journalists. As we know that sometimes our employers are so reluctant, ordinarily it should be a primary duty of our employers to protect us but, we do know why sometimes they don’t want to do this. But even if they do it, it does not stop the NUJ as an activist organisation or pressure group to take matters that concern the safety of journalists.

“So if a journalist is attacked by the police, the NUJ should not stop at issuing a statement, it should seek audience from the InspectorGeneral of Police or the Commissioner of

Police as the case may be, to demand for explanation and to demand for compensation.

Then if it comes to the side of the army, the NUJ should issue similar statement to the authorities and where necessary, the NUJ needs to go to court.

“And at the meeting, Fawehinmi suggested that a court action should be instituted to demand explanation for all the killings of journalists that we’ve had in this country; I’m in support of that and only the NUJ is well placed to do that. And I’m sure there could be lawyers there that would be willing to support the NUJ in this process without necessarily asking for money,” Arogundade noted.

He further said, “The other thing is that we need greater solidarity among ourselves as journalists and we need to adopt the principle of ‘an injury to one is an injury to all’. If a journalist is attacked, we should not take it as business of the journalist’s organisation or we begin to raise insinuations against the victim.

“The first principle should be that of comradeship; that as a journalist’s right has been violated that all of us will write about it, we’ll condemn it and allow investigations to complete the rest of the process.

“So from what we have heard today, I think there are strong reasons why the NUJ and other professional bodies in the media, including the Guild of Editors, should now begin to be more decisive when the rights of journalists are violated especially, in terms of assault, abuse, harassment, threat and intimidation.” So I urge all journalists to come together as a body to protect themselves,” he added.

Continuing the second day, participants were exposed to security issues faced by journalists who work in unsafe and hostile environments. They were informed of certain precautionary measures to be adopted at all times while on assignment or prior to embarking on assignment at dangerous beats to ensure safety against physical attack.

The Presenter and Executive Director, International Centre for Investigative Reporting, Mr. Dayo Aiyetan brought his long years of experience in investigative journalism to bear as he dissected the issue. Aknowledging the risky nature of investigative reporting, Aiyetan advised journalists to make adequate research of the environment they are going to cover before setting off. He gave the techniques and tips worthy of adopting when covering such beats as organised crimes, terrorism, war, riots and civil disorder, natural disaster, fire, accident, election, amongst others.

Admitting that life is so precious to be lost for nothing less, he said “no story is worth dying for”, warning every journalist to proceed with caution.

Later, a practical session on data, information and source protection and management as safety imperatives was held.

West African Representative, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Abuja, and Mr. Peter Nkanga who solely delivered the session, taught participants how to generate and send encrypted messages, which he said, was one of the ways journalists can communicate with their editors or colleagues secretly.

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MONDAY OCTOBER 17, 2016 T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY MONDAY OCTOBER 17, 2016

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48

MONDAY OCTOMBER 17, 2016 • T H I S D AY

INTERNATIONAL

email:foreigndesk@thisdaylive.com

Poll: Clinton Favoured to Win Electoral College Zacheaus Somorin in Washington DC with agency report

After a brutal week for Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, Democrat Hillary Clinton maintained a substantial projected advantage in the race to win the Electoral College and claim the United States presidency, according to the latest results from the Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation project released on Saturday.

If the election were held this week, the project estimates that Clinton’s odds of securing the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency at more

than 95 percent, and by a margin of 118 Electoral College votes.

It is the second week in a row that the project has estimated her odds so high.

The results mirror other Electoral College projections, some of which estimate Clinton’s chance of winning at around 90 percent. For the Trump campaign there are a handful of states the Republican candidate must win if he is to cobble together enough states to win the White House.

Among them is Florida, but numerous recent visits to the Sunshine State by Trump and his vice-presidential running mate Mike Pence did little to dent Clinton’s advantage in the

contest for the state’s 29 Electoral College votes. She leads by 6 percentage points, about the same lead she enjoyed last week.

Still, the race tightened in Ohio, another important state for Trump. Both Ohio and Nevada were leaning toward Clinton last week but are now toss-ups. However, Clinton’s support grew in North Carolina and Colorado, both of which moved from toss-ups to leaning Clinton.

In the last week, the Trump campaign struggled to respond to allegations from several women that Trump had groped them or made unwanted sexual advances over several decades.

Trump said the reports were lies and part of a media conspiracy to defeat him.

All of the allegations came after The Washington Post disclosed a video from 2005 of Trump describing how he tried to seduce a married woman and bragged in vulgar terms how his celebrity allowed him to kiss and grope women without permission.

The accusations overshadowed what might otherwise have been a difficult week for Clinton. Her campaign manager’s email account was apparently hacked and thousands of his emails were released by Wikileaks. U.S. officials say the

Russian government sanctioned the electronic break-in.

The emails have been trickling out for two weeks. Included in the hacked emails were undisputed comments that Clinton made to banks and big business in a 2014 speech.

In those comments, Clinton said she supports open trade and open borders, and takes a conciliatory approach to Wall Street, both positions she later backed away from.

Since that release, waves of other emails have been released, among which were some that suggested Clinton had inappropriately received questions in advance of a debate with Bernie

Sanders during the Democratic primaries.

Without Trump’s own woes, the Clinton emails may well have become the central issue in the campaign. Yet with just over three weeks to go until the Nov. 8 election, Trump does not have much time to turn the race around. According to the project, Trump trails by double-digits among women and all minority groups. Among black voters he trails by nearly 70 points. To a large extent his support is almost entirely dependent on white voters. And while Trump’s support among white men is strong, among white women his lead is negligible.

Opposition Kicks as Congo Postpones Presidential Election Democratic Republic of Congo’s ruling coalition and other smaller parties have agreed to delay next month’s elections to April 2018 - a move that will anger opposition groups who have accused the president of trying to cling onto power.

Congo’s main opposition bloc was not immediately available for comment but has already called a general strike for Wednesday to press President Joseph Kabila to leave at the end of his mandate in December.

Last month dozens died in two days of protests in the capital Kinshasa against planned delays to the vote due to what authorities said were logistical problems registering millions of voters in the massive and impoverished country. .

Parties agreed in talks on Saturday to give more time for voter registration and keep Kabila in office until the delayed vote, said one organisation in the discussions, the Union for the Congolese Nation. Delegates at the talks would likely ratify the decision on Monday, the statement said.

UNC president Vital Kamerhe is widely expected to become prime minister as part of the power-sharing government ushered in under the talks.

Kabila, who came to power in 2001 when his father was assassinated, says he will respect the constitution but has yet to rule out attempting to change the country’s laws to enable him to run for a fresh term.

The presidents of neighbouring Rwanda and Congo Republic changed their constitutions last year to allow themselves to stand for a third term, and Kabila’s opponents say they fear he will do the same.

Hundreds of people have also died since last year in neighbouring Burundi after its president Pierre Nkurunziza pursued and won a third term in office that his opponents say is unconstitutional.

The head of the U.N. mission in Congo warned last week that the political impasse poses an “extreme risk” to stability. Millions died in regional conflicts between 1996 and 2003 and Congo has never experience a peaceful transition of power.

US, Britain Call for Immediate Ceasefire in Yemen The United States and Britain yesterday for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Yemen to end violence between Iran-backed Houthis and the government, which is supported

by Gulf states.

A Saudi-led campaign in Yemen has come under heavy criticism since an air strike on a funeral gathering in the Yemeni capital Sanaa that killed 140 people according to a United Nations’ estimate and 82 according to the Houthis.

On Saturday, a U.S. admiral said a destroyer had again been targeted in the Red Sea in an apparent failed missile attack launched from the coast of Yemen. United States Secretary of State John Kerry said if Yemen’s opposing sides accepted the ceasefire then the special envoy to the U.N., Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, would work through the details and announce when and how it would take effect.

“This is the time to implement a ceasefire unconditionally and then move to the negotiating table,” Kerry told reporters.

“We cannot emphasize enough today the urgency of ending the violence in Yemen,” he said after meeting British foreign minister, Boris Johnson, and other officials in London.

Kerry said they were calling for the implementation of the ceasefire “as rapidly as possible, meaning Monday, Tuesday”. The UN’s special envoy said he had been in contact with the Houthi’s lead negotiator and the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. He also said he hoped for “clearer plans” for a ceasefire in the coming days Johnson said the conflict in Yemen was “causing increasing international concern; the fatalities that we’re seeing there are unacceptable”.

“There should be a ceasefire and the U.N. should lead the way in calling for that ceasefire.”

FATAL DAMAGE

A woman walks on debris in an area devastated by Hurricane Matthew in Port-a-Piment…weekend

Anti-nuclear Candidate Wins Japan Election An anti-nuclear candidate won an upset victory in a Japanese regional election yesterday, a blow to Tokyo Electric Power’s attempts to restart the world’s biggest atomic power station and a challenge to the government’s energy policy.

Ryuichi Yoneyama, 49, a doctor-lawyer who has never held office and is backed mostly by left-wing parties, won the race for governor of Niigata north of Tokyo, Japanese media projected, in a vote dominated by concerns over the future of the KashiwazakiKariwa power station and nuclear safety more than five years after the Fukushima catastrophe of March 2011.

“As I have promised all of you, under current circumstances where we can’t protect your lives and your way of life, I declare clearly that I can’t approve a restart,” Yoneyama told supporters at his campaign headquarters.

Cheers of “Banzai!” erupted as media began projecting him the winner over former mayor Tamio Mori, 67, backed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s pro-nuclear Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and initially favored for an easy

victory.

Yoneyama had more than 500,000 votes to about 430,000 for Mori with 93 percent of the vote counted in the region on the Japan Sea coast, public broadcaster NHK said. Mori, a former construction ministry bureaucrat, apologized to his supporters for failing to win the election.

Yoneyama, who had run unsuccessfully for office four times, promised to continue the policy of the outgoing governor who had long thwarted the ambitions of Tepco, as the company supplying about a third of Japan’s electricity is known, to restart the plant.

Reviving the seven-reactor giant, with capacity of 8 gigawatts, is key to saving the utility, which was brought low by the Fukushima explosions and meltdowns, and then the repeated admissions of cover-ups and safety lapses after the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.

Tepco, put under government control in 2012, is vital to Abe’s energy policy, which relies on rebooting more of the reactors that once met about 30 percent of the nation’s needs. As the race

tightened, the election became a litmus test for nuclear safety and put Abe’s energy policy and Tepco’s handling of Fukushima back under the spotlight. “The talk was of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, but I think the result will affect nuclear restarts across the country,” said Shigeaki Koga, a former trade and industry ministry official turned critic of nuclear restarts and the Abe administration.

Koga told Reuters it was important that Yoneyama join forces with another newly elected governor skeptical of nuclear restarts, Satoshi Mitazono of Kagoshima Prefecture in southern Japan. “Without strong support from others, it won’t be easy to take on Tepco,” he said.

Tepco spokesman Tatsuhiro Yamagishi said the company couldn’t comment on the choice of Niigata governor but respected the vote and would strive to apply the lessons of the Fukushima disaster to its management of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa.

The government wants to restart units that pass safety checks, also promoting renewables and burn-

ing more coal and natural gas.

Only two of Japan’s 42 reactors are running more than five years after Fukushima, but the Niigata plant’s troubles go back further.

Several reactors at KashiwazakiKariwa have been out of action since an earthquake in 2007 caused radiation leaks and fires in a disaster that prefigured the Fukushima calamity and Tepco’s bungled response.

Niigata voters opposed restarting the plant by 73 percent to 27 percent, according to an NHK exit poll. Yoneyama, who has worked as a radiological researcher, said on the campaign trail that Tepco didn’t have the means to prevent Niigata children from getting thyroid cancer in a nuclear accident, as he said had happened in Fukushima. He said the company didn’t have a solid evacuation plan.

The LDP’s Mori, meanwhile, was forced to tone down his support for restarting the plant as the race tightened, media said, insisting safety was the top priority for KashiwazakiKariwa, while promoting the use of natural gas and solar power in Niigata.

49

MONDAY OCTOMBER 17, 2016 • T H I S D AY

INTERNATIONAL

Suicide Bomber Kills Three Police in southern Turkey A suicide bomber killed three police officers and wounded at least nine people in the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep on Sunday during a police raid on a suspected Islamic State safehouse, a local official and security sources said.

The bomber detonated explosives as police raided the house in the Besyuzevler neighborhood of the city, some 40 km (25 miles) from the Syrian border, Abdullah Nejat Kocer, a local member of parliament from the ruling AK Party, told reporters.

A second suicide bomber detonated explosives during another police raid related to the same investigation at an apartment in the city’s Gazikent suburb, but no other people were killed, a police official at the scene said.

That blast blew the front wall

out of the building, according to a Reuters witness.

Kocer said three police officers were killed in the Besyuzevler blast. Six of the wounded were also police, two of them left in a critical condition in hospital. The three other people wounded were Syrian nationals, Kocer told reporters.

Security sources said police had pursued a vehicle believed to be carrying explosives to the house, where a group of Syrian nationals were thought to be sheltering, before raiding it.

Turkey has seen a spate of suicide bombings by militants suspected of links to Islamic State. A suicide bomb killed more than 50 people, many of them children, at a Kurdish wedding

in Gaziantep in August.

Turkey launched an incursion into Syria in August in support of Syrian rebels to try to push

Flights to the Kenyan city of Mombasa, Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Juba in South Sudan, Lusaka in Zambia, Harare in Zimbabwe and Maputo in Mozambique were cancelled because there were not enough crew members to fly safely, the statement said.

Pilots union KALPA has called an indefinite strike, scheduled to start on Tuesday, to protest against the management of the airline, which is part owned by the government and Air France

stronghold where it had promised to fight a final, apocalyptic battle with the West.

Turkish security forces have

repeatedly raided houses in Istanbul, Gaziantep and other cities in a crackdown on suspected jihadists linked to Islamic State

Iraqi Army Drops Leaflets over Mosul in Preparation for Offensive The Iraqi army dropped tens of thousands of leaflets over Mosul before dawn yesterday, warning residents an offensive to recapture the city from Islamic State was in its final stages of preparation, according to a military statement in Baghdad.

The leaflets carried several messages, one of them assuring the population that advancing army units and air strikes “will not target civilians” and another telling

Crew Shortages Force Kenya Airways to Cancel flights Loss-making national carrier, Kenya Airways, cancelled several flights yesterday after some crew members did not report for work, the latest blow as the airline struggles to avert a strike called by its pilots.

“Some of our outsourced staff, including cabin crew, have stayed away from work from Friday and we are working with their employer to resolve any issues they may have,” said a statement from the airline.

Islamic State from its border.

The rebels said on Sunday they had captured the village of Dabiq from the jihadist group, a

KLM. The union said its members had lost confidence in the ability of the airline’s chief executive and chairman to end years of losses. On Friday, a court ruled the strike was illegal and the government had said it would be “economic sabotage”. On Thursday, the airline said it had halved its pre-tax loss to 5 billion shillings ($49.4 million) in the past six months thanks to a recovery in passenger numbers.

them to avoid known locations of Islamic State militants.

The assault on Mosul, the last city still under control of the ultra-hardline Islamic State in Iraq, could begin this month with the support of a U.S.-led coalition, according to Iraqi government and military officials.

Islamic State fighters are dug in and are expected to fight hard.

They have forced civilians to stay in harm’s way during previous battles to defend territory.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday he hoped the United States and its allies would do their best to avoid civilian casualties in an attack on Mosul.

Reflecting the authorities’ concerns over a mass exodus that would complicate the offensive, the leaflets told residents “to stay at home and not to believe rumours spread by Daesh” to

cause panic, referring to Islamic State by its Arabic acronym. With a pre-war population of around 2 million, Mosul is around 4-5 times the size of any other city recaptured so far from the militants, who swept through northern Iraq in 2014 and also hold a swathe of Syria.

The U.N. last week said it was bracing for the world’s biggest and most complex humanitarian effort in the battle for the city, which could make up to 1 million people homeless and see civilians used as human shields or even gassed. “Keep calm and tell your children that it is only a game or thunder before the rain,” a leaflet said. “Women should not scream or shout, to preserve the children’s spirit.”

“If you see an army unit, stay at least 25 meters away and avoid any sudden movements,” another said. Iraq earlier this month

launched a radio station to help Mosul residents stay safe during the offensive. The radio is broadcasting from Qayyara, a town 60 kilometres (about 40 miles) south of Mosul, where the army is massing forces ahead of the offensive.

Qayyara has also an airfield that will be used as a hub by the U.S.-led coalition to support the offensive in which Kurdish Peshmerga and Sunni tribal fighters are expected to take part. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has not yet made it clear whether Iranian-backed Shi’ite paramilitary units will participate in the offensive on the mainly Sunni city. Local Sunni politicians and regional Sunni-majority states including Turkey and Saudi Arabia have cautioned that letting Shi’ite militias take part in assault could lead to sectarian bloodletting.

50

MONDAY OCTOBER 17, 2016 T H I S D AY

51

T H I S D AY • MONDAY OCTOBER 17, 2016

Nigeria’s top 50 stocks based on market fundamentals

14-Oct-16

13-Oct-16

% Change

Capitalisation

EPS

P/E

P/S

Div. Yld

Price/ Book Value

01 Dangote Cement Plc

183.00

183.00

0.00%

3,118,412,855,115.00

9.56

19.14

5.76

4.37%

4.58

02 Nigerian Breweries Plc

148.70

149.20

-0.34%

1,179,057,302,045.60

4.50

33.08

3.94

2.42%

7.24

03 Guaranty Trust Bank Plc

23.50

22.86

2.80%

691,632,711,764.00

4.20

5.60

1.93

7.53%

1.53

805.57

805.57

0.00%

638,540,096,923.64

19.41

41.50

3.85

3.60%

18.15

15.00

15.06

-0.40%

470,947,406,790.00

3.10

4.84

1.13

12.00%

0.76

385.88

385.88

0.00%

213,511,383,580.44 -14.43

-26.74

2.28

4.13%

0.57

07 Ecobank Transnational Incorporated

11.15

11.10

0.45%

204,597,496,047.25

0.23

48.53

0.38

5.56%

0.34

08 Lafarge Africa Plc

42.50

45.60

-6.80%

193,583,326,925.00

-6.71

-6.33

0.87

7.06%

1.38

145.12

152.00

-4.53%

189,016,057,667.36

3.31

43.89

1.23

2.38%

4.38

10 Unilever Nigeria Plc

45.90

45.90

0.00%

173,653,297,875.00

0.46

99.26

2.85

0.11%

19.49

11 Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc

16.50

16.50

0.00%

165,000,000,000.00

2.04

8.10

1.40

0.61%

1.47

5.65

5.60

0.89%

163,443,039,715.15

2.56

2.21

0.48

9.73%

0.38

40.25

40.25

0.00%

159,811,701,061.25

0.03 1,376.55

2.24

3.23%

3.82

4.25

4.25

0.00%

154,187,986,868.50

1.75

2.43

0.46

14.12%

0.36

15 Guinness Nig Plc

83.00

80.06

3.67%

124,988,719,604.00

-1.34

-62.00

1.23

3.86%

3.00

16 FBN Holdings Plc

3.02

2.99

1.00%

108,403,784,231.84

0.30

9.91

0.22

4.97%

0.18

17 7-Up Bottling Comp. Plc

159.90

154.50

3.50%

102,430,399,043.70

3.75

42.66

1.15

1.38%

3.97

18 Total Nigeria Plc

289.50

289.50

0.00%

98,291,571,811.50

31.13

9.30

0.41

4.84%

4.66

6.50

6.50

0.00%

78,000,000,000.00

1.05

6.19

0.65

7.69%

1.31

186.00

186.00

0.00%

67,070,718,732.00

17.69

10.51

0.81

3.87%

3.90

19.99

19.99

0.00%

65,852,043,107.20

0.17

114.59

2.64

1.25%

5.34

5.31

5.16

2.91%

63,903,826,327.14

-3.46

-1.53

0.34

14.12%

0.46

23 Flour Mills Nig. Plc

20.20

20.13

0.35%

53,009,591,177.40

6.81

2.97

0.14

9.90%

0.53

24 Julius Berger Nig. Plc

40.00

40.00

0.00%

52,800,000,000.00

0.24

165.22

0.51

3.75%

2.35

1.02

1.00

2.00%

39,495,417,373.50

-0.37

-2.73

0.87

0.00%

0.52

26 U A C N Plc

20.40

20.80

-1.92%

39,185,633,494.80

2.44

8.36

0.54

4.90%

0.53

27 Okomu Oil Palm Plc

40.11

40.11

0.00%

38,261,330,100.00

4.60

8.73

3.11

0.25%

2.46

1.03

1.04

-0.96%

29,654,130,669.78

0.31

3.34

0.28

8.74%

0.35

29 Cadbury Nigeria Plc

15.67

16.49

-4.97%

29,431,425,966.80

0.83

18.97

1.07

8.30%

2.37

30 Diamond Bank Plc

1.20

1.19

0.84%

27,792,466,761.60

0.11

10.88

0.13

0.00%

0.12

31 Fidelity Bank Plc

0.90

0.86

4.65%

26,066,327,122.80

0.39

2.31

0.18

17.78%

0.14

32 Wema Bank Plc

0.62

0.62

0.00%

23,916,168,970.22

0.06

9.83

0.49

0.00%

0.51

33 Custodian And Allied Insurance Plc

4.00

4.00

0.00%

23,527,456,780.00

0.76

5.26

0.70

3.50%

0.84

34 Cap Plc

33.25

33.25

0.00%

23,275,000,000.00

2.36

14.10

3.35

3.46%

15.94

35 Glaxo Smithkline Consumer Nig. Plc

18.39

18.39

0.00%

21,992,168,614.32

-2.54

-7.24

0.75

1.63%

2.41

36 FCMB Group Plc

1.11

1.09

1.83%

21,981,008,966.91

0.61

1.81

0.13

9.01%

0.12

37 National Salt Co. Nig. Plc

8.00

8.00

0.00%

21,195,507,024.00

0.89

9.03

1.17

6.88%

3.07

38 Mansard Insurance Plc

2.00

2.00

0.00%

21,000,000,000.00

0.27

7.36

1.09

2.50%

0.99

39 PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc

18.00

18.00

0.00%

18,000,000,000.00

4.14

4.35

1.36

0.56%

0.54

40 Continental Reinsurance Plc

1.00

1.00

0.00%

10,372,744,312.00

0.33

3.04

0.50

12.00%

0.54

41 Honeywell Flour Mill Plc

1.30

1.30

0.00%

10,309,256,955.40

-0.40

-3.22

0.21

12.31%

0.63

42 Skye Bank Plc

0.62

0.61

1.64%

8,605,786,874.20

-2.93

-0.21

0.05

48.39%

0.08

43 Unity Bank Plc

0.70

0.70

0.00%

8,182,536,559.40

0.54

1.29

0.13

0.00%

0.10

44 Cement Co. Of North.Nig. Plc

5.50

5.50

0.00%

6,911,727,713.00

0.44

12.42

0.62

1.82%

0.64

45 Wapic Insurance Plc

0.50

0.50

0.00%

6,691,369,126.00

0.11

4.62

0.88

6.00%

0.43

46 UACN Property Development Co. Limited

3.41

3.41

0.00%

5,860,937,482.95

-0.05

-65.40

1.74

20.53%

0.16

47 Resort Savings & Loans Plc

0.50

0.50

0.00%

5,664,866,202.00

4.68

0.11

0.02

0.00%

1.89

48 Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc

3.30

3.30

0.00%

5,359,921,875.00

0.15

21.40

0.67

6.06%

0.87

49 AIICO Insurance Plc

0.61

0.60

1.67%

4,227,424,732.80

0.26

2.34

0.13

8.20%

0.45

50 Fidson Healthcare Plc

1.58

1.58

0.00%

2,370,000,000.00

0.31

5.15

0.35

3.16%

0.37

04 Nestle Nigeria Plc 05 Zenith Bank Plc 06 Seplat Petroleum Dev. Co. Ltd

09 Forte Oil Plc.

12 Access Bank Plc 13 Presco Plc 14 United Bank for Africa Plc

19 Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc 20 Mobil Oil Nig Plc 21 International Breweries Plc 22 Oando Plc

25 Transnational Corporation Of Nigeria Plc

28 Sterling Bank Plc

TOTAL

9,009,475,930,090.45

TOTAL MARKET CAP

9,569,714,222,347.48

% OF MARKET CAP Annotation - MA* = Simple Moving Average

94.15%

Table 1 Market Statistics Mkt Indicators

Open 13-Oct-16

NSE All Share Index NSE Market Cap (N'Trillion)

27,854.78 9.57

27,861.03 9.57

0.02 0.02

115.67 9.01

115.71 9.01

0.04 0.04

Thisday BGL 50 Index Thisday BGL 50 Market Cap (N'Trillion)

Close 14-Oct-16

Change %

Table 3 Top 5 Gainers Stock

Open Close Change 13-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 %

Fidelity Bank Plc Guinness Nig Plc 7-Up Bottling Comp. Plc Oando Plc Guaranty Trust Bank Plc

0.86 80.06 154.50 5.16 22.86

0.90 83.00 159.90 5.31 23.50

4.65 3.67 3.50 2.91 2.80

Table 4 Top 5 Losers Stock

Open Close Change 13-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 %

Lafarge Africa Plc Cadbury Nigeria Plc Forte Oil Plc. U A C N Plc Sterling Bank Plc

45.60 16.49 152.00 20.80 1.04

42.50 15.67 145.12 20.40 1.03

-6.80 -4.97 -4.53 -1.92 -0.96

Market closes northward as Index gains a diffident 0.02%.

Market pulse on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) today – Friday, October 14th, 2016 ended on a positive note as the stock market closed green to end a two-day losing streak. This was further highlighted by positive performances from the NSE Sub sectors: Banking, Insurance and Consumer Goods (Save Oil & Gas). However, trading activities decreased in volume as 220.85 million shares worth of N1.53 billion in 2,381 deals exchanged hands today. This is a decrease from the 380.75 million shares worth of N1.83 billion in 2,954 deals which exchanged on Thursday. Topping in volume terms were Diamond Bank Plc, Access Bank Plc and Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, while Guaranty Trust Bank Plc and Lafarge Africa Plc ended trading as the most active stocks in value terms.

The All Share Index (NSEASI) closed positive with 0.04% (+6.25) increase to close at 27,861.03 from 28,054.78 the previous trading day. Market Capitalization depreciated in tandem to N9.57 trillion from N9.57 trillion of prior trading day.

Similarly, the Thisday BGL 50 Index followed suit with an increase of 0.04% to close at 115.71 from 115.67 recorded at the end of the previous trading day, while its market capitalization stood at 9.01 trillion from 9.01 trillion of the previous trading day.

A total number of 20 stocks gained on the bourse today while 13 stocks declined, 66 leaving stocks unchanged. Fidelity Bank Plc emerged as the day’s toast of investors as it topped the Thisday BGL 50 Index gainers’ list with a gain of 4.65% to close at N0.90 per share. It was followed by Guinness Nig Plc with a gain of 3.67% to close at N83.00 per share.

Others on the gainers list include: 7-Up Bottling Comp. Plc, Oando Plc and Guaranty Trust Bank Plc; while on the decliners’ list, Lafarge Africa Plc led with a loss of 6.80% to close at N42.50 per share. It was followed by Cadbury Nigeria Plc with a loss of 4.97% to close at N15.67 per share.

Others on the decliners list include: Forte Oil Plc, UACN Plc and Sterling Bank Plc. REQUIRED DISCLOSURE This report has been prepared by BGL Plc. BGL Plc does and seeks to do business with companies covered in its research reports. As a result, the firm may have a conflict of interest that could affect the objectivity of this report. Investors should use this report as one of many other factors in making their investment decisions.

For more details go to www.thisdaylive.com

52

MONDAY OCTOBER 17, 2016 T H I S D AY

53

T H I S D AY MONDAY OCTOBER 17, 2016

RETURNS ON UTILIZATION OF FUNDS SOLD TO CUSTOMERS FOR THE WEEK ENDED FRIDAY 14-OCT-2016 This Publication; Mandated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)

BANK: ECOBANK NIGERIA LIMITED SN

CUSTOMER

DATE OF FUND PURCHASE EXCHANGE RATE

AMOUNT

SN

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

DIAMOND BANK OBI CHUKWUEMEKA STEPHEN ABIMBOLA PASEDA AJIBEWA ADEREMI HAMZAT HELEN ADEOLA FULLER ESUABANGA ONOYOM JAMES MOSES NINYIO VARIOUS BDC DIAMOND BANK SUNTRUST BANK UBA

INTERBANK INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE BDC INTERBANK INTERBANK INTERBANK

10-Oct-16 10-Oct-16 10-Oct-16 10-Oct-16 10-Oct-16 10-Oct-16 10-Oct-16 10-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16

305.50 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 305.25 305.25 305.25

100,000.00 3,260.00 15,049.20 5,405.60 1,570.13 1,148.00 1,997.00 141,110.23 200,000.00 200,000.00 200,000.00

142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

FIDELITY BANK ZENITH BANK UNION BANK FSDH CORONATION BANK CITIBANK UNION BANK ROYAL OIL AND GAS LTD ROYAL OIL AND GAS LTD ADERINTO TOKUNBO FRANCIS

INTERBANK INTERBANK INTERBANK INTERBANK INTERBANK INTERBANK INTERBANK GASOIL GASOIL INVISIBLE

11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16

305.25 305.25 305.25 305.25 305.25 305.25 305.25 305.25 305.25 375.00

50,000.00 50,000.00 50,000.00 50,000.00 50,000.00 50,000.00 150,000.00 62,667.52 117,332.48 6,636.94

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

BASSEY FELICIA GBADAMOSI OLANREWAJU BEJIDE BABATOPE ECOBANK NIGERIA LIMITED TOLULOPE LONGE MARKE DANIEL MATHEW MARINE ENERGY AND INVESTMENT LIMITED CROSS RIVER UIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE

11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16

375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00

30 31 32

CROSS RIVER STATE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY TRUVALU LIMITED TRUVALU LIMITED

INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE

11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16

33 34

UTI CHIMDINMA GLORY ORDOR SOTONYE LIZZA

INVISIBLE INVISIBLE

35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

CROSS RIVER STATE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY TIJANI FOLUKE IBE OGU HENRY GBOLADE OLUSHIJIBOMI TOLULOPE ADEOYE-LANIYAN TOKUNBOH PAUL ECOBANK NIGERIA LIMITED OMENKEOMA CHRISTOPHER E.U. BENJI AKANO LTD OMOLODUN RISI OMOLODUN RISI LAGUNJU DOLAPO NWOSU BERNARD FRANK CHUKS OKON MARYMAGDALENE GODWIN OKON MARYMAGDALENE GODWIN AKAHARA ESTHER ONYINYECHI (HIS GLORY HOSPITAL AND MATERNITY LIMITED) PERFECT CHILD SCHOOL WEY EMMANUEL BABATUNDE ECOBANK NIGERIA LIMITED ECOBANK NIGERIA LIMITED OPARA INNOCENT BENIBO VICTORIA OSCAR EMERIBE PATRICK NNAJI AKPAN PETER BENEDICT HISBREATH INTERNATIONAL LIMITED RAYMOND MCLLOYD WILCOX ADEOYE-LANIYAN TOKUNBOH PAUL EDEKI OLAYEMI EDEKI OLAYEMI EDEKI OLAYEMI ABDULRASHID SHEHU ADEKWU OMOCHI ABIMBOLA PASEDA ABIMBOLA PASEDA ADEJUMO ADEREMI AHOLU BODUNRIN THEOPHILUS JOCELYN KAKA BABA SONAIYA EBENEZER EBUN OSUNBADE EMMANUEL OLUWASEUN ODJEGBA PATRICIA ADEBAYO MUHAMIN ADEKOLA ALIOGO PETER NKECHUKWUYEM NMEZI MAUDELINE NNENNA AKINRODOYE FADEKEMI WUNMI OGUNLEYE OLUSEGUN SAMSON ERIVONA OYOMA EMMENUEL SARO AGRO SCIENCES LTD

81

MODEL STEEL INDUSTRIES LTD

BUA SUGAR REFINERY FIDELITY BANK VAN OORD NIG LIMITED SUNTRUST BANK SUNTRUST BANK TARIAH JEMINA FRED ONIANWAH CHUKWUGOZIAM BALOGUN LATEEF OLUTAYO OLAYEMI OLUSEGUN OYEBOLA WILLIAMS ENO EFFIONG LAWAL MUYIDEEN .O OKOLO IFEANYI JOSEPH SIENE ALLWELL-BROWN SIENE ALLWELL-BROWN OGUNBAMBI LOLADE OGUNBAMBI LOLADE AWOTIKU AKINRINADE EMMANUEL AHMED RUFAI SHEHU EDET SAVIOUR NSE SOETAN AINA O DIKE CHIKA STELLA ADEDEJI BASHIR ARIAGA CLIFF ALEGBELEYE OLANREWAJU MICHAEL UDO, ONYEDINMA ANYA DOLAPO AJAYI ECOBANK NIGERIA LIMITED ATINMO OLABISI PERFECT CHILD SCHOOL AWOLESI OLANIKE ALICE OLATUNDE JOSHUA OLADELE (OBANLA MUYIWA 112 OLUWAJUWONLO) 113 EBUBEDIKE ELIZABETH 114 GARUBA DORIS ENE AKPILA SCOTT BERNARD (SABENA GLOBAL 115 SERVICES LTD) 116 PASTOR JOSHUA DOKAH 117 ADEDOYIN TITUS 118 DISNEY SCHOOL 119 OGUNJIDE OPEYEMI 120 EGWU SUNDAY OGBONNAYA 121 EMILE SAGNA 122 EBUBEDIKE ELIZABETH 123 ORDU PRECIOUS AZUOMA 124 AKINDELE VIVIAN 125 ACCESS BANK 126 PTA 127 PTA 128 AFTRADE NIGERIA LTD 129 ROYAL OIL AND GAS LTD 130 SADIQ IYANUOLUWA ONABOWALE 131 SHITTU OLUWASEUN OTHNIEL 132 REV FAMOUS DJANERE 133 ORDOR SOTONYE LIZZA 134 DISNEY SCHOOL 135 ETUKUDOH ALFRED UMOH 136 UMARU SULEIMAN LERE 137 ADEDOYIN TITUS 138 OGUNNIYI OLAWEPO AREMU 139 OGUNNIYI OLAWEPO AREMU 140 CROSS RIVER UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY 141 CROSS RIVER UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111

ITEM OF IMPORT

CUSTOMER

DATE OF FUND EXCHANGE RATE PURCHASE 13-Oct-16 375.00 13-Oct-16 375.00 13-Oct-16 375.00 13-Oct-16 375.00 13-Oct-16 375.00 13-Oct-16 375.00 13-Oct-16 375.00 13-Oct-16 375.00 13-Oct-16 375.00 13-Oct-16 375.00 13-Oct-16 375.00

ITEM OF IMPORT

AMOUNT

153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162

CROSS RIVER UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY CROSS RIVER UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY OSIME MICHEAL OSIME MICHEAL OBI ENDURANCE CHINEMERE WOBO VIVIETH CHIEF AGWU IRO NKWA WILSON JOSIAH IJU HON JUSTICE UWA CHIDI NWAOMA EKA BLESSING PAUL OJINTA ROSELINE IRUOMA UTIN AKPABIO WILSON (U.A WILSON ENTERPRISES NIG) DIMEJESI IKECHUKWU BENEDICT AMABEOKU BELEMA AMA NWANKWO JOYCE IHUOMA ELAEREMI EUNICE TAMARABRAKEMI STANDHOPE PRECIOUS CHINOMSO EZELOBE BLESSING NGOZI BASSEY, ALICE UDO OGBONDEMINU PRAISE BUKAYO KPANGBAN JANE T

INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE

13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16

375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00

4,039.20 4,080.00 7,657.35 1,800.00 1,800.00 1,300.00 1,000.00 5,200.00 1,458.00 9,700.00

11,615.04 7,193.58 5,001.32 3,039.66 7,462.80 5,671.73 18,781.38 36,381.15

163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170

DIAMOND SECURITY HOLDINGS NIGERIA LIMITED ASOTIBE LAMBERT UZOMA AGBOR OSCAR AGBOR ( AGBOR MARY EYERE) OKPALA INNOCENT IHEANACHO STEPHEN CHINONSO CHUKWU OKORIE CHUKWU BEN KALIO MARGARET ATEMEOKU CHIMEZIE NATHANIEL CHISOM

INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE

13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16

375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00

6,775.00 8,000.00 1,000.00 5,000.00 5,368.00 3,600.00 4,000.00 2,154.00

375.00 375.00 375.00

25,336.21 11,691.72 11,691.72

171 172 173

ABIA, ETIM CHARLES DANIEL JAPHIA CLEAN NIGERIA ENTERPRISE FIJABI BABATUNDE WAHEED

13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16

375.00 375.00 375.00

1,815.00 1,000.00 3,002.44

11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16

375.00 375.00

2,742.58 6,219.00

174 175

FINE CHEMICAL NIGERIA LIMITED AFTRADE NIGERIA LTD

INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE RAW MATERIALS FOR INDUSTRIAL USE: CLYRELL RC213M QTY 85MT ARTIFICIAL RESINS

13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16

305.50 305.81

60,000.00 35.00

INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE

11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16

375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00

15,547.50 7,750.37 5,003.38 13,059.90 3,806.83 42,000.00 3,500.00 1,711.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 8,600.00 3,150.00 3,960.00

176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189

DON DUMELE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED DON DUMELE INTERNATIONAL LTD BRAIMAH EHI ATTAH DANJUMA INIAGHE ESEROPHE GRACE EMILE SAGNA NSOFOR RONTUS RICH EVERGREEN GLOBAL NETWORKS LTD AYELA SUNDAY ADEYEMI UDEH KENNEDY UZOMA OLANIYI ASHIMIYU ADEBAYO HON. BALA ALMU BANYE CHRISKING VENTURES LTD OGBONDA CECILIA OKWUCHI

INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE

13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16

375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00

4,000.00 3,000.00 8,292.00 2,840.00 5,220.00 2,400.00 7,000.00 3,429.00 1,500.00 4,250.00 13,552.00 13,244.00 8,870.40 1,830.24

INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE AGRICULTURAL INSECTICIDE

11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16

375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 305.25

2,000.00 5,500.00 2,766.00 7,314.22 6,581.25 1,500.00 2,088.00 13,180.00 18,000.00 4,233.00 14,036.02 5,000.00 3,805.00 1,195.00 10,000.00 4,264.27 6,298.40 14,925.60 14,925.60 16,488.81 7,462.80 6,517.76 16,169.40 4,365.74 2,500.00 6,233.00 3,200.00 2,895.09 1,047.00 3,500.00 1,753.76 105,000.00

190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221

UGWUANYI WILLY NWEKE UGWUANYI WILLY NWEKE NAGODE INDUSTRIES LTD NAGODE INDUSTRIES LTD FIDELITY BANK UBA ZENITH BANK FBN CHRISKING VENTURES LTD ADEWUYI WASIU OLAIDE BENSON ONYEACHOLEM ADEBAYO KOLAWOLE SOMEFUN UGWU FRANK UCHENNA UGWU FRANK UCHENNA DAVID TOCHUKWU MADU DAVID TOCHUKWU MADU BENEDICTA IKEAKHE AJOSE-ADEOGUN AYOADE ADEBOLA AJOSE-ADEOGUN AYOADE ADEBOLA UGWUANYI WILLY NWEKE ODULAJA HEZEKIAH ADESHINA ODULAJA HEZEKIAH ADESHINA IDOKO LILIAN ANN IZUGOZIE LTD/ MBARAONYE EVANS EGBA DANIEL OKHEMESIMI PAUL RAYMOND HAMMED DAMILOLA CHRISTIANA ILOBA CHISOM GEORGE DAVID INYANG OKOENE NNAGOZIE ADVAPRO LIMITED OTROFANOWEI ELAYE

INVISIBLE INVISIBLE SNOW WHITE PETROLEUM JELLY SNOW WHITE PETROLEUM JELLY INTERBANK INTERBANK INTERBANK INTERBANK INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE

13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16

375.00 375.00 305.50 305.50 311.00 311.00 311.00 311.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00

4,141.79 258.21 303,555.00 303,555.00 200,597.59 25,384.00 179,160.60 153,856.00 8,870.40 9,196.42 4,394.92 1,181.85 15,406.32 15,406.32 1,235.00 6,298.50 5,298.15 4,110.08 5,713.36 3,800.00 7,915.00 1,500.00 1,350.00 22,000.00 5,800.00 1,632.00 5,399.00 2,520.00 6,025.00 1,148.00 4,750.00 1,373.58

RAW MATERIAL HOT ROLLED STEEL: CHANNELS 20,000 MTS OF US NO 2 OR BETTER HRW WHEAT MINIMUM 11.5 PCT PROTEIN INTERBANK INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE

11-Oct-16

305.25

50,000.00

222

NGOCHINDO FELICIA OLUWAFUNMILOLA

INVISIBLE

14-Oct-16

375.00

6,429.72

11-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16

305.25 305.75 375.00 306.00 306.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00

45,000.00 100,000.00 22,864.00 25,395.56 26,779.79 10,224.50 2,348.07 6,524.80 9,856.00 28,000.00 9,856.00 8,564.67 6,218.00 6,218.00 3,979.52 7,503.88 4,663.50 15,500.00 10,677.28 5,000.00 9,884.52 5,200.00 3,000.00 1,350.00 6,800.00 620.00 2,888.89 22,693.00 4,000.00 1,200.00

223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231

USIBE MICHEAL EDE USIBE MICHAEL EDE[AUGUSTINE] NWACHUKWU KENNETH ARINZE ABDULLAHI ABUBAKAR FAITH FAVOUR TIOLUWANI NWACHUKWU KENNETH ARINZE EMBASSY OF PORTUGAL, ABUJA, NIGERIA VARIOUS BDC PTA

INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE BDC INVISIBLE

14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16

375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00

2,520.00 2,310.00 2,211.00 1,632.00 3,765.00 3,475.00 10,500.61 16,595.26 33,991.68

INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE

12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16

375.00 375.00 375.00

INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INTERBANK INVISIBLE INVISIBLE ARTIFICIAL RESINS GASOIL INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE

12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16

375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 315.00 375.00 375.00 305.25 305.50 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00 375.00

SN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

SOURCE INTERBANK OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS CBN OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS

9,060.80 5,999.93 3,932.50

15 16 17

OTHERS INTERBANK OTHERS

2,516.80 2,912.00 18,467.46 6,218.00 1,137.00 1,483.00 5,333.33 330.75 2,580.00 6,000.00 255,000.00 52,000.00 48,000.00 70,000.00 40,000.00 9,809.64 9,809.64 1,116.00 7,268.80 8,008.00 11,088.00 7,268.80 5,338.95 14,784.00 7,502.88 14,784.00 16,385.60

18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38

OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS INTERBANK INTERBANK OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS OTHERS TOTAL AMOUNT AVERAGE AMOUNT

INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE

RETURNS ON SOURCES OF FUNDS SOLD TO CUSTOMERS FOR THE WEEK ENDED FRIDAY 14-OCT-2016 DATE OF FUND PURCHASE EXCHANGE RATE 10-Oct-16 10-Oct-16 10-Oct-16 10-Oct-16 10-Oct-16 10-Oct-16 10-Oct-16 10-Oct-16 10-Oct-16 10-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16 11-Oct-16

305.25 315.00 335.70 307.20 349.99 348.52 310.00 305.00 306.24 315.00 304.75 349.36 335.50 319.88

AMOUNT 50,000.00 7,936.51 79,863.28 14,905.20 11,156.92 7,943.74 400,000.00 605,000.00 11,020.17 200,000.00 1,500,000.00 3,688.27 149.03 20,000.00

11-Oct-16 12-Oct-16 12-Oct-16

328.00 305.00 305.00

300,000.00 100,000.00 500,000.00

12-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 13-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16 14-Oct-16

300.00 300.50 315.00 317.94 304.75 356.61 360.06 370.00 342.51 349.99 355.49 349.36 305.00 305.00 300.50 310.00 310.50 310.50 370.00 363.17 369.56

60,344.19 41,226.12 248,000.00 217,118.55 149,990.00 17,983.97 24,819.00 16,566.74 120,860.35 26,136.53 56,646.47 3,688.27 50,000.00 100,000.00 20,000.00 462,933.30 200,323.56 358,401.44 38,276.35 25,695.52 6,990.58 6,057,664.05 159,412.21

17,100.16 21,190.40 7,121.34 3,631.63 850.00 4,200.00 4,300.00 4,300.00 1,755.00 3,000.00 2,090.00

54

MONDAY OCTOMBER 17, 2016 • T H I S D AY

NEWS

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

Buhari Doubles Down, Insists His Wife’s Job is to Look After Him, Belongs in the Kitchen

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interview last week, insisting that Aisha Buhari’s place is in the kitchen and to look after him. He was also of the opinion that she should

Herdsmen Attack Military Outpost, Kill 20 in Kaduna John Shiklam in Kaduna Gunmen in their hundreds, believed to be Fulani herdsmen, at the weekend invaded Godogodo and neighbouring villages in Jama’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State killing 20 people.

Several others were said to have sustained injuries from gunshots and machete cuts.

The bandits were said to have embarked on the onslaught after attacking a military outpost in Godogodo area where many of the villagers were killed after which other some neighbouring villages were raided and several houses burnt.

The incident led to the declaration of a 24-hour curfew by the interim management committee of Jama’a Local Government Area declared following tension Chairman of the interim management committee, Dr Humble Katuka, who imposed the curfew directed residents to remain indoors pending when the situation is brought under control.

An eyewitness said the attacks started at about 9p.m. last Saturday and lasted till the early hours of yesterday leading to killings and burning of houses.

Those who tried to escaped were said to have been shot or cut down with machete.

A community leader in the area said many villages have been sacked following the frequent attacks and killings by the herdsmen.

The community leader who spoke on condition of anonymity said: “People have abandoned their homes to other safer zones, our farm have been over run by herdsmen. We no longer go to farm again because that is suicidal.

“The government needs to take concrete steps to stop these attacks.

These people are well armed; they have sophisticated weapons and we are at the their mercy.”

Confirming the incident, the spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command, Aliyu Usman, said there had been an invasion of Godogodo by some hoodlums.

He also confirmed that some parts of the town was burnt down, saying however that he was not in a position to confirm the casualty figure.

“As I speak, the state Police Commissioner has ordered the deployment of more units of antiriot policemen and conventional police to the town. They should have arrived there by now.

“Last Friday, same armed men ambushed our men around Godogodo, killed two officers and fled. We shall surely get them soon,” Usman promised.

The widow of a Nigerian activist is planning to sue Royal Dutch Shell in the Dutch courts alleging the oil company was complicit in the execution of her husband by the Nigerian military in 1995, court documents filed in the United States last week show.

Esther Kiobel, according to Reuters, has filed an application in New York to secure documents from Shell’s US lawyers, which she could use in the Dutch action.

The filings with the US District Court for the Southern District Court of New York said she planned to begin that action before the end of the year.

“Ms. Kiobel will demonstrate that Shell encouraged, facilitated, and conspired with the Nigerian government to commit human rights violations against the Ogoni people,” a memorandum in the application filed last week said.

A Shell spokesman said yesterday: “Shell remains firmly committed to supporting fundamental human rights in line with the legitimate role of business. We have always denied, in the strongest possible terms, the allegations made by the plaintiffs in this tragic case.”

Kiobel previously took her lawsuit to the US but the US Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that the case could not be heard because the alleged activities took place outside the country.

In 2009 prior to that ruling Shell had agreed in the US to pay $15.5 million to settle lawsuits related to other activists executed at the same time as Barinem Kiobel, including author and environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa.

Kiobel’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment yesterday.

John Donovan, who runs the royaldutchshellplc.com protest website, and who has advised Kiobel on the case said: “She’s going after Shell in their home country, the Netherlands.”

The Nigerian military cracked down heavily on local opposition to oil production by a Shell joint venture in the Niger Delta in the early 1990s. Kiobel alleges that Shell provided support to the military in its crackdown.

A Dutch court ruled in December that Shell may be sued in the Netherlands for oil spills at its subsidiary in Nigeria, although it did not say Shell was responsible.

steer clear of politics.

Despite the global outcry over his remarks last Friday and the attempt by the presidency to downplay them, saying he was joking, the president tenaciously held on to his earlier stance when he was asked before his departure from Germany by a reporter from the German Radio, Deutsche Welle, to clarify his statement.

Responding, the president maintained that his wife’s place was in the kitchen and to look after him.

He said: “I am sure you have a house. You know where your kitchen is. You know where your living room is. And I believe your wife looks after all that even if she’s working.”

When his interviewer pushed the president by asking, “That is your wife’s function?” Buhari said: “Yes, to look after me.”

The interviewer further asked if Buhari would rather his wife stayed out of politics, he said: “I think so.”

The president’s position

contradicted that of his media aide, Garba Shehu, who on Friday tried to play down the remarks, stating that Buhari was only joking.

“My friends, can’t a leader have a sense of humour anymore? Mr. President laughed before that statement was made,” Shehu said as the comments drew worldwide condemnation after Buhari had said his wife belonged to his kitchen, his living room and the “other room”.

Buhari was responding

to an interview granted by his wife to the BBC, in which she alleged that his government had been hijacked by persons who were neither part of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at its formative stage, nor did fight for her husband’s victory at the polls.

Mrs. Buhari who was expressing the frustrations of several party loyalists, also said she might not back her husband’s re-election bid in 2019 except he shakes up his cabinet.

OF EKO ATLANTIC CITY Shell Faces Lawsuit over Activists’ TOUR L-R: Consular General of Germany, Ingo Herbert; Development Director, South Energyx Nigeria Limited, Pierre Edde; Deputy Director, West Africa, German Foreign Ministry, Manuel Müller; new German Ambassador to Nigeria, Bernhard Schlagheck; and Vice Chairman, South Execution Energyx Nigeria Limited, Ronald Chagoury Jnr, during a tour to Eko Atlantic City by the ambassador and his team in Lagos.....weekend Kola Olasupo

Obanikoro Returns to Nigeria Today Heads straight to EFCC Olawale Olaleye Former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, who has been out of the country for over a year will return to the country today to answer to some of the allegations against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

THISDAY has it on good authority that the former minister, whose family members have had very rough engagements with the EFCC over different allegations involving money decided to return to the country after the commission formally extended an invitation, but not before breaking into his home in Park View, Ikoyi, months back.

Obanikoro, who is expected to touch ground early this morning in Abuja, the nation’s capital enroute London Heathrow, was said to have stayed away first, because no formal invitation

had been extended to him, noting that all that had been said and reported about him were not in official capacity.

But as soon as a formal invitation was sent to him, his lawyers were said to have promised the commission that he would honour it, more so that he had nothing to hide.

Apart from his studies, one other reason he was said to have stayed back in the US was to address some health issues, sources claimed was very crucial.

He was recently said to have had a spinal cord surgery.

Family sources said although Obanikoro had reservations about coming home to confront the allegations given the commission’s penchant for disregarding the rule of law, he however gave in when the need to clear his name became even more compelling.

More importantly was an email allegedly sent to him by

the US Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton campaign group, following the boasting by the Republican Candidate, Donald Trump that he would jail her if he became president.

Thus, while sharing her thoughts with Obanikoro being a supporter of the Democratic party, Clinton, THISDAY learnt, wrote in the email: “Muhammed, last night, Donald Trump said that if he were elected president, he’d target Hillary and said she would be in jail if he were in charge.

“Threatening to jail political opponents isn’t what we do in America, Muhammed. Those are the words of totalitarianism.”

Obanikoro, sources said, was moved by those words of Clinton and her team and decided to return to the country to clear the mess once and for all.

A family source who claimed to be privy to some of the facts of the case

claimed the commission had deliberately slanted the facts of the case in order to have a reason to bring Obanikoro in, otherwise, the money in question was not in anyway connected to the arms deal but from the imprest accruable to the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA).

He also claimed that some of the disputed funds were used when Lagos was under the threat of Boko Haram, while the rest were given to Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose and Senator Iyiola Omisore to prosecute their elections in 2014.

Efforts to reach Obanikoro did not yield as family members said he would not speak until he is done with the EFCC. But THISDAY gathered that he would be led to the commission by his two lawyers, Mr. Lawal Pedro and Mr. James Onoja, both Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN).

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N’Assembly Bows to Pressure, Begins Move to Make Earnings Public

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja

The persistent agitation against the secrecy of the salaries and allowances of members of the National Assembly has in recent times been of great concern to both

the leadership and management of the lawmaking institution as they have recently decided to make their earnings public.

THISDAY learnt at the weekend that in line with the seeming principles of accountability and

US Unfolds Business Expansion Initiative for Nigerian Businesses, Others Obinna Chima The United States Chamber of Commerce yesterday explained that it recently established U.S-Africa Business Centre has the potential to build lasting prosperity for Nigerian businesses, as well businesses in other African countries and Americans, through job creation and entrepreneurial spirit.

The Director for Policy in Africa at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Leila Ndiaye, who said this in an interview with THISDAY in Lagos, while speaking about the U.S-Africa Business Centre, pointed out that the centre would help companies mitigate business risks through advocacy and access and by identifying investment opportunities.

Ndiaye noted that the biggest obstacles to economic engagement across Africa was the unknown and perceived risks.

According to her, a lot of Nigerian businesses are already members of the centre just as she urged more companies in Nigeria and other countries on the continent to come on board.

“We have a considerable top Nigerian companies that have already signed on to the initiative. For Nigeria, what I will like to do is to create a specific.

I will call it the US-Nigeria CEO Dialogue, which would be a specific programme for Nigeria.

That would be by first quarter of next year,” she said.

Ndiaye added: The objective

is to increase bilateral trade between the US and Africa.

The other objective is to make sure that American companies are being understood and they take advantage of the emerging Africa. Wherever you go, they talk about the emerging Nigeria, and emerging Africa. So, we want to be part of this emerging trend. But most importantly, we want African companies and business leaders to sit down at the same table with American companies and tell them (the U.S. firms), how to do business with Africa and how they can both partner to do business. “ It is either we help them do business in Africa or as partners in America. We have realised that Africa is an untapped market.

Africa is not just one country. It is made up of 54 countries. But a lot of people outside the continent think Africa is one country. We know that Nigeria is the biggest.

But this initiative is a win-win situation. It comes with favourable investment climate and It comes with a know-how of the market.

“We give access to markets to our members. We have more than three million companies as our members which makes us the largest business federation in the world. We don’t give grants to anybody because we are not a bank. We are a policy shop.

But we give access to where the resources can be because we advise you and open the door for businesses. And if your product is bankable, we would be able to take you to the right partner,” Ndiaye explained.

transparency of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the management of the National Assembly has come up with a proposal meant to instill some disciplinary measures into the fiscal affairs of the National Assembly.

THISDAY was reliably informed that these disciplinary measures being conceived by the leadership of the National Assembly would result in transparent spending of the National Assembly’s financial allocations.

According to a source, when the plan is finally perfected, the earnings of both the legislators and civil servants would no longer be secret but would be made open to the public.

The source further said it was not only members of the public who had been protesting the secrecy of the earnings of the federal lawmakers particularly their allowances but also few lawmakers who have equally been at the vanguard for calls for transparency in their earnings.

“Against the backdrop of persistent outcry by the public and some legislators to disclose their wages, salaries and allowances, efforts in this regard appear

to be gaining acceptance by the leadership of the National Assembly.

“Realising the importance and need in line with the current administration’s drive and focus of President Buhari, the management of the National Assembly is proposing certain fiscal and monetary disciplinary measures to bring about the prudent and transparent approach to the expenditure of legislators and the bureaucrats,” the source said.

According to him, the protracted agitation for financial and budgetary transparency in the National Assembly has been a nightmare to the leadership and hence, the need to address the situation once and for all.

Furthermore, the source said the measures being put in place would address the handling of financial autonomy of the National Assembly vis-a-vis the transparency of money drawn from the first-line charge by members.

In addressing this, THISDAY learnt that the National Assembly had planned to develop what it called “procurement manual” by amending the current Procurement Act.

This amendment, it was further learnt, would introduce a new clause into the Procurement Act which would not only give the federal legislature the full fledged opportunity to develop their own template for the disbursement of monies drawn from the fineIine-charge but also extend the same measure to the judiciary.

The new procurement manual being conceived by the National Assembly, THISDAY gathered, would be a marked departure from the existing “charts of account” earlier developed by the executive. The chart of account, it was learnt, would not be suitable for the fiscal management being conceived by the National Assembly.

In addition, the National Assembly, in its commitment to the new plan, will transmit the changes in its financial management to both the accountant-general of the federation and auditor-general of the federation to serve as a guide to them in the implementation of the new fiscal arrangement.

“To address the vexed issues of financial and budgetary transparency, the National Assembly management is coming up with ways to streamline the

vexed issues of first-line charge, that is, the financial autonomy of the National Assembly and the running cost for legislators’ constituencies. For instance, they observed that the National Assembly is still using the charts of account developed by the executive. These charts of account did not take into account the peculiarities of the National Assembly.

“The management is therefore proposing an accounting manual that reflects the National Assembly’s peculiarities. In addition, the National Assembly also plans to introduce a clause to be included into the Procurement Act currently being amended.

This will henceforth allows the National Assembly and the judiciary, being separate arms of government that are on first-linecharge, to develop and operate their own procurement manual.

“In the long run, in line with transparency, the National Assembly political leadership and management plans to transmit these financial changes to both the accountant-general of the federation and the auditor-general of the federation for their guidance and implementation,” the source added.

FG Stops Sale of GM Foods Patrick Ugeh inAbuja The federal government has ordered super-stores operators in Nigeria to withdraw all genetically modified (GM) products from their shelves within the next seven days or face sanctions from the regulatory body.

Accroding to a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday

by Ovuakporie Efe, Head of Press, the warning was issued by the Director-General of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr Rufus Ebegba, in a meeting with representatives of super-stores operators last Friday in Abuja.

The Director General said the meeting was aimed at creating awareness among the operators on the biosafety regulations guiding the importation of GM products into the country.

He said the warning became imperative because most of the super-stores get their supplies from countries that have long adopted the production and sale of genetically modified foods.

Teh DG stated that the agency

had received complaints from Nigerians that some of these stores may have been selling GM foods.

Ebegba added that the consequences of continuing to sell GM products after the expiration of the seven days’ ultimatum may be very dire as the warning is not without legal backing.

“There is a law in place. We will not want any segment of the society out of ignorance to act in manners that will infringe on the existing law. The Act establishing the NBMA empowers the agency to regulate the activities of modern biotechnology and the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs),” he stated.

Ebegba noted that the idea that Nigerian laws are not enforced and implemented by government agencies should be completely ruled out because the NBMA would not hesitate to shut down any super-store that contravenes the Act. He therefore called on the operators to formalise their dealings by obtaining the necessary permits for future imports of GM products.

FRESH FROM THE FARM

Senate President Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki (left), admiring food items being presented to him by the Market Traders Union of Nigeria (MTUN) through their President, Oludayo Akinte (second left). With them is the Secretary General of the union, Fafoluyi Emmanuel Ade (right); and other members of the association when they visited the Senate President in Abuja...recently

Senate Begins Debate on MTEF/FSP Tomorrow All things being equal, the Senate will tomorrow commence debate on the 2017-2019 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) submitted to it on October 4, 2016, by President Muhammadu Buhari.

A statement by the Senate President’s Media Office at the weekend said the decision to promptly list the MTEF/FSP for debate without any delay was prompted by the necessity to fast-track its consideration and passage with a view to paving the way for early presentation of the 2017 Appropriation Bill by the executive.

However, ahead of the

commencement of tomorrow’s debate, the statement added that the Senate would today hold its second interactive session with members of the civil society organisations (CSOs) on the nation’s budgeting system.

The statement read: “Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, had last Thursday said the Red Chamber would commence debate on the MTEF/FSP in order to ensure it is given expeditious passage in line with its economic revival agenda.

“Some of the fiscal projections in the 2017 - 2019 MTEF/FSP expected to engage the lawmakers’ attention during the debate include the proposed 2017 crude oil benchmark

of $42.5 per barrel, up from $30 in the 2016 budget and the estimated N7.775 trillion as revenue to be generated from the oil resources considering the $42.5 per barrel benchmark and an estimated 2.2 million barrel per day oil production.

“The commencement of debate on the MTEF/FSP this week underscores the commitment of the Senate and signposts the desire of the upper chamber and by extension the National Assembly to ensure that all economic bills are conscientiously considered and passed as a way of boosting the economic revival policies and programmes of the present

administration.

“The Senate believes that the quick consideration and approval of the MTEF/FSP to pave way for the laying of the 2017 budget would enable the National Assembly to consider the 2017 money bill and pass it so that the budget cycle can commence normally next year.

“The implementation of the 2017 budget can start in earnest in January if the budget is laid on schedule, considered and passed by the National Assembly.

Therefore, the Senate has decided to give attention to the MTEF/ FSP so as to correct some of the delays of the past which often impacted negatively on the full implementation of the budget.”

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Visafone Complied with NCC’s Terms for Share Transfer to MTN Emma Okonji Fresh facts have emerged that Visafone Communications, winner of Unified Access Services Licence in 2007, complied with the terms and conditions given it by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), regarding the sale of Visafone to MTN in 2015, before making a u-turn and a fresh demand for licence transfer, which the NCC has vehemently opposed.

THISDAY gathered that Visafone had on July 13, 2015, before the company was eventually sold to MTN in December 2015, applied for the approval of NCC to enable MTN Nigeria acquire 100 per cent equity of Visafone, by virtue of share transfer agreement, without additional request for the unified spectrum licence transfer.

NCC, consistent with its due process and procedure, reviewed Visafone’s request for the 100 per cent transfer of its shares to MTN on October 5, 2015, and granted

Approval-in-Principle to Visafone Communications for the proposed transaction, subject to meeting NCC’s conditions.

According to NCC’s source, Visafone complied with the conditions specified by NCC for the transfer of shares only.

The source further said upon confirmation of compliance with the given conditions for only shares transfer, NCC granted final approval for the acquisition of 100 per cent equity in Visafone Communications

by MTN Nigeria.

Following the final approval given to Visafone, NCC compelled Visafone to submit to the Commission, a certified true copy of statement of share capital and return of allotment of shares from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), duly filed at the CAC, or an extract from the register of members. In addition to that, NCC also asked Visafone to submit a certified true copy of particulars of directors or any change therein, duly filed at CAC for record purposes.

NCC also asked Visafone to

formerly register the share sale and purchase agreement with the CAC, upon its execution.

The source said Visafone complied with all the conditions for just the transfer of shares and nothing more, and that it was based on the agreement reached between Visafone and NCC, that Visafone opened up and concluded talks with MTN in December 2015, to sell Visafone to MTN. According to the source, it was after the deal between MTN and Visafone was concluded, that Visafone saw the need to transfer its unified spectrum licence to MTN, in addition to its 100 per cent shares, probably as a result of interest and pressure from MTN, who may have initially thought that the licence was part of the deal.

In order to legally transfer its licence to MTN, Visafone, it was gathered, made another request to NCC on June 9, 2016, six months after the sale of its shares to MTN, asking for approval to transfer Visafone licences to MTN, following the transfer of ownership to MTN Nigeria.

THISDAY learnt that NCC responded to the fresh request of Visafone and informed Visafone that its request for transfer of licences was not yet considered, but under review.

Although NCC did not approve the request for licence transfer, NCC however approved that Visafone’s subscribers could be migrated to MTN’s network in the interim and that such subscribers need to be segregated until a final decision is taken on the

application for licence transfer.

NCC also said that in the interim, MTN’s tariff shall apply to all MTN and Visafone subscribers that are migrated, and that separate accounts shall be maintained by MTN and Visafone.

NCC directed that MTN shall bear the cost of devices needed by Visafone subscribers accommodated on MTN network, and that Visafone subscribers who still have airtime on their devices should be duly credited.

NCC said where the subscriber previously owned an MTN SIM card and chooses to retain the said SIM card, the airtime subsisting on Visafone’s platform should be transferred and where new SIM has to be purchased, a

refund of airtime has to be made.

NCC however said any Visafone subscriber that declines to the offer, shall wait until Visafone rolls out its Long Term Evolution (LTE) network and be accommodated thereon.

MTN is however worried that its acquisition of Visafone in December 2015, did not come with the Visafone’s spectrum licence, a situation that NCC had since clarified that it never gave approval to Visafone to transfer its licence to MTN, following the acquisition of Visafone by MTN. The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, who made the clarification recently, said the NCC would hold a public forum to discuss the issue of licence transfer.

AD Leaders Fault NEC, Affirm Oke’s Candidacy for Ondo Election James Sowole in Akure Contrary to last Friday’s action of some persons, the national leadership of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) said those who held a meeting where the candidature of Chief Olusola Oke was discussed do not have the mandate to do so.

The National Vice Chairman, North-east, of the party, Alhaji Magaji Kwairanga, who stated this in Akure, Ondo State, at a news conference, affirmed that Oke is the authentic candidate of the party for the November 26 poll.

The conference was also attended by the National Vice Chairman, North-west, Alhaji Sulaiman Aliyu; the Deputy National Treasurer, Sagir Ahmed Ali; the National Organising Secretary, Abdulahi Ibrahim; a National Ex Officio member, Saadatu Bello, seven states chairmen and other national officers.

At the news conference, all the national officers, who were led by the National Organising Secretary, Abdulahi, to reject Oke’s candidature and pass a vote of no confidence on the National Chairman, Chief Joseph Avazi, and other party chieftains, reneged their decisions.

Kwairanga dispelled last Friday communique issued by some allegedly aggrieved leaders of the party after an emergency meeting in Akure to discredit Oke. He cautioned that misunderstanding among some persons within the party should not be stretched to destroy the chances of the party, especially in the forthcoming election in the state.

“We believe the former national chairman, if he has any issue to settle with his South-west people, should not

use AD as a platform. The party, AD, a national party, is now led by a national chairman, a northerner.

“Alliance for Democracy is a national party, therefore, we will not allow any leader of the party to use the party to settle any disagreement he or she has with the any of the leaders in the southwest,” he said.

Kwairange said the meeting earlier, “though not at the instance of the national chairman and the national secretary, was a purported NEC meeting. It lacks all constitutional right and that all Northerners were misled,” he said.

They said Oke and his running mate, Alhaji Gani Daudu, have fulfilled all criteria as spelt out by their party’s constitution and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC’s) guidelines.

“It is a known fact that Dr. Akin Olowokere handed over the gubernatorial ticket of AD voluntarily to Oke. It is also a truism that the state chapter of AD, our great party, was involved and also consented to the candidature of Oke. “Therefore, the national chairman and secretary of the party are constitutionally empowered to forward the name of Oke to INEC considering the constraint of time.

“Let us also state that the NEC has no issue and if there are issues relating to NEC meeting, which is internal affairs of the party, the issues will be handled internally. As we speak here, Oke’s name has been duly submitted to INEC as the candidate of our party,” they said.

The leader expressed optimism that Oke would win the forthcoming election in Ondo State.

ECONOMIC MATTERS

L-R: Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, Mr. Bayo Ojulari; Shell’s Government Integration Manager, Mr. Abubakar Ahmed; and the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, at the just concluded 22nd edition of the Nigeria Economic Summit in Abuja...recently

Kalu Raises the Alarm over Plot to Transfer EFCC Case to Lagos Ugo Aliogo A former Governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, has raised the alarm over a plot to transfer his case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from Abuja to Lagos.

The former governor, through his counsel, Amobi Nzelu, said he was arraigned in 2007 before the Federal High Court in Abuja and that when the case was remitted to the Federal High Court for trial by the Supreme Court and the three appearances before the trial judge, the EFCC never raised the issue of transfer.

Nzelu in a letter addressed to the acting EFCC Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, entitled: ‘Re: Transfer of suit No.FHC/ABJ/CR/56/07Federal Republic of Nigeria Vs. Orji Uzor Kalu & 2 Ors; Appeal for Re-consideration,’ explained that throughout the trial at the Federal High Court, Abuja and before the matter went on appeal, the commission never asked for a transfer of the case.

To seek for a transfer in a matter

when both parties have agreed to dates for definite hearing, Nzelu insisted, is nothing short of undue interference in the administration of justice.

“The information at our disposal is to the effect that your commission, after the last adjourned date and without reference to our client or his defence team, requested for the transfer of the said case to Lagos.

“At the last adjourned date, your commission alongside the defence team took day of December 6 to 8, 2016 for definite hearing. Both parties departed the court with a view to come back and commence trial at the agreed dates.

“Surprisingly and behind the back of our client and his defence team, your commission applied to the Hon. Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for the case to be transferred to Lagos Judicial Division of the Federal High Court.”

The counsel said on two occasions, the case was adjourned because of pending appeal and it was at the third appearance that plea was taken and the matter adjourned to December 6, 7 and

8, 2016 for definite hearing.

He said: “Following interlocutory applications and the appeals arising therefrom, the matter went up to the Supreme Court and was in 2016 remitted back to Federal High Court, Abuja for trial by the Supreme Court.

“The Chief Judge, Federal High Court in keeping with his statutory functions assigned the case to Hon Justice Anuli Chikere; having taken plea, our client was allowed to continue with the court bail he has been enjoying.”

The statement further read: “It is evidently clear from the above chronicled verifiable facts that your commission went into deep slumber and suddenly woke up to shop for forum convenience. What must have justified this sudden transfer is not far-fetched. Your commission went for a shopping bonanza and arrived at the residence of ‘Forum convenience,’ hence this request for the transfer to Lagos.

“To secure conviction at all cost is inimical to our criminal jurisprudence and must not be encouraged. For good nine years, it

never dawned on your commission to seek for a transfer until when dates have been given by the trial court for definite hearing.”

Nzelu noted that Kalu, after eight years as Abia governor, retired to a private, quiet life in his village, Igbere but was forced to relocate to Abuja for his trial.

“Suddenly, the trial is now being transferred to Lagos. One may ask; for what purpose? The answer is simple- to secure conviction at all cost.

“The day an ordinary man is made to understand that he can no longer get justice or he is being persecuted and not prosecuted, that day will signal a warning shot for chaos, anarchy and civil disobedience.”

Nzelu asked that the matter be returned to Abuja Judicial Division of the Federal High Court and before the judge who has given definite dates for hearing and that, if that is not acceptable to another judge in Abuja Judicial Division of the Federal High Court, in the alternative, to the Federal High Court, Umuahia.

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Okorocha: Aisha’s Interview, President’s Response Taken out of Context Says nothing wrong if Buhari heeds call to rejig cabinet

Tobi Soniyi in Abuja The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors’ Forum and Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, yesterday in Abuja said the

interview granted by the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, to the BBC Hausa Service last Friday and her husband’s response had been taken out of context.

Okorocha, who also said there was nothing wrong if the president

Fire Guts 94 Shops inYaba Market, Destroys Several Goods Chiemelie Ezeobi

An early morning fire yesterday razed a shopping complex, destroying 94 out of the 201 shops with goods worth billions of naira at the popular Yaba Market in Lagos, opposite the Presbyterian Church.

The fire was said to have started from one of the shop at the back side of the complex where cloths, shoes, bags were stored burnt.

It was also gathered that the fire exacerbated and spread to other shops because of some highly inflammable materials such as wears stored in the shops, as well as air conditioners and generators filled with fuel, which caused occasional explosions as the fire raged the shops.

This prompted the immediate activation of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency’s (LASEMA) Emergency Response Team (ERT), as well as the Lagos State Fire Service from Ilupeju and Alausa Fire Station.

While the emergency team were battling to contain the flames, many shop owners were alerted and they tried to salvage some of their wares.

Meanwhile, some policemen were deployed from the Sabo and Adekunle Police Stations to deter some miscreants, who were lurking around, to loot goods.

Confirming the incident, LASEMA General Manager, Mr.

Adesina Tiamiyu, who said no life was lost, also said they were involved in salvaging some items.

He said shops barricaded with iron bars were cut open using concrete cutter for the fire service to gain access to the affected areas and also prevent further escalation.

Tiamiyu said a total number of 117 shops were salvaged by the emergency responders even though the emergency responders also had problems accessing some of the shops due to iron bars used as security doors.

On the other hand, he advised market owners to ensure that their members are continuously sensitised on fire prevention and safety as well as ensuring that electrical appliances are put off daily after the close of business to avoid incident such as this.

In a similar development, another fire incident, occurred at no 83 Abeokuta Street, Ebute Metta, within the same period.

He said: “The agency along with the Lagos State Fire Service also responded to the fire outbreak at No. 83 Abeokuta Street Ebute Metta, on the same day.

“This prompted the immediate activation of the agency’s ERT to the scene of the incident. According to investigation they carried out at the scene the cause of the inferno remained unknown.

heeded calls that he should rejig his cabinet, said the president wife’s interview which continues to generate a lot of comments, was not aimed at bringing down her husband’s government.

In the interview, Aisha reportedly said she might not support her husband if he runs for election in 2019.

She had also explained that her husband did not know many of the people he appointed into his cabinet.

Buhari, in his reaction to the interview during his trip to Germany, had laughed off the comment made by his wife, saying she belonged to his kitchen and that he did not know which party she belonged to.

“I don’t know which party my wife belongs to, but she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room,” Buhari said But addressing journalists in Abuja, Okorocha said Aisha’s interview and the president’s comments were taken out of context.

Okorocha said: “I am concerned and let me say that our nation is passing through a very difficult time now ranging from economic, security and political challenges.

“This is the time that all Nigerians irrespective of political party, religion, culture must come together to see what we can do to salvage the situation and to build the Nigeria of our collective hope and aspiration and this is what we must emphasise at this time and we do not need any form of distraction whatsoever at this time.”

He appealed to Nigeria to support the president to achieve the three key things- economic, security and power and fight against corruption for the country to make headway.

“I think we are beginning to see light at the dark end of the tunnel,” the governor added.

He further said: “What is now trending on the social media, the comment of Mr. President and interview of the his wife and I was there when Mr. President made the comment. I think both the interview and the comment were taken out of context.

“I tend to believe that Nigerians should understand this matter because I do not think those were the intentions as being described on social media and those condemning the act. I can put it this way that it is a joke taken too far outside the shores of Nigeria.”

He said anyone who has been with the president especially where he cracks jokes, would understand that it was the president’s style of jokes because he was smiling when he was responding.

Okorocha said: “If not, why would he have his five daughters having Masters and Ph.Ds and his wife educated and putting women in key positions in the country, I don’t think it is.

“Aisha Buhari who granted the interview didn’t give that interview to bring down her husband government, she was only trying to make peace among perceived aggrieved members in the polity.”

Okorocha, who was on the entourage of Buhari to Germany, said the trip was not a medical trip for the president as being insinuated by some people.

He explained that the trip was worthwhile as the president used the opportunity to discuss issues of security and investments with the German Chancellor, Angela Mekel.

Okorocha also said there was nothing wrong if the president heeded calls that he should rejig his cabinet.

He said: “Quite frankly, I am a

governor and I know where the shoe pinches more. It is natural that people who are in the game and those who outside tend to see more, if there is a clarion call for Mr. President to take a look at his cabinet and bring in more people, their is nothing wrong for Mr. president to take note of comments by people because if everyone keeps saying the same thing, there may be sense in what they are saying but that is not really the situation that would create for a big hullabaloo, most people of the party felt that they have not been carried along, I know that many of them complain everyday by day, they want board appointments released so that there will be calm.

“The people from the Southeast said they have not been appointed, the people from the North-east and even from the North-west where Mr. President comes from said that have not been appointed, some local governments and villages are saying they have not been remembered, so at what point do we draw this line but there is always room for amendment because there is no perfection.”

Wives of SlainYouthVigilantes Get Relief Materials in Borno Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri One hundred and sixty-two widows of slain members of youth vigilance group were yesterday given relief materials by the Borno State Emergency Management Agency (BOSEMA).

The widows would also have their children’s education bills offset from primary to tertiary level by the Borno State Government, the Chairman of BOSEMA, Mr. Ahmed Satomi, said during the presentation of the relief materials.

Speaking during the donation of the relief materials, which include food items and sets of clothing to the widows, Satomi said: “I want to sympathise with you as widows, your husbands who died in the course of fighting insurgents have paid a supreme price to our dear state and the North-east in general, may their souls rest in peace.

“We are donating these items to cushion your immediate hardship, and to boost the morale of those who are on the forefront in the fight against remnants of Boko Haram sect.”

He promised: “The gesture is going to be continuous and would

be extended to local hunters and other vigilantes across the state.

“These group of people have sacrificed their lives to ensure peace in the state, they have been wonderful not only on the forefront in complementing effort of security agencies and the government, but also assisting in taking care of over a million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in our various camps across the state.

“I promise that SEMA will also pay scholarship to the children of the deceased Civilian JTF members to further their education up to tertiary level,” Satomi said.

One of the widows, who gave her name as Mrs. Halima Abba Mohammed, in an interview said, she lost her husband in one of the Boko Haram attacks around Sambisa Forest when their operational vehicle stepped on landmines last year.

She however said since then, life has never been easy for her, but thanked SEMA and the Borno State Government for giving her a sense of belonging by periodically donating relief items to cater for her family.

PROJECT INSPECTION

L-R: National Secretary of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Mr. Labaran Maku; Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike; and state Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chairman, Mr. Felix Obuah, inspecting an on-going project at the second Nkpogu link road and bridge...weekend

Only Inclusiveness and Justice Can End Agitations, Says Ekweremadu The Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has urged all levels of government in Nigeria to emulate the inclusive governance model of the Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, stressing that only such could effectively deal with the perennial challenge of agitations in the country.

He said the Enugu State Government had continued to change the narrative of governance in the state by not only assuring equitable development, but also giving the people the opportunity to determine their priorities in terms of the choice and site of projects.

He noted that such governance

paradigm would trigger accelerated development of the state and peace in the state.

Ekweremadu stated this at the weekend at Ndeaboh, Aninri Local Government Area, of the state, during the flag-off of the Uhuogiri/Nenwe/Oduma road, which was among the 35 new major development projects being undertaken simultaneously in all the 17 LGAs of the state by the state government.

He reiterated that the most important element of governance was the inclusion of all in the scheme of things, noting that the agitations experienced in some parts of country were fruits of perceived injustice and exclusion

from governance and development.

He said: “The important thing in governance is to ensure that every component part of the people you are governing is included in the scheme of things; that is the only way you can stop agitation.

“In Nigeria today, there are agitations in parts of the country, the reason being that they have been excluded from the scheme of things in the federal government, for instance. So, until you address this issue of inclusiveness and justice in Nigeria, in every state and in all the local governments, we will continue to witness agitations.

“Even those who didn’t vote for you, deserve their democratic and constitutional rights because once

elections are over, politics is over, and what remains is leadership; and inclusiveness is a critical part of true leadership.”

He urged the contractors to do very diligent work, as the era of passive interest by communities was over.

The Deputy Senate President promised that the communities and political leaders would monitor the projects diligently to ensure that there is value for the money expended by the projects.

He also paid glowing tribute to the governor for his tremendous support and solidarity during the course of the trumped-up forgery case against himself, the Senate President and two others.

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Sultan Makes Strong Case for Minorities in Nigeria Olakiitan Victor in Ado Ekiti The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has made strong case for minorities in Nigeria, advocating a better treatment for them for the country to have a just, equitable and peaceful society.

Abubakar , also urged the Muslims in Nigeria to continue to live in unity, saying “the strength of any group of human beings anywhere in the world is unity and not disunity.”

He said government at all levels must desist from hiding the context of minorities in terms of religion

Group Advocates Investment in Adolescent Girls Mohammed Aminu in Sokoto A group, High Level Women Advocates( HILWA),has advocated for increased economic investment in adolescent girls as a means of tackling poverty, discrimination and violence in the country.

The Chairperson of the group and the state Commissioner of Women Affairs, Hajiya Kulu Sifawa, made the remark on Sunday at a news briefing to round up the activities to commemorate the 2016 International Day of the Girl-child.

Sifawa, who spoke through her predecessor, Hajiya Kulu Nuhu, said such investments were necessary to achieving equitable and sustainable

development outcomes.

“Such investments in the power of adolescent girls are fundamental to breaking the intergenerational transmission of poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination,’’she said.

She stressed that, the 2016 theme would help stimulate worldwide enthusiasm for goals to enhance the lives of the girls.

According to her, this will also help in providing an opportunity for them to show leadership and reach their full potentials. Sifawa posited that the aim of the celebration was to build consensus on the need to invest in the girls.

She emphasised that the girls should also be empowered to lead the campaign for themselves and by themselves.

or ethnicity to cheat others, saying this cannot bring a stable and conducive political environment in our country.

The monarch , who doubles as the President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) made the call at the weekend at the fundraising and foundation laying ceremony of the mosque in the palace of the Attah of Ayede Ekiti, Oba Mumini Adebayo Orisagbemi.

The ceremony was witnessed by dignitaries including Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu; Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi who was represented, House of Representatives member representing Oye/Ikole Federal

Constituency, Kehinde Agboola; President, League of Imams and Alfas in South-west, Edo and Delta States, Sheikh Jamiu Kewulere Bello and many traditional rulers.

The Sultan who was represented

by NSCIA Deputy President, Alhaji Sakariyau Babalola, said the event was significant because “this is the first time a Muslim Oba is on the throne and on ground in this city of Muslim minority to receive and play host to the leader of the Nigerian Muslim Ummah.”

Alhaji Babalola made a personal donation of Two Million Naira in support of the project.

While congratulating the Attah and the people of Ayede for the historic event, Alhaji Abubakar urged them to cooperate with

the Oba in ensuring that peace and harmony reign in the town.

The spiritual head of Muslims in Nigeria enjoined Muslims in Ayede to remain good ambassadors of Islam and act as patriotic members of the community adding that they have a responsibility to take their community and Ekiti State in Nigeria to greater heights.

The Sultan said: “Since the inception of Islam, Muslims have always lived as minorities in any new environment they found themselves. It is only after they might have settled down and established themselves that, by the leave of Allah, their display of unity and positive contributions to the development of their community, they become the majority.

“At the initial stage of Islam, when Prophet Muhammad and his companions were forced to migrate from Makkah to Madinah for safety from persecution of the pagan majority in Makkah, they were in the minority.

“They were also in the minority when they established the world’s first Islamic democratic government headed by the Prophet in the city of Madinah.

“And if we look critically at the world today, we shall discover that the most active Muslim population is in the West where Muslims are in the minority. This further confirms that people in the minority are more active because they enjoy unity and cooperation in the face of threat.”

Ki-Moon Rallies Aid for Nigeria The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, has welcomed the release of 21 Chibok schoolgirls, following more than two years of captivity.

In a statement in New York, he however expressed deep concern about the safety and well-being of the remaining schoolgirls and other victims of abduction by Boko Haram, who are still in captivity.

The Secretary-General, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), urged the international community to continue supporting the government of Nigeria in its efforts to secure their release,

rehabilitation and reintegration.

He called for increased efforts to ensure additional humanitarian access in the North-east of Nigeria, and reiterated the continued commitment of the United Nations in this regard.

According to Ban Ki Moon, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, in his capacity as High Representative for Nigeria, will continue to engage with the Nigerian authorities and international partners on this matter.

HOWTO POWER NIGERIA

L-R: Senior Sales Manager, General Electric, Power, Middle East and Africa, Thelma Osuhor, Senior Sales Manager, Divisional Head, Power, Infrastructure and Project Finance, United Bank for Africa, Helen Brume, Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright, Arun Velusami; Senior Manager, Market Analysis and Compliance, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Emeka Onyegbule; and Gas Transaction Advisor, Power Africa Transactions and Reform Programme, Nexant, Abimbola Olufore, during the Powering Africa: Nigeria Conference in Abuja.... recently

Bida Cleric with 89 Wives Still Alive

52 CSOs, CBOs May Merge with IPOB over Kanu’s Detention

Laleye Dipo in Minna

Emmanuel Ugwu in Umuahia

The Bida-based Islamic cleric in Niger State who claimed to have married 89 wives and was reported to have died is till alive, according to a source at his Masaba Ward residence.

Alhaji Muhammad Bello Masaba was reported to have died on Saturday but a reliable source who claimed to have spoken to the cleric on phone yesterday disputed the story.

The source claimed that the 92-year-old cleric was hale and hearty and that the “ death rumour is totally false.”

Masaba was quoted as saying that the rumour of his death was “the figment of the imagination of his enemies,” saying “Allah will make him fufill the divine assignment He has given him.

“I am alive. I am not dead.

Allah’s divine assignment must be carried out. Though death is the ultimate end for all, for me, I will fulfill my days and divine assignment.

“I have heard the wicked

rumour being peddled, but Allah is greater than all the perpetrators of this wicked rumour. Please I am inviting you to come to Bida.

I am now with all my children and other well-wishers. My health is in perfect condition and I have been attending to people since the wicked rumour went viral,” Masaba stated.

One of the close relatives of the cleric said: “We have been receiving calls from all over the country since the enemies planted the fake death news of baba. The panic the report has caused can only be imagined. That is why we have asked baba to stay outside and address faithful.

“Baba is not sick talkless of being rumoured dead. Enemies are at work. Like baba told us, no man can take his life when he is not due,” the resident stated.

Since he claimed to have married 89 wives and threatened to take more, Masaba has been in the eye of the storm with some Islamic scholars and traditional rulers asking for his head for marrying 89 wives in contravention of the maximum four as prescribed for Muslim faithful.

Apparently frustrated by the federal government’s refusal to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, no fewer than 52 civil society and community-based organisations have threatened to merge with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in support of the campaign for Biafra’s self-determination.

The possible merger with IPOB was among the resolutions taken at the weekend in Enugu during a meeting of representatives of the various groups from the South-east and South-south geopolitical zones.

They vowed to carry out their threat within the month “If Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not released unconditionally, in obedience to a High Court ruling of December 2015.”

In a two-point communiqué made available to journalists after the meeting, which was the third in recent months, the representatives of the various groups expressed deep concerns about the state of the nation, which was the focus of their several hours of deliberations.

“We are giving notice to the world, that if the unjust,

provocative and very divisive detention of Nnamdi Kanu is not specially looked into for the sake of peace, equity and justice, we may no longer restrain our members, affiliates, friends and sisters groups who have indicated their resolve to join and merge with the IPOB in solidarity with their persecution and unjust detention of their leader,” the groups said.

Noting that the pursuit of self-determination remains an inalienable right of all oppressed people the world over as endorsed by the United Nations Chatter on freedom the groups regretted that the arrogant posturing of the federal government was not helping matters in the quest to build a truly united Nigerian nation. ”The federal government is steadily making it difficult for the country to remain one, through its brazen, oppressive and determined effort to strike fear into the hearts of citizens in order to foist a fascist reign of ethnic, regional and religious dominance of one region over another,” the groups said.

While vowing to resist the

“unholy agenda” of fascism the CSOs and CBOs noted that “capitulation to the agenda would mean sentencing our progeny to a permanent status of serfs.”

According to them, it has become so obvious that the actions and policies of the federal authorities keep pointing to the fact that “everything is being done to rub in that we are not part of Nigeria (hence) Buhari is deliberately pushing us out of Nigeria.”

Like in their previous meetings a dozen groups from the Niger Delta attended and their lent their voices in the clarion call for restructuring of Nigeria, insisting that “the delay to redesign Nigeria to six regions is the source of 99% of the problems afflicting the nation today.”

The groups reiterated that “six regional structures remains the only formula to salvage, and rebuild Nigeria”, noting that those opposed to six regional structure were “only working towards the eventual disintegration of the country.

“All political, economic and social indicators pointed to the self-evident truth that only an early reversal to the six-regional structure will

save the country now.”

The coalition of CSOs and CBOs comprised Christian religious bodies, student groups, town unions, traders association, women groups, students bodies and elders council sat for several hours and deliberated on the state of the nation.

Among the groups that attended the meeting and endorsed the communiqué were Igbo Women Assembly, Igbo Youth Movement, South East Christian Network, Igbo Traders Association, Igbo Students Union, CAN, PFN, Umuada Alaigbo, World Igbo Congress, and Niger Delta Youth Forum.

There were also representatives of South East Professionals, Igbo in Academia, Eastern Nigerian Congress, South South Youth Congress and Igbo Diaspora Organization, Umuigbo United Front, South-south/South-east Coalition, Traditional Healers Union, United Road Workers Union and Food Stuff Dealers Association, among others.

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LASG Establishes Greenhouse Clusters to Boost Food Security Canvasses new strategies to combat climate change

Gboyega Akinsanmi The Lagos State Government yesterday disclosed that it had established clusters of greenhouses in different parts of the state to boost agricultural production and food security.

The state government, also, canvassed the significance of evolving new methods and strategies to sustainably address the negative impact of climate change on food security.

The state governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, unveiled the clusters of greenhouses newly erected across the state to mark the 2016 World Food Day held at the Johnson Agidi Agricultural Complex, Agege yesterday alongside the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Toyin Suarau among others.

The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Tunji Bello, represented the governor at the world food day, where he said it had become imperative to evolve new methods and strategies to

boost food security, given the rate of population growth particularly in developing nations.

At the forum, the governor spoke extensively about what his administration had done to boost agricultural production, noting that various policies “are being implemented to actualise sustainable food security.”

Ambode, therefore, cited the adoption of new agricultural methods and technologies, which he said, would ensure continuously farming activities throughout the year with or without rainfall.

He explained that several clusters of greenhouses “have been erected in various zones of the state. We just set up the recent greenhouse at the Iyaafin Vegetable Estate in Badagry. The main purpose is to boost agricultural production and achieve food production.

“In these greenhouses, rainfed cultivation of food crops is

eliminated as water is supplied to cultivated seeds or vegetative propagates through appropriate methods of irrigation including drip and sprinkle among others.”

On climate change mitigation, the governor noted that the state “has established tree plant nurseries for the raising of different species of trees to

aid the process of reducing the amount of carbon dioxide and temperature of the atmosphere.

He, therefore, commended farmers for their commitment and perseverance, adding that at this time, the need “to accord agriculture the desired attention in increasingly becoming selfevident.”

He gave a commitment that the present administration would continue “to support the agricultural sector through incentives and other measures that will enhance greater productivity.”

Also speaking, Suarau said the passion of the present administration to ensure food security in the face of climate

change “has been demonstrated through a number of innovations to prevent food shortage.

The event which featured a parade by the exhibitors and farmers also witnessed the presentation of awards to winners of agriculture quiz competition among secondary schools and farmers.

...Evolves New Budget Financing Approach to Reliance on Federal Allocation Gboyega Akinsanmi

In a conscious move to reduce its dependence on federal allocation to zero percent, the Lagos State Government yesterday disclosed that it had already evolved new budget financing approach aimed at making it financially independent by 2019.

Likewise, a renowned political economist and financial expert, Prof. Pat Utomi emphasised the centrality of Lagos to Nigeria’s domestic economy, noting that the state “is a crucial catalyst if Nigeria’s economy is to witness a major turnaround for the better.”

The state government expressed its resolve to finally discard the traditional methods of budget financing in a communiqué it issued at a three-day Executive/Legislative retreat held at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island and under a theme, ‘Good Governance in a Recession.’

The retreat was attended by all members of the State Executive Council (SEC) and lawmakers representing different constituencies in the state at the Senate, House of Representatives and the House of Assembly.

The communiqué, which was read by a lawmaker representing Lagos West Senatorial District, Senator Olamilekan Solomon Adeola, emphasised the need “to evolve a better approach of financing the state’s budget as against the traditional methods.”

The communiqué, also, highlighted the need to drastically reduce dependence on federal allocations; increase internally generated revenue (IGR) and target an annual budget size of at least N1 trillion by 2019.

It said all participants at the retreat, which was chaired by the state governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, insisted that it was compelling for the state “to redouble efforts towards reducing the dependence on federal

allocation and increasing the IGR.” It, therefore, endorsed the proposal of the Ambode administration “to increase the IGR to a target of N30 billion monthly in 2017 and N50billion monthly in 2018,” which it sought to achieve through expanding tax’s net rather imposing new levies, rates and taxes.

The communiqué emphasised the strategic increase in its IGR annually if it would meet its target of annual budget size of N1trillion, which it said, would come on stream by 2019.

The communique said participants also recognised the role of government as an ‘enabler’ “to create frameworks and strategies to further accelerate the growth of the state’s economy.”

It said participants reaffirmed Ambode’s vision “to make life better and more meaningful for the people of Lagos and also enshrine the doctrine of ‘inclusive governance’ in the government of the state and foster collaboration amongst the three arms of government.”

It added that participants agreed “to encourage private investments towards accelerating growth in the tourism and hospitality sector for sustainable job creation and increased revenue generation.”

It stressed the need “to accelerate infrastructure improvement in the state with emphasis on integrated transportation system and sustainable solid waste management system by overhauling and rebranding the sectors in collaboration with the private sector.”

In a presentation he made at the three-day executive/legislative retreat, Utomi spoke on the centrality of Lagos State to Nigeria’s domestic economy, saying there were a lot of lessons to be learnt from Lagos economy in order to rescue Nigeria from economic recession.

AWARD FOR FOOD SECURITY

R-L: General Manager, Refinery, Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc, Mr. Braimah Ogunwale; Executive Director, British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation, Mrs. Oluwaseyi Ashade; Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Oluwatoyin Suarau and a representative of the Governor and Secretary to the Lagos State Government (SSG), Mr. Tunji Bello, during the grand finale and celebration of the 2016 World Food Day, in Lagos....yesterday Kola Olasupo

Wike Represents Nigeria’s New Generation of Leaders, Says Maku The National Secretary of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Mr. Labaran Maku, has declared that Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, represents Nigeria’s new generation of leaders driving the country towards prosperity and development.

This is as the governor stated that he is motivated to deliver more pro-people projects across Rivers State by the enthusiastic applause he gets each time he embarks on projects inspection.

Both leaders spoke at the weekend after they embarked on joint inspection of projects in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area , Obio/Akpor Local Government Area and Ikwerre Local Government Area.

Labaran Maku, a former Minister of Information said Wike’s legendary projects delivery is a proof that the people stand to benefit whenever they elect well equipped leaders.

He said: “This is what we want. A generation of leaders who are committed to making more progress in the direction of prosperity and development.

“This is what you get when you have the right people in place who have the energy, the intellectual wherewithal and the commitment to drive development.”

The APGA National Secretary noted that the team will be

coming back to Rivers State to further understudy the development mode of Wike, so as to export same as an example of good governance.

Maku said: “I am not surprised that Wike is performing. At the Federal Executive Council, I knew him to be very serious with a noble heart. As Governor of Rivers State, we have observed with happiness, the kind of seriousness he has brought to governance.”

In an interview, Wike said he insists on timelines for the completion of projects because of the need to avoid abandoned projects.

He said: “The happiness of the people motivates me to work harder. Their response each time we go out for project inspection is a sign that they are happy with what we are doing.

“I will continue to work promote and defend the interest of our state. I will continue to fulfill all promises I made to the people,” he said.

The governor said never again would funds meant for the development of Rivers State be used to sponsor the election of some persons.

T h e inspection witnessed hundreds of residents trooping out to celebrate Wike during the project inspection.

Some of the projects inspected

by Wike and Labaran Maku on Saturday include: Rukpokwu

Market road, Rumuokparali road, Tam David West Boulevard, Mother and Child Hospital in NAF base, Government Girls Secondary

School, Rumuokwuta, Port Harcourt Pleasure Park, Second Nkpogu//LNG Road and Bridge and Ogbunabali/Land Reclamation project.

Emmanuel Keeps Mum on Sacked Cabinet Okon Bassey in Uyo Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has remained silent on the sack of members of the 15-month-old state executive council which took the state by surprise weekend.

The dissolved state executive council which was inaugurated on July 6, 2015 had 20 commissioners and two special advisers. Twelve of the commissioners were inherited from the immediate past administration of then Governor, Godswill Akpabio, now a senator.

Although no reason was given, the action of Emmanuel to relieve the exco members of their appointments might not be unconnected with the off loading some of those he inherited from his predecessor and those seen to be underperforming.

A statement on the termination of the appointment of the exco members signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Etekamba Umoren, was released last Saturday

evening.

Umoren in the statement, said the governor directed the permanent secretaries to assume immediate responsibility of their respectivies ministries pending the next development.

The 73 words in the three paragraphs statement read thus: “His Excellency, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, Governor, Akwa Ibom State has approved the dissolution of the State Executive Council with immediate effect.

“The governor expresses his deep and profound appreciation for the contributions of the executive members to the development of the state, and wishes them success in their future endeavours.

“Permanent secretaries in the respective ministries are to take over the running of the ministries pending the reconstitution of a new executive council.”

The governor had while appointing the sacked commissioners threw into the wing public out-cry but noted that the criticism that trailed the selection process.

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Kano Govt Begins Polio Immunisation of 3.2m Children Rotary international, Bill Gates foundation raise $99m to wipe out virus Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano and Hammed Shittu in Ilorin Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, at the weekend personally immunised six children

with polio vaccine to flag off the October round of National Immunisation Exercise against Polio in Rano Local Government Area of the state.

The governor equally

AU Member-States Sign New African Maritime Charter Tobi Soniyi in Abuja Nigeria and other member-states of the African Union (AU) have signed an African Charter on Maritime Security, Safety and Development in Lome, Togo.

A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President, Mr Laolu Akande, said Osinbajo signed for Nigeria on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Akande quoted the vicepresident as saying that without securing the seas and oceans, the continental ‘blue economy,’ would be jeopardised.

After signing for Nigeria, Osinbajo said: “the blue economy is one of the major areas of focus of the charter.”

He said without security, the blue economy-reference for the huge economic activities and benefits derivable from around the waters would be jeopardized by maritime crimes like piracy and smuggling.

“All of the economic activities that take place around the seas and oceans are jeopardized, if security is not assured. And that is one of the reasons that this Charter is devoted to ensuring security.”

Speaking with reporters at the end of the summit, the vicepresident noted that the Gulf of Guinea and the Horn of Africa in particular “are areas where there had been a lot of piracy and in

our case, the Delta.”

He explained that this was why Nigeria and other AU nations were devoted to the question of security of the oceans.

“The most important thing for us is that we are working with other members-states of the AU to ensure we are able to police the seas and our waters. To ensure that we are able to yield the maximum benefits from the blue economy and that is really why we are here, and so focused on this,” according Osinbajo.

Continuing, he said the focus on the maritime issue was because “as we know 90 per cent of African trade is by the seas, so no matter how we slice it, this is absolutely important to us.”

By signing the charter, African leaders intend to improve security of the coast and hope to inspire greater, coordinated economic activities and development.

The charter is meant to ensure improved information-sharing between coastal countries and others in Africa, a gap pirates and smugglers have taken advantage on the African waters. Out of the 54 AU countries, 38 are coastal.

Observers say Africa could have lost as much as hundreds of billion in dollars to unbridled activities of piracy and smuggling on the African waters in the past few decades.

demonstrated hand washing openly to mark this year United Nations Hand Washing Day during the event.

Ganduje, who said the routine exercise was to ensure that 100 per cent children equivalent to of 3.2million target population for polio immunisation exercise in the state are adequately captured to stem the spread of the virus.

He noted that for almost two and a half years now, the state has not recorded new polio case, hence the need for unrelenting campaigns to maintain the status.

The governor commended the traditional rulers and other stakeholders for working hand -in-hand with health workers towards ensuring that all children are immunised, adding that there are no cases of resistance in the recent time in the state.

In his speech, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Kabiru Ibrahim Getso, said the exercise would last for four days, adding that sufficient vaccines were provided as well as permanent staff were engaged to ensure full implementation of the polio

immunisation across the state.

Getso also inspected the exercise in Bunkure and Dawakin Kudu Local Government Areas shortly after the flag-off exercise.

In his remarks, the Emir of Kano, who was represented by the District Head of Ajingi, Alhaji Wada Aliyu, said the emirate council and other stakeholders are much concerned over the permanent effect of disability being caused by the polio virus, therefore directing all traditional leaders to enforce compliance by ensuring that their people present their wards for adequate immunisation against the virus.

Also, in her remarks, UNICEF Chief Officer from Katsina Zonal Office, Mrs. Padmah Wetty, charged parents to inculcate the habit of hygienic protection by embracing the culture of frequent hand washing.

She pointed out that due to unhygienic lifestyle, millions of people die of diarrhea each year.

On polio immunisation, Wetty said she was impressed that the state is really committed towards polio eradication, appreciating the

fact that since 2014, no new case has been recorded in the state.

Meanwhile, rotary International and Bill Gate Foundation have partnered to raise the sum of $99million to completely wipe out the wild polio virus in Nigeria.

The District Governor 9125 of Rotary International, Clement Adegoke, disclosed this to journalists in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, at the weekend.

Adegoke, who said Bill Gates is the global partner of Rotary International, noted that the idea of raising the fund is to clear the last outbreak of polio in the country.

According to him, “Out of this fund, Rotary International has raised $33million while Bill Gates Foundation donated $66million.”

“As the nation celebrates 56 years of independence, it was high time the leaders and the led reflected on the future of the country and change our orientation positively as well as guide against total dependence on government and also called for a review of the nation’s structure.”

The Rotarian governor urged Nigerians not to undermine the

capacity of the leaders to lead us as a people but that the leaders should be challenged and put on their toes while the led must be objective about criticising their activities.

He cautioned the various political leaders particularly the leadership in the National Assembly to shun rancor but face the responsibility and challenges of improving the living standard of the electorate.

This, according to him, was the purpose for which they were elected.

He also said agriculture and entrepreneurship are the way out of the current economic recession unlike in the past when civil servants relied on salaries which according to him , was no longer forth coming.

On education, Adegoke enjoined the federal government to urgently address the infrastructural decay in the education sector by providing equipment, water , toilets and other updated teaching facilities in our various institutions of learning and equally organise in-house training for the teachers in order to update their knowledge.

Northern Christians, CAN Hail FG for Rescuing Chibok Girls Seriki Adinoyi in Jos and Paul Obi in Abuja Christians in the northern part of Nigeria, under the umbrella of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), have hailed the federal government, International Red Cross and the Swiss Government on the release of the first batch of 21 Chibok school girls from the captivity of Boko Haram last week in Borno State, attributing their freedom to intensified prayers of the faithful.

Also, the President of the CAN, Rev Samson Olasupo Ayokunle, yesterday applauded the federal government for the breakthrough recorded by securing 21 of the girls released from the captivity.

Speaking on the release, Ayokunle, in a statement issued and signed by his spokesman, Bayo Oladeji, described the release as a great feat and pleasant needed to appease some of families of the kidnapped girls.

According to the statement, “It is one of the best news we have

ever received this year from the government as a nation. Let the government be aware that CAN is with them in prayer in getting the rest of the girls released and that they should leave no stone unturned in getting the rest that are still alive released,” he said.

“The leadership of CAN also rejoices with the parents of the released girls and prays that the rest of the parents would also have their children returned to them very soon.

“CAN rejoices with the parents of the released girls and we are still praying that the parents of the remaining girls would soon be reunited with their own very soon in Jesus name.”

The Chairman of CAN in the northern states, Rev Yakubu Pam, in a statement, said however, government and other relevant bodies must go on with more negotiations for the release of the remaining girls, adding that all hands must be on deck to ensure this kind of incident never happens again in any part of the North and other states in the country.

LET’S CELEBRATE THE AWARD

L-R: President of Seven Stars Award, Khalil El-Mouelhy; Chief Executive Officer, Transcorp Hotels, Valentine Ozigbo; and Jean-Christophe Rousseau, artist and panel member of Seven Stars at the 2016 Seven Stars Global Luxury Hospitality and Lifestyle Awards, where Ozigbo received the CEO of the Year Award, in Marbella, Spain ..... weekend

Akeredolu: Ondo Election Would Be Tough But I’ll Win James Sowole in Akure The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorhip candidate for the November 26 election in Ondo State, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, at the weekend said the forthcoming poll would be a tough one but expressed optimism that he would surely win the poll.

Akeredolu, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), stated this in Akure during a chat with journalists, saying he came into the race not because he has nothing to do but to show the people what good governance

is all about.

According to the candidate, who is also a former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of the state, former aspirants for the APC ticket, who sincerely loved the party and committed to the state project, have joined him on the mission to rescue the state.

“The welfare of workers will be our top priority. We will ensure we pay all the salaries and arrears.

We won’t owe salary. We know there is no money anywhere. We know that the debt of the state is scaring but we are not scared

because we have crack men that will do the job.

“Our focus is to make Ondo State a place that will be envy by other states. It will be a thing of the past that pensioners and workers are being owned,” he said.

Akeredolu promised that his administration would ensure that dividends of democracy get the grassroots in the state by putting in place proper local government administration, noting that one of the ways through which people at the grassroots were being denied good things is through caretaker

committee in local government.

He therefore promised that local government elections would be conducted as at when due if he is elected into power.

“As long as there cannot be a caretaker governor, there should not be a caretaker government at the local level. Election shall be conducted so that the people at the grassroots can feel the governance.

“We are going to do our best and I am aware they are going to give us a tough test but we will win by the grace of God and commitment of the people that are yearning for good governance”, Akeredolu said.

MONDAY OCTOMBER 17, 2016 • T H I S D AY

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CRIME&PUNISHMENT Police BurstVisa Racketeering Syndicate, In Brief Arrest Suspect Task Force Uncovers Oil Bunkers, Chiemelie Ezeobi The Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos State Police Command, yesterday burst a visa racketeering syndicate and arrested the mastermind, one Emu-Larry Chidiebere.

The 28-year-old suspect was arrested for being involved in United Arab Emirates’ visa racketeering scheme at the Ajah area of Lagos State.

The suspect, who hails from Ika North Local Government Area in Delta State, with his gang, were said to have swindled one Abraham Jude and four other persons of N2million, under the false pretence of helping them procure a Dubai visa.

According to Jude, one of the victims, “when I was laid off where I was working in Abuja. I had intention of moving out of the country to start a new life.

“Then, I met his uncle (the

suspect) Samuel Obed, who told me his nephew was working with one company at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and that he could help me to secure the country’s visa.

“We started to communicate via telephone, and he assured me that he could secure Dubai Visa for me at a reasonable price. He requested for N400,000, which I told him I can’t afford such huge amount of money at that particular point in time.

“Later, he called me again that his work place in Dubai was recruiting and he had already submitted my name for employment. Afterwards, he started to persuade me by telling me the benefits that are attached to the employment.

“As a result of this, I began to source for the money by all means, and at the end of the day, I got the N400,000 and sent to him in Dubai through his Access Bank account number: 0029521100.

“But after receiving the money,

he developed a hostile attitude towards me, and eventually stopped picking my calls whenever I put calls across to him.

“Even if he managed to pick the call, he will just tell me I shouldn’t bother myself anymore that my money has gone down the drain.

“It was at this point, I came to RRS to report the case. And the policemen told me anytime he is in Nigeria I should let them know.

“It was gathered that the RRS operatives were on his trail for four months monitoring his movement between Nigeria and Dubai.

“After four months, I got a hint that he had arrived the country but had changed his telephone line. As fate would have it, I got his new line and handed it over to the RRS officers, they took up the surveillance from that end, which eventually led to his arrest.”

In his confessional statement,

the suspect said, “I can’t deny the fact that I collected the N400, 000 from him. I tried to secure the visa for him but all my efforts to do so were in vain. And I started to spend the money gradually till I finished it all.”

RRS investigators told THISDAY that the suspect has under the guise of helping four other victims to obtain Dubai visa, collected a total of N1.6 million from them, and that some of them only came forward when they learnt that he had been arrested.

While confirming the arrest, the Police Public Relations Officer of Lagos State, Dolapo Badmus, a Superintendent of Police said the command will not rest on its oars in protecting rights of any individual in the country.

The suspect has since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti, Yaba, for further investigation.

Destroys Two Million Litres of Diesel

TheoperativesoftheLagosStateTaskForceyesterdaysaidituncoveredseveral oilbunkersanddestroyedovertwomillionlitresofthemixeddieselfoundthere attheCokerareaofOrile,Lagos.Itwasgatheredthatoperationwascarriedout basedonseriesofpetitionssubmittedtotheChairmanoftheLagosStateTask Force, OlayinkaEgbeyemi,who directedhissecond-in-command,WilsonAlaba,a DeputySuperintendentofPolice,tolead theoperations.Petitionsfrommembers ofthepublictotheLagosStateTaskForcedetailedthatduetothehighincreasein thecostofalitreofdiesel, somepeoplewerebuyingtankersofdieseloilandmixing itwithkerosenearoundOrile.Uponraidingthesaidbunkers,25containerswith 5,000litreofmixeddieseloileachandmore4,500kegsof mixed oilwerefound anddestroyedbytheagency.Accordingtotheeyewitnessreportsoftheresidents, the bunkers have been operating around the area for over seven years without anyinterference.Atricycleoperatoraroundthearea, Mr.SalamiOgunsanya,who also spoke said those engaged in the illegal business have been buying original 33000 litre of diesel everyday and mixing it with kerosene to double the tanker capacity(66,000littes).Hesaidheclosesfromworkasearlyas 7p.m ondailybasis because once it’s night, the miscreants and hoodlums who engage in the illegal business,alsorobinnocentmembersofthepublicoftheirvaluables. Ogunsanya and other residents around the area expressed commended the Lagos State Task Force and the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, for their promptintervention.Confirmingtheincident,theHeadofPublicAffairsUnitof thetaskforce, AdebayoTaofiq,alsosaidthe operativesofthetaskforceduringthe thirdquarteroftheyearimpounded3480motorcyclesplyingrestrictedroutes acrosstheState.Hesaidtheyalsoarrested5,890miscreantsandhoodlums,out ofwhich1,500werescreenedoutand4,390prosecuted.

Customs Dismisses 17 for Drug Addiction, Certificate Forgery

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has dismissed 17 junior officers from the service for offences ranging from drug addiction, certificate forgery, theft as wellasplayingtruancyfromdutybetweenJanuaryandSeptember2016.

Two other officers had their appointments terminated for absence from duty whileonewasretiredfordrugaddiction.Accordingtoastatementissuedbythe NCS’PublicRelationsOfficer(PRO),Mr.WaleAdeniyi,investigationsintooffences committed by the officers in the senior category are now being concluded. Officers found guilty are expected to face similar stiff penalties, the statement added. “These disciplinary measures were taken after series of investigations and deliberations by the disciplinary committee and recommendations were madetothemanagement.“Thisprocessisacontinuationofthereformagenda the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd), promised upon his assumption of office which emphasized discipline, good conduct and transparency,”thestatementnoted.

Attempted Jail Break: Bauchi Prison Command Refutes Story

THE YOUNG SHALL GROW

Former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, with pupils of LGEA Primary School, Olamaboro Local Government Area, Idekpa Imane, Kogi State, shortly after he presented them with N1 million cheque for the rehabilitation of their school....recently

Civil Society Groups Demand Investigation of Alleged Corruption in National Assembly A coalition of civil society groups have written to the House of Representatives demanding investigation into alleged corruption, fraud and budget misapplication against some of its members.

The petition, which was addressed to the Chairman, Public Petitions Committee of the lower chamber, Hon. Ossai Ossai, requested that given the gravity of allegations against the House leadership in particular, an open and credible investigation should be done by the committee.

The groups who signed the petition include: Olanrewaju Suraju, Chairman, Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC); ‘Yemi Adamolekun, Executive Director, EiE Nigeria; Ngozi Iwere, Executive Director, Reclaim Naija; Seun Onigbinde, Team Lead, BudgIT and Adetokunbo Mumuni, Executive Director, SERAP. Others are Samson Itodo, Head, Research & Strategy, YIAGA Funke

Baruwa, CEO, Women’s Trust Fund Tunji Lardner, WANGONet Ezenwa Nwagu, Say No Campaign Anwal Rafsanjani, CISLAC Idayat Hassan, CDD Nwanguma Okechukwu, Coordinator, NOPRIN and Achike Chude, JDPC. While stating that Lack of accountability in the National Assembly is very dangerous for the country’s fledgling democracy, the civil society organisations said the decision of the legislature to shroud its financial activity in secrecy is the cause of its travails as a public institution.

“The most recent crisis are the allegations and counter allegations between Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin, former Chairman of the Appropriation Committee of the House, against Mr. Yakubu Dogara, the Speaker, other principal officers of the House of Representatives and 12 other members of the House of Representatives on a flawed budgeting process and the haphazard allocation of constituency projects that are less about the

communities’ needs and more about the legislators’ wants.”

The groups stated allegations that it demand urgent investigation into as amendments to the Budget, constituency funds, fraud and misappropriation of funds and controversial allowances.

Calling for an urgent rebuilding of values in the National Assembly, the groups said, “There are overwhelming allegations of abuses in the discharge of National Assembly’s legislative and oversight duties. At the heart of these allegations are corrupt enrichment, conspiracy to act corruptly, embezzlement, diversion and misappropriation of public funds for lavish lifestyles, abuse of office and public trust.

“It is of great concern to Nigerians that members of the National Assembly are oblivious of the content of their own budget, yet they hold court over how the budget of the country is spent.

“Public auditing of spending by the National Assembly and several

reports on allegations of corruption that have been investigated remain shrouded in secrecy. This does nothing for an institution that seeks to be ‘responsive, accessible, representative and accountable.”

According to the groups, their demand include, “An Open Investigation of these Allegations,” secondly, “Zero-Based budgeting and citizens involvement in the budgeting process,” thirdly, “a Reformed Constituency Projects and an Open National Assembly - #OpenNASS. “The National Assembly should: (1) Publish its detailed 2016 budget, (2) Scrap voice voting and use the e-voting system already installed; (3) Activate the switchboard in the National Assembly Complex so citizens can engage their representatives; (4) Ensure the National Assembly’s website is updated regularly with bills and contact information for members; (5) Provide an online attendance register for plenary sessions.

The Bauchi State Prison Command has refuted the news making the rounds allegingthattheNigeriaPoliceForce(NPF)foiledanattemptedjailbreakinBauchi CentralPrison.AstatementbythePublicRelationsOfficerofthecommand,Adam Jibrin,said thestorywasnottrue,addingthattherewasnosuchincidentinBauchi CentralPrisonorinotherprisonsinthestatecommand,addingthat“alltheprisons remaincalmandpeaceful.”Jibrinexpresseddismayattheunprecedentedanxiety the purported jailbreak story has generated in many quarters. He assured the public of the readiness of the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS) to ensure that it does everything within its statutory mandate to promote the safe custody and reformationofinmatesunderitscare.Thestatementadded:“Whileappreciating allthesecurityagenciesinthestatefortheirsupportandcommendableworking synergy towards fighting crime and maintaining law and order in the state. We wishtoadvisethemediatoadherestrictlytojournalismethicsbyverifyingtheir storiesfromappropriateauthoritiesbeforegoingtopress.”

Ex-Commissioner’s Son, Girlfriend Die in Bayelsa Fire

One of the children of a former Bayelsa State Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Chief Nimibofa Ayawei, and his girlfriend, identified only asHappiness,attheweekenddiedinafireincidentinYenagoa,thestatecapital.

MienteiAyawei,oneofthevictims,wasburnttodeathinahousebelongingtohis father, who is also the current Chairman of the Bayelsa State Board of Internal Revenue. ItwasgatheredthattheincidentoccurredonSaturdayattheNIITarea of Tombia in Yenagoa, immediately the Port-Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC), restored power supply, raising suspicion that the incident could be traced to a power surge. A neighbour to the deceased , who identified himself as James Akan, disclosed that he heard a loud noise when the power company restored electricity, noting that efforts to extinguish the inferno to savethevictimswerefruitless. “Astheybroughtthelight,therewasaloudnoise likeanexplosionandotheroccupantsoftheroomsinthehousestartedrunningforsafety.

“Theyevenbroketheprotectorinanefforttosavethem,butitwastoolate”,Akansaid,adding thatthetwocorpseshavebeendepositedinamortuaryinYenagoa.Anothersourcewho preferrednottobenamed,statedthatthefirestartedby4a.m.onthatday,disclosingthat nearlyalltheroomsandpropertyintheone-storeybuilding,adjacenttoafillingstationowned bytheformercommissioner,wererazedbytheinferno.Heclaimedthatthefirestartedfrom theapartmentwhereMienteiandhisgirlfriendwere,stressingthattheywerealreadydead bythetimehelpcame.Thesource,whoclaimedtobeasiblingofthevictim(Mientei),said whenthefirestarted,theduoofMienteiandHappinesswereprobablysleepingandgot knowledgeofthefirewhenthewholeroomtheywereinhadalreadybeenenvelopedby smokeandfurnace. Hesaidatthetime,thereweretwootherpersonswhowere inanotherroominthehouse,buttheymanagedtoescapedeathbyawhisker. He said Mientei, 25, had just finished his degree programme in Human Resources Management,fromauniversityinDubai,UnitedArabEmirates. Itwaslearntthat whileMienteiwasfromSouthernIjawareaofthestate,hisgirlfriend, Happiness, hailedfromOgbiaLocalGovernmentAreaofBayelsaState.

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MONDAYSPORTS

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

EPL: Isaac Success Sparks Watford toVictory

Duro Ikhazuagbe with agency report Jose Holebas’ fine strike gave Watford victory over Middleborough in the English Premier League yesterday but the Man-of-the-Match honour went to the club’s record signing, Isaac Success.

The returnee Super Eagles forward who missed Nigeria’s clash with Zambia in Ndola penultimate Sunday due to injury, was responsible for most of the game’s sparse moments of promise.

Watford’s gaffer, Walter Mazzarri deployed captain Troy Deeney as a lone striker but it was obvious that the day belonged to Success who gave Boro defenders more work to do. The half-hour mark tripping of Success caused referee Roger East to give Boro’s right-back, Antonio Barragan, a seen a second yellow card to create more room for the battling Nigerian.

Success was again involved in the build-up to the winning goal, going down after a typically direct run into the area. While he protested and claimed for a penalty, Holebas nipped in front of Cristhian Stuani to control a poor clearance, take a touch and then fire a swerving shot that former Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes could only help into the top corner.

It was Watford’s first shot on target but enough to give

them the maximum points.

The victory left Middlesbrough still looking for a first home win of the Premier League season.

Boro - who remain above the bottom three on goal difference only - failed to properly test Hornets goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes at all during the game.

The result moves Watford up to 10th.

Middlesbrough have now lost three home games in a row for the first time in seven years - and have not won in the top flight at the Riverside since April 2009.

Middlesbrough won promotion back to the Premier League after seven seasons on the back of a formidable defence and strong home record - which they have so far failed to bring to the top flight.

Aitor Karanka’s side conceded just 31 times last season - eight at home - but have already let in six at the Riverside in a run which has seen them take just a point in front of their own fans.

But while they still looked untroubled by Watford for large periods, it will be their lack of attacking threat that should most concern Karanka.

They managed just three tame efforts on target, Adam Forshaw wasting their best opening with little more than a back-pass from the edge of the area.

Striker Alvaro Negredo

Spain, Slovakia’s Stars Win Governor’s Cup Tennis 1st Leg The first leg (Futures 5) of the 16th edition of Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis Championship ended at the weekend with players from Spain and Slovakia winning the men and women’s singles of the tournament.

Spain’s Enrique Lopez Perez, who won the competition in the 2012 edition, did it again when he defeated Gianni Mina in the grudge final of the men’s singles that ended 6-2,6-7(7),6-1 at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan.

In the women’s singles, Slovak Majeric, who won the final in the 2013 edition and emerged runner up in the 2015 competition, was superb in the final against a consistent regular face in the Governor’s Cup in the last six years, Swiss Conny Perrin. Majeric won the final 3-6,6-1,6-1.

The first leg winners said they are looking forward to the second week (Futures 6) with high hopes of consolidating on their feats in Futures 5.

“I’m happy winning this again. I was runner-up last year.

There’s no doubt Conny was a tough player. She took the first set, I had to fight back to win the other two sets. This is a great tournament for us and I’m glad to be here again, as this is my fifth time in Lagos.

For the second week, it is not yet over getting double victory will be good for my game and ranking in the world, “ Majeric said.

To her opponent, Swiss Conny Perrin,” Majeric who I knew very proved a not

to crack for me. I gave my everything to this match, but she showed that she’s the best.

I can only look forward to the second week,” she said.

The duo of Chayenne Ewijk and Rosalie Van Der Hoek, both from The Netherlands beat the pairs of Valetini Grammatikopoulou from Greece and Indian Prarthana Thombare in straight set of 6-3,7-5.

The men’s doubles was won

by Enrique Lopez - Perez from Spain and Boy Westerhof from The Netherlands who defeated the pairs of France’s Calvin Hemery and Gianni Mina in straight set of 6-2,6-3.

Meanwhile, the Main Draws of the second leg (Futures 6) serve off today with the hope for Nigerians to make it past the quarter finals level the male players reached in the first leg.

President of Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF), Sani Ndanusa said Nigeria indeed celebrates the level the local players attained in Future 5,adding that the federation will continue to provide enabling environment for them to improve on their games.

He poured encomiums on Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State for not only supported the continuation of the championship, but ensured that the Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis is improved in the second years of his government with the increased in the prize money from 80,000 dollars to 100,000 dollars from this year’s competition.

Watford striker, Isaac Success (right), was voted Man-of-the-Match in the EPL clash with Middlesborough...yesterday - who scored 23 times in his first 33 appearances for Manchester City, and then none in his final 16 - now has just a goal on the opening day

to his name in Boro colours and never looked like adding to it.

And with trips to Arsenal, Manchester City and Leicester

in their next three away games, Boro must find goals from somewhere if they are to compete.

Watford captain Troy

Deeney had complained that his players were “bullied to a man all over the pitch” in the 2-0 loss at Burnley in their previous away match.

O P E R AT I O N B E AT A L G E R I A

Work Begins on Akpabio Stadium Pitch Work has commenced apace on the pitch of the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo ahead of next month’s 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match between Nigeria and Algeria.

In line with the NFF’s promise to get the Akwa Ibom State Government to work on the turf, following some complaints by Super Eagles’ players after last month’s 2017 Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania, the NFF wrote to Governor Udom Emmanuel on the issue and followed up with a first inspection of the pitch last Saturday.

The NFF’s inspection team, led by the Deputy General Secretary, Dr. Emmanuel

Ikpeme, and including Assistant Director (Technical) Siji Lagunju and Chief Sports Officer, Sunday Okayi, was received and taken on the tour of the venue by the immediate past Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Hon. Monday Uko, and his Special Duties counterpart, Etido Inyang. The Consultant to Julius Berger, the world-renowned construction company handling the work, was with the team.

A second inspection has been fixed for Tuesday, October 25, 2016 while the final inspection will come up on Wednesday, November 2, 2016.

“It is a task that we are approaching with all

seriousness, and we want to appreciate the Akwa Ibom State Government for the seriousness that it is also attaching to this important task,” Ikpeme told thenff.com.

Earlier on Thursday, October 13, NFF 1st Vice President Seyi Akinwunmi and Chairman of the Technical and Development Committee, Chris Green, as well as Ikpeme, held a meeting with Hon. Uko to discuss logistics in order to ensure seamless organisation of the big match.

Also on Thursday, the NFF Deputy General Secretary, Dr. Ikpeme led Mr. Abdelwahab Djahid Zefizef, 1st Vice President of the Algeria Football Federation on a guided tour of the Godswill Akpabio

International Stadium, following a written request to that effect by the FAF. African Qualifying Series Group B leaders Nigeria host Algeria’s Fennecs at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on November 12, 2016 in one of the Match-day 2 encounters.

Nigeria defeated Algeria to lift her first-ever Africa Cup of Nations when hosting in 1980, but Algeria returned the compliment when hosting 10 years later. Algeria defeated Nigeria home and away in 1981 in the qualifying race for the 1982 FIFA World Cup, but Nigeria returned the compliment in 2005, in the race for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Glo to Mark CAF Awards’ Silver Jubilee with Special Promo Title sponsor of the annual Glo-CAF Awards, Globacom, has launched a new promo ahead of the 2016 edition of the awards designed to celebrate Africa’s most successful football icons.

The event which will be held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, Nigeria on January 5, 2017 is a special one as it is the silver jubilee edition, marking 25 years of CAF Awards.

The new promo which runs between October 10 and December 31, 2016 will reward 300 customers with

a chance to attend this once in a lifetime Silver Jubilee award ceremony of an event best known as the Oscars of African football.

In a statement in Lagos, Globacom said “The GloCAF Awards gala is the biggest night in African football, a gathering where the biggest names in the world of business, politics and showbiz meet with the stars and legends of African Football.”

“The silver Jubilee of CAF Awards is another golden opportunity to appreciate and reward our subscribers

who have been the brand’s pillar of strength over the years for their patronage and support and we have packaged the promo for them exclusively.” Glo added The promo is titled “Win a Seat among the Stars at the Oscars of African Football”.

To participate, subscribers are expected to buy and activate a new Glo SIM or port their existing lines then use minimum of N25, 000 between 10th October and 31st December, and stand a chance to win a VIP invite to attend the prestigious Glo CAF Awards Silver Jubilee

edition in Abuja.

Meanwhile, Super Eagles Captain and Chelsea of England stalwart, John Mikel Obi along with Manchester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho and Leicester City’s Ahmed Musa are among the list of 30 players nominated for the 2016 Glo-CAF African Player of the Year Award slated to hold in Abuja.

The top Nigerian players are to battle it out with other African stars led by last year’s winner, Gabonese and Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, among others.

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MONDAYSPORTS

Rangers Celebrate NPFL Victory aboard a Trailer After winning the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) trophy after 32 years wait, all the management of Rangers International FC could afford to celebrate the worthy heroes of Nigeria club football was to pack the players into a flat-bed trailer to show off their league crown across the city of Enugu in a victory parade at the weekend.

Unlike what transpires in other clime when trophy winners are paraded in cosy buses, the trailer was a disservice to the effort of the Imama Amapakabo coached lads who fought hard to beat El Kanemi Warriors 4-0 on Match-day 38 of the Nigerian topflight league to be crowned champions again at their Cathedral in the Coal City.

The victory motorcade, though draped in Rangers traditional red and white colours, looked like something fit for clubs in Banana republics.

Of course, residents of the former capital of the Eastern region who have waited endlessly for a day to celebrate the Flying Antelopes trooped out in thousands to salute the courageous Rangers.

The motorcade took off from the Rangers camp in Emene at about 10am and they passed through Abakpa Nike, Trans Ekulu before they terminated at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, where they had thrashed El Kanemi 4-0.

Coach Imama Amapakabo as well as top stars like Obinna Nwobodo, Bobby Clement, Christian Madu and Etim Matthew were part of the carnival.

“I challenged Rangers to win something and this is now possible,” said Imama.

“This is a big celebration.

It is trophy we won with joy and tears. Under rain and sun we fought, but I am happy today, we are all happy,” said goalkeeper trainer Sulaiman Shuaibu.

The fans came out in large numbers to celebrate with the champions.

In the meantime, sports commissioner Charles Ndukwe has announced Enugu Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi will host both players and officials of Rangers on Tuesday at the National Orthopedic Hospital in Enugu, where striker Ifeanyi Egwim is fast

Rangers International players aboard the trailer during the victory parade in Enugu... last Saturday recovering from a major leg injury he suffered on the final day of action.

Ajibola, Fogli Shine at Total Charity Golf Tourney Twenty-two handicap player, Yemi Ajibola, emerged the overall winner of the 2016 Total Charity Golf Tournament concluded at the weekend in Lagos.

Ajibola who recorded a total of 42 stable-ford points at the Lakowe Lakes Golf Club beat Omo Izedonmwen with 38 points to the second place while Uwem Udoh was beaten on count-back to the third place at the one day event.

“I am delighted here and I think it all worked out well because of the great course condition and my present form. It is a great privilege to win this charity event sponsored by Total,” Ajibola said.

Managing Director/Chief Executive of Total E&P Nigeria, Nicolas Terraz said that the event was set up to

benefit charity organisation across the country.

According to him “Thanks to so many of you who have identified with this cause through your various donations today…this year two charity homes, which provide care for the abandoned, motherless and vulnerable children in the society will benefit from the special fund. They are Olive Blooms and Friends of Jesus Orphanage homes near Ajah and Badore respectively in Eti-Osa Local Government of Lagos,” he said In the ladies category, Nicole Fogli returned 42 stabe-ford point beating Yvette Pape by three points to the runner-up position while Idowu Babalakin with 36 points placed third.

Also, Paul Brisbe with 40 stable-ford points picked

the best Total Staff prize at the event ahead of Obinna Okoli who returned same score but was edged out on count-back ruling.

Admiral O. P. Fingesi and Charles Ngoka were winners and runners-up of the veteran class at the event while Iyiola Ronke and Michael Huisamen were winners of the Nearest to the Pin prize for ladies and men respectively.

The Total Annual Charity Golf Tournament is rotated among the major cities where the company has presence with support of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC).

In 2014, the Air Assault Golf Course in Port Harcourt played host to the event while the 2015 edition was staged at the IBB International Golf and Country Club, Abuja.

Tyson Gay’s Daughter, 15, Shot Dead in Kentucky Former world champion sprinter Tyson Gay’s 15-yearold daughter has been killed in a shooting in the US state of Kentucky, police announced yesterday.

Police in Lexington said Trinity Gay was hit in the neck during an exchange of fire between two vehicles in a restaurant car park.

She was taken to hospital where she later died, local media reported.

Mr Gay, who is from Lexington, confirmed her death to local TV station Lex 18.

“She didn’t make it. I’m so confused. She was just here last week for fall break. It’s so crazy. I have no idea what happened,” Lex18 quoted him as saying.

Mr Gay is the US 100m record holder and is the joint second-fastest 100m runner of all time, behind Usain Bolt.

The US track and field athletics team tweeted its condolences, sending “thoughts and prayers” to Mr Gay and his loved ones “as they mourn the tragic & senseless loss of his daughter, Trinity”.

Mr Gay’s daughter was also an athlete and competed for Lafayette High School, where she was studying.

“Our hearts are broken this morning over the loss of Trinity to this tragic and senseless act of violence,” Fayette County School Superintendent Manny Caulk told the Lexington HeraldLeader newspaper.

“A life of such potential cut so tragically short,” tweeted Julian Tackett, commissioner of the Kentucky High School Athletics Association.

Other athletes also tweeted their condolences.

Police have launched a

murder investigation into the shooting, which happened at about 0400 local time (0800 GMT) outside the Cook Out restaurant in the city, Lexington police said in a statement.

Witnesses reported an exchange of gunfire between two vehicles, a gray Dodge Charger and a dark-coloured sports car with tinted windows.

Ms Gay - who is not thought to have been in any of the vehicles - was taken to University of Kentucky hospital in a private car.

Officers located the Dodge Charger and detained two people for questioning but were still searching for the other vehicle, police said.

Tyson Gay was part of the US 100m relay team at the Rio Olympics.

In 2013 he tested positive for a banned substance and was banned from competition for a year.

The governor is expected to on this day pledge his reward to the new Nigeria

champions.

Officials said the reception was delayed because

government wanted to put some logistics in place before the event.

Amidst Fanfare, Special Olympics Nigeria Celebrates 2016 EKS Day In an effort to commemorate the 2016 Eunice Kennedy Shriver (EKS) Day, Special Olympics Nigeria yesterday organised a Healthy Communities initiative (HC) at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

The Healthy Communities initiative is meant to create communities where Special Olympics athletes and others with intellectual disability have the same access to health and wellness resources and can attain the same level of good health as all community members. The theme of this year’s Healthy Communities initiative was “special smiles and opening eyes”.

The day was filled with activities including medical services such as free dental and visual screening for athletes and partners.

Attendees invited took part in activities such as a table tennis, basketball, bouncing castles and food stands.

Speaking at the event, the National Director, Special Olympics Nigeria, Naomi Saliu-Lawal, expressed delight at the turn out of participants

at this year’s event.

She noted that “every year we at Special Olympics Nigeria make out time to celebrate this day. It is an important day for Special Olympics Nigeria because it offers an opportunity for us to share in the spirit and belief of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and her commitment to engaging intellectually challenged persons through the power of sports. By committing acts of inclusion, acceptance and unity for and with people with intellectual disabilities, we will continue to build on Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s legacy” Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s Day is an annual celebration of her life and a global call challenging everyone to Play Unified, Speak Unified, and Live Unified.

On this 7th annual EKS day, themed #playunified, Special Olympics Nigeria enjoins all to play unified and teach the world to live unified by bringing together people with and without intellectual disabilities in various activities to honor the inspiration, impact and

indomitable spirit of Eunice Kennedy Shriver She demonstrated an unrelenting indomitable spirit in action, that one person could make a difference and change the world. Her lasting legacy and commitment to improve and transform the lives of the nearly 200 million people worldwide with intellectual disabilities who still live with diminished opportunities and social disrespect, and are often neglected and hidden away is celebrated yearly.

Special Olympics Nigeria is part of a worldwide movement (Special Olympics international) that is aimed at changing the misconceptions individuals have about people with intellectual disabilities (PWID). Its mission is to provide various sport trainings and athletics competitions in a variety of Olympic - type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing continuous opportunities to develop physical fitness and skills required to manage day to day life.

Participants at the Special Olympics Nigeria’ Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day Celebrations at the Teslim Balogun Stadium... yesterday

Monday October 17, 2016

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MISSILE NJC to DSS

“From the briefings we received from NJC, there was no petition the council failed to act on. In one of the cases, DSS was not satisfied with the decision of the council. We were shown evidence that NJC had acted but DSS was not satisfied. The DSS asked for copies of the disciplinary procedure and NJC refused” –The National Judicial Council (NJC) describing the invasion of the residences and arrest of some serving and suspended judicial officers by the Department of State Services (DSS) as a threat to the independence of the judiciary.

SAIDUDANSADAU Furore Over the Arrest of Judges GUEST COLUMNIST

T

here has been intense public reaction to the pre-dawn arrest of some judicial officers, including two justices of the Supreme Court, for alleged corrupt practices. Some have spoken up in support, other rabidly against the action of the Department of State Services (DSS) in arresting the Judges.

First is that corruption is a crime, and barring those whom the constitution grants immunity from prosecution, anyone can be investigated and prosecuted for corruption. Ghana investigated, arrested, sacked and prosecuted some 34 Judges not long ago.

Ghanaians applauded their government, knowing that judicial corruption goes to the very root of the survival of the society. Judicial corruption is not an ordinary crime. In these men and women are vested the powers to interpret the laws which guide the society, in order to give balance to all the contending interests and persuasions that inhabit a society. It is a sacred mandate. They are the lords of the hallowed temples of justice, whom society has given the power to pronounce life or death, legitimately. This responsibility is grave.

To wantonly violate it by inducement or for material gain, improperly obtained, is a grievous violence to the fibres of society.

How can the president be accused of dictatorship for obeying the law?

If the problem is that it was the DSS who effected the arrests, then, that argument fails to countenance that judicial corruption is an internal security issue. It is obvious that those who badmouth the president on this issue of corruption are not interested in fixing Nigeria. Is it their argument that these judicial officers are not corrupt? Or is it the manner or time of the arrests, or is the problem the agency that effected the arrests? There is no denial that there is mind-boggling corruption in the judiciary. It is common knowledge.

There is need to have the courage to clean the Augean stable. And it has to be a bold, ground-shaking action not amenable to the manipulations of those who are accused. Nigerian Judges and lawyers have developed the culture of taking advantage of ‘due process’ and technicalities to subvert the course of justice. The condemnation of DSS’ action by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed, if what was attributed to him is true, is unfortunate. How can anybody that has an iota of fear of God support anybody on salary in whose house such humongous amounts of money were found?

In the words of one of the former Presidents of USA, G.W. Bush, “he who harbours a terrorist is a terrorist’. What

Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Mahmud Mohammed

Mr. Bush meant was that he would deal with supporters of terrorists in the manner he planned to deal with terrorists. It therefore follows: He who harbours the corrupt is corrupt.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s single-minded focus is commendable.

My advice to him is to deal with collaborators and supporters of corrupt public functionaries in the manner he deals with the corrupt government officials. As Hausa people say ‘Abokin barawo barawo ne’.

I appeal to Nigerians of all strata, to, in the name of God be useful members of the society in which they live. Growing up, one of the first lessons we were taught in the teacher training college was the aim of Education thus: ‘To develop a child mentally, physically,

President Muhammadu Buhari’s single-minded focus is commendable.

My advice to him is to deal with collaborators and supporters of corrupt public functionaries in the manner he deals with the corrupt government officials. As Hausa people say ‘Abokin barawo barawo ne’

DG, DSS, Lawal Daura

spiritually, morally and socially IN ORDER TO BE A USEFUL MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY IN WHICH HE LIVES’.

This lesson should serve Nigerian elites well. I urge you to understand this lesson very well. We ought to be useful to our country first before being useful ourselves, to our families, our tribes/ ethnic groups etc. The first-line charge on any Nigerian is his own contribution to the socio-economic development of Nigeria. Anything short of this is a betrayal of our father land.

Our society has taken a trajectory of going down-hill. First Republic political leaders and civil servants were, in the main, honest, selfless, incorruptible and dedicated to the cause of the society.

The decimal of duty for them was their contribution to the development of Nigeria. That is as it should be. I urge the Nigerian youth to take this lesson very serious. It is the path to salvaging Nigeria. Nigerians of my age and above are in the departure hall.

The Nigeria we are leaving behind for you to inherit is not a cheery one.

You should resolve to join hands to fix Nigeria. MAKE NIGERIA YOUR FIRST LINE CHARGE. •Mr. Dansadau is a former senator

THE NOISE OF THE MOMENT...02

DID YOU LISTEN TO THE BREAKING NEWS ON TV, SIR?

YES! …THE BUHARIS HAVE PROVIDED Mrs Buhari: “I may not support my THIS WEEK’S husband’s re-election in 2019.”

NOISE! WHAT President Buhari: “My wife belongs ABOUT IT? to my kitchen and my living room and the other room.”

JUDGING THAT THE NOISE OVER THE ARREST OF JUDGES IS WANING, SHALL I BOOK YOU INTO ONE OF THE TV BREAKFAST SHOWS FOR THE BUHARIS’ NOISE INSTEAD?

NO, SIR! ...BUT I’M WORKING ON IT!

P.A, DO WE HAVE SPONSORS FOR THE BUHARIS’ NOISE, YET?

IN THAT CASE, I STILL HAVE TO GO AND MAKE THE NOISE FOR THE ONE WE HAVE BEEN PAID FOR!

17-10-16

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