Friday 12th May 2017 by THISDAY Newspapers Ltd

Osinbajo: Buhari Treats Me Like a Son Northern Elders caution acting president to be wary of ‘mischievous elements’

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja and Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday in Katsina

said he was very delighted to have visited the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari, because the president has treats him like a son.

The acting president, according to a statement by his media aide, Laolu Akande, was in Katsina on a one-day working visit

to attend the launch of the state’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) clinic. The clinic was a forum

for small-scale businesses, industry and stakeholders in the public and private sectors who are involved in developing MSMEs in

the country. Osinbajo, while speaking at the palace of the Emir of Continued on page 8

ExxonMobil Crisis Deepens as Oil Workers Threaten Shell, Chevron, Total… Page 8 Friday 12 May, 2017 Vol 22. No 8058. Price: N250

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In a strong political statement, the Southern Governors’ Wives Forum met yesterday in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Photo shows the Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, in the midst of the southern governors’ wives, when they paid him a courtesy visit at his office

Finally, National Assembly Releases Its Budget Details, Passes FG’s Spending Bill

Senate personnel cost put at N1.86bn, House, N4.92bn; overheads for both, N64.48bn Increases oil benchmark to $44.5/b in FG’s budget, production retained at 2.2mbpd Wants early submission of 2018 Appropriation Bill Damilola Oyedele and James Emejo in Abuja

See 2017 Budget and National Budget Details on Pages 52 & 53 and www.thisdaylive.com

Faced with pressure from the public, which remained unrelenting for years, and in keeping with its promise this year to do so, the National Assembly, yesterday, finally released a 33-page document

detailing the line-by-line expenditure of its budget for 2017. The National Assembly’s budget was increased by N10 Continued on page 8

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Oscar Onyema; Group Chief Executive, Oando Plc, Wale Tinubu; Executive Director, Capital Markets, NSE, Haruna Jalo-Waziri; and Chief Financial Officer, Oando, Femi Adeyemo, during ringing of the closing gong at the NSE… yesterday

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PAGE EIGHT

ExxonMobil Crisis Deepens as Oil Workers Threaten Shell, Chevron, Total Ejiofor Alike The picketing of Mobil Producing Unlimited, an affiliate of ExxonMobil, continued yesterday with oil workers under the aegis of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) threatening to escalate the crisis to Shell, Chevron and Total by the weekend. The workers on Tuesday picketed the company’s offices in Lagos, Port Harcourt and

Eket, and insisted that the action would continue until the federal government prevailed on the company to address their grievances. PENGASSAN had also on Tuesday commenced the gradual withdrawal of its members from all upstream locations to press home their demands. According to PENGASSAN, the final shutdown will be with the withdrawal of its members at the Qua Iboe Terminal with about 14 locations by Friday

midnight. “By Friday, other international oil companies such as Chevron, Shell, Addax, Total and Agip and indigenous oil companies will join,” PENGASSAN threatened. The National President of PENGASSAN, Mr. Francis Olabode Johnson said the withdrawal would impact on oil production and further drive down the country’s production and revenue. The Port Harcourt Zonal

Chairman of PENGASSAN, Mr. Azubuike O. Azubuike told THISDAY yesterday that the picketing would continue and would be escalated to other international oil companies (IOCs) by the weekend. “We insist that processes must be followed procedurally. The law gives ExxonMobil powers to declare redundancy but processes must be followed. That is our position. If the government does not address the issues by the weekend, we will escalate

the crisis,” he warned. Oil workers have been agitating for the reinstatement of their colleagues who were recently fired by the U.S. oil multinational. The Lagos Zonal Chairman of PENGASAN, Mr. Abel Agarin had alleged that the report of the committee set up by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu on the workers’ crisis was sent to only the management of ExxonMobil. According to him, the

minister had intervened and set up the committee after the company sacked 83 staff. “Following the intervention of the minister, ten cases out of the 83 were set aside because they were high flying employees. “But after the committee submitted its report, the company started distributing another batch of redundancy letters and even the 10 that were initially set aside were given redundancy letters,” Agarin had explained.

FINALLY, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY RELEASES ITS BUDGET DETAILS, PASSES FG’S SPENDING BILL billion to N125 billion, from the N115 billion proposed by the executive. Also, the legislature passed the 2017 Appropriation Bill for the year, with an increment of N143 billion to N7.441 trillion, from the executive’s proposal of N7.298, five months after President Muhammadu Buhari submitted the federal government’s spending bill. The document containing the details of the legislature's budget was made available on the twitter handle of the Nigerian Senate @NGRSenate. Under its budget, N85.8 billion was assigned to total overhead costs, N23.7 billion for personnel costs and N14.9 billion for capital projects. The sum of N9.6 billion was also proposed for legislative aides of the 469 lawmakers in the Senate and House of Representatives. The Management of the National Assembly was allocated N14.9 billion, with N6.7 billion for personnel cost, N6.2 billion for overheads and N2 billion for its capital budget. The Senate’s budget was put at N31.4 billion, of which N1.856 billion was allocated to personnel (salary) cost. This translates to N17 million per annum as the basic salary of each of the senators. The budget of the Senate also assigned N4.4 billion for capital spending and N25.1 billion for overhead costs, but was silent on the breakdown of the budgetary sub-head for overheads, thus fuelling the suspicion that this is where the senators get paid the quarterly running cost for each of their offices. The House of Representatives got a total of N49 billion, with N4.9 billion for personnel cost (N13.7 million per member per annum), N39.6 billion for overheads and N4.5 billion for capital projects. Like the Senate’s budget, there were no details provided for House’s overhead cost. Also, N2.4 billion was proposed for the National Assembly Service Commission, with N961 million for personnel cost, N1.1 billion for overheads and N310 million for capital, while legislative aides got N9.6 billion, with N8.9 billion for personnel, N535 million for overheads and N150 million as the capital component. The sums of N119 million and N142.7 million were proposed for the Public Accounts Committees of the Senate and House respectively, while the sum of N12.6 billion was proposed for general services, with N11.7 billion for overheads and N817 million

for capital spending. The National Assembly Legislative Institute got N4.3 billion, with N416.5 million for personnel cost, N1.2 billion for overheads and N2.72 billion as capital. The sum of N391 million was also budgeted for the service wide votes of the legislature. Justifying the increase in the National Assembly’s budget, House spokesman, Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas said the budget reflected both input during the public hearing on the federal budget and the current economic realities in the country, occasioned by the devaluation of the naira and higher inflation. He said that the increment was to cater to legislative oversight functions. Meanwhile, the breakdown of the federal government’s budget passed by the lawmakers showed that capital expenditure (exclusive of capital votes under statutory transfers) will gulp N2.177 trillion in 2017, while recurrent spending (nondebt) will take N2.987 trillion. Statutory transfers to agencies of government that have a first line charge on the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) got N434.4 billion, while N1.841 trillion was allocated to debt service. A further breakdown of debt service showed that N1.488 trillion was allocated to domestic debt service, while foreign debts got N175.88 billion ($577 million). Also, the sinking fund to retire maturing loans got N177.46 billion. In the Senate, the senators unanimously voted to adopt the recommendations of the report of its Appropriations Committee, which had already been harmonised with the House Committee on Appropriation to avoid further delay to the budget’s passage. Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, Senator Danjuma Goje explained the increase of N143 billion in the budget, stating that the crude oil benchmark was increased to $44.5 dollars per barrel while oil production was retained at 2.2 million barrels per day (mpbd). “We were in contact with the executive. When we raised the benchmark by $2, the executive contributed. And because all three tiers of government have to benefit from this increase, it is the federal government’s share of N131 billion that was applied to the federal budget,” he explained. Goje also noted that the National Assembly made some interventionist inclusions in the

2017 BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS Capital Expenditure

N2.18tn

Recurrent Expenditure (Non-debt)

N2.99tn

Debt Service

N1.84tn

Statutory Transfers

N434bn

Aggregate Expenditure

N7.44tn

2017 NATIONAL ASSEMBLY BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS

Management of National Assembly Senate House of Representatives National Assembly Service Commission Legislative Aides Public Accounts Committees of NA General Services National Assembly Legislative Institute Service Wide Vote Aggregate Expenditure budget. These included the sum of N10 billion for the takeoff of a second runway at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, N10 billion for the resumption of work on the abandoned Alhaji Bwari-Delta (FCT) railway line, and N5 billion for the completion of work on the abandoned Baro Inland Water Port, Niger State. Other inclusions were the addition of N10 billion to the N65 billion proposal for the Amnesty programme, N4 billion for the upgrade of the Abeokuta airport as an alternative to the Lagos airport, N25 billion to the budget for roads construction and rehabilitation, and N2.5 billion for the Economic Growth and Recovery Plan (EGRP). The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Apkabio called for proper implementation of the budget, particularly the capital component, which constitutes about 30 per cent on the entire budget. “The implementation of the 2016 budget fell short of what we have done before. If we wonder why investors are not coming in, if we put more money in capital projects, the investors would come. I hope by 2018, we would have capital expenditure of 40 or 45 per cent,” he said. Akpabio also urged the executive not to make political affiliations of states a consideration for budgetary releases, “so that every state would feel the impact of the budget”. “When the elections are over, governance starts,” Akpabio said. Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) congratulated Senate President Bukola Saraki and House Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara for opening up the budget of the National Assembly.

14.9bn N31.4bn N49bn N2.4bn N9.6bn N261.7m N12.6bn N4.3bn N391m N125bn

“When I saw copies of the (legislative) budget this morning, I saw that the budget is not just open, but explicitly open,” he said. Melaye added that the 2017 federal budget was a departure from the absence of details that used to characterise the budgeting process in Nigeria, “as every detail and item on the spending bill would be accessible to Nigerians”. He also called on the president to present the 2018 budget on time, to ensure its timely passage. “We pray there would be periodic releases to make sure the impact is felt in full,” he added. After the remarks on the budget, the lawmakers transmitted the document to the presidency yesterday for presidential assent. Presiding, the Senate President lauded the Committees on Appropriation and Finance for the work on the budget, stating: “This is the first time we had a public hearing as part of the process for the 2017 Appropriation Act; the level of engagement and contributions of the civil society have played a part in making this budget a different and remarkable one. “Another first we achieved was seeing that the line-byline details of the budget were laid down along with the bill. Again, this is a great achievement on our part and I commend you all. “Another first we have achieved is making the budget of the National Assembly available to the public which has been an issue for a long time. “I am very proud of what we have been able to achieve and we do hope that with this budget of recovery, we believe has reflected equity. “It has ensured efficiency

and adequate resources to all relevant sectors, which will go a long way in helping Nigerians to come out of the economic recession and create growth.” Saraki also commended the executive for the co-operation and consultations with the legislature during the budgetary process, adding that this was a remarkable difference from 2016 budgetary process. He also commended the executive for the level of implementation of the 2016 budget, and expressed hope that there would be improvement in the implementation of the 2017 budget. “As for preparing for 2018, it is clear that the minimum of three to four months is required, in order to be able to do a good job, and that is why we are appealing to the executive to ensure that by end of September at the latest, we can get the 2018 budget so that we can keep to the December or January passage,” Saraki added. After the budget’s passage, the Special Adviser to the President, National Assembly (Senate), Senator Ita Enang expressed appreciation to the federal legislature for the

“ground breaking” passage of the budget. Speaking with newsmen, he also lauded what he described as the commendable working relationship between both arms of government in the course of the budgetary process. Enang however declined to comment on the budget details, saying he could only do so after the transmitted budget has been considered by the executive. In the House, members responded with a voice vote of “carried”, when Dogara read out each budget item and clause. However, there was a brief uproar and objection to the vote for the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) when N51.93 billion was announced for it. The lawmakers, who are obviously swayed by emotions especially by recent controversy in the office, felt the amount was too much for the office. But their objection was ignored, as the Speaker overruled them and moved on to other items, paving the way for the budget’s passage in the House.

OSINBAJO: BUHARI TREATS ME LIKE A SON Katsina, Dr. Abdulmumini Usman, said he cherished his relationship with Buhari in the last two years because he does not only treat him like a brother but also like a son. “The president has been treating me as a brother. In fact, the president has taken me as a son in the way he treats me. “Going by the amount of responsibilities the president has given me, it shows that he seriously believes that we can live as brothers in this country. “He seriously believes in the unity of Nigeria. I pray the Lord will preserve our president to continue to lead us just as the nation has voted him to do so. “One of the reasons why I feel very much at home in Katsina State is because this is the home of President Muhammadu Buhari who has taken me more like a brother. “In fact, sometimes more like a son than his vice president,” he said. He explained that the idea of the MSMEs clinic was the administration’s design to close the gap between small businesses and relevant federal government regulatory agencies such as National Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Corporate Affairs Commission

(CAC), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Bank of Industry (BOI), and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), so that the agencies can become facilitators of businesses and not obstacles to business development. Speaking on the president’s conviction about the clinic, he said: “When he gave the 2017 budget speech in December 2016, the president said the central vision of our government is to grow everything that we would eat Continued on page 9

TOP GAINERS NGN NGN FORTEOIL 4.68 50.41 ETI 0.86 9.41 CCNN 0.46 5.12 MAYBAKER 0.11 1.28 CADBURY 0.90 10.65 TOP LOSERS NGN NGN SEPLAT 41.43 383.57 BOCGASES 0.17 3.35 CONTINENTAL 0.06 1.24 LEARNAFRICA 0.04 0.85 WAPIC 0.02 0.52 HPE Nestle Nig Plc ₦800.00 Volume: 801.075 million shares Value: N7.821 billion Deals: 6,481 As at 11/5/17 See details on Page 43

% 10.2 10.0 9.8 9.4 9.2 % 9.7 4.8 4.6 4.4 3.7

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017

STARTERS

Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe ‘Not Asleep Just Resting His Eyes’ Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe is not asleep when he closes his eyes for long periods during meetings but is resting his eyes, his spokesman has said. “The president cannot suffer bright lights,” George Charamba was quoted as saying by the state-run Herald newspaper. Mugabe, 93, has been seen apparently sleeping at several events, leading to speculation about his fitness. He intends to stand in presidential elections next year. The president is currently receiving specialised medical treatment for his eyes in Singapore. “I feel like a failure when there is this reading that the president is sleeping in conferences - no,” Charamba said. He then compared Mugabe to the anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, whose eyes were sensitive to flash photography following years of working in a limestone quarry while imprisoned on Robben Island. President Mugabe’s foreign trips are often criticised in Zimbabwe, where healthcare has declined in recent years and medical professionals say they are poorly paid.

as 35 States Pool N801.95bn in 2016 Lagos State has topped the list of states with the highest IGR in 2016 as NBS released the figures at state level between January and December last year. Page 10

By the time Shuaibu Amodu died as NFF technical director last year, the four-time former coach of the Super Eagles was being owed salaries for two months. Page 15

POLITICS Acting President or Coordinator of Govt’s Activities Did President Buhari intend to retain power to run the affairs of the country while on his sick bed in London, or are the power hawks in Aso Rock to blame for the deliberate choice of words… Page 17 Mugabe taking a midday nap

indigenous and home made products. In a video chat with popular producer, Alex Ozone while on an Ethiopian airline flight from Addis Ababa to Lagos, Obasanjo said he would like to be a part of the industry that has now taken Africa by storm. The former president further said he was committed to #TeamStreet industry after Ozone introduced some artistes to him onboard Ethiopia Air from Addis Ababa.

Obasanjo, in the video shared via Facebook, said: “Well, you have shown me the artist, manager and producer. “What job is left, I want to be part of you.” He was also seen with Nigerian artist, Skales who disclosed on his Instagram page @youngskales that Obasanjo has been initiated into the music industry. • Culled from Nigerian Eye

OSINBAJO: BUHARI TREATS ME LIKE A SON and to make everything we would use.” The statement said Osinbajo added that the newly launched Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (EGRP) places a high premium on the nation’s capacity to grow its export potential instead of continuing to depend on imports. He also said the focus of the plan was to develop “the capacity of Nigerians to do everything that we need internally; to become a net exporter of the various things that we are importing today”. He also explained that the federal government’s reason for the inauguration of the MSMEs clinic was to give small businesses the opportunity “to meet with the industry regulators, to talk to them and to hear their problems”. But just as the acting president spent the day in Katsina, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) yesterday in Kano counselled him to be wary of mischievous elements who are plotting to overheat the polity by taking advantage of the absence of the president to achieve dubious political goals. In a communiqué issued after its twoday emergency meeting in Kano, the NEF warned those seeking undeserved political advantage to desist from doing so. According to the communiqué, “The north is conscious of its obligations and rights and will not hesitate to discharge and defend them without reservations.” The communiqué which was jointly signed by the forum’s spokesman, Professor Ango Abdullahi and Deputy Leader, Chief Wantaregh Paul Unongo,

NEWS Expectedly, Lagos Tops IGR List

EDITORIAL NFF Must Put House in Order

Obasanjo Wants to Become a Music Producer, Distributor After reaching the zenith of his career in the Nigerian Army and ruling the country twice, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, probably bored with farming, has now set his sights on joining the music industry by promoting Nigerian music globally. OBJ, as he is fondly called, said he would like to be the main distributor of music. This may not be unconnected to his campaign for the patronage of

Two-Minute Briefing

added: “We (NEF) are aware that attempts are being made to exploit the absence of President Buhari to achieve dubious political goals.” The forum also advised Osinbajo to “exercise his responsibilities as he did in the past, with commitment, sensitivity, and respect for the constitution”. “We urge him to ignore mischief which seeks to pitch him against the president or the Nigerian people whose mandates they both exercise. “The task of governing the nation will continue uninterrupted until the return of President Buhari. We therefore appeal to all persons with responsibility to cooperate fully to sustain a united, focused and committed administration. “While commending the sterling contributions of Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara in providing the necessary leadership to stabilise the polity, we appeal to the executive and legislative arms of government to work together to pass the 2017 budget without further delay,” it added. The forum also aligned itself with the war against corruption in the country, stating: “We also expect that the war against corruption will not suffer a setback, and current investigations and activities will not be stalled due to the absence of President Buhari.” On the clamour for restructuring, the forum said the north was not afraid of the call to restructure the country, but

warned that the call for doing so has come with sentiments “which tend to create tension around our coexistence as a nation that is diverse and united”. “For the record, the forum wishes to state that the North welcomes honest and sincere discussions on all aspects of our existence, and remains available to engage any group to discuss and advance the nature of our union,” the group said. It went on to welcome the release of 82 Chibok schoolgirls and called for adequate attention to the rebuilding of the North-east ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency. The northern elders also commended the leadership of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State and charged “all persons who exercise leadership responsibilities to be sensitive to the fact that they need to work harder to reduce poverty, youth delinquency and unemployment”. The group said: “Northern governors in particular are reminded that they carry huge responsibilities to exercise their mandates which will expire in 2019. The forum stands ready to assist in improving good governance and accountable leadership.” The group also prayed for the return to full health of the president and commended his steadfast respect for the constitution in the manner he assigned responsibility to Osinbajo whenever he has had to travel abroad to seek medical treatment.

WEEKENDFILE ‘I Love Good Music’

BUSINESS Airports Upgrade May Cost FG N32 Billion An aviation sector expert has said that as much as N32billion would be required for upgrade of major Nigerian airports to operate 24 hours. Page 19

CITYSTRINGS A Senator’s Burden

One Plateau Senator has been rubbing minds with his constituents at town hall meeting seeking to know their needs, Seriki Adinoyi writes Page 40

INTERNATIONAL White House Unaware of Deputy Lawyer’s ‘Threat to Quit over Comey’ TheWhite House says it is unaware whether the deputy attorney general threatened to quit after he was blamed for the FBI chief’s sacking. Page 50

SPORTS AN Calls for Withdrawal of

Nigeria’s Contingent from Muslims Only Games CAN has condemned the participation of the country in the ongoing Muslims Only Islamic Solidarity Sports Games in Azerbaijan as illegal. Page 55

FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017• T H I S D AY

NEWS

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

Expectedly, Lagos Tops IGR List as 35 States Pool N801.95bn in 2016 Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja Lagos State has topped the list of states with the highest internally generated revenue (IGR) in 2016 as the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released the figures at state level between January and December last year. The state recorded the highest

figure of N302.42 billion in full year 2016, closely followed by Rivers State with N85.29 billion while Ebonyi State generated the lowest the IGR. The state generated N2.34 billion. However, Anambra State is yet to report its full year 2016 IGR figures. A total of N801.95 billion was

generated by 35 states that have reported their full year 2016 IGR figures0 and the revenue was generated across the following types – PAYE, Direct Assessment, Road Taxes, Revenue from Ministries, Departments and

Agencies (MDAs) and other taxes. Lagos, which is the fifth largest economy in Africa, had said last year that its plan was to generate N30 billion as its monthly IGR by 2017.

If that happens, it would garner a total of N360 billion this year, over N58 billion recorded last year. The state was generating N24.5 billion monthly as IGR.

About 71 per cent of last year’s budget for the state came from IGR. Despite its high IGR, Lagos also stands as the most highly indebted state with a domestic debt of over N300 billion.

Interest Groups Kept Nigeria’s Oil Sector From Growing, Says Kachikwu Chineme Okafor in Abuja

matter how mundane, to see how that idea can come to The Minister of State for fruition. Petroleum Resources, Dr. “So as many companies that Ibe Kachikwu, yesterday we can bring into this sector, said Nigeria’s oil and gas and any other sector for that industry had been locked down matter, in with respect to creating and kept from growing by a few employment, we will do that. interest groups for so long now. “During the offshore He, however, did not disclose technology conference, I the interests groups, but added announced the concept of that the federal government Project 100, which is trying to would work to take them out identify 100 Nigerians with of the sector, and make it work skill, capacity and the energy for the benefits of all Nigerian. required to make in-roads into Kachikwu stated this at the certain sectors. And I have told headquarters of the ministry the ministry to identify their in Abuja while receiving a handicaps and how we can report on the ‘New Nigerian help them to get to the finish Oil and Gas Sector Governance line. That’s something that I’m Policy’ that was put together going to be working on very by a group of professional seriously.” Nigerians in Diaspora known The minister noted that as the Aberdeen Contingent. Nigeria had limitless human He, however, explained that and material resources of his ministry was working hard international repute, adding, to unlock the sector, using the “when you have those resources, new policy programme - the you really would not understand 7BigWins, he recently launched. why this country shouldn’t do “The whole essence of this far better than what it has done.” 7BigWins is to point people In his remarks, a member of to opportunity layers lying the Aberdeen Contingent and in the system and also take a Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora collaborative responsibility to Organisation, Dr. Paul Eke, told help people who really want Kachikwu that over 70 Nigerian to play in the field. oil and gas professionals convened “The oil sector has been too a conference before coming out locked down by a few interest with the report that was presented groups for so long, positively to him. or negatively. But the time Eke stated that if has come to open it up to recommendations contained Nigerians,” said Kachikwu. in the report are implemented, He further stated: “We there would be significant have devoted ourselves to a improvement in the oil and level of openness because the gas sector in the short term. resource is not ours, we are just He added that the government gatekeepers in the management should be willing to collaborate of this resource, and so it is with professionals within and our responsibility to help every outside Nigeria to move the Nigerian who has an idea, no sector forward.

Court Remands INEC Staff in Prison for Receiving N111.5m Bribe Paul Obi in Abuja

conspiracy and money laundering to the tune of N 111.5 million. According to the EFCC Head Justice P. I. Ajaku of the Federal High Court in Benin-city, Edo of Media and Information, Wilson State, yesterday ordered the Uwujaren, “The defendants were Administrative Secretary of the docked for allegedly collecting the Independent National Electoral sum of N111, 500, 000 as bribe Commission (INEC), Delta State, during the weeks leading to the Uluocha Obi Brown, and a 2015 presidential election. “They are among the renowned legal practitioner and former President, Rotary over 100 INEC officials who Club, Benin-City, Percy Okojie, allegedly collected part of be remanded in prison custody. the $115million (N23billion) The duo were arraigned before disbursed by a former Minister the court by the Economic and of Petroleum Resources, Diezani during Financial Crimes Commission Alison-Madueke, (EFCC) on an eight-count the countdown to the 2015 amended charge, bordering on presidential election.

GATHERING FOR SECURITY SUMMIT

L-R: Minister of Iinterior, Lt. General Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd); Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III; Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi Ojaja II; Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar; and Obi of Owa and Chairman, Delta State Council of Traditional Rulers, Dr. Emmanuel O Efeizomor at the 2017 National Security Summit at the International Conference Centre in Abuja....yesterday GODWIN OMOIGUI.

FG: Chibok Girls to Reunite with Parents Next Week The 82 Chibok schoolgirls who were released after being held for more than three years by Boko Haram terrorists will be reunited with their parents next week, according to the Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan. Alhassan said the students’ parents would travel from Borno State to meet their daughters in Abuja. “Any parents who identified their children would be brought next week to see them,” she told AFP at the staff quarters of the Department of State Services (DSS). The 82 have been staying at the domestic intelligence agency facility on the outskirts of the city since their release in a prisoner swap deal last Saturday after months of negotiations.

The Islamist militants seized 276 girls in April 2014, triggering global condemnation and drawing attention to the bloody insurgency. Fifty-seven escaped in the immediate aftermath. Of the 219 who did not manage to flee, 106 have either been released or found, leaving 113 still missing. The First Lady, Aisha Buhari, whose husband, President Muhammadu Buhari, was elected on a pledge to defeat Boko Haram, met some of the Chibok girls last Wednesday. The girls, dressed in colourful traditional ankara print dresses, sang songs and danced in front of the cameras. The women’s affairs minister said the recently-released 82 girls would be reunited at another

facility in the capital with 24 of their classmates who were released or found last year. They will receive “psychosocial therapy” and “vocational training” to help them reintegrate into society. Campaign groups and families have criticised the government for keeping the previously released girls away from their parents but Alhassan said they were free to come and go from the centre. Most chose to stay in the capital, she added. The government goal is to have all the girls back in school at the start of the new academic year, she added, without specifying where. “I believe from now to September, these other ones

(the recently released 82 girls) would have stabilised and we will be able to take all of them back to school,” she said. Thousands of women and young girls have been abducted in the eight-year insurgency, which has left at least 20,000 people dead and displaced more than 2.6 million. The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, meanwhile indicated that talks with Boko Haram members about the release of the remaining 113 girls could pave the way for a possible end to the conflict. “We are looking beyond the release of these girls. We are looking at something much more comprehensive, which is the cessation of all hostilities,” he said.

2016 Budget: Works Gets Lion Share as FG Releases N1.2tn Capital Vote Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja As the capital component of the 2016 budget completed it cycle on May 5, 2017, the Ministry of Finance disclosed yesterday that it had so far released N1.2 trillion of the N3trillion capital vote to various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of the government. According to a statement issued by the Director of Information) on the ministry,

Mr. Salisu Na’Inna Dambatta, the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing received the largest allocation of N307,411,749,682, followed by Defence and Security, N171,900,597,013 and Transport /Aviation, N143,121,925,241. Others are Agriculture and Water Resources; Education and Health. The statement said the aforementioned MDAs accounted for 62 per cent of

total capital released, adding that the government had focused capital spend on priority sectors to stimulate economic activities and job creation. Quoting the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, the statement said: “Despite the challenges in 2016, the federal government was able to achieve fully cash-backed capital releases of N1.2 trillion, which is a reflection of our commitment to infrastructure

development.” The statement added that the capital releases exclude the capital element in releases to statutory agencies such as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the judiciary. As we go forward, the government intends to attract private capital to compliment government spending in these key areas, “ the statement added.

FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017• T H I S D AY

NEWS

Labour Threatens Nationwide Strike over Non-review of Minimum Wage The organised labour has threatened a nationwide strike if the government fails to begin process of reviewing the workers minimum wage, saying that Nigerian workers are hungry and legitimately angry. The National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), an affiliate body of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), issued the threat in Kaduna yesterday. Addressing journalists alongside NUTGTWN National President, Comrade John Adaji,

General Secretary of the union and Vice President, IndustriALL Global Union, Comrade Issa Aremu called on the Federal Government to urgently constitute a committee on the review of the current national minimum wage. The labour union, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) equally called on NLC and TUC to make urgent case for workers’ control of the country’s pension industry, saying pension fund is workers’ capital and should not be a play-ground to reward

Minna Agog as Babangida’s Daughter Marries Today Laleye Dipo in Minna All roads lead to Minna, the capital of Niger State today for the wedding of Halima, the last daughter of former military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd). She will be given out in marriage to a business man and Sarkin Sudan Gombe, Alhaji Awal Lawal Abdullahi. The couple would be joined by the Chief Imam of Minna, Alhaji Abu Fari, at the ceremony which would hold at the uphill mansion of the former military president. A former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), would preside as the ‘father of the day’ where prominent Nigerians from business community, political class and the academia would be in attendance.

It was gathered that all former first ladies, including Mrs. Patience Jonathan, Hajia Turai Yar’ Adua, Hajia Maryam Abacha and the incumbent first lady, Hajia Aisha Buhari, have signalled their intentions to attend the wedding. All hotels in Minna have been booked while finishing touches were being put to the facelift of the El-amin International School owned by Babangida’s family where the reception would take place. Security has also been beefed up within and around the residence of the former military president and all venues that would be used during the wedding. Ladies luncheon was scheduled for the Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference Centre in the state capital yesterday.

Amosun Escapes Death as CBN Bullion Van Rams into Gov’s Convoy Sheriff Balogun in Abeokuta

Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, yesterday narrowly escaped death when a convoy of bullion vans belonging to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) rammed into his convoy on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Juwon Soyinka, the incident, which occurred around Ibafo, while the governor was travelling to Lagos for an official assignment, saw the CBN convoy damaging the escort vehicle in the governor’s convoy. He stated that the CBN convoy, driving dangerously, attempted to overtake the governor’s convoy without regards for the safety of other road users. According to him, on sensing danger, the governor’s escort commander used a public address system mounted on his vehicle to warn the CBN convoy to desist from such reckless driving. “Not only was the governor’s escort commander ignored, the CBN convoy drivers went ahead to crush his vehicle and subsequently went after

other vehicles in the governor’s convoy, including the governor’s official car, before they were brought to a halt by the security team attached to the governor,” he added. Reacting to the incident, he said Amosun noted that, “this is lawlessness and the height of impunity.” He added:, “If this could happen to a governor within his territory, you can imagine what they would do to our citizens who are simply going about their legitimate business.” Amosun expressed disappointment with the reckless manner in which the CBN bullion van convoy often conducts itself on the road and warned that such acts of impunity would not be tolerated within the borders of the state. “We will not allow such senseless and reckless behavior in Ogun State,” Amosun said. “This is not the first time the governor would have cause to personally caution reckless CBN convoy drivers in Ogun State. On several occasions, the Ogun State Governor had to personally turn back reckless CBN bullion van drivers who often drive against traffic, with impunity, on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway,” he added.

failed politicians. Aremu said: “As demonstrated by workers during the May Day in Abuja, Nigeria risks national industrial crisis except governments at all levels give due attention to the critical issue of compensation of workers. Hungry workers are legitimately angry workers. Nigerian workers are not only hungry but legitimately angry. “We commend both the Senate and the House of Representatives for their respective facilitating roles to address the current issue of national minimum wage. However, the responsibility lies squarely with President Muhammadu Buhari ably being represented by Vice President Osinbajo. “National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2011 which offers the current N18,000 was for a 5-year cycle due for review

in 2015. The five-year time limit was to avoid minimum wage stagnation and attendant seemingly increases that follow. In UK minimum wage is reviewed yearly. Today it is £7.5 per hour, about N37,000 per day! “Long before the current recession, Nigeria workers have long been in depression. With Naira devaluation and high inflation, 2010 negotiated national minimum wage of N18,000 which was about $120 in 2010 has fallen to below $50 in 2017 worsening income poverty. Nigeria cannot get out of recession with poorly paid work-force,” the labour leader said. He opined however that, “the best way to reinflate the economy is through wage increase linked with productivity improvement and prompt payment of the existing salaries

by states and local governments. “President Buhari should therefore urgently constitute the tripartite committee on the review of the current national minimum wage within a short time-limit,” he urged. On the pension matter, the textile union leader said, NUTGTWN as an affiliate of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and a critical stakeholder in the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) was concerned with recent developments in the pension industry, adding that, Nigeria’s pension industry risks avoidable crisis following the recent abrupt termination of the appointment of Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu, former Director General of PenCom and appointment of Dikko Aliyu Abdulrahman as new Director General by President Buhari subject to confirmation by the Senate. According to him, “labour

observes that the termination of a tenured appointment flouts the provision of the Pension Reform Act 2014. President Buhari is an acknowledged respecter of due process as witnessed by the way he has managed to transmit delegation to Acting President Osinbajo as required by 1999 Constitution. The health of pension assets is no less important than the health of the President. The Presidency should therefore NOT casualise appointments of DG of critical pension institution like PENCOM. “With this new development both the NLC and TUC must make urgent case for workers’ control of the country’s pension industry. Indeed pension fund is workers’ capital and should not be a play-ground to reward failed politicians. What is at stake is the life of millions of working women and men after meritorious service to the nation,” said Aremu.

CELEBRATING WOMEN

L-R: Wife of the former President of Nigeria, Professor Uche Nnamdi Azikiwe: former First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan; Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike; and his wife, Eberechi, during the Women’s Day at the state Golden Jubilee Celebration in Port Harcourt.....yesterday

We’ll Soon Tackle Challenges Confronting Police, Osinbajo Promises Paul Obi in Abuja The Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday said Nigeria would soon tackle all the challenges confronting the police force in the task of providing adequate internal security around the country. Osinbajo stated this at the 2017 National Security Summit with a theme: ‘Forging Partnerships for Effective Strategies to Curb the Menace of Kidnapping, Recurring Farmers- Herders Clashes and Criminality in Nigeria’ held in Abuja. The acting president who was represented by the Minister of Interior, Gen Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd) stressed that every great nation must pay attention to security. Osinbajo added that the resolving farmers and herders clashes which is at the front burner of insecurity, remains a cardinal objective of the administration.

“There is improved security especially in the North-east. We are now face with rural banditry which has post a security threat. “Security management is for the entire populace. We are partnering multinational organisations to improve the security of our country. It is our duty to improve the safety of our citizens,” Osinbajo said . He maintained that the newly launched national security plan will help create the synergy among security agencies needed to combat crime and other forms of terrorism. “I want to assure the Nigeria Police Force of our administration support in line with global practices. The man-power shortages is been tackled with the recruitment of 10,000 policemen. “Let me call on all to intensify their efforts in making Nigeria a safe place. We can confidently deliver a secured country,” the acting president said.

Inspector General of Police (IG), Ibrahim Idris, also disclosed that for Nigeria to meet up the United Nations requirement of one police officer to 400 people, Nigeria police needs to recruit additional 135,000 officers in order to effectively provide security for Nigeria’s estimated population of 182 million. “Consequently, if this requirement is taken into consideration, the Force needs to recruit at least 31,000 police officers yearly for the period of at least five years from now,” Idris stated. Also, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitàn Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, harped on the strategic role of traditional rulers in combating insecurity. He said: “We have been discussing about security issues in this country. I think we need to pay more particular attention to investing in morals, very strong moral values, equity and invest

more in the strength of our diversity. “If we focus more on those critical issues in our dear country, the many and other security challenges we are having will not be this much. We should ask ourselves this questions: “Why are people aggrieved, why are they frustrated? Why are they going out of the confines of the law to engage in some certain things? Are we all just? Are we fair in our dealings across board as a country? Are we taking sides? Why are the other party grieved?,” the Ooni asked. “These are critical issues we should all look at in this country. If we focus more on these fundamental issues, we will not have all the issues we are having right now. “If we invest more on our diversity, which is our greatest strength in the country, that we should know that our diversity is our greatest strength.”

FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017• T H I S D AY

NEWS

Delta Lawmakers Impeach Speaker, Majority Leader

Sheriff Oborivworio is new Speaker, Osanebi remains Deputy Speaker

Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba There was a political drama at the Delta State House of Assembly yesterday, when the Speaker, Hon Monday Igbuya, representing Sapele Constituency in the assembly, was impeached by the state lawmakers. Hon Sheriff Oborivwori, representing Okpe constituency in the assembly, was immediately announced and duly took office as the new Speaker. The Majority Leader of the assembly, Hon Tim Owhefere, representing Isoko North constituency, was also impeached and replaced by the lawmakers. Hon. Johnson Erijo, representing Isoko South II constituency, was elected as the new Majority Leader of the assembly. Meanwhile, A three-month suspension was also slammed on the impeached speaker while the deposed Majority Leader was suspended indefinitely. Igbuya’s impeachment, which was perfected following a notice signed by 22 members of the assembly, was carried out at the sitting of the members at the hallowed chambers of the assembly which took place as early as 6a.m yesterday. The meeting lasted for about 30 minutes and was attended by the members who moved against Igbuya and the Clerk of the assembly, Mrs. Lunda Ocholor, who was allegedly practically dragged off her early morning exercise still wearing her sportswear. The plenary was presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Hon Friday Osanebi, with both the clerk and Sergeant-at-arm, the custodian of the mace of authority, in attendance. Upon reconvening for the day’s business, Hon. Alphonsus Ojo, representing Ukwuani constituency, said the opening prayer, and subsequently, Mr. Johnson Erijo wielding a list of members and coming under matters of urgent public importance, moved for the removal of Igbuya as Speaker. Erijo said Igbuya’s removal was necessitated by incompetence of the now impeached speaker, “highhandedness and his unacceptable leadership style.” The motion was seconded by Mr. Peter Onwusanya, representing Oshimili South, and subsequently adopted unanimously, following which the Deputy Speaker who presided called for nomination of the new speaker. Hon. Peter Onwusanya then nominated Hon Sheriff Oboriowori, Okpe constituency, seconded by Hon Daniel Mayuku, Warri South West, while Hon Efe Ofobruku, Uvwie, nominated Hon Eric Oharisi, Ughelli North two, seconded by Hon Daniel Yingi, Burutu one. The second nominee, Eric Oharisi, then announced his stepping down for the first nominee, Oborivwori, who he

described as an elder brother, commending the members that nominated him. The Deputy Speaker then put the nomination of Oborivwori, who is from Delta Central as Igbuya, to vote and it was also unanimously carried. Oborivwori, was immediately sworn to relevant oaths of office and allegiance as Speaker by the Clerk of the assembly, Mrs. Lyna Ocholor. In his acceptance speech, the new Speaker promised to adhere strictly to the rules of the assembly, saying as the first among equals, he will accord

every member his due respect. He added that he would not allow the integrity of the assembly to be depleted and called for the support of the assembly. Oboriowori, immediately announced the dissolution of all standing committees of the assembly and this was followed by Onwusanya rising again to ask for the removal of Owhefere as the Majority Leader; then nominated Johnson Erijo as the new Majority Leader. The motion was seconded by Hon Peter Uviejitobor, representing Udu constituency.

The new Majority Leader, Erijo, upon moving to his new seat, then moved for the suspension of the impeached Speaker and Majority Leader for three months. The motion was seconded by Oharisi, Ughelli North 2 and was unanimously adopted. THISDAY however learnt that the plot to remove Igbuya as Speaker has been long in the works, with at least three aborted attempts made previously to impeach him. Some members of the assembly, including Erijo, Mrs. Pat Ajudua, Mr. Reuben Izeze

and Azuka Azaka, were at a time suspended for undisclosed reasons but which political observers believed was due to attempts to unseat Igbuya. Meanwhile, the assembly eventually adjourned sitting to May 23, 2017. Afterwards, the members then moved to Government House to immediately present the new Speaker and new Majority Leader to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, who many believe was most likely in the know as to the plot to unseat Igbuya. Meanwhile, two members of the assembly, earlier touted as

possible successors to Igbuya, Miss Erhiatke Ibori, who is the daughter of ex-Governor James Ibori, representing Ethiope West, and Izeze, representing Ughelli South, were reportedly dropped for immaturity and youthful exuberance respectively. Nonetheless, there was unusual jubilation at the premises of the assembly following news of the impeachment of Igbuya with some members and workers openly pumping champagne and dancing to imaginary drumbeats.

T H I S D AY FRIDAY MAY 12, 2017

COMMENT

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

PETER OBI AND ONE WRISTWATCH Ikeogu Oke clarifies Obi’s reference to his 17-year-old wristwatch

uring his appearance on April 29, 2017, at The Platform – a forum organised by the Covenant Christian Centre, Lagos – where he spoke on the topic “The Nigerian Economy” – Mr. Peter Obi, a former Governor of Anambra State, made a claim that, expectedly, became a focus of unusual public interest.

The claim, voiced while tapping at his wristwatch during a question and answer session that followed his speech proper, is: “This is the only watch I have; I have owned it for 17 years.” It was the second edition of The Platform and Obi’s second invitation to speak at the forum, apparently an indication that the organisers were quite impressed with his first outing. The compere actually reinforced this impression by making reference to “his widely shared presentation at the last platform” while introducing him to the audience, hinting that the road of The Platform had been so good for the speaker, his audience and the organisers as to warrant their travelling it twice. And as Obi’s Igbo people would say, “Uzo di nma a gaa ya nga n’abuo”: “If a road is good, we travel it twice.” Obi, who confessed to not being “a professor of economics” and said he would prefer to speak as “a trader” – suggesting a hands-on participation in activities related to the topic – spoke on the need to “invest in education” and the benefits of “patronising Nigerian businesses” and “made-in-Nigeria” products. He also spoke on the importance of developing a Nigerian version of “a knowledge economy”, noting that “that’s where the future in going”, and cited Apple, Facebook, Amazon, etc., as examples of privately owned businesses or corporate ventures thriving in the knowledge economy of their home country whose new worth rivals Nigeria’s oil-dependent economy. With this comparison he hinted at how much the Nigerian economy can be improved by cultivating its knowledge sector. Obi had promised to concentrate his speech on the issues of “borrowing, savings, education and employment”. Elaborating on this, he noted – with a hint of condemnation – the Nigerian tendency to ignore “the achievable we have around us” while hankering for the exotic. He noted that when you don’t have savings you have no option but to borrow, apparently justifying some borrowing by the current government to tide the country over a recession. But he also wondered if we are borrowing out of necessity or somewhat gratuitously to spend on things we can do without. With this he served food for thought to his audience which included the Minister of Finance, Ms. Kemi Adeosun. Citing various examples in a speech anchored largely on pragmatics, he emphasised that the country should judiciously spend its borrowed funds to provide such basic facilities as good roads and functional airports rather than pursue such relatively costlier and less realisable ventures as the construction of multiple airport terminals (even in poorly functioning airports) and super highways. He summed up the part of his speech that focussed on savings with the remark: “No nation can survive without savings”, throwing into relief the current economic hardship in the country following the fall in the

THE REMARKABLE THING IS THE RARE FIDELITY OF HIS HAVING KEPT FAITH WITH ONE WRISTWATCH FOR SO LONG, MAINTAINING IT IN A WORKING CONDITION FOR 17 YEARS IN A COUNTRY WITH VIRTUALLY NO MAINTENANCE CULTURE

price of oil, which has been blamed on the country’s profligate past and its inability to save in a time of prosperity. In all, Obi’s speech and responses during the question and answer session drew enough plaudits from the audience to justify drawing the conclusion that they were well received. But at the heels of his appearance came, quite understandably, insinuations that he lied in his claim about the wristwatch, which seemed like a fly in the ointment of his remarkable outing. And soon images of him seemingly wearing other wristwatches, and apparently originating within the past 17 years, were being circulated on social media. I think such insinuations are understandable because Nigerians have had such a rough deal with unreliable leaders that they should scrutinise the claims of anyone whom they perceive as aspiring to a leadership position – as may be the case with Obi – as a means determining their permissibility to occupy leadership positions. And being found to have lied could serve as a warning sign of such potential leader’s lack of credibility. However, even with such seemingly contradictory images, it would be wrong to draw the conclusion that Obi’s wristwatch claim was not true unless it could be proven that he owned any other wristwatch at the moment he made that claim or had not owned that particularly one for 17 years. While not ruling other possible interpretations of the claim, as a student of semantics I can say that it can be rightly interpreted to mean that he might have owned other wristwatches together with that one in the past 17 years, but that was the only one left. And so digging up images where he seemed to wear other wristwatches or actually did in the past 17 years would not translate into his having lied. And the remarkable thing would be the rare fidelity of his having kept faith with one wristwatch for so long, maintaining it in a working condition for 17 years in a country with virtually no maintenance culture, and its reflection on his character as a frugal and dependable leader. In fact, the insinuation that he lied may be a reflection of the need for those behind it to interpret statements with greater rigour, reading between the lines, and not rush to conclusion. This hasty and defective reaction is similar to the one that trailed President Muhammadu Buhari’s remark about two years ago. The president had remarked that now that he was 72 there was a limit to what he could do. Then a section of the Nigerian public and the media interpreted this a confession that he was too old to govern. But they ignored or did not see the possibility of interpreting it, I think more appropriately, as the president revealing that there were perhaps wrong things he might have been inclined to do as a younger person which he could no longer do at 72. Indeed, with such and any statement, it behoves us as intelligent and fair-minded citizens to explore the path to their understanding and interpretation to the limits before taking a critical or supportive stance in relation to them. Oke, a poet and public affairs analyst, wrote from Abuja

AMBODE’S CLEANER LAGOS INITIATIVE (2)

overnor Ambode said that sanitation will now be a daily affair in the state while the CSWs would be deployed in every ward across the state. He also said that an annual Public Utility Levy (PUL) would be introduced to replace all service fees previously paid to the waste management authorities, adding that the public was carried along in determining the rates, which according to him is relatively low. “The PUL will be a major contribution to the state’s ongoing efforts to address severe challenges that are unique to Lagos because of rising urbanisation. The money will be held in the Environmental Trust Fund and managed meticulously by a Board of SEC regulated trustees. The trustees are under strict obligations to the people of Lagos and will be accountable to the people for every naira we spend in line with our overall environmental agenda. Compliance is the key. The burden of the cost of providing these services will remain low if everyone does their part and pays their PUL. The new law mandates the Lagos State Waste Management Agency (LAWMA) to review and regulate all waste management activities within the state. It has also rebranded the sanitation police – Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) – and gave a new identity – Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LASECORPS). The agency will be saddled with the responsibility of monitoring and maintaining surveillance on the highways, streets, public drainages, canals, markets and parks. It will also have the primary

The new initiative is for the good of all, writes Taiwo Ogundipe

role of ensuring that citizens fulfil their civic duty by paying the public utilities levy. The PUL is a property-based charge payable by tenements for the management of solid and liquid waste, waste water and environmental intervention for the state. It is an annual charge that will take effect as the rollout commences and will replace all service fees previously paid to the waste management authorities. Other facets of the law include zero tolerance for street trading. The law stipulates that: “It is an offence to engage in street trading on the major highways and streets of Lagos and sell in an unapproved market in Lagos while every owner, tenant and occupier of any shop, kiosks, space or stall in any market within the state shall, on a regular basis, ensure the cleanliness of his space.” Also to ensure sparkling streets and a dirt-free environment, the initiative stipulates that commercial vehicles operating within the metropolis must carry litter bins to discourage indiscriminate dumping of waste from the vehicle. The law declares: “If the driver fails to provide the litter bin, the driver will also be penalised alongside the passenger or the occupier of the vehicle who commits the offence.” The new law is also waging war on illegal structures as relevant government agencies have been empowered to clamp down on all illegal structures. House and kiosks built on sewage systems and drainage alignments are to be demolished in this regard. The law also stipulates that the office of

drainage services will henceforth approve boreholes and any other structure connected with water supply. The newly promulgated law also addresses the menace of toxic waste, smoke-emitting vehicles and generators. No person or group of persons shall dump over any toxic waste capable of causing harm in the state and all emissions from vehicles, plants and equipment including generating plants in residential, commercial and industrial areas within the state must mandatorily meet air emission standard. Similarly, the new law will ensure that no manufacturing of chemicals, lubricants, petroleum products, gases, quarry, cement (except for those used in construction), takes place in a residential premise. The law prescribed that any manufacturer of such items will procure an insurance policy from an approved insurance company. Also, under the law, every owner or occupier of a facility who uses, stores, keeps and maintains underground storage tanks and surface storage tanks shall register such tanks with the enforcing authority while a facility monitoring and inspection exercise shall be carried out on all sites with surface or underground tanks periodically to determine the integrity of the facility involved while the soil test of the immediate environment shall be carried out as required. The governor declared: “We will make chief executive officer (CEOs) accountable, from the very top to the bottom, and the law is very specific about the consequences of noncompliance.”

According to him, there would be no compromise on the application and implementation of the new policy .He admonished: “Compliance is the key. The burden of the cost of providing these services will remain low if everyone does his or her part and pays the public utilities levy.” He warned: “With the repositioned LASECORPS, we will work within the community to enforce the new laws. The state will have a zero-tolerance policy for offenders because disregarding payment of your PUL or flouting the new regulations ultimately promotes activities that lead to the loss of lives. We have worked closely with the public in determining the rates and have succeeded in keeping this levy relatively low.” The initiative indicates that LASECORPS’s performance evaluations and remuneration will also be tied directly to the number of actionable fines they issue for non-compliance. The sanitation corps will be supported by the PUMAU. Defaulters of these laws will face stiff penalties, including payment of fines, ranging from N250, 000 to N5, 000,000 and/or imprisonment. According to the governor, the state will have a zero-tolerance policy for offenders because simply put, disregarding payment of your PUL or flouting the new regulations ultimately promotes activities that lead to the loss of lives. He declared: “The primary driver of the new bill and the initiatives that we have undertaken is not just cosmetic but to save lives. Therefore, we will unapologetically prosecute offender to the full extent of the law.” Ogundipe wrote from Lagos

T H I S D AY •FRIDAY MAY 12, 2017

EDITORIAL NFF MUST PUT HOUSE IN ORDER

The football authorities must ensure prompt payment of salaries

y the time Shuaibu Amodu died as the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) technical director last year, the four-time former coach of the Super Eagles was being owed salaries for two months. Even at that, given his previous experience, that was not such a big deal. It has become a tradition in the NFF not to pay the salaries of whoever coaches the Super Eagles until the issue becomes a national scandal. From Adegboyega Onigbinde to Clemens Westerhoff to Bonfrere Jo and Stephen Keshi, it took a national campaign for their salaries to be paid, sometimes by the presidency. It is therefore noteworthy that amid another of such scandal, the NFF got huge cash back up when a local energy company recently offered it a juicy sponsorship package valued at N2.5 billion. Indeed, the contract that was expected to be activated last week could be likened to Manna from heaven as it will enable officials to deploy part of the proceeds to the indemnification of wages of national coaches, including the Super Eagles manager, Gernot Rohr. The Rohr treatment NIGERIA CANNOT AFFORD has been a public ANY DISTRACTION IN THE discourse of recent PURSUIT OF THE GOAL TO after it emerged that REDEEM THE FLAPPING the Franco-German, FORTUNES OF THE who arrived the NATIONAL TEAM country last year, to handle the national team, was owed a staggering sum of $141,000, representing his salaries for the last three months. As it has been the habit of the NFF board, but against international standards, the official excuse was that the Glasshouse was flat broke. But such a reason for failing to fulfil contractual obligations to Rohr, his technical back up staff and the other coaches that constitute the national teams, has become untenable. We therefore hope that the NFF will work towards putting its house in order. Until the injection of funds by Aiteo Group which has

Letters to the Editor

sealed a five-year partnership with the football federation, genuine worries about the likely effects which the indebtedness to Rohr would have on the fortunes of the national team had been well expressed by concerned stakeholders. But the football authorities must be able to put an end to what has become an emblem of shame for our country.

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, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU GROUP FINANCE DIRECTOR OlUFEMI ABOROWA DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS pETER IWEGBU, FIDElIs ElEMA, 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 DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION ChUKs ONWUDINJO TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

s things stand, Nigeria cannot afford any distraction in the pursuit of the goal to redeem the flapping fortunes of the national team that has hit a barren patch in recent time, climaxing in the non-qualification for the last Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon in January. Come June, the Super Eagles will engage perennial rivals, South Africa in a crucial tie, leading to the Nations Cup in 2019, while in August/ September, the team will play the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in home and reverse ties in their quest to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. It is noteworthy that there has been remarkable transformation in the fortunes, attitude and style of the national team since the arrival of Rohr, who notably was once in charge of the national teams of Gabon, Niger and Burkina Faso. Nigeria has been unbeaten under his watch and are currently ranked 40th in FIFA monthly world ranking. They are also fancied to top their qualifying group comprising Cameroon, Zambia and Algeria in the race to Russia. It is in this regard that NFF and the Ministry of Sports must work in tandem with the federal government to ensure that the issues of under-funding of the national team that has endured like cancer is nipped and not allowed to constitute a distraction. Indeed the burden of organising competitions across all strata of the national teams in addition to fluctuating exchange rates have had some consequence on the effective running of football by the federation. But as the body that organises the game, the onus is on NFF to ensure accountability by developing programmes that will attract corporate support and funding.

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SOUTH EAST AND VOTER REGISTRATION

he ongoing exercise of enlisting validly qualified Nigerians as prospective voters by the independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must be implemented with all sense of decency and patriotism. This is because of the primacy of the voter’s card to the electoral process in the country and because there is just no how a citizen can be deemed eligible to vote if he\she does not have a valid voter’s card. During the headship of Professor Attahiru Jega, there were proven cases of systematic exclusion of voters from the south under dubious guises to an extent that millions of potential voters cried foul that the electoral panel has deliberately disenfranchised them prior to the 2015 poll. The immediate past hierarchy of INEC totally messed up the voters’ registration exercise to such ridiculous extent that hundreds- of- thousands of so-called permanent voter cards were hoarded in the offices of the electoral commission whilst hundreds -of -thousands if not millions of potential voters were disenfranchised. The Professor Attahiru Jega-led INEC so destroyed the efficacy of seamless voters registration exercise to the extent that Nigerians who could not withstand the elements such as the burning sunlight resorted to hiring mercenaries to stand on the long queues for them pending when it is their turn to be so enrolled. In Abuja some prospective voters seeking to register with the electoral commission even went as far as hiring street urchins from Niger and Chad to stand on the lines for them. Voter registration exercise under the last dispensation was so inelegant that suspicions grew that there were plots to scheme out certain segments of the population from exercising their constitu-

tionally guaranteed right to vote and be voted for. There were insinuations that the then chairman of INEC who hails from Jigawa State deliberately frustrated the south from obtaining the voter cards as a way of conferring advantage on a presidential candidate from the north. Again, the INEC is conducting a continuous voter registration exercise and allegations have surfaced that in the South-East of Nigeria the officials of the electoral commission have deliberately introduced bureaucratic obstacles to frustrate eligible and prospective voters from enlisting their details for the purposes of being issued their valid voter cards. There are allegations that the officials doing the registration are demanding the production of valid national identity or international passports before accepting to carry out their statutory duty. Other officials are said not to have been given the necessary tools for work even as the officials of the same commission in the north are said to have more working tools as underage voters are being captured and issued voter cards as I write. This obstacle placed in the way of prospective voters must be dismantled because apart from the fact that it is unconstitutional, it is discriminatory because in other parts of the federation those who have showed up to be registered are not being required to possess valid national or international passports. By the way, where does INEC expect prospective voters in the South- east to afford the extravagant costs of obtaining international passports? Moreover, registration for national identity cards have never been seamlessly accessible to all those residing at the rural communities. Section 12(1) of the Electoral Act, as spells out the qualification for registration to vote for all Nigerians: “A person shall be

qualified to be registered as a voter if such person- (a) a citizen of Nigeria; (b)has attained the age of 18 years; (c) is ordinarily resident, works in, originates from the local government area council or ward covered by the registration centre; (d) presents himself to the registration officers of the commission for registration as a voter and (e) is not subject to any legal incapacity to vote under any law, rule or registration in force in Nigeria. Section 17 (1) of the Nigerian constitution provides as follows; “one, the state’s social order is founded on ideals of freedom, equality and justice. Subsection (2)(a) of this section affirmed that “ In furtherance of the social order- every citizen shall have equality of rights, obligations and opportunities before the law”. Section 42(1) of the constitution absolutely prohibits such practice of discrimination when it averred thus: “ A citizen of Nigeria of a particular community, ethnic group, place of origin, sex, religion or political opinion shall not, by reason only that he is such a person:- (a) be subjected either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any executive or administrative action of the government, to disabilities or restrictions to which citizens of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religions or political opinions are not made subject; or (b) be accorded either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any such executive or administrative action, any privilege or advantage that is not accorded to citizens of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religions or political opinions. Two, no citizen of Nigeria shall be subjected to any disability or deprivation merely by reason of the circumstances of his birth”. Emmanuel Onwubiko, head, Human rights writers Association of Nigeria

T H I S D AY FRIDAY MAY 12, 2017

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017

POLITICS

Group Politics Editor Tobi Soniyi Email tobi.soniyi@thisdaylive.com 08033146139 SMS ONLY

PERSONALITY FOCUS

Acting President or Coordinator of Govt’s Activities Did President Muhammadu Buhari intend to retain power to run the affairs of the country while on his sick bed in London, or are the power hawks in Aso Rock to blame for the deliberate choice of words in the president’s letter to the National Assembly? Whichever way one looks at it, something sinister may be in the offing, writes Shola Oyeyipo

he Nigerian political system is quite intriguing. It is equally difficult to understand why those in the corridor of power take certain actions. Sometimes, the political elites act with absolute impunity. They sometimes take Nigerians for granted. The latest in the many ‘government magic’ as late Nigerian Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti put it in one of his very critical songs is that rather than name Vice President Yemi Osinbajo acting president as he did during the three previous medical vacations, for reasons best known to him, President Muhammadu Buhari curiously announced Osinbajo as ‘Coordinator of Government’s activities’ while he went abroad for medical treatment. The new nomenclature for the vice president was contained in the letter the president sent to the Senate to intimate the lawmakers of his fourth medical leave. This time around, many fear that the Nigerian leader may be staying much longer than he did in the past as the president had said that his stay in the United Kingdom where he headed Sunday night after receiving the 82 rescued Chibok girls after three years in Boko Haram captivity, would be determined by his doctors. The uproar that ensued in the Senate over the coinage of the titles, which was quelled by the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, the immediate reactions in the social media and the general public opinion as reflective in several public discussions and newsroom debates pointed to the fact that Nigerians smell foul play. Though, Saraki cleverly avoided the controversies that would have ensued had he allowed some of his colleagues who expressed discomfort over the title contained in the letter to have their way, the presidency has more job on its hand to convince Nigerians on what the ailing president meant by naming Osinbajo coordinator instead of simply calling him acting president as he did before, something for which he got accolades from Nigerians. A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senator, representing Abia North, Mao Ohabunwa, was quick to note that it was not proper to name the vice president “coordinator” of the nation’s affairs. He questioned Saraki on the issue, arguing that Osinbajo should have been designated acting president but he was ruled out of order after the Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, noted that Buhari, cited Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution in his letter. According to section 145 “Whenever the president transmits to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, a written declaration that he is proceeding on vacation or that he is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office, until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such functions shall be discharged by the Vice-President as Acting President.” Senior lawyers, Olisa Agbakoba and Wole Olanipekun however said there was no cause for alarm. Both lawyers said Osinbajo remained the Acting President regardless of what the president wrote in his letter to the Senate. Olanipekun said that there was no question about it, Osinbajo is acting president. He stated that as long as the president transferred the letter in accordance with the provisions of the constitution, Osinbajo has become the Acting President. “Whether the president called him acting president or not, the

As an erudite professor of law himself, Osinbajo is not one person to be cowed or pushed around on any constitutional matter. Irrespective of whatever designation, Nigerians can be sure that he would rather stand in for the president in acting capacity as stipulated by Section 145 and nothing else. The only alternative for those who may be plotting the ‘coordinator’ agenda is to remove him as vice president.

Osinbajo….now a coordinator?

fact that he called him coordinator of activities of governent is immaterial, it is inferred that all powers vested in the president have been transferred to him.” Olanipekun however expressed a reservation saying that the country has yet to evolve. Agbakoba also agreed and advised Nigerians to focus on what is important and ignore trivialities. He said: “I think it is a matter of nomenclature. We should avoid unnecessary distractions. Am aware what the politicians were trying to do with the interpretation but that is not the issue Nigerians are interested in for now. “It is just semantics. It makes no difference. Let us not concentrate on trivial issues. The man is acting president. We wish the president well and also pray for Osinbajo to address the challenges of poverty, bad roads and joblessness in the country.” Good as that may be, tongues are wagging. There is suspicion everywhere and the questions is, why not leave Osinbajo as acting president? What does the new title mean? And who was uncomfortable with the vice president as acting president? Is it the president himself, the cabal as identified by the president’s wife when she spoke against some powerful forces she alleged were controlling the president? Or could it be the lawmakers? To assume that Nigerians are seeing through the lenses of those in power to understand why government took the decision to name Osinbajo ‘coordinator’ is perfidy and to have assumed that Nigerians will not be asking questions is also a big error because the vice president, in all the instances he stood in for Buhari, didi very well and got encomiums for some actions he took. When the news got to the public that the

new official tittle the vice president would have is coordinator of nation’s affairs as against acting president, the immediate reaction of a former deputy national chairman of the PDP, Chief Olabode George, was that it was the stock in trade of the All Progressives Congress (APC) but one of his political associates and a governorship aspirant in Lagos State, Mr. Uthman Shodipe was more expressive. To him, “They only want to turn the vice president to an errand boy; go and drop this file here, go and drop that file there.” As expected, reactions will continue to trail the issue even long after the president returns but in one of the most spontaneous reactions, a non-governmental organisation, Advocacy for Integrity and Economic Development (AIED), described the designation of Osinbajo as ‘coordinator of national affairs’ as a “desecration of the office of the president and a complete aberration.” The AIED Director of Research and Publicity, Mr. O’Seun John, accused the ‘cabal’ within the presidency of plotting to create confusion in the country by its continuous interference with the decision of the president. “We are extremely saddened with the content of President Buhari’s letter where he neglected tradition and voice of sanity to dance to the tune of political vampires by importing a lexicon alien to our constitution. While we are aware of the unambiguous provision of section 145, we are frightened by signals such as this on the peace and unity of our country. “The new designation of Osinbajo can only be interpreted to mean that Buhari does not trust him enough to act as the president in his absence. With this reality, we are now forced to ask: who does President Buhari truly recognise as the acting president?

“This act has put paid to any form of doubt that the powers controlling the affairs of the country have greater influence and perhaps, control than the vice-president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo”, AIED stated. However, fact is, as an erudite professor of law himself, Osinbajo is not one person to be cowed or pushed around on any constitutional matter. Irrespective of whatever designation, Nigerians can be sure that he would rather stand in for the president in acting capacity as stipulated by Section 145 and nothing else. The only alternative for those who may be plotting the ‘coordinator’ agenda is to remove him as vice president. In fact, checking through his tweeter handle, an important observation is that he had only retweeted those tweets that referred to him as acting president as at May 9, 2017. This can only reinforce in the minds of those who know Osinbajo pretty well that those working to redefine the Nigerian constitution in this circumstance are only joking. So, aside the fact that people are already noting that by complying with the provisions of Section 145, Buhari left Osinbajo as acting president, since there is nobody else named vice president and also since there cannot be a vacuum, the vice president’s mandate is to steer the affairs of the nation till the president returns, irrespective of whose ox is gored. The last time, he did it well. He put pep into leadership and made some dexterous political moves that many considered capable of providing the APC an inroad into the South-east and South-south regions where the party had hitherto been rejected. He embarked on peace and dialogue tour of the oil-rich Niger Delta region, which took him to Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Imo States, a move that reaffirmed government’s commitment to addressing the sufferings of the people of the region, where Nigeria gets its major income, he openly agreed that the region has been CONT’D ON NEXT PAGE

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017

POLITICS

PERSPECTIVE

Before Ambode’s Visit to Ajah Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has demonstrated his competence and commitment to the development of Lagos. However, his attention is urgently needed in Ajah where infrastructure is grossly inadequate, writes Don Adinuba

hile most government officials in Nigeria will take a day rest on May 29 to mark this year’s Democracy Day, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State will be at work. He will, among other things, commission the Ajah Bridge in Lekki Peninsula. A year and a half ago, Ambode was at Ajah roundabout to see for himself the traffic gridlock which had defined life in the Ajah axis and promised that the roundabout would in 18 months give way to an overhead bridge to ease traffic. Exactly 18 months later, he is coming to commission the bridge. Ambode is a promise keeper. He has stepped into the shoes of his predecessors, Lateef Jakande, Bola Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola. And Lagos is the better for it. The bad news is that the ease of traffic arising from the new bridge will last for just a few months. Like much of the peninsula, Ajah is a physical planning nightmare. For instance, there is only one road linking the whole of Ajah, Langbasa and Badore which have between them over 100 housing estates, with most occupied by those known as upward mobile families. People usually leave their homes well before 5am so as to get to their offices on Victoria Island before 8am. From Badore to Victoria Island used to take some 30 minutes. Not any more. Traffic in Ajah will be enhanced tremendously in the area if the road linking Abraham Adesanya Estate with Oke Ira is constructed. The plan to build this road has been on the drawing board for several years. Ambode can enhance his place in history if he gets it done immediately. He can accomplish it almost effortlessly. He is bubbling with energy and dynamism. The Ajah-Langbasa-Badore axis was conceived to be a model place in line with the vision of the Lekki and Ibeju areas forming what is called the New Lagos. But the place is fast turning into an environmental mess. To appreciate the gravity of the situation, the governor is called upon to pay an unscheduled visit before commissioning the Ajah Bridge. Often when a top government official goes on a scheduled visit, officers who have been sleeping on duty put up an artificial show of beauty to deceive him or her. Ambode should not fall for this trick. If the governor visits the AjahLangbasa-Badore axis unannounced, he will most certainly be taken aback by the dereliction of duty by various ministries and agencies. The 8-kilometre Ajah-Langbasa-Badore Road which was constructed nine years ago has failed in four places. The Lagos State Public Works Agency worked on only one spot last year for just a few hours and then fled. The place is worse now. The result is endless

Acting with impunity has consequently become a way of life for religious leaders here who think God is hard of hearing and so they need to scream to the heavens for their prayers to be heard. They build churches and mosques on this major road with no provision for vehicles. Worshippers are forced to park right on public road, causing traffic congestion. The authorities must do something about this practice.

Ambode....determined to leave Lagos better than he met

traffic gridlock, all the more so during the rainy season. The 1-kilometre road which the Tinubu administration built for fishermen in Badore, now called Catholic Mission Street, is a shambles. It does not look like a street in Ambode’s Lagos but a street somewhere in Sierra Leone after the recent primitive war by savages like Foday Sankoh and General Mosquito. Our governor will be shocked to learn that practices not permitted in other parts of Lagos metropolis flourish here. Heaps of garbage decorate public spaces. Shanties and shacks are ubiquitous, making a provocative mockery of the state government’s Cleaner Lagos Initiative. The drainages are filled to the brim but also blocked. They are not cleared by either the local development council or the Drainage Department of the Ministry of the Environment. The health implications are axiomatic. They breed mosquitoes on a grand scale. If care is not taken, they could soon begin to breed the kind of rats which transmit the extremely dangerous and highly infectious lassa fever. The Ajah-Lanbgasa-Badore Road, which is the only tarred road in this part of Lagos, is practically overtaken by heaps of sand which have in some parts reduced the dual carriage way to a single lane. Over 200 tippers ply this road daily, making at least 400 trips every day. Considerable sand drops from the trucks each second on this road without

being swept away. Once in a while, we find three or four sweepers on this road working leisurely for a couple of hours when over 20 dedicated sweepers are required. The pressure on this road by the big trucks which lift sand dredged at the sites in Ajah is humungous. The state government must address this activity. Driving from Lekki Phase 1 to Ajah at night is often a delight because of the beautiful street lights. It used to be the same experience from Ajah through Langbasa to Badore at night when Ambode introduced the radical programme of lighting Lagos. But since the bulbs in the Ajah-Langbasa-Badore axis began to die, there is no evidence of any effort to change them. This axis now looks at night like the heart of darkness. It seems the numerous street beggars taken away by the state government from Ebute Metta some years ago found their way to Ajah. They operate in large numbers. The sight and activity of these unfortunate Nigerians, who are mostly with all kinds of physical deformities, are not reconcilable with the Cleaner Lagos Initiative or Lagos status as a megacity. Also not compatible with modernity is the insistence of some religious organizations on turning their speakers to the highest volume during service. This is a clear violation of the law against environmental pollution. Whereas the government has closed down some organizations in the

state for acting in brazen violation of the law and prosecuted the culprits, those committing the offence in the AjahLangbasa-Badore axis have not felt the full weight of the law. Acting with impunity has consequently become a way of life for religious leaders here who think God is hard of hearing and so they need to scream to the heavens for their prayers to be heard. They build churches and mosques on this major road with no provision for vehicles. Worshippers are forced to park right on public road, causing traffic congestion. The authorities must do something about this practice. Francis Fukuyama has argued eloquently in The End of History and the Last Man that some people in the third world “still live in the primitive age of mankind”. Finally, Ambode has to ensure that traders at the Ajah Market do their business in accordance with government regulations. The market has illegally spilled into the road, causing traffic problems. In like manner, both commercial motor cyclists and tricycle operators here must be made to conduct their business in a way which does not conflict with public interest. Ambode has made a bold statement with the Ajah Bridge. He deserves our support and commendation. Adinuba wrote in from Lagos.

A C T I N G P R E S I D E N T O R C O O R D I N AT O R O F G O V T ’ S A C T I V I T I E S largely neglected and promised that the federal government would discontinue the ugly trend. Aside the Niger Delta region parley that promises to bring better rapport between the people and the federal government, Osinbajo got the support of the duo of the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr. Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogora, to approve the federal government’s $1 billion Eurobond.

The Eurobond, amounting to $4.5 billion, formed part of the federal government’s threeyear $30 billion external borrowing programme, which was rejected by the National Assembly last year. While acting, Osinbajo assented to seven bills passed by the National Assembly. The acts that were mainly amendments to the principal act include Oath (Amendment) Act 2017, Defence Space Administration Act, Veterinary Surgeons (Amendment) Act), National Film

and Video Censors Board, Pension Rights of Judges, Nigerian Institute of Social Science Establishment Act and Mortgage Institutions Amendment Act. He held forth and made the news for several positive presidential initiatives. And in spite of assumptions that President Buhari was not favourably disposed to the then acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, Osinbajo forwarded his name to the Senate for confirmation as the substantive CJN.

In fact, against the backdrop of the unknown true state of health of the president, and probably the fact that government ran seamlessly with Osinbajo on the saddle as the acting president, an international human rights organisation, Opinion Nigeria (ON), advised Buhari to tender his resignation letter to pave the way for Osinbajo as president. It is expected that many more Nigerians will continue to castigate Buhari for succumbing to pressure to do what would agitate Nigerians.

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S NIBOR OVERNIGHT 1-MONTH

A S

NIBOR

15.3333% 17.0332%

A T

3-MONTH 6-MONTH

M A R C H 9 , NITTY 1-MONTH 2-MONTH

20.1621% 23.1621%

Group Business Editor Chika Amanze-Nwachuku

Email chika.amanzenwachukwu@thisdaylive.com 08033294157

2 0 1 7

13.0970% 14.0684%

3-MONTH 6-MONTH

15.7898% 19.6644%

EXCHANGE RATE N305.50//1US DOLLAR* *AS AT LAST FRIDAY

Quick Takes Airline Appoints Peacock GSA

The Gambia’s new national carrier, Fly Mid Africa, would commence flight services from Banjul, the Gambian capital with onward connections to Dakar in Senegal, Freetown in Sierra Leone, Accra in Ghana as well as Lagos, Nigeria. This was sequel to the appointment of Nigeria’s fastest growing aviation and travels conglomerate, Peacock Aviation Services, as its General Sales Agent in Nigeria. Consequently, Peacock has commenced ticket sales in its international head office in Ikeja, Lagos and across all its offices in Nigeria, namely, Marina (Lagos) Abuja, Ibadan, Aba, Port Harcourt, Benin and Kano Peacock said flight services to and fro Lagos would be held on four times a week. According to a joint statement by Fly Mid Africa and Peacock Aviation, Fly Mid Africa is focused on alleviating the challenges business and leisure travellers from Nigeria and other nationals face in finding flight connections across key cities in Africa especially West and Central Africa. “Having concluded all operational and commercial arrangements for flight operations, Fly Mid Africa said the flight services to and fro Lagos and onward connections will be operated with two Boeing 737-Classic aircraft; B737-300 ( eight Business Class and 124 Economy Class seats) and B737-400 (16 Business Class and 116 Economy Class seats),” the statement said. The airline said the time has come for business and leisure travelers across Africa to enjoy state-of-the-art and top-notch exclusive flight services in the continent.

ACCOUNTING TO SHAREHOLDERS

L-R: Company secretary, Wema Bank Plc, Oluwole Ajimisinmi; Chairman, Adeyinka Asekun, and Managing Director, Segun Oloketuyi, at the 2016 Wema Bank AGM held in Lagos...recently Abiodun Ajala

Airports Upgrade May Cost FG N32 Billion Chinedu Eze An aviation sector expert has said that as much as N32billion would be required for upgrade of major Nigerian airports to operate 24 hours. The expert who is close to the Ministry of Transportation however stated that the government does not have the resources to embark on a comprehensive modernisation of these airports. He explained that the cost is high because many of the airport facilities

AVIATION have become obsolete. THISDAY on Wednesday spoke to officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) who confirmed that the airports had been neglected for long and would take a longer time to fix. A source in the operations department of FAAN said of about 30 airports in the country, only about six operate night

flights, which means that a flight in distress can have no airport to land in the nearest distance, a situation, which could result in a major tragedy. “It is very expensive to provide the equipment that will enable the airports to receive flights in the night. FAAN is losing huge revenue because most of these airports do not operate 24 hours. For us to do night operations we need to put so many things in place. Lighting must e adequate. Night landing depends on the intensity of light.

In this modern Nigeria, there is no reason why we should have airports without adequate lighting or airports that cannot operate for 24 hours. This is because any aircraft can be in distress and it won’t have any airport to land,” the source said. He noted that technology has left Nigerian airports behind because “most of the equipment at the airports have become archaic,” and it is capital intensive Continued on page 20

NEPC Backs Establishment of Export Processing Facility at Lilypond Terminal Eromosele Abiodun The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr. Olusegun Awolowo has endorsed the establishment of the proposed export processing and logistics facility at the Lilypond Container Terminal, Ijora Lagos. Awolowo, who gave the endorsement at a business seminar on export logistics organised by Accessport Limited, said the project will provide a one-stop shop for export processing and logistics services. The facility, he added, will provide a conducive environment for service providers on shipping, warehousing, joint inspection by customs and

MARITIME other regulatory and certification agencies for easy and accelerated clearance of goods for export to the international market. He added that the project will definitely go a long way in streamlining export procedure and documentation. According to the NEPC boss, the project will provide exporters the much-needed export infrastructural facility needed to carry out their transactions successfully and efficiently at a reduced cost and time thus increasing their competitiveness in the international market place. He said: “Suffice to say that this business seminar provides a platform to sensitise the various

export groups and regulatory agencies on the opportunities available for exporters in handling their business activities from the receipt of export goods at the warehouse in the terminal, inspection and documentation procedures to stuffing of containers for final shipment, all handled in one location thus cutting down cost and wastage of time. “In essence, this is a game changer as it will impact positively on the effort of the council at diversifying the economy, reduce cost of doing business and promote non-oil export trade, which are in line with the federal government’s programmes of diversification of the economy and increasing Nigeria’s ranking on Ease of

Doing Business Index. It will also invariably encourage informal exporters to formalise their export business, as well as assist in the collation of statistical figures for use by the federal government and business concerns.” The NEPC boss said the council has resolved to continue encouraging private investors through its Public and Private Partnership (PPP) synergy to invest in export warehouse and logistics services. He added that “The outcome of this project is aimed at enabling exporters get their goods and services across to the export market within the time frame required without Continued on page 20

Air Peace Boss Honoured

Methodist Church Nigeria has rewarded the effort of Air Peace Chairman, Chief Allen Onyema to change the face of airline business in the country with the Excellent Leadership Award of the denomination.Archbishop of Umuahia Diocese of the church, Most Rev. Dr. Chibuzo Raphael Opoko said the Air Peace boss was chosen for the award in “recognition of your outstanding leadership in airline management and operations that has helped to grow the Nigerian economy and made air travel competitive in Nigeria.” In a letter to Onyema, the church said the 56th Pre-Synod of the Umuahia Diocese “considered giving special awards to those who have contributed immensely to either the growth of Methodist Church Nigeria of the growth of the economy of the nation or both. You qualified for one of these.”The diocese said the award symbolised its endorsement of the great services the Air Peace CEO was “rendering to grow the economy of the nation, provide services to all and sundry and to uplift human dignity and ensure the wellbeing and welfare of those who benefit from the services your airline provides.”

Turkish Airlines Offers Laptops On-board

Following the ban on use of information and communication technology (ICT) gadgets and other electronic devices on United Kingdom and United States-bound flights by the authorities, Turkish Airlines has provided an alternative way of making its passengers access state-of-the-art laptop onboard to continue with their business.In effect, the service, which is yet another innovation from Turkish Airlines for its US and UK bound flights, will be accessible to Nigerian passengers and other nationalities, who are business class passengers of the flights.In a statement, the airline said, it would continue to develop new solutions for its passengers with respect to the electronics ban, applied on US and UK-bound flights.“The national flag carrier has now started to offer laptops for its business class passengers of US bound flights as from today. It will also launch the same practice for its UK bound business class passengers as from 12th May, 2017,” the statement said.By the new service, the Turkish Airlines said those passengers would be able to uninterruptedly be taken up with their personal things to do on their laptops above the clouds, while they can experience the planet, seamless in-flight entertainment system of Turkish Airlines, on the other side.

“You know every market has its peak period, we have the low season on the London route now; the peak has just passed with the Easter period “

Managing Director of Medview Airline Plc,

Alhaji Muneer Bankole

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017

BUSINESSWORLD AIRPORTS UPGRADE MAY COST FG N32B to replace most of these obsolete equipment because companies that manufactured them then no more have them or can they manufacture them now because they have become obsolete.” He remarked: “When you go back to the manufacturers they will tell you the equipment is no more in production. Some of the equipment was produced by more than one company; it will be very difficult to get them to manufacture the equipment again so you are forced to migrate to the new system, which means you will have to do away with everything that you have. Producing old equipment is very expensive.” THISDAY however gathered from the Ministry of Transportation official that government was not contemplating earmarking funds for the modernisation of airport facilities; rather, government is going ahead with the concession programme to bring in the private sector to develop airport infrastructure. NEPC BACKS ESTABLISHMENT OF EXPORT PROCESSING FACILITY AT LILYPOND TERMINAL comprising the quality of their products which would have been certified to conform with international best practices. This would also ensure easy compliance with the present efforts of the government to complete all export transactions within 48 hours. I truly believe that this platform will also provide the platform for employment generation and create opportunity to earn foreign earnings through the repatriation of export proceeds. Let me assure all stakeholders that the NEPC will continue to support such interventions in the non-oil export.” On his part, the Managing Director of Accessport Nigeria Limited, Mr. Las Alli-Shobande said Nigerian ports, particularly with the concession of the same have not helped the need for inside stuffing of containers by exporters and adequate examination procedure for reasons of inadequate space and security.

Group Business Editor

NEWS

NPA, Japanese Govt to Collaborate on Developmental Projects Eromosele Abiodun The management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has stated that it will partner the Japanese government especially in the areas of technical and manpower support and ensuring a regime of operational efficiency at the nation’s seaports. This assurance was given by the Managing Director of NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman who was represented by the Executive Director Engineering and Technical Services, Professor Idris Abubakar, at a business meeting in Lagos with visiting First Secretary, Embassy of Japan in Nigeria of the Economic/ Development Cooperation, Mr. Gaku Sato. Bala Usman informed stakeholders that the NPA was aware of the smooth relationship and technical collaboration hitherto existing between the Japanese government and the NPA over the years especially in the area of training. She added that the, “NPA management was desirous of nurturing this dispensation to maturity.” According to her, “we look forward to more training especially in the area of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and human capital development useful to our staff in view of the changing trends in the sector”. This, she added, has impacted positively in the productivity of the organisation’s operations across board. She called for a more robust

synergy between both nations with the view to promoting the goals of the present management concerning trade facilitation within sub-Sahara Africa and beyond. Usman assured the visiting secretary of the Japanese Corporation that NPA management was upholding the federal government’s 25-year Port Master Plan which serves as a guide towards the implementation of the various policies and development in the sector aimed at making our ports a

hub in sub-Sahara Africa. Earlier in his address, the Japanese representative in Nigeria on Economic/Development and Cooperation, Sato said the Japanese government was exploring trade and investment opportunities in Nigeria through a most efficient infrastructure and manpower development especially in the Port environment noting that the sector play a vital role in the life of any nation through windows and corridors of trade facilitation. Sato further reiterated that at

present, over 30 companies of Japanese origin are presently doing business in Lagos in the area of manufacturing, car/ motor bike assembling and entertainment aside other trading establishment. He wished this would grow with the renewed and reinvigorated synergy amongst the two countries – Nigeria and Japan. He solicited for NPA’s assistance through the provision of its blue print and platform to aid other teams expected in

the country soon to access the readiness of Management in the area of future collaboration and development in the Port sector thereby stimulating the economy. He enthused that the Japanese government through the Japanese International Corporation Agency (JICA) was willing to undertake the refurbishment of the Apapa Power sub-station in order to contribute towards a seamless Port operations having carried out similar projects in Jebba and Abuja.

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT

L-R: Head, CSR and Sustainability, Fidelity Bank, Chris Nnakwe; Representative, Gazelle Academy, Ikenna Nwankwo; Regional Bank Head, Enugu-Anambra Region, Fidelity Bank, Leonard Ezugwu and Deputy - Rector (Academics), Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Dr. Gladys Anene, during the press briefing in Awka, on the Fidelity Youth Empowerment Academy’s Programme to train 200 youths in Anambra State ...recently

NIPC to Issue Investment Certificates as Oxford Rates Zamfara Poorest State Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja In order to create a virile atmosphere of private investments across the country, the Nigeria Investments Promotions Commission (NIPC) has initiated a plan to certify all the 36 states of the federation. The Executive Secretary of NIPC Ms. Yewande Sadiku gave the hint at an interactive forum held with states commission-

ers of trade and investment , CEOs of Investment Promotions Agencies (IPAs) and chambers of commerce, industry, mines and agriculture in Abuja. The forum preceded by a meeting with commercial attaches of embassies was in preparation for the Direct Investors’ Summit (DIS) organised in partnership with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) scheduled to take place in October.

Sadiku said the certification exercise by the agency, which projects Nigeria as an attractive investment destination, would allow the states to compete with each other, while NIPC would assist the states in identifying and plugging the areas where there are gaps. The certification process requires state to submit documentation, while organised visits to the states by foreign investors working closely with the commercial attachés,

would help in identifying the opportunities that will create positive image of the states as investment destinations. While offering NIPC’s readiness to partner and attract investors to the states, she assured that the exercise would be objective and free of political bias, adding her desire is to see the 36 states compete with each other considering that Nigeria is competing with the rest of the world.

“The ultimate objective is to certify all the states in Nigeria and have an internal guide on the ease of doing business on a state by state basis. We can’t attract investors to Nigeria if the states are not receptive. NIPC will deploy its relationship managers from the five zonal offices in Jos, Kano, Enugu, Ibadan and Maiduguri to assess investments indicators in the states, which we will gladly share with the governors,” Sadiku said.

Chika Amanze-Nwachuku AgriBusiness/Industry Editor Comms/e-Business Editor

NIMASA Pledges More Investments in Maritime Sector

Capital Market Editor

Eromosele Abiodun

Crusoe Osagie Emma Okonji

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 (Capital Market)

The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside has restated that the agency was committed to ensuring the viability of the maritime sector to encourage domestic and foreign investors in Nigeria’s maritime industry. Dakuku made this known during the investiture of Mr. Andrew Isichei as the President of the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping (NCS) and the inauguration of the members

of the NCS Governing Council. Represented by the agency’s Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Mr. Bashir Jamoh, he stated that NIMASA is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the sector remains viable, and most importantly help build stakeholders’ confidence in investing in the industry. According to him, “in line with our mandate of promoting shipping and related activities in Nigeria, we are leaving no stone unturned in advancing Nigeria’s global maritime goals. The vast maritime opportunities that abound in the country need

to be harnessed especially as the present administration under President Muhammadu Buhari strives to diversify the economy. We will ensure that our maritime domain becomes more virile and attractive to you stakeholders and other industry players to further build your confidence to invest in the sector.” Dakuku also reeled out the efforts the agency is making to ensure safety and security in the maritime space, adding that the NIMASA 24-hour surveillance system is capable of monitoring and spotting all illegal activities on the waterways. He also said

that owing to NIMASA’s implementation of the International Ships and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code in Nigeria, the ports and terminals are now safer and more reliable to do business, adding that the compliance level of the code in the country have been adjudged to be over 80 per cent from the about 13 percent it was when NIMASA took over as the Designated Authority. The NIMASA DG said that the hosting of Heads of African Maritime Administration Conference in Abuja recently was to further open more channels of maritime businesses between

the Nigerian investors and their foreign counterpart. He said: “Our hosting of African Heads of Maritime Administrations (AAMA) in Nigeria was intended to give you stakeholders a platform to interact with your contemporaries around the world in order to open more maritime opportunities for you, for those who were able to find time to be with us in Abuja for the event, I am quite confident that some useful contacts and engagements were made towards harnessing the various hitherto untapped opportunities.”

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017

BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

Italian Govt Applauds Intels Investments in Nigeria Eromosele Abiodun President of Italy’s Chamber of Deputies – the equivalent of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Mrs. Laura Boldrini has commended Intels Nigeria Limited for investing in Nigeria despite the recent economic challenges. She stated this recently when she visited the multi-billion naira Eko Energy Estate being developed by leading oil and gas logistics giant, Intels Nigeria Limited at the Eko Atlantic City, Lagos. The Italian top parliamentarian commended the company and the developers of the Eko Atlantic City for initiating the ambitious project, which she said, would contribute to the diversification of Nigeria’s economy. “This country is so rich in land and agriculture. So this is the time to put a different perspective in place. I am happy there is a lot of interest from outside investors because this country has to be supported because it has a big potential,” she said. Boldrini and her team were received by Intels Director/Chief Executive Officer of Prime Properties

and Investment, Mr. Silvano Bellinato; the General Manager, Commercial of Intels Nigeria Limited, Mr. Massimiliano Landolfi and the Managing Director of SouthEnergyx Limited, Mr. David Frame. While briefing the delegation, Mr. Landolfi said the Eko Energy Estate is spread across 450,000 square metres of land area, taking full advantage of the location at the Lagos channel and the main canal entrance at the Eko Atlantic City. He said the master plan of the Eko Energy Estate will create a green and family-friendly neighbourhood, while providing an enabling environment for foreign investors to work and live more conveniently in Lagos with the Eko Atlantic Business District, an international school, hospital, shopping malls and a Marina at close proximity. He said Eko Energy Estate Phase 1, which consists of three towers of Ground plus 19 floors with a flexibility of one to four bedroom apartments tailor-made to clients’ requirements, will be completed by mid-2018. According to him, “Facilities like swimming pool and pool bar, tennis court, gym and

playground are included. Some of the services rendered will be 24/7power supply, water and sewage treatment, security, ICT and 25 years track record of estate management”. He said other facilities at the estate include a Trade Centre comprising two office and corporate towers of 30 floors each, to provide “a comprehensive solution for the corporate sector”. He said Eko Energy Estate will also have a shopping mall with variety of food markets, restaurants, bars, fully equipped sports centre, ample parking facilities and an urban park area. Boldrini was accompanied on the visit by the Ambassador of Italy to Nigeria, Mr. Fulvio Rustico, Consul-General of the Italian Embassy in Lagos, Dr. Andrea Pompermaier, and other top Italian Government officials. Intels Nigeria Limited has severally demonstrated its unflinching commitment to the development of Nigeria’s economy and the oil and gas industry. The company, which developed the Onne Free Trade Zone in Rivers State, is also a terminal operator at Warri,

SON Determined to Boost Business Environment in Nigeria Crusoe Osagie The Standards Organisation of Nigeria said it is more determined than ever to promote the ease of doing business in Nigeria by placing more emphasis on the quality and promptness of its services to stakeholders in a conducive environment. This assertion was made by the Director General SON, Mr. Osita Aboloma, at the commissioning of the SON office complex at the Seme Border post recently. According to him, the provision of a conducive working environment for the SON staff is predicated on being able to give enhanced quality and prompt services to stakeholders involved in clearing and forwarding of goods through the Seme border. Aboloma stated that the office complex will ensure increased efficiency and effectiveness

of SON service delivery to stakeholders, serve as a point of interface with sister regulatory and security agencies as well as provide adequate space for further investigation and safe storage of product samples as well as data. He said further that the new office complex will provide a more spacious and conducive atmosphere for dealing with complaints and feedbacks from stakeholders on substandard, fake and counterfeit products passing through the border area. The SON DG stressed his total commitment to the protection of investments in Nigeria by tackling head on the menace of substandard products importation and distribution in Nigeria to further the economic diversification agenda of the Federal Government.

Aboloma expressed appreciation to the Nigeria Customs Service for the provision of the parcel of land housing the complex. He also commended other stakeholders for their moral and material support in the course of building the office. Speaking earlier, the Customs Deputy Comptroller in charge of Seme Border, Bello Mohammed Jibo promised to enhance the existing collaboration between SON and the Customs service as well as other stakeholders in the interest of the economic wellbeing of the Nation and the welfare of the citizens. Other stakeholders who spoke at the occasion commended the SON Director General for the speed with which the office complex was completed within three months of his visit.

Lagos, Kano Rail Lines to Link Apapa Ports The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has said that the second segment of the Lagos – Kano Standard Gauge Rail System, which would connect the Lagos Port Complex directly has commenced. Speaking at the one-day national conference on Fast-tracking Ports Reforms in Lagos, Ameachi added that efforts were ongoing by the government to link Nigerian ports and terminals to other modes of transport such as roads, air and rail to help in the realisation of our noble objective of providing safe, reliable and efficient intermodal transportation system.

He also informed the gathering that the federal government is in the process of establishment of Integrated Port and Maritime Data Centre which would generate reliable trade data that would be readily available to all agencies, operators and stakeholders at all times eliminating inherent abuses. In her address, the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Hadiza Bala Usman expressed the need to have an efficient rail system in moving agricultural produce and solid minerals from the locations of production which are mostly hinterland to the

nation’s seaports for export. She added that there was already a surge in export of agricultural produce as exemplified in frozen shrimps and prawns, sesame seed, cashew, soya beans and ginger amongst others. Earlier in his welcome address, the Managing Director and Editorin-Chief of The Nation Newspapers, Mr. Victor Ifijeh said in order to have a lasting success in the sector, agencies within the ports need to harmonise their plans and carry along other stakeholders in the industry.

RISK MANAGEMENT WATCH Robert Mbonu

The Economic Recovery and Growth Plan – Risk Factors

n a bold and strategic move, the current administration through the Ministry of Budget and National Planning launched the awaited Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) on April 5. Government recognizing the economic challenges that Nigeria faces and the need for urgent action developed this as a blueprint for recovery in the short term, and a strategy for sustained growth and development in the long term. Designed as a four year (2017 – 2020) plan, the vision of the ERGP is one of sustained inclusive growth. It is aimed at increasing national productivity and achieving sustainable diversification of production, to significantly grow the economy and achieve maximum welfare for its citizens. The Nigerian economy is characterized by structural challenges that limit its ability to sustain growth, create jobs and achieve real poverty reduction. The ERGP aims to address this, and diversify the huge concentration risk in Government revenues which is highly dependent on the oil and gas sector. Due to space constraints and without delving too deep into the several principles and broad objectives that have driven the thinking and the development of this Plan, my interest as an enterprise risk professional lies in its successful delivery. The ERGP differs from previous plans in its focused implementation which is at its core. Whilst all the ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) will have their different roles in implementing the Plan, a Delivery Unit is being established in the Presidency to drive the implementation of key priorities. This delivery unit must therefore design the overall risk framework, take ownership and have the desired capability and expertise to drive a project of such a huge magnitude. Since “the devil is in the detail”, my searchlight will be beamed on this delivery and implementation unit. This project is faced by an interplay of project and operational risks. Using an illustration of two concentric circles, the project risk is on the outer circle, while operational risks are on the inner. The project risk is that which can prevent the plan from being delivered on time and within budget. This is the overarching risk to the project. It concerns the specification, performance and quality of the key expected outcomes. On the other hand, since the implementation of this plan is so diffused, and spread across several MDAs, it introduces key issues of operational risks which must be managed. At the MDA levels, these are the risks of non-performance resulting from inadequate or failed internal processes, people and systems or from external events. From this understanding therefore, the operational risks are inter connected and feed into the overall project risk Contrary to other risk types, operational risks are not diversifiable and cannot be laid off, meaning that, as long as people, systems and processes remain imperfect, operational risk cannot be fully eliminated. In terms of governance, the reporting Ministry of Budget and National planning will be expected, as the board, to approve and periodically review the overall project risk

framework. They should oversee management at the delivery unit to ensure that the policies, processes and systems are implemented effectively at all decision levels. The governance structure should be commensurate with the nature, size, complexity and risk profile of the broad activities of the plan, and include relevant committees with independent oversight. The delivery unit will be expected to take the lead in establishing a strong risk management culture. They should also develop, implement and maintain risk management processes that is fully integrated into the projects overall risk management framework. The strategies for operational risk management chosen by individual MDAs will key into this framework and depend on a range of factors, including nature, size, complexity and profile of the various risk elements. A thorough understanding of the risks – nature and complexity – is core to this project. Integrating the risk framework into the inner workings of the individual MDAs includes ensuring that appropriate structures exist, describing the tools to be used and making sure that there are management information systems in place. Experienced and trained risk champions must take charge of the MDA’s, with a common language and understanding, for the various types of risks. The delivery unit is responsible for establishing and maintaining robust challenge mechanisms and effective issue-resolution processes. These should include systems to report, track and, when necessary, escalate issues to ensure resolution. They should translate the overall risk management framework established by the board into specific policies and procedures that can be implemented and verified within the different MDAs. The unit should clearly assign authority, responsibility and reporting relationships to encourage and maintain accountability, and to ensure that the necessary resources are available to manage operational risk in line with the overall plan. Managers of the operational risk function should be of sufficient stature within the MDAs to perform their duties effectively. They should have the appropriate capabilities and access to resources as well as the right level of authority. The ERGP is overall a laudable effort. The key issue in its deliverability is the internal coherence, and how the implementation challenges will be overcome. With the right skills and expertise employed, it can be achieved. Finally, given its complex execution mechanism, the real test will be its realistic workability taking timing of the plan period into consideration. To manage the truck load of uncertainties, risk management must be closely integrated and built-in to the plan and not applied as a bolt-on. •Mbonu, FERP, CIRM(UK), HCIB, MsRM (Stern), studied Engineering, is an experienced Banker and Enterprise Risk Management professional. Earned a post graduate degree in Risk Management from New York University Stern School of Business, and is a member of the Institute of Risk Management -UK. Can be reached on 09092092046 (SMS Only); email: rm4riskmgt@gmail.com

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017

BUSINESSWORLD

AVIATION

FG Declares Maiduguri Airport Safe, as Arik Donates to IDPs Stories by Chinedu Eze The Airport Manager, of the Maiduguri International Airport, Alhaji Mohammed Saidu has assured air travellers that the airport is now secure as insurgency has significantly been curtailed. Saidu stated this Tuesday, when Nigeria’s major carrier, Arik Air donated food and materials to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in Maiduguri as it resumed operations to the North Eastern city after three years hiatus. Saidu said no airport in the country is as safe as Maiduguri, assuring airlines of safe and secure operations. “There is no safer airport than Maiduguri International Airport because we are conscious of what is happening in Maiduguri and Nigeria in general and we have not relented in our efforts to ensure

the safety of air travellers. For example, we have clear visibility of over a thousand minima. We have double layers of perimeter fencing and in addition to that we have parapets, which are aimed to fortify security of the airport. Speaking to newsmen after landing at the airport, Arik Air’s Vice President, Northern Operations, Hamza Bukar, commended the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration for restoring peace to the North East region. Bukar recalled that the airline suspended operations to Maiduguri in December 2013 following the attack on the airport by Boko Haram insurgents. “We are here in line with the achievements by the government of the day. They have done a very good job. Security in Borno State has been restored. The state is now in

the eyes of the international community and that is why Arik wants to be a part of the success story. We want to complement efforts made by the government and we are here to reclaim our position as the pacesetter of aviation in West Africa,’’ he said. Bukar said flights to Maiduguri via Abuja would operate three times weekly on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, with the possibility of increasing frequency in the coming weeks. On the airline’s donation to IDP camp located at the popular Teachers Village, Bukar said the gesture was aimed at supporting the efforts of the federal and Borno State governments in ameliorating the plights of those displaced by insurgency. “This is one of the numerous corporate social responsibilities of the company to the state. It is our time to give back to the society,’’ he said.

Med-View Airline to Acquire B777, 737-800 Aircraft Medview Airline Plc plans to acquire Boeing B777 and Boeing B737-800 in order to add more international routes to its destinations as it begins flights to Dubai in July. The airline’s Managing Director, Alhaji Muneer Bankole made this known recently in Lagos, disclosing that the aircraft to be acquired were already undergoing seat configuration from the Air France base in France. “The aircraft as am talking to you is undergoing seat configuration from the Air France base, close to brand new seat on the Air France level. Business class seat is reduced to 24 from 30, so by the grace of God we are looking at the end of the month to the first week of June, the first one will be B777 while the second one

will be B 737-800 which you are used to, but it is going to open your mind to the Jobourg route,” Bankole said.According to him, the airline would start the Dubai route with two flights weekly, Tuesdays and Saturdays and subsequently would increase the frequencies to the busiest Middle East destinations. “Dubai is two flights, Tuesdays and Saturdays, that is the one we are starting and London will increase from three to four which will go back to Mondays as you know we are doing Sunday, Friday, Wednesday as we are now back to three and as soon as the aircraft arrive that frequency will increase” He explained further on the planned Dubai flights, “I will be honest to tell you that Dubai has been in the front burner for

couple of two seasons, the rule of the game is for you to have a base, we have succeeded in getting the base, put employees on ground, work around the CAA (Dubai Civil Aviation Authority). We have gotten all the permits and now ready to open up the route. We make a suggestion of using a B777 and Boeing B767, so this is one of the reasons I went to meet our partner up there and by the grace of God, we are comfortable to bring one of these airplanes to join our fleet, and as we grow, we will continue to improve on our sector. We opened the West Coast last year and other Anglophone countries in the West Coast, we are hoping to open soon on the Francophone lane. This is what we have in the next two years.”

70 African Tour Operators for Ghana Travel Fair The Organisers of Accra Weizo West African Travel fair has announced that over 70 tour operators and travel professionals would be attending the 3rd edition of the travel fair, Accra Weizo taking place May 26 and 27, 2017. The operators have been invited from all over West Africa. They will be hosted to a fam trip by Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) from May 23 to 25. According to the fair organisers, the operators are expected to visit the famous Cape Coast of Ghana where GTA has lined up lots of activities to entertain them. Some of the tour operators would be hosted at Ridge Royal at the Coast. A welcome dinner will be hosted on the 25th by GTA in Accra after a city tour, while La Palm and Kempinski Hotels will Host the

Foreign Delegates to cocktails and Dinner. Accra Weizo Travel Expo is targeted at growing Travel Business in West Africa and is organised by African Travel Market which also organises Akwaaba Travel Market in Lagos Nigeria. It noted that West Africa is the biggest sub-region in Africa with over 350 million people; yet, it receives the least number of tourists yet West African countries generate the highest number of outbound travellers in Africa, adding that there was need to encourage West Africans to Travel within the sub-region and this is the goal of the Accra fair. Themed Seamless Travel in West Africa, this year’s Accra Weizo is the third edition and would now be held for two days. The first day would be

the seminar on aviation and the second day would be dedicated to digital training for the use of social media to grow travel business covering Trip Advisor, Google, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The organizers said the Aviation Session would discuss on how to make West Africa a domestic Aviation Market. They noted that most West African airlines are weak and some are dying yet West Africa is a cash cow for most non West African airlines. “Experts have been drawn from different countries to discuss the situation. The tourism session will have discussions on how to package tours which will be delivered by Expert Tour Operator Kwame Ansong of Sunseekers Tours,” African Travel Market coordinator, Ikechi Uko said.

AIR WATCH MMA2: Controversy over an Agreement

n Sunday, the management of Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL) celebrated 10 years anniversary of the Murtala Muhammed Airport domestic terminal known as MMA2. BASL built and is operating the terminal on Design, Build, Operate and Transfer (DBOT) arrangement. The terminal epitomises the first successful Public, Private Partnership (PPP) in the aviation industry. It wasinauguratedinMay,2007bythethenPresident, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. Over the years, the terminal, which according to air travellers,isthebestmanagedterminalinNigeria,has been dogged by controversy over the tenure BASL wouldmanageitbeforeitisgivenbacktogovernment through the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the conditions given in the agreement signed between government and Bi-Courtney. The Chairman of BASL, Dr. Wale Babalakin noted during the anniversary that the agreement stated that no other domestic terminal would operate in Lagos during the tenure of BASL management and ownership of MMA2 and if any concession of anotherdomesticterminalwouldbedoneduringthis period, Bi-Courtney would be given first option of refusal. Babalakin also noted that the tenure for the PPP arrangement was for 36 years, contrary to the reports emanating from FAAN that it was 12 years. Since the controversy over the agreement 10 years ago, many investors have been expressing doubt over the ability of government to honour its own agreement. Similar agreement was reached in 2006 whereby the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) gave out in concession the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja to a company that won the bid through due process under the supervision of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) as transaction adviser, but that concession was nullifiedbythein-comingYar’aduaadministration.There were other such concessions in other sectors of the economy that were nullified by the government after successful acquisition by the private sector. All these, industry observers say, cast doubt on the credibilityofthegovernmenttohonouragreements. Butthereareallegationstoothatduetotheinsincerity of government officials who preside over these transactions, they accepted lopsided agreements that tended to favour the private investors at the expenseofgovernmentandtheinterestofthepeople. For example, a FAAN source told THISDAY that what was written down and agreed upon was that the concession of MMA2 by Bi-Courtney would last for 12 years and not 36 years. But the source kept mum over the agreement that only the terminal should operate as the only domestic terminal in Lagos during the period of the concession. “The former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo denied that it gave B-Courtney 36 years to operate the terminal. If it is true let them bring where that was written. It was a backdoor arrangement, which we knew. It is the usual act of impunity, which people who have access to the Presidency use to garner

things unjustly to themselves and corner the wealth of the people,” the FAAN official said. Butwhenaskedwhytherestoftheagreementwasnot honoured, the source queried: “How can government honour that agreement that for 36 years no other domesticterminalwillbebuiltinLagos.Isthatpossible?” But THISDAY spoke to some industry insiders who said that the initial 12 years FAAN is insisting the concession should last is a non-starter “because it is already two years to the 12 years and I can tell you that Bi-Courtney has not even recouped half of the money it spent on the terminal.The original projection was that all the airlines on domestic operation would operatefromtheterminalbutFAANabortedthispart of the agreement, so over the years, Bi-Courtney has been bending backwards sourcing money elsewhere to sustain the operation of this terminal. I know this because I am an insider. You can go and ask around, infrastructure concessions all over the world take about 30 to 50 years. This is because it is meant to providepublicservice,sothechargesareusuallyinsmall margins so for the investor to recoup his investment and even make profit, you have to give him a long term agreement,” the source said. The source added that for government to attract the private sector to invest in public infrastructure, itshouldnotonlyhonouritsagreementsbutalsoprovide incentives to the investors, noting that for brazing the challenge despite all the discouraging signs that the Nigerian government may not be a good business partner, Bi-Courtney should have been encouraged at least by honouring the agreement it signed with the company. Babalakinduringtheanniversaryceremonyof10years of MMA2 explained: “MMA2 was built on a premise, which was that all domestic flights from Lagos state must come from airport operated by MMA2. It was signed.Infurtheranceandinobediencetothisprovision, as soon as MMA2 was ready, government closed the GAT (old domestic terminal called General Aviation Terminal) completely. One day we woke up and Arik airline began flying from GAT in deterrence of this clear provision of the law. The agreement provides that if there is a need to increase the capacity of MMA2 to accommodate domestic traffic, government hereby guarantees and assures that MMA2 will be the operator. So, they had anticipated that it was possible that somebody will try to break the law, even if you break that law, the agreement is the all revenues must come to us. “When this happened, we complained. We now went into arbitration; this arbitration was by the federal government.The Attorney General of the Federation set up an arbitration panel of three members from Bi-Courtney and three members from the federal government. The arbitration unanimously was all in favourofBi-Courtney,statingthatone,theconcession is for 36 years.Two all revenues from domestic traffic are for Bi-Courtney.Three, general aviation terminal in its entirety belongs to Bi-Courtney; four if there is a deviate person operating from GAT, he should pay directly to MMA2.This was the tribunal set up by the federal government. We had no choice than to go to the court, when this persisted.”

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017

BUSINESSWORLD

AVIATION

Mohammed: Expatriates Use Our Airlines as Training Ground The Rector and Chief Executive of the College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, Captain Abdulsalami Mohammed, in this interview, said that the college was established to cater for the training needs of the industry, but expatriates pilots employed by Nigerian airlines use the country as training ground for juicier jobs in the Middle East. Chinedu Eze presents the excerpts: The federal government has said it would no longer fund its agencies 100 per cent; rather, it expects to engage in some kind of public, private partnership (PPP) to earn more revenue. How is NCAT going about this? The issue of revenue generation is foremost in our minds because part of our funding here is from internally generated revenue. Even though it is a government institution, we get part funding from government, the rest of our expenses are covered under the IGR. So we have to come out with programmes that will increase our revenue generation by introducing more courses and we are getting approval by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to introduce a number of courses that have international content. So we will be getting international students and we will be charging full fees for the cost of the courses, unlike the current situation where the most of the courses being offered here are subsidies by government. So we intend to introduce more courses. As you are aware, we have two helicopters that have been operated for some time, right now they are undergoing annual inspection after which we intend to start using them. They are not the most ideal for initial pilot training, they are more for advance training, so we intend to bring the smaller helicopters that the students can use for ab initio, and then they can upgrade to the advanced version. As to the Diamond aircraft (which are being delivered), as you heard in my speech earlier in the day, the present fleet of aircraft we have are on the average 15 years old. Though it is not much of a concern with aircraft when you maintain it properly, the main issue here is availability of spare parts and the aviation gasoline which is the fuel that the aircraft uses. There are very few aircraft operators in the country that use that type of fuel, so the fuel importers are not really keen on importing because the demand is in small quantities. And this is a common problem with most training institutions. So there is this trend of re-fleeting to more modern aircraft that use Jet A1; that is why they choose the Diamond aircraft. There have been encroachments on your land by communities that are closer to you and these has been a difficult issue over the years, what are you really doing to ensure that the lands are recovered from them? The issue of encroachment is a very serious thing for us, the Minister (Senator Hadi Sirika) was here in January just before I was appointed to this position and he saw for himself the areas that are affected by the encroachment and he promised to take up the issue with the executive government of Kaduna State who promised to assist in reclaiming this land. And I am pleased to say that he is an action governor and he is already started taking action. Your effort to acquire 20 aircraft is a huge investment. How much is each aircraft costing you? We are getting them in the region of $20 million and it is not just the aircraft; when you buy an aircraft you buy spare parts, you train the pilots, the instructors and you also have support from the manufacturer for a certain number of years. So it is not just the aircraft. As part of the package the manufacturer is training about 20 pilots and 20 engineers for us. And already that has started. We have already trained some pilots and engineers.

pilots that are trained here in Nigerian all over the world. The academy in Ethiopia also just trains pilots, mechanics and cabin crew for the airline. We train pilots, mechanics, cabin crew, dispatchers, air traffic controllers, technicians and management staff. So we have broader scope of work but the issue here is when the pilot graduates from here they need to go and build experience somewhere else even the airlines in the Middle East that you are talking of they will not take anybody who comes straight from a flying school. There is a minimum experience level that is required before they can be accepted. And in most cases they use this as a training ground; they use our airlines and industry as a training ground and then go. If you go you will find a lot of pilots that are working there gained their experience over here. I am hoping that by the time the national carrier is setup you will see a reverse in the trend, because people only go out because there are no jobs here. If there are similar jobs available locally, they will come and support the national carrier. This was what happened in the days if Virgin Nigeria, when Virgin Nigeria was setup virtually every pilot in Nigeria applied to join Virgin Nigeria. I left my work in the UK and came to work for Virgin Nigeria. So I believe when the national carrier is setup you will see huge droves of aviation professionals coming to join the national carrier. And this is where also this college tends to play a big role in meeting the training requirements of the national carrier.

is nothing we can do. One of the things I told my staff when I assumed duty here, is that I told them that I want us to go back to where we graduate pilots in 18 months. So people will say that they do it for shorter periods in other parts of the world. But based on the syllabus that we are operating here, every region has a syllabus, we have a different one here, we are graduating pilots with what the industry call frozen ATPL (Airline Transport Pilot Licence). So they are trained up to the airline, transport pilots stage, so all they will need to get that license is experience which they will build on after graduation from here.

How can NCAT key into the training policy of the planned national carrier? Normally it depends on the type of aircraft the national carrier starts with. If they come with aircraft that Nigerians are qualified to fly I can assure you that majority of the pilots will be Nigerians. But if they come with aircraft that are not flown by a lot of Nigerians, they will start with some expatriates pilots who will train the Nigerian pilots which is usually the case. Even for insurance purposes you will not want to start a new airline with people who are not familiar with the aircraft. So there will be a mixture of expatriate pilots who will do the bulk of the training for our own pilots until our own pilots are comfortable enough on that aircraft for them to take over which is a short term thing.

When are we going to have a training system, perhaps in collaboration with local airlines, that we can bring out a high number of cabin crew, pilots and others that could be employed by foreign airlines and overseas, as Ethiopian and Kenyans are employed all over the world? You know I just came back from Addis Ababa, so I had the privilege of visiting the Ethiopian airlines’ academy where they train the pilots and the cabin crew. Ethiopian academy is tailored to meet the training needs of Ethiopian airlines. The airlines in the Middle East they all have training academies to cater for their own airlines. This institution (NCAT) was setup to meet the training needs of the whole industry not a particular airline. So we cannot train the kind of numbers that we are talking of because Ethiopian airlines for instance has over 60 aircraft, Emirates has the largest number of aircraft and is the largest airline in the world so they are always employing people. If you go to Emirates there are Nigerian pilots who trained from here, there are cabin crew who trained from here in Emirates. So you find

Are you partnering institutions like banks to help the less privileged to benefit from the training? As I mentioned earlier, this college being government owned, the school fees are subsidised by the government. I know to an ordinary person it sounds expensive when you say you need to pay about N9 million to train as a pilot; but if you go out to train or even if you go down the road to Ilorin (International Aviation College, Ilorin) you are going to pay about double that because it is full fees. So government already has done enough subsidising the cost of training. Then there are cases where we also offer scholarships or sponsorships to certain categories of students because we know that they are not able to pay the school fees, sometimes the collage sponsors people. I am a beneficiary of that. During my training here I was sponsored by the college and I stayed back to work as an instructor to pay back. So we still have that arrangement, whereby we sponsor people. We also offer sponsorship as part of our social responsibility and then to other people from within the industry.

Mohammed

It is alleged that pilots here don’t graduate on record time; I want to know what measures you are putting on ground to ensure that pilots training here graduate within the specified time? As you are aware I am a graduate of this school? During my time the planned duration of the course is 18 months. We were able to complete the course in two years and the main reason which still remains the reason here now is weather of which we have no control. During the harmattan season when visibility drops below a certain minimum, we cannot conduct training. So our pilots have to sit and wait until the weather improves before we can continue with the training. So that is a big factor in the length of the time it takes to complete the training. This is a common thing in aviation. If you look at England where it is always raining, they had the same problem, so their own solution was creating campuses in Arizona in the US where it hardly rains. So they take the students there where they do the basic training until they get to the stage where they can fly via instruments, in which case the cloud or rain is not a factor before they take them back to England. So this is a common thing in the industry but another factor that causes this elongation of the course is the epileptic supply of aviation gasoline (AVGAS); the fuel for the aircraft. Sometimes you run out of fuel and the contractor is not able to supply in time, so that causes a disruption in the training. So we have taken measures, right now we have a stock that will last us six months and we have already started the process of resupply .So during my tenure here I will make sure that we don’t run out of fuel for the aeroplanes. But in terms of weather, it is an act of nature; I am afraid there

T H I S D AY FRIDAY MAY 12, 2017

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Work with the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Committee (RMAFC) to review and reduce allowances of legislators. Provide an audit for the N1.15 trillion ($5.75 billion) it received from 2005 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2014.

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017

BUSINESSWORLD

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Aniebonam: Nigerian Shippers Council Brought Inefficiency into CRFFN In this interview with journalists, founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, Dr Boniface Aniebonam expressed disappointment in the Federal Ministry of Transportation over moves to amend the CRFFN Act. He also talked about the 21-day ultimatum given to the government by freight forwarders to address observed shortcomings in port operations. Eromosele Abiodun presents the excepts: The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders in conjunction with other leading freight forwarding groups in the in country recently gave the federal government 21 days ultimatum to address certain anomalies in the ports, failing which you vowed to embark on strike. The ultimatum has expired and you have not acted. Observers are wondering if the shortcomings have been addressed or were you pacified by the visit of the Controller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Col Hameed Ali (RTD.) to your respective offices or have you abandoned the struggle completely? As I am sitting here, I am almost 64 years; I founded an organisation like NAGAFF which is now found in all viable entry points of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) as far as border operation is concerned. As I am sitting here, I am also the National Chairman of New Nigeria People Party (NNPP) with a capacity of winning an election in 2019. If not in any other place, I am confident of securing victory in Bauchi State. Those who are following events will see the revolution going on there even down to Gombe and Yobe states. And that political party, of course, is revolutionary may be because of my nature as the founder of the party. On the issue of strike, I don’t take to the word “strike” we should be talking about withdrawal of service and that is within the ambit of the law. Whatever you want to do in life, you need to look at the law. So it is not an offence for us to say that we are withdrawing our services. Those who know NAGAFF will agree with me that we are not into such unruly behavior. So 21 days’ notice is to draw the attention of the government to come out and begin to look at the issues as it were because we are talking about Nigeria; it is not a personal thing. It is for the good of the Nigerian people. So, the notice we gave, of course we have seen the Controller-General of Customs, we also held a meeting with the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), we met the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC). The last was with the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transport under the mandate of the Presidency to hold the meeting with us. Issues were raised in writing and the segment of allegation on NCS, Nigerian Ports, Terminal Operators, Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Maritime Police, down the line in each column, we made an observation. Having said those things, we proffered solutions and what should be done. It was not targeted at anybody; it was for the good of the ports. The ports are going through reforms. If we take a holistic view at the port administration and management, the concession policy of the government, government is targeting efficiency, and productive port that is competitive. It is in view of that, that when we met with the Ministry of Transport as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari, we handed them a document duly signed by NAGAFF andAssociation of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA). We learnt that the document has been transferred to the Vice President who was given the mandate to look into it. That document is also with the Customs, NPA, we copied everybody. We want to see our port to be functional. This is not the time to blame anybody. So another 21 - day notice has been given to the government after meeting with the Transport Ministry to enable

Aniebonam

us engage ourselves frankly. Just watch what will happen. The Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) has been plagued by crisis since inception, what are the issues that are preventing the council from moving forward? I am the founder of NAGAFF. I am the same person, who thought it wise, in line with global changes, to begin to bring Nigeria back on the global stage on carriage of goods and services across customs borders. I hosted the vice president of the global body of freight forwarders, Isa Balusha during his visit to Nigeria, thereafter, I took him to meet with the Transport Ministry, then we proceeded to meet the Customs authorities, then we were asked to form a body that will bring all the competing freight forwarding bodies together. We introduced a bill to the National Assembly. So, CRFFN was established as the platform to bring everybody under one umbrella. That was how the council came to be. At the maiden election, we all witnessed what happened and it can be said that Nigerian Shippers Council was the first body that brought inefficiency in the council. How did they do it? The membership of the council is in three categories: Corporate body, Individual and Association. The maiden election was done based on licences given by customs to corporate bodies. The election was rigged and arrests were made in Abuja and nobody could do anything. So out of the eight positions in the council, seven were won by ANCLA. Then ANCLA went to the council to do ANCLA association instead

of executive of council. That was the beginning of the fall of the council. As a result, the President of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Mr. Lucky Amiwero went to court, NAGAFF did not go to court because we felt we cannot kill a baby that we nurtured, and moreover, the duration for the executive council was just four years. Before we knew it, these ANCLA people went to make the council to be a parastatal of Transport Ministry, wearing logo as if they are customs officers, wearing federal government badges. So what is going on in the council today showed that the Nigerian Shippers Council midwife the council to fail, not to succeed, quote me. There is no other person that can say this than me. As I am talking to you, we are already in court. I have been telling people that this country is derailing for the reasons that we don’t seem to respect the law. That is why we have problems. When the Transport Ministry moved to adopt the council as an agency of government, we went to court, and then the judge made a ruling that the council is an agency of the government and that was what made us to proceed to appeal court. Now as an agency of government, the President will appoint the Chairman and every other position shall be subjected to election as against the original plan of getting all positions through election among freight forwarders. In the amendment to the CRFFN Act, the Ministry of Transport is seeking that the President should appoint the Chairman of the council. This is a betrayal of trust. The Transport Ministry ambushed us and to me, that was a total betrayal.

Should the government fail again to address the issues you have raised, is there room for further extension? The federal government is our government. Every responsible government has a mandate; the government has no reason to fail us. The government has come to talk to with us because some of the things we requested for are already been implemented. If government fails to fulfill the entire request, we will give them extension. What is your take on the alarming rate of properly exited containers from the ports, being arrested by the police outside the ports? Don’t ever go contrary to the law. If you go contrary, the law will crush you. When you come to the port, police has observer status. If a container has exited the customs port, it has gone out of customs jurisdiction. The police have what they call general power. Under the general power of police, as far as crime is concerned, the police can arrest based on suspicion or information. Customs instead of going after importers of intercepted contraband often hold on to the freight agents who are not the owners of the arrested goods, what can you say on that? Any agent arrested is also the importer. Yes, no agent should suffer for any importer’s crime but the agent must be careful on the type of job he takes and from whom? You should be able to hold brief for your principal or be able to produce him when the need arises.

T H I S D AY FRIDAY MAY 12, 2017

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‘I LOVE GOOD MUSIC’

ACTING EDITOR CHARLES AJUNWA / charles.ajunwa@thisdaylive.com

28/COVER

12.05.2017

‘I Love Good Music’

Fast rising artiste, Innocent Udeme Udofot, popularly known as Mc Galaxy, recently released his second album, MMM. In this interview with Solomon Elusoji, he spoke about his meteoric rise to stardom and what it takes to succeed in the Nigerian music industry You just dropped your second album. But why is it called MMM? MMM means Money Making Machine. And it means that anybody can be a money making machine – anybody can make money. All you just need is determination; don’t underrate yourself; anything you are now is not what you’ll be doing forever. I used to be a comedian collecting N2, 000, I used to dance for free, but today that story has changed. I love good music. I hope the album goes far and brings in more money. The album contains 14 tracks and two bonuses, featuring a host of international acts.My first album did very well. I was just a year into music when I released an album. I had ‘Sekem’, then ‘I Go Calabar’ and also ‘Komolopcholop’ and they were all hits. But this album is out of the box. What was the big turning point for you? As soon as I dropped the ‘I Go Calabar’ video, everything changed. But it was not as big a moment for me as when ‘Sekem’ came out. It was just grace, not because I was too good. I cannot remember when I carried my pen and wrote a song. How did you come about the name ‘Mc Galaxy’? A girl gave me the name in Akwa Ibom, when I was leaving in face-me-I-face-you. We were just sitting down trying to look for a stage name for me, and she told me to use Mc Galaxy. I asked her what ‘Galaxy’ meant, and she said it is a combination of stars, and that I was a combination of stars: a dancer, a comedian and a musician. What does the future look like for you? Just because of the album I just dropped, even if I decide not to record another song for the next four to five years, I’m okay. By the grace of God, I’ll be the one to stop music by myself and focus on management, because I have lots of ideas, in terms of managing artistes.The structure for my label right now is big. I welcome any artiste that will hop on my label and just be loyal – that’s the only demand I make, to be loyal; don’t let anything get to your head. I am looking for that artiste that is like me; not an artiste that is desperate, but one that wants to do music to represent Africa, to represent Nigeria. Those are the kinds of artistes that I am looking for. And when I get them, I have the proper structure. Who are some of your musical influences? I don’t have any musical influences. Why did you not feature any Nigerian artiste on this album? I was trying to get the African market. The first one I did, Davido and Olamide were on the album, so this one was focused on Africa. By the grace of God, people know me for naija; so Africa now needs to know me. What would you have done, if entertainment had not worked out? I’ll be a businessman, if not in entertainment. I am a very good marketer. You have a collaboration with American artiste, Swizz Beatz on the MMM album. How was the experience? The first day I saw Swizz Beatz, sometimes last year, he was so loyal I could not believe this was the artiste people have been talking about. When I met him for the first time, and tried to prostrate before him, he was embarrassed and asked me to stop. Rather he said to me: ‘I’m your fan, my wife is your fan.” I was looking at him like he was a god, but he was very enthusiastic about ‘Sekem’. Now I can just pick my phone and call Swizz Beatz.His wife, Alicia Keys, loves good music, music that represents where you come from. That’s why those people love me; they hear me speak my language, which they don’t understand, but they embrace it.

Mc Galaxy

I was featured in a song in Swizz Beatz’s album, and he did not allow me use English. He told me to use my own language. The language is everything. That’s why I give respect to Whizkid and Davido and Olamide, no matter where they are, you will always hear Yoruba in their songs.The Swizz Beatz collaboration was just a favour. A lot of people pay for this, but this was grace. I have over three songs with Swizz Beatz. He loves ‘Sekem’. He plays it on his Snapchat, on his Instagram. Before you know it, we were in the studio together. And because of this collaboration, Busta Rhymes now knows me, Drake knows me, Rihanna knows me; I have been in the studio with most of these guys because of Swiss jumping on the song. How do you hope to stop people from pirating this new album? Right now, I ensure that the album is only on iTunes and MusicPlus. I have not sent it to any bloggers, because as soon as that happens, everyone will get it for free. The response we are having now has been positive. This is the only way we can make our money, because when it enters free mode, everything is lost. And this is also one of the reasons why I have been doing a lot of international collaborations. To be frank, ‘Sekem’ did not make me a lot of money on iTunes like the ‘Bounce It’ remix I did with Beniton. So,

for example, for doing a song with Swiss Beat, everybody in America is very loyal; they won’t want to get it for free. The same goes for doing a song with Sarkodie. But my naija people . . . I love them sha. Nigerians don’t buy music because of the artistes. And I think we can control that. What does it take to succeed in the Nigerian music industry? It’s very simple to understand Nigerian music. I like to tell an upcoming artiste the truth. If you see any upcoming artiste around me and he drops a song, that song will go far, because I will not hide from you the secret of making hits in Nigeria. The secret of hit in Nigeria is the sound. Don’t let anybody deceive you that you are too good. You have to get the beat right, invest in your production, and work with the top producers. If the sound is heavy, you have a 70 per cent guarantee that it will be a hit, then, simple lyrics. Anybody can make a hit.If you come to my house, I am working round the clock in the studio. I don’t rest. I still take myself as an upcoming artiste. That way, you are going to last longer in the game. But if because you have one or two songs and videos and you feel you’ve arrived, then you have not started. I used to sleep in the club and beg some of these artistes to keep me in their boy’s quarters. But today I have empty rooms in my house.

Most upcoming artistes are not patient. There is nothing in this life. You don’t let the celebrity thing get into your head. Everybody has a role to play in your life. The person walking on the road is the one listening to your songs, the media are the ones pushing your songs to the audience, so who are you going to be forming for? So the lesser you form, the bigger you are. That’s the logic of the industry. You were formerly strictly into dance and comedy. How did you switch into music? I did not know I was going to be a musician. I was thinking of how to start a comedy concert. Even when I did the ‘I Go Calabar’ video, I was doing it to give me more fame in comedy. When it went viral, I didn’t even know what it meant or how to leverage on it to make money. But when I decided to really do music was when I started getting invited for shows. The first time someone called me, I asked them for their budget. They said one million naira. I couldn’t believe it. Have there been times when you felt like quitting? I have never thought of quitting. There were difficult points, but I was always a happy fellow. Sometime, I will me finish a show and they won’t pay me, yet I continued to dance; I didn’t care if I had money or not.

29/BOOK REVIEW

12.05.2017

A Titan’s Life Political economist and former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Kingsley Moghalu, reviews ASIWAJU: The Biography of Bolanle Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu, a book written by two PhD holders, Moshood Ademola Fayemiwo and Margie Neal-Fayemiwo Book Title: ASIWAJU: The Biography of Bolanle Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu Authors: Moshood Ademola Fayemiwo, Ph.D. and Margie Neal- Fayemiwo, Ph.D. Publisher: The Jesus Christ Solution Center, DBA, USA in collaboration with Booklocker Publishing Company, Inc., St. Petersburg, Florida, USA Publication Date: May 30, 2017 Who is Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Asiwaju of Yorubaland and the Jagaban of Borgu, and why does his biography matter? Nigeria has many politicians of varying degrees of consequence, and countless political jobbers that perambulate the corridors of power in any dispensation. But the country has very few leaders in any real sense, and Bola Ahmed Tinubu (henceforth “BAT” or “Asiwaju”, not to be confused with “ASIWAJU”, the book title) is one of them. He is calculating, performance delivery-focused, decisive, and, at 65, has already achieved a legacy of positive consequence. A biography of him therefore matters. The authors gave three reasons for writing this book: first, BAT’s pivotal role in the alliance of political parties that became the All Progressives Congress (APC) and accomplished the historic feat of defeating an incumbent president at the ballot box and bringing Muhammadu Buhari to power as President of Nigeria on his forth attempt. Second, the book is written to “celebrate” Asiwaju Tinubu’s life as a champion of democracy and, third, because Asiwaju is a strong advocate of true federalism. One important function the book accomplished early on is to shine some light on the exact circumstances of Tinubu’s birth in 1952 and his family in Lagos. BAT was the product of a liaison between his father Ahmed Tinubu, after whom he is named, and Mama Abibatu Mogaji, an independently wealthy female trader in Lagos who felt little need for a husband. Ahmed Tinubu having passed on just a few years after his son’s birth, BAT was brought up by his mother, and the tensions of a “rascally” young male child growing up under the care of a single, widowed mother are evident in Asiwaju’s early years. Stories are often woven around great men, by friend and foe alike. The farther back in time such stories go, the harder it becomes to separate fact from fiction, myth from reality. BAT has been the subject of whispered allegations that he is not, in fact, a native of Lagos and that he was born in Iragbiji in today’s Osun State in South-western Nigeria. These innuendos, aimed at de-legitimising their subject, are reminiscent of the “birther” movement in the United States that for years spread the false story that Barack Obama, America’s first black and 44th President whose father was Kenyan and his mother a white American woman, was not born in the continental United States and was therefore not legitimately elected. Obama ultimately produced the certificate of his birth in Hawaii to put paid to these jaundiced rumours. To the book’s credit, the authors undertook painstaking research in Lagos and Iragbaji that sought to debunk the story of Tinubu’s birthplace as anywhere other than Lagos. Asiwaju was a “late bloomer” in the popular parlance. After his primary school education in Lagos, during which he was markedly prank-prone, his concerned mother packed him off to the Children’s Home School in Ibadan, a school known for its strict discipline and Christian religious orientation (BAT is a Muslim) for his secondary education. Whether this experience contributed to BAT’s well-known religious tolerance (his wife, Oluremi, is a Christian) is unclear. His secondary educa-

Tinubu

tion was uneventful, and he later studied at Chicago State University in the United States and received a degree in Accounting. Life began looking up for Asiwaju after he landed a job with the global accounting firm Deloitte, Touche and Tomatsu. The late bloomer was becoming a star whose trajectory ultimately led him back home to Nigeria and a coveted job in Mobil Oil Plc in 1983. As the military President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida’s controversial democratic transition unfolded in the early 1990s with an experiment in diarchy, BAT resigned from Mobil and contested and won a seat in the Nigerian Senate on the platform of the Social Democratic Party, one of the two political parties (one, the SDP “a little to the left” and the other, the National Republican Convention, NRC, “a little to the right”) created by fiat by Babangida. When IBB ultimately cancelled the presidential elections that Chief M.K.O. Abiola of the SDP won in 1993, Tinubu became a member of the political opposition to military rule and went into exile in London after narrowly escaping the killer squads of the military dictator General Sani Abacha. It is debatable if his role in the APC victory of 2015 is Bola Tinubu’s greatest political legacy when we consider objectively the internal crisis that bedeviled the APC after its victory at the ballot box, the governance challenges that have confronted President Buhari’s government, and the widely-held perception that Asiwaju was shunted aside by other forces within the party even as he gamely maintains a stiff upper lip. Is this “success” really all that it has been made out to be? What cannot be contested is Tinubu’s transformational a achievements as the Governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007 on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) party, his effectiveness as a leader and political strategist, and the ultimate wisdom he has demonstrated in choosing his political successors as governors of Lagos in the persons of Raji Fashola (despite the frictions that later developed between the two) and Akinwunmi Ambode. Tinubu as governor of Lagos unleashed

massive infrastructure development and environmental reforms, and created an efficient, effective revenue base through taxation. His political resilience was demonstrated in his ability to bounce back to regional political dominance in the South-west in the 2011 elections, with his Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) party winning a strong majority of the gubernatorial and legislative seats in that region of Nigeria after having lost several states to the national ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2003 elections under the Olusegun Obasanjo presidency. Asiwaju’s recommendation of the cerebral technocrat-politician Yemi Osinbajo, a professor of law, to Buhari as the latter ’s running mate in the 2015 elections, is an important contribution to Nigerian leadership. While Vice-Presidents have limited powers, Osinbajo’ s performance as a stand-in during Buhari’s recent two-month long medical leave was widely acclaimed. Clearly, BAT has a talent for spotting and developing leadership talent. Which brings us to whether this political juggernaut is, in fact, a national politician or more accurately a dominant regional actor with national influence, much in the tradition of Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Here we must look closely at Tinubu’s “alliance politics”, a realistic recognition that no part of the country can win political power without the collaboration of at least one other regional block. It is beyond dispute that President Buhari would have remained a regional champion and an unsuccessful presidential contender without the bridge to the South-west that Asiwaju constructed for him. But there is a difference between transactional alliance politics and being, or becoming, a truly national leader with an all-inclusive vision, which is the type of leadership Nigeria needs going forward. As recent events are demonstrating, political “visions” that in reality are limited to the Hausa-Fulani northern and Yoruba South-western agendas, essentially ignoring the Igbos of the South-east zone and the minority South-south, are short-sighted and will be self-defeating to national stability and development in the longer term. Perhaps

Tinubu needs to return more actively and visibly to what this biography states as his commitment to true federalism, and to the quest for a constitutional restructuring that must birth a new, more equitable order in Nigeria. “ASIWAJU” is an important contribution to political biography in Nigeria and Africa. It is broadly well written and well-researched, and holds the reader’s interest well. As an in-depth account of the rise to political power and influence by one of the few truly effective leaders in Nigeria’s contemporary history, it is an authoritative compendium. But the book has important shortcomings. For one, does its subject have no weaknesses or limitations that the biography might have pointed to and analysed as evidence of a more balanced approach? Perhaps the book’s stated intention to “celebrate” Asiwaju provides an explanation, but not a justification. Beyond that, the book appears not to be an officially “authorised” biography, hence Asiwaju’s personal voice is absent. The authors attempt to make up for this by including a compendium of Tinubu’s speeches at the end of the book, but that cannot replace the authentic, personal voice of the subject, in quotes from interviews, participating directly in the project. It is doubtful that Asiwaju Tinubu is blissfully unaware of this work, seeing the foreword by Rauf Aregbesola, the Governor of Osun State and Asiwaju’s close political associate, as well as the tribute in the book by Alhaji Kashim Shettima, Governor of Bornu State. But that is the realm of speculation. “ASIWAJU” should have more closely analysed the outcomes of the historic 2015 presidential and gubernatorial elections, since Tinubu’s role therein is offered as a major reason for this biography. And a discussion of the subject’s possible future(s) would have made a fitting end to a political biography. Will the Asiwaju of the Yorubas become that of Nigeria? Will he transition from kingmaker to king himself, does he want to, and, can he? Time will tell. Whatever the case, that Bolanle Ahmed Tinubu has more than made his mark in Nigeria’s political history is not in question.

30/ NEWS

12.05.2017

Nigerian Pilot Makes History as First African to Fly Around the World Mary Ekah Ademilola Odujinrin, 38-year-old Nigerian pilot, has traversed the world on a single engine aircraft from USA to Iceland then Europe and into Africa via UAE, India, and Asian subcontinent, thereby making history as the first African to fly round the world. The solo voyage began in June 2016 and flagged-off by Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi and successfully ended on March 29, 2017 when his aircraft landed at Dulles International Airport, Washington DC. Tagged, ‘Transcend: One Man One Plane One World’, the historic adventure was sponsored by Tolaram Group, Translynx Nigeria Limited and Air Djibouti with support and partnership from various companies and individuals. Addressing the media in Lagos upon his return, he revealed that the journey spanned 25 countries across five continents and lasted nine months. He explained further that although the actual duration of the journey was 300 hours (six weeks), the journey was elongated by weather, technical and financial challenges. Explaining the mission behind the lone world tour, Odujinrin, said he set himself on

Nigerian Pilot, Ademilola Odujinrin

the tedious journey to encourage Nigerian and African youths at large to inspire a can-do spirit that will help them pursue their dream and never give up. He also has the lofty hopes to reshape the perception of Nigeria through great achievements that defy expectation and to redefine the African narrative. Undeterred by the setbacks, he said, “Some of my biggest motivation was the support I got from my team and prayers from people like Ooni of Ife. But I will like add that the fear of failure is one

of my motivations. I flew a total of 300 hours and encountered challenges such as technical and clearances. Another very challenging part of the journey was the weather. For instance, I was stuck in South East Asia for two months due to bad weather.” The Nigerian pilot recalled how his journey into flying began. “I was inspired to be a pilot from the age of 10. I recall the habit of making kites out of the newspaper that my father bought until I got myself in trouble. When I got opportunity to travel out of the country, I saw it as an opportunity to get closer to my dream. I enrolled to train as a pilot.” On how he survived, he revealed, “I lived on water and energy bars just to avoid food as I didn’t have access to toilets.”Asked why the project which has drawn global attention to Nigeria is not backed by government or relevant authorities, Odujinrin lamented that he was turned down. His words, “I approached the authorities but they didn’t show support and I think this was down to people around the key figures. Fundamentally, I think there was the issue of do-ability. I do not think they saw me as somebody capable of flying round the world.”

Carols for Easter Mary Ekah During the just concluded Easter celebration, the Akwa Ibom State Liaison Office Fellowship Choir, Lagos State brought the Easter story to life with its lively, dance-like setting of hymnals punctuated with flexible voices and enhanced keyboard rendition, explaining the true meaning of Easter. The selection of the energetic hymnals rendered at the event took the Easter worship to new heights and also established that the resurrection of Jesus, which Easter celebrates, is a foundation of the Christian faith. Speaking during Easter Carol event, The Liaison Officer, Akwa Ibom State Liaison Office, Lagos State, Mr. Michael Ekpenyong said, “The lesson of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is that Christians should love one another. Christ came, suffered and died for our sins and if Christ died for our sins, we should be able to forgive and love one another dearly. We should be able to emulate the way of life of Christ who came and did so many things for us before he finally died for sins. So I would appeal to my brethren to love one another, work together, be their brothers’ keepers and whenever there is a need to assist a brother, please do so because that is the gospel of Christ.” Explaining what inspired his organisation to hold such a spiritually magnified event, he said, “In the Akwa Ibom Civil Service, every ministry is expected to worship God

Michael Enoette To boost the Nigerian tourism sector, the Dubai Afrika recently unveiled its latest ambassador, ace footballer, Odion Ighalo in Lagos. Dubai Afrika is an online Travel and Entertainment Platform. And to stand out from all our competitors it has chosen to go on a tour with Ace footballer, Odion Ighalo. Odion Ighalo Before now, Dubai Afrika.com had done several tours. They had even invited one of Nigeria's finest Rapper; Falz during Valentine and Easter period. According to the creative director of the Travel agency, Tolulope Adesanmi,” this tour is special because of the side attractions. The Soccer star is fully involved in the local and international activities packaged for the tour.” Adesanmi who lamented Nigeria’s failure to maximise its tourism potentials, which would have boosted the economy and created new jobs revealed that sports and entertainment are the two major tools for promoting tourism, which they have effectively tapped into. He revealed that his outfit would be going to Dubai this year with Ighalo and highlights of the trip would include beach soccer, picnic, daily tours and sight-seeing, music concert and a one in a lifetime opportunity for a personal meet and greet with the international football star. The Director, BEN TV. Mr. Lanre Ijuola said partnering with Dubai Afrika was practically exciting. “BEN TV is strongly in support of the tour in terms of promoting the Dubai Afrika Tour with Odion Ighalo,” he noted.

Tutor Doctor Franchise Ready to Make a Difference Akwa Ibom Lagos Liaison Officer, Ekpenyong (Middle) flanked by Choir members and staff during the Easter Carol

and prayer together once in a week but when I came in here things weren’t like that. And with what I had seen in Uyo where I had worked before I came to Lagos, I felt things were not properly organised and so I decided to infuse what I saw in Uyo here in Lagos office, and I’m happy that the staff I met really cooperated with me and that is why you can see the beautiful display of the Easter Carol by the staff today.” Ekpenyong who expressed delight over the outcome of his innovative leadership, noted, “I am so delighted today because when I look at the faces of my staff I see happiness and I feel so fulfilled that our staff are also more fulfilled than how met them when I came in

newly. I have also noticed that the unity that exists amongst the staff is increasing day by day.” The Choir Leader, Akwa Ibom State Liaison Office Fellowship Choir, Lagos State, Akaniyene Essien who said the event was not just significant to the organisation but to Christian’s community at large, noted, “It is all about love, which is what led Christ to the cross. He left His exalted position in Heaven and went to the cross. He was very humble. So it is all about the lifestyle of humility, for you to reject an exalted position and take the place of a minor, just to be give salvation. So it is imperative for we, Christians to emulate and embark on this lifestyle of humility at whatever angle we find ourselves.”

AWLO Unveils Grassroots Connect Empowerment Project In commemoration of the Golden Jubilee celebration of Lagos State, the African Women in Leadership Organisation (AWLO) has rolled out its Grassroots Connect Empowerment Project (GCEP), an initiative of the African Women in Leadership Organisation (AWLO) Lagos Chapter, established and deployed to reach out to the less-privileged and indigent women in Lagos State. “AWLO as an organisation has ardent concentration on works that uplift the women, equip and inspire them to take up leading roles, channelling resources towards creating stability and self-sustaining support systems for the less-privileged women in our local communities. This time, we join hands with lovers of Lagos, a fast-growing mega city to empower women resident in the state to celebrate Lagos@50.” Speaking at the press parley recently, the Lagos State Chapter Coordinator, Mrs. Maureen Omeibe stated that the maiden edition which targets 200 women resident in Lagos will be provided a special and free cervical cancer screening and 50 other women from four Local Government Areas in Lagos will be beneficiaries of AWLO’s ‘Holding Hands Lifting Up Package’.

Top Footballer, Odion Ighalo Unveiled as Dubai Afrika Ambassador

L-r: Founder/President AWLO, Elisha Attai; Lagos State Chapter Coordinator, Mrs. Maureen Omeibe; Biodun Kupoluyi of Entertainment Media Limited; Project Co-ordinator Grassroots Connect Empowerment Project (GCEP), Mrs Obiakalusi Lovett at a press briefing

“The 50 women will have small-scale businesses set up for them and learn skills at our chosen skills acquisition centres. The following four Local Government areasMushin, Ikeja, Kosofe and Oshodi/Isolo are the first set of beneficiaries. Under GCEP, improvement of women's health and economic well-being is the primary objective. To this effect, AWLO has set specific targets and timelines for sustenance and improvement in the standard of living of indigent women across these four local governments

in the first edition. Core beneficiaries of this project are strictly poorly placed women in our society and the right criteria has been set up to make selections void of any form of bias and complacency. AWLO is committed to advancing the leadership status of women and Young Women of African descent. Her strategic empowerment and development actions and programmes connect and impact women across all social strata. Hence, AWLO Lagos rolls out the GCEP Project.”

There will be fewer “math meltdowns” and other homework headaches now that Tutor Doctor the fastest growing “at home” tutoring franchise worldwide is being introduced to the Nigerian market. Tutor Doctor, a rapidly expanding one-to-one tutoring service designed to help students at various ages, has announced the opening of a new franchise location in Lagos, offering the community and students a private, easy way to catch-up or get ahead in school. Tutor Doctor of Nigeria was launched last Wednesday in Lagos. The demand for tutoring has drastically evolved due to a myriad of reasons including the adoption of new technologies, rising student enrolments, intense competition among students, inability of standard education systems to address the unique needs of each student, lack of teaching staff at schools, and out-dated school infrastructural facilities. Tutor Doctor has come to address these issues. Tutor Doctor uses a variety of well- known books and educational materials to supplement customized programs, but the franchise primarily leverages the curriculum and text the student is currently working with to ensure the most relevant tutoring is provided. Tutor Doctor also works with students’ current teacher to ensure that they are meeting both the student’s and teacher’s expectations. Nigerian students stand to gain significant value from Tutor Doctor. ‘’We look forward to assisting students in achieving their educational goals with programmes that are specifically designed to fit the needs of each individual. One-to-one tutoring ensures that each student is being given the utmost attention and tools for success. It also gives our tutors the satisfaction of seeing their students’ progress. We can’t wait to start helping students reach their full potential," said the Regional Manager Tutor Doctor Nigeria, Ignatius Inyang. In addition to providing school-age students with tutoring in various subjects, many families also hire Tutor Doctor to help students get ahead and prepare for more advanced challenges, such as Honours classes that could help them get into a preferred college or university. Tutor Doctor also caters for pupils or students with special needs. Tutor Doctor has proven valuable for the rapidly growing home-schooled population, as well as for seniors and professionals wanting to learn new technology skills. Tutor Doctor was founded in 2000 as an alternative to the ‘’one-to-many’’ teaching model most extra-curricular learning centres offer by providing a personalised one-toone, in-home tutoring service to students. The company quickly grew and in 2003 turned to franchising as a way of expanding her impact and meeting the vast market demand.

31/LIVING

12.05.2017

Theologians, Experts Brainstorm on Solutions to Economic Hardship Mary Ekah This year’s annual Social Weekend of the Life Theological Seminary, Ikorodu, Lagos, focused basically on redressing the negative effects of the economic downturn and how to confront the adverse effects of the current economic recession in the country. Life Social Weekend is an annual interactive event that witnesses the gathering of staff, students and general public to discuss issues of importance to national development. It affords the school community as well as the public to discuss on issues affecting the well-being of the citizens. Topics on current issues in the country are usually chosen as topic of discourse. For this year, the situation in the country called for the topic, ‘Fundamental Economic Right of a Citizen in the Nigerian Context’. Delivering his address at the vent, the Provost, Life Theological Seminary, Cletus Orgu opined that, “The people in government at all levels have taken the citizens for ride and the politicians and their like are exploiting the ordinary people of this country,” which informed the topic for this year. “This year’s theme was informed by the present economic recession in the country and the fact that we would want people to know their economic rights and also at the same time draw the attention of the government to the downing economic life of the citizens,” Orgu noted. The Provost who revealed that the institution has been doing this for over 20 years, noted that what determines the topic for each year,

Embrace Season 10 Committee 2017 Life Theological Seminary Provost, Orgu with Sodipo during the event

is the current situation in the nation, while in that way, it also allows the institution to state its position on such situations. “Last year, since it was our election year, we had the topic, ‘Beyond the Elections 2016’ and this year’s due to the economic hardship in the nation, we decided to deal with the fundamental economic right of a citizen in the Nigerian context.” Speaking further, he said, “It’s usually an avenue for us to discussion issues of national interest and we have had important personalities in time past as speakers. So this year we had a former Dean, School of Law and Security Studies, Babcock University, Prof. Bankole SodipoPh.D (London) and also Prof. Tunde Lemo who was represented as guest speakers. “In time past we treated issues like tribal-

ism, corruption and others. So it is usually a period for the school community and general public to come together and discussion issues of national interest and be a blessing to its immediate community. It also an occasion we use establish various community projects around our vicinity,” he added. On why a theology school is shifting its attention to national issues, he said that although it is a theology school, its goal is focused on the total well-being of the individual spiritually, economically and otherwise. “Although we train people for ministry but we are training people who are going to be ministering in the society, so they should also know that they have social responsibility to the people and we too as an institution, it is also our social responsibility

Fidson Calls for Preventive Action against Malaria Concerned about the prevalence of malaria and the alarming rate of malaria infection in the country, Fidson Healthcare Plc has called on all Nigerians to embark on nationwide preventive actions against the menace of malaria in the country, in commemoration of the 2017 World Malaria Day. The leading pharmaceutical company advised Nigerians to prevent malaria infection through the use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS), noting that improved sanitation and avoidance of stagnant water bodies are also other veritable means of controlling malaria. This call was made following the 2015 Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey reports on statistics credited to the National Malaria Elimination Programme, Federal Ministry of Health, which estimated that about 110 million clinically diagnosed cases of malaria and nearly 300,000 malaria-related childhood deaths occur each

year. It also indicated that in Nigeria, malaria is responsible for approximately 60 per cent of outpatient visits, 30 per cent of admissions, and also believed to contribute up to 11 per cent of maternal mortality, 25 per cent of infant mortality, and 30 per cent of under-five mortality. Fidson’s Product Manager, Antimalarial, Mr. Adesoji Fasanya, said the report was very alarming, as it shows that Nigeria has the largest volume of malaria cases recorded in any single country globally. He said further that a bigger concern was the fact that malaria is preventable, but most people, especially those living in rural or semi-urban areas of developing countries don’t even know how to prevent them.“This is why as a responsible indigenous pharmaceutical company, we are actively participating in this global campaign by enlightening Nigerians, through all possible communication channels, on how they can

prevent the spread of malaria.” He further explained that Fidson’s primary responsibility is to ensure the provision and distribution of high-quality antimalarial drugs at affordable prices. “We are aware that there is a direct link between poverty and incidence of malaria. Therefore, the cost of therapy must be affordable for patients to reduce the economic burden of malaria on them. This is one major role that we play,” he said. He advised Nigerians to make deliberate and preventive efforts by keeping their environment clean, removing stagnant water from their environment, consistent use of long lasting insecticide treated nets and proper diagnosis before treatment. Fidson’s support for the global campaign against malaria is another demonstration of the company’s concern for the health and wellbeing of Nigerians and its commitment to adding value to the lives of Nigerians.

Savana Drink, Supreme Noodles to Sponsor Wonderland Children’s Carnival The fifth children’s day carnival organised by Wonderland Entertainment billed for May 26 has continued to receive more corporate backing. Drink giants Euro Global and Premier foods have both announced plan to support the programme billed for May 26 at Keda Field Abesan Estate, Ipaja, Lagos. Devanshu Seth, Marketing Head of Euro Global Foods said the company would provide cartons of Savana carbonated drinks and souvenirs to children. He said the company would also donate

prizes to the top three in each segment. Savana is the official drink. The event has also attracted the endorsement of premier foods, makers of Supreme Noodles. Brand Activation Manager of the firm, Mrs. Carol Benson explained that Supreme Noodles which is the official food of the event will provide total hospitality for the over 800 children and teenagers expected at the carnival. Meanwhile, Coordinator of the event and CEO of Wonderland Entertainment, Tayo Adeyemo has

promised participants a fun filled and glamorous event come May 26. He revealed that May 26 was chosen to enable more children to participate rather than May 27 which is the date sanctioned by the United Nations to celebrate children all we the world. This year’s event will feature athletics, table tennis, march past, quiz, cultural dances, drama, musical presentation, tug of war etc. The event will be declared open by Barrister Rotimi Ogunwuyi, Sole Administrator Mosan Okunola LCDA.

and that is why we talk on what happens in the nation and not only that we talk but take practical steps within our power to also provide solutions to these societal problems.” He added also that “Our Lord Himself was concerned about the total well-being of the people, so he did not just minister to their spiritual needs but also to their physical needs by feeding the hungry and also educated the masses. So we are following the steps of the Master,” he noted. Speaking on the topic, “Fundamental Economic Rights of the Nigerian Citizens”, Prof. Bankole Sodipo said, “Human Rights are based on principle of dignity and freedom. Human rights are severely compromised when human beings cannot meet their fundamental needs. Economic and social rights guarantee that every person be afforded conditions under which they are able to meet their needs, in particular, economic and social rights. Fundamental economic rights refer to the rights a human being has to enjoy basic needs to live life. It presupposes that every human being be given the opportunity to live a life where prerequisites for living are provided and can be afforded by the individual. It is predicated on the principle that economic equality should be preserved.” Sodipo concluded therefore that the duty is on government to respect, protect and help fulfil basic human economical rights, adding, “The state has a duty to provide the necessary means for living irrespective on the gender, race or age.” The programme was attended by over 500 people from the school community as well as from the general public.

Lions Club Donates to School in Ogun State Michael Enoette The Lions Club International District 404B2 Nigeria, recently inaugurated its Centennial Legacy Project executed at the St. Saviour's Primary School, Ijoko, Ota, Ogun State. The exercise carried out in conjunction with the Ijoko Unique Lions Club, witnessed the donation of a borehole, a 1200 Litres Water Tank and a 3.5 KVA Generator to the school. The Director General, Taiwo Adewumi led the team while the opening prayer was said by Rev. Canon Oladoyinbo. The DG, in his speech appreciated every Lion present at the event as well as the representatives of the school authority, noting that the event was postponed as earlier due to the sudden death of a member of the club, late Lion Oluwole Adeyemi. The Lions Club presented a First Aid Box containing some drugs to the management of the school while the DG, Adewumi led the team to inaugurate the the newly built borehole.

Director General, Lions Club International, Taiwo Adewumi

New Hall International School Wins 2017 Chemistry Challenge Dara Ogunmola, a student of New Hall International School, Lekki, has emerged winner of the 2017 Chemistry Challenge competition organised by PZ Cusson Limited and would go home with N700, 000 and a laptop. Ogunmola was adjudged the best in a keenly contested Chemistry Challenge which started with over 3000 students from over 1,500 schools to the epic finals that took place at Muson Centre Lagos. Ogunmola proved to be the most brilliant among the five best finalists. According to him, despite his initial fear, the encouragement and assurances from his teacher Mr. Raphael Adeoye, helped him overcome all doubts. “I started to put in my efforts with daily revision with my Chemistry teacher. I became more confident to read more to excel.” Ogunmola who hopes to study Electrical Engineering has the aspiration of working for reputable companies or establish his own company in the future, urged students to always give everything they do their best, because they never know what could come out of it.

Ogunmola with management of New Hall International School during the event

Principal, New Hall international School, Lekki, Adedeji Femi Lateef, disclosed that he was highly excited and grateful to God for the feat attained by his student. “Ogunmola

has worked very hard. The teacher who is the trainer has also worked tirelessly. When you have worked for something and you are victorious, the joy would be limitless,”

he noted. On his part, Mr Raphael Adeoye the Chemistry teacher attributed the success to Ogunmola. “Our victory today is attributed to Ogunmola’s relentless efforts to his studies, his principal and Management of New Hall International School for the resources they have put in place which is second to none and lastly to God for wonderful opportunities,” he said. Adeoye who also went home with N100, 000 price money for his effort maintained that for Nigeria to develop, government has to invest more in the industries.“If government can invest in science education, we would have enough manpower to manage several industries. If there is massive investment in science and technology, Nigeria would be highly developed and our currency would be competitive,” he said. The Chemistry teacher encouraged students to be passionate about their studies, adding that they should not wait for competition before they start reading, they should go extra mile and read their text books.

32 / PERSPECTIVE

12.05.2017

JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede

ASUU and JAMB: A Choice Between Progress and Retardation Best Orinya Agbese writes that stakeholders in the education sector should support the changes and innovations made by the current JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede Two institutions profoundly depict the choices before Nigerians as the world moves onto the next phase in advancement. There is the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). Both typify our chance at progress or retardation. The choice to be made should be guided about the driving forces of either option. JAMB has been innovative. It migrated to the digital platform way ahead of other government agencies. It was before its time in adopting online application. It moved away from Pencil and Paper Based Test to Computer Based Test. It implemented an array of other measures that cemented its position as a leader in embracing change. The end result is an organisation that has shortened the wait time from sitting for its entrance examination from over three months to just a few hours. On the opposite of the spectrum is ASUU, which has earned itself a reputation that places it on similar footing with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and that is not referring to our university lecturers as not better than motorpark touts even though they are known to descend into unprovoked unruliness. ASUU has largely proven to be allergic to innovation and evolved to be less relevant than it was at twilight of return to democratic rule in 1999. It had largely retained the combative and confrontational approach that might have been useful under military rule but

has no place in the current dispensation that promotes collaboration over conflict. It is understandable that ASUU has no interest in catching up with the rest of world â&#x20AC;&#x201C; its members, university lecturers, have not done much to explore the open source digital educational tools and platforms that are powering the contemporary classrooms. Asking them to contribute to that pool of resources would be asking for too much since they cannot give what they do not have anyway. What provokes head scratching is the venomous passion with which they are insisting on keeping the rest of the country at their own level of Information and Communication (ICT) illiteracy. Even if they have not made the necessary sacrifice to upgrade their tech skills they have no right trying to block the wholesale adoption or application of ICT for processing candidates that are coming into higher educational institutions as they recently tried to do with JAMB. Naturally, teachers that with cyberphobia would loathe the fact that JAMB is a catalyst for populating campuses with tech savvy youths, but even if JAMB were not to play this role nothing would stop the eventual arrival of digital natives â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the generation to whom tech savviness is second nature, from showing up on campuses. At this point the best ASUU can do is to throw the Chairman of its University of Ibadan Chapter, Dr. Deji Omole under the bus and distance itself from the shallow arguments he put forward in condemning the changes and innovations made by the

current JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede. The funny reasons included trying to brand the cost of registration for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination as prohibitive when it costs less than the amount an undergraduate spends on one glorified handout called textbook; if a candidate cannot afford the registration fee for the entrance examination then buying 16 handouts in a session would be a living nightmare. To call for the scrapping of JAMB over the postponement of a mock examination is disingenuous and exposes the quality of analytical skills of those behind ASUU, which indicates there may be no skills at all in the first instance. The Collins Dictionary online defines mock examination as "an examination, especially in a school, taken as practice before an official examination". Dr. Omole and his ilks in ASUU must therefore note that the "mock examination" he was ventilating over was not the one that would be used for admission, its purpose was to give willing first time candidates a feel of the actual examination with all the attendant benefits. His failure to understand this basic concept raises questions that are better not posed in this instance because of the damning answers they will provoke. For teachers that have been known to run cash-for-admission rackets, there is no confusion as to where the call for the scrapping of JAMB is coming from. What they are overtly asking for is to declare an open season for corruption where univer-

sity applicants would become fair game for exploitation. The corruption around university admission as currently known would be a rehearsal compared to what is to come when there is no regulatory body to enforce both the process and standard for university intake. Granted that it is a trade union and not a professional body, which does not justify artisanal reasoning and behaviour, ASUU were nonetheless has the responsibility to be forward thinking and do the needful towards nudging university education in Nigeria onto the path of progress. JAMB has shown leadership in this direction and the least the union can do is to reform its members to be empowered to teach the improved quality of undergraduates that gain admission on the strength of the world class entrance examination that JAMB conducts. Nigerians would therefore do well to side with JAMB while putting ASUU in its place as a busy body that is out to usurp the role of another and would do anything, including calling for the demise of its object of interest, to have it way. Should this happen, higher education would have suffered an immeasurable setback would only profit ASUU to the detriment of Nigerians. So should we scrap JAMB or sack the reformists that is working tirelessly at the place? It is a path we must never tread. Agbese is a trained educationist, Oil and Gas Expert and contributed this piece from the United Kingdom

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Global Outreach Day Targets 50 Million Souls Across Africa Peace Obi The Global Outreach Day, a non-denominational global soul winning organisation has revealed that this year's edition of its one day evangelism exercise scheduled for Saturday, May 27, has its focus on Africa. Speaking at a press conference in Lagos recently, the national coordinator, Evangelist, Oguazi Onyemobi disclosed that while the vision is to reach 50 million souls across Africa in one day, the Nigerian chapter has the target to reach 20 million souls with the love of Jesus Christ. According to the national coordinator, the group's vision is to raise an army believers that will bring people into personal relationship with Christ Jesus. "The Global Outreach Day is a worldwide initiative that has taken root in over 150 countries. The vision is to raise the entire believers in Jesus Christ as a massive army to preach the gospel in one day and adopt soul winning as a lifestyle. “To achieve that purpose, we organise programmes geared towards training, equipping and mobilising each believer to share the good news of God’s salvation simply, boldly and passionately, to bring people into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Calling on Christians to adopt soul winning

L-R: Executive member, Global Outreach Day Nigeria, Dr. Fidelima Onyemobi, Member, Board of Trustee, Mr. Emeka Ejims, National Coordinator, Evangelist Oguazi Onyemobi, BoT members, Rev. Peace Goodey and Apostle Olamilekan Odejimi, during a press conference in Lagos

as a lifestyle, Onyemobi said that it has become pertinent as the world is in era where many are spreading messages of hate, killings, destruction and deception in the name of God. And that "we believe that as we all do this together, it will

generate a synergy that can shake the world and bring about a global revival,” he said. Speaking further, the national coordinator noted that one of the programmes in preparation for the one day global outreach was an Evangelism

and Fire Conference which held at Presbyterian Church, Yaba-Lagos. Adding that the purpose of the conference was to train and equip believers to be effective soul winners. "It is also to mobilise believers to be involved in the soul winning exercise of the Global Outreach Day. And that participants and individual churches can adopt diverse soul winning strategies that suit them best during the exercise. Speaking, also a member of the G.O.D, Board of Trustee, Rev. Peace Goodey said that the event was not about church but to let people around the world know the love of God. According to her, it is going to be a kind of revival for the lost souls. "We are coming out to say make soul winning a lifestyle, reach out to souls and let them know the love of God. We are coming to make people know it is no longer about church, it is coming together to share God's word,” she said. Calling on Christians to join the train of evangelism as it tours the world on May 27 with a focus on Africa, Mr. Emeka Ejims advised that participants should adopt diverse methods they deem suitable for every environment in declaring the love of Jesus Christ to the people. Ejims who enjoined Christians to join the train said, "Everybody should come on board to spread the love of Christ Jesus and God will surely show up in a mighty way.”

New Speaker Named for AUN’s Ninth Commencement Solomon Elusoji The American University of Nigeria (AUN) has named Rhodes Scholar and leading investment banker, Ike Chioke of Afrinvest West Africa Limited, as the new keynote speaker for its graduation ceremony at the Lamido Aliyu Musdafa Commencement Hall on the Yola campus tomorrow. A first-class Civil Engineering graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and trustee member of the AUN Board, Chioke replaces His Highness Emir Lamido Muhammadu Sanusi II of Kano, earlier advertised as the Commencement Speaker for this year. Chioke was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University where he earned his MPhil degree in Management Studies prior to launching his extraordinary banking career. “The Emir cannot attend our Commencement due to his pressing schedule,” said the AUN Interim President, Prof. LeGene Quesenberry,

Rotary Club Ogudu Inaugurates Global Grant Projects in Agboyi Community Ugo Aliogo Rotary Club of Ogudu GRA, Lagos State has inaugurated some global grant projects in Agboyi community, in Agboyi/Ketu Local Council Development Area (LCDA), as part of efforts to improve the living conditions of the residents of the community. Speaking at the inauguration, the Lagos and Ogun State District Governor of Rotary District 9110, Patrick Ijehon Ikheloa, lauded the projects and used the opportunity to urge the people to draw the state government attention to other areas of need. The global grant projects which was inaugurated were three toilets, two bathrooms for the three communities in Agboyi (Agboyi 1, Agboyi 2 and Agboyi 3), renovation of school classroom, provision of 120 chairs for students, four pairs of tables and chairs for teachers, provision of potable water, provision of two labour room and resting room for the staff of the maternity, re-equipping of the maternity with modern equipment. Ikheloa lamented that the community has been neglected by the state government, therefore rotary decided to assist the community with the provision of these facilities. “For the first time, the people will have access to clean water. Also, the children will have the opportunity to attend school in a decent environment like their counterparts in the city. This project will help the children to learn and improve in their academics. Government should be made to understand that the people need these facilities to improve their lives,” he added.

Chioke

while announcing Mr. Chioke as the new speaker. She expressed her delight and gratitude that Mr. Chioke will be able to step in despite the short notice.”

A former Goldman Sachs and Salomon Smith Barney’s executive, Chioke has over 25 years of investment banking experience involving strategic advisory in corporate finance including mergers and acquisitions, project/structured finance and debt/equity capital markets transactions valued at over US$7.5 billion. His industry specialisations include the telecommunications, media, financial services and general industrial sectors. At 5 p.m. on May 12, preceding the Commencement, AUN Founder and former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, will dedicate the second eco-friendly structure on the campus, the Admin II Building. Following the dedication, at 7 p.m., will be the presentation of this year’s Graduation Awards to deserving students by corporate sponsors. Over the years, AUN has had an array of notables as commencement speakers, including EU Ambassador David MacRae (2011), civil rights champion Charlayne Hunter-Gault (2013),

Ambassador John Simon (2014), and famous Colombian educator Vicky Colbert (2015). “We are very excited at another Commencement as we graduate yet another amazing class,” said Prof. Quesenberry, while thanking the members of staff and faculty for mentoring these students. “We know you and your proud parents are very delighted at your many accomplishments here at AUN--we are equally very proud of all of you,” she said to the graduating students. Founded in 2003, the American University of Nigeria was created to be Africa’s first Development University; its mission is to promote service learning and to educate leaders who will be prepared to tackle the development issues of Nigeria and Africa. The University offers an American-style education modeled after the curriculum of American universities, using the latest in Internet technology and e-learning resources.

Group Calls for Change “33” Export Lager Beer Set to Thrill of Approach in Youth Consumers in Jos, Uyo and Port Harcourt Empowerment “33” Export Friendship Joshua Odebisi The President, Africa Young Entrepreneurs (AYE), Mr. Summy Francis, has called for a change in approach by the government with regards to empowering young entrepreneurs in Nigeria. Francis who disclosed this recently at a media briefing in Lagos, advised the government to look for existing structures to empower entrepreneurs and condemned the misguided approach by the government in setting up of committees, funds run by career politicians and non-business people. “What is really affecting us as a nation is the fact that we come up with funds and grants, but they are infected with nepotism,” he noted. He also advised the government to collaborate with organisations such as AYEEN to set up and manage any grants the government might want to give, adding that the organisation has proven track record in empowering entrepreneurs He implored all promising Nigeria entrepreneurs and startups to sign up for AYEEN2017 through their online platform. Also speaking at the event, National Head of A.Y.E, Mr. Olubunmi Oluwadare, appealed to government to strive towards improving infrastructure in the country and leave the empowerment of entrepreneurs to the more qualified. He said the data in the agriculture value chain has the capacity to take 20 million Nigerians out of poverty, a feat that could only be achieved through real entrepreneurship advocacy at the grass-root level. He added: “The products consumed in Lagos are supplied by other states from as far away as the North, the transporters who are supplying these products are part of the value chain. The government are not sincere about encouraging agricultural entrepreneurship, what they are doing is a political jamboree.

Experience parties is set to hit Port Harcourt, Jos and Uyo on Friday 12th, Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th of June 2017 respectively. “33” Export connects and engages with its target consumers by celebrating friendship and friends across the country. It would be recalled that the brand commenced this year’s Experiential Parties in March, and has hosted several top DJs and Comedians in the entertainment industry to thrill consumers with the best of music, games and comedy experiences. Ladies patronising "33" The experiential parties are targeted at bringing to live the values of the brand, and deepening the bond that exists between the brand and its customers. Speaking after last weekend’s friendship party in Abuja, Abba Cornelius, a winner and guest at the event expressed satisfaction saying: “My friends and I have not attended an event this interesting in a while. It’s not just about the party, but the ambience of friendship, memories, and wonderful stories that we can share from this.” This week, the experiential parties will hold in Uyo, Jos and Port Harcourt. Lovers of “33” Export Lager Brand outside these cities need not feel left out, as they and their friends in those other cities across the country will definitely have a taste of this remarkable experience. According to the Portfolio Manager, Main-

stream Lager and Stout, Nigerian Breweries, Emmanuel Agu, the parties are part of the brand’s commitment to creating memorable experiences for consumers of “33” Export Lager Beer wherever they are. “In line with the brand positioning as “Your No. 1 Friendship Beer”, the brand has continued to create consumer experiences that bring our consumers together, recognising that those moments are memorable to our consumers,” Agu said. “We have successfully created an opportunity for them to connect, and we can promise our dedication towards a more engaging and memorable experience for all our consumers across the country.” Consumers are encouraged to attend any of these experiential parties with their friends to celebrate each other while experiencing the quality taste of “33” Export Lager Beer.

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As 2017 SSCE Exams Begin, Can We Sustain 2016 Performance? Year after year Nigerians pay to the West African Examinations Council billions of naira in examination fees for their children to sit for the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations, but at the end of the day less than 40 per cent of them make the minimum requirement for admission into universities. Joseph Chibueze writes Since 2006, the performance rate of Nigerian students in the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has been dismal, hovering around 22 to 38.68 per cent. But in what looks like breaking the jinx, the 2016 result showed a significant improvement in candidates’ performance from what it has been for a decade. The result as announced by WAEC show that 878,040 candidates, representing 52.97 per cent of 1,544,234 candidates who sat for the examination obtained credits in five subjects, including Mathematics and English Language. This performance has raised a lot of questions as to how that result was achieved. Whatever be the case, it is on record that Nigeria has for once posted good performance in WAEC in recent times. Millions of Nigerian youths have had the unfortunate situation of rewriting WAEC examination year after year paying the examination fees all over again and wasting precious time at home just because they could not pass either English Language or Mathematics. In the 2015 May/June WAEC examinations, Nigeria presented 1,605,248 candidates and paid a whooping sum of N18, 299, 827, 200 as examination fees although 1,593,442 actually sat for the exams. When the results were released by WAEC only 616,370 representing 38.68 per cent obtained the minimum qualification for admission into higher institutions leaving the remaining 61.32 per cent or 977,072 candidates to try again next year and N11,138,620,800 going down the drain. If one adds to that N300,000 being the estimated cost of training a child from senior secondary one to three, it would be clear the huge amount Nigeria is losing every year when its students fail to make the minimum requirement for admission into higher institution. The burden has become so heavy that even some state governments that promised to pay WASSCE fees for their candidates are now finding it difficult. It is even more painful against the background that the students do not even justify the huge expenses government is incurring as they end up failing the exams. For instance, Kogi State government spent N276.8 million reimbursing eligible candidates that sat for the 2014/2015 West African Senior Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in the state. Between 2007 and 2013, Oyo State government spent about N2,067,545,050 on examination fees for her 396,579 candidates that sat for WASSCE. At the end of the day, only 14.27 per cent of the candidates made the minimum requirement for admission into higher institutions. In 2013, WAEC withheld the results of 70,000 Oyo State public school candidates who sat for the May/June WASSCE in that year over the non-payment of registration fees by the state government. The state government has already announced that it will no longer pay WASSCE fees for anybody. WAEC also withheld the May/June 2014 results of all public secondary schools in Cross River State over a debt of over N300 million the state government owed the body. The amount was for 2013 and 2014 WASSCE registration fees. And in 2015, the Council withheld the results of over 200,000 candidates because their state governments could not pay the over N4 billion registration fee for the candidates. Dangerous trend Since 2006 the performance of students in WASSCE has continued to hover around 22 to 38.68 per cent. For example, in 2006 22 per cent of the candidates made credit passes and above in five subjects including English

Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu

Language and Mathematics, in 2007 the number dropped to 20 per cent, it improved to 26 per cent in 2008, remain the same 26 per cent in 2009 and dropped again to 23 per cent in 2010. In 2011, Nigeria achieved 30 per cent pass rate in the examination, improved on it to 38.81 per cent in 2012, the nation’s best performance in six years, only to begin another downward journey in 2013 when the result was 36.5 per cent and further down in 2014 with 31.28 per cent, but improved slightly in 2015 with 38.68 per cent. The 2016 performance of 52.97 per cent is still a wonder to many who are still at a loss as to what brought about the leap. Who is to blame? There is a blame game currently going on. Parents believe teachers are not doing enough to prepare the students for examinations, and government is not playing its part of providing adequate facilities to help the students learn better, teachers on their part are blaming parents for abandoning their responsibility of monitoring their children because they are too busy looking for money. They also blame government for the poor work environment under which they operate. As usual, no one is ready to take responsibility for the abysmal performance of the students a dangerous situation that can only ensure the poor performance continues. Former Head of National Office (HNO) WAEC Nigeria, Mr. Charles Eguridu, said the whole society, the changing attitude and economic fortunes of parents and government are responsible for the decline in students’ performance in public examinations. According to him, “In those days, when we were in school, we had the privilege of being in the boarding house. We had specific periods for reading; we had periods for games and the teacher ratio was such that, you could have a teacher supervise about 20 students. “But now, we have a situation whereby schools have as many as about 60 students in one class. So, the level of supervision has sort of dropped. Parents leave home around 4a.m. because of traffic and they return at about 9 to 10p.m., when the children have gone to bed. There are no hostels in the schools; the students engage with smartphones and are watching movies. So, what do you expect when there is no supervision?” It is on record that the education system in Nigeria has been the most neglected despite its strategic importance to the socio-economic and political development of the nation. Budgetary allocation to education in Nigeria is one of the lowest in Africa. For instance, for several years the allocations to education in Nigeria have oscillated between five and nine per cent, getting to about 10 per cent only in the last years of the former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government. And about 80 per cent of the paltry education budgets are allotted to recurrent expenditure. The story is not different for the states.

By contrast, Botswana spends about 19 per cent of its budgets on education; Swaziland spends about 24 per cent; Lesotho spends about 17 per cent; South Africa, about 25 per cent; Cote d’Ivoire, about 30 per cent; Burkina Faso, about 16 per cent; Ghana, about 31 per cent. Kenya spends about 23 per cent of budgets on education; Uganda spends about 27 per cent; Tunisia, about 17 per cent; and Morocco, about 17 per cent. The percentage budgetary allocations to education in Nigeria sharply contrast with the UNESCO-recommended minimum of 26 per cent for developing countries eager for development. Interestingly, countries that have made giant strides in development are those known to have invested the bulk of their resources in the education of their peoples. Poor working conditions in the country’s education sector are reported to have made the teaching profession unattractive to high flyers, and a last resort for those who fail to find fortune in other sectors. Professor Peter Okebukola, former Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC) and now of the Faculty of Science, Lagos State University (LASU) said that until the teachers are better trained and well motivated, all efforts to improve the quality of the education system will be severely compromised. It is also imperative to note that education in Nigeria is highly politicised. Different state governments adopt different educational policy according to the political party to which the state governor belongs. In most of these cases, the government claim to be offering free education and undertake to pay public examination fees of their candidates in the name of trying to lift the burden off parents. This palliative to the many poor parents was among the arsenals of campaign issues deployed by the ruling parties in the respective states during the last general elections. At the end of the day, the schools are left with little or no teaching and learning facilities, teachers are recruited to favour political associates, teachers are not paid leading to many months of strike action with the children wasting away at home. The most laughable of the education policies in some of the states is that no student must repeat a class, everybody is promoted at the end of each academic year, pass or fail! A similar thing also happens in some private schools where because of the quest to retain the patronage of parents, students are awarded fabulous marks to give the impression that they are doing very well. The schools even officially organise examination malpractices for their candidates in external examinations like WAEC and claim 100 per cent pass rate. Way out Experts say the solution to this abnormal trend in the educational system lies in improving the quantity of teachers, “reformatting teacher education” and ensuring a “major curriculum overhaul.” According to , Chioma Osuji, the acting policy adviser to the Civil Society Action Coalition on Education For All, a nongovernmental organization, “Nigeria should engage 39,239 qualified teachers annually for Universal Basic Education (UBE) up to year 2020 and 80,364 for Adult and non-Formal Education.” Professor Idowu Sobowale, former Commissioner for Education Lagos State believes all hands must be on deck with all stakeholders, parents, teachers and government playing their roles effectively. For him, Teachers need to improve their skills, they need to train and retrain because in his words, “You cannot give what you do not have.”

He said government must provide the basic facilities in school. “You can’t have children studying under trees or sitting on bare floors while receiving lessons and you expect them to do well in examinations. Government must be alive to its responsibilities in the area of ensuring that the school environment is conducive for teaching and learning.” He calls for adequate supervision of schools. “In fact these days I doubt if schools are still being supervised, yes the department may be there but are they really doing the supervision in the true sense of it?” he wondered. “You can provide all the facilities, you can formulate all the policies, without adequate supervision to ensure that school heads and teachers are doing what they are supposed to do, it will all come to nothing. Government should engage supervisors, and when I say supervisors, I am not talking of green horns, fresh university graduates who know next to nothing about school administration, I am talking about experienced people, maybe retired senior civil servants or retired school principals who know what it means to run a school. These are the people the school administrators cannot fool.” While calling on parents to pay more attention to their children’s education, Sobowale said parents need to provide basic necessities for their children to be able to function adequately in school. “These days most parents only struggle to get money, pay school fees, no monitoring, no supervision and they think they have done their job. No, they need to provide the child with the necessary textbooks and make sure that these children are actually reading these books.” The erudite professor also admonished government to make adequate budgetary allocations to education. It is good to hear that some state governments are now withdrawing their promise to shoulder the responsibility of paying examination fees for candidates from the states. Perhaps this will make parents to sit up knowing that it is no more public funds that are being wasted but his/her hard earned money should the child fail. For Comrade Adesegun Raheem, chairman Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) Lagos State chapter, it is time for curriculum review. According to him, “Our curriculum is outdated and needs a holistic review not the piece meal changes that we are doing. Our curriculum as it is today is tilted towards white-collar job that is because at the time it was designed, before a student graduates he already has two or three places where they are inviting him to come and work. That era is gone, even government can no longer provide jobs for the citizens because it can no longer pay salaries. Therefore our curriculum should now tilt towards self employment, entrepreneurship.” Although some education stakeholders are still asking the question whether the 2016 results truly reflect improvement in learning outcomes, especially the mastery of what have been taught to the students; whether the results truly reflect WAEC’s ancient standard or was there a lowering of standard somewhere along the line to achieve this feat; whether something new went into the exam body’s marking scheme and whether it should be entirely and wholesomely received believing that the results is not shaped by exam-malpractices, while these questions remain Germane, the performance of the candidates in the 2017 WASSCE will determine whether the 2016 performance was only a flash in the pan or a new era has dawned in the Nigerian education landscape. Chibueze is a journalist based in Lagos Email josechibueze@yahoo.co.uk

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Tackling Multiple Taxation in the FCT Following complaints of multiple taxation received from business owners operating within the Federal Capital Territory, Paul Obi examines proactive steps taken by the FCT minister to reverse the trend

Bello...creating the enabling environment for businesses to thrive in the FCT

Recently, the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, announced that one of the quick-wins expected from the newly reconstituted FCT Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) is the harmonisation of the various and sometimes conflicting taxes that businesses have to pay. This is often referred to as multiple taxation. Business organisations in the Federal Capital Territory have for years, grappled with the challenge of multiple taxation. These include tenement rates, property taxes, ground rents, environmental charges, Education Tax Fund and Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund deductions and other taxes charged by the three-tiers of government. These outfits have had to respond to payment demands from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the Federal Capital Territory Administration and the six area councils in Abuja who churn out by-laws imposing taxes on citizens and businesses at every turn in order to boost revenue generation. Recently, a group representing the 250 hotels in Abuja, The Abuja Hotel Owners Forum, raised concerns over the negative impact of multiple taxation on members leading to negative outlook on their finances. In the same vein, the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (FCT chapter) raised issues against multiple taxation inflicted on schools by government agencies. Speaking on the development, the Chairman of the group, Mrs. Sarah Jubril, stated that in an attempt to overcome the economic recession, some fraudsters had hijacked the process of

collecting taxes and threatened to shut down their schools if they failed to comply. She said the group equally pays local government levies on school buses, besides other levies collected for inspection and accreditation purposes hitherto supervised by the Department of Quality Assurance, a regulatory department of the Education Secretariat of the FCT. "Despite these, we are saddled with multiple and heavy taxes which are frustrating and compete with genuine needs of our businesses,” said Sarah. The legislative arm of the Abuja Municipal Area Council some months ago held a public hearing over its plans to re-introduce the controversial "park and pay" policy. A policy that requires vehicles parked in designated areas to pay a certain amount of money depending on how long the vehicle stays in the particular spot. The controversial policy, originally conceived by the last administration of the Federal Capital Territory, was halted by an Abuja High Court over abuses that attended it by the operators and the essential fact that it lacked an enabling law. The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Muhammad Musa Bello, at a recent function in Abuja also expressed concerns over the persistent issue of multiple taxation, stating that the FCT Administration has put machinery in motion to tackle the challenge especially with regards to improving Nigeria's ranking on the World Bank Ease of Doing Business Index.

“One area that has been of great challenge to us is the multiplicity of taxes that FCT residents pay. It’s something that is of great concern and jointly with the Federal Inland Revenue Service together with the FCT Inland Revenue Service which will soon be operational, will work on what is already being done nationally so that we can harmonise all these taxes," the minister said. “The ultimate goal is for businesses and organisations to just make one payment to a particular agency and that agency divides the payments to all the others. That way, you don’t have to communicate with five or six different people coming to you and you don’t know who is genuine and who is not genuine. I can assure you that we are on the path towards being able to surmount that. “With regard to taxation, I want to clearly tell you now that any person that comes to you and says pay tax into a private account, don’t pay. Taxation is for government. Even if for any reason, taxes are being collected through consultants and so on, first and foremost, the taxes go to government coffers, then government pays the consultants. If you have a problem, report to me directly through your association,” the minister told a delegation of Abuja Hotel Owners Forum. Bello added, “On the issue of the tenement rate and area of the jurisdictions of the area councils, particularly AMAC, it’s something that is in the court, so I will not say anything right now. But what we are trying to do will take care of all these and everybody will be carried along.”

President Muhammadu Buhari penultimate week approved the reconstitution of the Board of Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) with Abdulahi Oteh Attah as Chairman/Chief Executive. This was contained in a circular signed by the FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye dated April 21, 2017. Members of the Board are Ahmed Garba, Barrister Hamza Hashim, Saa Godwin Gbue, Edward Adedamola, Mrs. Blessing Ifeyinwa and Ms. Benedicta Atto. The circular added that this is in addition to the statutory members of the board provided for in Section 3(2)(a) of the FCT-IRS Act 2015 which the following directors/officials of the FCT Administration which include, Director of Treasury as Deputy Chairman, SolicitorGeneral, Legal Services Secretariat as member and Director of Land Administration as member. Others are the Director, Administration and Finance (Area Council Services Secretariat), Member, Co-ordinator, Abuja Infrastructure and Investment Centre, member, Director, Department of Economic Planning, Research and Statistics, member and Director of Information and Communications, member. With the steps taken so far by concerned authorities, businesses are hoping for a tax regime that would guarantee profitability, eliminate illegal tax collection and generally improve Nigeria's ranking in the World Bank Ease of Doing Business index. On this, those operating businesses in Abuja have given kudos to the FCT minister for this timely intervention.

T H I S D AY FRIDAY MAY 12, 2017

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12.05.2017

Azudialu-Obiejesi: Behind His Billionaire Status Lies a Heart of Gold

Olusegun Michael Fafore writes that Dr. Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi is using his wealth to develop his home town, Okija

Obiejesi

When you visit Okija in the Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, the home town of Dr. Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi, also known simply as Obijackson, you are likely to repeat the prayer I said when I arrived the sleepy town. My visit to Okija twice between October and November 2016, first for the traditional marriage of his eldest daughter, Miss Chinazo Azudialu-Obiejesi (now Mrs. Okoye), and second; for his self-funded annual Igbo music and cultural festival - ‘Okija Cultural and Music Festival’ provided me yet another opportunity to visit the east after about three years break, but more importantly, I learnt that selflessness adorns one with grandeur. The level of development I witnessed at Okija amazed me, and “God should continue to bless those whose wealth touches humanity and transforms the earth” was my prayer. The name, Obijackson, is an acceptable and powerful currency in Okija because of the kind-heartedness, generosity and benevolence of Dr. Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi, the Osuofia of Okija, who is so described. An accomplished businessman who illustrates the story of African entrepreneurship better than anyone else, Dr. Azudialu-Obiejesi hoists the Okija banner with gusto and pride, and has never allowed his enormous wealth and accomplishments distance him from his culture and people. Instead, he deploys these would have been ‘impediments’ towards the urbanisation of his home town and empowerment of his kinsmen. As you veer into Okija from OwerriOnitsha Road, there are two things you are bound to happen. First, you will notice that Okija is a land of wonderful people, and secondly you will query the believability of the falsehood littering

the internet about the community and their culture. You are received by warm people, or in my case okada riders, who are eager to help, or direct you appropriately. Such an Okada rider was Chigozie, a friend I made on my second visit; he inspired me to write this piece when he called a couple of days back to ask how I was doing and actually prayed for me. He also asked how Obijackson was doing and murmured some prayers in Igbo, which he translated upon my inquest to mean, “May God protect the kind man who is making life easy for us in the village”. Chigozie’s prayer got me thinking. I am sure he has never met Dr. Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi in person, even though prayers for the businessman, like those of several others, are a regular part of his life. For the positive impact his energy and resources have on his community and people, Dr. Azudialu-Obiejesi is considered a bright candle, illuminating others with his business acumen and more importantly his indefatigable philanthropy. As a practical mind, he leverages his role as one of the greatest promoters of the Igbo culture to trigger the socio-economic development of Okija, which has become one of the major destinations in the eastern region of the country every December. For Obijackson, cultural development must flourish and complement community growth. This practicality is evident in his recent construction of some major roads in Okija and the building of Okija market. Interestingly, followers of his prosocial activities, largely dispensed through his Obijackson Foundation, are not surprised by these actions because Dr. Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi has consistently proven that he is a transformation agent, who represents innovation, development and

freedom. Situating a multi-million naira state-ofthe-art medical facility, Obijackson Women and Children’s Hospital (OWCH), in Okija is Obijackson’s contribution to reducing instances of avoidable death and disability, occasioned by inaccessibility to basic healthcare services and education. The Osuofia of Okija has demonstrated that he truly loves his people and highlights his vision for modernity and social empowerment. Equipped with cutting-edge equipment and staffed with highly qualified personnel, OWCH has demonstrated expertise in the care of neonates and children. Arguably, the medical facility is the best equipped in eastern Nigeria, beating several specialist hospitals and stateowned medical centers in sophistication and contemporaneousness to meet the health challenges of the modern society. From different parts of Igbo land, people requiring urgent and intensive medical attention throng the hospital, helping fulfill Obijackson’s aspiration of providing quality healthcare to people in the rural areas. Also, Dr. AzudialuObiejesi’s rare ability to envision things years ahead of others has benefitted Okija as much as his burgeoning business empire, which has Nestoil Limited, Neconde Energy, Nesto Aviation Services, B&Q Dredging and Century Power Generation Ltd as some of its subsidiaries. This far-sighted Chairman of Smile Communications and the Group Managing Director of the Obijackson Group commenced the construction of the St. Peter’s Stadium years back as a facility for social integration and youth empowerment. Today, St. Peters Stadium has become home for sporting activities including national league matches and boosted tal-

ent development in South-eastern Nigeria. Soon, Okija will house one of the most reputable secondary school brands left standing in this era of wholesale erosion of our educational system, Loyola Jesuit Secondary School. I see Okija garnering fame for contributing to the rebirth of quality education in Nigeria; freshly minted bright and intelligent minds will graduate from school, and Okija will serve as a melting point for youths from diverse ethnic and cultural orientation who will build our dream country. With Loyola Jesuit Secondary School in Okija, more children from the community will access free and quality education. The scope of scholarship and educational support schemes for indigent students will widen, as the quest to encourage Anambra’s children to fortify their business acumen with intellectual dexterity in a changing world begins. I know this will happen because Dr. Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi has over the years demonstrated an unusual ability and capacity to hold on to his beliefs, vision and dreams. This trait is the plot that holds together the beautiful story of his yesterday, and the enthralling narrative that we now witness as his today. Without vision and purpose, sitting on the boards of many blue chip companies and contributing to socioeconomic development of Nigeria would have remained a dream only enjoyed in his sleep. But with God’s guidance, the thoughts that dominated his mind and the work of his hands have turned to gold. I therefore take this occasion of his birthday to pray that God will grant him longevity and continue to use him as a vessel for His work. Happy birthday to you, the Osuofia of Okija! Fafore writes from Lagos

38/OPINION

12.05.2017

ADEOLAAKINREMI HOME TRUTHS

Email: adeola.akinremi@thisdaylive.com

Tel 08116759785(sms only)

The Spin Doctors of Aso Rock (1) It is a new world of spin in our country. A time of upheaval and confusion. A time when medical and spin doctors battle to stay by President Muhammadu Buhari’s bedside. A time when 82 of the schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram militants were marching in for recovery and re-integration. A time President Buhari marched out for healthcare in London, United Kingdom. A time the leader of Boko Haram Islamist group, Abubakar Shekau, surfaced in a video to tell us he neither sleeps nor slumbers. It is a disheartening time to have the Chibok girls—the 276 female students kidnapped at the Government Secondary School in the town of Chibok in Borno State in April of 2014— see their lives devalued like pawn in a game of chess and reduced to political marketing product by politicians. Honestly, it is grossly inhuman to continue to reduce the value of these young women, who were overpowered by evil men and forcibly taken away from their loving families and friends due to past government inaction. By concentrating on the political gains of the release of some of the girls by their abductors, a theme for which the Nigerian government is now known, the government has twisted the idea of dignity —one which asks us to respect and value people. After the girls have been bruised by their abductors, they are now being abused, because the government appears to be interested in making a political marketing out of them rather than focusing on the trauma and tragedy that befell them. The content of press statements from the government and those closely associated with President Buhari, and the slant from one media outlets to the other that followed the release of the girls question our collective compassion for the young women, whose families have suffered agony too hard to recount, and tragedy that terrified them in the last three years.

The rescued 82 Chibok school girls

Of course, the announcement of their release was a package to boost the low presidential energy in the country, especially since those behind the parade of the girls knew President Buhari had to leave for London on Sunday. Like Reuben Abati joked in his latest work, the 82 Chibok girls and other stories, “the whole drama appears to be professionally stage-managed. The girls even looked as if some of them were wearing costumes, I mean aso ebi. Some people are saying that by 2019, just before the elections, the last batch of the Chibok girls will emerge from wherever they are.” Politicians who want Buhari to feel their vibes immediately started getting out to media outlets to sing his praise with a small portion of their words urging him to action about care for the girls. For instance, in a news story headlined, ‘Dogara hails Buhari’, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, said: “President Buhari has further proven that he is a man of his words, as he could have used the initial inaction by the previous administration

as an excuse to not take action, but he didn’t.” Dogara deified Buhari but demeaned the dignity of the abducted girls by concentrating on political marketing instead of focusing the hearts and minds of Nigerians on the horrendous experience of the girls and how everyone needs to rise up to the challenge of their rehabilitation. In another poor example, the governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, who understandably should speak from the point of strength as a sitting governor in a state affected by Boko Haram militancy, decided to use his state broadcast to sing the praise of President Buhari with some contradictions. In a 10-paragraph written address, Shettima used seven big paragraphs to do political marketing for Buhari and almost near the end of his speech said, “we should put their rehabilitation first before our understandable search for news insights.” Does Shettima really want us to believe him? But a statement by one of the founders of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, a man well-known for his civil rights action, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is one worthy example of political communication at a time like this. “We must keep this good news in proper context. The released children need to be nurtured and cared for in a special way in order to overcome the sad experience that they had to suffer. Our government must help their families do this. “Moreoever, we must not forget the girls still being held by Boko Haram and we must not forget the grief of their families. We owe it to them to press forward until all the girls have regained freedom and family and Boko Haram is so defeated that it may never again be able to do what it did in Chibok,” Tinubu said. Other than recognition of effort made by Buhari in negotiating the release of the girls, the APC national leader did not do political marketing with the Chibok girls. Sadly, for its own profit, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Ahmed Markarfi tried to

resuscitate the dead opposition energy by making the release of the girls another fight with the Buhari government using such strange words as “heavy price” to swap prisoners for the Chibok girls. Markarfi’s arch-rival, who leads the other faction of the fractured PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, equally cashed in on the politics throwing caution into the wind and asking Buhari to “deepen the swap arrangement”, because it is PDP’s original idea for the release of the captured girls. Clearly, our own experience aptly fits what the director of the International Center for Media and the Public Agenda (ICMPA), at the University of Maryland, College Park, United States, Susan Moeller, called ‘Packaging Terrorism: Co-opting the News for Politics and Profit’, a 2009 book she wrote following her investigation into the manner and ways the media frame terrorism. Yes, the fear, politics, profits, outrage, and the confusion make the war against terrorism a game for the politicians who frame the news for the media with little concern for those whose lives have been radically altered by it. In all, if there’s any message that President Buhari needs to hear, it is the one from Amnesty International that the government should concentrate on the losses of the girls, their trauma, psychological and medical needs. We all know that Boko Haram executed and tortured thousands of civilians, indoctrinated and forced people to fight for the terrorist group, as well as raped girls and forced them into marriage. So why should this government make a subtle political campaign out of the release of the 82 girls when actually the “government should respect their privacy and ensure that the released girls are reunited with their families and not kept in lengthy detention and security screening which can only add to their suffering and plight,” as counselled by Osai Ojigho, Nigeria’s Director of Amnesty International.

INEC and the Long Wait for Anambra Central Rerun Michael Jegede About 18 months after the Enugu Division of Court of Appeal quashed the election of Mrs. Uche Ekwunife as the Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, and ordered a rerun poll to be held within 90 days (from the date the judgement was delivered), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is yet to conduct the exercise. Hence, the people of the senatorial district have remained unrepresented and continued to be denied the opportunity of feeling the positive impact of governance from all that should rightfully accrue to them through their representative in the Senate. The Supreme Court had on February 10, 2017, ruled that the December 7, 2015 verdict of the Court of Appeal on the Anambra Central Senatorial election was final forever. The apex court maintained that no court can overturn the judgement of the Appellate Court on National Assembly election matters, in line with the letter and spirit of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). It made the pronouncement, after Ekwunife ignored the provisions of the Constitution, to appeal the nullification of her election and disqualification from participating in the ordered rerun poll, on the ground that she was not appropriately nominated by her then party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Political observers had thought that following the February 10, 2017 ruling of the Supreme Court on the issue, coupled with the February 13, 2009 verdict of the same Supreme Court that new candidates are not allowed in a court ordered fresh election, INEC would immediately put necessary machinery in motion to conduct the long awaited Anambra Central rerun. Unfortunately, the electoral body has continued to drag its heels and failed to take a firm decision, even though the law appears to be fully on its side to hold the rerun poll, regardless of the so-called pending court cases some politicians in Anambra Central are trying to use to frustrate the conduct of the election. Evidently, the electoral body was prepared to

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu

conduct the rerun as directed by the Court of Appeal on March 5, 2016, but decided to postpone it indefinitely after the February 29, 2016 order of Justice Anwuli Chikere asking INEC to include the PDP against the ruling of the Appeal Court which disqualified the party and its candidate. The Chikere’s judgement in favour of PDP was believed to have been given to pave way for another PDP candidate to replace the disqualified Ekwunife. INEC appealed the decision and that gave rise to other frivolous cases from different litigants all meant to perpetually put the Anambra Central rerun on hold. Interestingly, one year after her order compelling INEC to allow PDP bring in a fresh candidate, the same Justice Chikere gave a conflicting judgement declaring that All Progressives Congress (APC) cannot replace its candidate in the Anambra Central rerun election. The APC had also gone to court last year when INEC refused to allow the party to substitute its original candidate, Senator Chris Ngige, now Minister of Labour and Employment with Barrister Sharon Ikeazor after the former voluntarily withdrew from the race. In the latest judgement of Chikere, delivered on March 14, 2017, she ruled: “That the time for

nomination/withdrawal or substitution of candidates for the Court ordered election in Anambra Central Senatorial District had elapsed; that as decided by the Court of Appeal in the case of LABOUR PARTY VS. INEC (2008) 13 NWLR PT. 1103 PG. 73 (and duly affirmed by the Supreme Court on February 13, 2009), there is no room for fresh candidates in Court ordered election.” Again, this recent ruling, in the thinking of those who are genuinely worried about the outright denial of the right of the people of Anambra Central to have a voice in the Red Chamber, should ordinarily give more leeway to INEC to go ahead with the rerun poll without further ado. After all, it has been held that when there are two contradictory rulings on a similar issue from the same court, the decision later in time prevails. So, it is safe to say that Chikere’s latest verdict has taken precedence over the earlier order that PDP must be allowed to participate with a fresh candidate. A legal practitioner, Barrister Ikechukwu Ikeji, in a recent interview on Channels Television, while decrying INEC’s failure to conduct the Anambra Central Senatorial rerun election, argued that the commission ought not to have announced the indefinite postponement of the exercise in the first place. According to Ikeji, “They (INEC) are right in rejecting candidates that were not part of the original general election. But they are wrong in stopping to hold or refraining from holding or not holding that election. INEC has a strong platform, a strong foundation of law to stand on to hold the election and let whatever court processes that was going on to continue. In whatever ramification and dimension you want to talk about it, there is absolutely no challenge stopping INEC legally, morally, and jurisprudentially from holding the election.” The legal pundit explained further that “Section 87, subsection 10 of the electoral act (as amended) clearly states that no court process or court proceeding or court order can stop the holding of any general election. And the Supreme Court in the Labour Party and INEC case which is the locus classicus on fresh elections

has clearly held that any court ordered election is a general election. And therefore if it is a general election the law says that nothing can stop it from being held. So, it is surprising that INEC hasn’t held that election… The law is very clear. When you are faced with two judgements of the court, you do not cherry-pick. You obviously have to do one of two things. You obey the one that is later in time or you obey the one that has superior jurisdiction. And the one that has superior jurisdiction is the one that there should be no new candidate for a fresh election.” Expressing joy over the March 14, 2017 judgement by Chikere which validated INEC’s position in refusing to accept new candidates for the Anambra Central rerun, the commission’s Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said the appeal on the PDP case would be withdrawn and he urged other parties to follow suit, so that the rerun can be conducted. He said: “We are happy that not long ago, the Supreme Court has given a favourable judgement (the February 10, 2017 verdict) on one of the cases. Also, the lower court (Justice Chikere) has recently given a judgement stating that INEC was right on its decision.” What then is holding INEC from fixing a date for the election? With all the superior judgements on the matter, should the electoral body still be bogged down and confused on the right way to go? Responding to Ngige’s recent outburst that the Anambra Central election would not hold until all pending court cases are disposed of, the leading candidate for the rerun contest and former National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh, remarked: “I was surprised to read those audacious statements by Dr. Chris Ngige. My surprise stems from the fact that I could not fathom under what capacity Ngige was saying categorically that the poll can never take place until all court cases are cleared. From the question you asked me, he is the Minister of Labour and Employment, he does not work for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC that is empowered by the constitution to conduct elections.”

T H I S D AY FRIDAY MAY 12, 2017

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Again, NDIC Debunks Rumour of Financial Distress in Banks Obinna Chima The Managing Director/Chief Executive of Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim has called on members of the public to ignore rumours of financial distress in some banks being circulated through text messages and social media to de-market some financial institutions and destabilise depositors’ confidence in the banking system. Ibrahim said this in Abuja, during a courtesy visit on the corporation by the Executive Members of the Alumni Association of the National Institute (AANI), Abuja chapter led by its Chairman, Mr. Bola A. Balogun. The NDIC boss said the corporation had over the years played a very critical role towards ensuring that banks were safe and sound through effective supervision of the

banks, financial and technical assistance to deserving financial institutions and adoption of timely failure resolution options to problem banks. Ibrahim, was also quoted in a statement from the NDIC yesterday, to have informed the AANI Executive Members that the corporation, since its inception, haignore d continued to closely monitor the challenges affecting the banking industry such as poor corporate governance, insider loans and non-performing loans in order to further safeguard depositors’ interest in the banking system. He added that with the NDIC’s strict supervision and regulation of the banking industry in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), depositors should have full confidence in the safety and security of their funds in the licenced financial institutions. He further said that the

corporation had enhanced the effectiveness of its mandate as well as its vast experience in the complex exercise of failure resolution and sought to share the experience through documentation and publication of the failure resolution of 20 cases of failed insured deposit money banks (DMBs) in five volumes. The compendium, he added highlighted key lessons learnt by the corporation in the exercise in order to prepare itself for the future. In line with the orporation’s efforts toward promoting financial literacy, the NDIC boss also said the corporation in collaboration with other stakeholders was proposing the establishment of a Centre for Financial and Economics Studies at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPPS), Kuru to train participants in essential areas of financial and economic management.

BOI Disbursed N66bn to SMEs in 2016 Senator Iroegbu in Abuja The Bank of Industry (BOI) recorded its most impressive performance in 2016 by posting double-digit growths in almost all aspects of its operations with about N66 billion disbursed to hundreds of small, medium and large scale businesses. This was disclosed yesterday at the 57th annual general meeting (AGM) of the Bank in Abuja. The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Okechukwu Enelamah, said that Bank was able to consolidate on its developmental impact during the year under review, despite the general economic downsides across the country. Enelamah, who was represented by the Protem Chairman of BOI, Mr. Olufemi Edun, said it was highly commendable that while several institutions in the country experienced a downgrade in their credit ratings in the year, BOI got a reaffirmation of its AA+ National Credit Rating accompanied by a stable outlook by Fitch Ratings. He noted that Moody’s, which is another international rating agency also assigned Aa1. ng/NG-1 rating, the second

highest of national scale rating categories to the bank. He added: “Augusto, the foremost Nigerian rating agency similarly upgraded the Bank’s domestic rating of A+ to AA- in 2016. This is a testament of the strong corporate governance and enterprise risk management practices that the bank has integrated into it’s operations. “In the year under review, the Bank disbursed N65.9 billion to 737 micro, medium and large enterprises, which helped to create over 500,000 direct and indirect jobs.” In the same vein, the acting Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of BOI, Mr. Waheed Olagunju, said that the Bank has within its 15 years of establishment, “invested over a trillion naira in more than 25,000 small, medium and large enterprises.” Olagunju said that BOI had also assisted ventures spanning several sectors of the Nigerian economy including agro and solid minerals processing, petro chemicals and polymer, cotton textile and apparels, automobiles, creative industries as well as Information Communication and technology. According to him, “these enterprises have had considerable

impact on Nigeria’s economy including the generation of more than five million direct and indirect jobs.” He said that the Bank recorded outstanding improvements across board including a 44 per cent increase in Profit Before Tax (PBT) over the previous year 2015. He added: “For instance, while the volume of new loans rose by 10 per cent to N171 billion, from N156 billion in 2015, disbursements to SMEs similarly went up by 42 per cent within the same period to N8 billion from N5.64 billion. More than 800 enterprises that could potentially generate over 1,000,000 jobs benefited from BOI’s facilities last year. “The quality of the bank’s risk assets improved phenomenally as the ratio of non-performing loans dropped to 3.72 per cent in 2016 from 5.87 per cent in 2015. The average ratio of nonperforming loans in Nigeria’s banking system rose to 14%, in 2016 which is beyond the Central Bank of Nigeria’s threshold of 5%. The bank also posted an operating Profit Before Tax of N17bn, which represents a 44% increase over 2015’s N11.9bn.”

MFBs Seek Conducive Environment for SMEs toThrive Microfinance institutions in Nigeria have bemoaned the current economic situation in the country, saying it has affected the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). To this end, the operators of microfinance banks have called on the federal government to quickly introduce measures that will remove the wedge and allow free growth of micro, small and medium scale businesses. The microfinance banks also saw the forex unpredictable trend as hindering operators of micro and small scale businesses from approaching the microfinance institutions for access to funds to do or sustain their businesses, thus adversely affecting the performance of the microfinance banks in Nigeria. The Chairman of the National Association of Microfinance Banks (NAMB) Enugu State chapter and Managing Director of Umuchinemere Pro-credit

Micro Finance Bank (UPMFB) Enugu, Mrs. Nnenna Maria Ekete, made the remarks in Enugu, shortly after a preparatory meeting at her office for a larger meeting of the southeast zone of the association. The UPMFB Managing Director said that the multiplier effedct of negative impact of the bad economic situation and the lingering of the unstable forex regime could be observed for instance in the substantial shortfall in the amount of funds’ disbursements recorded by many microfinance institutions in the first quarter of the year, as against what was the experience in the immediate financial year and the target in the first quarter of the current year. Ekete cited example that in the first quarter of 2016 her bank, Umuchinemere Pro-credit Micro Finance Bank, disbursed a total micro credit fund of

N247,719,959 to active poor people for their micro and small scale businesses, but in the first quarter of 2017 the bank could only disburse a total micro credit fund of N216, 604, 700, which was a shortfall of N31,115,259 from that of the previous year. According to her,” It was the recession and the unpredictable trend of the foreign exchange performance that were responsible for the drop in disbursement because the real core customers were scared of borrowing to do business and at the end not making any gain and being unable to repay the borrowed funds, a development that is now compelling microfinance banks to develop other products, such as engaging in permissible investments and other businesses, so as to remain in business and shield themselves from becoming distress.”

Ibrahim

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

DECEMBER 2016 Broad Money (M2)

23,840,392.42

-- Narrow Money (M1)

11,520,166.67

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,820,415.90

---- Demand Deposits

9,699,750.76

-- Quasi Money

12,320,225.75

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

9,353,504.03

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

14,486,888.39

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

26,970,297.97

---- Credit to Government (Net)

4,595,579.89

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

7,436,917.79

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

-2,841,337.90

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

22,374,718.08

--Other Assets Net

-12,483,409.58

Reserve Money (Base Money)

5,837,322.41

--Currency in Circulation

2,179,174.28

--Banks Reserves

3,318,344.71 • Source - CBN

MANAGED FUNDS Month

December 2016

Inter-Bank Call Rate

10.39

Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR)

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

13.96

Savings Deposit Rate

4.18

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.53

3 Months Deposit Rate

8.80

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.23

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.76

Prime Lending rate

17.09

Maximum Lending Rate

28.55 • Monetary Policy Rate - 13%

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT, WED, 10 MAY 2017 The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $47.31 a barrel on Wednesday, compared with $46.83 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations. The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Oriente (Ecuador), Rabi Light (Gabon), 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

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017

MARKET NEWS

Zenith Bank to Raise $500 Million to Boost Operations Goddy Egene and Nosa Alekhuogie Zenith Bank Plc yesterday notified the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) of its intention to raise up to $500 million under its global Medium Term Notes progamme established in 2014. The bank had established a $1 billion global medium term note programme in 2014 and had raised $500 million under the first tranche of notes issued. In

a notification to the NSE, signed by the Company Secretary, Mr. Michael Out, Zenith Bank said it intends to revalidate the programme raise $500 million under the second tranche of the programme. According to the bank, the proceeds of the second tranche of the notes would be utilised for its general banking purposes. “As was done in the first tranche notes, the bank intends to issue the second tranche

T H E MAIN BOARD

DEALS

MARKET PRICE

notes directly but will retain the flexibility to issue through an offshore special purpose vehicle where market conditions requires and allow same,” the bank said. It added that like the first notes that were listed on the Irish Stock Exchange (ISE), the second tranche would also be listed on the ISE. Zenith Bank Plc had ended 2016 with a profit before tax (PBT) of N156.748 billion,

N I G E R I A N QUANTITY TRADED

STO C K

VALUE TRADED ( N )

Daily Summary as of 22/02/2016 Printed 22/02/2016 14:36:10.010

Daily Summary (Bonds) No Debt Trading Activity Daily Summary (Equities) Activity Summary on Board EQTY AGRICULTURE Crop Production OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. PRESCO PLC Crop Production Totals Livestock/Animal Specialties LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC. Livestock/Animal Specialties Totals AGRICULTURE Totals CONGLOMERATES Diversified Industries A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC U A C N PLC. Diversified Industries Totals CONGLOMERATES Totals CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Infrastructure/Heavy Construction JULIUS BERGER NIG. PLC. Infrastructure/Heavy Construction Totals Real Estate Development UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CO. LIMITED Real Estate Development Totals CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Totals CONSUMER GOODS Beverages--Brewers/Distillers CHAMPION BREW. PLC. GUINNESS NIG PLC INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC. NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. Beverages--Brewers/Distillers Totals Beverages--Non-Alcoholic 7-UP BOTTLING COMP. PLC. Beverages--Non-Alcoholic Totals Food Products DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC NASCON ALLIED INDUSTRIES PLC N NIG. FLOUR MILLS PLC. TIGER BRANDED CONSUMER GOODS PLC Food Products Totals Food Products--Diversified CADBURY NIGERIA PLC. NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. Food Products--Diversified Totals Household Durables VITAFOAM NIG PLC. Household Durables Totals Personal/Household Products P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC. Personal/Household Products Totals CONSUMER GOODS Totals FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ACCESS BANK PLC. DIAMOND BANK PLC ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED FIDELITY BANK PLC GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. SKYE BANK PLC STERLING BANK PLC. UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC UNION BANK NIG.PLC. UNITY BANK PLC WEMA BANK PLC. Banking Totals Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services AIICO INSURANCE PLC. CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC CONSOLIDATED HALLMARK INSURANCE PLC LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. AXAMANSARD INSURANCE PLC N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. UNITY KAPITAL ASSURANCE PLC WAPIC INSURANCE PLC Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals Micro-Finance Banks NPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC Micro-Finance Banks Totals Other Financial Institutions AFRICA PRUDENTIAL REGISTRARS PLC CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED PLC FCMB GROUP PLC. STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC UNITED CAPITAL PLC Other Financial Institutions Totals FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals HEALTHCARE Pharmaceuticals FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC

which showed a significant jump above the N125.616 billion in 2015.Similarly, profit after tax rose from N105.531 billion to N129.65 billion. Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc, Mr. Jim Ovia told shareholders at bank’s annual general meeting (AGM) that said the bank was able to fully exploit the available opportunities to post the impressive results. He said in line with its commitment to delivering

6 6 12

30.00 34.00

12,629 11,640 24,269

374,530.15 421,345.20 795,875.35

19 19 31

1.25

1,078,511 1,078,511 1,102,780

1,358,964.30 1,358,964.30 2,154,839.65

5 68 13 86 86

0.77 1.13 20.47

33,500 6,740,423 65,995 6,839,918 6,839,918

25,070.00 7,635,453.96 1,344,425.15 9,004,949.11 9,004,949.11

13 13

41.50

31,970 31,970

1,409,214.78 1,409,214.78

5 5 18

5.20

28,901 28,901 60,871

154,716.48 154,716.48 1,563,931.26

6 24 7 98 135

2.85 118.85 20.00 99.00

190,900 53,000 15,200 429,541 688,641

528,079.00 6,201,924.95 293,757.00 42,728,789.84 49,752,550.79

9 9

168.50

166,476 166,476

28,285,937.95 28,285,937.95

54 38 6 12 1 29 140

5.61 19.00 1.37 6.86 6.65 1.27

2,120,306 314,421 40,000 119,863 433 3,285,739,119 3,288,334,142

11,610,520.13 5,953,792.96 55,716.00 842,442.48 2,736.56 4,074,348,894.07 4,092,814,102.20

11 54 65

17.86 700.00

18,825 98,360 117,185

329,518.50 68,567,962.00 68,897,480.50

11 11

4.46

99,050 99,050

420,455.00 420,455.00

13 21 34 394

21.90 28.00

36,887 133,117 170,004 3,289,575,498

820,034.75 3,737,067.92 4,557,102.67 4,244,727,629.11

82 51 21 25 200 41 16 147 11 15 67 676

4.10 1.49 15.60 1.21 16.70 1.07 1.76 2.95 5.30 0.63 0.98

3,962,506 2,163,396 278,470 790,900 4,847,312 1,969,858 1,204,932 8,586,418 39,752 501,617 5,920,564 30,265,725

16,210,255.82 3,314,106.88 4,136,459.40 958,864.34 80,963,793.44 2,115,552.11 2,087,767.85 25,302,954.71 205,645.40 316,018.71 5,813,502.17 141,424,920.83

14 8 2 3 7 10 1 1 46

0.80 0.90 0.50 0.50 2.06 0.76 0.50 0.50

200,107 276,500 5,004,000 1,000,000 351,540 327,285 37,708,135 10 44,867,577

160,838.67 251,350.00 2,502,000.00 500,000.00 720,728.80 245,325.31 18,854,067.50 5.00 23,234,315.28

1 1

1.08

4,760 4,760

4,950.40 4,950.40

31 7 105 7 20 170 893

2.46 4.00 0.85 14.15 1.31

1,149,464 27,041 31,257,120 38,035 708,255 33,179,915 108,317,977

2,830,722.84 104,002.06 26,613,309.20 537,985.34 931,556.31 31,017,575.75 195,681,762.26

2.69

614,065

1,572,223.05

superior returns to its muchvalued shareholders, the bank ensured that a good chunk of the profit was set aside for shareholders. “In this regard, we have declared and paid you an interim dividend of 25 kobo per share in the course of 2016 financial year. We hereby propose a final dividend of 177 kobo per share. This brings the total dividend for the year ended December 31, 2016 to

202 kobo per share as against 180 kobo per share paid the previous year,” Ovia said. According to him, even in the face of a very challenging operating environment, Zenith Bank has maintained its culture of outstanding performance and industry leadership. He said: “As a bank, we are monitoring developments both in the local and global economy and applying pragmatism and dynamism as appropriate.

E XC H A N G E

MAIN BOARD GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC. MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS PLC Pharmaceuticals Totals HEALTHCARE Totals ICT IT Services TRIPPLE GEE AND COMPANY PLC. IT Services Totals ICT Totals INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials ASHAKA CEM PLC BERGER PAINTS PLC CAP PLC CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC PORTLAND PAINTS & PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC LAFARGE AFRICA PLC. Building Materials Totals Electronic and Electrical Products CUTIX PLC. Electronic and Electrical Products Totals Packaging/Containers BETA GLASS CO PLC. Packaging/Containers Totals INDUSTRIAL GOODS Totals OIL AND GAS Energy Equipment and Services JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SERVICES PLC Energy Equipment and Services Totals Integrated Oil and Gas Services OANDO PLC Integrated Oil and Gas Services Totals Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors CONOIL PLC ETERNA PLC. FORTE OIL PLC. MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Totals Exploration and Production SEPLAT PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LTD Exploration and Production Totals OIL AND GAS Totals SERVICES Automobile/Auto Part Retailers R T BRISCOE PLC. Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Totals Courier/Freight/Delivery RED STAR EXPRESS PLC Courier/Freight/Delivery Totals Printing/Publishing LEARN AFRICA PLC Printing/Publishing Totals Transport-Related Services AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC Transport-Related Services Totals Support and Logistics CAVERTON OFFSHORE SUPPORT GRP PLC Support and Logistics Totals SERVICES Totals EQTY Board Totals Daily Summary (Equities) Activity Summary on Board ASeM CONSUMER GOODS Food Products MCNICHOLS PLC Food Products Totals CONSUMER GOODS Totals ASeM Board Totals Daily Summary (Equities) Activity Summary on Board PREMIUM FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ZENITH INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC Banking Totals Other Financial Institutions FBN HOLDINGS PLC Other Financial Institutions Totals FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials DANGOTE CEMENT PLC Building Materials Totals INDUSTRIAL GOODS Totals PREMIUM Board Totals Equity Activity Totals

DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

32 4 6 69 69

25.33 0.94 0.69

551,998 16,020 597,000 1,779,083 1,779,083

13,903,164.18 15,299.40 412,110.00 15,902,796.63 15,902,796.63

1 1 1

1.69

500 500 500

805.00 805.00 805.00

16 9 4 6 10 31 76

24.00 9.30 35.78 8.62 3.36 80.50

110,727 40,229 26,700 142,300 299,900 14,373,223 14,993,079

2,707,053.97 362,501.29 992,680.00 1,227,076.00 966,480.00 1,157,057,077.16 1,163,312,868.42

6 6

1.51

134,500 134,500

204,240.00 204,240.00

5 5 87

50.00

24,529 24,529 15,152,108

1,165,135.50 1,165,135.50 1,164,682,243.92

2 2

0.50

24,262 24,262

12,131.00 12,131.00

90 90

3.47

3,827,573 3,827,573

13,288,632.05 13,288,632.05

21 7 8 21 7 64

18.34 1.84 342.00 150.00 145.00

81,125 100,300 20,300 16,295 13,699 231,719

1,505,034.50 182,832.00 6,595,470.00 2,396,080.60 1,959,692.96 12,639,110.06

33 33 189

318.00

389,934 389,934 4,473,488

124,037,602.56 124,037,602.56 149,977,475.67

1 1

0.50

941 941

470.50 470.50

5 5

3.80

32,870 32,870

127,756.40 127,756.40

13 13

0.89

624,500 624,500

538,430.00 538,430.00

1 22 23

2.29 4.00

4,588 251,094 255,682

10,001.84 1,001,583.80 1,011,585.64

1 1 43 1,811

1.68

10,000 10,000 923,993 3,428,226,216

16,000.00 16,000.00 1,694,242.54 5,785,390,675.15

2 2 2 2

1.21

270,464 270,464 270,464 270,464

327,261.44 327,261.44 327,261.44 327,261.44

306 306

11.45

13,929,679 13,929,679

159,605,439.23 159,605,439.23

278 278 584

3.74

10,438,552 10,438,552 24,368,231

39,515,087.18 39,515,087.18 199,120,526.41

35 35 35 619 2,432

139.83

38,770 38,770 38,770 24,407,001 3,452,903,681

5,304,666.00 5,304,666.00 5,304,666.00 204,425,192.41 5,990,143,129.00

2 2 2 2 2 10 10 10

2,330.00 2.33 6.02 11.09 18.07

3,000 20 20 20 15 3,075 3,075 3,075

6,986,000.00 46.70 120.20 221.80 270.65 6,986,659.35 6,986,659.35 6,986,659.35

Daily Summary (ETP) Exchange Traded Fund Name NEWGOLD EXCHANGE TRADED FUND (ETF) VETIVA BANKING ETF VETIVA CONSUMER GOODS ETF VETIVA GRIFFIN 30 ETF VETIVA INDUSTRIAL ETF Exchange Traded Fund Totals ETF Board Totals ETP Activity Totals

friDAY, mAY 12, 2017 • T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

AXA Mansard Insurance Records N912m Profit in First Quarter AXA Mansard Insurance plc, a member of the AXA Group has recorded improved performance for the first quarter ended March 31, 2017, ended the period with profit before tax of N912 million. The insurance firm posted gross written premium of N12.87 billion, up 46 per cent from N8.83 billion in Q1 of 2016. Net premium income improved 20 per cent from N2.76 billion to N3.31 billion. Investment

and other income stood at on the N17.41 billion in 2016 N1.28 billion, down by nine while total assets grew by from N1.41 billion in 2016. 12 per cent from N54.96 billion Operating expenses of rose to N61.65 billion. Commenting on the result, by 22 per cent from N1.25 the Chief Financial Officer of billion to N1.52 billion. Profit before tax went up by the company, Mrs. Rashidat said: “Despite 21 per cent to N912 million, Adebisi, compared with N751 million the challenging business in 2016, while profit after tax environment in the first quarter, stood at N737 million, up from characterised by low disposable income and tough economic N700 million in 2016. Axa Mansard Insurance’s conditions, we achieved a shareholders’ funds were 46 per cent growth in gross N18.23 billion, an improved written premium. This growth

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

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 10-May-2017, unless otherwise stated.

is largely as a result of the success on our oil & energy, health, fire and general accident lines of business. There was, however, a nine per cent decline in investment and other income, which was largely due to realised gains on financial assets and exchange gains which we had last year. There was a positive impact on combined ratio which has improved marginally from 107 per cent to 104 per cent. operating expense, however,

increased by 22 per cent as a result of the impact of inflation and increase in general prices of goods and services.” Speaking in the same vein, the Executive Director, Technical, Mr. Kunle Ahmed, said: “The results reflect our commitment to delivering and surpassing our growth objectives for 2017. Product innovation remains a focal point for us at AXA Mansard, as such we have fortified our strategy to develop products

to meet the dynamic demands of our customers.” He explained that they are aware of the key importance of digital transformation in an increasingly dynamic business environment and as such, they have taken steps to enhance their business activities, processes and competencies through several initiatives, which would afford their customers instant access, 3 speed and convenience in making purchase decisions.

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 aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 1 270 1680 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 142.66 143.49 12.44% Nigeria International Debt Fund 224.06 225.21 4.20% ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund 0.72 0.73 3.44% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 16.92% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 12.82 13.21 3.83% ARM Discovery Fund 299.51 308.54 4.29% ARM Ethical Fund 0.00 0.00 -100.00% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 15.62% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund 116.87 117.69 11.11% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 17.96% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 0.00% Paramount Equity Fund 10.30 10.56 10.02% Women's Investment Fund 89.86 92.16 6.22% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 18.10% FBN CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,067.28 1,068.40 5.66% FBN Heritage Fund 118.95 119.77 6.61% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 17.73% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional $108.19 $108.89 5.10% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail $107.84 $108.54 5.48% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 124.32 125.91 10.32% FIRST CITY ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD fcamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcamltd.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Equity Fund 1.05 1.07 12.77% Legacy Short Maturity (NGN) Fund 2.71 2.71 5.51% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund 2,306.17 2,334.59 4.42% Coral Income Fund 2,237.83 2,237.83 6.35% GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 17.55% INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 17.62% Vantage Balanced Fund 1.80 1.82 7.19% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 17.60%

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 1.03 1.05 4.55% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,021.19 1,021.19 3.80% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 10.59 10.67 9.55% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 15.60% 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 1.10 1.13 11.61% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 10.53 10.59 1.28% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 14.40% 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 115.53 116.43 13.45% 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 1.29 1.29 3.89% 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 1,912.64 1,922.69 4.43% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 157.11 157.11 2.05% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.81 0.82 5.84% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 196.96 196.96 5.39% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 135.12 136.98 4.12% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 17.68% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,759.95 7,851.47 2.34% 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 1.18 1.19 9.83% United Capital Bond Fund 1.27 1.27 15.36% United Capital Equity Fund 0.67 0.69 2.22% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.11 1.11 11.72% 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 10.62 10.81 9.99% Zenith Ethical Fund 11.61 11.72 6.30% Zenith Income Fund 17.73 17.73 7.26%

REITS

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

11.41 126.75

1.01% 2.24%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

8.51 80.05

8.61 81.54

-3.06% 5.63%

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

3.00 6.47 12.61 16.75 128.87

3.04 6.55 12.71 16.95 130.87

8.93% -7.92% 5.00% 4.98% -0.77%

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.

T H I S D AY FRIDAY MAY 12, 2017

A good good friend friend and and A ex colleague colleague is is gone gone ex We commiserate with the family of late Elder David Ogwu who slept in the Lord on November 12, 2016 FUNERAL ARRANGEMENT AS ANNOUNCED BY THE FAMILY: Thursday, May 11, 2017 5:00pm: Service of Songs at his residence Plot 959 David Ejoor Street, Near F. O. Filling Station Gudu, Abuja Friday, May 12, 2017 6:00am: Body leaves mortuary to Ogwashi - Uku, Delta State. 7:00pm: Lying in State at his family home, Umu-Dei, Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State Saturday, May 13, 2017 7:00am: Funeral Service / Internment at his residence Umu-Dei Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State May his gentle soul rest in peace

Elder David Ogwu

signed:

64 years

Owelle Oscar Udoji Mr.Ambrose Feese Mr. Chike Nwanze Chief Charles Umolu Mr. Vincent Otiono Mr. Rufai Ahmed Mohammed Chief Frank Onwu

Mrs Mary Ekpo Mr. Emmanuel Ugboh Mr. Nsikak Ekure Ms. Patience Oniha Mr. Kuliya Mohammad Nasir Mr. Godwin Banigo Mr. Chike Nwegbe

Mr. Remi Olufe Mr. R. O. Yussuf Mr. Rashid Amao Mrs. Lamide Onasanya Mr. Kayode Adeniyi Mr. Bolaji Bello Olorogun Lucky Oghene Omoru

Mrs. Becky Ashion Ms. Evelyn Braie Mrs. Ruth Akinlade Ms. Tosin David (AKD) Mr. Felix Adegbonmire Mr. Sonny Obaze

Ex colleagues of late David Ogwu at Icon Limited (Merchant Bankers) and friends

T H I S D AY FRIDAY MAY 12, 2017

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017

WORLD OF ISLAM

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

Communicating with Allah Spahic Omer/IslamiCity

his paradigm applies to any relationship with individuals who genuinely love and care for each other. They are often seen not talking much to one another, and when they do, they do so softly and quietly. They simply whisper, or speak in undertones, to each other. This is so because their hearts are together, and are one. And it is right in their hearts that most of their communication unfolds and mutual understanding takes place. Their united hearts talk, though the separated physical bodies appear still and silent. Regardless, they perfectly understand each other. On the diametrically opposite side stand relationships with individuals who gravely misunderstand each other. They often, as a rule, quarrel, screaming and shouting at one another. They do so because, even though they are physically side by side, their hearts are worlds apart. They recognise that very well and so, feel they have to scream and shout. They know, no matter what, they will not be heard by the one(s) on the other side. Hence, such squabbles never solve anything. They are simply vain attempts to out-scream and out-shout one another. There is rarely any room for reason and sanity in such situations.

Prophets’ calling to communication with Allah

Owing to this importance of communication with Allah, each and every prophet’s mission paid special attention to it. Communicating with Allah was seen as a logical, plausible and natural process, for Allah is a Personality (Huwa or He) -- not a mere abstract conception of philosophy -- with a Nature of His so sublime that it is far beyond our limited conceptions; He exists, but in such a way that He is the Ever-Living, Self-Sustaining; He created and sustains the world; and He sent prophets to mend people’s ways and create for them suitable communication patterns with their Creator and Master. For example, when Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) confronted his unbelieving and rebellious people, he among other things tried to bring home to them the inappropriateness and danger

of polytheism. His focus was the delusion, futility, uselessness and unresponsiveness of their home-grown idols and deities. They simply could not communicate in any way, nor could they benefit or harm anybody. They were but a fragment of dead matter to which only mentally incapacitated and spiritually dead individuals could be devotedly attached: “Deaf, dumb and blind -- so they will not return (to the right path)” (al-Baqarah, 18). Ibrahim said to his father, an idol-maker: “O my father! Why do you worship something that can neither hear, nor see, nor yet profit you in any way?” (Maryam, 42). This is a segment of Ibrahim’s discussion with his polytheistic people: “Ibrahim, are you he who has done this to our gods?” He answered: “Rather it was this supreme one who has done it. So ask them, if they can speak.” Thereupon they turned to their (inner) selves and said (to themselves): “Surely it is you who are the wrong-doers.” Then their minds were turned upside down, and they said: “You know well that they do not speak.” Ibrahim said: “Do you, then, worship beside Allah a thing that can neither benefit you nor hurt you? Fie upon you and upon all that you worship beside Allah. Do you have no sense?” (al-Anbiya’, 62-67). Ibrahim also said to his people concerning their fraudulent gods and their inability to communicate: “Do they listen to you when you call (on them)? Or do they profit you or cause you harm?” (al-Shu’ara’, 72-73). And about Allah, his Almighty Creator and Lord -- with Whom Prophet Ibrahim enjoyed such a close relationship that Allah said that He took him for a friend (khalil) (al-Nisa’, 125) – Ibrahim said that it was He: “Who created me, and it is He Who guides me; Who gives me food and drink, and when I am ill, it is He Who cures me; Who will cause me to die, and then will bring me back to life; and Who, I hope, will forgive me my faults on the Day of Judgment” (al-Shu’ara’, 78-82).

Why can’t we see Allah?

One may ask why we cannot see Allah, although we can communicate with Him so closely. In a nutshell, we cannot see Allah because, first, there is nothing like Him (al-Shura, 11). Our eyes, and other senses

and faculties, are things and thus, can only see other things belonging to the corresponding existential realms. They cannot see, hear or recognize beyond the orb of our everyday existential things and objects. Second, nobody says that humans will not see Allah. Both the Holy Qur’an and the Prophet’s sunnah are explicit that believers will see Him in Paradise (jannah). The vision will be as clear and certain as seeing “the moon on the night when it is full” and “the sun on a cloudless day” (Sahih al-Bukhari). What is more, seeing Allah will be the best reward in Paradise; whereas not seeing Him will be the worst and most painful chastisement for the inhabitants of Hell. Seeing Allah is the greatest blessing and joy, so it is withheld for the place of ultimate blessing and joy, namely Paradise, and it is reserved exclusively for believers. This, in addition, serves to believers as a strong motive to continue doing good in this world and never get bored or give up. It goes without saying that not seeing Allah is only a temporary decree for Allah’s true servants, who are closest to Him in this world. Seeing Allah in Paradise could also imply the pinnacle, or culmination, of their incessant drawing closer to Him. Third, we cannot see Allah now and here because we are trapped in time and space, while He is beyond them. Time and space are Allah’s creation. He is not fettered by them; we are. Consequently, man cannot think except along the lines of time, space and matter. Once the hindrances posed by the time and space factors of this world are eliminated in the Hereafter -- or modulated, together with man himself and his various faculties, so as to make them suitable and fitting for the conditions of the Hereafter – seeing Allah will appear utterly viable and sensible, especially for those who will be Paradise-bound. Even in this world, man can see instantly and directly very little and a very few things. Man is myopic or short-sighted, so to speak. He cannot see more because of a myriad of time and space factors and influences standing between him and things, incapacitating him from seeing more. To see more, man must overcome, or eliminate, those factors and influences. The problem, therefore, is not with things and objects, but with man and his limited abilities.

For example, a person sitting in a windowless room can only see the room’s interior. To see outside, he must leave the room; that is to say, he must overcome the room as a hindrance to seeing outside. Moreover, to see a friend in a nearby town, 50 km away, the man must travel that much; that is, he must overcome the hindrance of the necessary distance and time that separate him from seeing the friend. The same principle applies to seeing everything else that lies outside the parameters of the windowless room. Similarly, for a person to see his friend who passed away two years ago, he will have to travel back in time two years or more; that is to say, he will have to deal with the unsurmountable time hurdle, or barrier, in order to see his friend. Also, for a person to see his future grandchildren, he will have to travel into the future as much as necessary; that is, he will again have to contend with the unassailable time difficulty. At any rate, to see and experience things, man must free himself from the physical milieus and situations wherein he, as substantially a physical being himself, is confined or imprisoned. The whole issue is about man and his weaknesses, exacerbated by the spatial and temporal parameters and constraints within which he operates. Yet, there are many other things right inside man, or everywhere around him, which man cannot see, but which undeniably exist. Some of those things are radio waves as a type of electronic wave used to transmit data for satellites, computer networks and radio, atoms as the smallest building blocks of matter, air or oxygen, ultraviolet light, gravity, the mind, the soul, emotions, quantum particles, the actual size of the universe, etc. Anyway, it makes sense to wish, yet ask, to see existing things and objects. But a code of ethics, as well as a dose of pragmatism and common sense, are needed. Man must realize that, just like in everything else, there are certain physical, rational, ethical and spiritual rules, regulations and procedures that preside over the prospect of seeing things. For man -- insignificant, weak and vulnerable as he is -- to insist on seeing Almighty Allah, Who is the only truly Transcendent Being, the Exalted, Sublime, Ever-Living and Self-Sustaining, while he is imprisoned and stuck in the yokes of matter, is at once an ignorant, arrogant and preposterous pretence.

T H I S D AY FRIDAY MAY 12, 2017

FRIDAY MAY 12, 2017 • T H I S D AY

INTERNATIONAL

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White House Unaware of Deputy Lawyer’s ‘Threat to Quit over Comey’

The White House says it is unaware whether the deputy attorney general threatened to quit after he was blamed for the FBI chief’s sacking. Rod Rosenstein reportedly was on the verge of resigning after the White

House cast him as the prime catalyst to fire James Comey, US media reported. He detailed Mr Comey’s “serious mistakes” in a memo to President Donald Trump, just prior to the firing. The sacking of Mr Comey

has ignited a firestorm of criticism. Democrats have called for a special prosecutor to take over the probe of alleged links between the Trump election team and Moscow, which Mr Comey

was heading. Mr Rosenstein reportedly made his threat unless the White House conveyed that the decision began with the president, according to US media. “I’m not aware of his

threatening to resign,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on ABC’s programme Good Morning America on Thursday. She maintained that Mr Trump “very much

House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Cyber security experts, minority party Democrats and some U.S. intelligence officials have grown more concerned since the leak of Macron’s emails about potential connections between Russian organisations, including its spy agencies, and far-right media figures in the United States who they suspect played a role in Russian efforts to influence elections. Two U.S. intelligence officials told R e u t e r s t h i s w e e k t h a t t h ey a re i n c re a s i n g l y c o n f i d e n t t h a t h a c kers with connections to the Russian government played a role in the French election.

of the 2017 Andrew J. Young International Leadership Awards to recognise exceptional individuals whose activism, philanthropy and leadership are transforming lives throughout the global community. The awards will be presented at the foundation gala event on June 3, 2017, at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, United State, as part of the 85th birthday celebration of its founder and chair, Andrew Young. “Changing the world happens one step at a time through acts of leadership and courage. “It is the work

lessons learned from both successes and setbacks, and most importantly, the necessary knowledge that positive change is indeed possible,” Young stated. The Chairman’s Award will be presented to former US Vice President Joseph Biden. The honor is given to an individual whose lifelong leadership has demonstrated excellence in areas that reflect Ambassador Young life’s work as pastor (community engagement), activist (civil rights and civic participation), United Nations. Ambassador (International Humanitarian Initiatives) and Congressman and Mayor of Atlanta (Public

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Commentator Who Amplified Ambassador Andrew Young to Honor Vice President Joe Biden, Macron Hacks Given White Former Andrew J. Young of generations, with Policy and Advocacy). “I value an award based Foundation will today progress made possible House Press Access announced the recipients by those who pass on the upon the organisation A U.S. far-right online activist credited with initially sharing on Twitter hacked emails from the French presidential campaign of centrist Emmanuel Macron is the latest conservative media figure to receive White House access from the Trump administration. Jack Posobiec, a Washingtonbased writer at the Rebel Media, a Canadian online political and social news commentary platform, attended the daily press briefing on Tuesday and later broadcast video from the White House grounds with positive commentary on President Donald Trump’s abrupt firing of FBI Director James Comey. Posobiec told Reuters he first obtained temporary White House credentials in early April, but he has submitted a request for a permanent pass. The White

had been thinking about letting Mr Comey go since 9 November”.

giving the award,” Biden said, adding: “This is one of the most consequential awards I’ve ever been given.” The theme of the 2017 Andrew J. Young International Leadership Awards and 85th birthday tribute is ‘Lead Young’, highlighting the Foundation’s commitment to support and develop emerging leaders and their ideas.

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FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017• T H I S D AY

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Ekiti Assembly Orders Fayose to Set up Judicial Panel to Probe Fayemi Action akin to legislative rascality, says Fayemi’s aide Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti Following alleged noticeable discrepancies in the finances of Ekiti State during the administration of the immediate past Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the State House of Assembly has ordered Governor Ayodele Fayose to set up judicial or administrative panel to probe his predecessor. The assembly said the step became imperative sequel to Fayemi’s refusal to appear before the assembly to shed light on the alleged diversion of N852 billion Universal Basic Education Board’s fund during his time. Relying on Section 129 of the 1999 Constitution, the assembly had on March 22,

2016 and February 7, 2017, ordered Fayemi to appear before it and clear his name over the foregoing allegation and many other misappropriation allegedly perpetrated during his time. Fayemi, however refused to appear, and later approached the Federal High Court in Ado Ekiti and slammed N500 million libel suit on the assembly, citing alleged defamation of character to justify his action. The assembly at its plenary yesterday presided over by the Speaker, Hon Kola Oluwawole, berated Fayemi for treating the assembly with contempt, saying this was not expected of him as a former governor of the state. After exhaustive deliberation,

Meningitis Death Toll Tops 1,000 More than 1,000 people have died in an outbreak of meningitis in Nigeria, the Centre for Disease Control said yesterday, but added that the spread of the disease is down. The outbreak has mostly affected children in Nigeria. As of May 9, a total of 13,420 suspected cases had been reported in 23 states with 1,069 deaths, giving a fatality ratio of eight per cent, the CDC said in a statement. The northern states of Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina and Kebbi, which were the worst affected, have all seen a drop in the number of cases. Two others which were also badly hit - Kebbi and Niger recorded no deaths, the CDC said. A new strain of meningitis C was first reported in Zamfara State last November and spread to 22 other states in northern Nigeria.

A mass vaccination programme was started to limit its spread. The CDC, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said a new batch of vaccines was expected to arrive in the next few days. Meningitis is caused by different types of bacteria, six of which can cause epidemics. It is transmitted between people through coughing and sneezing, close contact and cramped living conditions. The illness causes acute inflammation of the outer layers of the brain and spinal cord, with the most common symptoms being fever, headache and neck stiffness. Nigeria lies in the so-called “meningitis belt” of subSaharan Africa, stretching from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east, where outbreaks of the disease are a regular occurrence.

where Samuel Omotoso, Abiola Jeje, and Ekundayo Akinleye had contributed on the need to compel the executive to compose the panel to probe Fayemi, the Majority Leader, Hon Tunji Akinyele, moved the motion for the adoption of the motion and it was seconded by Jeje. Before putting the motion to a voice vote, the Speaker said: “Dr John Kayode Fayemi has slighted this assembly by his conduct by refusing to honour our invitation. This assembly duly invited him to come and explain how he managed the finances of this state , particularly the SUBEN fund and other projects. “The assembly had summoned him three times, but he disobeyed the regulation of this assembly. So, the State government should as a matter

of urgency set up a judicial or administrative panel of inquiry to look into the finances of this state during Fayemi’s government,” he said. The Chairman, House Committee on Information, Hon Omotoso, slammed the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Ibrahim Idris, and other security agencies over their lukewarm dispositions to arrest Fayemi despite the valid warrant of arrest issued by the assembly against him. “The IG can’t claim that Fayemi is at large. He has been attending the weekly Federal Executive Council (FCE) meeting and nobody even called him for questioning or thought of arresting him. That was unfortunate. “Let me at this time call on acting President, Yemi Osinbajo that Fayemi has no moral

standing to be a minister, having breached the1999 Constitution by his refusal to honour us. If we fail to act now, then the country will be operating a banana republic where there are no rules,” he said. Jeje and Akinleye in their submissions, said the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Ayodeji Daramola, should live up to expectation in composing the judicial panel to unravel the mystery behind the state’s finances under the immediate past administration. Reacting to the resolution of the assembly, Fayemi’s Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Yinka Oyebode, said the action of the lawmakers is nothing but legislative rascality. Oyebode said in a statement made available to journalists that the decision of the lawmakers was not only ill-advised but

reckless, considering the fact that two different law suits surrounding the purported probe are still pending in court. “Simply put, the lawmakers’ attempt to institute a judicial panel or administrative panel, while the two cases involving the assembly, its leadership and a top official of the present administration (In an Abuja High Court and Ado Ekiti Federal High Court) are yet to be determined is subjudice “And sadly, this is just a reflection of their poor knowledge of the law. “The lawmakers are advised to study the constitution properly and understand their roles as well as the limit of their powers, as this desperate attempt to implicate the immediate past administration is nothing but another wild goose chase,” Oyebode added.

SITE VISIT

L-R: Fund Managers/Pan African Infrastructure Development Fund, Souleymane Keita Harith; Chief Executive Officer, MainOne, Funke Opeke; MainOne Data Centre subsidiary, Gbenga Adegbiji; Taiwo Okeowo of FBN Quest; and Independent Director, Bennedikter Molokwu, during a site visit of the company’s proposed Sagamu Data Centre in Ogun State...recently

Another Herdsmen Attack Court of Appeal Reverses Ex-NIMASA DG, Claims Eight Lives in Benue Omatseye’s Conviction

George Okoh in Makurdi

Suspected armed Fulani headsmen yesterday invaded Mbavuur and Mbaya council wards in Logo and Buruku Local Government Areas of Benue State, killing about eight persons and injuring many others Only last weekend, Tse-Akaa, Mba’abaji and Tse-Orlalu in Logo Local Government Area were sacked by suspected herdsmen who also killed about 15 persons. According to a source, the headsmen attacked Mbavuur and Mbaya, home town of the lawmaker representing Buruku federal constituency at the National Assembly, Mr. Orker Jev, before attacking other near by communities. Speaking on the Logo attack, a former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the council, Mr. Ndiisaa Terhemen, said: “The invaders

first stormed the Tse-Igboughul village last Tuesday at about 8p.m. shooting sporadically and killing two people and injuring others. “The attack spilled over to the next day (Wednesday), when four more people were killed and more sustaining serious injuries, many of them were rushed to hospitals for treatment in Zaki-Biam and Ugba, headquarters of the local government area.” Also reacting, the Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the local government area, Mr. Mbatseen Terngu, who confirmed the killing, said: “The close to 5,000 cows were grazing and roaming freely in the area while farmlands were being destroyed freely.” When contacted, the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, Moses Yamu, said he was yet to get the details of the attacks.

Davidson Iriekpen

Crimes Commission (EFCC). She ruled that he awarded The Lagos Division of the Court contracts above the stipulated of Appeal yesterday overturned N2.5million threshold and, the five-year conviction of a accordingly, convicted him former Nigerian Maritime in 24 out of 27-counts charge Administration and Safety but discharged and acquitted Agency (NIMASA) Director- him of three others. But the appellate court held General, Temisan Raymond Omatseye, for alleged contract yesterday, among others, that the trial court did not properly splitting. The appellate court evaluate the evidence. The court, presided over discharged and acquitted Omatseye of all the 24-counts by Justice Yargata Nimpar, charge upon which he was resolved all five grounds convicted at the lower court. of appeal in favour of the It set aside the May appellant. Other members of the 20, 2016, judgment of the Federal High Court, Lagos, three-man panel were Justice which convicted Omatseye Adejumo Obaseki and Justice on a charge bordering on bid Abraham Georgewill. In reaching its decision, the rigging and contract splitting. Justice Rita Ofili- court considered four issues Ajumogobia had found for determination, including Omatseye guilty in a whether under Section 16(1) N1.5 billion contract scam (A) of the Public Procurement following his prosecution by Act 2007, approval for the Economic and Financial spending over the threshold

constituted an offence. Justice Nimpar, who read the judgment, considered whether the trial court properly evaluated the evidence. She said: “I found that it did not.” Nimpar added: “The long and short of it is that, the appeal succeeds. The prosecution should not ride roughshod over the Constitution. “The judiciary will do the war on corruption more harm by declaring someone a criminal, where no offence has been committed. “I find merit in the appeal. The conviction is hereby set aside and the appellant is hereby discharged and acquitted.” The appellant’s kinsmen, who were in court in their numbers, burst out in jubilation after the judgment was delivered. The former NIMASA boss in the appeal by his lawyer,

Edoka Onyeke, argued, among others, that he was persecuted and not prosecuted. He said although contract splitting existed in law, approval above threshold did not. Omatseye accused Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia of jettisoning an exonerating January 23, 2013 letter from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), which it admitted as evidence in court. According to him, the letter stated that the 27-count charge brought under sections of the procurement Act that deals with administrative breaches rather than real offences. Justice Rita OfiliAjumogobia’s judgment had been touted as the first major high profile conviction since President Muhammadu Buhari began his anticorruption crusade.

friDAY, mAY 12, 2017 • T H I S D AY

NEWSXTRA

2017 Budget Breakdown 2017 BUDGET BREAKDOWN SCHEDULE PART A — STATUTORY TRANSFERS HEAD – Statutory Transfers

(N)

National Judicial Council Niger-Delta Development Commission Universal Basic Education

100,000,000,000

National Assembly

125,000,000,000

64,023,554,666 95,189,395,583

Public Complaints Commission

4,000,000,000

INEC

45,000,000,000

National Human Right Commission Total — Statutory Transfers

1,200,000,000 434,412,950,249

PART B — DEBT SERVICE HEAD – Debt Service Domestic Debts Foreign Debts Sub-Total HEAD – Sinking Fund Sinking Fund to Retire Maturing Loans Sub-Total Total — Debt Service

President Muhammadu Buhari

(N) 1,488,002,436,547

177,460,296,707

Office of the National Security Adviser Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation State House Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Sub-Total: Executive

177,460,296,707

Federal Executive Bodies:

175,882,993,952 1,663,885,430,499 (N)

1,841,345,727,206

Executive:

Federal Civil Service Commission

(N) 0

National Population Commission

2,693,253,521

Police Service Commission

8,843,198,998

Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission

31,752,144,051

Sub-Total: Federal Executive Bodies

Auditor General for the Federation Ministry of Budget and National Planning Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry of Defence

330,543,309,223

Federal Ministry of Education

398,686,819,418

Federal Ministry of Environment

Code of Conduct Tribunal Federal Character Commission

PART C — RECURRENT (NON-DEBT) EXPENDITURE HEAD – Ministry/Department/Agency

Code of Conduct Bureau

16,108,983,841

Federal Ministry of Finance

9,521,555,393

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

56,424,094,037

Federal Ministry of Health Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment Federal Ministry of Information and Culture Federal Ministry of Interior

252,854,396,662 10,797,165,779

Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma

76,281,025,653 6,652,280,969 22,947,666,215 51,933,366,906 2,086,196,473,860 0 2,337,582,923 573,778,581 2,158,721,471 943,761,945 5,563,110,903 705,772,631 2,061,930,637 14,344,659,090

Service-Wide Votes and Pensions Expenditure Items Pensions and Gratuities Total Allocation: Office of the Head of the Civil Service (Civilian Pension) Pensions

191,631,846,958 33,290,715,716 28,391,013,524

Gratuities

2,300,000,000

472,597,817,561

Benefits of Retired Heads of the Civil Service of the Federation and Federal

2,599,702,192

Federal Ministry of Justice Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development Federal Ministry of Niger Delta Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources Federal Ministry of Science and Technology Federal Ministry of Transportation

21,038,344,711

Military Pensions and Gratuities (DMP)

71,156,115,576

Pensions

65,619,472,577

Federal Ministry of Water Resources

7,301,176,944

Federal Ministry of Women Affairs

1,466,534,201

Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development Fiscal Responsibility Commission Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Infrastructure Concessionary and Regulatory Commission (ICRC) Federal Ministry of Communications Technology National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission

40,821,093,321

8,626,186,611 10,385,055,182 1,764,382,365

2017 Expected Retirees

3,170,929,878

Death Benefits

2,115,713,121

Pension Running Costs

150,000,000

63,222,101,051

2017 Verification Costs

50,000,000

27,785,074,208

Administrative Costs

50,000,000

14,810,103,581

Police Pensions and Gratuities

7,412,463,652

Pensions Customs, Immigration and Prisons Pension Office Pensions Universities' Pensions Including Arrears Pensions Parastatals' Pension and Railway Pensions Pensions

7,412,463,652

32,821,929,055 89,316,015,167 332,848,038 5,159,640,131 884,624,464 11,192,782,734 631,503,868

8,420,000,000 8,420,000,000

Pensions (Including Arrears)

7,643,405,446

Nigeria Intelligence Agency

3,709,146,567

Pensions/dependants Benefits

3,709,146,567

NELMCO

16,642,621,229

NELMCO Pension/Arrears

16,642,621,229

Service Wide Votes Total Allocation: Service-wide Votes Pensions Arrears of 33% Increase in Pension Rate — Military Arrears of Pension Liabilities Payment of Outstanding Death Benefit to Civil Servants/Police Payment into the Redemption Fund (5% of Total Personnel Cost) including Arrears of 2014 and 2015 Group Life Insurance for all MDAs Including DSS/Insurance of Sensitive Assets/Corpers plus Administration and Monitoring Entitlements of Former Presidents/ Heads of State and Vice-Presidents/ Chiefs of General Staff Other Service-Wide Votes Public Service Wage Adjustment for MDAs (Including Arrears of Promotion and Salary Increases) and Payment of Severance Benefits Military Operations : Lafiya Dole and Other Operations of the Armed Forces Contribution to International Organisations/external Financial Obligations Margin for Increases in Costs and Recurrent Adjustment Costs Contingency (Recurrent) Employees Compensation Act — Employees' Compensation Fund Payment for Outsourced Services Service Wide Training of Budget/ Planning Officers on GIFMIS Budget, Preparation System (BPs) as well as Monitoring and Evaluation of all Projects Nationwide TSA Operations IPPIS Capturing

228,677,053,528 89,977,053,528 14,481,244,610 3,000,000,000 5,000,000,000 50,195,808,918 15,000,000,000 2,300,000,000 138,700,000,000 30,200,000,000

25,000,000,000 10,000,000,000 5,000,000,000 15,000,000,000 4,000,000,000 1,500,000,000 2,000,000,000 4,000,000,000 2,000,000,000

14,343,326,479

Settlement of MDAs Electricity Bills

40,000,000,000

14,343,326,479

Refunds to Special Accounts

40,000,000,000

26,756,754,031

Special Intervention (Recurrent) Presidential Amnesty Programme: Stipends, Operations and Reintegration Total CRF Charges

26,756,754,031

Pre-1996 Nigeria Railway Corporation Pension

2,257,298,262

Pensions

2,257,298,262

Department of State Security

7,643,405,446

Total Recurrent (Non-Debt)

350,000,000,000 76,700,000,000 887,008,900,486 2,987,550,033,436

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017

NEWSXTRA

Dasuki: Court to Rule on Prosecution’s Request to Shield Witnesses June 15 Alex Enumah in Abuja Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Abuja, will on June 15 decide whether to allow the prosecution witnesses billed to testify against the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), to be screened or not. The judge fixed the date after listening to the submissions of counsel on the merit and demerit of the application. Dasuki is standing trial on allegations of money laundering and illegal possession of firearms preferred against him by the federal government. He was first arraigned before Justice Adeniyi Ademola who is still on suspension by the National Judicial Council (NJC) over allegations of receiving gratification in the course of discharging his duties. Ademola’s suspension is yet to be lifted even though he has been discharged and acquitted of all the charges, the case was transferred to Justice A. R. Mohammed. At the resumed hearing yesterday, prosecution counsel, Ladipo Opeseyi, who moved

the application, told the court that it was dated June 3, 2016 and had been argued by both counsel and the judge was on the verge of delivering ruling before the case was transferred. He said the application for screening the witnesses was pursuant to Section 232 of Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA). While claiming that the application is harmless, he prayed the court to grant it in the interest of justice. However, defence counsel, Ahmed Raji (SAN), held that the offences which witnessed are to be screened or masked as contained under section 321, are not among charges his client is standing trial for. He said terrorism, trafficking in persons, and economic crime charges under which the witnesses can be screened have been expunged from charges against Dasuki hence there was no need to screen or mask witnesses. He noted that a similar application was filed by the prosecution earlier and there was ruling on it. “A well-deserved ruling was given, so the current application

is an abuse of court process. What my learned silk is asking the court to do is to sit on appeal on the decision of this court, when the court of appeal is just a few meters away. “The current application is an abuse of court process. What the prosecution is saying is that you sit on appeal by court of same jurisdiction. “The application now is predicated on the old charge which was withdrawn. “There is no life in the present charge, it died with the old charge and buried with it,” Raji said. Addressing the issue of likely harm to the witnesses, Raji said it was speculative. He said it was based on assumption, that something will happen to somebody, which is speculative. “All this time he has been in court has anything happened to anybody? “The witnesses are already named one by one so what are you hiding again. It is a cheap blackmail, refuse the application my Lord, Raji summed. Responding, Okeseyi said: “The court is not a father Christmas that grants what

has not been asked for. “Our application is that they be screened to give evidence not masked. There is a big distinction between the present application and past. “Screening and masking are two different things. If the court has defined screening and masking that means the court is not sitting as appeal court over its judgment. “Despite the amendment the charges have not changed. The same charges have been filed since inception,” he said. He said the screening would not bar the defence counsel from seeing the witnesses or take away the rights of the defendant to fair hearing. After listening to the arguments from both sides, Justice Mohammed reserved ruling till June 15. Dasuki was accused of being in possession of prohibited firearms without requisite licence in July 2015, contrary to Section 28 of the Firearms Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. He was specifically alleged to have been in possession of five Tervor rifles at his residence in Asokoro, Abuja.

2017 BUDGET BREAKDOWN PART D — CAPITAL EXPENDITURE Head – Ministry/Department/Agency Executive: Auditor General for the Federation Ministry of Budget and National Planning Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry of Defence Federal Ministry of Education Federal Ministry of Environment

(N) 90,509,818 4,092,773,627 103,793,201,010 139,294,920,350 56,720,969,147 12,479,369,455

Federal Ministry of Finance

5,181,348,624

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

10,291,783,534

Federal Ministry of Health Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment Federal Ministry of Information and Culture Federal Ministry of Interior Federal Ministry of Justice Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development Federal Capital Territory Administration Federal Ministry of Niger Delta Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources Federal Ministry of Science and Technology

55,609,880,120

Federal Ministry of Transportation

241,709,000,000

Federal Ministry of Water Resources

104,245,803,117

Federal Ministry of Women Affairs Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development Fiscal Responsibility Commission Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Infrastructure Concessionary and Regulatory Commission (ICRC) Federal Ministry of Communications Technology National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission Office of the National Security Adviser Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation

4,250,732,000

81,726,971,059 9,546,245,041 63,760,562,487 12,705,755,001 8,803,520,400

State House

20,066,000,000

Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF)

32,778,490,342

Sub-Total: Executive

1,710,580,601,619

1,394,854,364

Code of Conduct Tribunal

513,616,705

Federal Character Commission

400,000,000

Federal Civil Service Commission National Population Commission Police Service Commission Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission Sub-Total: Federal Executive Bodies Total: Executive and Federal Executive Bodies

1,000,000,000 1,000,000,000 100,000,000,000

North-East Intervention Fund

Federal Executive Bodies: Code of Conduct Bureau

National Development Plans (Ministry of Budget and National Planning) Head of Service (Federal Govt Staff Housing Loans Board) Zonal Intervention Projects

16,171,828

45,000,000,000

Counterpart Funding Including Global Fund/Health Payment of Local Contractors' Debts/Other Liabilities

3,500,000,000 20,000,000,000

Galaxy Backbone

4,000,000,000

Contingency (Capital) Recapitalisation of Development Finance Institutions Subscriptions to Shares in International Organisations

10,000,000,000

7,248,944,788

SDG: Special Intervention Project 1

12,000,000,000

1,717,829,546,407

SDG: Special Intervention Project 2

8,000,000,000

3,936,308,554 758,900,000 229,093,337

15,000,000,000 28,635,229,460

Facilities and Technical Services

Capital Supplementation:

Implementation of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) and Establishment of Delivery Unit at the Presidency

2,500,000,000

12,455,000,000

Total Allocation:

30,397,122,872

GIFMIS/IPPIS Capital

5,000,000,000

Total — Capital Supplementation

310,037,229,460

OSSAP- SDGs (Special Projects)

9,000,000,000

150,000,000,000

34,201,500,001 6,793,128,647 41,699,655,490

553,713,857,113 5,441,000,000 148,155,391 767,865,170 34,310,245 8,434,669,142 163,121,916 47,209,203,765 1,974,176,735

310,037,229,460

14,500,000,000

OSSAP-SDGs (Conditional Grants)

10,000,000,000

Capital in FGN Special Intervention Programme

OSSAP-SDGs (Social Safety Nets) Capital Exigencies/Adjustment to Capital Cost

15,902,000,000

Total Capital Expenditure

2,177,866,775,867

Aggregate Expenditure

7,441,175,486,758

5,000,000,000

PROPOSED 2017 NATIONAL ASSEMBLY BUDGET 01 MANAGEMENT

6,714,696,986

6,193,052,825

2,011,315,202

14,919,065,013

02 SENATE

1,856,510,517

25,111,332,147

4,430,923,222

31,398,765,886

03 HOUSE OF REPS

4,923,743,127

39,635,756,179

4,493,244,677

49,052,743,983

961,257,912

1,144,662,999

309,791,962

2,415,712,873

8,917,127,214

534,968,714

150,000,000

9,602,095,928

06 PAC – SENATE

118,970,215

07 PAC – HOUSE

142,764,258

08 GENERAL SERVICES

11,767,743,268

816,928,811

12,584,672,079

09 NASS LEG. INSTITUTE

416,452,124

1,229,369,283

2,727,992,189

4,373,813,596

10 SERVICE-WIDE-VOTE

391,396,169

23,789,787,880

85,878,619,888

14,940,196,063

125,000,000,000

04 NASS SERVICE COMM. 05 LEGISLATIVE AIDES

TOTAL

T H I S D AY FRIDAY MAY 12, 2017

Celebration Of Life The Board, Management and StaďŹ&#x20AC; of Fidelity Bank Plc commiserate with the Maduako family of Ozuomee Urualla, Ideato-North Local Government Area of Imo State, on the passage of Nze (Dr.) Clement Obineze Maduako, JP, MFR, KSJI, (Former Non-Executive Director, Fidelity Bank Plc) on March 17, 2017. We pray the Lord grants his soul eternal rest and his family, the fortitude to bear the loss of their father and patriarch. Burial arrangements as announced by the family.

Nze (Dr.) Clement Obineze Maduako, JP, MFR, KSJI (Ezeakaibe Urualla, Ugwumba Ozuomee) 1929 - 2017

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017

FRIDAYSPORTS

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

BAKU 2017

CAN Calls for Withdrawal of Nigeria’s Contingent from Muslims Only Games Senator Iroegbu in Abuja The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has condemned the participation of the country in the ongoing Muslims Only Islamic Solidarity Sports Games in Azerbaijan as illegal. Against this backdrop, the General Secretary of CAN, Rev. Musa Asake, in a statement yesterday, urged the Federal Government to withdraw the country’s contingent immediately from the Games staring today at the Baku Olympic Stadium in Azerbaijan. Nigeria is one of the 57 countries participating in the sporting event in the Euro-Asian country, tagged BAKU 2017. But Asake in the protest letter addressed to the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of Federation (OSGF), the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the association reminds them that Nigeria remains a secular state. The letter read: “It has come to our notice that the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation (ISSF) is organising its 4th game titled BAKU 2017 in Azerbaijan from May 12 through 22, 2017. Of concern to us is the information

that Nigeria is listed as one of the 57 countries participating in the Games. “This information is available on the official web page of the ISSF and can be confirmed at: http:// www.baku2017.com/en/countries. “The organisers confirmed that the Games are strictly for Islamic countries because the ‘‘ISSF is a section of the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC.)’’ “We request that this claim and Nigeria’s participation should be investigated because, including Nigeria in an international engagement based purely on religion violates the spirit and letter of section 10 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). We wish to reiterate that Nigeria is a secular nation and any misrepresentation should be corrected without delay, and Nigeria’s participation be stopped immediately. “We further request you to please call those behind this illegal action to order without delay before further damage is done to the nation’s identity and the perception of the stance of the government of the day as pro-Islam. Nigeria’s membership of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) should be withdrawn henceforth.”

CBL/Lagos ‘May Madness’ Dunks off at Teslim Balogun Stadium The Sports Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium in the Surulere area of Lagos will get very busy this night and for the next three weeks as Continental Basketball League (CBL) takes the jump ball. The opening game of the tournament will start at 7pm local time in the hall that has been totally reworked for the upscale basketball competition. The Basketball Challenge tagged the ‘May Madness’ has been put together in celebration of 50 years of Lagos State. But the ‘Madness’ will not be limited to Lagos as four other cities across Africa will play host to the six teams in the competition. The teams are Eko Kings, Lagos City Stars, and Lagos Warriors from Lagos; the other African teams are Libreville Izobe Dragons (Gabon); Abidjan Raiders from Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire) and

Yaoundé Giants from Cameroon. The players largely based in the United States of America began arriving in Lagos on Monday as the countdown to the jump ball continued. Many who are visiting Lagos for the very first time say they are eager to play basketball and get off the court to know the Lagos City very well. Mohammed Guida from Egypt who is starring for Eko Kings told reporters yesterday: “I am already beginning to like Lagos even though it’s my first visit. I can see the people here are very friendly and love to play on the streets; I love things simple that way. It’s my first time but I believe I will have a great experience here in and out of the game.” His teammate Kelechi Akunna who lives in the USA believes CBL offers opportunities by far greater than quick cash.

Okowa to Draw Curtain on Delta Sports Festival Today After four days of competition, the 6th Delta State Sports Festival will come to an end today at Ozoro Polytechnic Stadium. The closing ceremony, which was earlier scheduled for 2.00pm has been rescheduled for 12 noon to accommodate all the activities lined up by the organisers. The ceremony, which will be presided over by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, is expected to attract dignitaries from within and outside the state, including the Sports Minister Solomon Dalung. The Ovie of Ozoro Kingdom, HRM Anthony Ogbogbo is also expected

to grace the occasion. According the organisers, some of the events lined up for today’s ceremony include; the final of the football match, 4x100m and 4x400m relay for men and women. match past by the participants. Residents of Isoko North and Isoko South Local Government Areas have been urged to troop out en-masse for today’s ceremony. Meanwhile, elite athlete, Ogho-Oghene Egwero yesterday won the 200m gold medal in a time of 20.07 seconds to bring his medal haul to two so far in the festival.

EUROPA: Man Utd Books Ajax Final Manchester United survived a nervy last few minutes to reach their first Europa League final last night after a 1-1 draw with Celta Vigo. Jose Mourinho’s team went through 2-1 on aggregate following last week’s 1-0 win in northern Spain. The former English Premiership champions are to meet Dutch giants Ajax who lost 3-1 away to Lyon last night yet qualified based on their first leg 4-1 victory in Amsterdam that saw them through 5-4 on aggregate.

PREMIERSHIP

Chelsea Waiting to be Crowned at West Brom Today ‘We will not roll over for Blues’ Chelsea will have to fight for the win they need to secure the Premier League title at West Bromwich Albion this afternoon as the West Midlands club is determined to finish the season on a high after a woeful run, midfielder Chris Brunt has said. West Brom, winless in their last six, have lost their last three home games 1-0 and host Chelsea in their final match of the season

at The Hawthorns. “It’s our last game at home, and we’ve done reasonably well at home, so it would be nice to go out and get a result against them if we can,” Brunt told British media. “We can’t just roll over and let them get the result they need to win the league. They won’t get an easy game when they come to The Hawthorns on Friday (today).

“We’ve lost the last couple of matches at home without scoring a goal. Chelsea are a top side and it’s going to be really difficult, but it would be nice to finish off on a high if we can.” West Brom defender Gareth McAuley said they were aiming to finish with at least 50 points. They are currently on 45 with visits to Manchester City and Swansea to come after the

Chelsea game. “They’re a top, top side. Over the years we’ve had good games against them and we’ve had a few good results at The Hawthorns, so we’ll be turning up confident and trying to win the game,” McAuley said. West Brom have beaten Chelsea in three of their last five league meetings at The Hawthorns.

Serie A: Juve, Roma Clash Live Justice Phillips Joins FIFA Ethics Committee on StarTimes World Sports Immediate past Chief Judge of by Vassilios Skouris (Greece), Fresh from grabbing the ticket to the final of this year’s UEFA Champions League at Monaco, Juventus fans will be hoping to seal a sixth consecutive Serie A title as Roma come visiting at the 72,698 capacity Stadio Olympico in Rome on Sunday evening. Juve is seating pretty on 85 points from 35 games atop the log with Roma on 78 points in the third position. Juve’s 4-0 whitewash of Genoa last Sunday before consolidating with the Champions League ticket on Tuesday must be reassuring fans of the Old Lady that the season is a done deal. Coach Massimiliano Allegri of Juventus and his Roma counterpart, Luciano Spalletti must be looking beyond the weekend encounter

already and be thinking on how to once again fortify their teams for next season. Football viewers can enjoy the best of the Italian Serie A actions on StarTimes World Football Channels 244 and 254 by7:45 PM on Sunday. Speaking on these coming sporting actions, Acting Brand and Marketing Director, StarTimes, Mr. Qasim Elegbede said the company’s commitment to delivering quality sporting content to its subscribers was the reason behind the acquisitions of sporting rights like the Serie A, Bundesliga, French Ligue 1, Chinese Super League, Eredivisie and recently, the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Lagos State, Hon. Justice Ayotunde Phillips has been elected as a Member of the highly respected Ethics Committee of world soccer governing body, FIFA. In what amounted to another remarkable accomplishment for Nigerian Football, Justice Phillips’ election was ratified by the congress of FIFA at its 67th Congress in Manama, Bahrain yesterday. This is further evidence of the rising profile of Nigeria in international football circles as shown by the recent appointments of the NFF President Amaju Pinnick into important CAF and FIFA roles. The new FIFA Ethics Committee (Adjudicatory Chamber) is headed

the longest-serving President of the European Court of Justice. Fiti Sunia (American Samoa), a Judge and former Attorney General of American Samoa, is deputy chairman. Other Members are Mohammad Ali Al Kamali (United Arab Emirates: Asia), Aivar Pohlak (Estonia: Europe), Margarita Echeverria (Costa Rica: North and Central America and the Caribbeans), Jack Kariko (Papua New Guinea: Oceania) and Flavio Zveiter (Brazil: South America). Justice Phillips is presently the Chairman of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC).

3,000 Athletes to Run at 5th Okpekpe Race Over 3,000 athletes have been confirmed to run at the fifth Okpekpe International 10km Road Race which holds tomorrow at Okekpe near Auchi in Edo State. A top technical official of the race, Yusuf Alli disclosed yesterday in Okpekpe that the number is made up of over 23 foreign elite athletes and 32 from the Nigerian elite class. “The elite athletes, both foreign

and local are here in Auchi. They will go on a route tour today to familiarise themselves with the race course in line with International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) rules,” said Alli, a former Nigeria long jump king and former Commonwealth record holder. “I am delighted with the huge number of locals especially from North Ibie side which includes

Okpekpe. It shows they have fully embraced the race. They will not only be running to be fit or just for the fun of it. They also have the opportunity to win money at the event. There is prize money for the North Ibie athletes courtesy Mr John Momoh, chairman and chief executive officer of Channels Television,” revealed Ali who restated the organisers preparedness for the race.

“Everything is set. The athletes are here. We have done the lining of the route, particularly the kilometer markings. There will be water, sponges and refreshment stations along the route and at the finish and if I must add, the drinking/ sponging and refreshment stations are adequately staffed by competent personnel and everything has been done in accordance with IAAF Rule 240.8,” he said.

Friday, May 12, 2017

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Price: N250

MISSILE Ojougboh to Makarfi faction “None of them on the so-called caretaker committee has ever run a party, they don’t have experience and so they don’t even know what government is all about.” Former presidential liaison and key player in the Senator Modu Sheriff faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Cairo Ojougboh criticizing the Senator Ahmed Makarfi’s faction for faulting the Buhari administration’s decision to negotiate with terrorists for the release of 82 Chibok girls.

eniola.bello@thisdaylive.com

@eniolaseni 08055001956

Apapa as Messy Metaphor L et me start with a confession: THISDAY corporate headquarters is located on Creek Road, Apapa. I’m therefore forced by my commitment to duty, and the need to earn my pay, to drive to Apapa almost everyday. And I can tell you it is never a pleasant experience. I write therefore as an interested party. But were the circumstances of earning a living not have compelled me to have to regularly drive to Apapa, I should, as a Nigerian, be sad (every patriotic Nigerian should be) to see what that part of Lagos, the main artery to the fourth biggest port in Africa, has degenerated into. Indeed no part of Nigeria should be allowed to so waste away. Apapa is a messy metaphor of the dysfunctional state of our federation. It is a breathing example of what years of irresponsible government can cause a nation. It is an indication of the scorn and contempt with which those who profess to be our leaders hold the people. It is an open sore of a city, not to talk of a mega city. Apapa is Nigeria in microcosm – abandoned, chaotic, decadent, and rudderless. It is worse than a jungle; for unlike a jungle, there is no method to Apapa’s madness. Dear readers, fasten your seatbelts as I take you on a nightmarish drive into Apapa. But first, a little background! Apapa, located west of Lagos Island, lies by the mouth of the lagoon. The Lagos Port Complex, popularly called Wharf, occupies some 120 hectares land area in Apapa. Operated by private firms on behalf of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Lagos Port Complex contains a number of ports and terminals for containers and cargos, and has berthing areas, cargo handling facilities, stacking areas, and storage facilities. According to the NPA, under the Lagos Port Complex are 16 jetties, four of which are inactive, five operated solely by the NPA, two jointly by the NPA and NNPC (Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation), one also jointly by the NPA and Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), and the remaining privately operated. The Tin Can Island port, which has Ro-Ro facilities, is adjacent to the container terminal. So right here in Apapa is Nigeria’s biggest seaport, from where the country earns perhaps its highest revenue outside of crude oil. Yet, of the two access roads inward and outward Apapa, neither is motorable. Coming in from Ikorodu Road via Ijora Bridge and turning off to the GRA, there is a huge crater by Area B Command of Nigeria Police Force. Driving straight into the commercial area is a far worse crater, deep and wide enough to almost swallow an SUV. Right from Ijora Bridge is a deafening cacophony of horns belting out from heavy-duty vehicles of trailers and fuel tankers and 10-ton trucks occupying almost every inch of a four-lane dual carriageway that could transform into a six-lane or eight-lane, depending on the heaviness of the traffic. At the best of times, descending the bridge from ijora into Apapa, a drive that ordinarily should take less than five minutes, could take two hours; and at the worst of times, four to five hours. As your driver somehow finds a way through the mass of heavy-duty vehicles, you pray and hope, you hope and pray that an unbalanced container would not fall off a trailer on your car, that the driver of the fuel tanker behind you would not doze off, that one of those trucks in almost permanent state of disrepair does not have brake failure. You stay in that car, a sitting duck, looking furtively, at intervals, to your right, then to your left, and thereafter to the back, nervous and snapping at your driver at every unexpected matching on the car brakes, unable to concentrate if reading, or enjoy the music from the car radio. Driving into Apapa is a miserable non-adventure not for the brave, but the crazy.

Fashola Accessing Apapa through Tin Can is even worse. What is called the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway is no more than a death trap. From Coconut through Tin Can Island to Liverpool roundabout, different sections of the road either side of the dual carriageway have been cut off. Therefore at every section of this area, vehicles drive one way inward and outward, first on one side, and then on the other. Even the portions of the road that appear motorable are so bad that containers fall from trailers at will and crush motorists unfortunate to be nearby. Driving on the Tin Can route is akin to playing the Russian roulette. Apapa itself is a community besieged. Most roads in the commercial area have been turned to emergency trailer parks. Trailers and tankers permanently park indiscriminately on Creek Road, Burma Road, Wharf Road, Warehouse Road, Kofo Abayomi Avenue, and Randle Road amongst others. Apapa GRA, which used to be one of the best places to live in Lagos, an area designed for the rich and upwardly mobile, has lost its peace and quiet. On Liverpool Road and Marine Road and Point Road and Oduduwa Way and Park Lane are queues of tankers, some going everywhere and nowhere, and others permanently parked. For residents of Apapa, neither driving out nor returning is anything to look forward to. The result? Many people have relocated from Apapa, abandoning houses they own while renting properties in other areas of town. Property prices have crashed. Many businesses have closed shop. The Lebanese who operated the restaurants and supermarkets and nightclubs and generally kept Apapa bubbling 24 hours have since moved on. A battalion of Okada commercial motorcyclists has cornered the transportation business within Apapa, breaking arms and legs and waists in the process. Creek Road is an environmental disaster waiting to happen, a potential incubator of cholera. Piles of refuse are not only assembled on the road, parcels of human waste are packaged in fast food packs and cellophane bags and newspaper or magazine pages and thrown around indiscriminately by tanker drivers who have made the roadside their bedroom and bathroom and restroom. There is a very choking smell of urine pervading the atmosphere with a swarm of flies dancing on wet patches and dry patches of urine here and there. It is incredible that a government could claim to be in place in a society

that allows this anomaly unchecked. Even wild animals show a higher level of civilization by isolating an area for waste discharge. In the daily bedlam that community has become, some persons have died of cardiac arrest right behind the steering wheel, not unlikely from accumulated toll from the stress of working in, or being resident of, Apapa. Containers falling off trailers have crushed some others. Many have been victims of attacks from hoodlums and robbers. The Apapa problem is a creation of the Federal Government. It started in the early years of the second term of the Obasanjo administration. That was when the NPA and its supervising Ministry of Transport at the time gave out some land areas from the Lagos Port Complex to some oil firms to use as Fuel Tank Farms. Today, there are no less than four tank farms in Apapa from where an average of 3,000 tankers daily load petroleum products to other parts of the country. In its decision-making process, the government made no parking provision for the tankers. Tanker drivers thereafter began parking their vehicles on the highway and the inner roads. They not only ignored the protestations of companies whose businesses were affected, they resorted to violence and strikes when the state government in collaboration with some federal government agencies tried to establish some order. The situation became worse when the Trailer Park inside the Ports Complex was taken over by the concessionaire operating the port. It was double jeopardy as trailers joined the tankers in parking on the roads. Successive governments since then have been unable to find a creative solution both in the short term, and in the long, to resolve the problem. Five newspapers, which had their offices on that axis, from Airport Road – The Guardian, Punch, The Sun, Vanguard and THISDAY – began a sustained campaign of bringing government attention to the problem. More than 12 years after, it is like winking in the dark. The late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, in apparent response to an editorial in THISDAY, sent one of his ministers down to Lagos for an on the spot assessment. From

the airport, that minister got as far as Coconut before he was arrested by the immovable traffic despite the best efforts of a team of gun-wielding mobile policemen in siren-blaring pilot car. The matter was in abeyance until former President Goodluck Jonathan set up an inter-ministerial committee headed by then Coordinating Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. In collaboration with the Lagos State government, the committee worked out an arrangement in which a team of police, army and navy personnel were to ensure a lane was kept free for vehicular movement. That arrangement barely lasted a month before it collapsed as the security agents on the beat turned it to a moneymaking game. Throughout those years, then Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola made a song and dance of the issue, blaming the federal government, then controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for creating the mess, refusing to clear it, and obstructing the state government from doing the needful. Fashola made the Apapa situation a handy campaign weapon against the PDP. By a stroke of good fortune, however, Fashola’s party, APC (All Progressive Congress) won at the centre and he was put in charge of a ministry under whose remit it is to reconstruct Apapa access roads. Suprisingly, Fashola has lost his voice on Apapa since he became Works, Power and Housing minister. Incidentally, the minister is of the same party as Akinwunmi Ambode, his successor in Lagos. There can be no excuse, as he was wont to lament when he was governor, that Apapa was one more example of how the PDP controlled federal government was fighting the opposition controlled government in Lagos. Two years on as minister, the situation in Apapa is worse. What has happened to Fashola’s campaign rhetorics? Why is the APC government not taking responsibility for this mess? What have the people done to deserve such contempt? Even if the federal government were not disposed to fix Apapa as social service, should it not consider it as an economic imperative – improve the ease of doing business in the Lagos Port Complex with an eye on increased revenue? Or has Fashola given up?

Okpekpe Road Race Live

With Publisher of Daily Times Fidelis Anosike (middle) and Immigration Lawyer Julien Tetrault (left) at the 2016 edition of Okpekpe 10km road race. The fifth edition is here and I’ll be on the starting block on Saturday to run for health. Follow me live @okpekperoadrace.

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